Sunday funnies

Yeah, I hate when that happens: "Elderly Florida Woman Wakes Up To Exotic Animal 'Caressing' Her Face".

Tomato soup was always my favorite - but not anymore...



Naturally, this thing would be found in the antipodes.

Don't just let those binder clips pile up in a drawer; put 'em to work.

Say, who's up for a spot of dwile flonking?

I suspect this is one of Michelle Obama's school lunch suggestions (H/T: Mrs. Paco).

Whistling past the graveyard is one thing

This, however, is more like stomping among the tombstones while playing "Yackety Sax": "EU Leaders Claim No Link Between Cologne Sex Attacks And Migrant Crisis".

Perfect analogy

Comedian Tim Allen: "the Clintons are like herpes: Just when you think they’re gone, they show up again."

Reversal

Virginia governor and legislature agree on deal to reverse state attorney general's cancellation of concealed-carry reciprocity agreements.

The world turned upside down

I look about the current political scene and profess myself baffled - although, admittedly, highly amused. Donald Trump's feud with Fox News is more momentous than his rivalry with the other Republican candidates; Hillary the Inevitable is looking more like Hillary the Collapsing Souffle; an extraordinary number of people apparently are infatuated with this "new" doctrine called "socialism", and think that a guy who looks like Walter Brennan's grandmother makes a perfect standard bearer; the conservative wing takes a break from fighting the GOP establishment to rend itself asunder; Barack Obama - first half-black president, lightworker and alleged smartest man in any room - is relegated to page 6 of the Metro section.

I haven't seen anything this strange in all my born days. I do believe my personal strategy is sound, however: just keep stocking up on food, firearms and ammo.

The incredible shrinking president

I've been surfing the web the last few days, including not only blogs but online sites for major media outlets, and something just struck me: Obama has virtually vanished from the headlines. He has truly become the lamest of lame ducks.

But the Daily Caller keeps the fear-level up with scary stuff like this: "Hillary Thinks It’s A ‘Great Idea’ To Appoint Obama To The Supreme Court". I can think of few things that would more surely propel me into the revolutionary, burn-it-down camp than a "Justice" Obama.

Hey, what happened to the global warming tipping point?

The time has run out on Al Gore's doomsday clock - and, strangely, here we all still are.

Gun channels

The Daily Caller has a good list of some of the more popular YouTube gun channels.

To this compilation, I would add Jeff Quinn at Gunblast, Mr. Guns and Gear, and Mixup98. Jeff Quinn is a hulking mountain man with a braided beard and a down-home style that is very much my kinda people; Mr. Guns and Gear provides informative reviews of all sorts of contemporary guns; and the guy at Mixup98 loves Tannerite and bump-firing.

A belated birthday acknowledgement

To John Moses Browning, whose genius is succinctly but effectively described in this View From the Porch.

Little s**t

Danny DeVito says we're all racists.

Sunday Funnies

Well, at least this character enjoyed the snow storm.

New York police stop stampede.

A very Australian good Samaritan.

Yeah, this is probably about right...



Solid, Jackson! I'll take two in XL.

Yeah, kind of a blizzard

The snow's piled up about two feet deep so far, with heavy winds causing drifts over three feet in spots. And the stuff is still coming down.

I really hate this weather. For one thing, I have to keep chasing these things out of my backyard...


"Come on, big fella. You're trampling Mrs. Paco's roses."

Snow removal

The fun way of removing snow build-up...

Happy Feet Friday

Jerry Lee Lewis and Tom Jones combine on a medley of Lewis's hits. I have to admit, I had forgotten what a talented set of pipes Tom Jones actually had.

Good news for Colt fans

Colt has emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Prepping

A massive snow storm is bearing down on the Paco Command Center. Better take inventory of essential provisions:

Tobacco? Check.
Cheerwine? Check.
Peanut butter? Check.
Shotgun shells (in case of snow zombies)? Check.

I'd say we're ready. Bring it on.

Or, maybe we'll just hop in the car tomorrow and drive south until we see palm trees.

Kompetence with a capital 'K'

"General Services Administration (GSA) officials designed a $75 million federal law enforcement facility so unsuited to what the intended occupants needed that they couldn’t use the building when it was completed, according to the Government Accountability Office."

It gets better:

GSA, already notorious for wasteful spending on conferences and employee videos, didn’t talk to the Federal Protective Service (FPS) during design phase of the more than 180,000 square foot building, the congressional watchdog agency said in a report made public Tuesday.

“As a result, FPS said that no law enforcement agencies were able to use the facility and that GSA invested resources for a facility that is not suitable for its intended tenants,” GAO said.

Officials at GSA thought the new facility was for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ district headquarters so they consulted with the FPS on perimeter security. But GAO said GSA’s failure to coordinate with FPS before constructing a nearly $75 million building is evidence of a serious lack of communications between two agencies according to GAO.

Elsewhere, the Department of Commerce is wondering what to do with its brand new aircraft carrier.

The common thread

"Totalitarians of all stripes have one thing in common. The ordinary folk cannot have weapons. Weapons are a threat to the hierarchy of rule, a symbol of power and independence, an enabler of equality.

Whether European and American totalitarians or ISIS, guns have to go. Fascists are all the same everywhere, always, throughout history."

Two cheers for Donald Trump

Erick Erickson's assessment of Trump is one that I largely agree with:

I would prefer Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio to Donald Trump. I want a conservative President and, should Trump genuinely be converted to the principles of Hayek, Friedman, Kirk, etc., I think he needs time in the trenches of the movement to show his conversion sticks.

But I would gladly vote for Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton or any other Democrat. He has bested the consultant class at its own game for now and the only one giving him a run for his money is Ted Cruz who, like Trump, has refused to use the D.C. political class to advance in the field.

Whether Trump makes it out of Iowa the winner or not, Republicans will owe Trump thanks for exposing their fault lines and flaws and showing just how inept, corrupt, and out to lunch the Washington Republican consultant class has become.

One more look at the recent Democrat debate

Daniel Greenfield makes some highly amusing observations. A sample:

Hillary Clinton offered an awkward opening statement comparing herself to Martin Luther King. Bernie Sanders delivered the same rambling soundbite about the 1 percent and a rigged economy that is his only platform. A rigged economy however is just another way of describing Socialism.

Martin O'Malley claimed that he was Martin O'Malley, but no one seemed interested. So he tried to claim that he was Barack Obama and no one believed him.

Hillary Clinton promised to fix all the crumbling infrastructure. Bernie Sanders promised to fix even more of the crumbling infrastructure. But the most obvious crumbling infrastructure on stage in South Carolina was Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton. And the Democratic Party.

The Koch brothers?

They're small potatoes compared to their well-heeled opponents on the Left.

Mirabile dictu

A couple of liberals actually take a step back from the knee-jerk, hysterical yowling of the gun-control crowd.

The questing spirit

Throughout the ages, there have been people who burned with curiosity to know what was on the other side of the mountain. Many have paid the ultimate price for their inquisitiveness. Here are ten explorers who never made it back.

Remembering Martin Luther King, Jr.

A good post by Scott Johnson at Powerline.

John Podhoretz watched the Democratic debate last night so you wouldn't have to

And apparently Sanders tore into Clinton like a Tyrannosaurus attacking a blind, three-legged Triceratops (and, yes, the dinosaur analogy is a reference to their codger status).

Update: That scamp, Jim Treacher, has a visual of the debate.

Beautiful

Kimber is introducing a new 6-shot .357 revolver that is absolutely gorgeous.

This probably won't find its way into the Paco arsenal; Kimber's stuff is pretty pricey. Still, from the technological and aesthetic viewpoints, it's a fine piece of work.

The problem with Trump

Or rather, one of the problems with Trump. If he thinks failed liberal Republican Scott Brown would be a great choice for VP, what can we expect when it becomes necessary to nominate someone for the Supreme Court?

Meanwhile, Ted Cruz continues his relentless advance.

Monday movie

Doris Day flees potential fame and fortune to return to her childhood sweetheart, Jeffrey Bushdinkle - who turns out to bear a strong resemblance to a famous leading man (from It's a Great Feeling).

Sunday funnies

Thinking about Powerball.

From the Dept. of When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade: Taco restaurant turns security video of a burglary into an advertisement.



When I used to make the long daily AmTrak commute from Richmond to Washington, there were frequently delays for all kinds of reasons: rain, cold, goats on the track. But AmTrak has nothing on the UK's rail system: "UK commuters told trains delayed by sunlight" (H/T: Mrs. Paco).

Going somewhere? Don't leave home without these exciting new products from Paco Enterprises.



If the financial markets keep falling, my retirement home might wind up being one of these (actually, I'm not sure I'd mind at all).

So, what does this chart show?

The sharp decline in oil prices?

The dramatic fall in the stock market?

Why, no, it's the collapse of Hillary Clinton's standing in the polls.

Silver lining

Great line on self-defense from Sheriff Grady Judd

“It’s more important to have a gun in your hand than a cop on the phone."

Amen to that, brother.

Happy Feet Friday

Stomp off this morning with Hadda Brooks and the Jukebox Boogie.

Who knew?

Ted Turner, the wacky left-wing media mogul, has a son who's a dyed-in-the-wool conservative.

Dear Republican Establishment...

...Please come to the coach's office and bring your playbook.

Really, you just pile imbecility on top of imbecility. The latest instance? Obama's SOTU speech. A long yawnfest of self-congratulatory bilge and phantom achievements. Instead of leveraging Obama's incompetence and radicalism to fire broadsides at the Democrat party in general, and its likely standard bearer in particular, you trot Nikki Haley out to throw stink-bombs at...the Republican front-runner - who will probably see yet another spike in his popularity as a result.

Look. Jeb Bush has, for all intents and purposes, assumed room temperature. He's not the guy. Ain't gonna happen. The nominee is going to be Donald Trump or Ted Cruz. Be prepared to get behind one of them, or start toddlin' off to the elephant graveyard.

I dunno...

This could be disqualifying: "Donald Trump Played Soccer in High School".

Stephen Green drunkblogs Obama's SOTU speech

Obama's LAST SOTU speech, my friends.

Update: 140 unfulfilled promises from Barry's previous SOTU speeches.

Update II: Haw! Ted Cruz Tweets: "Tonight's speech was less a State of the Union and more a state of denial".

Evil is destructive

Pure evil ultimately devours even its own: "ISIS Burns Its Own Fighters Alive To Teach Them A Lesson".

Update: R-man, in the comments -

I wonder if the video of this will show up in a future IS recruiting video.

Come fight, and die for Allah!

Or don't fight, and die for Allah!

Whatever. We're flexible.

The next rung on Obama's career ladder

Barry apparently entertains some hope of becoming Secretary General of the UN. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu would like to derail that plan.

As always, my thoughts and prayers are with you, Mr. Prime Minister!

Looks like Hillary would be just as big a friend to Israel as Obama

"Hillary e-mail exchange debated kick-starting Palestinian protests to pressure Israel".

A second look at book burning

Gag-worthy: Hillary Clinton as children's book heroine.

Monday movie

Frank Nitti takes the express elevator.

The stuff of nightmares

I wouldn't want to encounter even a garden variety mountain lion while out hiking, let alone one with a second set of teeth growing on the top of his head.

Sunday funnies

Creative types turn a photo of a street scene in Manchester into works of art.

From the bizarro universe: Barack Obama, gun enthusiast (H/T: Captain Heinrichs).

Bridging the gap for our animal friends.

Gaaaaaaah! Now I can't take my eyes off of it!

Next time, remember the rope...



Date night!

A few items from Jimmy Fallon's "Do Not Read List"...

Hard to argue with that

A Chinese immigrant has a far better grasp on the issue of gun violence than President Jug Head:

If you believe more gun control by your government is going to save lives, you are being naïve. The champion of all the mass killings in this world is always a tyrannical government.

Unfortunately, this seems entirely plausible

"The truth is this: the establishment wing of the Republican Party would rather Hillary Clinton win than Ted Cruz win. If Ted Cruz wins, a good number of the establishment staff would be on the unemployment line, shut out of jobs in the White House that they covet."

"Walking meetings"?

Sweet! So, I could at least enjoy a smoke while having to listen to senior management types yammer on about their annual performance goals.

Granny, get your gun

A 65-year-old grandmother in New Hampshire perforates a punk.

Happy Feet Friday

Peggy Lee loves her some Winter Weather (with an assist from Art Lund).

Invasion

Ted Cruz has an amusing campaign ad out, the theme of which is immigration.

Well, what do you know, there really is a rape culture

It's just not on U.S. college campuses: "An unmentionable refugee question".

Sheer fantasy

But oh so delicious to entertain - "Former U.S. attorney: Clinton could face criminal indictment".

How did you celebrate Obama's new gun control edicts?

A fellow I know well - you might even say I love him as I love myself - celebrated by buying a Ruger Redhawk revolver, in the comparatively rare .41 Magnum version. A hefty, stainless steel beauty, with Hogue grips. Nice.

I hear, in a roundabout sort of way, that Green Top, one of the best-stocked gun stores in Virginia, has been doing a hundred firearm sales per day for the last couple of weeks. That is, until the last few days; now they're doing nearly two hundred sales per day.

For a guy who wants to reduce the number of guns in our society, I'd say Barry's efforts seem to be a little counterproductive.

By the way, I saw that he shed tears when he gave his little speech on gun control. Twitchy responds with robust skepticism.

Aliens may have visited us

Said Hillary Clinton, with a strange, knowing smile on her face.

Chuck Norris vs. Romania

Ceausescu never had a chance.

Today's Chuck Norris fact: Chuck Norris doesn't need to pull the pin on grenades, they just blow up from fear.

Obama vs. America

He's done a lot of damage, and he isn't through yet, but beyond this last year of his two-term Reign of Error, we might still turn him into the Canvasback Kid, and his accomplishments into so-many recycled old newspapers if we mobilize politically at all levels of government. A laborious task, but to borrow from (and mangle) Trotsky, you might not be interested in politics, but politics is interested in you.

Happy Feet Friday (Saturday edition)

"Down the Road a Piece" is a catchy little boogie woogie tune originally recorded in 1940 by members of the Will Bradley/Ray McKinley orchestra. It had a pretty long shelf life and was recorded by various musicians well into the 1950s. My favorite version is the live performance by Amos Milburn, shown in the following video clip from a music and variety TV program called Live From the Apollo (I've posted it before, but it's always worth a second listen):



Imagine my delight when I recently discovered that the song was performed by the Rolling Stones, of all people, live on the BBC in 1965. Here's their take:

The one tiny little obstacle that the gun grabbers forget

We do, after all, have the guns.