Open Microphone!
Feel Free to Express Yourself
While being as kind as possible.
It was a big day…
27 Years ago today, there were fireworks, wild shows and concerts,
gamblers gambling, tourists being mugged, hookers rolling tricks.
Buffets were dirt cheap! Hotel rooms were comped; nobody paid to park.
It was still Old Vegas.
Note: There will be a lag in blogging while I deal with needful things. Try not to burn the place down while I’m off pursuing world peace and such. I’m not going to Vegas (see above) or Disneyland…
It’s Sunday and so, a sermonette: Ephesians 6:12 (KJV) “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” It was true in 1620 when the King James Version of the Bible was written, and it’s also true today.
A Few Points:
** As security deteriorates around the Gulf and prospects for a near-term peace deal recede, regional states are strengthening their defenses. Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan signed a joint military agreement in Mecca on Thursday, creating an alliance that includes the second-largest NATO army, the world’s biggest oil exporter, and the only nuclear-armed Muslim state. The pact stipulates that an “armed attack against any one of the three states shall be regarded as an attack against them all.” Does that mean that the Turks and Paks will invade Iran? No. So what is the paper they signed worth? Other than getting their pictures in the paper.
** h/t Greg – Clearing the air on what is and isn’t.
** The Supreme Court in June decided American citizenship is worthless by giving it to everyone. Groucho Marx: “I don’t want to belong to any club that would accept me as a member.”
** In Michigan – Pollsters agreed that Allahu Akbar el-Sayad would beat Haley Stevens by 10 points in the Michigan Democrat primary. The Muslim won by one point. Which proves experts were right when they called Iowa Poll the gold standard of polling. The Iowa Poll said Kamala would win by 3 points in Iowa. She lost by 13 points. Al Qaeda el-Sayed said, “I can’t wait to sit across RFK Jr. and actually grill him. Dude uses big words he does not understand. And I happen to go to medical school, so I kind of understand them. I’m a guy with a doctorate in medicine and in public health.” Former babysitter Jill Biden, with her plagiarized Ed.D is more of a doctor than this physician who has never seen a patient.
** Late News – While the country slept, the Senate did the one thing Democrats spent weeks threatening to prevent. At roughly 4 in the morning, the chamber cleared a continuing resolution to keep the government funded and sent it toward the House. The gavel came down on a lopsided tally. 𝘖𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘷𝘰𝘵𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 90, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 6. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 60-𝘷𝘰𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥. One senator answered present. This matters for a simple reason: a shutdown was supposed to be the left’s leverage heading into the 2026 midterms. 𝐀 𝟗𝟎-𝟔 𝐯𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐠𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 — 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫. The six no votes were a scattered mix of the far left and a couple of budget hawks, not a Democratic bloc holding out for a shutdown. The two chambers still have to reconcile their versions before it reaches President Trump’s desk. But the Senate just took the shutdown gun off the table, and it did it with overwhelming bipartisan numbers that democrat leadership can’t spin as extremism.
Identify the Ship (by class is ok)
1
2
3
Parting Shot
Business Opportunity?
Should the White Wolf Mine go into the religious trinket business?
It worked for St. Anthony Fauci, who had his own line of religious trinkets featuring himself.
Complete with an iconic paper mask made in China.
End
Identify the Ship
1 – Japanese Navy Ushio – Fubuki-class destroyer.
2 – Japanese Navy Aoba heavy cruiser – lead ship of her class
3 – Japanese Navy Chitose seaplane tender – lead ship of her class
Outstanding!!
Identify the Ship:
1. Japanese Fubuki-class destroyer Oboro
2. Japanese heavy cruiser Aoba
3. Japanese seaplane carrier Chitose
Excellent
And so yet another year without a budget but a CR – Continuing Resolution. Rhetorically, is there a way to impeach and recall the entire legislative branch for not doing their job and passing a budget since 2008?
Sadly, I wonder if we’ve seen our last budget? I know that OMB comes up with one. But from a practical perspective of real politics?
Going to draft a letter in response to not filing my tax return next year that will onc agin require me to write a check to The Criminals in Charge who We The People are funding at ‘the point of a bayonet’ (h/t LL):
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“To whom it may concern, this is my ‘Continuing Resolution’ for personal income and ensuing Federal tax return. I am certain you will understand that while I am on recess from an actual job as a retiree, and despite being taxed to the hilt for 50+ years, please continue to resolve my continually increasing tax burden until next year while deferring any penalties associated with this situation as I have no budget to define what additional taxes I may owe.
‘The Management’ appreciates your cooperation in this matter.”
Might want to file the return and not pay tax. Acc9rding to my accountant not filing a return is a crime but not paying taxes is a civil matter. My instructions to her is I stop all federal tax payments if they ever evote to pay reparations. I’ll keep filing returns to stay out of jail but not pay and let my estate work it out!
Just saw this accurate snark: ‘The Senate narrowly escapes doing anything productive before the August recess.’
About sums it up…so yeah, need to find a way to impeach all of them and start from scratch…minimally should stop paying them.
I really hate being negative: I really do!
Congresscritters and Snotters each earn $174k/: how do they become multi-millionaires (like Sandy) within a few years?
Even if you remove the top layer, there are plenty of other grifters just panting, waiting to take their place.
It’s like playing Whack-A-Mole.
And lets not even start discussing the much benighted Judiciary: Ketanji Onyika who doesn’t know the difference between a boy and a girl. ““Senator, in my work as a judge, what I do is I address disputes. If there’s a dispute about a definition, people make arguments, and I look at the law and I decide…”
Geniuses like this we do not need on the High Bench. Even the average 5 year old knows where to look to decide whether he’s addressing a man or a woman – and it ain’t a law book.
Yeah, cutting off their salary is spitting in the ocean. How do we hold their feet to the fire they started? Logic, reason, and facts have no affect.
Too bad Thune couldn’t find the votes for the SAVE Act at the same time.
Honest voting in a republic…what a concept.
Excellent video of Ms. Sweerer informing the feckless few about facts and real life data regarding self protection firearms under 2A that those same politicians have vilified and re-characterized based on emotional assumptions or outright lies from their K-Street lobbyist kickback sway-mongers.
As Reagan said, “The trouble with our Liberal friends is not that they’re ignorant; it’s just that they know so much that isn’t so.”
Yet, while Ms. Sweerer’s truth resonates with us ‘Normals’, those sitting in high chairs (highchairs?) will simply ignore her once she leaves the chamber…because they have been ignoring WTP for so long they believe doing so is an allowable standard practice. It’s theater for the ignorant masses…nothing will abate, in fact, they’ll double-down on the propaganda that for so long afterward has emanated (leached?) from Congressional hearings.
One positive: That recent court hearing calling the 1938 (?) gun law into question (if memory serves) is one tiny step in the right direction, but took 40 years of wrangling to happen….because 2A opponents are everywhere, especially with those using private security teams for their personal protection yet hamstring WTP for ours ‘when seconds count and police – assuming they even respond – are minutes away. No politician has a right to tell me or anyone we are required to get their permission to protect our homes and property, loved ones, or our person…yet they believe they can. Time to fix that ‘HOA on steroids’ mentality.
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WWM Votive Candle: Excellent merch for a private ‘church’, and tax deductible to boot. One quibble: It needs some sort of ‘assault weapon’ graphic to complete the concept…plus…while the Friar Tuck outfit isn’t quite right (you ARE the infamous Vegas Award LL) it somehow works with the overall ‘tax free churchy’ image.
“…police – assuming they even respond – are minutes away.” Days away?
Just to start an argument: Why should a twenty-year-old policeman, with his life ahead of him, put his life on the line for you? Why should a thirty-year-old policeman, with a wife and two kids, put his life on the line for you? Who are you?
They’re better off (usually) as EMTs with minimum to zero likelihood of losing their lives, all the while being hailed as heros should the patient recover.
Most police officers, these days, prefer to be data gatherers well removed, distance and time from the scene of the action?
(And even should a policeman be lucky enough to track down and arrest a perp, he knows that the likelihood of the judge releasing or the jury finding guilty the miscreant is extremely high.)
(I’m not discussing firefighters)
No argument from me…it is the situational mentality we find ourselves…in many cities (not so much small towns) one would have to be insane to become a police officer, putting oneself in harms way for most (not all) who don’t appreciate the sacrifice, or worse, vilify you for doing a very difficult, often thankless, job. Same goes for military. Growing up the officers knew me, knew who were the problem children, and were respected. A lot has changed in 50 years of constant hammering by the simple minds of society.
Not so much in small towns – saw a story elsewhere about a guy who got arrested for stealing cattle. His house just burned down…what an amazing coincidence.
Gotta problem?
Call a cop.
Order a pizza.
Offer the cop some of the cold pizza.
🤣…altho not funny when you’re the one waiting.
In Rural Arizona, it can be quite a wait. That’s why they deputize vigilantes if they require force multipliers.
We need votive candles honoring St. Gabriel Possenti. As Brother Gabriel, in his cassock, drove off a bunch of bandits with a gun.
https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/st-gabriel-possenti-5498
Were they more afraid of his dangling courting tackle or the firearm?
Continuing from yesterday, more technology–
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https://x.com/Caarat1/status/2086109877085032648
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Speaking for myself, I prefer to keep Wifi transmissions away from my noggin as much as possible.
as a dentist I love it, but wonder what long-term effect it’ll have on the TMJ working 10 hrs/d – then again, I watch many people move their lips (and mandibles, to some degree) as they read
you think it might be a good business opportunIty for tin hats?
Lady left out one significant fact—8% of 13%—speculate!
Allahu Akbar el-Sayad won half of the 50% of the dems that bothered (were interested enough) to vote.
He serves principalities, powers, the rulers of the darkness of this world.
X2…Dad would couch it as “sell them the rope they’d hang themselves with”. Bizarre times we live when people vote for their own demise.
Priests of Baal…
Good luck with those whirled peas! :-) And the Saudi/Paki/Turkey agreement isn’t worth the paper it’s written on… There is no way the Pakis will go into Iran!
It’s an excuse for a party and a headline.
Yes, we must go into the trash and trinkets market.
Keychains, church keys, votive candles, tea towels, etc.
The USA should be more than self sufficent in raw minerals and processing them. While not an orignal thought, is it possible that foreign competitors found it cost effective to fund radical environmental groups to slowly strangle mining and smelting? Over time infrastructure deteriorates and institutional knowledge is lost. Competitive advantage is lost and dependency increased. Viable business strategy with a side of weakening an enemy?
That might be more credible if environmentalists were communists.
Oh.
I liked Old Vegas. “Casino” is one of my favorite movies. When I was a kid, I thought the whole Las Vegas Scene was beyond just cool. The Rat Pack, the shows, the music (Sinatra at the Sands is in my record collection), the glamour, all of it.
.
Some of the “actors and extras” in Casino played themselves.
.
The place went corporate, removing the fun and increasing the price. A hamburger is $50 in many places.
“because they have been ignoring WTP for so long they believe doing so is an allowable standard practice. It’s theater for the ignorant masses…nothing will abate, in fact, they’ll double-down on the propaganda…”
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Coming late to the party, due to 12hr plus days out on fire.
So true Paul, to quote the devil’s aunt, Nancy P.
” China? “They’re more free than we are.” After mentally assembling this puzzling statement, my interpolation is; They as in the CCP having less restraint than the Uniparty and the deep state to keep ( or achieve) totalitarian control.
2nd quote from Newsomes “aunt”, ” How dare they come into our SACRED place” in response to the J6 Psy Op.
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BTW I was falling timber for a month before getting called out on fire.We saw a pickup parked along our route, wondering if it was a bow hunter out scouting. The logger I was working for talked with the guy. He’s a barred owl bounty hunter. The weaker breed of owl that is Dalmatian will be eventually “extinct” unless the brilliant enviro “mentalists”can deal out enough of WTP’s IRS contributions ( by duress) to “buffallo” us Oregon natives. IF ” common sense” policy prevails the alphabet agencies in my wheelhouse; BLM, USFS, TRIBAL, STATE, may once again be servants to the public. Roads, signs, trails, campgrounds ALL lacking in repairs and improvements. So how is it, the big corporate timber land owners, can harvest ( logging…shhh) and sustain yields of a 30-70 yr crop and still be in business? What will it take for .gov to operate in a profitable M.O. ?
Seems the only way to clean up DC (let lone state and local government that have followed suit in overstepping their role) is to clean house in some way, otherwise it will ‘continue without resolution’, their word salad for kicking the can around the dithering cul-de-sac to avoid doing the people’s work, or any work for that matter, while fattening their wallets on our nickel.
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Stay safe out there, a lot of nutjobs out there with an ‘axe to grind’ thinking they are the arbiters of environmental stewardship by burning the place down. The smoke from the Spokane arsonist has been unreal the past week, blotting out the sky…and certainly way tougher on you wildland firefighters for sure.
H/T Larry, for sharing another snapshot of your career history…keeping the public safe.
The man is a legend…I don’t think he sleeps much.
I can verify to hearing a distinct clanking sound when he walks……