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Fatwa Arbuckle: Misanthropologist

Gaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!1ick!! It’s another Monday in Happy Larryville, GN!

TeX --

We’re thinking of both of you; may everything go smoothly.

Love the completed gates! Sounds like the lighting came out juuuuuuuust right.

Fatwa Arbuckle: Misanthropologist

The Guardian reports the NSA is considering amnesty for Edward Snowden:

The NSA official in charge of assessing the alleged damage caused by Snowden’s leaks, Richard Ledgett, told CBS News an amnesty still remains controversial within the agency, which has spent the past six months defending itself against a global outcry and legislative and executive proposals to restrain its broad surveillance activities.

“My personal view is, yes, it’s worth having a conversation about,” Ledgett, who is under consideration to become the agency’s top civilian, said in an interview slated to air Sunday evening on 60 Minutes. “I would need assurances that the remainder of the data could be secured, and my bar for those assurances would be very high. It would be more than just an assertion on his part.”

Glad to see at least one NSA tool (possibly) thinking rationally in re attempting to contain some of the remaining secrets. (Although I think he’s a lying crapsack; as LambiePieK said, any “amnesty” will not extend to things like speeding cars…)

I still haven’t sorted out where on the “Hero -- Villain Continuum” Snowden belongs, but I’m glad we’ve learned a little bit about the spooks’ overreach and complete lack of meaningful oversight.

It’s highly unfortunate that Issa and the rest of his committee (as well as our entire Congress) are geldings, cowards and demonstrable traitors. I don’t know how we fix that.

Paddy O'Furnijur
Editor
10 years ago

Good morning, Gerbil Nation!
Good morning, Fatwa!
TeX -- you and Mr. TeX are in our thoughts and prayers. May everything go well for you both.

Fatwa Arbuckle: Misanthropologist

“Decency, security and liberty alike demand that government officials shall be subjected to the same rules of conduct that are commands to the citizen. In a government of laws, existence of the government will be imperiled if it fails to observe the law scrupulously. Our Government is the potent, the omnipresent teacher. For good or for ill, it teaches the whole people by its example. Crime is contagious. If the Government becomes a lawbreaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy. To declare that in the administration of the criminal law the end justifies the means—to declare that the Government may commit crimes in order to secure the conviction of a private criminal—would bring terrible retribution.” -- Justice Louis Brandeis

Fatwa Arbuckle: Misanthropologist

Teh Empire kilt it this time.

Further proof:

BrendaK
Admin
10 years ago

We got our tree trimmed (not, not that way) and the stockings up!

I’ll post the tree later, here are the stockings (mine is on the left, SnookieWoogums’ on the right) —

BrendaK
Admin
10 years ago

Sven -- there’s that graceful little cat, master of all domains, on the mantle (farthest to the right).

Just Sven
Editor
10 years ago
Reply to  BrendaK

Thanks, Brenda. That would please my mother to no end.

BrendaK
Admin
10 years ago

It’s ok, Mac. Those are semi-melted round candles on metal trellis-style candle stands.

So, you’re totally safe.

BrendaK
Admin
10 years ago

TeX -- be sure to let us know how Mr. TeX is doing when you can. We’re thinking of you.

Fatwa Arbuckle: Misanthropologist

Why NORAD tracks Santa’s flight in Christmas Eve.

Like many innovations, though, Sears’s frictionless Santa scheme found itself with an unforeseen problem. In the ad the company had placed in the local paper in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Sears had listed Santa’s number as ME 2-6681. Which, according to Snopes, contained a typo: It was one digit off of the intended one. The number Sears had ended up printing and distributing to the city’s citizens? The one for, as it happened, the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD)—the predecessor of NORAD—which, like Santa, specialized in aeronautics. And which, unlike Santa, was based in Colorado Springs.

Suddenly, on Christmas Eve, phone calls intended for St. Nick were being received on a top-secret NORAD line—a line that was usually reserved for crises (which, back then, pretty much meant “Russians attacking”). When the first call came in, Colonel Harry Shoup, the officer on duty at CONAD, picked up the phone.

“Yes, Sir, this is Colonel Shoup.”

As Mentalfloss puts it, the colonel received no reply—just silence.

“Sir? This is Colonel Shoup,” he said again.

More silence.

“Sir?” Shoup was probably, at this point, trying not to panic. Silence on the crisis line. “Can you read me alright?”

Finally, the caller spoke up. It was not a commanding officer. It was … a little girl. And she was confused, too. “Are you really Santa Claus?” she asked.

Shoup, at that point, demanded to know who was calling, Terri Van Keuren, his daughter, remembers. He was brusque. This didn’t make any sense.

Read teh whole thing™.

Fatwa Arbuckle: Misanthropologist

Shouldn’t that snowman on the right have a mullet?

[aahnold]

It. Is. Not. A. Mullet.

[/aahnold]

Especially since I’ve not had a haircut post-wedding. 😉

BrendaK
Admin
10 years ago

Here’s our tree! The kids and FSRs I and II and a young (toddler) friend of theirs came over and helped decorate.

Fatwa Arbuckle: Misanthropologist
Reply to  BrendaK

While I got to go pickup pizza, thereby avoiding the brunt of teh Squee-a-thon. 😉

But I’m appreciative of the result achieved by our, erm, unpaid interns.

Fatwa Arbuckle: Misanthropologist

Ooooh…Happy Boston Tea Party anniversary; 240 years ago tonight.

X_LA_Native
Admin
10 years ago

Thank you everyone, for your compliments and prayers.

The surgery went well, albeit, the fix was a *leetle* on the aggressive side, but still better then a full rotator cuff tear. He’ll probably be a month with the arm in a sling -- or not. We’ll find out a week from Friday during the follow up.

The toughest part will be keeping him from pushing it or doing something stupid -- ultimately, he doesn’t want to end up worse than he’s been, so I *hope* he’ll follow instructions.

I so badly want to crash right now, but it’s far too early….I think I’m going to have to break out the toothpicks.

*mwah!*

Fatwa Arbuckle: Misanthropologist
Reply to  X_LA_Native

Thanks for checking-in, TeX; glad to know it went well.

One hopes Mr. X will act in a self-interested manner. 😉

Just Sven
Editor
10 years ago
Reply to  X_LA_Native

Great news, X,