
Robert Reich’s Ted Cruz Ad
2016 Election, Donald Trump, Inadvertent Political Endorsement, Political Ads, Robert Reich, Ted Cruz
If you were thinking of supporting Trump, just watch this and see what an ultra-liberal democrat has to say.
Bring Back Dueling!
Donald Trump, Politics, The Duel

David Harsanyi proposes a much-needed solution to the incivility and low personal integrity of our current politicians.
Right now, the leading candidate in the GOP race is celebrated by his fans for his vulgarity and eagerness to attack the dignity of others. People confuse this incivility — and he’s not alone — as a statement against political correctness. It isn’t. That would entail using ideological or cultural rhetoric that others have deemed morally unacceptable. Not calling a rival candidate a “pussy.â€
Yet, the more personal and boorish his invective gets, the more Trump fans are awestricken. The belief that tough-guy Trump is a “fighter†propels his candidacy, even though pampered scions of wealth rarely have to fight for anything. And his success will only produce others who’ll ape this strategy.
I think we can all agree dueling would be a much-needed corrective.
Now, please don’t misunderstand me, I’m not saying violence is the answer. I’m saying violence is an answer.
Read the whole thing.
Just picture Sarah Palin calling out Hillary.
Obama Not Attending Scalia’s Funeral
Antonin Scalia, Barack Obama, David Cameron, Helle Thorning-Schmidt

Barack Obama takes selfies and laughs it up with blonde Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt at Nelson Mandela’s funeral.
Considering his behavior at the funeral of Nelson Mandela, a man Obama had previously described as his “personal hero,” it may best that he stays away.
Editing Trump
2016 Election, Donald Trump, English Language, Grammar
The New Yorker’s Andrew Boynton has a go at trying to edit Donald Trump’s response to Pope Francis into something more closely resembling conventional English syntax.
Winslow Homer: Fly Fishing Saranac Lake
Adirondacks, Art, Fly Fishing, Saranac Lake, Winslow Homer
From Tyler Cowen via Frank A. Dobbs.
Rogue Candidates, 1968 Edition
2016 Election, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Humor, P.J.O'Rourke

Trump candidacy predicted by Gilbert Shelton in 1967.
P.J. (in 2016) sends a letter to Pat (in 1968) instructing him how to save America from the disaster looming in the former’s time.
You can get next to these people.
The awful Republican is named Don Trump. He’s a senior at Penn.
The awful Democrat is named Hillary (two l’s) Rodham. She’s a junior at Wellesley—exactly the same age as us.
It’s possible we know Hillary already. She went to Maine East High in Park Ridge outside Chicago, right up Harlem Avenue from Oak Park where we went to high school. She was in a Methodist Youth Group. We were in a Methodist Youth Group. We may have dated her. And erased the memory.
So I have a plan. I’ve enclosed money. (No, you didn’t get rich. A buck is only worth 15 cents in 2016.)
This Don Trump is the easy part. Skip some classes. I seem to recall you’re ahead of me on that part of the plan. But (I checked our transcript) your grades are shit this semester no matter what. Fly Youth Fare standby to Philadelphia.
Trump is the campus loud mouth New Yorker. You won’t have trouble finding him. Tell him you’re part of a commune that wants to pay too much rent for a crappy place in a bad part of town.
He’ll be glad to have coffee or a mu tea or whatever with you. (You’ll have to pay.) Slip the STP in his java. He’ll freak. He’s on the verge anyway. The cat’s been a space case since birth. Skip town before he starts peaking.
Way to go!
I just checked the mental hospitals in New York. A “Donald Trump Jr.†has been an in-patient in the psychiatric ward at Bellevue since January 1968. Good karma, man.
Getting rid of Hillary Rodham is more complicated.
Read the whole thing.
Bernie Sanders: a Linguistic Analysis
2016 Election, Bernie Sanders, Brooklyn, Dialects, Language
Bernie Sanders: a linguistic analysis
Bernie Sanders has now spent most of his life in Vermont. But his voice tells a story of his past, and the history of New York City.
Posted by Vox on Thursday, February 18, 2016
WWII Randall Zacharias Fighter
Arms and Armor, Custom Knives, Randall Knives, WWII




Mitchell Harrison on Facebook recently
The Zacharias Fighter is arguably the most iconic knife Randall ever made. It was the original DNA for the Model #1 All Purpose Fighting Knife and the military models that followed. Bo Randall’s WW2 fighting knives are what started the legend.
Bob Gaddis writes in his book that Army Lt. James H. Zacharias came to Bo in mid 1942 requesting a combat knife. Bo and the Lt. penciled out a knife designed to slash and thrust, yet be tough enough to open cans, ammo boxes and handle any other field duty required.
According to Gaddis on June 15, 1942, Bo logged his order book with “1 special made Jap sticker”, then in November 1942 and January 1943 he logged a total of 3 more for Lt. Zacharias (a total of 4). There is a picture of a Zacharias style fighter on page 67. No one knows if the pictured knife is one of the original 4, but it’s obviously a very early knife. There is a lot more detail in Bob’s book and I encourage you to get it. Well worth the money. …
[The original Zacharias Randall has these features:]
-It is a double pinned stag handle
-The finger grips are on the top for an edge up fighting grip
-The choil is a double step, very similar to the pre-war hunters
-The sheath is a Clarence Moore, but it has had additional lacing added to the edges
-The blade is “fullered” (some called it a blood groove)
-The hilt is asymmetrical with a teardrop shaped lower quillon
-Lt. Zacharias’ initials are carved in the butt and filled with some sort of red material———————————————————–
Based on the people I have asked, this is the only known example of the original 4 knives…… Until now. …
This knife turned up in an obscure gun auction. All I know at this point is the man recently passed and the family auctioned his guns and this knife. The auction house would not give me his name, but did verify that he was a Marine and his Initials were J.R.C. I am fairly certain he was the original owner of the knife. The auction company has forwarded my contact info to the family, so there may be more forthcoming.
Things to note:
-It is a double pinned stag handle
-The finger grips are on the top for an edge up fighting grip
-The choil is a double step, very similar to the pre-war hunters
-The sheath is a Clarence Moore which was obviously custom made to match the hilt
-The hilt is asymmetrical with a teardrop shaped lower quillon
-Initials are carved in the butt and filled with some sort of red materialI can’t prove it, but I am convinced that this is one of the first 4 knives based on the matching initials in the butts. Could these [both] knives have been together in WW2 when two servicemen personalized them with identical red block initials? Perhaps I will hear from the family and be able to tie the owner’s record with that of Lt. Zacharias. We’ll see.
Obviously I am very proud and excited to add this knife to my collection.




