2020·10·24 KMAG Daily Thread

Shitstorm Saturday?

Depends on how you define it, I suppose. If FG&C’s speculation of Wray getting not just fired but actually arrested had come to pass, we’d be in it. But right now I think we’re still just outside, on the edge of the real one.

Biden, on the other hand, sure managed to f*ck himself at the debate, simultaneously denying then advocating the plans to end the oil industry, and otherwise look like a dufus.

I guess he ran out of other family members to f*ck.

I’d say that qualifies as a good week!!

To be fair, I think his best moments (two of them) were when he upbraided Trump for talking about Red States versus Blue States, saying that it’s all America and we shouldn’t be making distinctions. Of course, he says things like that and it means good things to us, and bad things to him and his audience, simultaneously. (Never underestimate the utility of words and phrases with two meanings, e.g., “Peace” with both Communists and Muslims.)

A Reminder Of Today’s Big Issue.

Our movement is about replacing a failed and corrupt political establishment with a new government controlled by you, the American People...Our campaign represents a true existential threat, like they’ve never seen before.

Then-Candidate Donald J. Trump

Needs to happen, soon.

Lawyer Appeasement Section

OK now for the fine print.

Please note that our menu has changed, please listen to all of the options.

This is the WQTH Daily Thread. You know the drill. There’s no Political correctness, but civility is a requirement. There are Important Guidelines,  here, with an addendum on 20191110.

We have a new board – called The U Tree – where people can take each other to the woodshed without fear of censorship or moderation.

And remember Wheatie’s Rules:

1. No food fights
2. No running with scissors.
3. If you bring snacks, bring enough for everyone.
4. The first rule of gun safety: Don’t let the government take your guns.
5. The gun is always loaded.
5a. If you actually want the gun to be loaded, like because you’re checking out a bump in the night, then it’s empty.
6. Never point the gun at anything you’re not willing to destroy.
7. Keep your finger off the trigger until ready to fire.
8. Be sure of your target and what is behind it.
9. Social Justice Warriors, ANTIFA pukes, BLM hypocrites, and other assorted varieties of Marxists can go copulate with themselves, or if insufficiently limber, may substitute a rusty wire brush suitable for cleaning the bore of a twelve or ten gauge.

(Hmm a few extras seem to have crept in.)

Coin of The Day

The Eagle

Let’s face it, eagles are cool.

You’re probably not surprised to see me say that, since I will, on rare occasions, post a picture of one.

But most people don’t know that’s actually the name of a denomination of US money. (OK, you do if you’ve been following these ramblings.)

The original mint act of April 2, 1792, Section 9:

And be it further enacted, that there shall be from time to time at the said mint, coins of gold, silver, and copper, of the following denominations, values and descriptions, viz. Eagles–each to be of the value of ten dollars or units, and to contain two hundred and forty seven grains and four eighths of a grain of pure, or two hundred and seventy grains of standard gold. Half eagles–each to be of the value of five dollars, and to contain one hundred twenty-three grains and six eighths of a grain of pure, or one hundred thirty five grains of standard gold. Quarter eagles–each to be of the value of two dollars and a half dollar, and to contain sixty-one grains and seven eighths of a grain of pure, or sixty-seven grains and four eighths of a grain of standard gold. Dollars or units…

Act of April 2, 1792, Section 9

So the ten dollar gold piece was to be called an eagle, at least legally, and we’d have ten mills to the cent, ten cents to the disme, ten dismes to the dollar, and ten dollars to the eagle.

We never put the word “mill” on a coin, not even the 5 mill coin, which was labeled the half cent. (And the half cent was discontinued in 1857.) We did put the word “disme” on one coin in 1792, the next time the word appeared, in 1837, the (presumably silent, but we don’t know for absolute certain) s had been dropped. But the denomination “eagle” has never appeared on a US coin.

Ironically, like the dollar, the eagle wasn’t issued very much in the beginning. Half eagles (and half dollars) were far more popular.

In 1795-1797, we issued about 13,000 of the following:

The next style was the “large eagle” on the reverse of the eagle, from 1797-1804.

After that…nothing until 1838 (and that’s true for dollars too, except we started at least thinking about dollars in 1836 and even issued a thousand or so). There are basically two designs from there until 1933, both in variants with or without the motto “In God We Trust” but I’m going to leave that story until next week or risk finding myself having no coin to talk about.

These coins, already very infrequently issued, were subject to melting down when gold prices rose, a situation which was fixed in 1834 when we reduced the amount of gold in the coins, bringing them back in line with the current gold-silver market value ratio–I’ve discussed that before. In this case, unlike with the half eagle, there are no “common dates” that bring them under the price of a car, so even if you just want one of each design, good luck and bring your bucketload of cash and/or sell out to the Chinese.

But I’m going to drag out my soapbox on a related issue.

You can, today, buy “eagles” from the mint. But they aren’t these eagles. The word has been redefined to mean either a silver coin with an ounce of nearly pure silver in it, with a denomination of a dollar (but they’ll set you back thirty dollars), or gold coins…with a tenth, quarter, half, or full ounce of gold, denominated five, ten, twenty five, or fifty dollars. (Yes, the quarter ounce should either be a fifth of an ounce, or denominated twelve-and-a-half dollars. This is the government we’re talking about here, it doesn’t have to make sense anymore.) So “eagle” has lost its original meaning, at least when it comes to coins.

But in zoology, they’re still cool birds!

Standard disclaimer: I never show pictures of my coins, and in many cases don’t own anything remotely resembling the coins in these pictures. [This would be one of those cases.] Any prospective thieves should know I also collect other heavy metals–anything with a heavier nucleus would be unstable–and keep those a lot closer to me than the coins.

Obligatory PSAs/Reminders

Just one more thing, my standard Public Service Announcements. We don’t want to forget any of these!!!

How not to get your ass kicked by the police. Chris Rock in 2007

Granted an “ass kicking” isn’t the same as being shot, but both can result from the same stupid act. You may ultimately beat the rap, but you aren’t going to avoid the ride.

Remember Hong Kong!!! And remember the tens of millions who died under the “Great Helmsman” Chairman Mao.

中国是个混蛋 !!!
Zhōngguò shì gè hùndàn !!!
China is asshoe !!!

For my money the Great Helmsman is Hikaru Sulu (even if the actor is a dingbat).