Blog Heap o'Links for July 2018

…Interstate 95, the country’s most used highway, will finally run as one continuous road between Miami and Maine by the late summer. The interstate’s infamous “gap” on the Pennsylvania and New Jersey border will be closed, turning I-95 into an unbroken river of concrete more than 1,900 miles long. In so doing, it will also mark a larger milestone, say transportation officials—the completion of the original United States interstate system.…

…On this day in 1863 the New York City draft riots began. Opponents of conscription began three days of rioting which would be later regarded as the worst in United States history. They had two major beefs. They were angry that the law allowed more wealthy people to buy their way out of the draft and they were opposed to the war with the South as well because NY's economy was tied to the South at the time.…

…Obviously the big story in the lead was sleazy, traitorous ex-(or not?) FBI agent Peter Strzok's testimony before the House yesterday.… we are in the midst of a political and cultural sea-change gradually building before our eyes… Don't walk under any black cats today.

…Donald Trump said Theresa May's new soft Brexit blueprint would 'kill' any future trade deal with the United States. His comments, deeply damaging to the PM, come as he delivers his most brutally honest verdict yet on Britain…

…Once again, someone feuded with Donald Trump.

Once again, someone came out worse for wear.

By the way, Donald Trump is the least liked president in England since James Madison. Pretty good company.

Welcome to the Trump Schadenfreude List, England.…

…On this day in 1862 the Medal of Honor was authorized by Congress. Note that is NOT The Congressional Medal of Honor although a lot of people call it that.

…bereft of any legitimate concern or criticisms of Brett Kavanaugh, the Democrat-Left Media complex is once again resorting to smear tactics including the race and gender card, the sexism/misogyny card, the frat boy cruelty card and now... the credit card…

…Here are 14 times Trump administration officials and Republican lawmakers have been threatened or run out of establishments recently…

Former Republican Congressional Candidate denied an Airbnb booking… the owner saying he thought Cheadle's political viewpoints oppose his lifestyle.…

…Some of you may have seen that Gal Gidot (Wonder Woman) did a surprise visit to a hospital in NoVa this past week. It's been all over the news, Entertainment Tonight, ect. The baby with the ladybug sticker on her cheek that she's holding is my niece Karalyne, the one who is in the prayer list for her infant leukemia. The good news is she is also responding well to treatment, at the last report she is waiting for her neutrophil counts to come up so she can have her bone marrow transplant and finally be done with all of this.

Thank you one and all for the prayers.…

…As Aug. 25th approaches I’m reminded of the time 68 years ago when life in Bartlesville stood still, frozen in time, an event which only a few people left alive still remember.… Along Cherokee Avenue 2,000 Boy Scouts lined the road, all in uniform. The creation of 500 floral displays along with arrangements of 3,000 red and yellow roses kept florists from every town the area working around the clock.…

…The truth is, colleges and universities never had a monopoly on knowledge.

But in this era where information is at our fingertips, they’re nothing more than relics of the past.

Going to college is like continuing to wear chain mail and a suit of armor in the era of Kevlar.

So skip college.…

Sgt. Major Saman Gunan wasn't abiding by any orders when he joined the effort to rescue a boys soccer team trapped in a cave in northern Thailand. The 38-year-old retired Thai Navy SEAL did so by choice.

Gunan, who was working as a volunteer, passed out underwater during an overnight mission placing extra air tanks inside the cave, along the route divers use to reach the cavern where the 12 boys and their coach remain stranded and the oxygen in the air is depleting. He couldn't be revived and was confirmed dead early Friday morning, according to Thai officials.…

…On this day in 1804 the infamous duel between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton occurred. After the death of Hamilton, for which Burr was never prosecuted even though dueling was illegal at the time, Burr went West and became involved in a plot to drum up war with Spain. He was charged with treason for that but thanks to the efforts of John Adams who hated Jefferson at the time he was exonerated.

…there is almost universal praise for Brett Kavanaugh from the majority of conservative and GOP quarters while blood is shooting out of every orifice of the Left.…

…The first lady wore a $7,450 Elie Saab white patterned dress…

…Artist Steve Ditko, who co-created Spider-Man and Doctor Strange with Stan Lee, has died at age 90.… found dead in his apartment on June 29 and it is believed he died about two days earlier.…

…Steve Ditko… encomiums… bubbled up across the usual social media platforms… reactions tended to focus on various, discrete, highly specific aspects of his legacy… Me, though? I thought of his sparkles.…

President Trump pardoned ranchers Dwight and Steven Hammond, a father and son who were effectively political prisoners under the behemoth, politicized Bureau of Land Management.…

…The big story this Tuesday is President Trump's second pick for a seat on the SCOTUS, Brett Kavanaugh. From our side, there has been some trepidation about his record and beliefs, although judging by reactions from conservative circles, the reaction has been nothing but positives and praise for the President. From the other side, the reaction has been a vast wave of epithets, rants, obscenities, theatrics and rhetoric heaped upon the President, conservatives, his supporters and especially Judge [ XX ] who will keep women and blacks in chains and toss little brown babies into the gas chambers.…

…Here is the list, so far, and remember that if any one of these things happened to a Democrat, the media would use the story to blot out the sun for weeks. …the media are desperate to normalize and justify violence and harassment against Trump and his supporters.…

…A man harassed Kellyanne Conaway at a grocery store.… Stephen Miller was harassed by a bartender at a sushi takeout joint, who followed the Trump aide into the street, giving him the finger and cursing him.… a man harassed Steve Bannon at an independent bookstore. The bookstore's manager told the "protester" to stop it; he didn't, so the bookstore manager called the cops on him.…

…75-year-old man… arrested for threatening to kill President Trump supporters, including those of GOP Congressman Lee Zeldin (R-NY). … charged with making terroristic threats and reckless endangerment.…

…Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was confronted on Saturday by a small group of chanting protesters as he left a Kentucky restaurant.…

…On this day in 1850 President Zachary Taylor died after eating copious amounts of raw fruit and iced milk, he was succeeded in office by Vice President Millard Fillmore. There has been much speculation about his death.

…Start of a new week and besides the incredible details of the Thai kids' being rescued (four safe as the rescue operation continues), the big news is the impending announcement from the White House as to the nominee to fill the vacant seat on the Supreme Court.…

Steve Ditko, the Marvel Comics artist who gave the world the woven webs and soaring red-and-blue shape of Spider-Man and the other-worldly shimmer of Doctor Strange, has died, authorities said Friday. He was 90.

Ditko was found June 29 in his Manhattan apartment and was pronounced dead at the scene, police Lt. Paul Ng said. No further details were immediately available.…

…The earliest dog remains found in North America were buried nearly 10,000 years ago in what is now Illinois. By 7,000 years ago, other bones show that “we have lots of dogs all over the place…” But then, sometime after the 15th century, these ancient dogs disappeared.…

It's the cops…
Flush the catnip!

…On this day in 1456 Joan of Arc was retried and acquitted heresy 25 years after she had been burned to death. People who want religious law in the US should not forget this kind of history.
…

…handed out yard signs reading, “This home is a gun-free safe space…” “It’s amazing how many people took one and thanked us. They said they would put it in front of their house. I think it’s funny,” the Houston-area Republican told the newspaper, adding: “Nobody should put this in front of their house.”…

…Boynton Beach homeowner Jeff Good was just relaxing and enjoying the holiday when a car pulled up and a stranger demanded that he take the flag down and denounced the president.

Mr. Good refused and was punched right in the face by the thug. He then instinctively punched back but got his arm stuck in the car as the driver sped off, dragging the homeowner a short distance resulting in minor injuries.…

Police have arrested Kino Jimenez, the 30-year-old San Antonio man who is accused of assaulting a teenage Trump supporter at a Whataburger on the Fourth of July.… Hunter Richard, 16, says that he was eating at Whataburger on July 4th when Jimenez grabbed his MAGA hat, threw a drink in his face and used a racial slur before strutting out of the burger restaurant, still holding the red cap.… In 2016, he posted a video of a Trump pinata being destroyed…

…Just wanted to talk about a really nice moment in "Won't You Be My Neigbor?" the movie I talked about in an earlier thread. Fred Rogers had a lot of silence in his show. He would feed the fish and not say anything, or he would ask a question and then not say anything- allowing the audience to think. He apparently believed that silence was an important and valuable discipline and I agree with him.…

Shoko Asahara has been executed after being on death row for nearly 14 years…
He was the leader of the Aum Shinrikyo cult which carried out the 1995 atrocity…
The cult dumped bags of sarin on rush-hour trains causing horrendous injuries…
Four other cult members were also hanged and eight more remain on death row…

…Have liberals ever had a worse week than this (since November 8, 2016 that is)?…

Independence Day may technically be over, but is there ever a time not to be a proud American? Plus, more wicked funny posters about lots of other stuff.…

…On this day in 1535 Sir Thomas More was executed for treason against King Henry VIII of England. His treason was refusal to acknowledge Henry VIII has the head of the church in England. This has led to a play and two major movies named A Man For All Seasons.

…In 1984, the New York Times told us that @realDonaldTrump would be our best president.…

…31yo man from India has shrine to Trump…

…On this day in 1775 the Second Continental Congress adopted the Olive Branch Petition in a final effort to avoid a war with England. King George refused to read it and declared the colonies in 'open rebellion'.…

…the big story continues to be the President's search for the next justice to take the seat vacated by the ankling of Antony Kennedy. …

First lady Melania Trump spent the day before America’s Independence Day with wounded service members at Water Reed medical center in Bethesda, Maryland.
“I had a wonderful visit to @WRBethesda today,” Mrs. Trump posted to her social media, along with several photos of her visit.…

…First up, several great links with which to ponder the American Revolution as we live through perhaps a defining moment of the 100+year counterrevolution that started around 1913.…

…the big story that will no doubt get lost in the sauce is the arrest of an Ohio man who had planned a terror attack targeting the Cleveland 4th of July parade and possibly the Coast Guard station there as well. The plot involved remote control cars packed with explosives and shrapnel, specifically aimed at servicemen and their children taking part in the parade.…

…So this morning was up bright and early to go on a hike… as we were walking down the hill I literally almost stepped on a mf rattlesnake. But my hero of a puppy Todd saved me He jumped right in front of my leg were I surely would have got bit.…

Harvey Weinstein Charged with Forcible Sex Act By Third Woman

…On this day in 1890 Congress passed the Sherman Antitrust Act. The original intent of this law was to prevent the formation of monopolies by large corporations and to regulate competition between businesses. Although the law has been upheld by the courts it is really unconstitutional as hell. There is nothing in the Constitution that gives the federal government the power to regulate competition. It has been upheld by improperly using the commerce clause.

…Much of the news despite falling into different categories have the common thread of the American (and international) Left coming apart at the seams as it rages against the dying of the light; to wit, the election and wildly successful first 18 months of the Presidency of Donald Trump. …

The death toll of last weekend’s massacre of Nigerian Christians by militant Muslim Fulani herdsmen has risen to at least 200…

…Is lynching a serious threat to anyone in 2018? And will it be a federal crime if you lynch a white person, or is this another one of those special unequal laws which seem to not so subtly indicate that the devil is straight and white and male?…

…Green recycling policy is killing the oceans with plastic pollution…

…after the age of 105, human mortality seems to hit a plateau. That is, you aren’t any more likely to die at 110 than at 105. …

…“ultralow surface temperatures” in East Antarctica that surpass the coldest temperatures ever recorded on the earth’s surface. some 100 different locations on the East Antarctic Plateau reached temperatures of -98° C (-144° F) during the Antarctic polar night between 2004–2016.…

…On this day in 1908 SOS was adopted as the international distress signal.