Jerk Quarterback Isn't Standing Up for National Anthem Until Country Changes

He's a whiny crybaby who annoys me because he's such a moron.

I guess it's also his lack of awareness that makes it so annoying. There are things that everyone doesn't like about America. This country isn't perfect, but it's pretty darn nice. If you don't like something about the country, that's fine, but that doesn't make you special, m'kay?

When we stand up for the national anthem, it doesn't mean that we think America is perfect. We're not endorsing all the bad parts. We're endorsing the country as a whole, and as a whole, America's doing pretty good. Yeah, we've got some issues to work on, but who's perfect? I mean, what country would this jerk-face rather live in?

I also find it really dumb for this guy to say America isn't doing things right, and he's going to publicly complain about it...but then not actually do anything concrete to fix what he alleges is the problem.

Too many people think that doing something symbolic is actually doing something. Newsflash campers, your completely symbolic gesture is...completely symbolic. If this guy thinks that African-Americans are being oppressed by law enforcement, then I would have infinitely more respect for him if he quit the NFL, joined a police force, and had the courage of his convictions. Roll up your sleeves and get rolling, Sparky.

As it is, he's just blowing hot air. I'm not offended by his actions, mostly because I really don't care about what morons do or don't do.

Members of the 49ers organization who I completely support.

"Students and activists opposed to the campus carry gun law that went into effect this month protested the measure on Wednesday by carrying sex toys on the University of Texas campus on the first day of classes."

Anti-gun people are...strange.

“If there are guns in your bags, there will be dildos in mine,” she shouted, as she brandished one over her head. “If you pack heat, we’re packing meat! We’re going to make you as uncomfortable as we are (with guns).”

First, what the what?

I get that some people have an irrational fear of weapons. I get that some people are anti-gun, and wished that guns didn't exist. I get that some people don't think protecting yourself is a big deal.

But this? I don't understand the thought process here. A person carrying a concealed weapon is carrying it concealed. That means out of sight. The handgun isn't being waved around or being paraded around like some sort of trophy. It's being kept out of sight at all times.

So the response of publicly, openly carrying anything around seems odd. It's not really a parallel response. Really, these people should be carrying concealed sex toys around, right?

Second, what makes these people think that just because they're carrying around sex toys, it's going to change the mind of anyone who carries a concealed weapon? Virtually no one makes the decision to carry a concealed weapon lightly. It's a thought out, deliberate decision, not something on a whim, mostly because of the seriousness of the issue.

These "students and activists" carrying around sex toys are just outing themselves as unthinking, childish bird-brains. But that's fine, I guess. Everyone has the right to expose themselves...as dumb.

Finally, do these bird-brains think that carrying around a sex toy is going to be persuasive to anyone else? Frankly, it's more of a self-pleasing act for the people carrying the sex toy, in that they get to publicly show off their indignation. It makes them feel good, but that's it.

As I think about it, that seems appropriate for what they're carrying, no?

Men Chant "Black Lives Matter" Before Attacking Their Victims

I guess it was a "mostly" peaceful protest, huh?

A group of men chanting "Black Lives Matter" was accused of viciously beating up seven white victims in Akron early Sunday morning.

I'm sure that the thing these guys were chanting right before a violent attack, has nothing to do with their motivation for the crime.

Police said seven white men were walking when they were approached by five black men and two white men, shouting, "Black lives matter." The suspects started hitting them with bottles, punching and kicking the victims. One victim fell to the ground and was kicked in the head several times before losing consciousness. The suspects then took the victims' belongings before running off.  

Just some normal protesting, right? You chant, you beat random people up, and then steal their belongings.

As @exjon said so long ago, "My favorite part of the Obama era is all the racial healing."

History of the Sailing Warship in Marine Art

An English Ship with Sails Loosened Firing a Gun, by Peter Monamy

Check out the whole website.

Can you see it?

I can see the weekend from here.

Enjoy your weekend in the dog days of summer.

Says Who?

When you go to school to be a lawyer, they teach you things. One of the things they teach you at lawyer school is, don't be a complete moron. It's a good rule to abide by, because being a complete moron really hurts your ability to advocate effectively for your client.

One way lawyers can be complete morons is by refusing to admit basic facts. Now don't get me wrong. It's perfectly acceptable to have a dispute over facts. That's actually what jury trials are for - deciding which side's version of the facts is correct.

However, when a certain fact is plainly obvious that is beyond dispute...and yet it's disputed, the person disputing the perfectly obvious fact looks like a complete moron.

For instance, if you have a divorce case, it's fairly commonplace to dispute the value of a marital asset. Reasonable people can differ over what a parcel of real estate might be worth. However, you look like a complete moron if you take the position that your client was never actually married to the person suing them for divorce, when there is, in fact, a marriage licence, photos of them getting married with their friends and family, tax returns of them filing "married filing jointly" for years, and they've got four children.

The argument that these people aren't married just ain't gonna fly, and you look like a complete moron if you try and argue that position.

So what I'm getting at is that lawyers should know better than to take unreasonable positions because of this rule.

Unfortunately, Michael Cohen was absent the day they taught this rule in lawyer school.

Keep in mind, this guy's job, allegedly, is to make Trump look good. Trump hired him to help the campaign and speak for the campaign.

Trump keeps saying he's going to hire "all the best people".

Says who?

40,000 Russian Troops Arrayed Along Border With Ukraine

Is this a thing?

The Pentagon has identified eight staging areas in Russia where large numbers of military forces appear to be preparing for incursions into Ukraine, according to U.S. defense officials. As many as 40,000 Russian troops, including tanks, armored vehicles, and air force units, are now arrayed along Ukraine’s eastern border with Russia.

So, this sorta sounds like bad news, huh?

“Russian units will likely practice reinforcing the [Crimean] peninsula through such activities as amphibious landings and air defense exercises, and this may involve the change out of equipment and long convoys of military vehicles,” one defense official said. The military exercises are an ominous sign. Similar large-scale Russian exercises were conducted near Ukraine a month before Moscow carried out the covert military operation to take over the strategic Black Sea peninsula in March 2014.

So now the Ukrainians will have to send their troops to their Eastern border to respond to the Russian troop deployment, which means it will weaken them in the Western portion of their country. If nothing else, Russia will gather some intelligence on Ukrainian mobilization rates. 

Is this the beginning of the "Death Spiral"?

I guess losing $430 million in two years isn't a super good business model.

Aetna’s announcement Monday night was the latest sign that large insurers are losing money in the Affordable Care Act’s marketplaces, heightening concerns about the long-term stability of a key part of Obama’s domestic policy legacy. But addressing this issue could open the door to a nasty political fight, given that some Republicans have vowed to repeal the law outright.

Hey, if you like your legacy, you can keep your legacy, am I right?

What a Real Man Cave Needs - And What it Doesn't

The big craze of "man caves" is overblown. You don't need a bunch of bar-ware and kitch stuff. You just need a good fireplace, a good chair, and some books.

Rescuers free squirrel with head stuck in cup

Our long, national nightmare is over.

Members of Enfield Emergency Medical Services responded Friday after the rodent got its head stuck in what appeared to be a plastic or paper cup. Video posted on the Enfield EMS Facebook page shows the critter wildly jumping and flipping into the air in an effort to dislodge the cup. Responders' first attempt to remove the cup was unsuccessful. The wily rodent hopped out of one officer's hands and through the legs of another.

 Looks like it was a tough battle, but the courage and resolve of the Enfield EMS team would not be denied.

Shootings on a Record Scale This Week

Nearly 100 people were shot this week in Iraq's dangerous Northern region. More below the jump...

New Candidate for 2016

The press conferences alone would be worth it.

Democrats Openly Celebrating and Laughing about Scalia's Death

"The death of Scalia saved labor from a terrible decision." -@Ted_Strickland to AFL-CIO https://t.co/UVM4Mn77ai

— Liam Donovan (@LPDonovan) August 10, 2016

It's not the fact that he frames Scalia's death in the context of what's good for his policy preference, it's all the laughter and clapping in the audience that really gets me.

h/t Ace.

Words Fail.

A high school classmate of mine is no longer with us. As often happens, I didn't keep up with her after high school, and we all grow so much as people after that time, so I can't claim to know her as an adult.

The girl that I knew in high school so many years ago was bright, shining, and full of life. She was athletic, smart, and had the world at her fingertips. I certainly can't begin to understand the hurt and the despair that she must have felt, and it must have been deep, because the girl I knew was so strong and vibrant.

It's important that we remember her as she lived, that young girl - full of energy with a flashing smile that we all knew so well. She will be missed, and we're all a bit poorer for her absence.

New Top Dog at LLR

My friend, Emily Farr is on the left, in green.

South Carolina's Department of LLR has a new head honcho. She's a friend of mine, so if I find out that your elevator isn't in good working order, you're in big trouble!

Iranian Nuclear Scientist Executed for Treason

His name was openly discussed on Hillary Clinton's private server hosted e-mails.

"I'm not going to comment on what he may or may not have done for the United States government, but in the emails that were on Hillary Clinton's private server, there were conversations among her senior advisors about this gentleman," he said on "Face the Nation." Cotton was speaking about Shahram Amiri, who gave information to the U.S. about Iran's nuclear program.

So we're not 100% sure that the Iranians found out that one of their scientists was providing information to the US from Hillary's e-mails. We'll never be. However, we are sure that they found out about him helping the US and then killed him for doing so. I'm assuming he didn't just randomly confess, though.

I know she didn't intend for him to be outed to the Iranians, but when you're extremely careless about intelligence matters, sometimes your enemies capitalize on them. And people die.

We'll obviously never know what happened, because the Iranians aren't going to tell us how they found out this scientist was helping us. It's just something to think about when one of Hillary's supporters tells you the e-mail thing "doesn't matter".

Busy Day - Putting out Fires

Doing four real estate closings today. I love having a lot of work on a Friday, since it makes the time go by so quickly.

What lawyers do for people. You got problems, we have solutions.

Enjoy your weekend, peeps.

Physical Fitness Goal Achieved!

Back in January, I resolved that I would get back in shape. For the previous four years I had used the "excuse" of having small children as why I didn't have time to work out. In January, I was so sick of being out of shape I decided to do something about it and I joined Workhorse Fitness.

Since then, I've been doing a Cross-Fit style workout with Workhorse, and I can't say enough good things about it. The head trainer has been phenomenal, the other people at the gym have become great friends. Not only have I lost weight and gotten stronger, I just feel better about myself in general. I've done things that I did not think possible, and I may even compete in a Spartan Race this fall.

On Tuesday, I finally hit one of the physical fitness goals that I set for myself back in January. I've set many goals for myself since January, but my goal for doing pull-ups was a big one. Now that I've met that goal, I'm going to set some new ones and keep pushing.

If you are someone who's been sitting at their desk day-in and day-out for years, and you want to make a change, I highly recommend Workhorse Fitness. Just like anything, the hardest part is starting out, but what makes Workhorse great is the team that is there for you every day so you don't feel like you're doing it alone.

"The main thing the holiday accomplishes is to create a constituency for itself, to go along with the constituencies we have for our other 110 or so sales tax exemptions."

"That reduces the chance that the Legislature will ever get rid of any of the exemptions. And that means our state will continue to exempt as many purchases as it taxes, which is the main reason our sales tax is 6 percent to 9 percent, among the highest in the nation."

Cindi Ross Scoppe makes a compelling case for a flatter, less complicated sales tax.

Read more here: http://www.thes

Dtate.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/cindi-ross-scoppe/article93062392.html#storylink=cpy

Ann Althouse Dissects Hillary's Position on Heller

I don't watch the Sunday news shows, so I didn't see this. Apparently, Chris Wallace had a pretty good interview with Hillary Clinton that touched on her views on Heller and the Second Amendment.

Ann Althouse has the dissection.