In recent days, speaking events by Donald Trump and Joe Biden have been interrupted with honking sounds. President Trump interpreted this as passing truckdrivers showing support for him, while Joe Biden interpreted the honking as geese who heard his speech and were "cheering for him," which may be yet another reason to give Joe stronger meds. But in both cases, the candidates were just trying to assign some sense to noise. And that's how we feel about almost everything at the moment.
Actual information is still pretty easy to spot. Which is how we can tell that we're not getting much of it these days. Instead, we get noise. There is no salient point related to Covid19 on which those who should be in the know agree. Not about masks, quarantines, methods of transmission, medications, or anything else. Just noise.
Flynn? Obamagate? Impeachment 2.0? Wake us when something meaningful happens, because right now (and especially since Barr declared that he doesn't even expect Obama to be investigated) it's all just more damn noise. Get back to us when instead of the usual churn, there's real action to bring the Usual Suspects to something like real justice. Until then, well, just STFU.
As if it wasn't already painfully obvious, here at Stilton's Place we're really starting to feel the stress of the extended Covid19 crisis. There's only so long you can put up with wondering if you're risking your life going to the grocery store, wondering what will become of the country and your child's future, or watching in disbelief as the Fed prints and pumps money directly into the pockets of the richest bastards in this country (every cent of which will come out of your pocket and mine).
And all while wondering if the trillions upon trillions in expenditures flying out of Pelosi's cosmetically enhanced poop-hole will lock in our (idiot) nation's growing embrace of socialism (polls suggest that entirely too many people are tickled pinko by their "all pay, no work" checks).
Meanwhile Venezuela-style hyper-inflation may be heading our way, to stealthily steal the value of every dollar you've ever earned and saved. McDonald's "value menu" items will start at a million dollars, and they won't even offer the Happy Meal anymore because no one will be able to afford an actual meal, and no one will have any memory of what "happy" meant.
So with this daily level of background stress, we're backing ever farther away from the pointless but aggravating claptrap and honking sounds in the news. At a moment in time in which we all need to find ways to keep our cool, all of this noise annoys.
BONUS: RELAX RIGHT NOW!
We didn't create this soothing meditation video (and SO wish we had), but it's far and away the best one we've encountered. Somehow, it really speaks to us. So take several deep, calming breaths, and just let this wisdom wash over you for a few minutes. For enhanced relaxation, every time you see a wave break, take a sip of Clan MacGregor...
36 comments:
"the three ring shit show that is your life"
I now know I'm not alone with my feelings, but I'm still more depressed than Death Valley.
Remember the pandemic from 1968? The unmentioned pandemic of 1968 that no one remembers?
Over 100k Americans dead, over a million dead world wide and even LBJ got it. The one in 1957 was worse that that. I was too young to remember the '57 pandemic but I was in high school for the one in '68 and I never heard of it. It seems the msm never heard of it either.
I've never worried about the flu before, I have been getting a flu short every year since the early 80's (It was required if the Coast Guard) and I haven't gotten the flu.
I have been caught up in this one but with all the publicity and 24/7 coverage it's almost impossible not too (they are good at selling anything)...then I read about the pandemic in 1968.
I'm 67, my grandson is on chemo, I heard all the propaganda and "flattening the curve" sounded good to me.
Now after reading the history, watching it go from "flatting the curve" to something else entirely my view of what IS being done has changed. I'm being careful (I have personal reasons) but it is another flu and the flu comes around every fall.
Good luck!
Would've been nice to hear what the person was saying in the vid, but when I turned it up the background noise made it impossible, and hurt my ears, lol.
Stilt,
If all the BS of the last few months was real manure, we could fertilize the earth and feed us all for years to come.
Your Place is one of the few refuges from a world gone mad and I welcome it more than a fifth of 23 year old Pappy van Winkle reserve ...... or at least as much!
Thank you for making us laugh and helping guide our way through Hell!
Your Red Pill moment in a Blue Pill world
"No negative vibes, man." - Oddball
I've been using that meditation video for about 3 years now. Mostly because of work.
I. Love. This.
When are we getting our Popeye Moment?
It helps to: (a) Fire the rim-fire rifles at a set of targets designed for changing range, partial views, vertical angles and short-range metallic Silhouette; plus paper, wood or aluminum-plate targets (both stationary & moving) for situational practice. Same goes for handguns: Practice situations with the rim-fires. Keep the louder ones ready. (b) Check periodically (usually one cold shot before deer season to check sighting on the center-fires will save on ammo costs overall. A good 5 shot group is fun; but when that first cold shot at some distance nicks the Center X or hits at the expected drop; the rifle is well-prepared. Go to an accuracy range on a particularly windy day for a real eye-opener. (c) Then a few rounds of Skeet for good measure. Keep logs. I don't do this all the time but when busy or distracted by life it's easy to neglect to do any of it. I don't know where all this BS is going and hope to just live mine out in peace... but I'm not afraid of any future either. The "correctness" lines may be blurred elsewhere, but not here.
Like a dutiful little drone, I heeded all the warnings and mandates. The fear was put into me which is precisely what they wanted. I don't blame President Trump as he was listening to what he thought were the finest minds on the subject. Turns out they were not telling the truth. I don't know if they intentionally lied but the models they predicted turned out to be utterly wrong. Since then, it has devolved into something quite different. The wannabe totalitarians have used this crisis to become the tyrants they always wanted to be. The goalpost has been moved so many times, it's on the verge of collapse. I have been dutifully wearing my mask in public but then I read that it is harmful to wear masks if you already have lung disease (I have COPD). Bottom line, I find it extremely difficult to believe any damned thing I hear. The only thing I care about is Trump being reelected and the House majority being retaken. If those things don't happen, our future will be bleak and that's putting it mildly.
@Shelly- Pretty much sums up my thoughts as well. However it started in CHINA (a big FU to bitch Kamala Harris), however well intention-ed the president's advisors were or weren't, whatever the motives of anyone.....this shit show has to stop and stop NOW.
The collateral medical and financial damage is piling up and tens of millions of lives will be ruined. The totalitarians have their boots on our necks and have no intention of letting us up.
In these difficult times
We are all in this together
Stay safe until we reach
The new normal
AAARRRGGGGHHHH
@Shelly: I agree too; very well said. This will be an historic year in the USA due to our upcoming election; one way or the other. And maybe in the world.
Three-ring shit-show - that's a kind assessment of the current situation. I can't seem to wrap my head around the daily diarrhea coming from any source you can name. Never saw more anal sphincters in my life (and I'm not even a proctologist!). Masks are out of the question for me. If that makes anyone scared of me, good. Stay the hell away from me and we'll get along just fine.
Settled in to catch my daily dose of lunch-time game show drivel, only to be interrupted by Mayor Muriel Bow-Wow-Wowser in DC splaffing her version of the latest verbal diarrhea all over the camera lens. It wasn't too many decades ago that the intellectually challenged were sterilized for the good of humanity. Maybe that program deserves a second look.
@Anonymous
So perhaps a bit of "bragging", although it ain't brag if it is fact. In several decades of adult life I have practiced and honed my skill with certain "tools" until I can use them as a second nature. I can place a grouping of .25-06 rounds that I can cover with a fifty cent piece. That round only drops 3" at 600 yards. I can place three rounds of .45 ACP in a groping that can be covered with a silver dollar. With tools in the .45 ACP, .25-06, .300 Win. Mag., .30-30, .45-70 and a few other assorted "tools" with a plentiful supply of projectiles for each if the SHTF I feel comfortable that I can defend myself and others who may need some assistance. I hit what I aim at as surely and naturally as I do not miss my open mouth with a forkful of food at suppertime.
I don't think Barr would tip his hand early. The investigation will lead to Obama. He will not go to jail, but perhaps (hopefully) into an unofficial exile.
Investigating Obama: There was never likely to be a formal investigation for the simple reason that historically we do not prosecute former chief executives once they are out of office for the sake of moving on. (However, I would not be surprised if some Democrats propose doing so to Trump at some point after January 2025) Doing so would be considered little more than a political prosecution. The fact that Obama's legacy has been laid bare so quickly after his retirement should be more than enough. However, I do believe that Obama's acolytes should be investigated and charged as appropriate. Somehow, I don't have high hopes of that ever happening either.
Stress? Unquestionably: Where we live, there have been remarkably few cases and far fewer deaths. (In fact, we are near the bottom for deaths-per-capita) However, I'm not convinced that we will remain so blessed indefinitely; Thanks to an influx of out-of-staters (from urban California) we've got a new cluster in a community near us, and most of those people in that community come to our community to shop. A conversation with a friend who is a RN working with our county health department yesterday was not reassuring. Just as our state is "opening up", we may in fact be getting the mass infection that we didn't get two months ago when it was spreading in the more urban states. As as we are now entering our summer season, we're about to get inundated with urban tourists anxious to escape their Progressive meccas. It's going to be an interesting summer. Hopefully dry, sunny summer weather and being spread out will contain the spread to a manageable degree.
So we will be keeping a low profile for the time being.
Economically, Mrs. Econ and myself consider ourselves incredibly blessed; As we both already work from home, for the most part our daily lives have not changed all that much beyond cutting off all in-person social activity and limiting errands in town and grocery shopping from a couple of times a week to once every two weeks or so. For the moment, Mrs. Econ's job is relatively secure. My business has been remarkably consistent; I have some clients who have had little effect, some that are hurting, a couple that may not make it, and a few others that are actually thriving. So it's all averaged out. We're clearly better off than those who have been furloughed or simply laid off. But we can't assume that will remain the case indefinitely, especially if the economy is prevented from resuming freely. Sooner or later even we will feel the effects of this, either through a layoff for Mrs. Econ or slowing work for me.
And as @Stilton mentions above, inflation is inevitable. (We're already starting to see it at the grocery store) You simply cannot print this many trillions of dollars to give to people to spend without a corresponding increase in economic production without it showing up at the consumer level.
Inflation punishes "the poor" far more brutally than it does "the rich". The "poor" have nowhere to hide from inflation; they already spend well over 100% of their income on goods and services. The "rich", on the other hand are able to somewhat shield themselves from inflation by investing their surplus income in assets that appreciate closer to the rate of inflation.
So as the Democrats discuss taxes to supposedly pay for all this, what will really happen is that the classes of people that Progressives claim they will never raise their taxes on will in fact already be getting the biggest massive tax increase. The only upside is that inflation is a far more "fair" and broadly applied tax than anything Congress is able to conceive anymore.
Happy Memorial Day!
Try to make lemonaide of lemons: We're pretty serious about trying to avoid COVID19 until better able to forget-about-it via vaccine(?), discovered immunity, or at least better handle it. But meanwhile it's a fine excuse for not getting involved in things when really not interested. It's the things we LIKE that are the bummers; must mitigate that.
Meanwhile the rules for some Public Health Orders are often silly, inconsistent, changing, or ignored. They give zealots something to bitch & raise hell about, or to enjoy their new authority while they can; meanwhile one still has to avoid complete P.H. idiots anyway.
We would not be seeing a lot of this were it not a desperate election year for some. It's all they have. Well: Pandemic and Election cheating. I think THAT's what they're up to while we are distracted.
As another American who would LOVE to see Barack Hussein frog-marched into a permanent cellular home, I sadly doubt it will happen. AG Barr would have to prove to a DC jury, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the smug, self-righteous, communist, Muslim-loving SCOAMF (had to bring that one out of retirement) actually broke a law. I don't know if there is a law against what the scumbag did, but even if there were, he wouldn't be convicted by any jury in DC. There would have to be a change of venue for that to occur and the Demo_Rats would fight that to their last breaths. Which lots of us would be happy to help them with....
@Cowboy, what bullet are you using that only drops 3" at 600 yards? I only have an old Hornady manual with their ballistic tables as a source, but unless you've got a barrel-burnin' muzzle velocity and a 575-yard zero, I can't see only 3" of drop at that distance. Of course, I can't even see 600 yards, so I'm definitely not an expert. Just curious here.
@ JustaJeepGuy
I was wrong. Not the first time, and certainly won't be the last. I do use an 85 grain bullet in front of 60 grains powder though. It does seem very flat shooting. True story; antelope hunting a few years ago I aimed just a bit high for what I thought to be a heart shot a LONG ways out. Took the shot and the antelope went down like dropping a hot rock. Got to it to field dress it and the bullet had cut the spine just behind the shoulder. The .25-06 is an excellent choice for antelope and deer in the open, though useless in brush or trees.
Four words I never want to hear............Social Distancing and New Normal.
It took several days to calm down after going grocery shopping. My trip was short, I needed only a few items so I wasn't in the store very long. I was the only one without a mask. I saw several shoppers were going to say something then thought better of it (smart move). I saw that when I was head to head with another shopper, that from a distance of 10 or twenty feet, they lurched to the side. As if there is a cloud of contamination hovering over me.
But it made shopping a breeze. I had the entire 50 foot long diary case to myself, as example. I looked around and saw shoppers staring at me as they huddled waiting for me to leave the area. The checkout was a barrel of monkeys. An actual employee (like the one you can't find to open a 3rd register because the line is to the back of the store) stood motionless, her only job was to direct people where to stand and when they can advance to the register. I side stepped their tom foolery which no one thought considerate of me. But none dared to, you know, actually say anything.
What pissed me off to no end is apparently these are my fellow citizens yet they have been so easily cowed into submission.
Totally
Unknown:
My experience mirrors yours, but in my case it has been going on for years. Just another advantage to having a severe case of halitosis.
I have to admit to mostly shopping without a mask, but use gloves when I have them. I have asthma, not horrendously severe but my breathing can be labored when conditions are right. My asthma is triggered by allergies which seem to be severe this year, though my rescue inhaler does seem to be all I have needed aside from heavy doses of allergy meds (3). I know I should wear one, but going around a store dizzy when I can't breathe is the hardest thing in the world. Frankly it seems to be about 50/50 here in OKC as to who does or doesn't wear a mask, and most people seem to try to keep a distance. It does make shopping easier when people aren't in stores for entertainment, which seemed to be the norm before all the brouhaha started up!
I don't know how that comment above came out as anonymous, I'm not, lol. (mamafrog) My computer had a spasm today and promptly signed me out of all my accounts, probably because it wants me to upgrade to 10 from windless 7.
Cowboy. We had big thunderstorms last night, but dawned bright this morning. I went solo to the range and took my H&R break open single shot .45-70. At 100 hundred yards I can still hit the 10 inch steel disc with open sights. Not bad for a certified fossil. 72 in August. I used Black Hills 405 grain. I love to shoot it and still have time to raise my head and see the bullet hit and then hear the thwack. The bullet is almost as slow as I am. What fun!
I'm concern about a story on Fox News "Most states sharing coronavirus patients' addresses with law enforcement, report says" https://www.foxnews.com/us/states-sharing-coronavirus-patients-addresses-with-law-enforcement
But I wonder if they are keeping the DNA profiles they happen to get. I'll bet the FEDS would love to have us all on that data base.
Another question is have they closed any Mosques or Synagogues? If they did close them, are their members protesting? Why isn't it covered on the news either way?
@Sortawhitte: For us Old Farts that's decent shooting with open sights. I thought I had invented a trick with open rifle sights which turns out to be known & not uncommon; and that's an indication of too much social isolation over a long term. I use a leather punch for small size but "clean" hole in electrical tape, then put that little patch on my glasses. It serves as a pretty good "peep" and brings the rear open sight into focus. Nowadays I would have to use that trick to make a 100 yd shot with open sights AND probably prone position. But then must have have good light to see the target with that peep; not so good for hunting. The good folks at Weaver, Leopold et al had a much better idea about rifle sights.
@Sortahwitte- Together, we'll get through this. Just like the soccer team in the Andes who eventually ate each other.
@Rob- I agree with almost everything you said, with the exception that Covid19 really isn't another flu. It's more bad-ass and needs to be handled with care. That being said, you're right that what began as "flattening the curve" has turned into something different and unsustainable. Little dictators have been mainlining power, and they've become addicts.
@mamafrog- Sorry the audio didn't work well for you. Take care of those ears!
@Fritzchen- Believe me, I benefit more than anyone else from having this blog and the community of friends!
@Bobo the Hobo- If only those pills weren't suppositories...
@OpenTheDoor- Yeah! Reality is really harshing my buzz, y'know?!
@Jeff- Yeah, work will do that to you. If I recall correctly...
@Julie Mac- So do I!
@M. Mitchell Marmel- "That's all I can stands, I can't stands no more!"
@Anonymous- Sounds like you're well skilled on the range. I would have said "at home on the range," but then I'd be singing a cowboy song.
@Shelly- A lot of what we did was the right thing to do at the time, and continuing to take reasonable precautions is not only a good idea, it's a necessary one. In general, the stories about masks being potentially harmful are complete bullshit (pardon my french), although I don't specifically know in the case of COPD. A true N95 mask can make it a bit harder to breathe, but a lesser mask or cloth face covering shouldn't impair breathing (although those masks also don't protect YOU - they protect others from you). You're absolutely right about this becoming a totalitarian holiday for those on the Left. The feel like they can finally force socialism and authoritarianism on us the way they've always wanted to...and the outcome of their efforts is still unclear. Spooky times.
@TrickyRicky- I completely agree.
@Rod- There hasn't been a more important election in my lifetime, and this one sounds like it's going to be prey to all sorts of mischief. Is it too soon to say "yikes?"
@Jim Irre- I still encourage the use of masks (especially if, like me, you're in close contact with "at risk" persons), though it sounds like you've got your social distancing strategy in place (grin). Regarding the "news," it's gotten to the point where I can watch very little (and carefully selected). The curtains have been well and truly opened, and the manipulation of our lives and perceptions couldn't be clearer.
@American Cowboy- It's official; come the revolution, I'm on your side!
@Linda Lee- That's a wonderful thought and I hope you're right.
@John the Econ- I agree about the prosecution of Barry being unlikely, but is precedent really enough excuse. Let's just say that a former president flat out participates in a failed coup attempt - Hell, just for argument's sake, let's say there was some shooting involved. Would that president STILL get a free pass because of precedent? Considering the likelihood that the Dems won't stop persecuting Trump when he's eventually out of office, I don't see a downside to prosecution of Obama if the evidence warrants it.
I worry about what we're going to see as America "opens up." Yes, there's an economic/social necessity, but medically speaking I think we're going to see skyrocketing body counts. Of course, I hope I'm wrong.
And good summary of what inflation does to everyone except the rich. The current economic policy does nothing other than to allocate all the lifeboats to the first-class passengers, leaving everyone else to eventually drown.
@Rod- Good comment. You've nicely summed up the perfect storm we're in.
@JustaJeepGuy- I don't think we'll ever see justice for the worst culprits in Washington. The fix is already in, and everyone in Washington knows how to play the game.
@American Cowboy- I've got nothing to add to this impressive marksmanship talk. I'm the nervous guy standing around in a glowing orange vest. (grin)
@Judi King- I don't want to hear them, but I think they'll be with us for awhile.
@Unknown (or is your moniker "Totally"?)- We'll have to agree to disagree on this one. Owing to asymptomatic transmission, neither you nor anyone else knows that they don't have a cloud of contamination hovering over them. I wear a mask in public, and don't think of it as "submission" in any way - simply courtesy and concern for others using the best, albeit incomplete, information currently available. Sadly, there's so much pure bullshit floating around out there that I can understand how divisive the subject of masks has become.
@Boligat- I've actually wondered if eating raw garlic cloves might help assure social distancing...
@Mamafrog- I have no doubt that it's harder for some people to wear masks than others. When wearing an N95 mask, I find that one of the biggest impediments to breathing is actually my sense of claustrophobia. If I can keep calm, then breathing isn't too bad. And here in my neck of the woods (north Texas), I'd say about 70% of shoppers are wearing masks or bandanas.
@Sortahwitte- This seems like a good place for me to say something manly about firearms. Uh...bang?
@Joseph ET- Good questions and real concerns.
@Rod- That sounds like a good tip! Now all I need to try it out is a rifle and a leather punch (I've already got the "old fart" thing handled)!
So, @Cowboy, @Sortahwitte, and @Rod, I am going to guess that you're all W-A-A-A-Y better shots than I. Partly because my eyes are so bad and partly because I'm just a bad shot. I just don't get to practice enough, too.
I will also add that I once found out that a .22 LR will kill a prairie dog at 250 good paces. I didn't make the shot--a bud did--but I paced it off. I was impressed.
@Just A Jeep guy: Indeed 22 Long Rifle is no joke within reasonable short range. Ask any old mafia hit man. With precise placement it's pretty good. And .22 Magnum is a potent load. I just miss the days in youth when every hardware store, marina, gun shop & many other general store had plenty of them for ~ 50 cents for a box of 50. 1 cent a round! If you want a fun time go try Short Range Metallic Silhouette [look it up] with 4 different ranges and varied steel plate animal targets of scaled size: Chicken, Turkey Pig, & Ram which is out at 100 Meters or Yards. Officially it's for off-hand (standing) position but screw that; use prone if you need to for casual shooting. At 100 yards: BANG... (short pause)... CLANG. Much fun.
I could see this Wuhan Virus hoopla lasting right up to the election. If so, it will be interesting to see how quickly the media goes silent on it once the results are in.
@Robby,
The media will go silent if a Demo_Rat wins the election. If President Trump is re-elected, they'll never shut up about the Wuhan virus.
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