Merry Christmas to everyone. From my family to yours, we wish you a truly happy holiday season. May it be filled with good times spent with your family and friends. And may your new year bring you happiness, good health and prosperity.
Christmas is a wonderful time. We get to spend time with our families and enjoy some down time. Our lives become so busy we often get in the habit of not thinking about ourselves and taking care of ourselves. And unfortunately, Christmas usually is no exception. We immerse ourselves in shopping, buying gifts, keeping track of budgets (which often get overextended...) planning parties and meals, if anything Christmas piles on more stress to what we were already dealing with. For most, it doesn't bring down time. It brings more stress time. Just what we didn't need.
It's a shame, it really is. Around this time of year people and companies who sell 'stuff' step up their game. Advertisements come at us from all directions and literally fill our days. And do not kid yourself, marketers are very smart people. The have perfected the art of convincing us that we need what they are making. Think about this for a moment, how much stuff have you bought that you really could do without? Ask yourself this question for everything you have that cost more than fifty dollars, did I need that or did I merely want it? Now there's nothing wrong with having something for no other reason than you wanted it. By golly if you work hard and want something just for the fun of it then by all means you should have it. The problem is, it adds up. We accumulate. And we saturate ourselves with stuff. The fact is most of it we didn't need and could easily have lived without it.
So take some time to reflect after Christmas. Look back on the year and think about what you can do to make next year better. What can you do to make life better? What can you do to make YOU better? Maybe some of that 'stuff' you got that you really don't need (or want), give it away. Donate it to charity so someone less fortunate can enjoy it. I promise you'll feel good about it. And do some other things that make you feel good. Exercise. Lay in the sun. Take deep breaths with your eyes closed. Take up yoga. Tell your spouse you love them, every day. Meditate.
The cost of all those things and others like them? Nothing. The benefit? They all have the potential to make you a better, happier person. What better gift could you possibly give yourself?
Monday, December 26, 2016
Monday, December 5, 2016
You know, I was thinking the other day. And yes, I was thinking about something in particular. My life. Don't switch channels yet, I'm not going to get spacy and philosophical and poetic on you. In fact depending on your age, what I say just might be relevant in some way to your life. I didn't just sit down and tell myself, I am going to think about life here for awhile. Something made me do it. I was compelled, even coerced into thinking about it. And once I was into it, it was a serious session. Very serious.
I have thought about life as being analogous to baseball in a lot of ways. In the past when I put life situations in terms of baseball, it just seemed to make sense. A lot of sense. While it may be true that to be able to make this analogy you must be a die-hard baseball fan. Actually, maybe fan isn't even good enough. You have to really understand baseball. You have to have some real connection to it. Like maybe you played baseball at some time in your life. Maybe you coached little league. Lots of people think baseball is a boring game. That it doesn't move fast enough, like football. They just don't understand what they're looking at. There is so much going on in a baseball game that if you don't know what you're looking for you wont see it.
See what I mean? I've just described baseball and if you replaced the word baseball in the paragraph above with life, it would have made sense. Here's another example. In life there's going to be successes and there will be failures. Just as in baseball, you aren't going to win every game. You're not going to hit it out of the park every time you get up to the plate. We all know that, even if you don't know baseball. That's kind of a no-shit-Sherlock fact. Life's the same way only sometimes it doesn't seem so obvious as it does in baseball. Here's a really good one, to be good in baseball you can't just say I'm going to play baseball and be a great baseball player. For starters, if you're not athletic, fuggidaboutit. It ain't happening. You need to choose something else to excel at. If you are athletic, then you're going to have to work hard to be good. You have to want it. You have to want it bad. You have to have grit in your gut wanting it bad. That means your level of desire to play baseball well has to break the desire needle. The same could be said of people who excel at something else in life. Only it may not be as obvious as it is in baseball.
Are you getting my drift? Baseball mirrors life situations and simplifies them. Makes them easier to understand. Read those last two sentences again. Makes life situations easier to understand. If life consisted of one human being, our self, it would be pretty simple. It wouldn't take long before we knew what we liked, didn't like, how we reacted to certain things, and so on. But life isn't just 'me'. There are family, friends, acquaintances, strangers, bosses, coworkers, teammates... Life is a series of interactions with other people. Sometimes, maybe even often, things go well. Sometimes they don't. People are very complicated. What you see is rarely what you get when it comes to people. Life with other people is not black and white. It's a million shades of gray and some of them are really freaking ugly. I've lost my analogy with baseball, but stay with me.
So where am I going with this? This is where I'm going, life is hard. It's damn hard. Oh, I know there are silver spooners out there who have a good, easy life but what kind of life is that? What are they contributing? Nothing. You have to get off your ass and do something and contribute to the world for your life to have any meaning. That's my second no-shit-Sherlock fact. Life can and does have many gratifying times for most of us. But we have to work for it and often make sacrifices. Very difficult choices. And who amongst us has not lost a loved one? Not one single living being can say they have never lost a loved one. Is that not hard? And who amongst us has not loved and lost, as Mr. Shakespeare put it? Well if you haven't, you're part of a very small group. If you have you know well how hard that is.
It's hard alright. And for most of my life I had this misguided notion that when I got older life would get easier. I could retire, not have to get up early and go to work and put up with a bunch of pricks that annoyed me, it would be great. And you know what, not having to get up early and go to work and deal with a bunch of pricks is great. But getting older is not. And the worst part about it, life stares you in the face, grabs you by the throat, sits you down, humbles the shit out of you, and makes you think. And the first thing it makes you think about, your mortality. It looks right into your big wide eyes and says you're not going to live forever. And you want to ask, so how much time do I have left? And life replies, with a shrug of the shoulders, don't know. Meekly, hoping not to offend this badass monster called Your Life, you ask, so what's left? What do I need to do? What can I do?
Notice that one of the questions wasn't what's life all about? That's a question for amateurs, young amateurs. Since most of your life is behind you, you already know what life is all about. You've been there and done it already. If you didn't get it right, too late. Next question?
There's just a very sobering, jolting, face-slapping reality to knowing that due to the nature of life on earth your time on earth is limited. Very limited. So your natural inclination is to think, what's important? Aha! That's what you should have been thinking about all along. Not what's its all about. You cant know what it's all about until you know what's important. That's what you focus on.
And what's really sobering is the answers to that will probably be obvious. Just like baseball. Who's on first?...
I have thought about life as being analogous to baseball in a lot of ways. In the past when I put life situations in terms of baseball, it just seemed to make sense. A lot of sense. While it may be true that to be able to make this analogy you must be a die-hard baseball fan. Actually, maybe fan isn't even good enough. You have to really understand baseball. You have to have some real connection to it. Like maybe you played baseball at some time in your life. Maybe you coached little league. Lots of people think baseball is a boring game. That it doesn't move fast enough, like football. They just don't understand what they're looking at. There is so much going on in a baseball game that if you don't know what you're looking for you wont see it.
See what I mean? I've just described baseball and if you replaced the word baseball in the paragraph above with life, it would have made sense. Here's another example. In life there's going to be successes and there will be failures. Just as in baseball, you aren't going to win every game. You're not going to hit it out of the park every time you get up to the plate. We all know that, even if you don't know baseball. That's kind of a no-shit-Sherlock fact. Life's the same way only sometimes it doesn't seem so obvious as it does in baseball. Here's a really good one, to be good in baseball you can't just say I'm going to play baseball and be a great baseball player. For starters, if you're not athletic, fuggidaboutit. It ain't happening. You need to choose something else to excel at. If you are athletic, then you're going to have to work hard to be good. You have to want it. You have to want it bad. You have to have grit in your gut wanting it bad. That means your level of desire to play baseball well has to break the desire needle. The same could be said of people who excel at something else in life. Only it may not be as obvious as it is in baseball.
Are you getting my drift? Baseball mirrors life situations and simplifies them. Makes them easier to understand. Read those last two sentences again. Makes life situations easier to understand. If life consisted of one human being, our self, it would be pretty simple. It wouldn't take long before we knew what we liked, didn't like, how we reacted to certain things, and so on. But life isn't just 'me'. There are family, friends, acquaintances, strangers, bosses, coworkers, teammates... Life is a series of interactions with other people. Sometimes, maybe even often, things go well. Sometimes they don't. People are very complicated. What you see is rarely what you get when it comes to people. Life with other people is not black and white. It's a million shades of gray and some of them are really freaking ugly. I've lost my analogy with baseball, but stay with me.
So where am I going with this? This is where I'm going, life is hard. It's damn hard. Oh, I know there are silver spooners out there who have a good, easy life but what kind of life is that? What are they contributing? Nothing. You have to get off your ass and do something and contribute to the world for your life to have any meaning. That's my second no-shit-Sherlock fact. Life can and does have many gratifying times for most of us. But we have to work for it and often make sacrifices. Very difficult choices. And who amongst us has not lost a loved one? Not one single living being can say they have never lost a loved one. Is that not hard? And who amongst us has not loved and lost, as Mr. Shakespeare put it? Well if you haven't, you're part of a very small group. If you have you know well how hard that is.
It's hard alright. And for most of my life I had this misguided notion that when I got older life would get easier. I could retire, not have to get up early and go to work and put up with a bunch of pricks that annoyed me, it would be great. And you know what, not having to get up early and go to work and deal with a bunch of pricks is great. But getting older is not. And the worst part about it, life stares you in the face, grabs you by the throat, sits you down, humbles the shit out of you, and makes you think. And the first thing it makes you think about, your mortality. It looks right into your big wide eyes and says you're not going to live forever. And you want to ask, so how much time do I have left? And life replies, with a shrug of the shoulders, don't know. Meekly, hoping not to offend this badass monster called Your Life, you ask, so what's left? What do I need to do? What can I do?
Notice that one of the questions wasn't what's life all about? That's a question for amateurs, young amateurs. Since most of your life is behind you, you already know what life is all about. You've been there and done it already. If you didn't get it right, too late. Next question?
There's just a very sobering, jolting, face-slapping reality to knowing that due to the nature of life on earth your time on earth is limited. Very limited. So your natural inclination is to think, what's important? Aha! That's what you should have been thinking about all along. Not what's its all about. You cant know what it's all about until you know what's important. That's what you focus on.
And what's really sobering is the answers to that will probably be obvious. Just like baseball. Who's on first?...
Wednesday, November 23, 2016
LIsten up, journalists...
Reading the news this morning I see that Ellen Degenerate (sic, intentionally...) has won the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Congratulations Ellen. When you have your own daytime talk show and you have glamorous Hollywood types on to talk about 'stuff' you are indeed changing the world. Underprivileged kids are being fed hot meals, kids with cancer are being cured, etc, etc. Kinda like Obama winning the Nobel prize at the beginning of his first term. For what? If you're a TV watcher then you know how fond Hollywood is of giving themselves awards. When they're not filming something they're giving themselves awards. What's the difference if Obama gives one of them an award. This award is supposed to recognize those people who have made "an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors". Well, forget about national security, if that were left to Ellen we'd all be in a cage being tortured by towelheads. World peace, why yes, of course! Shooting the shit with Amy Schumer has calmed down entire cities. Indeed, congratulations Ellen.
Once again, our wonderful leader has done something that deserves a bitch-slap. But after eight very long years we've come to expect such.
I digress.What I signed on to talk about is the media in our country. Let me start by pointing out something really important that probably seems innocuous to most people. How often have you been reading something whether it was a magazine article or a breaking news article about an important world event and you notice misspelled words? Now that you stop and think about it, pretty often, huh? Editors, journalists and reporters, some of whom are reputedly major names in the business. To top it off, these guys have proofreaders and editors who are checking their work before it is published. Supposedly. Allegedly. And every couple of weeks they are paid for writing this sloppy, unchecked garbage. I know I'm not the only one who notices this and is bothered by it. I'm just so thankful that the surgeon who did my hip replacement doesn't take his work so lightly and pays attention to the details.
OK, picture this. You have the press room at the White House full of the country's elite journalists and reporters waiting for the president. I walk in and walk down the rows, stand behind each one and administer a good hard bitch slap to the back of the head to each one of them. After the last one has received his admonishment, I walk to the podium and say, "If you want to be a plumber learn how to stop leaks, if you want to be a carpenter learn how to use a saw without cutting yourself, if you want to be soldier, learn how to shoot a gun. If you want to be a journalist, LEARN HOW TO FUCKING SPELL!" Then Obama walks up and I look at him and say, "Whatever."
As far as I'm concerned if you wrote an article, especially one of import and you misspell words in the process your credibility evaporates. You're supposed to be a professional and the expectations of all who read your work are that it is professional grade work. If you are capable of high level, rational reasoning and analysis of complex events, then you should be able to spell.
There are other expectations of your vocation. I want everyone of you sunsabitches that make a living writing news to listen closely. Do not use your station in life as a member of any kind in the media to further your own interests, especially those of a political bent. Just as you were taught in school, journalism is to be unbiased and objective. Report the facts. Back them up. If you want to push your political agenda, fine. You are free to do that. Join a PAC. Become a lobbyist. Join a protest. Paint slogans on railroad trestles. But keep your drivel out of the media. America doesn't only not care, we don't want to hear it. It's irritating. We buy newspapers, online subscriptions, turn on cable news to get (get ready!) NEWS.
Oh yeah, and learn how to spell. Ask your eight your old. They can help you.
Once again, our wonderful leader has done something that deserves a bitch-slap. But after eight very long years we've come to expect such.
I digress.What I signed on to talk about is the media in our country. Let me start by pointing out something really important that probably seems innocuous to most people. How often have you been reading something whether it was a magazine article or a breaking news article about an important world event and you notice misspelled words? Now that you stop and think about it, pretty often, huh? Editors, journalists and reporters, some of whom are reputedly major names in the business. To top it off, these guys have proofreaders and editors who are checking their work before it is published. Supposedly. Allegedly. And every couple of weeks they are paid for writing this sloppy, unchecked garbage. I know I'm not the only one who notices this and is bothered by it. I'm just so thankful that the surgeon who did my hip replacement doesn't take his work so lightly and pays attention to the details.
OK, picture this. You have the press room at the White House full of the country's elite journalists and reporters waiting for the president. I walk in and walk down the rows, stand behind each one and administer a good hard bitch slap to the back of the head to each one of them. After the last one has received his admonishment, I walk to the podium and say, "If you want to be a plumber learn how to stop leaks, if you want to be a carpenter learn how to use a saw without cutting yourself, if you want to be soldier, learn how to shoot a gun. If you want to be a journalist, LEARN HOW TO FUCKING SPELL!" Then Obama walks up and I look at him and say, "Whatever."
As far as I'm concerned if you wrote an article, especially one of import and you misspell words in the process your credibility evaporates. You're supposed to be a professional and the expectations of all who read your work are that it is professional grade work. If you are capable of high level, rational reasoning and analysis of complex events, then you should be able to spell.
There are other expectations of your vocation. I want everyone of you sunsabitches that make a living writing news to listen closely. Do not use your station in life as a member of any kind in the media to further your own interests, especially those of a political bent. Just as you were taught in school, journalism is to be unbiased and objective. Report the facts. Back them up. If you want to push your political agenda, fine. You are free to do that. Join a PAC. Become a lobbyist. Join a protest. Paint slogans on railroad trestles. But keep your drivel out of the media. America doesn't only not care, we don't want to hear it. It's irritating. We buy newspapers, online subscriptions, turn on cable news to get (get ready!) NEWS.
Oh yeah, and learn how to spell. Ask your eight your old. They can help you.
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
On to bigger and better things.
I suppose you could say things are settling down a little. Granted, there have been protests in several major cities, even some violence. But in the context of the times is that really surprising? It will fade away, I think that's pretty much a given. What are the chances the protesters will prevail and congress will say, "You know, you people are right. He's not the right guy for the job. We're giving him the boot and he's outta here. We're going to hold another election and keep on having them until we get a bonafide liberal in there." I mean , it would have to be a liberal, how many conservatives do you think are in those protest crowds? What are the odds of that happening? Well, let's see. Let me grab a calculator here, hmmm, as soon as I turned it on the answer is right there. Zero, zip, zilch, nada.
Once again I say, thank God we have a constitution and someone is paying attention to it.
The good news is all the white noise from the rancor of the campaigns is gone. All is quiet on that front. Now we can all go back to our regularly scheduled lives and get on with life. At this point it is what it is and all the protesting in the world won't change a thing. If you want to prognosticate and predict, knock yourself out. Frankly, I'm tired and I want to move on to bigger and better things. I've been offering my opinion on subjects politic on here for awhile and I know you're probably getting tired of hearing them. Even if you're not I'm growing tired if talking about it.
Following politics I think is like watching TV. There are myriad programs on, many of them during prime time that include lots of drama, suspense, ruthless characters who try to ruin other people's lives, power-hungry dirtbags, scheming and dishonest politicians, and people love to watch them. During a presidential election they can watch the same but this time the characters are playing themselves. It's salacious skullduggery at it's best. And it's for real. Many people prepare to vote, i.e. learn about the candidate's backgrounds, their platforms, intentions and so on the same way they prepare to watch TV. By doing nothing. Then they get in a voting booth, (let me qualify that so you'll know I'm not just blowing smoke. Some of them get in a voting booth. Only 40% of qualified voters actually voted in the election. Sad and quite pathetic, but true) and this is what happens. He said he's going to build a wall, click. She said she was going to make college free. Click. And that's just the ones that actually voted. When you look at it that way, maybe the electoral college system isn't such a bad idea after all...
At the risk of putting my veracity in doubt, let me move on to bigger and better things as I said I would. I started writing a novel back in 2011. Five long years ago. I was so excited about finishing my first one, I went right into the second one. My first novel was a pure action, suspense thriller because that's my favorite genre. I love to read them. To me there's nothing better than a good, well-written thriller. I've read countless thrillers by all the journeymen in the field. It's like any other craft, you learn from the pros. I wrote the first one and right out of the chute I had some success. It didn't make the NY Times bestseller list, but hey, give me time. The second one is a thriller as well, but it takes a little turn. It's what I call a 'historical thriller'. The main characters are all fictitious but it takes place actual locations and involves some actual people and events. Which of course means there is a lot of research that has to be done. If you're going to talk about real people and places you have to be, well, real. And I'll be honest, research isn't one of my favorite things to do. I'm no James Michener. I like to sit down, crank up the imagination and ride. When I'm doing that I feel like I'm in the wheelhouse. But I chose to do this for personal reasons. The story involves some Choctaw Indians who grow up in a very difficult time in history and go on to change the world for the better. I'm having a helluva lot of fun writing it and I'm doing my due diligence, historically. My wife is a Choctaw Indian and the setting is her ancestor's home place. Some of them thankfully survived the Trail of Tears and settled in this area. It was a monumental time in history and I must do it justice.
Hence, the reason it has been five years and counting. Well, there have been a few other reasons. Life happens. And it can be damn distracting at times. But I have refilled my fountain pen and I'm back on the job. And when I'm done, you're going to love the story. Or your money back.
Once again I say, thank God we have a constitution and someone is paying attention to it.
The good news is all the white noise from the rancor of the campaigns is gone. All is quiet on that front. Now we can all go back to our regularly scheduled lives and get on with life. At this point it is what it is and all the protesting in the world won't change a thing. If you want to prognosticate and predict, knock yourself out. Frankly, I'm tired and I want to move on to bigger and better things. I've been offering my opinion on subjects politic on here for awhile and I know you're probably getting tired of hearing them. Even if you're not I'm growing tired if talking about it.
Following politics I think is like watching TV. There are myriad programs on, many of them during prime time that include lots of drama, suspense, ruthless characters who try to ruin other people's lives, power-hungry dirtbags, scheming and dishonest politicians, and people love to watch them. During a presidential election they can watch the same but this time the characters are playing themselves. It's salacious skullduggery at it's best. And it's for real. Many people prepare to vote, i.e. learn about the candidate's backgrounds, their platforms, intentions and so on the same way they prepare to watch TV. By doing nothing. Then they get in a voting booth, (let me qualify that so you'll know I'm not just blowing smoke. Some of them get in a voting booth. Only 40% of qualified voters actually voted in the election. Sad and quite pathetic, but true) and this is what happens. He said he's going to build a wall, click. She said she was going to make college free. Click. And that's just the ones that actually voted. When you look at it that way, maybe the electoral college system isn't such a bad idea after all...
At the risk of putting my veracity in doubt, let me move on to bigger and better things as I said I would. I started writing a novel back in 2011. Five long years ago. I was so excited about finishing my first one, I went right into the second one. My first novel was a pure action, suspense thriller because that's my favorite genre. I love to read them. To me there's nothing better than a good, well-written thriller. I've read countless thrillers by all the journeymen in the field. It's like any other craft, you learn from the pros. I wrote the first one and right out of the chute I had some success. It didn't make the NY Times bestseller list, but hey, give me time. The second one is a thriller as well, but it takes a little turn. It's what I call a 'historical thriller'. The main characters are all fictitious but it takes place actual locations and involves some actual people and events. Which of course means there is a lot of research that has to be done. If you're going to talk about real people and places you have to be, well, real. And I'll be honest, research isn't one of my favorite things to do. I'm no James Michener. I like to sit down, crank up the imagination and ride. When I'm doing that I feel like I'm in the wheelhouse. But I chose to do this for personal reasons. The story involves some Choctaw Indians who grow up in a very difficult time in history and go on to change the world for the better. I'm having a helluva lot of fun writing it and I'm doing my due diligence, historically. My wife is a Choctaw Indian and the setting is her ancestor's home place. Some of them thankfully survived the Trail of Tears and settled in this area. It was a monumental time in history and I must do it justice.
Hence, the reason it has been five years and counting. Well, there have been a few other reasons. Life happens. And it can be damn distracting at times. But I have refilled my fountain pen and I'm back on the job. And when I'm done, you're going to love the story. Or your money back.
Friday, November 11, 2016
Can you believe this?
I have to admit it. The pundits and pollsters missed it, and so did I. He won. He actually won. I didn't realize it until the next day that Hillary actually won the popular vote but it doesn't matter. Trump won and is in the drivers seat.
Now, a little sidebar. I just read an article that some professor (I know, when it comes to political mouths, 'professor' is like a used car salesman. It's just an opinion and we all know opinions are like assholes, everyone has one and they all stink.) Anyway, this guy who predicted a Trump win now says he will be impeached. Bravo Bitch! You're a genius! You know, when it comes to prognosticating, we can all do it. Sometimes you get it right, sometimes you don't. Now if Trump actually does get impeached this guy will be labeled a genius. I'm sorry folks, he ain't no genius. Trump has a lot of business interests. Running into a conflict of interest, well, it would be hard NOT to. Making a brash decision that could put national security at risk, well, based on what we have seen, you have to say yeah, that could happen. Is impeachment a possibility? Duh, does a bear have a hairy ass? Standing right behind him is Mike Pence. A red, white and blue conservative who has no record of upsetting the establishment. If there is a genius in all of this it has to be Mike Pence.
I think it's pretty much a given that Trump could be impeached and Mike Pence could take over.
Then we could be back to sort of, business as usual, sort of, you know? Fucking Democrats. Fucking Republicans. You know, the stuff we're used to. I would put the odds of that happening at 50% or better, really.
I truly believe in my heart that Americans like strong, decisive, consistent leadership. Someone with a clear mind that can make decisions and make sense. Is that Trump? As Ronald Reagan would say, "Weeelll," maybe, maybe not. We need to give him the benefit of the doubt and a chance to prove himself. You never know, he might just surprise us. We'll see.
This election was an anomaly. A 'one off' kind of situation. At least let's hope so. I certainly hope we don't face something like this again. At least not during my lifetime. I like it when the nomination process produces some smart people that don't go around pissing off credible groups of people. Except for Muslim terrorists. Fuck them, I like to piss them off every chance I get. If I were Rosie O'Donnell and I were famous, I could do it more often! But this time, it was different. It didn't produce anyone smart and certainly anyone who didn't routinely piss off somebody. If Trump gets impeached and Pence take over, who is going to say "Aww shit?" No one. Let's face it, no one.
Now, if that happens, please, don't email me and call me a genius. It could just as easily turn out that Trump could line 'em up and knock 'em down. He could get it all right. You bet it could. And I hope that's the way it happens. We shall see.
I'm still happy we don't have to go through four years of Hillary. And I am enormously happy we are done with Barry. Good riddance. I think he sucked. Best of luck to us all...
Now, a little sidebar. I just read an article that some professor (I know, when it comes to political mouths, 'professor' is like a used car salesman. It's just an opinion and we all know opinions are like assholes, everyone has one and they all stink.) Anyway, this guy who predicted a Trump win now says he will be impeached. Bravo Bitch! You're a genius! You know, when it comes to prognosticating, we can all do it. Sometimes you get it right, sometimes you don't. Now if Trump actually does get impeached this guy will be labeled a genius. I'm sorry folks, he ain't no genius. Trump has a lot of business interests. Running into a conflict of interest, well, it would be hard NOT to. Making a brash decision that could put national security at risk, well, based on what we have seen, you have to say yeah, that could happen. Is impeachment a possibility? Duh, does a bear have a hairy ass? Standing right behind him is Mike Pence. A red, white and blue conservative who has no record of upsetting the establishment. If there is a genius in all of this it has to be Mike Pence.
I think it's pretty much a given that Trump could be impeached and Mike Pence could take over.
Then we could be back to sort of, business as usual, sort of, you know? Fucking Democrats. Fucking Republicans. You know, the stuff we're used to. I would put the odds of that happening at 50% or better, really.
I truly believe in my heart that Americans like strong, decisive, consistent leadership. Someone with a clear mind that can make decisions and make sense. Is that Trump? As Ronald Reagan would say, "Weeelll," maybe, maybe not. We need to give him the benefit of the doubt and a chance to prove himself. You never know, he might just surprise us. We'll see.
This election was an anomaly. A 'one off' kind of situation. At least let's hope so. I certainly hope we don't face something like this again. At least not during my lifetime. I like it when the nomination process produces some smart people that don't go around pissing off credible groups of people. Except for Muslim terrorists. Fuck them, I like to piss them off every chance I get. If I were Rosie O'Donnell and I were famous, I could do it more often! But this time, it was different. It didn't produce anyone smart and certainly anyone who didn't routinely piss off somebody. If Trump gets impeached and Pence take over, who is going to say "Aww shit?" No one. Let's face it, no one.
Now, if that happens, please, don't email me and call me a genius. It could just as easily turn out that Trump could line 'em up and knock 'em down. He could get it all right. You bet it could. And I hope that's the way it happens. We shall see.
I'm still happy we don't have to go through four years of Hillary. And I am enormously happy we are done with Barry. Good riddance. I think he sucked. Best of luck to us all...
Tuesday, November 8, 2016
Well,here we are. Election Day 2016.
It's finally election day. And in this case, finally really means finally. No more sophomoric bickering, name-calling, insulting slurs, and in Hillary's case, lying. OK, I take that back, Hillary will never stop lying. It's just who and what she is. But for at least four years there will be no more. No matter who wins, at least that part is over.
Is there any point in talking about if Clinton wins, then this and if Trump wins, then that. I don't think so. Like Hillary once said when being questioned about what happened in Benghazi, "What difference does it make?" Only this time we are talking about who wins an election. In that case we were talking about four American lives, who happened to be serving their country. And who had asked repeatedly for help. The depravity of a top diplomat that could publicly make such a statement just boggles my mind. The true substance of her character was revealed that day for every living American to see. And if you still want to vote for her, then good luck sleeping at night.
As for Donald Trump? Probably about the poorest choice for a President that could possibly be found. I want to believe that Trump is an intelligent, crafty man. I really do. But you certainly can't tell that by what comes out of his pie-hole. All this bullshit about he's a brilliant businessman, spare me. Trump is no more brilliant than my dog. (Sorry, buddy, that wasn't meant as an insult.) Making money is not a sign of brilliance.
But the fact remains, one of them is going to sit down in the Oval Office and assume the duties of the nation's chief executive. Zero confidence that either will do a decent job. Isn't it consoling to know that they wont be educating your children for the next four years? Or managing your retirement? Or setting your standard of living? No, they won't. You will. In spite of who becomes president, we the people will continue to be in charge of and responsible for what goes on in our homes and communities. Which in essence means we the people are responsible for what America is, at the grassroots level.
I hope your candidate wins.
Is there any point in talking about if Clinton wins, then this and if Trump wins, then that. I don't think so. Like Hillary once said when being questioned about what happened in Benghazi, "What difference does it make?" Only this time we are talking about who wins an election. In that case we were talking about four American lives, who happened to be serving their country. And who had asked repeatedly for help. The depravity of a top diplomat that could publicly make such a statement just boggles my mind. The true substance of her character was revealed that day for every living American to see. And if you still want to vote for her, then good luck sleeping at night.
As for Donald Trump? Probably about the poorest choice for a President that could possibly be found. I want to believe that Trump is an intelligent, crafty man. I really do. But you certainly can't tell that by what comes out of his pie-hole. All this bullshit about he's a brilliant businessman, spare me. Trump is no more brilliant than my dog. (Sorry, buddy, that wasn't meant as an insult.) Making money is not a sign of brilliance.
But the fact remains, one of them is going to sit down in the Oval Office and assume the duties of the nation's chief executive. Zero confidence that either will do a decent job. Isn't it consoling to know that they wont be educating your children for the next four years? Or managing your retirement? Or setting your standard of living? No, they won't. You will. In spite of who becomes president, we the people will continue to be in charge of and responsible for what goes on in our homes and communities. Which in essence means we the people are responsible for what America is, at the grassroots level.
I hope your candidate wins.
Thursday, October 20, 2016
I'm voting alright. But not for who you think.
Aren't you glad this crap is about over? I sure am. That's sad to feel that way about a presidential election, but that's the way I feel. It's not only sad, it's foreboding. I don't see anything good for us or the country coming out of this election, and it matters not who wins. If you've been reading my past posts on my blog, you'll have noticed that I have not made any statements or implications that I favored one candidate over the other. I think of myself as a conservative, not a Republican, I don't associate with any party ideals. I have conservative values and that's it. Admittedly, it's the Republican candidate in past elections that most closely align with conservative values so that's who I've voted for.
But this election is different. My conservative values have had to take a back seat. There are much more important things to consider. Like some of the bad shit that will happen if either of these shitheads take office. But first, let me make one important point. Not that anything that concerns me is all that important, but humor me for just a minute. Right now, at this moment in time, I am not planning to cast a ballot for either Trump or Clinton. And yes, I am going to vote. Why, you ask? I thought you'd never ask...
Let's start with Trump. One of the topics in the debate last night was fitness for the presidency. Based on the responses, and everything I've heard either of them say or do, ever, in my opinion, no. When asked what made him fit to be president Trump answered "I started a phenomenal company, a great company that has made billions of dollars", blah, blah, blah... But being president is being the nation's top diplomat. We have to get along with the rest of the world and at times settle disputes when other countries have differences. When WE have differences with other countries and hopefully do it peacefully. It should be obvious to even the most casual observer that that would require someone with patience, tolerance and compassion. Someone with a sound mien and respected character. Someone who is respectful of others. Someone with a solid, unmovable vision of the right thing to do. Does that sound like Donald Trump? Stop laughing, I'm not done yet. By all appearances Donald Trump is a solipsistic prick. He likes things his way and when they don't go his way he becomes bullish. Can you imagine being a businessman and doing business with him? I can't.
Now let's take a look at Hillary Clinton. Do the qualities I listed above sound like Hillary's qualities? Ask the 46 people who have had some sort of conflict of interest or may have gotten in the way of the Clinton's interests who are now dead. Dead under dubious circumstances. Don't take my word for this, Google it and read for yourself. No, I'm sorry, 46 is not a long string of coincidences. That even goes way beyond Murphy's Law. Ask the parents and loved ones of the four who were killed by terrorists at the embassy compound in Benghazi. And lied to about it. Ask Mary Mahoney's family about it. She was a lesbian intern when Bill was president who the other interns often turned to regarding Bill's disproportionate interest in interns. She was murdered at a local Starbucks where she worked as a night manager. Her and two other employees were shot in the head, one's body was riddled with bullets. Guess which one. The restaurant was not robbed. This happened just a couple of days after the Lewinsky scandal broke and news of other Clinton dalliances. Coincidence? Maybe. Maybe not... She would have been a star witness in the impeachment trials.
If you really want to know what kind of person she is ask the Secret Service and White House staff assigned to the Clintons. It's public information, it's been published.
My biggest hang up with Clinton? She's disingenuous to the point of being a pathological liar. Lying does not bother this woman in the least. About anything... How can we in good conscience, elect someone who cannot, will not tell the truth when it serves her interest not to.
No, I will not vote for either on November 8th. Not gonna happen. For the next four years when everything is going to hell in a handbasket, I'll be able to at least say I didn't vote for either idiot.
So I know you're thinking, if he doesn't vote for Trump or Clinton that only leaves two other candidates. No name candidates that we know little to nothing about. One of them might make a good president, who knows. If you consider yourself an informed voter you don't vote for someone and hope for the best. At the least, you need a good reason to believe that they will be a good, competent president.
Competent president. How long has it been since we had one of those? Like most of my friends I consider myself an informed voter and a reasonably intelligent person. Someone who can sift through the muddy river of information that is the internet and figure out what's crap and what's not. This time, in this election, what we learn about the candidates is not good. It's discouraging and disheartening. But it's what we've got.
But this election is different. My conservative values have had to take a back seat. There are much more important things to consider. Like some of the bad shit that will happen if either of these shitheads take office. But first, let me make one important point. Not that anything that concerns me is all that important, but humor me for just a minute. Right now, at this moment in time, I am not planning to cast a ballot for either Trump or Clinton. And yes, I am going to vote. Why, you ask? I thought you'd never ask...
Let's start with Trump. One of the topics in the debate last night was fitness for the presidency. Based on the responses, and everything I've heard either of them say or do, ever, in my opinion, no. When asked what made him fit to be president Trump answered "I started a phenomenal company, a great company that has made billions of dollars", blah, blah, blah... But being president is being the nation's top diplomat. We have to get along with the rest of the world and at times settle disputes when other countries have differences. When WE have differences with other countries and hopefully do it peacefully. It should be obvious to even the most casual observer that that would require someone with patience, tolerance and compassion. Someone with a sound mien and respected character. Someone who is respectful of others. Someone with a solid, unmovable vision of the right thing to do. Does that sound like Donald Trump? Stop laughing, I'm not done yet. By all appearances Donald Trump is a solipsistic prick. He likes things his way and when they don't go his way he becomes bullish. Can you imagine being a businessman and doing business with him? I can't.
Now let's take a look at Hillary Clinton. Do the qualities I listed above sound like Hillary's qualities? Ask the 46 people who have had some sort of conflict of interest or may have gotten in the way of the Clinton's interests who are now dead. Dead under dubious circumstances. Don't take my word for this, Google it and read for yourself. No, I'm sorry, 46 is not a long string of coincidences. That even goes way beyond Murphy's Law. Ask the parents and loved ones of the four who were killed by terrorists at the embassy compound in Benghazi. And lied to about it. Ask Mary Mahoney's family about it. She was a lesbian intern when Bill was president who the other interns often turned to regarding Bill's disproportionate interest in interns. She was murdered at a local Starbucks where she worked as a night manager. Her and two other employees were shot in the head, one's body was riddled with bullets. Guess which one. The restaurant was not robbed. This happened just a couple of days after the Lewinsky scandal broke and news of other Clinton dalliances. Coincidence? Maybe. Maybe not... She would have been a star witness in the impeachment trials.
If you really want to know what kind of person she is ask the Secret Service and White House staff assigned to the Clintons. It's public information, it's been published.
My biggest hang up with Clinton? She's disingenuous to the point of being a pathological liar. Lying does not bother this woman in the least. About anything... How can we in good conscience, elect someone who cannot, will not tell the truth when it serves her interest not to.
No, I will not vote for either on November 8th. Not gonna happen. For the next four years when everything is going to hell in a handbasket, I'll be able to at least say I didn't vote for either idiot.
So I know you're thinking, if he doesn't vote for Trump or Clinton that only leaves two other candidates. No name candidates that we know little to nothing about. One of them might make a good president, who knows. If you consider yourself an informed voter you don't vote for someone and hope for the best. At the least, you need a good reason to believe that they will be a good, competent president.
Competent president. How long has it been since we had one of those? Like most of my friends I consider myself an informed voter and a reasonably intelligent person. Someone who can sift through the muddy river of information that is the internet and figure out what's crap and what's not. This time, in this election, what we learn about the candidates is not good. It's discouraging and disheartening. But it's what we've got.
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
So what's really going on...
News just came out a couple of days ago that the Ecuadorian Embassy has cut off Julian Assange's internet access. The access that he has had since 2012. Now that's interesting, what could possibly be the motive behind that? Sure, he's a controversial fellow that has a tendency to piss off politicos (mostly American). And Sweden wants him extradited to face charges of sexual molestation of a couple of WikiLeaks supporters, but after four years, why now? There has to be some political pressure coming from somewhere but so far, no news as to where it's coming from or why.
Trump is bleating crap about the election being rigged, which is possible I suppose, but not really likely. The DNC is carrying on about the Russians being involved in trying to influence the outcome of the election. Of course, Putin denies it all saying we're not doing anything to influence your stupid election, what the hell do we care. Keep in mind that Putin is sort of like a lawyer, if his lips are moving, he's lying.
Let's go back to Assange. Losing his internet access is major. Then again, if drug lords and thugs can run their operations from inside prison walls then Assange can certainly carry on the business of WikiLeaks from inside the Ecuadorian embassy without internet access. Here's why I say it's major. I believe that some time before the election, WikiLeaks is going to release something that sinks Hillary. Something huge that literally blows her out of the water. I have no idea what, but I think it's coming. And with only about twenty-five days to go, it's coming pretty soon. I don't think Assange has any particular affinity for Trump or on the other hand a vendetta for Clinton, this is just what he does. But the implications of something like that, well, that's pretty obvious.
Whether Clinton wins or Trump it's not going to be good. There's no need to go into any details there, you've been keeping up just like I have. They both suck. Really bad. Neither is fit to be president. Not even close. I keep asking myself, just as you have probably, how the hell did this happen? We had a chance, lots of them to elect knowledgeable, competent, and not nearly as crooked candidates. And look who's standing on the stage. Bravo America. Bravo. Dare I say, we're going to regret this.
But these events that I have described above, there's an underpinning here. Don't know exactly what it is, but there's something going on. Something that is going to change history, and not necessarily for the better. There's some sly, cunning crap going on somewhere and I'm not talking about the sophomoric bullshit from Don and Hill. It's much bigger than that. But seriously, what is going on? I guess we'll find out soon...
Trump is bleating crap about the election being rigged, which is possible I suppose, but not really likely. The DNC is carrying on about the Russians being involved in trying to influence the outcome of the election. Of course, Putin denies it all saying we're not doing anything to influence your stupid election, what the hell do we care. Keep in mind that Putin is sort of like a lawyer, if his lips are moving, he's lying.
Let's go back to Assange. Losing his internet access is major. Then again, if drug lords and thugs can run their operations from inside prison walls then Assange can certainly carry on the business of WikiLeaks from inside the Ecuadorian embassy without internet access. Here's why I say it's major. I believe that some time before the election, WikiLeaks is going to release something that sinks Hillary. Something huge that literally blows her out of the water. I have no idea what, but I think it's coming. And with only about twenty-five days to go, it's coming pretty soon. I don't think Assange has any particular affinity for Trump or on the other hand a vendetta for Clinton, this is just what he does. But the implications of something like that, well, that's pretty obvious.
Whether Clinton wins or Trump it's not going to be good. There's no need to go into any details there, you've been keeping up just like I have. They both suck. Really bad. Neither is fit to be president. Not even close. I keep asking myself, just as you have probably, how the hell did this happen? We had a chance, lots of them to elect knowledgeable, competent, and not nearly as crooked candidates. And look who's standing on the stage. Bravo America. Bravo. Dare I say, we're going to regret this.
But these events that I have described above, there's an underpinning here. Don't know exactly what it is, but there's something going on. Something that is going to change history, and not necessarily for the better. There's some sly, cunning crap going on somewhere and I'm not talking about the sophomoric bullshit from Don and Hill. It's much bigger than that. But seriously, what is going on? I guess we'll find out soon...
Tuesday, October 11, 2016
OK, that's it. I mean really, that's it.
Last night we watched the second presidential debate. It is still hard for me to bring myself to believe that those two asshats are running for the office of the president of the United States of America. Really hard. What's even harder to believe is that one of them is actually going to win and assume the office. Which means making decisions that will affect our lives. At one point it got so ridiculous and absurd Kelly said this is like watching Saturday night Live. And it was. Sad. So very sad.
Politic analysis is not my thing, it's not even one of my aspirations. I have just become so concerned with this pathetic situation that I have started writing about it, and well... I'm still plenty concerned about it, I don't want to live my last years in a great country that is on it's way to being a socialist beta test.
So, enough is enough. I'm no Charles Krauthammer, if you want the best perspective on politics that a great mind can offer read his columns. Me, I'm sticking with other, more important life issues. Like writing great stories. I've got a novel to finish and that's where my mind needs to be. Not on the freak show these two clowns are putting on.
I hate that it is taking this long to write this book. It's terrible. My only excuse is life happened and I got distracted. But it's time to get back to business and get 'er done. I'll be heading up to Buffalo Valley next week. Actually being where most of the story is set should help matters. It'll help me clear out my head if nothing else. And getting back to what I do best. And stop being so distracted...
Politic analysis is not my thing, it's not even one of my aspirations. I have just become so concerned with this pathetic situation that I have started writing about it, and well... I'm still plenty concerned about it, I don't want to live my last years in a great country that is on it's way to being a socialist beta test.
So, enough is enough. I'm no Charles Krauthammer, if you want the best perspective on politics that a great mind can offer read his columns. Me, I'm sticking with other, more important life issues. Like writing great stories. I've got a novel to finish and that's where my mind needs to be. Not on the freak show these two clowns are putting on.
I hate that it is taking this long to write this book. It's terrible. My only excuse is life happened and I got distracted. But it's time to get back to business and get 'er done. I'll be heading up to Buffalo Valley next week. Actually being where most of the story is set should help matters. It'll help me clear out my head if nothing else. And getting back to what I do best. And stop being so distracted...
Sunday, October 9, 2016
Are you a liberal or a conservative? And how did you get that way?...
Growing up in the 50's and 60's, there were Democrats and Republicans. I happened to grow up in a family of Democrats. The first election I can remember was that between John Kennedy and Richard Nixon. To be honest I have no recall of any talk about liberals or conservatives back then. I'm sure there were some biases at work in choosing a candidate such as physical attractiveness and charisma, I mean come on, this was John Kennedy. Camelot himself. And Nixon? If here had been a grandpa character on Leave it to Beaver it would have been him. I have no doubt that there were plenty of Republicans that were drawn to Kennedy and had no qualms about it. He convinced voters that he would do a great job and we all know history has borne that fact.
I dare say though, that the ideals of the parties have changed over the decades since. Democrats have been the force behind some of the greatest federal programs this country has known. Roosevelt's' New Deal and the creation of the Civilian Conservation Corps was the 'magic' the country needed to recover from the Great Depression. And this was no small feat. FDR's Social Security Act has been taking care of older Americans for almost 90 years. Johnson's Civil Rights Act did more to bring racial equality than any other act of American government. And none of those landmark programs exploited any subgroup of Americans in order for them to succeed. They succeeded because Americans saw the value in them and got behind them.
Such programs seem to be erstwhile memories of our better days as a nation. Legislation and programs today don't measure up to being good for all Americans. They target particular constituencies and it seems, invariably for the purpose of getting votes. As the national debt has grown through the years to fund literally a billion things, government has tried to get creative in ways to fund these partisan oriented programs. In doing so it seems an insipid problem came to light; in order to give someone something you have to take from someone else. As the awareness of this fact of life surfaced we were no longer Democrats and Republicans, we were now liberals and conservatives. The liberals supported the social programs such as welfare and were for increased regulations to keep big business under control. And of course to administer these programs and enforce the regulations government had to grow bigger and more powerful. More money was needed. There is one way for a government to obtain money, to tax. No one likes to pay more tax and the government has taken to targeting a specific sub groups of Americans to tax at higher rates. A mantra that has become so popular is "The rich need to pay their fair share". As if they have been rolling along all this time not paying their fair share. A couple of things need to be clarified (as if that were possible...) though. One is who exactly are "the rich"? The other is what exactly is "their fair share"? The bandwagon to make those freeloaders pay their fair share started filling up quickly, and it only made sense. The rich had too much money, they weren't paying their fair share (if they were they wouldn't have so much money) and if we took more from them we could fund these social programs. Then the poor and needy would benefit (and the sponsoring politicians would get the votes). The rich wouldn't be hurt, after all they have too much money anyway. Laisse fare is doing a terrible job of distributing the wealth so we'll do it for them. How do we know the rich have too much money? The government said so... Now, everyone is better off. Right?
Wrong. Higher taxes stifle economic growth. Handouts (entitlements) to the disadvantaged discourages them from working. The "rich" are the ones who start and operate businesses (that pay taxes) and hire people, i.e. they create jobs. Government cannot create jobs and expand the economy. Taxing the rich increasingly more means there will be fewer jobs. This is all basic economics. If you went to college and don't know that, then you simply weren't paying attention.
The liberals cry, "But these social programs are absolutely necessary. Our elderly and poor will die without them." Jesus himself was about helping the downtrodden. Taking care of our neighbor. It is our moral and Christian obligation to do this. Besides, even the Bible said, "Tis easier to pass a camel through the eye of a needle than get a rich man into heaven". Sounds pretty clear to me, rich people aren't nearly as important as poor people. They're not even worthy of heaven. We're actually doing them a favor, they're not about to go to heaven as long as they are rich, so...We can help them and the poor at the same time.
So where did conservatives come from and how did they acquire those peculiar characteristics?
From the time the first settlers came to America till the twentieth century in order to survive and provide for a family, they had to hunt, fish and farm the land. It required tremendous work. If one took from someone who happened to have more than themselves it was called stealing and the punishment was often getting shot or hung from a tree. It was universally understood that it was each for his own. No one else, including the government was going to provide anything for you. If you wanted to have more you simply worked harder and longer. American conservatism has it's roots in those times. Individualism was once respected and admired. These were proud people who took care of themselves and expected others to do the same.
During Roosevelt's and Kennedy's time there was a nice balance to Democrat's and Republican's ideals. And civility. Instead of a balance now we have tension and conflict between the parties. Each has a platform of slandering and defiling the other. Trashing is probably a more appropriate word. You do whatever you have to do to win and that includes humiliating, insulting, falsely accusing, associating them with bottom feeders, digging up dirt (no time limits on how far back you can go), nothing is off limits. The labels 'Democrats and 'Republicans' are words associated with the concept of a free and independent nation of people who value freedom. With a government of the people, by the people and for the people. If we keep electing the kind of people that we did eight years ago and like those that are running for office now, we're going to regret it. Our country is going in the direction of becoming a socialistic government and we the people are allowing it to happen. This, in spite of the fact that we have all the tools to maintain the brilliant form of government that we have had for over two-hundred years. Three independent branches of government, checks and balances, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, free elections, leaders elected by the people, we have it all. And in spite of that...
So, are you a liberal or a conservative? Are you part of the problem, or part of the solution?...
I dare say though, that the ideals of the parties have changed over the decades since. Democrats have been the force behind some of the greatest federal programs this country has known. Roosevelt's' New Deal and the creation of the Civilian Conservation Corps was the 'magic' the country needed to recover from the Great Depression. And this was no small feat. FDR's Social Security Act has been taking care of older Americans for almost 90 years. Johnson's Civil Rights Act did more to bring racial equality than any other act of American government. And none of those landmark programs exploited any subgroup of Americans in order for them to succeed. They succeeded because Americans saw the value in them and got behind them.
Such programs seem to be erstwhile memories of our better days as a nation. Legislation and programs today don't measure up to being good for all Americans. They target particular constituencies and it seems, invariably for the purpose of getting votes. As the national debt has grown through the years to fund literally a billion things, government has tried to get creative in ways to fund these partisan oriented programs. In doing so it seems an insipid problem came to light; in order to give someone something you have to take from someone else. As the awareness of this fact of life surfaced we were no longer Democrats and Republicans, we were now liberals and conservatives. The liberals supported the social programs such as welfare and were for increased regulations to keep big business under control. And of course to administer these programs and enforce the regulations government had to grow bigger and more powerful. More money was needed. There is one way for a government to obtain money, to tax. No one likes to pay more tax and the government has taken to targeting a specific sub groups of Americans to tax at higher rates. A mantra that has become so popular is "The rich need to pay their fair share". As if they have been rolling along all this time not paying their fair share. A couple of things need to be clarified (as if that were possible...) though. One is who exactly are "the rich"? The other is what exactly is "their fair share"? The bandwagon to make those freeloaders pay their fair share started filling up quickly, and it only made sense. The rich had too much money, they weren't paying their fair share (if they were they wouldn't have so much money) and if we took more from them we could fund these social programs. Then the poor and needy would benefit (and the sponsoring politicians would get the votes). The rich wouldn't be hurt, after all they have too much money anyway. Laisse fare is doing a terrible job of distributing the wealth so we'll do it for them. How do we know the rich have too much money? The government said so... Now, everyone is better off. Right?
Wrong. Higher taxes stifle economic growth. Handouts (entitlements) to the disadvantaged discourages them from working. The "rich" are the ones who start and operate businesses (that pay taxes) and hire people, i.e. they create jobs. Government cannot create jobs and expand the economy. Taxing the rich increasingly more means there will be fewer jobs. This is all basic economics. If you went to college and don't know that, then you simply weren't paying attention.
The liberals cry, "But these social programs are absolutely necessary. Our elderly and poor will die without them." Jesus himself was about helping the downtrodden. Taking care of our neighbor. It is our moral and Christian obligation to do this. Besides, even the Bible said, "Tis easier to pass a camel through the eye of a needle than get a rich man into heaven". Sounds pretty clear to me, rich people aren't nearly as important as poor people. They're not even worthy of heaven. We're actually doing them a favor, they're not about to go to heaven as long as they are rich, so...We can help them and the poor at the same time.
So where did conservatives come from and how did they acquire those peculiar characteristics?
From the time the first settlers came to America till the twentieth century in order to survive and provide for a family, they had to hunt, fish and farm the land. It required tremendous work. If one took from someone who happened to have more than themselves it was called stealing and the punishment was often getting shot or hung from a tree. It was universally understood that it was each for his own. No one else, including the government was going to provide anything for you. If you wanted to have more you simply worked harder and longer. American conservatism has it's roots in those times. Individualism was once respected and admired. These were proud people who took care of themselves and expected others to do the same.
During Roosevelt's and Kennedy's time there was a nice balance to Democrat's and Republican's ideals. And civility. Instead of a balance now we have tension and conflict between the parties. Each has a platform of slandering and defiling the other. Trashing is probably a more appropriate word. You do whatever you have to do to win and that includes humiliating, insulting, falsely accusing, associating them with bottom feeders, digging up dirt (no time limits on how far back you can go), nothing is off limits. The labels 'Democrats and 'Republicans' are words associated with the concept of a free and independent nation of people who value freedom. With a government of the people, by the people and for the people. If we keep electing the kind of people that we did eight years ago and like those that are running for office now, we're going to regret it. Our country is going in the direction of becoming a socialistic government and we the people are allowing it to happen. This, in spite of the fact that we have all the tools to maintain the brilliant form of government that we have had for over two-hundred years. Three independent branches of government, checks and balances, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, free elections, leaders elected by the people, we have it all. And in spite of that...
So, are you a liberal or a conservative? Are you part of the problem, or part of the solution?...
Tuesday, September 27, 2016
And what about you?...
Have you ever been in one of those arguments where you were upset with someone about something they did, or didn't do, as the case may be? "You left the mayonnaise out", or "You didn't put the car in the garage last night." Or something like "you really piss me off when you say that."
"Oh yeah, well what about you, you never put the butter back in the frig when you're through with it, you always leave it out like someone is going to come behind you and put it away for you." or "I ALWAYS have to remind you to do things or you'd never do anything."
If you point out someone else's fault that is bothering you or something they did is causing a problem you're immediately met with a rebuttal that points out yet but one (or more) of your own shortcomings. It immediately becomes a circular argument. You, or whoever started it, want to make a point that the other person has a fault that is a problem. But instead of "Oh, OK, you know you're right, I shouldn't do that. I can see how that would be an annoyance to others." Instead you open the tap for a flow of admonishments for your own faults. And back and forth you go. Or round and round you go, whichever you like.
What if your boss called you in and told you, "You know Bob, you're not finishing those TPS reports on time." And you let loose with "Well you know Herb, you never finish shit. Ever. All you do is start something then send it to me or someone else to finish. So, if you don't finish shit, why should I?" Just another circular argument. It's the same as if your wife says "You never put shit up,
you leave everything out." "Oh yeah, what about you? You leave makeup all over the bathroom counter. You never put it up."
Does anyone leave a circular argument feeling like "Well, we certainly took care of that." No. Except your boss, when he fires your ass.
I know, you're wondering, where is this going? Think about the presidential debates. Each time Hillary or Donald criticized the other they were immediately hit with a return cheap shot. You never pay taxes. You deleted 33,000 emails. You are a racist. You're incompetent. Shit, why don't y'all just get married. You'd make a hell of a couple...
I hate circular arguments. "I don't like what you did."
"What about you? I hate when you..."
"Hold on, first let's talk about when you..."
"Bullshit. You think you have a right to complain about me when you..."
Everybody gets pissed off and keeps on doing whatever they were doing to piss the other off. Nothing gets better, in fact the circular argument makes things worse if anything. It's pointless and futile. which is probably why politicians do it. Hell they were probably the ones that started the circular argument.
"Oh yeah, well what about you, you never put the butter back in the frig when you're through with it, you always leave it out like someone is going to come behind you and put it away for you." or "I ALWAYS have to remind you to do things or you'd never do anything."
If you point out someone else's fault that is bothering you or something they did is causing a problem you're immediately met with a rebuttal that points out yet but one (or more) of your own shortcomings. It immediately becomes a circular argument. You, or whoever started it, want to make a point that the other person has a fault that is a problem. But instead of "Oh, OK, you know you're right, I shouldn't do that. I can see how that would be an annoyance to others." Instead you open the tap for a flow of admonishments for your own faults. And back and forth you go. Or round and round you go, whichever you like.
What if your boss called you in and told you, "You know Bob, you're not finishing those TPS reports on time." And you let loose with "Well you know Herb, you never finish shit. Ever. All you do is start something then send it to me or someone else to finish. So, if you don't finish shit, why should I?" Just another circular argument. It's the same as if your wife says "You never put shit up,
you leave everything out." "Oh yeah, what about you? You leave makeup all over the bathroom counter. You never put it up."
Does anyone leave a circular argument feeling like "Well, we certainly took care of that." No. Except your boss, when he fires your ass.
I know, you're wondering, where is this going? Think about the presidential debates. Each time Hillary or Donald criticized the other they were immediately hit with a return cheap shot. You never pay taxes. You deleted 33,000 emails. You are a racist. You're incompetent. Shit, why don't y'all just get married. You'd make a hell of a couple...
I hate circular arguments. "I don't like what you did."
"What about you? I hate when you..."
"Hold on, first let's talk about when you..."
"Bullshit. You think you have a right to complain about me when you..."
Everybody gets pissed off and keeps on doing whatever they were doing to piss the other off. Nothing gets better, in fact the circular argument makes things worse if anything. It's pointless and futile. which is probably why politicians do it. Hell they were probably the ones that started the circular argument.
Sunday, September 25, 2016
One Nation Under God...
Just about the time we think Obama has reached his lowest point, he surprises us. The lies, the scandals, the deception, now he has outdone himself. No doubt he has gotten carried away with his use of executive order. He has been in office for 2500+ days now and has produced no less than 1.03 executive orders per day at a cost of compliance to American business and taxpayers of just under one trillion dollars. Now he has written one that while it doesn't have a dollar value of destruction, it does have an immense, intrinsic cost to us all.
Last Friday BH Obama wrote into law the banishment of the Pledge of Allegiance. It is not allowed in any federal institution or any of our public schools. He defended his actions by saying that the language in the pledge was divisive and that it did not reflect the true values of Americans. He did this unilaterally, without counsel of his cabinet, either house of Congress or anyone else. All he needed was his pen and a mighty sense of solipsism. Now we can all rest better knowing that our nation is once again fair to everyone. Even those who do not revere our republic and those who do not believe in God. And thank the Lord, all you terrorists in sleeper cells resident here in the U.S. your precious children will no longer be required to recite that vile diatribe.
You can be an American and be atheist. You can be an American and not possess a strong sense of nationalism. You can be an American and not be a Christian. But you cannot be an American and not respect the founding principles of the country. This great country was founded on Christian principles. No one can change that. It's our heritage and the vast majority of us are proud of it. The only one who appears to have a problem with it is BH Obama, and ISIS. Or perhaps I should say the only ones who are making an attempt to change the Christian based principles of our system of government are the aforementioned. One party is using deception and a pen, the other is using terrorism and murder.
You are soon to be gone from the privileged position of power that you were accorded, Mr. Obama. At that time you will possess no power to erode our sense of governing and justice. You may have influence but you will not have power. Thanks to the brilliance of our founding fathers you will be but a chapter of disgrace in our history and no more. We can only hope, and pray that our next leader will guide our ONE NATION, UNDER GOD better than you did.
Last Friday BH Obama wrote into law the banishment of the Pledge of Allegiance. It is not allowed in any federal institution or any of our public schools. He defended his actions by saying that the language in the pledge was divisive and that it did not reflect the true values of Americans. He did this unilaterally, without counsel of his cabinet, either house of Congress or anyone else. All he needed was his pen and a mighty sense of solipsism. Now we can all rest better knowing that our nation is once again fair to everyone. Even those who do not revere our republic and those who do not believe in God. And thank the Lord, all you terrorists in sleeper cells resident here in the U.S. your precious children will no longer be required to recite that vile diatribe.
You can be an American and be atheist. You can be an American and not possess a strong sense of nationalism. You can be an American and not be a Christian. But you cannot be an American and not respect the founding principles of the country. This great country was founded on Christian principles. No one can change that. It's our heritage and the vast majority of us are proud of it. The only one who appears to have a problem with it is BH Obama, and ISIS. Or perhaps I should say the only ones who are making an attempt to change the Christian based principles of our system of government are the aforementioned. One party is using deception and a pen, the other is using terrorism and murder.
You are soon to be gone from the privileged position of power that you were accorded, Mr. Obama. At that time you will possess no power to erode our sense of governing and justice. You may have influence but you will not have power. Thanks to the brilliance of our founding fathers you will be but a chapter of disgrace in our history and no more. We can only hope, and pray that our next leader will guide our ONE NATION, UNDER GOD better than you did.
Friday, September 9, 2016
It's all about them...
As you go about your business in the course of a normal day, if you're like me you stop at least a couple of times to check on what's going on in the world. And of course, at the present, it's hard not to hear something about the upcoming election. I mean U.S. politics is the topic right now and it will be until November 8th. So you hear about the candidates, their scandals, gaffes, improprieties, ideas, strategies, polls, and the insults they hurl at one another. Front and center of what is being rammed down our throats is Hillary and Don. On and on. Incessantly. Then you'll get something about Ted Cruz or some other senator running to keep his seat since he couldn't hang with the Donald and has nothing better to do. Politicians. On and on and on... Oh, Donald Trump isn't a politician you say? Well he is now.
That's all we hear, all about the politicians, their trials and tribulations and their lives. We hear about Anthony Weiner and the sick, perverted things he does. And cant seem to stop doing. It's all about them. Why? Because the media wants it to be about them. The U.S. media has a liberal slant and they also have a sordid perversion of publicizing politicians character flaws. When I say character flaws I mean the all-inclusive version. The media hangs out all their dirty laundry daily and lets it fly in our faces. And we consume it voraciously. Oh yeah, we the people have our own character flaws but we'll go into that another time.
How much discussion is there of what these people are doing on the floor in the House and Senate. And how what they are doing will affect us. There's a fair amount of talk about how the things Obama is doing will affect us and future generations but that's mostly because it's so profoundly negative. How about some talk concerning topics of real substance? Some, dare I say most of us, don't want to hear about these peoples contemptible behavior. We have perfectly good tabloids that lay out the dirt on celebrities for that. These people, politicians, are supposed to be working for us. For our country. Their job is supposed to be bigger than they are. Trump has always had a tough time with that. So has Hillary for that matter. We elect them to do very important jobs. It's the JOB that matters. WE don't give a crap about them. It's not about them. Try telling them that...
That's all we hear, all about the politicians, their trials and tribulations and their lives. We hear about Anthony Weiner and the sick, perverted things he does. And cant seem to stop doing. It's all about them. Why? Because the media wants it to be about them. The U.S. media has a liberal slant and they also have a sordid perversion of publicizing politicians character flaws. When I say character flaws I mean the all-inclusive version. The media hangs out all their dirty laundry daily and lets it fly in our faces. And we consume it voraciously. Oh yeah, we the people have our own character flaws but we'll go into that another time.
How much discussion is there of what these people are doing on the floor in the House and Senate. And how what they are doing will affect us. There's a fair amount of talk about how the things Obama is doing will affect us and future generations but that's mostly because it's so profoundly negative. How about some talk concerning topics of real substance? Some, dare I say most of us, don't want to hear about these peoples contemptible behavior. We have perfectly good tabloids that lay out the dirt on celebrities for that. These people, politicians, are supposed to be working for us. For our country. Their job is supposed to be bigger than they are. Trump has always had a tough time with that. So has Hillary for that matter. We elect them to do very important jobs. It's the JOB that matters. WE don't give a crap about them. It's not about them. Try telling them that...
Thursday, August 25, 2016
Lies, lies and more lies...
"In times of universal deceit telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." George Orwell
Kind of sounds like he really was accurately prescient, doesn't it? Was he thinking about 2016 when he said that? Was he thinking about Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump? Lord knows the two of them have done enough lying to last us all for a few generations. No need to recite the instances each has lied, I don't type posts that long and besides if you don't know of most of them then you just aren't paying attention. I will say this though, there have been numerous, yes numerous people that have 'showed up dead' in relation to Clinton's habit of lying. Thank goodness most of us aren't close to her but if you are and she starts lying I'd run like hell. How do you know for sure when she's lying, if her mouth is open and her lips are flapping, then she's lying. (I know, you saw that one coming...)
Seriously, if your habit of lying is costing people's lives, you might want to stop lying. That is, if you care. Obviously Clinton doesn't care. Trump lies too, though his lies so far haven't proved to be lethal to anyone. At least not yet... What is the difference between lying and embellishment? That's nitpicking. Like back in 1997 when Bill Clinton was asked if he was having a relationship with Monica Lewinsky and responded "that depends on the definition of 'is'". And he dished out this barge full of bullshit to a congressional subcommittee. The boy either has large cajones, he's dumber than shit or he thinks everybody else is dumber than shit.
It really matters not what party you may associate yourself with. Forget about political parties for a moment. Just think about behavior, what a person actually did or said. Be it Bill, Hillary or The Donald. Was Bill telling the truth when asked about his relationship with Monica? No. Was Hillary telling the truth when asked about the reason the Embassy compound was attacked on 9-11? No. Was Donald telling the truth when he said the FBI just found 15,000 MORE emails of Hillary's this week? No. Were they aware that they were lying at the time? Yes, but that doesn't matter. Pleading ignorant wont get you off the hook with your mother or a traffic ticket. So it sure as fuck doesn't count when you are in or close to the office of the presidency.
Sounds like it's high time for a revolution, huh George?....
Kind of sounds like he really was accurately prescient, doesn't it? Was he thinking about 2016 when he said that? Was he thinking about Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump? Lord knows the two of them have done enough lying to last us all for a few generations. No need to recite the instances each has lied, I don't type posts that long and besides if you don't know of most of them then you just aren't paying attention. I will say this though, there have been numerous, yes numerous people that have 'showed up dead' in relation to Clinton's habit of lying. Thank goodness most of us aren't close to her but if you are and she starts lying I'd run like hell. How do you know for sure when she's lying, if her mouth is open and her lips are flapping, then she's lying. (I know, you saw that one coming...)
Seriously, if your habit of lying is costing people's lives, you might want to stop lying. That is, if you care. Obviously Clinton doesn't care. Trump lies too, though his lies so far haven't proved to be lethal to anyone. At least not yet... What is the difference between lying and embellishment? That's nitpicking. Like back in 1997 when Bill Clinton was asked if he was having a relationship with Monica Lewinsky and responded "that depends on the definition of 'is'". And he dished out this barge full of bullshit to a congressional subcommittee. The boy either has large cajones, he's dumber than shit or he thinks everybody else is dumber than shit.
It really matters not what party you may associate yourself with. Forget about political parties for a moment. Just think about behavior, what a person actually did or said. Be it Bill, Hillary or The Donald. Was Bill telling the truth when asked about his relationship with Monica? No. Was Hillary telling the truth when asked about the reason the Embassy compound was attacked on 9-11? No. Was Donald telling the truth when he said the FBI just found 15,000 MORE emails of Hillary's this week? No. Were they aware that they were lying at the time? Yes, but that doesn't matter. Pleading ignorant wont get you off the hook with your mother or a traffic ticket. So it sure as fuck doesn't count when you are in or close to the office of the presidency.
Sounds like it's high time for a revolution, huh George?....
Wednesday, August 17, 2016
I know you've heard it before, but...
I know you're heard it before but, what in the name of hell is the world coming to? Politics, yeah, well, we'll leave that one alone for now. U.S. politics is currently on a trip to hell in a handbasket. One of my favorite pastimes is people-watching. Well, maybe not people watching as much as people observing. How they behave, react, and the things they do. I heard on the new this morning that a group of people are suing the makers of the game Pokémon Go. They say it is ruining their life. Yep, That's what I said... Pokémon Go is ruining their lives so they sued the makers of the game. Property owners are suing as well saying it directs people onto their property. Private property. Now that one I can go along with. In fact, more power to them. I'd love to be the judge presiding over the case of the people suing because the stupid game is ruining their life.
"And just how is this game ruining your lives?"
"Well, your honor, it' just so addicting we just cant stop. Like a dangerous drug."
"Really you don't say? Do you take dangerous drugs?"
"Yessir. I mean no sir. And it leads us into freeways and roadways where there are cars and stuff."
"What, the dangerous drugs?"
"No sir, Pokemon."
"Oh. Go ahead."
"And it keeps us outdoors causing us to suffer sunburns and aggravating our allergies."
"Uhm, uhm, uhh. That's terrible. have you tried stopping that behavior? You know, like turning your phone off or something like that?"
"Oh no your honor, it's too addicting for that. Remember, it's like a drug addiction. You cant just stop cold turkey."
"Hmm. I see. Is there a rehab program for such an addiction?"
"We don't know, your honor. But we're here because it's the fault of Nintendo for developing and producing an app that inherently puts it's users in harm's way. They gave us something intended for recreation that leads us to danger. And they gave it to us for free. Very deceptive and misleading."
"Hmm. I see. Are you aware that Nintendo didn't produce this game at all. Nor were they in a position to profit from it?"
"What, you cant be serious?"
"Excuse me, but you shall refer to me as Your Honor."
"Sorry your Honor. Nintendo didn't produce this game, sir? Really? Who did?"
"I am the presiding judge in this case, not your attorney. Nor will I do your case research for you. This case is dismissed with prejudice. Now get the hell outta here."
Yes indeed. What is the world coming to...
"And just how is this game ruining your lives?"
"Well, your honor, it' just so addicting we just cant stop. Like a dangerous drug."
"Really you don't say? Do you take dangerous drugs?"
"Yessir. I mean no sir. And it leads us into freeways and roadways where there are cars and stuff."
"What, the dangerous drugs?"
"No sir, Pokemon."
"Oh. Go ahead."
"And it keeps us outdoors causing us to suffer sunburns and aggravating our allergies."
"Uhm, uhm, uhh. That's terrible. have you tried stopping that behavior? You know, like turning your phone off or something like that?"
"Oh no your honor, it's too addicting for that. Remember, it's like a drug addiction. You cant just stop cold turkey."
"Hmm. I see. Is there a rehab program for such an addiction?"
"We don't know, your honor. But we're here because it's the fault of Nintendo for developing and producing an app that inherently puts it's users in harm's way. They gave us something intended for recreation that leads us to danger. And they gave it to us for free. Very deceptive and misleading."
"Hmm. I see. Are you aware that Nintendo didn't produce this game at all. Nor were they in a position to profit from it?"
"What, you cant be serious?"
"Excuse me, but you shall refer to me as Your Honor."
"Sorry your Honor. Nintendo didn't produce this game, sir? Really? Who did?"
"I am the presiding judge in this case, not your attorney. Nor will I do your case research for you. This case is dismissed with prejudice. Now get the hell outta here."
Yes indeed. What is the world coming to...
Tuesday, August 9, 2016
And they keep getting crazier...
After a few discussions about politics I have learned something. It's OK, in fact it's good to learn about what's going on in the world of politics. Learn about the people that want to lead our country. Be informed. Know what the issues are and how the candidates plan to address them. Get involved, even if it's by just being an informed voter. By doing this you'll be able to make up your own mind about what is right for the country, including who should be elected to lead it. Everything we learn and witness throughout our lives effects our political leanings. It forms the basis of our worldview and our political beliefs. Discussions about politics are fine IF you are discussing it with someone who has a mind that is open to at least listen to another's point of view. But that type of person is becoming about as rare as an honest politician. What I have learned is this; don't enter into a discussion about politics with the slightest intention of convincing a person with different political beliefs that yours are right, or even better in some way. I say that because it's never going to happen. Ever.
Granted, there are those that switch over to the other side but they too are quite rare.
I have a good friend, a person I have known most of my life and who is a good man. Mild-mannered, intelligent and kind-hearted. But he has become 'agitated' when it comes to politics. When he hears someone of a conservative bent speak out he lashes out usually with a derogatory and condescending remark. In his world conservatives are ignorant and thoughtless. I think most of the time it's best to keep our political beliefs to ourselves. It's not like by expressing your views you're going to change someone else's. Even if you did, it's not going to change anything in the bigger picture. Your views in fact aren't even going to help elect a president. Because our views and votes don't directly elect presidents. Delegates to the electoral college do. Which is not a bad thing. If you look into the reason the electoral college was created I think you'll agree. It evens the playing field amongst the states, and hence the people. The advantage of the big states goes away. We are all wanting fairness, well with the electoral college we got some. But if it doesn't help their choice of candidate get elected most people don't like it. I mean, if the people aren't directly electing the president, then that's just wrong, right? Why should some elitist group of electorates be choosing our presidents? Let me say this, the wisdom and prescience of our forefathers should never be understated. They obviously understood something that few people of today understand. To put it simply, states with more people should not have more power in electing the president. Besides, based on recent history we're not very good at electing quality leaders anyway.
Granted, there are those that switch over to the other side but they too are quite rare.
I have a good friend, a person I have known most of my life and who is a good man. Mild-mannered, intelligent and kind-hearted. But he has become 'agitated' when it comes to politics. When he hears someone of a conservative bent speak out he lashes out usually with a derogatory and condescending remark. In his world conservatives are ignorant and thoughtless. I think most of the time it's best to keep our political beliefs to ourselves. It's not like by expressing your views you're going to change someone else's. Even if you did, it's not going to change anything in the bigger picture. Your views in fact aren't even going to help elect a president. Because our views and votes don't directly elect presidents. Delegates to the electoral college do. Which is not a bad thing. If you look into the reason the electoral college was created I think you'll agree. It evens the playing field amongst the states, and hence the people. The advantage of the big states goes away. We are all wanting fairness, well with the electoral college we got some. But if it doesn't help their choice of candidate get elected most people don't like it. I mean, if the people aren't directly electing the president, then that's just wrong, right? Why should some elitist group of electorates be choosing our presidents? Let me say this, the wisdom and prescience of our forefathers should never be understated. They obviously understood something that few people of today understand. To put it simply, states with more people should not have more power in electing the president. Besides, based on recent history we're not very good at electing quality leaders anyway.
Wednesday, August 3, 2016
These are crazy times...
Yes, these are crazy times. In many ways. This year has not been a good one by any measure. Terrorist attacks for one. The crazed Tunisian who drove a truck through a crowd celebrating Bastille Day in Nice, France. The multiple incidents involving the murder of police officers in the U.S. The exit of Great Britain from the European Union. Police shootings. Hillary being nominated by the Democratic Party. Trump being nominated by the Republican Party. What in the hell has gotten into people. Seriously, nominating these two to lead our country? Come on, people. Hillary is dishonest and unscrupulous. Trump is brash, impulsive and stupid. Yes, stupid. No one does some of the shit he's pulling off unless they are stupid. There are plenty of brilliant, capable people who can tell him to shut the fuck up and go away and make him do just that. Where are you? Step up, please...
Like many of you I am not looking forward to four years of leadership from either of these two buffoons.
And just what are we to do about terrorism? How do we stop this insanity? These insane monkeys are wandering about the world killing innocent people as they are going about their lives. Doing it in the name of Allah because we don't adhere to their ignorant, inane beliefs. This is serious folks. These people want and fully intend to kill you. They are not playing around. And they don't mind killing themselves to do it. It's very serious. And you think that Hillary or Donald can come up with something to stop it? Hillary, no. Fuggitaboutit. Donald, well he's just stupid enough he might come up with something. You fight fire with fire, why not fight crazy with crazy...
Like many of you I am not looking forward to four years of leadership from either of these two buffoons.
And just what are we to do about terrorism? How do we stop this insanity? These insane monkeys are wandering about the world killing innocent people as they are going about their lives. Doing it in the name of Allah because we don't adhere to their ignorant, inane beliefs. This is serious folks. These people want and fully intend to kill you. They are not playing around. And they don't mind killing themselves to do it. It's very serious. And you think that Hillary or Donald can come up with something to stop it? Hillary, no. Fuggitaboutit. Donald, well he's just stupid enough he might come up with something. You fight fire with fire, why not fight crazy with crazy...
Wednesday, May 4, 2016
Have you ever noticed that nothing ever stays the same?...
I opened the news this morning and read an article about Facebook. Seems they have been conducting some sort of experiment on people, psychological experiment no less, without their knowledge. Something about if your friends post a happy message then it'll make you happy. I know, pretty deep shit, right? PhD's go around doing that kinda stuff all the time. And they often get government money for doing it. Once word got out about what they were doing there was an uproar. People were mad as hell. Experimenting on us without our knowledge, how could you? That's as bad as the time y'all hid the aliens from us in New Mexico. The nerve. Now, let me get on here and see how BobbySue's getting along.
Social Media. Can you believe that there are 1.3 billion people using Facebook? And even when Facebook pisses them off they bitch a little then keep coming back. Hundreds of millions are on it every day. For what? To find out what someone you havent seen or talked to in thirty years is up to? Who cares. And the endless stream of all these philosophical aphorisms. Shit, enough already.
But it seems that's how the masses spend their time these days. In fact there are lots of things people spend their time doing that could be better spent on something more productive. But for some reason I don't think being productive is something anyone who gets on Facebook has in mind...
Social Media. Can you believe that there are 1.3 billion people using Facebook? And even when Facebook pisses them off they bitch a little then keep coming back. Hundreds of millions are on it every day. For what? To find out what someone you havent seen or talked to in thirty years is up to? Who cares. And the endless stream of all these philosophical aphorisms. Shit, enough already.
But it seems that's how the masses spend their time these days. In fact there are lots of things people spend their time doing that could be better spent on something more productive. But for some reason I don't think being productive is something anyone who gets on Facebook has in mind...
Who's on first...
Donald Trump won the Indiana primary last night claiming all 67 delegates, soundly defeating Ted Cruz. Cruz also announced he was ‘suspending’ his campaign. I don’t understand what is going on with the Republican party or the voters in this country. The Republican party has been split, polarized, in disagreement, fractioned, conflicting, lacking unity, and generally a mess for some time now. We have moderate conservatives, Tea Party conservatives, the hard right and they all have stood apart from the others all too often unable to agree on anything. Then, along comes Donald Trump and hijacks their mess and puts his name on the ticket and runs away with the nomination. This is even more bizarre than when Barry Obama came along in 2008 and hijacked the Democratic primaries and the American voters. And the American voters bought his line of shit just like they are buying Trump’s now.
We keep hearing the term ‘low-information voter’ and many wonder if that’s just a sarcastic euphemism. It’s not. There’s plenty of information out there for voters to be informed, all anyone could need to be informed is out there. But unfortunately, and sadly most either ignore it or just aren’t capable of absorbing it and processing it into an intelligent choice. They vote based on ridiculous premises such as appearance, charisma, charm, and promises made during campaign speeches. I did say ridiculous, didn’t I? For those of us who do wade through the crap, filter it, process it and think about what’s left (one need not be exceptionally gifted to do this…) it’s frustrating to know that the majority, which rules here (I’m not sure anymore if that's fortunate or unfortunate) does not wade through it. They listen to a reality TV host who happens to be arrogant and self-absorbed say he’s going to build a wall on our southern border and make Mexico pay for it. And they believe him. The chances of this happening? Zero, zip, zilch, nada. American politics and government has become a sham and a monumental embarrassment. We have politicians who can appeal to the middle class but we have none who can appeal to them and who are also a competent, qualified leader.
And so it appears we are in for at least another four years, maybe more of having an idiot for a president. Idiot in terms of being able to do the job he was chosen to do. AND IT’S OUR OWN FAULT. That is, if we group ourselves together and take responsibility for what we have done as one people of this great nation. And not behave like the Republican party has…
We keep hearing the term ‘low-information voter’ and many wonder if that’s just a sarcastic euphemism. It’s not. There’s plenty of information out there for voters to be informed, all anyone could need to be informed is out there. But unfortunately, and sadly most either ignore it or just aren’t capable of absorbing it and processing it into an intelligent choice. They vote based on ridiculous premises such as appearance, charisma, charm, and promises made during campaign speeches. I did say ridiculous, didn’t I? For those of us who do wade through the crap, filter it, process it and think about what’s left (one need not be exceptionally gifted to do this…) it’s frustrating to know that the majority, which rules here (I’m not sure anymore if that's fortunate or unfortunate) does not wade through it. They listen to a reality TV host who happens to be arrogant and self-absorbed say he’s going to build a wall on our southern border and make Mexico pay for it. And they believe him. The chances of this happening? Zero, zip, zilch, nada. American politics and government has become a sham and a monumental embarrassment. We have politicians who can appeal to the middle class but we have none who can appeal to them and who are also a competent, qualified leader.
And so it appears we are in for at least another four years, maybe more of having an idiot for a president. Idiot in terms of being able to do the job he was chosen to do. AND IT’S OUR OWN FAULT. That is, if we group ourselves together and take responsibility for what we have done as one people of this great nation. And not behave like the Republican party has…
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