FINALLY SPRING, WEEK 7: It was a dark and stormy morning, so my pictures are limited to what I could see from cover this morning. First are the two usuals, the pond and the fire pit.

In both you can see that the tree canopy is beginning to fill out, as evidenced (to us) by the green pollen that's everywhere here. The biggest obvious change is the amazing growth and blooming of the irises.

The iris garden is beginning to take shape. Two dead trees have been dispatched for future firewood and an (as yet incomplete) edging for the garden, which has one white super iris already blooming.

Along the fence line all the flowers are beginning to blossom, though the iris plantings have a clear head start. You can also see in the upper left that the trees are just now beginning to leaf out.

Finally our dogwood trees are blossoming, unfortunately not the ones nearest the house. If you close your eyes and squint real hard you can see a line of blossoms downslope abour 100 feet away.

Until next week.

ALL OF IT? How much money does our government waste?

WHO KNEW? Our institutions are run by the corrupt, the crazy, and the moronic.

Well, that's because our ruling class is filled with corrupt, crazy morons.

IT'S TRUMP'S FAULT that "don't is not a foreign policy."

SATIRE OR NOT? World in shock as murderous terrorist state ignores warning from impotent old man.

The Babylon Bee is truly becoming America's News of Record.

GOOD NEWS? Poll shows voter shift toward the GOP.

Pew poll results from 2023 reveal a significant shift in party affiliation this cycle, reporting that 49% of voters identify as Democrat or leaning Democrat, while 48% identify as Republican or leaning Republican.

Additionally, about 33% of respondents said they identify as being conservative or moderate in 2023, while the other side of the aisle only sees 23% identifying as liberal Democrats or leaning liberal.

It's not enough -- not nearly enough -- but it's a start.

SNOWFLAKE PROGRESSIVES, take note. You don't know just how good you've got it.

THE MORNING AFTER THE NIGHT BEFORE. After last night.

I'm beginning to lean toward anyone carrying a Palestinian flag being pilloried and the flag burned at his/her/it's feet.

Extreme? Yes, but after the anti-Israel protests we see daily, deserved.

FINALLY SPRING, WEEK 6: Finally we're beginning to get somewhere. Not much difference in the pond view this week,

but there are buds beginning to show in the upper reaches of the deciduous trees. I expect some green by next week if the warming trend continues.

The same changes are evident in the fire pit view. The taller reaches of the trees are a bit 'fuzzy' this week, indicating that they are beginning to wake.

Looking down the street, the trees are beginning to bud out (there goes my 100% Starlink connection, I fear).

I braved the elements (sunny skies, no wind) today and Tuxedo and I walked down to the pond. Here are two pictures (neither including Tux) taken from opposite ends of the pond.

Note in both that the deciduous trees are still mostly bare, the pines happily basking in what little sun gets down there.

And finally, the 'bent tree'. This picture was taken at Meeks Park in Blairsville this morning. I have no idea what must have happened to cause that shape, but the tree survived and is growing happily.

Until next week, then....

DON SURBER: NPR personnel policies mug a white, straight male liberal. It's hilarious.

SIXTEEN CRIMINAL COUNTS AND $1M BAIL: Unhinged pro-Hamas woman finds out threatening city council members isn't a good idea.

I'M ALL FOR LIMITING ACCESS TO CALIFORNIA: Google to limit access to California news sites.

Heh.

I QUIT YEARS AGO: The NPR-listening 'elite 1%'.

My son quit more recently after NPR went batshit crazy.

IOWAHAWK has a few thoughts on 'latine'.

UNREAL: As predicted, California has killed the rooftop solar market.

VICTOR DAVIS HANSON: DEI cronyism and woke grifters.

It's VDH; read it all.

ISRAEL IS RISKING LOSING THE WAR by caring what people who hate it think.

Don't. Do what's necessary to win.

WORDS STILL MATTER: What's with this 'partner' crap?

KURT SCHLICHTER: It's time to rethink your 'never Trumpism'.

BIDENOMICS UPDATE: That's gonna leave a mark.

I would only note that my number for groceries is consistent.

UPDATE: Powerline has much more.

IDAHO GOVERNOR BRAD LITTLE: No, we aren't playing the pronoun game here.

RED STATE'S Thursday morning minute. There are several stories; read them all.

"THANK YOU FOR TELLING ME YOUR PRONOUNS. I USE CORRECT GRAMMAR:” TalkTV host gives 'epic' response to guest who states preferred pronouns at start of interview.

I'D BE OKAY WITH THAT if they were also exempt from taking welfare: "Black people should be exempt from paying taxes."

WE ARE RULED BY MALEVOLENT CLOWNS. Because the earth is boiling and we are doomed, and we must shoot the sky.

ON ABORTION: 'Voters don't care' what [former VP Mike] Pence says.

TEXAS STILL HAS GOOD ROADS: Eclipse visitors were supposed to overwhelm Texas and its roads.

THE BIDEN INFLATION INDEX as seen by my household budget. The chart below is my personal inflation index, the average monthly dollar amount spent in grocery stores (averaged over the first three months of 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024). Budgeted is in red; the actual amount spent is in blue.

The year 2021 can be safely assumed to be indicative of the Trump years, since the Biden administration didn't begin until the end of January. Then 'Bidenomics' took over.

Wow. Just wow. If only my income had kept up....

Trump 2024.

SATIRE? American transition to idiocracy running ahead of schedule.

Somehow I think it's more of a prediction coming true.

GOOD FOR YOU: Sen. Joe Manchin [D-WV] blocks Democrat hopes to replace Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

Manchin is a real Democrat. I wish there were more.

BECAUSE HUMANS ARE INCREASINGLY STUPID MALEDUCATED: Artificial Intelligence will be smarter than any human around the end of next year.

I blame Democrats.

VERIFYING WHAT WE ALREADY KNEW: seedy links between media, NGOs, and the far Left.

TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE BRAIN: "[A]ll the ills that Planet Earth is and has forever been heir to -- quakes, fires, floods, high winds, rough seas, soil erosion, volcanoes, temperatures well below zero and above 100 -- have triggered an aboriginal, superstitious reaction among the panicky, the feeble-minded, and the credentialed-but-uneducated."

TEXAS GOV. GREG ABBOTT: Migrants are 'pawns' to Joe Biden (and the blue-state elites).

SCHOOL’S OUT FOREVER as education bosses use any excuse to skip class.

BY A FACTOR OF TWO: Trump campaign fundraiser crushes Biden’s.

It's looking better and better, but don't get cocky.

VICTOR DAVIS HANSON ON TWITTER: Why are they destroying us?

As to why, Hanson postulates 4 reasons. I'm comfortable with the first three, but I also think #4, with a touch of crazy, is an equally significant factor.

ISRAEL SHOULD COMPLY: Hamas just begged Israel to finish them off.

THE LEFT wants to destroy your neighborhood.

They want us in high-rise apartments with no cars living in 15-minute cities -- the easier to be controlled.

MAKING MONEY: Linemen for the county. An energy firm’s pre-apprenticeship program points to ways that states could help train future employees in the skilled trades.

Not bad. Not bad at all. It's about what I was making when I retired 10 years ago. (And I have a PhD in engineering.)

I WISH THE HEADLINE SAID 'ALL': U.S. says it destroyed Houthi air defense and drone systems in Red Sea area.

AMMO GRRRLL gets in the spirit of a renowned international day with CELEBRATE NORMIES’ INVISIBILITY DAYS (Days ending in “Y”).

She's on a tear this week; go read it all.

FROM POWERLINE'S Week in Pictures, I have two favorites in this edition. This is from Biden's announcement that his government would rebuild the Francis Scott Key bridge:

And this is his presidential campaign team:

Now go see the rest.

IMPRIMIS: Disparate impact thinking is destroying our civilization.

It is urgent that we fight back against disparate impact thinking. As long as racism remains the only allowable explanation for racial disparities, the Left wins, and our civilization will continue to crumble.

Read it all. Then think about it. Think seriously about it.

TRUMP CAUSED THE ECLIPSE TODAY; here's proof.

TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY PETE BUTTIGIEG: DC crime rate is not a problem if you have taxpayer funded armed security detail.

WOKE IS A JOKE: This week's wins in transfantasy land.

TRIFECTA! The No Labels party has no ideas, no candidates, and no clue.

That statement applies equally -- if not more so -- to Democrats.

SATIRE? 'I didn't do that,' insists Biden After aides ask him who colored on the wall of the Lincoln bedroom.

Are you sure it's satire?

THEY HAVE NOTHING TO SELL AT THAT PRICE: 99 cents only stores are all closing.

I KEEP GETTING THESE STUPID WEATHER ALERTS ON MY iPHONE: Just this week:

A moderate severity wind alert: "sustained winds 10-20 mph; gusts to 30 mph." When I lived in the desert areas of New Mexico and California that that was called a 'light breeze'.

A moderate severity freeze warning: "sub-freezing temperatures expected as low as 32F". Last I checked, 'subfreezing' meant below 32F (usually well below).

The source for all this nonsense is our very own National Weather Service. Anyone (besides me) for cutting their funding?

IF THE U.S. WON'T STRIKE BACK, MAYBE ISRAEL WILL: Israel is on high alert in the aftermath of an airstrike that killed an Iranian general earlier this week, prepping its defenses against a possible retaliatory strike.

WATCH WHAT HAPPENS when a Virginia police officer comes upon a street takeover. It's in Springfield, Virginia, one of the wealthiest and most Democratic counties in the country.

The comments are not kind, and they give you a sense of what's to come.

THEY HAVE NO PLACE TO GO: Bureaucrats hunker down to protect themselves in anticipation of a Trump victory.

They'll die without the government teat to support them.

SON OF HAMAS COMMANDER delivers takedown of pro-Hamas activist:

There is no difference between Hamas and the so-called ‘Palestinians’, as the vast majority of them support Hamas.... There are no ‘Palestinian’ people. There are conflicted tribes, and without Israel as the common enemy, they would kill each other.

Read it all.

FINALLY SPRING, WEEK 5: Kinda-sorta on time this week. Not much has happened weatherwise. Here's the usual pond photo:

Brighter than last week, clearly, and the tulip magnolia has pretty much lost all it's blossoms, but the leaves have started to come out finally. We're on the way to summer.

The dogwoods are finally coming out of hiding. These outside our kitchen window have just begun to bud; hopefully we'll have more by next week.

Further down the hill toward the creek there are more dogwood trees, and they've now begun to come out of hibernation a bit early. Usually the trees leaf first, hiding the dogwoods from view.

The fire pit view is next, and nothing much has happened. Trees behind it are still mostly bare, though there are fits-and-starts beginning to show.

Along the road, the trees are beginning to show life at the very tops. Certainly the greenish pollen that comes with every spring has begun to show up on the cars, though it certainly hasn't reached its peak.

Until next week....

ANOTHER INEPT ORGANIZATION: Amtrak Twitter account goes woke on climate change.

THE ORWELLIAN NATURE of 'sex assigned at birth'.

Every time I see 'gender' on a form, I cross it off and write 'sex' in place.

TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY PETE BUTTIGIEG HATES YOUR CAR, but mostly he thinks you're an idiot.

'Let's be clear, the automotive sector is moving toward EVs and we can't pretend otherwise.' This is like telling a death row prisoner that he's moving towards the electric chair and can't pretend otherwise. The prisoner might not want to make the "transition" to the next life, but the government has set a date for him — just like the Biden administration is trying to transition the entire country to EVs.

This from a guy(?) who's driven to work in a gas-guzzling limousine?

EVERYTHING BUT A BAGGIE OF CHEERIOS — Media is always babysitting Biden.

IN A NATIONAL DIVORCE, what happens to Missouri?

KURT SCHLICHTER: Use their calculated insults against them.

[They] are vulnerable to our power, ruthlessly exercised. Look at Ron DeSantis in Florida, scoring win after win, using his power without apology. Trump needs to do that when he wins – and he is promising to. The enemy will then try to do what it always does – leverage our values against us to get us to act as it wishes. They will seek to call us “authoritarians” who “hate democracy” whenever we exercise our power. Laugh at them. Suggest they cry more.

They can’t stop us; they can only try convince us to stop ourselves.

Don't let them.

THEY'RE GETTING NERVOUS. To keep the bureaucracy in place and functioning even without a progressive president, the Biden-Harris administration has issued a new rule that will make it difficult for Trump to clean house during his second term.

VIA 'WATTER'S WORLD' TONIGHT, Biden's 'growing economy' is a result of an illegal immigrant job fair.

I'M A DEMOCRAT; THE LAW DOESN'T APPLY TO ME. Nathan Wade in hot water for ‘reneged’ court-ordered payments to wife amid separation.

THERE’S CONTEXT and then there’s context-context.

Like Whoopi Goldberg's 'rape-rape'?

THE RACE HUSTLERS are terrified that Trump will end racism.

By eliminating Democrats (and Progressives, but I repeat myself) from power....

Update: Even some Democrats are having their 'come to Jesus' moment as a pro-Israel Democrat group is looking to oust two controversial far-left "Squad" members from their seats in Congress.

WELL, THE REAL MINIMUM WAGE IS ZERO: Fast food workers left in 'shock' over layoffs as former manager warns more are coming.

DO YOU APPROVE OF DEI? If so, you must be a 'DWEIB' [Diversity, Whinging, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging] (pronounced 'dweeb').

NEWS OR SATIRE? Judge orders Trump to stop noticing that the people trying to put him in jail are Democrats.

SOME GOVERNMENT MANDATES WORK: The University of Texas clears offices and fires DEI employees in light of new state law.

HE WOULDN'T KNOW A MAN IF HE SAW ONE. Rep. Jerry Nadler [D(umb)-NY] claims no men are in women's sports.

JESSE WATTERS ON 'THE FIVE' TODAY: "Just because it's new doesn't make it progress."

I found that somewhat amusing since it was juat a few hours earlier I was voicing a similar complaint when we couldn't find a simple bath brush when our older one finally died.

KARINE JEAN-PIERRE REBOOTS after Peter Doocy questions her on Biden's 'bloodbath' comments.

Gotcha!

KURT SCHLICHTER: Some basic law for conservatives watching our legal chaos.

My take on all this is, at least with Trump's legal woes, is that we're headed for violence. I hope I'm wrong, but it's just a hope.

JON STEWART [THE DAILY SHOW] mocks MSNBC and CNN over their histrionic coverage of hogtied Biden image on tailgate of pickup truck.

THEIR WORST NIGHTMARE is that We the People will meet their violence with force.

And that likelihood is increasing daily.

MIKE ROWE IS WINNING: best news of the day.

THE MYSTERY of your “fair share”.

There's no mystery; for Democrats your 'fair share' is 'more'.

SINK FASTER, MANHATTAN: New York City isn't going to survive the Democrats' reign of error.

REAGANOMICS HAS BEEN AROUND OVER 60 YEARS; 'Bidenomics' won't make it past four.

FINALLY SPRING, WEEK 4: This time, 2 days late, $2 short. Compared to last week, the weather is miserable -- much cooler, cloudy, windy, and with thunderstorms in the immediate forecast.

Here's the initial pond view, taken this time from around the fire pit. Nothing much has changed, except the clouds. The tulip magnolia is trying to bloom again, but mostly unsuccessfully. The trees are still not showing signs of buds.

The fire pit is showing more of the same. No buds to speak of, the ground cover is still mostly dormant although I have cut back some brush in places. We've got dead trees back there that will become more prominent as days go by and will also have to be cut down before they can fall into the road.

Looking west across our road, the view is much the same -- trees not budding yet; ground cover mostly dormant, and some more dead trees that will have to be taken down.

On the bright side, our trusty forsythia has given up its blooms entirely and has fully leafed out.

Until next week.

A NUMBER OF FAST-FOOD EMPLOYEES ARE GOING TO FIND OUT THE REAL MINIMUM WAGE IS ZERO. Fast-food franchisee taking big hit from $20 minimum wage invests in neighboring state.

REMINDER:

The election is Nov. 5, 2024. Vote early, vote often every chance you can. Don't miss any state/local election.

IN HILARIOUS APRIL FOOLS JOKE, Congress announces they are working hard to serve the American people.

"I'M NOT FINISHED YET": Guyana President schools BBC scribe on climate.

Good for him.

WILL YOU BE READY? America is going to be targeted for a massive terrorist attack.

Ready or not, it's coming....

THE CENSUS SNOOPS are returning.

I haven't had the pleasure (yet), but the IRS did come snooping about last year. It wasn't voluntary; I was told that my tax return wouldn't be processed if I didn't participate.

POWERLINE on Biden's true misery index.

As a final note: Biden may have put 3 more potato chips in every bag, but all the potato chips are smaller....

I'VE WON THE ARGUMENT ABOUT ISRAEL I wish I hadn't.

FISMAN'S FRAUD: reminiscent of a certain Dr. Anthony Fauci in the United States....

AND MORE: Four years on and COVID damage remains while Fauci and company pay no price.

IN TODAY'S EPISODE OF “THIS IS HOW DEMOCRACY™ WORKS, we have the president of the United States getting lost in the rain, rescued, and then shielded from public views by his handlers.

MIKE ROWE - 1, CNN REPORTER - 0, smoothly handling the reporter's 'gotcha' game.

LIBERAL LANGUAGE UPDATE: Doesn't know sh-t Schumer from Shinola.

Heh.

JUSTICE KETANJI BROWN JACKSON, a clear and present danger to the First Amendment.

I DON'T THINK TRUMP NEEDS ANY HELP: RFK Jr. picks radical leftist as running mate.

But thanks for the offer.

FORGET HILLARY AND KAMALA — Here’s a real woman to celebrate for Women’s History month.

KURT SCHLICHTER: Keep American troops the hell out of Haiti.

And keep Haitians the hell out of America....

COVIDIOCY REDUX: Confirmed again.

WELL, TRUMP IS THE MORE MODERATE CANDIDATE: Are the Democrats heading for an extinction-level election?

SATIRE HAS BECOME REALITY: The prophecies of Titania McGrath.

MAYBE THEY WILL STARTING JANUARY 21st 2025: Heads should roll.

WHO'D'VE THUNK IT? Our government spies on those who exercise their Second Amendment rights.

Always pay cash....

SHE DID, TOO: Unlikely ally Ruth Bader Ginsburg could save Trump $355M.

At least indirectly. Thanks, Ruth. You may have saved the Republic.

ALL THINGS HAVE LIMITS, except human stupidity and malevolence.

Republicans excel at stupidity; Democrats excel at malevolence.

Neither serves the American people....

AMERICA’S NEWSPAPER OF RECORD: Biden Condemns Jesus For Rising Again On Trans Day Of Visibility.

It would be funny if it weren't so damn disgusting. Progressives, you're dead to me.

IT'S NOT YOUR FATHER'S EASTER ANY MORE: Happy Transgender Day of Visibility.

On Transgender Day of Visibility, we honor the extraordinary courage and contributions of transgender Americans and reaffirm our Nation’s commitment to forming a more perfect Union — where all people are created equal and treated equally throughout their lives.

I am proud that my Administration has stood for justice from the start, working to ensure that the LGBTQI+ community can live openly, in safety, with dignity and respect. I am proud to have appointed transgender leaders to my Administration and to have ended the ban on transgender Americans serving openly in our military. I am proud to have signed historic Executive Orders that strengthen civil rights protections in housing, employment, health care, education, the justice system, and more. I am proud to have signed the Respect for Marriage Act into law, ensuring that every American can marry the person they love.

Transgender Americans are part of the fabric of our Nation. Whether serving their communities or in the military, raising families or running businesses, they help America thrive. They deserve, and are entitled to, the same rights and freedoms as every other American, including the most fundamental freedom to be their true selves. But extremists are proposing hundreds of hateful laws that target and terrify transgender kids and their families — silencing teachers; banning books; and even threatening parents, doctors, and nurses with prison for helping parents get care for their children. These bills attack our most basic American values: the freedom to be yourself, the freedom to make your own health care decisions, and even the right to raise your own child. It is no surprise that the bullying and discrimination that transgender Americans face is worsening our Nation’s mental health crisis, leading half of transgender youth to consider suicide in the past year. At the same time, an epidemic of violence against transgender women and girls, especially women and girls of color, continues to take too many lives. Let me be clear: All of these attacks are un-American and must end. No one should have to be brave just to be themselves.

At the same time, my Administration is working to stop the bullying and harassment of transgender children and their families. The Department of Justice has taken action to push back against extreme and un-American State laws targeting transgender youth and their families and the Department of Justice is partnering with law enforcement and community groups to combat hate and violence. My Administration is also providing dedicated emergency mental health support through our nationwide suicide and crisis lifeline — any LGBTQI+ young person in need can call “988” and press “3” to speak with a counselor trained to support them. We are making public services more accessible for transgender Americans, including with more inclusive passports and easier access to Social Security benefits. There is much more to do. I continue to call on the Congress to pass the Equality Act, to codify civil rights protections for all LGBTQI+ Americans.

Today, we send a message to all transgender Americans: You are loved. You are heard. You are understood. You belong. You are America, and my entire Administration and I have your back.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim March 31, 2024, as Transgender Day of Visibility. I call upon all Americans to join us in lifting up the lives and voices of transgender people throughout our Nation and to work toward eliminating violence and discrimination based on gender identity.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-ninth day of March, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-eighth.

Pathetic is the least offensive word I could find.The entire Biden administration, all its functionaries and hangers-on should be told to "Get out, shut up, and never darken this door again."

AMMO GRRRLL on things seen -- and unseen.

SAVE TAXPAYERS MONEY. Politically incorrect Sheriff tells citizens to shoot and kill home invaders.

We need more of this guy.

POWERLINE'S WEEK IN PICTURES: Build Back Better edition. My favorite:

There are bridge pictures, too. Go see them all.

IT'S 'SCIENCE': The "woke" are just trying to inflict their misery on everyone else.

Since they're miserable human beings, you must be too.

JUST LIMIT IT TO THE LEFT. The Left's new goal: degrowth.

BUT WE HAVE PLENTY OF OUTLETS: The coming electricity crisis.

RANDOM THOUGHT: Homosexuality is God's way of telling you that you shouldn't reproduce.

SURPRISED? Disparate impact thinking is destroying our civilization.

I'm not.

JAMES CARVILLE SHARES INCONVENIENT TRUTH ON 'PREACHY FEMALE DEMOCRATS,' AOC immediately proves his point.

Heh.

DON'T LET THE DOOR HIT YOU IN THE BUTT: Sen. Lisa Murkowski [R?-AK] doesn’t rule out leaving Republican party.

THE BEST DESCRIPTION of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez I've ever seen: 'Terminally Obtuse'.

FINALLY SPRING, WEEK 3: Sorry, I goofed. Yesterday was Sunday, not today. I seem to be living in a time warp -- or warped time -- or both. That said, here is our intrepid forsythia, now in its green summer coat.

Next is our pond, as usual from the back deck. Much has changed over the week since we had a hard freeze midweek that killed all the blossoms on the tulip magnolia. Some of the blossoms may return, but the green leaves are already budding so by next week I expect the plant will be mostly green.

The last two pictures this week are of the trees across the road. There's a lot of bare there, but careful inspection of the tree tops shows that all are beginning to bud out. I'm hopeful for a lot of green to show up soon.

Until next week, then.

SUNDAY SMILES. Just keep scrolling down; the cartoons and animal videos are worth the trip.

LOOK WHOSE DISTRICT has become a third-world brothel and bazaar.

Well, they bought the pig, now they must sleep in the pigpen.

WELL, YES. Is the federal government sorting for stupidity?

I hate to say it, but Biden's 2021-2024 reminds of Cyril Kornbluth's 1951 novella Marchng Morons.

I almost approve of his solution. And the progressive Left is almost dumb enough to fall for it....

A NOT SO RANDOM THOUGHT: Our 'ruling class' consists of maleducated morons --
maleducated evil morons.

And that's being kind.

GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM [D-CA] canceled his 'State of the State' address, but Red State contributor Jennifer Van Laar found a copy of his transcript.

Ladies and Gentlemen of California,

As your somewhat bewildered Governor, I stand before you today to report on the, um, "flourishing" state of our great state, which is currently navigating through a fascinating series of adventures and, let’s say, "unexpected learning opportunities."

First off, the budget deficit - oh, what an exciting challenge! We've managed to craft a fiscal shortfall that's not just a hole, but a marvel of modern financial architecture. It’s like we aimed for the stars and hit our own foot, but fear not, for we are innovating new ways to spend money we don't have on things we're not sure we need.

Then, there’s our water saga. Who knew that rainwater could just... vanish? As we face droughts with the collective foresight of a startled goldfish, our attempts to capture and store water have been as effective as a sieve holding soup. Yet, I assure you, we’re making waves – or at least, trying to catch a few.

Wildfires and forest management, ah, an area where we've truly excelled in underachievement. Our forests are as well-managed as a toddler’s birthday party. But fear not, for we have plans. Plans that are as clear as smoke and as solid as ash.

And let's not forget the grand exodus of businesses and insurance companies. Why stay in California, the land of opportunity, when you can leave for... less fiery pastures? Our business-friendly policies are so avant-garde, even we can't understand them.

On housing, we’ve reached new heights - literally. The cost of living has soared to such celestial levels, we're considering colonizing Mars for affordable housing options. Our regulatory labyrinth makes building a house feel like a quest for the Holy Grail.

Crime has become our latest explosive growth industry, with innovative new felonies being pioneered every day. Our cities, once bustling hubs of commerce, now host open-air markets for the very latest in stolen goods, surrounded by the avant-garde architecture of tent cities.

Ah, homelessness, our most robust expansion program. Our streets are now adorned with the newest in urban camping chic, with exclusive open-air accommodations that even the most dedicated stores are relocating to avoid.

Insurance? A quaint concept we've practically reinvented, as companies sprint away faster than residents can say "premium hike." This has led to a thrilling new game of "find the insurer" for those daring enough to play.

Our healthcare system, a labyrinthine marvel, now offers an exhilarating challenge to access or navigate, providing a health quest for the modern age. Who needs appointments when you can enjoy the spontaneity of uncertainty?

And our pioneering electricity pricing strategy, where making $28,000 a year catapults you into the "newly rich" category, ready to shoulder the noble burden of ever-rising electric bills. It's our way of ensuring that light at the end of the tunnel remains just out of reach.

Then finally, drug crisis has unfolded with a certain poetic flair, transforming our parks into a mosaic of used needles—a testament to our innovative public health policies. As counties hand out needles like party favors, we embrace my wisdom that “we all need to self-medicate from time to time,” a mantra for the modern Californian spirit.

Thank you, and boy am I glad that I’m termed out! I feel horrible for the poor soul who has to take over for me after 2026!

Yes, it's satire -- but just barely.

MEDIA MALPRACTICE: The press held a pandemic in Florida, but the measles virus didn't reply.

CALIFORNIA CONTINUES ITS QUEST to push workers out-of-state.

Just when you thought the Democrat supermajority in California couldn't get any more delusional, lawmakers are now mandating utilities across the state to bill ratepayers based on how much they make—no matter how much electricity they use.

California must be governed by an Artificial Intelligence; not even human morons can be this stupid.

IMPRIMIS: An immigration crisis beyond imagining.

You can thank the Progressive Left, which is determined to turn the United States into a 'third-world shithole'.

FINALLY SPRING, WEEK 2: It's only been a week since I started, and changes are already visible. Here's our forsythia. Last week it was in full yellow bloom; this week the flowers are beginning to fade and the leaves are arriving.

The change is evident throughout the countryside; the Bartlett pears that were in full bloom just last week are also dropping blossoms and replacing them with leaves.

Here is our traditional pond view taken from the back deck:

The tulip magnolia is now in full flower; grass (such as it is) is beginning to show, and the low shrubbery (bottom right) is beginning to show some buds.

Not a lot has changed in the fire pit view. I've been hoping to see some grass, but I suspect that it will take tilling and reseeding to recover.

Our new flower garden to be has finally been flattened out, drained, and a few more iris planted. Next up is to plant flowers, but that might wait a while until planting season really gets underway.

Finally this week two views from down across the pond. The first is of the dam with the partially hidden house above it; the second picture is of the pond and fountain taken from roughly the same location. The still-cleared hillside is proof that the brush that normally populates the hillside is still struggling to work its way through the leaf cover.

Until next week....

WHY NOT JUST POST A 'STEAL THIS CAR' SIGN? Police advise residents to leave car keys outside to avoid confrontation with thieves.

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW about the Biden team.

GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES are living the luxe life. "The rest of us are just serfs on the government’s plantation."

HOW TOXIC IS DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION (DEI)? Companies are turning down billions in 'free money' to avoid it.

GREEN ENERGY: The renewable energy industry is a largely state and federal subsidy-based industry.

And subsidies are more reliable than the whims of the customers.

CHRISTINA PUSHAW explains the Buttigieg Principle.

[Christina Pushaw was formerly Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' press secretary.]

A HUNDRED BILLION HERE, A HUNDRED BILLION THERE ... "A billion dollars is hardly a rounding error in a federal program these days, and $1 billion is usually considered the entry fee for any proposed new program."

NUKE THE MOON: Russia and China announce plan to build shared nuclear reactor on the moon.

I thinl Frank J (IMAO) beat them to it....

WELL ... YES. Are all DEI officers bigots?

A BIT LATE, but Happy International Women's Day.

THE INTERNET OF THINGS is garbage.

BIDEN'S RED LINE: Robert Gates is smart; Joe Biden is not.

Robert Gates’s assessment of Biden’s foreign policy chops: “I think he has been wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades.” Gates made that assessment in 2014. It therefore predates Biden’s Afghanistan, Ukraine, Iran and other debacles. We can now revise Gates’s assessment to the past five decades.

And five decades is long enough....

SHE'S RIGHT: This guy actually scares the heck out of me.

AS A NEAR-80-YEAR-OLD MARRIED MALE, I thought Katie Britt's Republican response to the State of the Union address was spot on. And for many families, the kitchen table is where most of the really important decisions are made.

MORE here. And I'm pretty sure the criticism within won't resonate in my neck of the woods....

MY BET IS ON NETANYAHU: White House is trying to force Bibi out.

YES, MS. WILLIS, YOU ARE ON TRIAL – in the court of public opinion.

It may not mean jail time -- which you richly deserve -- but it will mean ostracism from the public sphere.

IT'S NOT JUST MR. TRUMP: Targetting Mr. 'X'.

FINALLY SPRING, WEEK 1: Last week's spring forsythia preview is proof this week that spring has finally sprung. Here's our forsythia this week, still in full bloom and the leaves just beginning to show.

Last week, while the forsythia was in full bloom, the Bartlett pear trees were mostly dormant; this week it seems every one in the county is in full bloom. Here are some from the county park where we walk:

Now on with the usuals. First, the pond from our back deck:

The trees are still bare, as expected, and for the most part the ground cover (i.e., brush) hasn't begun to poke through the leaves yet. I don't expect any change for at least a week, maybe two before any buds appear.

Here's the pond and its fountain. With the rain we've had, the pond is full -- overfull by about 2-3 inches. We haven't had water overflow the drain yet, but it's been close. Obviously it's past time for me to go down and make sure the overflow drains are staked down, sealed, and unclogged....

Here's the view from the opposite side of the pond. That's our house in the background and hopefully (a small one, actually) the leaves are dense enough to keep the brush in control as spring progresses.

Back up at the top, the daylilies that line our road are finally poking up through the mulch and leaves. There are also roses along the fence line behind this picture, but so far they're still dormant.

And finally, our house and barn taken from behind pine needles from across the road. The grass still looks kinda-sorta green, but it'll take more seed and some tilling to bring it back to last year's glory.

Until next week then....

CALIFORNIA CITY votes to ban all non-US flags on government property.

And it's inclusive; the Stars and Stripes protects all citizens.

THE CHICKENS HAVE COME TO ROOST: Post-postmodern America.

ADMIT YOUR PRIVILEGE and get 20% off?

Somehow I think they got that exactly backwards.

NOT IF, but when and how to replace Biden.

WE'D BE BETTER OFF IF THEY WERE JUST MORONS: Our government is run by evil morons.

WATCH FOR the strings.

FEEL GOOD STORY OF THE DAY: Even the Babylon Bee couldn't have made this one up.

THE STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS is tonight, so I thought I'd post this pre-SOTU:

It's taken from the Rasmussen Reports Approval Index history for the last three presidents. Each line starts with each President's initial inauguration and continues (in Biden's case) through today.

I'll wait until next Thursday and see how much effect, if any, today's State of the Union speech has had.

ANOTHER THE DAILY CHART: White House hypocrisy by the numbers.

In the'olden days' women would be home watching soap operas; now they're in the office making soap operas....

HEH: California man arrested for smuggling greenhouse gases into the United States.

What, air conditioning is more important than global warming? In California?

MORE VOTING FROM THE CEMETERY: Dianne Feinstein secured $1 billion in ‘pet projects’ — the year after her death.

THE FEDERALIST: Nine ways the Biden administration is using ‘Bidenbucks’ to rig the 2024 election.

While deceptively marketed as a heroic effort to enhance “American democracy,” Biden’s directive is far more partisan than the White House and regime-aligned media are willing to admit. The order instructed hundreds of federal agencies to interfere in the electoral process by using U.S. taxpayer money to boost voter registration and get-out-the-vote activities. More specifically, federal departments were told to collaborate with so-called “nonpartisan third-party organizations” that have been “approved” by the administration to supply “voter registration services on agency premises.”

You can safely bet that those 'nonpartisan third-party organizations' are all liberal fronts....

EXACTLY. Bring back our knobs.

I want a car that's safe -- not distracting -- to drive.

THE DAILY CHART: fake green.

RANDOM THOUGHT: Hillary Clinton needs to lay off the chardonnay.

BIDEN'S LATEST EFFORT gaslights the American people on food delivery fees.

But ... but the government will deliver your food for free. Until other peoples' money runs out....

THE GOP IS CHANGING and that's good.

THERE'S ONLY ONE TERRIFYING REASON for a woke indoctrinated military and this is it.

In the last several years, wokeness has come to infect our military just as it previously had our universities, news outlets, and the entertainment industry.

I’ve begun thinking of our postmodern military not as a useless Woke Force but as a Third World military: a force that isn’t any good at fighting foreign wars but is perfectly suited for putting down domestic undesirables.

Do I exaggerate? In 2021, Woke Army Sgt. Cindy Bronson had a message for her fellow Americans in case martial law is declared: “Understand that if active duty military actually get deployed within the United
States, that weapon is not just going to be pointed at other people, other countries, it’s pointed at you.”

I worry. So should you.

FLORIDA MAN FRIDAY now has a competitor in the Game of Dumb. Meet Alaska Man Monday.

BILL MAHER GOES SCORCHED EARTH OVER BIDEN’S AGE: ‘Walks like a toddler with a full diaper’.

NY congresscritter Jerry Nadler shows how.

POWERLINE WRITES on liberal fragility.

I enjoyed the final quote that 'there is likely before long to be an effort to screen out conservative applicants to elite laws schools so that they don’t have an Ivy League credential'. They needn't worry; our gentry liberals have already done a thoroughly professional job of destroying the credibility of the Ivy League.

AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH —- EVs emit more particulate matter than gas-powered vehicles.

But won't all that additional smog slow global warming, er, climate change?

'GOD HELP US ALL': Austin [TX] 'at the brink of disaster' as police shortages hit crisis level.

Because the Austin City Council certainly won't.

BEHIND THE BLACK: The growing resentment to unjustified authority.

What these volunteers discovered when they tried to tell people what to do was the growing anger and resentment in the general population to these petty rules as well as the control freak mentality of anyone associated with our government. The volunteers must have thought it was 2020 again, and they could boss people around by exerting an authority they did not have, and that when they did so everyone would meekly bow to their lordly authority. Instead, they discovered people are now pushing back, telling them essentially to go to hell.

The story provides some important cultural lessons. First, the public is sick of being bossed around. It won’t tolerate rules any longer that make no sense. And it will now tell these bossy control freaks so, in no uncertain terms.

There are a few people in my neck of the woods who need to learn this lesson.

COMMON SENSE THOUGHT CONTROL: Progressives are proof that common sense isn't.....

SPRING PREVIEW: It's spring now in the north Georgia mountains, and so I'll be starting my weekly Sunday pictures this coming Sunday, March 10. Here's a preview from our sturdy forsythia, which began to bloom only a week ago:

The dogwoods seem to be perking up, too. The berries have already come and gone, so I'm hoping for blossoms iin the fairly new future.

Doritos brings 'Bud Light treatment' talk with transgender hire.

The progressive Left never learns....

UPDATE: They're learning. Or at least Doritos is learning.

IF YOU CAN’T WIN, CHEAT; if you can’t cheat, cheat harder.

BUT ONLY IF YOU'RE BLACK. Shoplifting is just reparations.

Is it still reparations if I identify as black?

I WOULDN'T HAVE THOUGHT IT POSSIBLE. California is about to get even worse.

TOO SOON? Introducing the lighter side of self-immolation. "I have to laugh because there isn't any room left in my dark little heart for the enemies of Western Civilization."

Agreed.

GOOGLE HAS REALLY STEPPED IN IT. The “diversity guidelines” for its Gemini AI basically exterminated white people from its representation.

In my world (and yes, I'm an engineer) it's long been assumed that no machine can be smarter than its developer. Taking that as a given, it's patently obvious that the Gemini AI developers are at best woke Googlidiots.

SEN. J. D. VANCE [R-OH]: There's an 'impeachment bomb' against Trump buried in the Ukraine funding bill.

Hopefully it won't pass the House of Representatives

THEY'RE CERTAINLY TRYING TO PREVENT HIM: Will the Democrats let Donald Trump be president if he wins?

Just don’t put it beyond possibility that they [Democrats] will not allow a peaceful transfer of power to Donald Trump. These people are not committed to democracy. They don’t care about freedom. They care about power, so much so that they allow a desiccated old husk to be the guy with his quivering finger hovering over the big red button.

Keep that in mind. Vote early and in overwhelming numbers.

TO SAVE GAIA: You little people need to die.

CPAC POLL: Newsmax is 'most trusted' in cable news.

Like many of our friends and neighbors, my wife and I have pretty much shifted to Newsmax over Fox News. I still watch Fox Business for financial news, and I think Fox News does better at selecting stories of interest to me, but their insistence on requiring me to give them my email before I can read breaking news stories has been a dealbreaker.

Goodbye Fox News.

I DON'T TRUST GOOGLE: Gemini is why I'm leaving.

For anyone with a shred of awareness of human history it should be clear how unbelievably irresponsible it is to build a system that aims to become an authoritative compendium of human knowledge but which actually prioritizes ideology over facts.

I left several years back.

CODDLED TO DEATH: Mental illness, illegal aliens and the Democrat party.

TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR DEMOCRATS TO CHEAT: Attorney General Merrick Garland pledges to fight voter ID laws and election integrity measures.

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE doesn't need to parody the Biden White House because they do it themselves.

So the Babylon Bee is now a 'straight news' website. Its tagline ought to be "News Before It Happens".

FROM POWERLINE'S Week in Pictures here's my favorite:

But there are many more. Go see them.