Welcome back to the Scuttlebutt, get something to drink, and let’s talk.
So, I need to say up front, I am tired of talking about Afghanistan. Not because it doesn’t need talked about, it does. Not because it doesn’t matter, anytime we abandon American citizens on foreign soil, IT MATTERS. Frankly I’m tired of it because the incompetence of our Commander in Cheese, and every Gods damned individual above the rank of Major/Lt. Cmdr. in allowing this to happen in the way that it did, causes my blood pressure to raise to levels that would make my doctor nervous. That said, I just have to say this:
If the Afghan surrender was what President Bidet calls an “extraordinary success” as he did in a speech last night, I wait in horrified awe to see what this poster child for an Alzheimer’s cure calls an “abysmal failure!” I’m thinking that the handing over of American citizens names and contact info, as well as the contact info and names of our local employees, the giving of billions of dollars’ worth of war material, as well as straight up billions of dollars, palletized for easy movement, constitutes “adheres to its enemies by giving them Aid and Comfort”. The definition of treason in accordance with Article III Section 3 US constitution. That’s a “high crime and misdemeanor” as mentioned in the part on Impeachment.
Sigh, the trouble is that “I was too stupid, or too incompetent to know what would happen” is actually a legal defense against the charge of treason, as you must have Menes Rea for the charge to accrue. Yes, that’s right, Bidet could get off of a charge of treason based on “I’m a babbling idiot.”
OK, next piñata, the “Fat Leonard” scandal is back in the news. Robert Gorsuch (CWO3 USN (ret)) just pled guilty to accepting $45,000 in bribes. Look for him to be a star witness for the prosecution against his senior officers. The gears of Military Justice grind exceedingly slow, but if you get your external sexual characteristics caught in them suckers, the speed ain’t gonna matter.
One final observation before the “main event.” The Snail Darter has been removed from the Endangered Species Act list! If you grew up when I did, or later, you heard all too much about this stupid little minnow. the Snail Darter, a little fish about three inches long, that lived, according to the ecologists, in one little section of one little river in TN, caused a huge amount of press, and a Supreme Court case that enshrined the powers of the ESA as supreme. The fact that the Snail Darter recovered and has been removed from the list is painted as a huge victory for the forces of “truth, justice, and the tree hugger way!”
Not so fast there sparky! Let’s take a look at this just a little deeper. First off, while the SCOTUS said “you can’t build that dam, because you’re going to damage the habitat of the little bitty fish that lives upstream of it!” Congress then passed a law exempting that dam from being considered under the ESA… and yet the fish survived. It turns out, per https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2021/08/31/endangered-species-act-snail-darter/ and the US Fish and Wildlife Service, that the tree huggers lied. See the fish was discovered in other parts of the river… and then they transplanted them to other rivers still…
So, let’s look at this. The environmentalists claim that the ESA succeeded in saving this critter, even though the dam that was supposed to kill it if allowed to proceed, proceeded, the fish was in places that they said it wasn’t, and frankly, nothing that the ESA did had a direct effect, because the dam that it was supposed to stop, got built anyway. Sorry, I no more see your victory in this, Ms. Treehugger than I see Afghanistan as an “extraordinary success.” Y’all got some funky glasses on.
This brings us to “Free Guy” because the “sunglasses people” are a fundamental plot point. Player characters all wear sunglasses. That’s important.
Full transparency time here, I didn’t particularly want to see this flick. The wife was really jazzed about it, and, as a husband of 25 years, who knows how to pick his battles, I went along for the ride. Well, I’m a big enough man to admit when I was wrong. This flick was FUN.
The basic premise is “what does it look like to be in an MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) video game, from the perspective of one of the NPCs (Non-Player Characters?) and what happens if one of them becomes aware?
OK, it had one or two preachy moments, but not bad, and it was a very entertaining movie even counting those. Look, it’s not “FINE ART” it’s not an “EPIC SAGA” but it’s an entertaining little piece that has you cheering for the NPCs of the world. Ryan Reynolds is entertaining as hell all by himself, to the point that if I had known he was the lead I would not have been as unenthusiastic to begin with. Taika Waititi plays the perfect villain, whose face you want desperately to slap, with an ax. The plot is tight, the writing is entertaining, as I said, it was just fun. With the way things have been going in the world lately, you need a little fun. Get your ass out of that desk chair and go see a movie.
Until next time I remain,
Yours in service.
William Lehman.