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Ditto Joe, I spent 20 years of my life throwing my ass into the fire. Here we are in Act III of our lives and I feel frustrated like those 20 were wasted. This is not where or how we should be.

In 1888, two friends started the Pearl Milling Company, a flour mill in Missouri. They soon faced a flour glut and started selling extra flour as a "self-rising pancake mix" sold in big paper sacks. In 1889, they added the Aunt Jemima trade name to conflate their product with the "Southern Mammy" stereotype; a vaudeville carciature of an obese Southern slave woman who was happy to be a slave. (The original image for Aunt Jemima actually came from a Vaudeville poster.) She was referred to as "Aunt" since honorifics like "Miss" were prohibited for slaves - and later freed slaves. People were, by comtemporary accounts, amused by the name. At the 1893 World Exposition in Chicago they hired a former slave, Nancy Green, to play Aunt Jemima at their booth. She didn't look much like the picture on the product, although they were both black women. After time went by the image of Aunt Jemima changed. One change recast the image based on an obese black actress named Anna Robinson. The next change was based VERY loosely on cook Rosa Washington Riles. In 1968 a spin made her into a composite of several women. She was made thinner and more stylish, less cartoonish. In 1989 it was revamped again, with the scarf removed completely and a plain white collar with lace. Again this was not based on any specific woman. In 2020 Quaker Oats (the new owners) decided to change the branding away from the Vaudeville woman to a simpler Pearl Milling Company logo. When Pepsico bought THEM out, they continued with the change, for several reasons: 1) They thought that sales would increase, which as always was the primary consideration. 2) They wanted to avoid the "happy slave" stereotype which was becoming more problematic. 3) Conservatives were beginning to use "Aunt Jemima" as a racial epithet. Conservative talk show host John Sylvester had started calling Condoleeza Rice "Aunt Jemima" and Colin Powell "Uncle Ben" - and they didn't want to sell a breakfast product synonymous with a racial slur. (Later republican mayor Barry Presgraves would call Kamala Harris "Aunt Jemima" during the 2024 presidential campaign.) This caused an almost unbelievable amount of outrage among conservatives. Liberals were "cancelling history" and the government was "woke" - and were destroying a beloved icon. Several memes cast this as a government decision - "I can't believe that changing a pancake box didn't end COVID for Biden!" - and other such memes that conflated it with government action. What was odd about this is that it was a decision purely based on corporate bean counters and lawyers, who felt they would just plain make more money (and lose less to lawsuits) with the rebrand. I noticed this recently when the US government actually DID start deleting historical records of black people. As a single example, Charles C. Rogers was a highly decorated Army officer and the highest ranking black soldier to receive the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam war. During an attack by the North Vietnamese, Rogers was wounded three times but continued directing artillery fire and leading counterattacks until the enemy was repelled. He was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1970 for his extraordinary bravery. The DoD set up a web page to honor this man and his accomplishments. It was deleted about two weeks ago in the "DEI purge" under the current administration. On Facebook, I noted several conservatives defending this, opining that he probably only got the MoH to begin with because he was black, and how glad they were that the real heroes would now be honored. It is both remarkable and sad that conservatives will vociferously defend depictions of fictional black people that show them as willing servants, but condemn any depictions of actual black people as heroes. It exemplifies how conservatives want minorities to be seen (and used) in the US.

Nigel shot me an email letting me know where it moved. Happy to be back!!

One of my favorite signs from the local protest.

Joint Training Exercise in Texas. Bunch of SF, Rangers, Marine Force Recon get done with training and go to the local bar. Things heat up, everyone squares off, and just before the blows start; Mad Dgg walks in the center with his hands up looking at the Marine Force Recon guy and hollers, "I challenge you to a real man's contest!" Everyone quiets and he says, "Let's rub penis heads and the first one to smile loses." Everyone fell out laughing and went back to drinking.

Without further ado China has banned all US LNG imports including those en route. They have studied our weaknesses from Trump 1 and were ready. What a freakin' dupe Trump is: crash the stock market and then fold on tariffs because the more important bond markets are crashing as a consequence and now stand by dumbstruck while the Chinese reconfigure the world energy markets. Make America Gullible Again.

Too bad things are far more complicated at the level of international relations than simple tit for tat by a simpleton will fix. Better might have been to adopt a tax policy that penalizes US companies for the jobs they create in other countries so as to sell their products at inflated profits here in the US. Apple really doesn't need to be a Trillion dollar company, for example, with gross margins of 47% to be an investable success.

Scaring/hurting children for any reason kinda sets me off.

Why do you think there’s a dichotomy? Who he really is and who his supporters think he is are two different things. A liberal arts grad who worked in the mainstream media before becoming a professional politician lectures us about the elite? What would he call someone with his CV if they were on the other side? I saw an old pre brexit vote debate the other day and it was staggering how unquestioningly media presenters accepted the statement that the remain campaign represented ‘the elite’. But who was selling Brexit? Alexander Boris De Pfeffel Johnson (yes really) of Eton, Oxford and establishment journalism. Jacob Rees-Mogg, whose nanny looked after him during his first political campaigns, of Eton, Oxford and the City of London. Jim Ratcliffe, richest man in Britain, James Dyson, most famous industrialist in Britain. Anyone who says ‘the elite’ when they mean ‘the other side’ and hopes we won’t notice has immediately disqualified themselves from serious conversation.

I’ve not heard that saying before! I wasn’t aware of the EO or that they have threatened to shut it down. The reality is they are highly unlikely to shut it down because just like Facebook and Twitter they get to harvest enormous amounts of user data and it’s a very effective disinformation tool. I’ve no doubt that their algorithms can promote material that undermines Trump.

Personally, I give two shits about TikTok. Yesterday, Trump signed ANOTHER EO allowing TikTOk to remain another 75 days. It's now China threatening to shut it down. Sounds like they might have read, "The Art of the Deal" also. It's like watching two men at the pub rub penis heads and the first one to smile loses.

What a bunch of yahoos that they couldn't differentiate between the heavily armed military unit sent to protect them and the heavily armed military unit sent to kidnap some kids.

Afternoon, Jerry. Well, we did join the military. :)

Oh sure! Get me mad about two things — capitalism abuse AND security theater! ;->edit to add: now three! My husband is going to love you guys! Wendy P.

Canada. Worked during Vietnam.

Jackie Robinson's profile page has had "DEI" added to its address on the DoD historical website. Incredibly disrespectful.

This, a thousand times this. There's a reason why there are "career skills" classes at junior colleges. To me, junior colleges are a gem, and deserve our support, because they're really there to help people change the direction of their lives in an achievable way. They're more interested in keeping you in that kicking you out. Wendy P.

You just did judge them and judged they should be. If someone is old and infirm or disabled and are without resources I begrudge not a penny of my taxes paid. However if you are able to work at something but simply unwilling then my sense of humanity begins to slip and I can better imagine helping you by providing a stick with a nail in the end and a bag for the garbage you stab.

Paying while in training and child care are huge. They certainly were in the 1970's, when I worked for the Food Stamp office. Believe it or not, virtually every parent I dealt with was responsible, and trying to think of how best to provide for their children. Nowadays housing and medical care are much more expensive; section 8 can only go so far, especially when it's probably next on the chopping block. Along with all the subsidized insurance plans. No matter what, we really don't want to get back into the business of building poorhouses and workhouses. I'd rather have an individual abuse the system, than systematic abuse of individuals. Wendy P.

There was a lockdown at a Seattle school when a suspicious vehicle, suspected in child kidnappings, was identified near the school. Everyone outside at Denny International Middle School was brought inside and parents were notified. The children were released after the vehicle left, and the principal sent an email to concerned parents. “Please know at no point were our students or staff at any risk,” she wrote. “We acted proactively to ensure safety. It is confirmed that the vehicle has left the area.” The vehicle was an ICE enforcement vehicle. Eventually some parents are going to take matters into their own hands and it's going to get ugly.

Newspaper dated.. April 1972. Obviously those props are fake,,

Sorry, just an amusing sidenote... The other day I watched the 1972 movie The Getaway where Steve McQueen plays a bank robber on the run. There was a brief scene where he was sitting on a bus stop bench next to a woman. He got up and left, then she picked up and opened a newspaper to see an article about him and his picture. The article next to it had a headline that read something like 'Search ends for Hijacker'.

I emailed R99 to try and get him here...

Competence has nothing to do with it. The primary qualification for a cabinet post seems to be a willingness to bend over and say "put it there".

I can only guess at your frustration but I have no doubt about it. Just how he is so cavalier about destroying the careers of accomplished military leaders, not to mention installing a Fox News talking head as DoD secretary, must be enough to do the job much less all else. These are not interesting times: these are very fucked up times.

The nature of the situation is that we have for too long been living in a nascent, militarized, police state where many are no longer comfortable interacting with those hired to "serve and protect", me included, so it should be no surprise that people freak out at the sight of a Black Maria and fear the worst. I humbly submit that some, quite reasonably, consider the worst these days to be having your kids captured and taken away perhaps never to be seen again. But that forced perception by some groups is Trumps America.

All true. There is no such thing as secure communications using electronics.. Ask any of the alphabets that have been hacked.

Hi folks, Looks like now they are going after us for what we think: Rubio memo: Activist should be deported for beliefs which damage U.S. foreign policy interests - oregonlive.com Jerry Baumchen PS) Maybe I should pack a Go Bag.

Hi Joe, You were saying; Re: the security members were wearing tactical-type pants and long-sleeved black jackets with no security markings or badges In case where woman was dragged from GOP town hall, police recommend criminal charges for security guards, others - oregonlive.com Jerry Baumchen

It's security theatre at a cost of: $11.80 billion (2025) In 2015, TSA tested itself with undercover teams. They caught 5% of weapons smuggled through. In 2017, they tested it again - they improved to catching 30% of weapons smuggled. It's never been a good model.

I liked your post for the fantasy only. I just cannot wait until the lovers of personal liberty see the result of going into the projects to collect those poor unemployed for their beneficial national service time.

The FBI profile of Cooper.. probably NOT an experienced criminal..

That would take out most MAGA supporters.

People in their 70s, 80s shouldn't be put in a position of having to make critical decisions to protect their retirement savings from the whims of a guy who bankrupted a casino..

I was jumping an Eclipse with a Icarus 365. Our rigger sewed a type of leg lift strap to put on the student's legs, so they could pull their legs up and hold them + I am 6'6" : )

Maybe he is a genius. A genius at fraud.

Minnesota "nice" is irrelevant. That's your invention and nothing more. The passage from the interview is: He asked her where she was from and she told him she was from Pennsylvania but was living in Minneapolis. He replied that ‘Minneapolis, Minnesota is very nice country’. The reference is places, not people! Tina and Cooper's exchange relates to places, not people. He said nothing about the people of Pennsylvania or‘Minneapolis, Minnesota. He specified 'country'. Country refers to land, water, sky, and geographical physical features. Moreover, you are far more interested in winning a political dispute you started, than truth. Damned near everything you say and do is "political"!

Well, it didn't pass, so there is that.

Your emotional dislike of her is not a good reason to conclude that she is an idiot. Comments like that are just blowing smoke. Stupid is as stupid does and the current clown show in DC makes it pretty clear who the idiots are. And you can be sure of one thing, the Trump regime will not decrease the debt, rather it will increase the debt as right wingers always do.

Installing DUI candidates is working out soooooo much better for us as a nation. /s

Hi folks, Are we starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel: In a district that went to Trump by 15 in 2024 and has a 23-point Republican voter registration advantage, [ a Democrat ] victory is a loud and clear rebuke to Republicans Democrat James Malone upsets Josh Parsons, flipping Pennsylvania Senate seat We must turn the GOP out of office next year. Jerry Baumchen

Not being a Tesla/space x follower, the Thai incident is the first time I noticed Musk, I’ve never liked him. I won’t deny he is good at making money, but dunning-Kruger and life experience tells me that someone who claims to be genius level at every aspect of physics and engineering is full of BS.

Complete bullshit.

In my lifetime which is now quite long, GOP administrations have added more to the debt than Dem ones. That included Reagan (tripled the debt) and Trump 1, both of whom railed against deficits. If you think Trump 2 will do anything different, I have a nice bridge for sale.

Hi dogyks, For many yrs, I have believed that we should reduce the size of the fed gov't. Disclaimer: I spent 30 yrs for the fed gov't & am now a fed retiree. However, IMO a proper reduction [ subjective? - of course ] requires a scalpel and not a sledge hammer. And, yes: Trump is batshit crazy. I do not believe that down deep Trump really cares; remember, his first attempt at the presidency was as a Democrat. His true desire is just to himself in the news; the center of attention. Jerry Baumchen

If you want to know what is coming just read project 2025. It's all there laid out in detail.

Can’t believe that Trump politicised a plane crash while recovery efforts were underway. He’s a despicable excuse of a person. Not even to mention that he had fired aviation safety officials less than a week before, because Elon complained they were too strict and hampering Space X with their safety requirements.

Can't fault your logic on that. You know what though, odds of a new born baby stabbing you with a knife may not be very high, but its never zero. But I see what you are saying. For my family, myself, and anyone at my house at least, its the right thing to do though. You can choose differently. Its a great country! Your right is to be able to choose differently. My right is to do what I'm doing.

I guess I just don't understand the mind set of someone that wouldnt defend their family, or themselves. I wonder if its because they have never had to go through a situation that requires it, injury and/or death would result if they didn't.

The second amendment doesnt "lead" to anything. That is the people. The benefit is long list of things like freedom and liberty and the ability to protect ones self and family.