A Thanksgiving 2023 pot pourri.

A selection of items I ran across recently that either piqued my interest or hit the “I didn’t know that!” button.  Thought you might enjoy.

Guess who’s getting the 2025 MLB All Star game?  Yup.  Atlanta.  Remember when that political sycophant Rob Manfred yanked it in 2021 because of voting law changes in Georgia that he felt were anti-Woke. The changes in voting regulations, in his opinion, would unfairly preclude certain voters.  Apparently, he thought this bonehead move might improve his perennially sinking viewership somehow.  CEOs from Home Depot, Coca Cola etc. backed this move in their effort to be “progressive”.  Even though the rule changes were less restrictive than those in NY, California etc. 

Well, turns out voting in 2022 elections broke all records.  Now, rather than apologize, Manfred applauds the great city of Atlanta and gives them back the “Midsummer Classic.”  Losing the first one only cost the city $100 million, but who’s counting?  Also funny that these pathetic CEOs who try to be socially in tune are now sucking eggs.  Disney just admitted they screwed up.  Bud light strategy cost Budweiser billions.

This Hamas situation is not only a real tragedy.  It’s a farce.  I didn’t know that Israel did a “hostages for prisoners” swap in 2011.  Another one-sided one.  Israel released 1027 Hamas prisoners – 287 sentenced to life.  In return for one Israeli hostage.  Shows you how much Israel values life.  Among those released was the terrorist who headed the October 7 atrocity.  Now Israel is poised to release 3 such criminals for each hostage Hamas returns. 

The only reason Hamas is going along with this is because they need time to regroup, rearm and hide.  The only reason the Israelis are capitulating is because the jackasses in Washington are making aid contingent on Israel’s agreement to “pause”.  Biden and the Libs want a ceasefire, because the Progressives are holding a ballot box to their heads. 

I sure hope Bibi holds firm and wipes Hamas out of existence.  Not the Palestinians.  Hamas, although I’m not sure how to separate.  It’s a damn shame that our government (starting with Obama as most Woke policies did) is more willing to ship pallet loads of money (twice) to terrorists than unconditionally support one of our strongest allies.  Bet Israel didn’t hold back support in 2001.

Update - so what does Joe do… White House announces national strategy to combat Islamophobia.  Dandy!

All hail Xi.  Did you see what went on in that dirtiest of American cities, San Francisco, a week or so ago?  CEOs of America’s top companies gave not one, not two, but three standing ovations to Xi.  Unbelievable.  Fink from Blackwater, Schwartzman from Blackstone, Dalio, Cook from Apple.  All applauded in supplication.

Meanwhile, nothing substantive was accomplished on:

• Taiwan

• China's role in Middle East – Iran, Hamas etc.

• AI

• Verifiable crackdown on Fentanyl production and export.

Biden did get Xi to agree that our militaries can resume talking to each other and the tarragon chicken was a tad dry.

Eyes and Ears.  Three documentaries I can heartily recommend. 

• GOLDA (Prime) – the story of Gold Meir, Prime Minister of Israel during the Yom Kippur War of 1973.  Stars Helen Mirren. 

• OPPENHEIMER (Prime) – the story of the world renown physicist (right up there with Einstein) who developed the A bomb and whom the US government rewarded with unjustified persecution for treason.  Stars Cillian Murphy from my 2nd ATF series, Peaky Blinders. 

• MIDWAY (Paramount) – documentary on famous battle that was the key turning point in tin WW2 Pacific.  Thwarted Japanese gateway to US.
  

On a less worthy level, I watched Expendables 4 and Equalizer 3.  Cannot resist Sly, Jason or Denzel.  Neither equaled their predecessors.  I like action movies as a respite from weightier stuff. 

I’m a sucker for action movies with Navy Seals, Delta Force or Special Ops guys.  But I had a thought the other night as I watched SANDBOX, a story about a team of US Infantrymen rebuilding a water pumping station in some Iraqi backwater.  “Why in God’s name are we in these countries?”  I know how we got there and the political why.  But c’mon, we have so much to do here and the US government has proven time and again we can’t walk and chew gum at the same time.  Get in – get out.  But don’t go at all unless you have a mission.

I also audibled two books recently.  The first was GOING INFINITE, the story of Samuel Bankman Fried by Michael Lewis.  SBF, obviously, is the crypto crook who’s looking at a century plus of hard time.  Can’t believe Heat named Arena after him! 

The other was WORST PRESIDENT in HISTORY, a factual review of the Barack Obama presidency.  I will comment on this later.  It was stunning.  The incomprehensible breadth of the man’s hubris, dishonesty, incompetency and utter disregard for the American people.  Here is where the divisiveness in government and culture we now see daily first began.

Here’s a beaut.  A Black Lives Matter (BLM) leader just threw his support behind former President Trump in the 2024 race for the White House, accusing Democrats of racist policies that are working against the Black community. 

Mark Fisher, co-founder of Black Lives Matter, joined ‘FOX & Friends’ to discuss why some Black voters are leaving the Democrats as they contemplate whom they will vote for in the 2024 presidential election. 

"It's the duplicity of the Democrats, the hypocrisy," Fisher told Lawrence Jones Tuesday. "We're not stupid. The brothers are not stupid. We understand when someone's for us and when someone is not, and it's obvious that the Democratic Party is not for us.  We've been used and abused for so long by that Democratic party, they don't value our vote," Fisher said. "Their policies are basically racist policies. I believe it's a racist party. Donald Trump is just the opposite. He's going to tell you how it is. He's going to give it to you straight." 

Congrats to him.  Never thought I’d be given reason to quote a BLM voice because I agreed.

That’s all for now folks.  Have a great week. Enjoy your bird.