Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

[lineygoblue]

Mike Barwis just hired by the Red Wings.

Lets hope they keep the chocolate milk off the ice and in the training room where it belongs ...

[Ghengis Jon]

I wonder if this enterprise, the published Southern historical view, was actually a method of obtaining hard currency. The author himself recounts that a Yankee dollar was worth 5x that of a Confederate dollar, and oh how horrified he was at that. Maybe Yankee cash was the objective.

I am enjoying the Audie Murphy type exploits exhibited daily by each and every Johnny Reb. And the courtesy. Did you now that many Confederate officers never searched suspected smuggling wagon trains if women were aboard because "Southern gentlemen would never dream of searching a woman's person or possessions". Yeah, right.

It can be a bit over the top but it is an entertaining read. Now I have to find volume III (at a reasonable price). Captured and imprisoned in 1865, Pollard never got a chance to write IV and V. He wrote his Lost Cause schtick after the war.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Good news if true.Its not the Fed's job to make up for dumbass policies every time. It needs to stay independent, if a president doesn't want economic owdow s stay out of dumbass trade wars.

You should note Bullard is considered the most dovish of the members on the FOMC. If Trump and the alleged smart guys in the background of the administration really wanted looser money, he was the guy to nominate. The reason he didn't retain Yellen was totally stupid(par for the course with Trump) but Powell is of the same mindset except he's taller and male. But I'm sure nobody knew a thing about the Fed in that silly administration.

This is interesting to the extent that there's a conspiracy theory floating around (which doesn't make a lot of sense) that Trump's deliberately provoking a trade war to get the Fed to drop rates more quickly.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Speaking of civil wars...new details on where your NRA dues are going

NRA nearly bought a $5 Million luxury home in Dallas for Wayne LaPierre. Unclear who squashed the idea or why but it's part of New York State's investigation into whether the group's tax-exempt status should be revoked.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/documents-show-nra-discussions-to-purchase-luxury-mansion-for-use-of-its-chief-executive/2019/08/06/eb8b0490-b7ce-11e9-b3b4-2bb69e8c4e39_story.html

[Dr. Strangelove]

It's been just a couple weeks that the Director of the FBI testified that a) they make about the same amount of domestic terror arrests as international terror now and b) white supremacists make up the vast majority (75%) of domestic terror cases. Also that the threat is growing.

Last night Tucker Carlson ran a segment declaring that the white supremacy is a hoax and not a real problem.

Jonah Goldberg said if Tucker's talking points are adopted by Trump it'll be awful for the country and for Trump's Presidency.

[froot loops]

This is interesting to the extent that there's a conspiracy theory floating around (which doesn't make a lot of sense) that Trump's deliberately provoking a trade war to get the Fed to drop rates more quickly.

Just because it doesn't make sense doesn't mean it can't be true in Trump's case. Josh Barro wrote an article kind of describing this scenario. It's why that Bullard statement may be important. This Trump fella is in over his head. Even when some in the administration try to bat down a stupid idea he overrules him. There is no grand plan with these trade wars, he wants the trade wars to rile up the rubes to say he's fighting for them. The big danger is that he won't know a good deal when he sees it and continues the fight.

Take the currency nonsense, if he truly wanted to win a pyrrhic victory from a trade wars he should want the yuan to be floating, that creates pressure on the Chinese government. Instead he designates them the toothless designation of a currency manipulator when it fell. They haven't been devaluing the yuan for awhile, but these dummies are trying to fight a war from the aughts.

[AlabamAlum]

I wonder if this enterprise, the published Southern historical view, was actually a method of obtaining hard currency. The author himself recounts that a Yankee dollar was worth 5x that of a Confederate dollar, and oh how horrified he was at that. Maybe Yankee cash was the objective.

[iam416]

Last night Tucker Carlson ran a segment declaring that the white supremacy is a hoax and not a real problem.

It exists, so it's not a hoax, but whether it's a "real" problem is certainly up for debate. It is, of course, a political debate that can't be had because if you take the position that it's not a "real" problem then you're a racist. So, only those with absolutely no regard for the left can ever take up that argument.

It would be a mistake, IMO, to pooh-pooh the existence or to pass up opportunities to condemn it. But, it's also a mistake, IMO, to treat as some sort of existential threat. YMMV on that, but if it's a "real" problem then a bar is being set. And the extent to which we're willing to accept illiberal "solutions" to that problem is politically transferable to other issues.

Politics in America (and most places, I reckon) is about declaring an emergency, declaring that you're the only one with the solutions to that emergency, and vilifying those that disagree with your policies as immoral, evil people who want/are in favor the emergency. It's neither left nor right. PDJT's favorite emergencies are nationalist-based -- illegal immigration and, to a lesser extent, China. Fortunately, those are issues that allow room for debate. I think it's an uphill battle for opponents in terms of politics, but it's still one that can be fought. And Rs can certainly fight a lot of D emergencies -- like, e.g., the "gun emergency".

But, the "white supremacy emergency" isn't one that really be pushed back against.

I reckon my point is -- tread lightly in building up an issue into a "real" problem then into an "emergency" or whatever.

[iam416]

Correct, although it was almost certainly genuine and heartfelt. He was the truest of believers and, as noted, did his utmost to shade the way we understand both the war and reconstruction.

On that note, Grant's revival as even a President is pretty interesting. I had never really thought about it much, but the entire Lost Cause narrative was not only Southern but also Democrat. And they hated US Grant for his asswhipping of the Treasonists and his efforts at reconstruction. I think the dominance of those historians and that backwards view colored -- strongly colored -- the historical view of Grant. It's nice to see he's getting a different treatment these days. Legitimately great American. Despite what notable southern historians like, e.g., Harry Turtledove, say.

[crashcourse]

how many people on this site have actually met a white supremacist?

Of course the problem exists but Ive been on this earth for 58 years and have never ran across one in 40 plus years seeing patients being in the army

I have heard the n word on occasion but not in the last 10 years or so except by rappers

I saw a truck with a confederate flag last month

but to actually hear the views attributed to white supremicists from anybody I see in daily life I do not. I see people socializing conversing and working together of all races

but evidently it is everywhere from trump through the government and on every street corner

C- for our attorneys attempt to besmirch certain individuals--solid A for the aa response

[AlabamAlum]

[Jeff Buchanan]

Good news if true.Its not the Fed's job to make up for dumbass policies every time. It needs to stay independent, if a president doesn't want economic owdow s stay out of dumbass trade wars.

You should note Bullard is considered the most dovish of the members on the FOMC. If Trump and the alleged smart guys in the background of the administration really wanted looser money, he was the guy to nominate. The reason he didn't retain Yellen was totally stupid(par for the course with Trump) but Powell is of the same mindset except he's taller and male. But I'm sure nobody knew a thing about the Fed in that silly administration.

The Fed should distance itself from the impact on markets precipitated by presidential utterings. I don't see anything surprising here. Bullard is essentially saying his position, and he is just one of the FOMC's voting members, that the Fed is more likely to disconnect it's monetary policy from the impact of trade uncertainty than it is to connect it. Moreover, Bullard says that the FOMC has already built in it's expectations for that impact into it's rate setting thinking.

Did you actually expect the FOMC to dance to Trump's tune?

I also found this analysis of the bond market interesting:

call of the day

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/here-is-the-silver-lining-to-the-trade-war-turmoil-2019-08-07?mod=mw_quote_news

I think, emotionally, it's hard to separate the perceived impact of the China-US trade dispute on the global economy, step back and recognize it remains healthy. Will it contract as a measure of global GDP? Yes but it's not going to implode. In 2018, the nominal world GDP was $84,835.46 billion in 2018, and it's projected to be $88,081.13 billion in 2019. Take note that's 84 BILLIONS. So, when the IMF says GDP may be cut by $84M because of trade tensions between the US and China that sounds like a huge loss, right? It is a 0.1% cut.

The most recent projections by the IMF for global GDP (July 23rd) reduce the previous projection of 3.6% to 3.2%. Leggard, the President of the IMF, has also remarked recently that while the US and Chinese economies are the biggest losers in the trade disputes between them, the rest of the world's economies are healthy .... this mostly because of the conglomerate of central banks have returned to easing postures rather than tightening ones, including both the US's and Europe's central banks.

The point here is that numbers and pronouncement get magnified by the press out of proportion to the real impact of the events they are reporting on. Another point to be made is that lots of folks don't like Trump, don't like the "trade war" blame him for whatever magnified downside of it is reported but fail to recognize that his administration, actually the first to do so in any meaningful way, has taken on a job of getting China to become an honest participant in global trade instead of making a mockery of fairness, a fundamental goal of the WTO.

I think a reasonable debate can be had about (1) Did Trump bite off more than he can chew with respect to the argument that the Chinese are Communists and not about to abandon state control of the means of production or state subsidies to it's home enterprises and (2) What price are Americans willing to pay to keep the pressure on China assuming it WILL make structural changes the administration is demanding of them in order to join the world's fair playing trading nations and grow it's own economy.

[Ghengis Jon]

.... It's nice to see he's getting a different treatment these days. Legitimately great American. Despite what notable southern historians like, e.g., Harry Turtledove, say.

I traded a heavily illustrated 1880 book on the architecture of New York City buildings for a 1st edition copy of his memoirs. All I've read is the portion recounting Lee's surrender, though. Pretty impressive prose.

Grant.JPG

[iam416]

Now that's pretty cool, Jon. I have a nice volume from the early 20th C, but it's obviously not worth much. Still, I enjoy having the primary source materials. And I've actually read them, and they are entirely readable.

[THE_WIZARD_]

Talent has not been the same since the Purdue beatdown...