Blog: If I understand this

I knew that Ireland was officially neutral in WWII, but I did not know this:

About 5,000 soldiers changed from the Irish Army to the British to fight Hitler.  When home, they were ostracized.  The government outlawed hiring them, even printed booklets with their names and addresses so no one would hire them.  Many had to move to England to find work.  They hid their medals.  Some historians say a majority of Irish wanted Hitler to destroy England.  I am not kidding.  I am guessing some also moved to Northern Ireland, which England has kept to this day.

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in Alaska: Nine stations that track tsunami-causing earthquakes will go offline by the end of the month after the Trump administration cut funding for NOAA.  Well, hell, who needs those warnings, ships at sea?  Who cares about them? Wait.

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I did not realize how much water a large data center uses.  Tons of electricity, yeah . . .  well, dummy, all those machines have to be kept cool, so . . .

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Dateline 11/11:  Trump likes Veterans so much that recall:  Trump in 2018 infamously refused to visit the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery in France during the 100-year commemoration of the end of World War I because it was raining and he did not want to ruin his hair. The site is the resting place for 1,800 U.S. Marines who died in 1918’s critical Battle of Belleau Wood.  He also referred to them as “suckers” and “losers.”  So, a vet would vote for him because?

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UK suspends some intelligence sharing with US over boat strike concerns. No longer sharing intel on suspected drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean because it doesn’t want to be complicit in US military strikes, sources told CNN. UK believes the attacks are illegal, sources added. — CNN   Gee, you can’t just murder people on the high seas?

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Useless fact:  The average NBA player drafted is 6 ft. 7 inches tall.

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Dateline Wednesday:  The US Mint will produce its last penny today.  They cost about 4 cents to produce each one.  Ok, but: But they still have a better production-cost-to-value ratio than the nickel, which costs nearly 14 cents to make. The diminutive dime, by comparison, costs less than 6 cents to produce and the quarter nearly 15 cents.  So, round up/down to the nearest nickel now and then a dime?

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He Said It Better Than I Would Dept.:  Jeffrey Epstein, the infamous child sex trafficker and former friend of President Donald Trump, privately warned after Trump’s 2016 election victory that there was “not one decent cell in [Trump’s] body.” – Huffpost.

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Donald Trump Pardons British Billionaire Who Admitted to Insider Trading Scheme

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Isn’t this against the emoluments clause of our Constitution?  The U.S. and Switzerland have reached a “non-binding memorandum of understanding” to lower tariffs to 15%, the Swiss Federal Council announced Friday.  The announcement comes ten days after Swiss executives visited the Oval Office and gifted Trump a gold Rolex and custom-engraved gold bar from the Swiss gold refining company MKS. – I know!  It’s Trump, so that’s different!  Look, it’s not a $400M plane!

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In more positive news:  In the year since Trump won reelection, nearly 75,000 people have signed up to run for local or state office through Run for Something, a grassroots political group that recruits young progressives in down-ballot races across all 50 states. – dunno about this group but need to find out.

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Dad Joke: 

I used to have a job crushing cans.

It was soda pressing.

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More good news:  Republicans in the Indiana state legislature canceled a special session called at the behest of President Donald Trump to consider drawing new maps to eliminate two Democratic Party-held House seats on Friday.  R leader said they did not have the votes.

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We did go see Nuremburg.  Serious, emotionally powerful at times.  And as you would expect, it does contain some real footage, including the death camps movies.  I have seen them before; if you have not, brace yourself.  Did some research and the movie follows the real trial closely, with some liberties taken here and there, but not major detours.  They reconstructed the courtroom to a tee.  Or is it “tea?”

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So, the DOJ now functions like Trump’s personal law firm.  Hope Rs remember that if a Dem gets in and tells it to go after his/her enemies, too. 

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Rainy, drizzly, chilly day here, with a couple more to follow.  I made chili today.  One hint:  If you cut up a jalapeño for chili, rinse your hands before you touch your eye.

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Saw an ad today that said, “When you compare, there’s no comparison.”  Huh?

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Warren urges Trump administration to ‘immediately cease’ student loan selloff plans

Administration is reportedly looking to sell the portfolio to private companies.

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BBC:  Ukraine to get up to 100 French-made Rafale fighter jets

This is good news, to me.

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Want one of Trump’s 50-year mortgages?  From MSNOW:  Like a car lease, your monthly bill dips, but the total cost explodes. On a median-priced home, a 50-year mortgage adds roughly $400,000 in extra interest compared with a standard 30-year loan.  The average age of a home buyer is 40.  So, you could still be paying when you hit 90 (if you do).

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Trump now says that Rs should vote to release the Epstein files.  My guess is that he knows many will do that anyway, and he wants it to appear that they are following his orders.  I worry about who had access to these files (FBI?  DOJ?  Pam Bondi?), and did they have a big sharpie to black out names….

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Trump honored a killer today (Tuesday):  WASHINGTON ― President Donald Trump, seated beside the man our CIA found had ordered the murder and dismemberment of Jamal Khashoggi, on Tuesday suggested that maybe the Washington Post journalist had brought his fate upon himself.  “You’re mentioning somebody that was extremely controversial. A lot of people didn’t like that gentleman that you’re talking about. Whether you like him or didn’t like him, things happened,” Trump told reporters.  Oh, ok – things just happened.  And:  President Donald Trump dismissed a female reporter who was questioning him about the Epstein files, calling her “Piggy” as she pressed him on his past relationship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. – Your president.  Calling people names . . . again.

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Didja Know Dept.:  Trump is still raising campaign money?  Estimates are about $1.5B since he was elected.  It’s being widely distributed to all kinds of “funds.”

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The If You’re Shocked You’re Not Paying Attention Dept.:  Several firms that donated to the 90,000-square-foot ballroom project have pending business before the government, like mergers requiring Justice Department approval or federal contracts hanging in the balance. – No, has to be a coincidence?

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We have started watching the new Ken Burns documentary on the American Revolution.  Very good, as usual.  I like history, and think we didn’t learn much of it in high school.

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All take care,

Kevin