Gas prices have gotten pretty ridiculous here in the Great Land, as they have almost everywhere. Down in Wasilla they are at about $4.80 as of last weekend, and up here in the Susitna Valley they’re about a dime more. And we’ve got tons of oil, but the Imperial City has slammed the brakes on exploration and extraction.
And, as I noted in yesterday’s post, they’re blaming everyone else – Putin, Trump, pixies, leprechauns, you name it. Diesel for my tractor is running higher still, and I’m not sure why, since 1) it was lower than gasoline as recently as last fall and b) Diesel is easier and faster to refine than gasoline.
We are still a great nation – a nation of workers, of innovators, of risk-takers, a nation of solid people, who happen to have as “civic leaders” the greatest collection of fraudsters, hucksters, mendicants, idiots, harpies and nincompoops ever assembled.
Go figure. If I were religious, I’d say “God help us.” I’m not, so I’ll just say “Holy shit, I hope we survive this.”
OK. Enough griping.
On To the Links!
The New York Times gets served a big helping of crow.
Honestly the Fed shouldn’t even exist, so…
Clueless just doesn’t cover it.
For once the GOP is doing something half-way smart.
This is why I never tried bull riding.
Sooner or later they’re going to have to give some answers about this shit.
The first Americans may have come from Siberia, by boat. If you find this interesting, check out Michael Collins’ Across Atlantic Ice.
This Week’s Idiots:
The New Republic’s is an idiot.
CNN’s (Repeat Offender Alert) is an idiot.
Marie Antoinette-Bloomberg is evidently staffed by idiots. And another take on the same thing: “Take the bus.” I live in rural Alaska, you assholes. What fucking bus? And no, I’m not eating lentils. Kiss my ass.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (Dim Bulb – WA) is an idiot.
Anyone who tries to take on a “TikTok Challenge” is an idiot, and should be treated as such.
Whoever put up these posters is an idiot. But then it’s San Francisco, where there is a surfeit of idiots.
Alexandria “Crazy Eyes” Occasional Cortex (Nincompoop – NY) remains an idiot.
Vox’s (I’m sensing a trend here ) is an idiot.
This Week’s Cultural Edification:
I’ve never been a big fan of overtly political music, but Lynryrd Skynyrd’s Sweet Home Alabama is one song with a kinda-sorta-political message that I do sort of like, mostly because it was written and performed to stick a thumb in Neil Young’s eye. Don’t get me wrong – Neil Young has produced some great tunes, along with a big list of only so-so ones – but I can’t abide his politics, and worse, his bloviating.
Back to Lynyrd Skynyrd. The band has been through a lot of members and the ones that are still playing are mostly getting pretty gray now (there’s a lot of that going around) but they can still put on a show. Here, from a 2015 concert in Florida, is the song in question. Note the Confederate battle flag on Johnny Van Zant’s mike. Enjoy.
