The inevitability of failure is baked in to Progressive Government

Peter highlights how the "homeless crisis" is manufactured, and intended to be a permanent gravy train for the government officials tasked to "solve" the problem.  Well, yeah.  It's Rich People's Leftism:

Rich People's Leftism is one of the clearest explanations I've ever seen for the utter failure of government in Blue States:

With this new approach in mind, let me contrast Rich People’s Leftism (RPL) with Poor People’s Leftism (PPL).

RPL thinks that its goal is to help poor people, while PPL thinks that RPL’s primary goal is to ensure that wealthy leftists dominate and get great jobs.

You really should click through to read about Rich People's Leftism, which dates to 2010.  We've known about this for a long, long time.  A different view is "red pill/blue pill": 

... an old post from Isegoria (you do read him every day, don't you?) gives the best introduction to the topic, phrased in explicitly "Blue Pill"/"Red Pill" terminology:

The nature of the state

• The state is established by citizens to serve their needs. Its actions are generally righteous.
• The state is just another giant corporation. Its actions generally advance its own interests. Sometimes these interests coincide with ours, sometimes they don’t.

You should read Isegoria's post as well.  Then think about the proposed $3.5T spending bill that is before congress.  Who will it help?  Who are we told that is is going to help, but won't?  To ask the questions is to answer them.

If you are not entirely cynical about everything that the government does, you're really not paying attention.  Take the Red Pill.  Or swallow the Blue one; the circus is entertaining, and the bread is free.

Dad Joke CXVIIII

Why did the stadium get hot after the game was over?

All the fans left. 

Out of the mouths of babes

When I was a kid, we learned what we could say in polite society, what we couldn't say in polite society,  and what skirts the line between those two.  Especially what's on the line between those two.  Well, it looks like kids today are the same as when we were young.

TL;DR: TV Talking Head gets kids at a NASCOR race to say "Gentlemen, start your engines!"  One wiseacre pipes in after, adding "Let's Go, Brandon!"

Midwest Chick has the vid.  It's worth the 30 seconds.  Heh.

Anonymous kid, a Grateful Internet thanks you!

Dad Joke Dad Joke CXVIII

What is a chef's top priority after finishing culinary school?

Finding an entree level position. 

Reloading: Buyer Beware

Steve emails:

Good morning. Your post today about SPAM in your comments section made me think you (and your readers) might be interested in what I can only assume is a scam that is all over the internet. In a time when various gunpowders are unobtanium, there are a number of websites out there who seem to have whatever you need in stock and at reasonable prices. However, if you go to order it you find out that they have a ~$250 minimum order size and they only accept forms of payment with little or no recourse when the powder you order doesn’t show up. I’m assuming it’s a scam, and not some miracle…but honestly almost fell for it. A few examples below, but there are many more.

https://tactical-world.net/product/hodgdon-h4831/


https://primers12.com/product/hodgdon-h4831sc-smokeless-gun-powder/


https://firstcrownfirearms.com/product/h4831sc-8lbs-hodgdon-powder/

I haven't been to these web sites, but Steve's suggestion to be very wary of payment where you could be stuck holding the bad is excellent advice.  One of the biggest advantages of regular credit card transactions is that you can dispute the purchase if you get shipped something else (or nothing at all).

Let's be safe out there.

Dad Joke CXVII

What do you call a bear that has lost all its teeth?

A gummy bear. 

Do Not Recommend

An email came in over the transom, because it was a comment left on a ten year old (!) post, Range Report - Lee Enfield No. 4 Mk. 1.  I reproduce the email in full (other than the links) along with my commentary to promote mockery of the company that has employed comment spammers to, err, drum up business.

Thank you for sharing the knowledgeable blog with us

You are most welcome. 

I hope that you will post many more blog with us:-

Well, that's the plan. 

The AK-47 is a versatile firearm.

You hear what they did after the funeral of Mikhail Kalashnikov?  After a week they dug him up, washed him off, and put him back to work. 

It deserves just as versatile ammunition. And behold – here are 840 rounds of 7.62×39 by Prvi Partizan that you’ll be as happy to have at the range as you would during an altercation. This round features a 123 grain FMJ bullet.

I like Privi Partizan, and must rush to point out that this lovely spam was not from them, but rather from a place called "tactical ammo shop dot com".  If you hate Internet spam as much as I do, I encourage you to never buy anything from them.

I actually like Spam, but think that spammers can die in a crotch fire.

Thinking about the next Southwest Florida Blogshoot

The weather is cooling off here in Southwest Florida, which means it's time to start thinking about the next blogshoot.  One idea that got tossed out today at the shooting range is the week between Christmas and New Year's Day.  The advantage is that some folks take that time off work; the disadvantage is that some do not.

The double disadvantage is that both Christmas Day and New Year's Day are on Saturday.  That don't work at all.  December 26 (Boxing Day) is a Sunday, and so is probably the only time that week likely to plausibly work.

So leave a comment about the desirability of Boxing Day, or a different day in December, or next month (November) as dates you would find attractive to come turn money into noise.

Gone shootin'

Today The Queen Of The World and I are going shooting with Big Country, Mrs. Big Country, and Sapper.  It looks to be more fun than a barrel of monkeys.

Back later.

UPDATE 17 OCTOBER 2021 16:17:  Well, that was fun.  I shot better than I expected, The Queen Of The World shot better than she had the last time, Sapper gave her some outstanding shooting advice, and Big Country had some crazy good glass on his M1A.  Then we retired to Charlotte's Webb pub, which is best visited on a motorcycle but is OK with a trunk full of guns.  Definitely have to do this again!

Big Country, thanks for suggesting this!

Happy Birthday, Libertyman!

Many happy returns of the day to Friend-of-the-blog and friend in real life Libertyman.  An occasion like this calls for a classical music rendition of Happy Birthday.  Nicole Pesce does not disappoint.

The Queen Of The World has a more modern musical suggestion:

Happy Birthday, buddy!

 

Tony Bennett - Cold, Cold Heart

Man, I love this version of Hank, Sr.'s classic.  You might say that it's not country, but did I mention the bit about Hank, Sr.?  And the country comes out, even with Vicentico's latin accompaniment.  It's still country in a different language, and you can sing along in whichever language you like.  This wasa huge hit for Bennett in 1951, and helped launch his career.  You can see why.

Normally I have the songwriter and lyrics here but c'mon - it's Hank, Sr. and you know the words anyway.

I sure do love this version.

Dad Joke CXVI

If you are trying to get a job in the moisturizing industry, you should apply daily. 

Your moment of Zen

The Moose club on Anna Maria Island has a sweet rooftop bar.
 

Dad Joke CXV

What do you call a horse that moves around a lot?

Unstable. 

Global Warming is coming early this winter

27" of snow in South Dakota. It closed I-90.

Damn Global Warming!  CAN'T IT WAIT UNTIL NOVEMBER?

Quote of the Day: Domestic Terrorist edition

This sounds about right:

The dissident right is made up of fringe dwellers, non-conformists, conspiracy theorists and just plain weirdos. We’re used to copping flack from the enemy; we have thick skins. But those being labeled today as domestic terrorists are normies. Mums and dads, regular people who go to the game and like a beer or three, hell, even Boomers, (God help us). They’re copping the domestic terrorist rap and they’re confused. They think that in the eyes of the law that they’re good people. They’re not like those fringe dwelling crackpots on the far right. They’re regular people who are just concerned at the way their country is going.

And they are the ones being accused of being domestic terrorists; not us. Nobody has accused me of being a domestic terrorist and I’ve been poking the bear for years now. But stand up and accuse your school board of being Marxist thugs and the government swoops in faster than pigeons on newly arrived tourists exiting a coach. It’s a bit humbling; they’re not really worried about us, they know who and what we are. It’s the normies waking up that really has them worried. Cause there are a lot more normies out there than us fringe dwellers.

Dad Joke CXIV

Why isn't suntanning an Olympic sport?

You can only get bronze. 

Hey, Canadians are nicer than us Yanks, amirite?

Canadian town bans marriage between non-vacinated couples.

And a quick note for you hosers from the Great White North: before yammering on about how awful our (private) healthcare system is, please explain the following:

Charlie Gard

Alfie Evans

Oliver Cameron

Ashya King

Nota bene: these cases are from Britain, the Mother Country.  The Canadian health system (whatever it is called) is explicitly modeled on Britains National Health System (NHS) which has assumed almost cult-like status in Britain.

Britain.  You know: the land where Great Britain used to be.

So all you Canuk Hosers can just shut right up about how awesome your "Health Care" system is..  Yeah, ours may still be swirling the drain, but yours was flushed long ago.  After all, we are all still Citizens of the Republic (for now), but you are Subjects of the Crown.

Except for Glen Filthie.  He's reloading and sharpening bayonets.  Glen, come on down to Florida.  The air still smells of Freedom.

This post has the tag "Statist Pricks" because, well, you know.

Quote of the Day: Southwest Pilots "Sick-in" edition

This quote (and the post it is from) makes no mention of the pilots, and was written from the point of view of the working man.  But it explains clearly what is going on (you'll have to read the whole thing to see how this applies to pilots as well):

I think that in retrospect, the decision to lock down entire societies to stop the coronavirus will end up in the history books as one of the most spectacular blunders ever committed by a ruling class. Partly, of course, the lockdowns didn’t work—look at graphs of case numbers over time from places that locked down vs. places that didn’t, and you’ll find that locking down societies and putting millions of people out of work didn’t do a thing to change the size and duration of the outbreak. Partly, the economic damage inflicted by the lockdowns would have taken years to heal even if the global industrial economy wasn’t already choking on excessive debt and running short of a galaxy of crucial raw materials. But there’s more to it than that.

If you want people to put up patiently with long hours of drudgery at miserably low wages, subject to wretched conditions and humiliating policies, so that their self-proclaimed betters can enjoy lifestyles they will never be able to share, it’s a really bad idea to make them stop work and give them a good long period of solitude, in which they can think about what they want out of life and how little of it they’re getting from the role you want them to play. It’s an especially bad idea to do it so that they have no way of knowing when, or if, they will ever be allowed to return to their former lives, thus forcing them to look for other options in order to stay fed, clothed, housed, and the like.

Like I said, no mention of the pilots.  But when a corporation makes you merely one of the factors of production, you had damn well better be replaceable or they have a problem bigger than they think.

This is an outstanding post from The Blogger Formerly Known As The Archdruid.  I cannot recommend this more highly.  The Revolution will not be televised, but it sure as shootin' will be blogged.

Dad Joke CXIII

Why do scuba divers roll backwards off the boat?

Because if they rolled forwards, they'd still be in the boat.