If this is true the United States is doomed

Posted: February 1, 2024 by Jon Fournier in Uncategorized
Tags: , , , ,

On this past Monday I encountered an article that was absolutely terrifying.  If the article was only a tiny bit true it would mean that our constitutional republic is utterly and totally doomed.  Here is the horrific article: Taylor Swift Could Impact Outcome of 2024 Presidential Election: Poll (breitbart.com)

A new poll shows that Taylor Swift could impact the outcome of this year’s presidential election, with 18 percent of voters saying they’re “more likely” or “significantly more likely” to vote for a candidate endorsed by Swift.

The alarming results come from polling conducted for Newsweek by Redfield & Wilton Strategies. The survey, which had a sample size of 1,500 eligible voters, was conducted on January 18 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.53 percent.

She’s influenced popular culture, sports, the economics of entire regions of the U.S.,” communications consultant James Haggerty told Newsweek. “So why not politics and elections?

The founding fathers of this great nation would be horrified to learn that the fate of the United States will possibly be decided by such incredibly low informed voters.  I can’t think of a more apt way than that to describe anyone who would base their vote on the endorsement of any celebrity, let alone someone as vapid as Taylor Swift. 

The political left has built an enormous power base comprised mainly of low information voters.  They are manufactured in mass by our indoctrination system, which masquerades as an education system.

As you can see from this article, NYT: Biden Campaign Covets Taylor Swift’s Support (breitbart.com), low information voters will form the foundation of Joe Biden’s ‘reelection’ efforts.

President Joe Biden’s 2024 campaign feverishly hopes to secure the support of popstar Taylor Swift, who the New York Times describes as the campaign’s top “target,” in regards to an endorsement, but a recent poll shows her potential political influence could be a wash.

The campaign has begun discussions with celebrities and social media stars about promoting Mr. Biden on Instagram and TikTok. When Mr. Biden took a fund-raising swing through Southern California in December, the campaign carved out time to meet with influencers to pitch them on posting pro-Biden content. There are also plans, first reported Sunday by NBC News, to hold a fund-raiser with two Democratic former presidents: Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, according to two people familiar with the discussions.

The biggest and most influential endorsement target is Ms. Swift, 34, the pop sensation and N.F.L. enthusiast, who can move millions of supporters with an Instagram post or a mid-concert aside. She endorsed Mr. Biden in 2020 and, last year, a single Instagram post of hers led to 35,000 new voter registrations. Fund-raising appeals from Ms. Swift could be worth millions of dollars for Mr. Biden.

Thomas Jefferson made it abundantly clear that an electorate comprised of low information voters would be quite catastrophic.

 if a nation expects to be ignorant & free, in a state of civilisation, it expects what never was & never will be. the functionaries of every government have propensities to command at will the liberty & property of their constituents. there is no safe deposit for these but with the people themselves; nor can they be safe with them without information. where the press is free and every man able to read, all is safe.

It Comes Down to a Loaf of Bread

Posted: February 1, 2024 by datechguy in Blame Biden Administration, economy
Tags: ,

Today after mass I hit Market Basket before heading home. There are two advantages to such a trip.

  1. You get a chance to buy the “manager’s special” meats usually discounted 10-20%
  2. The donuts at their bakery are not only cheap but very good

With money very tights you look for a bargain here and there so rather than going out I figured find a nice steak and cook at home and if you can get it at a discount because the sell by date is tomorrow, so much the better.

When you first go into the Market Basket that I frequent there is a section just before the butter that usually has various breads that are offered on special. It’s handy for people who don’t want to hit the bread aisle at the other end of the store. I happened to glance at it and noticed they had the Market Basket Canadian White, a bread that I buy regularly at that area and I stopped cold.

The bread was marked at 2 for $5.

I do the shopping regularly at the house. I’ve seen the bread prices fluctuate over the years. I’ve seen a loaf of Canadian White as high as 2 for $4 and I’ve seen it marked down as low as .99 to get it to move. Over the past few years the regular price has stood stead at $1.79 though occasionally I’ll see it at 2 for $3 and buy an extra loaf to freeze.

I have never seen it at $2.50 a loaf. That’s a full 25% markup from the normal “high” price for the product.

I’ve seen the inflation that has been murderous in the country for the last three years. I’ve seen it in the price of all kinds of things, but to see it in the price of something that’s a basic staple as a loaf of bread and realize what that does to the people (and to the taxpayer because they’re paying that extra price for all those groceries) puts just how bad the economy is in bright focus.

And the worst part about it is that none of this needed to happen. This decline was a choice by those who decided that it was imperative to make a change at the White House and damn the consequences.

To a lot of people making the decisions that have led to this, a loaf of bread is nothing, but multiply that loaf by tens of millions struggling to meet basic needs and you have a powder keg just waiting to go off.

A National Disgrace Out of San Francisco

Posted: January 31, 2024 by datechguy in Blame Biden Administration, crime
Tags: , , , ,

I just read a story out of Hotair that is a perfect symbol of the US under the Biden (Obama) Administration in general and San Francisco under the left in particular:

The start of the story is par for the course, soft on crime city allowed elderly gentleman to be attacked goes easy on the attacker. That part has become so normal in blue cites that it’s almost not worth reporting. The fact that this was not the first time he was attacked in the city wasn’t a shock either. The shock is what happens in the end:

And that was the last straw. This past Sunday Liao had a final meeting in Chinatown with seven of his old friends, people he will likely never see again. This coming weekend Rong Xin Liao is flying back to China after more than 24 years in the United States. He and his family have decided it is simply too dangerous for him to stay here in San Francisco.

Rongxin Liao, 87, will take a flight this Saturday back to Guangzhou, Guangdong on a one-way ticket, his son, Jing Liao, confirmed with The Standard. Rongxin Liao plans to spend the rest of his life there.

“It’s too dangerous here,” Jing said in Cantonese. “Public safety situation in San Francisco has become worse and worse.”

Think about that for a second. He didn’t decide to move to another city or county or state here in America. He decided that he would rather live out his life in a Chinese communist country rather than stay in the United States.

I’m not going to blame the man for his decision. He’s been attacked multiple times and the authorities don’t seem to consider it a priority as this “Asian hate” isn’t being perpetuated by Trump voters. Why on earth would he consider trusting this city to protect him?

But I DO blame the city and the state and the country for allowing it to reach this point. As the son of a World War 2 vet I didn’t think I’d live to see the day when people flee the US for the safer climes of Chinese Communism. It’s a national disgrace and I’m profoundly embarrassed but in fairness this is what the folks in the city and state keep voting for so why would anyone expect them to get anything but the government they deserve.

Good and Hard.

Total Con 38 Here I (Finally) Come

Posted: January 30, 2024 by datechguy in fun, gaming, Uncategorized
Tags: ,

As some of you might know back in 1980’s when I was in my 20’s I owned a store that sold comic books, baseball cards, board games Mostly Avalon Hill and VERY EARLY PC games (Sid Meyer’s Pirates flew from the shelves). The store closed in 1991 but the baseball league that was founded at the store in 1987 has continued on and until I got my current job where I worked on third shift and then second shift I was part of a mostly board gaming good that has met continually on a weekly basis since about 1979. 

For 25 or 30 years I have had people from my game group I should attend The Total Confusion Gaming Convention which takes place annually in Massachusetts. Those requests predate the internet, they started while Avalon Hill was still making games under their own banner. They predate Magic the Gathering and they certainly predate the online version of Dynasty Baseball which I run my leagues on.

Oddly enough there was always a reason why either couldn’t or didn’t go. I frankly can’t remember them at this point but I never managed to get there.

Meanwhile Total Con has done just fine without me and now boasts of being the largest gaming convention in New England. It’s on its 38th year and will take place Feb 25th-Feb 28th at the Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel in Marlborough, MA the same place where Pintastic NE was last year and will be in April

Well I’ve now been at my current job long enough that have extra vacation days to spare, I don’t have a big wedding anniversary to keep days in reserve.

Furthermore I have friends who live under 10 minutes from the Hotel who keep offering me a place to say for Pintastic NE that I regularly turn down because of the 24-7 aspect of the event. But while I’m sure there are some overnight games that take place in people’s hotel rooms the convention’s game rooms are NOT 24-7 so there is no reason why I can’t drive down the road to crash and be back by by 9 or 10 to play. That saves several hundred dollars.

In short the time constraints and the cash constraints that might have held be back in the past don’t seem to be there this year.

So it seems this year I will be attending the Total Confusion Convention and playing some games.

I notice that the old Milton Bradly Game Dogfight from 1962 my youth will be played there and I note that what I consider one of the greatest board games ever made Advanced Civilization (which predates and I suspect inspired the PC game) will be played. There are three spots left but as it takes 8 hours and starts at 8 AM on the first day I’m debating if I can make it.

In addition to the hundreds of game events they have open gaming and a large game library that you can access to play. (I highly recommend Kremlin btw) hey also have a large game library

I’ve decided to take two games of my own but not have them “Official Events”

Source of the Nile

It’s 1820 and you are leading an expedition to the unknown wiles of Africa. Map the blank board as you Combat unknown diseases, wild animals, dangerous terrain and natives and raiders who may or may not be friendly on your expedition. Survive and return to England to publish your finding (earning VP and making your map permanent) and equip anew. Play as an Explorer, Geologist, Zoologist, Missionary, Doctor, Ethnologist, Explorer, Botanist or Reporter. Different professions earn points in different ways.

Solo to up to six players

Source of the Nile

It’s the golden age of piracy. Sail the seas of the Caribbean or the gold coast or around the horn and Madagascar. Raid shipping and towns, take on cargos and sell them at friendly ports (or at a pirate haven). Upgrade to a better ship or take a captured ship as your own and celebrate with drunken debauchery, but watch out for warships on the prowl, rivals who wish to supplant you or as your fame grows beware of the King’s commissioners sent by the crown to hunt you down. Take advantage of pardons and take care of your ship but don’t forget to keep your crew happy or you might be marooned. Retire wealthy or strive to be the most notorious pirate on the Spanish main.

Solo to up to four players

My plan is to play both of them solo while allowing people to join in if they wish. I may also take a copy of Dynasty Baseball to demo it and recruit players for our face to face league in Fitchburg.

But either way I’ll be there. Hope to see you too, there is more to life than politics and arguments..

Older Entries
Newer Entries