July 19, 2023

Uncharacteristically-morning "poems"

07-19-2023 "Achilles! Do not you be relentless,
only Death is relentless, that's why men hate him so!"
And "Christmas Truce 1914... fraternization...
'live and let live..' " - 
Amid their forced murderousness
enemy combatants have always
defied their commanders in brief clarity
that their enemy is not themselves,
but death in common.

07-18-2023 Three years ago today you entered
your last hours,
on a ventilator, among masked strangers,
we masked mere intimates not permitted.
"Strong" man, hah so delicate, gone.

July 10, 2023

Texas gets $60M for the grid from the Infrastructure law. Not a peep of thanks from Texas wingnuts.

Over the years there have been news items about how Blue States pay while Red States reap tons in ("welfare"? ) while the Red States brag about how 'murrican Self-Reliant they are. Anybody have those numbers?

So we all remember how ABBUTT's grid in Texas went bust and Carnival CRUZ became Cancun CRUZ, and yet the Texas wingnuts bragged about how their grid is SEPARATE from the rest of the country, how they are the very model of Rugged Individualism and don't want to be hooked up to the national grid because that would be Woke Wussiness and Welfare Queenie and they don't need anything from anybody, and how all the Texas low income, Medicaid deprived people there will continue to get the customary negligible help from Texas, on a par with the bottom states of Alabama and Mississippi.

So lookee here, around June 29 the news somehow escaped notice that because of BIDEN's Infrastructure law, Texas will get $60M for improving the Texas grid. Not only was there no encouraging "thank you" heard from Texas wingnuts, but the news somehow escaped all notice at all. Oh, and the old news was that Texas had a $32.7 BILLION surplus in time for this year's legislature budgeteering. But somehow Texas Rugged Individualism brooks no leeway in not providing for the common good.

Oh, and look, the $60M federal funds will be at the disposal and delegation of State officials, which in Texas means all-Wingnuts - what could possibly go wrong?!

*********QUOTE******

.... The U.S. Department of Energy announced Thursday that it will award the funds so that Texas’ power grid might better withstand extreme weather events. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law created the grant program. ....

State emergency officials will develop parameters for how to use the money. The funds could go toward programs such as trimming trees around power lines or improving how equipment functions in extreme heat or cold, for example.

The (Texas Division of Energy Management) did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Grid resilience has been top of mind for Texans since the 2021 winter storm forced power grid operators to call for electricity cuts to millions in the state. Hundreds of people died as the freezing weather took hold and residents could no longer heat their homes. ....

https://www.texastribune.org/2023/03/13/texas-budget-surplus/#:~:text=Texas'%20%2432.7%20billion%20surplus%20is,the%20budgets%20of%2024%20states.


Texas’ surplus is bigger than the entire budget of many other states.
Texas’ $32.7 billion surplus is about the size of the budget of South Carolina. It’s larger than the budgets of 24 states. ....

********UNQUOTE****

July 5, 2023

When he started his (unscripted?) "Club Random" where he corrals guests & monopolizes them

I've been giving it a chance, same as with the KARDASHIANs and Celebrity Apprentice for a couple of seasons, because I want to know what people are talking about and to have my own take on things.

For his regular show I've gone against the headwind here of calling him a sell-out and favoring wingnuts and his criticizing Libs because we Libs are known for looking inward to identify strategy flaws and correct them. Besides in his defense because, despite hosting wingnuts, he usually stands them down.

*** With the (unscripted?) "Random," he has come across as *STALE* - harping on how he got cancelled for Politically Incorrect for saying the terrorists were courageous, and irritating about how he defines "freedom" as able to refuse the vaccinations and masks, but more stale and fuddy duddy about how he says Libs are unthinking and just kneejerk in "obedience" (wearing masks OUTSIDE). Repeat/repeat/repeat how he loves Johnny CARSON, who was the BEST, and how things used to be great - sounding very much like MAGA.

Instead of being his erstwhile semblance of "cutting edge," he sounds like "get off of my yard."

*** But I saw a YouTube of him with ROGAN, and he seemed to be IN LOVE, intimidated by ROGAN's physicality and submitting to ROGAN's dominance in being "open" to wingnuts, "free speech" doncherknow.

Over the years his claim to fame has been how Libertarian he is to (Free Love?) regarding women of whatever ideology and race, yet I saw him being VERY uncomfortable with Leslie JONES, who guested as very OPEN and EQUAL with him, not kissing up to him, and he was very uncomfortable with her.

Then he demands that the guests smoke pot and drink. Some don't do it and he acts shocked. And with the ones he kisses up to, like he did on ROGAN's show, he gets all giddy and tells them he wants them to go for a Vegas weekend with him. The other one who stood up to him was Kris JENNER, who is nothing if not experienced at dealing with immature underlings. She didn't do the pot/alcohol thing, talked like an adult to him like Leslie JONES, and let his Vegas overture just die in the air.

July 3, 2023

My LST in Vietnam (1967-68) was built in '45 too late for WWII but in rusted use 20 yrs later.

It also was in Korea before that.

LST = Landing Ship Tank, colloquially a.k.a., "large slow target," (top?) speed 10 knots. About the length of a football field, an empty/hollow tube below like a warehouse, meant for carrying tanks, bulldozers, troops. Flat bottomed, able to enter rivers. The flat bottom meant it didn't "cut" through waves, would BOUNCE off a wave, the hull lifting into the air and vibrating like a tuning fork, and then SLAMMING down onto the surface until hitting the next big wave. Known to break in half, from being a long empty/hollow "tube." They would be (purposely) crashed into the shore ("beached" ), with the "bow doors" then being opened and a ramp being lowered to unload the bulldozers, troops, cargo supplies (via forklifts and pallets).

So after my first 7 months on board up and down a gigantic river carrying supplies from Saigon to an Army base at Can Tho, we were given 3 weeks of R&R in the Philippines (with a stop in Hong Kong). On the way back we went through a terrific/horrific storm for a couple of days. USN says things have to keep going on, so we had to keep our regular shifts while bouncing along skeered shitless, with the ladders ("stairs" ) being straight up and down and climbing up meant being paralyzed by the pull of gravity until a leg at a time got freed up.

When it was over, came gorgeous weather, sun, and calm. The "captain" (actually a Lieutenant for a small ship, 250 crew) exhibited one of the two times, during my year, of noblesse oblige by granting us "Holiday Routine" (no work except for basic maintenance), and the crew spread out to sunbathe on the deck and the Captain sent down from Officers' (secret) stockpile of ice cold oranges. Somebody had a cassette playing and as we lounged along, we were in dreamland to the strains of The Doors' "The Crystal Ship."

********QUOTE*******

https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/1990/april/lst-large-slow-target

....

*****UNQUOTE*******

July 1, 2023

"Catholic" /Mexican Drumpf-ite, homophobe wannabe president of Mexico, VERASTEGUI

First name, Eduardo. Surname's pronounced: ver-ASS-te-ghee.

First, let's see his mug:

Beefcake versions readily available, also with all popes and wingnut leaders of several countries (maybe he's just a climber? ) .

Out of central casting, as Drumpf says, and somehow "worked" in the Drumpf mob outfit White House, supposedly as a bridge to Hispanics.

In his yoot, allegedly in his barrio he was a toy for elder molestors for pay

Later, in his early 20s, allegedly, he was boytoy with Ricky MARTIN. Claims to be "celibate" except for masturbation, despite rumors of liaisons with tons of celebs and politically powerful wingnuts. Never mentioning known sexploits amid rumors of orgies with seminarians, only-catholics, non-caths need not apply.

Later, he was, allegedly (with pics), something going on with President PENA-Nieto (pics on "air force-1" of Mexico).

*** Past several years, he's been a severe "catholic" (think, Mel GIBSON) and hawking for pay "catholic" events/retreats.

He joined the Drumpf regime, as a figurehead "Hispanic" and shenanigans.

Went to John Paul II on bended knee with church pervert Marcial MARCIEL, founder/exploiter of "Legion of Christ". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcial_Maciel

Runs an alleged money scam outfit of "catholic" rosary "reverence" for cash.

*** NOW, has a movie out about child trafficking with CAVIESAL and - say-it-ain't-so Mira SORVINO. 30 seconds of the trailer shows mawkish melodrama that is supposed to tug heart strings. In interviews he claims that all boy molesters are only-Gay.

Oh, didn't mention gawd told him to run for president of Mexico - viva Mexico!


********AM leaving more research to the estimable DUers.

Bald head behind JP II's hand is MACIEL:


Equal opportunity for Francis: