Gunning It

A Tsunami of Ado About Absolutely Nothing

"Constitution? What Constitution?"

The fawning progressive mainstream media (but I repeat myself) is positively orgasmic this morning in the wake of President Obama's announcement of executive orders relating to gun sales. As usual, the president's cheerleaders are lying their asses off about the issue, in spite of the fact that their incessant posturing on the issue has not, in fact, persuaded the American people.



Completely aside from the issue of whether the president even has the constitutional authority to do this (he really doesn't), the actual impact of the president's orders will be practically nil, so this is primarily an exercise in virtue signaling.

Some conservative analysts I respect are saying that the president has made a mistake issuing these orders. I don't agree. I think he is doing this in part to burnish his reputation with progressives (that "legacy" crap), but also as a way of damaging Hillary Clinton, who has been promising potential voters everywhere she goes that if elected she would do...basically what the president just did. I think he's getting a kick out of taking the issue away from her.

"I will shred the Constitution even better than he has, I swear!"

I don't know if it will play out that way, but if it does, it couldn't happen to a nicer black-eyed skank.

Birth of an Icon

On January 5, 1933 construction began on what would become famous as one of America's true engineering marvels, San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge.

Golden Gate Bridge at sunset

It would be more than four years before the structure was finally completed, but it was actually finished ahead of schedule, and its $35 million price tag came in under budget.




Hard to imagine a project like this being able to accomplish those two feats nowadays. We're not as "can do" a nation as we used to be, sadly.

In 1994 the American Society of Civil Engineers named the span one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. Seeing it is most definitely on my "To Do" list.

Not just yet, old friend...and when we go, you know perfectly well that we won't be flying there...

Ockham's Razor in the Workplace

From the delightful comic strip Dilbert, by Scott Adams, which you should read every day, as I do.

Until Next Time...

One of the things I enjoy most about popular music is that no one has ever completely figured out what makes for a "hit" song. Often as not, the efforts that take the longest
to produce wind up as complete flops, while songs that were basically throw-aways that took no time at all become classic hits.

Original 1967 45 rpm single sleeve

A case in point is "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Some Flowers in Your Hair)," a simple folk song written in 1967 by John Phillips of The Mamas and The Papas to help promote the upcoming Monterey Pop Festival.

Phillips claimed to have written the song in just 20 minutes, and thought so little of its potential that he chose old friend Scott McKenzie to record it, rather than his own group.



Of course the song became an immediate hit, reaching No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart and selling more than 7 million records worldwide. It became the anthem of the "flower power" kids of the '60s.

Today's send-off celebrates the "birthday" of San Francisco's iconic landmark with McKenzie's original recording, paired with some evocative images of the sort of "flower children" Phillips was thinking of when he wrote it. Enjoy...