Reflections From a Murky Pond

Unfortunately, the latest platform update – a necessary one for security reasons – broke the gallery and album plugin that I’m using. Galleries will not be fully functional until the plugin is updated and the albums, e.g., Retro Pinups, are completely fuckata. 🙁

For now, images from the galleries can be best displayed by Right-Clicking on the thumbnails and choosing Open Link in New Tab.

Sorry for the inconvenience.

Despite the rejection and dejection of approximately half of the US population, there are some who are celebrating President Trump’s loss and the installation of Creepy Uncle Joe Biden as POTUS, with Kamala Harris as his VP.

Domestically, #Antifa and to a lesser extent #BlackLivesMatter – Biden is a White, and I doubt they trust Harris – are cheering. They know that this marks the end of any federal level curtailment of their riots and insurrections and the re-instigation of federal “scrutiny” of local law enforcement.

On the global front, China and Iran are likely celebrating Biden’s upcoming presidency. Biden is both weak-minded and a devotee of a timid application of the old status quo of foreign policy. This will allow China to grow in power and influence. And Iran most likely looks forward to both a more conciliatory US stance towards them as well as a weakening, if not outright curtailing, of the Abraham Accords.

So, while Americans find the situation sad, our enemies, both foreign and domestic are shouting “Hip Hip Hooray!”

Bikini Interlude – Wildkinis

Yes; I will make no bones about it. I am this old. I grew up watching the television releases of the “Beach Party” movies featuring Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon, including what is officially the 6th of 7 movies in the series, How to Stuff a Wild Bikini. However, being that last to feature Ms. Funicello and Mr. Avalon, I consider it the swan song of the series.

Still, those halcyon days may be long over, but Wildkinis are still around and still well-stuffed; so there’s that going for us all.

While it seems unlikely that the House Democrats will drag out their over-used and worthless impeachment proceedings against President Trump for doing his duty and nominating a replacement for the late and unlamented – by Americans at least – the damage has already been done. Pelosi and her ilk have, with their hate– and madness-fueled obsession with impeaching our President, have already done incalculable harm to our democracy.

But, rather than waxing vitriolic, I’ll just quote from The Portly Politico, who stated the problem as well or better than I would have.

The Democrats already cheapened impeachment with their bogus “Ukraine collusion“ story. Technically, yes, the House can impeach a president at any time if they have the votes to do so. The prudence and dispassion of a prior age would normally have prevented such a drastic measure except in the most dire of constitutional circumstances – ”in other words, if the president actually abused his authority and the constitutional limits placed upon it.

Now, however, the Democrats have cheapened the impeachment process to such an extent that it’s nearly the equivalent of voting to name a federal post office after some uncontroversial small town hero or legendary civil rights figure: it‘s just another day at the office.

If Speaker Pelosi and her ilk push through an impeachment against President Trump for fulfilling his constitutional duty and power to appoint a justice to the Supreme Court, the very act of impeachment will have lost all meaning. If President Trump were wantonly selling the Supreme Court seat to the highest bidder, then, by all means – impeach away! But he clearly isn’t.

— The Portly Politico
“Imcheapment“

Truly though, go to the Portly Politico and read his whole article. It’s more than worth what time and effort doing so will cost.

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has declared New York City, along with Portland and Seattle, as “Anarchist Jurisdictions” due to their local governments having permitted violence and destruction of property to persist and having refused to undertake reasonable measures to counteract criminal activities within their borders.

[sic] … in New York City, city officials have allowed violence to spike. In late May and early June, State and local officials allowed looting to take place for over a week, resulting in damage to an estimated 450 businesses. As of August 16, there have been 896 shootings in New York this year, compared to 492 shootings during the same period last year. The shooting victims include children as young as 1 year old. Shootings have been rising in recent weeks, and police reported 244 shootings last month compared to 88 in July 2019 — a 177 percent increase. While violence has surged, arrests have plummeted. In a 28-day period during the months of June and July, arrests were down 62 percent from the same period in 2019. Amidst the rising violence, Mayor Bill de Blasio and the New York City Council agreed to cut one billion dollars from the New York Police Department (NYPD) budget, including by canceling the hiring of 1,163 officers. In June, Police Commissioner Dermot Shea disbanded the NYPD’s plainclothes anti-crime units, which target illegal guns and violent crime. Police officials have cited this decision as a factor contributing to the rise in violence. In light of this unconscionable rise in violence, I have offered to provide Federal law enforcement assistance, but both Mayor de Blasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo have rejected my offer.

— President Donald J. Trump
Memorandum on Reviewing Funding to State
and Local Government Recipients That Are Permitting
Anarchy, Violence, and Destruction in American Cities

This isn’t just idle words either. De Blasio’s outright refusal to maintain law and order and his and his family’s outright, over support for the race rioters of #BlackLivesMatter may well cost NYC more than $7 billion federal grant monies in fiscal 2021 alone. That would be approximately 7.5% of the NYC government’s total expected revenues. And that will be coming on top however much damage the Blacks and their enablers end up costing the city and the $9 billion loss in tax revenue the city faces due to de Blasio’s and Cuomo’s response to COVID-19.

Those of us living in NYC will soon see just how much de Blasio, Cuomo, and their constituencies in #BlackLivesMatter, #Antifa, and other Democrat cells have cost us. The director of the Office of Management and Budget has 30 days to issue guidance to federal agencies on restricting eligibility for federal grants for the cities on the DOJ’s list.