OK, after SP’s masterpiece links yesterday, I have resolved to never try to outdo her on her terms. Like most bright 9 year olds, she’s adept with modern technology in a way that I cannot be. So I need to be more clever.

/racks brain

Fuck, I give up. She wins. For now. But one day, ONE DAY…

Anyway, the obligatory birthdays: Woody Guthrie, a despicable person who wrote some excellent songs; Martha Coakley, a despicable person of no particular achievement; Jane Lynch, tall, talented, and surprisingly intelligent for an actress; Tom Carvel, whose birthday we will celebrate with Fudgie the Whale; and Patrick Kennedy, the human equivalent of what would be best scraped off the bottom of my shoe after I’ve walked through a dog park.

In history, today marks the anniversary of the Alien and Sedition Acts, proof that the absolute first reflex of a government is to be oppressive and self-preserving. That didn’t take long. Fuck John Adams. And it’s the anniversary of the Chicago Fire, which didn’t finish the job and stuck us with multiple generations of Daleys. Loser!

On a personal note, my sincere wishes for a rapid recovery for Suthenboy. It will be great to see you back!

And in the news:

Today is the birthday of Ben Skardon. He’s 101 and still kicking. Who is that, you ask? He is the last living survivor of the Bataan Death march. And a damned remarkable human being. h/t deadhead

 

Guess who died? Nancy Sinatra. At 101. Not the boots Nancy Sinatra. The other one.

 

This whole story just infuriated me, and it’s getting worse and worse. Now the “victim” of the “hate crime” has figured out (or was advised) that there’s some extra magic words she needs to use to put someone in jail for exercising his First Amendment rights. And I rarely have sympathy for a cop, but I do for this one. Asshole shouldn’t have apologized for not arresting someone for the crime of unpleasant speech. Even his union is equivocal.

 

It doesn’t matter how much money we “give” the government, they can always spend more. Record tax collection, and yet still, deficits on the $670B range. Interesting, though, in that this is a perfect illustration of the difference between tax rates and taxes, a distinction which still eludes the progressive mind. And some conservative minds as well, given their nostalgia for big-spender Reagan.

 

This really should have happened in Florida. Well, Georgia is close.

 

I cannot adequately express my disappointment at this.

 

The youthful face of Team Blue. This is rapidly becoming a weekly feature.

 

And speaking of weekly features, Old Guy Music. A ’60s classic, where I can’t decide which is goofier, the costumes, the dancing, the hair, the psychedelic production, or the lyrics. Still, damn fine band and a nostalgia rush for me.