Congratulations to Clemson and Advice to Gamecock Fans

My three year old son is starting to learn to play games. He loves games. Right now, one of his favorite games is "Go Fish", which he calls "Go Fishing". Every time I say "go fish", he says "No, Daddy, it's go fishing".

When he first started to play Go Fish a/k/a Go Fishing, we let him win almost every time. Now, I'm letting him win about 2/3 of the time because he got really upset the first time I beat him. He didn't understand the concept that he could lose the game, and he didn't like it. However, I explained to him that you don't always win, and it was important to not get upset when you lose.

Now, my son is starting to take losing in a much more mature way. This is good, because he's going to grow up a Gamecock fan, and he needs to understand that losing is something you deal with on a regular basis. Which brings me to the Carolina/Clemson game.

Although I would have certainly like to see Carolina win yesterday, I can easily say that Clemson was the better team yesterday. It really wasn't even close. I know lots of you Clemson fans who are very happy that their team came out on top. I would probably guess that this win was sweeter for many Clemson fans specifically because of the last five years.

I give my Clemson friends a hard time, but it's all in good fun. If you can't trade a little paint over a college football rivalry game, then what's the point? Accordingly, you won't hear me complaining when my Clemson friends enjoy this win. That's the whole point of being a fan. For those of you who are Carolina fans, remember to be a gracious loser.

No one likes to lose, but without the struggle winning doesn't mean much. Winning this rivalry game is hard. But it's the "hard" that makes it great.

Congratulations to Clemson. Enjoy the win this year. But don't slack up, we'll be coming for you again next year. (Hopefully, with a better defense!)

Carolina/Clemson: Game Day

Game day. Let's do this.

It's Black Friday

Who in their right mind would actually want to go out shopping today? I'd rather have the peace of a nice walk in the woods. If you're not working today, find a little time to get outside and enjoy this beautiful November day.

Carolina/Clemson Hateweek: Wednesday - Analysis

Enough with the taunting.

Pretty good Q&A over here. It was informative for me because I haven't really followed Clemson much. I was not aware that Clemson's big weakness was O-Line.

Ok, well, maybe a little more taunting is in order.

Politically Correct Scene from "The Godfather"

Courtesy of Popehat. Go read the whole thing.

Inside, Sonny, Clemenza, and Tessio were waiting. Sonny came to Zach, and took the young student-columnist's head into his hands, saying kiddingly, "Beautiful, beautiful, that police captain sure knocked you up real good."

It was Tom who spoke first, over the stunned objections of Clemenza and Tessio: "Sonny, 'knocked up' is an outdated phrase used by anti-woman bigots and mansplainers to describe pregnancy. It implies, to right-thinking people, an element of physical violence, and if I may say so, using that term is a monstrous form of Hate Speech. It denigrates women, and it denigrates choice, the choice that each woman has to decide for herself whether to terminate an unwanted fetus."

“We are all honorable men here, we do not have to give each other assurances as if we were lawyers.”

Carolina/Clemson Hateweek: Tuesday - Clemson Sucks

This sticker has been on my car for the last three years.

This morning, I was getting gas at the Exxon at the corner of Gervais and Harden street. As I was standing there watching the gauge click up, a man cutting the corner walked past my car with his dog.

He stopped and looked at the sticker (pictured above) on my car's rear window. He wasn't very close, so he smiled and asked, "What does that sticker mean?" I replied, "It's appropriate for this week. The CS stands for Clemson Sucks".

This clearly surprised my interlocutor, as he had apparently been expecting the sticker to reference a beach or something equally ordinary. He stood there surprised and asked "Really?" I responded, "Yes, really." Again, failing to believe me, he asked "Really?" to which I replied "Yes, really. You can see at the bottom where it says Clemson Sucks."

Still not getting it, he simply repeated himself, "Really?" Getting slightly exasperated at this point, I responded, "Yes, Clemson really sucks. They really do."

Finally getting a close enough look for himself, the man simply said "Wow." chuckled a little, and began walking his dog again.

I love this sticker.

I've had that sticker on my car for probably about the last three or so years. I've decided that I'm going to keep it on my car until Clemson finally beats Carolina. Is this the year I take it off?

Carolina/Clemson Hateweek: Monday - Pace Yourself

Happy Monday, campers. Probably won't have time to deal with politics this week, because there are more important things to argue about. Today, we begin the hateweek with a slow simmering. 

On Saturday, Carolina travels up to take on the Clemson Tigers on Saturday. For those of you who might have been asleep for the past five years, Carolina has won the last five games against Clemson, or as the Augusta Chronicle puts it, "Clemson has lost to South Carolina five  years in a row."Either way, really.

Accordingly, the Clemson fans are really, really hoping that they don't continue to lose to Carolina. Clemson has a few reasons to be optimistic. First, the game is up at their place, so they'll have the home field advantage. Second, the Clemson team has been playing pretty well, while Carolina has been struggling, especially on defense. Third, all the Clemson players are going to be motivated to win because...well...that's what happens when you lose five in a row. So there is reason for Clemson fans to be optimistic. In fact, Vegas even has Clemson favored by a few points.

On the other hand....

Friday ATF: Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms

Happy Friday, y'all. Usually, when people hear the words "Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms" it's in the context of the government agency. However, here at Permanent Press, alcohol, tobacco, and firearms, is more like this:

Alcohol:

Tobacco:

Firearms:

Have a nice weekend.

Democracy Never Lasts Long

I am tired of people repeating the phrase that "our immigration system is broken". It's not. What's broken is our enforcement system - it's as simple as that. We have an immigration system that allows over 1 million people to emigrate legally.We have an immigration system that allows for 250,000 guest workers and work visas.

That is not a system that is broken. What's broken are our "leaders".

I'm not even going to begin addressing the substance of the executive order, because I don't acknowledge it's validity. To address the executive order on its substance gives it more respect that it is due.

Quite simply, the President was unhappy that the Legislative Branch was not enacting his policy preference, so the President decided rather than to advocate for his policy preference, he was just going to enact his policy in direct opposition to the will of the Legislative Branch.

What's sad is that so many people support the President's policy, they're willing to just cast aside our well-settled checks and balances to achieve their goal. And there's a whole bunch of other people who are ready to use this new precedent to enact other policies, and push the boundaries just a little bit further.

Interesting Times.

"Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide." - John Adams

Tom Brokaw's "Opening Day" Was Pretty Good

Last night, around 4:30AM (during a late night feeding), I watched Tom Brokaw's Opening Day, which I had recorded for just such an occasion. It was pretty good. I certainly wanted to book a trip to South Dakota when it was done.

Brokaw is originally from South Dakota, and according to this documentary, he goes back there to hunt fairly regularly. If you didn't know, there is some phenomenal pheasant hunting in South Dakota. It's the northern equivalent to the southern Georgia quail plantations.

Here's my favorite line from the piece I linked:

Brokaw said the New York area in some ways is more understanding of sporting gun culture than it used to be.

"New York is ringed by shooting clubs," he said. "Within two hours there are one, two, three, four, five that I know of . . . When hedge-fund guys started making big money they all discovered shotguns. So they started buying shotguns and going on these big hunting expeditions."

Ha. How funny is that? You don't have to make big "hedge-fund" money to buy a shotgun and go bird hunting. We've been doing that in the South for a long time. An 870 Wingmaster and a good dog is all you need.

The President Is Going to Cut Down a Law or Two Tomorrow

"You know what would be the BEST, most constructive, reaction? For the House to pre-empt the president’s executive action by passing the comprehensive immigration reform that the Senate sent over to it." -Brad Warthen

Sure, I agree. We all like rational stuff. Even if the House doesn't like the current Senate bill, they can always amend it, or just pass their own. What are they waiting for?

Maybe they're waiting for the new Congress to be sworn in. Maybe they're waiting for Christmas. Either way, it doesn't matter why Congress is choosing not to act; that's entirely beside the point. If the President doesn't like the lack of immigration reform bills in the Congress, maybe his party should start winning some elections. Or maybe the President could have done something for the two years he had a super-majority in Congress.

But all of this talk about the President's action and the Congress' reaction also misses the point of this being bad precedent.

The President shouldn't do what he's about to do. There's no broad public support for it. It's against the specific will of the majority of the legislative branch. The legal basis is unsound. There's no national crisis at hand that cries out for drastic action. In fact, the President is actually creating a crisis with this defiant move. It's also not a permanent fix, either. It's theater. But it's theater that sets a horrible precedent of cutting down laws by Presidential order.

But you know...I don't put 100% of the blame on the President. I blame us. The entire Democratic party is thrilled at the idea of this executive action, and it is actively encouraging him to do this. A little less than half of the electorate is excusing the means because they like the end result. There's plenty of blame to go around. The President is going to announce that he's going to ignore some laws tomorrow, and it won't really register for much of the citizenry here in our young little republic.

At the end of the day, we have to have laws that mean things. If the law can just be altered (and non-enforcement is altering the law) then what is left? I know I use this clip all the time, but it's relevant once again.

You start cutting down a little bit of the law here, a little bit of the law there, and pretty soon, a cold wind is blowing, and the Devil will turn 'round on you. Where do you hide then?

Keystone XL Dies in the Senate

Mary Landrieu was just cut loose from the herd.

Democratic incumbent Sen. Mary Landrieu (La.) failed to convince enough members of her party to support the Keystone XL pipeline Tuesday evening, a vote considered a desperate attempt to save her Senate seat.

Legislation that would have expedited the approval of the pipeline failed 41-59, falling short of the 60-vote threshold needed for approval. All 45 Republicans voted for the bill.

Not that getting this vote through would have saved her anyway. Oh well, I guess the next question is whether the new Senate will be able to get to 67 votes.

Mid-Afternoon Snow Puppy

Take five parts snow, add one part puppy, and mix.

Headlines for November 17, 2014

It's cold, rainy, and foggy out there today. Good Scottish weather.

I was going to have a trial today, but the case settled just before we started picking a jury. Consequently, you get a blog post. (Lucky you!)

Looking around, here are some of the headlines that caught my attention today and over the weekend:

1. South Carolina beat Florida in overtime which got the Florida head coach fired. What's really interesting is whether South Carolina will now offer the former Florida head coach a job as a defensive assistant.

2. A doctor who was transported from West Africa to a Nebraska hospital has died of ebola. Apparently, he got to the US just recently, and it looks like he was in a pretty advanced stage of the disease before he got here.

3. One of the scientists who helped land the Rosetta probe on a comet wore a shirt that offended some people. If you're over 13 and offended by someone's shirt, you're a weak-minded moron. Get a grip, people. It's a shirt. You people are worse than the preacher in Footloose.

Other than that, what else you got?

Friday Steak and Wine Open Thread

Get some protein and some wine to celebrate your Friday. Congratulations, you made it.

No politics today. It's all too stupid to even bother discussing. I'm going to enjoy the weekend, and I suggest you do the same.

Winter Open Thread

LOST IN WINTER — PALETTE KNIFE Oil Painting On Canvas By Leonid Afremov

Open Thread. Talk about whatever you like.

Veterans Day: 2014

Parris Island Marine Corps Recruits, WWI

Today, we remember all our veterans, but to me, this day seems mostly about remembering the veterans of The Great War.

“The muffled tongue of Big Ben tolled nine by the clock as the cortege left the palace, but on history's clock it was sunset, and the sun of the old world was setting in a dying blaze of splendor never to be seen again.”

― Barbara W. Tuchman, The Guns of August

Why Healthy Girls Think They Are Fat

The magazine Elle says this is their "plus sized" model.

This is obviously stupid. When I see crap like this, I really don't even know what to say.

It's Monday; Don't Go Back to the Future

You made it through another Monday. Congratulations.

It may not have been the Enchantment Under the Sea dance, but you made it. Around these parts, I'm the only one in the household who isn't in sick bay or confined to quarters under quarantine. Something's going around. Don't worry, it's not ebola.

Other than that, not much news. I may do a bourbon post, or a Gear for Guys post later to break the political rhythm. Anyone have any cool gear they're looking at these days? I've been on a knife kick recently.

Supreme Court Accepts Obamacare Subsidies Case

Remember the Halbig case? Well, that issue is now going to the Supreme Court. Just today, the Supreme Court accepted a case (King v. Burwell) which is the same question.

Interestingly, with King, the lower court ruled that the subsidies apply everywhere, so the administration won. Don't forget, the Supreme Court doesn't have to take this case. They could have just refused to take it and let that decision stand. However, SCOTUS decided to take the case, and you need four votes to accept a case.

So are there now four votes to overturn King and say that the ACA does not allow for subsidies to federally established exchanges? Perhaps so. That would be big.

This could be a very interesting case to watch.

Abraham Lincoln's Advice to Lawyers

"Discourage litigation. Persuade your neighbors to compromise whenever you can. As a peacemaker the lawyer has superior opportunity of being a good man. There will still be business enough."

-Abraham Lincoln

Last Night's Election - The Devil's Own Day

Wave.

Nikki Haley cruised to a fairly easy victory last night, as Republicans swept pretty much every race there was, in both South Carolina and nationwide. Even the state of Maryland elected a Republican Governor. Maryland, y'all.

Anyway, we'll see how things go for the next two years. My only admonition to Republicans in the Senate is this: All glory is fleeting. Remember the hubris of the Democrats, who basically thought the were going to have a permanent majority?

Well guess what, y'all. No majority is ever permanent. Get things done, and you'll be rewarded. Act like knuckle-heads, and you'll be out on your ear next time. Being marginally better than the Democrats isn't something to get all that excited about. There's always another battle to be fought.

I'm reminded of the exchange between Grant and Sherman at Shiloh. After the first day of battle, the Confederates had taken the Federal position and forced a retreat of the Federals under Grant and Sherman. The Federals had been driven from the field and looked like they would be finished off the following morning.

When Sherman arrived at Grant's headquarters later that evening, he found the general–broken sword and all– chewing on a soggy cigar in the rain, which had begun soaking the battlefield.

'Well, Grant' Sherman said to his friend, 'We've had the devil's own day, haven't we?'

'Yes,' replied Grant, 'lick 'em tomorrow, though.'

The GOP could easily be licked next time.

Election Day: 2014 - You can't vote for me; I'm not on the ballot.

Well, today's the day. Although there aren't really any competitive races in South Carolina, it will be interesting to see what happens around the country. I'll certainly be interested to see how the dynamics of our national politics changes if the entire Congress becomes controlled by the GOP.

I guess the last time we had the Congress controlled by one party and the White House controlled by another was during George W. Bush's presidency. Man, doesn't that seem like a long time ago?

Voting was easy this morning. No delays, no broken machines. I had actually looked at a sample ballot last night, so I knew what to expect. (Yeah, that's kind of a dork move, isn't it?) And once again, I was the youngest person in my polling place again. I'm sure that will change eventually.

Also, there were lots of people running unopposed. What's up with that?

In any event, go vote if you are moderately informed about current events and the news.

Getting Shit Done

Yeah, it's been awhile since I've given you lovelies a blog post to chew on. I've been getting some serious work done at the office, so I don't feel too bad, given that this here blog is a lark. We will now resume regular blogging. 

Don't forget to vote tomorrow.