What is a lockdown?

The latest entry in my Substack series on failed COVID lockdowns asks: What is a lockdown?

https://bandit73.substack.com/p/what-is-a-lockdown

The parting on the right...Is now parting on the left...

The second installment in my new Substack series is about how "progressive" blogs and politicians sold out by supporting the lockdown industrial complex...

https://bandit73.substack.com/p/the-parting-on-the-rightis-now-parting

Unmasking lockdowns with my new series of reports!

Since 2020, I've been working on a report on the failures of COVID-19 lockdowns and related policies. Earlier this month, it was up to 204 pages, and it kept growing because the lockdown industrial complex kept outstupiding itself.

I had planned on releasing this report way back in mid-2020, but I couldn't, because lockdown town criers kept piling on, and the media was happy to help.

So instead, I've decided to split this report into a series that I've begun posting on Substack. It's being offered for free, and you can find it here...

https://bandit73.substack.com

Ba-de-ya! 5 new road photos from September!

Ba-de-ya! I just released a set of 5 new road photos from Cincinnati from September!

So point your pooper here...

http://bunkerblast.info/roadpics/cinnc23.html

Maine! New York! New Hampshire! Game day bucket go boom!

I already released my road photos from the first half of my May trip to the Northeast a while ago, and now I've released my photos from the way back!

Beepers should be bipped in this direction...

http://bunkerblast.info/roadpics/meoh23a.html
http://bunkerblast.info/roadpics/meoh23b.html
http://bunkerblast.info/roadpics/meoh23c.html
http://bunkerblast.info/roadpics/meoh23d.html
http://bunkerblast.info/roadpics/meoh23e.html
http://bunkerblast.info/roadpics/meoh23f.html
http://bunkerblast.info/roadpics/meoh23g.html

George Carlin look-alike seen at Kroger

Today at Kroger, I saw a George Carlin look-alike.

Maybe he should invent an eighth dirty word to describe the state of food at Kroger lately!

Beverly Hills bans Silly String and Nair

Here's the latest chart-topping smash from Beverly Hills leaders' "we screwed up" greatest hits collection.

This exclusive California city was known for a horribly botched COVID response and having a generally miserable disposition, but it never ends. Now city council has voted unanimously to ban Silly String, shaving cream, and Nair on Halloween - charging that these products might be used for vandalism.

Anyone caught with these products will be required to discard them instantaneously.

Just like how basic liberties have already been discarded there.

Have no fear, the October ish is here!

The October ish of The Last Word is now pub!

This edition talks about the recent Oktoberfest in Cincinnati, CNN's dumb airport stores, '90s police calls, fake progressive support for nuclear power, and more!

Once again, Scribd is blocking this ish, but you can find it on my own website by bipping your beeper here...

https://bunkerblast.info/lastword/lw2310.pdf

Newsom (still an idiot) rejects bill to give benefits to striking workers

You're an idiot, Gavin.

California lawmakers just passed a bill to allow striking workers to receive unemployment benefits. But - naturally - Gavin Newsom just vetoed it.

Newsom claims to have strong labor support, but the unions that have supported him since 2020 are mostly company unions. He says the state's unemployment fund is already in debt, but most of this debt is because of COVID lockdowns - which he ordered.

What a disaster.

Newsom (an idiot) wants Supreme Court to let cities criminalize homeless

Gruesome Newsom is at it again!

California Gov. Gavin Newsom wants the U.S. Supreme Court to allow cities to criminalize the homeless by letting these cities have ordinances banning the homeless from camping on public property. This comes after federal courts rightly invalidated such a law in Grants Pass, Oregon.

In fact, Newsom has spent several years criticizing judges who nullify such laws. Newsom complained that these rulings have hamstrung California cities that have tried criminalizing the homeless.

Officials in San Francisco and San Diego also want the Supreme Court to intervene and let them step up their war against the homeless. This undercuts the progressive reputation that San Francisco once had. But this is far from the first time it's been undercut, as the city has been beset by right-wing authoritarian policies for decades now. This not only includes its attacks on the homeless and its refusal to remedy high housing costs but also its penchant for COVID totalitarianism that exceeds ostensibly more conservative locales. It's not an exaggeration to say that - in terms of public policies that are actually being carried out - San Francisco is to the right of much of rural Iowa or Montana. How is San Francisco much better today than what we had here at our worst?

If anyone is improperly squatting on land, it's gentrificationists who have marauded into our cities. Why aren't there any laws on this?

Plop-Tarts

The magic continued at Ploptoberfest yesterday!

This time, I noticed somebody plopped an empty brown sugar cinnamon Pop-Tarts box. The restrooms grew to be such a hilarious mess as the day wore on that an entire row of them was closed. I even overheard a man saying, "It's bad," as he exited a portable lav.

Celebrity look-alikes included "Weird Al" Yankovic and Lyle Alzado.

Also, some woman was in such a festive mood that she bubbled.

Ploptoberfest is better with Blue Bonnet on it!

Ploptoberfest may be starting to lurch back to life! This weekend is the first Ploptoberfest held on 5th Street since 2015. The fest has returned to its rightful location after being confined to 2nd Street for years (when it took place at all).

Yesterday, I noticed someone plopped the lid of a tub of Blue Bonnet margarine. When I went into a portable restroom, I noticed Miss Blue Bonnet staring up at the world from the abysmal depths of the poopot. She looked as hilarious as you might imagine. Later, I noticed someone plopped a plastic cup.

Celebrity look-alikes included Oliver Anthony, James Garner, and Suzi Quatro.

And that's only Friday. Think of the promise that Saturday holds if I go down there again!

Homeless camp exists only in far right's mind

The only place the homeless get to live rent-free is in the far right's heads.

And when I talk about the far right, I'm using the historic definition of the term. Lately, the Democrats have been branding all challenges from the left as right-wing. But I'm using the real definition, not the shitlib definition. The Democrats these days support actual far right stances more and more.

Recently, some neighborhood "leader" in Cincinnati drafted a letter demanding removal of a homeless camp in Burnet Woods, a city park. The letter demanded police close the park at 10 PM every night to expel the homeless and discard their belongings. The letter pointed fingers at the homeless over assorted ills that plague the city.

A big problem with this letter - besides its general meanness - is that there is no homeless camp in Burnet Woods. A few homeless people might gather there, but there is no camp. The camp exists only in somebody's minuscule mind. Park employees and visitors confirmed to the media that there is no camp.

The letter prompted some folks to post a flyer around the area charging that a neighborhood committee aims to "displace and throw out the property of local homeless people." The flyer pointed out that these raids cause the homeless to lose medications and personal documents.

The main location of concern in Burnet Woods seems to be the corner of Ludlow and Clifton avenues. It just so happens that I had lunch at this corner on Saturday on the way home from Zinecinnati. There were folks gathered around, but none of them said a word to me or did anything illegal. Bees were a bigger threat than homeless people were.

I bet the writer of the letter is actually mad because he saw homeless people not wearing masks.

New Mexico governor flunks basic civics

Remember when we had 3 branches of government that provided checks and balances on each other? That was cool.

One issue we go back and forth on is gun control. There are many events that shape how the matter should be handled. Concealed carry is generally a right. We've never denied it. But you don't get to stomp into a crowd like a weirdo and brandish assault rifles at random people.

Now something strange is happening in New Mexico, where embattled Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has just issued an executive order suspending the right to concealed carry in Albuquerque's Bernalillo County.

One thing is for sure: This order is illegal. The right to concealed carry is backed up by statute in New Mexico, as it is almost everywhere else in America. That's the law. Governors aren't supposed to be able to just bark down orders suspending laws on a whim.

Lujan Grisham can't very well claim she cares about protecting children, after she supported child abuse in the name of fighting COVID. America might be the only country in the world with such a severe gun violence epidemic, but it's also one of the few modern nations with such a deep history of economic inequality and where schools were closed over COVID for as long as they were. Since long before COVID, our political "leaders" have maliciously refused to address our bad schools, choosing instead to punish students who were forced out of school. And community improvement projects disproportionately benefit rich areas and the wealthy, while the poor languish in despair. Gun violence has root causes - which are never addressed.

If a governor can unilaterally declare an emergency and use it to suspend legally protected rights, then you really don't have legally protected rights.

Much of this is basic middle school civics. The governor's main job is to execute the law - not write her own laws. She is not part of the legislative branch. If you want to change the law, write to lawmakers.

Even some politicians and activists who favor more gun control say Lujan Grisham is overreaching. They point out that constitutional liberties have no exceptions for emergencies declared by governors. On the other hand, what have we been experiencing for the past 3½ years? The sequence of events in this story is very similar to that of the COVID lockdowns - which established a bad precedent that governors can suspend rights at will.

This could get out of hand in a way far worse than it appears now. Recently, for the first time in my life, I began to seriously believe that America could end up under widespread martial law that far exceeds even what we saw during COVID. What folks in New Mexico are seeing could be just the start. Considering the past lies and abuse by our "leaders", it could be a deliberate step to completely disempower the public in the face of unimaginable totalitarianism.

Va-voom! ('Sesame Street' Wednesday)

Since I was about 5, I've had this melody in my head that I've insisted appeared on 'Sesame Street'. Eventually I concluded that I was only imagining it, and it was never really on the show.

But now I've stumbled on a website that listed a few lost 'Sesame Street' segments. One of the entries is about a segment on lowercase 'v'. It says that while the Spanish-language version can't be found, the English-language version is still out there...

Now that I've found this, I do remember the Spanish and English versions, but most importantly, it confirms that the melody that I had in my head did indeed appear on 'Sesame Street'. What I'm talking about here is the melody sung by the animated mouth.

In other words, this is yet another Snuffleupagus moment confirmed by YouTube - like the Big Boy commercial and the PBS show where the kid asks French-speaking Quebec residents if they speak English. If I say I saw something 40 to 45 years ago on TV, you should probably assume it's real.

Another right-wing Macron power grab

Some people deny that any postwar Western country can be a dictatorship. Yet Francisco Franco ruled Spain in my lifetime. And Ronald Reagan expressed admiration for Franco.

Under right-wing President Emmanuel Macron, France is essentially a dictatorship. Now Macron is digging in his jackboots further by saying he is open to "experimenting" with mandatory uniforms in public schools. According to the AP, Macron's plan to "experiment" on France's schoolchildren came after right-wing politicians expressed support for school uniforms. Right-wing politicians? You mean like Macron?

This is only the latest in a series of affronts to civil liberties plaguing the country. Macron isn't the only culprit, as other top French officials have also attempted to fan the flames of fascism, often pointing fingers at political foes.

Hulk Hogan look-alike spotted at Kroger

Today at the Kro, I saw a Hulk Hogan look-alike walking around in front of the store.

More talk but no action from Kentucky Democrats

Democrats in the Kentucky legislature have announced new labor bills for the 2024 session. But you know damn well they won't seriously do a thing to pass them. The Democratic Party of today is not the Democratic Party we grew up with.

For one thing, the legislature has become overwhelmingly Republican - in part because the Democrats wouldn't do enough to pass some of these bills before. So these bills have little chance of becoming law at the state level. If they do, it will be because more Republicans begin supporting what were once Democratic ideas. For another thing, the Democrats can already pass laws like these in cities and counties that they already control - yet they refuse to.

Perhaps 5 or 10 years ago, the Democrats actually were passing some decent laws at the local level in Kentucky. But no more. Nowadays when you read about good local laws passing, it's usually in the Republican-led small towns, not the Democratic-led larger cities. These are usually laws the Democrats used to support but now won't make any serious efforts to enact - if they express support for these laws at all.

Democrats today are the Republicans of 20 years ago. I've had to give up on my once-great Democratic Party.

Also, who do you think is responsible for the brutal, classist war against the homeless in Louisville lately? Louisville isn't one of these Republican small towns. That's another example of the Democrats being taken over by Bush-era Republicans.

People beered at Rip-off-fest

Earlier tonight, I went to Riverfest - or as I call it, Rip-off-fest.

Allowed Clouds were violated fluently. To defy the festival's ban on outside beverages, musical instruments, and tools, I smuggled in Pepsi, a kazoo, and a screwdriver. I also read that hula hoops are banned now too, but I can't very well sneak in a hula hoop in my pants pocket. Even funnier, people brang in beer - at a festival that has long been dry. Another Allowed Cloud was violated by someone setting off their own fireworks. People smoked pot too!

In addition to all these Allowed Cloud violations, I saw 2 - count 'em, 2 - people who were in such a festive mood that they bubbled.

New York City to use drones to spy on cookouts

Is it fascism yet?

New York City has announced plans to fly police drones over backyard barbecues this Labor Day weekend to spy on private gatherings. It's not even entirely clear why.

Privacy advocates are rightly outraged.

Incompetent Mayor Eric Adams boasts of his support for expanded use of police drones to monitor New Yorkers' private behavior.

If someone sees a surveillance drone hovering over their backyard, I hope they shoot it right out of the sky.

Ba-de-ya! The September ish is here!

Ba-de-ya! The September issue of The Last Word is now pub, and it's our back-to-school ish!

It talks about schools censoring books, toilets blowing up in Denver parks, our plan to fight continuing totalitarianism, my high school's electron microscope, Old Stopsignface, and more!

So point your pooper here...

https://www.scribd.com/document/668117117/The-Last-Word-9-2023

If that doesn't work, saunter on over here...

http://bunkerblast.info/lastword/lw2309.pdf

Bubbling, Alaska style

Earlier, I received an important e-mail informing me that a young woman bubbled while waiting in line for a train in Alaska.

Did the Prohibition Party take over Louisville?

It wasn't just our imagination. The cities actually are getting worse again in matters of public policy, while rural areas are getting better.

As rural counties in Kentucky vote to loosen alcohol laws, the state's biggest city - Louisville - is seeing protests against Family Dollar stores selling beer.

Louisville today is like Piner 20 years ago.

This is going in the Illness Log!

For the record, since at least Friday, I was plagued by a tonsil stone lodged in my windpipe, and I was running a fever as a result. I wasn't able to dislodge it until this morning.

Campbell County Schools ban 3 books

This happened back in February, but it wasn't covered by main local media until now.

The right-wing Campbell County Schools have generally been hostile to free expression and the interests of the community's young people, and now the district has banned 3 books from its libraries: 'Lucky' by Alice Sebold, 'Tricks' by Ellen Hopkins, and 'Out Of Darkness' by Ashley Hope Perez. What I'm talking about here is not books being removed from required reading lists. Rather, the books were censored from school libraries, so now nobody can even choose to borrow the books.

The district was reportedly reviewing 17 other books.

Are they gonna paddle kids who try to borrow these books?

These acts of censorship came at the direction of some organization that hasn't accomplished much on any issue. That includes fighting against our schools' COVID fascism. I'm just one person, but I've done more to fight against the COVID tyranny in our schools than this group has. I was on it right away, but look how long it took them. They spend more effort yanking books off library shelves than making sure schools are open like normal.

Kind of like the Campbell County Schools do.

New York! Connecticut! Maine! Game day bucket go boom!

In May, I goed on a road trip to the Northeast. It included Acadia National Park, parts of New York state, and other goodies.

Now I have 231 photos posted from the event! These pictures cover only the first part of the trip, but you're ready to read 'em and peep nonetheless...

http://bunkerblast.info/roadpics/ohme23a.html
http://bunkerblast.info/roadpics/ohme23b.html
http://bunkerblast.info/roadpics/ohme23c.html
http://bunkerblast.info/roadpics/ohme23d.html
http://bunkerblast.info/roadpics/ohme23e.html
http://bunkerblast.info/roadpics/ohme23f.html
http://bunkerblast.info/roadpics/ohme23g.html
http://bunkerblast.info/roadpics/ohme23h.html
http://bunkerblast.info/roadpics/ohme23i.html
http://bunkerblast.info/roadpics/ohme23j.html

Have no fear, the August ish is here!

Because this is a month ending in 'bip', a new Last Word is now pub!

The August ish talks about more ruined vacations, my cartoon reviews, sitting on a wad of bubble gum at an Occupy march, a person farting at Bush's inauguration, censorship of DVD's, and more!

So point your pooper here...

https://www.scribd.com/document/662189050/The-Last-Word-8-2023

If that doesn't work, scoot on over here...

http://bunkerblast.info/lastword/lw2308.pdf

How we missed our chance for a safer bridge

The Licking Valley Girl Scouts Bridge is the highway bridge that replaced the Shortway Bridge between Covington and Newport. When it opened in 2001, I immediately noticed the span had a major drawback: Despite the 4 wide lanes of road traffic, it had a sidewalk on only one side and no bike lane whatsoever.

I repeat, this was 2001 - hardly ancient history. By 2001, highway planners should have known to include better pedestrian and bike access, especially since the roadway invited vrooming cars and SUV's. I complained about this bitterly in the years after the bridge opened. I warned point-blank that this was a dangerous - possibly deadly - situation. I pleaded for years for this setup to be corrected.

These warnings were not heeded by highway officials. Last year, a woman was hit by a car and killed while riding a bicycle on this bridge. It was a hit-and-run. A few days ago, a motorist pleaded guilty to a series of charges stemming from the tragedy.

Some local residents pointed out that this was preventable but that nobody tries to remedy things like this until after someone is killed. With the stark decline of our cities in this decade, it's also been noted that Boone County is now vastly outpacing Covington and Newport in adding new bike amenities.

Since officials were warned that the bridge was dangerous and refused to fix it, we should look into criminal or civil penalties against our officials.

The FCC is getting completely screwy

This entry is about the twisted mess American radio is these days - and how the FCC lets it go on.

There's an article in the Detroit Free Press about a small high school radio station in Ontonagon, Michigan, that's been around for 45 years. It even managed to stay on the air during the height of the pandemic, when school was closed. But now an out-of-town religious broadcaster has applied to start a station in the same area on the same frequency.

Outrageously, the FCC rubber-stamped that request, even though that frequency already had a station. The high school station is now being forced to either find a different frequency or go off the air for good.

Managers of the school station learned of this when the religious station sent them an e-mail about it. This e-mail included a list of other frequencies they could move to. Then why didn't the religious station apply for one of those frequencies instead? Is it because it bips?

Even if knocking another station off the air or forcing it to accept interference is allowed under the FCC's rules, part of the FCC's job is to look at each application to see if it serves the public interest. But it never does, and hasn't in years.

Have no fear, the July ish is here!

Celebrate the Fourth on the first with a fifth by poppin' open a keg or three and relaxing with the July issue of The Last Word!

This ish talks about rich people complaining about storefront flowers ruining their vacation, Trump ruining summer camp, my history of broken calculators, Soviet bubble gum, the loss of the original 'Star Wars', and cheese getting wasted at Kroger.

So point your pooper here...

https://www.scribd.com/document/656412439/The-Last-Word-7-2023

If that doesn't work, scoot on over here...

http://bunkerblast.info/lastword/lw2307.pdf