Rebane's Ruminations

Sandbox - 29sep23

[Sen Dianne Feinstein spent thirty years in Congress.  Her death yesterday launched an avalanche of hosannas by the lamestream for her productive life as a legislator.  However, her accomplishments as such have been few and far between, and almost all misdirected.  RIP Dianne.  gjr]

Sandbox - 14sep23

Sandbox -14sep23

[California Dems are giving ‘butt stupid’ a expanded definition with their new CCW law that prohibits law-abiding citizens to exercise their concealed carry rights in an expanded array of places that include schools, government buildings, prisons, hospitals, airports, and bars.  The criminally intent and crazies out there welcome such prohibitions which keep them safe as they carry out their plans for murder and mayhem.  It is amazing that we walk the same planet with idiots who believe such laws will reduce ‘gun violence’.  gjr]

Sandbox – 30aug23

[The chorus of financial mavens warning of the dollar’s destruction is growing.  The cost to just service our exploding national debt is unsustainable.  That means it’s growing so fast that it consumes an ever greater share of the federal budget AND the nation’s GDP.  Those people concerned with this financial collapse are advised to reinvest in gold, silver, and prominent crypto currencies.  Judging from past attempts to elicit discussion of this event, we have a very sanguine group of readers.  Quoting a famous man, “What, me worry?” gjr]

Sandbox – 17aug23

[Embracing conservatism within the ranks of the Republican Party is becoming harder by the day.  And remaining a conservetarian therein is almost impossible.  The California Repubs have issued a major retreat call to their members.  They have announced the next capitulation from their party platform that is yet another “humiliation the more than 5 million registered Republicans still living behind enemy lines in the Golden State probably weren’t expecting, (and which) is an additional stab in the back from their own party. The California Republican Party recently released its regularly scheduled updates to the party platform (here), and, given the content of the changes, voters could be forgiven for mistaking it for the Democratic platform from a couple decades ago.” gjr]

Sandbox – 5aug23

[Can anyone give a cogent reason why Trump is being prosecuted for speaking openly against the validity of the 2022 election that put Joe Biden in the White House?  All the man did was exercise his 1A rights, and that included asking Georgia’s governor to review his state’s vote count to see if he could come up with more Trump votes.  He blackmailed no one; he threatened no one; he just gave lip service to his opinions and beliefs to see if there was any legal and non-violent way he could change the outcome of the election.  According to our Constitution anyone can do that, and Democrats have already demonstrated that such opposition to election outcomes are perfectly legal.  gjr]

Sandbox – 20jul23

[Here’s the latest goings on in our idiot nation.  The leftwing lamestream media are cancelling Jason Aldean’s ‘Try that in a small town’ song that he recorded in front of the Maury County courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee.  Why?  Because they claim people are outraged by the song’s lyrics protesting progressive riots and criminality in general, and the choice of its venue as having been where a black man was lynched in the 1920s.  Those outraged come from the eternally ignorant cohort of Americans who couldn’t identify the Atlantic Ocean on a world map, but somehow know such historical esoteria connected with an obscure mid-western courthouse.  gjr]

Sandbox – 6jul23

[Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson of SCOTUS has confirmed that her career advancements have been based on ‘Section 8’ promotions.  Her dissent from last week's ruling against racial preferences in college admissions demonstrates both her gullibility and overall ignorance (terminally innumerate).  In there she argues for benefits of diversity in education, and presents a preposterous example of black infant survival rates under black physicians (here).  It reminds me of the congressman, a few years back, who warned of a Pacific island with a military base on it tipping over because we were stationing too many troops there.  Talk about our republic suffering its slings and arrows from elected officials and promoted bureaucrats.  gjr]

Sandbox – 20jun23

[Public service information – The most recent edition of modern strategy makers was just published.  The New Makers of Modern Strategy (2023, Princeton University Press) follows the second edition (1986) of collected writings on transnational strategies that was launched with its first edition in 1943.  The collected essays by history’s notables range in time from 4,000 BC to the present.  Heavy emphasis is on thoughts of 20^th century world leaders and luminaries.  The 1,100+ page tome is edited by Hal Brands and put out through the auspices of the Henry Kissinger Center for Global Affairs.  In its various editions Makers continues to be the handbook for analyzing, understanding, and formulating the strategies of empires and sovereign nation states.  The contributions from Sun-Zi through Mao Zedong are classics which bear on decisions made today on the national objectives and conduct of military, economic, trade, etc strategies.  The book reads well and its heft promotes maintenance of upper body strength for the diligent reader.  gjr]

Sandbox – 28may23

[KIA – War Between States 620,000; WW2 405,399; WW1 116,516; Vietnam War 58,209; Korean War 36,516; American Revolution 25,000; War of 1812 20,000; Mexican-American War 13,283; War on Terror 7,075; Spanish-American War 2,446 (more here).  For what did all these Americans put on a uniform and die?  gjr]

Sandbox – 11may23

[According to recent surveys 49% of Americans find socialism to be an acceptable way to organize society, including the United States.  The nation’s Left, led by the patently corrupt Democratic Party, has taken over our country’s educational institutions.  With the advent of woke, DEI, critical race theory, and other harbingers of neo-Marxism, there is no more effective resistance in the land against an advancing collectivist tyranny.  The Right’s opposition, led by the Republican Party, consists of toothless self-satisfied organizations happy to repeat the same pabulum commentaries to their shrinking flocks.  gjr]

Sandbox – 30apr23

[So now outfits that collect and search internet content want to start charging AI companies that make chatbots for the data they use to train their LLMs.  Companies like Google and Amazon get this data for ‘free’ – actually, what it costs them to scrape it from the web – as it is provided also for free by billions of online consumers.  The conundrum is that the very large data repositories don’t want to drive away the AI-based search engines by making their training datasets too expensive.  Until now the whole purpose of those freely accessible datasets has been to have third-party search results point to the data that the Googles and Amazons make available.  And since it costs tens of millions of dollars in power and processing time to make a functioning LLM, everyone involved already has skin in the game.  If it ain’t broke, … .  gjr]

Sandbox – 20apr23

[In updating the government’s butt stupid department, we witnessed today a major speech by SecTreas Janet Yellen assuring the Red Chinese that that US has no intention in surpassing them in international trade and economic progress, let alone outcompeting them in military matters.  Then for what in hell are these people getting paid??  gjr]

Sandbox – 6apr23

[Good news department.  It turns out that if you drink both modestly and regularly, then all kinds of health benefits can accrue to you.  For most men that means no more than two drinks (wine, beer, whiskey) a day, and no more than one drink a day for women – a drink contains about 12-14 grams of alcohol.  Hallelujah!  (More here) gjr]

Sandbox – 22mar23

[Happy Spring!  If Trump is indicted and his trial starts going badly toward conviction, would that induce other Repubs not to throw their hats in the ring?  If so, Trump would be the hands down favorite for Republican nominee.  So if the Dems really want to run against Trump, would they not, as a tactic, want throw their case against Trump under the bus?  gjr]

Sandbox - 5mar23

[Apologies for the delay of new sand.  My malady is definitely slowing things down on RR, and I appreciate your continued hearty participation and patience.  gjr]

Sandbox - 19feb23

[Here's an interesting backlash from the more conservative faction of our nation's youth reacting to the nation's woke tsunami. (here) "'Asbury Revival' marathon worship enters 10th day, similar services grow on other college campuse."  And then take a look at what is happening with the recertification kerfuffle of the University of North Caroling, Chapel Hill as the school attempts to augment its curriculum with actual mainline courses that the Left opposes. (here) Light at the end of the tunnel? gjr]

Sandbox - 1feb23

[About time for fresh sand.   Please note the new Trump post for things Trump related.  Thanks. gjr]

Sandbox – 1jan23

[Well, Happy 2023 everyone and we might as well start the new year off with a fresh sandbox.  In the 19dec22 Sandbox Mr scenes offered an intriguing suggestion (830am) in an attempt to eliminate the detritus of TDS and things gratuitously Trump from continually contaminating practically every other topic with yet another boring lap around the Trump barn.  He suggested that RR add a Trump category and restrict posting of Trump-centric comments to that category.  I envision it being structured like the Sandbox with dated, and perhaps even topical, labels so that the comment streams don’t become too long.  I need to noodle on this and invite readers’ ideas about how it would work.  gjr]

Sandbox – 19dec22

[A continuing miss to Fox and other conservative outlets for not bringing up and highlighting daily ‘the border is secure’ lies of the anti-American Biden administration and presidency.  No president in our history has purposely or otherwise done so much damage to our republic as has this functional idiot in the White House.  gjr]

Sandbox – 5dec22

[Much appreciation for the concern shown by commenters to our pace of Covid recovery.  We have discovered for ourselves that all the stories about how it drains you of energy, and the time it takes to get back to normal are true in spades.  We felt the symptoms and tested positive on 21 November and got over the low point three days later.  But since then it’s been a real drag – every chore that requires moving your butt drains you.  Yesterday morning we did a big grocery shopping which laid us low.  Afternoon nappy-poos are a must.  This morning I tried a turn on the treadmill at half speed; could only last 15 minutes.  But we do sense that day by day we’re getting better; if we could only pick up the pace a little.  gjr]

Sandbox – 30nov22

[All the evidence for impeaching that lying SOS Alejandro Mayorkas applies doubly against Bumblebrain.  It was he who directed his DHS to open the border, let in millions of illegals, including criminals and terrorists of every stripe, fentanyl that has killed hundreds of thousands, and devastated our border cities.  Typically, the Republicans will be blowing it again if they ignore the main event and focus on the low grade ore instead.  Better yet, impeach them both - Mayorkas for following an unconstitutional and illegal order from the President to keep the border open while lying to the American people.  gjr]

Sandbox - 10nov22

[People who debate whether the glass if half empty or half full miss the point.  The glass is refillable.  A verity cherished by the Right and missed by the Left.  gjr]

Sandbox – 25oct22

[Has any reader witnessed an administration that in two years has managed to be so incompetent, corrupt, and spewing so many material lies per day?  Every commentator of conservative and libertarian persuasion has now written several articles listing in detail the Biden administrations atrocious handling of the economy, energy, crime, border, public education, drugs, foreign policy, … .  Can anyone mention ONE THING that they have gotten right?  And to cover it all up before 8 November, they and their lamestream are telling their dumber-than-doorknob constituents that everything is just hunky-dory, the country has never been better.  And to put a ribbon on it, half of America believes that horseshit.  gjr]

Sandbox – 8oct22

[In my considered opinion (nothing humble about it), more than on any proffered policy or politician, the upcoming election will be a referendum on the ability of the American electorate to govern itself.  Historically, the choices have never been more clear in which diametrically opposite way the wisdom of this crowd will choose for the country.  ‘A republic if we can keep it.’  gjr

Sandbox – 22sep22

[Bumblebrain’s foreign policy bungling and catastrophes have boosted the fortunes of America’s enemies who have now organized themselves into the Shanghai Cooperation Organization of Asian nations, anchored by China and Russia with India and Pakistan already ensconced, Iran ready to step aboard, and Erdogan working to bring Turkey into the fold.  The SCO promises to become China’s answer to NATO and support its Belt and Road advances into the Middle East and Africa.  While the US continues tangled up in its political nightmare, Team Biden knows as much about this as it does about our "secure" southern border. (more here)  gjr]