From Pine View Farm

September, 2016 archive

Legacy, Bushie Style 0

Thom wonders when, if ever, the buck will stop where it belongs.

Share

Chris-Crossed: A Bridge Too Far 0

And this surprises anyone how?

Governor Christie knew about the George Washington Bridge lane closure scandal while it was taking place, according to federal prosecutors making their opening statements Monday morning in the trial of two former allies of the governor accused of creating gridlock in Fort Lee to punish the town’s mayor for not endorsing Christie’s 2013 re-election.

(snip)

The evidence will show that Baroni and Wildstein were so committed to their plan to punish mayor Sokolich during those few minutes they had alone with the Governor they bragged about the fact there were traffic problems in Fort Lee and Mayor Sokolich was not getting his calls returned,” Khanna said.

Share

QOTD 0

T. E. Lawrence:

An opinion can be argued with; a conviction is best shot. The logical end of a war of creeds is the final destruction of one.

Share

Battle on the Balcony 0

Oh! What a tangled web we weave,
When we must our hunger to relieve.

This was fascinating. I noticed the cicada suspended in air, then watched the spider approach cautious. All at one, the spider jumped on her captive and slew him with her venom, then backed off to observe its death throes. Once it prey stopped moving, she moved in for a final coup.

Spider killing cicada

Read more »

Share

iJunk in the Water 0

Man says,


Click for the original image.

Share

The Bully’s Pulpit 0

Leonard Pitts, Jr.

Share

A Surfeit of Stupid 0

Local residents want Pokemon Gone.

Share

The Mills of Diploma Grind the Exceedlingly Fine 0

Warning: Language.

Share

Model Employer 0

Image of young girl saying,

Via Job’s Anger.

Share

Also Rans 0

What Noz said.

Share

By the Numbers 0

# of years of tax returns released:  Clinton, 38.  Trump, 0. # of emails released:  Clinton, 50,000+.  Trump, 0. # of times retweeted supremacists:  Clinton, 0.  Trump, 75+ since June 2015. Foundation donors public:  Clinton, Yes.   Trump, No. Debt to foreign banks:  Clinton, $0.  Trump, $650 million. Fined by IRS for illegal donations:  Clinton, No.  Trump, Yes. Violated immigration laws:  Clinton, No.  Trump, Yes. # bankruptcies:  Clinton, 0.  Trump, 6. Open investigations:  Clinton, 0.  Trump, Trump University. Fined for racial discrimination:  Clinton, No.  Trump, Multiple times.

Via PoliticalProf, who asks, “Really? And Clinton is the scary one?”

Share

QOTD 0

Annie Lane:

Idle hands are the devil’s workshop, especially when they’re holding a smartphone.

Share

Baskets Strike Back 0

Share

The Wages of Incompetence Is Irrelevance 0

The Booman offers his theory as to why Trump continues to Trumple his Washington insider critics. A snippet:

But, as I’ve been saying, the record of our foreign policy elites is so bad that people don’t make a distinction between the Panettas and Scowcrofts and the Cheneys and Wolfowitzes. None of them are much trusted at the moment, which is why Trump can attack Gates with impunity and get the better of the argument.

I understood this when Trump attacked McCain, but it’s taking people who live within the power structure of Washington a long time to realize that they have lost their credibility and that this is the precise reason why Trump has rolled over them for over a year now.

Share

The Voter Fraud Fraud 0

Gene Nichol comments about North Carolina Republicans’ gut-out-the-vote effort; he minces no words, though he does mince Republicans’ lame justifications for racial discrimination in the franchise. A nugget:

Hindering the participation rights of racial minorities is, I’m inclined to believe, the highest sin in a pluralistic democracy. Given our brutal history, and our past hypocrisies, I am certain it is the gravest sin in this democracy. Racial inequity has been our largest constitutional transgression from the first day of our existence as a commonwealth until this morning. If the purposeful burdening of African-Americans triggers no obligation of disassociation in decent people, I’m not sure what would.

I can attest that Republican leaders take potent umbrage at being compared to the segregationists of a half-century ago. But why is that? Is it because they seek only to disenfranchise blacks, not to hang or shoot or beat or use water cannons on them? Is the implicit suggestion that, given the treatment their grandparents got, African-Americans today ought to be grateful their government now pursues only electoral suppression?

Share

“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0

Set an example of politeness for your younger siblings.

A 21-year-old from Draper (Utah–ed.) was taken to the hospital Saturday night after being shot in the leg while showing off his new gun.

Sgt. Dan Ko with Draper City Police said around 7:30 p.m. the man was showing off the gun to his little brother in their Draper home near 338 W. Inauguration Rd. in Draper.

Share

Distracted Driving 0

Maybe they should have stuck to texting.

Share

A Tisket, a Tasket, Here’s Another Basket 0

Title:  The Other Basket.  Image:  In the background, the

Via Job’s Anger.

Share

Trumpling the Air out of the Room 0

Share

Facebook Frolics 0

Conspicuous consumption frolics:

And fully 30% of Americans say that social media has some influence on their purchasing decisions, with 5% saying that it has a significant impact, a 2014 Gallup poll found. Among millennials the numbers are even higher with roughly half saying that social media influences what they buy.

(snip)

But often, there’s something deeper going on: “We are socially comparative creatures by nature,” says psychologist and author Nancy Irwin. And the use of social media makes comparisons to others just a scroll or a click away: “Social media can be the modern day version of ‘Keeping up with the Joneses,’” she says, and some people “feel inferior if someone they know has a shinier or bigger toy than they do.”

Share