Monday, April 18, 2016

Scaling Back Expectations

obama, obama jokes, political, humor, cartoon, conservative, hope n' change, hope and change, stilton jarlsberg, magic scale, primaries, hillary, cirque du soleil, north carolina

Ironically, it's been 4 years since our good friend The Magic Scale has appeared in Hope n' Change (how time flies when politics is pummeling you into short term memory loss). And we would have hoped that his optimism for the future had improved at least a little since 2012 - but that doesn't seem to be the case.

Unsurprisingly, that's how we're feeling looking at the news today.  The odds of a long-awaited, cleansing political rebirth when Barack Obama is shown the door seem increasingly unlikely (albeit not impossible). And perhaps it's just the gloom of a profoundly rainy day in North Texas (good thing we nearly killed ourselves cleaning those gutters...), but it increasingly seems that our next president will be a criminal, a socialist, a game show host, or a man who seemingly can't get along with anyone well enough to effect real change.

Meanwhile, the current president is doing his best to keep the Saudis from being pressed on their role in funding the 9/11 attackers, more Guantanamo prisoners were just released (no doubt demanding a lot of back pay from the Saudis), Putin is happily playing Mach One mumbley peg by throwing his jets closer and closer to Obama's toes, and the ever-strident Hillary Clinton just appeared with Al Sharpton to proclaim that she "ain't no ways tarred" of complaining about white privilege and the need for crackercasians to start practicing "humility." As if she's ever tried it herself.

Perhaps the return of sunnier weather tomorrow will also give Hope n' Change a sunnier mood. Failing that, tequila shots and a viewing of "Die Hard" are usually pretty effective.

That, and reminding ourselves that no matter how dismal the news appears, there's always at least one story that reminds us not to take things too seriously...

obama, obama jokes, political, humor, cartoon, conservative, hope n' change, hope and change, stilton jarlsberg, cirque du soleil, north carolina
Vaudeville isn't dead - it just went to the bathroom.

29 comments:

Joseph ET said...

@Stilton
I Googled Spring in Texas
for you and this is all I found.
So Sorry !

REM1875 said...

BS Joseph we have a few days we call spring every year, same with fall. (usually in between tornadoes)

I saw something like that in my bathroom and it scared the crap out of me.
It kept screaming 'no' and I just kept plunging, screaming 'yes', finally got it down, septic tank made funny noise for days- never ever doing all ya can eat chinese followed by all you can eat mexican again.
Guess what? All you can eat is a suggestion not a direct order. Who knew?

Bad news Doc looks like more liquid sunshine headed our way. Refill the liquor cabinet.
I might actually use these rainy days to do my taxes-...but I kinda doubt it.
The good news is all lawn labor has ceased, the bad new is growth of my lawn weeds hasn't. I mow anything that is green and pretend it's lawn.

Sprung is sprung the grass has rizz,
I know now where some of my rattlesnake is.

donpaul53 said...

Go back to the days of gas station bathrooms , one sink one toilet, in a 3 foot by 4 foot area.

Liberty Card said...

Three banos, men, women, and others - let the freaks eliminate their waste beyond the sight of healthy people.

Geoff King said...

Can you say hypocrite? Both Cirque du Soleil and Bruce Springsteen cancel performances in North Carolina because of the transgender bathroom crisis, yet have no problem doing shows in Saudi Arabia and Yemen where trandgendered people are commonly put to death.

Stilton Jarlsberg said...

@JosephET- I appreciate the effort even if the result was disappointing.

@REM1875- Ah, yes - tornado season in Texas (and Oklahoma, where daughter Jarlsberg lives). I take twisters really seriously, having lived in a trailer in Indiana for awhile. I hate the fact that the soil in my current neck of the woods doesn't permit basements. In F-5 weather, there's no place above ground that you want to be.

@donpaul53- And don't forget the gas station bathroom vending machine that sells keychains, combs, and condoms.

@Liberty Card- I think the three door option should work fine. Make the "other" capable of handling only one client at a time to make sure no one inside is annoyed by someone else's predilections. I can't imagine that there are so many transgendered folks that there would ever be much of a line to use their bathroom.

@Geoff King- It's tremendously hypocritical. As I've said here before, real artists use their art to change the world. Springsteen and Cirque should appear in North Carolina and make an explicit statement (perhaps via music or performance) about their political beliefs. And they should do the same in Saudi Arabia and Yemen unless they're complete ideological whores.

Colby Muenster said...

As a resident of NC, I wish Gov Pat had proposed this legislation years ago. Springsteen an the gayrod circus are catering to less than 1% of the populous and have only pissed on their fans. Hats off to Jimmy Buffet for recognizing who gets screwed when you cancel concerts.

Anonymous said...

Performance artists perform for money. By not performing they are deleting their own opportunity to be paid. The audience misses out on a few hours of entertainment. The performers miss out on $50 per head. Apparently the performers really don't want the money. Fine with me. But they DO perform in places that build far worse discrimination and recriminations. Hypocrite, thy name is liberal.

Bruce Bleu said...

Those "Circle-jerk Solay" performers are in the same location as our country with lamont in MY White House... THE TOILET!!! I can't wait for the Robert Moogahboogahgabi wannabe poseur to be evicted from the Oral Office and we get our country back. He and the Wookiee can get their retirement mud hut in Kenya where everything is perfect.

Bubbles the Perv said...

I really do not understand the issue.

Finally, I will be able to get into the ladies room. Been trying to do that since first grade. The Sisters Of Perpetual Disillusionment though would slap me around for doing it - as enjoyable as that was sometimes, it was totally unwarranted. Now, I will have the law on my side!

And my smart phone. Lots of pictures. Great new web site. It will be called Sisters Of Perpetual Bowel Movements

Nice ring to it. And a plunk/flush or two.

Yeah left-wing loons!!!! You are my heroes!

Rod said...

I hope ya'll in Texas stay above the water line today; some of our kids and friends are flooded-in but doing OK so far.

Change of topic a bit: Every time there's an outbreak of tornadoes it reminds of the old joke about a round tornadoes that swept across Arkansas a long time ago and did $50 million dollars worth of improvements.

AmyH said...

I am tired of extreme minorities telling the majority how to live. How is it possible? Gays are supposedly 1% of the population (I cant see it since every single show has one in it), so transgendered have to be less than that. So for a population of less than 1% places are supposed to revamp their restroom situation for the rare trans that comes in? I am supposed to be ok having my daughter and myself go into a female restroom and have a 6'3" man dressed as a woman come in and say "I feel like a woman, so I am." There are some who I would never know they were men but had their ding dong cut off and look every bit female and if they didnt announce "I am trans", I wouldnt know it. If you still have the stick & berries, go to the men's restroom, if you still have the taco, go to the female restroom. If you went through all the surgeries and hormones to change then use the restroom that matches your gender. Otherwise, you are just playing Halloween dressup.

CenTexTim said...

"...it increasingly seems that our next president will be a criminal, a socialist, a game show host, or a man who seemingly can't get along with anyone well enough to effect real change."

That pretty much sums it up. Sigh...

I need 'coffee' - lots and lots of 'coffee.'

John the Econ said...

I was incredibly lucky. I was a teenager during the malaise of the Carter era. My parents were well employed, so my family didn't suffer as many others of that era did. Since the kind of jobs traditionally available to teenagers were relatively hard to come by, I learned to invent my own. By the time I graduated high school, Reagan's "Morning in America" had taken hold and opportunity seemed endless. My early experience with entrepreneurism stuck with me through college (and paid for it) and I eschewed the corporate track my parents would have preferred I take. (Thank God for that!) I never regretted it.

Contrast the opportunities of my experience to that of the kids who've come of age over the last decade; a world where along with being told you need to get a college degree, you also need to rack up 6 figures of debt to do it, and then settle for a near-minimum wage job afterwards with little hope of ever getting out of debt. They're literally slaves to big government. And considering that most of these kids have been exposed to a better part of 20 years of "grievance studies" during their educational careers, is it any wonder that their "magic scales" drive them towards extremist candidates?

Since we're in a dismal mood today:

The Obama Administration is now apologizing for America winning World War II

Don't you love Progressives apologizing for things they had absolutely nothing to do with while denying everything that they are? I've always been fascinated by the left's willingness and ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

And while we're busy debating letting every non-aligned sexual identity into the women's restroom: Things are going the opposite direction in Germany, where Germany Becomes the Next Country to Introduce Women-Only Train Cars. Seems that women are tired of being harassed by the influx of Middle Eastern men who are unfamiliar with how to conduct polite interactions with the fairer sex.

This is an example of why I think letting a few million of these guys into the US would actually be a good thing. Like 9/11 woke us up from the silly issues we used to think were important on September 10th, I think a little cultural infusion of this sort would quickly put an end to silly debates over who belongs in which restroom.

Anonymous said...

Maybe we need some enlightened and visionary fashionistas to make Hickory axe handles fashionable for young women, and mobility aids for older ladies. Then unload on them when some mid-eastern males act inappropriately.

John the Econ said...

Unfortunately @Anonymous, defending yourself in that manner is now considered a "hate crime". The politically correct response to an attack is to simply lie back and be proud of your tolerance of multiculturalism.

Joseph ET said...

If the transgender crowd were to get their own bathroom they will be more unhappy than ever. After all, that would be discrimination and segregation. They will demand to be included not excluded.

Anonymous said...

@ John the Econ... Your point is well taken but in this time of trying cases in the media (until a juicer scandal comes up) we should remember that it's a hate crime when a jury of peers votes that it's a hate crime.

John the Econ said...

@Joseph ET, you're absolutely right. Even if every one of the 51-or-so "genders" were to be granted their own bathrooms, the people behind this silliness would not be happy. This whole "bathroom" thing is really a psychological power-play about forcing their will upon the rest of society. And it won't end at bathrooms. These people are living for the conflict and the power they feel from it.

@Anonymous, does it matter? Today, the process itself is the punishment. Yes, should the state decide to actually prosecute you for a "hate crime", odds are good that if you fight you will be acquitted. But only after years of your life and hundreds of thousands of your dollars in legal fees have been spent. Is that worth it? Or is the safe play to simply shut up and keep your head low?

Ask Darren Wilson, formerly employee of Ferguson Missouri, how being innocent of a "hate crime" has worked out for him.

Stilton Jarlsberg said...

@Colby Muenster- Your observation about "who gets screwed" is important; cancelling a performance punishes only the fans - so are Springsteen and Cirque under the impression that their fans are the problem? If not, why not appear - and make an appeal to your fans to help change the system?

@Anonymous- Good point. At a certain level of wealth, the performers no longer care about the money which transparently reveals that they're only in it for the money and not for their obligation to the fans who built their careers. Maybe that's why liberals are convinced that the rich aren't doing enough for others - because when they get rich, they tell the little people to get stuffed.

@Bruce Bleu- When Obama leaves office, I think there should be a spectacular public performance on the White House lawn by Cirque du So-Long.

@Bubbles the Perv- You're clearly flushed with pride about your sudden progress in the world. Congratulations! By the way, do you know my friend, Tickles the clown? Sounds like you'd have a lot in common.

@Rod- My part of Texas is wet but not flooded (though in Dallas, not far from here, there are definitely some roads to stay off of).

@AmyH- I agree that this all seems like a heckuva lot of bother to accommodate very few people (and I'm not against accommodating minorities, I'm just against losing our minds to do so). My feeling is that if a person is post-surgical, then they should go to the bathroom which matches their new genitalia. If they're transitional and receiving medical treatment use the restroom that best matches their external appearance. If they have gender-identification issues but aren't under medical treatment, they should use the bathroom of their genetic sex or wear pampers (and I don't mean that to sound cruel - but we can't change the world for such rare cases).

@CenTexTim- Some folks on Facebook thought I was being too hard on Ted Cruz with that statement, so let me explain. I like Cruz- but believe that as President he'd face a coalition of Dems and Rinos who would be working to keep him from accomplishing much. The only thing I find potentially promising in Trump is that he might be enough of a wildcard to break that unholy partnership between the parties in order to push his agenda through. Now if I could only be sure that his agenda isn't nuts...

@John the Econ- Amen. Kids these days (including my own daughter) are facing a brutal work environment for many reasons. And they're being told "the evil wealth accumulators did this to you" and "only government can take care of you."

Regarding Obama possibly offering an apology for Hiroshima, I want to say that he tried to do this years ago, but Japanese officials convinced him not to because the topic, for some odd reason, is considered "touchy" over there.

On your third point, I have to disagree that 9/11 woke most Americans up to diddly-squat, and I don't think we're likely to fare any better with an influx of Middle Eastern rapists.

@Anonymous- I like the idea!

@Joseph ET- Exactly. I was just reading a story today about a young man who identifies as female. His school made a private bathroom available for his use, but he's arguing that it's segregation if he can't do his business with the "other" girls.

Meanwhile, I think I saw that Barry is considering cutting federal tax dollars to North Carolina until the state brings freedom to peedom.

@John the Econ- I'm pretty sure that Darren Wilson isn't an easy man to find these days to ask that question. He's now the Salman Rushdie of police officers.

Colby Muenster said...

This is a funny... my coworker's brother in law is a manager at the Greensboro Coliseum. Bruce was hit with a $300k cancellation fee plus many lawsuits no doubt.

John the Econ said...

Okay, just saw this one on social media and found it amusing:

If Bruce Springsteen can refuse to play a concert over his beliefs, then why can't the rest of us withhold our services for ours?

Dan said...

Speaking of 9/11 -- I think one of the major things about the attacks is that New York City citizens were reminded that they are, too, Americans.
The new yawkers milked that for all it was worth, and I'm just kinda tired of "we're new yawkers, and we're wonderful because the twin towers fell." I seem to remember something about all the families of folks killed in the twin towers fall were compensated outside of the insurance coverage, by US, the rest of America that NYC disdains and ridicules.
It's that "give me everything because we're wonderful and you all owe us because we're New Yorkers (not because we're fellow Americans)" attitude that reflects in the "New York Values" mentioned somewhere in this primary.

Colby Muenster said...

What gets me about the new NC law, SB2, it only restricts agencies from forcing businesses to allow people to go into the restrooms of the opposite sex. If a business wants to allow it, they can. To all you moonbats out there, this is called freedom, and it is (was?) intended to be guaranteed by The Constitution of the United States of America. If you want to allow the government to force your will on others, you are no better than Kim Jong Il, Josef Stalin or Adolph Hitler.

Joseph ET said...

And here it is already:
In a concurring opinion, Judge Andre Davis claims the student is at risk of “irreparable harm” if forced to use a single-occupancy bathroom. Davis says that to support the claim of “irreparable harm, G.G. submitted an affidavit to the district court describing the psychological distress he experiences when he is forced to use the single-stall restrooms.”

Even this accommodation wasn’t good enough and the LGBT community wants our support?

God help us!

What about our psychological distress when these people want to use the bathroom with our daughters?

I thought that in a democratic society the majority rules, not a minority of one. I call this the “tail wagging the dog”
And it has to STOP!

John the Econ said...

"In a concurring opinion, Judge Andre Davis claims the student is at risk of “irreparable harm” if forced to use a single-occupancy bathroom."

Got it. No mention of any “irreparable harm” to the girls that will be forced to share their bathroom with this emotionally fragile guy.

Once again women, do you see how you were used and sold out by "mainstream" feminism? Outside of the holy grail of abortion rights, your position on the Progressive totem pole continues to get lower and lower. Feel Hillary climbing up your back yet?

Joseph ET said...

Now I’m really feeling confused!

Women Working on Amazons’ Transparent’ Afraid to Complain About Gender Neutral Bathrooms
“men, women and transgenders” are all sharing the same restrooms and that the women are “particularly worried about walking in and seeing a dude peeing at the urinal.

Popular Front said...

What's going on in that toilet cubicle is illegal in every State and Territory in the Commonwealth of Australia.

John the Econ said...

I think that San Francisco has found the solution to the bathroom problem:

"The urinal, which city officials call a “pissoir,” opened in January as the city’s latest move to combat public urination. It was part of an extensive park renovation that included new irrigation, playgrounds and restrooms.

The open-air urinal, next to a Muni streetcar stop, consists of a concrete pad with a drain and a circular fence that offers limited privacy. It is near the park’s southwest corner, affectionately dubbed “the gay beach.”"