8647

James Comey’s seashells

More often than not, recently, the conspiracy wants to win out. My most reliable MAGA follower wrote regarding James Comey’s seashells in the shape of 8647:   “Be arrested for ordering a murder on the President of the United States. That’s exactly what he did.  He ordered a hit.” Well, no, he did not.

From here: What Does 86 Restaurant mean? Discover This Vital Term with a Positive Twist!

The term “86” can be used in different contexts within a restaurant:

  • Out of Stock: When an item is “eighty-sixed,” it typically means it is out of stock or has been removed from the menu.
  • Expelled or Barred: The term can also refer to a person who has been expelled or barred from a restaurant or bar for inappropriate behavior.
  • Removal: More generally, “86” can denote the removal of any item or person from a particular setting.

The restaurant reference is by far the most common.

Alternatively

From here:

“In 1933, newsman Walter Winchell published a column where he referenced the term in a ‘glossary of soda-fountain lingo.’

“86 may have developed because it rhymes with the word nix, which means to cancel.

“Another story relates to a bar in New York City named Chumley’s. The bar is located at 86 Bedford Street. According to legend, unruly patrons would be thrown out onto the street, where they would see the 86 over the bar door. This became known as ‘being 86’d.’

“To keep cowboys from getting too rowdy, the bartenders would slyly give them 86-proof liquor instead of the standard 100-proof.

“Another story relates to Article 86 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice… [which] deals with soldiers who have gone AWOL. Another military origin story relates to a Navy coding system that designated items for disposal. The code AT-6 was assigned to those items for disposal. It’s easy to see how this might, eventually, get transformed into 86”.

You may remember the spy comedy Get Smart (1965-1970), created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry. Don Adams played Maxwell Smart, Agent 86. “Despite being a top-secret government agent, he is absurdly clumsy. Yet Smart is also resourceful, skilled in hand-to-hand combat, a proficient marksman, and incredibly lucky; all of this makes him one of CONTROL’s top agents. Brooks decided on Smart’s code number, 86, as a reference to the slang term, meaning to forcibly eject someone, such as a patron from a bar or casino.”

I’m SHOCKED!

Re 86: “Many of the Republicans who said they were enraged by the use of ’86’ had previously directed the term at their own political opponents. In a February 2024 tweet, Matt Gaetz, then a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida’s 1st congressional district, wrote that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, and Senator Mitch McConnell had been ’86’d’ from their leadership positions.” 

Heather Cox Richardson, a couple of days ago, on 86: “It is a common term, used by MAGA itself to refer to getting rid of somebody…until now. MAGA voices are insisting that this image was Comey’s threat to assassinate the president. [FOTUS] got into the game, telling Brett Baier of the Fox News Channel, ‘that meant assassination. And it says it loud and clear…. [H]e’s calling for the assassination of the president…that’s gonna be up to Pam and all of the great people…. He’s a dirty cop.’ [His] reference to Attorney General Pam Bondi and law enforcement paid off: yesterday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said that the Department of Homeland Security and the Secret Service are investigating Comey. He showed up voluntarily at the FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C., today for an interview.”
Aesthetics

I like the above design, which I stole from a guy on Facebook. One person thought it should be all dimes and pennies. Nah. 47 should be dimes and pennies, since it represents the rank order. But because 86 is a concept, I appreciate the quirkiness of the quarters.

Someone online joked that 8675309 threatens people living in ZIP Code 75309. Fortunately, ZIP Code 75309 “is not currently assigned to a geography.” But if it were, it would be in Dallas County, TX.  

James Comey testimony as entertainment

Watergate took a LONG time to unravel, over two years from the break-in to the resignation.

I guess I’m not zeitgeisty enough – no, I don’t think it’s a word – because the anticipation over former FBI director James Comey’s testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee on June 8 made me oddly uncomfortable.

As an old poli sci major who sat in front the TV set for HOURS taking in all the nuance of the various committees investigating Richard Nixon’s Watergate scandal back in the 1970s, I suppose I should be happy that the American public is interested in a civics lesson.

But it was more like theater, specifically a movie theater, where comedian/late night host Stephen Colbert is seen eating from a bag of popcorn. As the Boston Globe put it, “Comey’s testimony puts Washington in party mode.” As some conservative website noted, “The hearing was treated like a major sporting event by D.C. locals, who lined up to gain entrance to local establishments for standing-room only viewing parties.”

And it wasn’t limited to the District of Columbia. “Festivities” seemed to be particularly popular on the West Coast, with folks at bars in time for the 7 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time event.

At the end of the day, almost no one was convinced of anything they hadn’t been thinking before except that Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) seemed befuddled. Those who dislike the regime think that impeachment is just around the corner. Those on the other side believe they’re, in the words of Lou Dobbs, “No crime, No evidence.” Comey was just a “disgruntled employee.” I saw that specific description a lot.

At the end of the day, it’s what Bob Woodward, Washington Post editor, and one of the reporters who helped bring down Nixon said on CBS News This Morning: “We know 5, maybe 10 percent of what we will know” when the various investigations are over.

No, there was no smoking gun, yet. Nor was the regime “vindicated”; saw THAT word a lot, especially on the Twitter feed #MAGA, where I actually read:
“He is bringing back respect and class to this country
#proudAmerican #TRUMPPENCE2020 #MAGA #BUILDTHEWALL #YESTRAVELBAN #DTS#JOBSJOBSJOBS #OBAMASFORPRISON2017 #CLINTONSFORPRISON2017 #STOPTHELEAKS#STOPFAKENEWS #CNNVERYFAKENEWS #MSNBCFAKENEWS #CBSFAKENEWS #ABCFAKENEWS#NYTIMESFAKENEWS #WASHINGTONPOSTFAKENEWS #LATIMESFAKENEWS #USATODAYFAKENEWS#GOOGLEFAKENEWS #YAHOOFAKENEWS”

Regardless of the results of the investigations, his secret isn’t that he lies. It’s that he crowds out the truth. “The question isn’t whether you’re winning the argument — it’s whether you’re dominating and driving the coverage of the argument.”

I will acknowledge that clearing the room of other people, then being asked by a person in a superior position if you would consider taking a particular action reeks to high heaven, to my mind.

Watergate took a LONG time to unravel, over two years from the break-in to the resignation. This Russia influence/election rigging thing is going to take awhile too. It won’t be solved with a few hours of testimony, but people want more rapid gratification when it simply not how these things work. Or, as some folks interviewed on NBC News this week acknowledged, “It’s too complicated.”

I think, like those in the slow cooking movement, we ought to take our time and let the facts simmer, with the evidence determining the results of the investigation. Because no one still supporting the regime will convince those who don’t of a damn thing, and pretty much vice versa.

Ramblin' with Roger
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