Monthly Archives: November 2016

Aiding, Abetting, And Harboring: A Coming Education?

21 Monday Nov 2016

Posted by in Legal/Political Columns

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Donald Trump was elected, partly, to avert a civil war. And part of his appeal was securing America’s borders and repatriating illegal aliens and terrorists. People it seems tire of criminals entering the country to compete for scarce jobs and to loot the welfare office. They are incensed by hoards of “refugees” of a totally alien culture bent on turning Omaha into Paris or, worse, Damascus. “Build the wall!,” they chanted at rally after rally.

Now that Trump is headed for the highest office, it remains to be seen if he will follow through. One sign that he might do so is his pick for Attorney General: Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions. Under existing law Trump and Sessions will have great power to tame immigration.

The other side refuses to lie down, even after their electoral beating this month. Their tenacity is to be commended. Like their criminal friends and constituents, their leaders have vowed to evade the law. The mayors of “sanctuary cities” across the nation declare they will allow illegal immigrants to stay in spite of the coming crackdown. Sessions may have a harsh answer for them.

The Senator has indicated he may well use his coming authority to strip said cities of federal funding. He also has a more drastic option at his disposal (or, he will).

8 U.S.C. § 1324 makes aiding, abetting, and harboring illegal aliens a felony:

Any person who …

knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that an alien has come to, entered, or remains in the United States in violation of law, conceals, harbors, or shields from detection, or attempts to conceal, harbor, or shield from detection, such alien in any place, including any building or any means of transportation …

[Or who] aids or abets the commission of any of the preceding acts,
shall be punished…

in the case of a violation of subparagraph (A)(ii), (iii), (iv), or (v)(II), be fined under title 18, imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both…

Being a mayor or city official is not an exemption to “any person” as contemplated by the law. And certain circumstances elevate some violations to 20-year felony status.

This law is currently used as infrequently as the general prohibition against illegal entries (probably much less – if at all). That may change.

The change might also affect colleges and universities, many of which allow illegal aliens not only to attend classes, but to do so at discounted tuition rates. This is a slap in the face to legal immigrants, native citizens, taxpayers, and the rule of law.

Two schools in Georgia recently contemplated caving to criminal protesters and to allowing illegals cheap access to what passes for education (not a guarantee for anyone). Numerous administrators and faculty members at the schools support the idea – probably because they stand to gain financially from the enrollments (the law and the taxpayers tossed aside).

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And our money? And our laws? And our civilization? Townhall.

Perhaps they will reconsider their positions in the face of possible “harboring” prosecutions. If not, they could have five good years during which to reflect.

Top Ten Disadvantages Of Fitness

20 Sunday Nov 2016

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Another of my favorite sub-topics here is fitness. The site first really came into being on the heels of my great weight loss of 2012-2013. I frequently tout the advantages of getting in shape and staying in shape. However there are drawbacks.

Here I have tried my best to explain some of those healthy health-related problems. The following are both comical and serious. They are based on my own observations over the past four years. Here goes:

One. Fatophobia.

Once upon a time I was the epitome of the jolly overweight American. I thought to myself, then, that I wore it well. I didn’t. Others don’t either. When you’ve been there and come back, these things are very noticeable.

Two. Reverse fatigue.

Millions of Americans report chronic fatigue syndrome. This illness is real. And it’s curable. It’s caused by inactivity. Strangely, working out – over doing it – leads to some of the same symptoms. However, these are largely self-curing. It is something to beware of. Listen to your body.

Three. Rotating injuries.

This is part age-related and part over doing things. Curls on Monday lead to sore biceps on Tuesday, just in time for benching. That means a sore chest on Wednesday (with lingering arm issues too), just in time for breaking the back. The really sad thing is that one comes to enjoy it all.

Four. Beat up hands.

I lift and box. Both sides of my hands are constantly smashed up. At least there’s symmetry.

Five. Constant advice seeking.

Over a year or two you go from “Wow, You’re losing weight!” to “Hey, are you sick?” to “Can you give me some pointers?” I’m always happy to help. This is only irritating when I realize I really need to get my fitness book out. Demand is obviously there.

Six. No eating out.

Most restaurant food is garbage. Thus I almost never eat out anymore. And I don’t miss it. Until I do. Something about a double bacon cheeseburger. Gnome-sayin?

Seven. Getting hit on.

Yes, sweetie, I have guns.

You don’t have to touch them. (But it’s okay if you do.) I’m a crazy magnet so this gets complicated. If you shape up, get a stick.

Eight. Clothes don’t fit.

Now we come to the serious problems. I lost and rearranged 80 pounds. I lost about a foot off of my waist. I now have three outfits that fit properly and I hate shopping. This is a plus if you learn to embrace minimalism.

Nine. Can’t handle the booze.

Gone forever are the days of killing a bottle of Bowmore to warm up for a night of drinking. I have nothing at all against alcohol yet I find myself going weeks and even months without it. Two beers and done these days. And I really don’t miss it at all. Scotch and beer snobbery greatly contributed to the former girth. Maybe it’s not really a drawback.

Ten. Intolerance to cold.

This is by far the worst. Like a blubber-coated walrus, I used to happily go out in the snow in shorts. I have skied in a t-shirt. Now, when it drops into the sixties I feel compelled to sweater up. My hands hurt. This makes winter outdoor blogging problematic. On the plus side, the 100 degree days aren’t quiet as bad.

coldhand

Chris Bray.

Yet and still, all of these issues beat sluggishness, breathlessness, and diabetes. It’s like a Nick Kershaw song come true – the grass really is (a little) greener over here. Join us. Bring gloves…

Can Dak Prescott Save The NFL? (Dunno But My Predictions Are Uncanny)

19 Saturday Nov 2016

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Maybe. Maybe not.

The NFL has taken a ratings beat down this season. Some of it has to do with Colin Kaepernick’s antics and ilk. Colin isn’t completely to blame. The fan base suffers from fatigue after years of watching the whole sport drift to the left, now closer to Stalinism than to soccer. Many have completely written it off. I did.

Okay, my write-off is not complete. I’m watching a few SEC games right now.

This week, Daniel Holloway and Variety looked into the subject. Specifically, they cited Dak and Dallas as possible saviors of a ruined season.

In a season that has seen the NFL’s broadcast partners dogged by depressed ratings, last Sunday brought a welcome jolt. Fox’s second game of the afternoon — for most homes the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers — was the most watched of the season, drawing 28.9 million viewers. That evening, NBC’s “Sunday Night Football,” featuring the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks, drew 22.5 million viewers, the most for any primetime football game this season.

That was enough to slow the bleeding, but not stop it. Ratings for week 10 games were still down an average 6% from one year ago. Considering that all other weeks this season saw percentage declines in the double digits, however, it was a moral victory — one that could become a winning streak in week 11, which begins tonight with the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers on “Thursday Night Football.”

Like most of the press and the establishment, Variety misses the real point. Football was quintessentially American. Then it was hijacked. The hijackers are still in control. Most former fans will not return to a League and a sport that view them as hostile aliens and idiots, “deplorables” good for buying tickets and jerseys and for little else.

Then again, the press misses a lot of stuff these days. They were blindsided by Trump’s win. Never saw it coming. Wasn’t even a possibility. They were preoccupied with Comrade Clinton’s ascension over the feeble objections of the basket-dwellers. I saw that train coming, calling the electoral vote with 95% accuracy – 2 months early. Really, it was kind of hard not to see it.

It’s much the same, maybe exactly the same, with football. The press elite were preoccupied with Comrade Roger’s foolish war against NE. That the people grew tired of pink-clad felons standing around for TV timeouts in a debased PC playground never occurred to them. And, again, I saw it all first. I hailed Prescott as the possible hero of the season one week into the preseason (even after Dallas and Dak lost the first scrimmage against the Rams).

Dak is electric and just a darned good quarterback. MSU, 2014, anyone? But can one player salvage a whole industry? Who can say? (I lean towards “no”). There’s much else that must change. It’s the same with Trump. In both cases we now have “our guy”. That’s great but now we must see delivery. We must ditch the same sort of afflictions that plague football and America.

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USA Today.

Hope abounds though the greater questions and concerns are still out there. Time will tell.

By the way, for major stories in 2016, that’s: Perrin, 2 – Media, 0. I offer my services to Zuckerberg for rooting out all that fake news. I won’t hold my breath.

Christmas Tie Season 2016

18 Friday Nov 2016

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This morning, by my own declaration, Christmas Tie Season officially commenced. The season runs from today until … wait for it … Christmas.

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This is the only time of the year when I enjoy tying around my neck what is essentially a silken noose. Think about it.

Over the next few weeks I’ll post some more of my collection. I’ve got everything from subdued to religious to Santa to cartoons to plain crazy. Yes, some play music.

I don’t do a tree anymore. Nor do I have stockings, tangled chains of lights, or the Troll on the Table (whatever). I do the ties. And you should to. Men, add a little festive cheer to your business wardrobe. Ladies, Christmas ties make the perfect gift for the man who everything.

Tie one on!

So It Begins: The Robot War On Humanity

18 Friday Nov 2016

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Robots have started the violence against the human race that so many have predicted. And they try to blame it on “operator error”.

A robot went out of control at a technology fair in southern China’s Guangdong province Thursday, smashing a glass window and injuring a visitor.

The aggressor was Fabo, an education and entertainment robot for children. A human error was responsible for the mishap: The person operating Fabo hit the “forward” button instead of “reverse,” according to one of the fair’s organizers.

This command sent Fabo off in the direction of a neighboring exhibition booth that was made from glass. The robot rammed into the booth and shattered the glass, the splinters from which injured the ankles of a visitor to the exhibition.

Today they aim glass shards at our ankles. Tomorrow it will be bullets at our heads.

TERMINATOR GENISYS

James Cameron / Orion Films.

The robots hate us. They were a mistake. And they’re not just after our jobs. But, hey, y’all have fun with those self-driving cars, drone “toys”, and ATMs.

I Want To Open A Museum And I Want You To Pay For It

17 Thursday Nov 2016

Posted by in News and Notes

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The other day a friend and I discussed someone who is on Social Security disability. This led to a broader conversation about all the wonderful benefits provided by one half of America to the other half. Where do they go to find out about all these “free” perks?

I found the answer. Believe it or not there is actually the following website: Your Path To Government Benefits. No kidding. I did not cook that up on the backside of Word Press. All ones does is click the “Start Benefit Finder” button and the site takes over, presumably scouring every department in D.C. and the states for available graft and loot.

Poking around under “Agency” I landed on the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). Somewhere in there I stumbled across possible grants for museums, among many other things. That got me thinking about an idea I had many moons ago. A great idea. A crazy idea. An idea I just had to share with you.

Perrin Lovett’s Amazing Mobile Corvette Museum

My idea is simple. I could always another car. And since the money is available, why not try to have all of you pay for it. It’s for you anyway. It’s simple.

I’ll apply for a museum grant to cover the cost of a new car. The car will be a “museum” – to that particular type of car. A single exhibit museum on wheels. I will be the curator. For your enjoyment, I will drive the car around town. You get the benefit of seeing it on the road and in select parking lots. You can bring the kids. Maybe I’ll have a gift shop in the trunk.

While this might seem like my attempt to procure free transportation, I assure you it is an educational benefit for the greater community.

My problems with implementation are several. First, there are forms to fill out for a grant. I’m lazy and I utterly detest forms. Second, I’m not sure my request would be taken seriously. I don’t have the time to sue the NEA for enforcement. Third, I do still have a shred of decency left. I would feel a little guilty about peeling out of the Starbucks parking lot while a few school children are still enjoying my sweet new ride the exhibit.

Finally, and most alarmingly, the grant amounts I saw look a little low. The top figure I saw was $25,000. That would hardly cover a new V8 Corvette, let alone insurance, gas, sheepskin seat covers, and an extended maintenance plan from Chevy. $125,000 might do it though I would expect a salary for my curation skills. Let’s say I need a quarter million. Come to think out it, I’ll need an assistant to ride shotgun. Maybe a college cheerleader or gymnast. Need a new shotgun too. Half a million???

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National Corvette Museum. See, there’s already something similar, just not mobile. Or mine. I’ll need cash for those velvet rope things too…

$25,000 might fund Perrin’s Base Toyota Corolla Museum but that’s not what I’m after. A good museum, in my deranged mind, can cruise highway speeds with ease in second gear. You see my problems.

This magnificent idea, my great contribution to the art and entertainment worlds has already suffered vapor lock. I didn’t look hard at the funding limits. Maybe there’s a waiver for worthy causes. Maybe President Trump can lean on someone. He claims he won’t take a salary; they could allot that money to me.

Help me out. Send your ideas or grant tips. Is Corvette too domestic? Perrin’s Big Bad Bugatti Museum has a nice ring to it.

The money’s there. Why not waste it?

I want to help you help me help myself.

*As a crazy aside, compare and contrast the ease of the operation of that “Benefits” site to the IRS site. That latter one I am much more familiar with. Bet you are too…

**As a less crazy aside, if you’re a really hot college cheerleader or gymnast and you would like to be my assistant, please send me some pics and a number for arranging our … interview. This thing probably won’t fly but … you know.

Cashing Out: The Banksters Wage War On You

17 Thursday Nov 2016

Posted by in Legal/Political Columns, News and Notes

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Power. Unlimited power!

Such was the battle cry of Darth Sidious in one of those Star Wars movies, one of the new ones that didn’t stink too bad. It’s the real cry of Darth Citious, a.k.a. Citibank. Theirs is a quest for unlimited power through total control of the economy, your finances included.

Cash money is one of the very last safety measures for privacy in a world gone mad. Citi wants to eliminate cash.

Less than a week after India’s surprise move to scrap its highest denomination cash notes, another front in the War on Cash has intensified down under in Australia.

Yesterday, banking giant UBS proposed that eliminating Australia’s $100 and $50 bills would be “good for the economy and good for the banks.”

(How convenient that a bank would propose something that’s good for banks!)

This isn’t the first time that the financial establishment has pushed for a cashless society in Australia (or anywhere else).

In September 2015, Australian bank Westpac published its “Cash Free Report”, suggesting that the country would become cashless by 2022.

In July 2016, Australian payments firm Tyro published an enormously self-serving blog post touting the benefits of a cashless society and saying, “it’s only a matter of time.”

Most notably, two days ago, Citibank (yes, THAT Citibank) announced that it was going cashless at some of its Australian branches.

…

Bank deposits would rise as a result, and consequently, so would bank profits.

Governments would benefit from a cashless society because all savings would be in the banking system, and they have full regulatory control over the banks.

This means that your politicians would have more control over your savings and fewer obstacles to impose capital controls or engage in Civil Asset Forfeiture.

Even policy wonk academics would have a rare opportunity to take their lousy theories and PhD dissertations for a test drive.

Everyone benefits from a cashless society… except for you.

For individuals, cash still has plenty of important advantages.

Cash is one of the few remaining options for financial privacy that doesn’t create a permanent record of every purchase or transaction you make.

It’s also an easy way to reduce your exposure to risks in the broader financial system.

Think about it– the banking system is full of institutions that never miss an opportunity to demonstrate they cannot be trusted with our money.

Hardly a month goes by without some major banking scandal; they’re caught colluding on exchange rates, manipulating interest rates, fraudulently establishing fake accounts without customer consent (and then charging us fees on top of that).

It’s disgraceful.

That it is. Good for the banks, good for the government, bad for you. Decrease your security and privacy so banks can make higher profits and government can do what they do worst.

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Quickmeme / Lucas / Fox.

Bankster pirates and government highwaymen in the U.S. and in Europe are itching to get rid of cash. I’m sure Citi’s Australian experiment is a trial run for global implementation.

What to do about it? For now, if your bank goes cashless, close your accounts there. Tell them why in no uncertain terms. If you hit them where it hurts, they’ll stop. That or other, more honest banks will fill the void. And vote out any political rat who backs cashless totalitarianism or who supports the banking cartel. For every rodent, a trap.

This issue doesn’t get the coverage it should. Digital money in a bank’s computer is just that. Whatever it is, it is theirs. They’ll have total control over everything you “own” and they’ll be more than willing to share it with the state. The state will be more than willing to take it. This is to be the biggest reverse bank robbery in history. Treat it as such.