summer patriot, winter soldier

anybody seen anything or read anything about the whereabouts of gina haspel, lately? ..... is she alive, or dead? .....

simple as that.

she seems to have disappeared about the same time as the gunfight, that didn't happen, between c.i.a. and the army outside of a c.i.a. station, that doesn't exist, in frankfurt, germany.  (is germany still there, eh?)

she did exist, didn't she?    she did succeed the shithead john brennan, did she not?    maybe he knows?

john jay @ 06.24.2021

the simple truth of the matter .....

this is an abbreviated version, because i can no longer get "copy" to work in my email.  (ah, yes, the bastards don't want us communicating very damned much, do they.)

 

putin, queen elizabeth and donald trump all die and go to hell.   much to their chagrin.

the devild lets putin phone home, to try and arrange "passage out."   he calls russia, talks for 35 minutes.   the devil smiles at him, and says, that will be 4 million dollars, u.s., thank you very much.   and, begins to make arrangements for putin's transfer to a more welcoming place.

queen elizabeth is handed the phone, to try and arrange "passage out" to a more welcoming place.   she calls england, talks for 40 minutes.   the devil smiles at her very accommodatingly, and says, that will be 5 million dollars, u.s., if you don't mind, and thank you ever so much.   and, he begins to make arrangements for queen elizabeth's trip to a nice cool, wet clime, where the roses seem to flourish.

next, donald trump asks to use the phone, and he calls a friend in america, talks for 1 hour making arrangements to be sent to a place with a view where he can watch the goings-on at key largo, still longing for home.   the devil smiles at him and says, that will be 25-cents, u.s. coinage, and begins arrangements to transfer president trump to heaven, to a room with the view trump wants.

putin and queen elizabeth are outraged, and they begin to upbraid the devil for charging such an exorbitant amount to them for mere minutes, while trump has to pay only pennies for an hour-long conversation.   the devil shrugs and smiles apologetically, and says, "well, since biden took office the united states has gone completely to hell in oh so many ways, and the call back to the u.s. is now a local call, and only 'local rates' are charged, and not long distance."

all putin and queen elizabeth can do is to shrug at the truth of the devil's charging scheme.

john jay @  06.22.2021

 

p.s.   please understand, i didn't make this up, i am simply paraphrasing something i got on the email, and the author is unattributed.   but, like the devil, all i can do is smile apologetically, and acknowledge the living truth of the story.  biden can take solace ....  his phone call won't cost much, either.  i simply "wish" him a longer stay.   and, the sooner the better.

w/ regard to covid, the people are saying, "enough of this bullshit already, we are returning to normal" .....

in short, "covid 19" is old news, old hat, and it is time to move along.   that's it, in a nutshell.

john jay @ 06.21.2021

"the plague" is over ..... proof of assertion to follow .....

i traveled to walla walla, washington the other day after breakfast to get a little dessert:  i got a small cherry vanilla danish.   nope, that in itself doesn't prove "the plague" (covid-19) is over.

the streets and sidewalks were very crowded, with people walking and browsing everywhere, without masks, and talking and conversing with friends and passersby.  in other words, "to hell with social distancing," and all the other little absurdities associated with trying to avoid communicable diseases.--   children, teenagers on skateboards, teenagers looking for boyfriends/girlfriends/gender identified friens/whatever, old people and not-so-old people, all out socializing.

now, i don't know what anthony fauchi thinks of all of this (nor do i care particularly what the lying son of a bitch thinks), but the people have decided that the whole thing is not worth fussing with any longer.  the "sickees," in other words, don't much believe in the supposed dangers of the "sickness" any more.

oh, some people died, to be sure.  but, when the whole thing is counted and "corrected" for deaths caused by covid, and not merely associated with it in some tenuous manner, it won't amount to much in my view of things.   certainly, in my view, not worth shutting down the economy of the whole nation, and not worth shutting down the whole world.  in reality, it will probably be viewed in time as not so much more than a normal flu season, and just another thing among the myriad of others that kill people.

now, there is a curious fact starting to emerge about covid-19 (aside from the fact that donald trump's view that the wuhan lab cooked it up, and released it not-so-accidentally)-- and i owe "knowledge" of this because an ex-wife heard it on the radio-- and that is about 80% of the persons who died also happened to be obese.   so, did covid kill them, or did being morbidly (as it turned out) obese kill them?  being fat apparently didn't help them any when they contracted a disease not really impacting a more fit population.

i have frequently referred to the whole matter as "the plague that wasn't."  well, that little issue aside, it appears that the persons who were to suffer from it have simply decided that it is over, and whatever risk is still associated with it, and that life is to be gotten along with.

no longer will it be a political issue, designed to curtail & exploit the liberties, speech and political activity of the people by shutting down the society.

"herd immunity" has triumphed, and the herd's indifference to the nonsense of america's far left seems to be, by contrast, rapidly increasing in full measure.   and, yes, in my view, the two things are one in the same, just different sides to the same coin.   so, to hell with anthony fauchi and his leftist minders, and may he and they vanish into a/the well deserved obscurity that so befits them:  non-entities & lackeys/lick-spittle's, important no longer.

"the plague" is over.  gone.  the "news" will pimp it for all it is worth, and oregon's and washington's idiot governors will try to continue to govern by "emergency" powers, but to the general populace that is increasingly tiresome and irrelevant  .....  as will be governor's inslee and whatshername.  newsome, newhouse, whatever his name is in california, has already vanished into irrelevance so much so that he was assaulted the other day by a street bum.

they who would be kings, go phffft in the wind, just like "the plague" that spawned them.   good riddance.

john jay @  06.20.2021

p.s.   as for those who political fortune waxed in the plague, and wane now in the general indifference of the people they had their little day in the spotlight.   and, now they vanish.   good riddance.

dear fedex ....

on june 9, 2021 you picked up an item from a "shipping" dock in fort wayne, indiana at 4.20 a.m.

it is 6.00 p.m. on june 14, 2021 in milton freewater, oregon on my front porch, and that item has yet to grace that "delivery dock," some 5 and 1/2 days later.

it is 1706 miles to pendleton, oregon some 26 miles from my home.   that 1706 miles is almost exclusively on the interstate highway system:  straight shot from fort wayne to salt lake city, utah and straight shot from salt lake to pendleton.

that you cannot make your promised delivery in that time span is pretty pathetic in this day and age.   and, if in fact it is difficult, for whatever reason, then you should not represent that you can make a delivery over that distance and time span.   either way, it is pretty shitty performance.

now, you are supposed to deliver the promised item to me, ... , it is not your job to age or antique it.   and, it sure as hell is not your job to loose it, or damage it, or, for that matter, to be late on your delivery.

not so very long ago i drove from milton freewater, oregon to gettysburg, pennsylvania by myself in 4 days 3 hours.  i had some long days, but, no relief drivers, no days off, and certainly no transfers of trailers to other trucks.

if you cannot make the deliveries as promised, revise your promised delivery times to reflect the reality of what you can do.   otherwise, you are simply incompetent liars.   and, in my estimations, piss poor shippers and business people.

i have called a fedex facility inquiring as to my shipment.   i have received no reply, and certainly no explanation just where my item may be, ... , not on this earth, anyway.

this is the last time i ship by you.   once, ups and fedex were topnotch outfits.   no more.   in my recent experience, the u.s. post office does a better job shipping items.   from now on, i simply go with the post office, no matter how silly such a decision would have been in times past.   it is amazing to type it, but the post office is simply more efficient, and makes its deliveries as scheduled.

john jay @ 06.14.2021

 

p.s.   as bugs bunny used to say of people who were less than skilled, "what an ultra maroon."   bugs may not have been woke, but, he was right, and he was accurate.  you are maroons.

sweetwater music, israel hernandez ....

i have had particularly good luck getting stuff on a timely basis from sweetwater music, fort wayne, indiana.  they sell instruments, supplies and electronics.  i am hardly a big time spender, but i get good service, nonetheless.

when you deal with them, they assign a "helper," well, to help you out and give advice.   i was a bit resistant at first, but, over time i have come to really appreciate the help i have received.   my sales rep is israel hernandez, and he is just a top notch fellow.  he is knowledgeable, and willing to help out on really small things.  and, recently i got something, changed my mind, cancelled the order, and then ordered something a bit different  .....  something that might have proved really irritating to a lesser person.   but, israel stepped right up, helped with the cancellation process, sent me a modified invoice "zeroing out" the account, and then helped me and facilitated my acquisition of another product.

he did so with humor and genuine warmth, and really guided me to something better than i had originally ordered. 

now, how in the heck do you beat that?

and, oh yes, this is an unsolicited and unpaid for testimonial.    laughing.   i just like the company, and obviously i am pretty high on the people who facilitate and help.   i think you will go a long way finding nicer people.

john jay @ 06.14.2021

p.s.   and, israel plays guitar, and knows his guitars.  he will guide you to the right path.

how stupid have the elites become? pretty damned ignorant .....

https://www.foxnews.com/us/north-korean-defector/ivy/league/nuts   (this is not a live link  ....   you must copy to your command line, and hit "enter."   do it, the old fashioned way.)

the above forwarded to me by ron fortier, who keeps a very weather eye on all the silliness.

the perspective of a young woman whose family fled north korea a goodly time ago, came latterly*** to the united states, and who has since survived the butt-wipe ignorance of an ivy league "education."  in her view, the "indoctrination" of an ivy-league "education" is no less silly than the brain washing of life in north korea.

she is a very articulate observer of the human condition, and views life with a critical eye  ....  you get that way, surviving flight from one mature totalitarian regime, only to land in the middle of a situation where young radicals flee voluntarily & unknowingly into another. (***and survived being sold into slavery with her parents along the way, thence to flee across the gobi desert.)  in her view, young american elites cannot think critically, which is to say they are incapable of thinking for themselves, if at all.

it makes for an interesting read, to say the least.  enjoy the freshness of her views, (while you can.)

john jay @ 06.14.2021

fedex .....

they created their system of shipping.

they created the expectation that it works, and delivers upon its promises, and delivers on time.  they represent/promise the same.

and, from my experience with them, they do a damned shitty job of it.  they cannot be trusted, in my estimation, to "deliver upon their promises."   in other words, to deliver packages as promised.

if they do deliver a specific package today, as "estimated", i will fall all over myself in abject apology, and retract every thing i have said above, profusely.   i cannot do any better than "abjectly" and "profusely," except perhaps to add a "humbly" into the mix.

but, so far, all fedex can tell me is that my package is "in transit" from fort wayne, indiana and more than that they do not know, and cannot tell me.

in the meantime, i am glued to this location, as i have to sign for the package.

john jay @ 06.14.2021

 

p.s.   the day is not totally wasted.   i did "find" another form of the g-diminished chord, trying to figure out what fred sokolow was doing to his guitar neck in a rendition of a gershwin tune.   it looked to me, for quite some time, that he as simply doing his best to strangle his guitar with his left fist, but i got it "figgered" out, after watching the whole mess at 25% speed, and looking in my alfred handy guitar chord encyclopedia.

and, yes, you can expect more of this as i wait for fedex "to part the waters," and deliver me to my delivery.

fedex, and the wonders of same ..... (somewhat equivalent to the pony express, but not quite as efficient) .....

i am having a package that is supposed to be delivered to me by fedex.   it left fort wayne, indianna on 06.09.2021 and is supposed to be delivered to me, ("estimated delivery," doncha know), right to my doorstep this date.   today's date is 06.14.2021:  i know this because microsoft tells me so.

i called a local listing for fedex ....  the automated answer new my shipping number, date of the origin of the shipping, and the "estimated delivery" date.   today.

i got a real person eventually.   she knew the date the package was shipped.   she could not tell me anything else, to include just exactly where the package is, except "in transit" from fort wayne.   it has been in transit for five days  ....  "in transit" seems to be the functional equivalent of "floating in the ether," a phrase that had some currency when i was a child.

they assure me that they "will look into it."

in short, just who in the hell knows where it is remains something of an open ended question.   somebody, according to my purchase invoices, paid the sum of $52.00 to effect shipment of the package.  an entire truck load of $52.00 shipments adds up in value quickly.   you'd think that they could do better.

john jay @06.14.2021

red chevy to red chevy .... an orderly transition ....

the motor in my 2001 s-10 blazer is not so slowly dying, issuing periodic clouds of steam, leaking oil and now billowing oiling smoke  ....  yet it still runs relatively smoothly.  but, it days are numbered.

it served me loyally through snow and ice, clambered around the mountains during elk season in deep snows, and i woke one morning in elk camp to find it completely buried in 50" of brand new northwest cascades snow fall.   i was snowbound for three days in a camp trailer with no heat, and i don't know how cold it was, but the little dear started up on the first twirl when a road grader and a d-9 cat came by to open the road.   it took a while to dig it out of the snow.

it was banged around, and abused, and neglected for about 16 years or so and never skipped a beat.   but, components started failing, and as of late i kept a weather eye in the rear view mirrors to make sure no parts were dropping from it as i went down the road.   and, just last year i made trips to spokane and seattle with the little dear, making sure to take a couple days of water and snacks with me in case it gave up the ghost on the road.

for the last year or so i have been driving around town looking for likely substitutes for the little 4wd vehicle.  about 6 months ago i saw it, and was taken, my heart captured by stealth as i drove silently past it, hope upon hope that it would not sell, and that the price could be negotiated downward.

my little s-10 was chevy red.   the windshield was cracked in two places, one crack running from top to bottom, and pitted by a couple of gravel strikes.  there was a hole in the muffler.   the anti-skid braking system went out, and the mechanics and i simply removed the 90-amp fuse that funneled the power to it, and "removed" it from the scheme of things.  (chevy systems simply boost pressure in a brake line if it shows no "oomph" to the computer, so if the regular braking system is working o.k., it still works o.k. with the asb disabled.   my brakes work just fine.)

but, she gave up.   and, now she is parked in the back yard, and i have separation anxiety and guilt about putting her out to pasture.   but, not so much that i held off on buying her replacement as the inevitable approached.

i bought another red chevy.   a car two years older than the s-10 blazer, a 1999 chevy camaro.   i have always liked camaro's, and my older brother nathan, since deceased, used to let me race around in his 302 c.i. chevy camaro, a z-28 model w/ a 4-speed close ratio tranny.   unsupervised.  alone.   on the back & curvy county roads around the area.    he was probably a little more out of his mind than i was, all things considered.

my "new" little red chevy is dead stock, and not equipped with a great big old v-8, but the "buick" 3.8 liter gen ii engine, and a 5-speed manual transmission & clutch, and a non-slip differential of some sort or another.  the body is painted the same chevy red as the s-10, but, in contrast to the s-10 it has few miles, the body is immaculate, and the only indicia of age is dirty upholstery and a couple of faded sun-visors  ...  go figure.

i've had to replace the front tires, no biggie, because although the tires are big, they are not the super big gumshoes of the performance camaro's, and didn't cost much.   i'll put two more on the back in a couple months or so, when finances permit.

this little car is not a drag racer, but, the 3.8 liter v-6 moves along pretty smartly after first gear is waved goodbye, and the rev's come easily to the little motor once the car is rolling.  and, the car, though no light weight goes where it is pointed in a stately manner, without being ponderous.  it is fun to drive, and the motor has a pleasant note under a bit of load and acceleration.

this is a perfectly acceptable situation for me.   i am freshly 73 years of age at this point, and though i enjoy the rhythms of quick driving, my four by-passes and 6 stents don't really handle heavy doses of excitement all that well any more.   so, i like spirited just fine, but, no more wild ass driving for this kid.

still in all, the "new" little camaro is a pleasure to drive.   it is at once spirited, yet predictably comfy, and that is the perfect combination for me.   it is hard to get in and out of, and the seat belt attachment is ridiculous, but that will serve to keep me nimble.   laughing.

so, i transition from the old red chevy to a new old red chevy, and it is a mild rejuvenation.  as an added bonus, the camaro has a decent radio, the cd player works, and it has a "monsoon" stereo system, which was the cat's pajamas in 1999.   it's kinda the prom car i never had.   and, it still draws an admiring glance from time to time, from kids who know cars.

i am waiting for the first kid in a hopped up honda or subaru to jack me up for a drag race on main.   i will politely refuse, but, grin like the idiot kid i remain.  i'll keep you posted on further developments.

john jay @ 06.11.2021

p.s.   the revolution can wait a month or so, as i get the intricacies of the manual and clutch under my belt again.   it's coming back pretty quickly, though it will be a little bit yet before i am again fully conversant with mixing my own.  i am enjoying every moment.   some think that a bit self indulgent in an old poop like me.   i am not to worried, i was going to go to hell anyway.    laughing.