Might as well have it out

Friday, Erick Erickson encouraged Mitt Romney to go ahead and run third party.  It’s about nine lines of copy. Not a lengthy tome by any stretch. He admitted to not backing Romney in previous White House runs, but argued this time is different. Today, Daily Caller Senior Editor Jamie Weinstein has taken up the flag also suggesting Mitt Romney might be the way to go now for #NeverTrumpers looking for a chance at a third party bid. Kinda late in the day to offer up anybody and he has said no many times so the point may be moot.

 Peace Prize President

Vietnam can now beef up it’s military might with equipment grown right here in the good ole USA.  President Barack Obama today announced he’s lifting a ban on selling arms to the communist country.  CNN says the president  “…dismissed suggestions it was aimed at countering China’s growing strength in the region.” But not everyone is buying that.

“However, Human Rights Watch Executive Director Kenneth Roth said via Twitter that Obama was opting to “arm Vietnam as (an) anti-China ally rather than care about its ongoing repression.”

For the person who has everything

Get them a Prophix.  It’s a special toothbrush that let’s you take pictures inside your mouth. Dentist Craig Kohler’s company developed the gadget and outlined the potential for the Chicago Tribune.

“You can see it live,” he said. “You’re able to take photos of the different spots you might be interested in keeping track of, keep them in an album, and see if gum tissue changes color or look at a particular filling that you have questions about.”

Am I the only one who thinks keeping pictures of teeth in an album for your home use is a wee bit creepy?  Sure, dentists keep x-rays of your teeth at their office, but these aren’t like vacation pictures you’re going to whip out for your friends at the next bar-b-que.

Troops v tubas

If you’ve breezed by Politico today you may have caught their Battle of the Bands story concerning the cost of keeping up military bands.  In a nutshell, $437 million is spent yearly on the bands by the Pentagon.

“The Army, by far, has the largest musical contingent, with a total of 99 bands and approximately 4,350 total musical personnel across its active-duty, National Guard and Reserve forces. The Air Force is second, with 15 bands and 800 personnel, followed by the Marine Corps with 12 bands and 750 personnel and the Navy’s 11 bands and 600 musicians.”

I love military bands, but admit this does seem a bit excessive. There’s also an argument being made that combat troops are being cut but the troops numbers might be increased if the number of bands were cut back.

Faster baseball

I’ve been told baseball is a rather slow game. I usually doze off after two and a half innings so there’s no argument from me. Now comes word from Fox Sports a committee is looking at rule changes which could speed it up. One involves changing the “strike zone” area to the top of a hitter’s knees. Right now its at a little dimpled area below the kneecap. That’s a difference of, what…three inches?  That should help tremendously. Anyway, a separate rule change has possibilities. Rather than requiring a team to throw four balls when it wants to intentionally walk the batter, the change would just give the base to the batter. It should cut back on a lot of the groping, spitting, looking around, cap tugging, dirt grinding, butt wiggling, winding up, kneecap aiming, pre-throwing rituals which precede every single pitch.

 Quick Hits

• Tennessee media is abuzz with news Sen. Bob Corker is meeting  with Donald Trump (aka Sir Flops-A-Lot)  today, possibly for vetting as VP.  It should come as no surprise Corker has a Heritage Action Score of 49.
• Does Chick-fil-A beat KFC in some key business areas because it has more conservative owners?
• Another day, another death of #NeverTrump story.  If it’s a dead movement, how come some still won’t vote for him under any circumstances?
• The Heritage Foundation has put out a new report that shows the Feds were busy last year. The Daily Signal says there are 2,353 to be specific.  Those new regulations are expected to cost about $22 Billion. And we are warned it will only get worse during President Obama’s final year in office.
• Harry Reid is telling Hillary Clinton who he will not accept as a VP pick. Reid has said “not only no, but hell no” to any Senator who hails from a state with a Republican governor. His theory is if they win the WH, the governor would have to pick a successor and that means one more Republican in the Senate.

Today is Lucky Penny Day. Although no one seems to know why. At this writing, the penny is lucky to still be minted at all.  By 2014 estimates it costs 1.7 cents to make a cent.

Enjoy the water cooler. And, by all means, add to it.  The cooler is always OPEN THREAD.

* all emphasis mine