My 21st Annual Thanks/No Thanks List

When I was still writing this blog on a weekly basis, sometimes I would grasp at straws to find something to discuss. (My oldest blog entries are still on GameSpot, BTW. It's an uneven read.) Late in November 2005, almost six months into my weekly dispatches, I wrote two succinct lists expressing what I was thankful for (or not so much) ahead of Turkey Day. This is my 21st annual such list. 

Thanks: I don't have satellite radio in my new car anymore, so outside of commercial radio I listen to a fair amount of WLUW 88.7 FM, the Loyola University Chicago student-run station. In spite of losing SiriusXM, I'm thankful regardless for a new-ish car, a 2021 Hyundai Accent, that is running pretty well so far. I'm thankful sub work has been steady, even though I've seen an uptick in behavior issues so far this year. I'm also grateful that my roommate of 14 months is good with cats.

No Thanks: general cowardice and ambivalence about pedophilia, especially at the national level. Closer to home, I was disappointed to hear that Bob Stroud's "Rock n' Roll Roots," my traditional Sunday morning listen, is moving to a somewhat inaccessible streaming platform starting in December. The show has been on and off Chicago radio since 1980, and I first found it around 1998. However, WDRV-FM is steadily becoming what 97.9 FM The Loop used to be, they're phasing out ol' Bob as well as 60s/70s rock that isn't necessarily hard rock. Also, inflation and shrinkflation are both pains in the ass.

Happy Turkey Day!

(760)

The Explain Game

 Conservatives don't seem to be very good at explaining things. They dismiss things they don't like as "too woke" without articulating what that means. I'll see someone on Twitter/X or Facebook post something about how Joe Biden was the worst president ever, but when I ask why, I get ghosted. That's just one example.

When Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson paused an order requiring the reinstatement of SNAP benefits during the six-week government shutdown, she used the delay to get a conservative lower court decision --and thus, the Trump administration-- to justify their reasoning. The shutdown was resolved with an ungainly truce by a split U.S. Senate; SNAP was reinstated, but Democrats couldn't deliver or concur on retaining ACA subsidies. The concession highlighted growing concerns about Charles Schumer's abilities as Senate Minority Leader.

Granted, the fissures aren't limited to the Dems. The Epstein files remain a canker sore in the GOP's mouth, and rather than explain why they can't be disclosed, President Trump begrudgingly allowed this MAGA grovelers to vote for the files' release on Monday morning. After months of fighting, he caved and signed the Epstein Act on Wednesday night; throughout all this, he tried desperately to change the subject. 

If anyone reading this disagrees with me, you're welcome to explain in your own words in the comments. It's always appreciated.

Next week: thanks and no thanks.

(759)