Snarklets

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, Election 2020, Environmental Issues, Law and justice, Political commentary, Social commentary

Many things crossed my radar yesterday, some relevant, some only annoying, none being worthy of more than a few sentences.  So, instead of my usual two or three mid-length snarky snippets, this morning I give you a handful of mini-snippets, henceforth to be known as ‘Snarklets’, to start your Friday off right!

Yesterday, it was announced that the cosmetic company, Estée Lauder, is planning to cut up to 2,000 jobs worldwide as it shuts stores and department store beauty counters after a slump in sales and profits during the coronavirus pandemic.  Well DUH … who couldn’t have predicted that?  I mean, seriously people, if we are not going out anywhere, why do we need makeup or perfume?  The only one who likely uses such at this time is Trump’s press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, who has no original equipment left on her face!

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the ONLY reliable expert in the U.S. on the coronavirus pandemic, underwent vocal chord surgery earlier this week.  Thankfully, Dr. Fauci is recovering well and will be able to speak to us again in a matter of days.  But this, my friends, is what happens when you have to deal day in and day out with the master shouter in the world!  You talk and you talk and you talk, seemingly to one who cannot hear the voice of reason, and pretty soon you lose your voice!  Best wishes for a very speedy recovery, Dr. Fauci … the world needs you!

What’s the worst thing you did when you were ten years old?  I cannot remember that far back, but apparently Joe Biden committed a cardinal sin at the age of 10!  According to Trump, he abandoned the good people of Pennsylvania at that tender young age!  That’s right, folks … Joe Biden was ten years old when his family moved from Pennsylvania to Delaware for his father’s job, but Biden somehow abandoned the people of that state when he moved with his family.  What choice did he have?  I’m thinking he had none, but leave it to Trump to find this move condemnable.

“He left. He abandoned Pennsylvania. He abandoned Scranton. He was here for a short period of time, and he didn’t even know it.”

Rant on, Trumpie … the more you talk, the stupider you appear.  Keep on talking, maybe people will finally realize it is toxic snake oil you are selling!

Two thumbs up and three cheers to Goodyear!!!  They have managed to piss Trump off royally!  It is reported that the tire company has forbidden staff from wearing Trump campaign gear, while allowing “Black Lives Matter” and gay rights attire.  Naturally, Trump went on one of his tirades and called for a national boycott of Goodyear.  We have a Goodyear account, and I’m thinking it’s time for new tires for both our vehicles!  For any who wonder, “Black Lives Matter” and gay rights are movements calling for civil rights, human rights for all, while Trump’s campaign is naught but a political campaign, pure and simple … and a racist, phobic one at that!

Since last Friday, I have received exactly one piece of mail, and that was a stupid advert from a tree-killer.  One piece of mail in 6 days.  Typically, I would have received on average 16-20 pieces of mail during that time.  It happens that I am expecting a few things, but I’ve stopped holding my breath, for the USPS is truly broken!  But, while I may be awaiting a bill or two, and an errant check, not to mention some junk mail, the situation takes on a much more sinister tone for Pauline Henderson, who owns Pine Tree Poultry in New Sharon, Maine.  You see, Ms. Henderson had ordered some 800 chicks from a hatchery in Pennsylvania with whom she had done business on many previous occasions.

But this time, due to the delays within the United States Postal Service … every single one of the 800 baby chicks arrived … dead.  And these weren’t the only ones.  Thousands of birds that moved through the Postal Service’s processing center in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, were also dead, impacting several farms in Maine and New Hampshire.  Who do you blame when the price of poultry and related products such as eggs rise?  Mr. Louis DeJoy and Mr. Donald F. Trump!  Murderers!  Let’s put these two in boxes and let them sit on the post office floor for days, sans food or water, and see what becomes of them!

And in Sesame Place, a Sesame Street theme park near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a 17-year-old park employee spotted two guests without masks, and politely asked them to cover their faces.  Instead, the man punched the teen in the face, sending him crashing to the ground and then to the hospital with a shattered jaw.  This is only one in a long string of such episodes where people felt their personal ‘right’ to endanger our lives included a right to cause bodily harm to others who are simply doing their jobs, trying to protect us all.

Let me ask you something, my friends … is this really the world you want to live in?  I don’t.  Never before in my 69 years have I hated humanity, or what passes for humanity, as I do today.  Never before have I thought that almost anything would be preferable to living amongst these … monsters.

And on a personal note … I have received more than 6,000 spam comments on this blog in just the past two weeks!  Every one of them is in Spanish, saying, “Muchas gracias. ¿Como puedo iniciar sesion?”, which means “Thank you.  How can I log on?”  They come from a different sender each time, none of which are valid, and are comments on older posts, comments on other comments, etc.  Fortunately, Akismet has caught them all, but it’s still a pain, for I can no longer scroll through spam to ensure that no valid comments have erroneously been labeled ‘spam’.  Two weeks this has been going on and I am sick and tired of it! It has happened before, but usually dwindles away in a matter of days. Does anybody know of a way to stop this intrusion?

52 thoughts on “Snarklets”

  1. Dear Jill : You must be unaware that “Snarklets” is already a business that was founded a few years ago by the Snarky Sisters, Sara and Jen, to honor their late sister. They sell bracelets and gifts that are hand stamped with mantras for real life. There is a large selection of mantras available, but they will also customize one of your choice. I have gifted bracelets & pendants to family and friends and have a pendant of my own that is stamped “Fail Forward”. Should you or anyone be interested : http://www.snarkysisters.net . Written on their website are these words : “Inhale Mantra, Exhale Strength. Repeat.” Excellent advice! Now that my unsolicited promotion has been completed, may I just say that your ‘Smallish Snarky Snippets’ are your usual “bestest”!! Thank-you!

    Liked by 1 person

    • I went in search of a fun image using the word “Snarklets” to use for a header image, and it was then that I first encountered the company you mention! Obviously, none of the images met my needs, so I settled on a rather dumb quote, for it was late and I was tired! It didn’t occur to me to even check out that company, but now that you’ve told me a bit about it, I shall! Thank you!

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  2. The worst thing I did in my life before I was 10 was in a self-defence vein. I taught myself to lie. Being still a Christian at the time, I truly believed lying was a sin, a horrible horrible thing to do. But every time I told the truth I got called a liar, and was beat within an inch of my life. This was a daily occurence.
    When or why I first decided to “not tell the truth” I cannot remember, but the crazy bastard believed me, and nothing bad happened to me–not from a parent, my mother was just as bad as my father–but more importantly, not from God. I lied, and I was not punished for it. Slowly I began to throw out more lies, and the punishments dropped in frequency and severity in relation to the beauty of the lie. I call it positive reinforcement, now that I know those words. Hell, if I told an elaborate enough lie, I was rewarded instead of punished. I learned to lie, and I lied with verve and gusto.
    That was when I decided to become a writer. My first short story for school filled a full scribbler, some 40,000 words, I was told. And my teacher rewarded me, I got to spend a whole class standing at the front of the class reading my story out loud. More positive reinforcement.
    Religiously speaking, however, that was probably the start my fall from grace.

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Meanwhile, Jill, I have a caption for a photograph of You-Know-Who that it took me awhile to write to “my” satisfaction, but while I was perfecting it, and I do hope it is perfect. I lost track of the photograph the caption was being written for. I can try to describe the photo, to wit: Trump smiling a beatific smile like he had accomplished something so spectacular he “KNEW” his followers would gladly vote him back into office any way thay had to cheat to do it, while the followers themselves looked like even though they had no idea what Trump saying but he said it so beautifully and the contents of his words had absolutely no bearing on the matter at hand, they would follow him anywhere and worship at his feet merely because they could.
    That is what I saw in the photo, total obeisance beyond comprehension just because the leader’s name was Donald J. Trump, supreme God of all he could survey through his beady little eyes, while he lapped up their awe, his lipless mouth trying to smile with false acceptance of their praise, knowing he would turn on them in less than an instant if he could find another way to screw them out of their highly countable pennies they still had left available to tithe to him as their greatest honour.
    Could you picture all that?
    The photo called for a “just so” caption, and if I have not forgotten those words in my attempt to describe the photo, it went:
    The beatific Donald Trump, arrogant, white racist leader of America, being married to–and worshipped by–his white racist Red Neck audience of sheep being led unknowing, and uncaringly, to their slaughter, glorying in his awesome presence, not realizing he has nothing but contempt for each and every one of them. He is transfixed by his undeserving power, while they are transfixed by their own loyal stupidity–they will happily die for him, though he is not worthy of their undying and blind love.

    As I was afraid, all my working on the perfect caption in my mind, lost something in writing it down. So though it is no longer “perfect,” (perfection is such a fleeting ephemeron), I do hope it still packs a punch.
    As I said, I cannot remember what photo I originally wrote it for, but I can imagine such a photo being shot as Trump talks about Biden’s “10 years of age crime” which can make no sense to anyone but a Trump worshipper.

    This comment is so buried in this thread that I doubt few will ever read it, so if you ever find such a picture as it describes, feel free to add the caption.

    As for what bad things I did by the time I was 10 years old, I don’t know that I am ready to publicly admit to them. But if anything appears below, that means I am trying.

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  4. Re: the Spam. I’ve been getting the muchas gracias posts as well. My only suggestion is to visit Admin daily (or at least every few days) and delete the *crap* before it grows exponentially. 🥴

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  5. great, even blaming trump for fauci’s needed surgery. This is disgusting. I don’t like trump either but this is just way beyond ridiculous. Enjoy living a life of perpetual snark and anger.

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    • Scott … you really need to lighten up! It was a joke … at least in one sense. In another sense, though, many of us are suffering both physical and emotional damages from Trump’s continual flow of hate and divisiveness. But really, Scott … you seem to have some personal vendetta against me … I thought we were friends, but you take my every word and use it as an opportunity to attack. Please, chill.

      Liked by 3 people

  6. “Let me ask you something, my friends … is this really the world you want to live in? I don’t. Never before in my 69 years have I hated humanity, or what passes for humanity, as I do today. Never before have I thought that almost anything would be preferable to living amongst these … monsters”

    This is so exactly how I feel. It frightens me, saddens me and just really pisses me off. And even if Biden were to win by a landslide, these people still exist and will cause a lot of trouble. Sometimes I wish I could be happy being a hermit.

    Liked by 2 people

  7. You continue to inspire an old man (me) to stay involved in the process although some days find me totally exhausted and able only to sit down to a baseball game. I watched the entire DNC production and came away from it renewed and charged. We are going to our county Democratic hdqtrs tomorrow to pick up signs and hopefully a cap. Jim is equally jazzed up about this election. Pray for us and wish us well. Our Biden/Harris regalia will be targets in this MAGA neighborhood. Maybe some brainless trump fan will punch me in the face and you will see me on CNN….and I can sue and live on the settlement for the rest of my life. Elder abuse is a crime in this state…..stupidity is not!

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    • Your comment made me smile … so much so that I had to read it aloud to my daughter. If I inspire you, then I have all the more reason to keep on doing what I do! I am so proud of you and Jim for getting those yard signs and hopefully hats, bumper stickers, whatever else you can score! I have ordered a Biden/Harris yard sigh and a bumper sticker for my van! I have an “I Miss Obama” sticker and a “Black Lives Matter” sticker on my van, and the other day, while stopped at a red light, a guy pulled up next to me, rolled down his window, shook his fist and yelled something at me. I couldn’t tell what he yelled, being nearly deaf, but the fist gave me a clue that he wasn’t telling me to have a nice day! 🤣🤣🤣 I’m just lucky nobody has slashed my tires … yet … knock on wood! Good luck to you … you know I don’t believe in prayer, but I will definitely keep my fingers crossed for you! No, my friend, sadly stupidity is not against the law and seems to be gaining ground these days. Sigh. Hugs! 💝

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  8. Jill, it has been yet another bad week for the president, joining a long list of earlier bad weeks. Trump tells his people to win the daily PR war and then you claim victory for the day. But, the weekly reality keeps rearing its head. This week:
    (1) the GOP led Senate Intelligence Committee reported the Russian involvement with the 2016 Trump campaign was worse than the Mueller report said.
    (2) Former Chief Strategist Steve Bannon was indicted for fraud on siphoning about $1 million away from a crowd funding site foe the infamous wall.
    (3) as the GOP convention comes to NC Monday, two state headlines are not welcoming. – the former GOP state party chair and congressman pleaded guilty and two major donors are sentenced to jail for attempted bribery of the GOP insurance commissioner AND the GOP state representative and House rules chair David Lewid was indicted for fraud fot siphoning off campaign funds for personal benefit.
    (4) finally his adversary Joe Biden and Kamala Harris came away from the DNC convention in a good place.

    Keith

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  9. Hello Jill. I checked my spam folder and I have the same spam comments you mention. I traced the IP address of about 6 of them. It is weird they are coming from all over the world, and different types of browsers. Must be a mass mailer program being used that switches / changes the IP address used. Hugs

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    • I have always cleared my spam folder at least twice a day, for sometimes a comment from a reader will accidentally be classified as spam. But lately, I’ve cleared it nearly hourly, and within any hour I have between 20-80 of those spammy comments. It’s ridiculous! Yes, I’m told it is a robot that randomly attacks blogging sites. It seems there is nothing to do but wait it out! I’m so tired of it! This morning when I got up, I had 189 in just the 4 hours I had slept! Hugs!

      Liked by 1 person

        • Yes, I find several in the course of a week that did not belong in spam! Usually, it is someone who has included a link or two in his comment, or in the case of my friend, Bee, I have no idea why Akismet has singled her out, but about 3 of every 4 comments by her end up in spam and I have to rescue them! It pays to check it once or twice a day!

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  11. I do hope all the chicken farmers, and any other type of LEGAL business that sends living beings through the mail, ONLY TO DELIVER THEM DEAD, WHAT KIND OF HUMAN ALLOWS ANYTHING TO DIE AND STILL DELIVERS IT!!!!! sues Trump and DeJoy personally for their losses. No use suing the USPS, they’re already near broke. But we know DJ&T have deep pockets, although on his taxes I am sure the Donald claims to be a pauper. Does he even pay tax installments? If he does, I’d like to get just one of his income tax refund cheques. I could live on it for a lifetime.
    If it is a crime to ABANDON SCRANTON at the age of 10, how much more serious is it to ABANDON NEW YORK at the age of 72? No one was forcing him to move to Florida, although I would have appreciated it more if CUOMO had KICKED HIS STINKY BUTT OUT!

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    • I agree … it was … murder! No other term for it, but chicken-a-cide! No, the USPS is not at fault per se, but it’s Postmaster General, DeJoy, and his ‘boss’, the turdhead, are surely responsible for those deaths. As they are for hundreds of thousands of human deaths. Sigh. Beam me up, Scotty.

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      • You aint ready to be beamed up yet, Jill, nor are your loyal fans ready to let you be beamed up. Forget that nonsense. You’ve got a duty to this world. After this coming November 3rd, and Dodgy Donnie agrees to step down from his throne (he can’t not agree, he is too much of a coward to do as he threatens) then if you really need to be beamed up, we will reluctantly let you go, but we will fill the transporter machine with so much love we will lift your wolf essence up to the moon for you. Only then can you “go in peace.” Till then, keep fighting.

        By the way, I have made a decision as to what I think my fellow aboriginal sisters and brothers might be called, no matter what area of the world I/They live in.
        Well, actually I have some very similar choices which I will leave up to people to decide for themselves, or create something with special meaning to them:
        1) OHI — Original Human Inhabitants
        2) OLHI(E) — Original Living Human Inhabitants (of Earth)
        3) OHIE — Original Human Inhabitants of Earth
        4) OLBE — Original Living Beings on Earth
        My personal chice would be number 4, because that would include every being ever alive on our beautiful planet, but number 3 would be more realistic because humans hate to admit they are as common as any lifeform, they love to think they are superior to everything, and everyone.

        This is all just conjecture of course. It started out as a way to correct Columbo’s arrogant mistake of calling us all Indians (sickly sic). Like all other symbols of a racist past, this is in need of correction, followed by Padre Steve’s question of what I, and my siblings, might like to be called. The word, and the world, will not be changed in a single day, but this is my fight, my duty. In my lifetime I will still be called Indian, or native, or aborigine, or even First Nations, but those are labels, and command little respect. If anything, they deny respect! Métis is acceptable for some of us, though it is not universal for those of mixed European/First Nations blood, it more specifically means French/First Nations blood, but at least it is a name no one else in the world lays claim to outside of North America. But that is not expansive enough for me. I want all my siblings and cousins and 42nd cousins to have something we all have in common anyway, being victims of European Colonialism.
        I am even disgusted to be called North American, or have my cousins be called Central or South Americans. Citizens of the United States of America have taken it upon themselves to be “the only true Americans,” so once again we OHI or OLBE are victimized, belittled, and disrespected. We are equal partners of living beings first, and human beings second. The time has come for us to be more than victims and falsely called as citizens of India.
        Oh, I better stop before you censor me. I just let myself get carried away, after promising to try to control myself. I am trying, Jill, but today is not my/your day. G’night.
        See you later.
        LuL.

        Liked by 1 person

        • Sigh. Yeah, I keep telling myself the same, that this is my one chance to try to make some difference, that I have a responsibility. Since I haven’t been beamed up yet, despite my pleas, I guess I must still have a purpose. Thanks for caring, Jerry.

          I think I like your first option best … OHI … keep it short and simple. But, I can also see your point about the 4th being more inclusive. I think, though, that we need to stop using labels altogether, for someone will always take umbrage with something.

          LuL2

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  12. I, too, have seen those spam comments and wished there was a better thing Askimet could do.
    Biden left the people of Penn when he was 10! I want to know Trumpsky’s drug of choice. It must be really good.
    To lose that many hatchlings for a farmer ain’t no small thing.

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