There's not a whole lot to say about the tragedy of mass shootings that hasn't already been said,

but now there is a new wrinkle: the Monterey Park mass-murderer used an "assault PISTOL".

Could someone who gets aroused by the very thought of an assault pistol please tell us what in hell a private citizen needs such a people-killer for? That request boils down to "How stupid do the gun-humpers think the rest of us are?"

Surely, you are not going to tell us you NEED these to "hunt deer". That was the lie you told us about assault RIFLES, complete with endless nonsense about "muzzle velocities" and "three-shot groupings". Anyone who has ever actually hunted knows that if you need a semi-auto with a flash suppressor and a 30 round mag to kill a deer, you damn sure shouldn't be hunting anything.

But, an "assault pistol"?

Go ahead---"educate us".

We have a few inches of heavy wet snow this morning and that's made the feeders more

popular than ever.

Currently, I'm watching 8 pairs of cardinals. Like usual, there's occasional squabbling, but all seem to find something to eat. The downy woodpeckers and tufted titmice REALLY like the suet pieces.

Just askin'---Is Marjie in her assigned office very often or

does she just stay under Kev's desk?

The wood crib is full of split oak and hickory, there's a warm fire in the fireplace and the chili

is simmering nicely. There's a fresh salad waiting to be tossed and Mrs. A. baked a pumpkin Bundt cake this afternoon..

I am warm, dry, well-fed and have good books to read and a clean soft bed in which to sleep.

I cannot help but compare my good fortune with those in Ukraine who are facing another cold winter night in shattered homes without heat or light.

My aches, pains and aggravations are so puny I am ashamed of how often I grumble.

Seems all Republicans have the same response when asked "What will you cut? What's your plan?"

"SQUIRREL!"

Plain talk about "the abortion issue": it is not now nor has it ever been about "saving babies".

That is bullshit of the rankest sort.

What IS it about? That's not a trick question---putting women in the place God intended for them: under the thumbs of men. It is a woman's destiny, you see, her God-ordained fate, to endure the pain, the inconvenience and responsibility for bearing, birthing and rearing every child a man blesses her with. Women who aspire to anything else are "un-Godly".

One of the best signs I saw at the 2017 Women's March was "If men could get pregnant, abortion would be a sacrament!"

We are STILL discussing "the abortion issue" primarily because the mega-rich have adopted it as their most efficient tool to distract us "great unwashed" while they rob us.

That's what I think.

I get it---I'm old. One poster recently referred to DU as an "old folks home", or words to that

effect. The "old folks" contingent on DU is, of course, dwindling---dying off. We used to be the future but we are no longer.

Does that mean we're irrelevant?

Are all our opinions "quaint" and worthless in today's fast-paced society?

Does replacing hubris with humility mean we are suddenly weak-minded droolers?

Yeah, I know: "If you can't take the heat, stay out of the kitchen", right?

Whatever, I guess. I'll just toddle away now to drink my prune juice, adjust my support stockings and change my Depends.

So, is Speaker Taylor-Greene still wanting to concessions before raising the debt ceiling? nt

I gotta say---in threads discussing the differences between President Biden and the popular-vote-

losing twice-impeached one-term White House occupant Trump in how each dealt with classified documents, the number of posters who say or imply that "they both took classified documents---treat 'em the same!" is pretty damn disgusting.

There are enough of THEM giving Trump the benefit of the doubt and refusing to do so for Joe Biden.

Sure, the documents found in the places under Joe's control were not properly handled.

Sure, it causes political difficulties we don't need

But, to say anything that in any small way equates how Joe handled the documents and the way Trump did is not just ludicrous, it is Trump-coddling and we should not ever do that or abide it.

Short of punching out Trump, is there anything a House Republican could do that would get

him expelled?