Fourteen Fucking Years.

That's how long I've been at this schtick.

Caturday

Priss lounges at the entrance to the garage:

Just Offloading These Here

How things have changed:

An Alternative Covid Conspiracy Theory

Say that the QAnon conspiracy theorists are right that the COVID-19 virus was engineered in a lab and then deliberately released. Say that they are right in alleging that the vaccine had been designed before the virus was released.

From there, the allegation that the vaccine has a tracking chip fails for two reasons. First, I’m unaware of any means that, when drawing five doses from a single vial, that it can be assured that a single tracking chip went into each syringe. Second, there is no reason to insert tracking chips when almost every adult in the First World carried a mobile phone that they have paid for– they already can be tracked.

What would be the reason behind releasing a virus and then a vaccine along with a story that the vaccine contains a tracking chip? Who could be believe that and then refuse to take the vaccine, thereby comprising the vast majority of illnesses and deaths when a more virulent variant, Covid-19.4 is introduced?

The answer to that is clear: Conservatives. Republicans. Trump supporters. By the time that those in the conservative media realized that Covid-19.4 was burning through their viewers, their base, that the ICUs and morgues were filling up with Covid-deniers, it was too late to reverse course. Their viewers would assume that their media has bought into the vaccine lie.

Covid 19.4 is, therefore, targeted at the MAGA Mob and it is doing exactly what it was designed to do.

Because It's Friday

The engine room of the SS Shieldhall:

What Assholes Voted Against H.R. 3237?

The bill was to provide emergency founding for the Capitol Hill cops and to fund the settlement of Afghani interpreters and their families in the U.S.

The bill passed 98-0 in the Senate.

In the House, eleven congressmen voted against it:

Bowman                 Democratic     New York
Bush                       Democratic     Missouri
Good (VA)              Republican     Virginia
Massie                    Republican     Kentucky
McClintock            Republican     California
Norman                  Republican     South Carolina
Ocasio-Cortez        Democratic     New York
Omar                      Democratic     Minnesota
Pressley                  Democratic     Massachusetts
Roy                         Republican     Texas
Tlaib                       Democratic     Michigan

I don't know what their varying beefs were. But Crimus, even the three QAnon nutjobs voted for the bill, and if anyone would have been expected to have opposed a bill to bring Muslims into the country, one might expect them to be among the naysayers.

Another Word from the Blog Mother About Comments

Please read House Rules Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 6 before commenting. (If you are reading this on a mobile device, go to "web view" and then go down the right-hand column to find the rules.) I am not kidding about this shit.

More and more of the comments are being laced with disrespectful comments towards other commenters and with slurs about intelligence and comprehension. I WILL NOT STAND FOR THAT.

If you are commenting here, you are required to treat each other with respect. You can disagree vehemently, but you must do so as though you are in the same room as the person to whom you are responding (or to me). If you cannot envision that, then envision that the person you are disagreeing with is standing in front of you with a loaded sidearm.

If people cannot do the above, then I will put on full moderation and any, repeat, any comment that takes a nasty tone towards another or is dripping with condensation will not be approved. Comments along the lines of "but ma! He started it!! No fair!!" will be deleted, as well. Comments for this post have been disabled because this is not subject to debate. Complaints sent via email will be ignored.

Act like adults or shut the fuck up.

Blog Mother out.

Re: Simone Biles

Unless you have competed at the level of the "best in the fucking world" in a recognized sport, then shut the fuck up about Simone Biles's performance in the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Because not only don't you know shit, you're boradcasting that all over the Internet.

Most of those broadcasting their ignorance seem to call themselves "conservatives". Which seems to be about par for the course.

Leaving These Here

The next two are for a certain troll:

A Sincere Greeting to Everyone Who Has Chosen to Not Be Vaccinated Against the Coronavirus

Go fuck yourself, your horse and everyone who looks like you.

This is why:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed course Tuesday on some masking guidelines, recommending that even vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors in parts of the U.S. where the delta variant of the coronavirus is fueling infection surges.

Citing new information about the variant’s ability to spread among vaccinated people, the CDC also recommended indoor masks for all teachers, staff, students and visitors at schools nationwide, regardless of vaccination status.

The delta, or, as others have suggested, the Darwin variant, has been spreading amongst the unvaccinated. Like this idiot, one of the "the risk is less than 1%" morons, who has now been in the hospital for a month. There is no shortage of reports of covidiots who end up in the hospital or in the morgue with covid. They're spreading the virus to others, which is why states where people haven't been vaccinated are having outbreaks.

This didn't have to happen. It is happening because of the idiots who bought into the stupid-ass conspiracy theories. The most moronic of them is the one that claims that Bill Gates has put microchips in the vaccines so the government can track people -- care to bet whether or not they have cell phones?

Those idiots are also spreading the virus to children. They are infecting those who cannot be vaccinated.

Every tightening of restrictions, those requirements to wear masks on mass transit, those kids who will be wearing masks in schools, those are all going to be continuing on because of the brain-dead covidiots who are refusing to be vaccinated.

Fuck you guys. Fuck all of you guys. You're evil, selfish clowns.

Dropping these Off Here

Can You Bribe an Entire Government Agency?

That is what Lord Bezos is essentially trying to do:

Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos says his company will cover more than $2 billion in costs if NASA will award it a second Human Landing System (HLS) contract. In a July 26 letter to NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, Bezos said the company would waive up to $2 billion in payments in the first years of a new award, as well as pay for a demonstration mission, should NASA give the company an HLS award like the one SpaceX received in April to develop and demonstrate a crewed lunar lander.

Of course, the contract losers are protesting. Because that's the American Way.

There seems to be a fine line between patriotism and the egotism of billionaires.

There are some real qualms about both companies. Blue Origin has worked mightily hard to basically build a large sounding rocket. SpaceX has a history of just blowing shit up repeatedly until they stop exploding.

But "pick me and I'll bring my bats, my balls, my bases and gloves for the entire team" sounds a bit unsavory.

Even More Stuff Dropped Here

Your Sunday Morning Jet Noise

TU-22M3:

This regular feature has been going on here for about nine years.

More Drop-Offs Here

Caturday

Chip doesn’t care for “Grantchester”.

Dropping More Off

We're Going to Be Masked-Up, Again, Because of Stupid Fucks

Stupid fucks like Gov. DumbSantis:

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Monday downplayed the recent spike in coronavirus cases in his state, and criticized public health officials who continue to push unvaccinated Americans to get COVID-19 shots.

It's not experts who are responsible for the spreadof the Delta variant. It's dumb fucking Republicans, like DeSantis, who seized the opportunity to turn a public health crisis into their latest iteration of a culture war.

It is insane. As I've mentioned before, pouring money into vaccine R&D was Trump (and Jared the Wonder Boy)'s thing. One would think that it would be the Trumpanzees who would be clamoring to be the first in line to get the TrumpVaccine for the TrumpFlu. But no.

And so, because thoseimbeciles won't get vaccinated and they cannot be trusted to wear masks, we're going to end up all having to wear masks again. The local hospital has re-opened its Covid ward because of the combination of unvaccinated jerkoffs and the Delta variant. Even Alabama Gov. Ivey has had her fill with the idiots who have refused to be vaccinated.

“Folks are supposed to have common sense,” said the Alabama governor. “But it’s time to start blaming the unvaccinated folks, not the vaccinated folks. It’s the unvaccinated folks that are letting us down.”

And:

Asked by reporters Thursday about plans to issue a mask mandate or other restrictions now that Covid cases are starting to rise again in her state, Ivey replied, "The new cases of Covid are because of unvaccinated folks. Almost 100% of the new hospitalizations are with unvaccinated folks. And the deaths are certainly occurring with unvaccinated folks."

The unvaccinated, Ivey said, are "choosing a horrible lifestyle of self-inflicted pain."

Maybe they're into that: The Unvaccinated Lifestyle. (Which we are all paying for.)

Funny thing: It was the batshit right who advocated for the "let it burn through" rather than take protective measures. So now,it is burning through, but through them. And, sadly, through children who are either too young to be vaccinated or whose parents are idiots.

Because It's Friday

British steam:

Even More for Here

Remember This: You Can Always Tell When Ted Cruz is Lying-- He's Making Noises With His Mouth

The Grifter from Texas, one year ago:

One year ago today: Ted Cruz gave his guarantee. pic.twitter.com/g9pRpr2Xlg

— Bad COVID-19 Takes (@BadCOVID19Takes) July 22, 2021

Speaking of grifters, the Federal government is now saving over a hundred thousand dollars a month:

Ivanka Trump and her adult siblings, Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and Tiffany Trump are all waking up today with a much different reality than the last four years — no Secret Service protection. After any typical administration, the family members of the outgoing president see their security detail ended as the change of power happens, but not with the Trump family. Donald made sure that they had an extra six months — all at the American taxpayers’ expense.

I have little doubt that Trump's campaign fund will now foot the cost.

Some More for Here

Shorter Mitch McConnell: Bad Idea to Let COVID Kill Off GOP Voters

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell implored unvaccinated Americans Tuesday to take the COVID-19 shot, issuing a stark and grave warning of a repeat of last year’s rising caseloads and shutdowns if people refuse to protect themselves from the coronavirus.

McConnell urged Americans to ignore the “demonstrably bad advice” coming from pundits and others against the vaccines. As cases skyrocket, he noted that nearly all the new virus hospitalizations in the U.S. are among people who have not been vaccinated.

McConnell can read the statistics as well as anyone else. He knows that the Coronavirus is currently rampaging through Republican states, like Arkansas. He can read the obits and knows that long-timeRepublicans who have refused to get vaccinated are dying, like this fool. He knows that it isn't a smart idea to let his party turn into a lemming-like death cult.

He's not the only one. Even Sean {barf} Hannity has come to realize that advocating his viewers do things that increase their risk of death is not a good idea.

Here's what I remember: Back in the eighties and nineties, when AIDS was rampaging and mostly killing off gay men, there was no shortage of so-called pro-life conservatives were calling to just let them die. The late host of Radio Rwanda, OxyBoy Rush, would celebrate on the air when whenever a prominent gay man died of AIDS.

It would probably be conservative-grade cruel to suggest that those who have refused to wear masks or get vaccinated and who then contract Covid-19 be put into a special hospital ward, where they would get oxygen and a morphine drip until they either recover on their own or they don't.

Plotzing These Here

Let's Make One Thing Clear About Bezos's Blue Origins

Billionaire Jeff Bezos will blast into space on Tuesday, in the first crewed flight of his rocket ship, New Shepard.

He will be accompanied by Mark Bezos, his brother, Wally Funk, an 82-year-old pioneer of the space race, and an 18-year-old student.

There is no crew on that spacecraft, only passengers. Bezos and his fellow passengers are no more crew than the people sitting in Row 4 of a SWA 737 flight from Baltimore to Orlando.

Also, they are no more astronauts than the passengers in an airplane are aviators.

And this:

NRA, and I'm Out

I've been a member for 30+ years. My membership lapsed the other day, because I kept ignoring the renewal pleas from WLP, the owner of that place.

(Yeah, I know, he doesn't own the NRA, but he acts as though he does and the doormats on the Board let him.)

I gave my NRA renewal dues to the SAF.

Thanks for Nothing, Israel

The NSO Group, an Israeli company, has been happily selling hacking and spying software to authoritarian governments. Those governments have been targeting reports, editorsand dissidents.

Why am I blaming the Israeli government for this? It's because Israel reportedly classifies NSO Group's hacking tools as weapons which need a license for export. So Israel is complicit in all of this.

Human rights activists. Murdered dissidents. Reporters.

NSO Group claims to be shocked, shocked, that the software they sold to dictatorial and authoritarian governments is being misused. They promise an investigation.

Yeah, well, don't be holding your breath for that. Selling spying software to authoritarian/fascist governments and then being surprised that bad shit happens is about as responsible as handing a loaded Kalashnikov to a chimpanzee.

The Orange Turd of Queens Keeps Spreading His Lies

He keeps spreading his lies that the Insurrectionists of January 6th were "heros" and "martyrs".

Right. People who beat cops, assaulted the Capitol and tried to overturn the results of an election. You know, fascists. The same people what we, as a nation, went to war against eighty years ago.

If you have bought into that big lie, go abroad and, once you're in country mmoreto your liking, such as Russia, Belarus or Hungary, you can renounce your citizenship and serve a government that is more to your liking.

Meanwhile, one of those fascists is on his way to prison:

A Florida man who breached the U.S. Senate chamber carrying a Trump campaign flag was sentenced Monday to eight months behind bars, the first resolution for a felony case in the Capitol insurrection.

Paul Allard Hodgkins apologized and said he was ashamed of his actions on Jan 6. Speaking calmly from a prepared text, he described being caught up in the euphoria as he walked down Washington’s most famous avenue, then followed a crowd of hundreds into the Capitol.

That statement is bullshit, by the way. The Trumpanzee of Fla came ready for trouble, including bringing his pet rope.But at least he has a felony record, for now.

Dropping These Off

Just Plopping These Here

Your Sunday Morning Jet Noise

Big tri-jets (DC-10s, L-1011s):

Just Dropping These Here

Caturday, Guest Critter

Just Going to Leave These Here

Anti-Vaxxers and Trumpanzees, It Sucks to be You

Infidel753 has written a very good post about how we are now two countries: The vaccinated, where Covid is mostly in the rear-view, and the unvaccinated, where Covid is ramping up. Other than minors, those who are now contracting Covid are largely suffering the consequences of their own choice not to be vaccinated.

Sucks to be them.

A lot of the world is still unvaccinated because they don't have access to the vaccines. I agree with the Infidel, the United States should help them. We have a lot of vaccine doses which are going unsued due to the refusal of the stupidos; those should be sent to countries that want to receive them.

Hooking Up More Seditionist Assholes; LEO Ed. (plus other Florida Shit)

A Windermere Police Department officer resigned and was arrested Thursday on charges that he participated in the January riot at the U.S. Capitol — the first member of Central Florida law enforcement to face charges in the attempted insurrection. After federal prosecutors announced the arrests of Officer Kevin A. Tuck and his son Nathaniel A. Tuck, a former Apopka police officer, they both appeared before a judge at the federal courthouse in downtown Orlando.

One of those assholes proudly informed family members in a group chat that he assaulted a Capitol Hill cop.
---------------------------------------
Meanwhile, in Florida:

Demonstrators waving Cuban flags and calling for change on the Communist-run island blocked a major highway and staged other protests in the Miami area on Tuesday in support of the wave of demonstrations that rocked Cuba on Sunday.

You might recall that Gov. DuhSantis got a law passed to make blocking highways a felony, but guess what, sports fans? Nobody was arrested. The most that the pro-virus governor could do was waggle his finger.

Which makes it pretty clear that DumbSantis's law was aimed at a specific cause, for if you happen to be demonstrating in support of a cause that the far-Right disapproves of, you'll be arrested and hauled off to jail. But if it's a cause the batshitters support, expectto receive a serious finger-waggling with a wink and a nod.

Because It's Friday

UP 4014 running some tests:

I am still in awe of UP in that they brought this locomotive back.

Pretty Impressive, That

Testing a runaway-truck arrestor:

Going to Leave These Here

Karma Can Suck at Times

Apparently, this is not bullshit.

Stupidity has its consequences.

In one aspect, it's hard to understand the fervent reluctance of conservatives to be vaccinated. Accelerated research and approval of Covid vaccines was a top priority of the Administration of the Bunker Inspector, so one would think that his supporteres would want to honor the Racist Blimp by getting vaccinated.

But no. Because the Orange Turdlet was too vain to be vaccinated on camera, his supporters aren't willing to get their shots. Because Putin's Idiot wouldn't wear a mask because it would mess up his makeup, his supporters think it's a virtue to get sick and spread infectious diseases.

The Tennessee Department of Health will halt all adolescent vaccine outreach – not just for coronavirus, but all diseases – amid pressure from Republican state lawmakers, according to an internal report and agency emails obtained by the Tennessean. If the health department must issue any information about vaccines, staff are instructed to strip the agency logo off the documents.

Measles, mumps, rubella, polio, smallpox, whooping cough, hepatitis, diptheria, tetanus, getting any and all of those seems to be a Republican virtue. For Republicans, it's a great thing, apparently, if their children die from preventable diseases.

The GOP has become a death cult, a cult of aggressive stupidity.

Just Gonna Plop These Here