The Return of the Snarky Snippet

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, Global Issues, History, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry, Social commentary

It’s been a while since I’ve done a ‘snarky snippets’ post.  Actually, I’ve started a few, but then the first snippet as often as not turns into a full-length post on its own.  So, let me try again …

Biggest story of the day …

The biggest news of the day yesterday was not about gas prices, President Biden, the January 6th Committee, or the former guy … what’s his name again?  It wasn’t even about Ukraine, though there is important news on that front.  Nope, the biggest story of the day was the resignation of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, aka BoJo.  What’s funny about this was that the day before, I would have bet the farm that he would tough it out and, just like our own former guy, would be willing to stoop to unimaginable depths to retain his power.  Then yesterday morning I woke to breaking news from at least four media outlets that Johnson had resigned.  So … he has a bit more sense and a bit more intelligence than the former guy … what is his name?

I watched a short clip of Johnson’s resignation speech, and it was almost too … meh.  Not the passion or sorrow I would have expected, and in fact the clip ended with him saying …

“I want to tell you how sorry I am to be giving up the best job in the world. But them’s the breaks.”

Perhaps it’s just that ‘stiff upper lip’ we always hear attributed to the Brits, but he seemed to lack any real feelings or passion. I wonder if perhaps he was actually relieved to be putting this all behind him?  Either way, it was certainly a welcome relief as compared to … our former what’s-his-name.  If Johnson’s resignation had not been forthcoming, I strongly suspect he would soon have been ousted by a vote of no confidence after a number of his cabinet ministers had recently resigned (I count 6 cabinet members and a total of 53 MPs and other officials on one single day, July 5th) as a result of a statement by the Prime Minister, in which he confirmed that he had been aware of sexual misconduct allegations against Chris Pincher before appointing him to the government.

And now comes the big question … who will replace him?  I’ve asked several of my friends in the UK if there is some bright, shining star waiting in the wings, but just like here in the U.S., there seem to be none.  It bears watching …

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr …

There is a person, and I use that term loosely, by the name of Elijah Schaffer, who has flown onto my radar and he really, really shouldn’t have.

When I read his words, the first thing that came to my mind was a term I hadn’t heard or used in probably a half-century:  male chauvinist pig!  Think I’m exaggerating?  Here are a few snippets of what he and his ‘producer’, Josiah David, had to say in a recent podcast …

“When women lead, it’s a sign of a curse on a country because if men are strong and they’re leading the country, well, women do not feel the need to lead.”

“Yeah. A woman is only as strong as her husband. If a woman is as strong or if she’s a bitch or whatever she’s doing, it’s because her husband isn’t leading her properly.”

“Your wife is your post and you have to make sure that you’re leading her and telling her what to do, because she’s not the leader of the household.”

Is it any wonder I’m growling?  These two ‘men’ need the Lorena Bobbitt treatment to ensure they don’t pass their chauvinist genes on to anyone!

Against all odds

The odds of being audited by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) are about 1 in 30,600, in other words, negligible, slim-to-none.  So how odd is it, then, that two people the former guy considered to be his enemies, were both selected randomly to be audited by the IRS?  The two are former FBI Director James Comey who was fired by the former guy in the early days after refusing to swear an oath of fealty to Trump, and former Deputy Director, Andrew McCabe, both of whom incurred the wrath of the former guy and since then he has attempted everything from attempting to prosecute them both to accusing them of treason.

Yesterday, the IRS said its commissioner had asked the Treasury Department’s inspector general for tax administration to look into the audits after the New York Times raised questions about them.  The chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Ron Wyden, said …

“Donald Trump has no respect for the rule of law, so if he tried to subject his political enemies to additional I.R.S. scrutiny, that would surprise no one. We need to understand what happened here because it raises serious concerns.”

Time will tell, but it is definitely a bit too much of a coincidence that both Comey and McCabe were audited under the former regime.

Ha ha … guess who has the last laugh, and it is NOT Jeff Bezos!

Remember back in February when I wrote in yet another snarky snippets post  about Jeff Bezos having a huge yacht built by a Dutch firm in Rotterdam?  Turned out, once built there wasn’t an easy way to get it out of the city, so Bezos threw some money around and convinced the city of Rotterdam to remove the middle section of an historic bridge in order that his yacht could be transported out to sea.  Initially, as of my first writing, the city had agreed, but … not so fast …

There was such an uproar in the city of Rotterdam that now the boat’s builder, the Dutch company Oceanco, has decided to refrain from applying for a permit.  No word on whether there’s a “Plan B”, but I’m having a good laugh over this one … see, I told you that money has value only so long as all parties involved agree to its value.  Now Mr. Bezos has a huge yacht that I’m sure cost him a pretty penny and all he can do is fly to Rotterdam and stand gawking at it.  I love seeing the rich brought down a peg or two!

Shinzo Abe …

Late last night, just before midnight, the former Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, was shot while giving a campaign speech on behalf of Kei Sato a current member of the Upper House running for reelection in the city of Nara near Kyoto.  As of this writing, details are sketchy and contradictory, with one outlet saying he had no vital signs, and another saying he was merely injured, while still others were not certain any shots had hit him.  The latest from the live feed of the New York Times is that he is suffering cardiopulmonary arrest.  My understanding is that this means the patient is no longer alive but has not yet been officially declared dead.  But again, it is too soon to know, and I shall keep my fingers crossed despite the odds.

From everything I know of Mr. Abe, he is/was a good man and was a good Prime Minister until he resigned in 2020 due to health concerns.  It should be noted that Japan has a zero gun tolerance policy — guns are simply not allowed in the hands of civilians, and that the gun that was used appears at this time to have been a homemade weapon.

51 thoughts on “The Return of the Snarky Snippet”

  1. Hello Jill. If you get the chance to watch the clip of Elijah Schaffer when he was saying this, his producer who was saying even worse things looks to be about 14, maybe 16 if you want to generous. Two boys who cannot get girlfriends are going on about how bad girls are. Where have we heard that before and the troubles it leads to? Incels anyone? Best wishes. Hugs

    Liked by 2 people

    • I did watch it, and yes, I was shocked to see that he looked like a 14-year-old kid who has no clue what he’s even talking about. But he sure is on the road to becoming a first-class, grade-A jerk, isn’t he? Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Hugs

      Liked by 2 people

  2. Pingback: The Return of the Snarky Snippet.|jilldennison.com | Ramblings of an Occupy Liberal

  3. BoJo is resigned, but not gone. I hope you read my post on ideasfromoutsidetheboxes yesterday. Johnson held his own coup, and won. Just like Jason Kenhey in Alberta. These men talk with split tongues. BTW, though I have not read BoJo’s speech, I read that he never once said the word “resign.”

    Liked by 3 people

    • I have bookmarked it to read later today … for tonight (3:00 a.m.) I’m just trying to get all the comments answered and hit the hay sometime before I collapse! I will read and respond later, though.

      Like

  4. those horrible comments about women and how men should be leaders are despicable. there is absolutely nothing wrong with a woman taking the lead, things might actually be better on the planet as a whole if they did. Does it surprise you that I’d say such a thing?

    Liked by 2 people

    • Indeed, you aren’t the first to say that the planet might be better if more women were in charge. No, Scott, it doesn’t surprise me, for I know that deep down you are a decent man.

      Like

  5. Thanks for the catch-up. I was unaware of the Abe shooting. That is sad. As for the other stories, picking two.

    Boris has a history of being his own worst enemy. It finally caught up with him. Why he got a vote of confidence (or should I say avoided a vote of no-confidence) a few months ago is beyond me. His leaving under poor circumstances is not a surprise to many.

    So, some guy is telling us women should not lead and it is a sign of weakness when they do? Really? I heard a Republican legislator say something similar about not being able to be masculine in this country. Really?

    What I find of interest is an article which appeared yesterday about this legislator. Its point is if this bothers you so much Mr. Legislator, then why is the most masculine acting person in the Republican party a woman? Her name is Liz Cheney and she has far more courage than the men in her party, with the exception of Adam Kinzinger. Speaking of courage Cassidy Hutchinson also has an abundance of courage.

    And, the guy every thinks is so tough, who called his VP a wimp for not breaking the law, he cannot bring himself to admit he lost an election. Not very manly or very adult-like is it. Plus, he is the same guy who refuse to do a debate if Meghan Kelly was on the next panel as she asked him hard questions last time.

    For the women not being suited to lead dude, Angela Merkel was the leader of the free world for years and Jacinda Arden had the gumption to get better gun governance passed in New Zealand after a mass shooting. That is leadership.

    Keith

    Liked by 5 people

    • Yes, Boris has been flirting with fate for too long and it finally caught up with him. He did some really stupid things and brought this on himself. None of our UK friends, however, seem hopeful that the next PM is likely to be much better. I read brief bios of the 12-15 who may be in the running, and I have to say that none jumped out as being exceptional. Like you, I was surprised he survived what I was sure would be a vote of no-confidence, but he did, and then he kept on doing stupid and finally came the straw that broke the camel’s back.

      Yes, Abe’s assassination was sad … tragic. He was a good man and a good leader who deserved better.

      Yes, apparently these two guys believe as did some of our ancestors that women belong under the rule of a male, confined to taking care of the home and not smart enough to lead a nation. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. You can imagine the steam coming out of my ears when I read what he said! I LIKE what the article you reference said about Liz Cheney … indeed, she has more courage and cojones than the likes of Kevin McCarthy, Mitch McConnell, and many other males on the right-hand side of the congressional aisle! I think that withing the Republican Party, courage has been replaced with bombast that is used to hide the lack of integrity. I thought … still think … that Angela Merkel was one of the best world leaders I’ve ever seen. And Jacinda Ardern is right up there with her!

      Like

  6. Johnson was always a triumph of ambition over ability. I said it three years ago and he proved me even more right than I had expected. You ask who will replace him. In our system, the party with the most MPs forms the government, which means that whoever the Conservatives choose as their new leader will become PM. At present there are at least 11 who are believed to be intending to stand. The problem is that because Johnson made it a requirement that all of their candidates at the last general election had to be Brexit supporters, and then appointed a Cabinet of people whose incompetence would make him look good by comparison, there is none among them remotely qualified to do the job. We need a general election to get rid of this bunch of corrupt, useless morons.

    Liked by 3 people

    • But a General Election would just bring in Labour who are no better in the competence stakes and who are rather good at overspending with no great results to show for it. The NHS have not been better off under them. The days of the Liberals being an option seem to be far and long behind them. I’d like Johnson to go now and Theresa May offered the Caretakership until a new PM is elected. I think Johnson. stabbed her in the back.

      Liked by 2 people

      • So … I always thought your Labour Party was similar to our Democratic Party — out for the best interest of the people, while your Conservative Party was akin to our Republican Party who call themselves conservatives — out for the big moneyed interests. What am I not understanding? And what do the Tories stand for? From across the pond, I liked Ms. May.

        Liked by 1 person

      • I’m not a Labour supporter either, but they do at least give an air of competence and, as yet, without the corruption that seems to be a way of life for Johnson and his stooges. Time will tell, but history won’t be kind to Johnson.

        Liked by 2 people

        • Nor should it be. He ballsed up Brexit and gave way too much so that the Country will be paying for years. He could have negotiated a trading place and just withdrawn from the law making but that didn’t fit his plans of Kudos for a quick exit.

          Liked by 2 people

    • Yes, I did some digging today and came across brief bios of the … I think it was 12 or 15 … most likely to become the next PM. I was hoping to find a bright, shining star, but none grabbed me in any meaningful way. Question: what would it take to trigger a general election? I used to try to keep up, but for the last 6 years, most of my attention and research has been about our situation here in the U.S., so I fear I’m woefully ignorant about your system, but am very interested.

      Liked by 1 person

      • It’s like I said in my previous comment: Johnson has hobbled the Tories to the point where they don’t have any bright, shining stars. We used to have the five year maximum fixed term for our elections but Johnson repealed the Act last year to make it easier for the PM to call a snap election. The five years max is still there, though, so we are stuck with this lot until Dec 2024 if nothing changes. In the meantime, if the PM didn’t want to do that it would need them to lose a no-confidence vote in Parliament, but with a majority of nearly 80 that doesn’t seem likely!

        Liked by 2 people

        • Your Tories sound very much like our Republicans. The trouble with democracy is that it requires educated and informed citizens, and both our countries seem to have too few of those. Sigh.

          Liked by 1 person

          • And both our countries have biased media who feed ‘education’ to willing, gullible readers. There are similarities between the parties, both in their levels of incompetence and their distance from reality.

            Liked by 1 person

            • That’s for sure! Fox ‘News’ is, sadly, the most-watched news network in this nation, contributing to the willful ignorance that is bent on destroying the nation. And someday, maybe 5 years, maybe 10 … those ignorant people will be scratching their heads and asking how we went from a democratic republic to a theocratic dictatorship in such a short time. Sigh.

              Liked by 1 person

              • The signs are all there. It’s like lemmings going over a cliff, isn’t it. We have a couple of similar tv stations, one of which has Farage and the other Morgan. Fortunately they both have fairly small audiences but most of our national press does the indoctrination job too.

                Liked by 1 person

                • Yep, and in fact I’ve used that exact comparison a few times in the past, especially when the former guy was occupying the Oval Office. I didn’t know about one with Farage, but have on occasion seen Piers Morgan on … ITV? I hear you guys now have a new network owned by none other than Rupert Murdoch … I thought he tried a couple of years ago but was unsuccessful? Speaking of Farage … a few nights ago I watched his speech here at the Republican’s CPAC convention in Florida and within the first 3 minutes, I wanted so badly to smack him upside the head! I’ve always known he is a jerk, but he outdid himself on this one! Grrrrrrrrrrr.

                  Liked by 1 person

      • I figured as I watched the live coverage last night and they kept saying he had “no vital signs” that he was dead but that they weren’t declaring him dead for reasons of security. Then this morning I woke to find he had been pronounced dead. A true tragedy, for he was a good man, a good leader, and as one journalist said, “He left the world a better place than he found it.”
        Cwtch

        Like

    • Yes, I was reading tonight about the severance pay he and the ministers who resigned would be getting. And one woman who resigned had only been on the job 2 days and is getting £17,000 in severance!
      Cwtch

      Like

  8. Pingback: The Return of the Snarky Snippet | Filosofa’s Word | Ned Hamson's Second Line View of the News

  9. Finally, Johnson is going but not before having a holiday on the British taxpayer. However, it may end up being a case of out of the frying pan and into the fire!

    Liked by 3 people

    • My pleasure, Michael! Yes, my jaw dropped at that conversation … we women “need to be told what to do”????? Oh I dare some man to just try it … Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Sigh. Is it any wonder that I woke up angry this morning, or that I only managed about an hour’s sleep all night? xx

      Like

Comments are closed.