COLLECTIVE MADNESS


“Soft despotism is a term coined by Alexis de Tocqueville describing the state into which a country overrun by "a network of small complicated rules" might degrade. Soft despotism is different from despotism (also called 'hard despotism') in the sense that it is not obvious to the people."

Saturday, April 16, 2016

TRUMP - On Message - Disciplined - In Connecticut



HARTFORD COURANT

Trump Brings Fiery Message To Thousands in Hartford

HARTFORD — Donald Trump rode his front-running campaign into Hartford Friday night, bringing a fiery message of economic rebirth to thousands of supporters who jammed the Connecticut Convention Center as hundreds of protesters gathered outside.

Citing Connecticut's declining manufacturing industry and pointing to the departure of General Electric, Trump's words drew roars of approval as protesters tried to disrupt his speech at times. Police estimated the crowd at between 6,000 and 7,000 inside and another 1,000 outside who could not get in. Police said there were 400-500 protesters outside the convention center.
"I know Hartford. I've lived in Connecticut. I love Connecticut,'' Trump said after taking the stage at 7 p.m. for a 30-minute speech. "You can't lose General Electric, you just can't. I don't know what happened. I will say this, if I were governor, I wouldn't be losing General Electric, that I can tell you."



"I'm a big buyer of Carrier products,'' Trump said, referring to the Farmington-based United Technologies company that has moved some manufacturing to Mexico. "I'm not going to buy them anymore."

The speech was interrupted repeatedly by protesters inside the convention hall. After the speech, thousands of departing Trump supporters confronted a jeering crowd along Columbus Avenue, creating a chaotic and tense scene. Police reported no arrests, however.

In his speech, Trump emphasized his message of voter anger about a rigged political system and promised that "millions of people aren't going to vote" if he is not the Republican nominee. "This is no longer a silent majority This is a massive, noisy majority,'' he said, pledging support for the 2nd Amendment, immigration enforcement, restrictions on trade, job creation, a strong national defense and a wall along the Mexican border.

"Our country doesn't win anymore. We are going to start winning,'' Trump said. "Do we love our country? Are we going to take our century back? Are we not going to be the stupid people anymore? We are led by people who are grossly incompetent,'' Trump said. "That is going to end, folks."
Protesters who interrupted Trump's speech were quickly escorted out of the convention center.

"There's one of the dummies. Get him out of here. There is nothing more fun than a Trump rally -- nothing,'' Trump said as a protester was helped out. "Get 'em out. Don't hurt 'em. I say get 'em out.''



Urging supporters to vote for him in the Connecticut primary on April 26, Trump promised that "you're going to look back in two years, in four years, in 20 years, you're going to look at your family, you're going to look at your friends and you're going to say 'That was the greatest vote I've ever cast.' "

Before the speech, classic rock blasted over the speakers, and excited supporters talked in anticipation of the evening. A recorded announcement reminded the audience not to engage any protesters, and audience members recited the Pledge of Allegiance. Shortly before 7, hundreds of Trump supporters were still waiting to enter the convention center.

Many in the largely white crowd of men and women of all ages wore red hats and carried "The Silent Majority Stands With Trump" signs. The audience appeared to include few, if any, prominent state Republicans.
Enjoying the balmy spring day, Trump supporters began to arrive in the early afternoon, coming from across Connecticut and New England. The city was surprisingly quiet, with some companies telling employees to work from home. They began filing in to the convention center at 3 p.m., an hour earlier than doors were scheduled to open.

Among those waiting hours to enter was David Veste, 69, who drove down from Enfield early to avoid the expected afternoon crowd.

"I like everything about him. Like most of us, he's not an eloquent speaker,'' Veste said. "Our country is being attacked. Our world is being attacked."
Dan Ladd, an accountant from western Massachusetts, said he took the day off from work because he missed Trump's appearance in his home state last month.


"He's like a person, he's not polished,'' Ladd said. "Someone who can identify solutions first is better than someone who says they have the perfect solution every time."

While protesters wore costumes, played music and argued with Trump backers, the convention center filled up with supporters. The police department had more than 80 officers on hand for the event. Matt Bordonaro, a spokesman for Travelers, said the insurance company advised employees to work from home Friday to avoid traffic.

Terrence Lambert was at the front of the line which, by 2 p.m., snaked around the convention center's courtyard. Clad in his Bridgeport police uniform, the retired officer said he came to support Trump because "he's the only candidate that cares about police."

Lambert said he's voting for Trump for the sake of Brooke, his daughter, who accompanied him to the rally. "I want him to come in and fix the country," he said.

Austin Sullivan, a 19-year-old from Southington, said he came out to protest because Trump is "taking advantage of the fears of millions and millions of people across the nation." Sullivan said he wrote a song for the occasion called "Hello Mr. Trump."



Southbury resident Chris Cannici, Michael Alberino, of Hamden, and Ryan Becker, of New Haven, came to Hartford as part of a planned protest by the ANSWER coalition, a national anti-war group.

"We're here to show the countermovement to Trump's bigotry," Becker, 21, said. "We didn't come to change anyone's deep-seated beliefs."

The small army of merchandise salesmen outside the convention center included Adrian Robinson, 33, who has been hawking Trump shirts, buttons and even rubber masks since January, when his friend persuaded him to leave St. Louis and join him on the road. XXX

"People are surprised when they see a black guy supporting Trump," he said outside the convention center. "But when they talk to me, they usually understand; why should I let my skin color influence my vote?"
A few feet away from Robinson was Agnes Pireh, the 2003 Mrs. Connecticut International.

The former beauty queen drove up from Newington with her brother to wait in line for a candidate she calls "rough, but honest."

"He says the truth about what's going on," Pireh said. "I'm not a politician, but neither is he. That's why we like him. He's like us."



A presidential primary poll released this week by Emerson College showed Trump capturing half of the Republican vote in Connecticut. Ohio Gov. John Kasich was second, at 26 percent, and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas finished third, with 17 percent. In a November Emerson poll Trump was the top choice of Connecticut Republicans, but polled at just 25 percent.

If Trump hits the 50 percent threshold, and wins in all five of the state's congressional districts, as the Emerson poll projects, he would take home all 28 of Connecticut's Republican delegates.

Courant staff writers Vinny Vella, David Moran, Christine Dempsey, Christopher Keating, Daniela Altimari, Russell Blair, Edmund Mahony, Kevin Vellturo and Stephen Singer contributed to this report.

69 comments:

  1. Trump is firing on all eight.

    This is a new Trump and if he keeps this up, he will scare the apparatchiks in the GOP and fearing for their career, they will start supporting Trump.

    It is over for Ted Cruz and Mark Levin and the always dreadful Hugh Hewitt.

    Forget the low end of the gene pool with Hannity and the mental patient Glenn Beck, it is over for Cruz control.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. to wit

      WASHINGTON — The chairman of the Republican National Committee has privately urged members of the party’s rules committee not to make changes to the guidelines governing the presidential nominating process, an effort to avoid the appearance that the party is seeking to block Donald J. Trump from becoming its nominee.

      The chairman, Reince Priebus, whom associates describe as increasingly frustrated by Mr. Trump’s criticism of the delegate-selection process, sent a text message last week to multiple rules committee members strongly suggesting that they not alter the convention rules when the party convenes next week for its spring meeting in Florida, according to two who received the message.

      Separately, a group of influential rules committee members held a conference call Thursday to prepare for the meeting and reached a consensus that they would derail any attempt at the gathering to make changes to the how the convention is conducted, according to a committee member on the call.

      Delete
  2. Washington (CNN)Donald Trump continued his attacks on Republican Party insiders and the delegate process Friday, first penning an op-ed ripping "the system" and hammering the party at two campaign stops.

    The comments were swiftly condemned by Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, who insisted this was the same nominating process the party has "been using for many years."
    Headlined "Let me ask America a question," Trump wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed Thursday night, "How has the 'system' been working out for you and your family?"
    Trump condemned Colorado's delegate selection process as undemocratic. "One million Republicans in Colorado were sidelined," he wrote, challenging Americans to judge the current "system."
    "I, for one, am not interested in defending a system that for decades has served the interest of political parties at the expense of the people," the Republican front-runner declared. "No one forced anyone to cancel the vote in Colorado. Political insiders made a choice to cancel it. And it was the wrong choice."
    The Republican Party in Colorado last year decided to forgo holding an open presidential primary or caucus contest for the 2016 cycle due to cost concerns, choosing instead to have party members select delegates at the state convention.
    Trump also sought to link primary rival Texas Sen. Ted Cruz to those insiders seeking to deny him the nomination. "The great irony of this campaign is that the 'Washington cartel' that Mr. Cruz rails against is the very group he is relying upon in his voter-nullification scheme,"

    ReplyDelete
  3. Howard Kurtz

    Are we seeing the softening of Donald Trump?

    He hasn’t whacked anyone on Twitter for days.

    He is being more serious and less inflammatory in interviews.

    And in a hell-hath-frozen-over moment, he sat down for a clear-the-air meeting with Megyn Kelly and said nice things about her afterward.

    All this comes as Trump is expanding his team by bringing in veteran Republican operatives to run the show and help him in the trench warfare for delegates.

    I don’t think this is an accident. I think he’s making the pivot that some advisers and family members urged on him weeks ago, before the series of missteps that contributed to his big loss in Wisconsin.

    ReplyDelete
  4. In my view, Trump's speech in Connecticut confirms Trump's oblique.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Meanwhile, the Big Bird of the flock of American shit bird allies squawks:

    WASHINGTON — Saudi Arabia has told the Obama administration and members of Congress that it will sell off hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of American assets held by the kingdom if Congress passes a bill that would allow the Saudi government to be held responsible in American courts for any role in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

    The Obama administration has lobbied Congress to block the bill’s passage, according to administration officials and congressional aides from both parties, and the Saudi threats have been the subject of intense discussions in recent weeks between lawmakers and officials from the State Department and the Pentagon. The officials have warned senators of diplomatic and economic fallout from the legislation.

    Adel al-Jubeir, the Saudi foreign minister, delivered the kingdom’s message personally last month during a trip to Washington, telling lawmakers that Saudi Arabia would be forced to sell up to $750 billion in treasury securities and other assets in the United States before they could be in danger of being frozen by American courts.

    ReplyDelete
  6. MILO YIANNOPOULOS convinces "the most hated man in America" he should vote for "Daddy" (Trump)

    http://www.podcastone.com/pg/jsp/program/episode.jsp?programID=863&pid=1643737

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Did I hear that right - 'Broadcasting from the Borg Cube' ?

      That sounded nearly as scary as 'Broadcasting from the "Q"Qube', out of Detroit, so I immediately shut it down.

      Delete
  7. I agree Glenn Beck is 'low end gene pool'. Another sad case that should be in therapy.

    Hannity still hangs onto rationality, mostly. He's really irritating sometimes though.

    I read The Donald had a private chat with Megyn Kelly. He must be wooing her, turning on the charm to paper things over, get a little better press.

    I'm beginning to think The Donald will get the nomination, may go all the way to the White House.

    An indictment would assure it, I'd think.

    But, this is the USA, one never knows...

    I'd rather listen to The Donald for the next four years than The Hag, I can certainly say that.

    Never Hillary !!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Megyn Kelly Makes Up With Donald Trump

      By Paul Waldman April 14 



      Megyn Kelly and Donald Trump (Reuters; AP)

      Fox News and Donald Trump are reaching a detente at last; yesterday Megyn Kelly went to Trump Tower for an hour-long meeting she described as allowing “a chance to clear the air,” after which Trump went to the Fox offices to have lunch with network chief Roger Ailes. This comes after Kelly had the temerity to ask Trump about sexist remarks he had made in the past, which led him to unleash a months-long campaign of insults at her (The Donald doesn’t like to be challenged, especially by a woman).

      The time had obviously come for Kelly to make nice, and more importantly, Fox needed to smooth over any conflict with Trump, given that he’s likely to be the Republican nominee for president soon.

      Though Fox is a unique and complicated media outlet, this is is a preview of what’s to come from many quarters on the right. People and organizations which have criticized and even attacked Trump, some in the harshest possible terms, will come around....

      Delete
    2. https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2016/04/14/megyn-kelly-made-up-with-donald-trump-everyone-else-on-the-right-will-do-the-same/

      Delete
  8. Another domestic muzzie hits the deck.......we are averaging 3.888888 takedowns a month, I think it is......

    I call these "Q"Nits, Domestic, Foiled.

    Minnesota Muslim pleads guilty to conspiring to aid the Islamic State

    By Robert Spencer on Apr 15, 2016 04:39 pm

    Minnesota Muslim pleads guilty to conspiring to aid the Islamic State
    “I’m more than sorry for the pain I caused my parents,” Farah said, his voice choked with emotion. “If I had listened to them I wouldn’t be here today.” I’m sure that his parents are as moderate as the day is long, but where exactly did Adnan Abdihamid Farah learn his Islam? Have authorities investigated […]
    Read in browser »

    ReplyDelete
  9. April 16, 2016

    Trump’s The One

    By Bill Schanefelt


    This year’s singularly perverse presidential race -- on both sides -- perfectly illustrates Mr. Dooley’s observation that “Politics ain’t beanbag.” In fact, in almost makes action in the Roman Coliseum seem gentle by comparison!

    AT contributor Jack Cashill describes this race succinctly in his compelling article here: “The respective campaigns are vulgar, crass, sleazy, and dishonest ….


    However, having looked away from the gore and closed my ears to the cacophony, I am supporting Donald Trump given the alternatives. but I think a look at the current state of play is in order before I attempt to justify my acceptance of a billet in Trump’s camp.

    To the Mainstream Media, the GOP establishment, and much if not most, of the conservative commentariat, Trump is an abhorrence and a monumental electoral disaster-in-waiting. To be sure, they all may have it just right, but, as Rush Limbaugh says repeatedly, individuals or groups that hold those and similar notions about Trump understand neither the man nor the message, and they certainly do not understand the force behind Trumpmentum.

    To name just three men who know, like, and respect him, Trump, the man, is to Rush, Newt, and Rudy an honest, decent, talented person who would be good for the country. Now, none of the three have said so in those words, but that is the take-away I have from what they say about him.

    And, I further think, those three and I believe that the message is not “Make America Great Again,” but “I can get it done.”

    The driving force behind Trump’s appeal is that people are sick of and intensely angry at all politicians, establishments, and circumstances that have placed them in the midst of the sorry state of affairs extant today.....



    http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2016/04/trumps_the_one_.html#ixzz45zNVL3wZ

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If Trump's The One, our USA Embassy gets moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and Trump will recognize Jerusalem as Capital of Israel.

      This will cause a big stir, and make the jihadis among us easier to identify and apprehend, I hope.

      Delete
  10. CRUZ: 'WE'LL TAKE MONEY FROM ANYONE'....DRUDGE

    heh

    Listening to the Trump speech in Connecticut...very good, no prompter...very chatty....I don't detect a hint of Mussolini/Hitler type speechifying here....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't recall Hitler mingling with crowds, signing autographs, doing hugs....I recall Hitler's speeches building building building until the froth comes from his mouth at the end, the crowd frenzied...

      I recall Mussolini speaking from balconies...

      I recall a picture of Benito with his jaw jutted out, holding a book, as if reading.....which book was upside down...

      Delete
    2. This pic was heartily mocked by Ernest Hemingway.

      Delete
    3. I saw O'bozo once use his prompter for five minutes when meeting with some 4th graders.

      Honest.

      Not making it up.

      You can't make stuff like that up.

      It was a gas.

      Delete
  11. He has the 'hopes and dreams' of the Democratic Party:


    Hillary Clinton 47%

    Donald Trump 39%

    Huffpost Pollster

    ReplyDelete
  12. It does look like Fallujah is next.

    Military reinforcements arrived in Fallujah axes to liberate it from ISIS control

    (IraqiNews.com) Anbar – The leadership of al-Hashad al-Shaabi in Anbar Province announced on Friday, that the Iraqi army sent military reinforcements to Fallujah axes west of Ramadi, in preparation to storm the city.

    The commander of the 1st regiment in Karmat Fallujah brigade Colonel Mahmoud Mardi Jumaili said in a press statement followed by IraqiNews.com, “Military reinforcements from the army have reached the four axes of Fallujah coming from Baghdad and the nearby security headquarters, in preparation to storm Fallujah and cleanse it from ISIS guerrilla in the next few days.”

    Jumaili added, “The military and combat troops were stationed in the different areas of al-karma District east of Fallujah and in the vicinity of Saqlawiyah, while the other military reinforcements were deployed in southern and western Fallujah.”

    Iraqinews

    ReplyDelete
  13. What happened to Mosul ?

    ReplyDelete
  14. The Iraqis will take Mosul when they take Mosul.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Inshallah

      It will snow on the Kabaa when it will snow on the Kabaa.

      Delete
  15. Bernie is meeting with the 'Reverend Al Sharpton' today, after meeting with the Pope recently.

    It's almost as if the old commie is turning to Christ !

    Bwabwabwabwabwahahahaha


    Just like Putin.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Al Sharpton, and the Pope.

    That got me laughing like hell.

    By far the most entertaining political season of my lifetime.

    hoot hoot

    ReplyDelete
  17. The Donald speaking in Syracuse in a few minutes.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Meanwhile, Hillary is working the rest homes -


      April 16, 2016

      Hillary pretends to understand Spanish, laughs at joke in a language she doesn’t understand

      By Thomas Lifson


      Visiting a senior center in New York yesterday, Hillary Clinton went into full phony mode, pandering and pretending to understand Spanish. Like President Obama, she speaks no foreign languages, yet pretends to be a sophisticated international figure. The odd thing is that her transparent insincerity seems to be welcomed by many of those present.

      First, take a look at her exaggerated reaction to playing dominoes:

      VIDEO

      Hillary Clinton got really excited when she won dominoes today in East Harlem. Video: pic.twitter.com/kHJYAcW6Za

      Then, at a podium, reacting to questions in Spanish, she twice pretended to understand, and the second time went into her unbearable phony exaggerated laughter:

      VIDEO OF HAG LAUGH

      The prospect of Hillary getting elected president fills me with dread on many counts. But perhaps the worst is being subjected to her constantly on TV, with her screeching voice, her phony laughter, and her bobblehead nodding toward people she patronizes. I may have to look into desert islands for my remaining years.
      http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2016/04/hillary_pretends_to_understand_spanish_laughs_at_joke_in_a_language_she_doesnt_understand.html#ixzz460WuLHfC

      Delete
  18. .

    Edition XXLIV: Bullshit from Bjorn

    Stardate: 2016


    This will cause a big stir, and make the jihadis among us easier to identify and apprehend, I hope.


    :o)

    Comments like this along with every Q-nit you put up, as well as, your avowed support of the puerile and unsophisticated bromides being offered up by the GOP candidates as solutions to the terrorist problem reinforces the fact that you don't think you emote.

    You represent the vast majority of Trump and Cruz supporters, so conditioned by color coded warnings and government claims of impending doom you are willing to accept any BS these guys lay on you.

    Suggestion. Try to noodle some of these ideas out, Bjorn. Disavow your usual knee-jerk acceptance and try to figure out if the solutions are one actually possible and two would they actually be in any measure effective.

    Think.

    It will only hurt for a little while.

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The emails I get from my millions of fans show my "Q"Nit feature to be by far the most overwhelmingly popular, Q.

      Many comments are along the lines of they like the info, and love seeing you shown up for a fool.

      How can I not be influenced by this ?

      I shall continue as heretofore.

      People want solutions, not your bro-maids.

      In short, thy want arrests.

      Perhaps yours as well.

      Delete
    2. Exit Question:

      Does your above mean you are against arresting terrorists, Q ?

      Think carefully now.

      Delete
    3. .

      Does your above mean you are against arresting terrorists, Q ?

      Lord, they grow them stupid in Idaho.

      It's impossible for you to compartmentalize separate issues. Your question above merely demonstrates that fact.

      Of course, I am for arresting terrorists. In fact, given the billions we have spent and continue to spend year after year on the WOT and our surfeit of intelligence agencies, I'm disappointed that we have arrested more of them. The actual arrests given the effort and money expended has been piss poor. It's all the cases that they haven't arrested that make the headlines.

      I also don't mind the current gaggle of dolts running for president for highlighting the problem even though IMO they are rather hysterical in describing the danger given all the other serious problems we have. It only encourages the witless sheeple like you who have been scared shitless since 9/11.

      No, my problem with the candidates and the dolts like you who willingly accept their simplistic bromides is that the remedies offered would be on the one hand inadequate to the task and on the other impossible to accomplish. And this is not even mentioning the negative consequences that would make these moves counterproductive.

      The denizens of DC have proven over they years that they haven't got a clue. This latest batch of aspirants has assured us that the legacy of incompetence will continue.

      If you want to continue putting up Q-nits do so. It reminds us of how silly you really are. I could continue putting up daily crimes statistics from around the US but it would require me hiring extra staff and would crowd out everything else on the blog. So I will simply point out the following about your latest post,

      Minnesota Muslim pleads guilty to conspiring to aid the Islamic State
      “I’m more than sorry for the pain I caused my parents,” Farah said, his voice choked with emotion. “If I had listened to them I wouldn’t be here today.” I’m sure that his parents are as moderate as the day is long, but where exactly did Adnan Abdihamid Farah learn his Islam? Have authorities investigated […]


      There are 3 million Muslims in the US and it is the fastest growing religion here. Something like a quarter of those people are converts to the religion. There are more every day. These are people with Middle Eastern, Asian, European, and American (all of the Americas) backgrounds. They are black, white, yellow, and brown. They come from every class. They are blue-collar and white-collar.

      Now, explain to me how Trump's wall will keep them 'out'.

      Explain how preventing all Muslim immigrants and refugees will solve the problem.

      It's like you haven't a clue as to the enormity of the task we have set ourselves and are willing to accept any hair-brained scheme these dolts come up with.

      And if someone points out how stupid these guys are you accuse them of being soft on terrorism. You are a child.

      .

      .

      Delete
    4. Not letting in any more moslem 'refugees' or any others for that matter at least 'solves the problem' as far as those folks are concerned.

      I simply cannot understand why anyone would wish to let people in here whose entire outlook on life is 180 degrees opposite of our own.

      If you cannot understand:

      FIRST WE SHOW THE POLES THEN EVERYBODY ELSE

      you are less than a child. You are a babe in the woods.

      I pray you don't become one of your 'Nits' yourself.

      You can become a refugee yourself, out here on the farm. Always looking out for you, babe.

      Delete
  19. April 16, 2016

    It begins: In wake of California $15 minimum wage, garment firms moving out of Los Angeles

    By Thomas Lifson

    To the surprise of nobody but leftists, Governor Brown and the California State Legislature Democrats, jobs are beginning to evaporate visibly in the wake of California legislating a phased-in $15 an hour minimum wage. Even the Los Angeles Times can’t help but notice:....


    http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2016/04/it_begins_in_wake_of_california_15_minimum_wage_garment_firms_moving_out_of_los_angeles.html#ixzz460qfE3Pv

    ReplyDelete
  20. The economy of Los Angeles is driven by international trade, entertainment (television, motion pictures, video games, music recording, and production), aerospace, technology, petroleum, fashion, apparel, and tourism.[citation needed] Other significant industries include finance, telecommunications, law, healthcare, and transportation.

    Three of the six major film studios—Paramount Pictures, 20th Century Fox, and Universal Pictures—are located within the city limits.[citation needed]

    Los Angeles is the largest manufacturing center in the western United States.[105] The contiguous ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach together comprise the fifth-busiest port in the world and the most significant port in the Western Hemisphere and is vital to trade within the Pacific Rim.[105]

    The Los Angeles–Long Beach metropolitan area has a gross metropolitan product of $866 billion (as of 2015),[106] making it the third-largest economic metropolitan area in the world, after Tokyo and New York.[107] Los Angeles has been classified an "Alpha world city" according to a 2012 study by a group at Loughborough University.[108]

    The largest employers in the city as of 2009 were, in descending order, the City of Los Angeles, the County of Los Angeles, and University of California, Los Angeles.[109] The University of Southern California (USC) is the city's fourth largest employer and the largest private sector employer.[110]

    Fortune 500[edit]
    The city was home to six companies in the 2014 Fortune 500.[111]

    Top publicly traded companies
    in Los Angeles for 2014
    (ranked by revenues)
    with City and U.S. ranks
    LA corporation US
    1 Occidental Petroleum Corporation 116
    2 Health Net, Inc. 254
    3 Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co. 299
    4 AECOM Technology Corporation 332
    5 Oaktree Capital Group, LLC 354
    6 CBRE Group, Inc. 363
    Source: Fortune 500[112]


    Didn't see anything about the importance of a couple of raggedy-assed sweat shops.

    I do imagine, though, that the other 3,928,000 people appreciated the raise.

    Wiki

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      Perhaps, not important to the City of Los Angeles; but I suspect important to any losing their jobs.

      .

      Delete
    2. Excellent.

      Now if you could only transfer your concern for those losing their actual jobs in L.A. over to those losing their actual lives in San Bernardino instead of proclaiming them 'Nits' in an overall cultural confrontation you'd be getting somewhere.

      Delete
  21. Didn't see anything about the importance of a couple of raggedy-assed sweat shops.

    galopin2

    Good Grief

    The 'real' raggedy assed Rufus shines through.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Here's what nobody wants to talk about -

    Opinions

    5 ‘big ideas’ to guide us in the Long War against Islamic extremism

    Fifth, and finally, it is clear that the U.S.-led effort will have to be sustained for what may be extended periods of time — and that reductions in our level of effort should be guided by conditions on the ground rather than fixed timetables. While aspirational timelines for reductions in our efforts may have some merit, it is clear from our experiences under both post-9/11 administrations that premature transitions and drawdowns can result in loss of the progress for which we sacrificed greatly — and may result in having to return to a country to avoid a setback to U.S. interests.

    To be sure, there is nothing easy about what I describe. Success in all such efforts will require sustained commitment, not just of our military forces, but also of the capabilities of other departments and agencies.


    https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/5-big-ideas-to-guide-us-in-the-long-war-against-islamic-extremism/2016/04/15/c145cdde-028a-11e6-9203-7b8670959b88_story.html


    Cruz wants to 'carpet bomb' and get out.

    Trump at least is keeping his cards close to his chest.

    Bernie couldn't care less.

    Hillary is for whatever the current audience wants to hear.

    Getting back in, defeating ISIS, then immediately getting out again.....getting out too quickly is just what O'bozo did, leading to the situation today.




    ReplyDelete
  23. I suggest 'the healing sessions' for Rufus:


    ◦Healing sessions: Available each day, by invited energy healers, using Reiki and other modalities

    and for Quirk:

    •Special Events:

    ◦Lunch with Speaker! Anita Moorjani, Suzanne Giesemann, Maggie Callanan, Laurin Bellg, Jeff Olsen, Richard Martini, PMH Atwater, Bill & Christopher Guggenheim, and many others!

    ◦Thursday evening: Meet & Greet Social! (included with conference registration)
    ◦Friday evening: Fund Raising Banquet!

    ◦Saturday evening: Social Time

    all the 'special events' and 'social times' for Quirk, including a luxury suite.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "This course provided a way to experience meditatively the
      main features of an NDE as described in the literature. To practice emotionally how
      to replace fear and uncertainty about death with calmness and loving acceptance, is
      a gift." ~ Thornton J.

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      Delete
    2. Orlando, Florida !

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    3. IANDS CONFERENCE

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  24. What about the importance to 3.9 Million People of Getting a Raise? A Substantial Raise.

    L.A. has a vibrant economy; those people won't stay unemployed for long. And, when they do get another job, they will be able to afford to spend more on their families.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. More automated Kiosks, fewer entry level food service jobs, jobs for high school kids, etc. just some of many victims of a managed economy.

      California's Central Valley Economy is anything but vibrant.

      Delete
  25. Angry and frustrated upstate New York swings behind Trump

    https://www.yahoo.com/news/angry-frustrated-upstate-york-swings-behind-trump-022716832.html

    ReplyDelete
  26. I'm not really against raising the minimum wage.

    Just pointing out the inevitable trade offs.

    My first job was $2.25/hour but then gas was .39 cents a gallon back then and beer even less....

    Unlike Bernie Sanders I have no magical wand to 'fix the system'.

    I am firmly against confiscating Deuce's Limo, though.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Who is this "Douche" character?

      Does he really run this joint?

      Delete
    2. He's the guy backing Bernie's starting 52% tax rate, and if you die the State takes what you got left.

      I'm wanting him to be allowed to at least keep his Limo.

      Delete
  27. Mark Geragos points out it heightens the Civil Wars between the Kitchen and Wait Staff, since the waiters are already earning far more than fifteen bucks, and kitchen staff will have to be pruned.

    I earned a buck an hour in high school, diswashers, a buck and a quarter, but I got tipped out by the Waitresses, except for the hags that cheated us.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Except a buck would buy 4 packs of cigarettes, now worth $24 or 4.5 gallons of gasoline, now worth $13.

      You could buy 1/9999 of a house for a $ and today 1/9999 of the same house cost $50.

      Take the three, $50 + $13 + $24 = $87

      Divide that by 3 $87/3 = $29 per hour


      You were making in todays purchasing power $29 an hour.

      Delete
    2. Cigaretts are an outlier.

      1959 Chevy $2,700

      2016 Chevy $27,000

      But I agree with you and Trump: This country has gotten screwed by "Free Trade"

      ...except for our overlords.

      Delete
  28. At 16 years of age, I could make $100 a week as a caddy, no taxes. Using the same calculation, I was making $2900 a week which is a cool $87,000 for thirty weeks work.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Working people in this country have been fucked by a globalization experiment that rewarded a few and drove tens of millions into relative poverty.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Big corporations like Wall Mart and Home Depot and their purchasing departments were job killing machines and small domestic manufacturing business wrecking balls.

    ReplyDelete
  31. On another Matter:

    (CNN)Saudi Arabia is warning it will sell off billions in American assets if the U.S. Congress passes a bipartisan bill that would allow victims of 9/11 and other terrorist attacks to sue foreign governments.

    Saudi foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir issued the warning to U.S. lawmakers last month during a visit to Washington, two senior State Department officials told CNN. A source with knowledge of the Saudis’ thinking said investments would be put in jeopardy if this bill passes, so they are trying to protect themselves from risk.


    The story was first reported Saturday by The New York Times.


    LET”S GET IT ON MOTHERFUCKERS

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm all in favor of Saudi Arabia selling off its USA assets.

      Dad would have said they shouldn't have had any USA assets in the first place.

      Delete
  32. .

    I simply cannot understand why anyone would wish to let people in here whose entire outlook on life is 180 degrees opposite of our own.

    If you cannot understand:

    FIRST WE SHOW THE POLES THEN EVERYBODY ELSE



    Your entire outlook is 180 degrees opposite my own and yet you are allowed in here and many wonder why.

    Again, you still persist in your ignorance.

    The differences between the US and Europe are lost on you. Every group of immigrants that has ever come to the US has over time been able to assimilate. If they don't assimilate it will likely be our fault as much as theirs as the left wing and the courts try to force their PC assumptions about multiculturalism and safe places down out throats.

    Dearborn has the largest population of Muslims in the US. If you knew anything about Dearborn, you would realize that it is a pretty average American middle size city.

    Unlike some cities where white-collar or blue-collar occupations dominate the local economy, Dearborn is neither predominantly one nor the other. Instead, it has a mixed workforce of both white- and blue-collar jobs. Overall, Dearborn is a city of professionals, sales and office workers and service providers. There are especially a lot of people living in Dearborn who work in office and administrative support (13.03%), sales jobs (11.97%) and management occupations (8.66%).

    Also of interest is that Dearborn has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

    In terms of college education, Dearborn is somewhat better educated than the 21.84% who have a 4-year degree or higher in the typical US community: 28.89% of adults 25 and older in the city have at least a bachelor's degree.

    The per capita income in Dearborn in 2010 was $21,262, which is middle income relative to Michigan and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $85,048 for a family of four. However, Dearborn contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

    The people who call Dearborn home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Dearborn residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Dearborn include Lebanese, Other Arab, Polish, German, Irish and Italian.

    Dearborn also has a high percentage of its population that was born in another country: 26.91%.

    The most common language spoken in Dearborn is English. Other important languages spoken here include Arabic and Spanish.


    More to the point, though Dearborn is located in Wayne County and abuts Detroit, the overall crime statistics are similar to the average of other cities their size in the US. Their incidence of violent crimes is lower than that of Michigan as a whole.


    As for Hamtramck, their crime rates are higher than those for Michigan as a whole; but they are a lot lower than those of Detroit a city that completely surrounds them.

    .

    ReplyDelete
  33. .

    it is clear from our experiences under both post-9/11 administrations that premature transitions and drawdowns can result in loss of the progress for which we sacrificed greatly — and may result in having to return to a country to avoid a setback to U.S. interests.

    Are you out of your friggin mind?

    We have been in Afghanistan for 15 years and things have gotten worse not better. What are you counting on, the Taliban dying of old age?

    Nitwit.

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If they don't assimilate it will likely be our fault

      You, Sir, are out of your f...ing mind.

      You are bananas.

      FIRST WE SHOW THE POLES THEN EVERYBODY ELSE

      And you don't get it.

      And they say Swedes are dumb....

      You must have Stockholm Syndrome.

      And Petraeus is right. This going in and rapidly going out doesn't work.

      How many troops do we have in Afghanistan right now ?

      I don't know, but it is not all that many.

      ISIS got it's grip when O'bozo willy nilly took the troops out of Iraq.

      If you can't see that there is no use talking with you about the subject.

      How long were we in Europe ? Japan ?

      You are pure product of consumer society. Satisfaction....RIGHT NOW

      Or you throw a fit.
      ***********

      On another subject, I am now totally against Lyin' Ted Cruz.

      He wants to give the federal lands to the states, then see the states sell them off.

      Result ?

      YOU lose YOUR rights of access to the newly owned lands of the rich.

      Is there no one at all to vote for ?

      Don't know what Trump's position is on this most important to me subject.

      Fuck Ted Cruz.

      Delete
    2. .

      How many troops do we have in Afghanistan right now ?

      Around 10,000 and that number may go up. And theer seems to be no end in sight.


      And Petraeus is right. This going in and rapidly going out doesn't work.


      Neither does staying.

      And what do you expect Petraeus to say. He was the dick most associated with the Afghanistan surge.

      In 2009, Obama decided on the Afghanistan surge that took troop levels there from 30,000 to around 65,000. And how did that 3 year experiment work out?

      Military’s Own Report Card Gives Afghan Surge an F

      The U.S. troop surge in Afghanistan ended last week. Conditions in Afghanistan are mostly worse than before it began.

      That conclusion doesn’t come from anti-war advocates. It relies on data recently released by the NATO command in Afghanistan, known as ISAF, and acquired by Danger Room. According to most of the yardsticks chosen by the military — but not all — the surge in Afghanistan fell short of its stated goal: stopping the Taliban’s momentum.

      Of course, that’s not ISAF’s spin. The command notes that enemy attacks from January to August 2012 are slightly lower, by 5 percent, from that period last year; and that the past two Augusts show a reduction in attacks of 30 percent. But the more relevant comparison is to 2009, when Afghanistan looked like such a mess that President Obama substantially increased troop levels. And compared to 2009, Afghanistan does not look improved...


      http://www.wired.com/2012/09/surge-report-card/

      And that's just the military situation. Drugs and crime have also escalated.

      .

      Delete
  34. If they don't assimilate, its our fault.

    HOLY SHIT !!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. San Bernardino was OUR FAULT !

      The Boston Marathon Bombing......OUR FAULT !!

      Delete
    2. Who knew ?

      Only our resident genius Quirk.

      Delete
    3. .

      Don't be stupid. I said if they, as a people, don't assimilate. You are always going to have a few nut jobs whether it's among the Muslim or the Idaho militias.

      My comment was more a gratuitous swipe at the PC elites on the left who hamper integration of new populations through acceptance of hyphenated American designations, calls for more than one official language, etc.

      However, Michigan probably has the largest Muslim population in the US just as Dearborn is the city with the largest. And here, our experience is that they have for the most part integrated. As I noted above they are doing pretty good. In fact the only real Arab problems we have had around here in recent years has been from the Caldean Mafia (Christians) gangs that controlled the drug distribution here for a number of decades since 1985 and are still present bringing in drugs from Phoenix and San Jose.

      .

      Delete
  35. The Fifties

    http://fiftiesweb.com/pop/prices-1959/

    https://nostalgia049.wordpress.com/2010/01/06/1950s-prices/

    ReplyDelete
  36. "What we got here is a failure to assimilate. And, it's all our fault."

    Cool Hand Quirk

    ReplyDelete
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    ReplyDelete