Hambone v3.0

Weekend Open Comments

It looks like Russia is invading Ukraine.

As reports are coming in that Russia has placed 2,000 troops in Crimea, within the borders of Ukraine, President Obama said that “the United States will stand with the international community in affirming that there will be costs for any military intervention in Ukraine.”

Our beloved president has wagged his finger very firmly in Putin’s general direction, and has threatened to cancel a visit.
As Krauthammer has stated:

Charles Krauthammer responded on Special Report tonight saying, “The Ukrainians, and I think everybody, is shocked by the weakness of Obama’s statement. I find it rather staggering.”

It’s behavior like this that makes me ever, ever so proud to be an American. /patriotic tear glistens down my cheek
Oh, did I forget to turn my snark off? Sorry. /snark off

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Tedtam

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  1. gtotracker Avatar
    gtotracker

    I think I see how this will play out. The Crimea is now an autonomous republic and no longer part of the Ukraine. Therefore no Russian troops are in the Ukraine. Obama will be credited for making Putin back down and preventing an invasion.

  2. Adee Avatar
    Adee

    Good morning Hamsters. Condensation everywhere and 66 at 6, stealth moisture instead of falling from the sky moisture that comes tonight and into tomorrow in the vanguard of the next unseasonable cold front. Plants that froze in the worst of our cold are putting out leaves or shoots from the roots, and our redbuds are trying to bloom. Red oaks have young leaf sprouts, and pollen, but the rest of our trees are still asleep. Live oaks are still slow in losing old leaves, and the pecans say it’s not time yet.
    A pair of eastern bluebirds investigated the newly installed birdhouse yesterday, one on the perch looking inside and the other on the fence rail below watching. They stayed for about 5 minutes after spouse spied them from the house, though they could have been there longer. Who knows how many birds have investigated when we weren’t around to see?
    As for Obama’s pathetic comments about Putin’s ordered incursion into Crimea, Dr. Krauthammer’s opinion pretty well covers it all. Vladimir is rolling on the floor laughing.
    Pray for the people of Ukraine. Regrettably that’s all the support they will get from us.

  3. Katfish Avatar
    Katfish

    Ticker Dude chimes in:

    There are many who have expressed the opinion over the years that the United States should go down some sort of “revolutionary” road. The topic has come up repeatedly in various areas of what was Tickerforum and I have repeatedly slapped it down, noting that only a fool who pays no attention to history pines for such a thing irrespective of how bad you may think the situation is.
    Those who refuse to learn from history are destined to repeat it. Unfortunately the sort of “repeat” you get in this kind of situation is the sort you definitely do not want, as it is almost never one that leads to a good outcome.
    I don’t know how many times we have to see this in the modern era before we stop pining for stupid things, but we’ve got at least two examples now in the “immediate” sense. The first was Egypt, of course, which has been disastrous. The second is Ukraine.

    The book on Ukraine is of course still open, but this morning brings disturbing news:

    Armed forces were blocking the two main airports in the strategic peninsula of Crimea on Friday in what Ukraine’s new government described as a takeover by Russian forces, as the country asked the U.N. Security Council to intervene in the escalating conflict.

    Yeah, that’s not good. Oh, there’s no insignia on their uniforms either — so the open question is “who are these guys?” No concrete answer is yet available. And then there’s this:

    On Thursday, masked gunmen with rocket-propelled grenades and sniper rifles seized the parliament and government offices in Simferopol and raised the Russian flag over the parliament building.

    That’s not good either.

    And then there’s Yanukovych, who was granted “shelter” by Russia as well after he “disappeared.” Do note while you’re contemplating all of this that it certainly appears Yanukovych looted the nation if the pictures are to be believed of what could only be termed a palace. The Parliament, for its part, elected a new government with pro “western” (read: European) leanings.
    So you want to pine for dumb things eh? No, no, no and no.
    Folks, the simple fact is that odds are 100:1 you’re going to get a bad result when you go down the road of violence. There are far too many people who think that when you take such a path you get a Thomas Jefferson moment.
    The fact is that most of the time what you actually get is a Pinochet moment.

    There are many means of non-violent action, including but not limited to withdrawing your consent by working less and reducing your footprint — and thus the ability of government to sustain its own size.
    That’s lawful, by the way.

    What raises my eyebrows are those who argue that this sort of perfectly-lawful choice will never work because the people won’t do it, yet at the same time they want to make noise about committing violence. Well, not only will most people not go along with that, but in addition the odds of a good outcome from getting involved in violence are much smaller than the odds from taking lawful and peaceful action instead!

    The rest in the linky below
    Ukraine: A Warning To Those Who Are Fools

  4. Adee Avatar
    Adee

    #1 GTO Tracker
    Sadly, you are likely right.

  5. Hamous Avatar
    Hamous

    I imagine the Europeans are thinking that missile defense system Bonnie Prince Barry nixed in order to “reset” US-Russian relations would be looking pretty good in Poland and the Czech Republic about now. And Pootytang is sitting back knowing he can do pretty much whatever he wants, when he wants, and there’s nothing we will do even defensively.
    I am a child of the Cold War. I grew up with a bomb shelter buried in the sand in our back yard when Russian missiles were in Cuba. As the USSR crumbled before my eyes I remember thinking that I never thought I would see this happen in my lifetime. I am equally as shocked seeing the second rise of the Russian Empire beginning.

  6. wagonburner Avatar
    wagonburner

    I grew up with a bomb shelter buried in the sand in our back yard when Russian missiles were in Cuba.

    Crackerville was a more enticing target than Homestead AFB, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Savannah, Mobile, et al.?
    Who knew? 😉

  7. mharper42 Avatar
    mharper42

    Morning, everyone. Looks like a nice day so I should shake a leg and get outside with a lopper. Some of my shrubs are looking shaggy, but not enough for the hedge trimmer yet. Oh and I saw that first faint magenta tint along the bare branches of my redbud tree, yesterday.
    My main chore this weekend is to make myself a voter’s guide for Tuesday. I printed out the 3 page ballot for my precinct and I’ll mark it up with my choices. Lots of the judgeships only have 1 candidate, but I am still undecided on many offices.

  8. Sarge Avatar
    Sarge

    1 gtotracker says:
    March 1, 2014 at 6:49 am
    I think I see how this will play out. The Crimea is now an autonomous republic and no longer part of the Ukraine. Therefore no Russian troops are in the Ukraine. Obama will be credited for making Putin back down and preventing an invasion.

    Actually, I think Ace has it figured out.

    In short, it looks like they’re taking over Crimea, as expected. The only question now is whether they will be emboldened enough to move on the rest of the Ukraine, or perhaps just part of it (the Russian-speaking half to the east).
    Here’s another question: Will they formally annex Crimea? Or just make it an unofficial territory?
    Here’s why that’s important: They can claim Crimea is still officially part of Ukraine, so that the Crimean Russian population can still vote in Ukraine’s elections, despite being, essentially, now part of Mother Russia.
    Think they wouldn’t? They’d call it a “compromise” to leave Crimean nominally in the Ukraine, when in fact it would be another move to control Ukraine.

    Its kinda like send a few thousand voters from Nawlins to Houston to make sure Demopcrat Mayors keep getting elected.

  9. El Gordo Avatar
    El Gordo

    Since it’s the weekend, it might be easy to overlook the significance of tomorrow’s date, so thought I’d get the jump on it.
    http://www.lsjunction.com/docs/tdoi.htm

  10. Hamous Avatar
    Hamous

    Crackerville was a more enticing target than Homestead AFB, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Savannah, Mobile, et al.?

    Some of it may have been paranoia on the adults’ parts. But when you grow up with a bomb shelter as a “fort” in your back yard you’re acutely aware of the Cold War.
    On the other hand, we lived less than 10 miles from McCoy AFB, which was a SAC base back then. 40 miles to the east was Patrick AFB and NASA. 60 miles to the west was Macdill AFB. I don’t think it would have been a picnic in Crackerville.

  11. Hamous Avatar
    Hamous

    It’s beginning to make a little more sense.

  12. Super Dave Avatar
    Super Dave

    Mornin’ Gang
    Hamous, from your link, whanna’ see a Libtard’s head asplode? Mattel Tommy Burst TV commercial 1960s!
    You’re welcome….Oh, and did you notice that the bad guy was Otis from the Andy Griffith show?

  13. Super Dave Avatar
    Super Dave

    Well I finally got around to voting yesterday, I’ll not comment on who, whom? I voted for but let’s just say that I voted against Cornyn, Dewhurst, Patrick and Woodfill.

  14. phil Avatar
    phil

    I voted against Cornyn

    Shall you forever be banished to Dante’s 9 circles of Hades for voting against the man who stands up to Ol’ Cloven Hoof everyday.

  15. phil Avatar
    phil

    The current state of the USA.

  16. mharper42 Avatar
    mharper42

    #14 phil
    Why, I heard that Cornyn not only stands up, he even pushes back. Every day.

  17. Super Dave Avatar
    Super Dave

    And Cornyn is just like ewe! Oh and he has guns. 😉

  18. Shannon Avatar
    Shannon

    I need to ask a a Democrat how I go about voting in Harris County so I can vote against Woodfill.

  19. Shannon Avatar
    Shannon

    Voting in more than one county is their specialty.

  20. Adee Avatar
    Adee

    #5 Hamous
    I am a child of WWII, had a next-door neighbor growing up in the 50s who had a bomb shelter in the basement, did the duck and cover and building evacuation exercises in grade school and high school, saw the fall of the Soviet Union thanks to Ronald Reagan, Maggie Thatcher, and Pope John Paul II, and see the attempt to reconstruct it now in the vacuum America let happen thanks to the idiot socialist in the White House and his minions.
    It is no coincidence that Russia displays the Romanov eagle crest on its public and official buildings and documents now.

  21. Adee Avatar
    Adee

    #19 Shannon
    Why limit it to just two counties?

  22. mharper42 Avatar
    mharper42

    The story up on Drudge about a death from flesh-eating bacteria is LOCAL.
    http://www.khou.com/news/health/Flesh-eating-bacteria-claims-fishermans-life-after-Lake-Conroe-trip-247934511.html

  23. Bonecrusher Avatar
    Bonecrusher

    Man ticketed for committing the heinous act of running in Central Park at 4:30am. Apparently in the city that never sleeps, Central Park is closed from 1-6am every day.

  24. Sarge Avatar
    Sarge

    Screw you Hollywood.

    Movie spoiler alert.
    But after reading it, you won;t want to go see it anyway.

  25. squawkbox Avatar
    squawkbox

    Okay Bonez I will see your ticketing for running in Central park and raise you:

    The case against a junior high school teacher accused of sexting a 13-year-old girl has been dropped, but not for lack of evidence.
    It was dropped because courts and prosecutors say the Texas law banning adults from sex chat with minors violates the right to free speech.
    An appeals court ruled that a teacher can participate in a certain level of sexting with a student, and it’s not against the law.

    Oh what the heck……. I am all in:

    Texas student suspended after bringing beer to school by mistake
    CIRCUMCISED
    When he realized his mistake at school, Chaz gave the unopened beer to his teacher. But that teacher then reported it to the principal at Livingston High School, who suspended the boy for three days and then sent him to an alternative school for two months.
    Chaz said, “I gave it to the teacher thinking I wouldn’t get in trouble, and I got in trouble.”

    He was also charged with minor in possession and has since returned to school.
    But this is one KRAZY INSANELY mixed up country we live in. It is okay because of free speech laws for teachers to sext their students? This kid also stated that he was rethinking ever doing the right thing again.

  26. Bonecrusher Avatar
    Bonecrusher

    #24 Sarge: Thanks for the heads up on that movie, one I definitely will not be going to see. With all the absurd garbage coming from Hollyweird, why haven’t other film studios in sane portions of the country sprung up yet?

  27. GJT Avatar
    GJT

    A touching story

    As she sat by him, he whispered, his eyes full of tears, “You know what? You have been with me all through the bad times.”
    “When I got fired, you were there to support me.”
    “When my business failed, you were there.”
    “When I got shot, you were by my side.”
    “When we lost the house, you stayed right here.”
    “When my health started failing, you were still by my side.”
    “You know what, Martha?”
    “What dear?” she gently asked, smiling as her heart began to fill with warmth.
    “I’m beginning to think you’re bad luck.”

  28. GJT Avatar
    GJT

    #24
    If the ending gets put out there enough no one will be interested in going to see the movie.
    Go Facebookers! Screw you Hollywood!

  29. GJT Avatar
    GJT

    I also heard Lone Survivor wasn’t nominated in any of the awards thingy.
    Screw you Hollywood !

  30. Bonecrusher Avatar
    Bonecrusher

    I would like to think that H-Weird has simply gone too far this time and that the bulk of people will be very careful about how they spend their movie dollars. I don’t think this is a reasonable position, however.
    I really like the idea of spoiling the movies for those that take the now consistent H-weird hard left launatic turn.

  31. Super Dave Avatar
    Super Dave

    Gosh,I’m SOO glad that my fearless leader is right on top of things!
    Obama Skips National Security Team Meeting on Russia, Ukraine.
    In all fairness, he may have had to go out and beat the crap outta’ a golf ball! ~ SPITS

  32. Bonecrusher Avatar
    Bonecrusher

    #31 SD: We don’t have to worry at all, because the D-Bag Susan Rice has/will brief him on what happened. Kind of like she briefed the USA on the root causes of the Benghazi disaster, nothing but truth there, right?
    So the electric company decides to arbitrarily send out paper bills to those customes established to get them electronically and in the process stuffs them with Obamacare propaganda and what do we hear from the civil rights activists . . . . .that is right – crickets. Can you imagine the outcry from left if the same tactics had been used to further a conservative objective from an R POTUS?
    Now the feckless squid is blowing off security meetings on Ukraine where the nekkid aggression of the Rooskies is once again there for all to see. I guess this is what he meant by telling the Russian bastige ambassador that he would have a whole lot more flexibility when he is re-elected.

  33. mharper42 Avatar
    mharper42

    The was the CoH water bills containing a promo for Obamacare. Electric cos. are private businesses.

  34. Bonecrusher Avatar
    Bonecrusher

    #33 Water bills, I sit corrected. The outrage remains in that the City of Houston is actively supporting and promoting Obamacare to the objection of the bulk of its inhabitants.

  35. Super Dave Avatar
    Super Dave

    #33 Water bills, I sit corrected. The outrage remains in that the City of Houston is actively supporting and promoting Obamacare to the objection of the bulk of its inhabitants.

    Birds of a feather,…..sigh

  36. Bonecrusher Avatar
    Bonecrusher

    Birds of a feather,…..sigh

    It is unseemly at best, I question the legality of expending COH taxpayer resources to promote a DC political agenda.

  37. mharper42 Avatar
    mharper42

    Muslim Uighers perpetrate a massacre at Chinese train station.
    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2570996/At-27-dead-109-injured-gang-knife-wielding-men-attack-train-station-China.html

  38. El Gordo Avatar
    El Gordo

    #37 – But, but, but our government told us that the Uighers that we picked up on the battle field and sent to Gitmo were peace loving Tibetians who only opposed China’s takeover of Tibet, and who just accidentally happened to be visiting when the battle broke out and they were inadvertently scooped up with the rest of the malcontents and unceremoniously shipped off to Gitmo. I believe that we eventually set them up in luxury suites in Bermuda, brought in some companions for conjugal visits, and got them jobs so that they could assimilate into the island culture. More from the religion of peace I guess.

  39. Shannon Avatar
    Shannon

    27 GJT
    /Still laughing

  40. Bonecrusher Avatar
    Bonecrusher

    #38 EG: Sismply more evidence that the dipsticks have no clue as to the ultimate goals of islime and are determined to see it succeed, oblivious to how suicidal that position may be.

  41. El Gordo Avatar
    El Gordo

    I’m off to work soon, but let’s not forget Texas Independence Day March 2. I still don’t see how they pulled it off with such limited personnel and resources – perhaps they just valued their freedom (and that of their posterity) more than their life.

  42. mharper42 Avatar
    mharper42

    I must jump in and claim this #42 for myself.

  43. Adee Avatar
    Adee

    #41 El Gordo
    Not only celebrate it, but mayhap do it again if it comes to that.

  44. mharper42 Avatar
    mharper42

    I don’t see Texas judges and school boards telling students they can’t wear American flag shirts on Cinco de Mayo…

  45. El Gordo Avatar
    El Gordo

    But can they celebrate Texas Independence Day?

  46. Shannon Avatar
    Shannon

    The Texas Declaration of Independence, written by George Childress, was adopted on March 2,1836 at Washinton-on-the-Brazos. Four days later the Alamo fell.

  47. Shannon Avatar
    Shannon

    Following the revolution Childress was appointed to go to Washington to seek U.S. recognition of the new republic. Following that, he made several attempts to start a law practice in Houston and Galveston. The court system being in disarray in the young republic, he was not successful. Tragically, he committed suicide in October 1841 and is buried at Trinity Episcopal Cemetery, Galveston.

  48. Bonecrusher Avatar
    Bonecrusher

    Happy Texas Independance Day, Y’all!

  49. Katfish Avatar
    Katfish

    musta got somethin in my EYE……………
    On the Road Ohio boy pays it forward with found fortune

  50. Bonecrusher Avatar
    Bonecrusher

    #49: What a difference between our culture (that would produce such a tender heart as that kid’s) and that of the jihadis.

  51. Super Dave Avatar
    Super Dave

    #49, There’s definitely someone cutting onions in here.

  52. Adee Avatar
    Adee

    Happy Birthday Texas 🙂
    Good morning Hamsters. Mugly 69 at 6 and almost still, the lazy breeze is not much motivated. Overcast but not murky yet, and the feeling that something is coming hangs around at the edges.
    Meantime over night what sounded like rain off and on was a hail of live oak leaves bouncing off the garden room roof. Finally the live oaks are motivated to surrender their old leaves en masse, helter skelter around the neighborhood. They don’t sail and dance on the breeze gracefully but rather make a near straight line wind-powered descent with minimal flutter, rather like the Waltz of the Flowers vs. the Russian Dance from the Nutcracker. Then they make a soft rattle as they pile up against one another on the ground. Great aerodynamics were obviously not a prime objective in their creation. And as Shannon observed, they can require considerable effort to sweep up. However their year-round presence is wonderful. Everything has its place. Thank you, Lord.

  53. Shannon Avatar
    Shannon

    The red oak and live oak have just started putting on new, tender leaf clusters, possibly vulnerable to the coming freeze.

  54. Hamous Avatar
    Hamous

    Even The New Republic recognizes reality.

    Why is Putin doing this? Because he can. That’s it, that’s all you need to know.
    …
    Russia, or, more accurately, Putin, sees the world according to his own logic, and the logic goes like this: it is better to be feared than loved, it is better to be overly strong than to risk appearing weak, and Russia was, is, and will be an empire with an eternal appetite for expansion.

  55. Adee Avatar
    Adee

    The forecast for tonight’s low has been reduced a bit from earlier this week. Last I saw for Richmond was 33, and that temp is taken at the Sugar Land airport I believe.
    Anyhow out here on the moors we will have about 2 degrees lower on average than what
    is predicted. Pretty darned cold for March 2nd-3rd. Plants will need to be covered again or moved onto the back porch. This back and forth moving plants now resembles watering the elephants in effort. 😉

  56. Bonecrusher Avatar
    Bonecrusher

    We’re getting a “cheepy cheepy” rain here in Glorious Copperfield. I am determined to not move plants again, if they freeze then so what.

  57. Bonecrusher Avatar
    Bonecrusher

    According to Darryl Issa just now, on Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace, Lois Lerner is going to testify before congress on Wed. I wonder if she is going to rope Sarah Hall Ingraham as well as perhaps Valerie Jarrett or even JugEars Himself into the same sewer where she now finds herself.

  58. squawkbox Avatar
    squawkbox

    Hammie

    Why is Putin doing this? Because he can. That’s it, that’s all you need to know.
    …
    Russia, or, more accurately, Putin, sees the world according to his own logic, and the logic goes like this: it is better to be feared than loved, it is better to be overly strong than to risk appearing weak, and Russia was, is, and will be an empire with an eternal appetite for expansion.

    The only thing I disagree with Putin’s logic is

    will be an empire with an eternal appetite for expansion.

    Back in my day, Sarges too, the military knew that peace came through strength. This country knew that security came from strength and the appearance of strength. Now we seem to have this philosophy that 1st grade conflict resolution is all we need to maintain peace in the world.
    In this country we are obsessed with this thought that everyone should love us. So we appease. Lookit Russia. They have countries literally flocking to them because of the appearance of strength. Instilling fear is not necessarily a bad thing. COMMANDING respect is better

  59. Bonecrusher Avatar
    Bonecrusher

    Back in my day, Sarges too, the military knew that peace came through strength. This country knew that security came from strength and the appearance of strength.

    Those over 40 still know that to be true, military or not. A goodly number under 40 have never had the understanding taught so they have nothing to which to compare the BS which this admin spews. The blistering barrage of endless propaganda from k-12 plus college teaches nothing but pablam and socialism. When eyes are finally opened, it will not be pretty for the left. Hopefully they will not have already run us into the ghettos by that time.

  60. Super Dave Avatar
    Super Dave

    I was talking to the boy, he was at the gun show and wanted to ask me about a smith & Wesson MP 15 that they had for sale for $650.00!! He asked me if he should buy it and I told him that the price was right, this time last year you couldn’t have purchased it for $1200.00. A few minutes later he called back and told that one of his friends and bailed him out by buying the last one while he was on the phone.

  61. Shannon Avatar
    Shannon

    The front just plowed through here in northeast Austin County.
    Dropped about 15 degrees. Chilly and raining.
    Caught poor Fay walking the beagle. They’re both shivering.

  62. Shannon Avatar
    Shannon

    That homemade chicken soup in there is looking pretty good right now.

  63. Bonecrusher Avatar
    Bonecrusher

    #60 SD: What caliber? I have read that not all are in .223.

  64. Super Dave Avatar
    Super Dave

    #63 Bonecrusher, The MP-15 is 223, Smith & Wesson, makes one in 22 LR, the boy’s wife has one in urban camo pink. It cost about $400.00.

  65. Bonecrusher Avatar
    Bonecrusher

    so did boy buy it from his friend or is he gonna keep looking at the next show?

  66. Super Dave Avatar
    Super Dave

    #65 He’ll keep looking, he’s not really in the market yet since he has the AK 47 but a good deal like that is hard to pass up. Oh and his friend was looking for an AR platform and would have spent more if he had to.

  67. Bonecrusher Avatar
    Bonecrusher

    Leading edge of the front just hit here in Glorious Copperfield in the last 2 minutes.

  68. Hamous Avatar
    Hamous

    Still sultry in the barrio.

  69. Adee Avatar
    Adee

    Still 73 here on the moors at Richmond, but change is on the way. Southerly breeze has stopped dead, and the neighbor’s flag hangs almost motionless on its pole now. Strong wind advisory is up for today into tomorrow, and the chill is predicted to be 20-15. That is a wallop. Ooopsie, here she comes.

  70. wagonburner Avatar
    wagonburner

    White Fang and I were in the driveway unloading groceries when it blew through.

  71. Hamous Avatar
    Hamous

    Heading out. Guess I should ditch the jorts.

  72. squawkbox Avatar
    squawkbox

    Blew through here in the sticks a good while back. The temp has been a on steady drop. CRAP gotta bring the plants in again.

  73. Shannon Avatar
    Shannon

    Jorts are so 70’s.

  74. Shannon Avatar
    Shannon

    I didn’t realize the dumb Greeks had a two-stage civil war (44-45, 46-47) after the Nazis pulled out. Commies vs. monarchists. The Brits quelled the first. We helped quell the second. 50,000 dead, 500,000 displaced.

  75. phil Avatar
    phil

    According to Darryl Issa just now, on Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace, Lois Lerner is going to testify before congress on Wed. I wonder if she is going to rope Sarah Hall Ingraham as well as perhaps Valerie Jarrett or even JugEars Himself into the same sewer where she now finds herself.

    If there’s cameras present then it’ll be a great dog and pony show.
    A lot of huffing and puffing and chest pounding will go on and then afterwards they’ll all have a beer together and collect their academy awards.
    Ol’ Cloven Hoof will never be held accountable for anything even though John Cornish Hen stands up to him everyday shivering like a cold and rain soaked kitty cat.

  76. Adee Avatar
    Adee

    Mostly steady strong wind here now, occasional gusts pop in, much darker than the afternoon overcast was. Was 73 a bit less than an hour ago, now 50 on the front porch that gets the blast first. Not much more than mist so far.

  77. Shannon Avatar
    Shannon

    Sheesh. Already 40 here.

  78. mharper42 Avatar
    mharper42

    The forecast for Monday morning is another one that makes me overjoyed I won’t have to get out in it!
    😀
    I’ll doze in bed with the electric blanket on until 8ish, make a cuppa coffee, feed the puds, check if it’s sleeting or anything like that, check my email and blogs, then go back to bed.
    😈

  79. Shannon Avatar
    Shannon

    I am off to the doc tomorrow to see if I can go back to work.

  80. Texpat Avatar
    Texpat

    The consistently brilliant and wise Richard Fernandez at Pajamas Media on Putin & Barack in the Ukraine.

    In the video above, President Obama warns Russia about the consequences of destabilizing the Ukraine. The president’s remarks contain two undeniable facts. One, that he’s been trying to lasso Vladimir Putin into a joint resolution of the Ukrainian problem. Two, that so far he’s had no luck. Something has bolted the barn and that something must be coaxed back into the corral.
    During the height of the Cold War it was believed that having to emphasize the obvious represented a failure of policy. Deterrence had to be self-evident; a daily thing. You didn’t go on the air to issue bloodcurdling warnings. You didn’t have to because stability was there, part of the normal like the air or the earth. The Russian president only had to look at the his daily briefing to know that the USAF was flying and hence that the day could begin as peacefully as the previous one.
    One of my professors at Harvard remarked that it was possible to destabilize the world by building down as much as building up. If you changed the incentives, he said, you changed behavior. You encourage certain types of behavior and you get more of it. It was something everybody knew back then, but there were always those who knew better.
    When an American president has to issue veiled warnings to Vladimir Putin — say something that Putin should know as second nature — then something terrible has happened. Some upset has occurred. A thing that was previously there to keep the floor level has gone missing. Why else should President Obama have to make a pointless observation on TV to communicate something that Putin should know from the moment he puts on his socks in the morning?

  81. Tedtam Avatar
    Tedtam

    Cold weather has reached the Dome. I’m turning on the floor right ….. about…. now.

  82. squawkbox Avatar
    squawkbox

    Texpat
    1. I told you so about Russia and Putin.
    2. Folks do not realize just how important the Obama Syria Gambit was. in my eyes that was the single most important sign to Putin that he was free to do whatever he wanted without any worry about us.
    3. We are now officially a paper tiger third world country.
    4. It is going to get worse.
    /out

  83. Tedtam Avatar
    Tedtam

    The “Oczars”.
    Gotta grin.

  84. Shannon Avatar
    Shannon

    83
    Pretty good. 🙂

  85. Texpat Avatar
    Texpat

    #82 Squawk
    I have never said Putin and all his ex-KGB/GRU/STASI buddies couldn’t cause a lot of problems in the world.
    What I have said is that Putin and all the current dreamers in Russia are living out a dying vision. History is against them, technology is against them, the future of energy is against them, demographics and their birthrate are devastating them. They are a Godless, hollow, ill and forsaken society grasping at remembrances and nostalgic memories. Their men are dying at rates unheard of since the 1800s, their women seek any possible way to escape the country and nobody is having children anywhere.
    The Russians are like an old hustler on the prowl trying to make his last retirement score. A grifter on the run whose touch and intuition have gone cold. They make make a bit of noise these days, but it is the twilight historically for them.

  86. Texpat Avatar
    Texpat

    #85 continued
    There is nobody on earth struggling, begging, scraping or conniving to get into Russia.
    That is the marker to recon power into the future.

  87. Tedtam Avatar
    Tedtam

    Cable is out in the Dome. It went off just as I was getting a setting fixed on my new smart phone, and I briefly thought that somehow, some way, I had jinxed the cable connection when I rebooted the phone.
    Silly me. It’s just the weather.
    Fortunately, I still have my hot spot device, and I upped our plan to unlimited everything when I got the phone. I can watch Andromeda for a while, while I wrangle some bookkeeping before I hit the sack.
    PS: House Guest returned home from a kinda date. His heart is still broken over his dissolving marriage, but he was invited by the lady for a friendly dinner. It seems to have done him some good; he thinks she could be a good friend. He says she’s a sixties hippy almost – or in – her sixties, like him. He can’t see himself in another relationship, but it’s good that he’s looking outside of himself instead of moping around here whining and crying over his marriage. He needs time to heal, but he really needed to get busy doing something other than just thinking about himself all day and getting more depressed. He spent most of the day at the shop working on cars with Hubby and Handsome Son, and then he went out. That’s progress.
    I just don’t need to hear all about it while I’m trying to work. But I was patient and kind and tried to be understanding, but I think he got the hint when I finally told the cat I had to put her out of my lap so I could get some work done.

  88. squawkbox Avatar
    squawkbox

    Texpat

    What I have said is that Putin and all the current dreamers in Russia are living out a dying vision.

    Isaiah and Ezekiel disagree with you. I on the other hand, simply stand by my prognostications based on trends and statements made and actions taken and 30+ years of study.

  89. squawkbox Avatar
    squawkbox

    Russia is aligning themselves with China, Iran, Turkey and just about anyone else that hates the USA. Putin is selling weapons and technology left and right to finance the rebuilding of their military. Putin like China is doing all they can to sew up energy resources. Won’t be too many years before they AND Iran try to take Israel for spoil.

  90. Adee Avatar
    Adee

    Windy and cold 34 at the moment. Weather service has revised the overnight low to be 27 now for Richmond. Plants are covered on the back porch, sheets held on with pinch clothespins. Signing off for the night. Bundle up.

  91. Adee Avatar
    Adee

    Frozen good morning Hamsters. This winter blast gets worse by the hour. Low so far here is 26 and still blowing vigorously. The warming trend gets pushed back a day or so, and now possible freezing rain is mentioned for overnight. Toasty in the barn at 34, and the insulated roof put on a year ago has already paid for itself. 🙂

  92. gtotracker Avatar
    gtotracker

    One more day. Just one more day and we return to your regular boring commercials.

  93. gtotracker Avatar
    gtotracker

    Houston morning commuters apparently need to be concerned about frozen roads in Corsicana.

  94. gtotracker Avatar
    gtotracker

    94…..

  95. gtotracker Avatar
    gtotracker

    95………

  96. Adee Avatar
    Adee

    #93 gtotracker
    Only if you’re going to Corsicana

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