Since we're all about guns in this country--hey, you can't shoot the spouse, kids, and yourself without one--it's always good to see someone do a little research on our deadly fetish.
According to a report by The Guardian, public health researchers at Harvard and Northeastern University did just that last year through an outfit named, GfK. It was what's called an opt in survey where people were compensated to participate after they mailed their responses to the company.
There were a couple of mild surprises. The first being the poll indicated there are currently 265 million guns owned in the U.S. today. That's somewhat lower than the 300 million usually cited in articles and essays. The second is that 133 million of those weapons are owned by roughly three percent of the adult population.
The survey found that out of 55 million gun owners most have an average of three weapons. A little less than half that number own a single firearm. 7.7 million people own anywhere from eight to 140.
While the figure might sound odd, market researchers at GfK report it is in line with other products which aren't guns. They say 80% of any product is bought by 20% of the total number of buyers.
Other findings in the survey aren't so surprising. You know, stats like your average gun owner is a white male conservative who lives in a rural area--that 30% of self described conservatives say they own a weapon, while 19% of so called moderates and 14% of people who claim to be liberal do.
When it comes to people who own only hand guns the numbers go askew. 44% of African American and 37% of Hispanic gun owners fall into that category. The research showed people who own only hand guns are concentrated in cities and are more likely to be non white.
The report found there are 70 million more guns in circulation right now than there were in 1994. It also showed there are 10 million additional gun owners since that year and sales have spiked since Barack Obama became president.
Well, what do you expect when people like the NRA and other fringe elements are running around telling everyone the president and now Hillary Clinton want to take away every body's weapon. It's abject bullshit of course, neither of them has advocated gun confiscation, just tighter rules when it comes to being able to lay your hands on one.
Perhaps the most disturbing statistic is that the survey says there are 400,000 guns stolen every year in this country. At least that is the number reported. That means nearly a half a million weapons fall into the hands of proven felons every 365 days.
Of course any survey depends on the honesty of its respondents. There are a lot of rubes out there who think any sort of question asked about gun ownership is some sort of government plot. Who knows how many of them took GfK's money and just made shit up.
What we do know is that of the 30,000 gun deaths a year, two thirds are suicides. Without access to a firearm the act becomes a tad more difficult, or at least less impulsive.
We also know the worn out NRA cliché which says the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun is a terrible lie. More guns simply mean more mayhem. That and despite all the bombast about stopping terrorists, the NRA steadfastly opposes any sort of regulation, or law which might restrict access to guns by those who are suspected of being involved in such gruesome activities.
Yes, we have this unexplainable addiction to guns. We are the collective Gollum to not just, "The One Ring," but 265 million of them. And--we will not only do anything to keep a firearm, we'll justify any nefarious plot and lie in order to make sure we can amass more of them.
No wonder much of the civilized world considers our society not only decadent, but deadly and loathsome.
sic vita est
9-20-16
Tuesday, September 20, 2016
Friday, September 16, 2016
The Pivot: Don on Xanax
Don Trump jumped on the birther crazy train around five years ago. Despite a multitude of theories, no one is quite sure why. I like to think the motive was nothing more than a crude ploy to boost the ratings of his TV show, "The Apprentice." Something so cruel and self serving certainly sounds like the narcissistic beast we've come to know and loathe.
What we do know for sure is he beat that dead horse relentlessly. And thanks to Twitter and the press, which even then was enthralled by his grotesque carnival side show barking, he took the myth out of ultra right wing chat rooms and the dark corners of You Tube. During the process he placed it--and more importantly, himself--squarely into prime time.
He claimed he had people in Hawaii and what they were finding, "was incredible." He posted on social media, "an extremely credible source," had called to tell his staff the president's birth certificate was, "a fraud."
It didn't matter he couldn't prove anything and ultimately never did. When it comes to the yokels he was preaching to, not being able to prove something is simply further proof the conspiracy is both vast and unrelenting. As for the rest of us, well, we have short memories.
Hey, time marches on, besides, terrible Mexican hordes were on the horizon, not to mention evil Muslim infiltrators.
Then a few weeks ago came the pivot republicans have been waiting so long for. Suddenly El Don calmed his act down. The off the cuff bombast abated and was replaced by teleprompter controlled speeches which focused not on personalities, but policies he would enact when elected. Of course he hasn't gone into any details about how he'd deliver mega tax cuts while pouring billions more into the military and balancing the federal budget. After all, such details would just dilute the presentation of the big picture.
He made a trip to Mexico in order to appear statesman like. It didn't seem to matter within in hours after leaving he and Mexican President, Enrique Pena Nieto were arguing over what they'd talked about. The whole purpose of the visit was the photo op taken after their meeting.
Yesterday he showed up on the syndicated television show hosted by Dr. Mehmet Oz with his medical records. He brought along his daughter Ivanka to talk to the audience, made up of mostly women, about child care benefits. Both hinted they were the first and only people to ever propose expansive paid maternity leave for women. Neither were willing to admit democrats and Hillary Clinton have been pushing the same thing for years, but the republicans in congress have rejected every attempt.
Which leads us to earlier today. At the opening of his new hotel in Washington Trump told the press, "Hillary Clinton and her campaign of 2008 started the birther controversy. I finished it. I finished it, you know what I mean. President Barack Obama was born in the United States. Period."
Indeed, if it wasn't for me the dark cloud brought about by Hillary Clinton would still be hanging over the presidency of Barack Obama. However, I was finally able to nail down his place of birth and clear his name.
No one should be surprised at this vile tact. For a couple of weeks now Trump's toadies have gone on cable news saying their man knows Obama was born here. Then, while pointedly ignoring all questions about his avid promotion of the birther insanity, to a person, they accused Secretary Clinton of starting it.
It's an abject lie. The Washington Post reported that various fact checking organizations have repeatedly disproven the allegation. In truth there is absolutely no evidence Ms. Clinton, or her campaign ever questioned Obama's birth certificate, or his citizenship.
Yes, it would seem the new Trump is pretty much the old Trump, only on Xanax. Or, as we like to say down here, "You can take them out of the trailer park, but you can't take the trailer park out of them."
And with that ladies and gentlemen, as you can well guess, the bar is open.
sic vita est
9-16-16
What we do know for sure is he beat that dead horse relentlessly. And thanks to Twitter and the press, which even then was enthralled by his grotesque carnival side show barking, he took the myth out of ultra right wing chat rooms and the dark corners of You Tube. During the process he placed it--and more importantly, himself--squarely into prime time.
He claimed he had people in Hawaii and what they were finding, "was incredible." He posted on social media, "an extremely credible source," had called to tell his staff the president's birth certificate was, "a fraud."
It didn't matter he couldn't prove anything and ultimately never did. When it comes to the yokels he was preaching to, not being able to prove something is simply further proof the conspiracy is both vast and unrelenting. As for the rest of us, well, we have short memories.
Hey, time marches on, besides, terrible Mexican hordes were on the horizon, not to mention evil Muslim infiltrators.
Then a few weeks ago came the pivot republicans have been waiting so long for. Suddenly El Don calmed his act down. The off the cuff bombast abated and was replaced by teleprompter controlled speeches which focused not on personalities, but policies he would enact when elected. Of course he hasn't gone into any details about how he'd deliver mega tax cuts while pouring billions more into the military and balancing the federal budget. After all, such details would just dilute the presentation of the big picture.
He made a trip to Mexico in order to appear statesman like. It didn't seem to matter within in hours after leaving he and Mexican President, Enrique Pena Nieto were arguing over what they'd talked about. The whole purpose of the visit was the photo op taken after their meeting.
Yesterday he showed up on the syndicated television show hosted by Dr. Mehmet Oz with his medical records. He brought along his daughter Ivanka to talk to the audience, made up of mostly women, about child care benefits. Both hinted they were the first and only people to ever propose expansive paid maternity leave for women. Neither were willing to admit democrats and Hillary Clinton have been pushing the same thing for years, but the republicans in congress have rejected every attempt.
Which leads us to earlier today. At the opening of his new hotel in Washington Trump told the press, "Hillary Clinton and her campaign of 2008 started the birther controversy. I finished it. I finished it, you know what I mean. President Barack Obama was born in the United States. Period."
Indeed, if it wasn't for me the dark cloud brought about by Hillary Clinton would still be hanging over the presidency of Barack Obama. However, I was finally able to nail down his place of birth and clear his name.
No one should be surprised at this vile tact. For a couple of weeks now Trump's toadies have gone on cable news saying their man knows Obama was born here. Then, while pointedly ignoring all questions about his avid promotion of the birther insanity, to a person, they accused Secretary Clinton of starting it.
It's an abject lie. The Washington Post reported that various fact checking organizations have repeatedly disproven the allegation. In truth there is absolutely no evidence Ms. Clinton, or her campaign ever questioned Obama's birth certificate, or his citizenship.
Yes, it would seem the new Trump is pretty much the old Trump, only on Xanax. Or, as we like to say down here, "You can take them out of the trailer park, but you can't take the trailer park out of them."
And with that ladies and gentlemen, as you can well guess, the bar is open.
sic vita est
9-16-16
Monday, September 12, 2016
The Latest From Duncan, Oklahoma: There is Nothing Quite Like a Mother's Love
Perhaps there is something contaminating the ground water of Duncan, Oklahoma. After all it is the ancestral home of Halliburton Oil, so God only knows what sort of terrible, DNA twisting, toxins have been dumped into the handiest ditch, or man hole over scores of decades.
For those with short memories, Duncan first hit the international news in August, 2013. That's when Michael Jones got behind the wheel of a car and took a spin around town with his pal James Edwards in the front seat and Chancy Luna in the back. At some point they spotted Australian, Christopher Lane, who was in town visiting his girl friend, jogging along the side of the road.
Edwards story was he was busy rolling a joint completely unaware of what was about to happen. Luna, who had a pistol--because, hey don't we all--later claimed he thought the gun was loaded with blanks and he was simply intending to scare Lane. After Lane was shot in the back of the head, one of the merry pranksters initially told arresting officers the crime was committed because the three of them were bored.
Well who isn't these days?
Lane was killed. Luna and Jones were found guilty of murder and Edwards, after it was discovered he had phoned a friend from the jail with instructions to get rid of the weapon, was convicted of being an accessory after the fact.
In October, 2014 boredom wasn't an issue for Alan Hruby, but money was. Early in the year, his father, the publisher of the nearby Marlow Review, had turned his oldest kid into police for stealing five G's of his grandmother's money. The cash was used to pay for a trip to Paris. By that fall, worn out by his son's crazed spending sprees, the senior Hruby cut him off financially.
The decision didn't go over well. Alan Hruby, then a student at the University of Oklahoma, snuck home on a Wednesday night and stole his father's gun out of his pick up truck. He returned to Duncan the next day. That's when he shot and killed his 48 year old mother, Tinker, his 17 year old sister, Katherine and his 50 year old father, John. The theory was, since everyone was dead, the Professor Moriarty wanna be would be the sole heir to the family fortune.
On Friday, after the murders, he took off for Dallas to party hearty all weekend with some buddies during the Oklahoma-Texas football game weekend. A house keeper found the bodies of his family on the following Monday. Young Mr. Hruby is currently doing three consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.
Now, also out of Duncan, comes the tale of Patricia Ann Spann. Last Friday, The Oklahoman ran a story by Nolan Clay which details criminal charges filed against Ms. Spann.
According to the article, Patricia Spann, proving there is nothing quite like a mother's love, married her daughter, Misty Spann in neighboring Comanche county earlier this year. She used the name Patricia Clayton on the wedding license.
However, this being Duncan, Mom marrying Misty isn't the first time the Spann family has gone deep down the rabbit hole. One of Patricia Spann's ex husbands is her son, Jody, who she married in 2008. Their union was annulled in July, 2010.
The elder Spann claims all this bizarre shit is perfectly normal because she gave up custody of her two sons and daughter years ago after they were adopted by their paternal grandmother. Clay writes Spann told DHS workers she and her daughter, "hit it off," after reuniting a couple of years ago.
Misty Spann is now 25 years old. The DHS became involved because the happy couple have been spotted on occasion with a young child in tow. The Stephens County DA says the prosecution will be open and shut because the state doesn't have to prove the newly weds are engaged in sexual activity, just that they are mother and daughter.
If that's truly the case, there is no doubt the members of some future jury will be more than grateful.
Indeed.
9-12-16
For those with short memories, Duncan first hit the international news in August, 2013. That's when Michael Jones got behind the wheel of a car and took a spin around town with his pal James Edwards in the front seat and Chancy Luna in the back. At some point they spotted Australian, Christopher Lane, who was in town visiting his girl friend, jogging along the side of the road.
Edwards story was he was busy rolling a joint completely unaware of what was about to happen. Luna, who had a pistol--because, hey don't we all--later claimed he thought the gun was loaded with blanks and he was simply intending to scare Lane. After Lane was shot in the back of the head, one of the merry pranksters initially told arresting officers the crime was committed because the three of them were bored.
Well who isn't these days?
Lane was killed. Luna and Jones were found guilty of murder and Edwards, after it was discovered he had phoned a friend from the jail with instructions to get rid of the weapon, was convicted of being an accessory after the fact.
In October, 2014 boredom wasn't an issue for Alan Hruby, but money was. Early in the year, his father, the publisher of the nearby Marlow Review, had turned his oldest kid into police for stealing five G's of his grandmother's money. The cash was used to pay for a trip to Paris. By that fall, worn out by his son's crazed spending sprees, the senior Hruby cut him off financially.
The decision didn't go over well. Alan Hruby, then a student at the University of Oklahoma, snuck home on a Wednesday night and stole his father's gun out of his pick up truck. He returned to Duncan the next day. That's when he shot and killed his 48 year old mother, Tinker, his 17 year old sister, Katherine and his 50 year old father, John. The theory was, since everyone was dead, the Professor Moriarty wanna be would be the sole heir to the family fortune.
On Friday, after the murders, he took off for Dallas to party hearty all weekend with some buddies during the Oklahoma-Texas football game weekend. A house keeper found the bodies of his family on the following Monday. Young Mr. Hruby is currently doing three consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.
Now, also out of Duncan, comes the tale of Patricia Ann Spann. Last Friday, The Oklahoman ran a story by Nolan Clay which details criminal charges filed against Ms. Spann.
According to the article, Patricia Spann, proving there is nothing quite like a mother's love, married her daughter, Misty Spann in neighboring Comanche county earlier this year. She used the name Patricia Clayton on the wedding license.
However, this being Duncan, Mom marrying Misty isn't the first time the Spann family has gone deep down the rabbit hole. One of Patricia Spann's ex husbands is her son, Jody, who she married in 2008. Their union was annulled in July, 2010.
The elder Spann claims all this bizarre shit is perfectly normal because she gave up custody of her two sons and daughter years ago after they were adopted by their paternal grandmother. Clay writes Spann told DHS workers she and her daughter, "hit it off," after reuniting a couple of years ago.
Misty Spann is now 25 years old. The DHS became involved because the happy couple have been spotted on occasion with a young child in tow. The Stephens County DA says the prosecution will be open and shut because the state doesn't have to prove the newly weds are engaged in sexual activity, just that they are mother and daughter.
If that's truly the case, there is no doubt the members of some future jury will be more than grateful.
Indeed.
9-12-16
Friday, September 9, 2016
No Need For Drugs in the Season of The Teflon Don
It is increasingly clear that taking a hit of blotter acid during this presidential campaign is totally useless. Let's face it, things are so terribly twisted and weird, LSD induced hallucinations would, in comparison, be reduced to nothing more than pleasant and quickly passing day dreams.
Yes, for many of us, seeing the republican candidate for the White House getting on his knees to perform a series of rhetorical blow jobs on the de facto dictator of Russia is stranger than anything we've ever experienced on drugs. Even his excuse for doing so--as long as he compliments me, I'll compliment him--ranks right up there with watching the sash of your robe morph into a boa constrictor bloated by a freshly swallowed rat.
On Wednesday Donald Trump said of Vladimir Putin, "Certainly in that system he's been a leader far more than our president has been a leader."
If one ever needs an explanation of what Trump thinks leadership is about, all you have to do is look at his idol sitting in Moscow. Obviously he equates leadership with doing whatever the hell you want sans political discussion, dissent, or media criticism. All that separation of powers and free press shit just gets in the way. Brute power is what counts.
Well what should we expect from a guy who has always run his business surrounded by vast herds of toadies who are paid good money to tell him he's right no matter what. He has never inhabited a world where he isn't in complete and unquestioned control. One where, if someone gets in the way, you call him, or her every name in the book, then sue them for millions of dollars. That is all Donald Trump knows.
In Putin he sees the same management style, with the added attraction of actually being able to kill the bastards you don't like.
Yesterday he went on RT America to be interviewed by the aged cuckold, Larry King. RT America is a television network owned by the government of Russia and has been repeatedly accused of a pro Kremlin bias.
He spent much of his time complaining to King about the American press. In his words, "The media has been unbelievably dishonest. I mean they'll take a statement that you make which is perfect and they'll cut it up and chop it up and shorten it, or lengthen it or do something with it. And all of a sudden it doesn't look as good as when you actually said it. But there's tremendous dishonesty with the media. Not all of it, but tremendous dishonesty."
This from a man who was nominated, in great part, because he manipulated the media as deftly as Joseph Goebbels ever did for a year prior to the GOP convention.
Trump went on to roundly criticize American foreign policy, condemning not only Obama and Clinton, but also George W. Bush. He also told, King "I think it is probably unlikely," the Russians were behind the hacking of democratic party data bases.
Last year his new best, American buddy turned advisor, retired general Michael Flynn was paid to make a speech at a RT America get together. He sat next to Putin during the dinner. The Washington Post reports Flynn, in an interview, compared RT America to CNN and MSNBC, while ignoring that whole owned by an antagonistic state thing.
The mind reels when you imagine what the conservative reaction would be if Hillary Clinton pulled this sort of stuff. Howls of treason would be echoing through the halls of Capitol Hill. God only knows how many committees would be convened to investigate the terrible seditious acts she'd be accused of.
But, as always, Brother Trump has gotten a pass from all but a few of the right wing. It would seem when it comes to these matters and others he truly is the, Teflon Don.
Yeah, drugs do seem a tad redundant this election cycle.
And--just to let everyone know--those strange buzzing sounds you hear are Ronald Reagan and Barry Goldwater whirling like dervishes in their graves. Trust me on it.
sic vita est
9-9-16
Yes, for many of us, seeing the republican candidate for the White House getting on his knees to perform a series of rhetorical blow jobs on the de facto dictator of Russia is stranger than anything we've ever experienced on drugs. Even his excuse for doing so--as long as he compliments me, I'll compliment him--ranks right up there with watching the sash of your robe morph into a boa constrictor bloated by a freshly swallowed rat.
On Wednesday Donald Trump said of Vladimir Putin, "Certainly in that system he's been a leader far more than our president has been a leader."
If one ever needs an explanation of what Trump thinks leadership is about, all you have to do is look at his idol sitting in Moscow. Obviously he equates leadership with doing whatever the hell you want sans political discussion, dissent, or media criticism. All that separation of powers and free press shit just gets in the way. Brute power is what counts.
Well what should we expect from a guy who has always run his business surrounded by vast herds of toadies who are paid good money to tell him he's right no matter what. He has never inhabited a world where he isn't in complete and unquestioned control. One where, if someone gets in the way, you call him, or her every name in the book, then sue them for millions of dollars. That is all Donald Trump knows.
In Putin he sees the same management style, with the added attraction of actually being able to kill the bastards you don't like.
Yesterday he went on RT America to be interviewed by the aged cuckold, Larry King. RT America is a television network owned by the government of Russia and has been repeatedly accused of a pro Kremlin bias.
He spent much of his time complaining to King about the American press. In his words, "The media has been unbelievably dishonest. I mean they'll take a statement that you make which is perfect and they'll cut it up and chop it up and shorten it, or lengthen it or do something with it. And all of a sudden it doesn't look as good as when you actually said it. But there's tremendous dishonesty with the media. Not all of it, but tremendous dishonesty."
This from a man who was nominated, in great part, because he manipulated the media as deftly as Joseph Goebbels ever did for a year prior to the GOP convention.
Trump went on to roundly criticize American foreign policy, condemning not only Obama and Clinton, but also George W. Bush. He also told, King "I think it is probably unlikely," the Russians were behind the hacking of democratic party data bases.
Last year his new best, American buddy turned advisor, retired general Michael Flynn was paid to make a speech at a RT America get together. He sat next to Putin during the dinner. The Washington Post reports Flynn, in an interview, compared RT America to CNN and MSNBC, while ignoring that whole owned by an antagonistic state thing.
The mind reels when you imagine what the conservative reaction would be if Hillary Clinton pulled this sort of stuff. Howls of treason would be echoing through the halls of Capitol Hill. God only knows how many committees would be convened to investigate the terrible seditious acts she'd be accused of.
But, as always, Brother Trump has gotten a pass from all but a few of the right wing. It would seem when it comes to these matters and others he truly is the, Teflon Don.
Yeah, drugs do seem a tad redundant this election cycle.
And--just to let everyone know--those strange buzzing sounds you hear are Ronald Reagan and Barry Goldwater whirling like dervishes in their graves. Trust me on it.
sic vita est
9-9-16
Tuesday, September 6, 2016
A Bad Labor Day Weekend for the Oklahoma Sooners and Fox News
If you're a fan of the University of Oklahoma's football team you have just sat through the shortest football season in the history of the game. It began last Saturday just after 11am CDT and ended around 2:30pm the same day.
It was an ugly affair. The University of Houston exposed every Oklahoma weakness and there were more than a few. The final score was 33-23, but it wasn't that close. In fact if Houston hadn't fumbled away the ball as a running back plowed toward the goal line from two yards out the score, at a minimum, would have been 40-17.
As usual braggarts and buffoons had been roaming the streets in the weeks prior to the game, claiming OU was bound for the national championship playoff once again. There was talk of an undefeated season and a Heisman trophy for quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Vegas initially bought into the hype with gusto. The opening line at sports books on the strip for the game was OU by 30. The pros and those not wearing crimson colored boxer shorts immediately jumped on those odds. By Friday the spread had dropped to 10 which meant there were scads of people taking Houston and the points.
After the game emergency rooms through out the state became overwhelmed by old white men driven into the throes of supra ventricular tachycardia. Others chose The Saipan Option and leaped from tall buildings. All of them shared the common knowledge that their team's reputed talent was a terrible sham and thanks to a brutal opening schedule, OU is looking at what will most likely be a 1-4 start.
For many it is little consolation that Oklahoma hasn't been the only highly rated institution to take it on the chin in the last couple of days.
Reports are saying Fox News has reached a financial settlement with former network personality, Gretchen Carlson. Carlson had sued the former head of Fox, Roger Ailes, accusing him of sexual misconduct and harassment. The accusations were, of course, quickly denied by both Ailes and Fox. Another Fox personality, Greta Van Susteren defended Ailes, claiming she had never seen, or heard of him doing anything inappropriate with female staffers.
After a two week internal investigation, Ailes, a politically powerful and vile right wing propagandist was sacked. Which begs the question, if Fox felt it had to fire the guy who basically created the network, what sort of beastly crimes did the sick fuck actually commit? No matter what they were, Don Trump was quick to recognize a kindred spirit. He immediately hired Jolly Roger to help with his campaign against Hillary Clinton.
The New York Times says sources put the pay out to Carlson at $20 million, with a portion of it coming directly from Ailes' wallet. As part of the settlement Fox News was forced to make a formal apology to Carlson. Within hours after issuing it the network announced Van Susteren was leaving and the despicable, Britt Hume will take over her time slot.
Van Susteren's husband, John P. Coale told the Times his wife had invoked a, "key man clause," in her contract. In other words she wants out because Ailes no longer runs the show. Coale added, somewhat cryptically, that he couldn't elaborate on the situation because there are more to things than meet the eye and there might be future litigation.
That's right, it appears lawyers will be involved and big money will be in play as the presidential campaign rages on for the next 60 days. All of which proves what we've suspected for ages. Conservatives hate each other only slightly less than they hate progressives.
Yes, it was a rotten Labor Day weekend and for Fox News an expensive one. They will land on their feet though. The same cannot be said for the university located in Norman, Oklahoma.
Indeed, that cause was lost before it ever began and it looks like there is no where to go from Saturday, except further down the drain. Given the nightmare that's coming, expect season tickets to become available right away at a steep discount.
sic vita est
9-6-16
It was an ugly affair. The University of Houston exposed every Oklahoma weakness and there were more than a few. The final score was 33-23, but it wasn't that close. In fact if Houston hadn't fumbled away the ball as a running back plowed toward the goal line from two yards out the score, at a minimum, would have been 40-17.
As usual braggarts and buffoons had been roaming the streets in the weeks prior to the game, claiming OU was bound for the national championship playoff once again. There was talk of an undefeated season and a Heisman trophy for quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Vegas initially bought into the hype with gusto. The opening line at sports books on the strip for the game was OU by 30. The pros and those not wearing crimson colored boxer shorts immediately jumped on those odds. By Friday the spread had dropped to 10 which meant there were scads of people taking Houston and the points.
After the game emergency rooms through out the state became overwhelmed by old white men driven into the throes of supra ventricular tachycardia. Others chose The Saipan Option and leaped from tall buildings. All of them shared the common knowledge that their team's reputed talent was a terrible sham and thanks to a brutal opening schedule, OU is looking at what will most likely be a 1-4 start.
For many it is little consolation that Oklahoma hasn't been the only highly rated institution to take it on the chin in the last couple of days.
Reports are saying Fox News has reached a financial settlement with former network personality, Gretchen Carlson. Carlson had sued the former head of Fox, Roger Ailes, accusing him of sexual misconduct and harassment. The accusations were, of course, quickly denied by both Ailes and Fox. Another Fox personality, Greta Van Susteren defended Ailes, claiming she had never seen, or heard of him doing anything inappropriate with female staffers.
After a two week internal investigation, Ailes, a politically powerful and vile right wing propagandist was sacked. Which begs the question, if Fox felt it had to fire the guy who basically created the network, what sort of beastly crimes did the sick fuck actually commit? No matter what they were, Don Trump was quick to recognize a kindred spirit. He immediately hired Jolly Roger to help with his campaign against Hillary Clinton.
The New York Times says sources put the pay out to Carlson at $20 million, with a portion of it coming directly from Ailes' wallet. As part of the settlement Fox News was forced to make a formal apology to Carlson. Within hours after issuing it the network announced Van Susteren was leaving and the despicable, Britt Hume will take over her time slot.
Van Susteren's husband, John P. Coale told the Times his wife had invoked a, "key man clause," in her contract. In other words she wants out because Ailes no longer runs the show. Coale added, somewhat cryptically, that he couldn't elaborate on the situation because there are more to things than meet the eye and there might be future litigation.
That's right, it appears lawyers will be involved and big money will be in play as the presidential campaign rages on for the next 60 days. All of which proves what we've suspected for ages. Conservatives hate each other only slightly less than they hate progressives.
Yes, it was a rotten Labor Day weekend and for Fox News an expensive one. They will land on their feet though. The same cannot be said for the university located in Norman, Oklahoma.
Indeed, that cause was lost before it ever began and it looks like there is no where to go from Saturday, except further down the drain. Given the nightmare that's coming, expect season tickets to become available right away at a steep discount.
sic vita est
9-6-16
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
Wednesday Dispatches: Waiting on Don, Maine's Governor, Hillary's Numbers, and the NRA Moment of the Week
So as we wait breathlessly to see how Don Trump's Immigration Initiative goes let's consider for a moment the current governor of Maine, Paul LePage.
LePage became the second U.S. governor to endorse Brother Trump's candidacy. He has impressed Mr. Trump so much the candidate says he will offer him a role in his administration if the governor is available.
The other day it looked liked LePage might well be ripe for a spot with the big orange man. That was after he left a recorded voice mail for democratic state representative, Drew Gattine calling him, among other things, "...a little son of a bitch, socialist cocksucker."
The reaction was quick and severe. So much so LePage was even called onto the carpet by members of his own party. It led the governor to publicly say he might not finish out his current term. Unfortunately he has walked back from that notion in the last few hours, leaving El Don in the lurch for whatever position he might have had in mind for him.
The flap began when LePage claimed all of Maine's drug problems have been caused by an invasion of African Americans and Hispanics from places like New York. At some point he got it in his head Gattine had called him a racist--a charge Gattine has repeatedly denied, although it is easy to see why he might have made it.
In true Trumpian fashion LePage seemed to blame the press for all the trouble. He issued a statement saying, "I will no longer speak to the press ever again after today. I'm serious. Everything will be put in writing. I'm tired of being caught, the gotcha moments."
While that's all fine and good, governor, you might also want to refrain from calling political opponents, "sons of bitches, socialist, cocksuckers," on phone messages which can be replayed for the entire world to hear.
Listen, it's just a thought.
Meanwhile the Washington Post found over 55% of Americans now view Hillary Clinton unfavorably. It is the highest percentage of people seeing her that way in 20 plus years.
Despite the devastating number Insidegov.com is projecting Mrs. Clinton will win 304 electoral votes in November. It's 34 more than she needs. The same survey shows Trump is currently projected to take 190. 44 are still up in the air. If the projections are true, Clinton could lose all 44 of the undecided electoral votes and still win the White House.
But, let's face it, we aren't to election day yet. Between now and then God only knows what sort of heavily rewritten hacked emails will be fed to Julian Assange by the Russians.
Finally we come to the NRA moment of the week. Yesterday in North Las Vegas, NV, 31 year old Mohammad Robinson failed to open the door at a local McDonald's for an unnamed woman. She took umbrage and an argument ensued. The woman then went to a male companion accompanying her and told him about the affront. The man, who was inexplicably absent at the door when she was either entering, or exiting, reacted the way every chivalrous American man does in such situations. He pulled out a gun and shot Mohammad Robinson to death.
Robinson was the father of a young daughter. He was murdered in front of his best friend. Police are still searching for the insulted maiden and her knight in shining armor.
Hey, who says Americans don't need more guns ?
sic vita est
8-31-16
LePage became the second U.S. governor to endorse Brother Trump's candidacy. He has impressed Mr. Trump so much the candidate says he will offer him a role in his administration if the governor is available.
The other day it looked liked LePage might well be ripe for a spot with the big orange man. That was after he left a recorded voice mail for democratic state representative, Drew Gattine calling him, among other things, "...a little son of a bitch, socialist cocksucker."
The reaction was quick and severe. So much so LePage was even called onto the carpet by members of his own party. It led the governor to publicly say he might not finish out his current term. Unfortunately he has walked back from that notion in the last few hours, leaving El Don in the lurch for whatever position he might have had in mind for him.
The flap began when LePage claimed all of Maine's drug problems have been caused by an invasion of African Americans and Hispanics from places like New York. At some point he got it in his head Gattine had called him a racist--a charge Gattine has repeatedly denied, although it is easy to see why he might have made it.
In true Trumpian fashion LePage seemed to blame the press for all the trouble. He issued a statement saying, "I will no longer speak to the press ever again after today. I'm serious. Everything will be put in writing. I'm tired of being caught, the gotcha moments."
While that's all fine and good, governor, you might also want to refrain from calling political opponents, "sons of bitches, socialist, cocksuckers," on phone messages which can be replayed for the entire world to hear.
Listen, it's just a thought.
Meanwhile the Washington Post found over 55% of Americans now view Hillary Clinton unfavorably. It is the highest percentage of people seeing her that way in 20 plus years.
Despite the devastating number Insidegov.com is projecting Mrs. Clinton will win 304 electoral votes in November. It's 34 more than she needs. The same survey shows Trump is currently projected to take 190. 44 are still up in the air. If the projections are true, Clinton could lose all 44 of the undecided electoral votes and still win the White House.
But, let's face it, we aren't to election day yet. Between now and then God only knows what sort of heavily rewritten hacked emails will be fed to Julian Assange by the Russians.
Finally we come to the NRA moment of the week. Yesterday in North Las Vegas, NV, 31 year old Mohammad Robinson failed to open the door at a local McDonald's for an unnamed woman. She took umbrage and an argument ensued. The woman then went to a male companion accompanying her and told him about the affront. The man, who was inexplicably absent at the door when she was either entering, or exiting, reacted the way every chivalrous American man does in such situations. He pulled out a gun and shot Mohammad Robinson to death.
Robinson was the father of a young daughter. He was murdered in front of his best friend. Police are still searching for the insulted maiden and her knight in shining armor.
Hey, who says Americans don't need more guns ?
sic vita est
8-31-16
Saturday, August 27, 2016
What We've Learned This Week: A House is Not a Home, National Polls Aren't What We Need to Look At, Nudity Clauses on, "The Apprentice," Don's Latest Tweet, the Cost of Deportation, and Trump's First TV Ad
Here is what we have learned this week.
First: Stephen Bannon, the CEO of Mr. Donald Trump's presidential campaign, is registered to vote in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The address on his registration--which he is required to, "actively" live at according to Florida voting laws--is a house that has been deserted for months and is scheduled to be demolished in the next few weeks.
According to a report in The Guardian, Bannon rented the place for his second wife, who he has been divorced from for seven years. People in the neighborhood told investigators they have never seen Bannon, or any one even remotely resembling him at the property, although they did notice a 20 something, "Latino looking," man hanging around.
The story goes on to say Mr. Bannon sometimes stays in a $2.4 million Washington town house, near the Supreme Court building which he calls his own and is referred to as, The Breitbart Embassy. The Breitbart staff offices are located in the building's basement. The town home actually belongs to an Egyptian business man, Mostafa El-Gindy, who is a former member of his country's parliament and presumably a Muslim. You know--one of those people Bannon's candidate wants to ban from entering the country as immigrants, or have tailed relentlessly by security forces if they're already here.
Second: The latest Reuters/IPSOS national poll shows Hillary Rodham Clinton ahead of Don Trump 39% to 36%. Libertarian candidate, Gary Johnson pulled in 7% and Jill Stein received 3%.
What the Reuters/IPSOS people and everyone else should know is that at this point in a presidential campaign, national polls, while mildly interesting, don't mean shit. From now until election day it is far more important to pay attention to state by state polls thanks to something called the electoral college. Just ask Al Gore. In 2000 he won a majority of the national vote, but lost the election thanks to some shifty things going on with Florida's official ballots.
Third: The Daily Beast reported people wanting to participate on Trump's TV show, "The Apprentice," had to sign an NBC contract containing some interesting clauses. One stated contestants had to agree to be filmed, "...whether I am clothed, or partially naked, or naked and whether I am aware, or unaware of such video taping, filming, or recording."
Yes, it would seem the evangelicals are backing their kind of guy once again. The next logical step is for Trump to name Josh Duggar as his choice for Secretary of Health, Human Services, and Blow Jobs.
Fourth: Proving you just can't keep the man off of Twitter, Don Trump had this to say earlier today, "Dwayne (sic) Wade's cousin was shot and killed walking her baby. Just what I've been saying. African Americans will VOTE TRUMP!"
Indeed, Trump's connection with the black community is lengthy. Today, The New York Times ran with a story which notes he first showed up on its front page in 1973. That's when the Justice Department sued Trump Management, specifically naming him and his old man, for housing discrimination. His immediate response was to claim the government was attempting to force him to rent to, "welfare recipients."
It's unclear at this point if his connection also caused Trump to misspell Wade's first name in the tweet. That's right Don, as one social media responder observed and any NBA fan can tell you, it's Dwyane, not, Dwayne.
Fifth: A CNBC report speculates Trump's new found squishiness on immigration may have more to do with Roger Ailes explaining the real consequences of mass deportations to him rather than some epiphany of moderation. The on line story states it will cost $600 billion to send the estimated 11 million undocumented workers in the country back to wherever they came from. In addition, if he was to somehow pull it off, the U.S. economy would take an immediate $1.6 trillion hit.
Finally, we have the first Trump TV ad. It claims if Hillary Clinton is elected all those illegal immigrants will be able to, "skip the line," during her administration and reap social security benefits. Fact Checker went to work and found there isn't a living soul in this country who can get social security benefits if they don't have an on the books job and pay taxes for at least 10 years. Well, who needs a few inconvenient details fouling up a snazzy ad which also features a flashing neon sign over a voting station saying, "Rigged."
Hey, let's face it, at times like these, something as minor as the truth just gets in the way of the greater goal.
And so there we have it on a muggy Saturday. Given the current level of madness, as you can well guess, the bar is most certainly open.
8-27-16
First: Stephen Bannon, the CEO of Mr. Donald Trump's presidential campaign, is registered to vote in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The address on his registration--which he is required to, "actively" live at according to Florida voting laws--is a house that has been deserted for months and is scheduled to be demolished in the next few weeks.
According to a report in The Guardian, Bannon rented the place for his second wife, who he has been divorced from for seven years. People in the neighborhood told investigators they have never seen Bannon, or any one even remotely resembling him at the property, although they did notice a 20 something, "Latino looking," man hanging around.
The story goes on to say Mr. Bannon sometimes stays in a $2.4 million Washington town house, near the Supreme Court building which he calls his own and is referred to as, The Breitbart Embassy. The Breitbart staff offices are located in the building's basement. The town home actually belongs to an Egyptian business man, Mostafa El-Gindy, who is a former member of his country's parliament and presumably a Muslim. You know--one of those people Bannon's candidate wants to ban from entering the country as immigrants, or have tailed relentlessly by security forces if they're already here.
Second: The latest Reuters/IPSOS national poll shows Hillary Rodham Clinton ahead of Don Trump 39% to 36%. Libertarian candidate, Gary Johnson pulled in 7% and Jill Stein received 3%.
What the Reuters/IPSOS people and everyone else should know is that at this point in a presidential campaign, national polls, while mildly interesting, don't mean shit. From now until election day it is far more important to pay attention to state by state polls thanks to something called the electoral college. Just ask Al Gore. In 2000 he won a majority of the national vote, but lost the election thanks to some shifty things going on with Florida's official ballots.
Third: The Daily Beast reported people wanting to participate on Trump's TV show, "The Apprentice," had to sign an NBC contract containing some interesting clauses. One stated contestants had to agree to be filmed, "...whether I am clothed, or partially naked, or naked and whether I am aware, or unaware of such video taping, filming, or recording."
Yes, it would seem the evangelicals are backing their kind of guy once again. The next logical step is for Trump to name Josh Duggar as his choice for Secretary of Health, Human Services, and Blow Jobs.
Fourth: Proving you just can't keep the man off of Twitter, Don Trump had this to say earlier today, "Dwayne (sic) Wade's cousin was shot and killed walking her baby. Just what I've been saying. African Americans will VOTE TRUMP!"
Indeed, Trump's connection with the black community is lengthy. Today, The New York Times ran with a story which notes he first showed up on its front page in 1973. That's when the Justice Department sued Trump Management, specifically naming him and his old man, for housing discrimination. His immediate response was to claim the government was attempting to force him to rent to, "welfare recipients."
It's unclear at this point if his connection also caused Trump to misspell Wade's first name in the tweet. That's right Don, as one social media responder observed and any NBA fan can tell you, it's Dwyane, not, Dwayne.
Fifth: A CNBC report speculates Trump's new found squishiness on immigration may have more to do with Roger Ailes explaining the real consequences of mass deportations to him rather than some epiphany of moderation. The on line story states it will cost $600 billion to send the estimated 11 million undocumented workers in the country back to wherever they came from. In addition, if he was to somehow pull it off, the U.S. economy would take an immediate $1.6 trillion hit.
Finally, we have the first Trump TV ad. It claims if Hillary Clinton is elected all those illegal immigrants will be able to, "skip the line," during her administration and reap social security benefits. Fact Checker went to work and found there isn't a living soul in this country who can get social security benefits if they don't have an on the books job and pay taxes for at least 10 years. Well, who needs a few inconvenient details fouling up a snazzy ad which also features a flashing neon sign over a voting station saying, "Rigged."
Hey, let's face it, at times like these, something as minor as the truth just gets in the way of the greater goal.
And so there we have it on a muggy Saturday. Given the current level of madness, as you can well guess, the bar is most certainly open.
8-27-16
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