A hell week at work (explaining my near-absence here during the week) ended with a snowpocalypse. Our enlightened betters, who rule us from afar, told us to suck it up and come to work anyway. Delightfully, there were perhaps four people (out of two hundred) who actually made it in.  The downside is that this weather interferes with my semi-regular drinking sessions with Swiss. As I type, the snow has resumed, so instead of doing something fun, I’ll survey the news.

 

Our “intelligence” agencies continue to do a credible imitation of the Keystone Kops.

Several American intelligence officials said they made clear that they did not want the Trump material from the Russian, who was suspected of having murky ties to Russian intelligence and to Eastern European cybercriminals. He claimed the information would link the president and his associates to Russia.

Suuuure. A good con artist knows how to peddle to the marks by appealing to their deepest desires, causing logical facilities to be shunted aside.

 

Is this the domestic equivalent of the constant news stories about us killing “the number two leader” of the Taliban/ISIS/ Whatever?

Brand has kept a low profile at the department, but in December she wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post defending the renewal of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which permits the National Security Agency to collect foreign intelligence on U.S. soil without individualized warrants.

“To keep us safe, our intelligence agencies must be able to “connect the dots” between the various pieces of information the government already lawfully possesses,” Brand wrote. “In reauthorizing Section 702, Congress must not forget the lessons we learned from 9/11.” The law was reauthorized in January.

I vote “woodchipper.”

 

Many things going on in (((our))) part of the world. The proxy war between Iran and Israel continues in Syria, but this time, a (((plane))) came down. Shot or fell? Who knows, and who thinks that there will be any credible info? On the bright side, we’re unlikely to get dragged into this since Israel does a good job of taking care of itself. But maybe we can come up with some other excuse to expand our military operations in Syria, given the huge threat of the US being attacked and invaded by Assad, with our captive children being forced to eat mamuniyyeh and praise Allah.

In the meantime, President For Life Abbas continues trying to leverage his absolute impotence into further billions into his private bank accounts replacing the US as a mediator in his continuing attempts to grift negotiate the formation of a pen of tax cattle nation. To be fair, I also wouldn’t mind the US getting out of that useless shit where we have zero business, so for once, Abbas and I desire the same thing.

 

Elections will continue until you proles get it right. I may have found the root cause, though.

 

And now Old Guy Music, literally. I spent an evening with one of my favorite harmonica players a few nights ago, and we got talking about who is REALLY the best. Two names kept coming up. And here’s both of them together- SP and I were at this show and can attest that it was overwhelming in person.