Tag: America

Good for the Goose

7/2017

Most of us have heard the conservative argument that gun control laws only hurt the law-abiding public. That the criminals will just find a way around them. It drives liberals up the wall.

Today, I heard that super cyber sleuths (NSA) want broader laws to allow them to spy on everyone. The narrator, liberal as all get out, complained that these laws would just hurt the law-abiding public.  Just like the pro-gun argument.

First off, the bad guys are fast at figuring ways around any software blocks put in their way by any bureaucracy.

Second, the “back door” entry to public encryption software that NSA wants for the sleuths to use to spy on anyone would be a portal (point of entry) for the bad guys to get into anyone’s software to spy or steal.

What is good for the goose (gun control) is good for the gander (encryption software), unless you are liberal.

From your confused grumpy Uncle/Brother Dave.

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Butane Control

7/2017

A recent designer “synthetically enhanced marijuana” is made using marijuana and butane. Commercially grown marijuana is harvested and using butane as a solvent, the tetrahydrocannabinol is extracted in extremely high concentrations. The resulting extract can be smoked, injected or ingested and results in an enhanced marijuana high.

It seems the overwhelming social concern is not the drug dependency, societal issues or legality but that butane is flammable and that this might lead to house/apartment fires from mom and pop (oops, make that son and daughter) enterprises. So, look forward to there being a shortage of butane on the market because the liberals have passed laws restricting its retail sale. If you are in the market for summer BBQ equipment, I’d suggest charcoal over butane/propane.

Some random musings from your grumpy Uncle/Brother Dave.

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Cutthroat

7/2017

I was listening to NPR (I admire National Public Radio for the public display of their stupidity) and there was a program on cutthroat trout being endangered by the more popular rainbow trout. Such a sad event and we, humans, are responsible. Well, all that is a given. If you listen to NPR, you’d know that any wildlife program is about the threatened status of the topic species and we humans are the cause. But beyond that, there is the statement by the NPR interviewer that went uncorrected by the cutthroat trout “expert” that was interviewed.

I don’t remember the statement verbatim but the interviewer expressed his surprise that a trout named cutthroat would be less than vicious in maintaining it’s position in nature and let a trout named rainbow take away it’s habitat. As if the wimpy rainbow was bullying the stoic, tough cutthroat. And he was serious, expressing this a couple of times in the program.

What an idiot. The guy didn’t even bother to look up the topic he was discussing. Cutthroat trout derive their name from the slash of bright red color along the lower jaw region. It has nothing to do with it’s tenacity. (1)

There is the following statement. “Cutthroat trout spawn in the spring and may inadvertently but naturally [emphasis added] hybridize with rainbow trout, producing fertile “cutbows”.

There is note that the US Bureau of Fisheries has had a breeding program for cutthroat trout and has exported over 800 million eggs to park hatcheries throughout the US. I have personally benefited from this program by fishing cutthroat trout in Arkansas.

But, alas. It was a national reporter that didn’t get his show prep off research on google. Things might be improving after all.

Your fly fishing grumpy Uncle/Brother Dave.

  1.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cutthroat_trout

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Russian-Ukrainian Crime

7/2017

As John Travolta’s character Vinnie Barbarino used to say in the TV sitcom Welcome Back Cotter (1975-79), “I’m so confused.”

First, there is this news story (1) about some Ukrainian-Russians that stole a bee farmer’s bee-hives.

I have to ask, were they Russian or were they Ukrainian?  If you ask them, neither identifies as both.  The Ukrainians say they are Ukrainians, even those that grew up under Russian rule, and that they are not Russian.  The news reports daily that the Russians are invading Ukraine and trying to ethnically cleanse it.  If you ask a Russian if he is anything else, well just stand back because the least you will get is a verbal lambasting and you may have to resort to physical self-defense.

And then there is the issue that Russian bashing is now the rage.  Since Trump took office.  Before Trump, the Russians and socialism were all the rage in liberal-think. They (liberals) have been in bed with the socialist agenda and their “Hero’s Have Always Been Russians”, so to speak, since liberalism was born.  Of course, Putin has made hay with that.  What I mean is that by publicly complimenting Trump, bashing Trump-haters and sending emissaries to meet with Trump, he has effectively fueled the fire for the liberals to drag Trump across the media coals whether he means what he says or not.

And thirdly, we have been told that the Russian Mafia has arrived.  It must be true because there have been countless movies with Russians portrayed as the character(s) everyone loves to hate or be scared of.  They are rumored to be involved in drugs, theft, human trafficking, prostitution… .

Surely, this isn’t a case of a confused Russian thug who was told to go out and get some of America’s sweet honey pot and he came home with 488 Montana bee-hives instead of 488 virgin maidens?

So, which is it? Putin or the Russian Mafia?

“Law enforcement suspects that Ukrainian-Russians are stealing bee-hives to finance organized crime rings.” (1)  The beehives were reported to have been worth $170,000.  We all know from books and movies that a thief can only expect to get about 30% return on stolen goods.  So just how much crime does $51,000 buy in this place called the Russian-Ukraine, or is that Ukrainian-Russia?  I’d estimate that profits from drugs, theft, human trafficking and prostitution in the US accounts for more than the national budget of any 2 other first world countries.  And this bee-hive theft occurred in the US.  Talk about setting your sights low.

Thoughts on disorganized American-Ukrainian-Russian crime from your grumpy Uncle/Brother Dave.

  1.  http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/05/15/montana-beekeepers-stolen-hives-are-recovered-in-sting-operation.html

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Destined to Fail

7/2017

I had a great time visiting the grandkids when last in Texas.  On the last day, my granddaughter and I were watching cartoons while I was waiting for my wife to get up.  It was a show called Teenage Fairytale Dropouts.  Something about bullies, I think.  See this white rabbit with a dragon tail found out that he could fight back cause he could breathe fire after eating a carrot.  We were fine with that.

Then at work the other night, I was talking with my scribe (a 20 something).  She said that she and her boyfriend had gone to a drive-in movie (it’s all the rage, you have to try it) and saw the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie.  So, I asked her how she liked it.  She said it was OK, but it was too unrealistic.

How can you wonder why I think there is no hope, your grumpy Uncle/Brother Dave.

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