Saturday Open Thread: 6/8/24 - Odds and Ends

Submitted by on the cusp on Sat, 06/08/2024 - 7:00am

I had such an intense work week, I didn't get to dig deeply into current events.

I am still here, which is a verification no nukes dropped this week. I intend to keep on top of this.

Nevertheless, the constant hints that, ya know, we have nukes, is incessant. (I ain't scared, sonsofbitches. Nice try.)

A client, age 85, came in this week to sign her will, and we talked about bird feeders, and she is inundated with red birds. I asked if she ever called them cardinals, and she fell out laughing.

So, red bird fledglings, rabbit sightings, a three day break from thunderstorms, a zydeco concert coming up Sunday, and four cases settling without trial...and, walnut caterpillars!

On a pecan tree at my office! I have 4 on the property! Read up on them and what they do to pecan orchards in Texas, and you'll see why I resorted to poison immediately! Got them all! Not one of those devastating caterpillars escaped, but my pecan trees did. Not a fan of poison, but they were at the point of a next stage, had to be sprayed with Sevin right then. I headed straight to the feed store as soon as we identified them. Everything we read said not one should get a crawl away.

It sucks to get verification to come to court at 9:00 am 20 miles away at 7:58 a.m when you are still on your first cup of coffee, sitting around in lounge wear. Shit happens.

I gotta say, the Hunter Biden Trial is subject to jury nullification. A jury that is in Delaware, is possibly likely to be casting their vote for Their Man and His Son. Possibly.

Typically, nullification occurs when a jury has a dislike for the criminal statute and just ignores it, or if said statute is employed in some prejudicial manner by the State.

We shall see if Biden still carries The Weight.

Briahna Joy Gray's firing is bad, but she has shown her disdain for anyone to her right in other venues, and might have reacted to the Zionist with a prisoner of war sister a bit more politely, rather than rolling her eyes. Guess what? Regardless of your political leanings, we all share a common humanity.

Not sure if the video showing Biden taking a shit at the Normandy Invasion anniversary commemoration was photo shopped or not, but the photos of Zelensky (fucking Nazi) hugging Macon (president of the country my uncles Dee and Lee fought to liberate from said Nazis) was not.

War is a total, complete, waste of time, toil, and $ for all but the MIC. It is a scam, always has been, always is. Let the ordinary people fight it. The only wars ever to have an actual, organic good side, were the indigenous fighting for their way of life, and life itself, in full defense mode.

Well, it's pretty much on you, my friends, to give us info, direct us to those things we just might need to be considering, for ourselves, our families, our loved ones, and those "others" we are told by TPTB are less than human.

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Submitted by on the cusp on Sat, 06/08/2024 - 12:38am

Good morning, good people!

We will have 2 days with no rain! WOW!
However, we will have no moment of rationality in our gummint.
I hope all of you have a great day, great weekend, and lastly, that this comment thread is full of whatever you want!
Let'er rip!

—

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Submitted by QMS on Sat, 06/08/2024 - 8:23am

buenas dias amiga

.
.
A damn good righteous selection of tunes. I like how you blend commentary
with pertainment music.
Caterpillars are bothersome. We get these inch worms sinking their way down
from the trees. The catbirds keep up with them for the most part.
The Bidens, trumps, Exlenskies and Nutty yahoos of the world just need a
good shot of Round- up. Maybe they will go the way of your crawly critters?

Off to work, it's a beautiful day.

thanks for the OT!

—

Thought is the wind, knowledge the sail, and mankind the vessel.
-- August Hare

Submitted by on the cusp on Sat, 06/08/2024 - 10:31am

Cool song, my friend!

@QMS While I am not officially working, I read my offices' emails all day, every day.
The emergency of the day is a man who has separated from his wife, filed a pro se divorce. Seems he is hauling off cattle and horses from their ranch, selling them, pocketing the cash. Texas is a community property state, so all that livestock is just as much hers as his. The real problem for her and for me, and soon, the judge, is flushing out the cash for division. Some hide cash much better than others.
More coffee for me now.
Don't work too hard, QMS!

—

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Submitted by QMS on Sat, 06/08/2024 - 5:18pm

Turns out, only half a day cutting out a shower stall

@on the cusp
.
.
got to ride my bike to the local pride event and listen to a chorus
good vibes all around, ended up breaking down the event oh so
it was sorta like work but unpaid
good luck with the bugs ..
I cut the tent worms out of the trees and burn them
cruel devil that I am ..

—

Thought is the wind, knowledge the sail, and mankind the vessel.
-- August Hare

Submitted by on the cusp on Sat, 06/08/2024 - 6:02pm

Hope the entertainment was good!

@QMS We cut off the branches that are infested when we can reach them, but conditions were perfect for the infestation. I want to get the crew out here to cut down the elm tree, anyway.
A mile from my home, I once owned an 11 acre tract, and eventually sold it to a couple. Well, they either moved or died, and the entire acreage, which was my beautifully tended hay field, is completely overtaken by some shrub trees, and when we drove by it today, most all of those shrub trees are completely covered in the webs. It is an eleven acre thicket that you could not get a vehicle into. Now, totally infested. A shame.
Well, time to toss back a beer, or sip some fine wine, whatever your preference.

—

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Submitted by QMS on Sat, 06/08/2024 - 6:17pm

the chorus was wonderful

@on the cusp
.
.
well rehearsed and vibrant ~ outside
in windy and sunny warm conditions

hate to see acreage go fallow, see it too much
it happens when the owners pass and property
gets tied up in court indefinitely ~ the land suffers
which I'm sure you know a lot about in your little
Texas town and environs

good luck

—

Thought is the wind, knowledge the sail, and mankind the vessel.
-- August Hare

Submitted by Lookout on Sat, 06/08/2024 - 9:03am

Good morning...

I think all caterpillars are killed by a bacteria, Bacillus thuringiensis. It is available under the trade name Dipel. No need to use poison on them, but understand the need to rid yourself of the pest.

Glad you're getting a respite from the rain. Enjoy the concert Sunday, and thanks for the OT!

—

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

Submitted by on the cusp on Sat, 06/08/2024 - 10:59am

Good morning, dear friend!

@Lookout By the time we saw the caterpillars, they were going into the next stage of their development, and they were getting busy, poised to spread everywhere. We had to get them killed without delay. That's the first use of poison we have made in many years. We barely had the time to do the research to identify them. Thanks for that bacteria info, and we will keep some in stock for the next time.
We are taking my secretary with us tomorrow. She might enjoy going back there and taking her kids for an evening or afternoon of good food and good music.
Hope the holler isn't requiring much labor this weekend!

—

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Submitted by Pluto's Republic on Sat, 06/08/2024 - 1:54pm

Here we have a philosophical opportunity

@on the cusp

— A science fiction story proposal about pest control:

The small Pecan Grove was militantly transformed into a Gaza Strip for a certain sect of caterpillars. Walnut Caterpillars. We know from long experience what happens when they are allowed to colonize inside another cultural setting. So they must be eradicated, expelled, killed to the very last one.

When Walnut Caterpillars are allowed to colonize, they have survival advantages that they use to turn the local culture into a grove of prey, which they feed off of endlessly. The pecan trees are unable to resist or fight back. So they labor and toil and pay taxes and have laws forced on them that diminish their lives and livelihoods as they are drained by the imperial Walnut Caterpillars who feed on them.

For thousands of years across Europe, colonies of parasites were expelled, again and again, from groves and villages, and cities where they have attempted to settle. The Walnut Caterpillars were forcefully isolated inside walled ghettos to prevent extreme parasitic loses. And only a century ago were they finally able to colonize in the United States and Germany. However, Germany revolted once again in historic fashion against the Walnut Caterpillars, and began its own Gaza Strip manuver to eradicate them completely. And, now, here we are.

Is this struggle an ongoing product of nature? A natural process of survival against a parasite with superior survival advantages? Is the US is now a permanent feeding ground for a colony that controls the government and media? The colony feeds off of war and strife and toil and wage theft and endless debt exploitation. This is not just about humanity striving for a multipolar world in which they are represented. It is about never-ending war and conflict and destruction of all resistance to the endless hunger of the Walnut Caterpillars.

.
There no telling how the story ends until it is written. But the plot is too large and rambling and implausible and hard to imagine. I doubt it will ever be written at all.

Submitted by on the cusp on Sat, 06/08/2024 - 2:01pm

I think you are

@Pluto's Republic on to something!
Excellent, chica!

#3.1 — A science fiction story proposal about pest control: The small Pecan Grove was militantly transformed into a Gaza Strip for a certain sect of caterpillars. Walnut Caterpillars. We know from long experience what happens when they are allowed to colonize inside another cultural setting. So they must be eradicated, expelled, killed to the very last one. When Walnut Caterpillars are allowed to colonize, they have survival advantages that they use to turn the local culture into a grove of prey, which they feed off of endlessly. The pecan trees are unable to resist or fight back. So they labor and toil and pay taxes and have laws forced on them that diminish their lives and livelihoods as they are drained by the imperial Walnut Caterpillars who feed on them. For thousands of years across Europe, colonies of parasites were expelled, again and again, from groves and villages, and cities where they have attempted to settle. The Walnut Caterpillars were forcefully isolated inside walled ghettos to prevent extreme parasitic loses. And only a century ago were they finally able to colonize in the United States and Germany. However, Germany revolted once again in historic fashion against the Walnut Caterpillars, and began its own Gaza Strip manuver to eradicate them completely. And, now, here we are. Is this struggle an ongoing product of nature? A natural process of survival against a parasite with superior survival advantages? Is the US is now a permanent feeding ground for a colony that controls the government and media? The colony feeds off of war and strife and toil and wage theft and endless debt exploitation. This is not just about humanity striving for a multipolar world in which they are represented. It is about never-ending war and conflict and destruction of all resistance to the endless hunger of the Walnut Caterpillars. . There no telling how the story ends until it is written. But the plot is too large and rambling and implausible and hard to imagine. I doubt it will ever be written at all.

—

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Submitted by on the cusp on Sat, 06/08/2024 - 1:17pm

The bug war this weekend

is web worms. They infested an elm tree right in front of the porch. As a gentle (warm) breeze sweeps by, it causes a dozen of those worms to drop onto the porch. I have been busy.
They supposedly do not sting, but with me having allergic reactions to everything nowadays, I am being extra careful.
This is a big reason why I hate even driving through a state or national forest around here.
https://www.news-journal.com/news/police/east-texas-marijuana-fields-mig...

—

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Submitted by Pluto's Republic on Sat, 06/08/2024 - 1:42pm

Nature seems to be rife in your environment

@on the cusp

Perhaps call an exterminator. I didn't know worms could sting. That's a bridge too far for me.

Submitted by on the cusp on Sat, 06/08/2024 - 2:07pm

Some sting,

@Pluto's Republic others have hair that stings your skin if you brush up against them.
When all these worms/caterpillars were out in the millions of acres of woods, they were not a problem. When infrastructure came, they moved. As it happens, pecans are a real "thing" in Texas. I should get in touch with the county agriculture extension agent, see what he says.
As for the fields of cartel operated cannabis fields, we do not have enough law enforcement to control them.

—

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Submitted by Pluto's Republic on Sat, 06/08/2024 - 2:29pm

In a case like this:

@on the cusp

As for the fields of cartel operated cannabis fields, we do not have enough law enforcement to control them.

.
There is a simple intelligent solution:

Legalize cannabis cultivation, fund it, support it, and put it under the Department of Agriculture. Bring farming in from the cold. Undercut the cartels.

But the US government is now filled with deeply corrupt fools. And the population is composed of bigger fools who vote for them. So, one can only expect the natural environment shitshow to grow much, much worse.

Submitted by on the cusp on Sat, 06/08/2024 - 4:12pm

I am a proponent of decriminalizing

@Pluto's Republic all drugs, such as happened in Portugal, and placing all cannabis farms under proper government control.
If we continue to give the cartels incentive to use our public lands to hide out their farms, steal and contaminate water, arm themselves like an army, we need law enforcement sufficient to keep the public safe. No way I would hike or camp out in any of the forests that surround me.
Law officers also pose their own problems. As an example, a guy wanted me to help him get off probation early. I asked what he was charged with, and he was caught with 2 lbs. of pot and arrested. Except strangely, only 1.2 lbs. were taken into evidence. Hmmm... Gee...

—

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Submitted by enhydra lutris on Sat, 06/08/2024 - 1:24pm

Good morning otc. Been up and going since 6, so it's

lunch break. Woke up on the proper side of the grass/pavement, one of those "little things" that always gives one a boost. Additionally, I appear to still be in my right mind, a definite plus which also puts me miles ahead of most of our politicians. It's been hottish here, a bit cooler today, but still shorts and t-shirt weather. The game plan involves at least one chunk of yard-work or garden stuff per day, so that's up next before it gets any hotter.

Good luck with the divorce case.

be well and have a good one

—

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

Submitted by on the cusp on Sat, 06/08/2024 - 6:30pm

The biggest problem with these kinds of mean-spirited divorces

@enhydra lutris is holding things at any status quo until the traveling district judges come to town.
It might be 2 or 3 weeks before we get on the docket, and that is sufficient time for that dick head husband to sell a lot of valuable livestock.
At least there is no violence, just the guy solely determining what he is entitled to, not what the judge says is his.
It is what it is.
One project per day will get things done over time. None of us can do the multi-tasking we did decades ago. I think we sort of beat ourselves up for aging. We don't seem to get the same satisfaction for the job well done when there are a dozen more waiting their turn.
Who knew that adjusting for physical tasks as we age would present planning and calculations we haven't been taught. We learn as we go, and the only guidance is our bodies.
Well, I think you are kicking ass and taking names to be doing the chores and projects that you do, so kudos, dear friend!
Enjoy your weekend!

—

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Submitted by MrWebster on Sat, 06/08/2024 - 2:05pm

Ever do civil rights lawsuits? and speaking of per se

I think these are called Section 1983 lawsuits. I have been watching Youtube videos of police/civilian interactions geared toward civil right violations. One guy who was arrested near a church with a poster did a per se suit and won $25K. He probably paid for some help I imagine. But the thing is, lawyers believe it or not have to make a living like the rest of us, and for some rights violations, the proverbial juice is not worth the squeeze even for people thinking of going per se. Which is unfortunate as this leads cops to think they are immune.

Submitted by on the cusp on Sat, 06/08/2024 - 4:34pm

I do not litigate

@MrWebster 1983 cases. That is better handled by big firms in big cities. A lawyer in a rural area who fights against local police will become an easy target of the police. (I almost got shot when defending a judge in a criminal trial that revealed the likelihood a cop planted incriminating evidence on the judge's official computer.)
There is a saying, if you act as your own lawyer, you have a fool for a lawyer.That pro se winner was one lucky person.
I am reading that people are winning lawsuits against things like police brutality and property confiscations, at least in some parts of the country.
Cops typically feel they are completely immune, and can do as they please without any comeuppance.
I hope you will post some videos for us to watch. They sound very interesting.
Have a great weekend, friend.

—

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Submitted by MrWebster on Sat, 06/08/2024 - 11:10pm

Almost got shot!!!!!! Yeow

@on the cusp Glad you still around but hear you. I saw one video where a guy purchased some rural property. He had a small road up from his drive way not used and really going nowhere. Cops used to hide in the unused driveway to catch speeders. He put a a barrier with lock to prevent cops waiting there. Cops broke lock and barrier.

He got into a tussle with local sheriff. Lawyer advised him not worth it, and better to be on good relations with local sheriff in the middle of nowhere.

Pick your fights carefully.

Submitted by on the cusp on Sat, 06/08/2024 - 11:35pm

The guy missed, or I wouldn't be here.

@MrWebster All this in mind, our sheriff has come under scrutiny, maybe doing some stuff not so legal, and a client/friend of mine ran against him, won the primary, no November opponent.
I posted no election signs pre-voting, did not attend the party for the winner, because I did not want the wrath of the Sheriff, who will be in office until January.
Yes, the guy in the road in a truck, stopped, screamed that he would kill me and my family, fired a shot over my head. 50 yards away, at most, 20 feet over my head, at most.

—

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Submitted by snoopydawg on Sat, 06/08/2024 - 7:11pm

Don’t say mean things about Israel

Just devastated….my left buttock!

there it is https://t.co/FrSRT49oqj pic.twitter.com/Eaub49AF8J

— matt (@mattxiv) June 7, 2024

Yeah if anti semitism is going up it might have something to do with the genocide Israel is committing. Just a guess. I’m not anti Jew, but I am anti Zionist and not all Zionists are Jewish.

—

Here in the USA arming and funding Israeli genocide and mass murder is perfectly OK, but objecting to it will get you expelled, arrested or deported.

Submitted by snoopydawg on Sat, 06/08/2024 - 7:29pm

Lol….did the NYT actually write this?

The operation is the first documented case of the Israeli government’s organizing a campaign to influence the U.S. government, social media experts said. While coordinated government-backed campaigns are not uncommon, they are typically difficult to prove. Iran, North Korea, China, Russia and the United States are widely believed to back similar efforts around the world, but often mask their involvement by outsourcing the work to private companies or running them through a third country.

Pssst…..

The covert campaign was commissioned by Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, a government body that connects Jews around the world with the State of Israel, four Israeli officials said. The ministry allocated about $2 million to the operation and hired Stoic, a political marketing firm in Tel Aviv, to carry it out, according to the officials and the documents.

The campaign began in October and remains active on the platform X. At its peak, it used hundreds of fake accounts that posed as real Americans on X, Facebook and Instagram to post pro-Israel comments.

(Who else was accused of doing that?)

The operation is the first documented case of the Israeli government’s organizing a campaign to influence the U.S. government, social media experts said

(Gosh Russia only targeted Trump)

https://archive.is/9V8OI

Caitlin writes about this crap and other things on Israel.

—

Here in the USA arming and funding Israeli genocide and mass murder is perfectly OK, but objecting to it will get you expelled, arrested or deported.

Submitted by on the cusp on Sat, 06/08/2024 - 8:26pm

Wonder when Caitlin

@snoopydawg will have corporations totally black her out for her truth telling.

—

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Submitted by soryang on Sat, 06/08/2024 - 10:39pm

Some family members live on an old pecan farm

...There are several houses on the old farm property or plantation or whatever it was. Ms. So liked going there to get a basket or two of pecans so she could make some pecan pie. Those trees are huge and must be quite old. Oddly enough, they stopped producing good pecans a couple of years ago. I have no idea what the problem is. Perhaps the trees are too old. Or maybe the soil is leached out of nutrients, I don't know.

Been busy here for me, I've been trying to take it easy the last couple of days. We've just had a series of issues here, the latest two were smokey's surgery and putting in a new air conditioner system. I wish this were the end of it, but I suspect there's more to come. Smokey seems to be recovering well, he's been eating some soft food, but not drinking enough water. He has to wear that cone thing around his head, so I haven't been walking him.

Read an article on how the homeless problem is increasing in this area. The housing costs have risen about 30percent in the last three years. There is a little house on the corner for sale, 2 bedroom block home, tidy but small, the owner got his house restored after the flood. It's over 300k. It's ridiculous. I don't think it will sell at that price.

Ms. So was being harassed by some homeless guy in the shopping center parking lot the other day, some good Samaritan chased him away. The police just sit in the Walmart parking lot across the street even though they have private security. There are quite a few homeless around. It's only about a mile or so away. The old plexiglass shelters at the bus stops were dismantled "because they attracted homeless people." The homeless people still assemble there and take turns panhandling in the busy intersections. It's really a major safety hazard when driving through the busy traffic. So they put a street sign up, don't give money to them. Like that is going to work.

Maybe the state should have a low income housing plan and better social support services. What a dreamer I am. The article said, it costs three times as much, to arrest people, put them in jail or the 72 hour psych holding cell, the legal proceedings etc., then the emergency services when they get injured or sick living outside. Now a significant portion of people are retired, SS, SSI, mentally ill, etc. Some people are working, just can't afford rent. I remember over at the jail, they could only hold them for trespass or loitering, till 1st appearance, and then the judge automatically just cut them loose, the county wouldn't pay to keep them at the jail.

It's amazing to watch a society deteriorate like this.

Enjoyed this new lecture by Dr. Gao on Confucius and the I Ching.

—

語必忠信行必正直

Submitted by on the cusp on Sat, 06/08/2024 - 11:42pm

Gotta watch that video tomorrow

And thanks for it, and for the info on your personal experiences of both the homeless, and the sort of predator homeless, who panhandle for pay.
Dear One not only will not allow me to go to the Walmart store alone.
Smokey will survive due to the get well vibes the site members are sending him.
Guaranteed, friend!

—

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981