Random Midweek Ponderings

We are living in an era where we keep seeing the stupidity level of statements by those in power in Washington, D.C. continue to reach new heights.  Now comes this:

Yes, this graduate of Yale University and the University of Michigan Medical School just called people who were brought to the U.S. in chains, against their will; "...hardworking immigrants."  Damn right they worked hard because if they didn't they'd be beaten, whipped or simply slaughtered.

How clueless is the man current in charge of the Department of Housing and Urban Development?  After that statement, it is a question worthy of exploration.  As to how we should react to this, let Samuel L. Jackson set the tone.

I'm sure at some point soon, Kellyanne Conjob will describe Carson's comments as merely "alternative facts."

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Speaking of 45's Confederacy of Dunces in DC, Sean Spicer attacked reporters for asking for evidence of 45's claim that President Obama wiretapped Trump's offices in Trump Tower.

The FBI says this did not happen.

The former Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper says this did not happen.

45 could order that all federal agencies that have the ability to wiretap release information to prove his specious allegation against President Obama, but instead he levels the accusation on Twitter.

The saddest piece of all of this nonsense is that 45's sycophants are probably completely convinced that Trump's offices were wiretapped during the election, possibly by President Obama himself.  Imagine the President of the United States, protected by his Secret Service detail. sneaking into Trump Towers and planting wiretaps.  That image is almost certainly in the minds of the most twisted Trump supporters.

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What do Alanis Morrissette, Yasiel Puig, Derek Fisher and Cesar Millan have in common, aside from the fact all of them are celebrities?  The answer is that all have been the victims of burglaries at their Los Angeles homes where tens of thousands of dollars worth of jewelry were taken.

What I don't get is that these people can afford expensive homes and jewelry but they can't invest in the best security systems?  Considering their affluence and movements are well known, wouldn't they be aware they are more at risk for such things?

Puig had a relative staying at his place but the thieves came while that person was not there.  I'd love to know if the house had an alarm system and if it was armed at the time of the break-in.

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Congressman Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) said the following about healthcare:

"And so maybe rather than getting that new iPhone that they just love and they want to go spend hundreds of dollars on that, maybe they should invest in their own health care. They've got to make those decisions themselves."

Before we rake him over the coals for this incredibly insulting statement, let's go back in time a bit and consider this statement from President Obama when he speculated about someone who makes between $40,000 and $50,000 a year claiming health care coverage that costs about $300 a month would be too expensive:

“I guess what I would say is if you looked at that person’s budget and you looked at their cable bill, their telephone … cell phone bill, other things that they’re spending on, it may turn out that they just haven’t prioritized health care because right now everybody is healthy."

In response to criticisms that the Affordable Care Act coverage wasn't affordable, back in 2013 the former president said:

"One study shows that through new options created by the Affordable Care Act, nearly 6 in 10 uninsured Americans will find that they can get covered for less than $100 a month. Think about that. Through the marketplaces you can get health insurance for what may be the equivalent of your cell phone bill. Or your cable bill. And that’s a good deal."

Conservatives are arguing that Mr. Chaffetz deserves a pass for his comments because they are an echo of what President Obama said.  The problem is that the former president was trying to point out that coverage (for some...) would cost less than a cell phone bill.  He wasn't saying people should choose between the two.

For most of us, cell phones are not a luxury.  They are a necessity.  I made do without one for years and year, until my car broke down and there wasn't a phone booth in sight.  The next day, still exhausted from the trek to find a phone booth to call Triple A, I got a cell phone and I haven't been without one since.  It also bears examination that for the poorest segments of the population, cell phones are much less expensive thanks to government subsidies.  Subsidies that Chaffetz wants to take away from people seeking affordable health care coverage.

Why don't we make Mr. Chaffetz choose between his government-paid-for cell phone and his government-funded health care coverage?  See how he responds.

While we're on the topic of this particular portion of the D.C. swamp, one has to wonder just when he will launch his next investigation into Hillary Clinton?  I'm thinking he might decide to begin investigating what Secretary Clinton wears under her pant suits.

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Devin Nunes is a Republican member of the House representing Fresno and Tulare counties in the San Joaquin valley.  He is the chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.  On CNN he said that 45's claim that President Obama had wiretapped Trump tower was "...not a declarative statement..." but was instead simply a question asking if President Obama had actually done this dastardly deed (my words, not his).

There's a little problem with that claim by this fool from the Fresno region.  Read the text of Trump's tweet on the topic:

"How low has President Obama gone to tapp my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!"

There is a question in that tweet but it isn't whether or not President Obama engaged in wiretapping.  It is a question about the level to which President Obama sank to because he (according to the Twitterer-in-Chief) did the wiretapping.  Apparently he managed to earn undergrad and graduate degrees from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo without learning the difference between a question and a declarative statement.  Add his name to the ever-growing list of dunces in D.C.

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Did the Associated Press really report that the total amount of student loan debt in the U.S. is only $1.3 billion rather than the actual amount of $1.3 trillion?  They need more editors and fact checkers.

I have to agree that Nancy Pelosi, if she is the feminist she claims to be, should have spoken out against comments made by a fellow Democrat regarding Kellyanne Conway and the photos of her knees being on the Oval Office sofa.  The comment was a comparison of Ms Conway and Monica Lewinsky alluding to both of them being on their knees in the Oval Office.  Pelosi dodged taking the man who made that disgusting joke to task for his inappropriate comment.  Is it true that crude jokes are okay when liberals make them regarding conservatives, but not vice versa?  What is your take on that?

I'm watching the 2002 film "The Rookie" starring Dennis Quaid as the real-life Jimmy Morris.  Morris made his Major League Baseball debut as a pitcher at the age of 35 and as shown in the film, he did strike out Royce Clayton in his very first appearance on the mound in the majors.  It was a magical moment.  The story is that he managed to get to the "show" at his age, not what happened to him afterward.  The film's closing credits say "Jim Morris pitched two seasons in the majors" and while that is technically true, it is also highly misleading.  He made his debut in September of 1999 and made 5 appearances that year.  In 2000 he appeared in 16 games and was released in May of 2000.  Why bother with that?  His reaching the majors was the story.

John Cox is a San Diego area attorney and CPA who has just announced he is going to run for Governor of California in the next election.  He's a Republican.  The proverbial snowball in Hell has a better shot than he does.

Were there hundreds of "explicit photos" of female Marine Corps personnel posted to the internet?  The real NCIS is investigating.  Wonder if the CBS police procedural NCIS will rip that story from the headlines and do an episode about this scandal?