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Open thread 3/20/23

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  • Joe Krill March 20, 2023, 9:57 AM

    The Rorschach test, used in conjunction with other diagnostic tools, is a projective measure for identifying a person’s state of mind and various personality traits.

  • Casey Klahn March 20, 2023, 10:10 AM

    Seminole Winds

    This morning, over coffee and pastries, a group of Florida National Guard brass are discussing the possibility that they don’t have to allow federal forces to cuff and humiliate the former president of the United States. It’s only planning, you understand. At the levels of field grade and flag grade, these officers are tasked with the “what ifs” of every exigency that might occur. You & I play doomsday bingo, but in this set of offices, at the ng headquarters ultimately run by the governor of Fla., they can and do play that game for keeps.

    What if citizens buffer Mar a Lago in a ring of pissed-off protestors, and as a measure of peace-keeping, the ng ring them? CNN will send reporters to stand 3 blocks outside of the cordons, hoping for a hurricane blast of happenstance that they can twist into the next “insurrection”. Black clad counter-protestors will parade in front of the MSNBC cameras, armed with long wooden poles, and not a few ARs and one or two actual M-4s.

    The political left “loves” the national guard. In concept. They were ashamed of them to the extent that they did not want the optics of ng protecting Congress during the election Biden v Trump, and when the actual riots were raging in DC during The Summer of Love that was meant to unseat trump. No, that did not fit their needs. However, for the inauguration of their fake president, and for several months after, they loved the ng and created a red zone inside DC to protect their unelected and actually hated dictator Biden. However, feeding them poisoned rations and making them sleep on concrete was, after all, what the soldiers were signed-up for. Treating them like nigrs is fair and anyway it keeps the guard in its place. Today, they fantasize that the ng will be their Sword of Damacles to crush the army of patriots they imagine swarming the White House and the capitol. On Twitter, the Twits use the guard as a “militia” that may be armed in full fealty to the state, and by the reverse token the citizenry may not be allowed arms. The self-policing state, you understand. The militia clause is their made-up drain-plug where they may push the wind from the fantasy second amendment that Righty thinks is his last resort against a lawless state. You got no right to any guns, John Birch. But ANTIFA does, for some fukt up reason.

    Behind the cameras, several of the Anarcho-Communist youth are donning MAGA hats and camo jeans. They are intermixed with larping Patriot Front counter-counter protestors. The FBI special division of agents provocateur are donning Ultra-MAGA clothing and regalia, and intent on making something bad happen. A Color Revolution, only on the home front.

    The chief of staff in the Fla. ng planning meeting takes a drag on a cigarette, and goes for another cup of coffee. His decision matrix must include, God help us, the sparking of nothing less than a Civil War Two. Clinton dipped his wick into Monica’s red lippy internship, and CNN loved him for it. Trump’s lawyer paid hush money, allegedly, to dampen the burners on a potentially embarrassing political hit on the eve of his first election. Did someone in Trump’s staff make a note describing this disbursement as just some innocuous political expense, and can this state misdemeanor be magically transferred to a federal level accusation (Dershowitz says that is “making up” law)? You can hush up a whore without having and without proving guilt, but you can’t lie on a ledger. How many NYC corporations have lies on their ledgers? Hell, that’s probably a 101 class at Harvard: how to ledger lie. It’s fukn institutional. Anyway, those deep Trumpers who are seething mad about the state of our nation would allow Trump to be and do much, and in this present political war, the sight of a former POTUS being arrested is, let’s say, rather upsetting. I mean, Nixon lied to us on T.V., and that was considered bad. Now, if Biden isn’t lying on T.V., it’s newsworthy.

    Anyway, the asshole DA from NYC might back off, and this whole thing would’ve been a political game of chicken. Just realize, there are ghosts in those swamps of Florida, and the civilian militia that leans to the right is not easily intimidated by limp-wristed New York lawyers. Or Feds.

    • ghostsniper March 20, 2023, 10:56 AM

      speaking of ghosts: BOO!

      ghostsniper
      March 18, 2023, 5:30 PM
      Maybe DeSantis can summons the national guard to arrest anyone within 1000′ of the Trump compound. Perp walk the lot of em straight down to gitmo.

    • Casey Klahn March 20, 2023, 4:37 PM

      Ghost, it looks to me like DeSantis might punt the ball, and wash his hands of the whole shitshow. I’m not suggesting the scenario I wrote about occur, but just that it is in the decision matrix at high levels. It’s a consideration.

      The Left is calling the day of arrest: “Arrestmas”. They’ll regret it bad, though. Trump can only get more popular the more they abuse him. One does not treat a president this way. Look at the timing – it is the beginning of the election cycle for the 2024 election, and the Demon Left has an entire program of shitfuckery to roll out before “voting” occurs.

      Since we allow them to rise from their grave nightly and torment us politically, we might be getting everything we deserve. Anyway, if Trump is fingerprinted, the next day he’ll be starting his season of campaign rallies and just imagine the scenes of tens of thousands of Trumpers, on land, sea and air, making the Earth tremble and calling for a return to the constitutional nation we were born into. meanwhile, in DC, Brandon will draw white circles around his tens of attendees at his dark, red-bannered Nuremberg Rallies.

  • ghostsniper March 20, 2023, 11:01 AM

    From Night Owl:

    Fauci didn’t just come up with the shot to “cure” a disease as suggested in this week’s piece (a disease,mind you, still entirely unproven to even exist, and for which there is no actual test).

    In the comments at https://kunstler.com/clusterfuck-nation/this-has-got-to-stop/

    As I’ve said before, there has never been any proof produced that the covid 19 virus existed.

  • ghostsniper March 20, 2023, 1:51 PM

    Take a look at this, this thing.
    Look at the eyes – they are the magnifying glasses to the core.
    https://d6t93aut4ltrr.cloudfront.net/Pictures/1024×536/0/8/3/17083_pipsbuncedualprofilepichorizontal_485610.jpg

    How in the world did people become this way, and who paved it’s path?

    Pippa “Pips” Bunce (born Philip Bunce) is a British banking executive. Bunce, who is non-binary and genderfluid, is a senior director at Credit Suisse. They serve as the Head of Global Markets Core Engineering Strategic Programs and as the Co-Chair of the LGBT Ally Program at Credit Suisse. In 2018, Bunce was awarded one of the Top 100 Women in Business by the Financial Times. They were also listed on the Financial Times and OUTstanding LGBT and Ally Executive List and were including in the Top 10 Inspiring Leaders list at the British LGBT Awards. In 2022, Bunce received a British Diversity Award. Bunce is married and has two children.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pips_Bunce

  • Joe Krill March 20, 2023, 2:02 PM

    Whoever is running this once great site is doing their best to turn off the lights.

  • SK March 20, 2023, 2:36 PM

    The stalwart regulars in the comment section seem to be trying to keep the lights on. But when the man responsible for the site’s outstanding content is gone, that’s a tough job. Maybe if those commenting, or Neo, could just once a week post a “Something Wonderful” article it might generate more interest and comments, some rabbit holes to explore.
    I come back regularly in the hope of finding something of what drew me here daily.
    GVD is missed, bigly.

    • Anonymous March 20, 2023, 4:13 PM

      Pretend. Go back in the archives and pretend some older writing is new and fresh. Pick say this date in 2018/2019. The pre-WuFlu world. Ancient times from today’s viewpoint but it helps a bit.

      • SK March 21, 2023, 3:07 PM

        In fact, it’s what I do. There’s a lot to enjoy and some things I missed first time around. And as Phil notes below there are many great comments still to enjoy.

    • Phil in Mount Dora March 20, 2023, 5:11 PM

      Yes, SK. When Gerard vanished it really highlighted what a fantastic blogger he was. American Digest was an amazing window into his beating heart and thinking brain. I’m grateful to have read him all these years. Very glad to read all the great comments, too. Thanks to Casey for this latest installment. GVD is indeed very much missed. His passing emphasizes the value of the water when the well runs dry.

      • Casey Klahn March 20, 2023, 7:12 PM

        When the well runs dry – an apt analogy to how much we miss Gerard. Brilliant, really.

        Thanks for your support; I very much appreciate it. I was just reading that the Trump indictment won’t come this week and maybe not all week. I had a sense the whole thing is fodder, and that controlling a news cycle with “the sky is falling” is the game they’re playing. Plus the political calculus on arresting the former president when his followers are as freedom-crazed as they can possibly be – they took stock and realized it was a bad idea. Comedian Chris Rock said to Pelosi’s face: are you crazy?? – on the subject of arresting Trump.

        Cheers.

  • ghostsniper March 20, 2023, 3:03 PM

    Fluted Wooden Bowl
    ==============
    I must confess my weakness is spinning woods on a lathe.
    My wife bought me a wood lathe about 12 years ago and I have been heavily addicted ever since.
    I have long maxxed out the small lathe I have and am actively researching a larger one. It’s probably going to be a Grizzly.

    Since getting the lathe I have turned an estimated 1500 different items, most of which have been sold, or given to friends. The most expensive item I have turned is a bowl that sold for $300 on Etsy.

    Anyway, I have been wanting to do a fluted wooden bowl but am sort of scared to take it on. After spending many hours creating the bowl I am reluctant to possibly ruin it in the fluting process. What I will most likely do is a bowl made from trash wood (spruce, pine, or fir) and if the fluting fails I won’t be out a lot of money, just my time. I will make a jig to mount on my lathe and use the router to cut the flutes (my lathe has an indexing wheel) but the link below shows a guy making a small bowl with flutes that he cut with wood chisels. I could do without all the yapping but we take em as they are given. Maybe you’ll enjoy it. Maybe you’ll be inspired to get a lathe. BEWARE! It is highly addictive. But lots of fun.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q320fI3WMec

    • jwm March 20, 2023, 6:35 PM

      I watched the video. Cool stuff! Took me back to the days at the Boys Club in old La Habra. We used to turn old bowling pins on the lathe, and turn them into lamp bases in the Boys Club wood shop. The fluting looks hard. I don’t do wood, but if I were doing that on a chunk of alabaster, I’d be inclined to skip the chisel, and cut those in with a rasp.
      I learned a little hood ornament trivia this last weekend:
      https://catsofruatha.blogspot.com/2023/03/notes-from-hood-ornament-buick-hood.html

      JWM

      • ghostsniper March 20, 2023, 6:48 PM

        When I first saw that I said it reminded me of a hood ornament!

    • Terry March 21, 2023, 9:04 AM

      My elementary school had a wood shop. I loved that class!

      I made my mother a milking stool for Christmas one year. She did not think much of a “milking stool”.

      The last year of wood shop I made a gun cabinet. Turned out really well. Mother did like that. It is still in the family. Mother passed about ten years ago.

      Simple message there.

  • ghostsniper March 20, 2023, 6:45 PM

    “When our genes could not store all the information necessary for survival, we slowly invented them. But then the time came, perhaps ten thousand years ago, when we needed to know more than could conveniently be contained in brains. So we learned to stockpile enormous quantities of information outside our bodies. We are the only species on the planet, so far as we know, to have invented a communal memory stored neither in our genes nor in our brains. The warehouse of that memory is called the library. A book is made from a tree. One glance at it and you hear the voice of another person perhaps someone dead for thousands of years. Across the millennia, the author is speaking, clearly and silently, inside your head, directly to you. Writing is perhaps the greatest of human inventions, binding together people, and citizens of distant epochs who never knew one another. Books break the shackles of time, proof that humans can work magic.” -Carl Sagan, Cosmos

  • John A. Fleming March 21, 2023, 2:00 AM

    Breitbart said “Politics is downstream of culture”. Gerard says “Poetics is more important than politics”. I learned these things from blogs such as these. I am at a point in my life where I am able to exemplify and transmit culture. It’s actually much easier to do that than discuss politics. Politics gets people’s dander up. Do the things that I choose to do, and be the person that I think I should be, and most people will respect me at least for that, and not immediately reject me because I on the wrong side. Culture is a process of discovery and improvement; politics is competing civil faiths, and as always for some faiths, there can be only one.

    Gerard has this saying on the sidebar: “Duty, Beauty, Liberty, Country, Honor, Family, Faith — Plus a few simple easy to follow rules for guys.” That’s what I try to exemplify. Who can argue with that? Who can say that I’m doing it wrong, or being a bad example? Who will reject what I do and say it’s inappropriate or even evil for this day and age? It’s a lot easier to talk about culture with a diverse group of people, than it is to talk about politics.

    I add one more thing: bravery, to commit to a chosen way, a course of action, and to lead when it is time for it.

    We shall see how it goes. There are times when I think it’s all about to come to a cropper, and other times when I think life will go on much as it always has. I may have blinders on, I grew up in the Pax Americana where the world took a holiday from history. I will never know if my actions were successful at extending my culture into the future, because it is the next generation that chooses to take it there.

    • Terry March 21, 2023, 9:21 AM

      The view I see is this. The good old USA ended on J6. We, the *Americans*, lost.

      We have to take the USA back. No election will fix what must be fixed. President Trump is gone. Only an awakened mass of *Americans* can do what has to be done. The election process is corrupted to a place in Hell, i.e., gone, gone, gone as far as fair elections are concerned. There is no savior on the horizon.

      History is the lesson book now and as always. Remember Thomas Jefferson’s quote about the tree of liberty needing refreshing . . .

      Well, our enemy wants our blood to flow. They are ready and thirsty.

      • Anonymous March 21, 2023, 4:41 PM

        We lost long before J6 – we just didn’t realize it until then (and I still believe Pence – the ball-less wonder – had it in his Constitutional authority to hold up certification long enough for a review). Probably goes back to Reagan when Daddy George was VP. DJT was no more than a temporary reprieve and won’t be back. The hill has gotten steeper as a result; “they” learned more than “we”. Glad I’m not 40 anymore – though if I was, I might be just “another brick in the wall”; fully vaxed with a bun and happy to be so. For all the big words? Ain’t going to be no 2nd revolution; not gonna be any “America” anymore – not in my lifetime anyway. FEMA camps maybe.

  • Anne March 21, 2023, 9:52 AM

    Back in the 1950’s a boy from my neighborhood (Johnny) and I rode the same city bus to/from school every day for six years. We did not have school buses only a city bus whose route went in front of our schools and to/from our neighborhoods.
    I thought Johnny was cute–have no clue what he thought I was. However, he did find a way to sit behind me on many occasions with the clear intent of harassment. For three of those six years, we each attended special classes daily. For me the year was divided into two semesters one with sewing classes and one with cooking classes. For Johnny the year offered–one semester of auto shop and the other of wood shop. These were only one-hour classes every day of the week, but we learned so much. We often carried home the end results of our class projects.
    I remember one day in ninth grade. I was bringing home a treat for my mother– my well-buttered blueberry muffins (with cinnamon sugar topping) wrapped in napkins. Johnny was sitting behind me and over the years had acquired a really irritating script regarding girls in general and me in particular. This day he really made me so mad I turned around in my seat and leaned over the back of the seat and planted my blueberry muffins right smack in the middle of his face!
    The next thing I knew he clapped each side of my head with his newly completed project he was bringing home from wood shop–book ends! And so it goes . . .

    • John A. Fleming March 21, 2023, 1:49 PM

      Well Johnny, there you go. You should have been nicer to Anne, instead of practicing to be a jerk. You could have had something, but you threw it away. Most boys and men can’t pull off that bad boy charm that gets them the most popular girls.
      I still remember those times with chagrin and embarrassment, when I had the opportunity to be better and do the right thing when it came to girls, and I flubbed my chance. If only, if only. Shame too is a powerful teacher.

  • ghostsniper March 21, 2023, 11:44 AM

    Gerard is one of those people more appreciated in death, than life.
    Like the most of us.

    • John A. Fleming March 21, 2023, 1:59 PM

      Yeah, well, there was that one jerk who showed up here just after Mr. G.’s passing to spew his long-held chastising. “Never speak ill of the dead”, for they are not here to defend themselves, it is a coward’s way. Each of us must run our own race, and we all stumble along the way, and sometimes lose our way. Stumbles do not matter, it is the accomplishments and striving that is all we need to remember.

      • Casey Klahn March 21, 2023, 9:21 PM

        Demons.

        Ephesians 6:12.

  • jwm March 21, 2023, 6:57 PM

    John A. Fleming wrote:
    “Stumbles do not matter, it is the accomplishments and striving that is all we need to remember.”
    This is true.
    Unfortunately, it’s those stumbles that hang out in the dark alleys of memory, and smack the shit out of us with regret, and shame when we’re not looking. Odd how the accomplishments don’t similarly intrude on the thought stream with sudden bursts of self-esteem, and well-being.

    JWM

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