About David Lane

Let the GOP Gaslighting Continue

From the Washington Post Daily 202 newsletter round up for 27 July 2021:

House GOP leaders attacked Pelosi before today’s hearing. “House Republican leaders sought to blame Pelosi for the events of Jan. 6, arguing that she was responsible for officers not being sufficiently prepared to repel the pro-Trump rioters,” Wagner and Donna Cassata report. “‘January 6 should have never happened,’ House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said outside the Capitol. ‘We should have prepared and been prepared for the officers, made sure they have the training and the equipment that they needed.’ McCarthy and other House GOP leaders also took aim at Pelosi for removing from the select committee Reps. Jim Jordan (Ohio) and Jim Bank (Ind.), two of the five Republican members McCarthy selected. McCarthy later withdrew his three other picks in protest.

Excuse me, Mr. McCarthy (and no, I am not sure you deserve any title beyond the Mister, unless it is seditionist.), but what sort of preparations was the Speaker supposed to have made in advance of what the President at the time called a social gathering? Are you implying that the Speaker and the head of the Capital Police should have been expecting an armed attempt on the US Capitol like nothing we have ever seen before because of a disagreement (insert BIG LIE) over a paperwork process that in the last 200 odd years has occurred with little more fanfare than the box scores from the night before?

I am pretty sure that repelling boarders…er…US Citizens from the ramparts like soldiers invading Troy was not in their job description, much less any other training materials they are exposed to on a day to day basis. If so, then the Capital Police were not the right people to guard the Capitol. That should have been the job of the United States Army. However, in the United States we have a law (Posse Comitatus Act) that actually prohibits the Army from enforcing the law. Good thing.

Which brings us back to the core question Mr. McCarthy. What exactly should the Capital Police been trained to do on January 6? Because repelling a horde of brainwashed, misguided, and mislead citizens certainly should not have been it. And that falls squarely on the shoulders of the GOP, their President, and their continued gaslighting of America.

Tyranny of the Majority

AUSTIN, Texas — House Speaker Dade Phelan late Tuesday signed 52 arrest warrants for Democrats who left the state for Washington D.C. in July and have yet to return to the House chamber for the second special legislative session of the year. (Yahoo News)

American political discourse is supposed to be about compromise, give and take, and a collegial spirit of doing what is best for the electorate.

On January 6, 2020, this went out the window, and as we have seen since, it continues to fall by the wayside.

In the latest bout of my way or the highway which has seen disgruntled GOP (and former) GOP lead states strip away powers from their Governor when they lost control (Wisconsinand North Carolina), or when they disagree with the Governor (Michigan, Minnesota, Kentucky) and other elected officials (Arizona).

Now Texas issues arrest warrants for the minority power (Democrats) who refuse to vote for what is clearly voter suppression laws. Their option, knowing they do not have the votes to override what is clearly a regressive bill, is to ensure quorum cannot be achieved and left the state.

State Rep. Lyle Larson, R-San Antonio highlighted the issue clearly:

Have we got to the point where we believe our own bull shizz so much that we arrest our own colleagues. Civil discourse took a nasty turn today.

Civil discourse is no longer civil. And what is happening in Texas around voting rights is the same level of GOP crap that we have seen in Georgia, and other Republican strongholds where following four years of mismanagement at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, the American public said enough is enough. And those voices were loudest in the parts of the country where the GOP is now moving beyond gerrymandering and moving to outright vote restriction so this sort of radical politics never happens again.

Welcome to the new normal.

TSA confiscates 4th gun in 3 days at Reagan National Airport

Transportation Security Administration officers said Friday that they’ve confiscated the fourth gun in three days from a security checkpoint at Reagan National Airport. WTOP

I have said it before, and I will say it again, if you own a tool, especially one that costs $1000, you should know intimately where it is. I have less expensive tools in my bench, and I know where they are. This is a tool that can kill someone and you forgot it was in your bag? This is a tool that the TSA is actively looking for and you forgot it was in your bag? And you have a permit?

Frankly, at this point, if you use the excuse I forgot it was in there you should lose your permit for at least a year, on top of all the fines you are rightly entitled to. Do it more than once, and you should lose your ability to own a weapon, full stop. You are clearly not a responsible gun owner.

Found in the Archives

While cleaning up my office today, I found a stack of unfilled photographs. Yes, really. Shot on film, and printed on paper, from the middle 1980s. I have no idea how many megapixels my Minolta had, but with camp season right around the corner, here are a couple of images to make you smile.

Ahmek and Wapomeo canoes lined up on the Ahmek dock.
Ahmek and Wapomeo canoes lined up on the Ahmek dock.
At Ahmek looking down to the bottom of Pioneer Bay, Canoe Lake.
At Ahmek looking down to the bottom of Pioneer Bay, Canoe Lake.
A foggy morning on Canoe Lake, Algonquin Park.
A foggy morning on Canoe Lake, Algonquin Park.

Live from Backwards Land

If you do not live in the United States, you might be wondering what is in the water, or the air, because as the world struggles to come out of this pandemic and demands for vaccines far outstrip supply, there are lawmakers, like the ones in Ohio, that are looking to ban any requirement for any vaccination.

Let me say that again - ALL vaccinations. I only wish I was kidding.

Ohio lawmakers want to abolish vaccine requirements—all vaccine requirements (Ars Technica)

Now, I can understand, and appreciate that there are just a lot of stupid people in the world, and frankly, if you think your children, or yourself, should be exempt from getting something that could prolong your life, that is your privilege (by the way, we are going to apply that same logic to a bunch of other issues, so be careful what you wish for), but what gripes me is the this clause:

If any of the above entities even tries to institute a vaccine requirement, it would be required under HB 248 to notify people that they are able to decline. The entities are not allowed to disclose who has declined. And they “shall not discriminate against, deny service or access to, segregate, require a facial covering or other vaccination status label for, or otherwise penalize an individual financially or socially for declining a vaccination.”

Shall not discriminate against, deny service or access to, segregate, require a facial covering or other vaccination status label for, or otherwise penalize an individual financially or socially for declining a vaccination.

Wait, what? You decide you know more than the medical community and you decide that you will not get a vaccine against a disease that could potentially kill you, and I have to support your medical care?

No. Sorry.

That is not how it works. You absolutely need to take responsibility, including paying more for your health insurance (because why should I have to support your stupidity. You should have to wear a mask so as not to spread the germs that the rest of us would not be exposed to if you actually were inoculated against something that we have a vaccine for, and you should absolutely be segregated, preferably outside, in the middle of winter, because you have elected to be stupid.

Hopefully wiser heads will prevail, but if not, then someone needs to ensure the out clause is redlined. Or we will all pay for someone else’s desire to be free.

Fire in the Neighbourhood

We had a bit of excitement in the neighbourhood yesterday. A small fire, which means the house is still standing but the family was displaced for a bit.

fire trucks

Hopefully things will be put back in order soon.

According to the city:

The City of Manassas Fire and Rescue Department responds to a structure fire, Manassas Virginia, January 16, 2021 15:49. The City of Manassas Fire and Rescue Department responded to a working structure fire in the 10100 block of Allwood Court (box 2135).

Battalion 581 arrived on the scene of a two story single family house with fire showing from the chimney with extension to the garage roof. Engine 501 advanced a hose line for extinguishment. Tower 501 and Rescue Engine 521 performed searches and roof ventilation. Battalion 581 had Allwood Command. FM584 responded to the scene. The origin was determined to be accidental and started above the chimney flue. Damage is estimated at $20,000. Five people were displaced. Manassas City units that responded included Rescue Engine 521, Engine 501, Tower 501, Battalion 581, Medic 521, Ambulance 521 and FM 584. Additional units from Prince William County Department of Fire Rescue and Manassas Park Fire Rescue also responded.

Can I Get The Recipe For That – Gingerbread Cookies

The Ingredients - cookies

  • 3/4 cup (6 oz/185 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup (6 oz/185 g) firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup (2 fl oz/60 ml) light (unsulfured) molasses
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 2-1/3 cup (12 oz/375 g) unbleached all-purpose (plain) flour
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

The Ingredients - white icing

  • 1 cup (4 oz/125 g) confectioner’s (icing) sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract (essence)
  • 4-5 teaspoons milk

Directions - cookies

Note: This is a very heavy, thick dough. You will need a strong mixer. I use a Kitchen Aid, having killed more than my share of hand mixers on this recipe.

  1. In a bowl, using an electric mixer set on medium speed, beat together the butter, brown sugar, and molasses until fluffy, about three minutes.
  2. Beat in the egg yokes. In a sifter, combine the flour, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, baking soda, cloves, and salt. Sift the flour mixture directly onto the butter mixture. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat until well combined.
  3. Gather the dough into a ball; it will be soft. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
  4. Position racks in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 375°F (190°C). Butter two large, heavy baking sheets.
  5. Remove one-third of the dough from the refrigerator. On a lightly floured work surface, roll it out to 1/4 inch (6 mm) thick.
  6. Using a figure-shaped cookie cutter, cut out your gingerbread people, trees, ornaments, etc. Carefully transfer them to the prepared baking sheet, placing them about an inch (2.5 cm) apart.
  7. Gather up the scraps into a ball, wrap in plastic and chill. Repeat rolling and cutting the cookies with the remaining dough, in two batches. Then reroll the scraps and cut more cookies.
  8. Bake until the cookies begin to turn golden brown on the edges, about ten minutes. Transfer to racks and let cool (if you don’t, the icing will run away when you try to ice them).
  9. Decorate the cookies with the white icing as desired.
  10. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.

Makes about 20 cookies, depending on the shape and size of cutter

Directions - white icing

In a small bowl, combine the confectioner’s sugar and vanilla. Stir in enough of the milk to thin the icing to the desired consistency.

Makes about 1/2 cup.