A question for my occasional left-leaning readers

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What are the new rules? By what standard should we be judging the behavior of the POTUS, FLOTUS and VPOTUS for the next four years? Surely you’ll want to raise the bar lowered so far by the most recent occupant of the Oval Office. But what should the standard be. Is disseminating a factually erroneous statement still going to be punishable by eye-rolling and screeching? How about name calling? Plagiarism? Pandering? Or will Biden and Harris do no wrong? If they make outrageous statements in keeping with those made by President Trump will you be calling them out on it? Will you be agreeing with your friends on the other side of the aisle when THEY call them out on it? Or have you already set up a macro on your keyboard for “This is different because”?

And that’s not even beginning to touch on policy differences. We’ll leave that for a later day. Because for now I wanna hear about “Whataboutism.” I wanna hear about hypocrisy. I wanna hear about opprobrium. We’re already seeing it of course. The media and the left (but I repeat myself) spent all summer defending riots but suddenly finds them distasteful. Much was made of the King quote “A riot is the language of the unheard” but that was suddenly forgotten when those unheard on the Right resorted to it.

So my question is: what are the new rules? And how are they different than the rules followed by good Germans in the 1930’s?*

*my ex-wife’s family came to the US from Germany in the 30’s. SOME of them.

Holiday ride-sharing

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A few updates. Was “away” from mid-September to mid-December. And in mid-December when I picked it up again (holiday breaks at school) it was SLOW. Oh, there were moments. Christmas eve ROCKED! But otherwise it seemed we had a LOT more drivers on the road.

DON’T STAND IN THE FREAKING DRIVEWAY!

Who coulda seen THIS coming?: DoorDash is now charging Denver customers an extra $2 fee to make up for their lost commissions.

He’s not wrong: VIA TONI AIRAKSINEN ON FACEBOOOK: So, Uber yesterday implored the CDC to consider their drivers a…

Many schools here in Central Ohio are staying full-virtual post-break, at least for a couple of weeks, so I’ll still be driving. Uber isn’t doing much (although most of their bonus structure is dynamic and demand driven) but Lyft is trying. They’re offering “streak bonuses” and many are pretty good but I do NOT understand the logic. I simply try to hit ’em when I can. We’ll see what it’s like the next couple of weeks.

The Revolution will be canceled

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(found this in my draft folder, thought I’d throw it up here)

WORDPRESS DEPLATFORMS CONSERVATIVE TREEHOUSE BLOG. I’m VERY small taters but I wonder if I’ll eventually feel the axe.

And I guess I should be glad the Columbus City Counsel did their dirty work for them: GUILT BY PARTIAL ASSOCIATION: Airbnb Cancels Trump Supporter’s Account, Citing ‘Hate Group’ Ties.

Prepare for the Great Decoupling – Deplatforming moves downstream to WordPress.com and Mailchimp: The unrelenting deplatforming pressure from the left leaves non-leftists no choice but to prepare for decoupling on our own terms.

But they MEAN well: YOU KEEP USING THE WORD “LIBERAL:” it doesn’t mean what you think it means.

Prepare for the Great Decoupling – Deplatforming moves downstream to WordPress.com and Mailchimp: The unrelenting deplatforming pressure from the left leaves non-leftists no choice but to prepare for decoupling on our own terms.

Survived

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Two down. Three hundred and sixty three to go. Just sayin’. Illigitimi non carborundum. I will NOT let the maskers win. And our numbers are growing.

Why Is Scientific Illiteracy So Acceptable? Including this Philip K. Dick quote: “Reality is that which continues to exist even when you stop believing in it.”

Three professors, two from Dartmouth and one from Brown, have produced a paper for the National Bureau of Economic Research titled, “Why Is All COVID-19 News Bad News?” It focuses on the U.S. press, and its findings are disturbing.

I really wish I’d written this

DENIERS: State Mandates Ignore Science On Why Wearing Masks While Exercising Can Do More Harm Than Good.

When your job is to use a hammer: Many Epidemiologists Want Social Distancing and Masks Forever—Even After the Vaccine.

Christmas movies: final three

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A Christmas Story. My dad loved this because Ralphy was his age. Or was he Ralphy’s age? Regardless I give it a low 9/10. Heart warming? Yes? Cartoonish? Yes. Score sucks? Yes. But many of us can relate to Scott Farkas, the Bumpus’s dogs and gifts from Aunt Clara.

It’s a Wonderful Life. Just because.

and at the top of my list, 1965’s A Charlie Brown Christmas. I was 7. That has a LOT to do with it. And it’s AWESOME. So there. And then there’s this.

Thinking of scraping the list for next year. Too much Die Hard et al pressure. The “unwatched” list is pretty much kwap (although the Kranks wasn’t bad thanks to the cast.) Maybe trim it to 10.

Regardless, hope you and yours had a happy, safe, comfortable season. Because next week? KABOOM!

Christmas movies week 3

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kicked off with the last of my previously unseens … The Santa Clause 3. Not bad. Good cast. Basically “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Watchable but only 4 out of 10.

we then enjoyed National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Tips of the hat to Brian Doyle-Murray who ALSO appears as Frank Cross’ father in Scrooged, William Hickey who voiced the professor in Nighmare Before Christmas, and of course Nicolette Scorsese. 8/10

The Muppet Christmas Carol. Michael Cain is solid. Perhaps my favorite version of the telling. 9/10

Love Actually. Some familial disagreement about whether this IS a Christmas movie, but it works for me. Awesome cast. 9/10 but perhaps over-rated.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas – the REAL (and imho ONLY one.) 9.7/10

Scrooged. Gives the Muppets a good run for the money. Tidbits? The two folks in the shelter with Michael Pollard? Very long and distinguished careers. She did Goonies and Throw Momma From the Train. He was in, well, over 130 things! And MARRIED to each other. Who knew?! And Mrs. Rhinelander. Over 2 dozen credits in the 50’s but no work from 1958! And she’s Marlena Dietrich’s daughter!!

And we’ll close out THIS part of the list with John Payne, Maureen O’Hara, Natalie Wood and Edmund Gwenn. Miracle on 34th Street. Special note? The Judge is played by Gene Lockhart, who played Bob Cratchit in the 1938 Christmas Carol with his whole family as the Cratchit kids, including June (Lassie, Lost in Space.)

On the second week of Christmas movies

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my true love gave to me ….

Four Christmases. Not BAD per se, but just not good. I like both leads and they play characters which fit nicely into their type. The supporting cast should be awesome (Duval, Spacek, Voight, Steenburgen) but the writing falls apart. We’re introduced to our principals. They are typically stereotypical. Insert surprise event here. Then a whirlwind of Christmas was each member of the family. Became a drawn out sitcom or a too often recurring sketch set-piece. Watchable one. And as much as I love Mary Steenburgen I can’t watch her in a Christmas movie without thinking of the wonderful seasonal song stylings of Barbra Streisand! 4/10

A Christmas Carol. 1971. British. Animated. Adds nothing new to the genre. Alistar Sim voices the big guy and Chuck Jones produces so …. you know … quality. But not worth the time. 3/10

All I Want for Christmas. 1991. And NOT that insipid pop song. Loren Bacall ALONE makes this watchable. It’s a predictable pull at the heart strings as the kids try to keep divorcing parents together. Kevin Nealon plays a schmuck which IMHO is no reach. Leslie Nielson as Santa. And Andrea Martin making her THIRD appearance on the list this season! 7/10

A Flintstones Christmas Carol. 1994. A nod to the Magoo version. I was moderately pleased with the voice actors, but you can safely pass on watching. 4/10

A Christmas Eve on Sesame Street. 1978. Just no. But it WAS fun to MST3K. 2 …. out of 100.

The Nighmare Before Christmas. Why do I do this to myself. EVERY year. 5/10

And closed it out with a threesome. The Santa Clause trilogy. Hadn’t seen 2 or 3. The first gets a 6.4. The SECOND got a 7.5! Not sure why except for Elizabeth Mitchell. And Wendy Crewson fixed her hair. Number 3 will kick off next week.

Christmas movies, week one

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Here’s the deal: No Die Hard. No Lethal Weapon. No Tim Burton Batman. What makes a Christmas movie? The intent of the creators. As usual I’ll be using Flickchart.com. My lists, users lists and fans lists. Twenty five movies. At least ten previously unseen (and they’re front-loaded.) So here’s the first seven.

As a nod to the g/f we got two right after Thanksgiving: Home Alone and Home Alone 2. The first one BARELY makes my top 25 and the second one … doesn’t. But what the heck.

We next did a three-fer! The original Black Christmas usually makes out list, albeit pretty far down. Awesome cast. Decent horror flick. This year we threw in the 06′ remake. Andrea Martin returns. We learn a LOT more about Billy. Much more of a horror flick. Lots of ice into eyeballs. Not great. And THEN we watched the 2019 version. Well made and well produced. It’s Blum House so there are certain expectations. Completely unrelated to the original or remake. Think Halloween 3. And it had a good concept. But it just wasn’t realized. We were cheering for many (but not all) of the sorority sisters to be killed, and we were hoping many (but not all) of the frat boys would be ok. If you DO subject yourself to this tell me what you think.

Christmas with the Kranks. Love Tim Allen. Jamie Lee Curtis was solid. Supporting cast was good. But it fell apart about 2/3 of the way through. Pleasant diversion and not at all bad this early in the month.

Christmas in Connecticut. Barely hanging on to it’s spot on the list but it’s cute, even with all of it’s plot holes. Was fun watching it with the g/f who’d never seen it but appreciated the comedy of errors. Heavy handed but dollops of fun.

The Bishop’s Wife. Far superior to the ’96 blaxploitation remake. David Niven, Cary Grant and Loretta Young (who I appreciate as an actress but never found all that attractive.) Throw in Monty Wolley, some trick ice-skating and a wonderful boy’s choir and you have a nice little Christmas treat.

Consent of the Governed

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In these politically charged times I’m falling back (when I can) on an old technique. If someone wants to discuss the newest thing I’m supposed to care about I ask two questions: What’s your governing principle? And What’s your limiting principle? As a Libertarian my governing principle is that of natural law and natural rights. Limiting principle? Same thing I think. Most folks just respond with a blank stare. I draw on Burke (not Payne), Rousseau, Locke, Mill. And if we need to get to particular cases I look to Jefferson, Madison and Hamilton.

The phrase that I’ve found myself throwing out a LOT lately, edited to make listeners pay attention, and for clarity: (It is) self-evident, that (we are all) created equal, (and) are endowed by (virtue of being born) with certain unalienable rights.. To secure these rights, governments are instituted (), deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.

And that gets us to our current situation. The mass civil disobedience is begin to well up in the American breast. Opposition to the Great Reset isn’t even being VOICED yet, but it is inherent in the current opposition. Remember the “resistance” the left touted back in ’16? A trickle to the deluge which is coming. It won’t be easy. We’re already seeing Lockdown Addicts. We must become Magnificent Bastards each in our own way. It will not be easy. It MIGHT be brought to a hasty conclusion, but I doubt it. This is not ideological opposition. It’s much deeper than that. Masks Are As Much A Religious Symbol As A Health Precaution It’s religious zealotry. Because it’s not about science anymore. Assuming it EVER was. Lockdowns Not Linked With Lower COVID Death Rates, New Study Finds.

EVEN THE ATLANTIC HAS NOTICED: The Logic of Pandemic Restrictions Is Falling Apart: This is why you can eat in a restaurant but can’t have Thanksgiving. Want a dose on conspiracy theory? Despite Science, Fauci And de Blasio Kept Schools Closed To Hurt Trump. Now if you’re reading this you already KNOW Trump has closed NOTHING. It’s governors and mayors and school boards. But an AMAZING number of people think it’s Trump. How? No idea. Makes my head hurt. But when all you have is a hammer everything looks like a nail. Renewed COVID-19 lockdowns again show leftists’ blinkered vision.

But some of us know. And some of us are speaking out. Dr. Fauci (Basically) Admits Rand Paul Was Right 6 Months Ago on Schools and COVID-19. (note: they’re BOTH doctors.) Not sure about this final link but it seems at least a little intriguing. AND THEN THERE’S THIS:  ‘The Virus’.

Fight the power.

3,299 days

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Since Ohio State last lost to the school up north. Hopefully on Saturday we’ll be heading toward 3,600. Buckeyes by three touchdowns.

We’ve made it most of the way through at least part of a college football season. My Polar Bears avoided their seasonal mediocrity. We got a little MACtion. The Big something-or-other and some conference out west has muddled through. The SEC was …. well …. the SEC. The ACC was their little brother. And the Big XXII was that cousin visiting from somewhere else that we need to be nice to but don’t make it easy.

So here’s MY take on the Final Four. Al-a-bama and the Buckeyes make it. Alabama makes it even with a loss. Bucks shouldn’t. But they ALSO shouldn’t lose. The ACC champ makes it but the loser doesn’t. If Notre Dame can beat a full-strength Clemson then send ’em. And Clemson stays home with two losses. But if F-SC beats the Golden Homers then the FIRST loss was a fluke, so Clemson goes as quasi-undefeated and ND stays home with “two” losses.

Who’s left? Undefeated Cincinnati who isn’t even playing MAC level talent. USC who SHOULD be considered should they continue to win. That missing game @ Oregon looms large. And Coastal Carolina who we’d all like to thank for winning the Mullets vs Mormons matchup eliminating THAT conversation. But a schedule difficulty of 103 isn’t to be taken seriously. Colorado? Buffalo? How about North Dakota State?!!

If one-loss Florida beats Alabama they get the fourth slot. Texas A&M? Not showy enough. State University of Florida at Coral Gables? Maybe, but I doubt it.

Did I miss anybody? Alabama, Ohio State, ACC Champion, and Southern Cal. Tide rolls through the Trojans by three touchdowns. Buckeyes make the Heisman voting closer by squeaking by Clemson (or beating Fighting Hibernians by a TD or more). I’ll re-evaluate then but I’m afraid Alabama is about a TD better.