Recent Comments

1. about 9 hours ago on Non Sequitur

   You have your bias (to which you are entitled), but I have none in a general political sense. Regarding my allegiances, I will vote for the person I think will best do a job, and I could care less about their political party backing.

   That is – except for Trump and any MAGAt toady running for a position. For them, I have complete disdain and no interest in even considering them. Unfortunately, that means very few even moderately-Conservative candidates will get my vote, because many too many of them have toadied up to the RNC to get campaign funding. Extracting funds from the RNC entails giving oath to support and be faithful personally to Trump, and being vetted and approved by Trump. I won’t waste my vote on any of his ilk.

2. about 9 hours ago on Non Sequitur

   Understood. We had that Siamese, and then another immediately after – a rescue from a pound. Before them, I had a very lovable and relatively calm half-half mix blue-point Siamese and a very small-framed Russian Blue. The Siamese have a breed trait of being extremely possessive of territory.

   After all, they were bred to be guardians of temples. I’m pretty sure that the incident you recounted was based in that breeding and trait, just like my wife’s first one exhibited the trait of playing “tag”.

   But yes, the attack at the face could not be countenanced … or excused. I broke wife’s cat of the “tagging” family members by picking her up by the scruff of the neck and holding her up where she could see my face and eyes, but not reach my face or my arm. Then I spatted her nose each forepaw a couple of times, and told her sternly “NO. Bad kitty! BAD kitty!” Then I gently put her down on the floor.

   She finally got the idea that ANY time I caught her “tagging” people with even the slightest extension of her claws, that was going to be the response. She didn’t at all care for having her forepaws or tender nose beeped. She quit tagging wife and me, and never tried it with daughter, and she died of old age just before son was borne. Still “tagged” visitors, but not with any claw extension.

   She did run a neighbor’s malamute Husky out of the yard, though, and another neighbor’s black Lab and its pup. Tore up the lab’s face pretty badly, too. But those are other stories.

3. about 16 hours ago on Non Sequitur

   I (we) have had one fuzzball who I would typify as being even “obnoxious”, much less “evil”. She was a full Siamese called “Mistress” (Missy), a pet in my wife’s family, who was the “guardian” of the house.

   She was overly-playful, and had devised several irritating games that she loved to play. For example, if she wanted attention, she would hide under a piece of furniture that had a ruffled skirt (like the couch). Then she would reach (or dart) out “tag” an unsuspecting person on the ankles with just the tips of her front claws, and withdraw. It was like being pricked lightly with 8 pins. She would wait a few minutes to see if the person would follow her for a romping game of “catch as catch can”, and then try her “tag” attack again. It took me 2 long years of discipline to teach her not to do that with my FIL, my wife, or me. She still insisted on doing it with guests. Then when my daughter was borne, she insisted on “brooding” her, and NEVER spiked her.

   Another game was “I’m gonna teach you to hunt”. She’d catch a live mouse, get it entirely into her mouth, still alive, and bring it inside. She’d parade into the living room, literally “phoo” the mouse out on the rug, and then hunker down to watch us go crazy chasing the poor little critter all over. She never tired of that game.

4. about 16 hours ago on Non Sequitur

   Oh. BTW, my personal poll also includes 800+ opinions expressed in random places in Eastern and Western Massachusetts, Eastern New York, Pennsylvania, DC, Washington State, Oregon, California, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas, Kentucky, North Carolina, West Virginia, Virginia, South Carolina, Wisconsin, and Florida, all of which I have visited personally within the past 24 months. So it’s not “strictly limited” to the Upper Midwest.

   I also visited Scotland this past year, and watched the Edinburgh Tattoo. I also toured all over Scotland. You don’t even want to get me started on the level of outright, uniform disparagement of Trump from the Scots. Let’s just say that out of more than 50 political comments I (over)heard about him, NOT ONE was kindly or even polite, much less approving.

5. about 17 hours ago on Non Sequitur

   My own research.

   I keep a little running daily spreadsheet on my observations. Since I am an Independent-Centrist, I do not discount any input, and do not look for any particular response. I just take what comes. I currently have registered about 6,300 responses over 2 years.

   I move about a great deal within the Twin Cities, and talk to people from many backgrounds. Actually, that two thirds statement is a “conservative” one (pun intended). The numbers currently come out at about 71% have no use whatsoever for Trump. Another 5 to 10% are on the fence, but say that a conviction for any 1 of his (currently) 86 felony charges will make up their minds NOT to vote for him … or any other Republican. Among those who seem to identify as Conservatives, about 54% wish he would get out (or be gotten out) of contention.

   It’s not a “scientific” poll, but I trust the numbers.

   I don’t trust national polls, because they never explain how they choose their 800 to 1,800 poll respondents “without bias”, or how wide-spread their polling area is. Poll numbers within any boundary that is smaller than nation-wide will be skewed. National voting polls also should be limited to a minimum of at least 5,000 respondents, picked blindly.

   JIMHO. YMMV.

6. about 17 hours ago on Mike Lester

   None.

7. about 17 hours ago on Mike du Jour

   “Certainly true for a Mockingbird.”

   Nice Greg Peck reference. To Kill a Mockingbird is a movie every adult should see, especially in this day and age.

8. about 17 hours ago on Mike du Jour

   “I thought birds could sing whatever they wanted.”

   Birds have a habit as a flock of ganging up on any member that does not conform to the “norm”, and pecking them to death.

9. about 17 hours ago on Mike du Jour

   That flock leader is a “chirpy” little twerp, isn’t it?

10. about 17 hours ago on Rose is Rose

    By age 2.5 I already knew all the sounds of all the English language alphabet letters. At age 3.5, I learned to read by sounding out the words of the 1st page of Tom Sawyer, by myself. Kept going on through other “children’s classics”, then into adult reading, and never looked back. Read Churchill’s entire History of the 2nd World War (8 volumes) in 2nd grade, just for something to do. Didn’t read children’s picture books until I read them to my own kids.

    I was reading at high-school junior level when I entered 1st grade at age 5. Administered the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test at 3 weeks into 3d grade, at age 7, I tested for reading comprehension at the college graduate level.