Life

The Endless Summer of Love

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

In 2020, the June solstice is this coming Saturday, June 20th, marking the start of summer in the Northern Hemisphere.   It’s also known as the longest day of the year.  

But, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkin couldn’t help herself.  She proclaimed last Friday, a full eight days early that this was already a “Summer of Love.”  Her early proclamation stemmed from her enthusiasm after a visit to the six city square blocks she forfeited to The Movement.  The Movement has created a city within the Emerald City you know.
They call it CHAZ (Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone).  Or, they called it CHAZ.  Over the weekend, verbal and physical disagreements over the name mushroomed out of the groundswell.  It’s now attempting to rebrand itself as CHOP.  That’s the acronym for Capitol Hill Organized(or Occupied) Protest.  What’s in a name anyway?  The Movement moves fast.
It moved fast enough to create a border with vehicles and fencing blocking off the occupied area.  It requires an ID to get in.  It patrols its periphery with armed guards carrying concealed weapons.  It throws (literally) people out that it doesn’t like or agree with.  It sounds similar to the very concerns that they are protesting against.
Leaders (we use the term loosely) stated that they have no intent to cede from the U.S.  Too bad.
It’s even turned a city park into a makeshift farm.  Occupier Marcus Henderson calls in “guerilla gardening.”  The group is “trying to rethink public spaces into places that also nourish us.”  Is there a better example of “woke” than that, ever?
The Seattle Times wrote that it’s a “festival-like atmosphere.”  Seattle’s Bureau of Tourism must be champing at the bit to market it.  Occupiers quickly reminded the reporter that the takeover is a protest against systemic racism and police violence.  That’s two worthy causes.  We’ll see how they police themselves as the start inside has been rough and tumble.  The judge and jury seem to be limited to raising your fist and voice thus far.
Thank goodness it’s only the Summer of Love.  Everyone will need to get home by Fall to get the mail-in ballots mailed to them.  We’re assuming that the occupants actually have a permanent home of course.

School’s out for summer too.  And Saturday in New Orleans John McDonogh’s statue was out as well.  Protesters there had enough.  They toppled it and carried it and threw it into the Mississippi River.  McDonogh was a slave owner.  Although during his life McDonogh was an infamous miser, he left the bulk of his close to $2 million fortune to the cities of Baltimore and New Orleans for the purpose of building public schools for poor children—specifically, white and freed black children. This was unprecedented and proved controversial.  The New Orleans public school system had been established in 1841, but the McDonogh Fund facilitated major expansion. Eventually, over 30 schools were built.

The NOLA public school system achieved a second to none status across America back then.  Now, it’s deteriorated to one that’s second to all.

Who knew that tossing a statue of a known slave owner turned philanthropist could solve the educational system’s failures?  It won’t, but many will say it’s a start.  McDonogh’s money then in today’s dollars is $92 million.  Back then it was a start.

Meanwhile, Atlanta’s summer isn’t off to a lovely start.  A suspect is shot running away from the cops. The police chief resigns.  A Wendy’s gets burned to the ground near where it happened.

What America needs right now actually is a Coke and a smile.  Then we could teach the world to sing.   

What’s better than guerilla gardened apple trees and perfect harmony in 2020, a year when every day feels like the longest day of the year?

Seeing Red, White, and Feeling Blue.

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Do the events of the last few weeks leave you feeling blue?  Are you so mad that you are seeing red?  Both?

NASCAR announced yesterday that they have seen enough blue and red flying around at their raceways that they have banned the display of the Confederate flag at all events going forward.  This has made Bubba Wallace very happy.  Some say that he even helped save NASCAR from itself.

Do you know who Bubba is?  He’s a successful NASCAR driver and he’s black.  Tell the truth.  It will set you free.  When you read this did you have an image of who Bubba was?  If so, are you prejudiced?  He’s not just another Bubba from Alabama.

Another Bubba, this one a professional golfer named Bubba Watson, bought a car a while back.  It wasn’t just any car though.  Two years after his first tour victory, Watson acquired his dream set of wheels, known as the General Lee, for $110,000 at the 2012 Barrett-Jackson automobile auction in Scottsdale, Ariz.

The problem was that the car featured in the hit TV show Dukes of Hazzard had the Confederate flag painted on the roof.  Bubba said enough is enough back in 2017 and painted over it.  “Obviously I love the show,” said Watson, who owns the “Dukes of Hazzard” DVD collection. “But the flag is offensive to some people. There’s been enough buzz. I thought it was the right gesture for me to do.”  Shouldn’t he rename the car as well?

Racecar here, race war there.

Jeff Foxworthy wrote a few jokes about people named Bubba along the way.  The link is a 2015 video of Jeff explaining to Jimmy Fallon how the one-liners came about-innocently. They made Jeff famous.  You know the “you know” jokes.  For example, “you know that you’re a redneck when your first name is Bubba.”  Fallon said that he loved them and thought that they were so funny.  That’s way back when we could laugh about each other and enjoy our differences.

Fallon should know.  He apologized last month for his Saturday Night Live skit of 20 years ago when he wore “blackface.”  Should Fallon have been fired for that transgression? One month’s time might have made a big difference to that answer.  And, Fallon again seems on the insensitive side for laughing at Foxworthy’s jokes.  Should he apologize again?  Or, are redneck jokes still funny?

And, what about Foxworthy?  Is his gross insensitivity to “rednecks” just as bad as wearing blackface?  The answer is no, not as of today.  Maybe never.

Or, does that depend if you hail from a blue state or a red state?

And people say they don’t see color.  After we finish with all of the rhetoric and get rid of all of the symbolism we should ask them again.

 

 

 

 

Ten Piece Nuggets-The Movement

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

We pick up where we left off yesterday.  But with much ground to cover we choose the Ten Piece Nuggets route.  The Movement moves fast.  We’re listening, learning, and trying desperately to keep up.   Some of this, some of that, and a big serving of “huh?” is below.

  1.  We concluded our rebuttal yesterday stating that blaming the plight of others with the guilt trip of “white privilege” is a “tough sell.”  Unlike Drew Brees, we stand by what we say.  He’s still apologizing.
  2. But one of our astute readers thinks The Movement has a marketing problem, not a selling problem.  Sunday’s brushfire “Defund the Police” turned into yesterday’s wildfire.  We stand by what our astute reader says.  This one is a bad, spelled BAD, optical.  Many of the same people who cheered on or participated in vandalism, looting, arson, and violence now want us to defund the police.
  3. Thank goodness PBS reporter Yamiche Alcindor clarified the phrase for those of us trying desperately to keep up. “Activists calling for defunding the police are not always calling for dismantling departments.   In many cases, it means redirecting funds from police departments to other parts of society that help people like housing, education, and communities.”  Feel better?
  4.  No less than three states already have legislation (boy they can write fast) put forth to do just that in one form or another.  New York and California lead the way.  Surprised?  The third state is either Delaware or New Hampshire.  Like Joe Biden, we can’t remember one from the other.  Another seven states are grumbling to do the same.
  5. If you are wondering where this defunding push goes, so are a lot of other people.  Thankfully a Rasmussen(we think) poll conducted just months back revealed some amazing stats.  Sixty-four percent of the polled were white, while 12% were black.  That is a statistically meaningful representation of the US.  White folks responded 72% affirmatively to “strongly agree” or “agree” that the police departments around the US were doing a good job.  Black folks?  Drum roll.  Exactly 72% responded that same way as well.  Both races also exactly “strongly disagreed” at only a 5% response rate.
  6.  This makes us wonder.  Is this an extremely well organized and funded disruption in an election year, or is this a 1968 civil rights movement?  People will be really disappointed if it’s just the former.  It’s more than odd that race relations seem to really heat up every four years coinciding with elections.
  7. We’ve gone from #aparttogether to #togetherapart in just a few weeks.  The enemy that we couldn’t see united us for a few weeks.  Protests to go back to work were frowned upon (could be violent and could ignite COVID-19) and started pulling us apart.  The enemy that we could see on a video kneeling on another’s throat seemed to unite us for a couple of days.  Then protests of a different sort (are violent and could ignite COVID-19 but that is now ok) have pulled us apart.  So much for catchy hashtags.
  8. Where is our leadership?  Trump tweets, but has resisted addressing the nation as a whole about the resistance. Is it “if you have nothing good to say then say nothing at all?”  It’s a rare silent moment for him.   Joe Biden saw his shadow in February and has been sheltering in his basement all spring.  The presumptive Democratic nominee is in Houston today comforting the Floyd family.  How thoughtful.
  9. The Minneapolis mayor attended a rally Sunday.  It didn’t go so well.  Two weeks ago he told the nation that the video he watched showed “a murderer who should be arrested immediately.”  He basically told his police to stand down.  Sunday he said into a bullhorn that he would not support the abolishment of the city police.  The crowd didn’t like that.  He walked out.  The city leader walked out.  Yesterday he stated that he looked forward to working with his city council who have 9 of 13 votes to defund the police.  He has perfected the art of using a blowtorch to put out a fire in a very short period of time.  He asked Trump for 57 million to rebuild what he greenlit. And his city now agrees with the nation.  He once was woke. Now, he’s a joke.  The Movement moves fast.
  10.  Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, and Jerry Nadler led another 20 or so Democratic congressional members in a silent tribute to George Floyd on Monday as they unveiled a package of sweeping policing reforms in his name. They knelt for eight minutes, 46 seconds.  Nadler actually stood.  He stands with the cause, he just can’t kneel for the cause.  Pelosi knelt with the cause, then couldn’t stand.  She blamed it on high heels.  Weird.  She usually blames Trump for all missteps.

Remember “if the glove does not fit, you must acquit?”  How about “if they defund, we want a tax refund?”

Lighten Up Already. Not Yet.

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

We’ve had more than a few requests to lighten up our subject matter recently.  We hear you.  We’d love to.

America needs to find a way to lighten up as well.  America doesn’t hear you.  Not yet.  We’d love for it to be able to do so.

Sadly, we continue into week three with violence against property, civilians, and police officers.  The dialogue that begins around a white Minneapolis police officer killing a black man has metastasized from excessive police force against African Americans to white privilege, inequality, reparations, it’s Trump’s fault, and everywhere in between.   It’s lit a mental fire and in some cases a physical fire around the globe.

We have a series of sentences written as one comment, sparked by a recent column of ours and subsequent comments made about it, below.    We applaud the writer, who is an avid reader of ours, for taking the time to write it.  The points articulated are important to the writer and cut closer and closer to the core.  If they make you feel uncomfortable it might be why the protest side won’t ease up.  It seems like they have had it.  And they want to be heard.  They should be.   And, many who look down their nose at the protests turned violent have had it as well.

BBR won’t cure what ails us today.  We won’t cure cancer tomorrow either.  But we all should always try our best.    After all, we feel like in all of what we have read or heard, to stop talking now would produce more of the same outcomes of the past.  The present voices don’t want that.  We understand that.  What we don’t understand is some of the logic and feelings that got us to ground zero.  Our attempt at an honest and direct rebuttal follows in italics. 

1,000 people were killed by police last year, of that 24% of those were blacks despite making up 13% of the population. What percent deserved to die regardless of color?  While this stat is presumed accurate it’s a slippery slope comparison.  What percent of the crimes committed in America were perpetrated by blacks?  We’ve seen a report that shows 44% of the murders were, as one example.  And over 80% of those were by black men.  Black men make up 6% of the total population.  So if we extrapolate, about 34% of murders in this country are committed by 6% of its population. That’s five times, and nearly six times, more murder than its representative population.    

Being black in America is considered a crime when it comes to law enforcement and the preconceived views and treatment afforded to them.  We don’t doubt that.  A thorough examination of police behavior would be applauded by many.  Ask any white or Latino how they feel about interacting with police officers.  It’s a broken relationship.  The “probable cause” laws should be thoroughly reexamined now, then reformed.  But, you can’t sweep George Floyd’s LONG rap sheet under the rug either.  IN NO WAY DID HE DESERVE TO DIE, but he put himself into a bad spot many, many times. We know that and he surely did too. The best way to avoid bad outcomes at the hand of the law is to follow the law.  He wasn’t following it this time either.

The fact that you don’t feel you have white privilege or have never benefited from white privileged is exactly the problem. This is unfortunate.  We now have the blame game pointing fingers at successful people when the problem might be what we aren’t doing to provide equal footing to all.  It feels like white people only succeed because they are white.  We should somehow all feel guilty about their success.  That’s a tough sell. 

You grew up in an America that opens doors to white privileged males like yourself which is why you view it through your white lens.  You’re white and you can’t see what I’m saying.  But, I’m white and I can.  I’m more open-minded than you.  Maybe.  Or maybe we just don’t see it the same.   

Loans, schooling acceptance, professors, business applications, clients, the list is endless. Some statistical proof here might help with this endless list. We don’t dismiss the claim, just wonder it’s pervasiveness.  Professors?  Doubtful.   It makes you wonder why Elizabeth Warren felt the need to check the Native American box on her college app though. 

Those that don’t see themselves as white privilege or view their success purely as a product of “hard work” do it because it serves them not to see it. Or, not.  Maybe they are proud and should be.  Throwing all successful whites into one bucket seems a bit prejudiced to us.  Success stories that started from the ground up while overcoming huge odds are plentiful. 

We come to feel entitled to that advantage.  Or, they took advantage of every resource available to them and we should ensure that all have the same.  Thankful could be inserted for entitled as well.  

We’re told that we deserve it and that we earned it, and we take great umbrage when that is challenged. We should help those below, not tear down those above.  Capitalism is the greatest economic driver in the world.  America leads, it doesn’t follow.  Rugged individualism never should go out of style.  We should help more see the way.

Sadly many including yourself seem threatened by this idea you made it where you are in life by anything besides “hard work privilege.” Hard work doesn’t see color. It sees success. 

Congrats on leading your business in a way that looks at talent first. We can’t follow why someone wouldn’t look at the talent first regardless of gender, race, creed, etc.  There are success stories everywhere because of it. 

Ask that diverse workforce their honest thoughts on white privilege In America and maybe that will open your eyes more than I can on how you have benefited because you are white.  It seems like that’s exactly what many have been asking these last two, now going on three, weeks.  Otherwise, it seems like we’ve wasted a lot of spray paint, rocks, tear gas, bullets, matches, and businesses.  And, we’ve cut short a few innocent lives too.  

That ends the rebuttal to the comments.  We’re listening here at BBR.  We want to continue to learn.

Regretfully we feel like the sales pitch is falling on ears that wanted to listen but are now turning deaf once again.  One reason?  In a world where everyone is a word policeman and are offended and outraged all of the time, we offer one more offensive one.

It’s “white privilege.”

It seems like an impossible sale.

We hope to lighten up tomorrow.  Every American deserves that opportunity.

 

 

 

 

Bottoms Up!

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

What has 2020 had in store for us thus far?  An impeachment was followed by an all-time high on the stock market.  Shortly thereafter a killer virus caused a global pandemic and an American lockdown.  This caused the stock market to retreat beyond a third in the swiftest decent in its history.  As we emerged from our caves a very bad cop knelt on a black man’s neck in Minneapolis who died.  This lead to ten days and counting of “mostly peaceful” protests if you watch CNN, or deadly riots if you watch FOX News.

So what are we going to do for an encore?  Welp.  NASA is watching an asteroid this weekend estimated to be “the size of the Empire State building” that is hurtling towards earth.  While it’s not expected to come close enough to cause any harm we must write in full disclosure that it is 2020.

Freedom of speech has come front and center in the national dialogue (see what we did?) and that is unfortunate for two reasons.  One, it’s called freedom of speech for a reason, so why should we ever need to be concerned about it?  Two, the nation’s opportunity to discuss and debate the needed and proper outcry from the George Floyd death might get garbled by the shift.

The New York Times (the failing NYT if you ask Trump) took much heat for publishing  Senator Tom Cotton’s op-ed piece.  In it, he suggested that Trump call out the military to suppress the oppressed.  An insurrection of its own occurred inside of the NYT.  Subscribers called to cancel as they were outraged at the conservative hit piece.  The NYT staff nearly revolted too.  The paper publically regretted the error and blamed it on a rushed editorial process.  Sure.

The overriding concern was that this gave oxygen to what could put black lives in danger.  That sounds like the opposite of Black Lives Matter.  And, that’s not good for a far left-leaning paper.

A day after Drew Brees spoke his mind he changed his mind.  Then, he apologized publically via Instagram and privately to his teammates in one of those lovely company-wide Zoom conferences.  It’s a shame that WOKE world whiffed at a chance to discuss versus hush.  Thankfully, even-keeled Tony Dungy came to his defense.

During an interview on The Pat McAfee Show on Thursday, Dungy stood up for Brees’ freedom of speech.  “I don’t downgrade Drew for that. That’s what he said. He may not totally understand, it may have been not exactly how he wanted to express it, but he can’t be afraid to say that,” Dungy said.  We can’t just say anytime something happens that we don’t agree with, ‘I’m done with that, and I’m done with this person.’ That doesn’t make sense. We have to be better than that,” the former Indianapolis Colts coach said.  Ah, so nice to hear a fair and balanced voice of reason in this storm.

Speaking of storms, Baton Rouge and the lower LA coast is expecting flooding this weekend from tropical storm Cristobal slowly heading their way from deep in the Gulf of Mexico.

Well, at least no one was killed in riots last evening.  The stock market has had another great week to date.  The asteroid will miss us, won’t it?

Hopefully, you’re on summer hours at work by this week, or better yet on vacation.  It’s never too early to  start drinking in 2020.  Bottoms up!

 

One Day Alice, One Day.

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

The set was a single bedroom apartment house in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, New York City in the ’60s.  It was 328 Chauncery St. to be exact.  The Kramden’s and the Norton’s lived there.

Outside, in the real world 1960’s, there were marches, demonstrations, protests, and riots for civil rights for minorities across the nation.  In space, America flew and eventually landed on the moon.

On the set, and more than once, Ralph had had it with Alice.  “You’re a riot Alice,  You’re a regular riot.  Hope they like those jokes on the moon, ’cause that’s where you’re goin.'”

This past Saturday America launched two astronauts into space with some fanfare.  This past Saturday “regular” riots broke out across the nation for civil justice and the like.

It’s been 50 plus years and nothing has really changed, has it?  We want to go back to the moon all the while the nation’s (pick from any or all of the following) “oppressed,” “underserved,” “prejudiced against,” “minority,” or “African Americans” are yelling that they are being targeted and/or left behind.

The George Floyd killing is another terrible reminder of how far we think we have come and how far so many think we have to go.  We wonder if both groups are right on some level.  But does the looting, the burning, and the violence from coast to coast lose the real message in the tear gas?

Friday night two looters tried desperately to balance five flat-screen TVs on a Target Store pull cart. They must share an apartment bigger than the Kramden’s had in Bensonhurst.   Saturday night a woman helped herself to an entire cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory in Seattle.  She didn’t even bother to put it in a to-go box.  Last evening in Austin, thugs (what else do you want to call them?) set fire to a homeless man’s possessions right before his eyes. Once lit, they threw his mattress in just to stoke the flames.

Speaking of stoking the flames, the Minneapolis mayor threw gasoline on the situation calling what he saw on the video “a murder” and suggesting that “the cop should be arrested right now.”  Does anyone disagree?  No.  But if ever a case needed to be sure that “t’s” were crossed and “I’s” were dotted, it’s this one.  No mistakes in the procedure to secure an arrest warrant could be made.  If the case was ever thrown out on a technicality, lookout.

But he jumped the gun, and it swung the door wide open to take to the streets.  He told the cops to stand down.  And, when he pulled the cops from the Third District Station, that was subsequently burned down, he effectively gave the keys to the city to the inflamed.  The subsequent arrest of the rogue cop is lost as an afterthought now.

The very noble cry of ending unjust acts of violence on the innocent was drowned out by people committing unjust acts of violence on the innocent.  Ninety-nine point nine percent of America watched.  It’s the 0.1% that should be tossed in jail.

The wash, rinse, and repeat reminds us of “gun control.”  Somebody shoots and kills way too many people in a school, church, or club.  “We need gun control reform in America!”  “No, we don’t.”  After a week, the noise dies down, and we go back to what we were doing.

If America is that bad to live in, maybe some who feel that way should leave?  We aren’t suggesting it.  We wonder why they don’t.  People from many walks of life walk to our border to get in, not out.   If you want to stay, burning it down isn’t the answer any more than putting your knee on someone’s throat is.

Will this time be any different?  We can hope, but that won’t do much.  Before you know it another 50 years will have passed by.

“One day Alice, one day.”

The Corner of Government Rd. and Individualism Ave.

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

The “too big” government overreach is at it again.  It’s mad because a “too big” social media platform named Twitter is at it again.

When you attempt to censure President Trump, you’ve poked the proverbial bear.  Twitter made the mistake of “fact-checking” him one too many times coming out of this weekend.   “Fact-checking” is a nice word for censure.  Twitter’s version of what the facts are seems to be more of an opinion than grounded in fact.  It also seems like it chooses who to “fact check” and who not to.

“Republicans feel that Social Media Platforms totally silence conservatives voices,” Trump tweeted. “We will strongly regulate, or close them down before we can ever allow this to happen. We saw what they attempted to do, and failed, in 2016. We can’t let a more sophisticated version of that happen again.”

So with that, a spat has turned into an all-out trending Twitter war on the very platform most in question.

Twitter is a public company.  Like it or not it should be able to choose what it sells, and to whom, however it chooses. Don’t you like it?  Start your own platform after you quit tweeting.

But, alas, our world has evolved into a virtual mess.  And Twitter, Facebook, Snap, and a few others (Pinterest anyone?) are collectively the virtual mess.  “Freedom of speech,” the right yells.  So the FCC will attempt to censure Twitter who is attempting to censure people whose opinions they disagree with.  Does Twitter get to have its own freedom of speech?

We’re at the corner of Government Rd. and Individualism Ave. again.  We’ve actually been stuck in this traffic jam for a while.  We stopped driving for about two months so we temporarily forgot our whereabouts.  Our government overreached and told us to go home.  It was for our own good they said.

The Dallas city government arrested a hair salon owner.  The NOLA mayor signed an executive order banning the sale of firearms during the stay at home order.  The NY mayor said that if you go in the water last weekend “we’ll pull you out.”  The governor of Michigan said that the longer the protests continue, the longer the lockdown will be enforced.   In other words folks, the beatings will continue until the morale improves.

In Minnesota, the government went beyond beating its citizens, or at least one citizen.  The available video of the George Floyd apprehension looks like a few government employees went way too far.  One, in particular, might have(likely) committed a homicide. Social media, the same platforms under scrutiny, quickly organized the people.  Protests formed in Minnie and LA.  Meet on the corner of Government and Individualism it screamed.  And, rightfully so we add.

The problem in Minnie is that a few of the assembled (your right under the Bill of Rights) decided to loot. “Looting” is a nice word for stealing.  It’s reserved for stealing while under the influence of civil unrest we guess.   It’s like what “gaffe” is to “senility.”  It’s reserved for incoherent thought in an election year we guess.

The problem in LA is that they decided to get on the 101 Freeway.  No stores are on the freeway.   Maybe the government that overreaches that gave them their stimulus money as well as unemployment money, as well as small business payroll money kept them from wanting or needing to loot.  Still, it’s but a few blocks from the crossroads of Government and Individualism.

Times were so much simpler when all we had was social media Russian interference in our election, a little quid pro quo or no, and to impeach or not to impeach.

Maybe when Biden stops hiding and Trump stops tweeting we can have a civilized debate about all of this.  We kid.

We wonder if we’ll need to do it from a social distance.  We don’t wonder if social media will try to have a say.

 

 

 

Ten Piece Nuggets-2020

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

After a long weekend, and a tough Tuesday that felt like Monday times three, you need your strength.  Time for Ten Piece Nuggets.

  1.  The Brood IX Cicadas are coming!  The Brood IX Cicadas are coming!  Periodical cicadas(locusts) are expected to come out in early summer across southwest Virginia, parts of North Carolina, and in West Virginia.  The last time the cicadas emerged in many of those regions was in 2003.
  2.  As many as 1.5 million of the insects can emerge per acre of land.  While they are some of the longest-lived insects in the world, periodical cicadas spend almost their entire lives underground as what entomologists call “nymphs”.  They’ll last above ground for six weeks at most.
  3. This reminds us of Joe Biden who emerged from his basement Monday long enough to place a wreath at the base of the monument that honors fallen soldiers from the great state of Delaware.  His better half, Dr. Jill was at his side.  Both were sporting facemasks.  Vain Donald Trump and wife Melania did the same in DC without a mask.  Cynics and critics are plentiful.
  4. We doubt that the cicadas will bother with a mask.  And, they’ll go back to shelter in place by late June.  We’ll know when they reemerge in spring 2037 if that process actually works.  Timing is everything.
  5. If you looked at the news on the weekend it looks like the majority of America is pretty much done with sheltering in place.  The parties were many, the locations numerous, and the crowds were large.
    Party On, Lake of the Ozarks

    But the Lake of the Ozarks pool party pic takes first prize for gross indifference to the cause.

  6. Which brings us to the great mask debate of 2020.  Now that all of the “science and data” has allowed some but not all states to restart, that same “science and data” is pulling us in two directions about the request/need/mandate to wear face masks.  Never let a crisis go wasted to score political points as well.  As usual the country is divided on a subject and has some strong feelings on it.
  7.  We wonder if Biden suddenly discovered its benefit?  It’s 50/50 if he knows whether it benefits him or those around him.  Black wasn’t his facemask color of choice for any particular reason was it?  “If you ain’t wearing a black facemask it ain’t a black facemask man!”
  8. Meanwhile, Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon has apologized for a skit he did on “Saturday Night Live” in 2000 during which he portrayed Chris Rock while wearing blackface.  According to CNN, video of the skit resurfaced recently on social media channels.  Fallon apologized on Twitter yesterday saying he “made a terrible decision.”  “There is no excuse for this. I am very sorry for making this unquestionably offensive decision and thank all of you for holding me accountable.”
  9. Using Twitter to apologize is the “new normal” these days.  Don’t you hate the phrase “new normal?”  When did what you did before COVID-19 become the “new normal?”  And, before that was the old, old, then new normal, correct?  We digress.  What’s weird is that Fallon has known that he did the skit since, well, since he did the skit. That’s 20 years.  The cicadas have come and gone and now about to come again since then.   Yet, he only apologized yesterday.  Hmm.  The cicadas shed their old nymph skins (ecdysis), expanding their wings, and changing to their adult coloring.  Sounds similar to a 20-year-old Twitter apology.
  10. MLB 2020 has yet to throw out its first pitch.  Now league officials and the player’s union are trying to get together on a plan to launch an abbreviated season.  When, where, who plays who, how many times, and who gets to watch are but some of the questions they face in their “new normal.”  Yesterday, the players union balked at the compensation that the teams want to shell out.  Fewer games, how many fans, and what is the TV revenue all goes into the budget equation.  They’ll get it together.  But, with unemployment fast approaching 20% it’s not a good look when billionaires argue with millionaires.  It never is.

The cicadas swarm is very loud.  It’s like getting mask shamed by an angry crowd at Walmart.  Eat your nuggets and stay away from both.

Hindsight, Foresight, and Throwing Darts.

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

One unlucky BBR staffer was assigned a project that wound up lasting well into the evening.  The loser of the coin flip had to research the states’ stay at home orders, easing of same, and restrictions imposed on both.

The project mercifully was called off around 11:30 pm.  Why?  It’s because there are nearly 50 different answers from 50 states in place to either stay or not in place.

We wonder.

  1.  Have we all put too much trust in elected officials that know next to nothing about viruses blindly throwing darts at a wall?
  2.  Have we all put too much trust in many doctors(experts) who are in government positions for too long as the politicians are, somewhat blindly throwing darts at a wall?
  3.  We were only supposed to be flattening the curve.  Los Angeles County, “with almost certainty,” will extend the stay at home until sometime in July.  Does LA (and Oregon) know something that most of the other 48 states do not?
  4.  Will someone please inform BBR when, barring a vaccination that all agree to inject, the risk of spreading the virus will go to zero? Or when it will go to a manageable number?  What is that manageable number?
  5. Will someone please inform BBR when the “cost” of catching it is outweighed by the cost of not catching it?  Georgia and Texas amongst others have said that day has come and gone.
  6. Wasn’t the time to lock down two weeks before we did?  Easy to say in hindsight you say?  Correct.  Yet some called for it loudly and repeatedly back on March 1.  But it seems like the time to stop a spread is before it starts spreading.  How do you know when?  You don’t.  So, if you think you are going to need to do it, isn’t sooner better than later?
  7. To those suggesting we should test everyone every time they enter an establishment that “we” think they should get tested we have a question.  When does that need to subside?  When the virus goes away?  When the vaccine arrives?  How do you pay for what you just proposed?  Isn’t it a violation of one’s rights?
  8. To anyone who says anything is too soon?  Is it not your individual decision to do or not do what you wish?  Stay home as long as you wish, but the money to take care of everyone has long ago run out.  Are you listening, Nancy?  Are you listening, Mitch?  Are you listening, Donald?
  9. Can anyone let us know when the Federal Reserve printer runs out of ink?  BBR’s low ink printer notification is on more than it’s off it seems.  That must be one big printer with one very big green ink cartridge.
  10. Why in the world is the stock market going up?  Does Wall St. know that we have to go back to work in order to survive?

Hindsight is indeed 2020.  We already cannot wait until 2020 is indeed behind us.

Ten Piece Nuggets-Only in America

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

You’re returning to work.  Your appetite is naturally increasing.  We’re here to help.  Our supply chain, unlike Wendy’s, never runs short.  We’re here to serve.  Nuggets follow.

  1.  Jailed Dallas hair salon owner Shelley Luther is free at last.   One day after a judge sentenced her to 7 days in jail and 7k out of her pocket, sanity got in the way of insanity.  The Texas AG, followed by the governor, quickly acted.  They both suggested that there were better ways to handle a business owner solely interested in reopening.  It was a bad look for the state to say the least.  Maybe a quick trip to the beauty salon will help.
  2.  A Texas judicial watchdog group previously had labeled the judge as “left-leaning.” And, supposedly, people in the system have heard him say that he likes to be extra tough on people with “conservative principles.”  Remember, justice is blind.  In this instance, it was indeed, unfortunately, blind.
  3.  Consider the terrible irony that is a result of an overzealous government wielding it’s power from the start of the Coronavirus till now in this situation.  We let criminals out of taxpayer-funded penal institutions for fear that the virus would spread like wildfire inside.  We told people when they could and could not work.  We told them who was essential and who wasn’t.  A salon owner wanted to work, pay her employees, and stop taking money from our government.  In fact, they would resume paying those same taxes.  When she went in seven days early (tomorrow salons may reopen in Texas) she was arrested, jailed, fined, and sentenced.  She was put in the very same place (jail) that we let criminals out early to reduce the virus’ transmission thereby increasing the chance of transmission to her, her employees, her customers, and her loved ones.  Only in America.
  4. We mentioned yesterday that a good thing happened during this bad thing.  A GoFundMe page to help out Ms. Luther was created.  We even speculated that it would zoom (sorry) to over 100k by nightfall yesterday.   It did.  It did by an additional 400k.  The tally as of late last evening was nearly 500k. Only in America.
  5.  Meanwhile, NY Governor Andrew Cuomo rejected the idea of waving the state income tax levied on workers who voluntarily answered the call and flocked in from out of state to help during the worst of the worst times.  The good governor said that he would like to do a lot of good things but his state was facing a 13 billion dollar budget deficit.  He added that he could do some of those things if the federal government would give him some money.  It sounds like he is asking for a handout, not a hand up.
  6. New York was ill-equipped at the state level as were most.   It had a few ventilators.  It had a few masks.  It has more than a few citizens.  The federal government retro built the Javits Center into a temporary hospital.  It docked one of it’s two floating hospitals in Manhatten.  It retrofitted the ship to handle Coronavirus patients only at the request of Cuomo.  And, now, if it gives NY some money it would be helpful.  And, the national media is handing out plaudits for how “presidential” Cuomo looks, sounds, and acts as governor.  Hmm.  You mean they are thinking Joe Biden doesn’t?   Only in America.
  7. Does any state put any money or supplies away for a rainy day?  Too few.  Does any citizen?  Too few.  If this economic watershed moment doesn’t teach the public and private sector to live below its means, what will?
  8. The rise in the suicide rate caused by lockdowns in Australia is predicted to exceed deaths from the Wuhan coronavirus by a factor of ten, the Australian reported Thursday.  You should reread that sentence.  Australia fears a 50% rise in suicides this year and predicts that the increased rate could linger for years from the fallout of the lockdown.  Let’s hope their models are as inaccurate as the spike, curve, mortality rate, and infection rate models have been so far.
  9. The Washington Post is running a series of articles about POTUS’s decision to get quotes to paint the border wall.  Cost estimates range from $500 million to over $2 billion (if two coats of powder coat are applied).  Trump wants to paint it black.  Why?  It would make scaling it in the summer months significantly harder as black absorbs the sun’s heat making the “The Wall” quite hot to the touch.  Only in America if you can get here.
  10. The Post is outraged at the cost.  Wait until they see the infrastructure proposal tab.   Nevermind that we just appropriated over $3 trillion to assuage the historic economic hardship and fallout from this enemy that we cannot see.  There are too many government initiatives that hand out too much money.  What’s another $500 million to paint a wall?  Planned Parenthood gets $500 million a year and then some.   Would it be better if the wall was called “Planned Immigration?”

Get back to work when we tell you.  Only in America.