Author: thependulumswings staff

Sunny Days

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Lessons today, we have three.   Geography, English, and Math.

First, can you tell me how to get, how to get to the White House from Capitol Hill in DC?  Pennsylvania Ave. is a good guess.  But the correct answer is a quick shortcut-Sesame St.

Today’s lesson is brought to you by the letter B and later the letters R and D.  Let’s use the letter B in a sentence or two.  Do you know what BBR and BBB(short for Build Back Better) have in common? If you said two B’s that is correct.  Do you know what else?  Nothing!  Correct.  You’re off to a good start.

West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin(D) doesn’t have constituents that have much in common with BBB either.  Yesterday, he told Fox News that studied the bill and was going with Nancy Reagan’s “Just Say No” when deciding his potential vote on the big, bigger, biggest government social and welfare handout attempted since Obamacare was railroaded through.

Some of Manchin’s fellow students disagreed with his learnings.  Representative Maxine Waters (D-CA) said, “While Manchin is exercising unusual power because of the numbers and is willing to be one man, one person that will hold up assistance to the American people, is absolutely disgusting and amazing to me.”

This brings us to the dreaded math session brought to you by the numbers 1, 2, 3, 50, 51, 1.7 trillion, 30 trillion, and 50 trillion.

One sometimes is the loneliest number that you’ll ever know.  But Manchin is doing something very similar to what John McCain did just a few years back when the GOP attempted to end Obamacare.  That is, he has the right and courage to stand up for what he believes in.  Refreshing.

She continued, “In that bill, we have the child tax credit, where we’re having to eliminate poverty for children in this country. I have in that bill money for housing. The cost of housing is exploding. We need to build affordable housing. We need to do something about homelessness.”   What about free lunches, too?  People get hungry, don’t they?

Did she forget that 50 Republicans are also against this government handout?  Probably not, but there’s that pesky letter D after Manchin’s name that so upsets her.  Cause 50 R’s plus one D equals 51.  And that’s the kill shot to the $1.7 trillion bill that Biden says will pay for itself.

Sure it would have, just like it only took to two weeks to slow the curve two years ago.  Now it’s three vaccines, not Maxine’s, and counting, but we digress.

Waters added, “I don’t know how he thinks he’s going to get away with this.”  Get away with what?  His right to vote for that which he thinks is right?

Put the bill up and let him stand before the American people and tell them that he does not support child care and climate change, and housing assistance for people who are desperately in need of rental assistance and the ability to have safe and secure housing.”

Sounds like this bill could have been the panacea for nearly all that ails Americans.  And more.

It even solves the largest existential threat to our country-climate change.   And, it is way, way cheaper than the $30-50 trillion bandied about during the Democratic Nomination process.

Back to geography we go. Doesn’t Manchin know that Miami is about to slip into the ocean?  Does he even care?

West Virginia is a long way from any rising waters. Manchin is in hot water with the Dems.  And Maxine Waters is, well Maxine Waters.

Can you tell me how to get…

Class dismissed.

 

 

 

 

Nine Piece Nuggets-Random

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Inflation has hit BBR as well.  We contemplated a price increase but decided instead to cut the product back and maintain the price.

The quality is still here, but the quantity is one less.  Your beltline wins too!

  1.  Things aren’t all bad on the inflation front though.  The average price for a gallon of gas fell almost three cents in the last week.  That leaves it only 49% higher than a year ago, down from 50%.  The Biden team took a victory lap around the White House over the news.  Transitory we were once told.
  2.  A week before Jolly Old Saint Nick fires up the sleigh curmudgeon old Joe Biden had a sobering message for the unvaccinated: “We are looking at a winter of severe illness and death if you’re unvaccinated,” Biden said.  For themselves, their family, and the hospital they’ll soon overwhelm.”
  3. President James “Jimmy” Carter asked us to turn up our thermostats in the winter of the gas shortage of 1977.  Depressing.  That was a few years before his botched Iranian hostage rescue attempt went down in flames. Depressing.  The sky wasn’t falling then and it isn’t now in spite of Joe’s dire message.
  4. Speaking of speaking, botched, and Biden, yesterday’s presentation to Medal of Honor recipient Alwyn Cashe went wrong during a White House ceremony on Thursday.  For starters, Biden was 37 minutes late to the ceremony.  He then mispronounced Cashe’s name twice despite having a teleprompter in front of him.   Other than that Mrs. Cashe (who accepted the honor for her late husband) how was the rest of the play/ceremony?
  5. Biden’s verbal flub was not the only mistake in the ceremony.  As the narrator read Biden’s citation, he announced the Medal of Honor was being awarded to Master Sgt. Earl Plumlee as well, but “posthumously,” even though he was standing right next to the president.  Mark Twain chimed in and said, “Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.”
  6. The Twitter war between Elon Musk and Senator Elizabeth Warren was a doozie.  Elon landed several written jabs, but the haymaker was calling her Senator Karen.  You know it was great when MSNBC’s (no) Joy Reid had to throw in the towel.  She said that the “Karen” jab at Warren was “misappropriating black vernacular,” whatever the hell that means.  Reid is on the way out at MSNBC.  You can feel it.  We wonder how Karen would translate into Cherokee.
  7. Cops investigating the shooting death on the set of Rust got a search warrant for Alec Baldwin’s cell phone.  Baldwin appeared on ABC News George Stephanopoulos a couple of weeks back to explain that he didn’t shoot the gun that he was holding killing Halyna Hutchins.  Does that sound like the media coverage of the driver of the SUV  that didn’t run down and kill the Waukesha parade-goers, the SUV did.  One was very likely an accident, the other on purpose.  But still, let’s not kid ourselves.  Someone pulled a trigger.
  8. Dr. Peter McCullough, whose video we highly recommended last week, appeared on a Joe Rogan podcast this week.  It’s gone internet viral faster than the Omicron variant spread after Biden tightened the tests before international flights could come into America.  The good doctor said to Rogan,” There is no bigger public health crisis than the censorship in Covid -19.”
  9. Dr. Fauci says that we should require our holiday guests to show proof of vaccination before entering our homes.  Meanwhile, college and pro football stadiums are packed to capacity weekly since September.  Fauci reminds us of the Chevy Chase character in Vegas Vacation.  Ole Clark Griswold couldn’t win a bet in the casino guessing which hand, odd or even, nor heads or tails.
  10. Ok, ok, ok, we couldn’t help ourselves.   You’ll get ten after all.  Fired former Chris Cuomo producer John Griffin had all of his electronic devices seized by law enforcement 17 months ago.  This is CNN.  The FBI didn’t arrest him in the child trafficking heinous mess until 6 days ago.  They stormed Jeffery Epstein’s island quicker than that.  Barely.  This is the FBI.

 

 

 

Crime Solved

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Yesterday BBR posted content questioning what some cities and their leadership were doing about the ramp-up in flash mob theft.  We specifically cited Lori Lightfoot’s ignorant response(s) which put the responsibility back on the retailers.  Lightfoot is no gumshoe, but we digress.

We also observed that about twenty national retailers penned a letter asking the federal government for help.  Well, what do you know?  Yesterday, Jen Psaki, WH Press Secretary was asked what the reasons for this spike were and what help the Biden Administration would provide back to the local level.

“I would say, we have seen, I’m not going to attribute the reasoning from here,” Psaki said. “What I will tell you is we have seen an increase in crime over the course of the pandemic. There is a range of reasons for that.”

Psaki didn’t go into any of the range of reasons.  But she did cite the pandemic.  We are aware of several side effects of Covid-19 and its variants like the loss of taste and smell, but not the loss of merchandise in stores.   Who knew that planned robberies were a viral symptom?

What is even stranger is that this side effect seems to be acutely affecting San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle, New York, and Minneapolis.   All of these cities lead the way in mask mandates and social distancing.  We wonder if asking their police to stand down prior to the pandemic during the “mostly peaceful” protests could be a root cause as well.

Maybe.  “The president has proposed additional funding in the budget to make sure local police departments and cops have the funding they need,” Psaki said. “We also have worked directly with police departments in areas where they are seeing the highest impact of the crime, the retail theft—which we have great concern about.”

So, it seems that defunding the police and causing mayhem was the ticket to getting elected while refunding the police might be needed to get reelected.

Also.  “One of the root reasons of crime in communities is guns and gun violence, and we’ve seen that statistically around the country,” Psaki said last week.  Chicago might even agree.

No one asked her if any guns have been brandished during the smash and grab crimes.  They haven’t been.  But, it’s always a good day to take a shot at gun control that way when a store owner shoots a “victim or two” we can take to the streets again protesting these senseless shootings.

And finally.  She added: “Our focus is currently on doing what we can to make sure the funding is out there to the communities that need it the most.”

Which communities need it the most?  The ones cited above that elected them in the first place.  It’s always a good day to throw federal money at your local political bases.

So there you have it.  Just one day after asking, ye shall receive.

This is governance at its finest.

Problem day one, fixed day two.

Now, these cities can go back to enforcing the reinstated mask mandates to save even more lives.

 

 

Crime Time

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Long before Kamala Harris was named Border in Chief she ran quite poorly for Commander in Chief.   Prior to that she was a Senator, and prior to that she was the Attorney General for the State of California.

As AG her number one job was to prosecute individuals that the state felt were guilty of a crime.  You would think she knows a criminal when she sees a criminal.  You would also think that she would know well enough to refrain from jumping to conclusions until facts around such cases are researched.

Back in 2019 when the Jussie Smollett circus came to a town known as Chicago, Kamala tweeted, “@JussieSmollett is one of the kindest, most gentle human beings I know. I’m praying for his quick recovery. This was an attempted modern-day lynching. No one should have to fear for their life because of their sexuality or color of their skin. We must confront this hate.”

Well, that didn’t age well.  Madame VP has yet to tweet or publicly speak to the Smollett guilty verdicts nor her rush to judgment.  Remember BBR lecture no. 23- never let facts get in the way of a good narrative.

There are/were so many lessons to be learned right there in the Windy City.

But, the Mayor of the Windy City, Lori Lightfoot disagrees.  You would think she would know better as well.

Her thoughts?   She essentially told the retail community to fix the crime issue themselves.

She specifically mentioned security guards at the door, entrance cameras, merchandise “either chained and roped or put behind glass” and customers being “buzzed into” stores.

On Thursday, Illinois Retail Merchants Association President Rob Karr flatly rejected all of the mayor’s ideas.

He branded the suggestions “extraordinarily disheartening,” “misinformed” and “false”—yet another example of how Lightfoot “continues to point fingers and play the blame game.”

And he continued, “We’d be getting screamed at for [racial profiling].  And furthermore, it would push more people to simply go online. Why would you go to a store if you can’t touch, feel and try on the merchandise?”

And online is where the stolen merchandise is going for resale. Looks like these mobs “fence” the goods on Al Gore’s internet.

As if brick-and-mortar didn’t have enough problems dealing with online, now they are paying for the products, displaying them, losing the cost dollars when stolen, and watching online third-party “retailers” gain 100% profit from them.

If the local government won’t help, how about the federal government?

Twenty CEOs at major retailers sent a letter addressed to congressional leadership on Thursday asking lawmakers to pass legislation to help curb illegal business activity by anonymous vendors online.

What to do?  What to do?

With her border now under control, maybe Biden can assign the former AG, now VP, to tackle this difficult situation.

Her judicial eyesight is so good she can spot a crook on a snowy night at 4 AM from hundreds of miles away.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lefty, Shorty, Alec, and Colonel Jussie

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Last evening Lefty and Shorty were all but ready to close the Gulf Station.   Rain was falling from the heavens at an accelerating pace, the fog was rolling in and cars were not.  Shorty- Why do we stay open until midnight?  Lefty- So that you and I can discuss the life and times of Jussie Smollett.

Lefty sat to the left of Shorty.  Imagine that.  Shorty sat on the shorter of the two “halves” of the 55-gallon drum. Imagine that.  Each was cut down to size and retrofitted with a soft cushion top.

Lefty-  Can you believe what a bad actor he turned out to be? Shorty-  I canceled Netflix months ago, what did I miss?   Lefty- Umm.  Are you not aware of his arrest?  Shorty- I must have missed the scroll at the bottom of ESPN.    Lefty- Are you from Colorado, cause it seems like you live under a big rock?  Shorty- The Boulder State?  No.  Too cold.

Lefty- Speaking of cold, let me bring you up to speed.  Jussie wrote, produced, directed, and acted in his own attack in Chicago at 4 AM on a freezing, snowy night.   Shorty- Sounds like a believable plot.  Lefty- He paid two black guys $3500 to put on white face and hoods, put a noose around his neck, scream MAGA and the n-word, and attempt to kill him. Shorty- Did they?  Lefty– No.  Shorty- If you want the job done right maybe you hire Alec Baldwin?  Lefty– Too soon.  Way.

Shorty– Why was he out there to begin with?  Lefty- He said he was going to Subway.  Shorty-  That’s dumb. The L train is elevated.   Lefty-  Jeez, not that kind of subway.  Subway Deli, like Eat Fresh!  Shorty- It can’t be too fresh at four AM, can it?  Lefty- Not only not fresh, he and his five-dollar foot long were probably frozen too.  Shorty– Frozen 2!  No way Disney puts him in that movie now.  Lefty- Dear Lord!

Fifteen seconds of utter silence feels like 15 minutes.

Lefty- Well did you at least hear about the trial? Shorty- The Rittenhouse one? Innocent.  Lefty- NO!  The Smollett one. Guilty on five of six charges.  Shorty-  For his final act did he at least take the stand in his own defense? Lefty- Yes.  And, he tried to weave quite the coverup tail.   Shorty- Call him Colonel Nathan R. Jussie? Lefty- I guess we could.  Shorty- What did the prosecution say?  Lefty- You can’t handle the truth.  Shorty-  CNN is not a good movie critic.  They said he was only guilty of “some” charges.  Five of six sounds like “almost all.”

Lefty- His acting career is over.   Shorty- Nah.  Hollywood will need someone to play an SUV in a soon-to-be-made movie.  Lefty- A what?  Shorty- CNN keeps reporting that an SUV ran over parade-goers in Waukesha.  Lefty- How can you “act” like an SUV?    Shorty- I’d start by studying the “mostly peaceful” protesters in a city near you.  Then, I’d consult with Don Lemon daily during the project.

Lefty- I’m OUT!  Lock up.  Shorty-  That’s what they’re going to do to Colonel Jussie.

 

Open Minded? Have Time?

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Do you consider yourself to be open-minded?  Our guess is that 90% plus of our faithful readers just said “yes” to themselves.

That is a good thing.  Because for some it’s going to take an open mind to watch the embedded video and watch it to its conclusion.

It’s also going to take time, plenty of time.  It’s an hour and 23 minutes from start to finish to be exact.

Rare is the day that one of BBR’s staff members stands on his bald head and HIGHLY recommends a must-see video much less one that is as long as a movie.

Obviously, we think it is worth it.  Hell, dare we say that it might even save a life?

We hinted Monday in Ten Piece Nuggets that we would have more on the tide turning to sanity looking for better answers than we currently collectively have to fight the now nearly two-year-old battle with Covid-19 and its handful of identified variants.

If you find the first five minutes a bit boring, so did we.  Stick with it.  The good doctor eventually factually and scientifically identifies what he feels that we are doing wrong in our treatment and what we should be doing.  Along the way, he questions everything which is a breath of fresh air versus the medical community’s approach thus far.

Some of the facts presented are a combination of jaw-dropping and mind-blowing.  It’s a deep dive.  You could even stop and start it a few times if that helps to digest the presentation.

If you have time and you’re open-minded, you won’t regret watching and thinking along the way with Dr. Peter McCullough.

https://youtu.be/5Q3p_d5_rgU

 

Ten Piece Nuggets-Random

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Ten days removed from the Thanksgiving holiday, we offer the Ten Nuggets deep-fried.  They’re deep with thought and might fry your mind.

  1.  The Cuomo brothers hit the unemployment line within weeks of one another and deservedly so.  They have a right to unemployment benefits, and apparently, they’re taking the Grate (on you) State of New York up on the opportunity per CNN.  They’ll need 24 feet to socially distance while in line.  First one brother, then six feet back is his ego, then the other brother and six feet back is his ego.
  2. CNN did a two-segment, 15-minute dive into what went wrong with Chris Cuomo and his waning days at CNN on Sunday.  It’s a self-aggrandizing network covering its self-aggrandizing show host’s downfall. Serial lier.  And, now comes another sexual misconduct complaint claim against him.  You’ve heard of like father, like son?  This one is like brother, like brother.  Our staff member that covered it is out 15 minutes of his life that he can’t get back.
  3. Jussie Smollett and Ghislaine Maxwell are on trial for two very different crimes.  Both are quite guilty and will be found so.  Smollett’s fake attack/bungled plan is laughable.  It was his worst acting job and he’s had a few.   And, it’s quite sad that he attempted to further divide a city and country with fake race allegations.  He’ll probably get a couple of years probation.  He should be made to pay back the city of Chicago every dime that they spent investigating this trash.
  4. Maxwell’s case has nothing funny about it.  You have to feel sad for the numerous young victims.  Kudos to four of them for having the courage to testify.  Adults taking advantage of the young is the lowest of the low.  She’ll get to serve some hard time that Jeffery Epstein was too much of a coward to face.
  5. Speaking with the Washington Times last week, Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez dismissed the recent smash and grab allegations of “organized retail theft” as a hoax with not much evidence to back it up. “National retail groups last month estimated the annual losses to being in the tens of billions of dollars,” reported the AP.  “Respectfully, the Congresswoman has no idea what she is talking about. Both the data and stack of video evidence makes fairly clear that this is a growing problem in need of solutions,” said Jason Brewer, Retail Industry Leaders Association Senior VP.  In 2020 she was reelected with nearly 72% of the votes cast in the 14th district of the still Grate State of New York.  Let that sink in.
  6. You heard it here first.  Omicron will be the catalyst to turn the United States back into people who think rationally about the never-ending covid quagmire.  The hysteria has peaked and alternatives are beginning to emerge.  There’s way more to this than to line up like sheep and get a jab and think that’s the answer.  More coming this week.
  7. In the sports world, four is the number.  The NCAA playoff committee seeded Alabama, Michigan, Georgia, and Cincinnatti one through four, for a chance to win it all.  With all of the yearly fuss about who could and should get in, the results from the season and conference championship games usually work their way out.  Georgia is a surprisingly high eight-point favorite over Michigan, while Alabama opened as a 14 point choice over Cincinnati in the semi-finals.
  8. Since 2014 Nick Saban has led his Crimson Tide onto the playing field as an underdog a mere three times!  In each of these contests Bama won the game by 17 points or more.  Saban owns Kirby Smart too.  He’s 4- 0 vs. his former assistant.  Smart called Saturday’s 41-24 beatdown a “wake-up call.”
  9. Four is the number of losses that all four division leaders in the AFC have as the season reaches the 2/3rds mark.  This makes for some interesting games down the stretch starting tonight when Buffalo (7-4) tries to take the East Division lead back from New England(8-4).
  10. In the NFC North and South, the Packers and Bucs lead their divisions by a whopping four games already.  In the West, the Cardinals lead by two over the four-loss Rams who figure prominently in the wild card at a minimum.  In the East, the Cowboys have four losses and lead the division.  They play the suddenly hot Washington Football Team twice in the next three weeks.   A sweep would put the Pokes four games up.

Get back to work now.

 

 

Why Not Ask Why?

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Why ask why?  Someone has to now more than ever.

Why is Biden imposing a travel ban from foreign countries today when the Omicron variant is already here and previous variants never left?

Why is Biden leaving the southern border open while closing down air travel to help prevent the spread?

Why aren’t we wearing two masks everywhere we go as some Einsteins (de Blasio) suggested many months ago?

Why can’t someone, anyone, in the medical community tell us how the body’s own immune system is fairing vs the jabs?

Why should we stop at a booster to a booster?  Why not five after four?

Why is Pfizer stock doing so well?

Why do we fire head coaches left and right when they have a losing record and  Anthony Fauci is still in a position of power?

Why is every government vaccine mandate getting turned down by courts of law at every level?

Why doesn’t Biden get the blame for all of these covid deaths under his watch as Trump did?

Why blame presidents for covid deaths in the first place when the virus is going to do the virus thing?

Why did the administration call the worst inflation “transitory,” for months on end, reappoint Fed Chairman Powell, and he tells Wall St that it’s time to remove the word “transitory” from our inflation discussions?

Why do most of the mainstream media describe the tragedy in Waukesha as “an SUV” that ran into the people at the parade and not a “deranged, murderous driver”?

Why do three different independent polls in the last week have Biden’s approval rating at 38, 41, and 43% just a year after 81 million voted for him?

Why would Jen Psaki have a lower job approval rating than Biden if such a poll was taken?

Why did it take so long for CNN to “indefinitely” suspend Chris Cuomo?  Why did they only suspend him?

Why did Jeffery Toobin only get indefinitely suspended?  Why did they bring him back?

Why do we need to spend a trillion to improve our roads and airports if we can’t drive or fly anywhere due to the previous or next covid wave?

Why is there an inheritance tax after the deceased has already paid income tax, capital gains tax, and sales tax on the money earned or spent?

Why did Nancy Pelosi buy a $25 million beachfront mansion in Florida if she fears that the ocean is about to swallow the land due to that pesky climate change problem?

Why will Beto O’Rourke run for Governor of Texas after losing to Ted Cruz for the Senate years ago and failing miserably in his Democratic nominee for President run?

Why will the press ask him if he’s running for President after he loses in the gubernatorial attempt?

Why are members of VP Kamala Harris’ administrative/support staff leaving in droves?

Why not ask why?  Someone needs to more than ever.

 

 

 

 

The Music Never Stops

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

In the game of musical chairs when the music stops there is always one chair too few.  In the college football coaching version where the music never stops there is always one chair too many.

When a school’s AD tosses a contestant out (coach) he opens his chair.

This year it started as it always does, with the first open chair.  That was USC.

Others followed.  Washington State.  LSU.  TCU.  Washington St.  Virginia Tech.  Washington.  Florida. Temple.  Connecticut.  Louisiana Tech.

A few filled quickly in season.  Many others remain open.

But a few things stand out to this year’s game within the game.  One, the team names on the chairs seem bigger and more plentiful than usual.  Two, the cost to throw a chair into the game got more expensive.  Three, some bigger coaching names suddenly have moved on from big-time, coveted programs to other big-time, coveted programs.

What’s driving all of this?  Remember the tried and true answer to most any question?  Money.

Conference realignment is here again, and the rich are getting richer.  It’s called capitalism even though some purists resist the conference changes that bring more pocket change.

Lincoln Riley got the keys to a Lincoln and then some so to speak.  USC is reported to be buying both his homes in Norman for $500,000 over asking, adding up to a $1 million bonus; buying a $6 million home for their new head coach in Los Angeles; and allowing unlimited use of the private jet 24/7 for him and his family.

Those are just the perks.  Toss in a roughly $10 million/year salary and it’s good work if you can get it.

We’ll soon know what LSU is going to pay Brian Kelly to leave the sacred grounds where Touchdown Jesus keeps his eyes on things.  Our guess is it more salary than Riley with fewer perks.

And the bands play on.  Now the Oklahoma and Notre Dame jobs are open.

Riley was sitting on the doorstep of the playoffs till Saturday came and went.  Kelly got closer because of the Saturday outcomes and might have gotten in depending on this Saturday’s outcomes.

Never mind that, mine gold.  You can’t spell team without me.

The purists also don’t like the recent NIL deal.  Your name, image, and likeness can pay you money while playing college sports these days if you “earn” it.  Coaches mentor kids don’t they?  What’s good for the goose……….

There seems to be no supply chain shortage of coaches.  The NCAA, like the Feds, is printing money.  And, wage inflation is rampant.  Do you think ticket prices might go up some?

In college coaching musical chairs, the music never stops.  And there seems to always be an open chair.

Who gets the last laugh all of the way to the bank? Nick Saban.  His Alabama contract calls for him to be perpetually the highest-paid coach in all the land.  He doesn’t have to leave to chase the gold, it chases him.

Besides, he’d never leave, would he?

“Coach, you’ve got the Notre Dame AD holding on line one.”

 

 

Ten Piece Nuggets-Random

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

The last thing you need after four days of overindulgence is more.  We’re air frying the nuggets again today to keep them light.

  1.  Black Friday really was.  The world learned of yet another unwelcomed foe.  Omicron.  It’s been said that it’s anywhere from 2x to 10x times more contagious. Maybe it has different symptoms.  And, supposedly it’s milder in its attack on the body.  The stock market didn’t react too mildly.
  2.  Joe Biden shut down travel to/from eight African nations due to this new variant.  This measure is 100% opposite of the position Biden had as a candidate when then President Trump did the exact same.  Biden said then, “this new ‘African Ban’ is designed to make it harder for black and brown people to immigrate to the US.  It’s a disgrace, and we cannot let him succeed.”
  3. Maybe we should just follow the science? The trouble with that is we can’t figure out exactly what the science is.  Dr. Anthony Fauci seems to know more than any skeptics.  He said Sunday, “But if they get up and really aim their bullets at Tony Fauci they’re really criticizing science because I represent science.”  When people talk about themselves in the third person they usually have a high opinion of themselves.  Tony “Science” Fauci.
  4.  Well, will the “vaccines” which maybe aren’t vaccines work against this latest round of virus mutation?  National Institute of Health (NIH) Director Francis Collins said Sunday that current coronavirus vaccines will “most likely” be effective against the newly-discovered omicron variant, but that it is too soon to tell for sure.  Sounds like a yes, a no, and a maybe if you follow the science.
  5. Down under in Australia where no one without a vaccine is allowed to enter nor leave the country, Omicron has been detected in multiple cases.  Either their border is leakier than they would like or the vaccine may not be all that they think it is.  If you follow the science it sounds like science fiction.
  6. Speaking of leaky borders, we assume that the Biden Administration feels like the variant can travel by air, hence the ban, but not by land, hence the continued policy of allowing illegal aliens (we’re pretty sure that you can’t use that term anymore, but we didn’t feel like looking it up in the new rulebook) into the US without a jab or two.   It’s hard to follow some of the science.
  7. Did you know that the White House and Congress have no vaccination mandates in place?  Working for the government must create some form of natural immunity.  At least all employees in companies of 100 or more have to get the poke. That includes the USPS, though the employee union is fighting it.
  8. Levi Strauss has well over 100 employees.  And, some might have concerns in addition to ole Omicron.  They are offering employees the opportunity to engage in a “fireside chat and Q&A” with a “racial trauma specialist” following the acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse on November 19.  The email stated, “pain and trauma of race, identity, and belief-based tragedies is a reality that many of us are struggling with on an ongoing basis. It can feel physically, mentally, and emotionally draining to continue to relive these moments and I want you to know, it’s okay not to be okay.”
  9. Making matters worse, the jean maker is headquartered in San Francisco, home of the homeless, the addicted, and flash mobs that steal lots of Levi Strauss jeans.  Maybe a corporate name change to reset is needed?  How about Levi Stress?
  10. On an only slightly lighter note, did Lincoln Riley run from the SEC competition, or does he see a golden opportunity to do at USC what three coaches since Pete Carroll have failed to do?  Ole Petey got out of the City of Angels just ahead of the probation police crackdown on giveaways to parents.  In a dozen years since, coaches Kiffin, Sarkesian, and Helton led the once very proud program to three Holiday, one Cotton, and one Rose Bowl, and little else.

Post-holiday Mondays are always stressful.  We hope that our fireside chat helped.