Rebane's Ruminations

Sandbox - 29mar20

[Now that we're back to mudball fights, we should take them to a fresh sandbox.  I'm constantly amused by our lefty readers not refuting/citing the facts but simply dismissing them on the basis of their dislike of the publisher or broadcaster.  Haven't seen rightwinger dismiss what came out of Maddow simply because it came out of Maddow, who can report verifiable facts as well as the next talking head.  But some of us do take Maddow et al with a dim view when they offer their opinions and interpretations as being something more than the views from their respective perches.  gjr]

Sandbox - 15mar20

[As one reader echoed the warning to Julius - 'Beware the Ides of March!'  Lot is happening in these trying times.  I have posted 'Testing, testing, testing, ...' for the continuing discussion of the Covid-19 pandemic.  Please deposit your topical good thoughts there.  gjr]

Sandbox - 7mar20

[Just happened to visit Nevada County Voices, an info website run by our favorite climate catastrophe czarina, Dr Anna Haynes.  It appears that since the passing of Russ Steele, RR remains as the sole active 'rightwing' website in these parts.  On her resourceful site we are properly relegated to the extreme right column that is off-page, so it will not surprise and offend the more sensitive eyes of her polite company visitors (a trigger warning pointer is provided).  I continue to note over the years that Dr Haynes' political spectrum remains one-winged.  Nowhere are her voluminous lists of left-leaning sites so identified.  I suppose all of those are like our self-proclaimed centrists Bob Crabb and George Boardman - politically vanilla, untinged and untrammeled by any shade of partisanship.  We are properly put in our place.  gjr]

Sandbox - 1mar20

[Is everyone ready for Biden in the stretch run, or the coronavirus' continuing impact on the securities markets?  All of it the fault of President Trump.  gjr]

Sandbox - 18feb20

[Well, my proposal in the 12feb20 Scattershots for a new Dem candidate reader participation contest heading into the convention went over like a fart in church.  It would have been fun to see how the perceived fortunes of Super-Tuesday's survivors changed over the next few months.  Oh well, ... sigh.  gjr]

Sandbox - 13feb20

[When the smoke clears after Super-Tuesday, I wonder how many of the Dems will still be running for president - both Biden and Warren are candidates for the dear departed.  Whoulda thought?  And how will Team Pelosi put a bullet in Bernie's candidacy?  gjr]

Sandbox - 2feb20

[Lots and lots to talk about as the Dems start their post-acquittal assault on President Trump.  Go for it, I have my usual $100 bet with my east coast pal, so I'm gonna watch the Super Bowl.  gjr]

Sandbox - 23jan20

[Sure would like to hear some candidate preferences from our leftwing readers.  Seems that no one here actually has a favorite whose creds they would put on display and defend.  Probably the safest route to avoid embarrassment ;-)  gjr]

Sandbox - 16jan20

[Anyone willing to offer a guess as to the date on which the Senate will deliver its verdict?  I'll even take your MAB numbers to see who has the most accurate view of when this kabuki performance will end.  gjr]

Sandbox - 11jan20

[Many apologies for letting the last sandbox get a little soggy.  So many issues, so little time.  gjr]

Sandbox - 1jan2020

[Well, we finally made it to 2020.  Can anyone imagine that this may be the first year during which our progressive commenters discuss issues instead of arriving here to exchange ad hominems?  We continue to hope that they have the ability to do that. gjr]

Sandbox - 26dec19

[I solicit nominations for the next Democrat/lamestream Big Lie re/issued before New Year's Day that will impact the largest number of the nation's light thinkers.  The same invitation is issued to our leftwingers about Republicans.  gjr]

Sandbox - 19dec19

[Now that the impeachment kabuki has ended, the Senate trial will begin.  But before that can proceed, Pelosi will try to squeeze some more preconditions out of McConnell before forwarding the House’s articles of impeachment.  The cynical humor of the whole process goes on with Democrats continuing to accuse Republicans of unfairness along every step of the way, paying no never mind to having conducted the most blatantly partisan, unfair, and corrupt congressional circus in Congress’s long history.  But the real story is again the ever-widening chasm between what now clearly are two Americas attempting to share the same government and territory while holding diametrically opposite worldviews and objectives.  gjr]

Sandbox - 13dec19

[“But Conservos made zero, ZERO arguments regarding the constitutionality of what Trump has been doing...”  One of our liberal commenters sought to make a curious point with this statement re Trump being impeached.  There is nothing in the Constitution about a president’s ‘abuse of power’ or ‘obstruction of Congress’ – these are political charges fashioned entirely out of whole cloth by Democrats desperate to somehow cripple the president going into the 2020 election.  Therefore, ‘constitutionality’ need not even enter into any defense argument.  Just pointing out the Democrats’ political perfidy is enough to indict their motives.  gjr]

 

Sandbox - 3dec19

[From the last Sandbox I will repeat my 920am invitation.  'Paul, you guys continue going after the low-hanging fruit on Trump. Why don't you instead take on something more meaningful to Americans? - your assertions that tax rates don't affect economic behavior, or 'border walls don't work', or more regulations encourage commerce and entrepreneurial activity, or capitalism has created all the world's ills, or bigger government taking on a bigger share of the economy is better, or people are indifferent to living among others more like themselves, or ... .  There are so many things you guys believe in that you should really attempt to substantiate instead of displaying your ongoing spasms of TDS.' gjr]

Sandbox - 22nov19

[In addition to all the other issues that need to be covered, I draw your kind attention to the 22nov19 update of the most recent 'Ruminations'.  gjr]

Sandbox - 15nov19

[From the comment stream under 'America Askew' it's interesting to note that no one cares much about how California's electorate is composed.  California is not the only state that both invites and enables voting by the disenfranchised among us.  Please post your belated concerns under the referenced commentary, and your 'here's why I don't give a crap' hereunder.  gjr]

Sandbox - 8nov19

[So what's Bloomberg's entry into the Dems' presidential race going to do to the Dropout Derby?  Will there be a rush to the exits by those who can't get traction?  How will the current 'Final Four' go after the new white billionaire vying for office?  gjr]

Sandbox - 31oct19

['In life it's important to know when to stop arguing with people, and simply let them be wrong.' - an old shibboleth with conditional wisdom.  Doesn't deciding when to stop arguing also depend on who all are listening to the argument?  gjr]

Sandbox - 24oct19

[Power still out on Cement Hill with no wind, while Sonoma County burns.  Am looking for local readers' reports on the return of power.  gjr]

Sandbox - 19oct19

[Trump keeps sticking his foot in it at every turn.  Now enough crap is starting to pile up so that a significant number of Rs are starting to voice opposition.  That can mushroom in the Senate and end his administration.  Right now the immediate pile consists of 1) Ukrainian pro quids per Mulvaney, 2) Abandoning Kurds in Syria, and 3) holding the G-7 in his Doral digs.  All of which could have been avoided if someone would only tell him, 'Mr President, STFU!!'  gjr]

Sandbox - 8oct19

[On the face of it I am not in favor of withdrawing US troops from Syria, especially viz the Kurds.  My own long-stated Rebane Doctrine is that the US must continue its role as the world's white hat policeman (hegemon) using responses and methods that will evolve with needs and time.  But before we continue hyper-ventilating on the withdrawal, can someone cite the exact parameters of Trump's withdrawal announcement - e.g. is it more than pulling a few tens of troops back from the 20-mile buffer zone?  gjr]

Sandbox - 3oct19

[I did my best to remove some of the irrelevant and ad hominem comments from a couple of my topical commentaries.  Please continue posting your comments under the appropriate recent topical posts or in the Sandbox if I have not recently covered the topic of your interest.  Thanks. gjr]

Sandbox - 25sep19

[Anybody have any thoughts about a workable public policy that would sufficiently shield  PG&E so that it doesn't have to conduct its CYA power outages?  gjr]

Sandbox - 18sep19

[The Union tells us that there will be demonstrations 'Striking for the Earth' at the NC and GV city halls this Friday.  These deluded citizens have no idea that their anthropomorphized Earth doesn't give a big rat's ass about ongoing climate change.  And what still eludes these sincere but factually deficient folks is that consensus science is NOT science - discovering ground truths about our universe is NOT a democratic process.  gjr]