Whiteys Lindy Hoppers .. Hellzapoppin

Louis Prima - Night Train (Live)

When I Get Low, I Get High

I Love American Music

Congratulations to Dr. Michael Savage

By Mouser the King Cat

Some news that flew under the media radar (as I knew it would): Michael Savage has been voted into the National Radio Hall of Fame.

 

Other talk show hosts have larger audiences, but few will venture where Savage does five days a week, with passion (or nastiness, depending on your point of view). His basic un-PC message, heard in more than 200 markets, centers on language, culture and borders. Salon magazine called him “the Godfather of Trumpmania.”

 

Among other finalists in the Spoken Word On-Air Personality competition was Sean Hannity, who’ll have to wait until next year’s public vote. Hannity and Savage compete head-to-head in several big markets, and Hannity has the advantage of a high-profile cable show on Fox News, so he’ll get in eventually.

 

Don’t expect to see Savage on TV, because those in the industry haven’t forgotten an incident from 2003, back when the Department of Homeland Security was being organized, Roger Ailes was riding high and MSNBC aired viewpoints not expressly approved by the Democratic National Committee. The weekend show was called “The Savage Nation,” same as the radio show today. From Mediaite:

 

Savage concluded his July 5th, 2003, show by taking viewer calls. As he went to an unnamed caller, the host put on sunglasses (because why not?) and listened in as the man rambled a bit.

 

It soon became obvious that the caller had outwitted the screeners and the conversation took a turn into accusing Savage of homophobia. The exchange – and his TV hosting career – ended this way:

            Savage: “Oh, okay, so you’re one of those sodomists? Are you a sodomite?”

            Caller: “Yes, I am.”

 

Savage: “Oh, so you’re one of those sodomites. You should only get AIDS and die, you pig. (At this point somebody off-camera said, “Whoa.”) How’s that? Why don’t you see if you can sue me, you pig? You got nothing better to do than to put me down, you piece of garbage? You got nothing to do today? Go eat a sausage, and choke on it. Get trichinosis. Okay, do we have another nice caller here who’s busy because he didn’t have a nice night in the bathhouse who’s angry at me today?”

 

The day after, Savage apologized on his radio program and his website. He survived that flap and a legal battle with his radio syndicator, which kept him off the air for several weeks in 2012.  Now comes the call to join the all-time greats, at the age of 74.

 

I’ll close with some other fun facts. Dr. Savage is often referred to that way because he has a doctorate in nutritional ethnomedicine from the University of California, Berkeley, where presumably few people like or listen to “The Savage Nation.” He is barred from entering the United Kingdom for “fostering hatred.” He is a prolific author, both under his radio name and his real name, Michael Wiener. And as successful as he’s been, his son has outshone him. Russ Weiner invented the Rockstar energy drink and became a multibillionaire.

Watch Democrats Try to Convince a Libertarian to Vote for Hillary

Top 5 Ridiculous Outfits of DNC 2016

Successful in San Francisco? The homeless want your money

by Mouser The King Cat

In San Francisco, media outlets recently colluded, trying to put the subject of homelessness on the front burner. But the coverage was incomplete, because smellevision hasn’t been invented. Now there is a new development: Politicians want to further burden tech companies, because, you know, many of them are successful. From CNBC.com:

Eric Mar, a member of the city’s board of supervisors, announced the proposal last week for a 1.5% payroll tax that would serve as a form of indemnification for what he described as the downside of the technology boom. Tech companies have been "a tremendous benefit to the city in many ways," Mr. Mar said. "But I don’t think they’ve been paying their fair share.”

Ah, there’s that word liberals love – fair. It can be defined any way they want it. More from the article:

“The proposal for what has become known as the tech tax would go toward paying for programs for the homeless and the housing ‘affordability crisis,’ Mr. Mar said. Behind the proposal is more than just an effort to raise revenue. The tech tax, the passage of which is consider a long shot, is the latest manifestation of resentment … against the proliferation of high-paid tech workers and the pressures that rising prices have put on residents. Tensions have flared over the notion that tech workers live in a parallel society, in which they are whisked in private buses to work, socialize in their own circles and do not participate in San Francisco’s traditions of social collaboration.”

Social collaboration? That’s interesting. Maybe if I visit I’ll be welcomed in to play fan-tan at an opium den four levels below Chinatown. But probably not. In the 20th paragraph of the story, CNBC gets around to pointing out the obvious: 

Skeptics say it is difficult to define what a tech company is, and they criticize the measure for singling out companies based in the city while the giants of Silicon Valley are not affected – even those thousands of their employees live in the city and have contributed to the income inequality and high housing costs.

And there’s this from Supervisor Scott Wiener, who opposes this ridiculous tax:

“This tax on technology jobs will not help our housing crisis. It won’t make housing less expensive. It won’t reduce the number of homeless people. What it will do is chase away good-paying jobs and erode our tax base.”

It is always fascinating how liberals are eager to tax success and embrace fascism when it suits their purposes, such as limiting the First Amendment. A better approach would be to round up the homeless and make them get help for their drug and alcohol problems. If we’re on the path to fascism, may as well get some better-smelling downtown streets out of it.

Reagan shooter to be released from mental hospital

If you want to vote for Trump, fine but don't lie for him

by Kim D.

The options are clear - the viable candidates for this year's presidential election are Donald Trump (R) and Hillary Clinton (D). These are the candidates who have won the majority of the primary votes and the ones who secured the winning number of delegates. Sure there are several third-party candidates who may do better than expected, but the reality is either Trump or Clinton will occupy the White House in 2017. 

For Democrats who believe Hillary Clinton is thoroughly corrupt, this is a tough pill to swallow. For those more right-minded about politics, Trump has not unified the coalition he needs due to his big mouth and stumbling dirty politics.  Many are caught in this dilemma and have shrugged their shoulders, resigned to vote for the one who is at the top of their party's ticket, citing the logic of simply voting for the lesser of two evils.

This is a way of saying "vote your conscious" - if you believe voting for Trump is a must because Hillary would be a disaster, fine. If you want to suggest that Trump's a jackwagon but he's the best option to defeat the democratic nominee, you might win some undecided voters. But, please, for the love of all that's holy, stop lying for Trump. Doing so reaffirms why so many have run screaming to the Never Trump camp and keeps them there which will not bode well for the effort to block the Clintons from a third term in the White House.

A Trump lie does not get a pass just because his last name is not Clinton.  It is madness to cover up for a politician's lies by perpetuating them. Just because Trump says something controversial, it doesn't make it true and a good many of his lies during the primary have been debunked, yet he doubles down on them to this day and his followers lap it up and repeat the lies like blind monkeys.  

If you want to vote for him, fine but don't sell your soul because you think the ends justify the means. This way of thinking got us Obamacare and Black Lives Matter.

The Late Great Randy California: Nature's Way (Live)

Straight to Hell

Comin' Home Baby

Gimme Some Lovin' (Live)

A cat in Texas takes on City Hall

by Mouser The King Cat

Spanning the globe for feline news … takes us to White Settlement, Texas, for a report on Browser, a domestic shorthair who makes his home at the library. The City Council voted to evict the local celebrity in 30 days, citing concerns about patrons’ potential allergies. Townspeople leaped to his defense. From The Guardian of London:

A woman spoke about the history of cats in libraries. A man mentioned WebMD statistics on the low prevalence of cat allergies. Others talked about how the cat brought children into the library to read. A little boy was sad he had only been able to pet the cat once. … After the meeting, more than 700 people signed a library petition in favor of Browser staying. Nearly 12,000 signed a Change.org petition pleading the same cause. A Facebook page in support of Browser had over 2,000 likes; the library’s page was littered with comments from supporters around the world.

White Settlement Mayor Ron White reported more than 1,200 messages of support from every corner of the U.S. as well as England, Germany, Australia and Guam (“where America’s day begins”).

So the City Council backed down, in a special meeting broadcast on Periscope, handled by a reporter from the local ABC affiliate. Browser will continue to make his home in the library, which sought his services in 2010 to fix a rodent problem. Before that he was in the animal shelter; obviously he was in no danger of going back, because many families were eager to be owned by him.

The story took a couple of weeks to play out. Browser didn’t seem disturbed by the attention and continued to make his rounds, visiting with children. I doubt he’ll run for Council because celebrities don’t need that noise.

I close with a note about the distinctly non-PC name of the city, a suburb of Fort Worth. There were originally two settlements in the area, one predominantly white and the other Indian. In 2005, city leaders proposed changing the name to West Settlement and put it on the November ballot. Voters crushed the measure 2,388 to 219. Don’t mess with Texas.

WTF they mean make America white again?

#DebbieDowner News Continues - She Gets No $$$ for Primary Fight

by Kim

It's a good thing Hillary welcomed Debbie to her campaign team. She may not be able to fend off a primary challenge from Bernie Sanders-like challenger Tim Canova.

We need to challenge business as usual and demand accountability from our elected officials. #DebbieDogesDebates

— Tim Canova (@Tim_Canova) July 25, 2016

According to The Hill, the Democrat party, reportedly, has no intention of pouring money into Schultz's campaign at this time:

Rep. Ben Ray Luján (N.M.), head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), said the party would provide technical and logistical support as Wasserman Schultz squares off against primary challenger Tim Canova, a populist liberal in the mold of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

But, he quickly added, the DCCC will reserve its war chest to defend the most vulnerable Democrats and try to pick up seats currently held by Republicans — not to defend Democratic incumbents from primary challenges in blue districts.  

“It's a Democratic district, and typically our resources go — when you talk about financial resources and TV buys — those go to the most competitive races in America. … That's the priority that we have as a committee,” Luján told reporters gathered in Philadelphia for the Democratic National Convention. 

In other words, a Democrat will win in that Florida district - we don't care who it is.  That's horrible news for Debbie who has poured her heart and soul into advocating for all Democrats (except Bernie) in their quest for political office.  Oh the schadenfreude - thou are thick and delicious. 

For those living under a large oppressive rock, The Hill explains the recent controversy in which Miss Debbie finds herself:

Wasserman Schultz, the head of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), has come under heavy fire in recent days after thousands of internal emails suggested that the party, rather than playing neutral arbiter through the presidential primary, had favored Hillary Clinton, now the presumptive nominee, over Sanders. 

Released Friday by WikiLeaks, the emails have infuriated Sanders and his supporters, embarrassed party leaders, compromised the show of unity the Democrats had hoped to project in Philadelphia, and raised real questions about the future of Wasserman Schultz, who was forced to resign her DNC post, effective at the end of this week's convention. 

Currently in Florida, her primary challenger and GOP rivals are getting as much mileage as possible out of Debbie's misfortune:

“The emails just point out what so many of us believed, that the process was rigged for Hillary Clinton,” said Joe Kaufman, one of two Republican primary candidates in Wasserman Schultz’s 23rd Congressional District, west of Fort Lauderdale, in southern Florida.

“It looks a little like Debbie is getting a payback for her helping get Hillary Clinton elected. … My campaign believes that people who wanted to vote for her just shouldn’t vote at all because a vote for her is a vote for the rigged process.”

Beyond her DNC role, Wasserman Schultz is also considered a prolific fundraiser and deeply in touch with district voters, include many who like her are Jewish.

However, Kaufman told FoxNews.com her support at home had shown signs of cracking long before she crossed Sanders, who has endorsed her primary challenger Canova and purportedly vowed to campaign against her.

He said her support for the Obama administration’s Iran nuclear deal has upset some Jewish voters.

Hillary may have gotten away, for now, with her email scandal. Signs are pointing that Debbie may not fare as well. 

Democrats Don't Mention ISIS Once on First Night of Convention

Former Obama Chief of Staff Bill Daley rips Clinton for saying businesses don't create jobs

Joe Friday, What it means to be a Police Officer

submitted by Angela Durden

#DemsInPhilly - Bernie says vote Hillary - Gets booed #DNCinPHL

RNC: "You can't be a bigger dumpster fire than me."
DNC: "Hold my beer and watch this."

via @BradBaileyGTR :)

— Hammy Dangerously ✈ (@e2pilot) July 25, 2016

What it takes #Cruz #Trump #LetItGo

by Kim

Tell me what it takes to let you go. Tell me how the pain's supposed to go. Tell me how it is that you can sleep In the night Without thinking you lost ev'rything that was good in your life to the toss of the dice? Tell me what it takes to let you go. Yeah.

Debbie booed off stage? In all fairness, her hair looks fabulous. #DNCleak

Feminists reveal what's behind anti-trans bathroom rhetoric

by Kim D.

Brought to us by the fabulous, Everyday Feminism, we now know the true agenda behind the anti-trans bathroom movement. It has nothing to do with a woman's right to privacy. It's about fear. They illustrate this point with a preachy comic which comes with a trigger warning:

(Content Warning: Anti-trans rhetoric and references to violence)

Basically the comic features a woman gathering signatures against allowing trans people to use the restroom of their choice. Unfortunately she asks a trans person to sign who asks "Where am I supposed to pee?" The petitioner basically says check your pants and follow gender assigned while the trans person counters with safety concerns about outing himself/herself in a man's restroom. Then the emotional plea begins - the one to consider the feelings of trans people to which the petitioner opens her head and reveals her brain which is all bound by restrictive fear.

When the trans person exclaims that the bound brain looks painful and suggests the petitioner takes it off, the counter is to screech "NEVER! Uprooting my fear would require lots of work. I'd rather direct my fear at you. That way I don't have to confront it. That's how fear always wins." With a diabolical laugh the dialog continues: "Until everyone stops seeing trans people as freaks to be feared, I can't lose."

The punchline quite simply is that in the future the petitioner realizes her efforts have been foiled when listening to young children marvel that people ever disputed a trans person's right to use the restroom of their choice as one says "Weird - where would President Hernandez pee?"  

This cartoon is rated boring and unimaginative although it checks all SJW boxes.

What If Donald Trump Is Just An Elaborate Prank?

The party against walls just built one #DNCchecklist

by Kim D.

For all the screeching about gun control and fear mongering that something horrible would happen at the Republican presidential convention, held in the open-carry state of Ohio, things were relatively calm. This is a fact that the major media ignores.

Meanwhile in Philadelphia, as the Democrat convention begins, a huge four-mile, eight-foot-tall fence wall has been erected. 

The #DNCWall at the #DNCinPHL pic.twitter.com/Ka0Z6sMjTh

— Dan Allen (@mojavelinux) July 24, 2016

Barriers like this are standard protection but progressive protesters had no problem making an issue of the fence wall at the Republican convention. Oh the irony - the party who screeches Trump's border walls are racist and ineffective has no problem whatsoever walling itself off from and and all harm that should come its way. 

Perhaps the heightened security is wise - those Bernie-like terrorists are all riled up after the DNC has been caught red-handed favoring Clinton for the party's nomination.

A bunch of Bernie Supporters just took over the #DNCinPHL official welcome party calling for a roll call vote pic.twitter.com/J9arqqVOXI

— Luke Rudkowski (@Lukewearechange) July 25, 2016

#DebbieSchultz falls and gets right back up #DNCinPHL

by Kim D.

DNC Chairperson and Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz fell hard over the weekend.

My God. I hope she's OK. pic.twitter.com/HtZNgErcao

— James Taranto (@jamestaranto) July 24, 2016

As the the Daily Caller reports, on Friday Wikileaks released approximately 20k hacked DNC emails. The timing was perfect and obviously intentional as a huge wagging finger pointing to Debbie Schultz and her role in ensuring Hillary Clinton won the Democrat party's presidential nomination. The allegation is that the DNC openly discussed how to douse the flames of Bernie Sanders' candidacy, proving the system is definitely rigged on the left side of the aisle.

Are you ready for Hillary? We begin our series today with 20 thousand emails from the top of the DNC. #Hillary2016 pic.twitter.com/YZbGhjTy2h

— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) July 22, 2016

So what the Bernie campaign suspected WikiLeaks proved to be true. Instead of working with Sanders and treating him like a legit candidate for the Democrat party, the DNC, with Debbie Wasserman Schultz at the helm, did everything possible to ensure Clinton emerged from the chaos as victor.

#DNCLeaks: DNC plotted to expose Bernie Sanders as an atheist https://t.co/RytNnJyNCD #FeelTheBern pic.twitter.com/mCQJGvMBTQ

— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) July 22, 2016

#DNCLeaks: Staffers Mocked Bernie Sanders Campaign, used MSNBC and @Morning_Joe https://t.co/18mNjzcg0i

— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) July 22, 2016

#DNCLeaks: Democrat Chair DWS called Pres of MSNBC Phil Griffin to stop @Morning_Joe being so sympathetic to Sanders https://t.co/SFHRpQYJqU

— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) July 22, 2016

With no way to escape implication and blame, Debbie has resigned as DNC chairperson.

Debbie Wasserman Schultz has resigned as Democratic Party Chair following WikiLeaks showing collusion against @SenSanders campaign #DNCLeak

— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) July 24, 2016

Will Donna Brazille, Schultz's successor as interim DNC chairperson, fair any better in this email kerfuffle? Perhaps not - she's been implicated too.

New interim US #DNC Chair Donna Brazile also implicated #DNCLeak https://t.co/WGXESuD6N5 #FeelTheBern #DNCinPHL pic.twitter.com/qFTvvdXgb2

— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) July 24, 2016

However, back to Debbie, this major stumble and fall was relatively brief.  She has been lifted to prominence within the Hillary Clinton campaign.

Hillary Clinton Hires Debbie Wasserman Schultz as the CHAIR of her campaign......... WTF https://t.co/dUUj42UxBv #… pic.twitter.com/ssG4MaO4LS

— King Robbo (@realkingrobbo) July 24, 2016

The One That Really Matters

Top 5 Reasons You Cannot Vote for Hillary

Vote Like Ivanka for What Is Right for Your Family and Country

by Kim D.

On the final day of the Republican convention, Ivanka Trump spoke eloquently in support of her father's candidacy for president. 

Republicans Cheer for Hillary Clinton's Positions When Delivered by Ivanka Trump https://t.co/NbS33stp2H

— Austin Petersen (@AP4LP) July 22, 2016

While she has been criticized for promoting some policies which are in no way conservative or in favor of free market ideals (perpetuating wage gap myth and affordable child care), one notion at the beginning of her speech should be praised:

Like many of my fellow millenials, I do not consider myself categorically Republican or Democrat. More than party affiliation, I vote on based on what I believe is right, for my family and for my country. Sometimes it’s a tough choice. 

I'm with her - she's advocating to vote your conscious, like so many others have done as well. Her conscious tells her to vote for her daddy, and no one would ever question a daughter's loyalty to family.  However, for the majority of us who have never worked for, met, or have family allegiance to Donald Trump, we need to look at all the facts and decide what we believe is right for our families and for the country.

While no true conservative will vote for Hillary Clinton, many will also not vote for Donald Trump, especially after the convention fiasco and vengeful punishment for Ted Cruz's defiance of not bowing and kissing the ring.  Many do not understand how the confirmed nominee of the Republican party comes out and doubles down on the lies he perpetuated during the contentious primary.

If you missed it, Trump is not taking the fight to Hillary Clinton now that he is the firm nominee - he's still trying to make the case against Cruz, an action of a guilty conscious needing to have the final word on the matter to justify the clown show of booing monkeys he and his team of narcissists orchestrated Wednesday evening of the convention. Here - listen for yourself and ask "Is this the person we actually nominated to beat Hillary Clinton or Ted Cruz":



Forget the fact that Cruz delegates were not allowed to be on the floor of the convention during his speech, is it no wonder that the boos were resounding when the Senator refused to endorse? Forget the fact, that Trump declared in a town hall to Anderson Cooper that he would not support the pledge, no one would support a person who attacked one's family. If your wife was mocked as ugly, your father accused of plotting to kill JFK, and you were accused of having multiple fictitious affairs by a publication which supported your opposition, could you turn around and tell the American people "this guy is great - vote for him"? 

Cruz made a strategic error in trusting the Trump machine; it's that simple. He should have taken the road of Kasich and all others who decided to stay home and not speak at the convention. The pledge to support was already null and void.

 

Trump was correct and honest about one thing he did say in his July 22 press conference. Cruz did add a line to his speech. After saying "I want to congratulate Donald Trump on winning the nomination last night," he added a line which Trump said could be considered nasty: "And, like each of you, I want to see the principles that our party believes prevail in November."   Both lines, however, were cheered by the clapping monkeys.  Both were positives. Could it be lyin' Don wants people to believe Cruz maliciously inserted the "vote you conscious" line instead? 

Could it be that Trump simply isn't a politician and doesn't know what he's doing?  We've heard that excuse numerous time before from his surrogates. Does that explain why he isn't taking the fight as fervently to Hillary Clinton as he's still doing with former primary rivals. Word is out that Trump is backing a superPac to go after future elections of those who didn't endorse, namely Cruz and Kasich. Check out the latest on this from The Hill:

Bloomberg, citing one unidentified source, reported the Republican candidate’s plans to target Cruz's and Kasich's future campaigns on Friday.

The source said that Trump would be willing to invest $20 million or more into the project, which could involve one or two super-PACs.

Trump signaled such a plan in a speech on Friday morning, the day after the close of the convention, while blasting Cruz for refusing to endorse him in remarks before the convention Wednesday night.

Is this simply more stupidity from the one who claims he has the best brain or are Trump's true colors showing? Does he really want to beat Hillary? Does he want to be president? His actions are screaming no with a shrug and sly grin.

Confuse, contradict, muddle, float conspiracies, promote tabloidism, and before long no one knows what's factual and it barely even matters.

— Lachlan Markay (@lachlan) July 24, 2016

The best thing Trump ever had going for him was his celebrity and name recognition. Hillary's ineptness and criminal activity makes her unqualified to hold political office.  All Trump needed to do was keep repeating the tag lines that made him popular with his base and welcome those on the far right and moderate left to join him.  If he had followed this strategy, there would be no question what he wants and who would be the next president of the United States.

Politically Correct Circular Logic

by Angela Durden

“If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room.”

From the first time I heard that saying, I hated it. It’s a truckload of bull crap.

Look, the logic is circular.

How can we learn if we cannot be around those smarter than ourselves while those who are smarter than us are being encouraged not to be in the room with those who know less than them?

This saying is typical P.C. claptrap as it shuts out and shuts down the free flow of information and the challenge of assumptions.

There are those who say, “Oh, no. This saying simply shows how humble these smart people are. Don’t you see they want to be around those with bigger brains than them because they acknowledge they don’t know everything?”

Again, claptrap. First of all, how does anyone know they are the smartest in the room? Did everybody bring their I.Q. Test results and compare? Or is it a judgment call? Uh, oh. That most unholy of words — judgment — has been used and should make the Caring Crowd cringe in consternation, but sadly it doesn’t.

For anyone to think they are the smartest one in a room already shows their opinion of the value each in that room brings to the discussion. P.C. Acolytes’ heads are exploding right about now, so let’s interpret this most highly inflamatory and oft-bandied-about statement. Maybe then they can understand it:

“I am smart. You are not. Can feel the brain drain! Must..leave…now.”

If somebody doesn’t want to be in a room with me because I’m not smart enough for them to waste their time with, then I already know they’ve got a boat load of ego — and they’re wanting me to row because that’s obviously all I’m good for, you know, mindless labor. In other words, they have equated me with an animal.

What type of animal do they believe I am? Not a cute puppy that PETA would rescue off a porch because they thought the animal was in danger of getting into danger. No, they would equate me with a mule, a hybrid only good enough to pull a plow.
If you follow their logic down the rabbit hole, you can totally understand how it is that those who claim to truly and deeply care about others with lesser opportunities than them and sooooo want to help them, in point of fact do not care as they have already judged them to be more stupid and not worthy of being in a room with.

Those who believe that all worthwhile knowledge comes from worshiping at the feet of the intellectual have already proven they have no idea about how knowledge comes to be.

Thus worshipped and crowned as having achieved all the knowledge that is worthwhile, intellectuals simply cease to learn. Next thing you know, they are making stupid laws and thinking that the very nature of humans can be dictated and controlled and changed by the application of policies that are “good for you, you poor ignorant sap”, but that they don’t have to live by because they are so smart.

With that thinking comes communism and socialism.

                                                

So, the next time you hear someone saying “hey, if you’re the smartest…”, you’ll know exactly where they stand.

Alabama rehab

by Angela Durden

Killing Me Softly With His Song (Live)

Ooh La La (live)

Ten Foot Pole

Brian Williams On Munich Attack: Rooting For It Not To Be ISIS

Why feminist pandering fails

Fanfare For The Common Man (Live)

#RNCinCLE protestor lit flag on fire, then lit himself on fire

Protestor lit flag on fire, then lit himself on fire, catching others on fire. Flames extinguished by firefighters. No serious injuries.

— Cleveland Police (@CLEpolice) July 20, 2016

Geez . . . you can't make this stuff up. God bless the Cleveland Police.

Day 3: Protest Aftermath #RNCinCLE

The Trump/Cruz Gamble #Election2016 #RNCinCLE

by Kim D.

What I witnessed last night in politics was heartbreaking. For days I've been wondering, why on earth would Trump want Cruz to speak at the Republican convention. I've been saying it's a no-win for Cruz - why on earth would he put himself in that situation. If he endorses, those who believe in his consistent conservative message will be disappointed. If he doesn't endorse, he will be skewered for refusing to bow down and kiss the ring as most have done.

We can agree to disagree, but certain facts are clear.  Many of us hoped that this would be a Reagan-like moment for Ted Cruz.  Going back to the 1976 convention, Ford knew how to attempt unity. He didn't formally ask Reagan to speak but unexpectedly asked him to say a few words. Reagan was completely unscripted and gave the speech which would endear him to most Americans. Take a moment and watch it for yourself.

Although the level of animosity between Reagan and Ford didn't reach that of Cruz versus Trump, Reagan put America first. While he didn't outright say vote for Gerald Ford, he endorsed the party platform which indicated his support for the Republican ticket. He called for unity and declared "there is no substitute for victory." For this reason, Cruz failed to deliver his Reagan-like moment last night. Voters memories are short and a call for unity would have not hurt his political future. Like Reagan, he didn't have to outright say vote Trump or I endorse.

Then there's the flipside - Trump met with Cruz when he asked him to speak at the convention and knew there would be no endorsement of his candidacy. Why on earth didn't Trump rescind the offer? By Donald Trump's own admission, he had seen the speech and knew exactly what Cruz would be saying:

Wow, Ted Cruz got booed off the stage, didn't honor the pledge! I saw his speech two hours early but let him speak anyway. No big deal!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 21, 2016

Trump's surrogates preempted Cruz's speech with the bully tactics of trying to force a Cruz endorsement. Listen to Chris Christie declare that that Cruz should endorse Trump or he's less of a person. Did you hear Laura Ingraham's speech? She never called Cruz by name but made it clear that an endorsement was expected. Her tweet afterwards was very telling:

We tried to help and warn Ted Cruz. Very sad. Such brainpower. Such a shame.

— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) July 21, 2016

And a gander at Ben Shaprio's Twitter timeline reveals what perhaps was really going on. This was simply a game folks. Force Cruz into submission or ruin him politically with staged boos from the Trump train:

EXCLUSIVE: Cruz Camp: Trump Campaign Approved Speech, 'Orchestrated' RNC Blowback https://t.co/DiEMmazgGG pic.twitter.com/PJTxfDF1Nn

— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) July 21, 2016

Trump approved the speech. Trump tried to offer Cruz deeper involvement in the campaign. Then he sandbagged him. https://t.co/DiEMmaQRye

— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) July 21, 2016

Trump was more concerned with kneecapping Cruz than taking a half victory. https://t.co/DiEMmaQRye

— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) July 21, 2016

Cruz camp confirms: Trump approved speech; Cruz was negotiating to help Trump w/ platform; Trump orchestrated boos https://t.co/DiEMmaQRye

— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) July 21, 2016

So this is the leader we are all supposed to rally around? Seriously? Day 3 of the Republican convention left me feeling more depressed than ever. I'll let you in on a little secret. I've been struggling for weeks with the #NeverTrump issue coming to the conclusion that we may not know exactly what a Trump administration will do but we certainly know what a Clinton one would do to this country.

There is simply no way anyone with good conscious can vote for Hillary Clinton. That leaves voting for Trump as the only other viable option or going rogue with a meaningless protest vote.  I was almost convinced because for me it isn't about hurt feelings or pride. But now I'm completely turned off by the Trump campaign, the GOP, and politics in general. The only consolation I have is that, for now, Texas is not a blue state. Trump will certainly win this state and however my conscious chooses to vote will not matter.

Would Andre the Giant do this?

by Mouser The King Cat

I begin by pointing out that the old and honorable sport of professional wrestling is not fake, as pencil-neck geek critics always charge. The term “fake” might better be applied to Major League Baseball, where travel is by chartered plane and life is luxurious 24/7. The minimum salary is $507,500 and even crummy players who should be waived out of the big leagues are bigger rock stars than most actual performers of music.

But I digress. There is nothing fake about pro wrestling, where big bodies are tossed around the ring by other big bodies and being struck in the back with a folding chair (hopefully perfectly flat, a practiced technique) is an occupational hazard. The proper term is “scripted,” because promoters determine winners and losers to advance the soap opera.

Now more than 50 former wrestlers are suing World Wrestling Entertainment Inc., seeking compensation for damage caused by head injuries. The WWE fired back with a statement noting previous attempts along these lines have gone nowhere. From Reuters:

The complaint was filed on behalf of … plaintiffs who have performed with the WWE or its predecessors since the 1970s, including Joseph "Road Warrior Animal" Laurinaitis and Paul "Mr. Wonderful" Orndorff. It accused Stamford, Connecticut-based WWE and Chairman Vince McMahon of intentionally classifying wrestlers as ‘independent contractors’ rather than employees as a means to avoid liability under applicable worker protection laws.

The “independent contractor” argument is old hat and unlikely to fly in a real court (try the business-busting NLRB). But buried in the filing is another point that would seemingly not apply to other pro sports involved in this kind of litigation. From the Bloomberg story:

Unlike other sports, WWE matches involve specific moves that are ‘scripted, controlled, directed and choreographed’ by the company, the suit says. The head injuries are a direct result of those moves, which include the "body slam" and "piledriver.” … A "body slam" is a move in which a wrestler is picked up and thrown to the ground, and a "piledriver," once popular but now largely banned, involves turning a wrestler upside down and dropping him head first to the mat.

Hmmm. Maybe things have changed drastically, but my assistant tells me that in the old days the wrestlers were given the plotline and left to their own devices to keep the crowd interested. “Building the heat” was both knack and skill. The referee relayed messages. When the in-house announcer sensed the crowd had moved on, word was passed to wrap up the match in 30 seconds or so. (“Hey, the last time the babyface tried that pin technique the heel busted out of it. Why not this time?”)

A sports lawyer explained to Bloomberg why this lawsuit is likely to be tossed and described wrestlers as “the most disposable athletes in the sports and entertainment business.”

So pro wrestling shows will continue to be performed by manly men who take physical risks. That’s as opposed to a certain pro sport that has gone totally high school when it comes to sliding into home plate and second base.

Chris Matthews asks SNL's Michael Che who the 'funniest black guy' is

It's Drink O'Clock: 96 Tears (Live)

Is Trump the End of the GOP? Hopefully.

Apollo 11 47th Anniversary

Trump Parody Account Makes a Splash at the #RNCinCLE @realDenaldTrump

by Kim D.

Trump parody Twitter account makes big screen in Quicken Loans Arena pic.twitter.com/WVPNizuofg

— Ben Jacobs (@Bencjacobs) July 19, 2016

Wow - I can remember a few short months ago following @realDenaldTrump when he (or she) had only a few hundred followers. Now with over 12k followers, the parody account got another bump in publicity when his tweet appeared at the RNC.

Well done, my snarky friend!

I want all Americans to have the opportunity to be born to billionaires! Only I can solve! #Inflation #RNCinCLE

— DonaId J. Trump (@realDenaldTrump) July 20, 2016

#RNCinCLE - Day 2: Chaos Extended Cut

Twitter Permanently Bans Shady @Nero

by Kim D.

Even should Daddy win the presidency, it may not help Milo (aka @Nero) with his Twitter ban. So what did Breitbart editor and Twitter troll Milo Yiannopoulos do this time to justify silencing? Evidently, he triggered Saturday Night Live comedian Leslie Jones over the crappy remake of Ghostbusters.

However it wasn't only what Milo tweeted that got him suspended - he simply pointed out that everyone gets hate mail and that she should quit whining about it: "If at first you don't succeed (because your work is terrible), play the victim." This started a back and forth which drew the attention of Milo's followers (over 300k) who chimed in and ramped up the harassment of Jones in some disgusting ways.

I just don't understand pic.twitter.com/N9xWoXPttu

— Leslie Jones (@Lesdoggg) July 18, 2016

Exposing pic.twitter.com/jfSbGj3yCP

— Leslie Jones (@Lesdoggg) July 18, 2016

Exposing I hope y'all go after them like they going after me pic.twitter.com/ojK5FdIA0H

— Leslie Jones (@Lesdoggg) July 18, 2016

pic.twitter.com/ps52V487y4

— Leslie Jones (@Lesdoggg) July 18, 2016

There's tons more but you get the idea - this is what the AltRight does best. Pick a target, focus, and attack viciously. But here's the problem, these cruel and racist tweets were not sent by Milo. Take a bow AltRight - you got Milo banned. Yes he attracts followers with this sick mentality and yes Milo loves the attention and probably found some of the attack on Jones to be hilarious.  He's a poop stirrer, plain and simple, which is why he must be silenced.

It doesn't matter that all high profile accounts who write sensational tweets have thousands of followers who tend to pile on and attack. Basically, the double standard is alive and well here.  Milo does not have the right to be on Twitter. He signed the Twitter TOS just like all of us. If he violates the agreement repeatedly, he can be banned.  However, let's not kid ourselves, if Milo were a flaming liberal, as well as fag, he would still be tweeting away at this moment.

According to a Twitter spokesperson:

People should be able to express diverse opinions and beliefs on Twitter. But no one deserves to be subjected to targeted abuse online, and our rules prohibit inciting or engaging in the targeted abuse or harassment of others. Over the past 48 hours in particular, we’ve seen an uptick in the number of accounts violating these policies and have taken enforcement actions against these accounts, ranging from warnings that also require the deletion of Tweets violating our policies to permanent suspension.

We know many people believe we have not done enough to curb this type of behavior on Twitter. We agree. We are continuing to invest heavily in improving our tools and enforcement systems to better allow us to identify and take faster action on abuse as it's happening and prevent repeat offenders. We have been in the process of reviewing our hateful conduct policy to prohibit additional types of abusive behavior and allow more types of reporting, with the goal of reducing the burden on the person being targeted. We’ll provide more details on those changes in the coming weeks.

Another side to this debate could be the fact that right-minded individuals tend to suck it up and deal with hurt feelings a little bit better than those on the left side of the spectrum. Those who whine and screech the loudest get more action, plain and simple. Stick and stones people - Twitter cannot be a safe space and only regurgitate opinions with which you agree.

The more voices the better on social media. These platforms give you the power to silence those you don't want see. Mute and block buttons work great.  For me personally, I may not have agreed with everything Milo has tweeted but he was on my mobile notifications for a reason - he's entertaining. I'll miss the controversy.

Breakfast

Transgender Drill Sergeant In Limbo After Policy Change

That selfie you snap might be your last

by Mouser The King Cat

Sharks are scary. They’ve starred in dozens of movies I’ve never seen. They get a whole week on the Discovery channel. According to Conde Nast Traveler, 2015 was a record-setting year for reported attacks on humans – 98 around the world.

Those attacks produced six deaths, which makes the shark far less deadly than … the selfie. There were at least 10 reported photography-related deaths of tourists last year. Jennifer Booton reports for MarketWatch:

Two travelers reportedly died in different instances in Peru recently while standing too close to the cliff ledge while posing for a photo. Last week, a 51-year-old man died when losing his balance at the edge of a cliff at Machu Picchu, in an area closed off to the public. He fell 130 feet. Prior to that, a South Korean tourist fell in northern Peru while taking a selfie at the Gochta waterfall, one of the tallest waterfalls in the world. He plunged more than 1,600 feet.

There is a Wikipedia page devoted to chronicling death-by-selfie, going far beyond the tourist angle. One of the latest entries: “On June 3, DaMontez Jones, 15, shot and killed himself while attempting to take a selfie at home with his father’s gun.” (This happened in Overland, Missouri, in the St. Louis area. According to the newspaper story, DaMontez’s grandmother said he was “real smart”; some may beg to differ.)

Ms. Booton’s conclusion: 

The development of front-facing cameras on smartphones and growth in popularity of social media sites, such as Instagram, have created a culture that values risk-taking when seeking the perfect shot while traveling. In the hiking, traveling, backpacking and extreme sports worlds, that often means putting oneself in dangerous situations, such as slacklining between canyons, standing on cliff ledges, climbing trees, or pushing beyond boundaries.

In other words, the 2016 version of a redneck’s typical last words: “Hey y’all, watch me do this.”