The Good, the Bad, & the Strange

Humor 2 Minutes

On our recent trip home, we encountered some good stuff, some bad stuff, and some what-the-hell stuff. 

First off, there’s some new Trump flags out there (3 just in my little town!) showing President Trump’s face with the phrase—“I’ll be back in 2024!” That’s a good thing!

Another good thing is a new billboard in Williamsport.  It has Dolly Parton on it asking us all to “Find the good in everyone.  Kindness…pass it on!”  Some people can be hard to reckon with, but it did remind me to work to avoid becoming what I despise, so that’s a good thing too! And then there were all the job postings on the semi-trucks that kept passing us.  Phone numbers and pleadings for workers: good pay, no cross-country trips, home every night.  So, there’s plenty of jobs available and THAT’S a good thing!

But guess what we heard repeatedly on the trip down? Covid cases are on the rise again.  I mean, really? If you listen to the entire blurb though, the previous week there were 2 cases and now there are 5!  (Could these additional cases be family members? Who else would be taking the dang tests again?)  And THIS little gem.  A commercial discussing how drugs are being laced with fentanyl and people are accidentally dying. So, rather than closing the border and trying to prevent the crap from entering the country OR cracking down on fentanyl source or sellers, a company has developed fentanyl test strips.  Their pitch?  “Better safe than sorry”….call and order now!  So Big Pharma benefits again? And maybe using the same manufacturer that gave us counterfeit covid test strips?

And then this:  I rarely watch traffic when we drive on the highway—people can drive like idiots.  But the truckers caught my attention with their job listings on their containers.  As I read them, I started to notice something else—other vehicle’s license plates.  There were dozens of other states –like CA, FLA, MASS, CO, IND, NJ, NY and I said something to hubby, who laughing said—yeah that’s weird. Other states’ car on our INTERSTATE.  OOOOOPS! LOL

Putting that aside, there were other WTH moments.  For instance, on our drive down our little dirt road early Friday morning, we saw something orange ahead on the side of the road.  Sure enough, when we got there, it was an uneaten, unmolested, orange.  In the middle of nowhere…no other garbage around…just sitting there.  WTH?

Further along in the trip, we came upon the white cows again.  The road splits an enormous pasture and infrequently we see herds of white cows on both sides of the road.  The pastures are gated with chutes and sometimes the cows are on one side or the other and sometimes both.  The strange part?  There are no homes or barns in any direction.  In 17 years, I have never seen anyone moving the cows…WTH?

Lastly, I heard this AAA radio ad on the way home Sunday.  AAA is offering to assist older people with applying for Medicare.  I used to work at AAA (in accounting) and they did have an insurance component for homes and vehicles, but their bread and butter was travel and roadside help.  WTH?

I did spend an entire Saturday afternoon listening to Mom read all the recipes in her favorite recipe book to me…lol.  But I did bring home some new recipes to try while keeping Mom happy. Win/win.

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Published by pat frederick

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216 thoughts on “The Good, the Bad, & the Strange”

  1. Will Cain @ Fox has been all over this – he and his family have a long history there….

    Liked by 1 person

  2. “Small-Town Kansas Paper Was Probing Police Chief Over Sex Claims Before He Raided It”
    by Tony Gray, August 15, 2023

    EXCERPT: “American journalists were stunned after learning a small town police force raided offices of The Marion County Record Friday. Kari Newell, owner of Kari’s Kitchen, in Marion, Kansas, sicced town police on the small-town newspaper, alleging reporters illegally obtained a record of her DUI. Magistrate Laura Viar approved a warrant request from the small town’s chief of police, Gideon Cody, to raid the newspaper’s office and seize files and computers.

    The weekly newspaper, which has served Marion County since 1869, has about 4,000 subscribers. The newspaper claims its 98-year-old publisher died as a result of the unprecedent raid of her home. Police stormed the home of co-publisher Joan Meyer and seized computers, phones and some of her personal belongings, including the router that connected her Alexa speakers.
    —————-
    The New York Post characterized the actions of Marion Police Chief Cody and his officers as a “Gestapo-style” raid on a small town newspaper. The tabloid revealed the chief may have been enacting a little revenge against the paper.

    Turns out the Marion County Record had been investigating Cody, 54, after receiving an “outpouring of calls” alleging he left his last police job to avoid demotion after facing allegations of sexual misconduct. Cody retired from the Kansas City, Missouri, police force as a captain after 24 years of service, the Post reported, before joining Marion County’s PD.

    Co-publisher Eric Meyer said the Record was contacted by Cody’s former colleagues, who revealed the claims of sexual misconduct, according to a report published on The Handbasket, which is on Substack. The six-plus anonymous sources never agreed to speak on the record and reporters couldn’t obtain Cody’s personnel file, so no report of the claims were published before the raid.

    If Newell wished to hide a drunk driving conviction, that effort failed spectacularly, like any desire Cody had of burying reports of official misconduct alleged against him….”

    https://resistthemainstream.com/small-town-kansas-paper-was-probing-police-chief-before-raid-heres-why/

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Reading SD’s article about GA’s election process….NE has a semi-closed primary in that it only applies to national elections – not sure how I feel about that, tbh – it discourages carpet baggers from the opposing party, I guess, and I could always write in the opposing party’s candidate name, however rare that would be; for state elections, we are the only state to use the unicameral system w/no party affiliation. It makes it even more important to actively research the candidates to find out which direction they lean and, unfortunately, far too many people don’t do that these days.

    “Georgia and Texas are closed party states. Much like “districts” in the former Soviet era, Texas and Georgia are under the control of private party officers. If you live in either of these states, and if you try to effect political organizing that impacts the party apparatus, you are an annoying gnat to be removed.”

    Liked by 1 person

    1. ^^^^^^^^^^^ too ugly to work in service positions (i wouldn’t want them preparing my food!) and really too lazy to do anything but scream and yell and try to bully for bucks

      Liked by 1 person




  6. “Did you survive the tire ramp?”

    NF: Not really my taste but, back in the day, I sure would have dated a guy with this one!!! LOL

    Liked by 1 person

  10. my flea market friend emailed me this morning that they want to come Sunday and take all the stuff home that I’ve been bringing here from Mom. I had a schizophrenic response–yay I get rid of that stuff and oh shit…I gotta clean the house AND the basement…LOL

    Liked by 1 person

  11. he’s not wrong on a lot of this

    kalbokalbs
    kalbokalbs(@kalbokalbs)Online
    Wolf
    August 16, 2023 11:39

    From the opener. If ya missed it, worth a read AND listen.
    Attorney Mike Davis: “Republicans are Weak and Stupid and Democrats Know This – Biggest Wimps on Planet” (VIDEO)
    Mike Davis: There’s not a snowballs chance in hell that these indictments, that these criminal convictions, will be upheld by the Supreme Court of the United States because of two things…

    …The problem is that Republican politicians are weak, and they’ve allowed this to. The reason we are here today at this republic ending lawfare against President Trump with this fourth indictment is because Republican politicians across the country, particularly in the House of Representatives, have allowed this to happen. They have allowed that since the Mar a Lago raid a year ago. That unnecessary, unlawful, unprecedented home raid on a former president to get back presidential records he’s allowed to have under the Presidential Records Act.

    Steve, there was deafening silence. It seems like it was you and me, the only ones out there for three or four months defending Trump when all these Republicans, including the so called conservative Republicans, were clutching their pearls and saying, it’s over. Right. Republicans are weak and stupid, and Democrats know this, and that’s why Democrats do what they do with this lawfare. They tried to do it with Kavanaugh, but they ran into a problem because I’m not weak and stupid and I wasn’t going to put up with their nonsense. Right? And Republicans need to have the same attitude, like they have glass jaws. Take off your gloves, put on your brass knuckles, and break their glass jaws politically and legally, not physically, of course. I don’t want to end up in the gulag, but Republicans need to get tough. And it seems like the biggest wimps on the planet are these Southern Republican politicians because they are so scared of their shadows, they’re so scared to be called racist by Democrats that they’re the easiest cowed of all. Republicans. White, Southern, male Republicans are going to be the downfall of the Republican Party and the Republican, because they’re such wimps.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/08/attorney-mike-davis-republicans-are-weak-stupid-democrats/

    Liked by 1 person

  12. Why am I so certain that this witch-hunt won’t stop if we simply “move on” from Trump? Because I’m living proof. We are still in litigation for the 2022 Attorney General election; the closest race in state history after a disastrous Election Day where half the machines went down,…

    — Abe Hamadeh (@AbrahamHamadeh) August 15, 2023

    Liked by 1 person



  14. Manhattan in 1851 and today:


    ROFL – gotta love Senator Kennedy! H/T M – worth a chuckle in the morning, Pat!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Hell, that’s the only reason most people even get involved in politics in the first place!!! That’s why it will never be a place for me!

      Liked by 1 person



  16. “At some point somebody’s gotta start beatin’ the shit outta some people, ’cause if somebody don’t, they’ll continue to weaponize the Justice system against us. I will not say anything more about this except to mention that if ya need me, I’ll be in the basement stacking ammo…”


    Liked by 1 person




  18. “This is the single most important thing you’ll learn today, and – knowing that knowledge is power – you will now be invincible having learned this factoid. The humming noise produced by electricity is a different tone in Europe than it is here in the States. The American electrical hum is a B-flat whereas the European electrical hum is a G. Now go out and conquer the world with your new power.”

    Liked by 1 person


  19. NF: Shades of the past….! I remember these suits!
    The Very First Miss Universe Pageant, 1952

    Ooops!!!

    “This is a photo of the Fulton County Prosecutor who brought the latest indictments against DJT. This picture should tell you everything you need to know about this clusterfuck without having to say another word. Juss’ sayin’…”

    Liked by 1 person

  22. Arizona teeing up to indict President Trump
    entire article
    Arizona continues to wait and see whether anyone in the Grand Canyon State will be charged in connection with Donald Trump’s campaign to overturn the 2020 election, which brought about Trump’s fourth indictment on Monday in Georgia.

    Here’s what to know about the latest charges and how they might connect to Arizona, where Trump’s team conducted a similar campaign to overturn the 2020 election.

    He’ll likely be convicted of something, setting the stage for a January 6-like event on steroids. And Democrats are only too happy to bait conservatives on that front. But that’s for another time. We need to revisit this legal circus because it might not be over. Could there be a fifth indictment looming? Since the Georgia indictment, all eyes have turned to Arizona, where Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs has called for an investigation over the 2020 election (via KTAR News):

    Gov. Katie Hobbs said Tuesday that Arizona should press charges against former president Donald Trump over potential election interference in the 2020 election.

    Hobbs told reporters at an event in Phoenix that Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes should follow suit with Georgia, which indicted Trump on Monday.

    “Absolutely. I have been an advocate for holding folks involved in trying to overturn the will of the voters in the 2020 election accountable and this is part of that process,” Hobbs, a Democrat, said.

    Arizona had several mentions in the indictment, including meetings with Trump allies and lawmakers in the state following his loss to Joe Biden in November 2020.

    Even former Republican Arizona governors think some action will arise. The state’s attorney general is already looking into the fake elector scheme (via Fox10 Phoenix):

    Video shows Arizona’s fake electors, including former Arizona GOP chair, Kelli Ward, and state lawmakers Anthony Kern and Jake Hoffman, signing false electoral college documents declaring Trump the winner of the 2020 election.

    Arizona’s Attorney General is currently investigating, and Governor Katie Hobbs says she hopes to see Arizona’s fake electors face criminal charges.

    “I do. I do believe our attorney general is going to move forward on some kind of disciplinary action,” Former Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer said.

    Former Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey said, “I am concerned about continuing indictments. I think we’re on number four. I’m concerned about how this is going to affect the electorate, the respect for the rule of law, and equal justice.”

    Arizona’s last Republican governor criticized prosecutors for bringing criminal charges against former President Trump.

    “We’ve never seen this with a former president of the United States,” said Doug Ducey on Tuesday.

    “And the question I would have, is this good for our country or is it tearing our country apart?” he continued. “I believe it is divided enough.”

    “I’m concerned about the weaponization of the Department of Justice,” Ducey said.

    https://www.rightjournalism.com/breaking-another-governor-is-pushing-for-trumps-fifth-indictment/

    Liked by 1 person

  23. Well, so much for that idea….I’m afraid my mower might have really given up the ghost now. Since the last time I mowed, the engine has been making a different sound that I’ve been struggling to identify. It was making what sounded like slight coughing sounds that weren’t normal but I waited…just hope I didn’t wait too long ’cause I made one half-trip around the yard and it quit and won’t start again. If it isn’t one thing, it’s another!!! Sheesh! Jerry is at lunch – since he is semi-retired, he takes a long lunch so his son told me to call back closer to 2 pm. If nothing else, Jerry might have a used mower he will sell me and let me make payments but we’ll see….man, I could SURE use that PCH win on the 31st!!!!

    Liked by 1 person

      1. Oh, I’ll work something out, either with Jerry or my neighbor, Mark – I bought this one from him used 7 years ago but I had the cash then. It will just have to be on a payment plan this time. Failing that, I’ll find someone here in town who will mow it for me once a month and I’ll pay him/her. The guy who does my spraying insists on mowing every week at $100 a pop – NOT!!!

        Liked by 1 person

        1. my uncle who lives next door to my mom cuts her grass every 10 days and charges her $40 a pop–and my cousin (who still lives there too) charges her $20 a week to weed eat.
          all because my brother and his wife are too busy. it’s a damn shame

          Liked by 1 person

          1. Oh, that sucks! Like she can afford that??? And family charging family??!!?? Seriously??!!?? That is just purely disgusting!!!

            Liked by 1 person

            1. IT IS!!!!!!!!!!!!
              she can barely afford it. she pays someone to take her to the doctor, and for groceries and even changing a light bulb in her bathroom. all because my brother and his wife are sooooo busy and sooooo tired.
              that’s why when we go down to visit, we are constantly helping her do things instead of just visiting. and why i always buy things on amazon and have them mailed as gifts–so she doesn’t see what they cost.
              hubby rebuilt her back steps–3 steps not a big deal–but he wouldn’t let her pay for the lumber and stuff.
              sorry for venting. it just makes me mad

              Liked by 1 person

              1. Oh, heavens, woman! That’s mild to the kind of venting I’d be doing over this evil! And I’m sorry but that’s what it is – evil, pure and simple! Selfish on a grand scale!

                Liked by 1 person

      2. I used to have a big zero-turn radius Cub Cadet that I bought from my SIL’s Dad – something went on it that would cost $300 or more to fix and Jerry bought it from me, fixed it up and his wife used it to mow their yard. I didn’t need a zero-turn mower anyway so it worked for me at the time.

        Liked by 1 person

  27. Well, duh, Filly! As usual, I fail to read ALL the instructions….ordered 2 spools of plastic-covered green wire for plants (Trumpet & Honeysuckle vines, Clematis, rose bush, etc.) with a built-in cutter. I couldn’t for the life of me figure out how to get it to cut the wire until I re-read the instructions. Yeah, Filly – simple! Just press down! Ooops….missed that part! Yeah! Easy-peasy!

    Liked by 1 person

  29. hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm…how come i never see the kids and women in lines and in shelters then asswipe?
    FTA
    The bottom line is: When you look at what people go through to come here — these people that we’re encountering on the border now that have crossed the Darién jungle [in Panama] — if you go down and look at the Darién, you can’t believe the number of people that are transiting that area every day … It’s families with small kids. So if [they]’re willing to do that, there’s very little we can do at the border that’s going to stop people from coming if we don’t also give them the hope that there’s a legal way to come here.

    https://www.breitbart.com/economy/2023/08/15/mayorkas-aide-u-s-superpower-cant-stop-migration/

    Liked by 1 person

  30. “On Liberty and A Well-Regulated Militia–Freedom Must be Fought For and Defended”
    ROBERT W MALONE MD, MS
    AUG 16, 2023

    ENTIRE ARTICLE: ““perhaps you and I have lived too long with this miracle to properly be appreciative. Freedom is a fragile thing and it’s never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by way of inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation. For it only comes once to a people, and those in history who have known freedom and then lost it have never known it again.” — Ronald Reagan 1967

    I am afraid for our freedom, for our liberties. Each day we see the encroaching totalitarian forces working to impede what we consider the “American Way of Life”. These forces are easing their way through the back door of socialism.

    The growing acceptance of socialism by young adults will impact on our future as a free society sooner or later. Why is that? Because socialism is almost the direct opposite of capitalism. With socialism, the means of production are publicly owned (owned by the government – a controlled, centralized command economy). It is both an economic and political system. Production and consumer prices are controlled by the government to “best meet the needs of the people”. Whereas capitalism is an economic system under which private ownership controls the means of production. These two systems of governance are direct polar opposites.

    ‘Over the past hundred years, there have been more than two dozen attempts to build a socialist society. It has been tried in the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, Albania, Poland, Vietnam, Bulgaria, Romania, Czechoslovakia, North Korea, Hungary, China, East Germany, Cuba, Tanzania, Laos, South Yemen, Somalia, the Congo, Ethiopia, Cambodia, Mozambique, Angola, Nicaragua and Venezuela, among others—not counting the very short-lived ones. All of these attempts have ended in varying degrees of failure.’ –Kristian Niemietz, Head of Political Economy at the Institute for Economic Affairs London

    Socialism is a failed model for governance. Foundations on which this country were built include the ownership of private property, acquisitiveness, free speech, a role in government through our republic and democratic principles and individualism. Not to mention our right to bear arms. The second amendment to the constitution reads: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

    What does that exactly mean? It is our right to own firearms, and with that right comes responsibility. A well-regulated militia requires that the people know how to use firearms properly. There is no better time to start training for use of firearms than in the youth. That is also when lessons regarding safety are best taught. This is common sense. The Biden Administration is now withholding federal funds for elementary and secondary schools nationwide that have hunting or archery programs in their curriculum:

    “This prohibition applies to all ESEA funds,” a Department of Education spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “The prohibition went into effect immediately on June 25, 2022 and applies to all existing and future awards under all ESEA programs, including [21st Century Community Learning Centers]. The Department is administering the bipartisan law as written by Congress.

    The Department of Education explained in a statement that its funding decisions were based on the plain text interpretation of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), which Congress passed and President Biden signed last year after a string of mass shootings. The agency’s interpretation means funding for shooting sport activities earmarked under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965 will be blocked across the country.

    Overall, the administration’s decision to withhold funds for such programs may impact thousands of schools and millions of American students….The legislation included an amendment to an ESEA subsection listing prohibited uses for federal school funding. That amendment prohibits ESEA funds from helping provide any person with a dangerous weapon or to provide “training in the use of a dangerous weapon.”

    However, in a letter to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona earlier this month, Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., expressed concern that the agency is misinterpreting the provision which they said was included in the BSCA last year to withhold education funds for programs training school resource officers, not to preclude funding for hunting and archery classes. School resource officer training was funded under a separate provision.”

    “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” I am not an attorney, but it should be clear to everyone that Congress or the President (or the “permanent” administrative state that actually runs the country) does not have the right to interfere with the second amendment via a Congressional bill, an executive order or the withholding of funds via the administrative state. The government would have to rescind the second amendment to the US Constitution in order to do so.

    “A Well Regulated Militia” — The key words again being “well regulated.” In order for anything to be well regulated, it must require an educational component. A training component. How that training is to be accomplished or what that training might be, is up to the people. It is not up to Congress or the President or the Department of Education. The best way to stop gun violence is to teach responsible ownership. The best time to teach people is when they are young. The best way to stop crime is to teach strong ethical and moral values, while people are young. Combining gun and archery education with responsible usage is common sense. This is how we limit gun violence – whether intentional, or crimes of passion.

    The Republican party needs to provide funding (through their role as congressional and state legislators) for more gun and archery training programs, not less. This needs to start early, when minds are open and gun safety will become second nature. Hunters and gun owners who are well trained in how to use weaponry safely are a critical component of a “well regulated militia”.

    The second amendment was not inserted to protect deer or deer hunters. It was included to enable resistance to potential future imposition of bullying, intimidation, lawless behavior as well as arbitrary and capricious tyranny; foreign or domestic.”

    In case you want to share this: https://rwmalonemd.substack.com/p/on-liberty-and-a-well-regulated-militia

    Like

  31. uh….

    Daniel
    Daniel
    August 16, 2023 1:29 pm

    Are there ANY more sharks left to jump????

    Transgender ‘Muslim’ Brianna Kingsley sues boyfriend for keeping her TESTICLES in jar in his fridge https://t.co/rGSOgCENzQ pic.twitter.com/ZZoeAiwkgU

    — Daily Mail U.K. (@DailyMailUK) August 6, 2023

    Liked by 1 person

  32. “Mom was Right–Authenticity is about unlayering, and “not trying to make fetch happen” 😀
    JIMYCHANGA
    AUG 16, 2023

    “I saw this tweet this morning from author Matt Haig that I wanted to share. He says “Male suicide is the biggest killer of men under 50. It is preventable. Let’s not man up. Let’s not tough it out. Let’s find true strength instead. Let’s show our vulnerability. Let’s stop faking macho bullsh&t. Let’s change.”

    OK, it’s a tad too touchy feely even for the Changa, but I’m staying with it. I think one of the biggest challenges that men face today is the ability to stay true to themselves, and not act in the way that others expect them to. Taking all your cues from other people and society makes you a sheep and sets you up for inauthentic, suboptimal relationships, decisions, life. Instead of living a genuine life, you end up doing what society demands, unquestionably. And that can literally kill you. Everything I’ve observed the last 4 years confirms it X 1000. At the end of the day, mom had the best advice: “Just be yourself”

    But that’s easier said than done, isn’t it? The truth is that it takes enormous courage to actually be yourself in every moment. Ok, back to being awesome…”

    Liked by 1 person

  33. j x
    j x
    August 16, 2023 1:53 pm

    BREAKING: Footage of COUNTED duplicated ballots from Fulton County, Georgia from the 2020 election has been released by journalist @TalkMullins
    pic.twitter.com/bN1S37GwhX

    — Antonio Sabato Jr (@AntonioSabatoJr) August 16, 2023

    Liked by 1 person

  35. another out of control fire

    sunnydaze
    August 16, 2023 3:09 pm

    Yesterday there was a huge fire in SE France on Spanish Border, tourist area. Whole area evacuated.

    Today, Canary Islands. A month ago, Greece.

    Some scary scenes coming out of Tenerife in the Canary Islands, Spain as an out-of-control wildfire continues to grow. The fire is now exhibiting extreme fire behaviour due to very dry conditions. A mandatory evacuation is in effect for villages threatened by the wildfire. pic.twitter.com/fE6pW0TXzm

    — Nahel Belgherze (@WxNB_) August 16, 2023

    Liked by 1 person

  36. “Man, returning to that house has got to feel so lucky and so shitty at the same time… Now I would like to know who owns this house… The red house that survived Maui’s fires…”

    Liked by 1 person

  37. “There are people still wearing masks, they will gladly get in line for another shot…

    The irony of that newspaper calling itself “The Independent” is always amusing…”

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I had beans and ham….I think I’m going to try corn bread – IDT there’s any yeast in that and I’ve always loved it.

      Liked by 1 person

  42. I am adding a short daily prayer to the board. I would invite each of you, if you wish, to also add one or maybe two of your own liking. I do not want to stifle anyone but please limit yourself to one or two religious postings. here’s one I found that I liked.

    Like

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