When they come for me, they may come for you

   

Martin Niemöller came up with how the lack of adherence to standards can seem fine when it happens to somebody else. 

But when happens when they come for you?

So, updated for modern times, we might see it more like this:

 First they came for Twitter accounts, and I did not speak out

            —because I didn’t use Twitter.

 

    Then they came for Facebook users, and I did not speak out

— because I wasn’t a Facebook user..

 

    Then they came for the YouTubers, and I did not speak out—because I was not a YouTuber.

 

    Then they came for me

 —and there was no one left to speak for me.

The original went something like:

First they came for Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist

Then they came for Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist

Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist

Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew

Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me 

Promises, Promises

A Star Is Bored - Hollywood Reboots Yet Another Old Movie

Apple at the Consumer Electronics Show 2019

Apple, once long ago the underdog, is now the overdog and although it doesn’t officially appear at C.E.S., it’s presence is always felt.

This year, more so than others because they painted the side of a building in Las Vegas this year. 

Apple put up its message, but what is the message behind the message?

Read Apple’s end-user license agreement (EULA) for Apple’s sincere message. Too bad they couldn’t find a building big enough to print that missive.

Too bad. Zero Wing would be impressed and Big Brother would be proud.

Who Dropped The Ball in 2018?

As we close out the year that was 2018, the news self-reported about how they (i.e. journalists and editors) have the high honor of dropping the Times Square ball on New Year's Eve to ring in the 2019.

Of course, they don't see the self-referential irony...

 

Let's hope journalism goes back to being a more reliable institution rather than team cheerleaders in 2019!

The Point About The Government Shutting Down

The government has shut down again...
Of course, it's Friday and the government always shuts down on Fridays...for the weekend. Ever try to file a passport application on a Saturday? Exactly.

However, there is a point to be made about the government shutting down -

Let Them Eat Crumbs...

Some people just aren't happy unless they are unhappy.

Madame Nancy Pelosi, the Dauphine of the Democrat Party, held a press conference to excoriate businesses for giving their tax cuts to their employees and called the $1000 and $500 tax savings to each worker, “pathetic.”

Perhaps it’s because, in her world, “tax returns” never mean returning money to the people who worked for the money. Of course, now she and others see it as a money that is being denied the government to fund “valuable services,” such as Studying Russian Smokers, Hamster Cage Matches, and the most ironic of the ironic, Paying For A Study To Find Out Why Politics Causes Stress.

When the shoe was on the other hand, though, like when President “No Refunds” Obama passed a $40 tax cut, it was a “Victory For All Americans.”

There’s a lot the “little people” can do with $500 to $1000 in their hand. Despite a respite from the dreaded and irritating monthly rent payment, it could also make a difference in fixing a nasty oil leak so your driveway stops looking like a Jackson Pollak painting.

What else could you do with your $1000? You could get an iPhoneX and help out a struggling Apple. Or here are a couple of other ideas:

                            Sail to the Caribbean or eat 83 slices of avocado toast,

                              A purebred puppy,

                                A custom fitted business suit,

                                 Camp out in Disneyland for 9 full days.

 

I’m sure most of us can come up with some good ideas, after all, what’s the first thought when we hear Powerball has hit a new record payout? No, not, “gee - those odds must be astronomical!” We think about what we would do if we won the billion dollars or whatever it is they are offering.

During the first debate of the 2020 presidential campaign season, that should be the first question: “How did you spend your tax cut?”

The answers might be quite illuminating…especially if they bought lamps with it.

When it comes to tax dollars, just whose money is it anyway?

At least Marie Antoinette let us eat the cake…not just the crumbs.