Chamblee54

What follows is a double repost . Both features deal in what might be termed commodity wisdom. This sort of verbiage is good for conversation. Some people will be impressed. PG remembers a phrase from a record… the lonely man was blessed with wisdom to the point of desperation. Pictures are from The Library of Congress .
There is a post at listserve today about the ten items you should never discuss on the internet. PG is going to take this as a challenge, and try to say something rude about all ten. Today is International Mens Day, and we all know that real men have lots of opinions. (IMD is November 19).
01 Religion On the day PG was born, his father called the church choir director, at 6am, to sign PG up. The choir director, a gentleman named Ray Smathers, went back to sleep. PG thinks that Mr. Smathers had the right idea.
02 Origins of Man Gorillas and chimpanzees are embarrassed by people.
03 Politics A man is drowning fifty feet offshore. A democrat throws seventy five feet of rope, and then doesn’t tie it to anything. A republican throws twenty five feet of rope, and says that swimming to the rope will build character.
04 The Holocaust What Hitler did sixty five years ago does not justify dropping white phosphorous on children in Gaza today.
05 Gun Control A prominent politician in Georgia recently took some pills, and called his mother. The prominent politician said he was killing himself. If the prominent politician had used a gun, he would have succeeded.
06 Abortion PG has never had an abortion.
07 Race Relations PG does not like people who do not like PG.
08 Jesus Christ What Jesus worshipers call Jesus is a man made spirit, that has little in common with the historic figure. We know little about the man in Palestine two thousand years ago. The spirit called Jesus is a source of misery to PG.
09 Homosexuality If you have to ask, do you really need to know?
10 The Middle East If there was no oil there, would anyone care?

Yesterday, after exploring east atlanta, PG and Uzi went to dinner. They alternate between Piccadilly and S&S , and this was a Piccadilly week. PG always thinks of the antique store called Pick a Dilly. That might describe some of the clientele at this place.
Uzi was telling a story about Lenny. Lenny was a friend of Uzi who had checked out of the hotel a few years ago. Lenny was inclined towards a philosophical view of things, and Uzi was telling about how he tried to write all these down. The only trouble was…well, one of the troubles was…that Lenny never did understand the concept of the tab key, and would type the quote, the source, and any other information into one cell of a database. PG had time on his hands, and offered to try and straighten out the mess.
“Man has two antagonists, himself and the exterior world. A bare assertion is not necessarily the naked truth . People we don’t know are only characters in the human comedy, we are the tragedians. “AH
PG suspects that this would be Aldous Huxley. Mr. Huxley was a favorite of Lenny. In the quote website that PG found later, there were hundreds of quotes from Mr. Huxley. Aldous Huxley made one crucial mistake. Or maybe it wasn’t. He died on November 22, 1963. That is the day that John Kennedy rode past the grassy knoll into eternity. If the goal of Aldous Huxley was to exit stage right as quietly as possible, then that was the day to do it.
“America is a mistake , a giant mistake ! “Sigmund Freud
“How many a dispute could have been deflated into a single paragraph if the disputants had dared to define their terms .” Aristotle
“Fascism should more properly be called corporatism , since it is the merger of state and corporate power .” Benito Mussolini Mr. Mussolini was an underrated dictator. His fashion sense was unmatched. He was not troubled with false modesty. He made the trains run on time.
“When some political or ecclesiastical pamphlet , or novel , or poem is making a great commotion you should remember that he who writes for fools always finds a large public”.Arthur Schopenhauer Mr. Schopenhauer worked in an era when the written word was the only game in town. Publishing books was still a cumbersome novelty. What he would make of today’s medium-is-the-message carnival can only be imagined.
“Illusion – a false perception or conception of what one sees , where one is …. delusion – persistent belief not substantiated by sensory evidence . Life’s illusions are the most beautiful things in it . ” Balzac PG is not wired for languages, and does well to read english. He also suspects tampering by the translator .
“Many a man has fallen in love with a girl in a light so dim he would not have chosen a suit by it .” Maurice Chevalier When PG heard this quote, it spoke of buying a car. Perhaps this is an essential difference between the French and the Americans.
“There nearly always is method in madness . It’s what drives men mad , being methodical .” G K Chesterton One wonders if Mr. Chesterton knew many methodists.
“Controversy equalizes fools and wise men—and the fools know it .” O.W.Homes
” You should never wrestle with a pig. You will only get dirty, and the pig will enjoy it.” PG was all set to give credit for this to Mark Twain, who would have accepted it. However, he decided to look in Google. It is credited to several people, including George Bernard Shaw.
An alternative quote was “Never teach a pig to sing”. It wastes your time, and it annoys the pig.” This does not consider the number of famous vocalists who develop weight problems.
“Pearls before swine” . This is from a speech that Jesus made. It was also a one line triumph for Dorothy Parker. Miss Parker entered a room before another lady, who said “age before beauty”. Miss Parker turned around and said, “Pearls before Swine”.
“Men always fall for frigid women because they put on the best show .” Fanny Brice Barbra Streisand won an oscar, with a character based on her.

Around this time 147 years ago, Atlanta was on fire. General Sherman was preparing for his March to the sea, and wanted to destroy anything of value in the city. The fire is reported as being on 11-15 of November, depending on what source you use.
The November fire was the second great fire in Atlanta that year. On September 2, the city was conquered by the Union Army. The fleeing Confederates blew up a munitions depot, and set a large part of the city on fire. This is the fire the Scarlet O’Hara flees in “Gone With The Wind”.
After a series of bloody battles, the city was shelled by Yankee forces for forty days. There were many civilian casualties. General Sherman was tired of the war, angry at Atlanta, and ready for action. This is despite the fact that many in Atlanta were opposed to secession.
Click here to hear a lecture by Marc Wortman at the Atlanta History Center. Mr Wortman is the author of “The Bonfire: The Siege and Burning of Atlanta”. The hour of talk is fascinating. The pictures, with one exception, are from Shorpy. (Shorpy got them from The Library of Congress ) The 1864 map is from a collection of images at Georgia State University. This is a repost .

Thought Catalog was in the bookmarks collection, and PG did not know how it got there. This is not unusual. What was unusual was clicking on the link, and the first story to come up is ” My Childhood Was Marred By Suicidal Goldfish”. The good news is, the writer is still in New Jersey, and has not moved to Atlanta. At least that we know about.
The story is about a person … “Caitlin successfully pretends to be a writer in both the Bronx, and the deepest, darkest, most rural parts of New Jersey. She also enjoys floral prints immensely. You can follow her on Twitter @heycvh. “ … who was traumatized because a pet fish was knocked onto the carpet by a cat. The fish did not ask the cat to help, at least that humans were aware of. The second incident of piscean demise was at a festival, when a fidh was spilled out of a cup and into the street. This is what goes for tough love in New Jersey.
PG left a comment. “I was cleaning out my bookmark folder, and I saw thought catalog. I wondered what it was. I opened it, and saw the headline ” My Childhood Was Marred By Suicidal Goldfish” Against my better judgement, I read the story. This lady must have a charmed life, even in New Jersey, if this is the worst thing that has happened to her. The comment got two replies. An hour later, Matt Good said “Seriously?”, and guest said “you sound fun”. ”
The story advertised home depot and target. It was above the story of a 19yo who is ordered to go to an AA meeting by a judge. His twitter handle is @barf_city. Something says AA might not be the answer. His last coherent tweet: “The Lohan family is a classic example of what happens when your great great grandmother dies with nothing but gypsy debt to her name.”
Thought Catalog has a ten point list on the “about” page. It sounds pretty good, until you get to point five: “5. Reading Thought Catalog will probably make you more interesting. You’re going to find out about stuff here you won’t see in the mainstream media. Thought Catalog will open new perspectives.” Anyone who uses the phrase “mainstream media” is probably a republican.
The editor of Thought Catalog is a man named Ryan O’Connell. He wrote two of the features on the front page, which is sponsored by Downey fabric softener. His last repeatable tweet was “I’ve had orgasms that lasted longer than Kim Kardashian’s marriage. #beinggayisgay”. Pictures today are from The Library of Congress .

There is a doozie of a story about cocaine in thestranger.(HT to dangerousminds) There are few good things to say about the current situation, and even fewer “good guys”. The producers, the smugglers, the money lenders, the police, and the consumer all have bloody hands.
The focus of the story is a substance called Levamisole, an agent used to cut the drug. Levamisole is not detectable by the “bleach test”, and looks like pure coke. The original use of Levamisole is deworming livestock. Ingestion by humans can cause immune system problems.
There are tests available to detect Lavamisole. However, the test kits are considered drug paraphernalia. It seems like the government would rather poison cocaine users than help them obtain a pure product.
The three part series needs to be read in its entirety to get the whole story. Part two is especially horrific. It tells the story of “Diego”, as he works in the coca fields and factories. Also interesting is the way the cocaine trade has evolved over the years. The big cartels, which imported through the Caribbean, have been broken up. They have been replaced by thousands of smaller producers, which import through Mexico. With the vast amounts of money involved, the product cannot be stopped.
One sentence in particular stands out. “The big problem for the narco-capitalists in Colombia, Corva explains, wasn’t so much how to get the drugs north as how to get the cash back south.” NAFTA and banking deregulation has made the flow of money south much easier. So much of the currency that America is borrowing to fuel our economy winds up in South America. ( China, a source of much of the capital in our borrow and spend economy, reportedly produces much of the Lavamisole. )
PG has never been fond of cocaine. He has known others who are, and has seen some horrible behavior as a result. The US government appears to be making the situation worse, and possibly profiting from the cocaine trade. This is a repost .

Here is part two of state laws that some might find peculiar. Part one was put up a few weeks ago. Today will will look at California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, and The District of Columbia. These regulations are borrowed from Bored. Pictures are from ” The Special Collections and Archives,Georgia State University Library” . California // Alhambra: You cannot leave your car on the street overnight without the proper permit // Animals are banned from mating publicly within 1,500 feet of a tavern, school, or place of worship. // Arcadia: Peacocks have the right of way to cross any street, including driveways. // A server in California can be convicted of selling to a minor if the purchaser uses a false or altered ID to buy the alcohol. // Baldwin Park: Nobody is allowed to ride a bicycle in a swimming pool. // Bathhouses are against the law. // Belvedere City Council order reads: “No dog shall be in a public place without its master on a leash.” // Blythe: You are not permitted to wear cowboy boots unless you already own at least two cows. // Burlingame: It is illegal to spit, except on baseball diamonds; Carmel Ice cream may not be eaten while standing on the sidewalk. (Repealed when Clint Eastwood was mayor); Women may not wear high heels while in the city limits. // California only fairly recently legalized the sale of alcoholic beverages in nudist colonies. // Car wash attendants in San Francisco, California may not use old pairs of underware to wash or dry vehicles. // Chico: Detonating a nuclear device within the city limits results in a $500 fine. // Downey: It is illegal to wash your car in the street. (Passed 1995). // In 1838, the city of Los Angeles passed an ordinance requiring that a man obtain a license before serenading a woman. // In Los Angeles courts it is illegal to cry on the witness stand. // In Berkeley, Calif., you can’t whistle for an escaped bird before 7 a.m. // In 1930, the City Council of Ontario passed an ordinance forbidding roosters to crow within the city limits. // In an animal shelter, lizards and snakes are treated under the same guidelines as cats and dogs. // In Baldwin Park, California nobody is allowed to ride a bicycle in a swimming pool. // In California, community leaders passed an ordinance that makes it illegal for anyone to try and stop a child from playfully jumping over puddles of water.// In California it is illegal to have caller ID // In California it’s against regulations to let phones ring more than nine times in state offices. // In California you may not set a mouse trap without a hunting license. // In California, selling a gold piece without tooth marks in it is considered forgery. // In Los Angeles, years ago it was legal to cook in your bedroom, but not to sleep in your kitchen. // In Los Angeles a man is legally entitled to beat his wife with a leather belt or strap, but the belt can’t be wider than 2 inches, unless he has his wife’s consent to beat her with a wider strap. Consent should be given prior to the event, as is carefully stipulated. // In Los Angeles, you cannot bathe two babies in the same tub at the same time // In the 1940’s, California law made it illegal to serve alcohol to a gay person. // In Riverside, California, kissing on the lips, unless both parties wipe their lips with carbonized rose water, is against the local health ordinance. (Someone needed to be kissed!) // In San Francisco it’s illegal to play poker in public or gamble in a barricaded room. // In San Francisco, it’s illegal to beat a rug in front of your house. // In Ventura County, California, cats and dogs are not allowed to have sex without a permit. // It is a misdemeanor to shoot at any kind of game from a moving vehicle, unless the target is a whale. // It is a violation of the California Alcoholic Beverage Control Act for producers of alcohol beverages to list the names of retailers or restaurants that sell their products in advertising or even in newsletters. // It is illegal to drive more than two thousand sheep down Hollywood Boulevard at one time. // It is illegal to eat an orange in your bath tub // It is illegal to pile horse manure more than six feet high on a street corner. // It is illegal to set a mouse trap without a hunting license. // Lafayette: You are forbidden to spit on the ground within 5 feet of another person. // Lodi: It is illegal to own or sell “Silly String”. // Lompoc: It is illegal to posses, own or raise roosters. This is considered disturbing the peace. // Long Beach: Cars are the only item allowed in a garage; It is illegal to curse on a mini-golf course. // Los Angeles law forbids hunting moths under a street light. // Los Angeles: You may not hunt moths under a street light; ; Toads may not be licked; It is a crime for dogs to mate within 500 yards of a church (Breaking this law is punishable by a fine of $500 and/or six months in prison); Zoot suits are prohibited. // Many animals are illegal to own as pets, including snails, sloths, and elephants. // No alcohol beverages can be displayed within five feet of a cash register of any store in California that sells both alcohol and motor fuel. // No vehicle without a driver may exceed 60 miles per hour. // Oakland, Calif., makes it illegal to grow a tree in front of your neighbor’s window and block his view. However, you’re off the hook if the tree is one that town officials consider an attractive tree, such as a redwood or box elder. // One may not carry a lunch down the street between 11 and 1 o’clock. // Pacific Grove: Molesting butterflies can result in a $500 fine. // Palm Springs: It is illegal to walk a camel down Palm Canyon Drive between the hours of four and six PM. // Pasadena: It is illegal for a secretary to be alone in a room with her boss. // Prunedale: Two bathtubs may not be installed in the same house. // Redlands: Motor vehicles may not drive on city streets unless a man with a lantern is wallking ahead of it. // Riverside: One may not carry a lunch down the street between 11 and 1 o’clock. // San Diego: It is illegal to shoot jackrabbits from the back of a streetcar; The owners of houses with Christmas lights on them past February second may be fined up to $250. // San Francisco has an ordinance prohibiting “cane games.” City officials have no idea what cane games are. But when revising city laws recently, officials decided to keep the prohibition on the books, in case someday, somehow, cane games came back, they were deemed improper and the city needed the law. // San Francisco is said to be the only city in the nation to have ordinances guaranteeing sunshine to the masses. // San Francisco: Prohibits elephants from strolling down Market Street unless they are on a leash; It is illegal to wipe one’s car with used underwear; Persons classified as “ugly” may not walk down any street; It is illegal to pile horse manure more than six feet high on a street corner; Giving or receiving oral sex is prohibited. // San Francisco bans any “mechanical device that reproduces obscene language.” // San Francisco prohibits kerchoo powders and stink balls. // San Jose: It is illegal to have more than two cats or dogs. // Santa Monica: You may not play percussion instruments on the beach. // Temecula: Ducks have the right of way to cross Rancho California St. at all times. // The Chico, California, City Council enacted a ban on nuclear weapons, setting a $500 fine for anyone detonating one within city limits. // The city of San Francisco holds a copyright on the name “San Francisco.” It is illegal to manufacture any item with the name without first getting permission from the city. Since the Supreme Court upheld the copyright, San Francisco has had an annual $300 million surplus every year. // The Santa Monica, Calif., City Council recently proposed that men be allowed to use women’s public restrooms when there’s a line of three or more at the mens’ room, and vice versa. // Women may not drive in a house coat. Colorado // Car dealers may not show cars on a Sunday. // Colorado law requires that wine be sold in containers of at least 24 ounces and spirits in containers at least a fifth of a gallon. But, at the same time, it also decrees that no alcohol beverage can be stored in hotel minibars in anything larger than miniature containers. // Colorado Springs: It is permissible to wear a holstered six-gun within city limits, except on Sunday, Election Day, or holidays. // Cripple Creek: It is illegal to bring your horse or pack mule above the ground floor of any building. // Denver: The dog catcher must notify dogs of impounding by posting, for three consecutive days, a notice on a tree in the city park and along a public road running through said park; It is unlawful to lend your vacuum cleaner to your next-door neighbor; It is illegal to mistreat rats; You may not drive a black car on Sundays. // Durango: It is illegal to go in public dressed in clothes “unbecoming” on one’s sex. // Have you ever had the urge to rip the tag from a pillow or mattress, despite the warning of dire penalties? Well, it’s perfectly legal now, if you live in Colorado. The Governor formalized the law by gleefully tearing a label from a pillow at his office. “I’ve been worrying about the mattress inspector jumping through the window for years,” he said. // In Denver, Colorado it is illegal for Barber’s to give massages to nude customers unless it is for instructional purposes. // In Denver, it is unlawful to lend your vacuum cleaner to your next door neighbor. // It is against the law in Pueblo, Colorado, to raise or permit a dandelion to grow within the city limits. // It is illegal for a man to kiss a woman while she is asleep in Logan County, Colorado. // It is illegal for a woman wearing a red dress to be out on the streets after 7 PM. // It is illegal for liquor stores to sell food or grocery stores to sell any alcohol except beer that is at most 3.2% alcohol. // It is illegal to ride a horse while under the influence. // It is illegal to mistreat rats in Denver. // Logan County: It is illegal for a man to kiss a woman while she is asleep. // No liquor may be sold on Sundays or election days. // Pueblo: It is illegal to let a dandelion grow within the city limits. // Sterling: Cats may not run loose without having been fit with a taillight. Connecticut // A local ordinance in Atwoodville, Connecticut prohibits people from playing Scrabble while waiting for a politician to speak. // A pickle is not officially a pickle unless it bounces // Balloons with advertising on them are illegal in Hartford, Conn. // Bloomfield, Conn: It’s against the law to eat in your car. // Cattle branding in the United States did not originate in the West. It began in Connecticut in the mid-nineteenth century, when farmers were required by law to mark all their pigs. // Devon: It is unlawful to walk backwards after sunset. // Druggists in Connecticut must pay $400.00 each year for a license in order to use alcohol in compounding prescriptions. // Guilford: Only white Christmas lights are allowed for display. // Hartford: You aren’t allowed to cross a street while walking on your hands // In colonial times, Hartford, Conn., had an ordinance that allowed any resident to rent the town chain for 2 pence. // In Connecticut any dogs with tattoos must be reported to the police. // In Connecticut it is illegal to pirouette while crossing the street // In Devon, Connecticut, it is unlawful to walk backwards after sunset. // In Hartford, Conn., it’s illegal to plant a tree in the street. // In Hartford, Connecticut, it is illegal to kiss your wife on Sunday. // In Simsbury, Conn., it’s illegal for a politician to campaign at the town dump. // It is illegal to discharge a firearm from a public highway. // It is illegal to dispose of used razor blades. // It’s illegal to clam at night in Connecticut. // New Britain: It is illegal for fire trucks to exceed 25mph, even when going to a fire. // No one may use a white cane, unless they are blind. // Southington: Silly string is banned. // Strangers in Simsbury, Conn., were required, under an ordinance enacted in 1701 and only recently repealed, to leave town within a month unless they had at least 20 shillings to their names. // The marriage of imbeciles and feeble-minded persons is prohibited. // This state still retains an old law forbidding any kind of “private sexual behavior between consenting adults.” // Under the Code of 1650 in the New Haven Colony (in what is now Connecticut), a 16-year-old boy could be put to death if he “cursed, struck or disobeyed” his parents or was “stubborn or rebellious.” // Waterbury: It is illegal for any beautician to hum, whistle, or sing while working on a customer. // You can be stopped by the police for biking over 65 miles per hour. // You cannot buy any alcohol after 8pm or on Sundays. // You may not educate dogs. Delaware // Delaware prohibits horse racing of any kind on Good Friday and Easter Sunday. // In Delaware you may not sell dead people for money without a license. // It is illegal to fly over any body of water, unless one is carrying sufficient supplies of food and drink. // Lewes: It is illegal to wear pants that are “firm fitting” around the waist; Getting married on a dare is grounds for an annulment. D.C. // A D.C. federal judge has ruled that begging is a form of free speech protected by the Constitution. That means that mugging is free speech too, only more persuasive. // In Washington D.C. it is illegal to post a notice in public which calls another person a ‘coward’ for refusing to accept a challenge to duel. // It is unlawful for small boys to throw stones, at any time, at any place in the District of Columbia. // The only acceptable sexual position in Washington D.C. is the missionary position. Any other sexual position is considered illegal. // The U.S. government says it’s a crime to give false weather reports.

During the recent Herman Cain scandal, the best source  for  dog stories has been Red State. The grand poobah of RS is Erick Erickson. He took over Mr. Cain’s radio show, when Big Daddy left to run for President. Red State has some lively comment threads. Many of their regulars have slogans appearing under their comments. PG thought it would be fun to collect some of these signature slogans, and post them between the pictures. The pictures are from The Library of Congress // Disclaimer: I firmly believe in conservative principles. I firmly believe in small limited government and fiscally responsible. I firmly believe in an experienced person who has a record of their conservatism. That is why I am a staunch supporter of Governor Rick Perry // In the final analysis will our children praise or curse our actions this day? // Follow me on Twitter // God save you, if it is right that He should do so – Sir William Thatcher // Remember, if the left wins, abortion will not only be legal, it will be mandatory. // “One man with courage makes a majority.” – Andrew Jackson // The point cannot be made often enough: Modern liberalism, as embodied in the Obama presidency, is the defender of the status quo. And the status quo is a road to economic ruin. Political forces cannot redistribute the wealth that the economic system does not produce. // The greatest evil…is conceived and ordered (moved, seconded, carried, and minuted) in clean, carpeted, warmed, and well-lighted offices, by quiet men with white collars and cut fingernails and smooth-shaven cheeks who do not need to raise their voice. Hence, naturally enough, my symbol for Hell is something like the bureaucracy of a police state or the offices of a thoroughly nasty business concern. -C.S. Lewis // Will YOU help make 2011 “The Year of the Precinct Committeeman?” // “There is no art which one government sooner learns of another than that of draining money from the pockets of the people.” -Adam Smith // They say Republicans are for the rich, Democrats are for the poor. If they need more voters, then they have to make more of who they are for. // We are there in the various Tea Party groups, leaderless, but not rudderless. We steer always toward the Constitutional principles this nation was founded upon. Erick Brockway // Get involved or get lost. Quit the whining and actually do something. // To me, “consensus” seems to be the process of abandoning all beliefs, principles, values and policies. So it is something in which no one believes and to which no one objects … There are still people in my party who believe in “consensus” politics. I regard them as Quislings, as traitors … I mean it. — Margaret Thatcher // Defend Liberty — Join the NRA Live in Massachusetts? Join GOAL. // Who will stand on either hand and keep this bridge with me? // “What keeps me here is the reek of beer, the ladies and the craic” // In memory of A1C Elizabeth N. Jacobson // “Lieutenant Dike wasn’t a bad leader because he made bad decisions. He was a bad leader because he made no decisions.” // Obama was The One in 2008. He’ll be a BIGGER one in 2012. // “One of the great mistakes is to judge policies and programs by their intentions rather than their results.” — Milton Friedman // The War on Poverty– forty-six years and counting! // “Proud Charter Member of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy Since 1964!” // If the mind is to emerge unscathed from this relentless struggle with the unforeseen, two qualities are indispensable: first, an intellect that, even in the darkest hour, retains some glimmerings of the inner light which leads to the truth; and second, the courage to follow this light wherever it may lead.” Karl von Clausewitz // Ignore the knownothings and snide comments. Don’t let them deter from the truth. // “The press is so powerful in its image-making role that it can make a criminal look like he’s the victim and make the victim look like he’s the criminal.”–Eldridge Cleaver // Obama = Golfer in Chief, Leading from, behind, the Back Nine. // Leaders don’t create movements. Movements create leaders. Get involved. Your future depends on it. // Govt “invests” YOUR tax money for POLITICAL return rather than economic return. // “Success is not final, failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts.”–Winston Churchill // Drill, Dig, Nuke, and Frack! // I don’t want to be Reagan. I want to be a Chance/Soros hybrid. // Envisioning when all that is Left is the Right. // “It’s such a fine line between stupid, and clever.” – David St. Hubbins // If I don’t stand my own ground, how can I find my way out of this maze? Pink Floyd (Dogs) // Ceterum autem censeo, Obamacarem esse delendam. //

These visits to alternative reality are from a variety of sources. Included are Facebook (fb), twitter (tw), Futility Closet (fucl), All Aphorisms, All The Time (Aph), Texts From Last Night (tln) , and Overheard in New York, (ony). I’ve been as consistent as human beings can be,” – Mitt Romney. // “The louder he talked of his honor, the faster we counted our spoons.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson // G-d agrees to grant Hyman a wish, with the condition that whatever he asks for, his brother-in-law will get double. “Okay,” Hyman says, “I wish I were half-dead.” // “Beware, honey, the devil is not one with horns, a pitchfork, a long tail, and eyes afire; the devil is very charming, debonaire, appealing, well-spoken and smooth talking – otherwise no one would ever follow him.” /// This comment has been removed. Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive. For more information, please see our Comments FAQ. /// Truth is not beauty. Beauty is a lie. It may be, in fact, the biggest lie of them all. (fb) // I am never writing directions early in the morning while I’m getting intimate with my coffee ever again. (fb) // “The advice I like to give young artists, or really anybody who’ll listen to me, is not to wait around for inspiration. Inspiration is for amateurs; the rest of us just show up and get to work. If you wait around for the clouds to part and a bolt of lightning to strike you in the brain, you are not going to make an awful lot of work. All the best ideas come out of the process; they come out of the work itself.” // Pseudonymous Bosch is the author of the New York Times bestselling Secret Series, and a self-confessed chocoholic with perfect vision. He occasionally wears glasses, but those are just a part of his disguise. Where does he live? That’s for him to know and you to find out . . . or not. // I thought it was pretty cool to catch Herman Cain telling a lie. It would be tougher to catch him telling the truth. // I think it got a little awkward for her when my dad walked in on us and did nothing except leave half of his pizza on the table for us. (tln) //It’s like if you got one of your titties chopped off…think of how much one would miss the other…that’s how I feel when we’re apart. A tit with no twin. (tln) // My interests lies in the realm of romantic talks and poetry and I strongly feel that you can do just that. Speak to me the language of love at my new website and let’s try to set a romantic date there. (fb) // I need a Xanax. A Veggie Delight. And exhibition style sex. (tln) // It’s annoying. I only date people who are 6 foot 3, drug dealers, or 2 years older than me. (tln) // Dude how did you get resin on my keyboard? (tln) //I THREW AWAY MY VIBRATOR BECAUSE IT INTIMIDATED HIM. WORST. DECISION. EVER (tln) // The difference between the wrong word and the right word is the difference between oceans and continence. (Aph) /// Aphorism (definition): Philosophy and mirth on their way to a funeral. (Aph) /// A popular definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over, expecting a different result. Voting, for example. (Aph) /// The true measure of a man’s mind seldom exceeds six inches. (Aph) /// A good aphorism is like the membrane over a snake’s eye: a thin curtain before a striking truth. (Aph) /// If you’re lazy and you know it……whatever (fb) // “No no no you’ve got it twisted. We’re not spammers, we are strategic partners!” (fb) // I’m writing to ask Archbishop Dolan to excommunicate me. I’m in Manhattan, St. Patrick’s is a five minute cab ride, we can do whatever weirdo ceremony is required right there in the lobby, no problem. I want this Catholic stink off of me. (fb) // Faith isn’t a virtue. It’s just a nice way of saying you’re gullible. (fb) // Tourist: What’s everyone sitting around for? New Yorker: We’re waiting for the aliens to land.Tourist, walking away: New Yorkers are weird. (ony) // The good thing about having holes in your nose from all the drugs you do is that you can’t smell  nasty   things.  Like     puke. // Eager hipster guy: So if we are friends with benefits we can have sex with no strings attached? Jaded hipster girl: Yeah, I guess… Eager hipster guy: Yesssssss! (ony) // Asian teen #1: He failed it. Asian teen #2: Wait, did he fail fail, or Asian fail? Asian teen #1: He fail failed–he got like a sixty five. Asian teen #3: No, that’s an Asian fail. Asian teen #2: Yeah, he still passed. (ony) // “I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” ~ G K Chesterton (fb) // In 1984, grad student Deborah Linville asked students at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to rate the perceived sexiness of 250 female names. Sexiest (on a scale of 1 to 7) were Christine (5.08), Candace (4.92), Cheryl (4.91), Melanie (4.91), Dawn (4.83), Heather (4.83), Jennifer (4.83), Marilyn (4.83), Michelle (4.83), and Susan (4.83). Least sexy were Ethel (1.00), Alma (1.08), Zelda (1.16), Florence (1.5), Mildred (1.5), Myrtle (1.5), Silvana (1.5), Edna (1.66), Eurolinda (1.66), and Elvira (1.69). (fucl) /// Thackeray was at a St. Louis dinner, when one waiter said to another: ‘That is the celebrated Mr. Thackeray.’ ‘What’s he done?’ said the other. ‘Blessed if I know,’ was the answer. (fucl) A Native American elder was asked how he handled his own inner struggles about his abilities and achieving his intentions for himself and his people. He replied: “Inside of me there are two dogs. One of the dogs is unhappy, insecure and full of doubt. He is harsh and negative and quick with criticism. The other dog is joyful and confident. He is supportive and inviting to play. The doubtful dog fights the confident dog all the time.” When asked which dog wins, he reflected for a moment and replied, “The one I feed the most.” (fb) // Tourist mom to worried-looking daughter: Are you pleased or unpleased? Tourist daughter: I’m not sure, mom. I’ll have to google it. (ony) // Thug on cell: No! Don’t interrupt me, man. Don’t interrupt me, nigga, I’m trying to tell you how to cook a casserole! (ony) // Early fall is the slowest time for books. Fewer people writing at the end of summer I guess… time for some tea. (tw) //

Empty bottles are helpful. We had an issue with ants when we had half-empty ones on the shelves. (tw) //The problem with the stream of consciousness is hey have you noticed that Petr Čech is slowly turning into Hannibal Lecter? (tw) // Armed robbers in Yola, tortured by police, finally named the twelve men from whom they rented their machine guns. Police, all. (tw) // To cries of “Allahu Akbar!” the Nigerian faithful in Saudi Arabia this weekend gave the Devil the stoning of his life. (tw) // Man, I do not have time for Stigmata today! (tw) // Nothing like color coordinating your Blogger, Twitter, Email, and Desktop backgrounds to make you feel like you have accomplished something. (tw) // Also, I found out tonight a major plus for being female is you can accidentally call the hot bartender sweet tits and she won’t get mad. (tln) // i wish you were under my bed. you sexy russian fur trapper… please. text the right number. youve been sending me these all night. (tln) // Angry gangsta on cell: Man! That dude stole my fucking money! I’ma kill that fucking nigga! (pause) After I go watch True Blood at mom’s. (pause) Yeah, you can come… (ony) // Guy: I can’t believe you! I can’t believe you slept with my boss. Girl: Well, you got the promotion, didn’t you? (ony) //Mixed race girl: I just love 50 cent, I mean, check out that body. He is so hot! Caucasian girl: His body is nice, but I can’t stand those grillz. Why do those people wear grillz anyways? (mixed race girl raises an eyebrow at Caucasian girl) Caucasian girl: I meant rappers! I’m not racist! (ony) // As it turns out, my skankass is competing in the male portion of this somehow tomorrow night. Any supporters (athletic or otherwise) would be appreciated. (fb) // all i am feeling now is just because you have fingers does not mean you must type. (fb) // Sometimes you just need to distance yourself from people. If they care, they will notice and be bothered. If they don’t, you know where you stand (fb) //Last night we looked at each other with an expression of “fuck I am so done being normal”, took off our shirts, and danced around in our bras (tln) // I’m pretty sure that if I didn’t have a gerbil with a shotgun in my uterus I would think i was knocked up cuz all I want is hot sauce (tln) // Cops busted the party. A kid dressed as a dinosaur tried to crawl out the bathroom window but his tail got stuck. It took 3 cops to pry him out. (tln) // Her mom walked into the garage as we were smoking a kush blunt with sombreros on. (tln) // I am currently explaining what double penetration is to the bridesmaid I hooked up with at my cousin’s wedding. This is my life. (tln) // I feel like fucking him is something we all do but don’t want to admit to. like masturbating or peeing in the shower (tln) // all i wanna do is drink skittled vodka, fuck my gf, and pass out in my neighbors hot tub naked (tln) // yes, i was eatting raw cookie dough and fingering myself at the same time…. is there a problem? (tln) // Headline I’d like to see: 16-foot python devours Kim Kardashian in Florida (tw) // My guys think it’s hilarious to mention my weight. When you can’t beat ’em, you gotta join ’em, right Mr. Tiny Penis? (tw) // Just read “The Three Musketeers,” and it’s true, the book is always better than the candy (tw) // DRUNK HULK READ BOOK ABOUT DEPECHE MODE! WHAT DOWNER! BAND BOOK WEEK IS HORRIBLE IDEA! (tw) // Normally, I hate when I wake up from a sex dream, but man, there was some weird shit going on. (tw) // i found some stuff i would like to post here. it wont let me. can you add me (not sure if its to friend or what ever) or how do i do this? thanks (fb) // You actually thought i would cry over you? I told you I loved you and you thought it was true but guess what player, you get played too! (fb) // To be alive is to be awake. PLINY the Elder 24-79. bce (fb) // Attitude problem = I’ve got the attitude. You’ve got the problem! (fb) // What about the twinkie?” (fb) // If your elderly neighbor asks you to go to a shady part of town late at night to buy her a pie, don’t. (tw) // Going to squeeze and freeze some tofu. It may be the erotic adventure I’ve been dreaming about. (tw) // One of the rudest things you can do is make eye contact with someone eating McDonald’s in their car. (tw) // The best trailer for an awesome action film I want to see this year was actually an ad for “Summer’s Eve Vaginal Cleansing Wash”. wow… (tw) // 20 years ago today, I gave up my dream of having the largest privately owned salt-and-pepper shaker collection in the world (tw) // When I was a child, a lady could insert a whole jar of maraschino cherries in her hoo-ha, and shoot ’em out, one by one. A lost art. (tw) // Vacationing with the family, when I met the eyes of a handsome older man, and wondered, what if? I’d probably be making porn in a meth lab. (tw) // I love reading about idiot helicopter parents, because it makes my halfassed underparenting seem like a bold and principled social statement (tw) // Subway preachers REALLY don’t like it when you follow every one of their sentences with “HAIL SATAN!” They really don’t like it A LOT. (fb) // We have the ability to see life always in a positive light. Example is the glass half full or half empty? Positive answer: glass is always full! Whether with liquid or air is always full of something. Each day is a new glass. How we choose to see it is up to us. The challenge is to enjoy all the things that fill your day. I send you some love to fill a little of your glass. Xoxo (fb) // Shut up Bitch, Your Vagina has been used more then google (fb) // Selah.

Some people just like to fuss. Andrew Sullivan made a video about why he doesn’t like “baby boomers”. This is a lot of people, and includes the 1954 product PG.
In 1945, man’s best effort at killing other humans came to a nuclear end. The soldiers came home, and made love, not war. There was a predictable reaction. In 1965, it was time for another war. There were too many draft age men, and we needed to thin out the population a bit.
The baby boomers had a non traditional reaction to this call to go murder Asian peasants. This generation said HELL NO WE WON’T GO. Well, some did anyway, but it was enough for Uncle Slaughter to change his plans. If the baby boomers had not told Uncle Slaughter to go to hell, we might still be in Vietnam.
The baby boomers are getting to be old fogeys now. That is, the ones who didn’t fall victim to alcohol, drugs, aids, crazy driving, enviornmentally caused cancer, or promiscous availability of firearms. When we were younger, we were the lost generation. Now, we are old and in the way.
And now for something completely different. There was supposed to be a party tonight. People were going to dress up like *Native Americans* and drink vodka. A few people did not think this was a good idea, a ruckus was raised, and the party was cancelled.
Today, this was posted on Facebook. “First of all, Jesse Morgan…..who the fuck ARE you? I’ve never even heard of you before this article so, clearly, your name means nothing. Barry Brandon and Bedlam Presents, however, are nothing but the kindest, least offensive people who are merely interested in throwing a good party. A theme party is just that. No one’s running for office or trying to affect policy. If you are SINCERELY worried about the plight of the Native American people, contact your state representative and do something about it. Quit pissing on people’s good time just because you feel like your opinion is worth something. It’s not. It’s no wonder, Mr. Morgan, that a pot-stirring drama queen like yourself has not yet been permitted on the planning commmitee. Shit wouldn’t get done and the amazing parties would suffer. STFU and do something useful with that wagging tongue of yours. To Barry and the Bedlam folks, keep on keeping on with the amazingness. Love you all and I look forward to the next party!!
Pictures today are from ” The Special Collections and Archives,Georgia State University Library”

Veteran’s Day is a bad day for a cynic. On the one hand, I do appreciate living in The United States. With all its flaws, I have had a good life here, and the role that Veterans have played is to be honored. On the other hand, politicians who deftly avoided the unpleasant reality of service often exploit Veterans for political mojo.
Veterans are often not treated well after they are through with their service. It is estimated that a quarter of the homeless are veterans. The services offered to wounded veterans returning from War is often lacking.
When I typed the second sentence, I thought of my great grandfather. He served with the Georgia State Troops in the War Between the States. I do prefer the USA to the CSA (or whatever would have happened). Yet, the Union army had to prevail over the various Confederate Armies for this to happen. Do I dishonor my great grandfather by saying I am happy the other side won?
Veterans Day was originally Armistice Day. This was the day, 90 years ago, when the War to End All Wars ended. World War I was a ghastly bloodbath, in which Millions died. It created many of the problems that plague us today. And I would be willing to bet that not one person in ten thousand today knows what it was about. And yet, the men who fought in that conflict ( I don’t think they had women soldiers then) deserve the same gratitude as those who fought in any other conflict.
The soldier…many of whom were drafted…doesn’t get to choose which war to fight in. The sacrifice of the World War II soldier was just as great as the Vietnam fighter, but the appreciation given was much greater. I grew up during Vietnam, and saw the national mood go from patriotic fight to dismayed resistance. By the time I was old enough to get drafted, the Paris accords had been signed. For better or worse, there went my chance. This is a repost.

Veterans day was originally Armistice Day. On November 11, 1918, at 11 am ( the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month) a cease fire went into effect for “The great war”. Officials of the major armies agreed to the ceasefire at 5 am (European time). There were an estimated 11,000 casualties in the last six hours of the war.
At 11:59 am, U.S. army private Henry Gunther became the last soldier to die in World War I. “According to the Globe and Mail this is the story of the last soldier killed in WW1: On Nov.11, 1918, U.S. army private Henry Gunther stood up during a lull in the machine gun fire and charged the enemy. “The Germans stared in disbelief,” says the Daily Express. “They had been told that morning that the fighting was about to stop; in a few minutes they would stop firing and go home. So why was this American charging at them with his bayonet drawn? They shouted at him to stp and frantically tried to wave him back but… he hadn’t heard anything of the ceasefire.” A German gunner released a five-round burst and the soldier lay dead, at 10:59 a.m. In his recently published Eleventh Month, Eleventh Day, Eleventh Hour, U.S. Military Historian Joseph Persico notes that Private Gunther had previously been a sergeant but was demoted after an Army censor read his letter to a friend back home, urging him to steer clear of the war at all costs. Gunther, who was in no-man’s land when the ceasefire news arrived, had been trying to prove himself worthy of his original rank.”
Pictures are from The Library of Congress.

Big Daddy Cain called former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi “Princess Nancy” the other night. He was talking about a health care reform proposal that went to a committee, and was never seen again. Some have questioned the propriety of a candidate, still dealing with dog stories about sexual bad manners, calling a prominent official “princess”.
The criticism did affect him, and he offered an apology , of sorts. ““I apologized for calling her Princess Pelosi,” he said, before turning the questions back on Ms. Pelosi, a Democrat. “I remember when Speaker Pelosi called me and the Tea Party people ‘Astroturf.’ I don’t remember anybody asking about that story.”
Astroturfing “is a form of advocacy in support of a political, organizational, or corporate agenda, designed to give the appearance of a “grassroots” movement. The goal of such campaigns is to disguise the efforts of a political and/or commercial entity as an independent public reaction to some political entity—a politician, political group, product, service or event. The term is a derivation of AstroTurf, a brand of synthetic carpeting designed to look like natural grass.”
There are numerous examples of groups pretending to be founded by grass roots citizens, that are in fact fronts for big money interests. “The National Smokers Alliance, an early astroturf group created by Burson-Marsteller on behalf of tobacco giant Philip Morris, worked to influence Federal legislation in 1995 by organizing mailings and running a phone-bank urging people to call or write to politicians expressing their opposition to laws aimed at discouraging teens from starting to smoke.” “The 2011 anti-union drive in Wisconsin led by Governor Scott Walker has been criticized as, in part, an astroturf campaign by Americans for Prosperity, which is supported by the Koch brothers” (Americans for Prosperity is connected to Mark Block, the smokin’ buddy of Herman Cain.)
Maybe the tea party is a front for big money interests. Or, perhaps it was started by citizens, and the special interests jumped on the bandwagon. Calling the tea party “astroturf” may be fair, and it may not be fair. What is puzzling is the connection between calling the tea party astroturf, and calling the former speaker Princess Nancy.
Two wrongs do not make a right. This is the type of rhetoric that makes politicians look like fools. (Big Daddy Cain says he is not a politician. If it talks like a duck and walks like a duck…) Whenever someone is caught doing something, the first reaction is to find something to accuse your enemy of doing. There are serious problems in America now, and seeing who can dig the most dirt on their opponent is not going to solve them.
HT to The field negro.

PG saw a note on facebook … RT @jaybakker: I yelled out “Don’t let the bastards get you down” and Kris said back “I’m trying not to.” #Kristofferson #DieHappy. Bobbi McGee said this would be a good subject for a post. Pictures by The Library of Congress (Union soldiers during the war.)
The traditional “Latin” phrase for this is Illegitimi non carborundum. Wikipedia says “Illegitimi non carborundum is a mock-Latin aphorism meaning “Don’t let the bastards grind you down”. (Carborundum is an industrial abrasive material.) .. Illegitimi suggests illegitimate to the English speaker, but it is certainly not the usual Latin word for “bastard”, nor does it carry the same negative connotation as in English: it was never used as a general insult as the English term “bastard” still is. It also should be kept in mind that “bastards” is often used in English as a generic derogatory term, not necessarily relating to the marital status of one’s parents.”
Uncyclopedia contends that “Illegitimi non carborundum is a Latin phrase meaning “Do not make illegal copies of this disk.” It is also sometimes mistaken to mean “fuck the system” by people without a sense of humor. ”
The third Google result is Do Not Be Discouraged . It seems to be a Christian site dispensing motivation, and can be ignored without much thought. Next is uncommon goods. For $20.00, they will sell you the “”ILLEGITIMI NON CARBORUNDUM” KEYCHAIN”. This phrase is available on a necklace and a paperweight, in addition to a labyrinth bowl.
Wikianswers reminds us that INC is not really Latin. The process is making faux Latin words is called macaronics. (Is dancing the macarena involved?) The phrase that pays is honored by a facebook page, that 157 people like. The blog INC.blogspot last issued a post May 18, 2007.
PoliceOne has the last spot on page one. It has the unhappy story of a policeman, and ends with a veteran cop telling a rookie to not let the bastards get you down. This page has an ad for Peerless Handcuff Company, selling restraints in nickel, black oxide, blue, red, pink, orange, and yellow.
And now for something completely different. A local group called Bedlam had the idea for a party. They called it PocaHotAss. The idea was to dress up like a cartoon character Indian, go to a bar in Buckhead, and drink American Harvest Organic Spirit. This is a “new vodka drink”, and was one of the sponsors of the party.
Once word got out, there was criticism of the event. Actually, it was more like a firestorm. People denounced the theft of heritage and appropriation of culture. It got rather ugly, with comments like “To tell a people of color how to react to racisim is ver , very problematic.. “. Finally, the event was cancelled. Another reason to drink American Harvest Organic Spirit will be found.
PG does not have a taste for discussions like this, and sat this one out. He does not drink, and had no intention of attending the event. A raging controversy does not require the participation of everyone within earshot. It is ok to not care.
One thought that seems to have escaped the attention of the participants is the spectacle of Import Americans dressing up as Native Americans to consume mass quantities of new vodka drinks. Of all the rude things the European conquerors did to the Natives, introducing them to alcohol may the cruelest. Alcoholism is a major problem in Native America these days. For Import Americans to dress up as cartoon character Natives, and guzzle vodka, is beyond disgraceful.

PG heard a discussion recently, with a comment about separation of church and state. The concept was that this separation was good for the church.
In the USA, religions have to compete in the “free marketplace of ideas”. Tell your story, sell your product, and if the people like it, they will buy it. American Jesus worshipers have adapted to this environment, like a fish adapts to a pond. They are very good at marketing. Jesus is very popular in America. If they government ordered Americans to go to church, they would rebel.
Many Islamic countries legally enforce their religion. If they were to relax this rule, and let Islam compete in the free marketplace of ideas, then Islam will need to attend to the needs of the people. Islam is another religion that historically has been good at marketing, and will probably do a good job of winning believers.
In Czarist Russia, the Orthodox church was in bed with the rulers. In 1917, there was a revolution. The church was thrown out along with the Czar. The communists took over, and were officially atheists. (It is a good question how well the state enforced atheism worked.)
Pictures are from The Library of Congress.