Utterly Meaningless
  • Got the weirdest email yesterday

    Filed on August 16, 2024 at 6:19 am under by dcobranchi

    Someone asked about a post here from 2008! I (obviously) didn’t remember it.

    EXACTLY 8 YEARS AGO

    Filed on March 14, 2023 at 9:26 am under by dcobranchi

    HAPPY PI MINUTE!

    Ron DeSantis is a Fascist

    Filed on March 6, 2023 at 7:14 am under by dcobranchi

    And fuck their proposed blogger law!

    UNHINGED

    Filed on April 25, 2020 at 8:24 am under by dcobranchi

    Laura Hollis goes from homeschooling to abortion to transgender rights in her latest deranged column.


    The attack on home schooling must be seen as part of a larger effort to silence conservatives and marginalize their impact in this country.
    If people like Elizabeth Bartholet are successful in criminalizing home schooling, they won’t stop there. They’ll move on to people who send their children to public school and who nevertheless impart values with which she and her cadre of statists and secular humanists don’t agree. The next step would be further interference with — and even termination of — parental rights.
    This is not extreme, and it isn’t hysteria.

    Yes, it’s hysteria.

    A HOMESCHOOLING POST

    Filed on October 12, 2019 at 7:38 am under by dcobranchi

    This would have gotten a rise out of me a few years ago:

    PARKERSBURG — Wood County Schools administrators are hoping a new virtual school program will help bring some of the more than 800 homeschooled students back to the public school system.

    Superintendent Will Hosaflook this week told members of the Parkersburg Rotary Club the school system has 861 homeschooled students. Wood County Schools has seen a decrease in enrollment of 2,500 since 2001, and Hosaflook said homeschool students represent a chunk of those losses.

    SPLIT PEA SOUP, INSTANT POT

    Filed on December 30, 2018 at 10:39 am under by dcobranchi

    1 lb dried split peas
    1 small ham bone
    1 onion, chopped
    2 carrots, chopped
    2 stalk celery, chopped
    1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
    water
    T. olive oil
    Salt to taste

    Add all ingredients except water. Add water to half-fill line on Instant Pot. Set Pot to high pressure, manual for 20 minutes. Vent naturally. Strip meat from bone and return to Pot. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before serving.

    CHOCOLATE CHIP SCONES

    Filed on November 18, 2017 at 6:26 am under by dcobranchi

    5 T. salted butter, cold
    2 c. self-rising flour
    1/4 c. sugar
    1/2 c. milk
    1 egg
    1 handful semi-sweet chocolate chips

    Pre-heat oven to 450 F

    Combine butter, flour, and sugar in the blender. Run at high speed until butter is chopped to fine pieces. Transfer to stand mixer. Add remaining ingredients and knead for just a minute or two (just until all of the ingredients are incorporated into the dough). Turn out the dough and pat to form an 8″ circle. Cut into 8 wedges. Bake 16-18 minutes until golden brown.

    Alternative: If you want the scones extra sweet, sprinkle some additional sugar on the top prior to placing in the oven.

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    BLACK BEAN SOUP

    Filed on February 20, 2017 at 10:10 am under by dcobranchi

    For future reference. This came out just about perfect.

    1 lb black beans, soaked and drained
    1 medium yellow onion, chopped
    3 cloves garlic, chopped
    4 slices pre-cooked bacon, crumbled
    4 c. chicken broth, low sodium
    2 c. water
    1 1/2 t. cumin
    1 1/2 t. chili powder
    Kosher salt (optional)
    Carolina Reaper flakes to taste

    Throw everything except the salt and Reaper flakes in a pot. Cook covered on medium low for about 3 hours until the liquid is absorbed and the beans are falling apart. Add the Reaper flakes carefully. Taste and add salt if necessary.

     

    Instant Pot version.  Same as above except start with dry beans.  Set the IP for 1 hour.  Immersion blend everything.

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    A WORD TO THE WISE

    Filed on November 17, 2016 at 12:23 pm under by dcobranchi

    Do not ever install an app on your phone while traveling abroad. Because forever after, the app will “think” in yen, or euros, pounds sterling.

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    THAT DAMN ACLU!

    Filed on August 20, 2016 at 6:43 am under by dcobranchi

    Always making outrageous demands.

    Parkersburg City Council Tuesday will revisit an ordinance to repeal a ban on fortune-telling and related businesses in the city.

    Passed in 1947, section 529.05 of the city code prohibits people from engaging in “palmistry, fortunetelling, astrology, phrenology or any kindred trade or profession having as its object the foretelling of happenings of future events” within Parkersburg city limits… In July, council voted 5-3, with one member absent, against the first reading of an ordinance repealing the law, despite attorney John Ellem, on Cooper’s behalf, offering examples of legal precedents showing such a law was unconstitutional.

    Now some council members have rethought their stance, even before a letter from the American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia was sent to city officials Thursday evening.

    “Laws banning fortune-telling and similar activities were popular in the era in which Parkersburg’s ordinance was enacted,” says the letter from Jamie Lynn Crofts, legal director for the ACLU of West Virginia. “However, state and federal courts around the country have found such laws to be unconstitutional abridgements of free speech and free expression.”

    A motion to renew the ordinance and the first reading of the ordinance are on the agenda for the council meeting scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.

    “We knew that (letter) was coming the minute it was voted down the first time, which still left my mouth agape,” Councilman J.R. Carpenter said…

    Despite believing the law should no longer be enforced, [Mayor] Colombo did not appreciate the ACLU stepping in to the issue.

    “All they do is try to create difficulties and problems for people,” he said.

    So, they had data to show the current law was unconstitutional, voted to keep it anyway, and then bitch when the ACLU slaps their wrist?

    Life in Parkersburg, WV!

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    SPOON!

    Filed on August 18, 2016 at 5:17 am under by dcobranchi

    The Tick is back!

    BUH-BYE!

    Filed on August 16, 2016 at 4:45 pm under by dcobranchi

    I’ve kicked Facebook to the curb. Their attempts to kill off the ad blockers annoyed me. In fact, FB just annoys me on general principles.

    LIFE IN PARKERSBURG, WV

    Filed on February 14, 2016 at 2:35 am under by dcobranchi

    All of a sudden, the lunatics are running the asylum:

    Has everyone lost their ability to see what is happening in the USA? Think America! Before Obama there was virtually no visible presence of Islam in America. All of a sudden Islam is taught in schools. All of a sudden we must allow prayer rugs everywhere and allow for Islamic prayer in schools and businesses. All of a sudden we must stop serving pork in public places and institutions. All of a sudden we are inundated with lawsuits by Muslims who are offended by America.

    (For God’s sake, they are IN America.)

    All of a sudden we must allow burkas to be worn everywhere even though you have no idea who is covered up under them. All of a sudden Muslim training compounds are popping up throughout the U.S.. All of a sudden Muslims are suing employers for being expected to do their jobs.

    All of a sudden all of our aircraft carriers are recalled for maintenance by Obama, rendering the Atlantic unsupported. All of a sudden our troops are withdrawn from the Middle East. All of a sudden there is no money for America’s poor, disabled veterans, jobless Americans, hungry Americans or displaced Americans, but there is endless money for Obama’s refugee programs. All of a sudden Obama fills the federal government with Muslims in key positions. All of a sudden there is an ammunition shortage in the U.S.. All of a sudden Americans are threatened by the federal government for complaining about Muslims.

    All of a sudden the most important thing for Obama to do is disarm American citizens. Now why is it so important for Obama to disarm America? Because a disarmed country is ripe for takeover by the Muslim army that Obama has imported into the United States. Nikita Krueschev, the Soviet dictator who visited the U.S. in the 1950s, said the U.S. could never be occupied by any army because of its citizen Army. Obama knows this fact and is doing everything within his power to disarm our citizens.

    If Obama can’t do it legally, he will abuse his power and take every gun from Americans because he knows he must do that to turn the U.S. over to Islam. Be wary and watchful. Obama’s actions speak far beyond his words. Obama won’t even say the words “Islamic terrorist.” Why? Also, under Obama we can take a viable baby’s life and cut off varying body parts and sell them and you and I are even funding this operation.

    Is this the kind of society we want?

    Larry Brogan

    Parkersburg

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    LIFE IN PARKERSBURG, PART 492

    Filed on January 3, 2016 at 6:55 am under by dcobranchi

    A Donald Trump supporter (and self-proclaimed high information voter) has some memory problems:

    I am unaware of any present-day Christians invading sovereign nations

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq_War

    END OF AN ERA

    Filed on December 12, 2015 at 8:05 pm under by dcobranchi

    End of an Era

    The very last Carnival of Homeschooling is posted. 479 episodes! Back in the day, there were lots of “Carnival” blogs. I’d bet that CoH is (was) the last survivor.

    T’GIVING HERE

    Filed on November 22, 2015 at 10:33 am under by dcobranchi

    The semi-randomly-chosen country is Switzerland. No doubt there’ll be lots of cheese and cream sauces. I’ll post pics on Friday.

    DEAR DONALD TRUMP,

    Filed on August 20, 2015 at 7:17 am under by dcobranchi

    Slightly fictional account ahead…

    My grandparents were all born overseas (Italy, Italy, Spain, and Poland) and were brought to the US as children in the early 20th century. My parents were born here, but before my grandparents were naturalized. So, my question: To what country would you deport me? I don’t speak a word of Polish and can say “pizza” and “mozzarella” in Italian. I did take Spanish in high school, however. Do you think my “Me llamo Daryl” will be enough to get me by in Spain? Should I start packing my maleta? (Confession: I had to Google translate “suitcase”).

    DEAR GOP SUPER PAC,

    Filed on August 16, 2015 at 1:21 pm under by dcobranchi

    I would be more than happy to take $50,000 or $100,000 of the $10M you’re planning to waste spend supporting the completely unelectable JEB(!) Bush.

    TANSTAAFA*

    Filed on August 14, 2015 at 3:45 pm under by dcobranchi

    *There ain’t no such thing as a First Amendment.

    The Parkersburg, WV City Council seems to “think” that they do not have to follow the Constitution. They will be in for a rude awakening, I expect, when they get sued for opening every City Council meeting with the Lord’s Prayer.

    Group: Prayer change inadequate
    August 13, 2015
    By GRETCHEN RICHARDS (grichards@newsandsentinel.com) , Parkersburg News and Sentinel

    PARKERSBURG – An activist group has sent a second letter to Parkersburg City Council, claiming the changes made to council’s prayer before a meeting are still unconstitutional.

    The Freedom From Religion Foundation sent another letter to Parkersburg City Council, which was released on Wednesday. The second letter is dated July 31.

    In the letter, the foundation claims “(t)he modifications that you have advised the Council to make fail to reduce the coerciveness of the prayer and continue to violate the Constitution’s Establishment Clause.”

    The letter, addressed to Parkersburg City Attorney Joseph Santer, is the second sent to the city on behalf of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, an organization which claims it seeks “to protect the constitutional principle of separation between state and church.”

    In the first letter, dated July 1, the foundation claimed the Parkersburg City Council’s tradition of beginning a meeting with the recitation of the Lord’s Prayer, combined with a request for all in chambers to rise and join in, was unconstitutional.

    The letter claimed that the use of the Lord’s Prayer is unfair, coercive and intimidating to the non-religious people of Parkersburg who must seek audience with the council.

    In response to the letter, Santer advised Parkersburg City Council to conduct all prayers prior to starting the meeting, to no longer invite the public to participate, and to not have any one elected official lead the prayer.

    In the July 31 letter, the foundation claims the changes advised to council are insufficient. The letter claims that prayers said prior to calling the meeting to order are still attributable to the council and considered a form of government speech.

    The letter goes on to say that “reciting only the Lord’s Prayer at every meeting will never be in compliance with the Constitution because it endorses Christianity and discriminates against minority faiths and those who are nonreligious.”

    The foundation advised the council to “completely drop prayer from its public meetings and allow council members and the public to pray on their own.”

    The demands being made by the foundation were described as “ridiculous” by Parkersburg Mayor Jimmy Colombo on Wednesday.

    Reciting the Lord’s Prayer before a meeting begins is a common practice, which is performed in the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate, as well as in most state capitols in the nation, Colombo said.

    “I think it is ridiculous that they feel they can run people’s lives,” Colombo said. “Last time I looked, this was not China or Russia. It’s America.”

    Parkersburg City Council will continue to say the Lord’s Prayer before meetings, Colombo said.

    Santer was unavailable for comment Wednesday evening.

    TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN

    Filed on July 17, 2015 at 4:09 pm under by dcobranchi

    Here’s the letter the FFRF sent to the Parkersburg, West Virginia City Council concerning illegal prayers at the City Council meetings.

    LTTE

    Filed on July 12, 2015 at 2:29 pm under by dcobranchi

    Why is it so difficult for many Americans to understand that although they have freedom of religion the government does not?

    I live in Elizabeth, but I want to tell everyone how much I appreciate Mayor Colombo. He is standing up for 99 percent of the people in the United States who are tired of one percent telling us how to live our lives. Who is the Freedom From Religion Foundation? They are a few people who have some money. They think they can push the rest of the country around anytime they want.

    If the people in Parkersburg, Ripley and Wood County stand up against them and fight them in court, they will not have enough money to go to court. We all need to say enough is enough. I plan to take a check to Parkersburg for the legal defense fund against unfair lawsuits, and I challenge everyone else who reads this to do the same.

    It’s time to stand up for our right to believe in a power higher than the Freedom From Religion Fund. May God bless the United States of America.

    Rev. Charles Leisure

    Elizabeth

    We want to wholeheartedly support Mayor Colombo, Councilman Rockhold, and council members for their comments and convictions in the article on July 7 about the removal of prayer from the council meetings. While we are supportive of the right to participate in public prayer, it seems to us that the current situation is the best opportunity for those who don’t hold Christian values or belief in prayer. Elliot was quoted in the article as stating that the current arrangement “requires residents ‘to either make a public show of their nonbelief or show deference to a religious sentiment that they do not believe in.” It seems to me that if someone held strong convictions that they would seize the opportunity to display that belief rather than cower, defer, or rely on an outsider to voice his nonbelief.

    If you look at great nations throughout history, you will see that most followed a cycle from bondage to spiritual faith to great courage to liberty to abundance to selfishness to complacency to apathy to moral decay to dependence and a return to bondage. It is easy to line up America’s history with this cycle. What one generation fought for, another is willingly surrendering.

    We live in a religious country. Rubbing shoulders every day with those who practice religions such as Christianity, Islam, etc. We are all guilty of worshiping our own gods of power, materialism, etc. We are indeed a very religious melting pot.

    There was another culture who displayed this religious fervor. Not wanting to overlook anyone, offend anyone, or ignore anyone unintentionally, they erected a monument to an “unknown god” to cover all bases. If the Apostle Paul were here today, we believe he, the self-proclaimed chief of all sinners, would repeat his words verbatim.

    Most of history’s great nations fell from powers from within, not from outside attacks. It rests on the shoulders of those who believe to stand firm and turn the hearts of the children back to their Father. This starts with individuals, then spreads to our families, to churches, through neighborhoods, across cities, permeating states, and directing this country to a place of power and faith.

    Thank you Mayor and council members. We pray you continue to hold fast to your beliefs and that you are joined by a multitude of like-minded people as we strive to protect and champion our freedoms and faith.

    The Leadership of the First Baptist Church of Williamstown

    One would think that pastors and such folk would understand that if they can impose their religion on others, it’s not out of the question that someday they may be the ones imposed upon. The Danbury Baptists understood this more than 200 years ago.

    HOME DEPOT vs. LOWES

    Filed on at 10:40 am under by dcobranchi

    I went out on a mission to find a rather specialized machine screen this weekend. Neither Home Depot nor Lowes had it. Really no surprise, there. But the shopping experience was decidedly different. The first stop was Home Depot. The greeter asked me if I needed any help finding my item and directed me to Aisle 12. An employee there spotted me trying to find the screw and spent a good 5 minutes looking through the various bins and bags trying to find the exact size.

    At Lowes I wandered directly over to the hardware aisle and stood staring at all of their offerings. There were two employees standing about 5 feet away from me discussing how often they got falling down drunk. Seriously, that was the topic of the day. Not once did either even ask me if I needed any help.

    I shop at Home Depot about 100x as often as I do at Lowes.

    THEY DON’T HAVE A PRAYER

    Filed on July 7, 2015 at 6:49 am under by dcobranchi

    The FFRF knows what they’re doing. Saying the Lord’s Prayer before a City Council meeting is blatantly illegal. I seriously doubt the SCOTUS meant that reciting exclusively Christian prayers was okay as long as the gavel hadn’t quite fallen. Under the CC’s interpretation, it seems like they think they could offer communion as long as the gavel was still 1 mm above the block of wood.

    UNSOLICITED ENDORSEMENT

    Filed on June 27, 2015 at 2:26 pm under by dcobranchi

    I just had a hair cut/massage at SportClips. Very nice. Scalp massage & neck rub. The store just opened this week, so they were running some specials. I have no idea what the full works would have cost, but it would have been worth it.

    WHY I UNSUBSCRIBED FROM THE DSCC’S MAILING LIST

    Filed on June 23, 2015 at 12:54 pm under by dcobranchi

    Because the corporatist (alleged) Democrats carried Fast Track across the finish line. DO NOT BOTHER TO EVER ASK ME FOR ANOTHER DOLLAR!!!

    HOW ‘BOUT A SOCIALIST ATHEIST?

    Filed on June 22, 2015 at 4:48 pm under by dcobranchi

    Atheists are no longer the least trusted group in America, according to a new Gallup poll. That distinction falls to “socialists” (however you define that term).

    Capture

    Guess I’ll never be prez.

    WILL THINGS EVER CHANGE?

    Filed on June 21, 2015 at 9:30 am under by dcobranchi

    And so this afternoon in a real sense they have something to say to each of us in their death. They have something to say to every minister of the gospel who has remained silent behind the safe security of stained-glass windows. They have something to say to every politician who has fed his constituents with the stale bread of hatred and the spoiled meat of racism… They say to each of us, black and white alike, that we must substitute courage for caution. They say to us that we must be concerned not merely about who murdered them, but about the system, the way of life, the philosophy which produced the murderers. Their death says to us that we must work passionately and unrelentingly for the realization of the American dream.

    Although it could have been written yesterday, it was actually MLK, Jr., more than 50 years ago.

    ONCE IS A BLUE MOON

    Filed on June 20, 2015 at 2:18 pm under by dcobranchi

    We have a tropical thunderstorm in the Mid-Ohio Valley.

    IF THEY WON’T TAKE IT DOWN…

    Filed on at 10:50 am under by dcobranchi

    Burn it up!

    IAATM*

    Filed on June 15, 2015 at 6:10 am under by dcobranchi

    CNN today asks, “Are pastors manipulating you into giving?”

    Yes. Thus endeth another edition of Simple Answers to Simple Questions. Ramen!

    *Anybody still remember that acronym?

    DEAR ROB CORNELIUS

    Filed on June 11, 2015 at 4:44 pm under by dcobranchi

    Pound sand!

    Signed,

    Daryl Cobranchi
    Wood County Democratic Executive Committee member AND Parkersburg city resident

    That is the approach the Wood County Republican Executive Committee took last year when then-Councilman John Kelly resigned his seat after being elected to the House. County GOP Chairman Rob Cornelius and Sharon Smith, the only committee members who lived in the city, submitted the list to Newell, who appointed Councilman Aaron Read.

    “The attorneys with the state party advised us to do it that way,” Cornelius said Wednesday. “There is no way the intent of the law is for somebody in Boaz to” choose the nominees for mayor.

    “The Dems are doing it wrong,” he said.

    I seriously considered quoting Arnold Schwarzenegger in “The Terminator.”

    I AM APPARENTLY A DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST

    Filed on May 27, 2015 at 10:28 am under by dcobranchi

    Here’s Bernie Sanders’ campaign in a nutshell:

    In his campaign “launch” yesterday, Sen. Bernie Sanders presented one of the most succinct, easy-to-summarize policy agendas we’ve seen from a presidential candidate in a long time. More progressive taxes. Breaking up the big banks. A constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United. A carbon tax. A single-payer health care system. Expanding Social Security. Universal pre-k. Free college tuition. A trillion-dollar infrastructure program. A $15 an hour minimum wage. And a reversal of international economic policies that promote/allow job exports.

    I can’t find a single item I disagree with. I’d add, though, card check.

    13 YEARS AND 4 DAYS

    Filed on May 13, 2015 at 5:29 pm under by dcobranchi

    I missed my anniversary again,

    TODAY’S DOODLE

    Filed on at 5:46 am under by dcobranchi

    Capture

    MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH YOU

    Filed on May 4, 2015 at 7:55 am under by dcobranchi

    It’s the geekiest day of the year.

    OBSERVATIONS

    Filed on April 24, 2015 at 1:46 am under by dcobranchi

    Riding bicycles here for transportation is at least as common as in China. Kids, especially, ride here in town. I have not seen a school bus yet, but every morning between 7:10 and 7:30 the bike paths are full of kids all heading to school.

    Walking to work is great exercise, but having to walk past several bakeries with fresh bread scents wafting out into the street is a terrible temptation.

    The breads here are phenomenal. Just ridiculously good. My favorite are rolls with pumpkin seeds on the outside. But, really, everything I’ve tried is very good.

    AND YET ANOTHER VIEW

    Filed on April 23, 2015 at 6:08 am under by dcobranchi

    IMAG0357

    This is from the restaurant where we had supper last night. That’s the Rhein River near Bonn. Upstream is to the left. The mountain off to the left is the Dragon’s Rock and that tower off to the right is DHL’s HQ.

    HAPPY 4/20!

    Filed on April 20, 2015 at 3:13 am under by dcobranchi

    I was in a Turkish kebab market/restaurant last night. The young guy in front of me in line bought only a pack of rolling papers. After he left, the owner of the shop kind of rolled his eyes and said simply, “Weed.” He went on to mention that it’s only an hour drive to the Netherlands from here. I’m an old fart and don’t do that (any longer), but it brought back some happy memories of my mis-spent youth.

    THE LANGOLIERS

    Filed on April 18, 2015 at 5:20 pm under by dcobranchi

    My favorite US airport is looking a lot like a (WARNING! REDUNDANCY ALERT AHEAD!) bad, made-for-TV Stephen King movie.
    PIT Concourse B
    This is the semi-abandoned Concourse B. Concourse A is even more desolate.

    WHISTLING PAST THE GRAVEYARD

    Filed on April 13, 2015 at 6:18 pm under by dcobranchi

    This column by the former editor of my local fishwrap is the funniest thing I’ve read in a long while. The far right wingnut actually “thinks” that Kasich may have “an excellent shot at the nomination.” I’ll go out on a limb. Not only will Kasich not be the GOP nominee, he will not make it out of Iowa.

    I’ve read Myer’s columns for 3+ years now. The only thing he has ever gotten correct is his email address.

    One might think it would be self-evident that a national debt amounting to nearly $60,000 for every man, woman and child in the United States is the most critical challenge facing Americans.

    And addressing the problem by finding someone with experience in cutting government spending rather than padding it also ought to be the obvious move.

    But Ohio Gov. John Kasich is having to work hard to persuade American voters of those two things.

    Kasich is running for president, though many people don’t know it. Only a few insightful observers mention him, much less give him a chance at winning. That may be a big strength.

    Real Clear Politics, which monitors public opinion polls, has Kasich dead last in a potential field of 12 candidates for the Republican nomination for president. RCP checked results of six recent polls in which Kasich was the choice of just 1.3 percent of respondents. The leaders were former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, at 16.8, and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, at 16.2.

    But Kasich has advantages over some GOP hopefuls. For one thing, he’s not a member of Congress. He’s an “outsider” like Bush and Walker.

    And Kasich, who sought the Republican nomination once before (George W. Bush beat him), has some experience in a national campaign. Some observers already have predicted Walker will fail because he lacks experience on a national stage.

    Voters in two very important election states, Ohio and Pennsylvania, can view Kasich as a favorite son (he grew up in McKee’s Rocks, Pa.).

    It will be difficult for Kasich’s opponents to jam a silver spoon in his mouth, as they are certain to do with Bush. Kasich, the son of a mailman, can claim as hardscrabble a youth as any candidate.

    For Kasich to pick up steam, several things need to happen. First, the GOP front-runners need to stumble. Walker already has, a bit, but it doesn’t seem to have hurt him. It’s highly unlikely Bush will self-inflict any wounds.

    Second, more people in the national news media need to start talking seriously about Kasich. There’s some hope of that happening.

    Third, deep-pockets donors need to start stepping up to the plate for Kasich.

    But the most critical factor is whether Americans can be persuaded to worry about deficit spending. Clearly, they don’t now and haven’t for some time. They keep re-electing members of Congress who vote for bigger government.

    Most people seem worried more about Islamic terrorists than the national debt. Indeed, the beheaders are a concern – but the chance of getting caught in a terrorist attack is miniscule. Everyone suffers from the $18.2 trillion debt. Kasich’s burden is making them understand that.

    If he can, he has an excellent shot at the nomination – because he has a record of getting fiscal results. While in the House of Representatives, he was chairman of the Budget Committee. There, he got much of the credit for crafting a balanced federal budget in 1997. Nowadays, if Washington holds the annual deficit to half a trillion dollars, everyone declares victory.

    When he became governor, Ohio faced an $8 billion two-year budget gap. Working with legislators, Kasich erased it. Ohio’s economy is growing, in part because of tax relief championed by the governor.

    Some conservatives say Kasich’s chance at the GOP nomination is hurt by his action in expanding the Medicaid program in Ohio, through Obamacare. Do those folks not understand how absolutely critical it is that the 2016 Republican nominee have “compassionate conservative” credentials?

    Kasich already has tested the waters on his strategy, through a six-week tour of about a dozen states in which he advocated a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution. To judge by the poll numbers, the trip did him little good.

    But national public opinion doesn’t win primary elections in key states. My guess is that if Kasich can stay in it long enough to take his case personally to voters in places such as Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina on the eves of their straw polls and primaries, he’s going to surprise a lot of people.

    Mike Myer can be reached at mmyer@theintelligencer.net.

    STILL JETLAGGED

    Filed on at 1:57 am under by dcobranchi

    It’s almost 2 a.m. and I’m wide awake. I’ll probably finally get back on schedule around Friday, just in time for my next trip to Europe.

    QOTD

    Filed on at 1:05 am under by dcobranchi

    Week. Month. Year. Decade. Millenium. Eternity.

    “This fascination that we have with handguns — not just in the city but in this country — has to stop. This is a senseless loss of life,” the police chief said.

    A 1-year-old was shot and killed by a 3-year-old. And this is so commonplace these days, that it hardly makes the news. I wish there were a Hell to consign Wayne LaPierre and the rest of the NRA leadership to. Some combination of Dante’s 7th – 9th circles would seem to be appropriate.

    A BUMPER STICKER I WANT TO SEE

    Filed on April 12, 2015 at 10:32 am under by dcobranchi

    I am an FDR Democrat!

    DAMN HIPPY COMMUNIST

    Filed on at 7:55 am under by dcobranchi

    I could back any Democrat who has the guts to really lead the nation to a better life for all:

    In our day these economic truths have become accepted as self-evident. We have accepted, so to speak, a second Bill of Rights under which a new basis of security and prosperity can be established for all regardless of station, race, or creed.

    Among these are:

    The right to a useful and remunerative job in the industries or shops or farms or mines of the Nation;

    The right to earn enough to provide adequate food and clothing and recreation;

    The right of every farmer to raise and sell his products at a return which will give him and his family a decent living;

    The right of every businessman, large and small, to trade in an atmosphere of freedom from unfair competition and domination by monopolies at home or abroad;

    The right of every family to a decent home;

    The right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health;

    The right to adequate protection from the economic fears of old age, sickness, accident, and unemployment;

    The right to a good education.

    All of these rights spell security…

    America’s own rightful place in the world depends in large part upon how fully these and similar rights have been carried into practice for our citizens. For unless there is security here at home there cannot be lasting peace in the world.

    That was FDR 71 years ago. I think we possibly made good on the farmer bit. The rest of them? Not so much.

    Mother Jones has more.

    ANOTHER ROOM, ANOTHER VIEW

    Filed on April 5, 2015 at 12:15 am under by dcobranchi

    Another country.

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    HAPPY CHILDREN’S DAY!

    Filed on April 3, 2015 at 10:40 pm under by dcobranchi

    April 4th is Children’s Day here in Hong Kong.

    A ROOM WITH A VIEW

    Filed on at 12:31 am under by dcobranchi

    From the 27th floor of the Holiday Inn Downtown, Shenzhen, China.

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    THE LEAST BUSINESS-FRIENDLY TOWN IN THE U.S.

    Filed on March 22, 2015 at 11:39 am under by dcobranchi

    Just noticed this in the North Hills, WV town ordinances:

    BUSINESSES WITHIN THE TOWN
    * NO PLACES OF BUSINESS OR TRADE CAN BE CONSTRUCTED OR PERMITTED IN THE TOWN. THE SNACK BAR AT THE NORTH HILLS SWIM AND RACQUET CLUB IS EXEMPTED.

    Don’t even think of opening that lemonade stand, kids.

    MUST READ OF THE DAY

    Filed on at 8:24 am under by dcobranchi

    CNN(!) has a long form piece up on one man’s deconversion story. I wouldn’t have gone the godless church route, but it seems to work for the group in the Research Triangle.

    HAPPY PI MINUTE!

    Filed on March 14, 2015 at 9:26 am under by dcobranchi

    In a real time warp kind of way, I wrote this post six years ago today and post-dated it to auto-publish right now. Pretty geeky, I know.

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