War In Israel

 

It has already been described as Israel's 9/11. 

In a coordinated terror attack by land, air, and sea - Hamas has killed more than 700 Israelis, and wounded north of 2000 more. This was not a military action, unless your definition of such includes going house to house, hacking and killing civilians, dragging bodies through the street, kidnapping civilians as hostages, targeting a music festival in the desert for attack where at least 260 were murdered,  raping, and posing for selfies next to destroyed vehicles. Hamas itself acknowledges launching 5000 rockets into Israel yesterday. 

President Biden condemned an “appalling assault against Israel by Hamas terrorists” and said that “Israel has a right to defend itself and its people, adding “My Administration’s support for Israel’s security is rock solid and unwavering.”

Right answer Mr. President.

Today, as causality counts mount and Israel declared formal war for the first time since 1973, Hamas acknowledged that Iran backed the attacks - no doubt to derail the treaty talks with Saudi Arabia. The US has responded by dispatching an aircraft carrier, six ships, and fighter craft to the region. 

[I will, for the moment, practice intentional blindness and ignore the fact that the White House handed Iran $6 billion dollars this summer in a hostage deal, money Iran blatantly said they'd spend on whatever they wished]

Meanwhile, spontaneous anti-Semitic celebrations popped up all over the world, cheering on actions like this: 

The naked body of a  [Israeli] woman was paraded through the streets in the back of a pick-up truck on Saturday as Hamas fighters sat on her unmoving form.

A celebrating crowd surrounded the armed men in combat fatigues, who shouted “Allah Akbar” from the open back of the truck.

Some in the crowd, which included youngsters, spat on the woman’s body before the truck sped away on a day of unprecedented massacres of Israeli civilians.

The woman was later named as Shani Louk. Miss Louk’s family confirmed they had seen the video but said they “still have some kind of hope” that she had survived.

-https://news.yahoo.com/naked-israeli-woman-paraded-jeering-191753028.html 

What does US Congresswoman (D) Rashida Tlalib, of the so-called "Squad" have to say? 

“I grieve the Palestinian and Israeli lives lost yesterday, today, and every day.” Tlaib said, equating murderer and victim in her "grief" before calling the situation in Israel "apartheid" and urging a "cease fire" - aka no retribution and no justice against Hamas. 

Thankfully, even those in her party have reacted with disgust to her hate, and I hope - vainly, I'm sure - that she is formally rebuked. 

I pray for Israel and the safety of its citizens, and for the quick and total destruction of Hamas and its adherents. 

 

Dylan Mulvaney, Micheal Oher, Biden, and SAG-AFTRA

There's been quite a few items in the news lately that I wanted to post my opinion on - nothing overly significant in the scheme of things, and nothing political, fear not. 

Well, I guess anything is political from *someone's* POV, but whatever. It's not the primary focus here, that I can assure you. 

All the way back on April 14th, after a hard day at her new job, I took Lisa to an early dinner at a favorite Mexican restaurant. With the weather finally hinting at the summer to come, we sat on the patio. At a table near us were two rough-and-tumble looking guys and the son of one of them, a middle school kid with a mullet. 

When the waitress asked what they wanted to drink, one of the guys said "Bud Light," and a lot of people on the patio laughed, thinking he was kidding. 

Bud Light, in case you don't recall, had only recently decided to sign a sponsorship deal with transgender Tiktok activist Dylan Mulvaney. This was unquestionably an odd choice for a beer brand, especially a a national brand most associated with college parties and testosterone fueled debauchery. There was an immense backlash and a public boycott, officially championed by conservative talking heads, but (judging by the results) quietly backed by a lot of people that weren't as keen to publicly announce their displeasure. 

Bud Light sales and stock took a hit,  with revenue dropping 10.5% from the same period in 2022, and for the first time in decades Bud Light fell to second place in sales, overtaken by Modelo. 

So, back to the restaurant. I don't drink so I don't care what a beer brand choses to do with their sponsorship money. Even had I cared, what was I going to do, spend less than the zero I already do on booze? But I was not keen on this guy deciding to make a big point while I'm having dinner. 

I misjudged his intentions. The man actually addressed the laughter in the room. 

"I ain't no fan of whatever the hell her name is, and I think it was a stupid idea. I don't even like Bud Light. But I'm not gonna let some guys on the internet tell me how to think or what to be pi**sed about or how to spend my money, so yeah, I'm gonna eat my dinner and I'm gonna have a Bud Light."

And he did. 

It was probably as close to those make believe internet tales - the ones that inevitably end with "and then everyone clapped" - as I've ever come across in real life. 

 On the same score: those people that jumped all over bar owners (Garth Brooks being one of them) who continued to serve Bud Light? Screw you. A business has every right to sell whatever legal product they like, just as you have every right not to spend your money there. 

* * * 

Michael Oher, the retired NFL lineman whose story was featured in the book/movie "The Blind Side," launched a press blitz (no pun intended) this summer claiming he was scammed by the Tuohy's, the family that took him in many years ago. 

The public's reaction was quick, siding with Michael and deriding the family. The public's reaction was also (probably) wrong. 

While I agree there's zero reason for the family to retain a conservancy over Oher, many of the allegations fail to pass the sniff test. He didn't realize he wasn't legally adopted until just this year? Odd. In his own 2011 book he discussed that very thing and the conservancy. Then too we have the series of texts the family has disclosed, in which Oher threatens them with a press barrage unless they pay what sounds an awful lot like an extortion demand. Nor do his claims of the Tuohy's using him to get rich make ANY sense; they were worth an alleged $220 million after the father sold his business years ago and even if they had been dirt poor who bets on a homeless teen eventually reaching the NFL? C'mon now. Get real. It's looking more and more like he's broke (by his prior standards, not yours or mine)and looking to make bank by throwing the family that took him off the streets under the bus. 

I bring this up only to make this point (well, two points):  One, sometimes even the best, most Christian action can bring you pain and distress; do it anyway. And two, the initial press barrage from a lawsuit is ALWAYS designed by the plaintiffs attorneys to do the most damage to the defendant in the public eye and force a settlement. Never, EVER, buy "truth" from one side, and one side alone, of an adversarial process. 

 * * * 

While I think he's far too old for the job, probably senile (medically, not metaphorically), and not the most inherently honest man, I will say this: all in all,  I think Joe Biden's done a pretty good job in office, esp with Ukraine. That's impressive, considering how awful he did with Afghanistan at the start of his term.  And yeah, his defense of our southern border is non-existent, I know. But all in all . he's doing well. Now most of that must almost certainly lie at the feet of the people around him, propping him up, true: but so what? Results are what counts. 

* * * 

On July 14th, the actors union, SAG-AFTRA, joined the two month old writers strike in Hollywood. The fundamental issues seem to be an almost Luddite-like phobia about AI, and a more realistic objection to the current residual structure for streaming platforms. 

Of course my heart lies with the writers, and they have an actual realistic worry about AI taking work away from them. Yet some of their demands seem outlandish,  like the requirement that shows maintain a minimum number of writers on staff, regardless of the true needs of the show - the mind immediately jumps to The Sopranos universe, where mafia members had cushy "no show" or "no work" construction jobs guaranteed by union contract. 

Now, if you poke around enough, I think you'll hear the talking points of the actor's union regurgitated around the web over and over by all sorts of people, even those who ignored recent strikes in more pedestrian occupations. Not because the arguments themselves are valid (although they may be), but because humans somehow subconsciously  associate "backing SAG" with being that much closer to the limelight. At least, that's my theory. 

A lot of the AI fears that SAG trotted out seemed over the top, and a rehash of the "green screen" debates of a few decades ago. Are there legitimate concerns and need for artistic controls? Sure. But say that. Don't claim this is about defending the future of extras (they're in a different union), or say you're afraid people will insert faces onto the bodies of other actors if the technology advances that far; that's already being done, in parody, on many TikTok accounts. It's not 'studio AI' they apparently fear, it's a common Google app.  

Their fight is really about residuals, which is a less compelling point. It's hard to tell a plumber that you should be paid, again and again, for work you did twenty years ago. It's certainly not a "fairness" issue, as SAG wants you to think; it's a contractual issue, and if they can force the hand of the studios to guarantee and increase those residual payments then good for them. Period.  If a plumber could finagle the same, they would too. 

Now SAG seems to be aiming their public ire at the streaming platforms, but I'm not sure if that's just good press or a legitimate - but mistaken - target. Studios and distribution companies sell the rights of a show to a streaming platform; shouldn't the cut come at that point in the process? After all, you have some inkling about the value of what you're selling, no?  The Office should be had for a far greater amount than a failed cop show; The Godfather for more than Deuce Bigaloo, Male Gigalo.  Sell the rights to Netlfix for a year, for a zillion dollars, and let them stream it as much as people want,⁰0 while you divvy up the upfront sale revenue. 

Frankly, if we want to be blunt, SAG needs to look in the mirror too. What other union do you know of that has some workers making enough to have private jets and mansions, while the vast majority of members don't make the $26,000/year minimum to get health insurance? That's an impossible disparity to rationalize away, no matter how many A and B list celebrities you get to pose in a picket line. 

Anyway, like I said, it's a contractual issue. Whatever gains they make, they are welcome to them. 

The Air Quality is Nasty

For days now, my daily afternoon call to my Mom would include her asking about "the smoke" and telling me how bad it was that morning.  Given that my Mom rarely leaves her apartment and I hadn't noticed any such thing, I chalked it up to the TV news inspiring panic. 

Whoopsie.

My Mom might have jumped the gun by a week, but today proved her right. 

The air is acrid, like you just walked past the a burn pit, and the odor lingers in your nostrils.  The sky is overcast and grim, and a gray haze rests over everything like a vast fog.  It is legitimately more difficult to breathe. These pictures were taken at the height of the afternoon:

What's going on you ask, Future Reader?

Smoke from wildfires in Canada are enveloping the Midwestern US. A week or so ago they did the same to the East coast.

Smoke is better than being in the midst of dense wildfires, no argument there, and I hope for the safety of the people directly affected up there.

 But man, how rude of our northern neighbor ;)

On the Titan 5 Tragedy

 Look, I know I'm coming off as rather obsessed with the story of Titan, the submersible lost at sea, but remember, I knew of it before the accident. I followed Oceangate on social media, I watched their YouTube videos, I marveled at the pioneering 8k footage they took of the wreck of the Titanic.  This was, from a distance, personal. 

By now of course you know how it turned out. The craft was found 1600 feet from the bow of Titanic, the victim of an implosion that took the lives of all five men. 

May they rest in peace, and may perpetual light shine upon them. 

What sticks in my mind is a quote from the CEO, who died in the accident. To paraphrase, when speaking of the glass in the porthole, he told the reporter it would crack and spiderweb long before failure. If that glass was the cause of the implosion, did they have that warning? Did they notice? And because of it, did they die after minutes of panic and terror?

I hope not. 

Meanwhile, the jerks of the world continue to barrage the internet with jokes, mockery, and derision. Of the men themselves, as fools or as rich, which to the jealous is synonymous with "worthy of death," or of the craft itself. 

Let's get some things straight. Getting in that craft and descending two miles to the ocean floor, even when you are fully confident of success, is an act of bravery and fortitude that not many people are capable of pulling off. Period. They were certainly braver than the keyboard warriors who mock their deaths. 

And like I told one jerk online that hid behind the claim that "humor is a coping mechanism: it's a coping mechanism if you're actually *coping* with trauma. If you're using jokes merely to mock suffering,  then you're just an asshole. 

Of the craft itself: it was a product of innovation and imagination, not hubris, and designed by a Princeton educated engineer (Stockton Rush, the CEO who died aboard her.)  It wasn't a craft built for billionaires to use on vacation, it was funded and built by their ticket fees and a necessary evil. 

When he said, on camera, that he "broke a few rules" to build it, he wasn't saying the equivalent of "I skimped on putting brakes and seatbelts on the car I built" He was saying that he broke a few cliches of submersible design, by designing a craft capable of holding up to 5 people, and building it with carbon fiber. 

Was he wrong, in retrospect? Maybe. Unless some unknown damaged the Titan and doomed her mid-trip, the engineering failed. 

Yet it's important to note that the Titan had made up to 50 previous dives to varying depths, including successful dives to the Titanic. It would seem that material fatigue, not an overt design blunder, would be the immediate causation for the tragedy. 

[btw, there's been a million jokes about the video game controller that steered the craft. It wouldn't have been my choice, but it IS the choice, from what I've read, of the US Navy when it comes to operating periscopes on our subs. So, much ado about nothing.]

Yet, problems had arisen on prior dives, and the hodge-podge nature of the construction had raised concerns. Should every available minute between dive seasons have been spent reviewing and updating the craft? Yes, a thousand times yes. But God bless the independence, courage, and independence that spawned it in the first place. 

Would I have got on the Titan? Had I the money, yes I would have gone, although I am no daredevil.  A chance to see the Titanic, to be that close to history, how could you pass it up? 

Again, to the Titan 5: Rest in Peace

Humans Suck

People suck.

Not that you needed reminding of that. 

But I'm sick of folks- even people I follow on social media - cracking jokes about the missing submersible. 5 people are dead or are facing death in the dark 2 miles beneath the sea, and you think it's funny? You think reposting shit meme about it makes you edgy and cool?

Then sir/madam, you ARE the asshole.

Oh, I forgot.  Most of the missing are rich,  so you'll try and disguise your jealousy by framing this as some "victory" of class warfare.

Meanwhile, you'll repost, without irony,  an article about Kendall Jenners dog wearing a cast.

Next you'll complain about all the resources involved in the rescue, as if we as a society don't go all-in whenever there's a rescue operation.  Hell, we send a fire truck and two paramedics just to pick up an old man that falls.  Isn't that what we're SUPPOSED to do, do our best to help people in danger?

[Not to mention the practical experience these situations give both the people and technology involved,  making the next rescue more likely to be successful]

And then the kicker: the fact that even this unique scenario,  with a fact pattern that precludes it ever happening to all but the tiniest sliver of humanity . . . well, by golly,  it wouldn't be right for this to pass without the "me" generation doing their best to make it about themselves and their self induced "trauma."

Serenity now.  Serenity now. 

Here's where I have to keep my thoughts: with the five missing men and the people who love them. 

The jerks online? F em.

Disaster at the Titanic Site

Titan, a five person submersible carrying tourists to the wreck of the Titanic, has gone missing. Both the Canadian and US Coast Guard is involved in the rescue attempt, but the odds . . . well. Let us hope and pray for the best. 

This hits hard because of two reasons: I follow OceanGate, the private company that runs the tours, on social media and have greatly enjoyed their informative YouTube videos of the wreck. Had I the quarter million dollars to spare, I would happily have signed on to a trip about the Titan myself.

The second reason is the unintelligent comments already surfacing  online: the Titanic claims more lives, it serves them right for dishonoring a "gravesite," people need to leave well enough alone, etc. 

The older I get, the more mellow I have become, but the more I am also nauseated by the predictable narrative of your average person. Rinse and repeat, rinse and repeat. 

Anyhow, this isn't about *them* or my personal axe to grind. This is about the five souls that are currently missing two miles beneath the sea. 

May they be found soon, alive and well. 

Hopefully they were NOT occupied. If they were . . terrible, terrible news.

Glendale WI (a northern suburb of MKE) - Bayshore Mall - Parking structure collapse on the 1st and 2nd floors, multiple vehicles crushed, unknown if occupied, MFD Heavy Urban Rescue response requeThissted

*At least 3 vehicles underneath the collapsed portion, crews are starting to hand dig through the rubble*

David O'Connell

David O'Connell, 69, the auxiliary bishop of Los Angeles was found dead of a gunshot wound in his home. 

By all accounts, he was beloved by the community he served. 

To quote an NPR article, "Immigration attorney Linda Dakin-Grimm said O'Connell was "there for every child and family I have represented. Always. Helping, supporting and generally being the face of Jesus for me and many many others."

Rest in peace.  

Eternal rest grant unto him  O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon him. May the soul of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen.

Bruh - shoot it down already!

Meanwhile, in Milwaukee . . 

Alec Baldwin has been Charged

Legally, I think this is warranted. He didn't intend to hurt anyone, but the standard for involuntary manslaughter is when a person recklessly or negligently commits an act that results in the death of another person. He seems to have ignored industry standards when he handled the gun (reckless) and moreover, as the executive producer, his failure to properly vet the firearms staff and supervise their work would satifsy the standards of criminal negligence. 

Do I think he'll be found guilty? He's got good lawyers, plenty of access to the press, and the death was a tragic accident, of a kind rare enough for the public to be divided on its merit. So I think he'll plea down to a lesser charge and avoid time, be that right or wrong. 

Griner is on her Way Home

So Biden has done a one-for-one exchange to free jailed WBNA star Brittney Griner from Russia. In exchange, he gave up Viktor Bout, an arms dealer convicted of conspiracy to kill US citizens and officials, and of aiding a terrorist organization. 

One for one. 

An even trade. 

A basketball player. 

For a known arms dealer nicknamed "The Merchant of Death" and "Sanctions Buster."

And what about Paul Wheelan, another American, albeit not a famous one,  seemingly falsely accused of spying and now rotting in a Russian cell? He was mentioned earlier by the White House as part of a  package deal for Bout , but apparently discarded by the Administration when push came to shove. 

I mean, screw the everyday American and Marine vet (even if one with a poor conduct discharge.). We have a basketball star to rescue from the consequences, however overly harsh, of her own actions. 

What a "win" Mr. President, what a "win."

Biden To Pardon (some) Federal Weed Offenses

Like his predecessor, it seems Biden is keeping many campaign promises, good/ bad and in-between. By and large, this is a good one.  

No one should be in prison soley for weed possession 

KIng Richard and Will Smith's Oscar Slap

 This was one of the best...maybe the best movies I've ever seen. Well deserved award! He should apologize for his earlier actions tho. Not sure why he was allowed to stay...that's a precedent that I doubt will be upheld. We can't accept ppl interrupting n hitting ppl at awards shows....then letting them stay???

Way grosser behavior than an offensive joke.

I honestly thought the whole thing was a stunt until it wasn't.

- Lisa

Ukrainian Heroes

 

Good on Poland

 Good on my ancestral homeland.

Putin gets to stay Twitter? Really?

So IF, despite the calendar saying it's the 21st century, you invade an innocent country for personal gain, create kill lists, bomb civilians, and possibly trigger a third world war, Twitter's cool with you.

Just don't tweet mean stuff.

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My Thoughts - Bail and the Waukesha Parade Tragedy

Unpopular opinion: the tragedy in Waukesha isn't a reason to scrap bail reform, nor is it an excuse to add (yet another) law on the books because it makes us feel like we did something, anything, to address the evil. 

The alleged killer had been accused of a violent act and had a history of not showing up for court dates - the system AS IS should have prevented his low bail.  It was human, not systematic,  error.

He's from the wrong party (from my POV) but the DA is right: we don't need NON- violent defendants languishing in jail,  unable to make bail.

The Bigots were Wrong

The Colorado shooter has been identified as 21 year old Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa.

Those of you who made snide little jabs about the alleged ethnicity of the murderer before his identity was established - as if somehow the death of innocents is a "win" if the killer has skin color A as opposed to color B - kindly try being informed AND opinionated, not just the latter.

Great Job Max!

Max Winfrey is a Facebook friend, a magician/ comedian who we saw perform on a Disney Cruise. Lavenous work!