swordfish

What in the actual F?

Holy mother of F-ing God - My father must be rolling over in his grave - WW2 & Korean Conflict Navy vet.... https://nypost.com/2023/05/03/us-navy-appointed-active-duty-drag-queen-as-ambassador/ US Navy hires active-duty drag queen to be face of recruitment drive By Yaron Steinbuch May 3, 2023 8:01am The US Navy invited an active-duty drag queen to be a “Digital Ambassador” – as part of a recent drive “to attract the most talented and diverse workforce” and combat plunging recruitment. Yeoman 2nd Class Joshua Kelley, who identifies as non-binary, was appointed as the first of five Navy Digital Ambassadors in a pilot program that ran from October to March. Kelley, whose stage name is Harpy Daniels, has shared their journey on TikTok and Instagram, where they described how they began performing onboard and became an “advocate” for people who “were oppressed for years in the service.” “From joining to 2016 and being able to share my drag experience on my off time with my fellow sailors has been a blessing,” Kelley wrote on Instagram in November when announcing their appointment as a digital ambassador to their more than 8,000 followers. “Thank you to the Navy for giving me this opportunity! I don’t speak for the Navy but simply sharing my experience in the Navy! Hooyah, and let’s go Slay!” they added. US Navy sailor and drag queen Joshua Kelley, whose stage name is Harpy Daniels, took part in a recruitment drive as a “Digital Ambassador.” Instagram / @harpy_daniels The social media influencer has shared their journey on TikTok and Instagram. Instagram / @harpy_daniels The “Digital Ambassador” program that Kelley took part in ran from October to March and was “designed to explore the digital environment to reach a wide range of potential candidates” as the Navy battles “the most challenging recruiting environment it has faced since the start of the all-volunteer force,” a Navy spokesperson told Fox News. The service branch is evaluating what form the program, which included five active-duty personnel, will take in the future, the rep added. “The Navy did not compensate YN2 Kelley or any others for being Navy Digital Ambassadors,” the spokesperson also noted. “From joining to 2016 and being able to share my drag experience on my off time with my fellow sailors has been a blessing,” Kelley wrote on Instagram. Instagram / @harpy_daniels Kelley took part in the “Digital Ambassador” program from October to March. Instagram / @harpy_daniels Kelley has told Carl Herzog of the USS Constitution Museum that they began dressing in drag and performing in shows long before joining the Navy. In 2017 and 2018, they performed as Harpy in a crew morale-boosting lip sync competition while on deployment on the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan. “I started performing in drag in 2013. Drag had no influence with me joining. It was the Navy I feared that would’ve influenced me to stop doing drag,” Kelley told Herzog. “For myself, drag has been a passion, an art, and a way to express myself. … Ship life is difficult. Every day fades into one, and high stress and intensity can bring low morale and can cause suicide and bad behavior,” they said. Kelley said they began performing in drag in 2013 and joined the Navy in 2016. Instagram / @harpy_daniels Kelly said that their performance on the Ronald Regan helped save someone’s life. “This person was gay and felt lost and alone, ready to jump ship. But after getting to view my performance, they felt empowered to be themselves and see that our struggles and low morale are temporary,” the Yeoman 2nd Class said. “They personally thanked me and said they forgot what life was like for a moment. That’s a struggle we all deal with during deployments and we all have our reasons to lose ourselves,” the sailor continued. Kelley said their goal is to “become the first officer in my family.” Instagram / @harpy_daniels Asked what their plans are, both as a drag queen and in the Navy, Kelly told Herzog that their “goals as a sailor are to continue working hard, make first (class) and become the first officer in my family.” “As for drag, I hope to continue performing, building safe spaces for queer individuals, and one day make it on RuPaul’s Drag Race as one of the first active service members,” they added. The ambassador program was launched as the Navy is trying to boost its size to 347,000 members in 2024, up from the current 341,736 serving in fiscal year 2023, according to the Navy Times. It committed to recruit and retain personnel through fostering an inclusive culture and ensuring they feel “included and connected to mission and leaders at all levels,” according to the latest diversity, equity and inclusion policy updates cited by the Daily Caller. The ambassador program was launched as the Navy is trying to boost its size to 347,000 members in 2024. Instagram / @harpy_daniels On April 19, Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti told the House Armed Services Committee that the Navy is projected to fall 6,000 recruits, or 16%, short of its fiscal year 2023 goal for enlisted sailors. “To attract the most talented and diverse workforce, the Navy continues to evaluate its compensation package and admission requirements, and how it reaches potential recruits through advertising and career events,” according to the Navy’s budget proposal for 2024, the outlet reported. The ambassador program is one of several ways the Navy uses to reach various populations to overcome what the spokesperson called “the most challenging recruiting environment since the start of the all-volunteer force.”

Jeez - some kids are just stupid......These went way over the top. Baby oil/vaseline pranks are one thing, but spray painting and the extras are just going to put unnecessary costs on top of costs in already struggling school systems.

Something from Monty Python "Life of Brian" that couldn't be shown today, but so frickin funny.....

From my financial advisor - Predicting a (real) recession.....(we already hit one in early 2022) 80 years. This chart shows the dramatic increase in cash and mutual fund assets caused by the Covid related federal spending. The growth in money supply during Covid was 2.5 times of what was experienced in the 70s and early 80s. As you can see, the growth in m2 supply caused double digit inflation 50 years ago and interest rates north of 20%. Back then the fed was slow to stop the growth of the M2 money supply and inflation persisted. This go around the Fed is attempting to bring a rapid halt in the M2 growth. This chart shows the dramatic decrease in growth from plus 25% in 2021 to a decrease in supply currently. People with savings are now seeing those balances decrease due to inflation and they are incurring increases in debt to maintain lifestyle. People without savings are incurring debt to stay afloat or are struggling to make ends meet. I am not sure how this does not end up in a recession!

This kid gets an "Atta boy" for standing up to the left. “Who is this protected class?” he asked. “Are their feelings more important than my rights? I don’t complain when I see Pride flags and diversity posters hung throughout the school. Do you know why? Because others have a right to their beliefs, just as I do.” https://nypost.com/2023/05/01/boy-says-he-was-sent-home-over-shirt-that-said-there-are-only-two-genders/ A 12-year-old boy from Massachusetts claimed he was sent home from school a few weeks ago for wearing a t-shirt that declared that there are “only two genders,” which he was told made other students feel “unsafe.” Liam Morrison, a seventh grader at John T. Nichols Jr. Middle School in Middleborough, recounted the incident during a Middleborough School Committee meeting on April 13 — and his fiery speech went viral Sunday after being picked up by the popular right-wing Twitter account Libs of TikTok. Morrison said he was pulled from gym class on March 21 and met with school officials, who told him during what he described as an “uncomfortable talk” that people were complaining about the message on his shirt, which they said made them feel “unsafe.” “They told me that I wasn’t in trouble, but it sure felt like I was,” the boy stated. “I was told that I would need to remove my shirt before I could return to class. When I nicely told them that I didn’t want to do that, they called my father.” The 12-year-old noted that his father was supportive of his stance and arrived at school to pick him up.Liam Morrison, a seventh-grader at Nichols Middle School in Massachusetts, claimed that he was sent home on March 21 for refusing to take off a t-shirt that read, “There are only two genders.” Morrison said he was told the slogan on his shirt was “targeting a protected class” — apparently referring to transgender and nonbinary people — and was a “disruption to learning.” The 12-year-old pushed back against those claims in his address to the school committee. “Who is this protected class?” he asked. “Are their feelings more important than my rights? I don’t complain when I see Pride flags and diversity posters hung throughout the school. Do you know why? Because others have a right to their beliefs, just as I do.” The seventh-grader further argued that his shirt caused no disruption in the classroom. “No one got up and stormed out of class. No one burst into tears,” Morrison told his audience. “I’m sure I would have noticed if they had.” “I experience disruptions to my learning every day,” he added. “Kids acting out in class are a disruption, yet nothing is done. Why do the rules apply to one yet not another?” Morrison pointed out that before he was booted from the school, “not one person” complained to him directly about the words on his shirt — and he said some students had even expressed their support for him. The student emphasized that he did not go to school that day wearing that shirt to “hurt feelings of cause trouble,” but rather to exercise his right to free speech. “I know that I have a right to wear a shirt with those five words,” Morrison said. “Even at 12 years old, I have my own political opinions and I have a right to express those opinions. Even at school. This right is called the First Amendment to the Constitution.” Morrison concluded his address by calling on the School Committee to protect the rights of students to express themselves freely. “Next time, it may not only be me,” he warned. “There might be more soon that decide to speak out.” As the middle-schooler’s defiant speech began drawing attention over the weekend, the Massachusetts Family Institute, a Christian conservative nonprofit, announced on Twitter that it was providing legal support for the boy. The Middleborough school superintendent did not immediately respond to request for comment Monday.

Most coal miners had canaries........Most Lithium miners have a year or two till puberty......

Ol Uncle Joe....Can't remember the last country he visited (last week, btw), his favorite team in the Stanley Cup playoffs this year is the Philadelphia Flyers (not in the playoffs, btw), remembers all his grandchildren's names (except for the one Hunter has trouble claiming) and still wonders where Jackie Walorski is....... https://nypost.com/2023/04/27/biden-cant-recall-visit-to-ireland-he-took-two-weeks-ago/ The 80-year-old commander-in-chief had difficulty remembering his recent state visit to Ireland Thursday while being grilled by kids during a Take Your Child to Work event at the White House. “The last country I’ve traveled, I’m trying to think of the last one I was in,” Biden mused to the children of administration staffers and members of the media. “I’ve been to, met with 89 heads of state so far. So, uh, trying to think where was the last place I was; it’s hard to keep track.” “Ireland,” a child shouted out, jogging the president’s memory. “Yeah, you’re right, Ireland. That’s where it was,” he said good-naturedly. “How’d you know that?” Biden, with the help of first son Hunter, also took questions from children of US Embassy workers while in Ireland — but hosted no formal news conferences, frustrating members of the White House press corps. The Ireland exchange was one of a handful Thursday that highlighted the president’s frequent memory lapses, most notably forgetting the death of Congresswoman Jackie Walorski and calling out the Indiana Republican’s name at an event last September. President Biden snubbed one of his seven grandchildren during a White House event. Another child at the White House event asked Biden: “Do you watch the Stanley Cup playoffs, and if you do, do you have a favorite team?” “I did, and I do: the Philadelphia Flyers,” the president answered, apparently unaware that the team did not make the tournament this year. The commander-in-chief also rattled off the names of grandchildren Naomi, 29, Finnegan, 23, Maisy, 22, Natalie, 18, Robert Hunter Biden II, 17, and Beau Jr., 2, but stopped short of mentioning Navy Joan Roberts, the often-unacknowledged 4-year-old daughter of Hunter and Lunden Roberts, a former stripper. The president also said he was rooting for the Flyers to win the Stanley Cup, even though the team did not make the playoffs. “And guess what? They’re crazy about me because I pay so much attention to them,” Biden said, getting some laughs from the crowd of parents and children present. An Arkansas judge ruled Monday that Hunter, 53, who has been staying away from the proceedings of a child support case involving his love child with Lunden, must attend all court hearings going forward. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) suggested last week that money from Hunter’s foreign business deals — which benefited other members of the first family — may have gone to some of the president’s nieces, nephews, and grandchildren. Roberts is suing Hunter for child support, but deliberations have been slowed by questions about financial records on his abandoned laptop.

Dr. Fauci certainly pushed for and willfully advocated for everything from masks to shutdowns to mRNA vaccines the entire time and for him to say "It wasn't me" is very telling now that he is admitting masks were ineffective and the school shutdowns were wrong........Especially with the facts now coming to light. The "create an ENTITIY OF EXCITEMENT" "conspiracy theory" over the mRNA (Universal Flu Vaccine) is becoming more and more relevant. https://nypost.com/2023/04/26/feeble-fauci-still-wont-take-blame-for-masks-covid-lockdowns-that-hurt-kids/ Anthony Fauci now breezily admits masks only worked 10% of the time and school lockdowns hurt kids, but still refuses to acknowledge he made mistakes. Instead, he blames everyone else. “There was a personification of me as a person who essentially closed everything down [but] those were public health recommendations that came from the CDC,” he told CNN Wednesday. Former CDC Director Robert Redfield begged to differ: “It’s disappointing that people just don’t take responsibility and accountability for the consequences of their recommendations . . . Tony was clearly an aggressive spokesman for closures, school closures, shutdowns and mandates, and I would argue that all three of those policies were not effective . . . were not optimal for our response . . . We [should not] rewrite history and say the things we did were the right decision when in fact they were suboptimal.” Failing to admit mistakes is about more than ego. It endangers us for next time. Dr. Jay Bhattacharya and fellow sane medicos who have formed the Norfolk Group say a lot of mistakes were made and are calling for an honest, depoliticized evaluation of what went wrong. “It’s difficult when you have leaders like Fauci misleading America on a [scientific] consensus when there wasn’t one,” Bhattacharya said last week. But we “need to de-escalate and [conduct] an honest evaluation.” To that end they have created a list of questions for a future commission of inquiry to analyze America’s response to the pandemic. It’s not about laying blame, but about learning lessons.

Just a little Thursday morning inspiration:

A picture is worth a thousand words.......Spotted in Elkhart

I guess she/her would ALSO be the first female to be fired from that position as well......Kinda to be expected when you cost your company "billions"....... https://www.kake.com/story/48769645/alissa-heinerscheid-bud-light-marketing-vice-president-on-a-leave-of-absence-following-dylan-mulvaney-controversy (YAHOO/KAKE) - Despite "expert" insistence that the controversy surrounding Anheuser-Bush's decision to partner with a trans influencer and activist would be short-lived and not affect the business's bottom line, it the company has indicated that Bud Light marketing VP Alissa Heinerscheid is taking a leave of absence, Yahoo reports. Heinerscheid, who has led the brand since June, will be replaced by Budweiser global marketing VP Todd Allen, according to Ad Age. Bud Light and Anheuser-Busch have faced a tsunami of backlash for their partnership with the trans influencer and activist, famous for her “365 Days of Girlhood” video series, which chronicled the first year of her transition. Anheuser-Busch has faced cascading problems, including cancelled events with the iconic Budweiser Clydesdale horses, a stock price that’s tanked, and many, many prominent Americans voicing their opposition, including Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R., Texas), Kid Rock, and Travis Tritt. “If we do not attract young drinkers to come and drink this brand, there will be no future for Bud Light,” the beer’s VP of marketing explained last month. “What I brought to that was a belief in, okay, what does ‘evolve and elevate’ mean? It means inclusivity. It means shifting the tone. It means having a campaign that’s truly inclusive and feels lighter and brighter and different and appeals to women and to men.” That line of thinking doesn't appear to be paying off, as Heinerscheid’s immediate future at Bud Light has now been cut short. The executive became the first woman to lead Bud Light in the brand’s 40-year history and was recognized by Ad Age in 2022 as one of the 40 under 40 rising stars in marketing, advertising, and media. She was promoted to her current position after a nearly eight-year tenure at Anheuser-Busch in various marketing roles, including a recent stint as VP of direct-to-consumer marketing, which includes e-commerce. She created the role of Bud Light Blue VP, which refers to the main brand, proposing it to a top Anheuser-Busch executive through a 30-page pitch. It came after nearly four years of working on Bud Light, including overseeing the 2019 Game of Thrones Super Bowl ad. “Today, we communicated some next steps with our internal teams and wholesaler partners,” explained an Anheuser-Busch spokesperson. “First, we made it clear that the safety and welfare of our employees and our partners is our top priority. Second, Todd Allen is appointed Vice President of Bud Light reporting directly to Benoit Garbe, U.S. Chief Marketing Officer. Third, we have made some adjustments to streamline the structure of our marketing function to reduce layers so that our most senior marketers are more closely connected to every aspect of our brands activities. These steps will help us maintain focus on the things we do best: brewing great beer for all consumers, while always making a positive impact in our communities and on our country.” The Daily Wire reported that senior executives hadn't been told about a decision to green-light the Mulvaney partnership. According to a statement obtained by Ad Age from City Distributors, an Anheuser-Busch distributor based in Topeka, Kansas, the custom can decision, featuring Mulvaney’s face, “circumvented the proper approval channels.” It’s unclear if Heinerscheid’s current replacement will be made permanent or what her future at Anheuser-Busch is. Mulvaney, who has been invited by President Biden to the White House and has attracted a number of lucrative business partnerships with brands like Nike, responded to the controversy earlier this month, appearing on an episode of iHeartPodcasts’s Onward With Rosie O’ Donnell. “The reason I think I’m an easy target is because I’m still new to this. I think going after a trans woman who has been doing this for 20 years is a lot more difficult,” Mulvaney said. “I have watched it get so much worse, as my timeline has gone on and it’s been very kind of odd to compare the two, my transition as well as all this anti-trans legislation simultaneously,” Mulvaney added. Anheuser-Busch acknowledged the controversy in a statement last week, backtracking to a degree. “We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people. We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer,” wrote CEO Brendan Whitworth. Bud Light has lost billions of dollars since the controversy began.

There's a new Federal agency? https://nypost.com/2023/04/23/vp-harris-says-wrong-name-for-fda-in-interview-about-mifepristone/ Harris mistakenly said the Federal Drug Administration approved the abortion pill mifepristone more than two decades ago — but such an agency doesn’t exist. The Food and Drug Administration is the correct title for the administration also referred to as the FDA, which signed off on the abortion drug.

It's interesting that the focus is on the fact that this guy leaked classified material just showing off to his gaming buddies......and not on what was actually leaked showing how effed-up this administration is in dealing with the rest of the world especially the war in Ukraine.....

A rule to live by!!