Gibbons' more versatile edge. The post ZZ Top’s most underrated song, according to Billy Gibbons first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

Jimmy Carter today becomes the first American president to live to be 100 years old. Presidential scholars mostly consider Carter to have been a mediocre president. In two of his four presidential years, the unemployment rate averaged above 7 percent, with two years of inflation of more than 10 percent. Mortgage interest rates reached into the double digits. It was the era of stagflation and malaise. A seemingly ebbing planetary presence was symbolized by the U.S. giving up control over the Panama Canal. Domestically, Carter successfully advocated for a federal Department of Education that has subsequently been spectacularly unsuccessful in improving American educational opportunities. I heartily concur with most historians who give Carter low marks as president. Moreover, I even thought it was inappropriate for Carter to assume an aggressive position for several years after his presidency in continuing to meet with foreign leaders and sometimes take positions at odds with the administration of his elected successors.  Yet today many of us actually long for some of the personal qualities that Carter has that often seem lacking in today’s national leaders — honesty, loyalty, a sincere concern for others less well blessed, and a strong Christian faith. I voted for Carter opponents Gerald Ford in 1976 and Ronald Reagan in 1980, yet after spending a day with him in the late 1980s, I was very impressed by Carter’s exemplary human qualities that I cannot imagine exist with either of this year’s president frontrunners. I chaired Ohio University’s leading lecture series in the late 1980s, and after some tough negotiations (Carter’s honorarium devoured my budget), secured his agreement to give a lecture. I flew by private aircraft to South Georgia to pick up the former president. While drinking Diet Coke on the plane, Carter said it was the Iranian hostage crisis that cost him the 1980 election (many would disagree) and that Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin was a very difficult and relatively unpleasant individual to deal with, which seems to me strikingly similar to the current relationship of Joe Biden to Benjamin Netanyahu.  We arrived in Ohio in early afternoon for an evening lecture. Carter insisted that he have a totally unpublicized meeting with our newly formed Habit for Humanity chapter. Sitting at the local Lutheran church, Carter gave a lovely burst of encouragement to a few students and two campus ministers shepherding the effort, resulting in the expansion into a robust Habitat presence in our low-income Appalachian location. He didn’t meet much with local Democratic Party leaders, academic deans, or major donors, but rather with students trying to help society.   Carter’s innate niceness was revealed on a walk from a large dinner in the university president’s home to the auditorium where his lecture was been held. As I was walking with Carter, a somewhat hippy-looking, long-haired graduate student accosted him, no doubt to the chagrin of the Secret Service. He asked Carter if he would do him a favor. Carter calmly asked, “What do you want?” As we walked down the street I then heard: “This is Jimmy Carter, 39th president of the United States. John Jones [not real name] is not here. Please leave a message.” Carter had done a message for the kid’s answering machine! Jimmy Carter did not parlay his presidential and earlier gubernatorial successes into lucrative board memberships, nor did he live in grand retirement homes like most of his successors. He returned to his relatively modest home and still taught Sunday School at his church. He had the same wife for over 77 years. Contrast his lifestyle to that of a Donald Trump or Kamala Harris. Neither of them will be teaching Sunday School or likely even attending church as an ex-president.  As one blessed with having met with world leaders as great as Margaret Thatcher or as evil as Vladimir Putin, I have gained some perspective on the act of governing. In my judgment, this presidential season has sadly demonstrated the extent of our national moral as well as political and military (and probably economic) decline. On president Carter’s 100 birthday, I wish him the best and thank him for his long service to his family, God, and country.  Richard Vedder is distinguished professor of economics emeritus at Ohio University and senior fellow at the Independent Institute. The post Jimmy Carter: A Centennial Assessment appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

The 2024 presidential race has once again revealed a fundamental problem in the modern U.S. political discourse: Very few Americans seem to understand the proper role of the president. From politicians to pundits, and even among voters, the president is portrayed as the ultimate savior of the country, a near-mythical figure who can single-handedly solve almost every problem, from lowering gas prices to “fixing” the economy, providing child care, and “creating” millions of jobs. In short, far too many Americans perceive the president to be a genie whom they expect to grant them endless wishes. This expansive view of the presidency is a far cry from what the Founding Fathers envisioned when they elucidated the powers of the president in the Constitution. The truth is that the job of the president is limited, constrained by checks and balances, and focused primarily on enforcing laws rather than creating them. If Americans better understood this, we would have a very different political landscape. The Constitution’s Limited View of Presidential Power The president’s role is carefully defined in the U.S. Constitution, and those who believe the office is all-powerful would do well to familiarize themselves with it. The president’s powers, according to Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution, are quite limited. According to the Constitution, the president: is commander-in-chief of the military can grant pardons and reprieves for federal offenses can negotiate treaties (subject to Senate approval) can nominate judges, ambassadors, and other high-ranking officials (again, subject to Senate approval) is responsible for faithfully executing the laws passed by Congress That’s it. The Constitution does not say the president is responsible for ensuring every American has a job, reducing the price of gas, or legislating from the Oval Office. The Founders deliberately left those tasks to Congress, the states, and ultimately, the people. What the Founders Thought of Presidential Power The Founding Fathers were clear about why they designed the presidency as they did. They feared centralized, unchecked power and sought to limit the president’s authority. James Madison, in Federalist No. 47, warned of the dangers of combining legislative and executive powers, stating, “The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many… may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny.” In Federalist No. 69, Alexander Hamilton contrasts the American presidency with a monarchy, emphasizing that the president’s powers are carefully limited, much weaker than those of a king, and focused on enforcing laws rather than making them. It’s also clear from the actions of our early presidents that the executive branch was never intended to be a one-person solution to all of America’s problems. The Problem with an Expansive View of the Presidency The contemporary view of the president as a national savior has consequences. It shifts personal responsibility away from individuals and the states. Instead of looking to local leaders or personal initiative to solve problems, we expect the federal government — particularly the president — to swoop in and save the day. This warped view has led to an unprecedented and downright dangerous expansion of executive power. Consider the sheer size of the executive branch today. George Washington’s Cabinet consisted of just four departments: State, Treasury, War, and the Attorney General. Fast-forward to today, and the executive branch has ballooned to include 15 federal departments, including everything from Education to Housing and Urban Development (hard to imagine which of the president’s powers those departments fall under). Each of these departments exercise considerable power and control over nearly all aspects of daily life, often with minimal oversight from Congress. This expansion of executive power has been accompanied by the rise of executive orders, which presidents increasingly use to bypass Congress and enact their own agendas. What started as a tool for issuing administrative instructions has become, in many cases, a substitute for lawmaking. For example, President Joe Biden issued more than 60 executive orders in his first year alone, many aimed at reversing or bypassing policies from the previous administration. Arguing the Wrong Point We’ve strayed so far from the original intent of the presidency that it’s become almost unrecognizable from what the Founders envisioned. It’s like we started out building a dog house and then you look up, years later, to find that you’ve built something entirely different — an enormous, convoluted structure that no longer resembles the modest, functional design originally intended. This is precisely what has happened with the role of the presidency. Instead of a restrained, constitutionally limited office, it has morphed into a position that is expected to solve all of society’s problems — from creating jobs to managing health care. And yet, we’ve never stopped to ask: Should we even be debating these things? Is it the president’s job to provide health care, child care, or jobs in the first place? The Constitution is clear. The president’s role is narrow, with specific powers like enforcing laws, commanding the military, and negotiating treaties. The Founding Fathers intended the states and individuals to handle much of what we now expect the federal government to manage. So, before we get caught up in campaign promises of how much health care or child care the president will provide, we need to pause and ask if this is even within the scope of presidential power to begin with. Know the Job Before You Vote What can be done to reverse this trend? The answer is simple but requires discipline. Educate yourself on the proper role of the president as outlined in the Constitution. Understand the difference between what the president can and cannot do. The next time you hear a politician or a fellow voter promise that the president will fix the economy, create jobs, or solve local issues, push back. The president is not a king, a dictator, or a genie. If you don’t understand the job of the president, you shouldn’t be voting for one. It’s time to stop expecting magic and start demanding constitutional governance. Only then can we reclaim the republic our Founders intended. Brady Smith is a fellow with the Freedom Rising Fellowship Program at the American Journey Experience and a policy advisor for The Heartland Institute. The post Most Americans Misunderstand the Duties of the President appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

Jen Psaki recently praised Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff for “reshap[ing] the perception of masculinity” through his support for his wife, Kamala Harris. Her comments proved that the Left will continue to prop up Emhoff as a role model for virtuous masculinity even in light of the news that he conducted an extramarital affair with his children’s nanny during his first marriage. In this episode of The Spectator P.M. Podcast, hosts Ellie Gardey Holmes and Lyrah Margo discuss Emhoff’s affair and how he is not, in fact, an example of virtuous masculinity. Ellie and Lyrah also discuss how the Left’s progressivism has damaged feminism and masculinity today. Tune in to hear their discussion! Like and share The Spectator P.M. Podcast, and tune in to our next episode! Read Ellie and Lyrah’s writing here and here. Listen to the Spectator P.M. Podcast on Spotify. Watch the Spectator P.M. Podcast on Rumble. The post <i>The Spectator P.M.</i> Ep. 79: Even After Affair With Nanny, Doug Emhoff Is Still Left’s Masculinity Role Model appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

BREAKING.?? Whistlleblower informs @GOPoversight about U.S. intelligence uncovering verified links between the C.C.P. and Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz pic.twitter.com/eMeL9oaT5g — Kyle Becker (@kylenabecker) September 30, 2024

FEMA is now using Elon’s Starlink for emergency communications in the flood hit disaster areas. The FCC has $42 billion to connect rural Americans to the internet. Joe Biden cancelled Starlink from being able to participate in the funding. pic.twitter.com/Zm2bAhXtXi — Wall Street Silver (@WallStreetSilv) September 30, 2024

Very interesting that the numbers kept getting reduced (revised down) over the years, as the initial claims proved to be baseless. Who benefitted from the deception? https://t.co/zXA9XH6mX5 — HealthRanger (@HealthRanger) September 30, 2024

from NEM721:  TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/

Way back in 2017, the general gaming public first learned of a Halo game made based on Mega Bloks thanks to an asset release by Past to Present Online. The original video can be seen here, and discusses, among other topics, how Mega Bloks merchandise with Halo characters first started to appear in 2009. At some point, the developer N-Space thought they had a strong idea for a game pitch and came up with Haggar. Many versions of this game were pitched, and by 2013, they had a prototype of a Mega Bloks game for the Xbox 360 with Halo characters. In 2017, Past to Present Online’s limited footage was all we really knew about the game.   But two weeks ago, Mint Blitz revealed in this video that this game is now available to play- in surprisingly complete form. Details on how to play Halo Mega Bloks can be found on Mint Blitz’s description, crediting Spark, Itchy.7, and Zoephie for the game’s restoration. Simple restoration of the game, however, can’t quite get at the real mystery here. Namely, how in the world does any game get a build quite so complete, and even fun, according to those who play it, and never even see any publicity?   Part of this may not be quite so mysterious. A game that was canceled in 2013 only just barely meets the minimum of retro. Indeed, that anyone was developing Xbox 360 games this late in the console’s life cycle is a little surprising. Those who were around then may remember, though, that the Xbox One wasn’t exactly doing great. This much certainly explains how Haggar was pitched and got enough resources to even make this playable build at all. A cuter Halo, in line with the Lego series of games that was popular at the time, is certainly an obvious idea for an outreach effort. Halo had power as a brand but because Halo games had a reputation as a violent first person shooter, the target audience for actual Halo games could only go so far.   Is Haggar actually a Halo game? By any reasonable definition pretty much. Same shield mechanics, same weapons, same enemies, even the same basic gameplay concept of outside pitched battles moving into more ominous sanctum locations. The gameplay is quite a bit faster though, with assets so simple even a couch co-op mode was doable. But Haggar had the perverse bad fortune of being both ahead and behind its time. The very simplicity of the design made Haggar look antiquated compared to the AAA projects Microsoft and 343 Industries were trying to push in the industry at the time, and cute Halo simply sounds like a contradiction in terms that may have alienated older fans while parents familiar with the name would have kept their kids away in any case.   The words “may have” are doing a lot of work there, since as can plainly be seen by the success of titles like Fortnite in the present day, this simply isn’t true at all. N-Space did the best they could to salvage the project, and its very solid engine, when the Halo branding didn’t work out. Five years ago, Obscure Gamers released this video featuring gameplay footage of Backyard Heroes which is, on direct comparison with Haggar, clearly the same game with a different skin. Dating to September of 2013, N-Space tried and failed to come up with several working pitches for this game and just never had any luck getting any of them to stick.   A big part of the historical appeal of retro gaming is just wondering what might have been. The Halo Mega Bloks title appears in retrospect to us now as being a big missed opportunity for Microsoft and 343 Industries, and may well stand as a testament to the hubris of their insisting on maintaining the original 2001 Original Xbox branding despite dubious success and diminishing returns. For the rest of us, or at least, those of us who know how to run the Xenia emulator, the restoration of Haggar remains remarkably playable even aside from its peculiar and obscure place in gaming history.   The post Halo Megabloks Game for Xbox 360 Returns from the Dead appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

Meat Loaf's pre-game performance at the AFL Grand Final went down in history for all the wrong reasons