Althouse: I'll have the usual!

December 25, 2023

I'll have the usual!

Or unusual! Comment on whatever you like..

And merry Christmas, everybody.

37 comments:

Big Mike said...: And I trust that you and Meade had a Merry Christmas, and will have a Happy New Year.; 12/25/23, 9:30 PM
Narr said...: Significant chunks of my day have been taken up by power outages (2), lots of food prep and cleanup, and now that bloatoid feeling.

I got Martyn Rady's "The Middle Kingdoms: A History of Central Europe," companion to his book "The Hapsburgs" and am much pleased.

Merry Christmas y'all.; 12/25/23, 9:40 PM
BG said...: Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.; 12/25/23, 10:05 PM
Dave Begley said...: I was on a walk and a young woman was in a dispute with people in a car. I thought I heard the word “gun” and I kinda ducked behind a metal utility box. She tried to open the car door and she nearly got dragged into the street. I helped her up. She was crying very hard. I told her to call the police. She had.

In other news, there is a WiFi server at Interstate 80 and 72nd Street in Omaha named “SexDen2.” Someone told me there was a swingers’ spot in that area Probably true.

We have a junk society.; 12/25/23, 10:19 PM
Kathryn51 said...: Merry Christmas to Meadehouse.

Breakfast, presents, traditional afternoon walk (in the pouring rain but this is Washington and my millennial kids insisted on keeping tradition), snacks, games, supper, family drop-ins, and finally they (and canines) are gone. I love 'em all, but it's time that THEY took over!; 12/25/23, 10:46 PM
gadfly said...: I'LL HAVE THE USUAL; 12/25/23, 11:25 PM
Bunkypotatohead said...: I'll have the Wolf Omelette.; 12/26/23, 12:05 AM
Gospace said...: https://www.americanheritage.com/battle-athens

A reminder- none of the insurrectionists, using violence against the "properly constituted" authorities, were ever charged with anything in the 1946 Battle of Athens, in which violence turned out to be needed in order to honestly count the ballots. The newspapers of the time, including the New York Times condemned the actions of the returning GIs, saying corruption should be fought with the law, not with violence. Yeah, just how would that have worked out? Well, like in 2020- no one would have any standing in any court to challenge the results- they votes would have been counted, and that was that. And, attempts ahead of time to get the state involved in seeing an honest election occurred were- IGNORED. Sort of like in 2020, with all laws regarding mail in ballots totally disregarded by Democrat officials. And no pone had standing to challenge those decisions- because the vote hadn't yet occurred, and afterwards, well, the courts ruled they should have been challenged before they occurred... Kind of heads I win tails you lose game playing. And, the courts routinely refused in 2020 to issue subpoenas to look for evidence, saying no evidence existed to show that any wrongdoing occurred. Aside from the fact that the evidence did of course exist. Continuing to count votes in GA after Republican poll watchers were told to go home, for example. But hey, what's a few tens of thousands of votes counted twice mean anyway? Not like Biden was widely unpopular and couldn't fill a HS auditorium during his campaign- why, he got the MOST votes ever. Yeah, uh-huh. The most votes counted, anyway.

January 6th was not an insurrection- and people are being held without bail and sentenced to long terms for such crimes as "Parading". Eventually, the bill will come due.

What's the closest we've had to The Battle of Athens since 1946? Well, no one actually knows- because the government and media would cover it up. But I would go for the counting in Florida, when Democrats in Palm Beach County threw up barriers so citizens couldn't watch the recount- and threw out the Republican poll watchers. An unarmed crowd soon swamped the courthouse... and they backed down. But there was another reason the vote was so close- all the television networks announcing the polls were closed in FL and announcing Gore was the winner- when the panhandle still has an hour of voting left. With virtually empty polling stations that last hour because every news source was broadcasting that- and none during that hour went back on the air to say, "Whoops! We goofed!" You still have time to vote!" Election interference writ large. Conspiracy? Or total incompetence? Or an "honest" mistake? Seems mistakes only run one way. Or have run only one way in my short 68 year life. They always favor liberals.

So- was the 1946 insurrection illegal? Or did it's success make it legal after the fact? If the success didn't make it legal- then were the state and federal authorities negligent in allowing the insurrectionists to go unpunished?

As far as DemoncRAT tactics go, as they accuse Trump of leading an insurrection, they're following the Confederate States playbook- where the states that later comprised the Confederacy refused to allow Lincoln on the ballots. He overwhelmingly won the electoral vote, but only a plurality of the popular vote with 39.8%. What would the popular vote have been were he on the ballots in those future Confederate states? John Breckinridge only managed a majority vote in 3 states. Lincoln 15.

Americans, those who've studied history, know what an insurrection is. And when they're ready, one will come. Just have to reach that tipping point.; 12/26/23, 12:57 AM
BUMBLE BEE said...: Smart Car?

https://www.westernjournal.com/car-stores-text-messages-law-enforcement-can-retrieve-anytime-following-federally-rejected-lawsuit/; 12/26/23, 3:21 AM
gadfly said...: Migas at Cisco's Restaurant Soak up Austin political history and a hangover killing breakfast in one fell swoop!

The Cisco kid, he was a friend of mine. Sí, Pancho.; 12/26/23, 4:19 AM
Tina Trent said...: Two eggs over easy and a bottle of scotch.

LBJ's usual, not holiday brunch.; 12/26/23, 4:23 AM
Humperdink said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 12/26/23, 4:28 AM
The Crack Emcee said...: The Macho Response: This Is Not Kosher; 12/26/23, 4:52 AM
wendybar said...: "So what will be the new/old Democratic 2024 election mantra?

"Vote for us—and ballot deletion, states’ rights, federal nullification, racial essentialism and segregation, and a one-party, one-economy plantationist nation”?"

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2023/12/mustread_vdh_tweet_2023_democrats_the_same_as_the_1861_democrats.html; 12/26/23, 5:17 AM
The Crack Emcee said...: Keeping witnesses to a minimum: Why are so many journalists being killed in Gaza?; 12/26/23, 5:20 AM
rehajm said...: Apple CarPlay now requires me to activate Siri so the car can listen to me and the passengers to tag all the insurrectionists…

I’ve been getting the feeling the social model they have planned is more arrests for wrongthink, something on par with Cuba with listening devices everywhere…; 12/26/23, 5:26 AM
Rusty said...: Narr said...
A Significant chunk of my day was spent looking for a Chinese resturant that was open. I covered N. Aurora to St.Charles and nary a one was open. Aparently we suffer from an insufficientcy of Jews. There were two Thai places open though.; 12/26/23, 5:46 AM
Big Mike said...: I see that a credible charge of data falsification has been added to the credible charges of plagiarism for Harvard President Maurine Gay. So if reality doesn’t support your theories you just make stuff up. Riiiiiight.; 12/26/23, 5:53 AM
The Crack Emcee said...: It was around 4AM, and I was stoned; cooking up some pork chops, collard greens and cornbread, in the nude, when "Flying Fiddles" started blazing from the stereo, and I realized there was no one around to say I shouldn't be up at 4AM. Or stoned. Or that Soul Food is 'bad' for me. Or the music was either too loud or not something conforming, like Christmas music, or Rap, or ambient. I was alone, true. But I was, and am, somewhat free. And, yes, even somewhat happy. On a very somewhat Christmas.

And that was somewhat of a gift in itself.; 12/26/23, 5:54 AM
wendybar said...: congresstrading.com
@congresstrading

congresstrading is first to report: Pelosi bet millions on $NVDA in November using call options. Using a deceptive tactic, she purposely disclosed this on the Friday before Christmas weekend to avoid media coverage.

https://nypost.com/2023/12/25/business/nancy-pelosi-husband-betting-millions-on-nvidia-despite-scrutiny-of-congressional-stock-trading/; 12/26/23, 6:18 AM
Tina Trent said...: Good Lord Crack, cornbread and collards are good for you. Throw in a sweet potato and you have the perfect meal. A pork chop doesn't hurt. 36 years in the South, I'll eat anything but chitterlings and venison. Then again, they were my Italian grandfather's food. Chitterlings boiled in tomato sauce. Ugh.

Mine was three days of non-keto indulgence: 7 fishes Christmas eve: oyster pie, crab cakes, clam fettuccini with anchovy puttanesca, shrimp cocktail, tinned haddock and sardines because I couldn't find squid or mussel in North Georgia.

Christmas: more oyster pie, a duck, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and mincemeat pie. Which, as it turns out, is just fruitcake covered with lard dough. But you can't convince "Black Irish Traveller" people like my husband to eat reasonable desserts.

I do like fruitcake. Reminds me of the stunning Truman Capote story, A Christmas Memory. Real poverty. Saving dimes and pennies all year for the fruitcake whisky. Read it.

I couldn't find those soft German cookies frosted with sugar, or maple syrup candy. Or rhubarb.

Today: smoked salmon and bagels, a real cold cut platter with gabagool, liverwurst, pancetta, leftover shrimp, duck soup and British ginger cookies. Too tired to make struffoli. We used to be chefs. It's a young man's gig.

The cattle dog Rocco uprooted and brought home a Christmas-like tree. We like to think it's on purpose, but he brings home a small privet or pine every day. He hates trees. We Linused the heck out of it, and it's like a 12-foot bonsai. He can't figure out why it's in the house covered with lights. Happy Boxer Day to all. But where is Inga?; 12/26/23, 7:13 AM
Tina Trent said...: Crack: put epazote in you New Year beans. Trust me. It's Mexican Soul Food.; 12/26/23, 7:16 AM
William50 said...: President Biden keeps referencing an old John Wayne movie with the quote "You're a lying, dog-faced pony soldier." The trailer for the movie has finally been found.

Biden's Long-Lost Western!

A very special Christmas song; 12/26/23, 7:57 AM
Rusty said...: Tina Trent said...
"Good Lord Crack, cornbread and collards are good for you. Throw in a sweet potato and you have the perfect meal. A pork chop doesn't hurt. 36 years in the South, I'll eat anything but chitterlings and venison. Then again, they were my Italian grandfather's food. Chitterlings boiled in tomato sauce. Ugh."
Everybody calls it soul food, but in reality it's just southern poor people food. According to my mother chitlins had to be fried in lard to be any good.; 12/26/23, 8:32 AM
The Crack Emcee said...: Tina Trent said...

"Crack: put epazote in you New Year beans. Trust me. It's Mexican Soul Food."

I can do that. I live in a Mexican neighborhood. Never heard of epazote. I'll ask around.; 12/26/23, 8:48 AM
The Crack Emcee said...: Tina Trent said...

"Chitterlings boiled in tomato sauce. Ugh."

Yeah, I don't know anybody eats 'em like that. Ugh.; 12/26/23, 8:49 AM
The Crack Emcee said...: It's not easy being bi-polar: Kanye West apologizes to the Jewish community with Instagram post in Hebrew - as he says he 'deeply regrets any pain' he caused after praising Hitler and string of anti-Semitic outbursts; 12/26/23, 8:59 AM
Mike of Snoqualmie said...: Al Gore's latest screed is there'll be a billion climate refugees if we don't abandon fossil fuels. No mention of the billions killed because they can't afford food nor get to their jobs.

We should listen to Al-baby because he's always right! The artic is now ice free and snow is a thing of the past, right? No one's buying snow blowers in Wisconsin because there's no snow to blow. We have ships using the Northwest Passage to go from Europe to the West Coast during the entire year! The glaciers in Glacier National Park are all gone! Britain is now snow-free and has a Siberian climate at the same time, kind of a Schrodinger-climate duality.

The big question is how much geld is Al-baby getting from George Soros and the other climate-change Decivilizers?; 12/26/23, 9:00 AM
tcrosse said...: Is this a canolli I see before me, the handle toward my hand?; 12/26/23, 9:13 AM
Caroline said...: What a great photo. Instant classic. Happy new year. Cheers to our hostess, who perseveres admirably.; 12/26/23, 9:22 AM
The Crack Emcee said...: Bloody Hands: US Quietly Working to Prevent Conference on Geneva Convention Violations

Both Israel and Hamas have been accused in recent weeks of violating the Geneva Conventions, a cornerstone of international humanitarian law that aims to protect noncombatants. The U.S., too, has been accused of flouting the Geneva Conventions by providing arms to the Israeli military, which has used them to massacre civilians.

Ahmed noted that "formal determinations that Israel has violated the conventions in its U.S.-backed offensive in Gaza against Hamas would represent a serious global condemnation of both countries―and corroborate the claims of human rights groups who have gathered evidence they call proof of such violations."; 12/26/23, 9:32 AM
Drago said...: Well, here is some good news for Li'l Crack-y: his 7th Century Death Cult islamic supremacist heroes have continued their murderous ways with another Christmas assault against Christians in Nigeria.

"- Coordinated Jihadist assaults in Plateau have led to over 140 fatalities, a number that continues to rise.

- The attacks targeted 20 Christian communities in Central Nigeria, where homes were raided and set ablaze as residents slept.

- The current count of injured stands at 300, with 221 homes reported destroyed.

- Sources report a delayed response from authorities, exceeding 12 hours, as per AP.

Over the last 20 years, Nigeria has seen the loss of 62,000 Christians to Jihadist violence, with an additional 5 million people displaced."

Exit question: How will Li'l Crack-y blame the joooooos for this?

Probably will revolve around claims the zionists run world banking or something.

Let's see what happens next.; 12/26/23, 10:59 AM
The Crack Emcee said...: The most fun you'll have all day is watching these 4 white guys getting their minds blown ("What the Hell is going on here,...?") and enough to actually say this real black man should be president: "Obama and Brad Pitt Are Cousins" - Judge Joe Brown SHOCKS the Podcast; 12/26/23, 11:19 AM
The Crack Emcee said...: Tesla robot ATTACKS an engineer at company's Texas factory during violent malfunction - leaving 'trail of blood' and forcing workers to hit emergency shutdown button

Has B1-66ER Arrived?; 12/26/23, 11:31 AM
NKP said...: Thank God for Boxing Day. The best of days and the worst of days is behind us for another year.

After weeks of growing excitement and anxiety, it made life-fall as Cat. 5 with equal measure of awesome joy, beauty and loss. Fates vary by emotional zip code.

My small cohort of companions has recently shrunk by two and I worry about two others. In spite of unfailing cheerful politeness to strangers and casual acquaintances, my impatience and sarcasm at home threatens to reach 'insufferable asshole' levels this time of year. Some part of me kinda flat-lines.

OTOH, I feel blessed to remain remarkably fit for a man of just about any age. OK, there was last month's simple repair of a little tear in a rotator cuff that turned into a 'down to the studs' remodel job, complete with metal reinforcements.

The five page surgical report was an interesting read, especially the part noting possibilty of some degree of pain ("discomfort" in doctor lingo) remaining after re-hab. Perhaps my fast ball is gone for good!

Being somewhat prone to magical thinking and relentless optimism, I paid Santa to bring me a vertical climbing contraption this year and the old boy came through. Some favorite routes in Berner Oberland were beyond me in Oct. Unacceptable!

I was reminded during a long conversation with my son in the wee hours that my children and grandchildren are all well and over-achieving and caring. I can see more clearly now... Just gotta keep moving. Maybe Laos/Vietnam, Feb and Mar.

Peace and good wishes to all y'all. Now, get to work on the best of the left-overs and toss the rest.; 12/26/23, 12:27 PM
narciso said...: well its what the Songhai empire would do,

yes misunderstanding the Geneva convention applies to soldiers operating under the cover of law, not irregular warfare directed at civilians, well that's Nat X for you,; 12/26/23, 12:45 PM
Old and slow said...: Hey Crack, you do know that the Geneva conventions only apply to actual soldiers don't you? Israel would be within their rights to summarily execute armed Hamas members who aren't in uniform. The conventions exist to protect civilians, that is why soldiers must be in uniform. Hamas takes a somewhat different approach. They hide behind and among civilians and consider dead children to be especially useful propaganda. You know all of this and still support them. That says quite a lot about you. You aren't worth an ounce of civility. Take your epazote and shove it right up your ass.; 12/26/23, 1:54 PM