Hunter Biden's Supposed Laptop

So back in 2019, Hunter Biden supposedly turned in a water-damaged laptop to a computer store in Delaware.  For some reason, he left it and never went back for it.  Eventually, the snoopy store owner (a Trump supporter) delved into the hard drive and found...supposedly found all sorts of questionable material, including some incriminating pictures (or videos) and emails.  But not only that!  Supposedly, the emails implicate Hunter's father, Joe (who was Vice President at the time) in some shady dealings...not only with Ukraine, but also in China too!  If true...IF TRUE...these are pretty damning allegations.  People like the President and Vice President are prohibited by law from making personal financial deals with other countries.

The computer store owner supposedly made a couple of copies of the hard drive.  He says that he gave the laptop to the FBI, and a copy of the hard drive to Rudy Giuliani.  Supposedly, the FBI did nothing with the computer.  Finally, Giuliani gave the hard drive to the NY Post (which by the way is the oldest newspaper in the country, founded by Alexander Hamilton if that means anything).  The Post came out with a big expose.

Suddenly, everyone scattered like the participants in a Zoom call when Jeffrey Toobin logs-on.

At first, the mainstream media basically ignored the story or actively tried to sweep it under the rug.  However, after the NY Post published their piece and that became national news itself, other media outlets simply had to say something about it.  All of them, and some high-ranking politicians (like Adam Schiff) were falling over each other, dismissing the NY Post story as fake, claiming with no proof that the contents of the computer were a "Russian disinformation campaign."  We can understand the politicians for making a claim like that, but shouldn't the media be more objective?  Is that too much to ask?  Apparently so.

For their part, the Biden's never denied that the laptop actually was Hunter's.  Nor have they denied the contents of the emails.  But they did call the whole thing a smear campaign.  That wording is curious.  Instead of calling the emails and such a big hoax, they used the term "smear campaign."  Why does this matter?  Well, a hoax would be something fake; a smear campaign might be factual information used in a harmful way against someone.  Hmm.

Then John Ratcliffe, the Director of the Department of National Intelligence (and a Trump appointee) came out and said categorically that the contents of the computer were genuine and *not* from Russian disinformation.  Although no official statements have been issued, "government sources" say that both the Department of Justice and the FBI agree with the DNI.

Okay...  But the story gets weirder.

For some reason, Rudy Giuliana showed up in Delaware on Tuesday of this week, trying to get the state's Attorney General to take the hard drive.  The A.G. did, but turned it right over to the FBI, which the A.G. said should be handling the case anyway.

So.  What's the real story?  Is this real dirt or fake dirt?  Was Hunter Biden taking money "for himself" (wink-wink) but funneling some of it to his father?  Were the other sketchy things on that hard drive genuine?  If so, both Biden's are in a heap o'trouble.

This whole situation is very strange.  To me, it all shakes out as dirty politics as usual.  I look at it this way: Donald Trump has had to endure four years of the Democrats using every trick at their disposal to undermine and nullify his presidency.  He is pissed, and undoubtedly wants to get back at the people who've been against him.  I think that the Democrats didn't know who they were dealing with.  Because when it comes to dirty tricks and getting back at people, Donald Trump is a master.

Life On The Gulf Coast

Every area of the country has its downside.  California has earthquakes and mudslides and forest fires.  The midwest has tornadoes.  And New Jersey has...well...just being New Jersey is bad enough!  

Down here on the gulf coast we get hurricanes.  (We don't even worry about tropical storms.)  During hurricane season (June through October), we anxiously watch the tropics for these inexplicable low-pressure waves that are spawned in Africa and then come barrelling westbound across the Atlantic. 

A wave will morph into a "depression," then grow into a tropical storm and ultimately a hurricane.  Once a storm enters the eastern Caribbean, weatherguessers will then start to predict where it's going to go.  Might it turn and go up the Atlantic coast?  Or will it come straight across into the Gulf of Mexico?  Here in Pensacola, Florida, it is those latter ones that capture our attention.

The various weather services - and there are many - produce predictions of a storm's track.  They are collected into what are called the "spaghetti models" because if you superimpose them onto a map it looks kind of like a bowl of spaghetti.  People more knowledgeable than me then choose the path-model they think is the most likely candidate.  

Spaghetti Models from KHOU Houston

Right now we're looking at Hurricane Delta, which at the moment is a "strong Cat-2" storm down by the Yucatan Peninsula.  Forecasters say that it will intensify into a Cat-3 or Cat-4!  Its current track takes it into the Gulf of Mexico.  Then it's anyone's guess as to exactly where it will make landfall, except that it will be along the gulf coast somewhere, probably around New Orleans...and that could be 100 miles east or west of there.  As the crow flies, Pensacola is about 150 miles east of New Orleans.

There are many variables when it comes to hurricanes.  Overall strength, actual track and speed of the storm across the ground are the most obvious.  But upper-level steering currents and the temperature of the Gulf of Mexico also play a part.  And right now, the Gulf is pretty warm.

So yeah, we're a little concerned.  If there is anything hopeful at all with the approach of a Cat-3 hurricane, it is that the last hurricane took down the weaker trees and branches.  So maybe this next one won't cause so many trees to fall on so many powerlines.  That might be the only good news, but we'll take it!