The Frankish Reich

I'm not "playing into it" at all. I'm pointing out that I can't recall one of these mass shooters ever being in an intimate/loving relationship with another person. As far as the trans element, no, I'm not going to ignore it. It is a sign - a sign that lonely, disaffected young people are attracted to some kind of magic cure for their misery. It will all be ok when I am treated as a female. That's no different than the other misguided attempt to find community in a group of militaristic racists online. These things aren't what we mean by "community." The are a sign of a sickness in our society. One of the nice young lawyers who worked for me (who wasn't at all religious) asked me some time ago about what I thought about sending her kid to Catholic school. My kids were in Catholic schools at the time. I noted that there were many non-Catholic kids in the school, and I did praise them for providing some moral compass to kids. And with a tone of "but for the grace of God I go too," I said that maybe that's why school shootings don't seem to happen at Catholic schools. But I knew it was too good to be true.

If that video floating around really is by this latest killer: how did he get that arsenal? WTF are we doing? How can he even afford it? Disaffected/nihilistic trans 20-something incel. Disaffected/nihilistic (presumably) straight incel. Racist white incel. Autistic white incel. The profile is: Young. Generally white. Nihilistic. Male, or shall we say "born male." Probably an incel, or at least certainly with no lasting personal relationships with anyone, same or opposite sex. Generally with documented mental illness. Typically blames some people (race/immigrants) or institution (church) for his troubled life. Generally loves video (shooter) games and some kind of faux internet "community" obsessed with some political/social issue. Never in any kind of upwardly mobile career or education; loser. And always managed to obtain multiple weapons. What do we do? Just live with it? I cannot accept that.

Do we really care anymore what kind of nut - left, right, straight, trans - it is? It is all a sign of a sick, nihilistic society utterly at a loss about what to do about it. https://theonion.com/no-way-to-prevent-this-says-only-nation-where-this-r-1819576527/

I'm not saying they aren't important or useful. I'm just saying that we need to think hard about what level of active/reserve/guard troops we need, since they aren't exactly cost-free. Ukraine is showing us that we're in a very new age of warfare.

I'm glad to see they have these reservists doing something useful. I have a nephew who is a state guard reservist. I have yet to hear of him being assigned anything remotely useful. He just re-upped (with bonus) because hey, why not? He might think twice if picking up trash on the National Mall in August is now in the job description.

As if Trump has ever eaten in a Cracker Barrel. They should have gone with the full gold leaf rococco style preferred by Donald the First.

If that agent had unwrapped and proceeded to eat that sub, he'd be a cult hero today.

We can all breathe a huge sigh of relief. America is still America. Uncle Herschel (who even knew the name of that character?) lives. The rocking chairs will still be on the front porch. The grits will still be as tasteless and crusted-over as ever. The gift store will still sell those signs that say things like God Bless Our Home and and those chalkboards that say Thing I Keep Forgettin and those paperbacks like 1001 Best Dad Jokes. Will Travis make Taylor more Trumpy? Will Taylor make Travis more woke? Let's form a prayer circle.

Well, you better pray for an independent Fed, whichever side of the aisle you're on. The ability of politicians and dictators to manipulate the money supply for their short-term political gain is one of the hallmarks of a failed state. Imagine a future AOC administration in which the monetary strategy is to cause runaway inflation to inflate away consumer debt ...

No, I'm pro independent Federal Reserve.

Ken Paxton. Weirdly, Trump has not seen fit to endorse Sen Cornyn ...

They were righteous prosecutions, and righteous convictions. And obscene pardons.

Not everything is about blame. White Englishman flies English flag to make a political statement to English people (or immigrants to England) of South Asian ancestry. They're pissed. They complain to the police. The police really shouldn't take any action.

That settlement was ridiculous and was done purely for political reasons. To be totally serious about Ashli Babbit: she was a victim of QAnon nonsense, a martyr to the Cause of Internet Stupidity.

Actually a damn good take here - read it!

I agree, it doesn't make any sense to try to arrest or prosecute them. But they know damn well what they're doing. It's meant as a provocation (under our 1st Amendment, a protected provocation), and it is doing exactly what it is intended to do.

I wouldn't ever say the "can" or they "can't." They should be free to do so. But let's not ignore the political statements that flying certain flags are intended to make. Flying an Irish flag on St Patrick's Day? That's nothing more than proclaiming your ancestry. Flying a Palestinian flag on October 7? That's a whole different thing.

Well, it's now clear: Melania's open letter to Putin was the turning point. Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize! Melania Trump, that is.

She was treated humanely. One perfect kill shot. Instant death. Isn't that what the Trumpy gun nuts preach?

There's some confusion here. They aren't flying a "British flag." I'm not even sure such a thing exists to symbolize Britain (England, Scotland, Wales). They aren't flying the Union Jack, the flag of the UK (including Northern Ireland and Britain). They are flying the ENGLISH flag, which has a whole different connotation; you don't see that flag a whole lot other than in World Cup years. The connotation is this: England is for the ethnically English. Not for the UK citizens of South Asian or Caribbean or whatever other ancestry. Maybe not even Scottish or Welsh, and for sure not Irish. English. England for the English. And so yes, it is perceived as racist because that concept is, by definition, racist.

Did I ever say they shouldn't be treated humanely? Of course I believed they were properly prosecuted, but I wasn't in favor of sending them to Alligator Alcatraz or Uganda or whatever.

Being the Voice of Reason here is not something I chose; it became my duty. And the Voice of Reason sez: We can argue about WJWDoWND (What Jesus Would or Would Not Do). And enforcing borders and immigration is one of those things that Jesus may just have left to the government. But I do know Jesus would like to see all people - all his brothers - treated humanely and with dignity. Even if they are being deported, and even if they are criminals who are being deported.

Which will, of course, have to be weighed (hah!) against the oft-spoken side effects of obesity. Just like, you know, the side effects of the COVID vaccines must be weighed against the effects of getting COVID. I know, it involves math and all that ...

Oh, I am appreciative. By the way, you guys continue to ignore my food shopping advice. Relatively healthy meal for 4: Costco rotisserie chicken, still $4.99. Cut up into Costco family Caesar salad: about $9.00. Dinner = $3.50 per person. I have more tips if you'd like them ...