A person bunkerooed at Kroger

Today I goed Krogering, and while I was lollygagging in the soda aisle, a family pushed their cart around the corner, and the mom ripped an LAP bunker blast.

Xenia! Springfield! Urbana! Game day bucket go boom!

Last July, we took a little day trip to Springfield, Ohio. After all, that's what cool people do. In keeping with my lifelong tradition of Roads Scholaring, this event yielded an assortment of road photos. How many? Fifty-two in a bottle of poo!

So beep your bunker here...

http://bunkerblast.info/roadpics/sproh20a.html
http://bunkerblast.info/roadpics/sproh20b.html
http://bunkerblast.info/roadpics/sproh20c.html

Biden lifts Trump disability rule; propellerheads furious!

Well, I gotta give credit where credit is due.

In late 2019, the Trump regime proposed a right-wing rule that would have robbed people who received disability benefits by subjecting them to more frequent reviews. Make no mistake, this effort was malicious. But it was only the latest in a decades-long series of assaults on America's disability programs. These assaults had been largely whipped up by the media, and a USA Today editorial praised the Trump regime's proposal.

It appears that this change was quietly approved late last year - when nobody was paying attention, because of the bipartisan incompetence at fighting the coronavirus outbreak.

But on Thursday, President Biden withdrew Trump's rule. Lifting the rule is the sort of thing real Democrats used to do, before they caved to the "government by Gannett" gaslighting that's become the norm these days. Lately, when you see some editorial that was previously unprintable outside Nazi Germany, the editorial usually manages to become government policy within days.

This time, however, the propellerheads got blindsided by Biden reversing the Trump regime's rule. Elitists don't give a shit about anyone on disability - or Social Security in general. They shame people for leaving their house during a pandemic, saying it might "kill Grandma", yet they squeal with laughter over the elderly having to eat Mighty Dog because Social Security got slashed. Propellerheads now want Biden's head on a platter all because he hasn't yet issued a nationwide lockdown. Social media totalitarians are churning out repugnant articles demanding a months-long stay-at-home order and praising China's draconian pandemic response.

The story of the scuttled disability rule echoes a similar event that Ronald Reagan instigated. The Reagan dictatorship illegally removed 200,000 Americans from the disability rolls. Many suicides resulted. But that rule was reversed because of a public outcry.

Have no fear, the February ish is here!

Hey bipfaces!

The February issue of The Last Word is published, and it's gonna make your ears poop!

This ish talks about spilling wine on good carpeting, skipping school, finding my old 'Dukes Of Hazzard' toy cars, whiny store customers who attack clerks, blowing bubbles with bubble gum through a straw, people wasting paper at school by printing out the Def Leppard fan site, the diarrhea song, pushing a wheeled TV stand down the street, and more!

Read it now before it reads you...

https://www.scribd.com/document/492356503/The-Last-Word-2-2021

If you can't read it on Scribd, you can find it here...

http://bunkerblast.info/lastword/lw2102.pdf

CBS execs suspended over toxic work culture

Racism and misogyny in the American media? Imagine that!

Following a Los Angeles Times report, CBS has suspended 2 top TV executives for allegedly cultivating a hostile work environment. The execs include Peter Dunn, longtime president of the right-wing network's TV stations, and David Friend, senior vice-president of news for the stations.

The report claims both of these men disparaged women and Black people who worked at the network. Back in 2018, chief executive Les Moonves left CBS after becoming the subject of numerous allegations of sexual misconduct.

The National Association of Black Journalists said of the new report, "It is clear that there is a massive problem among CBS owned-and-operated stations, and in order for the company's culture to be transformed, it must begin with the firing of Dunn and Friend."

Peter Dunn and David Friend were the guys who were deciding what got broadcast as news, and now both men appear to be a discredited disgrace.

Enquirer attorney blasts anti-censorship bill

Freaking gosh, I can't even believe I have to say this! Our side should be the ones fighting for the free flow of ideas, not idly sitting by as Big Tech monopolies impede it - even in the rare event that they screw up and block those we oppose.

I found a column on the Cincinnati Enquirer website titled "Trump's hurt feelings not a reason to introduce a law that violates the Constitution." Ninety-nine percent of the time, I would agree. The outgoing Commander-in-Chief has hurt my feelings too - and hurt me economically - but I wouldn't violate the Constitution over it.

But it turns out the bill in question is hardly unconstitutional. The column was written by Jack Greiner, a lawyer who - ironically enough - represents the Enquirer in First Amendment cases. Let this sink in: A First Amendment attorney completely misses the mark on First Amendment legislation.

The bill is Kentucky's S.B. 111, introduced by 2 Republican legislators. The Kentucky GOP has a record for right-wing hackery, but this is a bill that Democrats and progressives need to get behind. In fact, if it passes, the bill would be of greater benefit to the left. Were I a legislator, I'd be happy to introduce a bill like this. The bill - titled the Stop Social Media Censorship Act - would make major social media platforms liable for civil damages if they censor protected speech.

Trust me, legislation like this is sorely needed. I posted here on Sunday that I've learned the hard way over the past 25 years how badly the left has been targeted by online muzzling. Social media platforms have become monopolies on par with telephone giants. The effort to fight social media censorship is like the 'Net neutrality fight.

One of Greiner's main arguments is that the Kentucky bill would violate the all-important Communications Decency Act. I swear I'm not making this up. The clause cited by Greiner goes on about "lewd" and "filthy" material, as if that clause was written by the PMRC.

S.B. 111 should not be an automatic windfall for everyone who feels wronged by Twitter or Facebook. But social media monopolies should be governed by the same guidelines we should expect the phone company to follow.

That the Democrats have thus far failed to support commonsense measures like this is an Achilles' heel for a party that lately has become almost all Achilles' heel. But it's mind-blowing that someone from a newspaper opposes a bill that strengthens First Amendment protections, when newspapers are supposed to be champions of a free press.

A pre-bubbling to bubbling season!

Bubbling season may be starting early in the Belv!

Today, I was walking down the street, and some woman in a car bubbled.

North Dakota bill would rein in Big Tech censorship

Yes! There's a bill in North Dakota to help fight Big Tech censorship! And the Democrats sadly are missing in action - as they've so often been lately.

I know firsthand that political progressives have been the main targets of Big Tech censorship. I don't mean from some small-time local con artist who kicked some kids off a BBS in 1987, but from the growing tide of censorship in the more modern Internet era. I've been subjected to it on Usenet and from Facebook, AdSense, and probably other companies. I've even written about how Google's search feature unfairly favors established media outlets - which are hardly voices of left-wing populism.

Until very recently, I would have expected that if there was a bill to combat this electronic book burning, it would be from a Democrat. But in North Dakota, it was a Republican who introduced the bill. Where are the Democrats? Defending Republicans caught up in sexting scandals? Or is it only the Ohio Democrats who defend them?

The bill was drafted last month and would enable North Dakota residents to sue Big Tech giants over censorship. Why is this so important? It's because these platforms are similar in some ways to utilities like the phone company. Should Cincinnati Bell or AT&T be allowed to yank service from political dissidents? (Given Cincinnati Bellyache's wiretap scandal, I'm sure they've tried.)

One of the dangers of Big Tech censorship is that it allows tech giants to manipulate and distort information - even defame innocent parties.

Some observers say that if the bill becomes law, it would likely be challenged in court. It's not entirely clear why a bill that strengthens free speech would be challenged as unconstitutional. Some attack the bill, saying it would violate the Communications Decency Act.

The Communications Decency Act??? Really??? What century is this again??? I almost expected to find the complaints coming from some right-wing preacher out of 1981.

There are politicians of both major parties who want to repeal the hated Section 230 of the 1996 Telecommunications Act, which gives legal cover to irresponsible Internet firms, but the North Dakota bill would not violate Section 230.

The problem of techies with an out-of-touch, elitist agenda filtering the flow of ideas isn't entirely new. But in the past dozen years, the rise of social media has taken it to new heights. It might be packaged differently now, but it's the same old bag of shit as before.

Ah! Some roadmeet photos! Ew!

After the Cincinnati roadmeet last May, the pandemic caused a delay in posting the photos. But now there's 60 photos and videos just waiting to bite your face off in public!

So bip your beeper here...

http://bunkerblast.info/roadpics/cin20a.html
http://bunkerblast.info/roadpics/cin20b.html
http://bunkerblast.info/roadpics/cin20c.html

Notes about Trump's second impeachment

As the Poo Coup by Trump supporters has already resulted in Trump's second impeachment, a few notes are in order.

Make no mistake, Trump's conduct was impeachable. I might have deliberated longer this time than on his first impeachment, because the scandal that caused the first one wasn't limited to just the United States in its scope. But in the end, I would have impeached. In addition, Trump's crimes do not excuse recent high crimes by governors and mayors of both major parties.

However, as justified as Trump's impeachment is, it does have a risk of setting a dangerous precedent. Will peaceful protests by supporters of other parties be unfairly compared to the violent Poo Coup and be used as a basis to impeach these parties' leaders? If a real people's party emerges from the ashes of the existing parties, I wouldn't be surprised if the media paints its peaceful rallies as violent uprisings. What I've always called the right-wing media is not purely right-wing by some measures but is rather up-wing. Perhaps the Republican right has become so thoroughly discredited that the media has begun ascribing all dissenting viewpoints to it, even if doing so is laughable on its face. This is in essence a McCarthyist tactic.

The media is portraying a recall effort against failed Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom of California as a coup, even though the recall is a peaceful and legally permissible process. You may know of Gruesome Newsom for his draconian COVID-19 response, and Republicans and Democrats alike are supporting the recall effort. Even Justine Bateman humiliated Newsom.

A year or two from now, if a new party holds peaceful rallies on courthouse lawns demanding single payer healthcare, police reform, and restoration of civil liberties, I'm sure CNN and the right-wing Gannett syndicate will call them violent right-wing Trump supporters who should be arrested.

The Poo Coup!

The enemy of your enemy is not always your friend.

I used to think it was just a myth that there were any Bernie Sanders/Donald Trump voters, but after seeing the unliberal assaults and online harassment by Democratic activists over the past year, now I see exactly how it happened. That's on you, Dems. That doesn't excuse Trump's history of incitement and incompetence - or those who act on Trump's words.

Wednesday's storming of the Capitol was one of the most bizarre events in modern American political history. It turns out it was even more ridiculous than was reported. Staffers for Sen. Chuck Schumer say that members of this pro-Trump cabal smeared feces throughout the Capitol and "tracked brown footprints" in the hallways.

It's poo.

Back in 2017, I was invited to a human rights conference in Washington, D.C., and had to use the men's room in the Senate office building. I noticed some senator had placed toilet paper all over the toilet seat and peed all over it. But the poo this past Wednesday was spread all over the halls of the Capitol!

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office was also vandalized by the Trumpers. Papers were strewn all over the floor. There's no word on whether they shredded them by walking on them in that dance that looks like the moonwalk.

But the poo means that we now call it the Poo Coup! It's the poo that makes it a coup! But we can also call it the Shit Fit.

It's got the taste to pop in your face! (Bubble Gum Weekend)

You know how people buy bubble gum and they blow big bubbles with it that burst and stick to their face?

Bubblicious had a slogan that capitalized on this process...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACOa7V4r1GI

That's a set of commercials that aired in 1990 on Channel 19 in Cincinnati. The first ad in that set is for Bubblicious. It features what appear to be clay or foam animated figures dancing to a hip-hop theme, as bubs expand from a Bubblicious billboard. One of the figures sings, "I've got the taste to pop in your face!"

Other than that, most of the commercial is just a glitzy mishmash. I'm not even sure if any of the flavors advertised still exist.

But it's bubble gum, the mere existence of which is funny.

Propellerhead support of Patriot Act gets even stupider

The Democrats today sound like Republican "values voters" circa 2004.

After a Democratic cultist on Facebook told me to "get sober" because I oppose the far-right Patriot Act, he's been doubling down. He wrote that the bill to repeal the Idiot Act "is sponsored by two people who would love too [sic] see the United States lose important tools to fight espionage and terrorism."

After the Chinese spy scandal broke a few weeks ago, I don't think the Democrats are quite in the position to be lecturing us about espionage.

Democrat says I should "get sober" because I oppose Patriot Act

Behold, it's the new Democratic Party of the Roaring 2020s!

In the "Greater Cincinnati Politics" group on Facepoo, I opined that more elected officials should get behind the effort to repeal the Patriot Act. But one feller replied...

"Please get sober and see a therapist."

Oh, and that guy's a Democrat. Gee, what a shock!

Are the Democrats happy that they're now known as the party of the Idiot Act and technocratic authoritarianism?

U.S. won't approve vaccine until April

Today, the U.K. approved the low-cost but promising Oxford vaccine to fight the novel coronavirus. This will give the U.K. enough vaccines to cover the country's entire population.

But what about the good ol' U.S. and A.? Welp, the U.S. has announced that it's not approving it until April. No particular reason. Just because.

Uh, it's the same stuff! If the vaccine works in Britain, why wouldn't it work in America? Tens of millions of doses have already been prepared for the U.S., and we can't use them for another 4 months? And this is a vaccine that the media falsely claimed would be ready this past September. (They made this claim in order to keep people quiet about restrictions lasting too long.)

I don't care to hear another word about how we're "killing Grandma" because we won't stay locked at home 100% of the time with 3 masks on, when the government won't even approve a life-saving vaccine. If anyone is spreading this virus, it's the government for not approving a vaccine that almost every other country is already rolling out.

This is simply inexcusable.

Freedom to fascism in 40 years

Balancing the values of humanity is the glue that holds every successful civilization together. A free people can't live in a society that doesn't balance liberty with equality and order. Without law, there'd be chaos.

But I've long ago run out of patience with those who say freedom doesn't matter and support placing unreasonable limits on personal behavior. We have become a fascist society. That's the most accurate word for it. And we're still fighting against the Patriot Act, of all things!

A small bipartisan group of congresscritters is trying to repeal the totalitarian Patriot Act. In past years, it was mostly Republicans that blocked repeal, but now it's primarily the Democrats. Democrats are accusing Patriot Act opponents of placing the rights of terrorists ahead of their victims, and claiming that the Patriot Act would have prevented 9/11. These claims are baseless.

This is the party I was a member of in college, and again in the late 2010s. Now it's complete and utter crap. Democrats have taken up a hobby that used to be predominantly Republican: openly ridiculing those who properly cite freedom as a defense for their own stances. Back in 2013, Jim Hightower called the Patriot Act a "grotesque, ever-mutating, hydra-headed monstrosity from the Bush-Cheney Little Shop of Horrors" and noted that both major parties were guilty of executing it. But the Democrats have gotten worse at a faster rate since then. Now it's almost automatic for Democrats to attack the motives and character of those who reasonably object to excessive government intrusion.

Democrats today are squealing schoolyard bullies who are even worse than the Republicans have been at their worst. Then again, many Democrats today say they were Republicans until Trump, but - as I said a few weeks ago - that means they were still Republicans under Bush.

This is one of the reasons America has gone from freedom to fascism in 40 years.

With the Patriot Act's repeal being blocked by those who openly scoff at the very notion of freedom, I guess there's not much hope to repeal a similar authoritarian measure from that era: the Real ID Act.

Have no fear, the January ish is here!

Guess what, peoplefaces? The January issue of The Last Word is now pub, and you're gonna read it until your navel flies off in public!

This ish talks about kids breaking brand new toys, whether the Constitution protects the right to watch Peanuts specials, comic books getting ruined by an overflowing bathtub, and more!

So point your pooper here...

https://www.scribd.com/document/489065817/The-Last-Word-1-2021

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

http://bunkerblast.info/lastword/lw2101.pdf

Trumpers turn against GOP

In recent days, Donald Trump supporters have been holding rallies in Washington, D.C., and one of the biggest targets they've opposed is...the Republican Party. They've been chanting, "Destroy the GOP!" They've even booed Republican Senate candidates.

I don't want to give these protesters any credit, but as bad as the Republican Party of Donald Trump is, the Republican Party of George W. Bush and Mike DeWine is even worse. Hell, the Democratic Party today is worse, because it seems like every time you encounter a Joe Biden follower online, they always say they were a lifelong Republican until Trump. That means they were Republicans under the warmonger Bush. Democrats today were essentially Rockefeller Republicans not long ago - except I don't think Nelson Rockefeller spent most of each day starting stupid arguments on Facebook.

And before anyone says that at least Bush wasn't racist, well, guess what? He was. Remember when a KKK chapter endorsed him?

Board of Elections member attacks people on Facebook

Look what a member of the Hamilton County Board of Elections is up to!

He has been spewing venom on Facebook of late, and now he's attacking me personally.

How can we trust the Board of Elections when a member spends all his time on Facepoo attacking folks? He can defend the miserable Mike DeWine all he wants, but personal attacks don't do much for the board's credibility. Incidentally, the man in this story is a Democrat - which in Ohio means he's actually a Republican. It was the Democrats who voted against a bill to stop DeWine from abusing his power. Hell, the Ohio Democrats have been led by David Pepper, of all people!

Democrats in recent months have acted like Nazis. They've squealed with laughter at others' misfortunes. They've defended politicians who abuse their post. They're selfish bullies who embody everything the Republicans have represented for 30 years.

They haven't just burned bridges. They've filled the creek with radioactive waste.

TLDR: A grown man who serves on the Hamilton County Board of Elections calls people "stupid" because they don't worship DeWine.

Have no fear, the December ish is here!

It's another December to dismember at The Last Word!

The December issue is now pub, and it discusses more lost drones, assorted misbehavior in schools and public places, a Cabbage Patch Kids wallet being thrown away by a teacher, an idea for a humorous Thanksgiving-themed bubble gum commercial, and more!

So point your pooper here...

https://www.scribd.com/document/485822707/The-Last-Word-12-2020

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

http://bunkerblast.info/lastword/lw2012.pdf

A person bunkerooed on the day after Thanksgiving

I had 2 Thanksgiving family gatherings this year - one on Thanksgiving Day and the other yesterday.

At yesterday's get-together - which drew 12 people - an LAP bunker blast was detected. Laughs were heard.

Tea Party group sued over voter fraud claims

Every corner of the political spectrum has its grifters. We've learned the hard way that there's "progressive" scammers like MoveOn.

Folks on the right have been conned as well. True the Vote is a Tea Party group that purports to fight voter fraud. But this organization actually promotes voter suppression. Given the atrocious quality of the major parties lately, my heart isn't in the cause of electoral politics like it used to be, but True the Vote has been alleging for years that opponents have committed voter fraud and has been advancing strict voter ID laws.

Now a True the Vote donor in North Carolina is suing the group for $2.5 million for not following through on its claims. After the recent election, True the Vote filed 4 lawsuits alleging voter fraud. But now it's already dropped all of them. The donor felt scammed because True the Vote couldn't prove its claims and wasn't keeping him updated on its efforts.

One of the leading lights of Occupy Cincinnati once told me that, although the people running the Tea Party supported the legally indefensible Citizens United ruling, people who were in the Tea Party didn't. The disconnect between the Tea Party's leaders and its followers may apply to this story to some extent. We see a disconnect like this on the left too. Despite all the "progressive" blogs that suspiciously began supporting COVID-19 lockdowns in unison in March, notice that you don't know any rank-and-file followers who are complaining because people didn't stay home on Thanksgiving.

Maybe there should be a new big tent political party just for people who were ripped off by groups that claimed to represent them.

My head hurt for 2 days

When I update the illness log, you'll see that it doesn't just deal with contagious conditions.

On Tuesday, I felt like I had a hangover, because I wasn't able to sleep. Worse, it felt like there was something lodged in my throat - which kept expanding throughout the day.

Yesterday, my head hurt so bad that I kept popping aspirin. I would have gone to urgent care, except COVID-19 restrictions had forced our urgent care to close, and there was also still a backlog at medical facilities caused by restrictions months ago.

But last night, I began gagging and felt a foreign body dislodging from my throat. The pain that filled my head subsided instantaneously.

After that, everything was chill.

Ticketmaster tyranny

Seeing how the media can't contain its glee about COVID-19, this hasn't been a perfect week for the media ghouls. On Monday, Pfizer revealed that its new vaccine has more than a 90% efficacy rate, and its long-awaited approval is nigh. I have no objection to vaccines in general, and I hope to receive this vaccine the day I'm offered it.

But any reasonable person should be able to draw the line between medical progress and tyranny, and Ticketmaster is eager to turn this vaccine into a terrifying immunity passport. Ticketmaster is working on a new system that would require concertgoers to use their smartphone to verify their COVID-19 vaccination status or provide a recent negative test before being allowed to attend live shows.

Ticketmaster hopes to roll out this system in 2021. But why should the pandemic even still be a thing in 2021? The vaccine itself is supposed to be a tool in the arsenal to fight the pandemic, so why are the goalposts for the end of the pandemic being pushed back past the vaccine's rollout? As far as I'm concerned, once the vaccine is administered, the pandemic is over.

As with COVID-19 itself, the media seems to be expressing much glee over Ticketmaster's new system - boasting that the technology will also be used for airline travel, amusement park entry, and employment verification. They're also rubbing their hands together in excitement that it will boost the fortunes of investors who invest in it. In addition, another new technology will facilitate enforcement of social distancing at concerts. (Does anyone even still practice social distancing?)

This isn't how we do things in a free country. Even during a pandemic, we're supposed to have some freedom to move about and not subject ourselves to ridiculous high-tech misrule. Ticketmaster cares about one thing only: control.

There ought to be a law. There should be a law that says companies like Ticketmaster can't implement immunity passports like this. As eager as I am to get a vaccine and put the pandemic in the rear view mirror, Ticketmaster is guilty of little short of fascism.

A person bunkerooed on Halloween

Last night, I went to an important family gathering, and the bouquet of a silent-but-deadly bunker blast was twice detected.

On the way home, after midnight, I saw a person in a Big Bird costume walking down the street.

Get a Clu!

This is more Last Word material than 'Pail material, but this discovery is so exciting I can't wait another month to reveal it! If there ever was a Snuffleupagus moment, this is it!

I've insisted for years that there was a local AM station in the 1980s called WCLU that programmed a top 40 format. Briefly in the mid-'80s, its on-air personalities called the station Clu 132. Everyone said I was just making the whole thing up.

Well, now I've found some solid proof that the station was real...

https://musicofmylife.net/2020/05/25/the-cincinnati-am-rock-radio-blues

Peep that blog entry! It's from someone who says they regularly listened to WCLU in its heyday! It also includes a copy of a WCLU music survey from the week of May 25, 1983. These surveys were distributed at record stores. WCLU's playlist of currents at the time featured 60 records, so its format was really more of a top 60 than a top 40. If you're going to run a top 40 station, well, a top 60 is even better!

The #1 record on WCLU's playlist that week was "Let's Dance" by David Bowie. The rest of that week's playlist includes everything from Def Leppard to Gladys Knight to Robert Ellis Orrall. And I guarantee you the Mtume song was not about gum.

A part of local radio history that everyone denied has been preserved for posterity!

Have no fear, the November ish is here!

The November edition of The Last Word is pub-a-roo!

This ish talks about visiting national parks in Colorado and Utah, people bringing beer to school in 7th grade, a Frank Zappa poster getting ruined, college students partying, and more!

So point your pooper here...

https://www.scribd.com/document/481830249/The-Last-Word-11-2020

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

http://bunkerblast.info/lastword/lw2011.pdf

I'm voting!

I'm in the middle of filling out my mail-in ballot right now, and it's mighty sad.

As I am never voting for a major party again after they botched the coronavirus response, I'm voting Libertarian for President and Senate. But there's also 2 amendments to the Kentucky Constitution on the ballot, and I'm voting no on both.

The first measure is a section that would ostensibly expand the rights of crime victims. Last time it was on the ballot, I reluctantly voted yes, but that version of the amendment was thrown out as too vague. This time, I'm voting no, because our government has managed to make criminals out of everyone.

The other amendment would lengthen the terms of commonwealth attorneys and district court judges. I'm voting no on this too.

Pete Wilson statue removed

Remember Poopypants Pete?

Though of a different party, Pete Wilson was the Gavin Newsom of the '90s. Republican Wilson's authoritarian incompetence as Governor of California drew much ridicule in The Last Word in its early years.

A life-sized bronze statue of Poopypants, now 87, loomed in a San Diego park for 13 years. But now it's being removed because of Wilson's hostility to immigration and gay rights as governor. More recently, Wilson has voiced support for the failed Trump regime.

The owner of the statue says it will be stored for safekeeping, but no decision has been made on whether it will be returned.

A person bunkerooed at Canyonlands

Last week, I went on a fact-finding mission to some fine national parks in Colorado and Utah. At Canyonlands National Park, I heard the audio of an LAP bunker blast.