Historic Leap Year: Caturday Edition

U.S. Expected to Sign Deal With Taliban to Withdraw Troops From Afghanistan

Afghanistan has become America’s longest, now nearly invisible, war

The New York Times and others reluctantly acknowledge that the nearly 20 year war in Afghanistan may be coming to an end - at the hand of President Trump, the man they swore would lead us into World War III.

But wait!

After more than a year of talks, the deal would lay out the beginning of the end of the United States’ longest war. But many obstacles remain.

There it is, there’s still hope: “many obstacles remain.”

Though the Taliban would get their primary wish granted by this agreement, the withdrawal of American troops, they have made no firm commitments to protect civil rights for people they brutally repressed when in power.

How cute: now they’re more interested in civil rights than the waste of American blood and treasure in the pursuit of nation building. But they would bring those same people to America and insist that their civil rights include practicing their “religion” no matter how repressive.

All I can say is if, after 19 years of intervention and fighting, you can’t get your act together well enough to build your own nation you clearly have no desire to do so. In which case I no longer have any desire to help you do so.

Honestly, politics can make people so stupid I can’t bear it any longer. So let’s unleash the cats of war and allow leap year Caturday to commence.

An upcoming 10-part HBO series will tell the true story of an elite feline unit during World War II and will be directed by Tom Hanks.

Somebody should tell the American Dairy Association that leap year adds only one day to February.

FLOTUS Friday: Nabob Edition

"In the United States today, we have more than our share of nattering nabobs of negativism. They have formed their own 4-H club -- the hopeless, hysterical hypochondriacs of history." – Vice-President Spiro Agnew

I’ve had it with the nattering nabobs of negativism, and no amount of covfefe will help.

Honestly, wishing a pandemic on the country in order to kill our own economy in order to take down a President they don’t like? Who does that? Deranged ideologues, that’s who.

While then Vice-President Spiro Agnew gave a series of speeches in 1969 criticizing the media for their negative coverage, the phrase was actually directed  at politicians critical of the Nixon administration policies during the 1970 mid-term congressional campaign; not a word was uttered about the “press” as media was known at the time. Within a year’s time however the media, desirous even then of being the story rather than simply covering it, began the fiction that that delicious turn of phrase had been directed at them. Fifty years later everyone believes that to be true: such is the power of owning the franchise known as “the press.” Thank God for the internet where the truth still leaks out in certain venues.

I must say I find it curious that just two weeks ago the modern day Democratic Party/Media complex was criticizing the President for shutting down flights to and from China as an “overreaction” is now complaining that he’s not doing enough to address the dreaded Coronavirus crisis. Only a cabal can have it both ways. I wonder if they consider the North Korean response “adequate.”

In what appears to be a rather drastic measure to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID 19), North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un allegedly sanctioned for the execution of the first North Korean patient tested positive for the deadly strain of the virus.

But as I said, enough. Rest your eyes instead on our most elegant FLOTUS.

When the media can’t find anything kind to say about such a lovely representative of our country you know they are the enemy.

The Future Comes Soon Enough

“People like us, who believe in physics, know that the distinction between past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.” - Albert Einstein

My problem: I can’t decide whether to go back in time and be considered a genius, or forward in the hope that mankind has improved and life on earth is truly better.

“I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots.” - Albert Einstein

Who am I kidding, I have seen the future and it is as Einstein feared: a video game. Perhaps time didn’t matter to Einstein - he’d be considered a genius in any time warp – but knowing what I know now I’d go back in time and pretend. I’d take enough money to buy a nice sized piece of land in northern California, sometime during the Great Depression, where I’d plant mostly grapes. I’d invest in Microsoft, Apple, Google and Amazon early on, cash out and retire to my own private island in the Caribbean.

There I would spend the rest of days not worrying about COVID-19.

“I never think of the future - it comes soon enough.”
― Albert Einstein

Note: for those of us living in the present, please remember to keep Ripley’s Mom and Succotash in your prayers and add MnTo who is having surgery tomorrow.

Fight Club: Not A Good Look For the Dems

“Welcome to Fight Club. The first rule of Fight Club is: you do not talk about Fight Club.”

And after last night’s cage fight that is a very good rule indeed. However there are actually eight rules of Fight Club:

1. One does not talk about Fight Club.
2. One DOES NOT talk about Fight Club.
3. The fight is over once a person yells ''stop'', taps out, or goes limp.
4. Only two guys are involved in a fight.
5. Only one fight occurs at a time.
6. No shirts, no shoes.
7. There is time allotment associated with the fights. They go on until they end.
8. First timers at the club must fight.

And the only rule the Democrats seem to be following is #8. And aside from Bernie and Joey they’re all first timers who felt compelled to fight each other. So everybody was fighting, all at the same time.

Heil Bernie!

I don’t know what all the MSM bobble heads were even doing there last night; everyone knows there are no moderators in Fight Club. It’s a losers free-for-all.

Forget the Coronavirus Pandemic: It’s Mardi Gras!

Here we are – Fat Tuesday, Carnevale, Shrove Tuesday. The final debauchery prior to the Lenten season of penitence and prayer, mortifying the flesh, repentance of sins and almsgiving. So…laissez les bon temps rouler!

Back in the day we’d always celebrate at Fishbones Rhythm Kitchen in downtown Detroit where they had the best catfish beignets, oysters Rockefeller, crayfish étouffée and Jambalaya this side of New Orleans.

And one year we actually went to New Orleans for the last few days of Mardi Gras, it was crazy and fun and exhausting. It’s the sort of thing you should only do once and even then only when young. So today we plan a much more laid back celebration; we’re going to go play in the snow for awhile. Then there’s some of Raj’s world famous gumbo – chicken, shrimp and andouille - in the freezer for dinner. And since Raj wanted a King Cake but forgot to order one, we decided to make a cheater version. Truth be told I’m not all that fond of King Cakes, even the good ones, so I find this easy-peasy version quite appealing, if not entirely authentic.

Easy King Cake  - from Mom Loves Baking

Ingredients

• 2 cans store-bought cinnamon rolls I used Pillsbury Flaky Cinnamon Rolls with Butter Cream Icing
• Yellow green and purple sugar
• 1 plastic toy baby if desired

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Place cinnamon rolls sideways on a large cookie sheet that has been greased or lined with a silicone mat. Arrange cinnamon rolls in a circular pattern. It should look like a flower when you're done. Press down on cinnamon rolls with your hand to flatten them slightly.
3. Bake according to package instructions. Let cool.
4. Frost with the buttercream that comes with the cinnamon rolls. Add yellow, green and purple sugar. Serve immediately or store covered for up to 24 hours at room temperature. It is best when eaten the first day.

I don’t have a Bundt pan or I would modify the assembly per this Cinnamon Roll King Cake version that uses extra butter and brown sugar. I do think I’ll add a bit of cream cheese to the pre-made frosting though.

So no paczki (poonch-kee or punch-kee, depending on where you hail from) this year.

We’ll be indulging ourselves instead with the likes of a yellow, green and purple King Cake imposter.

While I’m out and about today I’ll be wearing my Cajun/Acadian flag pin that Cajun2 was kind enough to send me a couple of years ago.

As I understand the flag’s symbols, the gold castle on the red field represents the Spanish kingdom, who  assisted the Acadians in settling their new homeland.  The silver fleur-de-lis on the blue field represents the Cajuns’ French heritage. And the gold star on the white background represents the Virgin Mary, patron saint of the Acadians. It seems a fine heritage and proud flag, I will wear it with pride and hope that I run into at least one other person who recognizes it. It only happened once before and it was very cool, like being a member of a secret society with a special handshake.

Anyway, that’s about it from casa MOTUS this fine Fat Tuesday. Please remember as you go about your Mardi Gras celebrations to keep Ripley’s Mom and Succotash in you prayers as RM is having her second knee replacement today and Succotash will be having glaucoma surgery tomorrow.

Monday Reminder: Put Your Best Foot Forward

File this under “there are only 2 genders, and one of them is female.” And girls sometimes have different priorities.

Play to your strengths: while anyone can skateboard, only girls understand the importance of looking good while you’re at it.

So put your best foot forward…

and get out there and carpe diem!

There’s Gambling Going On In Nevada.

Fifty years of inculcating young minds of mush with communist values at government indoctrination centers, and all I got was this old white socialist:

Sad, isn’t it?