Banner News

 

He now has a new bed when he skips the sofa.

From this

To this.

Whiskey is for drinking, water is for fighting

That saying has been used in Colorado for decades, if not a century. It is relevant today because of the proliferation of data centers and their need for large amounts of water. Readers with technical background may get more for this than I did.

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Just how wise it is to build high water consumption operations in semi-arid regions with shrinking aquifers and precipitation dependent rivers? This winter the snowpack in Colorado is around 60% of normal.

Another consideration is data centers built on farm land and consuming irrigation water. What is the long term impact on food availability?

Where does the electricity to power these energy hogs come from?

Smarter people than me can explain why we need all these data centers. I can only accept that we do. I do think my questions are relevant.

Oh, WSF, why do you carry on about water? In my youth I did some irrigating spade work on relative’s agriculture land and one large amount working the harvests off that land. Early on I knew water was the difference between economic life and death.

Seen it Before

“You are way overqualified for this job”, I said to the applicant, circa 1970. The opening was for a minimum wage local driving job.

“Damn it”, he replied, “I need a job and nobody will hire me because I’m a Vietnam veteran”.

Feeling like the lowest of lowlifes I said, “OK, you are hired”.

I constantly see a parallel between the troubled times caused by LBJ and his gang of criminals and the current mess created by Biden’s handlers.

The protests are organized and funded by outsiders, both then and now.

Servicemen and women returning from Vietnam were spat upon, derided and discriminated against.

What experiences are ICE agents and other Federal LEOs enduring now that will cause long term emotional problems?

Back to the man I hired. He went on to a twenty five year career with the company after replacing me. I’ve never fitted well with a corporate job. Think Dilbert.

Car Story

Balloon

The Glenwood Springs off site sale was being set up included balloons on all the cars. Then the Big Show, the 20’ balloon with an American Flag underneath and a 200’ cord. I was holding the spindle while the cord unrolled with some salesmen standing by. The final inch came off and we all stood there watching the balloon soar off eastward, flag underneath, with 200’ of yellow cord just out of reach.

On the positive side, if you are going to fuck up, do it big with a critical audience watching. 

As always, YMMV

 

Wyoming, Still Untamed Thankfully

 

The feud between Gov. Mark Gordon and Secretary of State Chuck Gray boiled over Thursday when Gordon asked Gray, “Do you want to step outside” near the end of a marathon Wyoming Board of Land Commissioners meeting in Douglas.

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A state representative from Casper wants to keep people from being charged with drunk driving if they're drunk while riding a horse, mule or donkey. The bill made one defense attorney laugh and left prosecutors wondering if a specific case inspired it.

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Citizen Disarmament Flourishes in Blue State Colorado

That pesky 2^nd Amendment keeps getting in the way of the Liberal’s dream of disarming all citizens. OK, they say, we will make it expensive, inconvenient with many “gotcha” laws to entangle you in legal trouble. You should just give up.

 Latest version.

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I have a strategy in place. To all questions, “I plead the 5^th”. “I don’t agree to any searches”. “I won’t have any conversation without counsel present”.

I’m generally pro law enforcement and don’t want to make officers jobs any harder. That said, I’m protecting my ass first.

Car Story

Charles Sampson

He was a 5’ something Los Angeles kid who became the first modern era black World Champion Bull Rider in 1982. He and Little Hitler, who spent years riding bulls, were friends. Charles had a long term gig with Wrangler clothing but decided to try selling cars. After floundering for a couple of weeks, he asked my help and I started training him in the “Tank” way.

Among used trucks, Kias, and used cars we sold stock and utility trailers. We had a 40’ tilt bed gooseneck trailer with a truck on it, tilted, out front one winter and we needed to clear snow. The trailer had a wood deck but metal over the wheels. I stepped on the metal and feel off on my ass. Charles found this amusing until he did the same.

After that I enjoyed pulling his chain with, “Yeah, Charles and I both got bucked off at the same event, but I had the tougher draw”. 

Charles lost an ear in Reno when a bull stepped on his head and had two prosthetic ears. One was darker for summer time. He and Sisty were good friends and she enjoyed telling him when it was time to change ears. One time when she was on her way to Reno to see her daughter and grand kids, she asked him if he wanted her to look for his ear.

Fame can be a burden. Charles learned quickly how to sell cars. His problem was people stopping just to meet him who didn’t have the means to buy anything.

Many people called him Charlie, which he tolerated. I called him Charles, which he preferred.

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As always, YMMV

 

Ain't Happening

 

IIhan Omar

Can this foul person be sent back to Somalia? My favorite YouTube lawyer steps out of his usual lane to offer real information.

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New Tax Needed to Save Us

People worldwide are weary of climate change taxation and a new “crisis” is needed. There must be a clever way to exploit this.

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Wolves

The issue gets more complicated as time goes by. Here is a very long article analyzing the current state of affairs. Well done, IMO.

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And a new player enters the argument, the Trump Administration.

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Paranoid minds wonder if some Minnesota Lite is lurking?

 Here, kitty kitty

A long Colorado Parks and Recreation report on the recent mountain lion deaths. As you can see on the map, some have been seen close to DRJIM’s backyard.

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Smartass WSF – the Early Years

Senior year of high school, a requirement in an English class was to memorize and recite aloud a poem, of our own choosing. 

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My sister was ten years behind me but several of my teachers were still there. My sister approached two of them with, “Ladies, may I speak to you?” Upon receiving an affirmation she said, “Ladies, I’m not my brother”.

I was not remembered as a scholar.

 Deleted Comments

After many years of not deleting comments, except anonymous comments, I’m tired of the off topic comments. Spam, bots, ???

Not having it anymore.

Going green, create more problems

Among the myriad rules, regulations and dictates that complicate our lives and increase costs everywhere are “water saving” low flush toilets. One is in my apartment. How much water is saved when the damn thing needs to be flushed three times?

Car Story

Glue, locks and a Dodge Viper. This is probably a repeat.

 1993 my manager at the used car lot (show us your cocks story) got fired and the omens weren’t good for me. Up I -405 in Bellevue WA I got hired at the Dodge store while the GM was on vacation. He was not pleased when he returned. His problem? He didn’t hire me and I was selling two vehicles every three to four days while not adhering to his “system”.

 The Viper had just arrived and he foolishly put up a prize; the top salesman got to drive the Viper for a day.  That month I beat his house mouse by three cars. He was beside himself when I picked up the Viper on my day off. I drove it up I-90 to the Snoqualmie Pass summit and back to the store. Dropping it off I remarked, “Just another car”. When the management started messing with my pay I moved on.

 The manager, Bart Moss, was a big water skiing fanatic. He would go to Lake Sammamish at 5 am when the water was “flat”.  The ass kissers would meet him there and they would have workplace bonding. How pleased the folks with lakefront property might feel seemly didn’t matter. I gave it six weeks then went to the parking lot and squirted glue into all the door locks of all their vehicles while they were recreating. Well yes, WSF is evil. Fuck with me and I will fuck you over.

 I didn’t tarry, needing to open a small pot lot I’d been hired to manage.

 Side note: The Viper was a blast for about an hour and a half. After that, the parts bin engineering became increasingly noticeable. Also, my courting tackle didn’t get any bigger.

 MOPAR impressions. In that era I always thought Dodge was ahead of the game in terms of design. The Intrepid, with the cab forward design, was far superior to Ford and GMC. The full sized pickup redesign was a game changer. The weakness was Chrysler went cheap on the details. I won’t go into details; ancient history now. Their one success was the Dakota. Needing a small pickup, the Dakota was a Dodge Regis cop car chassis with a pickup bed and the rest 20 year old parts bin left overs. It was a decent truck, especially compared to the Toyota T100. That disaster had Toyota giving dealers a hidden $4,000 cash bonus to help move them.

As always, YMMV

A Trip Around the Sun Doesn't Change Things

 Nice Kitty

A solo female hiker apparently was killed and partially eaten by a mountain lion near Glen Haven, CO New Years Day. Two lions in the area were promptly hunted down and killed. There are many news report for those interested in the details.

 Glen Haven is a spot on the road, Highway 14, in a slot canyon NNW of Fort Collins. DRJIM has family that live in the area.

 LL (Virtual Mirage) has explained how mountain lion devour their prey and it is not a pleasant way to die.

 Political Fallout – Colorado Edition

PDJT vetoed the bipartisan Arkansas Valley Conduit bill. Why? His explanation.

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This puts two of Colorado’s four Congress critters in a hard spot. They are not happy. Our Senior Senator, who wants to be Governor, is pissed because it was “his” bill. A co-sponsorer.

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This project started life in 1962. Lots of money has been spent over the years with little to show for it. Long story here.

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There is much speculation that PDJT took this action because of his loathing Emperor Polis. Maybe, but just maybe, the business man side of him thinks this dog won’t hunt.

 Here is a thought. After 63 years of not making this plan work, perhaps it is time to come up with a plan that will work?

 Unhinged Conspiracy Theory

Why Cackles, excuse me, Kamala’s handlers wanted Waltz as her running mate didn’t make sense to me. Now that the massive fraud uncovered in Minnesota suggests a pipeline of tax dollars flowing into various (P)regressive accounts was the motivation.

 Boo, Fucking Hoo

ICE arrests in Colorado. An article, from a left leaning “independent and non partisan; they claim” online newspaper.

Note the emphasis on “human cost” and the number who “had no convictions”, etc.

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Let us be clear. If you are in this country illegally, you are a law breaker, period, full stop. Law enforcement is often messy, innocent bystanders are impacted, and mistakes are made.

 One more law enforcement push is needed, IMO, and that is going after those who employ these illegals. Further, those who facilitated illegal immigration need to be taken to task.

 So, WSF, you heartless bastard, you don’t care the people here illegally are human beings? Answer: they are not my problem. They had homes and didn’t want to pay the high personal costs of cleaning their own foul nests. They come here for what they can get, not what they can contribute. They keep their way of doing things with little or no regard; disdain even, for our norms. Yes, there will always be exceptions. Not enough, IMO.

 Banner Report

He is living his best life at Sisty’s house as age takes a toll. He can’t get into the back seat of a car without assistance and his rear legs are weak. With other people in the house, another dog, and cats he isn’t lonely and he has unfettered access to a fenced back yard. I miss him but know I made the best decision for him.

 Car Story

If anyone now reading this blog was reading it 15 years ago, many of these car stories are reruns.

Among the groups I worked with a practical joke was known as “spinning”.  One Saturday morning Dirty Al spun a complete sales force. I was sitting with my hand an inch from the phone to grab sales calls when he came up and handed me a newspaper open to yesterdays winning lottery numbers plus his lottery ticket. “Check my numbers”, he said. “Check your own fucking numbers”, was my response. He then started whining about not having his glasses. Finally, to shut him up, I checked. Damn! For a moment I thought about running out the door with the ticket, but instead said, “Congratulations Al. Looks like you won $7,000, 000”.

What he did was buy a ticket for the next drawing with the winning numbers from this drawing.

 Chaos erupted. Al milked it for every moment. 

A future story will explain how revenge is a dish best eaten cold, just saying.

As always, YMMV

On Being Politically Correct

Sanitized News

Frequent readers might remember I emphasis that most car sales involve two buyers, the folks driving away with the happy tag on the back of the car, and the lender who will actually own the car for the next XX months.

 Recently Tricolor collapsed. This long and detailed article does an excellent job of dissecting the nuts and bolts.

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Where the sanitizing occurs is this.  Tricolor’s specifically targeted illegal immigrants. Why isn’t that a central part of this otherwise excellent article?

Car Story

The Bison Mount and Speeding Tickets.

For several years I worked for a former professional bull rider who became a car dealer. Within the industry, he was known as, “Little Hitler”. We joke if he fired me more times that I quit. Two Type A personalities with temper issues and strong opinions often lose their cool.

 My main duty was organizing off site sales. We didn’t  hold them in the winter so I got, “Other duties as assigned”.

 Steve and his second wife lived large. A 3,000 sq ft log mansion was part of it and they decorated with animal mounts. One was a bison shoulder mount. About once a year insects would emerge from inside. Why? Nobody seemed to find a solution.

 They had this bison mount at a high end consignment store, The Armadillo,  off I-70 in Wheatridge, when the insects hatched. Management demanded Steve remove it post haste so he told me to go get it.

 I was driving my favorite stealth vehicle; a white minivan with the seats removed, and picked up the mount. Driving away I got stopped for speeding. The officer was older and had that cynical cop look about him. He came up to the window and saw a bison behind me staring at him. He jumped away then came back.

My papers were in order. He wanted to know about the bison mount. After hearing my explanation, he just waved me on with the usual warning and walked back to his cruiser.

A once in a career moment for him?

As always, YMMV

 

Clearing the Decks before Christmas

 

Wyoming Wind

Truck and RV blow overs are common. “Hey, can’t you read the signs?” Trains? Not so much.

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How Democrats hold power in Colorado

This is another deep dive in the Democrat cesspool. If you don’t live here you will probably skip. However, you may find the same patterns in your state.

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Not a car sales story but amusing

This is not a car story but inspired by a picture of LL giving Chinese kids candy.

 While my youngest was at Kandahar with the 1/4^th ID, Jolly Rancher hard candies were available for the troops to give to kids. Soldiers, being soldiers, adapt.

 In a care package I sent him I included, on a whim, a wrist rocket.

This was soon in service giving candy to kids. As they drove past civilians, the kids liked to throw rocks at them. In response, the turret gunner would give the kids  Jolly Rancher candy via the wrist rocket.

Soldier inspired win/win civil engagement!

Addiction?

Though I’ve been out of the car biz now for years, I still follow what is going on and check  many of the, “how to buy a car” YouTubers and  especially, the comments. I’m not surprised that the buyers still hate the dealers and are still outraged dealers still want to make a profit. They want, want, and want the lowest out the door price delivered to their computer.

 This is a hard truth. The dealership doesn’t need to prove they have cars to sell. The buyer needs to prove they can buy. Most can’t, buy. What they can do is suck up a commissioned salesperson’s time with no return to the salesperson. Cost to the “buyer”?

 My response to the people pontificating about how car dealerships should operate was uniform. Buy a dealership and run it the way you want.

 Good News to Me – Pearl Clutching for (P)regressives

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 My hope is the next three years will see a rollback of all this job killing, small town killing environazi bullshit.

FAFO Emperior Polis News

Poking the bear has consequences

The head of the U.S. Department of Transportation threatened Monday to withhold $24 million in federal funding from the state of Colorado for what he described as a slow response to a major violation of federal commercial driver’s license regulations.

Other related news Federal SNAP audit in Colorado found 200+ deceased receiving, and using, SNAP. Not Minnesota level fraud to be sure. Fraud is fraud.

 Who Needs to Read English?

The current uproar about unqualified drivers of big rigs brings to mind being stationed in Europe sixty years ago. We soldiers were required to have a USAREUR specific driver’s license. We spent two days learning road signs and laws. Passing grade required was 98%.

Passing was not optional. Anyone who has been in the military remembers what failing “not optional” brought on you.

Here in the USA? A sample of road signs you just might need to be able to read while driving a big rig.

Here because I like it.

Taken from Cory Gaines’ newsletter. He is a conservative thorn in the Blue’s butts. I read him every day.

 A Cheerful Note

Merry Christmas!

AS always, YMMV

Flat Lined

 

Nothing is poking a blog post or posts right now. The (P)regressive’s are doing their usual, financial scandals are being swept out of sight, voting irregularities keep coming up, and PDJT recently eviscerated the Emperor on social media. The most I can muster is a yawn.

Some readers like car stories. This may, or may not, be a rerun.

Trinidad and Alamosa offsite sales were usually good for us and I tried to hold them one week to the next.

Between the two we had three deals fail due to bank declines and I need to get the cars back. In addition, I had one trade in to return, an early (very small) Honda Civic.

Departing Longmont with my sister in the front seat and my son and his very pregnant girlfriend in the back, we headed for the hills (US 285).  A mere 4:26 hours and 251 miles. Nobody was comfy.   In Alamosa we delivered the Honda and retrieved both a Spectra and Rio. Sent son and girlfriend back to Longmont in the Spectra and Sisty and I proceeded to Trinidad in the Rio, a mere 2 hour 110 mile jaunt.

 The Trinidad customer was young, and the lender would finance her with a co-signer. At her uncle’s house, he had the Rio blocked in his driveway. Inside he had his internet lawyer forms spread about and was prepared to negotiate.

 The conversation flowed along these lines.

 “Sir, in the next ten minutes one of three things will happen. One, you sign the documents I’ve brought with me. Two, my associate will drive away in the Rio. Three, I will go to the police station and file a stolen vehicle report”. (I'm such a silver tongue devil)

 We departed in the Rio forth with.

 At this point we had over six hours and close to 500 miles into the day. It was hot, Only one Rio had a/c. Those 2002 Rio automatics at 6,000’ ASL had enough power to drive 75 mph without a/c or about 50 with.

 We still had nearly four hours driving ahead of us. Past Walsenburg are a series of hills and I was behind a Honda in the right lane. A State Patrolman was ahead of us in a crossover, and the Honda driver, who was driving the speed limit, panicked and hit the brakes. I reacted by switching lanes, nearly wiping out my sister who was using the downhill to get enough speed up to use the a/c.

 Of course the patrolman saw this and pulled me over. Sisty passed and stopped further on the hill under the only patch of shade for miles.

After telling my sad story, the patrolman indicated he would give me a ticket if the driver up the hill requested.

 “Please”, I begged. “That is my sister and she will lovingly throw me under the bus”. No ticket.

As Always, YMMV