Tag Archives: The Snark

View From the Lair

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Topsy Turvy

It is fascinating to watch the reactions being created by President Trump from all the people who think they know what to expect. As if this time around it will in any way resemble his first administration. It isn’t and it won’t. People who hate him will be absolutely blindsided by his works; people who like him will be delighted.  President Trump doesn’t think outside of the box; he thinks outside of the planet.

Yet so many people expect him to do things the way that they have always been done, just a little bit differently. WRONG! And people are beginning to have their eyes opened. Zelensky actually thought that he could push POTUS around like he did Obozo and Brandon. That didn’t work out well for him. It did give Lindsey Graham an opportunity to get on the right bus. Graham couldn’t just flip flop without a good reason. Okay, he could have, it’s not like some people who do it all the time and expect no one to notice. But it gave him plausible deniability to change his position on Ukraine.

POTUS didn’t push Graham, he pulled.

He has threatened tariffs on countries that are contributing to the harm to our people. He has threatened tariffs on countries that impose tariffs on our goods entering their country. Traditional conservative economists (unlike Paul Krugman, an example of just how moronic the Nobel Committee is) bemoan tariffs as destructive to the economy, inflationary, protecting laborers and companies from their own inefficiencies.

And, yes in a traditional, classical economic environment they may have a point. This is anything but a classical economic environment.

What too many people are not comprehending is that POTUS is using tariffs as a negotiating tool. What is more important – increasing the price of goods imported from Mexico or Canada or reducing the amounts of illegal drugs coming in from either country? Or perhaps using the threat, even imposing them for a while, in order to get the leaders of both of the other countries to understand that POTUS means what he says. This is POTUS’ greatest weapon – He says what he means and DOES WHAT HE SAYS! This is such a totally unusual behavior that people –both friends and foe– just can’t wrap their heads around it.

The result by many on the Marxist side is to bluster and babble and run to their attorney. Good. Once the SCOTUS gets a hold of it, leftist minds will really start to explode. I can’t wait!

By following through on his promises and getting the results expected, he will pull even some anti-Trumpers over to the right side, if only to not look like perfect fools. Of course there will be some – AOC, etc. who delight us in being fools. They can’t help it; it’s what they are. But eventually some of even the die-hard dummycrats will wake up from their wokeness and realize that their bus has left them behind. And under it.

ciao

The Snark

View From The Lair

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What Is a Conservative?

I consider myself to be a conservative.  I suspect that most people reading this consider themselves to be one as well. Except the previously discussed leftists. Maybe they will learn something, but I won’t hold my breath.

“Conservative” comes from “conserve.” Thus, I endeavor to conserve things. Natural resources. Money. Time, if possible. Notice that I didn’t say “preserve” things. Somethings should be preserved: pickles, fruit, precious artifacts, good relationships.

But natural resources should be conserved: used wisely, not wasted nor used extravagantly without purpose. Many Leftists – enviro-nazis, as the late great Rush Limbaugh described them, believe that all of our natural resources should be preserved, that we should buy them from other countries, especially those countries that would like to see us destroyed. The primary reason for such a position is to see this country destroyed and the people subjugated. Fortunately, we now have President Donald J. Trump to prevent that.

But it’s still wise to conserve our resources. To use them wisely. One of the Executive Orders require a real cost/benefit analysis on all regulations. Such analysis has been required previously, but most of them were not real. The benefits were greatly exaggerated and the costs greatly inflated. Thus, while the agency met the criteria of doing the analysis, the agency itself, set the parameters. Sort of like creating, filing, and grading your own test. A+ Every Time!

Recycling is a good example. I recycle (much to the aggravation of my dear sweet wife). Recycling used materials must be sorted, either at the start or at the end. Plastics in particular present a challenge to the recycler. Some recycle easily, others not so much. Is it cheaper and more efficient to use new raw materials or recycled? What is the use of the end product? Vests for Walmart employees or bottles for hospital IV fluids. Both can use the same plastic. Which would you choose?

Some plastics – and virtually all other materials CAN be recycled, but at what cost? Especially compared to the production stream of new material. ALL products contain energy. For most, the energy to extract, refine, transport, and manufacture the raw material is a substantial part of the raw material cost. And the energy to transport, separate, recycle and render into an acceptable condition for used materials as a raw material is greater than to produce new material.

Yet the enviro-nazis using their cohorts in the EPA and other agencies manipulate the cost/benefit analysis to skew reality into their “reality.” What the market will actually pay is a good starting point for the EPA and other agencies to use to determine what should be recycled and what should be used as incinerator fuel to recover energy and reduce the landfill requirements. I’m anxious to see the results.

ciao,

The Snark

View From The Lair

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The B.I.F.

There is a character roaming around DC (and actually the whole world, it just has a greater impact there.) This character instills ideas in various individuals that result in consequences unanticipated after the ideas are manifest. This character is known as “The Bright Idea Fairy” or in DC acronym speak, the BIF. The BIF is responsible for many ideas, all of which inspire remarkable actions, some entertaining, some not so much.

Frequently the inspiration causes an action that is preceded by “Here, hold my beer” followed by “It seemed like a good idea at the time.” Inebriation is certainly not required; leftists have been known to be afflicted by the BIF while doing any number of things that they perceive as “Good Works.” Granted, given that the origin of the aforementioned phrase “HHMB” might be construed to involve alcohol, it isn’t necessary. Realize that when a leftist is promoting “Good Works” what they mean is formulating a plan to extract more dollars from the populace (you) so that they can spend it on some agency, NGO, or scheme that benefits someone else (them.) Their idea of “Good Works” might, in the repeating words of Nancy Pelosi, involve “The Children”.  Either changing their gender, or teaching them something wrong or useless, or exposing them to pedophiles.  Or helping “downtrodden” terrorists in a third world sewer of a nation.

One of the greatest examples of the results of the BIF is FEMA.  FEMA resulted in a variety of wins for the leftists. It sounded like it would help US citizens in need after a tragedy. Like after a train derails in East Palestine, or a hurricane flushes the western half of North Carolina into South Carolina.  Remember – sounded like.

What FEMA actually is, is a virtue signaling construct designed to empower an ever-growing behemoth bureaucracy to absorb unimaginable amounts of YOUR money for the purpose of enhancing their leftist power and support THEIR “causes.”  Their greatest cause is just “BeCAUSE They Can.”

Those of us educated before DOE (Department of Education. Another effect of the BIF) might remember going to school and into public buildings with large “CD” signs. That stood for Civil Defense. The CD was a state -not federal – based response system that utilized local and state resources, sometimes receiving financial aid from the Feds, sometimes assistance from the National Guard or Army Corps of Engineers, but primarily local and state response. FEMA replaced that. Not because it didn’t work, but because it did. How else could the “Good Works” people get their hands on more power and money while having the support of those who might need it.  Not that they would get it.

Giving this power (and money) to the Feds reinforces the words of President Reagan “The most fearsome words in the English language are ‘I’m from the government, and I’m here to help you.’”  What he really wanted to say was “I’m from the government and here to piss you off”.

ciao

The Snark

View From the Lair

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Where does the Rabbit Hole Lead?

We’ve all seen – some have marveled joyously, others sobbed bitter tears (but not enough yet) while watching DOGE do their thing.  President Trump is rolling through the swamp like a bulldozer, spreading fear and panic among the leftist bureaucrats and congress critters alike.  News agencies have been revealed to have been supported by tax dollars through subscriptions. These aren’t simple magazine subscriptions – site access running as much as $20K per month. PER SUBSCRIPTION! Not that such largess would lead to any bias towards the woke flunky who approved of such graft.

We’re discovering that USAID spent billions – yes BILLIONS on woke Marxist causes around the world.  Some of my Facebook “friends” (yes, I do occasionally go there) are bemoaning the loss of money for all of the food and sustenance support that USAID delivers. Like support for terrorists. It’s understandable that the leftists would want the graft to continue, after all that is their whole justification for advancing their socialist agenda. Let Uncle Sugar pay for his own destruction.

But is that the only reason that congress critters and NGO’s are upset? Yes, loss of influence is important. But what if there is more?  Maybe much more? The leftists in congress are proud of the $200 billion in aid that they have sent to Volodymyr Zalenskyy for his futile war against Russia. Never mind that it could have -and should have- been ended three years ago. But Zelenskyy claims that Ukraine only received $100 Billion. So what happened to the other half of the grift? Did resident Brandon collect his 10%?  Or …maybe more?  Where did the money go?  Did Zelenskyy and his pals spirit it off to a bank in the Caymans?  Or Switzerland? Did some of it find its way back to the pockets of some well-placed government benefactors?

DOGE is finding that there were NO restraints on whomever was doling out big bucks. It didn’t matter if the recipients were terrorists, whether they had a SS number, or if they were in the country legally or not. Just pay ’em.

Resident Brandon made sure to pardon almost everyone he (or someone) could think of that might have committed an indiscretion. Except himself. But what about possible crimes committed since then? Fair game. Did Fauci benefit more than he revealed? For that matter, what has he even revealed? Did any of the money that was sent to Wuhan come sneaking back to its benefactor? Were all of the royalties he received (and what was it he did to earn them?) Was all of the taxable income reported? And paid?

How many are really upset because their gravy train has been derailed? Mayor Pete to the rescue! Finding out how much money was spent -and subverted – is extremely important. But once the funds are accounted for (as much as it can be done) then it’s time to follow that money. Both to find out who was responsible for spending it and to find out to really received it.

Ciao,

The Snark

  View from the Lair

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Time for the Wolves

I suspect that most of you reading this blog are conservatives. It is possible that a few are masochistic socialists (pardon the redundancy.) I also suspect that most of you vote Republican (save for the aforementioned idiots.)

If you haven’t noticed, it’s February. And if you live in North Carolina (God’s Country) an important process is beginning. February is when the NC Republican Party begins preparations for the coming year. Precincts hold annual meetings to select officers and register delegates and visitors for the county, district, and state conventions.

Here’s the rub:  too many conservatives and Republicans are ignorant of the precinct system. The precinct is a geographical delineation of where you vote. On election day you vote at the polling place in your precinct. Early voting is a different pile of “stuff,” so I’m not discussing it here. Every precinct has an organization to help educate and organize like-minded individuals to energize party members and attract new ones. If you like what happened last November 5h, that result came from grass roots effort in the precincts.

Republicans and conservatives (they are NOT mutually inclusive) present a unique challenge. For the most part they are individuals who like their privacy and independence. I certainly do. Socialists, like dummycrats, tend to gather together like sheep waiting for a border collie to tell them what to do. Socialist party conventions tend to be little more than social cheering rallies to support whatever stupid idea their elite border collies tell them to. Republican conventions tend to be more argumentative, sometimes boisterous affairs, where we grudgingly come together to meet agreement. They aren’t always fun, but usually entertaining. The challenge is getting private individualists to come together regularly to do the work necessary that results in conservatives getting elected and keeping our community safe for ourselves.

If you don’t know what precinct you live in, go the election board website. If you live in Craven County, NC, go CravenGOP.org. You’ll find a wealth of information there. Then go to your precinct meetings. Participate. Learn something about your community, your elected officials, and how you can actually help. NOTE:  they don’t twist your arm for money at the meetings. But you might find out how to participate in an entertaining fundraiser.

I have used the comparison about the socialists being sheep (sheeple.) I have used the comparison that conservatives being like lone eagles. But NOW is the time for conservatives to be Republicans (and vice versa) and transform into what president Trump has revealed himself to be. It is time to join the pack and become wolves. The sheeple are in disarray.  It’s time for lunch.

ciao

The Snark

View From The Lair

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Losing the Race Toward Irrelevance

As Granny G recently pointed out, the lamestream media is becoming irrelevant, and it’s their own fault. Quite true. And while many Americans, especially those over fifty (sixty?) who grew up with the three alphabet networks as their primary news source, do seem to cling to this obsolete habit; those younger citizens increasingly do not. There are those of us who remember Walter Cronkite, Douglas Edwards, Huntley & Brinkley and Tom Brokaw.  Mention these names to anyone under fifty and you’ll get a blank stare.

Edward R. Murrow?  There might be a few reading this that go to Google for a hint for him. And as our benevolent matriarch of this blog suggested, maybe most should let bygones be bygones.

I’m not one of the most.

While in journalism school our professors – and especially our dean – made it very clear that our job was to report the news accurately, corroborating facts, double checking descriptions, never including anonymous information unless it was verified, and then only using it as anonymous to protect the source. Opinions were fine – on the opinion pages. Never in a news story.  A little favoritism was permitted in sports reporting. Never in political and hard news.

Those news anchors listed above might have voted democrat, in fact I’m sure some, If not all, did.  But you didn’t get the rabid worshiping of the leftists that you see today. An interesting historical tidbit that RWG mentioned is that Edward R. Murrow, he who covered the Blitz in London during WWII, was also instrumental in bringing the start of the Marxist movement to Columbia U. That was somehow missed in journalism school. But then most of such ideological history was missed in all levels of schooling I received. Marxists have been infiltrating our government since WWII.

I was taught that the First Amendment to our Constitution was first for a reason. That our republic depended upon it for an educated and responsible citizenry. And we learned about the years of “yellow journalism,” the scandal sheets that were published even before the constitution was ratified. But those were known to be a biased source. That’s why they were published, and not regarded as a source of accurate news.

Today’s lamestream media has sown the seeds of its own demise and is reaping the results before our eyes. I saw it starting from the inside. I was part of the TV news industry for a few years. I saw it becoming “socially conscious” before it spread to the rest of the country. I could complain, point out bias and hypocrisy. And be fired. So I left, as did a number of others I worked with.

As for the current crop of “journalists,” other than Fox News, they can go up in flames like Los Angeles has done.

They lit their own fire.  Let them burn.

Ciao,

The Snark

View From The Lair

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Equality and Equity

The Kommifornia wildfires have merged an unusual dichotomy.  Pete Hegseth caused quite a consternation among leftists senators during his SecDef inquisition.  He actually said that he would enforce equality in the armed forces.

HORRORS!  The very thought of such chilled the blood of the leftists. I hope that all reading this are aware of the concept of equality – that everyone is created equal and treated the same.  That everyone has the opportunity to succeed or fail based upon their own merits, work, determination and perseverance.  Totally antithetical to marxist tenets.   Marxist practices include “reforming” language to make their version of what they want the citizens hear to be more palatable to their ears.  Thus, the term “equity”, what normal people think to be that all people are equal in the eyes of the law. (Eye rolls here.)  Or a lack of favoritism toward side or the other.  (Snickers are appropriate.) Or the old fashioned idea that it is the difference between the value of an asset and what might be owed on that asset.

Wrong.

In marxist language, equity means that everyone gets the same outcome, regardless of where they started.  Came from a broken home, went to school in a bad district, learned how do something and built a business? Became successful? Shame on you!  You didn’t build that! If you happened to be of a pale complexion you obviously suppressed someone and stole all that success.

Now look at what Los Angeles has accomplished.  Janisse Quinones, director of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (scrimping with the miserly income of $750K) declared that she operates “through a lens of equity and social justice.”  One might think that equity and social justice might be delegated to a flunky making only a paltry $400K.  And that the director might look through a lens of delivering water and power to the citizens. HAH!  With full support of the mayor Karen Bass (former US Congress Critter and former member of the marxist domestic terror organization that bombed the US Capitol in 1983) social justice and “equity” was the focus.

Then the fires started.  The fires burned with equality.  It didn’t matter if your home was a $650K starter home or a $28M mansion overlooking the Pacific.  Palisades, Malibu, all the same.  No one had water in the hydrants.  The fire treated everyone equally.  And when it finished (they’re still burning) the result was equity.  All houses were reduced to a pile of smoldering cinders.  The burned out husk of a Sub Zero resembled a scorched Whirlpool.  The remains of a Lexis or Lincoln had the same scrap value per pound as a Kia or Mazda.

Exactly what Marxism delivers every time its tried. Destruction, devastation and death.  Kommifornia.  Marxism perfected.

Ciao,

The Snark

 A View From The Lair

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Cancer Sucks

You’ve probably heard this before – cancer sucks.

My wonderful wife was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006.  At the time we were living in Pender County, 2 hours down I-40 from two of the foremost oncology centers in the country, if not the world.  So up to Durham we went. (A bit of a challenge since we met at Carolina!)

She got the full Monty – surgery, chemo, radiation.  By 2008 she was in full remission, no cancer detected.  And that lasted for 16 years.

Last spring, in response to a radio add on the same station that I first heard RWG, we decided to go to Raleigh for a heart and lung scan.  A “Couples Special”. I was in sales and marketing most of my life (my degree is in journalism, specializing in advertising so I knew what to expect.)  The special was a loss leader to get people through the door to pitch a more comprehensive scan.  Which is exactly what I wanted.  We aren’t spring chickens anymore – I’ve even been accused of being an “old fowl”. (Or was it “foul”? Actually – a buzzard.)

By now my wonderful wife has intermittent A-Fib, with an implanted cardiac monitor, type 2 diabetes and a serious sugar compulsion.  Just ripe for a fatty liver.  So, yes they will do a body scan.  Doctor not required.  There is no trace chemical, this is not a diagnostic scan, it’s preliminary so no insurance, either.

The results were quite eye-opening.  She had significant calcium in her heart. But otherwise her heart was fine.  Her liver – clear!  YAY.  But… there is a tumor on her right kidney.  NOT good.  Off to Duke again.  She goes every 6 months for monitoring.  We know the way.  Now everything is covered by insurance so full diagnostic scan with trace locates the tumor, biopsy confirms it.  Clear Cell Renal Carcinoma. The good news is that this form is the slowest, least aggressive form of kidney cancer.  She presented with no other symptoms. She could just wait and see.  After all, she does have a spare.  Sure.  Right.

She got on the surgical schedule and even got moved up.  People sometimes don’t pass the anesthesia screen so an opening became available.

On election day, 2024, we got two miracles.  Her tumor was removed, no other signs of cancer was found, it shouldn’t bother her for the rest of her life.

And Donald J. Trump was elected 47th President of the US!

The first scan wasn’t cheap but not horribly expensive.  Have you priced a replacement kidney lately? Not cheap – priceless.

My scan showed nothing really significant.  It did provide some explanations for some mysterious orthopedic anomalies I’ve had, but nothing serious.

My cancer showed up from a blood screen, confirmed by pet scan and verified by biopsy.  I’m too old for surgery; my 24 month term of chemo started in October.  Radiation probably starts later this month for 6 weeks. My prognosis is that they can keep me “relatively” comfortable and not unduly burdened by cancer long enough for something else to kill me.

So, like Meat Loaf said, “Two Out Of Three Ain’t Bad.”

Cancer still sucks.

Ciao,

The Snark.

View From the Lair

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Consequences

Elections have consequences as former President Obozo once remarked. Those consequences are being revealed in Kommifornia as I write this.  The people of that once beautiful state elected individuals of dubious mental capacity who ran on policies of even more dubious merit.

In a place that was called “Land that burns” by the original indigenous peoples, one might consider that wildfires are an issue.  When documentation from modern times also corroborated this condition, an intelligent person might consider preparing for such events.

But, alas, no.

The city reduced the firefighter’s budget.  The state failed to build reservoirs to hold precious water.  Or to even consider building desalination plants to treat sea water for municipal purposes. (Wrightsville Beach, NC had a pilot plant for decades that provided delicious fresh water from a desalination plant. And at a cost competitive with treating river water.)

The newly appointed lesbian Fire Chief prioritized DEI qualifications for fire fighters with the rationale that “people want responders that look like them.” Not really.  If I have a fire or any other emergency I want a team that looks like an organization of NFL  linebackers, not an old white guy.  She admitted that she couldn’t meet the criteria of being able to drag an incapacitated victim from a burning  house and added “he shouldn’t have been there in the first place.”  Very few emergencies come with warnings or schedules.  If a 5’4” female wearing turnout gear can haul my injured self out of a house, fine.  Otherwise, send in the linebacker.

The greater tragedy is that DEI, CRT and other divisive strategies are not simple nonsense.  They are nonsensical, yes, but they are strategies developed decades ago and utilized to inculcate Marxism into our society and government.  This isn’t the original Marx and Lenin version.  This has mutated into a strategy tailored for modern times.

The greater question is whether the LA Mayor, Fire Chief, governor and attendant responsible members of local and state government are simple “usual idiots” of the marxist forces trying to take down our country, or are they deliberately aware of the actions they are taking to destroy the society, one state at a time.

Actions of morons and idiots are still culpable for negligent homicide.

Deliberate actions of marxist instigators are culpable for murder and treason.

Intense, thorough, penetrating investigations are necessary to discern which is the cause. Prison time is demanded for the first.  The penalty for treason is a bit harsher.

Ciao,

The Snark

The Iron Law Of Bureaucracy

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Author: The Snark

The late, VERY great Jerry Pounelle deduced the Iron Law of Bureaucracy. It is proposed thusly:

Every organization, upon reaching a significant size will be comprised of two groups. The first group will concentrate on achieving the goals the organization was chartered or organized to perform. The second group will concentrate on increasing the size, scope, and power of the organization itself. The second group will always dominate the organization.

This is not limited to government bureaucracies; any organization will succumb to this eventuality. Trade unions and labor unions are especially affected, indeed, that is the reason for most (if not all of them) anyway. Even the NRA is an example. Power corrupts. You know the rest of that.

In the executive branch there are regulatory agencies – the EPA, the FDA – and advisory agencies – the CDC, the NIH. President Trump signed an executive order in his first week of office requiring that any new regulations had to be accompanied by the removal of two prior regulations. This was a major blow to the typical DC swamp condition. It indicated that he was actually SERIOUS about draining the swamp.

This wasn’t a shot across the bow, this was a direct hit on the wheelhouse! The Deep State, already operating within the politically weaponized FBI, DOJ, CIA, NSA and IRS, fell in regiment with the intelligence and enforcement agencies. The war began in earnest.

Conservatives can be differentiated from liberals in one basic comparison: Conservatives typically support smaller governments and personal responsibility. Liberals prefer large governments and social responsibility. (The conservative view tends to blur once elected to DC, however.) The liberal wants to blame society or somebody – anybody – for their condition, then use the government to extract their desired result from someone else. Conservatives usually just want to be left alone. Liberals love power (granted, so do some conservatives) and will use any method to attain it. Remember the corollary.

Now apply these two attributes to the Iron Law of Bureaucracy. Obviously the first group will tend to be conservative – do the work, get it done, go home. The second group will tend to be liberal – why waste this opportunity (or crisis) without growing the scope of the organization?

Advisory agencies can’t use regulation to grow, they must use an opportunity to be noticed and become more valuable to the chief executive. Covid provided an excellent opportunity to leverage an advisory agency to one of dominance and power.
And here’s where the Iron Law comes into play. All the agencies have become dominated by liberals. It’s like gravity but in reverse. Conservatives slowly sink into the unnoticed echelons because they aren’t fighting for a power position. Liberals rise to the top, grasping for ever more power.

Thus, President Trump unwittingly played right into the hands of not just the DC swamp, but also the Chinese Communists’ surrogate World Health Organization. He had to use the resources available to him, but they were all enemies. Not to do so would open him to even more screaming about not using “expert” advice. That advice changed direction by 180 degrees several times, but never mind. it was the President’s fault.

That is the advantage of the communist government: no pesky elections to worry about, no nosy opposition party or news media to get in the way. Like the dhimmicrats, communists consider lying, stealing and murder just another business policy.

China successfully developed a virus that could be used as weapon. It was deadly to the elderly, but the Chinese could care less. It was debilitating to those over juvenile age, exactly the age soldiers are. The very young were spared. Perhaps this was just an accident, perhaps deliberate–like a feature rather than a bug. Either way the dhimmicrats used the opportunity to continue their assault on the President. They have missed no opportunity to bludgeon President Trump, especially when creating controversy out of whole cloth. The question now is whether he can get the evidence of the treasonous activity released before it is hidden by another corrupt, rotten administration.

The vote count continues.

ciao,

The Snark