Q: Is This Column “Political”?
A: Nope …. SORTA …. More Than Sorta …. Incoming!
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Why “Papa John” should buy Starbucks… Huh?
Today’s title is 90% Click Bait to attract curious passerbys. Not quite on a level with Nekkid Homicidal Lesbian Cheerleaders but in the general category…
And that picture of Narcos up top has nothing to do with Papa John or Starbucks…
To my knowledge, John Schlatt… Whatshisname formerly of “Papa John’s” has no interest or likelihood in purchasing Starbucks, but maybe…
I will have a few random comments about Papa John’s Dilemma as well as the Starbucks’ kerfluffle of a month or so ago. But FIRST…
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I just binge watched the first two seasons of NARCOS on NETFLIX. If you are a fan of Drug Cartel-related dramas this is a must-see. It is a fictional documentary of the life and times of the infamous Pablo Escobar. Supposedly a pretty accurate dramatization. Pablo is universally considered All Time Drug Kingpin #1. El Chapo being #2.
If you are a fan of Scarface et al… this is kinda the same but without any actors you have ever heard of. NARCOS on NETFLIX…
Sorta related… I use Apple TV to get Netflix and MLB.tv. I updated my Apple TV “black box” this week from a Gen-2 to a Gen-4 and the difference was awesome.
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I guess I gotta say something about What Larry Fedora Said…. It has “gone viral” … The best I got is: 
When Bubba got the call from ESPN wanting his reaction to “… Your coach just made some really stoopid comments about Football…”
Bubba’s first reaction was “Oh crap… why is Roy talking about Football.
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I usually skim the Sports Home Page of USA TODAY in my morning news update. I “might” actually open 1-2 stories but often find absolutely nothing of interest TO ME.
Last week I noted stories about FOUR current/recent NFL players charged/indicted on felonies ranging from Murder to the obligatory Assault on ExWife/Girlfriend. FOUR in one week seems high even by NFL Thug Standards… but maybe I’m not up to speed on current NFL Thug Statistics.
Kaeper-kneeling and Roger Goodell Whizbang Proposals notwithstanding, my now two-years of No Mo NFL (or NBA) is seeming like an even better idea than originally perceived. My self-imposed One Legend Abstaining will continue.
I don’t care for The NFL… but I bingewatched NARCOS ??? Yes… I can see the inconsistency in that.
Two weeks ago I had good-intentions of watching some of The World Cup because it looks so good on HDTV. Alas, I never got around to doing it. “Croatia” used to be one of the “…slovakias” didn’t it? Was it Yugo or Czecho?
My geo-knowledge of Eastern Europe is about as woeful as the average Liberal Arts dimwitted snowflake trying to locate “Kansas” on a map of USA… or get within two contiguous states of it
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That Starbucks thing in Philadelphia with the two (AfAm) guys taking up a table without ordering anything that evolved into something akin to Dred Scott Meets Jim Crow… obviously the Asst Mgr used a sledge hammer rather than a polite suggestion to resolve the situation..
Mr Starbucks out in Seattle then REALLY over reacted as you probably read about. All 10,000 Starbucks employees were forced to memorize the first two verses of We Shall Overcome and never utter the words “Tawana Brawley” under any circumstance.
In retrospect… it would NEVER occur to me to meet someone in Starbucks and NOT order something while taking up a table. If our meeting went past 20-30 minutes I would probably place a 2nd order. If I saw the restaurant was crowded and space was a premium, I would probably give up my seat and move on. I don’t recall my parents ever imparting that “how you act” but somehow I just learned it. Howsabout you?
For assorted reasons, I haven’t been in a Starbucks in at least five years. I don’t have many “let’s meets” but if I did I would choose a Panera’s or a Steak & Shake.
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I don’t know “The Papa John Guy” any better than I know Mark Cuban or Elon Musk or former Cardinals’ Mgr Mike Matheny. Maybe Papa John Guy is a real jerk. That his entire world was turned upside down over a reference he made in a (private) business conference call should scare the BEJEEBERS out of pretty much everyone.
I acknowledge where we as a human species have evolved regarding “slurs” and “epithets”. Personally I do not incorporate “them” in my conversations; but I am familiar with most of the more popular ones. I don’t “pepper my conversations” with F-bombs, S-bombs, or “the C-word” either. Again, I go back to “… was raised right”.
There was a moment in time where “common sense” might have raised its ugly head regarding “slurs” and “epithets” but that moment was quickly obliterated and squashed like roadkill. Now we are deep into Yeeee Haaa Land. I do not see “us” ever emerging from Yeeee Haaa Land in my life time.
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Related: There was also a time in America when we no longer defecated in the streets and on city sidewalks. San Francisco is, apparently, stuck in time one day before the rest of America learned better.
The City (and guess which social-political ideology totally dominates SF municipal politics) is “solving” the problem by printing “Sh*ttiest Street Maps” warning tourists which city streets are the most defecated. … Yes, a video of Nancy Pelosi and Kamala Harris wielding pooper-scoopers down Lombard Street would fetch a pretty penny…
SF issuing “sh***y street maps is akin to Chicago issuing tourists kevlar vests to “solve” its daily street murders epidemic in Obama’s hometown. Lib/Dems have such “interesting solutions” to their cities maladies, don’t they?
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.Papa John says he was blackmailed by a participant in that infamous conference call with his marketing agency… John to pay the blackmailer $6,000,000 or they would “go public”… he didn’t and they did.
I am confident “John’s” comfortable life style will survive this incident if not his personal and professional reputation. He is not the first high profile figure to be so publicly crucified; nor will he be the last. Some have and will “deserve it” for General Stoopidity. Others have and will be unfairly persecuted. Not sure which applies to “John”.
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If you haven’t … read all the Reader Comments on that recent Norm Housley column… you should. “Coach CNR” added his usual incredible insights the past several days. Check’em Out! – LINK. …
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What do all the following have in common: …. Dave Bristol … Jack McKeon… Clyde King… Roger Craig… Mike Shildt ???
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