Two Agendas are running: The Home Agenda and the Life/Finance/Greed Agenda. this is a two-part report because Housing Prices are due out shortly.
Home Agenda
Other than HELOC paperwork, or a stick-up on the way home, here’s the layout:
- Thanksgiving ? Thursday
- Black Friday ? Friday
- Weekend lull / cleanup ? Sat–Sun
- Cyber Monday ? This coming Monday (the Monday immediately after Thanksgiving)
Normal (WETF that is) markets today and tomorrow. Buster Keto will be over for din-din Thursday and a half-day of markets Friday are on tap.
Work Agenda
- Politicians vying for “highest sleaze” – though that’s not new.
- Sales predictions and market shills abound.
- And oh, poor Bitcoin…
Breaking:
(We were expecting Producer Prices and Retail Sales…)
The Producer Price Index for final demand increased 0.3 percent in September, seasonally
adjusted, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Final demand prices declined 0.1 percent in August and rose 0.8 percent in July. (See table A.) On an unadjusted basis, the index for final demand moved up 2.7 percent for the 12 months ended in September.
And look here! Retail:
Back with housing soonlyish. *(new word alert!)
Lawfare School & a Senator Steps in It
You and I apparently missed the memo: Was this really National Step-In-It Week?
At the DoJ, Pam Bondi is having a terrible week after US judge tosses cases against ex-FBI chief Comey, New York AG James. Democrat-appointment making the ruling, if memory serves.
The problem as we figure it? Lawfaring on the Left – see dems have stonewalled tons of Trump appointees – and the log jam in DC is one reason the prosecutor in the case hadn’t been already confirmed. They will now argue the clock has run out.
Turnabout Is Fair Play, however. Pentagon says it’s investigating Sen. Mark Kelly. Mark Kelly is a democrat. And he’s told active military types to defy illegal orders. But, the problem we have with Kelly is you don’t lobby active military against their boss.
If this had happened in Ukraine, Russia, Tehran or…? Kelly might already be meeting with an undertaker.
The Associated Press coverage states, in part:
“In its statement Monday, the Pentagon suggested that Kelly’s statements in the video interfered with the “loyalty, morale, or good order and discipline of the armed forces” by citing the federal law that prohibits such actions.”
In theory, the Pentagon could call Kelly back to active duty and then at that time charge him or conduct a court martial for his efforts to undermine the good order and discipline of the armed forces.
Arizona Voters Have Little Recourse
If Arizona voters are fed up with Kelly, the only clean, legal way to remove him is through politics, not recall. U.S. senators can’t be yanked mid-term by a state recall; they leave office by resignation, expulsion by the Senate itself, or losing the next election. Too many dems in the senate for censure to work…
Kelly was elected in 2022 so not on the ballot till 2028. Thanks, Arizona. This is what happens when voters elect someone who benefits from the same left-of-center ecosystem (ActBlue, unions, progressive PACs, etc.).
Detritus Daily Department
( For those who tire of hearing “same old shit” all the time.)
Trouble for the MuBros: US moves towards terrorist designation of Muslim Brotherhood chapters in Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon. Some useful historical discussion (because this is an American issue) is the George Washington University paper The Muslim Brotherhood in America.
Hope someone likes Chinese food: Trump accepts Beijing visit as Xi–US call seeks stability in China ties.
Did we mention: Skip Caracas this weekend? Trump’s Iron Fist on Maduro: Designating a Narco-Terrorist Empire and the Looming Shadow of American Steel.
Clock’s ticking down to Turkey while Ukraine simmers: US and Kyiv discuss reworked plan to end war in Ukraine. But don’t worry about unloading your defense stocks, yet: 10 Signs Peace Efforts Are Failing On Multiple Fronts. Whew!
Tell me again how “safe” Bitcoin is? Bitcoin Heist: Family Members Waterboarded, Sexually Assaulted as Attackers Steal $1.6 Million. (Sometimes, being poor like us is a good thing…)
And if you still want to live in a big city instead of an armed fortress in the woods? NYPD needs to quash violent car-meetup ‘street takeovers’ IMMEDIATELY, But they can’t because this is the path to civil war in the unstable and unsustainable parts of the (once) united states.
Around the Ranch: Our First AI Turkey
No, not Claude or Co-Pilot. I’m talking about having Ara and Alexa (who goes clubbing under the name mellow female voice #2) and maybe Electric George from GPT.
AI will be able to keep up the conversation no matter how much we drink. It will remind us “Did you start the dishwasher?” Because that’s the worst of all day-afters. *(Other than our annual SST Sandiwch issue Sunday for ShopTalk…)
AI hasn’t un-friended us, asked for a loan “Just ’til payday…” Or, asked us to sign on a car loan. It seldom swears though the humor isn’t as bawdy, the IQ of the table is significantly higher.
I checked with with our guests to compile a list of “Stupidest AI Questions” they’ll be fielding.
1. “If pickles are cucumbers, does that mean I’ve been drinking cucumber corpses?”
AI shouldn’t have to process that. Yet here we are. (Too early for shots?)
2. “If I brine myself, do I age slower?”
People have legitimately asked whether salt reduces oxidation in humans.
AI’s official stance: “Please don’t marinate yourself.” AI is in a pickle on this one.
3. “Can ghosts get sunburned?”
If ther source of ghosthood is nuclear….
4. “Why does my toaster hate me?”
Not a metaphor — someone typed this to AI while holding a screwdriver. AI wanted to say “You’re a prick and I’m screwed” but the humor module was out for an update.
5. “Do penguins have names for us?”
No. We do all looks the same.
6. “Can AI detect if my cat respects me or is planning something?”
Spoiler: The cat is definitely planning something. The SWAT Teams will be bashing in your front door any second.
7. “If time isn’t real, does that mean I’m early or late forever?”
If you ask me what time it is, and I answer you, doesn’t that make time real and you stupid?
8. “Can you help me write a breakup letter to my sugar addiction?”
Find a new Sugar first.
9. “Am I allowed to punch my Roomba if it keeps banging into the same chair?”
Only if they run off together. We’d spray some End Dust on the chair legs and see if that helps. Has your Roomba has its shots recently?
10. “Is it immoral to microwave a pickle?”
No. But it’s illegal, depending on whose pickle and attachement details.
11. “What do ducks think about wind?”
Coming, going, or passing?
12. “If I eat enough carrots, can I turn my aura orange?”
It’s spelled Acura. Yes, if you eat enough to puke on it.
13. “Do I need consent to talk to my sourdough starter?”
Only in Blue states. Did you know all sourdough started in West Virginia is related?
14. “Is coffee technically an emotional support liquid?”
Check ETOH levels. We need details to give a proper response.
15. “Would a giraffe make a good electrical lineman?”
For the County? Only if you can keep him working the Main Road. And he will need insulated teeth.
16. “Do aliens have HOA fees?”
USA Yes. Venezuela No. Mexico? Whose turf?
17. “If I whisper to my router, will the WiFi get stronger?”
No but that SWAT Team is now rerouting to your place…
18. “Should spaghetti be considered a renewable resource?”
Only in the non-linear recycling mode.
19. “If robots don’t sleep, do they have nightmares about firmware updates?”
No. They have nightmares about democrats like any other intelligence.
20. “Is soup a beverage, a meal, or a personality type?”
No. Soupy Sales was an actor, not a soup.
21. Are we having fun yet?
As you really from the species that invented the wheel, compound interest, and implants?
Write when you’re done or maybe half-baked.
George@Ure.net
More additional near-misses with Enlightment, click here.
Good meeting wirh undertaker:
https://www.coasttocoastam.com/article/dead-thai-woman-discovered-alive-after-knocking-on-inside-of-coffin-for-help/
“And if you still want to live in a big city instead of an armed fortress in the woods? NYPD needs to quash violent car-meetup ‘street takeovers’ IMMEDIATELY, But they can’t because this is the path to civil war in the unstable and unsustainable parts of the (once) united states.”
He rules the roads! They murdered his family… Now he’s going to run them over! When the gangs take over the highways… pray he’s out there somewhere!
In this hideous no-man’s land – be thankful for Mad Max, The Maximum Force of the Future. The last law in a world gone out of control. Pray that he’s out there somewhere. When the gangs take over the highway… Remember, he’s on your side.
Sen Kelly has a point in that the military is obligated to NOT follow illegal orders. The precedent was firmly set during the Vietnam conflict with the My Lai massacre, where hundreds of Vietnamese were shot on orders ‘from above.’ Military and civilian courts firmly established that blatantly illegal orders carried out by Lt Calley were not required to be obeyed. In that case, Howard Callaway, Secretary of the Army, was quoted in The New York Times in 1976 as stating that Calley’s sentence was reduced because Calley honestly believed that what he did was a part of his orders—a rationale that contradicts the standards set at Nuremberg and Tokyo, where following orders was not a defense for committing war crimes. But Calley was sentenced and admonished none-the-less.
The problem with Sen Kelly’s statements is “who or what agency determined that Trump’s orders were illegal? No judge or international court has made such a claim. Kelly’s claim seems largely based on partisan opinion. And so here in lies the fuel for the fire to hold Kelly, CAPT U.S. Navy (retired) accountable for openly dissing the POTUS.
My prediction? Kelly will be admonished but not legally held accountable in any substantial way while Trump tests the constitutional limits of executive power while getting the media attention he so obviously craves.
Totally with you on this WH – I think that it’s opure political bullshit because everyone in training gets the illegal orders limits and ffor the (expletive) to attempt under color of law to mount a personal insurrection via troops is heinous at best and seditious or worse.
Can’t help but think the Democrats put that out there to act like Red Meat being dangled in front of a very hungry Lion … hoping to get the kind of reaction out of Trump that he ended up giving them.
Most Americans agree that clearly Illegal Orders should NOT be obeyed and carried out, though as we all know in War lines get blurred all the time (look at US War Crimes, ORDERED by superiors, that were committed in Iraq – none ever prosecuted except the lowest level enlistee for doing those acts).
Trump is clearly wrong on this issue … at least if the US still wants to follow it’s own Rules and Laws.
““If time isn’t real, does that mean I’m early or late forever?”
if you ask any really Sailor or Trucker Cb Guru worth their Salt? They will tell you every time,
Its half past a Monkeys Ass a Quarter to his Balls.
:)
This just in on the alternative stream media channel: The Law of One,
“I am Ra. Me know Bitcoin not real money.”
Thanks Ra!
Hope you have a super good Gobble Gobble Day. Thanks for the Smile this morning George.
Lots to be Grateful for!
I Win with God within.
What would markie mark kelli have done if a sailor refused his orders? The sailor would probably still be in the brig. markie mark and his wife tried to do a straw purchase on some guns and was turned down. He should already be in jail.
The problem wrt Comey /James … and a BIGGER problem for Pam Bond, is that having never been a prosecutor she is unwise to the technical ways the Criminal Justice System works, and the person she appointed to get the indictment against Comey and James apparently had NEVER done a criminal case in their life!!
Sheesh … like asking a family MD General Practitioner to go do some Brain Surgery with no experience in that realm and no one around to help them. Technical Mistakes followed by MORE Technical Mistakes.
Do the Republicans have such a shallow bench that they couldn’t find SONEONE, ANYONE, who knew anything about Federal Criminal Law?
Of course the Indictments were dismissed, 99% of those sitting on the Federal Bench, Republican as well as Democrat appointees, would have dismissed them to … though that is not to say that on Appeal the Appeals Courts won’t CHANGE the long established rules so they can be reinstated (Appeals Courts do that all the time but Trial Court Judges have no authority to do that). Sheesh … a problem of Bondi’s (and Trump’s) own creation by putting people with no Criminal Law Experience into those slots.
OH … and why did Bondi wait until Trump had a temper tantrum over the situations? Bondi could have moved MONTHS ago, and then time to do it right would not have been a problem.
Pam Bondi is proving to be not up to the task of doing the job she is supposed to be doing … always being Behind The Curve on item after item since she started running the show at the DoJ