ROLEY

Tag: GOP

  • JOURNAL: Tuesday, November 7th, 2023

    I’m sure you know the old cliché, “The dog that caught the car.” If not, it’s when a person attains an ambitious goal and has no idea what to do next. Watching the election results this evening, I thought Dobbs was just one example of the car: the recent Speaker’s election and the preceding three weeks with a stalled House being another. An argument could be made that the response to COVID-19 is another car, and you might make the argument that it’s not a bunch of cars, rather everything since January 2017 is one large bus.

    You would think that after years in the minority, and in the case of Dobbs, 50 years of planning for the day Roe would be overturned, there would have been a plan. Not so much, which leads us to a hard truth: Today’s Republican Party has no interest in plans, policy, or even the bare minimum of governing. This new group is only there for the clicks.

    After years of getting my hopes up at other companies, I stopped worrying about merit increases a long time ago. If the company chose to give me anything for my work, I considered it gravy. I’ve been a salaried employee for a little less than ten years between two places, and the increases are usually better than anything I ever received as an hourly employee. It’s those 25 cent raises that beat the hope out of me, so I don’t worry about it. So it was nice to have received a note from on high telling me that I received something more appropriate for my work over the year. I still come from the school of not disclosing what I make to anyone, other than to say that I now make more than I’ve made anywhere else. As long as the bills are paid and I can still buy eggs, I’m solid.

    Friday off for the holiday, and we’re thinking about heading west to the Blue Ridge to see if we can squeeze the last bit of fall color out of the trees. Last year we went to High Bridge State Park, and in a strange twist, I had no trouble with the heights but Kim had terrible vertigo. Additionally, we had a storm come through that week, and it wiped out most of the leafs on the way through. Not a total bust, but close. Hoping for some better luck this year. Trust I’ll put some photos up here if we get lucky.

  • Roley Podcast: Week Ending 6/25/2023

    Man On An Island, So That Happened, Stupid People are Stupid, and I don’t want to hear about the tip. #podcast #wfh #biden #boebert #gop #russia #kendrakingsbury #kentchristmas #mileswalker #cagematch #zuckerberg #musk

  • Friday, February 24th, 2023

    • I had what I think is a meaningful exchange with a friend on the Birdsite; they were wondering if a small camera like a Canon G7X is worth it when we all have cameras in our pockets.  Putting aside the old saying that the best camera is the one you have with you, I would say that if you’re not getting paid for your work, your phone camera is often better than an SLR any day of the week.  Plus, and this is by no means necessary, Moment makes a case and lenses for your phone.  I generally shoot videos with a CPL and an ND 32 filter attached.  I have a telephoto and wide-angle lens, but I rarely need to use them.  Also, while I have a DJI Osmo Gimbal, I rarely use that.  If I’m shooting a video, I use my mini tripod as a handle with a phone clamp.  If I’m shooting photography, I don’t need anything else. But, again, I’m not a professional, and what works for me may not work for you.
    • My SLR has taken up residence in my studio in a locked-down position, and I’ve just bought a teleprompter system that uses my iPad for the scripts.  We used something similar when I worked at Canon, but I was in the market for something that didn’t cost an arm and a leg.  Next up, lav mics.  I might still have one somewhere; I’ll need to dig around and test it. Finally, perfect world, I want a boom mike on a stand.
    • While caring for the wife, I give a moment of praise for the ability to get groceries delivered and the gig workers who bust their asses to deliver them.  I did it for a while, so I know the wear and tear they put on themselves and their cars.  I also know what a treasure it is to have those 2-3 hours back so I can do other things.  If you use a similar service, please take the time to thank them and tip them as well as you can.
    • A handy tip for those who feel compelled to pick the low-hanging fruit tweets of some of our more colorful wingnuts:  Don’t.  You’re being baited, and too many of us take the bait.  More engagement boosts it in the algorithm.  They cry about being shadowbanned when they don’t get the engagement they think they deserve.  With Elon being Elon, now is the perfect time to follow the screenshot method.  Screenshot the post, crop it, post that picture with your response, and do not tag the OP.  Let them cry to Elon.  Hell, let them cry, period.  We do not have to engage these people.  We can point and laugh at them while they melt down, though.

  • Sunday, November 13th, 2022

    Hey, there’s a new Podcast in the feed today. Also, if you’re so inclined, there are four new bonus podcasts over at Patreon. Until the end of the year, those Patreon podcasts (and anything else I put up there) are available to everyone. Enjoy.

    I’ve been playing around with Mastodon a little, and it just reminds me of the path we took to get to this point on the internet timeline. Most of us regular (old) folk started in a walled garden like CompuServe or AOL. Then we branched out with things like Netscape, ICQ, Usenet, and IRC. Things became more open. Social Networks swung the penduluum back in the other direction and made the data we gave them a commodity to be traded, and then someone figured out how to weaponize it. That’s why I find the Fediverse so intriguing. There are open alternatives to the social networks we use today. Is it ready for prime time? Not quite yet. The Mastodon server I selected was on the verge of a nervous breakdown for the surge of signups. I’d say take a look and play around with these alternatives. It can’t hurt. Not sure if this is the future, but it’s an option if you’re sick of the status quo.

    Following the Senate races, I’m glad to see the side interested in preserving democracy held on. That said, I don’t trust Joe Manchin or Kyrsten Sinema any father than I could comfortably spit a rhinoceros. Here’s a scenario to consider: Let’s say that Georgia proves that it’s brain dead and elects Walker. That means the Senate remains 50/50 as it is today. If I’m Mitch McConnell, I’m offering the moon on a goddamn string for one or both of them to pull a James Jeffords, switch parties, and hand control of the Senate to the GOP. Manchin is the likely candidate to flip, but don’t take Sinema for granted. Those two will go to the place they can have the most power, and exert the most influence.

    Let’s say that the Dems hold both houses and the Senate at 51/49 with Warnock winning the runoff. Then Biden realistically 12 months to put the fucking hammer down and pass his agenda, maybe 18 if you want to push it. You put so much pressure on Manchin/Sinema you make diamonds out of them., eject the filabuster, hit the warp speed button, and pass all the things. Codify Roe and Obergfell. Pass the College Loan Forgiveness Plan. Pass 35 dollar insulin for everyone. Expand healthcare to be on par with the rest of the world. Pass gun control laws, paid family leave, fund the bullet train we should have had years ago…every ding dang thing. I promise you once those things kick in and start to help us regular folks, that’s the thing that scares the GOP the most. They know they’ll be back in the minority for a generation at least.

    Here’s something else that scares the GOP: the calendar. By 2028, Millenials and Gen Z will be the largest voting block out there. By 2035 or 2040, white folks will be in the minority. They know this, and every trick they play to supress the vote, gerrymander districts and the like are designed to keep Evangelical White Republicans at the top of the food chain. It’s literally an economic and political apartheid if they get their way. We can’t let that happen, and I think the young people are going to ensure that it doesn’t happen.

    Remember to hug a pollster today, they’re very fragile right now. Thoughts and Prayers.

    Assholes.