Black Friday salutations from Happy Larryville, GN!
Hai, RabBeet!
Much to my crushing (crushing, I tell you) disappointment, we did not spend last night standing in a hyperborean queue awaiting the opportunity to scuffle with other shoppers over “limited availability” doorbusters.
I am disconsolate. Cheerless. Even wretched. AFAIC, the holiday season is already over before it had (barely) begun.
Every month, it seems, brings a new story of this presidency leveling the intimidating powers of the federal government against some law-abiding citizen. Now comes a terrifying tale of how the Federal Trade Commission, a governmental Goliath, crushes an average David—because it can.
In March of this year, a small nonprofit in Cincinnati—the Music Teachers National Association—received a letter from the FTC. The agency was investigating whether the association was engaged in, uh, anticompetitive practices.
===============
MTNA Executive Director Gary Ingle, who has been at the organization 17 years—and who agreed to talk when I reached out about this case—said that he and the group’s attorneys immediately flew to Washington to talk to federal investigators. They explained that this provision had been in the group’s code for years, and that it was purely aspirational. The association has never enforced its code, and no member has been removed as a result of it.
The FTC didn’t care. Nor did it blink when the MTNA pointed out that the agency has no real authority over nonprofits (it is largely limited to going after sham organizations) and that Congress has never acted on the FTA’s requests for more control over 501(c)3 groups. Nor was the agency moved by the group’s offer to immediately excise the provision. The investigation would continue.
With a dozen employees and a $2 million budget, the group doesn’t have “the resources to fight the federal government,” Mr. Ingle says. The board immediately removed the provision from its code, but the MTNA staff still had to devote months compiling thousands of documents demanded by the agency, some going back 20 years: reports, the organization’s magazines, everything Mr. Ingle had ever written that touched on the code. Mr. Ingle estimates he has spent “hundreds upon hundreds” of hours since March complying with this federal colonoscopy.
It gets worse; read the whole thing™.
If I were in-charge of the critically-needed OOIDWOOGA -- the Office Of Ironically Dispensing With Officious, Overweening Government Asshats -- I’d recommend the following sanction for all involved FTC personnel:
Hey! That was an impressive Jean Claude Van Damme video!
(I liked it anyway)
Well, Fatwa, we jumped on that grenade for you. We *did* go to Wal-Mart last night, and while it was better than last year crowd-wise, it was still nuts.
Mr. X is there now picking through the leftovers. Apparently there are fewer people in there than on a normal shopping day.
But he did manage to get a couple of the drill sets Lowe’s had on sale -- he was afraid he was going to miss out on that.
We had our friends over that just completed their move to Texas (and OMG, talk about The Circus of Ineptitude between the movers and DirecTV -- jeebus!).
What I didn’t know is he has refused to go anywhere for Thanksgiving the last 20+ years. He’ll barely tolerate his SiL’s cooking.
Apparently my bird comes in second only to his wife’s (that was within her earshot -- according to Mr. X the story was a little different outside her hearing).
So I did OK.
::shrug::
I kind of knew that though. When Mr. X says, “Stop. You’re done. It ain’t getting any better than this,” I’ve pretty much cleared the bar.
Sven,
I thought they declared “Black Friday” raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaacist a few years ago. Kind of like they did with teh silhouette targets. That one dropped my jaw -- I hadn’t heard about it.
Sorry you’re working today -- I’ll slack off enough for you.
It’s chilly, drizzly, we’ve got a fire in the fireplace, the Vince Guaraldi Trio on the stereo, and Mrs. Paddy is decorating for Christmas. I think I’ll have some coffee.
TeX -- glad you and Mr. TeX are doing your part to keep the economy going. Good job on the dinner for the second night of Channukah, too!
Hey! That was an impressive Jean Claude Van Damme video!
(I liked it anyway)
Yup…it was.
But Chuck Norris was driving the trucks. Both of them. 😉
TeX --
Congratters on what sounds like a very successful meal last night! (Glad you survived teh Waddlebutt Hordes last night, too…)
Paddy --
I think moar coffee’s teh perfect idea…it’ll give you enough of a pick-me-up to encourage Mrs. Paddy’s efforts with a certain enthusiasm.
If I felt like making latkes this evening -- which I categorically do not -- we could use them to make sammies with the leftover ham for dinner. (Despite the fact that GoodWifeK would probably slather said latkes with mayo before adding teh ham, which is a leetle, erm, Belgian, IYKWIMAITTYD.)
While not really latkes, okay, not even close to latkes, I chopped up some leftover turkey and ham and added it to some dressing, formed patties, and fried it in butter for breakfast this morning. Topped with a little gravy, it was delicious.
Fatwa -- I think Brenda should add some Swiss cheese to her latke ham sammies, just to round things out.
Thanks guys for covering me with your sloth this morning while I was sweating it out at the salt mines. Nice, slow day in the pit with more people showing up than I imagined. Did cut out early tho and right now, a nap sounds good.
BTW, the thread gif from a few days ago with the smoke alarm and singing the song of my people: huge hit with Mrs Sven.
Browsing through Al Gore’s world, there’s two phrases that are now bugging the snot out of me: 1) “So it begins ” and it’s cousin “AND so it begins, followed by 2)”It’s come to this.”
If IT began some years ago, cuz that’s how long some of these guys have been using that phrase, then IT can’t begin again days, weeks, or months later--it’s already begun. Same for that other phrase: How many times can you come to this? Well, unless it’s a Paris Hil…er never mind.
And exactly what is IT that is either always beginning or being come to?
If I EVER use either one of those phrases, I would hope that someone would smack me across the face with one of the many dead animals in Jerry’s freezer.
Mrs Sven is on the phone cheerily telling whoever is on the other end of the line that this is the year she sits me down and makes me watch Gone with the Wind. From. Beginning. To. End.
My cat’s staring at his empty wet food bowl. Big, mournful eyes gaze up at me. Sad cat noises. You got dry food, I tell him. Right there. Next to your fat butt. He looks, sniffs it a bit, stares back up at me and says “So it’s come to this…” Bastard.
Rebecca Black Friday O grabbin’!
Black Friday salutations from Happy Larryville, GN!
Hai, RabBeet!
Much to my crushing (crushing, I tell you) disappointment, we did not spend last night standing in a hyperborean queue awaiting the opportunity to scuffle with other shoppers over “limited availability” doorbusters.
I am disconsolate. Cheerless. Even wretched. AFAIC, the holiday season is already over before it had (barely) begun.
*Sigh*
Good morning! Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving day.
A work day for me today--hope the rest of you have it off so I can vicariously enjoy a 4-day weekend.
“Black” Friday--sounds racist to me.
Hey, Sven --
Sorry you haz to go into teh office today
Only since 01/20/09…CHANGE!
Here’s an excellent argument in favor of
reining-inshutting downnuking the Federal Trade Commission: Music teachers, beware. The feds are onto you. Better not try to raise the price of your lessons.It gets worse; read the whole thing™.
If I were in-charge of the critically-needed OOIDWOOGA -- the Office Of Ironically Dispensing With Officious, Overweening Government Asshats -- I’d recommend the following sanction for all involved FTC personnel:
Hey! That was an impressive Jean Claude Van Damme video!
(I liked it anyway)
Well, Fatwa, we jumped on that grenade for you. We *did* go to Wal-Mart last night, and while it was better than last year crowd-wise, it was still nuts.
Mr. X is there now picking through the leftovers. Apparently there are fewer people in there than on a normal shopping day.
But he did manage to get a couple of the drill sets Lowe’s had on sale -- he was afraid he was going to miss out on that.
We had our friends over that just completed their move to Texas (and OMG, talk about The Circus of Ineptitude between the movers and DirecTV -- jeebus!).
What I didn’t know is he has refused to go anywhere for Thanksgiving the last 20+ years. He’ll barely tolerate his SiL’s cooking.
Apparently my bird comes in second only to his wife’s (that was within her earshot -- according to Mr. X the story was a little different outside her hearing).
So I did OK.
::shrug::
I kind of knew that though. When Mr. X says, “Stop. You’re done. It ain’t getting any better than this,” I’ve pretty much cleared the bar.
Sven,
I thought they declared “Black Friday” raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaacist a few years ago. Kind of like they did with teh silhouette targets. That one dropped my jaw -- I hadn’t heard about it.
Sorry you’re working today -- I’ll slack off enough for you.
Happy Black Friday, Gerbil Nation!
It’s chilly, drizzly, we’ve got a fire in the fireplace, the Vince Guaraldi Trio on the stereo, and Mrs. Paddy is decorating for Christmas. I think I’ll have some coffee.
TeX -- glad you and Mr. TeX are doing your part to keep the economy going. Good job on the dinner for the second night of Channukah, too!
Yup…it was.
But Chuck Norris was driving the trucks. Both of them. 😉
TeX --
Congratters on what sounds like a very successful meal last night! (Glad you survived teh Waddlebutt Hordes last night, too…)
Paddy --
I think moar coffee’s teh perfect idea…it’ll give you enough of a pick-me-up to encourage Mrs. Paddy’s efforts with a certain enthusiasm.
If I felt like making latkes this evening -- which I categorically do not -- we could use them to make sammies with the leftover ham for dinner. (Despite the fact that GoodWifeK would probably slather said latkes with mayo before adding teh ham, which is a leetle, erm, Belgian, IYKWIMAITTYD.)
I always get my latkes at Starbucks. Usually with a double shot of espresso and some whipped cream.
While not really latkes, okay, not even close to latkes, I chopped up some leftover turkey and ham and added it to some dressing, formed patties, and fried it in butter for breakfast this morning. Topped with a little gravy, it was delicious.
Fatwa -- I think Brenda should add some Swiss cheese to her latke ham sammies, just to round things out.
Heh.
That actually sounds pretty good…without the mayo; maybe some TJ’s Hot & Sweet mustard, instead.
Your brekkie sounds pretty danged nommy. (I haven’t had anything yet today ‘cept coffee and my morning brownie(s); still fairly sated from yesterday.)
Thanks guys for covering me with your sloth this morning while I was sweating it out at the salt mines. Nice, slow day in the pit with more people showing up than I imagined. Did cut out early tho and right now, a nap sounds good.
BTW, the thread gif from a few days ago with the smoke alarm and singing the song of my people: huge hit with Mrs Sven.
Browsing through Al Gore’s world, there’s two phrases that are now bugging the snot out of me: 1) “So it begins ” and it’s cousin “AND so it begins, followed by 2)”It’s come to this.”
If IT began some years ago, cuz that’s how long some of these guys have been using that phrase, then IT can’t begin again days, weeks, or months later--it’s already begun. Same for that other phrase: How many times can you come to this? Well, unless it’s a Paris Hil…er never mind.
And exactly what is IT that is either always beginning or being come to?
If I EVER use either one of those phrases, I would hope that someone would smack me across the face with one of the many dead animals in Jerry’s freezer.
Mrs Sven is on the phone cheerily telling whoever is on the other end of the line that this is the year she sits me down and makes me watch Gone with the Wind. From. Beginning. To. End.
Shoot me now.
My cat’s staring at his empty wet food bowl. Big, mournful eyes gaze up at me. Sad cat noises. You got dry food, I tell him. Right there. Next to your fat butt. He looks, sniffs it a bit, stares back up at me and says “So it’s come to this…” Bastard.
A serious question: looking at some survival foodstuffs. The 25-year shelf life kind. Any recommendations as to manufacturer?