Jul 242022
 

A few days ago, the House debated their latest gun grab. Starting at about 2:14:22, an exchange is held that lays plain the fact that this bill is monumentally unConstitutional, with Jerry Nadler *proudly* proclaiming that it would ban weapons “in common use.” The relevant part goes on for about five minutes, at which time the Democrats pivot to whining about the border rather than tackling the fact that they are doing something that they *know* is illegal.

 

 

Suggestion 1: If you are a lawmaker, don’t make laws that you know are unConstitutional.

Suggestion 2: Don’t admit it this openly.

Bonus round: Democrats lie outright and claim that a stabilizing brace is a bump stock, and are willing to die on that hill.

 Posted by at 10:37 pm
Jul 242022
 

Obviously this is satire. The problem is, the obviousness isn’t as obvious as it aught to be. It’s about one millisecond off from being full-on sincerity.

 Posted by at 6:16 pm
Jul 242022
 

I don’t remember this sort of impromptu street theater when I was last at Disney World in the late 1970’s. I have to admit to not being a slavish follower of Disney films; I haven’t seen “The Little Mermaid” or “Frozen” or a bunch of others, so I can’t place what movie this scene is replicating.

 

– – –

 

I’m not a fan of “theme parks.” My memories of them are filled with heat and humidity and waiting in really long lines in the burning sun. So I have to wonder: how far would Disney have to jack up their prices before attendance dropped in half? If the ticket prices were twice as high and you got half as many people, the economics for Disney – at least on the tickets, not so much on concessions and toys and junk – would work, and the attendees would be much happier. If it was three times as high? It would be a no-brainer for Disney. Maybe do one day a week as a special “low density day” to test the waters. How expensive would the tickets have to be to drop attendance by 90%?

 Posted by at 5:41 pm
Jul 242022
 

US records first two CHILD monkeypox cases: California toddler and an infant in D.C. were likely infected by ‘household contacts’ and both had contact with gay or bisexual men, CDC chief says

This, unlike Covid or Ebola, is a disease you have to work at to get. It could be *easily* stopped by simply exercising some self restraint. The danger is that the lack of self control will not only allow it to spread to other people similarly devoid of the willingness to behave like rational adults, but they will spread it to the uninvolved, as was the case with these children. And worse, by allowing the disease to spread far, FAR further than it should, it is given the opportunity to mutate into a very different form: airborne, perhaps, or far deadlier. Or both. Remember smallpox pandemics? Because I sure don’t. It was eradicated when I was a little kid. But I may live to see it come roaring back… not because this sort of thing “just happens” from time to time, but because entitled selfish jackwads couldn’t keep it in their pants for a few weeks.

For those who might find the title of this post “offensive:” imagine what the general populace will think – and what they will do – if unwise and easily controlled behavior leads monkeypox to mutate into a form that attacks the broader society. I’m offended at the notion of kids being given sexually transmitted diseases.

UPDATE: For frak’s sake, this is *exactly* what I’m talking about:

‘I literally screamed out loud in pain’: my two weeks of monkeypox hell

Attend:

When New York Pride festivities kicked off on 24 June, I was aware that monkeypox was an emerging issue – especially for gay men

I had sex with several guys over the weekend.

Wow. What. A. Hero.

“I know that Fire Hot, but I poured gasoline on myself a lit a match anyway. I was shocked at how poor the American health care system is! It let me get burned!!!”

He describes where he first got the painful sores. I’ll give you two guesses. He then goes on to complain about the clinics, about the physicians, about the epidemic people and the government. Guess who he *doesn’t* blame.

If someone like me, who has worked in sexual health for a long time, had such a hard time navigating care, I can’t imagine other people doing it.

I was isolated, lonely and frustrated with how unfair the situation was.

 Posted by at 10:18 am
Jul 242022
 

Something that happens a lot: violent criminality. And virtually every violent criminal has family. Most of the time, the parents or siblings of criminals are not considered in the aftermath of the crime; someone gets mugged, the press doesn’t hound the muggers dad, largely because a mugging just isn’t that newsworthy. But if the violent crime *is* newsworthy, the family often does get mentioned by the press. usually the family will wisely keep their yaps shut when Lil Johnny does something shameful, but on occasion them get set upon by the press, or they actually *seek* the press. And when they do, often enough they do so to *excuse* or *deny* the criminality.

 

But on occasion, the press talks to the family of a violent criminal, and the family has a reasonable response:

Indiana mall gunman’s family say they are ‘unable to offer any explanation’ for his actions

This family raised a kid who decided to try to shoot up a shopping mall and got his dumb ass aerated inside of fifteen seconds by a far better man. And what do they have to say about it?

“We are cooperating completely with law enforcement in efforts to provide insight into not only Jonathan’s actions, but also in the chance anything we may add could aid in preventing similar events.” 

And…

“There are no feelings of hostility toward Mr. Dicken in doing what was right given the circumstances,” Sapirman’s family said.

Which are the correct responses. Your kid went nuts: maybe he was always nuts. Maybe he snapped right there at the end. Maybe you should have seen it coming long before, maybe not. But it can’t be denied: he deserved to be riddled with holes.

 Posted by at 10:01 am
Jul 232022
 

But it *should.*

H.R.8399 – To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to repeal the National Firearms Act.

A BILL

To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to repeal the National Firearms Act.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. Repeal of National Firearms Act.

Chapter 53 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, and the item relating to such chapter in the table of chapters for subtitle E, are hereby repealed

 

This would be *spectacular.* It would be the most important rollback of governmental overreach since the end of prohibition. But will it pass? The chances in *this* House are nil. In this Senate are nil. Getting signed by this Administration? Less than Nil.

But a man can dream.

 Posted by at 8:35 pm
Jul 232022
 

Shortly after WWII the US Air Force funded studies on long range missiles, wit the intent of incorporating what had been learned from the Germans. One design, the 1947-vintage North American Aviation model 704, was derived (through numerous steps) from the German A-4 (V-2), but made longer range by way of adding wings and two ramjet engines. This would eventually evolve into the “Navaho” intercontinental cruise missile; an impressive but ultimately doomed system that used a large liquid rocket booster to shove a large Mach 3+ ramjet aircraft into the sky. In the end, ICBM were easier and cheaper.

The full rez scan of the diagram has been made available to APR Patrons/Subscribers at above the $10 level.

 

 Posted by at 12:40 am