Frank Sinatra - Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow

This is The Queen Of The World's and my first winter in Florida.  But even here is not safe from the grip of the Arctic blast.  Why, tonight it's going to get down to 52° and the high tomorrow won't make it into the 60s.  I expect to see parkas everywhere.  So here's a Florida christmas carol ...

Quote of the Day - Class Warfare edition

 I Want A New Left hits the nail on the head about our worthless so-called "elite":

When the elites in a country prefer the poor people from other countries to the ones in their own country, that is bad news for their poor. Who else is going to help them other than their own elites? No one else is going to help America’s poor, if America’s own elites won’t do so. Will Canada’s elites help our poor? Britain’s? Germany’s? China’s? Mexico’s? None of these countries’ elites have the slightest reason to help our poor.

Quite frankly, Trump's 2016 election is nicely summed up by this.

What deer rifle for an old hunter?

 Friend of the Blog Tim Wholer is getting into deer hunting now that he is retired.  He has been borrowing a rifle which is obviously less than ideal.  He is looking for advice on what to look for in a deer rifle and I expect that more than a couple of you will have some good advice.  

His post has a picture of the terrain from his tree stand.  It looks wooded, with a fair amount of brush (i.e. no 300 yard shots).

He also has a very interesting question that some of you might have grappled with as well:

It's my hearing that is the problem.

My sons tell me that they generally hear the critters before they see them.  Well, other than the deer that must have nearly crashed into my tree ten minutes before shooting hours started on the Opener (and Lordy that musta been one big, clumsy deer) I pretty much never heard the deer coming.

Now, I do have hearing aides.  These were grudgingly accepted a couple of years back when my Better Half put forth the unanswerable argument that I did not want to miss anything the grand children said.  They are really sophisticated, I can adjust setting from my phone for instance.  But they are also:  A: expensive and B: designed to pick up higher frequency sounds.  Small, delightful child's voices.  Also spousal voices, as it's best not to wait until things are repeated at a volume or in a tone of voice that cannot be missed.

I tried hunting without them, worried that anything lost in the woods would never be found.  I tried hunting with them.  I even tweaked the settings.  There's an outdoor mode.  There are options for volume...crank that up.  And for speech discrimination....crank that down.  But I still can't say I reliably heard the deer. Oh, one or two times I had a dim perception of "something", but that was usually about two seconds before I saw the insolent white tail flashing as the deer ran off.  Really, it's like a stylish middle finger.  

Mostly I heard everything else.  Leaves rustling.  Squirrels and small mice cavorting.  A scratchy noise every time my jacket moved against the tree bark.  And at my age every pivot of my neck beyond about 30 degrees causes a crackling noise that sounds like several large deer rolling around in a pile of dry sticks.

If you have any advice or experiences to share, drop by his blog and leave a comment.

St. Ambrose - Veni Redemptor Genitum

St. Ambrose is often described as one of the four Latin Doctors of the Church*, influential theologians who established the foundations of the church in the fourth century.  Unlike his compatriot Doctors, Ambrose was a most unusual saint.  He was the Roman governor of the province around Milan when he (kind of accidentally) became bishop of Milan.  He was quite popular as Governor and when the crowd was beginning to get rowdy debating who would become the next bishop, someone called out his name as a suggestion.  Suddenly it was a done deal.

Except there was this little problem: not only was Ambrose not a priest, he wasn't even baptized as a Christian.  The crowd wasn't about to let minor issues like that stand between them and their new bishop.  So Governor Aurelius Ambrosius became Bishop Ambrose.

He was a force to be reckoned with, even excommunicating Emperor Theodosius the Great (I think that this was the first time this had ever happened).

He also composed the first Christmas Carol, Veni Redemptor Genitum (Come, Redeemer of the Nations).  It is still performed today, 1650 years later.

Latin:

Veni, redemptor gentium;
ostende partum Virginis;
miretur omne saeculum:
talis decet partus Deum. 

English translation:
Come, Redeemer of the nations;
show forth the Virgin birth;
let every age marvel:
such a birth befits God.

Now the Christmas season is upon us.  It seemed right to start our annual christmas music posts with the very first Christmas carol.

* The others are St. Jerome, St. Augustine, and St. Gregory the Great.  It was sort of a Murderer's Row lineup of the early Church batting order.

After that it got pretty strange ...

Happy Thanksgiving to our readers in the New World  (southern) Colonies (offer void in Canada, as you've already had your Thanksgiving holiday).  This is the quintessential American holiday; quite frankly, you won't find a more American holiday.  Infused with our national DNA, this is a day that the Fed.Gov tells you to give thanks for whatever you want.  And that's where it gets pretty strange, at least when you try to explain things to non-Americans.

Non-American: So this is a holiday?

American: Yup.

Non-American: What's the deal where the Government gives you a day off?

American: It's for us to be thankful.

Non-American: The Government tells you to be thankful?  About what?

American: Whatever you want.

After that, it gets pretty strange, in a very American way.  What are you grateful for?  Well, it's your choice - nobody will tell you what to give thanks for.  Even in this degraded age of Social Justice, nobody will tell you where your gratitude should be directed.

It's also a day for fun.  This is one of the classic episodes - dare I use the much desired adjective seminal? - of all American TV.  It is hilarious for American audiences, and yet might take some explaining for overseas folks.

That's just the set-up, of course.  The concluding line qualifies for the much desired adjective iconic:

After that it got pretty strange.

The newspaper humorist Art Buchwald bought a one-way ticket to Paris in 1948.  In the 1960s he wrote the following, to explain Thanksgiving to a French audience.  It's very funny, but funny in a way that offers surprising depth.  The local paper would publish this every year, and Dad (a scholar of Franco-American history) would laugh and laugh, every year.  You see, Dad appreciated the unexpected depth that showed through the fractured French:

This confidential column was leaked to me by a high government official in the Plymouth colony on the condition that I not reveal his name.

One of our most important holidays is Thanksgiving Day, known in France as le Jour de Merci Donnant .

Le Jour de Merci Donnant was first started by a group of Pilgrims ( Pelerins ) who fled from l'Angleterre before the McCarran Act to found a colony in the New World ( le Nouveau Monde ) where they could shoot Indians ( les Peaux-Rouges ) and eat turkey ( dinde ) to their hearts' content.

They landed at a place called Plymouth (now a famous voiture Americaine ) in a wooden sailing ship called the Mayflower (or Fleur de Mai ) in 1620. But while the Pelerins were killing the dindes, the Peaux-Rouges were killing the Pelerins, and there were several hard winters ahead for both of them. The only way the Peaux-Rouges helped the Pelerins was when they taught them to grow corn ( mais ). The reason they did this was because they liked corn with their Pelerins.

In 1623, after another harsh year, the Pelerins' crops were so good that they decided to have a celebration and give thanks because more mais was raised by the Pelerins than Pelerins were killed by Peaux-Rouges.

Every year on the Jour de Merci Donnant, parents tell their children an amusing story about the first celebration.

It concerns a brave capitaine named Miles Standish (known in France as Kilometres Deboutish) and a young, shy lieutenant named Jean Alden. Both of them were in love with a flower of Plymouth called Priscilla Mullens (no translation). The vieux capitaine said to the jeune lieutenant :

"Go to the damsel Priscilla ( allez tres vite chez Priscilla), the loveliest maiden of Plymouth ( la plus jolie demoiselle de Plymouth). Say that a blunt old captain, a man not of words but of action ( un vieux Fanfan la Tulipe ), offers his hand and his heart, the hand and heart of a soldier. Not in these words, you know, but this, in short, is my meaning.

"I am a maker of war ( je suis un fabricant de la guerre ) and not a maker of phrases. You, bred as a scholar ( vous, qui tes pain comme un tudiant ), can say it in elegant language, such as you read in your books of the pleadings and wooings of lovers, such as you think best adapted to win the heart of the maiden."

Although Jean was fit to be tied ( convenable tre emballe ), friendship prevailed over love and he went to his duty. But instead of using elegant language, he blurted out his mission. Priscilla was muted with amazement and sorrow ( rendue muette par l'tonnement et las tristesse ).

At length she exclaimed, interrupting the ominous silence: "If the great captain of Plymouth is so very eager to wed me, why does he not come himself and take the trouble to woo me?" ( Ou est-il, le vieux Kilometres? Pourquoi ne vient-il pas aupres de moi pour tenter sa chance ?)

Jean said that Kilometres Deboutish was very busy and didn't have time for those things. He staggered on, telling what a wonderful husband Kilometres would make. Finally Priscilla arched her eyebrows and said in a tremulous voice, "Why don't you speak for yourself, Jean?" ( Chacun a son gout. )

And so, on the fourth Thursday in November, American families sit down at a large table brimming with tasty dishes and, for the only time during the year, eat better than the French do.

No one can deny that le Jour de Merci Donnant is a grande fte and no matter how well fed American families are, they never forget to give thanks to Kilometres Deboutish, who made this great day possible.

2005Tribune Media Services

Kilometres Deboutish.  Le jour de Merci Donnant.  Chacun a son gout (that's particularly hilarious, at least to Dad and me).  After that it got pretty strange.  And As God Is My Witness, I Thought Turkeys Could Fly.

You won't have as great a jour de Merci Donnant as I will because you won't won't have The Queen Of The World cooking Thanksgiving dinner for you.  But I hope you have a great day, a day of being thankful for whatever you want.  That's very American, wherever you may live.

Is this thing still on?

[tap] [tap]

Yeah, there's been radio silence here for a bit - sorry about that.  There's been a LOT going on: new job is going well but things move fast there, settling Mom's affairs, fallout from the move.  Life has been busy.

I expect there will be relax time over this weekend, and hope to get more posts out.  In the meantime, to make it up to you, all posts today will be free of charge. 

David Allan Coe - You Never Even Called Me by My Name

In the 12 years I've been blogging I have posted almost 500 (!) country songs.  You can find the archive here if you're a glutton for punishment.  And so I find myself somewhat at a loss as to why I've never posted this.

It was written by Steve Goodman and John Prine.  Prine asked not to be credited because he thought it was a "goofy, novelty song."  Well, that goofy novelty song was David Allan Coe's first top 10 hit, and you won't find a honky tonk where the band plays this that the audience doesn't sing along.  It's simply hilarious as Country Music pokes loving fun at itself.  Enjoy.

You Never Even Called Me by My Name (Songwriters: Steve Goodman, John Prine)

Well, it was all
That I could do to keep from crying'
Sometimes it seemed so useless to remain
But you don't have to call me darlin', darlin'
You never even called me by my name

You don't have to call me Waylon Jennings
And you don't have to call me Charlie Pride
And you don't have to call me Merle Haggard anymore
Even though you're on my fighting' side

And I'll hang around as long as you will let me
And I never minded standing' in the rain
But you don't have to call me darlin', darlin'
You never even called me by my name

Well, I've heard my name
A few times in your phone book (hello, hello)
And I've seen it on signs where I've played
But the only time I know
I'll hear "David Allan Coe"
Is when Jesus has his final judgment day

So I'll hang around as long as you will let me
And I never minded standing' in the rain
But you don't have to call me darlin', darlin'
You never even called me by my name

(Spoken) 

Well, a friend of mine named Steve Goodman wrote that song
And he told me it was the perfect country & western song
I wrote him back a letter and I told him it was not the perfect country & western song
Because he hadn't said anything at all about mama
Or trains, or trucks, or prison, or getting' drunk
Well, he sat down and wrote another verse to the song and he sent it to me
And after reading it I realized that my friend had written the perfect country & western song
And I felt obliged to include it on this album
The last verse goes like this here

(Sung) 

Well, I was drunk the day my mom got out of prison
And I went to pick her up in the rain
But before I could get to the station in my pickup truck
She got run over by a damned old train

And I'll hang around as long as you will let me
And I never minded standing' in the rain, no
But you don't have to call me darlin', darlin'
You never even called me
Well, I wonder why you don't call me
Why don't you ever call me by my name

Any firearms in the vehicle, sir?

 

LOL.

Southwest Florida Blogshoot AAR

Man, that was fun and a HUGE thank you to everyone who came.  It was actually JayG's first New England Gunblogger shoot that got me into blogging,way back in the day and there is a real sense of camaraderie in these events.  Both Miguel and Big Country have their own AARs posted, and you should go check them out.

Of course people brought their guns.  A popular saying up at the New England blogshoots was "We have enough guns to invade Canada."  Kevinn Creighton of Ammoman - a Canadian from Calgary - was quick to point out that it wasn't enough to invade his part of Canada.

The turnout was very good - final count was 20 which is really good for these. There was a mixup at the range where they didn't give us the private range, so we only had 25 yard shooting, rather than a couple hundred.  That will get fixed next time for sure.  But people had a lot of fun - these are as much about meeting folks in meetspace as about the shooting.  There was a lot of support for doing this regularly, and so I will start planning the next one, tentatively scheduled for February.

This isn't an Evil Black Rifle.  It's an Evil Red, White, and Blue Rifle ...

I think this is an FN 1000 or something similar.

The Tavor was cool.

Big Country brought his homemade flame thrower.  It works great as the world's coolest Super Soaker.

Remember, as T-Bolt points out shotguns are not a great weapon against Zombies.  However, this helps you in those quick-reload situations ...

I will put up a post later about more of the social aspects, but wanted to give you a sense of the shooty goodness that was had.

SW Florida Blogshoot AAR coming tomorrow

 It was a great success and a great time was had, but life has been busy and I'll get a post up tomorrow.

The weather for tomorrow's blogshoot looks good.

 Mostly sunny and in the low '80s.  Lock and load, and we'll see you tomorrow.

Southwest Florida Blogshoot - Final instructions

We have 16 confirmed attendees, which is a great turnout.  Here are some things to keep in mind

The Venue:

When: Saturday, November 14 at 12:30 PM

Where: Manatee Gun and Archery Club, 1805 Logue Rd, Myakka City, FL 34251

Really Where:  Go to their office to sign their safety forms, then follow the signs to the range.

Facilities:  Some of our readers are bringing their betters halves (as am I) and the fairer sex will be relieved to know that there are proper, civilized facilities in the club house.  Gentlemen, please resist the urge to use "Gentleman's Prerogative" behind the bushes.  You savages ...

The public ranges have 100, 200, and 300 yard ranges, plus a 25 yard pistol range.  The private range has 25 to 200 yard rifle/pistol lanes.  All Ranges are covered, and the weather looks like it should be good.  Please check the gun club web site for range rules - footwear, eye and ear protection, (for the ladies) nothing low cut, etc.*

Safety: Please read their range safety info.  Bring your eye and ear protection.  If you don't have any, you can rent some at the clubhouse.  The Queen Of The World is looking forward to bringing her brand new (pink) ones.  Accessorize as you see fit.

Miguel and Kevin Creighton, you said that you were NRA certified Range Safety Officers.  By the power vested in me by The Queen Of The World, you are delegated as Southwest Florida Blogshoot RSOs.  It may be a rowdy crowd, so feel free to bring your brass knuckles/bear spray.  There may or may not be a Manatee Gun Club RSO; we'll see.

The Cost: The range will charge $20 for a half day's shooting on the public range, but it will be $15 for the private range if we get 15 people (and thus all the requests for the nose count).  If we can get the private range then I will cover the range cost and will hit all y'all up when you get there; otherwise you can each pay the club at the office (this will be sorted out by the time you get there).  

Other Things To Bring:   Guns.  Lots of guns.

Also folding chairs.  

Food: Lunch will be catered by The Queen Of The World.

Weather: It's still hurricane season, and so the weather might end up being nasty.  Check this blog first thing Saturday morning before you come.  I will put up a post saying either "Yes, we're good to go" or "We're rained out".

* Unless you plan on dong the Hot Brass Dance, of course.

Thoughts on Veteran's Day

I originally posted this seven years ago, but it bears repeating again.

The citizens of the United States have a different relationship with the Military than many countries do.  The Military is seen as being part of the citizenry (and actually vice versa, as a reading of the Second Amendment will show).  In many countries the military is seen as separate and distinct from the populace.

This isn't unique - the same dynamic has long been in play certainly in the Anglosphere, and other nations as well (c.f. Switzerland).  This has resulted in the Military being seen as high status, and commanding broad respect through society.

It's the soldier, not the reporter who has given us 
Freedom of the Press.  
It's the soldier, not the poet, who has given us 
Freedom of Speech.  
It's the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us the 
Freedom to Demonstrate.  
It's the soldier, not the lawyer, who has given us the 
Right to a Fair Trial.  
It's the soldier who salutes the flag, serves under the flag and 
whose coffin is draped by the flag, 
Who gives the protestor the right to burn the flag.

- Father Dennis O'Brien, USMC 

And so in the United States, today is the celebration of Veteran's Day.  The rest of the Anglosphere (and other places) hold today as Remembrance Day or Armistice Day, recalling the Millions slaughtered in the Great War which ended 95 years ago today.  America does not need a Remembrance Day, as we have our own Memorial Day holiday (an outgrowth of the American War of Southern Independence a half century earlier than the War To End All Wars).

As a result, there's less sadness here.  On these shores, today is a day for the living, not for the dead.  We see signs at small restaurants saying "Veterans Eat Free", which would be difficult for those asleep in Flanders' Fields.

But even here it's worth a moment's reflection on the War where Europe committed suicide, when a whole generation was butchered and damned.  And how they nearly took us with her, then and 20 years later.  It's rarely the politicians who caused the problem who bleed.

Thanks to all who served, including Grandpa, Dad, Uncle Dick, nephew Daniel, The Queen Of The World's son, our Son-In-Law (currently deployed), and last but by no means least our very own ASM826.  The citizens - of whom you were once part and to which you returned - are grateful indeed that this nation does not fear its own Armed Forces.

Southwest Florida Blogshoot - call for final nose count

The (first) Southwest Florida Blogshoot (catered by The Queen Of The World) is hard up upon us, and it looks like we will have enough people that I might be able to reserve the 200 yard private rifle and pistol range at the gun club.  I need to call them to reserve it on Thursday, so I need a final nose count from everyone.

What I need from you: Leave a comment saying that (a) you are coming and (b) the total number coming with you (some of you have said that you were going to bring your better half or a friend).

This is the Venue:

When: Saturday, November 14 at 12:30 PM

Where: Manatee Gun and Archery Club, 1805 Logue Rd, Myakka City, FL 34251

The Cost: The range will charge $20 for a half day's shooting on the public range, but it will be $15 for the private range if we get 15 people (and thus the request for the nose count).  The public ranges have 100, 200, and 300 yard ranges, plus a 25 yard pistol range.  The private range has 25 to 200 yard rifle/pistol lanes.  All Ranges are covered, but it looks like Tropical Storm Eta might (hopefully) be gone by then.  Please check the gun club web site for range rules - footwear, eye and ear protection, (for the ladies) nothing low cut, etc.*

The Queen Of The World is planning to bring lunch.  Charlie Foxtrot, thanks for the offer of the crock pot of beans, but I don't think that there's electricity.  In any case, The Queen Of The World is a Force of Nature when she is planning an event, and she is planning this is full force.  

The following people have said they are coming:

MiguelGFZ

Derek Ward

Ratus

Big Country Expat 

Dixie Dennis

David L

Kevin Creighton (Ammoman)

Frederick

Divemedic

BigCountryExpat

Charlie Foxtrot

Please confirm with a headcount and I will reserve the range. 

* Unless you plan on dong the Hot Brass Dance, of course.

Trump's plan to win?

 This is really interesting.  Don Surber speculates on what may be Trump's game plan:

1. Sue in States where there is clear fraud.  Ask the Supreme Court to invalidate that States electoral votes.

2. Without Pennsylvania and Michigan (invalidated by SCOTUS), Biden cannot get 270 Electoral Votes, so there is no winner.

3. Per the US Constitution, the House of Representatives votes to determine the winner.  Now this would seem to be an advantage for Biden since the Democrats have a majority in the House, but the Constitution specifies how the voting takes place: each State gets ONE vote.

4. Trump looks like he has a majority of States, and so he would be declared the victor.

It's VERY interesting.  Recommended.

About that vote counting software "glitch"

The Silicon Graybeard casts his experienced eye on the software "glitch" that counted Trump votes for Biden in Michigan.  Go, read.

Reminder: Southwest Florida Blogshoot - November 14

When: Saturday, November 14 at 12:30 PM

Where: Manatee Gun and Archery Club, Myakka City, FL

The date is far enough out to give folks tie to plan.  It also will be after the election and whatever post-election excitement we see (hopefully) but before Thanksgiving gets too close.

The range will charge $20 for a half day's shooting.  There are 100, 200, and 300 yard ranges, plus a 25 yard pistol range.  The Queen Of The World is planning to make some sandwiches.  If we get enough people (15) then we can reserve a private range at the club which has 25 - 200 yard ranges.

Leave a comment if you want to come.  TQOTW and some of her girlfriends are planning on coming, so bring your better half.

The following people have said they are coming:

MiguelGFZ

Derek Ward

Ratus

Big Country Expat

The following are maybes (would love it if you could confirm in the comments):

West, By God

Mr. Garibaldi

Tom Lindsay

Frederick

Great Scott

Sean Sorrentino

Divemedic

David L

James

Unidentified Victim

Patrick

If you're not on either of these lists but want to come, please leave a comment.

Tsgt Joe says he will be here January - March, so I'll organize another blogshoot in February.

Hank William Sr - Your Cheatin' Heart

So there was an election with cheating that they didn't even try to hide.  Okay, then.  There's a country music song for that.

This was Hank, Sr.'s last recorded song, and it became his biggest hit.  We wrote it while driving in the car with his fiancee, dictating it in just a few minutes.  Like the ballots in Philadelphia, it was manufactured in a hurry.  Unlike the ballots in Philadelphia it's loved across the country.

Everybody take a deep breath

 Wait 2 days.  Yes, emotions are running high.  But:

• Despite what the idiot lefties say, Donald Trump is the smartest guy in the room.  He has a long record of figuring out how to win - especially in situations where the old Republicans (*cough*Mitt Romney*cough*) would give up.  Trump is no quitter.
• The Democrats telegraphed their plans, with the "Election Integrity Project".  Without doubt Trump has factored this into his plans, targeting the weaknesses in the Democrat's plans.
• The Democrats haven't tried to finesse the cheating.  Without doubt Trump's plans will highlight this in various courts of law up to the Supremes.
• The Democrats have spent months trying to demoralize us.  This is just ploy #423 in that playbook.  The others didn't work;don't let this work.

Patience.  We've waited decades for someone like Trump; we can wait a couple more days to see him start to crush his opponents.  Do not discount Donald Trump - that's what his enemies do.

The real point of the Election Fraud

What is striking about the fraud is the blatant clumsiness on display: the Democrats aren't even trying to hide the fact that they are manufacturing ballots in industrial quantities.  This is really, really interesting, and suggests that their motive is not simply to install their preferred candidate in 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.  It suggests that the motivation is deeper, and darker.

Theodore Dalrymple studied Soviet era propaganda - the propaganda targeting not a western audience, but instead the populations of the Warsaw Pact.  He was struck by how crude it was:

In my study of communist societies, I came to the conclusion that the purpose of communist propaganda was not to persuade or convince, not to inform, but to humiliate; and therefore, the less it corresponded to reality the better. When people are forced to remain silent when they are being told the most obvious lies, or even worse when they are forced to repeat the lies themselves, they lose once and for all their sense of probity. To assent to obvious lies is in some small way to become evil oneself. One's standing to resist anything is thus eroded, and even destroyed. A society of emasculated liars is easy to control.

I think that this is what they're after - showing the country that they can steal an election and there's nothing that we can do about it.  It comes from the same source that causes cities to remove statues of George Washington.  It's showing who's up and who's down.

The crudeness of it all isn't a bug - it's the primary point to these people, who believe that they have a fundamental right to rule.

The Counter-Revolution

What is most amusing about lefty intellectuals is the conceits they give themselves.  Typically they see themselves as avant guarde revolutionary leaders.  What they really are - at least in this day - are counter revolutionaries.  They're agents of Reaction, and these intellectuals would recognize the scorn that term implies.

The Revolution was Trump, a revolution against an  intrenched bureaucracy that was actively hostile to half the country.  We see the counter revolution in action in this election.  Rather than "count every vote" like they piously claim, the reality is that many states were called for Biden with a million votes left to count.  It's all smoke and mirrors.  The only saving grace for the left is that this is exactly what they promised they would do.

There is a refreshing clarity to politics now.  There is no common ground, no shared norms other than getting and keeping power.  Man, the Democrats are really going to hate it when their rules are applied to them.

For now, all is confusion.  Peter has an excellent analysis, and his conclusion is under stated but spot on:

Folks, it's a very uncertain time for all of us. Let's not lose too much sleep over it. Sooner or later, we'll know for sure who's won and who's lost. Until then, let's do our best to keep the peace, and exercise our democratic right to be watchful as the votes are counted.

And remember what's been done, and by whom.  From now on the only response to their "have you no shame" comments is rolling our eyes.  

The election is beyond the margin of fraud

Two and a half months ago I forecast a Trump landslide victory, 354 electoral votes to Biden's 184.  I lay out why for those of you who are interested.  I don't see a reason to change this prediction.

Sure, the Democrats will cheat. I don't think they can cheat this enough to change the result.  Certainly Pennsylvania is at risk for industrial scale cheating; maybe North Carolina as well.  But enthusiasm among Republicans is off the charts, so the amount of cheating that will be needed is higher.  Also, the "shy Trump" voter syndrome is real - people have been not just verbally abused but attacked and killed for being Trump supporters; no wonder some won't talk to pollsters, family and friends about their preferences.

That also increases the amount of cheating the Democrats will have to do.  I think that number is just too high for the Democrats to pull this off.  What they will do is expose industrial scale levels of cheating.  That will solidify voters' views of the Democratic Party for 2024 - it will be a bad moon rising for that election, too.

Frankiskos Leontaritis - Kyrie

 A lot of people are worried about the election.  They shouldn't be.  Donald Trump will easily win, and why I haven't bothered to think much about the Senate and House races, he will have coattails as Republican turnout breaks records.  So if you want Trump to win, relax - it's in the bag.  If you want Trump to lose, relax - it's coming, and even an Act Of God wouldn't stop it.

So here's some relaxing music.  Frankiskos Leontaritis was born this day in 1518 on the island of Crete.  Recently part of the Byzantine Roman Empire, it had been taken over by Venice.  Leontaritis had many connections in Venice, and ended up moving there, and later to Rome, where he was known as "Il Greco" (The Greek) - not to be confused with the Spanish painter of the same era, El Greco ("The Greek") who as it turns out was from the same city (Heraklion/Candia) in Crete.

He composed many masses and other choral works, and is considered the father of Greek classical music.  It is very relaxing, so enjoy.