Holiday Rally Eyed, A Senator Steps in It, and AI Comes to Dinner

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.

37 thoughts on “Holiday Rally Eyed, A Senator Steps in It, and AI Comes to Dinner”

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  1. “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.

  2. 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.

    • The problem with Senator Kelly’s statements (and those of the others) is they imply that Trump is doing something wrong or illegal.

      Which he is not.

      Likely everyone in the military knows and understands this.

      But the useful idiots out marching with their (Open Society made and distributed) signs do not, and they will ASSume the IMPLICATION is tantamount to an ACCUSITION, thus “justifying” any action whatsoever, they may be lead into taking…

  3. ““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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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

    • I dont know S2, with inflation running so hot a $1.00 Cheeseburger in 2019 is now $3.15, and the medium fries at MickeyD’s are even worse.
      ZIRPED us to death they did, as I screamed about out of control inflation would be heading our way. Shockingly INFLATION is biting HARD now, and is only getting worse. But you all should keep waiting for things to get better..bwhahahahahah

      bessent & tRUMP – “tough shit, losers”
      – too bad we are not israhellies, they are getting all our $$, while the less fortunate get their health care cut- genius!
      “F -the less fortunate in USA”- current tRUMP admin

      • tRUMP NEVER stops the selling con, he cant help himself, never stops Selling..ever.

        Anyone believe a single word of the art of the deal ? More like tRUMP be the FART of the deal, or art of the Weasel.

        Sure big beautiful peace plan for ukraine..sure 28 pts of light, these morons keep stumbling over themselves.

        Why would Mother Russia agree to any of IT ?

        They are destroying the ukraine, will control 100 % of the donbass by months end. Then they carve out a nice comy Bufferzone, and all will be copasetic.

        One more time for the hard of reading –

        ALL FAKE, All the Time..including Time itself as we be in the “make believe” Time.

        • I’ve been conned. We’ve all been conned. Coming to terms is the key to enlightenment.

          Look to some of the Trump supporters who voted for Trump then jumped to the trillionaires party as soon as he announced forgetting all about Trump. Those people should learn to be more introspective and stop voting all altogether, but they won’t.

        • Yup..he’s not a lying politician he’s a businessman.. I believe that’s why the dual objectives he has been showing to..When we look at the current state of politics and economics, it felt less like governance and more like business strategy which he is quite use to. Deficits aren’t just numbers—they’re signals of horrific mismanagement of the tax dollars of the people. where the public tax money was funneled into private gain of industries and individuals that gave gifts and stock options, jobs in the form of elite positions after office. A country doesn’t go bankrupt like a company dies… it collapses and must be rebuilt from the ground up… That’s why we are seeing these resource wars—whether in Ukraine or the Eastern Mediterranean—It has become a kind of lottery ticket.. wage earners will spend every dime of their income in desperation on lottery tickets with the hope that they will win enough gains to make their cost of living… If these wars pay off, then they buy time for the dollar and fiat systems if the world. If they fail, the next administration inherits the bag of consequences and all the worlds fiat currencies collapse.those with big piles of dollars discover instantly that it was a gamble leaving them in Zimbabwean fashion. It’s a dangerous cycle of gambling with national stability, alk while trying to minimize our outward appearance in case of a war and history shows reconstruction always follows implosion.”

        • the truly scary part..is Putin and Xi are not idiots.. this could end very badly. in the event Bric’s takes over as the world financial system..those in the let them smell my farts with currencies not guaranteed by anything will panic.. they can fold or double down..in a panic doubling down is world anialation through war.. we cannot rebuild industry similar to securing the grid with solar towers and handing out grid tie systems.. it doesn’t support the business model of supply and demand .it’s all about a stupid number on a ledger.. we will bury numbers so it’s ours all while seeing the neighborhood collapse by destroying the local economies to achieve higher profits..allow only medical services to the ultra rich even though the ultra wealthiest lives depend on the very people they are ignoring

    • Check your facts Stephen 2. Bondi was a long time State Attorney (prosecutor) in Tampa Florida before being appointed Statewide Prosecutor for the state. She served in that top prosecutor spot for four years. She was later elected Attorney General. Her extensive prior prosecution experience may tend to undermine you thesis. Word up.

      • “Donald Trump appointed Pam Bondi as U.S. Attorney General after the initial nominee, Matt Gaetz, withdrew his name from consideration. Trump announced his choice on November 21, 2024, and Bondi was confirmed by the Senate on February 4, 2025.”

        “President-elect Donald Trump selected Pam Bondi to be the U.S. Attorney General on November 21, 2024. This followed the withdrawal of his first choice, Matt Gaetz, from consideration. “

      • Pam Bondi was a FLORIDA COUNTY prosecutor … NEVER worked in the Federal System, either as a Prosecutor or Defense Counsel from what I understand and what the information on the internet says.

        Just like the legal system in each state is VERY different, why you have to have a separate license for doing most things in every state, the Federal System is a Universe all it’s own … and does NOT follow Florida Criminal Rules.

        As for being a State Attorney General when was the last time any State Attorney General ever did the actual work in the trenches where THEY PERSONALLY had to know and follow the detailed state rules and all the detailed local rules? Those jobs are about politics NOT about the nuts and bolts of trying or prosecuting cases

        Pam Bondi clearly does NOT KNOW the Federal Criminal Rules or the Statutes that had to be followed … she may know the Florida Rules (maybe) but THOSE DO NOT APPLY in Federal Court.

        Worse … she, or Trump, appointed as their “Acting” US Attorney for the relevant district a person with NO Criminal Experience AT ALL … if the news reports are accurate. That is Malpractice City waiting to happen.

        Pam Bondi, if she was half intelligent about the law should have seen that problem coming with all of it’s flashing lights and sirens … and given that appointed person TWO long time career Federal Prosecutors to help the No Nothing Person through the process that they had NEVER gone through in their entire life, BUT SHE DID NOT!

        WHY NOT?

        Two potential reasons
        * She WANTED the person to make mistakes so as to sink the cases
        * She is a totally incompetent manager (who really is NOT very intelligent?)

        I tend to lead towards the second reason since this is NOT the first simple thing she has screwed up badly in her current position. IMO she is a perfect example of the Peter Principle at work

        • Stephen 2. You keep demonstrating you do not have a warm clue what you are talking about. The Florida Criminal Justice system is very similar to that followed in the Federal system. And the Federal rules of evidence are used. How do I know? And how do I know that you don’t? Before I retired from the Department of Justice as an AUSA, I served first as an Assistant Sate Attorney in Florida and then as an Assistant Statewide Prosecutor for the State of Florida. Just short of 25 years in total. So, you may not like Bondi. And you may take issue with some of her actions. But your thesis (and now rant) that she doesn’t have the necessary background to be AG is baseless to the point of being risible. Take a moment for example to compare her credentials with previous AG’s (let’s look at RFK) and you may have a moment of clarity on this subject. And that would be refreshing.

        • If Pam Bondi knows the Federal Rules and Laws so well, which you indirectly say, then HOW DID SHE ALLOW IT TO BE SCREWED UP SO BADLY?

          Sheesh, the Grand Jury didn’t even see the final Indictment to vote on it! That is just incompetence wrt a Grand Jury WRIT LARGE.

          The appointed Interim US Attorney was an Insurance Attorney, NOT a Criminal Attorney, trying for some reason to do the entire Indictment Process all by themselves. Why not enlist the help of someone in the office with a couple of decades of Federal Criminal work to help?

          If the local full time Justice Dept staffers in that district wouldn’t help the Interim US Attorney Pam Bondi could have had a couple of people from DC brought in to help within just 4 to 6 hours.

          I stand by my comments … that Interim US Attorney is a total incompetent as an attorney and by all indictiions Pam Bondi is too.

  6. >> and the person she appointed to get the indictment against Comey and James apparently had NEVER done a criminal case in their life!!

    That strikes me as ‘throwing the game;. She complied with the order on paper, but in a way which was very likely to fail.

    As for question #14 regarding coffee:
    I work in an area which has a luverly coffee machine, capable of making a passable cappuccino (using powdered white stuff which will probably kill me in a few more years). I told a colleague “with all due respect to Jimmy Buffet, this is ‘the steaming concoction that helps me hang on’.”

    • Always a cover up when the Fumbling Bumbling Idiots (sword swallowers) are involved..since day 1, OG queer Hoover was wearing dresses and betting ponies in NY via his mob connections.

      Durty business, Durty Game, Durty Players..ALL Durt, ALL the Time – Ure tax dollars hard at work setting up American Citizens for another fall..

      Just look at their buttbuddy faces bongino and patel..Can you get more Manly than those two ?

    • You spelled COVERUP wrong – no spell check in Ure neck of the woods ?

      Think 3rd letter of Alphabet, not the 9th letter..sheeesh.

      Back to remedial spelling class…a C not an I .

  7. My Linux conversion… finally! Y’all may remember my cheap little ASUS pos laptop I was unable to break the bios on to convert to anything else. I took it to the ham club meeting and gave it away to a new ham member. So a month passes, and at the next… most recent ham club meeting the new fellow gives me back the little ASUS. “You can keep that, you know.” I told him. “No, I have too many laptops already. But I loaded Linux on it for you.”

    Wow! Turns out he is a real PC geek. So now I finally have a little linux laptop to play with and learn linux. Thanks, man!

    • Software Manager and Wine are your friends. Also Appimage (if available) for some software is a snap to install.

      There’s a steep learning curve, but with perseverance you’ll get there.

  8. re: “Blitzed”, N. Ohler, 22/11/2016
    feat: not “Casino Lines”

    Folks,
    The mythical boogeyman of childrens nightmares is nothing to snort at. Nine years ago this past Saturday saw the release of Norman Ohler’s book, “Blitzed”, which detailed drug use in nazi Germany from rank and file up to the fuehrer. A casual current day search indicates an alleged German maker of the popular WW2 Pervitin (crystal meth) pills allegedly employed by blitzkrieg ground forces remains in business today as a renamed German pharmaceutical giant. The current majority parent company owner happens to be Germany’s wealthiest person with about us$36 billion. He allegedly pays no German tax being domiciled in Switzerland. As chance would have it, his inter-generational main source of wealth, a global shipping company, is allegedly credited with transporting the personal effects of some 65,000 Jewish households in France and the Low Countries to the Fatherland during WW2.

    Speaking of shipping out memes, the President of Ukraine’s public social media account informs that UK PM Starmer called. He apparently “sent his condolences for the Ukrainian people”. Separately the President uploaded a 4m34s segment to Telegram and Youtube from his 26 minute public evening address. On both videos, viewers can look into a white crystal ball seen for only a couple of frames around the 1m44s mark as like on the following Youtube link to the Presidential channel:

    https://youtu.be/JE_Dv-_jpOY&t=1m40s

  9. Your AI Q&A reminded me of when a friend set his GPS to “judgmental voice” and deliberately disobeyed it, ignoring several demands to make a U-turn.

    “I see there’s a driving school nearby. You might want to stop in for a few pointers.”

    Later on —
    “See how all those other cars are smoothly merging together? Do that.”

    Another guy had his set to a female voice with a British accent. She was pretty stern-sounding already, but after he screwed up twice we both swore the voice had a distinct edge to it. His wife said “No, that was me.”

    • My original Garmin GPS had a female voice, which became VERY DEMANDING if I didn’t do what “SHE” wanted me to do, more so as one repeatedly ignored “HER” commands. It drove me nuts since on some routes I knew better than “SHE”, the Garmin GPS, how to get there while avoiding traffic and lights.

      Alas … finally after a couple of years of “HER” constant harping on one Garmin update they totally changed the Operating System inside my GPS and suddenly “SHE” was gone, along with her constant nagging. What a relief.

      While I never complained to Garmin obviously others had found “HER” constant nagging to be offensive too, so much so that Garmin decided they needed to change both the language they used when the driver did not follow the GPS directions but also to change her voice since it really was one of a demanding /nagging tone

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