Political Weather

Posted on by hollyfrostgoldportpress

First off, Sarah’s fine, taking a brief break from the blog while editing No Man’s Land while supervised by the kitty crew. So she tossed me the keys and said “Post something.” Something follows.

This morning, we woke up to a thundersnow. Not uncommon in April, up in these parts. I went to check on the chicks, which we moved out of the dining room to outside this last week, and the heat lamp was on and they were physically fine, just unhappy. I found that the young adults had not closed the windows last night, but had closed the blinds, and fixed that, and checked the thermometer, and sighed, and turned the furnace on.

Went downstairs for more milk and found Quicksilver kitty in the ceiling. It’s an old house, and the cats are welcome to walk through the walls and hunt mice. Silver told me about her exploits, I asked if she wanted a hand down, she declined, and I came upstairs to find the percolator had finally started boiling while I was talking to Silver. At least there’s coffee, but the rest of the carrots and the beets are not going in the garden today. Perhaps Saturday will be dry enough again.

Spring is slow up here, with fits of warm weather–yesterday hit seventy–and cold. As I type the snow is horizontal, blowing north to south.

It occurs to me that a lot of us are prone to wanting politics to come on like summer right now. But it’s much more like spring. Spats of snow, setting back the work, days of warm weather when you can’t get things done fast enough ahead of the next cold snap which will come, but you don’t know how soon or how hard it will be.

And it feels like it was summer for the other side for a very long time, yet was it really, or are our feelings deceiving us? My family is a second generation home school family. Forty years of legally home schooling. Was that a win for the statists? How about gun rights? How many wins did we get in gun rights over those decades? And abortion, returned to the states to decide as it should be under our Constitution, even in the depths of one of those nastier cold snaps. What about the end of regulatory rule?

I don’t have a crystal ball, none of us do. We don’t know which way the arrows of future history point: which countries are going to have themselves wars and which will dodge wars this year. We do know the general trend over the millennia is away from involuntary collectivism, from belonging to the tribe, the state, the religion, that you are born under or conquered by. The USA is and has been at the forefront of this trend, and most of our citizens are pretty good at finding groups to belong to, even when we side-eye their choices. But we do know that when the world is unpredictable, as it always has been, steadfastness is our key to success. Today we plant the seeds. Tomorrow we hunker down against the next cold snap. Then we pull the weeds when it warms again. In the end, the harvest of liberty and justice will overflow.

P.S. Saturday happens to be the 250th Anniversary of the start of the Revolutionary War. Do something to celebrate. (Preferably something that keeps you solidly away from the crazies who want another violent Revolution-it’s my birthday, too and I’m sick and tired of their nonsense on that day.) Hang two lights in your window–the Brits came by sea. Have a cake. Have two cakes. Why not party? 250 years of the best thing going for humanity so far is worth a party.

80 thoughts on “Political Weather”

  1. We used to have a ceiling cat who was also a mighty huntress before the Lord. Gerring her out of the drop ceiling was a pain.

    Second the idea of staying away from the crazies Saturday. Hopefully the chatter is sound and fury signifying nothing, but some guy actually had an article published that advocated killing conservatives/Republicans because of our irredeemable evil. He does not have a clue about the consequences of his suggested action.

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  2. We used to have a ceiling cat who was also a mighty huntress before the Lord. Gerring her out of the drop ceiling was a pain.

    Second the idea of staying away from the crazies Saturday. Hopefully the chatter is sound and fury signifying nothing, but some guy actually had an article published that advocated killing conservatives/Republicans because of our irredeemable evil. He does not have a clue about the consequences of his suggested action.

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    1. When people tell you they hate you, you best believe them.

      Of course, if you DO believe them, you have to ask yourself if it’s possible to share a country with them, and answer honestly.

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    2. Oh, he has a clue. He just assumes that because he’s on the Good side he will inevitably win.

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      1. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? November 2016, November 2024…

        May they never, ever learn, and keep doubling down on losing tactics. :twisted:

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  3. Saturday, eh?

    Looks like rain for us here. Otherwise, I’d have been tempted to take my Trump-Vance sign down to the center of town and sit holding it at the traffic light for the morning.

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    1. We are not seeing rain here for another week, maybe. Two week forecast implying end of April beginning of May will be rain. Hope so. Way too early for rain to stop. Saturday looking like mid 70’s.

      Need to avoid downtown, and 7th/6th around the Washington/Jefferson street bridge. Not “downtown” but seems like the crazy’s think that is “close enough”. They think they can stop traffic. Idiots. Lots of ways around them. If, huge if, actually want to go downtown.

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    3. The last stanza …

      So through the night rode Paul Revere;
      And so through the night went his cry of alarm
      To every Middlesex village and farm,—
      A cry of defiance and not of fear,
      A voice in the darkness, a knock at the door,
      And a word that shall echo forevermore!
      For, borne on the night-wind of the Past,
      Through all our history, to the last,
      In the hour of darkness and peril and need,
      The people will waken and listen to hear
      The hurrying hoof-beats of that steed,
      And the midnight message of Paul Revere.

      Found my two lights for tomorrow.

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  5. “It occurs to me that a lot of us are prone to wanting politics to come on like summer right now.”

    Isn’t summer time when we get terrible thunderstorms and tornados????? [Crazy Grin]

    Everybody take care. 😊

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      1. ive been feeling that one knawing at the back of my mind, havent had a direct strike in a long time, not even a serious storm, im getting all my chainsaws tuned up and spare parts and spools of chain together, gennys pulled out and run, fuel drums are next, better ready than SOL, over here most whine for the government to help them.

        🙄

        Liked by 1 person

              1. Running water check – though they had to come by again to snip off a stray ungrounded wire someone had left out.

                And I’m… mostly over the crud. But so tired. So tired. So many nightmares. And I have all these edits to get to and absolutely no energy. Have been fighting even to make usual blog posts.

                I have Sunday off. I’m going to try and get sleep.

                Liked by 1 person

  7. Change can be slow, steady, and peaceful, or fast and violent.

    If you’re one of the folks advocating for fast and willing to do violent, be advised you are as much of a target as the Panty-Fa types if Der Tag kicks off. Best to eliminate the Robespierre types early on before they get traction.

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    1. Weather around here is when a few drops of water fall from the sky. I’m told that might happen today.

      I’m actually sick of the constant politics. I’m fine with what Trump is doing. But the constant screaming by the left about things like the deported El Salvadoran are driving me nuts. Yeah, he wasn’t supposed to go to El Salvador – for reasons that don’t apply anymore, since the gang that was targeting him (to threaten his family) is locked up. But he was also not supposed to be in the US.

      The left always ignores that part.

      Par for the course by them, of course. And I’m getting tired of it.

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      2. Why is it that all of the Left’s ‘heroes’ are scum? Illegal aliens, addicts, pushers, murderers, rapists and child molesters? Where are all the ‘innocent victims’ they keep squealing about? Surely they can produce ONE that’s not a sack of shit?

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        1. Because the left right now is all about “victimhood”. Wrong-doers (particularly the further they get from “white” “male” and “Christian”) are victims of The Powers That Be (which are never recognized as lefty, even when the left has a solid lock on all of the institutions).

          “It wasn’t his fault that he stabbed that white kid in the heart when the kid asked him what he was doing in the wrong tent. It was the white kid’s fault.”

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        1. Yeah, the left is busy playing up that the cop that was involved was apparently corrupt, while ignoring that he was literally arrested with a group of MS-13 members, with drugs, and while “uniformed” like an MS-13 member.

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      4. Kinda hard to argue “not in a gang” when your reason for asking asylum is “threat of harm by rival gang”.

        Most folks do not understand that it is very, very hard to talk your way out of prison, and very, very easy to talk your way in. Deportation seems to work much the same.

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        1. No, the claim was that Barrio 18 was extorting his parents’ shop. According to his claims in court, Barrio 18 kept trying to recruit first his brother (claiming that if he joined the gang, the protection fee would be reduced), and then Garcia. When the initial recruitment soft sell didn’t work, Garcia claimed that Barrio 18 started dropping “or else” hints. Garcia claims his parents first sent his brother to the US for safety, and then subsequently sent Garcia when the gang started trying to recruit him.

          Whether you believe Garcia’s claim is up to you.

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  9. I’m celebrating by renewing my CCW tomorrow.

    Actual ‘atmospheric’ weather around here has become Spring, and I like it.

    Gotta go find two small lights for the window …

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    1. Yes.

      Hubby has mowed the lawn twice now.

      I had to cut back my roses already. No flowers, yet, but they are budding. Gotta get Aphid spray this year. Drat.

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      1. Stupid WP. Drat. Now I have to login to post comments every single blasted time. Haven’t had to do this for months.

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      2. One slow mow, should have used a scythe to cut the grass, because it was that long. One shorter mow, to tidy things. Three roses and the honeysuckle are blooming, as are the fancy columbines (not-yellow flowers). Yesterday was 91, today is supposed to be 80 but right now it is 46 with a brisk north wind and overcast. Rain predicted for the Vigil of Easter and Easter proper, please, oh please, may the forecast hold.

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  10. Garden? Here in the Demented Dominion anything you put in the ground before 24th of May weekend will freeze, unless its some bulletproof spring wheat/corn/soybean variety. Also first cut of lawns is ~mid May because otherwise you’re mowing mud.

    Today is beautiful blue sky and 50F. I’m going for a rip on my bike after I post this, because I am a Canadian and have antifreeze for blood. ~:D

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    1. We’re doing slightly better in Flyover County. F-Falls weather reports 55F, with a Damn-that’s-chilly wind. Official weather guesses say we’ll be in the high twenties for lows, modulo the day we’re supposed to hit 25F. And, that’s with a large lake helping.

      Out here in the boondocks (not sure people recognize “Tules”, pronounced TooLees, but that’s the native grass, or one of them), we’ll put seedlings in the dirt (whether outside or in the greenhouse) June 1. I also have a very large sheet of plastic for the 2-3 hard freezes we’ll get in June. 20′ wide poly does wonders at saving plants, if you have something to keep it from crushing. We do.

      TPTB in NW Oregon are trying to figure new ways to infringe on the second amendment. Apparently, they’ve either never heard of Bruen or Hiller, or more likely, just don’t care. They’re also doing Maine copycat, hoping that other states will get all the attention. Sigh.

      Vote-fraud by mail is a statute. We’ll see if anything can be done to beat that.

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        1. For the sake of my blood pressure, I’ve been avoiding Oregon political news lately. Couldn’t avoid the 2A stuff, but What Are They Doing (or have they already) to the Kicker?

          Kitchen sink lines got leaky, and the relevant washer found The Hole and rolled. Called the plumber, but “call me Monday and we’ll schedule”. [Checks Home Depot for an inspection camera–preferably one that’s not an app.]

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          1. Kicker – Gah! several attacks.

            HB 1177. SB 573. SJR 15 would put a constitutional amendment on the ballot to “cease the requirement of returning surplus revenue to personal income taxpayers.”

            For non Oregonians,

            The Oregon surplus refund, also known as the “kicker,” is a way for the state to return excess revenue to taxpayers. The kicker may be claimed on the return for an odd-numbered year when a revenue surplus has been determined.

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            1. Thought I’d missed one for RCPete (SJR15). No. That is the one that repeals the kicker from the Oregon constitution.

              “Proposes an amendment to the Oregon Constitution to cease the requirement of returning surplus revenue to personal income taxpayers. Refers the proposed amendment to the people for their approval or rejection at the next regular general election.“

              –

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          2. Oregon HB3360 “Requires that moneys from the corporate income and excise tax kicker be used for the funding of school construction and maintenance projects and infrastructure improvements.“

            –

            Not sure what that means for us non-corporate and excise tax, as individuals.

            Through news outlets:

            Oregon SB1177 “would put kicker funds in a permanent trust once, then use interest money generated from that trust for wildfire programs.“

            –

            Oregon SB573 “getting rid of the personal kicker altogether. It will discontinue returning excess revenue to taxpayers from the beginning of the 2027 two-year budget.” OTOH “voters would have to approve the constitutional change in the 2026 election.”

            –

            ^ Eek. Didn’t expect 114 to pass either. Odds of usual suspects not cheating?

            –

            Oregon SB399 “instruct the state to distribute personal kicker payments through checks instead of providing tax credits.”

            –

            ^ This one is “whatever”.

            OTOH

            “kicker tax refund is unique to the state of Oregon. Legislators cannot directly eliminate the kicker, as it was added to the state’s constitution in the year 2000.“

            –

            Not the first time PTB out of Salem have tried. Won’t be the last if they don’t succeed.

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            1. Kicker is returned if two year actual revenue is > 2% budgeted.

              2023 kicker (2021/2022 budget) was $5.6 billion total.

              2025 kicker (2023/2024 budget) estimated to be $1.9 billion total.

              Lately kicker’s have been almost every two years as revenues exceed budget. Not something to count on.

              The kicker is one way for Oregonians to force government to actually budget and not exceed budgets even if revenues are higher than the budget. Not like the government would put excess into savings for leaner years. Not a chance. They’d spend it regardless.

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            1. And this is why I measure blood pressure as early as possible, so I’m not reacting to the news at the time. Salt sensitive? Maybe. BS/Crap Sandwich sensitive? Oh yes.

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              1. IDK about my BP. I need to get the wrist version I have compared to an arm one. I know medical does not like wrist BP cuffs, but the arm ones *Hurt* even if the nurse uses the larger cuff (they need a bigger one). Hurt worse when I try to do it myself. The numbers go up. BP has too be going up, because I tense up that bad. At doctor’s office it was 139/66 (traditionally “high” for me, but while I am still the overweight I was back in my 40’s and 50’s, I’m north of 65). Not what I’m getting with my own. In fact one reading when putting it into an app the app suggested heading immediate to emergency. Um, no. Next reading was not only better, but much, much, better.

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                1. FYI. While it sounds nice, burning down our capital in Salem is right out. Company son is working at has a huge job for the cabinets, desks, greeting desks, all kinds of wall cabinets, for the capital building remodel. Some of the more fancy stuff done by son. Hate to see his work destroyed. What can I say? I’m selfish that way.

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      2. For those reading along at home, I believe tules are actually some form of rushes or sedges. Rather than grasses. Not that it matters, ultimately, unless you’re working on an herbal for botany class.

        Also, should anyone out there decide to use plastic sheets or “floating row covers” against frost in your area, putting sticks in to prop it up with rags wadded around the top works. (Tape the rags in place if you want to re-use the props.)

        (I am in the Southwest WA flyover area, and TPTB up HERE are voting to not only infringe like crazy but also tax us all out of house and home.)

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        1. “Sedges have edges and rushes are round,” so tules are rushes. They made them into canoes for collecting rice in my neck of the woods.

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        2. The original purpose of the hoops was to support bird and/or deer from eating our zucchini.They don’t like the squash leaves and don’t notice the fruit, but ground squirrels do. The squirrels also stumble into traps or feed the not-totally feral neighborhood Maine Coon cat.

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        3. In Mew Mexican Spanish, “tule” refers to reeds and water grasses in general, as well as a specific plant. It is a dialect from the 1600s-early 1700s, and has some localized usages and coinages.

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      3. Vote-fraud by mail is a statute. We’ll see if anything can be done to beat that.

        Initiative to bring back in-person voting to OR is getting it’s ballot title now; expect signature gatherers later.

        Of course, if it hits the ballot, it will be voted on by mail …

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    2. June 1st is our last frost date. 5 inches of snow today.

      But it’s been a dry winter. I’d rather not have forest fires here in my forest village. That’s our summer weather of evil.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. We’ve been told (though have not witnessed such) that it has snowed on the Independence Day parade. Have had snow in May, and at least a tiny bit in September.

        April 1st is when the studded snow tires are illegal on public roads, so we had a major snowstorm that day.

        Our first year here, we did snows on November 1, but the weather gods said the medium-bad storm needed to wait a day. (Included a multi-hour power outage at home–we went north to Costco and got caught in the storm) when somebody hit a power pole, got out safely, but went back to get her purse. Takes a long time to redo power when the coroner has to clear the scene.

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        1. Ack! Any time electrical wires are down, stay in the car unless it’s on fire. You’re surrounded by metal and insulated by the tires. The instant you put a foot on the ground you could get zapped. Neighborhood distribution wires carry over 13,000 volts! That is a very great deal of zappage.

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          1. In my brief (2.5 year) stint as a volunteer firefighter, one of the more distressing training videos was an interview with a firefighter (or two–it’s been a couple decades) who survived contact with a 12.5kV line. That’s the standard one on a neighborhood power pole.

            I don’t recall the circumstances to cause it happening, but needing two prosthetic hands tends to make life a challenge.

            The main* feeder line for the small town substations in our area is a 115,000 V one, supported by twin wooden poles. These have been brought down, sometimes by landslide (I think that’s what got us in early February), sometimes by fire (arson last September), and on rare occasions, a vehicle crash. 10is times the voltage, if the line stays live, you’d rather be a good long ways away.

            [Wonders how well plastic-bodied cars protect passengers in such an incident. Does not wish to witness first hand.]

            ((single star. WPDE)) A secondary feeder line runs half that voltage, and uses a single pole. The 12.5kV residential line is also on that pole.

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            1. If I ever had to escape a car with downed wires around (which I would bloody well assume were hot!) I’d make sure to leap high and long, breaking all contact with the car before making first contact with the ground. Might also try to land on one foot and hop-hop-hop as far as possible before putting that other foot down.*

              *I am not an E.E. YMMV. Don’t try this at home.

              I’m not a programmer either, but * has fooled WP–which, DE–into printing that leading asterisk, and may again. Until they “improve” it some more.

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  11. You don’t have to be a weatherman to know that a storm front is coming.

    But, I did just check the forecast on the website to say so. I do not entirely trust meteorological forecasting methods.

    Nor do I entirely trust the character of all meteorologists.

    Anyway, I do not yet feel physical pain from this change in weather, and even if I did, I am not great at noticing such pains.

    Where experts are concerned, I prefer not to need to trust.

    Forecasting human behavior is a truely wild amount of uncertainty.

    Anyhow, lots of stuff going on.

    This is one of those situations where I say “LOL. I dunno.” and it is pretty often definitively meant as a statement of hope.

    I do not know.

    I do not know that things will be bad.

    I do not know that some portions of the ‘state space’ are necessarily all bad.

    I may feel concerned, because of things in my own past, but this is not the same as knowing about the present, recent past, or future.

    National politics is an aggregate thing. Aggregate goals for politics can be quite destructive and unnecessary.

    My own individual goals are important, for me, and that stuff may do me a lot more good than someone else doing political things somewhere possibly could.

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  12. We used to have a ceiling cat who was also a mighty huntress before the Lord. Gerring her out of the drop ceiling was a pain.

    Second the idea of staying away from the crazies Saturday. Hopefully the chatter is sound and fury signifying nothing, but some guy actually had an article published that advocated killing conservatives/Republicans because of our irredeemable evil. He does not have a clue about the consequences of his suggested action.

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  13. Those in control of the left are, as far as I can tell, functionally sociopaths.

    A sociopath never, ever, NEVER stops pushing until he gets what he wants. The only thing that ever gets them to stop and reconsider is a disproportionate response that they didn’t expect, and is a direct threat to them or their plans (if not destructive of same).

    The unfortunate part is that they never reconsider their goals or motives. Only the tactics they are employing in getting them.

    So, yes, bad stuff is coming.

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  16. Mildly OT, but … I need to tap the collective musical knowledge of the Huns and Hoydens. About ten years ago, I sang an arrangement of “Paul Revere’s Ride” that ended with a bit of the Concord Hymn. I think it was composed for the Bicentennial, but I’m not certain. It had a very fast, galloping accompaniment. Now, I can’t seem to track it down, and no longer have the file with the concert program notes in it.

    Any ideas? None of the videos that come up on the Tube of Ewe are the right one. Thus far. I only looked through the top 30 or so. Thanks!

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    1. GAHHH I’d cut and paste something and so there are 2 HTTP REFS so WP has sent my comment into moderation. I found a copy of OLD sheet music (.35 original price) here

      https://www.ebay.com/itm/374487665006

      That also shows that it has both pieces of text. It is part of a larger piece It is MUCH older, It was recorded by Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians (likely 1950s). that is

      Decca matrix 76684. The song of America: Part 1 / Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians

      Ruppli session personnel note: A musical saga composed by Roy Ringwald. Fred Waring (narration). Orchestra and Chorus with Glee Club, conducted by Lara Hoggard. Ruppli session note: 40196/7/8/9 (78 rpm) issued in album DAU-816 and reissued as 9-40196/7/8/9 (45 rpm) in album 9-156. All parts also issued on Decca DL-8033. Documentation of Decca Records derives from Michel Ruppli’s “The Decca labels: a discography” (Greenwood Press, 1996). Data has not been systematically reviewed or edited by ADP staff, except as indicated.

      Can the moderators free up me other comment when they get a chance?

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