left field

I'm in a media blackout. Has this happened yet? Wanna bet a Labatts and Budweiser on it?

Are you saying that Trump couldn't even get "stupid" right? Or is it, "Well at least he's not as stupid as that guy over there"? I'm not sure that either is really worth bragging about. ¡Gracias mi amigo! ¡México es muy bueno! ¡La cerveza, la comida, las mujeres, el pescado! ¡Perfecto!

I'm not an economist so can't speak with any authority, but while it's probably multifaceted, never underestimate the power of some good old greed when it comes to prices. In 2020, the price of plywood went up by 15% on in-store stock at my local lumberyard in a day. Why? Because they could. Or this. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/02/12/ford-gm-dealer-markups/ And this is interesting. CEOs talking about raising prices during earning reports calls. Maybe easier to blame Trump. Or Biden. Or both.

The only standard I would apply is that the person in power rise to and honour sacred trust of the office. Trump is a cowardly, despicable and rather stupid asshole. His only strength was doing so many batshit crazy things that he caught everyone off guard. There is no legal mechanism for a President who flushes documents down the toilet. There is a standard of protocol, but no form of punishment as no one thought there would ever be a guy that crazy. Honestly, not giving a shit about anyone other than yourself it's a pretty good strategy. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, North, but Trump would condemn you to eternal damnation if it bought him an extra day of life. Kelly called him the most flawed human being he'd ever seen. But you asked about Biden. As I said when he was legally elected, his opportunity is to be a transitional president, right some of the more stupid shit and offer unity to the country. In retrospect, I was a little naive and any hope of unity within the country politically or socially is gone. At least for the foreseeable future. His political enemies are too vast and Trump has effectively done away with political respect and decorum, so we elect people who shouldn't be allowed anywhere near political office. Or possibly society in general. Performance? Some good, some bad. Infrastructure bill needed; Afghanistan pull-out bungled. Pretty par for the course really. Extraordinary times and all that. The roll of the dice that the "pandemic is over" will be the telling mark. Generally, I'm a roll with the punches guy and after 25 years here (and a lot more life), I have seen enough to realize that you win some, you lose some in the short term but it's a long game. McConnell and Pelosi know this which is why they are so good at their jobs. It may be that being President is now an impossible job and I have no idea why anyone would go after it other than ego. But I confess, I don't know what the answer to that is. Parliamentary system? Fiefdoms? Nuke the whole thing from orbit? Way beyond my pay grade. That said, Biden is too old by 20 years and we need to limit the age of a presidential candidate to 60 or 65. But if this is a character question, I think that Biden is a decent guy. Flawed like the rest of us, of course. Hope that provides some answer. I'm chilling in my tropical garden in Mexico booking a few more days of fishing (and have extended my trip so I can see a famous bullfighter next week), so I may not get back to you for a bit. But before I go, let me say that I've always enjoyed your calm and reasonable demeanor here.

Tell me about it. It will be years before we have another president who steals classified documents from the White House. Maybe never!

We need to get back to the sanity of flushing documents down White House toilets!!!

Including this sentence!

Most of what you read on the internet is written by insane people.

Another way to get everything off is to coat the pan completely with oven cleaner and then let it sit overnight in a sealed garbage bag. Rinse the next day and begin seasoning.

Congratulations.

Does dodgeball allow you to yell, "SWEEEEEEEP!!!" at a woman and get away with it?

If there's a greater sport than curling, I haven't seen it.

Sorry to hear. Stay strong.

Honestly, Rattler, that old dodge? I expected better ... or at least something tangible. Anyway, keep fighting the "good fight", sport. We need people who tilt at windmills if only for the lulz. (Please let me know if you do go to a Waffle House though.)

Which one will make me feel younger?

6 and agree - not easy.

You keep saying, "we have to do something" and all you keep doing is posting whatever batshit stuff your social media algorithm feeds you to keep you angry. You should be more pissed at Zuckerberg. I'm not trying to push you into action as the last thing I want to read is "Delaware County Man Taken Out after Standoff at the Local Waffle House", but on a scale of one to ten in profiles in courage - ten being Nathan's Hale's, "I only regret, that I have but one life to lose for my country" and one being Trump's refusal to honour the war dead in the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery because it was raining and his hair might get wet - where do you put your call to arms from behind the safety of your computer? Not a personal attack ... just an astute observation.

I think the phone is more powerful than a gun (or chainsaw) in this situation and a 911/DEC call with the words "belligerent armed trespasser refusing to leave my property" (all true) should get a quick response.

I am disappointed that there aren't a few links in your response and that you had to resort to a personal attack. You're losing your superpower, man.

Baptists speak out about the insanity in public education. https://baptistnews.com/article/its-time-to-stop-the-insanity-that-is-killing-public-education/?fbclid=IwAR3PVTpJH6PPnFc_-CfygMGhnHkF0K-6QCH4EsQMcrrq3TxTeYmrbmv6Afs#.YgEwbpJMEWM With any luck, we will soon get right-minded people in office so kids can go back to mocking other kids in school.

Ritualistic sacrifice to the Ancient Ones?

Nicely said.

Today, the term McCarthyism is used more broadly to mean demagogic, reckless, and unsubstantiated accusations, as well as public attacks on the character or patriotism of political opponents. I think you're young (and forgive me if I have that wrong) but you should probably look up McCarthy's legacy.

Naming names? Joe McCarthy would like a word.