Posse Incitatus

Bread, Circuses and Beer Bellies

They say there are two basic motivators in life: pain and pleasure.

Often, the pain or pleasure can be psychological rather than physical. Psychological pain may be depression or anger; lowered self esteem or disgust with self; or perhaps deep remorse for past behavior. But it definitely can be physical, too. Excessive consumption of fatty foods and / or alcohol can lead to a flabby body with an unsightly beer belly. Heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, stroke and maybe even cancer are among the serious consequences.

Occasionally I've been known to suck down some beers while watching college football or while kicking out classic rock and shooting the bull with an old friend. Where there's beer, there's usually some other vice: pizza, chips, grilled bratwurst or maybe a burger and fries if I am at a sports bar. But I am well aware that this type of behavior must be infrequent, or my middle-aged body will decline rapidly and I could be headed for an earlier-than-expected dirt nap.

In the realm of rationalization, I deceive myself with lame excuses: Well, at least I walk frequently, drink skim milk, don't smoke and usually skip dessert! I don't eat chocolate or other candy very often, and avoid drinking on weeknights. Yada, yada, yada....

It's true: I do some sit-ups, a little bit of weightlifting, and try to walk 20 to 30 minutes a day, although this time of year, when it gets dark early and sidewalk ice represents a treacherous threat, the walking gets harder to do. (That's what treadmills are for, and I do use them at my workplace.)

Gradually in recent weeks, I have been adopting an early New Year's resolution: Cut down on carbs (mainly bread, bagels and beer), eat more salads for lunch, and seek out healthier alternatives than some of my regular fare. It's not enough to triumphantly declare that I avoid sweet cereals (Frosted Flakes, Honey Nut Cheerios, et al) while consuming the likes of raisin bran, Grape Nuts and shredded wheat. I'm going to go all out and look for a type of cereal a coworker told me about: Ezekiel, which comes in varieties that include lentils, spelt, barley and almond sprouted whole grain! Move over, Euell Gibbons. (Now I'm REALLY showing my age.)

I gave up iceberg lettuce years ago (with the exception of when it's on a restaurant burger). But now I am buying spinach more often than lettuce, and also trying to increase intake of other foods with high antioxidant content (thought to battle cancer and heart disease), such as blueberries, grapes, onions, carrots and green tea. And although I am not crazy about bananas, I try to eat one a day because of their tremendous nutritional value (coming with the bonus of a serotonin boost). I love salmon and tuna, and try to make chili and spaghetti with ground turkey rather than ground beef. Broccoli, eggs, apples and garlic are also high on my list. High-fiber foods are essential to keep the system operating smoothly.

It used to be eggs were thought to be bad news, but nutritionists have backed off  on their warnings about the dangers of cholesterol from eggs. Foods with high trans fats -- fast food breakfast sandwiches, crackers, biscuits, cakes, cookies and the like, are some of the deadliest.

Oh, and I can't forget yogurt. I buy big boxes of it at Sam's Club because I love it and it's a great mid-morning snack. They tell me it's loaded with probiotics, which are beneficial for digestion, boost the immune system, and possibly even aid in weight loss.

As I get older, I am more and more leery of preservatives, high sodium, trans fats and red meat. I also notice that drinking lots of water reduces my appetite. It gives a feeling of being full, thus eliminating that temptation to snack. Twenty years ago, I loved to grill bratwurst and burgers. Better Made potato chips (made in Detroit, and excellent) were like an addiction. Now, I avoid those foods like the plague.

In my most recent checkup, my body mass index was a little higher than it ought to be, but not outrageous. I know that maintaining a proper diet takes lots of self-discipline -- especially with the holiday season coming up (thoughts of eggnog, cheese balls, Christmas cookies and pumpkin pie with whipped cream are dancing in my head).

College bowl games, plus the NFL playoffs, all are coming soon. College hoops will heat up. Make no mistake, there will be days during the next few weeks when I'm sucking down some suds and munching on chips, Cheez-its or Dorito's. But I have taken to heart advice from a freshman psychology teacher many years ago: If you want to avoid destructive behavior, meditate and concentrate on an ugly image of what you DON'T want to look like. Etch that image into your mind.

And it works both ways. You can also form a strong image in your mind of how much you'd like yourself to be slim-n-trim, with muscles and virtually no gut.  That helps inspire a person to pick up the barbells, do sit-ups and jog or walk. But frankly, I'm at a stage in life where I believe avoiding the blubbo / tub-a-lard body figure is a much more realistic goal than looking like an older version of a pro athlete.

Besides, there's nothing like sucking down those suds and munching salty snacks while cheering on my beloved Spartans! Let the bread-n-circuses begin (but Lord, don't let them last too long!)

Memories of Sears

I'm a couple months late with this commentary, but that's one of the nice things about blogging as a hobby rather than a livelihood: There are no deadlines or quotas, and I write when I feel like writing. If something's worth commenting on, it's worth doing at any time!

As I mentioned recently, I am getting burned out on politics. So following is the first of what I hope are many non-politics-related commentaries...

To no one’s surprise, Sears filed for bankruptcy back in October. The 125-year-old company will close hundreds of stores, attempt to sell others, and ask for relief from creditors while it attempts to shape itself up in short order. It's incredible to contemplate, but as recently as the late 1980s, Sears was the nation's largest retailer. First KMart (also on the critical list), then Target, WalMart and others gradually made major inroads. Today, those "conquerors" are suffering from massive online sales -- particularly involving Amazon.com.

Like many other department stores that failed to adapt to consumer preferences and modern technological trends such as e-commerce, Sears is an anachronism. The "five-and-dimes" or dime stores of the 1970s and earlier such as Kresge, Woolworth's and Jupiter closed shop decades ago. Dollar Tree, Family Dollar and Dollar General are today's version of five-and-dimes, albeit with much more limited selections and sans the cool lunch counters that aging Baby Boomers such as yours truly fondly recall.

Full-fledged department stores and catalog outlets have been dropping like flies in recent decades: Montgomery Ward, Younkers, Hudson's, May, Mervyn's and the southern chain Rich's are just a few of the hundreds of casualties. Established giants such as Nieman Marcus, J.C. Penney and Macy's are reeling, and have had to do their own cost-cutting / store closings. It will be a heartbreak if Penney closes; that has long been one of my favorite stores because of its reasonable quality clothing and shoes, decent prices and frequent sales.

In my Baby Boomer mind, Sears is as American as baseball and apple pie. Back in the day, the full name was Sears, Roebuck & Co. When I was 5 or 6, I thought it was "Sears Robot." My two fondest memories of the Sears store in my hometown of Midland, Mich. Are the Christmas catalogs and how I loved to look at the HO scale racing and train sets, along with other toys; and the 5-speed bicycle I bought at Sears with my paper route money when I was 11 years old.

Even at the ages of 11, I was curious about who manufactured Sears bicycles. I asked a Sears employee, and learned it was Dayton, Ohio-based Huffy, which had a reputation for affordable and halfway decent bikes, but not for the reliability and quality of Schwinn, which was the standard of the day. The gearshift/derailleur system was built by Shimano Skylark. The Japanese company still exists, manufacturing bicycle parts, fishing gear and rowing equipment.

Three years later, I had saved more paper route money, and moved up in the world, purchasing a Miyata 10-speed on sale for the then princely sum of $100. (Loved that bike, but alas, it was stolen in broad daylight from outside my house in the summer of 1978.) But back to Sear's...

My memories of Sears cannot really be chronicled in a smooth narrative; nor are they related. They're more like a mosaic of experiences and observations. Here's some unfiltered stream-of-consciousness:

-- Although Sears had some toys, it was, and still is, known more for hardware, automotive parts and appliances. If I was lucky as a 10-year-old, there would be some Tyco and Aurora HO scale racing sets and model railroad packages to look at in person. But the catalog had a much bigger selection. Several times, I ordered TycoPro or Aurora AFX cars through the catalog, and just couldn't wait to pick them up. My Catholic grade school was right across the street from the Sears store, and one of my classmates and I both were into the racing & train sets. I recall one day being out on the playground and seeing a semi-truck backed up to the Sears loading dock. "I think that truck is delivering catalog orders, and my Chaparral might be arriving today," I said. "Could be," he replied."Let's go find out after school."

-- My house was only about 4 1/2-5 blocks from the store. This seems insane now, in an era of pervert predators and child abductions, but I recall my dad sending me down to Sears to buy something (I think it was a plumbing part for a faucet he was repairing.) Seems I was only 7 or 8 years old. I was painfully shy and afraid to ask a salesperson for help. I walked around looking at the shelves and fiddling around with faucets on display. Soon my dad and brother arrived in the store, and he asked me if I had found what he was looking for. He was disgusted that I hadn't, and mildly chastised me. Looking back, I figure he was trying to instill confidence in me. I also remember him forcing me to call a store and ask if they sold a certain item. (Don't recall whether it was Sears.) I was timid, but managed to get through it. Later on in life, I realized that dealing with anxiety and shyness was a cauldron that helped me develop some communications skills and confidence that would pay off later on. But these painful experiences were like going through a boot camp or football training camp. Horrible while experiencing it; but later on, you're damned glad you paid your dues and can reap the benefits.

-- The Sears in my hometown, like many of them, had an auto repair shop. I recall going there with my dad on Saturday's to get something done to the car. Usually, the mechanics were blasting the radio. One day, Simon & Garfunkel's "Cecilia" filled the grimy garage with its beautiful harmonies. I couldn't get that song out of my head for the rest of the night. About 10-12 years later, when I owned a car, I took it to Sears a few times for minor repairs. It was a good place to buy a battery or tire, or get shock absorbers or brake shoes installed. I also occasionally frequented the Kmart garage across town, but that closed down many years ago. Although a few Kmarts are still hanging on, few of them still have automotive centers.

-- Way back, when I was in grade school, my older sister received a Sears Silvertone acuoustic guitar as a Christmas present. That old thing sat around the house for many years, and I recall playing it well into my teens. I never took lessons, and was trying to play a right-handed guitar left-handed (a la Jimi Hendrix).

-- When I graduated from high school, my dad gave me a Craftsman toolbox and some tools for a graduation gift. To this day, I still use some of those sockets & ratchets. There may even be a screwdriver or two still in my possession. I believe a hacksaw was included, which helped for cutting tubes, pipes or small branches out in the yard. For bike repairs, simple car repairs and things around the house, that toolbox has really come in handy for decades.

-- Lansing has a Sears in a rambling, somewhat homely shopping center called Frandor, opened in 1954 and updated a couple times, but still kind of an anachronism in today's era of sleek strip shopping centers and luxury malls. A side note: There aren't any traffic islands or one-way streets to order the traffic flow in Frandor's massive parking lot surrounded by major streets on the border of Lansing and East Lansing. That parking lot, with kamikazee drivers going too fast, diagonally and in every direction, is somewhat crazy to drive through. In the winter, when plows put giant snow hills at random locations, this obstructs visibility and reduces available parking spaces. Frandor has a few good businesses, including Panera Bread, World Market, Home Goods, a hardware store and one of the larger Sears stores I've ever seen. When it comes to tools, lawn and garden equipment and appliances, this Sears has a tremendous selection. We bought our refrigerator and range there, and either our washer or drier -- don't recall which. There's also an automotive repair center. Don't think I've actually had my car serviced there, but have purchased a few things over the years including batteries and filters. It will be a blow if this Sears shuts down.

-- Back to Midland... The Sears on Main Street closed sometime in the late 1980s, if memory serves. The building was converted into a county social services administrative building. Five years ago I reminisced about the Midland S.S. Kresge and Woolworth's stores. That Kresge's closed in 1982; Woolworth's about 7-8 years later, and the J.C. Penney in downtown Midland moved to the Midland Mall probably 25 years ago. Just last year, the store closed. Today, downtown Midland has a senior citizens home, some high-end condominiums, a nice hotel with excellent restaurants (built largely to accommodate visitors in town to do business with Dow-Dupont). There are a few other restaurants and specialty businesses (shoe repair, for example), but little in the way of retail. Maybe just a few small mom-n-pop shops.

-- In 2005, Sears and Kmart merged under Sears Holding Company. Talk about the blind leading the blind! Both of these stores were sickly even before Amazon.com began running roughshod over the entire retail world. Going back to the late 1990s, I recall reading stories about how new management was going to update Kmart's antiquated inventory system and technology; pour money into remodeling its dowdy stores, blah-blah... But to this day, you walk into a Kmart and it's like being in a time machine. Suddenly, it's 1965, and you're wondering if Andy & Barney Fife will show up. Shelves often are empty, displays are tattered and poorly designed, signage looks cheap. I've long called Kmart the Keith Richards of retail. HOW is it still alive??? Sears stores aren't as pathetic when it comes to shelves, displays and decor, but their whole business model is sluggishly plodding along, and unless something drastic happens, Sears and Kmart will vanish soon.

All across the nation, downtown areas and shopping malls are hurting. Millions of consumers prefer to buy items online, and why not? It's quick and convenient. No spending time and gas money, going out into the cold, trying to find a parking space, fighting traffic... I've done it myself, mainly for books, CDs, DVDs and a few other small items. But I'm an old-school guy when it comes to clothing, winter wear and shoes. I need to see the articles in person, feel the fabric, try them on and look in the mirror. Too often, what's ordered online might not be quite what you're looking for. At least that's been my experience. I also actually enjoy the human contact. The little greetings and interactions with other shoppers and sales clerks are not a part of e-commerce transactions.

There's no turning back the hands of time, so I know I'm going against the grain. But something is being lost with the devastation of retail. Somehow, I don't think today's millennials, when they're in their 50s and 60s, will fondly recall their smartphones, Amazon apps or front porch package deliveries from 40 years ago. But then, what do I know?

 

Vermin Media Show Their True Colors

George H.W. Bush has something in common with Ronald Reagan beyond the obvious (both are white male Republicans): The media demonized and belittled both men while they served in the White House, and these same jackals of the Fourth Estate fell all over each other heaping posthumous praise and adulation on the two men.

The eulogies and kind words rang hollow in June 2004 in the days following Reagan's death, and again this past week following 41's passing on Nov. 30. I don't think the media was as bad 14 years ago as it is now with regard to open hostility toward conservatives, yet I was somewhat stunned and appalled when the likes of Andrea Mitchell, Judy Woodruff and Bob Schieffer, among others, were singing Reagan's praises. I could remember like it was yesterday the derisive putdowns they had for Reagan -- amiable dunce, senile, simpleton, Bedtime for Bonzo, a washed up B-movie actor...

This week, as ceremonies took place to remember our 41st president, even far-left commentators such as Joe Scarborough of MSNBC and the usual rabble from the Washington Compost were heaping praise on Poppy. But as many have observed, the press despised and mocked George H.W. Bush while he was president. They thought he was a patrician and that he and his family, despite their blue blood New England roots, were rubes at heart. You know, munching pork rinds while watching Hee-Haw or America's Funniest Home Videos.

Yes, the same jackals who regard their political rivals as deplorables, who worked long and hard to drive George W. Bush's poll numbers down into the 20s, who obsequiously gave glowing coverage to Obama and kissed the ground he walked on; the same phonies who give 90 percent negative coverage to Donald Trump, now are pining away about the supposed civility of a bygone era. Selective memory, indeed. Let's face it: These charlatans don't give a rat's ass about civility. They have utter contempt and disdain for conservatives in the heartland, and wish we would all drop dead.

I can say one positive thing about the Bush funeral ceremonies in Washington, D.C., and Houston: Those who eulogized Bush did not, even if they were of the left, take the opportunity to bash Trump. I believe the Bush family, despite their own bitter differences with the president, made it clear they wanted none of that during the time set aside to honor their beloved patriarch.

Three months ago, during the funeral of Sen. John McCain, many liberals disgraced the ceremony by launching into vitriolic rants against Trump. (We knew they had no class; somehow, they felt the need to prove it.) Even McCain himself, who specifically stated he did not want Trump to attend his funeral, may well have disapproved of such unseemly behavior. It really sullies what should be a respectful, dignified event.

However, although no one was rude enough to trash Trump during the Bush funeral services and other solemn events, that didn't stop the media from frothing at the mouth with comparisons between Poppy and the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Being the parrots they are, and always having a "run-with-the-pack" mentality because original thought and behavior (not to mention courage) are so foreign to them, the media morons outdid themselves. Disgrace is far too weak a word to describe these useless hacks.

TARIFF MAN -- Sung to the tune of Black Sabbath's "Iron Man" -- (Modulated voice:)   I ... AM ... TAARRIFF-MAN... Angry face of red, fills the Chinese full of dread; trashing NAFTA trade, delighting in enemies that he's made; high chairs, bike helmets, watches and radios and TVs; heavy plates of steel make it apparent there'll be no deal. Nobody wants him; he just tweets with rage; the media blasts him, he just turns the page; free trade isn't fair trade; into the Midwest the Chinese raid; He's a piece of work; those who don't know him say he's a jerk; Nobody wants him; he just says they're bitter; takes his refuge in Twitter; planning his vengeance from Air Force One; destroy every liberal, then he'll be done....

 

Deathwatch for the Weekly Standard

I'm a bit late to the story, but for the last few days, ominous reports have been circulating that the formerly conservative magazine turned Quisling Never Trumper broadsheet is in the brink of collapse.

For those needing a heavy dose of Schadenfreude, look no further.

The larger lesson, though, is that the market is saturated with anti-Trump propaganda.  The novelty of True! Conservatives! trashing him has gotten old.

Of course, the left loves to host traitors on their panel discussions, but serving as the Democrats' trained seals, barking at Trump on command, doesn't cover the payroll.

Back in the day, political magazines covered the ideological spectrum.  On the solid left one had Mother Jones and the The Nation.  The center-left was held by The New Republic with The Atlantic straddling the line.  These were balanced by The Weekly Standard and National Review, with Reason representing the libertarian fringe.

In recent years, everyone drifted left.  Reason (and its libertarian backers) clearly decided that drugs trumped everything else and went all-in on Obama.  Similarly, The New Republic and The Atlantic abandoned their old pragmatic roots and become nothing more than print versions of The Huffington Post.

This should have been an opportunity for the remaining righty publications, but they squandered it.  Kristol began pushing "big government conservatism," which translated into endless war and unlimited immigration combined with outsourced jobs.

This left National Review, which at least made a show of opposing immigration and defending traditional marriage, but even there they ultimately caved in.  In fact, they not only caved in, but fired their most interesting writers in their desire to curry favor with progressives.

It's not clear what either nominally conservative magazine was thinking (assuming they were), but the end result was that they were marketing themselves as the "diet" versions of hard-left magazines.  Given the choice, the core progressive readership chose to go with the full-strength version of Trump-hate, not the low-calorie variety.

At the same time, the uniqueness of the publications was lost.  They became yet another source of anti-Trump screeds, which can be had for free.  So why bother to subscribe?

The failure of The Weekly Standard is proof that the people in charge don't always know what they are doing.  The right has invested the free market with almost mystical powers, but in fact the people who make decisions there are just as prone to mistakes as anyone else. 

In fact, they're more prone, because so many of them are legacy holdovers from a bygone era.

There are rumblings that other leftist outlets like Vox and The Huffington Post are also facing a financial pinch, making it even less likely TWS will survive.

It couldn't happen to a more deserving bunch of people.

The globalist gods that failed

Oh how the mighty have fallen.

After Donald Trump's election, the leftwing media was positively falling over itself in admiration for Angela Merkel, Theresa May and their ultimate hero, Emmanuel Macron.

Yet one by one these towering figures have stumbled over the fruit of the seeds they sowed in hubris.

Merkel's migrant policy has crippled her party, forcing her resignation.  She continues on as a zombie chancellor, free to deliver empty broadsides but lacking any real power over the international scene.

Theresa May's government also has become a shambling, undead husk, waiting only for the final convulsion before it collapses in a heap.  Given that her minority government depends on Ulster loyalists to remain in power, it staggers the mind to understand why should would try to push a Brexit agreement that slices off Northern Ireland and binds it in the EU in perpetuity.

Finally, there is the great Macron, Savior of the West and Hero of Globalism.  His bizarre obsession with global warming - and resultant effort to impose crippling energy taxes on the French people - has led to a prolonged popular revolt that refuses to dissipate.  The latest development is that the police union has declared themselves to be in solidarity with the "yellow jacket" protesters and plans to go on strike in support of them.

We must note that like everything French, there are detailed regulations about how one gets permission and who actually can strike, but still, this is significant.  For now, the French riot police are playing by the rules, but a public statement of this sort is often the precursor to not playing by the rules, which is common in French history.

The Sixth Republic may only be a few weeks away.

These are the globalist gods that failed, each in their own way embodying the transnational elite pushing ever less accountability and ever more fluid movement of people.  They won over their electorates and then set out remake them. 

They tried to use the rules to stymie their people, creating "all party-alliances" to lock out the will of the majority, but the outraged populace is determined to have its revenge.

The funny thing is that we've seen this play before, during the initial spread of Marxism.   Attempts to create "class solidarity" across borders collapsed when it became clear that "foreigners" would gain from lost jobs and wages at home.

The left responded by imagining "national socialism," and we all know how that worked out.

The Global Warming racket falls into the same category.  Everyone wants to feel good about the environment, but it's telling how little even the elites are willing to do to stop it.

Instead of taxing automobile fuel, why didn't Macron but a surtax on private jets?  Perhaps a landing fee on all aircraft with fewer than 20 passengers. 

Ah, but that would harm the elites, and our current crop can't tolerate the slightest inconvenience, which is why Hollywood celebrities preach environmentalism while consuming more carbon than an entire midwestern suburb.

This transparent greed and hypocrisy would be bad enough, but it is the gross incompetence that renders it a lethal combination.  The globalists are losing not just because they are wrong, but because they are stupid.

 

 

Sung to the Tune of a Tom Petty Song...

"Shut down, go ahead and give it to me...shut down, take me through the night... Shut down-it's alright...IT'S ALRIGHT!...."

As congressional legislative days dwindle down to a precious few, President Trump faces a crucial juncture in his presidency: Either he puts his foot down and demands funding for the border wall, possibly leading to a so-called "government shutdown," or he caves to Democrats.

If he does the latter, a wall may never be built. And Mr. Trump may be alienating millions of his supporters. It's apparent that a huge portion of Trump voters elected him because of his promise to build the wall and crack down on the tidal wave of illegal immigration. If he goes back on his promise, they may well sit on their hands come Election Day 2020. Make no mistake: If Trump voters in Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania don't turn out in full force two years from now, Orange Julius will be sent packing.

As of early this week, Congress has delayed voting on whether to shut down the government until ceremonies and burial for President George H.W. Bush have been wrapped up.

The truth is that only nonessential agencies and departments shut down. The press won't tell you this, but the effect is negligible for most Americans. Many of the furloughed employers are simply paper pushers toiling away in myriad cubicle farms. Most Americans won't miss these peons' contributions to the bureaucracy.

But the larger truth is this: A government shutdown really cannot harm Trump politically since the corrupt media already gives him 90 percent negative coverage. He really ought to go all out on this one.

The people who hate him and disagree with everything he does will be right there at the trough, slopping up the garbage spewed daily by CNN, MSNBC, the Washington Post and others. But millions of other people will tune out the negative coverage, either because it's just "the boy who cried wolf," or they realize the so-called shutdown is no big deal, or perhaps because they believe Trump is taking a principled stand on funding the wall, and the Demagogues are to blame.

I really hope Trump digs in his heels. The immigration problem is not going away, and the consequences are tearing communities apart. Trump's best bet is to fight the Democrats tooth-and-nail. He'll gain far more supporters and admirers than he'll lose, guaranteed. The time is growing short, O.J. Time to make a stand!