Engage. Enrage. Enjoy.

Basic Common Sense

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

A make-believe President Andrew Sheppard (actor Michael Douglas) interrupted a press conference in the movie An American President filmed in 1995 and said, “You cannot address crime prevention without getting rid of assault weapons and handguns. I consider them a threat to national security, and I will go door to door if I have to, but I’m gonna convince Americans that I’m right, and I’m gonna get the guns.”

“Hell yes, we’re going to take your AR-15, your AK-47,” shrieked Beto O’Rourke to roaring applause from a crowd at Texas Southern University during a Democratic Debate for a want-to-be President in 2015. “We’re not going to allow it to be used against our fellow Americans anymore.”

Yesterday, our real president, though some would argue in title only, Joe Biden told us that he wants to rein in the use of untraceable firearms known as ghost guns that turn up frequently at crime scenes.  This attempt targets privately made firearms that can be assembled from purchased do-it-yourself kits.  The weapons lack serial numbers, which makes it difficult to trace the owner.

Commercial manufacturers of the kits will have to be licensed and must add serial numbers on the kits’ frame or receiver.  Commercial sellers of the kits will have to become licensed and will be required to run background checks on potential buyers.  It makes some sense as conventional retailers must do the same.  It just won’t stop anyone who wants a gun to find a way to get one.

“These guns are weapons of choice for many criminals,” Biden said in a Rose Garden ceremony attended by victims and families of gun violence. “We are going to do everything we can to deprive them of that choice and, when we find them, put them in jail for a long, long time.”  Sounds like we’re not as interested in defunding the police as we were pre election.

Biden called the not call to arms “basic common sense.”  Except, it’s not.  Or, at least it’s not enough.

Well, it makes as much sense as Twitter employees who worry that Elon Musk, now Twitter’s largest shareholder, may turn their free speech platform into a platform that actually allows free speech, but we digress.

All together now- guns don’t kill people.  People kill people.

Adding serial numbers to parts will make illegal gun owners take a bit longer to file down the additional numbers to make them untraceable.  Also, stolen guns are stolen guns regardless of who cleared a background check originally.

There are over 330 million guns in this country that we can count. It’s the second amendment right.  If you don’t make another one, or file down another serial number, that’s enough for every man, woman, and child, regardless of their choice of pronouns, to pack heat.

Illinois and New York have the strictest gun control laws in the nation.  Ask the residents of Chicago’s south side or the Bronx how much that helps.

Criminal behavior starts way before someone puts a gun in their hand.  Once Veep Kamala figures out the root cause of illegal immigration maybe she can turn her attention to the root cause of criminal behavior.

Until then we can continue paying lip service to the problem as we do with China, Russia, inflation, debt, and the border.

 

X + Y = Z?

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Remember way back when? Maybe it was the fourth grade?  What were you ten, then?

It was your first party with members of the opposite gender.  Spin the bottle someone said.  Suddenly you felt faint in the head.

You didn’t know why but you knew when.  And, when was right now.

You were terrified that the bottle might stop spinning while pointing in your direction.  You were mesmerized that it might though.  In short, you had no clue.

Ten.  That’s twice the age of what the latest name and blame game storm is all about.

Should public school teachers teach gender identity(or identity choices?) to pre-K and kindergarteners?  If you had no physical clue why you felt how you did at ten, what do you think the cranium power is to digest the complexity of the topic at five?

Kids get out of high school and are still confused by x+y=z.  How well do you think x and y chromosomes (give or take a few in these days and times apparently) will be understood by someone who cannot yet tie his or her (there’s that two gender thing again) shoes at five years of age.

And, do chromosomes even matter anymore?

Doesn’t the fact that this is even a debate enrage you?  If it doesn’t maybe you were “that guy” at the party that reached out to the Coke bottle and stopped it purposely and pointed it at you.  Or, maybe you should reconsider the debate.

We want to keep three-year-olds in masks but we want to unmask the bevy of sexual orientation/ gender identification choices supposedly available to them.  But, to cut to the chase, are there really choices?

We won’t solve the nurture vs. nature debate here today, nor are we qualified to do so.   But, we do know that it’s springtime in the south and there is a hell of a lot of birds making nests together, just like every springtime.

The debate isn’t nurtured v nature anyway.  The debate is when and who should have this discussion.

And, 76% of polled US parents think that this discussion is way too soon.  Over 50% think it should be left up to them at home as well.

Meanwhile, the left zealots in support cannot stand that they’ve been labeled “groomers.”  Did you ever see the guy sitting at the table in the middle of campus with a sign that says, “Groomers attempt to brainwash my kids?” Change my mind!”

Seems like the name game and the blame game is coming to a head again.

One answer seems clear, the “when” isn’t so soon after the babies leave the nest.  We repeat-doesn’t the fact that this is even a debate enrage you?  And, as far as the “who,” shouldn’t parents have the final say about what is taught in schools?  And when, as well?

The government should work for you, not against you.  The school system is part of the government.

You paid for it.  You elected the leaders of it.  It’s yours.

And, it’s time to take back what is yours.

 

 

Reimagine Tomorrow

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Just Tuesday we highlighted the war on women, the war on Ukraine, and the war on the wealthy.  But, what’re three wars without four?  Now the war on words has flared up yet again.

This time the attack and counterattack broke out in the woke Magic Kingdom.   In a leaked video from the company’s “Reimagine Tomorrow” summit top-level employees openly discussed Disney’s push to add more LGBTQIA2S+ content to its ever-growing library.

If you’re counting at home that’s six consonants, two vowels, one number, and a plus sign for 10 “outcasts” in all to be cast more frequently in Disney content.

Disney corporate president Karey Burke spoke, “I’m here as a mother of two queer children — one transgender child, and one pansexual child — and also as a leader.”  She wants a minimum of 50% of all characters going forward to be LGBTQIA2S+ and/or racial minorities.

This brings us to three questions.  One, why 50%?  Two, with all of the slang words that are now inappropriate, when did calling people queers gain traction all over again?  Three, if a character is both “queer” and a racial minority, does that count twice towards the 50 percent?

The leaked videos come amid Disney declaring open war (there’s that word again) on the state of Florida over its Parental Rights Law — which LGBTQ activists have dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

At the bill signing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis explained that the measure simply bans sexual instruction for young schoolchildren, such as kindergarteners.  But, never let facts get in the way of a progressive narrative.

Disney is a huge company with huge brands that have enormous revenue streams.  They are the content, streaming, and amusement park kings.  But, when you start peddling your agenda directly at the hand that feeds you- parents of innocent children who directly object to the messaging aimed at such a young age, you’re playing with fire.  How big of a fire?  Time will tell.

Can you still say “kings?”  We ask because last summer Disney removed all of the gendered greetings and then some in live spiels. Prince and princesses are out. They no longer say ladies and gentlemen, nor boys and girls.   The Disney Diversion and Inclusion Manager said that they now welcome “dreamers of all ages” and noted that aligning language with “gender identity” dogma can make Disney “inclusive” and “magical and memorable for everyone.”

Who knew that it wasn’t memorable before?  Have you ever waited in line for the Space Mountain roller coaster?  And the lines are so inclusive they created fast passes to alleviate some of the wait times.

What’s funny about all of this is Disney’s presence in Communist China.  Well, it’s not funny at all.  It’s pure “turn your back” capitalism.  How many shirts, mouse ears, and souvenirs are produced there?  How many people visit their two theme parks there?

Is China’s government on board with all of the gender equity, inclusive, queer, pans, and so on there?  Of course, they aren’t.

Ironic that Disney owns ESPN which telecasts the NBA and WNBA and many other leagues worldwide.   The NBA loves China as well.

Can we meld the two leagues into one to be more inclusive, drop the “W” from WNBA to help with gender identity, and just call it the Dreamers of All Ages League?

No?  How about we “reimagine tomorrow” and rename it the LGBTQIA2S+WNBAonESPN sponsored by M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E then?

Does that include everyone?

 

 

 

Fair Share

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

If it’s not one war, it’s another.

Last week there was the war on women as Republicans unmercifully (the Washington Post called it the most grueling questioning/testimony ever) grilled Ketanji Brown Jackson for SCOTUS.

Every week for the last five the war on Ukraine marches on.  Joe Biden had a plan to stop it though.   He said Putin should be removed from power.  But then the White House said he didn’t mean it.  And, yesterday he said that he didn’t say it at all.

Someone once said, “even the best-laid plans go to hell when exposed to reality.”

This brings us to the newest war, and to reality.  Yesterday, President Biden made a renewed push to galvanize congressional Democrats to overhaul the nation’s tax code and dramatically raise rates on corporations and ultra-wealthy Americans.

The president laid out the tax hikes as part of his $5.8 trillion budget blueprint for federal spending in fiscal 2023.   Under his proposal, taxes would rise by $2.5 trillion, marking the largest increase in history in dollar terms. What can we give away for “free” that we haven’t already?  The deficit would be $1.15 trillion with a “t.”

Remember, it was but two weeks ago when both Biden and Madame Speaker Pelosi told us, idiots, that government spending wasn’t adding to our inflation problems, rather it actually helped curb inflation.

In fact, the mere notion made the President sick.  “I’m sick of this stuff,” Biden said at a Democratic retreat in Philadelphia, gesturing with his hands to suggest he’d had it up to his neck. “The American people think the reason for inflation is the government spending more money. Simply not true.”

We are reducing the Trump deficits and returning our fiscal house to order,” Biden said at the White House on Monday. He said the budget “makes prudent investment and economic growth, a more equitable economy while making sure corporations and the very wealthy pay their fair share.”

There you go.  It’s all in one sentence.  It’s straight from the left playbook.  Blame Trump, toss in “equitable,” and close with “fair share.”

Everybody supports “fair share.”  It’s fair after all, how could you be against it?  It might matter who decides what is fair, that’s how.  What it really means is that someone’s coming for someone else’s wallet.

The taxes outlined on Monday include a minimum 20% tax on the incomes of U.S. households worth $100 million or more even if the government made you dip into unrealized capital gains.  That’s current worth, not earned in the fiscal year.  You could call that Robin Hood.

That would raise taxes (aka government revenue-a terrible phrase if ever there was one) by about $360 billion over the next ten years. When you stack that up against increased spending it reminds us of the proverbial shooting a bb at a destroyer.

Biden also proposed raising the corporate tax rate to 28% from 21% as part of his budget request.  He’s banking on you not understanding a simple truism. If you raise corporate tax rates, corporations raise their prices to you.   And, that leads to higher inflation no matter how high Nancy Pelosi raises her painted-on eyebrows when spewing her revised version of Economics 101.

Under his envisioned budget, the nation’s deficit would shrink by more than $1 trillion over the next decade.  Or, stated differently the nation’s debt would increase from over $30 trillion to over $40 trillion.  Ouch.

And, no one in their right mind would think that anyone’s vision, and especially his, for the next decade could be clairvoyant.

Hopefully, the war on stupidity starts soon.

 

The King of Queens

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

BREAKING NEWS–

While you were likely sleeping overnight BBR has confirmed that LeBron James is leaving the NBA to join the WNBA!  Lebron tweeted, “my life and the WNBA ratings are forever changed for the better.  Going forward I want to be known as LeBronny’a James or Queen James.”

The King Says He’s Out!

In reality, this shouldn’t be a big deal, but it will be. Hell if you believe in equality, you should wonder why we even have two leagues.  Shouldn’t all genders just play together in one league?

As you know, Lia Thomas made history last Thursday as the first known transgender athlete to win a US college swimming championship when she took the title in the 500-meter freestyle in Atlanta.  Again, you have to wonder if equality really exists as we are striving for.  Why didn’t Lia simply swim in the men’s competition?

You know why.  It’s political theater at its finest.  And its finest was on display yesterday in the Senate confirmation hearings for Kentanji Brown Jackson as well.

The CNBC headline captures it well.  “Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson wraps tense two days of Senate questioning as confirmation path clears.”  The path was always clear as 50 Democrats were always going to vote for her and our esteemed VP Kamala Harris would make 51 assuming she knows how to push the correct button, but we digress.

But, first Judge Jackson faced that aforementioned tense moment.  Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) asked the DC Circuit Court of Appeals judge point-blank: “Can you provide a definition for the word ’woman’?

After a short back-and-forth, Jackson ultimately said: “No, I can’t.”  “You can’t?” Blackburn asked.  “Not in this context. I’m not a biologist,” Jackson said.

So it turns out that two X chromosomes have been deceiving us all along.

This is quite weird as Biden quite loudly promised a black woman as his first Supreme Court nominee if the opportunity presented itself.  How does he know?

Would the world have gone bonkers if Sen Blackburn followed up with “Can you provide a definition for the word ‘black’?

It makes you wonder why the left has been so vociferous in defending abortion, now known as women’s wellness, formerly known as a woman’s right to choose if they cannot define what makes a woman a woman.   Why call it women’s wellness?  How about just wellness?

And, all of this comes as we are celebrating Women’s History Month in March.  The first paragraph of Joe Biden’s Proclamation says so.  It reads, “Every March, Women’s History Month provides an opportunity to honor the generations of trailblazing women and girls who have built our Nation, shaped our progress, and strengthened our character as a people.”

So who are we celebrating if we cannot define who a woman is?  Did we mention political theater?

Fashion Is Strictly a Matter of Opinion.

That theater reached one of a few peaks back in 2017. The Women’s March was a worldwide protest on January 21, 2017, the day after the inauguration of Donald Trump as US president. It was prompted by several of Trump’s statements being considered by many as anti-women or otherwise offensive to women.

It’s pretty simple, almost cro magnon simple.  Trump bad, Biden good!  Gin up the base, let’s tear this place down.

It was originally billed as the Million Women’s March, but it drew 470,000.  Do you wonder if 530,000 bowed out when they learned of the suggested headdress?

Per the website, the goal of the annual march is to advocate legislation and policies regarding human rights and other issues, including women’s rights, immigration reform, healthcare reform, disability justice, reproductive rights, the environment, LGBTQ rights, racial equality, freedom of religion, workers’ rights and tolerance.

That sounds like a lot more than just women’s rights to us.

And that’s why we mention political theater for a final time, we promise.

 

 

The Sky Is Falling

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Know why Chicken Little crossed the road?

We’ll give you a hint.  It’s the same reason why John Kerry flew to Houston this week and spewed out all of those carbon emissions behind his plane.

It was to tell the uninformed that “the sky is falling, the sky is falling!”

President Biden’s climate czar, John Kerry, said that while the Ukraine refugee crisis is a “problem” amid Russia’s invasion, it pales in comparison to the wave of migration that will come if climate change is not addressed.

“We’re already seeing climate refugees around the world,” he said. “If you think migration has been a problem in Europe in the Syrian War or even from what we see now, wait until you see 100 million people for whom the entire food production capacity has collapsed.”  Climate refugees, who knew?  See the sky really is falling.

And as fictional character Carrie Bradshaw on Sex and the City would say, “and just like that” the great reset has revved up its political engines.

President Biden told reporters Tuesday that he “can’t do much” about rising gas prices and blamed the situation on Russia’s war against Ukraine.  But, what we can do is send out the machine that the Democratic Party is and preach climate change.

Wise politicians always say, “you never want to let a crisis go to waste.”  And, unlike the Republicans, the Democrats all come to roost behind a common cause like the wise owls that they are.

Never mind Afghanistan, worthless boosters, late covid tests, the stock market, Ukraine, China, and rampant overall inflation.   Change the national narrative.

Specifically, do you want to fix the gas price problem?  Go green.  Now.

With Kerry running point for Biden, Jen Psaki said yesterday about drilling permits, “what additional permits do they need?  I don’t think that they need an embroidered invitation to drill.”    Does that sound smug or dismissive?  There are 4600 permits to drill pending approval on Biden’s desk as of this AM.  Tick tock.

We could ask Saudi to help, but they won’t answer Biden’s calls.  How about Venezuela?  They’re as bad as they come to humankind but never mind that.  Why would we help increase domestic production a day after cutting off Russia?

Maybe if we all just don’t drive for two weeks straight we could flatten the gas demand curve.  Follow the science.  Like wearing worthless masks what a fracking mess this is.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was ripped by critics Monday after he argued that more Americans should purchase electric vehicles so that they “never have to worry about gas prices again.”

The former South Bend, IN mayor claimed on MSNBC’s “Sunday Show with Jonathan Capehart” that families who own electric vehicles would see a “$12,500 discount” in transportation costs.

Conversely, AAA has estimated that owning a new, compact electric vehicle costs about $600 more per year than a gas-powered compact vehicle despite lower fuel and maintenance costs.  Never let facts get in the way of a good narrative.  And, this estimate is given with the full knowledge that electricity prices would likely climb significantly as demand soars.  Never let, well, never mind.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed giving state residents some relief in the form of a tax rebate, as rising energy costs have led to the Golden State having the highest gas prices in the nation.  How nice an idea is that?  At an average of $5.75 per gallon in Cali the good governor might give you back some of which you shouldn’t need to pay in the first place.

But, he too is against increasing that nasty domestic production.  “At a time when we’ve been heating and burning up, one thing we cannot do is repeat the mistakes of the past by embracing polluters, drilling even more oil, which only leads to even more extreme weather, more extreme drought, and more wildfire,” Newsom said.  Drilling leads to extreme weather.  Again, follow the science.

But the coup de grace was delivered by US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm yesterday in Houston with Czar Kerry at CERAweek (the global energy conference) yesterday.  She said, “we are on the cusp of the most important transition that human society has ever seen.  And, I hope that we’ll look back on 2022 as the year that the world took giant steps to improve energy security and tackle climate change.”

Fourteen months ago America was producing more gas than it consumed.  MORE!

We had all of the security we needed.  It was called energy independence.

But, that was so 2020.  And, now the script is flipped.  And the party in power can follow a script like no other.

 

 

 

 

Tourniquets No, Transfusions Yes.

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

To us, 100 years seems like a long, long time ago.  To historians, it is just the wink of an eyelash.  So, the proper perspective is always key.  And we need plenty of the proper perspective right now.

Our decade of the 20s in the 21st century is off to quite the rocky start.  A century ago, it was quite the opposite.

Our 29th President, Warren G. Harding

The Roaring Twenties refers to the decade of the 1920s in Western society and Western culture. It was a period of economic prosperity with a distinctive cultural edge in the United States and Europe, particularly in major cities. In France they were having so much fun they called it the crazy years.   Jazz blossomed, the flapper redefined the modern look for British and American women, and art deco peaked. In the wake of the military mobilization of World War I and the Spanish flu, President Warren G. Harding “brought back normalcy” to the United States.

This period saw the large-scale development and use of automobiles, planes, telephones, films, radio, and electrical appliances in the lives of millions in the Western world.

Nations saw rapid industrial and economic growth, accelerated consumer demand, and introduced significant new trends in lifestyle and culture.  Cities rooted for their home teams and filled the new palatial cinemas and gigantic sports stadiums.

And, in many major democratic states, women won the right to vote.  Democratic states then v now were very different, but a win is a win.  We’re still arguing about the right to vote, but we digress.

Well, where are we now?  Where we are is in some stage of the process to bring back normalcy.  “What stage,” you ask?  “We have no clue,” we answer.

It sure doesn’t feel like we are in some stage of getting back to normal though, does it?  It does feel like we are in limbo.  Limbo as in, “how low can you go?”

We’re about to find out.

Spanish flu then, covid-19 now.

Economic prosperity returned back then.  We were on our way up prior to covid, but now we face supply chain issues and runaway inflation.

Our government in the last 14 months turned quickly, insistent upon meddling in capitalism.  What do you need?  Whatever it is, it’s free!  Except nothing is free, it just creates dependency (isn’t that the end game for some?) and debt.

And, there is the most important one.  There was WWI then, and hopefully not WWIII now.

Maybe this Warren G. Harding gentleman doesn’t get enough credit in our history books?  And, if Joe Biden wants any he better start looking out for America, not his fringe left.

Do you want solutions?  Yesterday our esteemed Transportation Secretary Peter Buttigieg had one.  He suggested that if America wanted a quick fix to higher gas prices they should go out and buy an electric vehicle.  Oh, yes he did say that.

Meanwhile, we are buying about 500k barrels of Russian oil per day while sending billions of dollars to Ukraine to fight the Russians.  It sounds like we haven’t yet hit the bottom of the barrel yet after all.

Real solutions are on the horizon, or even closer.  Start drilling.

This brings us to one word-leadership.  America needs leadership right now in the worst way before we get to the worst way.  But we don’t have it.

Biden, Harris, Pelosi, Buttigieg, Schumer, Rubio, Graham, McConnell(times 2), Swalwell, Romney, Cheney, Bernie, and The Squad all need to go.  There are others, plenty of others.

And, one named Donald Trump needs to not come back.  Make that two.  Her name is Hillary.

We need that new blood now, and we need a lot of it.

Midterms are exactly eight months away today.  That makes the 2024 election(s) 32 months out.  In some ways that seems like forever.

History teaches us that it’s way less than a wink.  It just doesn’t feel that way.

The pendulum always swings. Sometimes it just has to reach the bottom to get to the other side.

 

 

 

 

 

Q & A Today?

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

We confess.  We’ve vacillated quite a bit on whether or not to post today.  The verbal reports and exploding bomb images rolling in from a foreign land that deserves better can wear one out mentally.

If you’d prefer to take the day off, we understand.  But, if you’d like a few questions and answers put forth, soldier on.  Below, we begin with facts, opinions, and even guesses.  We throw in a dose of befuddlement and bewilderment before we close.

Who is responsible for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine?  This is an easy one.  It’s 100% Putin.  Inevitably the leader of Russia gave the final nod to execute the plan that’s clearly been in place for some time.

Who was the most obvious one to halt or at least alter Putin’s power play?  This too is an easy one.  It’s not 100% Biden, but it’s close.  A more unified NATO would have helped.  But, Biden and the left could have helped themselves as well.

How?  Reagan said, “Peace through Strength.”  Biden’s actions since taking office as well as his global missteps of decades and decades gone by offer “War through Weakness.”

Why?  Perhaps it’s this simple.  Biden is a weak, frail physical figure.  People, like it or not, still make assumptions of who you are based on how you look.  Perhaps, it’s more complex.  Biden listened to too many left-wing zealots when rounding out his approach to energy.

What’s energy got to do with it? Putin’s ego aside, it’s got everything to do with it.  Russia has plenty of it coming out of the ground, and America did until Biden and the climate change shrills significantly slowed the spigot.

Is timing everything?  It is with energy.  The price of a barrel was so cheap (read free) for the first few months of 2020, the year of our Covid, that Trump restocked our national reserves for pennies on the dollar.  Biden used his executive pen on inauguration day to suspend drilling/leases on federal lands, increased regulations, and turned the key off on the Keystone Pipeline.  In other words, Trump bought low, and Biden sold out to his bidders.

Then what?  As demand returned to pre Covid levels, prices rose. Supply was short.  Russia got rich supplying its oil and natural gas to Europe.  America got shafted at the pump, but we digress.  Putin got the funding for the invasion and then some.

Now what?  Now, Europe (as Trump warned) is even more dependent on Russian oil and gas.  It’s now too dependent as America has less to sell.  European NATO nations cannot afford to cut off Russia to the extent that is warranted in sanctions because they would be cutting off the needs of their citizens.

So will the sanctions imposed yesterday work? No, and yes apparently.  In the span of 96 hours, Biden said, “No-one expected the sanctions to prevent anything from happening. This is going to take time, it’s not going to occur…he’s gonna say ‘oh my God, these sanctions are coming, I’m gonna stand down.”  But r just Sunday, his VP said, “And within the context then of the fact that that window is still opening, altho- — open, although it is absolutely narrowing — but within the context of a diplomatic path still being open, the deterrence effect, we believe, has merit.”

Are the sanctions strong enough to slow their roll or at least give them a reason to pause after taking Ukraine down?  They likely aren’t.  The real money sits in Putin’s personal accounts, the Russian oligarchs’ accounts, and most of all the interactive banking that must remain open for countries like Germany to pay Russia for their oil and gas.

How sad is that?  We’re asked to help defend NATO countries that are lining Russian pockets.  Sad.

So why is Putin in Ukraine anyway?  Only Putin knows for absolute certainty.  But a guess would be in order, ego, power, money, and a desire to return Russia to the former Soviet Union.

Is it true that former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry warned in an interview this week about “massive emissions consequences” from a Russian war against Ukraine, which he also said would be a distraction from work on climate change?  Unbelievably, yes.

Did he also say, “I hope President Putin will help us to stay on track with respect to what we need to do for the climate?”  Unbelievably, yes again.

Did anyone mention that the Russian troops weren’t wearing masks?  Unbelievably, but thankfully, in the world today, no.

Will whoever said they stand with Ukraine yesterday please stand down?  Not likely.  It’s one of the dumbest statements incessantly regurgitated on a daily basis about whatever gets people’s attention.  It must make the weak feel good, but not good enough to stand in front of a Russian tank.

Will we next hear from some congressperson that we need to “come together as a nation?”  For sure.

What’s next from the US side?  Likely little.  Putin has the next move.  He must think he’s playing chess while Biden’s playing checkers at this point.  If Biden were smart he would have turned the spigot back on American oil months ago in anticipation of this.  Or, better yet, he would have never turned it off to begin with.

Are cyber attacks next?  And just like that $7.50/gallon of gas is the least of our worries.

 

 

 

Ten Piece Nuggets-Random

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

If you’re waiting anxiously at your door for a block of ice delivery from Canada it might be a while.  But, if you’re waiting for your delivery of some tasty nuggets, we’ve got ten on your virtual doorstep below.

  1.  The contrast between the summer of 2020 discontent in America and the Canadian Freedom Convoy protest approaches polar opposites.  Up north it’s mostly peaceful while south of the frozen Canadian tundra it was said to be mostly peaceful.  Americans lit cities on fire.  Canadians are lighting wood in barrels on fire to stay warm.  America allowed the destruction and took little to no action against the instigators.  PM Trudeau has invoked the Emergency Act in an attempt to freeze banks accounts, take gas away, and tow trucks from the streets.
  2. Trudeau’s temper tantrum seems a bit harsh. But, it is two separate countries on one continent.  To each their own.  Still, no one remembers Antifa nor BLM having funds frozen in 2020.  But, you might remember certain politicians (Kamala Harris), corporations, and actors donating money to the causes or the rare need for bail money.  And, now a lot of that money has gone missing, but we digress.
  3. As Special Council Durham
    Durham Means Business It Seems

    continues his journey into purported spying, lying, and trumped-up Russian ties/allegations against Trump, the so-called mainstream media remains eerily quiet.  How the world of journalism has changed from by the book factual investigative reporting to cheerleading for one side or the other in the last 40 years is fascinating and terribly disappointing.  Deep Throat, if we knew who he or she was, would have a sore throat trying to get someone to listen to them.

  4. If there was even a hint that Trump spied on the Biden White House can you imagine the fervor?  Maybe this is a big nothing burger.  But indictments are coming in the dozens and soon.  Better to cover what turns out to be a non-story than to not cover a story you would think.
  5.  On 10/31/16, just seven days prior to the general election Democratic Nominee Hillary Clinton tweeted out, “Computer scientists have apparently uncovered a covert server linking the Trump Organization to a Russian-based bank.  This secret hotline may be the key to unlocking the mystery to Trump’s ties to Russia.”  Did she omit the part about her operation trumping up the charges and paying for the head fake?  We will see.
  6.  You can vote early (today) in Texas for their 3/1 primaries setting up the November elections.  The gubernatorial primary comes down to incumbent Greg Abbott getting 50% plus one vote to advance to meet Beto O’Rourke from the left in the general.  O’ Rourke has already announced that he wants no part of Biden in Texas to “help” him.
    Lost to Cruz and Biden. It’s Abbott for the Hat Trick.

    Yesterday he walked as far away from his 2019 attack on gun owners (we’re going to take away their AR15s and AK47s) when he said “I’m not interested in taking anything from anyone.”  Why the sudden change of heart deep in the Heart of Texas?  Polls.  He trails Abbott by about 58-42% in most polls.

  7.  Get ready to roll up your sleeve every year from now till death.  A high-ranking US FDA Officer on a hidden camera revealed the government’s future Covid policy.  “Joe Biden wants to innoculate as many as possible.”  “You’ll have to get an annual shot.”  The FDA is not going to not approve it.”
  8. Dr. Fauci couldn’t agree more.  He was on MSNBC last evening with Chris Hayes and said, “You may be done with COVID, but COVID is not done with the US, nor is it done with the world.”  He went on, “the protection with boosting is profound.”  This contradicts a Pfizer news release last Friday that showed their booster’s efficacy diminishes greatly after four months.  Maybe it’s three shots a year every year till death do us part.
  9. NBC is strutting its peacock feathers as viewership of its conventional broadcast and streaming of Super Bowl LVI totaled 112.3 million viewers.  That was up 13% from last year and nearly an all-time high.  If you thought Kapernick and his knee would break the NFL think again.  It’s a marketing and brand machine the world over.
  10.  Well, it is except in Los Angeles who hosted the party/game and had the hometown Rams playing and winning it.  LA didn’t make the top ten markets in viewership per Nielsen.  Cincinnati lost the game but won the Nielsen’s as it had the highest audience share in the country.  It was 80 plus degrees in LA and sunny.  Isn’t it always? There were better things to do.

You’ve been served.

A Rock Fight

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

In politics, 2024 is just around the corner.  But for aspiring, thought to be front-running politicians it’s light-years away.

After all, who thought an ACORN employee turned Illinois Congressman would walk in the room and crack the glass ceiling when Hillary Clinton was attempting to hammer it herself in 2008?

And, who thought a gritty NY businessman turned reality show star would walk in the room and crack eggs over the head of Jeb Bush in 2016?

And, finally, who thought a 77-year-old man four years removed from the lifelong political game could hide in his basement and garner the most votes ever cast in a presidential election?

If you type “politicians make” in the Google search bar in no time you get “make me sick,” “make strange bedfellows,” “make false promises,” and “make too much money” in short order.

Long Ago and Way Happier Times

So, while we agree on what they do, who in 2024 will turn our collective stomachs?  As of today, would you say it’s former President Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton?

Several corners on Las Vegas Boulevard do. So is the race to the bottom on?

Time will tell. But what good poker players know as a tell is the not too distant rumblings of the respective parties.

If people judged Donald Trump by what he accomplishes, not what he says or, most of all, how he says it, he would be a worthy candidate all over again.  But, too many people have had it with him and his ego, and that was prior to that January 6, 2021 dustup at the Capital Building now labeled as “Insurrection Day” by the left and their media shrills.

If he polls at 30% and the balance of the Republican field scatters the other 70% does that make him the front runner?  Yes.  But it also makes 70% of the likely Republican voters prefer someone else.

Hillary cannot help herself.  Every time she opens her yapper she proves it to the general public.  Also, she’s physically not up to the task.  She wasn’t well at the wire in 2016, how could she be in 2024?  She’s got more than just carry-on baggage.  Her email server has been on the fritz for years.

And, now she may have far bigger problems.  Special Counsel John Durham looked into Russia’s supposed ties to Trump.  And, in quite the plot twist he has tied Hillary’s campaign team to instigating, paying, and then spying on team Trump per his blockbuster report released Friday.

How bad is it?   The bombastic former President weighed in yesterday.  “​This is a scandal far greater in scope and magnitude than Watergate and those who were involved in and knew about this spying operation should be subject to criminal prosecution,” said Trump.  “In a stronger period of time in our country, this crime would have been punishable by death,” he said.

Death?  Maybe.  But, it is a good transitional word.  Maybe both of these candidates are dead to us as Tony Soprano might say.  Or, maybe they should be.

The only way the Democrats can get back in this race (and we know it is early) is if the Republicans let them back in.  And, if they nominate Trump it will be game on. They’ve taken getting their base riled up to a higher art form when they bellow about that Trump fellow.

For the Dems, Biden is 79 and doesn’t know if he’s President of the US or El Salvador.  There is no way he’s running again unless it’s to the nearest men’s room.  Hillary is 74 and has been shown the door one too many times.

Both parties can do better, can’t they?

Will they?  2024 in one sense is near, but perhaps there is still plenty of time for two fresh faces to appear.

America deserves better than a rock fight.