Wrong. Just Wrong.

This:

The media, mainstream and otherwise, are all about Crazy Diane's "torture report" today.  Just look at memeorandum, current as of about 20 minutes ago (1150 hrs ET, December 10, 2014):

The media aren't the only ones, there's this from the Usual USAF Source:

COCOMs on High Alert Following Release of CIA Torture Report

—Amy McCullough12/10/2014

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel ordered all combatant commanders “everywhere in the world” to be on high alert following the release of a report detailing the CIA’s brutal interrogation techniques conducted after the 9/11 attacks. Speaking to reporters in Baghdad, Iraq, Tuesday, Hagel said there is no “specific information or intelligence” that a retaliatory attack was imminent. However, he acknowledged the Defense Department was “concerned about the content” being released and the implications it might have across the globe. The 525-page executive summary released Tuesday summarizes some 6,900 pages of classified documents collected by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence during its five-and-a-half-year review of the CIA. It offers a scathing assessment of the agency’s practices, which it says were conducted “in violation of US law, treaty obligations, and our values” according to an opening letter from Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), committee chairwoman.  “The report documents a troubling program ... and it reinforces my long-held view that these harsh methods were not only inconsistent with our values as a nation, [but] they did not serve our broader counterterrorism efforts, or our national security interests,” said President Obama in a Dec. 9 statement. “Moreover, these techniques did significant damage to America’s standing in the world and made it harder to pursue our interests with allies and partners,” he added, vowing to “make sure we never resort to those methods again.” (Feinstein statement.) (Full report; Caution, large-sized file.)

I won't flog dead draft animals except to say "What the HELL was Feinstein thinking?" Well, that and the fact I hope no one comes home in a box because of this travesty.  And now it's back to reading the overnight mail.

Pearl Harbor Day

My Pearl Harbor Day post, parts of which I've published every year since 2006.

Pearl Harbor Day

Sixty-eight years ago today... "a date which will live in infamy"... the nation was shocked out of its complacency and determination to stay out of the conflict engulfing the rest of the civilized world by the horrific Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor.  Here's an excerpt from President Roosevelt's speech to congress on the following day:

The men who fought back at Pearl Harbor formed the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association about ten years after the war and they used to hold a reunion in Hawaii every five years... until 2006, when they held their last reunion there.  I published this post to mark that occasion (note that the link to the news article is dead now):

Pearl Harbor Day

The USS Arizona - Then and Now (U.S. Navy photographs)

It’s said — quite often and by many, many people — that 9/11/2001 “changed everything.” And it is indeed true for the current generations of Americans. But I’ll submit that 12/07/1941 “changed everything” to a degree it is impossible for us who were not alive and going about our business on that Sunday in December, 1941 to realize. Those of us whose parents were members of The Greatest Generation understand my point. A smaller subset, those of us whose parents fought in World War II, understand the point a little bit better, perhaps. We have the benefit of hearing the first-person narratives of that day in December 1941, and stories from the long, long days that followed…from the dark and despair of the war’s first year to the signing of the Japanese surrender on the decks of the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay not quite four years later. And a lot in between.

They are leaving us. The Pearl Harbor Survivors Association is holding their last meeting (dead link) today.

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii - With their number quickly dwindling, survivors of Pearl Harbor will gather Thursday one last time to honor those killed by the Japanese 65 years ago, and to mark a day that lives in infamy.

This will be their last visit to this watery grave to share stories, exchange smiles, find peace and salute their fallen friends. This, they say, will be their final farewell.

"This will be one to remember," said Mal Middlesworth, president of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association. "It's going to be something that we'll cherish forever."

The survivors have met here every five years for four decades, but they're now in their 80s or 90s and are not counting on a 70th reunion. They have made every effort to report for one final roll call.

Their last meeting. I know All Things Must Pass, but it saddens me so. We owe them so much, and our thank-yous seem inadequate compared to the sacrifices they made.

But: We shall continue, we shall honor their sacrifices, we will remember, and we shall rededicate ourselves to the task that faces this generation…the one that began on 9/11/2001. The Greatest Generation expects it from us.

The 2006 news article may not be available any longer, but the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association is still alive and kicking.  They are few now, but thank God some of those heroes are still around.  It won't be too much longer until they're all gone and as I said above: "It saddens me so."

I did some looking around on the inter-tubes and found out the PHSA ended its corporate status on December 31, 2011, which means they no longer exist as a formal association with a government charter.  There are still some living survivors, however, and a Google search turned up numerous articles about these men.  You could do a lot worse than reading a few of those articles today. 

It's Here, For Better Or Worse

But mostly worse: this morning my inbox was filled with e-mails shouting BLACK FRIDAY DEALS!  Everyone from the GOP ("George H. W. Bush socks!") to Grassfire ("40% Off On Grassfire Christmas Gifts for all members") to Cigar dot com ("Box Bedlam") to HP ("Up to 50% off!") to... well, you get the idea.  Everyone wants my money, and yours, too.

That said, here's a rather unique Christmas gift ideer: a "Fuck you Anderson Cooper" tee shirt.  Really.  Like this:

And here's what it's all about:

Last month, Anderson Cooper dedicated a segment of his show "Anderson Cooper 360" to mocking the Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan for posing with cats on the cover of PAWS Chicago Magazine (the magazine for the no-kill animal shelter PAWS Chicago). Corgan initially came back with a pair of angry tweets, but since this is a musician beef in 2014, it's not official until someone responds by making a T-shirt about it.

That's from an article at Pitchfork, where you can see the Cooper segment on CNN that prompted the shirt.  It's actually a nice looking shirt, if you're into cats.

In other news... Ma Nature is giving those of us living on The High Plains o' New Mexico an early Christmas gift.

Isn't THAT nice!?!

Heh. Sorta.

The 'toon is funny in one way but not so funny in another.

Thanksgiving Comes First

Blog-bud Jim has his annual post about Thanksgiving up and it's later than usual.  There's a reason for the late posting and... well, here's Jim:

Since I've often been all about Thanksgiving, some of you were probably wondering when I was going to write a post about it this year. If you were wondering, I thank you for thinking about it and here it is.

I made a conscious effort to NOT post about Thanksgiving. I wanted to see what was happening without being clouded by thoughts of what was happening as a result of anything here.

I still kept plugging away on Facebook (on my own personal page and at THANKSGIVING COMES FIRST, a page I manage there - https://www.facebook.com/ThanksgivingComesFirst ) and I get the feeling that there may be a tipping point being reached, one way or the other. There are boatloads of people who are fed up with the commercialization of Christmas and the incursion of store openings on Thanksgiving itself. I mean, some folks are seriously angry now. That's a good thing. And there are lots of stores specifically advertising that they will be closed on Thanksgiving, another good sign. On the other hand, stores are opening earlier than last year (when they opened earlier than the year before that) so...

We support Jim's efforts, we totally agree with him on this subject, and we hope that you do too, Gentle Reader.  Jim posted this graphic as a part of this year's post:

Now you know where to shop and where NOT to shop.  Act accordingly!

WTF?

Fords...

The full explanation and more examples of "elastic cars" are here.

Speaking of "elasticity"...



"We had our cocktails and cigarettes."  Well, yes.  We did.

It's Already Begun, With a Twist

I'm pretty sure I saw the first Christmas shopping ads on my teevee at least a week ago, or longer.  It's getting to the point of ridiculousness if it hasn't already passed that point.  (Minor digression: we're waiting for blog-bud Jim to kick off his annual "Thanksgiving Comes First" campaign; we don't want to jump into the fray before he does.)   That said, this week I noticed a completely new aspect to the usual Black Friday crap.  This:

Americans are exceptional at creating spectacle out of commerce. And yes, the eager-to-normalize marijuana biz is ready to behave (and benefit) like all of the others. At least one pot shop in Colorado will be marking Black Friday with legitimate “door-busting deals” that will bring many a toker to the lines that will inevitably stretch outside its doors on the weekend after Thanksgiving.

But when Denver recreational pot shop The Grass Station opens its doors for Black Friday sales at 8 a.m. Nov. 28-30, what will be their equivalent to Walmart’s dirt-cheap flat-screen TVs?

“It’ll definitely be the $50 ounces,” said Grass Station owner Ryan Fox. “Right now our cheapest ounce is $250, and some of those ounces in the $250-$325 range will be selling for $50 an ounce on that weekend.”

Celebrating Black Friday with loss-leader deals in the hopes of luring more regular customers is Fox’s way of saying that legal marijuana businesses are normal businesses.

There's no word if The Grass Station will advertise on teevee but I don't think they'll really need to do that (if Colorado law even allows pot shops on teevee).  A 50-buck bag in this day and age is advertising enough. 

O, My Aching Ass

There are conspiracy theories and then there's this...



I think there's a better reason not to indulge in energy drinks...



"Get thee behind me, Satan!"

So Very MODERN!

More from old car brochures... these illustrating the 1952 Lincoln.  I was struck less by the car and more by the depiction of what "modern living" meant in the early 1950s.  Uniformed servants, Eichler homes, "push button magic," tuxedo-wearing dinner guests (eating in the kitchen!), and 3,721 square inches of GLASS!  (one wonders if glass was at a premium back then) Oh, yes... how very modern.

There are four more images from this brochure here.

Election Day

Go vote!  Mr. Gorrell, from the Usual Source of these things, has sumthin' to say about that:

I agree with him.

And then there's this, from the Usual USAF Source:

Airmen Up For Re-election

—Autumn A. Arnett

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a colonel in the Air Force Reserve, is one of several lawmakers up for re-election on Tuesday who serve the nation not only on Capitol Hill, but also in the Air Force. Polls have shown Graham well ahead in his quest to retain his Senate seat. Over on the House side, Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.), a chaplain in the Reserve, and Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), an Air National Guard pilot, are seeking to remain in office. Both Collins and Kinzinger are combat veterans. Also looking to return to the House in January for the 114th Congress are Rep. Bill Johnson (R-Ohio), a retired lieutenant colonel, and Rep. Sam Johnson (R-Texas), a retired colonel who spent nearly seven years in captivity during the Vietnam War. Two Democrats who are former airmen are seeking re-election: Rep. Peter DeFazio (Ore.) and Rep. Bill Enyart (Ill.). There are also nine Republicans who are former airmen who are running to keep their seats: Rep. Vern Buchanan (Fla.), Rep. Jeff Denham (Calif.), Rep. Rich Nugent (Fla.), Rep. Steve Pearce (N.M.), Rep. Joe Pitts (Pa.), Rep. Ted Poe (Texas), Rep. Dave Reichert (Wash.), Rep. Mark Sanford (S.C.), and Rep. Chris Stewart (Utah).

Only two Democrats in the whole damned bunch.

Off-topic, but...  I've been spending quite a bit o' time at that car brochure site, more time than I prolly should.  To say "times have changed" is a massive understatement.  Case in point, from the 1963 Corvair brochure:

I'm thinkin' the safety wonks' heads would explode if Chevy... or ANY car company... ran ad copy like that today.

And now it's time for a refill and answer the overnight mail.

Say WHAT?

Ah, the grand exit gesture.  Sorta.  The anchor-lady's response was about as nonplussed as I've ever seen on teevee, but she did manage to get out an apology.

In other news... Yesterday was a total fail.  I woke up yesterday morning with back pains of the annoying sort, which is to say not terribly painful or debilitating, just

irritating.  So I did what any normal person might do, which was to take a couple o' Bayer Back and Body aspirins along with the morning's first cup and a vitamin.  I should have known better... 30 minutes later I was in the bathroom giving the aspirins and that first cup up to The Porcelain God.  We then dosed ourfineself with Pink Stuff and turned to the couch for an hour or two to let the nausea slip away, hopefully.  That almost worked but another dose o' Pink Stuff and about three more hours o' couch time did the trick.  I didn't really get semi-right until about 2100 hrs last evening, at which time I went to bed.  It should go without sayin' that yesterday was one one of those VERY rare days, a day in which we were alcohol-free.  No beer, no whiskey... none at all.  We just weren't up to the challenge, so to speak.  No cigar, either.

So, today.  Same back pain upon awakening with an added, no-extra-charge sore throat.  This is beginning to look like the onset o' the flu, an event I could GLADLY do without.  I don't "do" sick very well at all and I'm certainly not ready for this... if it's what I think it is.

Today's Happy Hour Soundtrack

More from Becker & Fagen...

Children we have it right here
It's the light in my eyes
It's perfection and grace
It's the smile on my face

Tonight when I chase the dragon,
The water may change to cherry wine
And the silver will turn to gold
Time out of mind

Ah, chasing the dragon.  The first entry at the link refers to "hard" drugs like smack or crack cocaine but there are other, more user-friendly dragons, chief among them fine single malts.  Interestingly enough, most of my friends back in the day (that day bein' 1980, when "Gaucho" was released) had never heard the term before and were incredulous when I (a) mentioned the source of the phrase and (b) what it actually meant.  "No!" they all cried, but they soon learned to believe me when I dropped these bits of esoterica on them.  That's me: a mind stuffed FULL o' useless information.

We just might do a bit o' dragon-chasing after tonight's installment of "The Roosevelts" is done, and perhaps even during our teevee time.  Apropos o' not much, have you been watching?  I'm still impressed, very impressed.  It remains to be seen if those feelings will hold when the film begins to concentrate on FDR, who's something of a bête noire to those of us with conservative or small-L libertarian leanings.  We shall see.

PSA

It's Monday and it's a pretty slow day, so far.  We've read the overnight mail and made our blog rounds, the upshot bein' we have nothing... zero, zilch, nada... that piques our interest enough to create a post.  So, here we are... reduced to talking about what we watched on teevee last night.  Not that that's a bad thing, mind you, coz this is what was on last evening at El Casa Inmóvil De Pennington:

That would be a screenshot of episode one of The Roosevelts, another tour de force from Ken Burns.  Last night's event featured parts one and two of the seven-part film, which runs all week on PBS.  You can watch all seven episodes here, including the ones scheduled to run all this week (a fact I find middling-strange: why would PBS want to dilute their audience by allowing them to watch episodes before they're broadcast?).  I'll be tuning in tonight and the rest of the week to watch the remainder of the series which, if subsequent episodes are as good as last evening's, promises to be the best thing on teevee this year.

The Roosevelts is "can't miss" teevee, assuming you're an American history buff.  OTOH, you could always go with the flow and watch SpongeBob or the Kardashians, not that there's anything wrong with that.  Much.

Remembering

Labor Day

Ladies and Gentlemen... The Rolling Stones!

You don’t think of the Rolling Stones… at least I don’t… when it comes to delivering socially-conscious messages in song. But I can’t, for the life of me, think of a more appropriate tune for Labor Day. So, it’s in that spirit that I give you “Salt of the Earth.” (lyrics here)

It’s interesting to note that Jagger dismissed this song as one written in “total cynicism.” While that may be true, I prefer to derive my own meaning from the lyrics… and in MY interpretation, those “hard working people” are indeed the “Salt of the Earth.” Screw a bunch of cynics.

On the other hand… I could have posted this tune (Hell, I’m gonna post it anyway), which is kinda-sorta appropriate for Labor Day, innit? Both of these songs are from “Beggars Banquet,” which… apropos of nothing… just might be The Stones’ best album.  (ed:  No it's not.  Exile On Main Street is.)

Factory girls: God Love ‘Em!

Enjoy your Labor Day, Gentle Reader.

Yeah, the above is a re-run and it's one of two Labor Day posts I put up every year at this time, the other one... which is a bit screedy... is here. That post contains links to a Mike Rowe TED Talk about work and a good PBS video interviewing the author of "Shopcraft as Soulcraft."  The PBS video is particularly good.

A Lotta Fail

You have to be living under a big-ass rock if you haven't heard about the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.  Everyone and their Mom seems to be doin' it, but some people prolly shouldn't.  Cases in point:



The best one is at the two minute mark.

Pot-Poury

I might have been the only person in my small circle of blogging friends who didn't acknowledge Robin Williams' passing yesterday.  The Usual Source of political 'toons has a few items dedicated to Mr. Williams today; here's one such:
 

And from the Usual USAF Source, this:

Military Tribute to Robin Williams

—John. A. Tirpak

​The Pentagon issued a rare tribute to an entertainer on Tuesday. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, in a statement, said "the entire Defense Department community mourns the loss of Robin Williams," whom he described as "a gifted actor and comedian, but … also a true friend and supporter of our troops." Hagel noted that Williams had entertained "thousands of service men and women in war zones" and his philanthropy supported numerous causes "that helped veterans struggling with hidden wounds of war." The Twitterverse on Tuesday filled with stories from service personnel and vets on how Williams had taken the time to visit and talk with them personally, going so far as to seek out and spend time with troops who, because they were on duty, couldn't attend his front-lines performances. Many described him as a modern-day Bob Hope. Williams earned his first Oscar nomination for portraying Air Force Sgt. Adrian Cronauer, an Armed Forces Radio DJ, in the 1987 film, "Good Morning, Vietnam." The United Services Organizations, in a release, said Williams went on six USO tours between 2002 and 2013, including five overseas stints during which he visited troops in 12 foreign countries. This included three stops each in Afghanistan and Iraq.

RIP, Mr. Williams.

In other news...

I'm thinkin' UPS loves this video:



Drop-kicking the package on to the roof is a nice move, eh?

In the "Minor Bitches, Moans, and Complaints" category...  We've been living with our Keurig machine for exactly three months today and I'm not very fond of the thing for one simple reason: it takes too damned long to brew ONE cup of coffee.  The machine apparently has lost its mind, in that it has NO ideer what those three different portion-level buttons on its face are for.  To be clear: one has a choice (supposedly) of brewing either a small, medium, or large cup of coffee, depending on which button you push; MY machine brews exactly one-third of a cup of coffee no matter WHICH button you push.  So every morning we stand at the machine diligently pushing buttons and waiting for the machine to cycle THREE times before we get our first cup of coffee.  I don't think that's the way the machine is supposed to work.

It's always sumthin'.

We Did Our Civic Duty

The frickin' gub'mint is sticky its nasty little fingers into MY pie so today we did what must be done, to wit, this:

I may have overstated my case by describing myself as a "responsible adult," but what does the FDA know about anything, anyway?

Today and tomorrow are the last two days available for public comment on the FDA's proposed regulations affecting the tobacco industry.  The FDA's latest effort is yet another example of the nanny state run amok and is wrong on any number of levels.  You can submit comments on these regulations here, if'n you have a mind to do so.  You don't have to be a cigar smoker to help stop this, all you need to be is a supporter of personal freedom... or what remains of that freedom.

Saturday: A Keeper

There's a lot of angst about the state of our youth today, but this boy's gonna be OK.

H/t: Old NFO.

Life Imitates Art?

Art...

When Stoners Write the New York Times

Real Life...

When Stoners Write for the Denver Post

The above is from the Denver Post; it's the recurring "Cannabist" section.  Gerard had the faux NYT front page on his Tumblr blog which made me think "Hey!  It's already happened!"