aparttogether

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?”

Trickle Down Faces Fourth Down

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

In 1980 as newly inaugurated President Ronald Reagan strode into the Oval Office the American economy was a mess.  Interest rates reached double digits, unemployment was nearing the same, and inflation was rampant.

One of his economic team’s solution bets was to dramatically reduce the higher and eliminate the highest federal tax rates on the books.  The phrase “trickle-down economics” was born.  In essence if you incent the rich the poor would benefit was how opponents spun the policy.  Political opponents of the Reagan administration soon seized on this language in an effort to brand the administration as caring only about the wealthy.

The holy Reverend Jessie Jackson actually used his outrage against it, or “Reaganomics” as it also was mockingly called, to rally his minority base and make a run a the Democratic nomination a time or two.

Today, we face severe economic challenges as well.  While interest rates and inflation are quite tame, we have unemployment levels not seen since the Great Depression over 100 years ago.  Our economic challenges are different, varied, and numerous.

And, like it or not, the effect of “trickle-down” economics is in full view all over again.  If a business cannot open, it’s employees can’t work.  If they can’t work, the gas station sells less gas.  And, so on and so on.

One such “so on” is college athletics.  Yesterday, ESPN published a story with some staggering facts about what has happened in the spring of 2020 to the programs, and more importantly what will happen if there was no college football.  In short, the loss would total $4 billion dollars to the Power Five school’s revenue. It would alter, if not eliminate men’s and women’s revenue loss programs and decimate the administrations that manage them.

But one stat caught our attention more so than all of the others.  Of the 52 public (private ones have no legal need to share revenue info) Power 5 schools included in the Syracuse University study, only 3.8% cite football ticket sales as their biggest revenue source 2017-18.  That’s but two teams of the 52!

The fallout, therefore, from game day sales of shirts, parking, booze, concessions is significant.  If you have no games, you have no parking attendants. Unemployment.  Your popcorn vendor can keep the kernels.  Unemployment.  The t-shirt manufacturer can keep the ink dry.  Unemployment.  The beer distributor can keep the hops. Unemployment.

Even if social distancing forces limiting stadiums to half capacity; half of yesterday is 100% more than nothing.

TV revenue is the most important source of income from these events for many colleges.  The TV trucks don’t drive to the location. The production team stays home.  The TV station ad salesman sells no ads.  The ad agency produces fewer ads. Unemployment times four.  You get the picture, but not on your TV.

Trickle-down, like it or not, is our economy.

How many schools’ athletic departments saved for a rainy day?  Just about as many as American businesses both big and small.

Are you hoping and praying that you will actually be able to see live college football this fall?

So are several institutions and industries that live for live football.

They bet on the trickle-down effect yearly for their livelihood.

 

 

 

Zoom this!

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

The BBR staff is offsite today enjoying a rigorous, but fun, team-building exercise.  We decided as a group that these difficult times no longer need to be so difficult.  Today we reacquaint ourselves. Tomorrow we come together at work in our good old sanitized world headquarters office.  Together.  Not apart.  

Therefore, today’s pearls of wisdom will be short.  We have but a few thoughts and questions.

To those that are screaming that you can’t do anything until we can test everyone, are you going to test everyone every day?  Otherwise, yesterday’s test isn’t worth the swab that went up your nose.

To those that are screaming that we can’t move until we have a vaccine, are you actually going to get the vaccine?  What if one never comes?

To those that say it’s too soon, when is it not too soon?

When was it not a good idea that if you are sick to stay at home?

When was it not a good idea to cover your mouth when sneezing or coughing?

When was it not a good idea to wash your hands regularly?

Most of us would like to have been six feet or more away from most of our coworkers every day prior to this anyway.

If you’re going to a restaurant this weekend you can go to work Monday.

It’s our “new”  new normal.

Pivot this! 

And while you’re at it, Zoom this!

 

 

Together. Apart. Enough.

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Together.  Apart.  We are a family.  We’ll get through this.  Thinking of you during tough times.  Together.

The emails started it.  Now the tv commercials are overrun with it.

Today’s ad agencies sure do have a herd mentality.  Because of that maybe some will fall victim to the thinning of the herd as the economy recovers.  Queue the soft caring music while we deliver a soft and caring message.

Some of the below are real.  Some you can imagine.  We can’t imagine why some are real.  Enough already.

REAL

Burger King

They have a real one.  “Stay Home of the Whopper.”  They are waving their delivery fees right now and they are giving a free Whopper to over 250,000 nurses.  If a Burger King delivery van pulled up in front of your house would your neighbors still talk to you?  And, can you use the words “health care” and “Whopper” in the same sentence with a straight face?

CARMAX

A forgettable car commercial is offering interest-free loans for up to 84 months.  With interest rates nearly zero percent, what are they offering?  Nothing.  Also, you can have curbside pick up.  Skip the test drive, we’ll be sure this car is running great for you.  Can’t you close your eyes and picture Chevy Chase picking up the “family truckster” for the coast to coast Vacation?

Verizon

Verizon “wants you to know during these tough times that “we’re one phone call away.”  Thank goodness.  Can’t you hear it now?  “During this COVID-19 crisis, Verizon is experiencing an unusually high volume of calls.  Your expected wait time is 42 minutes.  Or, if you prefer, please leave your number and a brief message and we’ll be sure to have someone never call you back.”  Queue the terrible “on hold” music.

United Airlines

“Because we are all in this together.”   Really?  Two months ago when my luggage weighed 52 pounds I was on my own.

 

IMAGINED.

Weight Watchers.

Are you struggling with a few extra pounds from being housebound?  We’ve been flattening curves for over 50 years.   Special note-Tampa residents you can get your first week of meals free just like our schools do year-round.

NFL.

We believe in social distancing.   In fact, our rules have insured social distancing by defensive players from our quarterbacks for years.  Apart.  Forever.

Nine Lives Cat Food

Time to take advantage of one?  Enough said.

China

We are the manufacturer and supply chain leader to the world.  What you need when you need it.  And what you don’t need when you don’t want it, too.  Together, unfortunately for us.

Camel (unfiltered).

Time to burn one?  Why not?

Planters

Let our experience going nuts help you through yours.

Life Cereal

Do you even have to ask?

Charmin

We’ve missed you.  Have you missed us?

Hallmark 

We’ve been writing these syrupy hollow lines on cards for years.  Thinking of you during these times.

 

Time for a Zoom meeting.  Friday is only four short days from now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over

Posted on by thependulumswings staff
It’s Friday and it’s week four, or five, or six of your shelter in place life.   Who’s counting?   Is there light at the end of the tunnel?  Gilead Sciences Corporation thinks so.  Donald Trump thinks so.  He rolled out a general guidelines plan for states to interpret as to how and when they can “return to normal.”
Can sports be far behind?  Maybe.  Big crowds in confined spaces seem like a dream at this point.  But a dream is far better than this nightmare.  With that hope, we give you a few great quotes from sports figures from years gone by below.
Some are fun.  Some are inspirational.  Some are competitive.  Some are saucy.  We need all of them right about now.
Muhammed Ali
“It’s just a job.  Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand.  I beat people up.”
Bobby Knight
“When my time on Earth is gone, and my activities here are past, I want them to bury me upside down, and my critics can kiss my ass.
Paul “Bear” Bryant
“It’s not the will to win that matters-everyone has that.   It’s the will to prepare to win that matters.”
Bobby Jones
“Competitive sports are played mainly on a five and a half-inch court, the space between your ears.”
Yogi Berra
“It ain’t over till it’s over.”

Clueless

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

How about Colonel Mustard with the revolver in the Conservatory?  If you’re bored these days and have resorted to board games perhaps you dusted off the old one called Clue.

Clue has six characters and six weapons to consider when deciphering who did it and with what.  It’s played out in nine rooms of a mansion as well.  So who, what, and where give us 6x6x9 or 324 combinations of correct possibilities when trying to solve the mystery.

The mystery of who knew what and when about the where and how of the nasty enemy that we cannot see might have as many combinations.

Just last week President Trump accused the World Health Organization(WHO) of being the “who.”  He basically said that WHO gave cover for China as they misrepresented the cause and severity of this.  And, they still do.  He also said that the monetary price for WHO made the games that they were playing on the world stage far too expensive.  WHO countered as it’s president told Trump that playing political games would only increase the body bag count.

For months now rumors have abounded that this virus was world espionage at its highest and most corrupt level.  Did a Chinese lab accidentally or purposely cause the spread?  Repeatedly we were told emphatically, “NO!”   While looking for the “what” we’re told that their open-air wet markets offer bats for human consumption and that was the culprit.

China released an email last evening that warned the WHO on December 31, 2019 about seven atypical cases of pneumonia in the Wuhan Province.  But, now it’s learned that only 13 of the original 21 cases can be traced back to the market.  Further, the US has been contributing to the research of the lab for highly infectious diseases located a few miles from the market to the tune of $3.7 million per year.  Who knew?  WHO knew?  You’ve heard of the grassy knoll?

Trump wants and asks repeatedly for credit for shutting down the air service to and from China early on.  He feels strongly that this saved many lives.  Yesterday, no less of an expert than Barbara Steisand said that Trump alone was responsible for 20,000 deaths.  She feels strongly otherwise.

Meanwhile, no less of an expert than Dr. Anthony Fauci went on CNN (not Trump’s favorite) and said that Trump could have been more aggressive locking down the country earlier and saving lives. That sounds a lot like Professor Plum with the rope in the studio to us.  Of course, as late as leap year day, February 29, 2020, Fauci was telling the public that there was nothing to worry about as it posed no threat to the US public at large.

So, in the blame game we are approaching 324 combinations as well.   Yet, we don’t even know who has had it or who has it, yet finger-pointing has reached hot spot levels.  And, the curve is either flattening or not.

In the game Clue if you take a guess at the who, what, and where, and you get it wrong you’re eliminated.  The fictitious victim of foul play is Dr. Black.

In the real world, our guess is the next nonficticious victim will be Dr. Fauci.   And our guess is President Trump in the White House Oval Office with verbal blunt force.  “You’re Fired!”  Our clue comes from Trump the master tweeter who added a #FireFauci to his last evening’s barrage.

Meanwhile, we are being asked to stay in our room.  At least the game has nine rooms to move around in.

Perhaps the game should be renamed Clueless.  Of course, this is no game.

 

The Headlines Are Bold

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

The headlines are bold.  Opening lines and quotes from articles around the US tell us all we need to know this morning.  Here they are.  We follow with a question or comment about them as we go.

During an interview on Wednesday Vice President Mike Pence stated that if people continue to follow guidelines, “we could be in a very different place by the end of April.”  Hopefully that means a better place because the current “different” place isn’t too good.  And, can anyone explain how way lower numbers then mean that we just don’t start climbing the bad hill all over again?  Hydroxychloroquine anyone?

The president commented on Bernie Sanders’ exit from the Democrat presidential primary during the White House press briefing.  “That’s a weird deal that’s going on,” he said.  What’s weirdest of all is that the man that we don’t see anymore (Joe Biden) basically wins the nomination while a virus that we don’t see derailed what was left of the race.  The best thing for Biden is less exposure.  Plus, he coughs into his hand.  He’s got great cover right now.

The Pope weighed in yesterday as well.  Pope Francis said he believes the Chinese coronavirus pandemic is “certainly nature’s response” to humanity’s failure to address the “partial catastrophes” wrought by human-induced climate change.  “Fires, earthquakes … nature is throwing a tantrum so that we will take care of her,” he said.  We have to wonder if human-induced climate change is also the reason that the Roman Catholic church has now spent billions of parishioner’s donations on covering up thousands of priest’s child sexual abuses.  Think of the financial contribution that the church could have made to the Green New Deal with that kind of dough.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday continued his criticism of the World Health Organization’s handling of Chinese coronavirus pandemic.  He pointed to a statement from the WHO as late as January 14 insisting there was no human to human transfer of the virus, echoing propaganda from China.  “Well, there was,” Trump said shortly.  The USA has paid for it in more ways than one.  “Last year, it was $452 million, and China paid $42 million,” Trump said regarding the funding of the WHO.  World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus responded, “Please quarantine politicizing COVID.  We will have many body bags in front of us if we don’t behave.”  Sure Tedros.  Thanks for the visual too.  The next thing you know the WHO will be telling us that climate change led to this mess.

James Carville said, “The Wisconsin Primary proved that Republicans will kill people to stay in power.”  Sure James.  Well, either social distancing works or not.  BBR wonders, ” Are liquor stores open in Wisconsin as necessary businesses?”  Sure, booze is optional. You can choose to stand in line or not for your Miller Lite.  But if the government knows best shouldn’t it either keep both liquor stores and voting booths open, or both closed?  If you closed liquor stores in Milwaukee you’d have real civil unrest.  This one is a tough call.

Linda Tripp, the Pentagon staffer who blew the whistle on President Bill Clinton’s illicit relationship with intern Monica Lewinsky in 1998, leading to the first presidential impeachment in more than a century, died on Wednesday at age 70.  We didn’t know it then, but apparently it was the birth of “fake news.”  In her words, “Most whistleblowers stand alone.  For all practical purposes, life as they know it ceases to exist. I was not protected. I was eviscerated. Not only by President Clinton and his wife but also by the mainstream media. A concerted effort began to decimate my credibility. The effort gave birth to what we now call fake news.”  They don’t make whistleblowers like Tripp anymore.  Isn’t that right Adam?

Mayday.  Mayday.  May is only 21 days away.

Play Ball

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Is the stock market trying to tell us something?  The Dow was up over 1000 points yesterday.  In premarket trading it’s up another 750 points this AM.

We hesitate to even speculate.  We will, however.   But, we suggest that you keep hoarding toilet paper, if you can find it, in the meanwhile.

Does Wall St. see light at the end of the tunnel in the fight against the enemy that we cannot see?

President Trump said last evening that he can see it.   Is President Trump trying to tell us something?  He always does.  In a way it’s part of his job.  He sees it that way for sure.   Jimmy Carter told us in ’79 to use less energy and examine our lives when energy was in short supply.  Barack Obama told us that the manufacturing jobs were gone forever.  Trump is a tad bit more of an abrasively aggressive solutions-oriented president.

He said this on the same evening that he brokered a few deals.  He talked to two companies that must have some very advanced medicines or medical procedures in an effort to help Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Great Britain.   Johnson is now an ICU patient.  He also talked to India.  They are major producers of a drug that is rapidly gaining traction in the fight.

Have you ever heard of hydroxychloroquine?  It’s the same drug that Trump mentioned two weeks ago as hopeful and was taken apart by the media for a) giving medical advice when he wasn’t a doctor, or b) giving false hope.  Soon “hydroxychloroquine” might roll off of your tongue as easily as “social distancing” does today.

There are now more than a few doctors in a few countries that are treating coronavirus patients with the drug and in many instances in combination with one or two others.  We suggest that you read it for yourself.  We make no medical claims here.

IS MLB trying to tell us something?  Major League Baseball and its players are increasingly focused on a plan that could allow them to start the season as early as May and have the support of high-ranking federal public health officials who believe the league can safely operate amid the coronavirus pandemic, sources told ESPN.  Can you almost hear the crack of the ball off of the wooden bat off in the distance?

One thing is for sure.  We can’t live like we are for too much longer.  The world is built around commerce.  No commerce for too long means 1930’s bread lines that stretch too long.

The road to recovery on Wall St. has many potholes and left turns in front of it.  The medical road to recovery mandates that we drive six feet apart and is somewhere on some hill that might be flattening.

Trump is in the on-deck circle.  When the medical umpires think it’s safe enough he wants them to bellow “PLAY BALL.”   Don’t we all?

 

Trying Times. No Respect. Stay Safe.

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

As we near the end of week three of sheltering in place we look for the positives.  We are positive that we have had the opportunity to get reacquainted with our family in a way “normal” life doesn’t even allow.  With that comes benefits and drawbacks like most anything else in life as we know it.

So, it got us to wondering, WWRDSAT.  What would Rodney Dangerfield say about this?

  1.  It’s been great, you know?  With the restaurants closed we’ve been able to eat a lot more home-cooked meals.  But my wife, she’s a bad cook, you know?  Very bad.   At my house, we pray after we eat.
  2.  The other day we were running low on food.  She went to the store, you know?  I got a call.  Halfway there she ran into a tree.  I asked her, ‘did you swerve to avoid it?’  She said, ‘No, but I did blow the horn.’
  3.  The way she drives, are you kidding me?  Vehicles are very cheap right now.  I went out and bought the perfect second car for us.  A tow truck.
  4.  My sex life has suffered too.   That I can tell you.  The other day I went out on my bicycle to get some exercise.  As I turned back down my street for home I see a grown man running down my street.  I said “hey what are you doing running down my street naked?’  He said, ’cause you came home early.’
  5. My wife, I thought the next day she wanted to make it up to me.  I got home from my walk.  She greeted me at the front door in some very sexy lingerie.  The problem was she was headed out.
  6.  It’s getting worse you know.  She told me that she was cutting me down to twice a month.  I figured that wasn’t so bad really.  I know some guys that she cut out completely.  No respect.
  7. I’m getting desperate in these times.  I figured I’d quit the online gambling.  I called gamblers anonymous.  They gave me two to one odds that I wouldn’t make it.
  8. I went down the local AA meeting too.  They charged me ten bucks to get in and said there was a two-drink minimum.   No respect.
  9.  The way my kids live their lives isn’t helping either.  My daughter, she’s been picked up so many times she’s starting to grow handles.  They ended her senior school year early.  Nonetheless, she was voted “most likely to conceive.”
  10.  I only wish my son’s room was as clean as his weed.
  11. I tried to break up the monotony yesterday.  I told my kids, let’s play hide and seek.   They never came to find me.
  12.  I figured some alone time might be best for us all.  I decided to go outside and skate on the pond in our neighborhood.  My wife suggested that I wait until it gets warmer.
  13.  I tried to close my eyes and think back to better times.  My childhood.  Ah, yes.  I remember my mom telling me that she had morning sickness after I was born.
  14.  She said the doctor told her that he did everything that he could, but I lived.
  15.  Even growing up was tough.  I had to stop playing in the sandbox.  The cats. They kept trying to cover me up.

Trying times.

No respect.

Stay safe.

 

 

 

Ten Piece Nuggets-Random

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

With news coming at us from all angles and sports news scarce, we chose the Ten Piece Nuggets route this AM.   Below are as random of a collection of thoughts on a wide range of subjects as you can get.  A lot of time on our hands means that a lot enters and exits the mind these days.  The delivery matches the country’s mindset we think.  Look at it this way- at least you don’t have to tip for this delivery.

  1.  Are you still surprised that Tom Brady is a Tampa Bay Buccaneer?  Stuff happens, especially in 2020.  Jerry Rice, Brett Farve, Joe Montana, and Marcus Allen all starred for one team for a long time.  They all won Super Bowls.  They all are in the HOF.  And, they all finished their careers with a different team.  Nonetheless, it will still look strange when (should we say if?) Brady trots out from under the pirate’s ship this fall.
  2. OJ Simpson is yet another.  The longtime Buffalo Bill finished his career in a different uniform too.  He became a 49er for a stint.  Of course, he also wore a different uniform for two other stints as well.  One was for a year in the LA County uni.  And, he made yet another comeback with about an eight-year run (Run OJ, run) just outside of Vegas.  But we digress.
  3.  Speaking of drama in Vegas, predictably the NFL show must go on.  The draft is later this month, but won’t be held in the middle of the Bellagio Fountain as planned.  It will be done virtually like it was many, many years ago.  An in-studio set and a network of computers will replace a smoke-filled room and 30 phone lines.  We predict record numbers will watch and watch.
  4. Why record numbers?  If America couldn’t turn its eyes away from Tiger King, the Netflix documentary smash hit, it’s a Vegas sure tell that we are all looking for something to get our minds off of the silent enemy.
  5. While on the Tiger King subject, we wonder.  Is the only one in jail, Joe Exotic, the most “normal” person of all of the actors/characters/people in the seven-part series?  And, isn’t there another documentary screaming at Netflix emanating out of this one?  How did Carole Baskin’s first husband just disappear?  No one just disappears.
  6. And, since we are all bored out of our minds, BBR recommends Succession to you.  The characters are filthy rich, awkward, weird, and out of their minds, too.  The staff wrapped up watching season one last night.  You could do worse.
  7. Adam Schiff, who thankfully we were able to forget for two months, is back at it.  He wants his House Intelligence(we have our doubts) Committee to investigate what we the government did wrong as this pandemic raced to us and through us.  Too soon? It’s never too soon to grab the narrative.
  8. Speaking of investigations, should someone look a bit deeper into the $25 million given to the JFK Performing Arts Center?  The ink isn’t dry yet on the money that the Feds should not print, but will.   It was announced, and BBR is looking deeper into the facts, that the Center made a $5 million donation to the Democratic National Committee late last week.   We don’t know the exact definition of money laundering.  But, this looks like it could use a second rinse cycle to get the tough stains out.
  9.  At a time when nearly all hospitals have canceled elective surgeries for the foreseeable future, Planned Parenthood is requesting donations of personal protective equipment (PPE) for its staff as the group demands elective abortions continue during the coronavirus crisis in the United States.  Meanwhile, Planned Parenthood’s fighting the restrictions of our current state of shutdown.  The group is suing the state of Texas for banning services after declaring abortion “non-essential.”  This one is getting interesting.
  10.  And, finally, here is a BBR staff plea.  Tell everyone you see or talk to who is not practicing social distancing to please do so whenever possible.  Does it help or not is not the question.   It’s not the question because it would be better to do it and find out it doesn’t help than to not do it and find out that it would have.  It’s not very hard either.

Time to run.  Joe Exotic called while we were penning this.  He says that he knows where Hoffa is buried too.