Home » Open thread 12/4/2024

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Open thread 12/4/2024 — 25 Comments

  1. Edits dont carry… sorry…
    over and over i find that Trump is more educated on history and how things run, than many of his opposition…

    Do note that it was not his genius to take MAGA, or deplorables, or any negative and run with it as his own… he tore a page from the history of Yankee Doodle Dandy…

    Yankee Doodle keep it up, Yankee Doodle dandy! Mind the music and the step, and with the girls be handy!

    was not the original lyrics.

    The “Yankee Doodle” tune was already well known by the 1750s. But tradition says that in 1755 a British doctor named Richard Schuckburg penned new words to mock his American allies. He portrayed the colonists as rude, crude, and cowardly. In the song, Schuckberg referred to the American fighter as both a “doodle”—a country hick, and a “dandy”—a conceited jerk. No one has ever figured out exactly where the term “Yankee” comes from.

    One guess is that “Yankee” started as the nickname “Little Jan” used by Dutch settlers at the time. But the Brits used it to mock all American colonists. Later, of course, it became the name of a very famous New York baseball team.

    [skip]

    Reports say that British fifers and drummers teased the colonists by playing “Yankee Doodle” as their columns snaked along rural roads. In the small town of Lexington, the British soldiers confronted a line of Minutemen on the village green. A gun went off, British muskets opened fire, and in an instant eight Americans were dead or dying. British forces then continued on toward Concord and destroyed what weapons they found.

    Now the British army had to march back to the safety of Boston. Colonial militiamen swarmed to the attack, taking up positions along the route. They hid behind trees and rock walls, picking off soldier after soldier. Some British troops broke ranks and ran. Others, angered by American tactics, broke into houses and set them on fire. Eventually, more British troops arrived from Boston to rescue the survivors.

    Legend has it the colonial militiamen returned the musical insult as they counterattacked. They sang “Yankee Doodle” as British soldiers retreated. It was as if the Americans were singing, “How do you like us Yankee doodles and dandies, now?” The American Revolution had begun. “Yankee Doodle” soon took hold as an unofficial anthem for what became the American Continental Army.

    its keep your rifle handy… not the insult version which we teach now.

    anyway…
    pay attention to the next game piece being resurected from public ignorance.

    =========================================

    The presidential power of impoundment refers to the ability of the President to refuse to spend funds that Congress has appropriated for specific purposes. This power, once a significant tool of executive authority, has been substantially limited over time.

    Historical Context
    Initial Use: Presidents historically used impoundment to manage federal spending responsibly, often delaying or withholding funds for projects deemed unnecessary or wasteful.
    Rise in Controversy: The practice became controversial during the Nixon administration, when President Nixon impounded funds to block programs he opposed, effectively overruling Congress’s budgetary decisions.

    Legal Limits on Impoundment

    The controversy surrounding impoundment led to the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974, which:

    Restricted Presidential Authority: It limited the President’s ability to impound funds unilaterally.
    Established a Process: The act created a formal procedure for the President to propose rescissions (permanent cancellations) of funds to Congress. Congress must approve the rescission within 45 days; otherwise, the funds must be spent as originally appropriated.
    Office of Management and Budget (OMB): It reinforced oversight by creating the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and strengthening Congress’s power over the budget.

    Modern Impoundment
    Today, presidents rarely use impoundment because of the procedural hurdles imposed by the 1974 act.

    When funds are withheld or delayed, the President must justify these actions under laws such as the Antideficiency Act, ensuring they don’t override congressional intent.

    Impoundment in Practice
    While impoundment is no longer a dominant feature of presidential power, debates about executive discretion in spending persist. Presidents may delay or reallocate funds within legal constraints, but significant alterations typically require congressional approval.

  2. WRT to “The Pardon”(TM), heeya come da judge. ‘N he ain’t amused, NO SUH!

    https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2024/12/judge-scarsi-to-joe-biden.php

    Opening graf:

    It is unusual for judges to respond to political attacks or to correct the public record in controversial cases. Judge Mark Scarsi has now done so with a blistering response to the big lies of President Biden in the statement that preceded Biden’s pardon of Hunter Biden….”

  3. Recently reconnected with the VA after 60 some years staying away from them.

    The old VA I experienced made me not want to deal with them, but, my interactions with today’s VA have been much better, and in my area, at least, they appear to be on the ball.

    But, then, we get a story like this.

    You gotta admire this guy’s ambition and stamina–sex with 32 different female employees!

    Then, there are the reported twelve person orgies at this same VA medical center.

    I’m sure that patient care was absolutely first class at this VA medical center (I’m pretty sure that, at least, their condom bin was always full), right?*

    See https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/12/investigators-uncover-orgies-employees-having-sex-government-property/#comments

  4. Snow, I use a newly built VA facility, for hearing aids and glasses. I have to say the glasses are the best I have ever had. The hearing aids are top notch. Only complaint that I have is that at times it was hard to reach them to make an appointment. Once there, people very good.

  5. The CEO of United Healthcare, Brian Thompson, was assassinated outside of a conference center hotel near Rockefeller Plaza, in a targeted attack by a lone gunman who was waiting for the target to show up for the conference. I think it happened at about 6:45AM today. The shooter is still on the loose. Rather bizarre.

  6. Alex Berenson (who was, after all, a NYT reporter for a decade or so) points out that if this assassination was related to Thompson’s position and work, and not to his personal life, then the consequences for American businesses might be very large. CEOs are not ordinarily gunned down as they prepare for business conferences.

    He, and some other executives at United Healthcare, were under DOJ investigation for insider trading.

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14157793/unitedhealthcare-ceo-brian-thompson-doj-investigation-shot-dead.html

  7. Sad news about Mike K. Fair winds and following seas.

    Joe Rogan interviews Mike Benz, former State Department official and current head of the Foundation for Freedom Online, on the scope of the censorship industrial complex:

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

    Benz brings up Orwellian websites at Arizona State University, USAID/CEPPS, and the Mitre Corporation. You can hear Rogan gasp as Benz walks him through what these organizations are doing with our tax dollars. Infuriating.

  8. Find someone in life who looks at you the way that Loki looks at the professor at the beginning of the clip …

  9. Thanks for that Kate,

    The TV news item I heard was saying “the CEO of UnitedHealthcare.” But Thompson was the CEO of the group’s insurance subsidiary, the most profitable one, within the umbrella group. The overall CEO of the group is Andrew Witty, and a TV newsperson said that they believe that Mr. Witty travels with personal security people, and Thompson did not.

  10. That was a nice look at Scott Joplin by the music professor who got the music just right by not playing it too fast and bringing out Joplin’s sometimes sad side. I’ve played ragtime since a teenager. Next year’s bucket list includes a summer visit to the Strater Hotel in Durango, Colorado to hear it’s musician in residence, Adam Swanson, play Joplin, Lamb, Turpin, Wenrich, etc. It should be a hoot!

  11. @TommyJay:The TV news item I heard was saying “the CEO of UnitedHealthcare.” But Thompson was the CEO of the group’s insurance subsidiary…

    Journalists don’t bother with those details…

  12. Thank you for all who posted about Mike K. I would read his comments here and a few other blogs. Always worthwhile. He will be missed.

  13. Even the poor (living below the Federal Poverty Level (FPL)) in America can afford expensive hobbies. I have junk in the shed that I could probably build 2 more computers with, but I already have 3-home-built Desktop PCs in my humble hut – plus a Dell XPS13.

    Watch 2.5-3.5 hours of movies and TV series (like Return to Lonesome Dove, Streets of Laredo, and Continuum) a night on the free Tubi channel now, and the desktops are too big for quickly checking stuff whilst watching TV. The Dell XPS13 is almost too big & requires opening the lid—which is too slow an operation for the extremely short commercials. Am still learning the T-mobile phone web usage—which makes browsing limited & slow right now…am slowly learning it tho.

    Thusly, I needed something smaller than a 13” lappy, with no lid, but a little bigger than my Galaxy A14 5G smartphone, and basically a device dedicated to TV watching & research of programs/movies/characters etcetera.

    Tab M9 (9″ MTK)

    Not what I started out looking for—wanted a Samsung Tablet. Apparently Samsung is not going to make any more 8”, 8.7”, 9” (??) because their site didn’t have any. Amazon & Walmart had some, but then you have to decide between a regular, or Kids, or International…they had renewed ones that I liked, but I wanted a new one…and, then more deciding between WiFi, Cellular, and Bluetooth—when I just wanted a simple device with WiFi. After two days of searching for the right Samsung Tablet – I checked the Lenovo site.

    DOORBUSTER

    Tab M9 (9″ MTK) – Arctic Grey 40% off for $89.99 plus $6.30 Tax and Free Shipping. 4 GB memory, 64 GB eMMC storage, Android 12, 9.0″ HD (1340 x 800) IPS, touchscreen, 400 nits AND WIFI 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac & Bluetooth® 5.1

    If it lasts a year it’ll be worth it, and maybe I can get better with the phone’s browser & browsing by then…

  14. The guys at The Morning Meeting on 2 Way dive into the chances of Pete Hegseth being confirmed. Halperin thinks he’ll withdraw by tonight/tomorrow and Spicer thinks he has a 24-36 hour window to turn his nomination around, though he gives Hegseth a better than 50/50 change of being confirmed.

    So much more Congress giving deference to the President’s nominees. Hey, Republican Senators– how about you pretend to be on the same page of the citizens that elected Donald Trump– at least for his cabinet picks. We know many will then work diligently to stab Trump and the agenda he ran/was elected on in the back.

    It appears Trump is eyeing Ron DeSantis for Sec Def if Hegseth does withdraw. Speculation is DeSantis would run Defense, in exchange for Trump picking the replacement for Rubio in the Senate. They wonder how Vance feels about this.

    They also speculate Gabbard may not be confirmed. They think Patel will, and it’s still up in the air concerning RFKjr.

    The Morning Meeting S3E18 | Trump Transition, Democrat Realignment & Today’s Political News
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-EE-Vbs9xI

  15. no it doesn’t, anonymous sources, now these senator almost exclusively picked every terrible Biden Cabinet and subcabinet official like Monaco and Clarke, some even went the extra length and endorsed Ketanji Brown Jackson, the one who doesn’t know what a women, is, the atty for the 20th hijacker, et al,

  16. The UHC murder in New York sounds exactly like a John Sandford novel.

    Virgil Flowers and Lucas Davenport are directed to investigate. They’re stumped until Lucas’ daughter Lettie stumbles across an email chain between people who lost in the crash of a crypto trading firm.

  17. Meanwhile the killer(s?) knock off one of Minnesota’s two female senators, as it’s discovered she was having an affair with the CEO. Meanwhile the email chain hints at a connection to the state’s chucklehead governor who dies in a mysterious ice fishing cabin fire, leaving the Native American lieutenant governor in charge.

    Hundreds of native warriors occupy the state’s capital buliding to protect the new governor. Lettie infiltrates the group, discovering they’re funded by a mysterious billionaire from Europe. Virgil flies to Texas to investigate the connection to a wealthy guy who bought and moved the North Stars hockey team to Dallas 20 years ago, and also to get in a couple of days of bass fishing.

    Lucas is in New York checking on the connections to the financiers, and adding several new suits to his wardrobe. Lettie is caught up in a peyote ritual, which gives her insights into the killer(s?) real motives. Can they stop the murders before the new president takes office, who vows to make the investigation the greatest of all time?

  18. Re: Trump American Eagle Guitars

    Apparently it’s true — there are official Trump-endorsed guitars. At first I thought it was a hoax.

    https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/113516618080692655

    The picture of DJT holding a Trump guitar is obviously photoshopped, but it seems you really can order an electric or acoustic guitar with a Trump red-white-blue motif for $1500 or $1000 with Trump branding.

    I don’t know how this came to be, but frankly it doesn’t bother me any more than Billy Beer.

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

    The Trump electric guitar is based on the iconic Gibson Les Paul guitar design. Gibson has issued a cease-and-desist order, so now you only see the acoustic version. The autographed copies are Sold Out.

    If I were a multi-millionaire, I would buy one. I’ll bet those babies will become collector’s items.

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