Author: thependulumswings staff

Ten Piece Nuggets

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Quick and easy peasy today.  We’re working remotely from the deep south, Florida coast style.  But, you’re hungry and we’re here to serve.

  1. There’s “why,” but there’s “what.”  “Why” might be/likely is/is/has to be in large part politically motivated.  Would anyone deny that?  The “what” is the purported theft of classified documents?  Please.
  2. Remember when Adam Schiff had irrefutable evidence of the Trump collusion with Russia fairytale?  We’re still waiting.
  3. “And, just like that,” as Carrie Bradshaw used to say, the country split a tad bit deeper as the deep state descended on Mar-a-Lago.  Wasn’t there a better way to extract either documents or a pound of flesh?
  4. There are growing concerns Wednesday about the safety of FBI agents, FBI Director Christopher Wray and Garland following the search of Mar-a-Lago on Monday.   Judge Kavanaugh can relate.
  5. We’d like to share what California Rep Eric Swalwell said about the dastardly Republicans encouraging violence after the raid, but pond scum deserves no attention.  MSNBC disagrees.  They let him rant and whine and lie straight into the camera for 10 minutes an evening ago.
  6. Eighty-seven thousand new/additional IRS agents (greater than the capacity of the University of Oklahoma’s football stadium) are headed your way thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act which isn’t an act that will reduce inflation.  We’ll get those billionaires to pay their “fair share” now.  Although it should be noted that there are less than 750 billionaires in the US.  Doesn’t it seem like not too long ago that Kevin Brady, Republican Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee under Trump, triumphantly tell us that the tax reform act would make millions of people eligible to file their taxes so simply that it could be mailed in on the back of a postcard?
  7. Just for perspective, NYC Mayor Eric Adams is calling for federal help because he says around 4,000 migrants have arrived in NYC in the last three months since May. Texas averages 4,000 migrants crossing its border every single day, and so far, has sent less than 200 migrants to NYC.  So much for that “sanctuary city” blabber that was popular when Trump was president.
  8. The Los Angeles City Council voted 11-3 to extend an existing ban on homeless encampments within 500 feet of schools and daycare centers last evening.  Protesters claimed the initiative would further isolate and negatively impact the homeless community and disrupted the meeting.  We can negatively impact the schools but not the homeless.   Hopefully, the protests were mostly peaceful.
  9. The torrid pace of inflation slowed in July for the first time in months, but prices remained near the highest level in 40 years.  The Labor Department said Wednesday that the consumer price index rose 8.5% in July from a year ago, below the 9.1% year-over-year surge recorded in June.  Time for a Biden victory lap.  The Great Reset remains expensive.
  10. The Major League Baseball game pitting The Chicago Cubs vs Cincinnati Reds will be played tomorrow night near Field of Dreams in Dyersville, Iowa, a site popularized by the 1989 baseball film Field of Dreams.  It will be a great escape to simpler times for a nation that needs simpler times.  If you’d like to get lost in the corn fields we understand.

Till soon.

18 Doses of Common Sense

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Do you know who John Kennedy is?  Nope, not that one.  Senator John Kennedy from Louisiana.

Senator Kennedy graduated Magna cum Laude in political science, philosophy, and economics from Vanderbilt,  and was president of his senior class. He received his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law where he was an executive editor of the “Virginia Law Review” and was elected to the Order of the Coif. He earned a Bachelor of Civil Law degree with first-class honors from Oxford University in England.

Sounds impressive, doesn’t it?  It is.  But, what is more impressive is the written and spoken words that emanate from his cranium.  Add a dose of that slow southern drawl and the cat that swallowed the canary look, and you’ve got a bonafide “man of the people” personality.

Oh, and two more things.  He doesn’t bite his tongue, and he’s as funny as they come.

Sample a dozen and a half of his gems below.  Pure gold.

 

PERMIT ME TO TELL YOU WHAT I BELIEVE.

* 1. I BELIEVE AMERICA WAS FOUNDED BY GENIUSES BUT IS NOW RUN BY IDIOTS.

 

* 2. I BELIEVE YOU CAN’T FIX STUPID, BUT YOU CAN VOTE THEM OUT OF OFFICE.

 

* 3. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU HEARD OF ANYONE TRYING TO SNEAK INTO CHINA?

 

* 4. AMERICA IS SO GREAT THAT PEOPLE WHO HATE IT, REFUSE TO LEAVE IT.

 

* 5. LET ME SAY SOMETHING ABOUT THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION.  SO FAR, THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION SUCKS.

 

* 6. I DON’T LIKE TO BRAG ABOUT THE EXPENSIVE PLACES I’VE BEEN TO, BUT THIS MORNING I WENT TO THE GAS STATION.

 

* 7. I BELIEVE EXERCISE MAKES YOU LOOK BETTER NAKED. BUT SO DOES ALCOHOL.

 

* 8. WELFARE SHOULD BE A BRIDGE, NOT A PARKING LOT.

 

* 9. WEAKNESS INVITES THE WOLVES.

 

* 10. WE DON’T HAVE A GUN CONTROL PROBLEM. WE HAVE AN IDIOT CONTROL PROBLEM.

 

* 11. FREE ADVICE FRIENDS, IF GOVERNMENT TELLS YOU NOT TO BUY A GUN, BUY TWO.

 

* 12. I BELIEVE IF YOU HATE POLICE OFFICERS, THE NEXT TIME YOU ARE IN TROUBLE, CALL A CRACK-HEAD.

 

* 13. HERE’S A FREE TIP, COPS WILL LEAVE YOU ALONE IF YOU DON’T DO STUPID THINGS.

 

* 14. I BELIEVE WE NEED AN ELECTION DAY, NOT AN ELECTION MONTH.

 

* 15. I BELIEVE YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO PROVE WHO YOU SAY YOU ARE WHEN YOU VOTE.

 

* 16. I BELIEVE 400,000 BODIES BURIED AT ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY IS THE REASON YOU SHOULD STAND FOR THE NATIONAL ANTHEM.

 

* 17. I BELIEVE THE WATER WON’T CLEAR ‘TIL YOU GET THE PIGS OUT OF THE CREEK.

 

* 18. I BELIEVE LOVE IS THE ANSWER, BUT YOU SHOULD OWN A GUN JUST IN CASE.

 

We could use about 99 more like him in that chamber of Congress if you ask this writer.

Pure gold, we say again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Swarmy

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

The NFL received the punishment recommendation for DeShaun Watson yesterday.  It suspends him for six games and imposes no financial fine for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy.

Former federal judge Sue L. Robinson, who was named the independent disciplinary officer in the case, handed down the ruling Monday.

The NFL and The NFL Players Association have about 48 hours left to appeal the decision.

Watson evidently attempted at least 24 passes to 24 different massage therapists. That’s how many came forward as the sordid tale wound through the criminal and civil proceedings.   That’s about how many he settled in civil suits with nondisclosure agreements attached.

Predictably the sports and social media world lit up.  The suspension is too much for some and not enough for others.

Comparisons to previous actions were fast and furious.

How can Calvin Ridley get a full season suspension for betting $1500 on NFL games?  What about Patriots owner Robert Kraft getting off (so to speak) without even a slap on the wrist for a few trips to the local massage parlor himself?  What about Ben Rothlisberger?  This means Alvin Kamara’s on-tape beat down in the Vegas elevator will only be two or three games, won’t it?

On and on it went, and on and on it will continue for a bit.

There are harsh realities to all of this hubbub.

One is that the NFL can do what it wants.  Its only obligation is to its conscious and to its checkbook, not in that order usually.

Make no mistake about it, their number one goal in matters like this is to protect their brand.  That’s why even the appearance of insider gambling is viewed as more grievous, and likely always will be.

In protecting the brand and its ever-increasing franchise values and gushing revenue stream, its fans (read as paying customers) must feel satisfied. That’s why Commish Goodell arranged not only for a female independent officer but a former judge.  Women worldwide are where the next leg up in viewer eyeballs lives.

Expect the NFL to appeal the ruling.  It looks good and has no downside.  The NFLPA has already asked to let the punishment stand.

But, what is Watson guilty of anyway?

Houston PD, its DA, and a grand jury went down the criminal investigation road and declined to file any charges.  Speculate all that you wish, but it’s “he said/she said” in the civil cases and bound by NDA’s.

Usually, where there is smoke there is fire.  And, the NFL’s own investigation found a four-alarm one.

We submit he’s guilty of not feeling guilty.  Denial and/or lying repeatedly isn’t a good look.

He’s maintained all along that he’s done nothing wrong.  And, that unto itself is wrong.  Man up.

This brings us to compare.  Remember Tiger Woods and a dozen or so dalliances he confessed to not long after his nine iron became a hood ornament on his Mercedes?

Tiger knew better.  Tiger confessed.  Tiger suspended himself.  Tiger asked for time. Tiger entered sexual addiction rehab.  Tiger came out the other side a better person for it.  Tiger today is adored by millions.

This has been a terrible look for Watson and by extension the NFL.  And, if nothing else, that’s why the NFL will hand down a six-game suspension at a minimum.

But, by mid-October Watson will be back throwing as many passes on the field as he attempted while on his back off of the field.

Above all, America loves a winner.  Cleveland craves one.

This too shall pass, like it or not.

It just feels swarmy.  Because it is.

 

 

 

 

It Says Here

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Someone never once said, “Opinions are like fingers.  Most everyone has ten.”

  1.  It says here that the nontransitory inflation that was called transitory led to the recession that is no longer called a recession.  Biden told us so yesterday and then refused to take any questions on the word salad game his administration is playing.
  2. It says here that these word games serve no positive purpose other than leading the less informed down the wrong rabbit hole.  Remember in 20 years or less we got from “abortion” all of the ways to “woman’s reproductive rights,” a misnomer if ever there was one.  A few stops along the way included pro-choice, woman’s health, and women’s wellness.
  3. It says here that Joe Manchin is the savviest politician in Washington DC.  And, that is saying something.  West Virginia, are you watching?
  4. It says here that the Dems and a dozen and a half Republicans gave away 52 billion yesterday to the American chip manufacturers.  Fifty-two billion hardly is a blip on the screen when 800 billion went to green deals, West Virginia, subsidized health care, and more.
  5. It says here that calling the bill the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 takes conviction.  You have to be a skilled and indifferent liar to stand at a podium and tell America that the handouts will reduce inflation.
  6. It says here that Hunter Biden’s laptop content is going to get much more attention from the mainstream press after the November midterms.  If a red wave comes ashore, the “Big Guy,” aka Joe Biden is neutered.  Dems will officially begin the campaign to replace him before the campaign.
  7. It says here that the Democrats have to have two things happen to keep the White House in 2024.  One, Joe can’t get the nomination.  And, two, Trump must get the nomination.
  8. It says here that with 75% of polled Democrats saying that Biden should not run for reelection that behind the curtains a think tank is playing out and polling out alternatives.  Think Buttigieg, Newsom, etc.  Thankfully, don’t think Beto again.  Abbott will use him to mop the floor this fall.
  9. It says here that Kamala Harris’ obedience will need to be in hand to have this occur.  She was a lapdog in Cali before, so she does understand the commands.  Speaking of word salad, no one can match her jibberish.
  10.  It says here that the weekend is upon us.  It might be a good idea for one of our staffers (and maybe you) to turn off Fox, CNN, and MSNBC and enjoy the heat wave.

An SPF of 50 or more is recommended.

What’s in a Name?

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

It’s business as usual in Washington DC.  Except, unfortunately, it’s not business it’s government.

Falling one “yea” shy for over a year on the bloated Build Back Better boondoggle, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer negotiated directly with Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va to no longer fall one vote shy.

So, without further adieu and with inflation running at a half-a-century high, the Senate will use a back door tactic to get around filibustering and present to you the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.

What’s in a name?  “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet,” wrote William Shakespeare.

In this instance that which we call yet another spending bill would smell just as rotten to those who are willing to read all about it.  You see, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 has nothing whatsoever to do with combating the pain you feel at the grocery store or the gas station.

It’s the third wild spending bill in 18 months as the country stands at $30 trillion in debt and counting geometrically.  We printed money, gave it away, and devalued the dollar making us chase products and services with more dollars.  That’s inflation.

Rather than risking more inflation with trillions in new spending, this bill will cut the inflation taxes Americans are paying, lower the cost of health insurance and prescription drugs, and ensure our country invests in energy security and climate change solutions,” Manchin said.

One, someone needs to stick a microphone under Manchin’s chin and ask what “inflation taxes” mean.

Two, the unaffordable Affordable Care Act just got more expensive for those who pay for it.

Three, it’s a slimmed-down version of the Green New Deal, but it is by no means slim unto itself.   At least the summer heat wave will go away, won’t it?

But wait, this comes with a corporate tax increase and a minimum corporate tax as well.  Doesn’t that make it a pay-for-itself bill?

“It will ensure that the biggest corporations and the wealthiest few pay their fair share,” Pelosi said in a letter to Democratic lawmakers.  Can someone define “fair share for us?”  Tax laws are tax laws. Fair is in the eye of the beholder, period.

So, we just increased taxes on businesses.  Do you know how businesses will offset those increased tax burdens?  They’ll increase their prices to maintain their bottom lines.  That means you pay more.

The Inflation Reduction Act will cause more inflation.  What’s in a name?

It doesn’t sound so rosy anymore, does it?

Didn’t Romeo and Juliet have a tragic ending?

Ten Piece Nuggets- Random

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

It’s been a minute.

  1. Charles Barkley once said, “poor people have been voting Democrat for over 50 years and they’re still poor.”  Inflation hits all, but it hits the lower income tier hardest.  November midterms are about 100 days away.  It’s also said people vote with their wallets, or how they feel financially.   We will see.
  2. Speaking of the economy, some economists believe that we are already in a recession.   But what is a recession?  On WH.gov, the official White House website page it seems the traditional definition two consecutive quarters of falling real GDP) is getting a whitewash.  We quote, “That is neither the official definition nor the way economists evaluate the state of the business cycle.”  Changing times.  It goes on, “it is unlikely that the decline in the first quarter of 2022 if followed up by a second-quarter similar result indicates a recession.”  Is someone trying to move the goal posts?
  3. Dozens of incoming University of Michigan Medical School students walked out of a pro-life keynote speaker’s address, after a previous petition to get the speaker removed failed.  Students petitioned the school weeks prior to remove Dr. Kristin Collier as the keynote speaker over her support for the unborn.  Why did they show up to begin with?  Attention seekers?  How many want to become a Pediatrician?  Free speech anyone?
  4. If you travel to Mexico these days you need not wear a mask on the plane nor into the country throughout the airport including customs.  But when you depart when entering their version of TSA and until you board you do.  Makes sense?  But wait, there’s more.  Signs and announcements throughout the Aeropuerto remind you to socially distance by maintaining a space of five feet minimally.  We guess with inflation being so bad that five feet is the new six feet.
  5.  When you head through the security another difference or two becomes obvious.  The x-ray machines are the old ones, not the full-body scan ones.  Also, you need not remove your shoes.  Shoe bombs aren’t a threat exiting Mexico, just entering we guess.
  6.  Speaking of Covid, as you know fully vaxxed and fully boosted President Joe Biden tested positive late last week.  But, because tennis great Novak Djokovic isn’t vaccinated he cannot enter the US to defend his 2021 US Open title.  Last year no covid shot was necessary to compete.  This year it is.  Do the nuts have the keys to the insane asylum?
  7. Speaking of Covid, can we please, please, please stop calling the shots “vaccinations?”  Vaccinations provide immunity.  These shots that are making Pfizer and Moderna lots of money don’t provide immunity.  The only people that think that they do are the ones you see driving alone in their car with a mask on.
  8. The chief of the World Health Organization General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus isn’t monkeying around.  He said the expanding monkeypox outbreak in more than 70 countries is an “extraordinary” situation that now qualifies as a global emergency.  It’s a declaration that will spur further investment in treating the once-rare disease and worsen the scramble for scarce vaccines.   Pfizer’s ears just perked up.
  9.  Climate change became a national emergency last week Joe Biden told us.  Except, he didn’t officially declare it a national emergency.  Maybe someone can explain why.  NBC’s Meet the Depressed trotted out good old Al Gore yesterday to help the “climate activists” further scold the “climate deniers.”   Gore said that time is running out or may have already run out.  Which is it?  Hard to tell.  Of course, he said way back in the ’80s that the year 2000 was the turning point.  Is somebody trying to move the goalposts again?
  10. If you like baseball, you have to like the comeback from Tommy John surgery that Justin Verlander is having.  He’s 39 years old and hadn’t pitched in two full seasons.  He sports a gaudy 13-3 won/loss record with a razor-sharp 1.86 ERA this year.  In his last five starts, he’s 5-0 with a paltry 0.59 ERA.  And on Saturday in a high leverage seventh inning v the Mariners his 103rd and final pitch hit 100 mph to get out of a jam and secure the win.  He said that he wants to pitch until he’s 45.  Why not?

You’ve been served.

 

Boom Booms Life Lessons #4

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

When we checked in on Boom Booms Life Lessons #2 we learned of his early departures and late returns six days a week to and from his workplace.  We also mentioned the Saturday yard work after that, and house repair after that as needed.  Well, it didn’t stop there actually.

On a couple of weeknights each week he finished dinner and headed to our spare bedroom that housed his desk, his adding machine, my mother’s exercise bike, and most of all an undersized pool table.  Yes, it was crowded.  He needed to do some “book work” he said.  He struck the adding machine keys so quickly that it was not possible to follow.

His one and only son loved playing pool (competition and geometry combined is a tasty combo) and asked for him to”crack em” almost every night that his own homework didn’t get in the way.  Boom Boom would finish his book work first.  Always.  He expressed it as follows.  Always.

“Work before play son, work before play!“

Once the heat generated by his fast fingers on his adding machine cooled, and his pencil entered its last numbers in the ledger, it was time for a game or three of 8 ball, or 9 ball, or…

“Let’s play one more game Dad.”

“Sleep before school son.  Sleep before school!”

And with that, we would leave the spare room and turn out the lights.

If you tend to put the need last to enjoy the want first, try the reverse.  The satisfaction of a job well done first leads to greater joy in the leisurely pursuit of your choice later.

The sound of the crank on the adding machine still echoes.  So does “Work before…………”

 

 

Boom Boom’s Life Lessons #2

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Born into a family with a strong work ethic, Boom Boom learned quickly that working hard didn’t guarantee success, but it went a long way towards providing warm meals and a roof over one’s head.   At 12 years of age The Great Depression brutally started.  At 22 years of age, The Great Depression mercifully ended.  It left a lasting, yet positive mark on him.

He worked for the same company for over 32 years.  His “white-collar” management job started early for him.  He was gone every morning by 6:30 AM for his 15-minute commute.  He rarely returned prior to 6:30 PM.  He worked every Saturday too.  He left by 7:00 AM and returned around noon.  He chose to work on Saturday.  It was far from mandatory.  Then, he worked in the yard meticulously trimming, mowing, or fixing what might be wrong with the house till near dark every Saturday evening.

Boom Boom said it often, “no one can outwork or outthink you.”   “You can work as hard as you want as long as you want.  And, you may not be smarter than some others, but you can think longer and harder if you choose.”

No one outworked or outthought Boom Boom.  Perhaps no one can outwork or out-think you.

Viva la Mexico

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

BBR is headed south to the Yucatan Penisula in Mexico this morning.  We’ll return on July 22nd.

We’ve scheduled a couple of best of Boom Boom’s Life Lessons to tide you over till then.  They’re timeless, quick, and thought-provoking reads for you.  Enjoy.

One of our staff members swore the country off over 18 years ago due to comfort and safety reasons.

We’ll give it one more go.

Till then, stay cool.

Over Eight Easily in the Big Easy

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

The average gambler is always amazed at how close Vegas comes to getting betting lines so close to real outcomes. But, the reality is that they get them  wrong as well.

The smart money, as they say, recognizes the miss before the game/season.  The rest of us bet either side, mostly on emotion, and Vegas gets the juice. Lines are made to evoke that collective response.  Vegas always gets the juice.

This brings us to season-long NFL wins bets.  We’ll have three (maybe four) for you in the next month or so.  Today is our first.

The New Orleans Saints’ win total in Vegas is 8.  It was 7 1/2 when it rolled out in March.

In the last five seasons only the Kansas City Chiefs have more wins than NOLA by a count of 55-53.

So, what’s changed?  Drew Brees (in 2021) and Sean Payton(now) are no longer.  Those are two BIG changes.

But another thing changed last year.  The NFL went to a 17-game schedule.  Therefore, Vegas thinks that the Saints will have a losing record in 2022.

BBR feels strongly otherwise.  Below are a litany of reasons.

  1.  Dennis Allen is now head coach.  He’ll call the in-game defense just as he has for the last six seasons.  He’s a steady and heady guy.
  2.  And the defense was very good the last two seasons.  We expect it to be even better. Two first-round picks (Payton Turner and Marcus Davenport) missed all or a big portion of the season.
  3. The defense has a chance to be elite this year.  Cam Jordan and DeMario Davis are true leaders.  The secondary might be the deepest in the NFL.  It added Tyrann Matthieu as well.
  4. Jameus Winston must 1) stay healthy, and 2) have a strong season as one expects of a former first pick of the first-round guy.  The constant change of personnel and coordinators in his NFL life combined with his immaturity has held him back.He’s saying and doing all of the right things this offseason.  He was 5-2 as the starter last year with only two picks before the season-ending injury.
  5. He’ll have weapons.  The team has positively transformed its weak wide receiver group.  In this one off-season, Marquez Calloway drops from the #1 wideout, which he never was, to a #4 which he’s more than capable of succeeding as.   Michael Thomas returns.  They drafted Chris Olave in round one.  They signed FA Javis Landry for the slot.  A weakness became a strength.
  6. Laugh all that you want, but N.O. signed a very capable backup should Winston face plant.  Andy Dalton became a punching bag in Cincinnati.  But, he’s a nine-year starter and an 11-year veteran in this league for a reason.  Quick, name two legit weapons he had while a Bengal.  He’s thrown for over 35k NFL yards.  If he wasn’t good he’d be long gone by now.
  7. The Saints’ special teams rank in the top 10 in most categories.  They put an emphasis on it.  Will Lutz is back to health and kicking this fall.  The team missed seven extra points and eight field goals in his absence.
  8. The law of averages says that this team will be healthier than last year.  Four QB’s started and 66 players started one game or more in all.  Sixty-six!  66!  The injury bug landed in The Crescent City and stayed there all of the fall.  Covid visited too.
  9. The division should provide 4 wins at a minimum.  Stated simply, Carolina is weak.  Atlanta is awful.  And the Saints have the Buccaneers’ number.  They’ve beaten them in the last four regular-season (Brady-led) games.
  10. Take those four and you need five more to cash.  So, can the black and gold go 5-6 against the rest of the schedule?  We think so and then some.  Watch for Alvin Kamara’s pending suspension though.  Courts move slowly.  He might not be suspended until late in the season, or even 2023.   When announced, how many and when the games are played is key.

Take the Saints over eight wins.  We see their record as 10-7 or better at the finish line.