#OPKKK
PG was minding his business when he stumbled onto a tweet. @neonflag This number on Anonymous’ KKK data dump jumped out at me: 770-499-4633. That’s the Cobb County Sheriff. #gapol. While the Cobb County Sheriff is not beyond suspicion, it seemed odd to think of a government office as being a KKK member.
There had been rumors. Anonymous was going to release the names of KKK members. The people wearing Guy Fawkes masks were going to expose the people wearing bedsheet hoods. Twitter nation was abuzz with excitement…lets expose the racists. PG was concerned about collateral damage, about innocent people being dragged into the mess. And now it was happening.
They’re publishing their data there. In addition to the phone numbers, there were email addresses, many with .ru addresses. There was also a list of politicians. There were lurid articles, like Racists Panic As Anonymous Starts Releasing Details Of KKK Members.
Included on this list was Georgia Senator Johnny Isakson. A conservative Republican that many would not want to defend, Sen. Isakson had been in real estate before he ran for election. This is an image conscious business, that would not lend itself to bedsheet wearing. Nonetheless, facebook was soon crowded with people calling for the resignation of Senator Isakson.
Before long, common sense began to creep in. If You Really Think Four Republican Senators Are in the KKK, You’re a Fool. Relax: #OpKKK Did Not Release Info Linking Elected Officials To The KKK. One division of the hydra headed anonymous tried to back away from another. @Operation_KKK
This account has NOT YET released any information. We believe in due diligence and will NOT recklessly involve innocent individuals #OpKKK .
Several questions remain. How will we know who to believe? Was the preliminary *data dump* a false flag operation, designed to damage anonymous credibility? Why are they worried about the KKK? Is genuine evil flourishing while America chases bedsheets?
Despite it’s fierce reputation as a “racist terrorist” organization, the KKK is in bad shape. It has less credibility than the Westboro Baptist Church. The custom of wearing bedsheets makes them the easy target for jokes. The Anti-Defamation League and Southern Poverty Law Center say the membership of the KKK is dwindling.
A good argument could be made that anonymous publicity is helping the KKK. It makes bedsheets look dangerous. While the three digital stooges of anonymous/facebook/twitter are focused on bedsheets, more dangerous white (and other color) hate groups are operating in darkness. With people fascinated with who is under the bedsheets, people that can do damage are buying ammunition, and buying elections. Pictures today are from The Library of Congress.
Recreational $nark
Opinions are like assholes… everyone has theirs down there. They’re a part of life. The concept of scientific proof for opinions complicates matters. The use of malignant mischaracterizations, snide permission, and preferred pronoun privilege will help, to finance the unicorn ranch Bernie has promised to build. ~ Amy Vanderbilt said not to jump out of a window. ~ A pineapple is a symbol of hospitality. ~ ‘Modern Girl’ Carrie Brownstein Describes Finding (And Hiding) Herself In Music ~ music ~ Don’t Be a Racist for Halloween – Here’s Why Cultures Aren’t Costumes ~ reddit ~ 8 Sneaky Racial Code Words and Why Politicians Love Them ~ Which companies bankroll the candidates? ~ make galileo look just like a boy scout ~ I Don’t Discuss Racism With White People ~ A better title for this piece might be “10 signs that you are an asshole.” Most jerks (the term I prefer) don’t need a reason. ~ Instead of insulting a useful body part, why don’t we call unpleasant people “Trumps” ~ @LibtardLimbaugh Rush Limbaugh’s Libtard Brother From Another Mother & Proud Left Wing Nut Job ~ Politics is the entertainment division of the military industrial complex ~ The primary will be the only time people in Georgia have a vote. The electoral college effectively takes our vote away in November. It is interesting that none of the candidates are calling for reform of the way we choose the POTUS. ~ I realize that campaigning for political office requires money. My comment was a bit of recreational $nark. B$ can take a joke. Which is a good thing, because he is too ugly to fuck ~ “The alternative to grassroots support is a country run by wealthy interests.” I am not sure about that comparison. Hitlery can make more in one corporate blowjob than BS can in a month of grass roots support. BHO did not get a billion dollars for his reelection from five dollar contributions. While the concept of grassroots support is uplifting, the sordid reality is that we live in a bribe-ocracy ~ Johnny Ayahuasca @RealJohnnyAyaOn a Shamanic path. Minimalism, Ayahuasca DMT, machine elves, Consciousness, Synchronicity, Comedy, personal transformation ~ The secret of being a good leader is to have good players with you. ~ I. Ognib is a fine fellow. ~ Is this where the Ramones got their name? ~ No, Your Hardships Don’t Erase Your White Privilege ~ pictures today are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”. ~ selah
Save the Date
It is a magic moment when you find fresh product from an author you enjoy. One day at the Chamblee library, PG found Save the Date, by Mary Kay Andrews. Those who snicker that this is a woman’s book can skip over the rest of this book report. The pictures are from The Library of Congress.
Cara is a yankee transplant with an unpronounceable name. We never learn if this handle is shared with her ornery father, or a souvenir of marriage to “Leo.” Cara runs a flower shop in Savannah’s historic district. STD … the initials for this book … has lots of “local color,” but few people of color. There is a gay character, who plays (not always wisely) a crucial role in the story.
The flower business has issues. Cara is branching into wedding planning, and has a big budget do that will allow her to pay off debts, and deal with more headaches. One the day of one wedding, Cara’s dog Poppy gets out. By a bizarre coincidence, a man has a similar dog missing, and takes Poppy home. Cara sees this, and an ugly scene ensues. Astute novel readers know that the dognapper is going to be Cara’s boyfriend. They kiss on page 148, and spend the night a hundred pages later.
That night’s wedding is for the brother of the dognapper. The next day, Shaz, the missing dognapper pooch, shows up, and Poppy goes back to Cara. The ac in Cara’s shop, Bloom, is not working, which is a serious problem in Savannah. This leads to a series of events which draw the dognapper, Jack, into Cara’s arms, and then drives them apart. Some of the plot twists, while highly entertaining, are tough to believe. You knew reading this was a dangerous game when you agreed to play.
This suspension of disbelief goes too far at Loblolly. That is a family home on Cumberland Island. Bride With Issues gets mad, and goes AWOL. Cara, seeing a big payday vanishing, sends BWI a text, and finds out where she is. Cara packs a bag, drives to St. Marys, and gets on the morning ferry to Cumberland Island. Cara rents a bike, and finds out where Loblolly was, before they tore it down.
Loblolly used to be on the west side of Dungeness, a bit south of Sea Camp. All that is left is a treehouse. BWI is sitting in this tree house, having sent a text to her boss quitting her job. BWI does not know what she wants to do. Cara convinces BWI to call her family, and let them know what she has done. After all this, Cara gets back to the Sea Camp dock in time to catch the afternoon ferry. PG is a Cumberland Island veteran, and finds that story beyond preposterous.
STD goes on for 433 pages, which is not a problem. While the story is not believable, it is highly entertaining. Cara has more bad days than Bernie Sander’s hairstylist. While STD has a happy ending, we don’t know how she got out of a few of those messes. Maybe there is going to be a part two.
Cemetery Cleanup
Nancy Creek Primitive Baptist Church had a cemetery cleanup Halloween morning. A group of people gathered to listen to spoken history, and rake leaves. The main goal was to clear out two areas with unknown graves. An estimated 800 people are buried in NCPBCC, with “only 150” marked.
NCPBCC is on Eighth Street, on the Chamblee-Brookhaven border. The road does a ninety degree turn, and becomes New Peachtree Road. In the pre-Marta era, Eighth Street went to Peachtree Road. It came out behind the Pure Oil Station. PG remembers when the RR crossing did not have a light, or a crossbar. It was marked by a yellow sign that said Railroad Crossing.
The first part of the morning was a talk about area history. The land was originally owned by the Creek nation. During the Revolutionary War, and the War of 1812, there was a division in the Creek nation. Some supported the British, while some supported the rebelling colonies. Soon white settlers moved into the area, after treaties with the Creeks granted land to the settlers. In 1826, the Nancy Creek Primitive Baptist Church was founded. The Prospect Church, further down Peachtree Road, was the other church in the area. Prospect is now an antique store, in keeping with Chamblee customs. Nancy Creek was believed to be named for Nancy Evans, an early settler. It may have been Nancy’s Creek at one time.
NCPBCC has a Revolutionary War veteran, Mr. Reeves. Not much is known about Mr. Reeves. There is at least one veteran of the War Between the States. Charles H. Godwin was part of the Godwin family that settled in this area. Pvt. Godwin’s marker says: “Pvt CO K 38 REGT GA INF CSA June 2, 1845 – AUG 4 1862” Albert Martin is the great grandson of Charles H. Godwin, and says that Pvt. Godwin is probably rolling in his grave over the American Flags marking his final resting place. Pvt. Godwin was wounded in battle, brought home, where he died.
The talk about history went on, and PG did not remember all of it. At one point, PG mentioned a pet cemetery behind the Peachtree Animal Hospital. The man who knew cemetery history, Albert Martin, did not know about this pet cemetery. PG also remembered a handful of graves, on a hill behind the Pure Oil Station. Some of these had the Masonic symbol on them.
The main objective of the cleanup was to clear out leaves from two areas. When the Marta lines came through, their archeologists put metal markers where graves were known to be. Many of these unmarked graves have artificial flowers. No one knows who put these artificial flowers in the cemetery. Cleaning volunteers were cautioned not to move any stones, or grave markers. Leaves were piled onto tarpolins, and carried out for pickup by Chamblee sanitation. These leaves were heavier than expected, and provided a lively workout for those who carried them out. A tarp, full of leaves, being carried out by two people, resembled the sight of carrying a body. Perhaps this is what happens to people whose families fall behind on maintenance payments.
Some neighbors, whose back yards go up against the cemetery, wondered how accurate the surveyers were when the boundaries were established. There were iron markers in the far back part of the cemetery, up against the fence. It is possible that some are outside the established area. PG questioned the wisdom of doing a cemetery cleanup on Halloween. There were no apparent incidents, and the cleanup volunteers worked without interference from the dead.
Dick Nixon TV Critic
The text below is a conversation between Mr. Nixon, John D. Ehrlichman, and H. R. Haldeman. The tape was made May 13, 1971. This is a repost. Pictures are from The Library of Congress.
NIXON: … CBS … glorifying homosexuality.
EHRLICHMAN: A panel show?
H. R. HALDEMAN: No, it’s a regular show. It’s on every week. It’s usually just done in the guy’s home. It’s usually just that guy, who’s a hard hat.
NIXON: That’s right; he’s a hard hat.
EHRLICHMAN: He always looks like a slob.
NIXON: Looks like Jackie Gleason.
HALDEMAN: He has this hippie son-in-law, and usually the general trend is to downgrade him and upgrade the son-in-law–make the square hard hat out to be bad. But a few weeks ago, they had one in which the guy, the son-in-law, wrote a letter to you, President Nixon, to raise hell about something. And the guy said, “You will not write that letter from my home!” Then said, “I’m going to write President Nixon,” took off all those sloppy clothes, shaved, and went to his desk and got ready to write his letter to President Nixon. And apparently it was a good episode.
EHRLICHMAN: What’s it called?
NIXON: “Archie’s Guys.” Archie is sitting here with his hippie son-in-law, married to the screwball daughter. The son-in-law apparently goes both ways. This guy. He’s obviously queer–wears an ascot–but not offensively so. Very clever. Uses nice language. Shows pictures of his parents. And so Arch goes down to the bar. Sees his best friend, who used to play professional football. Virile, strong, this and that. Then the fairy comes into the bar. I don’t mind the homosexuality. I understand it. Nevertheless, goddamn, I don’t think you glorify it on public television, homosexuality, even more than you glorify whores. We all know we have weaknesses. But, goddammit, what do you think that does to kids? You know what happened to the Greeks! Homosexuality destroyed them. Sure, Aristotle was a homo. We all know that. So was Socrates.
EHRLICHMAN: But he never had the influence television had.
NIXON: You know what happened to the Romans? The last six Roman emperors were fags. Neither in a public way. You know what happened to the popes? They were layin’ the nuns; that’s been goin’ on for years, centuries. But the Catholic Church went to hell three or four centuries ago. It was homosexual, and it had to be cleaned out. That’s what’s happened to Britain. It happened earlier to France. Let’s look at the strong societies. The Russians. Goddamn, they root ’em out. They don’t let ’em around at all. I don’t know what they do with them. Look at this country. You think the Russians allow dope? Homosexuality, dope, immorality, are the enemies of strong societies. That’s why the Communists and left-wingers are clinging to one another. They’re trying to destroy us. I know Moynihan will disagree with this, and Mitchell will. But, goddamn, we have to stand up to this.
EHRLICHMAN: It’s fatal liberality.
NIXON: Huh?
EHRLICHMAN: It’s fatal liberality. And with its use on television, it has such leverage.
NIXON: You know what’s happened [in northern California]?
EHRLICHMAN: San Francisco has just gone clear over.
NIXON: But it’s not just the ratty part of town. The upper class in San Francisco is that way. The Bohemian Grove, which I attend from time to time–it is the most faggy goddamned thing you could ever imagine, with that San Francisco crowd. I can’t shake hands with anybody from San Francisco. … Decorators. They got to do something. But we don’t have to glorify it. You know one of the reasons fashions have made women look so terrible is because the designers hate women. Designers taking it out on the women. Now they’re trying to get some more sexy things coming on again.
EHRLICHMAN: Hot pants.
NIXON: Jesus Christ.
Frank Zappa Says
Recently, the world of flaky internet quotes has discovered Frank Zappa. The “sexually incontinent rock innovator” died December 4, 1993. (His wife Gail passed away October 7, 2025.) Recently, some alleged quotes have hit the ether. Some people need to get out more.
This item was recently featured in chamblee54. @SlavojTweezek “”Communism doesn’t work,” Frank Zappa said, “because people like to own stuff.” Idiot. What do people’s likes have to do with communism?” This quote is plausible. Frank Zappa was a capitalist. He liked owning stuff, especially his own music. It should be easy to find a source. However, the best google can come up with is a compilation, “Quotes of Zappa,” in W. C. Privy’s Original Bathroom Companion.”
This morning, facebook had a meme. It had a picture of FZ, with the quote “Politics is the entertainment division of the military-industrial complex.” In the time that it takes to say Camarillo Brillo, Mr. Google turned up a reddit commentary.
“While the quote is frequently listed as, ““Government is the entertainment division of the military-industrial complex,” I could find no primary source. It appears to contradict the actual quote from a 1987 interview with Keyboard magazine where he is decidedly pro-government but anti-bullshit politics.” (FZ did say “art in the service of politics usually makes for boring art.” Why do people make up quotes for memes, when the real thing is better?)
Speculating what a dead man would say is a tricky business. FZ was known for strong opinions, and a finely tuned BS detector. (That is bovine excrement, not Bernie Sanders.) FZ died while the internet was just getting started, and years before some of today’s permutations and perversions. It is easy to imagine FZ making rude comments about people misquoting dead guitar heros.
Speaking of politics and cynical guitar cadavers, the current poster boi for trendy privilege is Bernie Sanders. If you “feel the Bern,” you might want to skip over the rest of this post, and look at the pictures. (These pictures are from The Library of Congress.) While BS is arguably less evil than Hitlery, he still leaves a great deal to be desired. BS is making extravagant promises that he will be totally unable to keep. BS is taking the concept of telling people what they want to hear to new depths. Yes, this is part of what FZ meant when saying rude things about politicians.
Today, PG saw a fundraising appeal for BS. Against his better judgment, PG made the comment “Bernie $anders.” The fun started almost immediately.
This campaign is for monthly recurring contributions. And Luther, campaigning requires money. The alternative to grassroots support is a country run by wealthy interests. Which would you prefer? ~ I realize that campaigning for political office requires money. My comment was a bit of recreational $nark. B$ can take a joke. … “The alternative to grassroots support is a country run by wealthy interests.” I am not sure about that comparison. Hitlery can make more in one corporate blowjob than BS can in a month of grass roots support. BHO did not get a billion dollars for his reelection from five dollar contributions. While the concept of grassroots support is uplifting, the sordid reality is that we live in a bribe-ocracy. ~ Your cynicism is less than accurate and certainly less than appealing. ~ Luther, just don’t vote and stay out of discussions about voting. OK?
Brookhaven Mayoral Election
Once upon a time, Brookhaven was a neighborhood, just east of the Atlanta city limits on Peachtree Road. There was a man named Bobby, who would stand at the corner of Peachtree and Dresden watching the traffic. Bobby didn’t say very much. Some say Bobby was “challenged’, while others said he was a dinged out Nam vet. Bobby, a big, big man, was called “the Mayor of Brookhaven.” No one seems to know what happened to Bobby.
Years later, the City of Brookhaven was created. The first Mayor was J. Max Davis, another big, big man. After a while in office, Mr. Davis resigned so he could run for the state legislature. There were some amusing rumors about sexual misconduct, involving a can of Lysol.
In a few days, Brookhaven voters will elect a new Mayor. PG took a telephone poll about the election, which mentioned two candidates. PG had been under the impression that three people were running for the office. The thought of a runoff was appalling. PG asked Mr. Google for help.
The confirming article said Williams drops out of Brookhaven Mayor’s race. Acting Mayor Rebecca Chase Williams had dropped out of the race. It seems as though her husband, former fishwrapper columnist Dick Williams, had taken a bad fall. He was facing a lengthy recuperation, and his wife decided to get out of politics to help. The remaining candidates were “attorney John Ernst and competitive eater Dale Boone.”
Competitive eater? For someone to replace Bobby and J. Max, a professional eater might work. Mr. Boone clarifies the matter a bit. “I’m not a competitive eater. I’m the defending world champion. There’s a huge difference. I’m the top one,” the 49-year-old Boone said. (For you aficionados, Boone says his top ranking comes through the World League of Competitive Eating, not the International Federation of Competitive Eating.) ”
PG first heard of Dale Boone when he saw campaign signs on Briarcliff Road. This is south of I 85, and outside the Brookhaven city limits. According to a recent financial report, Mr. Boone has spent $624.68, after raising $3,880. “Boone had a handful of donors, including some restaurant ownership groups. His campaign also reports more than $5,000 in debt.”
John Ernst, who will probably win, is running a conventional campaign. There are the glossy mailouts, with pictures of adorable children. Mr. Ernst promises to clean up Brookhaven city government. presumably without using Lysol. Taxes will be cut, and trust in government restored created. The acheive this goal. Mr. Ernst has raised $55,918.28, and spent $22,616.64. Pictures today are from The Library of Congress.
A Trillion Dollars
This is a repost, with pictures from The Library of Congress. The full text of one section is available, and has amusing stories about Richard Nixon and Antonin Scalia. This feature is about the national debt. When BHO took office, the annual federal budget deficit was over a trillion dollars. According to this source, the annual deficit is now $439 billion. This is more than the total national debt that the late Everett Dirkson was losing sleep over in the sixties. Nonetheless, it is considerably less than the deficit when BHO took office. BHO, bless his drone firing heart, is given credit for reducing the deficit more than any POTUS in history.
… The last quote is from another POTUS who is no longer with us, Ronald Reagan. “I am not worried about the deficit. It is big enough to take care of itself.” Mr. Reagan was a professional actor, and he knew the value of a good script.
This slogan is another one that Mr. Obama may find handy. It should be noted that it was a big deal when the national debt (the grand total of the deficits) went over a trillion dollars. This was during the first term of Mr. Reagan. Today, under Mr. Obama, the annual deficit is over a trillion dollars. Sooner or later, you are talking about real money.
PG suffered brain damage trying to find out more about the quote from Mr. Reagan. He went through six pages of google. There must be 25 sites which have lists of quotes from Mr. Reagan, and all of them feature this quote. None have an actual source.
What was the context? When did he first say it? One site says it was “(during the latter years of his administration)”. Another site says it was “Said often during his presidency, 1981-1989”. Maybe this is an urban legend. As Mr. Reagan said, don’t believe everything you read on the internet.
Those of a certain age remember Everett Dirksen. A Republican Senator from Illinois, he was blessed with an operatic voice, and cursed with a face that could stop a clock. He is credited (or blamed) for the quote ” A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you’re talking real money.” The Dirksen Congressional Center can neither confirm nor deny if he really said that. The discussion of this reputed quote does turn up a passage, that is germane to today’s conversation.
“One time in the House of Representatives [a colleague] told me a story about a proposition that a teacher put to a boy. He said, ‘Johnny, a cat fell in a well 100 feet deep. Suppose that cat climbed up 1 foot and then fell back 2 feet. How long would it take the cat to get out of the well?’
“Johnny worked assiduously with his slate and slate pencil for quite a while, and then when the teacher came down and said, ‘How are you getting along?’ Johnny said, ‘Teacher, if you give me another slate and a couple of slate pencils, I am pretty sure that in the next 30 minutes I can land that cat in hell. If some people get any cheer out of a $328 billion debt ceiling, I do not find much to cheer about concerning it.” [Congressional Record, June 16, 1965, p. 13884].
Senator Dirksen went to the fundraising dinner in the sky September 7, 1969. Twelve years later, the Reagan revolution was getting started. Taxes were cut, and spending increased. In a couple of years, the national debt went over a trillion dollars. (The annual budget deficit is now over a trillion dollars.) For those new to the game, a trillion is a billion, multiplied by a thousand. For all the numbers above, multiply by a thousand, to get a trillion.
In 1965, Senator Dirksen was losing sleep, over raising the national debt to $328 billion. The current national debt is estimated at $16,964,687,666,420. This is 5171% of 328 billion.
In 1965, the national debt was $328 billion, and we were losing 100 men every week in Vietnam. One of the more expensive things the government does is fight wars. Currently we are officially killing people in Afghanistan, and several more countries that no one knows about (nudge wink).
On September 11, 2001, The United States was attacked. Revenge was the order of the day. There are now indications that this was one of the goals of Al Queda. The Soviet Union imploded, in large part, because of the strain of fighting a war in Afghanistan. Now, the United States is waist deep in the same big muddy. Whoever is elected in 2016 will have to deal with this matter.
Afghanistan has a gross national product of $27 billion. The Congressional Research Service estimates the cost of American operations in Afghanistan for 2011 to be $119 billion. This is over four times the gross national product of Afghanistan. Pretty soon, you are talking about real money.
G-d Is In The Details
As the reader(s) of this blog might know, PG listens to “stuff” on the internet while working on pictures. One of the favorites is 99% Invisible, or 99pi. It is a quirky little show. The content is mostly about design, which is supposed to be 99 percent invisible.
The quote is allegedly by Buckminister Fuller, but google does not show a source. PG sent this tweet. “@romanmars When/where did B. Fuller say that design was 99% invisible? I am looking for a source, and google is not helping.” Mr. Mars is the voice of 99pi, and the father of their star advertising voice over. (The notoriously unreliable brainyquote quotes RBF thusly: “Ninety-nine percent of who you are is invisible and untouchable.” G-d is in the details.)
99pi comes out roughly once a week, and PG faithfully downloads every one. With all the other listening options, some shows pile up. Today, while putting the final touches on a poem, PG listened to episodes 181, 182, 183, and 184.
Milk Carton Kids is about the custom of posting pictures of missing children on milk cartons. The meme much more successful at raising conciousness than it was at finding children.
Bonnie Lohman was an exception. Her stepfather took her shopping, and Bonnie saw her picture on a milk carton. The stepfather bought the milk, cut out the picture, and gave it to Bonnie. Somehow, a neighbor saw it, and the jig was up.
A Sweet Surprise Awaits You is about fortune cookies. This was a minor Japanese custom, which became a fixture at American style Chinese restaurants. The story starts off March 30, 2005. (On April 1, 2005, PG was laid off by Redo Blue after 24 years of service.) Fortune cookies had a number on them that day. The number was the second prize winner in the Powerball lottery.
Dead Letter Office is about the Mail Recovery Center, where long lost packages at the Post Office are auctioned off. The MRC is out by Six Flags, also known to local listeners as Da Hood. One lady bought a box of dishes, with a fine white powder on them. An urn in the box was broken. The ashes of the previous owner were scattered on the plates and saucers.
Rajneeshpuram is about a desert valley in Oregon. It became the home of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, and a few hundred of his friends. BSR intended to create a profitable utopia. It did not work out well. The ranch is now owned by a Christian youth group, Young Life.
Pictures today are from The Library of Congress.
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