Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- The Van Natta and Wickersham article on Bill Belichick not being voted into the HOF.

- Interesting look at the CIA under John Radcliffe.

- John Stossel on unions. He's not wrong and the story is particularly relevant given UPS is set for another round of layoffs..

- Analysis of the National Defense Strategy.

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Joint Us-China statement on economic trade meeting. The very definition of a reciprocal trade agreement.

- RFK Jr. says Trump just did what no Democrat ever had the guts to do. This is a huge moment.

- VDH: The Decivilizing of America. It needs to be stressed that this was intentional.

- Should public sector unions have collective bargaining rights? On he fence on this issue. On one hand unfunded (or underfunded) retirement benefits for public sector employees is one f the biggest under reported stories of our time. On the other hand local and state governments call for high standards without wanting to offer commiserate pay.

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Tucker Carlson Episode 69 - War with Iran?

- Israel's PM urgent warning to Americans.

- Sports Illustrated announce layoffs days ago but is still around. Some are claiming this is a clear case of union busting. 

- VDH on Trump having reason to be enraged. Get even rather than mad.

Some Memes You May Enjoy

Many a truth is said in jest.

- Heh Heh

- What would Jesus do?

- Joe Biden and the unions. How can anyone forget this?

- Funny because its true!

Linky Links

 Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- The Free Press reminds us that the spirit of revolution is still alive and well in Iran.

- Dartmouth's men's basketball team may unionize. What this may mean for college sports we'll have to wait and see.

- Statement from Texas AG Ken Paxton. On team Paxton here.

- You always seem to read about how China is selling US securities but never on how everone is selling Chinese assets.

More on Nick Rolovich

Dan Wetzel with, I believe, a pretty fair look at Rolovich being fired as head coach at Washington State. The fact that four assistants also had to be fired shows Rolovich wasn't alone in his beliefs in that locker room. 

It should be noted that Rolovich was paid $3 million last year and was set to make that much this year as well. No information on what he receives as termination pay but I'm sure it will be a hefty amount. Rolovich probably made at least $1 million a year previously as head coach at Hawaii. Suffice it to say he can probably comfortable retire at this point. Others aren't as well financially situated and are being forced to either compromise their beliefs or lose their jobs. That's not right.

I'm surprised that unions are not being more vocal about this. Or perhaps they are but it is just not being widely reported? 

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- How the Pandemic is Changing the Norms of Science. We quickly went from Fake News! to Fake Science! and yet people still wonder why there's an erosion of trust.

- Trust in media hits new low. Speaking of Fake News!

- This seems to be the logic

- Hey Joe - is there anything you could do to weaken Union support for Democrats across the board? Why yes - I have just the thing! 

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

I'm curious to see if major unions like the NFLPA or the government workers unions cave to vaccine mandates or if they stand up for their members who do not want to be forced to get a vaccine to save their jobs... Gourmand Winos would be a good name for a band... Perhaps the trade of Russell Westbrook to the Lakers was a distraction tactic by LeBron James to make people look away from how much of a dumpster fire Space Jam II is. Plausible theory... If the NFL in effect bans non-vaccinated players could they also ban vegan players while they're at it? That might get my support... Really random thought; in old western movies you'd never see John Wayne or Gary Cooper in a whorehouse. Henry Fonda? Sure. Jimmy Stewart? Maybe (he did run one in The Cheyenne Social Club)...  

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- 3 unions that endorsed Biden seem like they're already regretting it. Perhaps these unions should vote for new leadership - that is if they think their union voting is more reliable than what we saw in November.

 - It was ever thus

- This was perhaps my favorite Bernie meme

- 12 Fucking Rules for Success

- Iran reacts to the Biden Inauguration (volume up)

Stop & Shop Strike

Workers at supermarket chain Stop & Shop are on strike in three New England states and are asking shoppers to go elsewhere for their grocery needs until the contract dispute is resolved.

I'm generally pro-union but I'm always pro common sense. And this makes no sense.

I normally don't shop at Stop & Shop because they are more expensive than other options for me that are also more convenient. Many of the people in New England who decline to cross the picket line will end up at Price Chopper which is non-union (with lower prices). How does that help the striking United Food and Commercial Workers? It doesn't.

Elizabeth Warren has come out in support of the striking Stop & Shop workers but how much do you want to bet that she normally shops at Whole Foods which is also non-union?

The workers are mainly striking to keep their healthcare at their current levels. This is the same union that supported Barack Obama in both elections but immediately sought a waiver to Obamacare once it was passed. Healthcare costs have risen greatly since Obamacare. My health insurance, for example, went up almost $300 per month but the company I work for, like most companies, was not granted a waiver. As Obama said, "Elections have consequences." And one of the consequences these workers are facing now is the fact that healthcare has been made more expensive due to things their union supported.

Something the rest of us have been dealing with for years.

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Interesting - possible new Alzheimer's treatment using stem cells. Mesenchymal stem cells may be the "miracle cure" of the 21st century.

- Dilbert's Unified Theory of Everything Financial (good to review this ever once and a while for your financial well-being)

- The cold hard facts about freezing to death (hopefully another New England winter has passed without me getting hypothermia)

- Good point

- What ever happened to Brendan Fraser? Brendan Fraser is a very likable human being.

- The Supreme Court has a chance to correct a 40-year old mistake regarding public unions

- This image of Bird just makes me laugh

Labor Day

Yesterday was Labor Day and it was no big deal. And I think a union is to blame.

It used to be that Memorial Day and Labor Day were the official opening and closing bookends of the summer. This was mainly because these two holidays also bookended the end and beginning of the school year. Not any more. Now school kids regularly go back to school in August a week or two before Labor Day.

This change in schedule had to have been approved by the teachers unions. There's no way school administrators force this change unless it was supported by and who knows maybe even proposed by the teachers' unions.So in essence it was a union that diluted the holiday meant to honor labor.

Yesterday was Labor Day and it was no big deal.

Jon Stewart

Interesting couple of articles today on liberal icon Jon Stewart.

One suggests he's a bullying racist.

One comes right out and says he's anti-union.

I wonder how many stories like this we will see once Jon Stewart is fianlly gone from The Daily Show.