Kama Kama Kama Kameleon...

 Remember that song by Boy George from the 80's? Nice little catchy tune, everybody liked it. While we're on the topic of chameleons, seems we have one surfacing in the limelight. Presidential candidate Kamala Harris. Harris has long been known as a progressive liberal. Her policies and positions have always reflected that. But, now that she's running for president it appears her stance on some major issues has changed. Her position on most of these policies have been consistent throughout her public life. And now, they've changed? Let me point out that most of these policy shifts are 180 degree shifts, they're not slight or insignificant. Is she simply lying, trying to buy more votes from the middle-of-the-roaders, just to try to get elected? Then switch back to what has always been her stance on the issue once the election is over? That's quite possible, even likely. Looking back through the past several elections, such is not that uncommon. Especially with Democratic candidates, though Republicans have done it as well. It's dirty politics, but you know what they say, "Shit happens..."

Let's take a look at some of the topics that Kakala has flip-flopped on. Immigration and the border wall. Harris has always been a staunch opponent of building a border wall. She has insulted Trump calling it a "medieval vanity project." Seems she's now behind the idea and recently stated that she will continue building the wall. In the past she has always been lax on immigration policy, but now says she will vigorously enforce our immigration laws.

In the 2016 election debates Harris said she would put in place a federal ban on fracking. Now she claims she will allow it. She has long been a proponent of the Green New Deal, her and Biden have mandates regarding electric vehicles and charging stations. Now she says there will be no electric vehicle mandates. Also in 2016 she said she would push for Medicare for all. Which happened to carry a price tag of 44 trillion dollars, more than the current national debt. Now it seems it's not such a good idea. She also said in 2016 that there would be a mandatory semi-automatic rifle buy-back program. Now the flavor-of-the-day is no mandatory buy-backs. She's also backing the idea of no taxes on tips. She backed legislation as a senator to increase IRS funding especially for bird-dogging middle income taxpayers. As the California Attorney General she pushed for cash bail, assuring criminals were kept in jail. As a senator and VP, she has pushed against cash bail. Marijuana. As an AG Harris pushed hard to punish marijuana offenses. She has even publicly bragged about. She has recently pushed for a federal law legalizing medical marijuana. 

So, what is a voter to make of all this? Is she lying to get votes? Undoubtedly. Where did some of these good ideas come from? Donald Trump. That's kind of embarrassing, no? I recently saw an interview with the filmmaker Quentin Tarantino. He said it's perfectly OK to lie to get votes. Politicians have been doing it for ages. You just do whatever you have to do and say whatever you have to say to get in office. He's voting for her no matter what. Seems to me that's more of the Democratic party's ideology than politicians in general. Granted, they all lie but they typically don't all have private servers in their basements either. Harris has been taking some heat for not granting any press conferences or interviews since being 'crowned' the Democratic candidate. I say crowned because not one vote has been cast anywhere by anyone to elect her as the candidate. So, no press conferences or interviews, no statements regarding her official policies. Based on all the flip-flops if she did announce her official policies they'd probably change anyway...

#policy shifts

#kamala harris

#Harris policy

#2024election

#democrats lies

Let's take a break...

 We've been talking about politics lately because this is election year. It's what's on people's minds. Well, most peoples. It's important, it's going to affect our lives for at least four more years. But, then again, politics is politics. It doesn't always involve the truth and it's always in your face. Is spite of how important it may be, it wears on us. We get tired of hearing it. So,  let's take a break. 

I can't think of a better subject to get our minds off politics than music. I can't help but remember a quote from Shakespeare, "If music be the food of love, then play on...". Well then, let's play on...

It matters not if your preference is country, rock, pop, alternative, or whatever it may be, music is indeed the food of love. It moves us, it makes us feel things and they are almost exclusively good things. It makes us happy. Since the beginning of time there has been music. Since the days Christ walked the earth. You've heard the expression "There's a reason for everything," well, there's certainly a reason for that. Music is magical. It stimulates people. It inspires people. It always has and it always will. Why? That's a question humans have to ask about everything. The answer to that is probably one of the mysteries of the universe. You'll have to ask someone smarter than me. But it does. And when it does, it is nonpareil. It has no competition. It makes people fall in love. It reminds people of past loves. It inspires people of future love. It moves us. It. is. powerful.

But whatever type of music works, it works. It causes us to behave in a way that reflects our core. If you love someone, then you will express that. If you have a goal, you will work harder and persevere toward that. Nothing else works quite like this. 

Whatever type of music you may like, in this case, there is something to please everyone. What other topic can make that claim?... My preference is multifold. Classical, rock, alternative, country... That covers a lot. If you happen to like music of those sorts, then follow along. I have a recommendation. Get on YouTube and search for Dovydas. This is a guy from Lithuania who is a musician. And a very good one. Really good. He's a street musician and invites people from the street to play and sing along with him. It just so happens that the people he invites to play and sing are extremely good as well.  Don't take my word for it, google him and see for yourself. 

For the most part he plays guitar to accompany singers. His ability, I would put on the same level as some of the world's best guitarists. Seriously. Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Prince, BB King, and yes, even Jimi himself. I know, that's a pretty audacious claim. But check it out for yourself. He could be in a studio making millions, but he chooses a more austere path, one of making people happy through his music. And oh, but does he ever succeed at that...

Davydos. See for yourself. It's a nice break from politics...

#davydos

#street musician

#Guitarist

#Great guitarist

#Great music

The 2024 Democratic Convention

 Last night was the second night of the DNC. The Obama's spoke, both Michelle and Barry. Both of them spent a considerable amount of their allotted time berating and trashing Donald Trump. I suppose this is an indication that they feel this is time well spent that will further convince their followers and the fence-sitters that voting for Trump will lead to catastrophic consequences and result in the destruction of our democracy. And of course there were the obligatory accolades for the candidate, Kakala. Since these are 'supporters' I suppose it's ok to give them a pass on talking about substantive issues, after all, they're just supporters. But when it comes to real issues, such as the economy, inflation, the border, foreign affairs, Kakala and Timmy Walz dont get any passes. Up to this point there has been no mention or discussion of these topics. And let's not overlook the fact that Kakala hasn't held a press conference since Biden stepped aside and she was announced as the 'default' candidate'. I say default because she's the first presidential candidate in history to be named as the candidate without having been voted as such by a single delegate. The party just placed her name in the blank. 

But back to the Convention. From the speakers so far, all that has been talked about is Trump sucks, Kakala is great and we're excited. We know prices are high and some Americans are struggling, but as soon as Kakala is elected she will put price controls in place and fix that problem. That's it... No talk of the issues that are at the front of the minds of American citizens. There are serious conflicts taking place in the world that alter geopolitics for decades to come. No talk of policies regarding those conflicts. 

There's a problem that has been around since probably, well, for a very long time. There are a large block of voters that vote based on, let's call it vagaries, for lack of a better term. Most people, a lot of people, when they face making a major decision whether it be buying a refrigerator, a car, joining a club, anything that costs a lot of money or has the potential for affecting their lives will spend some time researching it. Get some information, some facts and base your decision on what you learn. An election should be no different. Heaven knows they have enormous potential for changing lives. But for some unknown phenomenal reason they don't do this. They base their decision on something else. Charm, charisma, gut-feel, curb-appeal, pity, physical attributes, who knows what... The sad thing is they dont gather facts and objective information as a basis of their decision. They vote along the lines of their emotions. Maybe they feel like, wow, I could be their friend. I like them. Their perspective of a good candidate is based on all the wrong things. 

Kakala is out of town campaigning. We're assuming she'll be back in town for the remainder of the convention. Republican or Democrat, we want to hear, what are your policies, what are you going to do, how are you going to fix problems... Get to the point...

Shark-infested waters...

 There's been a lot of rhetoric lately about the inclinations of the Democratic Party. Specifically the behavior of some of the candidates. The leftists, liberals, socialists, and lately they're even being tagged as Communists. Inflation and high prices are in the forefront and Kackala has proposed government regulated price controls to get inflation under control. To make food, groceries and necessities more affordable for everyone. She has accused grocery suppliers as profiteering and price gouging. Hell, she's accused corporations in general of price gouging, just like Biden did. 

So, is the government regulating prices a good idea? Is that a viable solution to the inflation problem? Is swimming in shark-infested waters a good idea? Not unless you're suicidal and want to go out in the worst way possible. As a Washington Post correspondent recently wrote, if your opponent is calling you a communist it's best not to validate the label. One would think that any reasonable person with even a basic education would surmise that government price controls would not solve nor even deter inflation. In fact, it could even have the opposite effect. Defining price gouging is a task open to a broad spectrum of interpretation. Even in the absence of a disaster or national emergency. A basic understanding of economics will reveal that price gouging did not cause inflation. Massive government spending and handouts put too many dollars chasing fewer goods and services caused by supply chain disruptions during the pandemic. Increasing government regulations since has exacerbated the problem. Corporate greed isn't the problem, they are in fact the ones who went to work solving the supply chain problems, which would lower prices. The government made no contribution to solving the supply chain crisis. What they did was continue to pump borrowed money into the economy which had the effect of fanning the flames of inflation. The effects of this are still being felt today, two to three years since the pandemic. Instituting price controls would be tantamount to mirroring how things are done under the auspices of the Chinese Communist Party. Since taking control of the CCP there has been major movements in government control of business in China. The shift shows how China’s top leader, Xi Jinping, has remade private business, bringing it firmly under government and Chinese Communist Party control. Officials have forced successful companies off the public stock markets, jailed entrepreneurs and abruptly barred booming industries from making profits. Is this the direction we want to go? Do we really want to follow China's example? What's next after price controls, taking control of the production of goods and services? Exactly what China is doing (and Russia...). Deciding who succeeds and who does not.,. Do we really want to swim in these waters?...

It's out in plain sight for everyone to see...

 Todays political landscape is interesting, and compelling. It's a real task to understand just how it all came to be, but politics is like that. But at the core of it all are a few key issues. First, I believe would be the fact that the nation has become so divided. I dont think calling it Democrats against Conservatives is the right way to characterize it, though that's a start. It's more a clash of perspectives and ideologies. Conservatives and liberals is more accurate. What's noteworthy is that there have always been liberals and conservatives. Since probably sometime in the 1800's. Differing ideologies. And that's not a problem. Until recently. Seems now it's a problem. And the reason it's a problem is there's no middle ground, no compromising, no tolerance for a perspective that differs from one's own. A different perspective is now somehow 'wrong'. What happened to understanding, compromise and tolerance? What happened to patriotism? I guess there are different opinions on just exactly what patriotism is now, as if the meaning of it should ever change... Just as there are differing opinions on exactly what is right and wrong now. With no tolerance for other opinions. And second, this lack of tolerance is carried to extremes. To violence and hateful speech and behavior. Decadence, is what it is, a constant state of extenuation. The state of the nation is a state of decadence. There is no sense of unity or direction. We no longer deal with the problems of the nation as a nation. The right and the left insist on dealing with it their way. What was once a great, solid, unified nation (One Nation, Under God) is no more. The glory days of being strong under the leadership of great leaders eludes us. We simply dont have any at present. The Lincolns, the Roosevelts, the Kennedys, the Reagans, would be disappointed. They did their job when it was their time and they did it well. They were able to bring the country together. 

So, let's get back to the point. Is the recent leadership of the country doing things that are 'wrong'? We shouldn't look at it as right and wrong. It's an issue of what's best for the country and Americans. That characterization certainly opens up a fresh can of worms though. I've no doubt that every president from Dwight Eisenhower forward has believed they were doing what was best for the country. So, how do we know whether they actually were or not? One must look at some key, critical areas; the economy, inflation, jobs, immigration, global geopolitics (wars)... There are of course, more but these are the ones that win and lose elections and affect a lot of people's lives. Let's keep the discussion focused and look at the last eight years. How were the actions and events concerning these topics affecting Americans during the administration's of Trump and Biden? The answers are literally out in plain sight for everyome to see. Granted, it takes effort as the mainstream media that we could once depend on to bring us unbiased information doesn't exist any longer. We must now be able to filter the facts from the crap and lies. But it's all out there in plain sight for everyone to see. However, humans are very adept at seeing what they want to see. At hearing what they want to hear. At believing what they want to believe. Even if they are suffering for it. It's all very complex yet it's all very simple. Are you paying more for food, gas and essentials than before? Are you unemployed? Is government telling you that you must drive an electric car now? The you cant have an abortion, even if you were raped by an illegal immigrant? Yet in the past none of those issues were issues. 

Like I said, the reasons for such things are all out in the open for all to see...

Drag Queens........Really?........

Watching the opening ceremonies of the Olympic games this year was, well, spectacular. It's always spectacular because, after all it's the Olympic Games. This is a tradition of humanity that dates back to ancient times. How many rituals of modern life date back thousands of years? It's a time-honored and revered tradition. The opening ceremonies are pomp and circumstance but they are legitimate. An event esteemed by the entire world deserves pomp and circumstance. But this year, let us say that the ceremonial train got off the rails. That is, with the inclusion of the drag queens. These days we have to be inclusive, right. Let's not leave out any group deserving of being recognized. Diversity, equity and inclusion are the cornerstones of modern civilization, right? As Barry Obama so aptly said, "Everyone deserves their piece of the pie." Let's think about that for a second. There are basically two groups of thought on this. There are those that believe everyone must earn their way. You get out of it what you put into it. There is no such thing as a free lunch. Work hard and prosper. The other group believes we must be a society of compassionate and caring people. Provide for those who are the 'have-nots'. Give everyone a piece of the pie regardless. I know what you're thinking, that's a description of conservatives and liberals, right? It wasn't meant to be such but yeah, I suppose it is. We started this conversation talking about why the Olympic ceremonies included drag queens didn't we? Has modern society evolved (or devolved...) to the point that we now include men who adroitly dress as harlots and tarts in official ceremonies? Are these legitimate members of society or simply hirsute female imposters? Most would typically think of participants of ceremony in a global event of unity to be respected members of society. So, these 'members' are worthy of our respect?... 

I suppose everyone must answer that for themselves. American society was constructed to provide for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I guess that means drag queens get the green light here. But this happened on a global stage. I also suppose we have to bear in mind that this stage was produced by the Frogs. They have been know to be weird on occasion. But, (everything has a big but, right...). But the hairy hookers took it a little too far this time. 

They concocted a scene that looked dramatically like the "Last Supper." It was met with backlash, criticism, and disdain by Christians the world over. By all appearances this was an insulting violation of sacrilege. The response, "We didn't intend to offend anyone." Really? Frankly I'm sick of these quips of denial in spite of evidence to the contrary. It no different than stomping on a person's toes then when told "you stepped on my foot" and responding with "I didn't step on your foot." There's too much of that going on of late. Trying to figure out what were they thinking? Forget it. Trying to figure out what those of dubious character and unstable mind are thinking is akin to figuring out why cattle fart. Who knows and who cares. Once it blows out their ass it's done. Deal with it. 

So, what are we to think of this 'event'? It's kind of like a cattle fart in a way. It was inexplicable, they blew it out their ass and now we're left to deal with the stench. 

Back to writing again...

 Six months ago I retired from my job of 48 years. Let me tell you, that's a long time. I never thought that I would work that long and to be honest, I have no regrets. Had I retired sooner, I think the transition would have been more difficult. Even at 70 it's not an easy transition. The first few months are great, you feel free and unburdened. Then it starts to sink in what life is going to be like for the rest of your life. Everyone is different, granted, but I believe most are probably like me. If you have been really busy for the last 50 years or so, your need to stay busy doesn't go away. You're still going to need to be involved and engaged. The only difference is what you are involved and engaged with changes. You have to decide what that is... In essence, you have to create a new life for yourself. And then live it.

About 14 years ago I had a great life experience. It inspired me to do something that a lot of people say they're going to do but never do it. I wrote a book and published it. It hasn't made enough money to change my lifestyle, but who knows, maybe someday it will. I think it's a really good book and I've had a lot of people tell me so. I've also been told that it would make a fantastic movie. Writing it was a wonderful experience. I thoroughly enjoyed it. And I'm proud of the accomplishment. So much so that I started another book. The second book has turned out to be a journey that I never expected. I like action thrillers, I read a lot of them. Not exactly murder mysteries or spy novels, but thrillers that involve ordinary people that get into extraordinary situations. I would call my current project a historical thriller. You know, James Michener kind of stuff. Understand, I'm not in James Michener's league, never will be. But I chose this type of story because my wife is an American Indian. Choctaw tribe. As I learned about her ancestors I became fascinated with their history. And some very famous, and infamous people that crossed paths with the Choctaws. I've been working off an on for about 12 years on this book and I'm happy (and relieved...) to say it's about to wrap up. It's historically accurate but the characters and some events are of course, fictional. The research to achieve the historically accurate part was extensive and I'll admit, that's not my favorite way to while away hours. Many of the fictional characters are based on real people and I've asked each of those people for their permission. I haven't denigrated anyone, my goal was to honor them. But here's the catch, I'm working on developing the denouement, that is, the ending. The final twist in the plot. We've all read some books that were really good, maybe even great, but then you get to the ending it's disappointing. Lacking, leaves you hanging. And then there's those books that as you near the end you cant stop. You cant put it down. And when you read the last word all you can think is wow! Holy cow, didn't see that coming. Trust me, as a writer that's the toughest part of the job. Readers will remember you because you delivered.  

With no job to go to anymore this is my job now. It doesn't pay much and there are no benefits, but I can show up when I feel like it and not show up when I dont. (And no one cares...) But most of all, it's fun. I can't say just when it's going to hit the electronic shelves of Amazon, all I can say is I hope soon. Very soon. I'll post when it does, and when it does do me a favor and grab a copy and have a read. I promise you won't be disappointed and you'll have as much fun reading it as I did writing it. 

When Does it end? For now, it doesn't...

An incident that happened some time back when a high school basketball player sucker punched a player from the opposing team causing serious injury came to mind. The incident involved two women athletes and I see in the news that another very similar occurrence took place recently involving two male high school athletes. The incident was caught on video so, of course the whole world wanted to watch. People seem to have a fascination with watching raw violence. The other player in both cases was injured, seriously... Over what? It wasn't stated in the article but it had to be, obviously something like, we lost, a blocked shot, trash talk on the court, a perceived dirty foul, something really big and life-changing, you know. But to seriously injure someone... One was charged with a felony the other may be facing the same. Though I doubt that initially caused much in the way of remorse or reflection. This is but two examples, they are countless. 

So, what is going here? Cultural breakdown, an erosion in decency and decorum, kids that haven't learned respect for others, solving your issues through violence, a lack of maturity? All of that and a lot more. We have a lot of problems when it comes to civility. Serious problems. In order to have any sort of peaceful order in any civilization there must be consequences for wrongdoing. Otherwise, well no further explanation is really needed. That's not sustainable, and there certainly would never be peace. The bad actors would rule. 

Let's go back to your childhood. If you misbehaved, your parents would punish you. At least for the infractions they knew about. If you hit your sibling you were spanked, sent to your room, grounded from privileges... And such things were painful as a child. They meant something, they hurt. And they often worked, they were effective at changing your bad behavior. As an adult there also must be consequences for bad behavior. You know, to keep the order. Bad behavior tends to cause misery for others. This is exactly what our forefathers were thinking when they were setting up our democracy. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. There is no way to put it any simpler than that. No one has the right to screw with someone else's life, liberty or pursuit of happiness. If you do, there will be consequences. There must be...

As a child, the monumental authority of your parents beating your ass usually did the trick. Or putting you in time out, depending on the type of household you grew up in (rolling my eyes...). For adults locking your ass up in a jail cell (with a rowdy cellmate...) and a hefty fine works for most people. But not everyone. Bad actors tend to be persistent bastards. Recidivism is rampant. In fact, when it comes to punishing adults we rarely get it right. Time and again you see cases where offenders of serious crimes, assault, battery, rape, felony theft, robbery, even murder are charged and incarcerated only to be back on the streets within days. Sometimes merely a matter of hours. And more often than not committing the same crimes again... 

It begs the question, who is responsible for this lunacy? Who is doing this? As a democracy, a civilization, a country we're not stupid. Well, let me rephrase, most of us aren't stupid. The ones who carry the load of culpability are not the people. In fact, this isn't really complicated at all. The ones who make the laws (and change them...) are the ones presumably tasked with doling out 'justice'. In short, politicians and judges. Eliminating or not even requiring bail, ridiculously low bonds for serious, violent crimes, releases for overcrowding, a broken immigration control system (but let's not go there...). There have been countless innocent lives lost because because a sworn-to-uphold the law judge released a violent criminal who fell back into their old habits and killed again. Or raped again, or assaulted again. 

So what's going on with these Neanderthals who identify as judges? Why do they do this? They believe they are interpreting the law and the problem is the law. It couldn't possibly be their own short-sighted ignorance and inability to think. Of course not. But let's be honest, and blunt. Speaking directly to the group of idiot mongrels who identify as judges, it's on you. Yes you. Our laws and legal system however fallible it may be was intended to protect us and our lives, liberty and pursuit of happiness. And it's your job to make that happen. If laws can be twisted and "interpreted" to allow violent criminals back on the streets then they can certainly be twisted enough to keep them locked up. Feel feel to use a little common sense whenever the urge strikes you. While the populace is out keeping the economy moving, providing healthcare, producing goods and services, keeping the lights on in your home and gas in your car do something productive yourself. Lock up violent offenders and keep them locked up. We all have rights, of course we do. Even if you have been accused of a crime. Even if you have been convicted of a crime. But listen closely, victims of violent crime have rights too. And one of those rights is to not have the same criminal inflict the same violence on you or the public again. And yet again. Snowflake ideology has no place in our legal system. In fact it has proven to be lethal time and time again...

Police Problem?

 In recent years you can't help but to have noticed the occurrences of police interactions that have resulted in citizen deaths. These occurrences have resulted in a lot of exposure in the press. And obviously most of this exposure has not been positive for the police. So it would be rather easy and expected that a majority of the citizenry would come to the conclusion that we have a police problem. That the use of deadly force has gotten out of hand. And that many of these encounters are racially charged and motivated. There have been countless protests and demonstrations and destruction of property. Any behavior by the police that results in the death of someone, other than someone who poses and immediate deadly threat ( I guess we need to qualify that...) can at face value be deemed unacceptable. All of the premises that we expect, and take for granted such as due process, innocent until proven guilty, to serve and protect are removed from the equation. In these cases it appears that the police took the role of judge, jury and executioner. The cartels, the mafia and the banana republics may be accustomed to and accept such behavior but we're not and we don't. Even the wild west back in the day had judges. They weren't consulted on all matters. but, hey, we had them. 

So, just exactly how big is this problem? If it happens even once then it's a problem. If there is any loss of life then it's a problem. But is it a pandemic problem? According to numerous studies and accounts only .003% of all interactions between a resident and a cop result in the use of deadly force. Of the over ten million interactions with police officers every year only a thousand of them involve deadly shootings. Are all of those deadly shooting's unjustified? Hardly. First you'll have to identify and exclude all the cases where the officer was defending himself. The perp pulled a knife or gun or some other weapon and threatened the officer or someone else. Fully justified. Or anyone else for that matter to defend themselves or anyone else. But the documented statistics say it's not prevalent, rampant or pandemic as the press would have you believe. Not all police officers are good lawmen who routinely exercise good judgment. There are bad apples with badges and guns. And sometimes they kill people that shouldn't be killed. This is a serious crime and should be punished accordingly. When it's a police involved shooting, they should be punished the same as anyone else. No exceptions. There are plenty of bad apples among us all. They're in every group, organization, cabal, profession, community, religion, literally everywhere. The difference is when most of us make a bad decision no one else is affected and certainly no one is killed. But when a police officer makes a bad decision with a gun in his hand it never ends well. Police officers are in a very unique position when it comes to the use of deadly force. The benefit of the doubt immediately goes to the police. If a citizen used deadly force and it is not obvious they were acting in self defense, they are detained while the matter is investigated. And they certainly are not given the benefit of the doubt. Not to say that police officers should not be given the benefit of the doubt, in most cases they should be. But every instance should be investigated thoroughly and objectively. 

Invariably in every case whether the incident is white on black, white on white, black on white or black on black the issue of racism is injected. No matter the color combination race is rarely if ever the issue.  Just as in rape, sex is not the issue or the motive. Use of deadly force is a complicated occurrence that is not motivated by race. Much of modern policing is driven by crime data and community demand. In most cases there was a direct threat to the police officer's life with a deadly weapon. Deadly weapon attacks on police officers happen on average 27 times a day in just 2\3 of the nation's police departments. If you threaten a police officer with a deadly weapon your chances of surviving the encounter are not good. As well they shouldn't be. It's an issue of cultures clashing. It's an issue of selecting the right people to do the job of policing and properly training them. And properly supervising them. The police are an armed force. Why do you think the armed forces; Army, Navy, Marines... train and live by strict discipline and code of honor and chain of command? When you have a large group whose mission and task involves the need to be armed, how else could it be done?... Strict discipline, code of honor and chain of command, and lots of accountability. Police need to and should do the same. Police misbehavior should never reach a court of law. It shouldn't happen in the first place. With competent supervision and training there would be a lot less misconduct. And a lot less incidents of the use of deadly force. Throw in a little common sense on the part of everyone involved and you'll have a much more desirable outcome...

Time to take out the rest of the trash...

 You have Hunter Biden over here on the one hand who is consistently displaying antics and behavior very unbecoming of a presidents' son. Not to mention that he's also a grown-ass man. He fathered a daughter from a past romance, or in his case probably more of a mindless dalliance. He has from the beginning refused to accept any responsibility for her and has fought vigorously to keep her from being able to legally claim the Biden name. Only through DNA testing was he forced to admit that it was his child. He desperately doesn't want her to be able to claim the Biden family name. There would obviously be many advantages for this child to bear the name of a President. Even a bad one... Joe and Jill on the other hand, have never even met this child. Ever. The have never so much as acknowledged her existence. There were stockings for all the Biden's children and grandchildren on the mantle at the White House, except hers. Even the dog and cat had stockings, but not her.  This isn't something you'll easily find in the media, simply because it isn't there. They don't like to talk about such things. This is the President of the United States granddaughter. I'm trying to see some compassion, some integrity, some solid morals here... I don't see any. Not even a trace.

Then of course, there's the infamous laptop debacle. Hunt' drops his laptop off for a repair, never comes back to claim it. The shop owner takes a look at the hard drive and finds things that causes his eyes to pop out of their sockets. He however, does have some integrity and decides to call the authorities. He turned the laptop over to the FBI. He also kept a copy of the contents of the hard drive, which somehow found their way to Rudy Giuliani, which then found their way to the pages of the NY Times. The FBI then begins to publicly discredit the NY Times publication with the good old standby, the Russian interference crap. I personally think they have about worn that excuse out but that seems to be their story and they're sticking with it... But, now here's the kicker, the vehicle, the medium for their discrediting efforts came through a clandestine and obscure relationship they 'cultivated' with Twitter executives. And, of course the Twitter execs willingly cooperated by closing and censoring accounts, etc. Violation of first amendment rights to free speech? Probably. And the fact that Twitter was paid several million dollars for staffers time by the FBI didn't hurt either. 

Along comes Elon Musk who buys Twitter and finds this morass in his newly purchased company. Before you know it, the Twitter Files are made public. It was really just a matter of Elon showing up at Twitter and taking out the trash. Now the truth is out there for all to see. 

So where's the outrage? Where's the collective sense of  "what in the sam hell is going on?" The news of Hunter Biden's business dealings are nothing new. The most casual of observers know that Hunter is and has been involved in myriad crooked shenanigans to garner as much money (and drugs) as he can get his paws on. It's also beginning to look as though Pops is in on it to some extent. And a large proportion of all this hanky-panky involves Chinese officials at various levels of power. Most of the facts are out in the public domain, so why isn't there a prolific outrage? There are a few reasons. One, the FBI with all their considerable resources are still at work to deny, discredit and just outright cover up as much as possible, and succeeding on most fronts. Oh, and by the way, those considerable resources, guess who's paying for those?... Yep, you. The taxpayer. And who does the director of the FBI report to? The Attorney General who in turn reports to the President. Hunter's daddy. Another reason for the subdued outrage? Twitter, who verifiably has been colluding with the FBI and getting paid for it, has been silencing the negative talk about Bidens. All of the Bidens. Deleting accounts. Including Trumps... Censoring posts. And if you have read any of the Twitter files, there is proof of all this happening, the Twitter Files. Trying and succeeding in confusing as many people as possible. And believe me, there are a lot of voters out there that it takes very little to confuse them. Then along comes Elon and rains on their happy ass little parade. 

But, there's always a big butt that  shows up when dirty business is going on. As long as the Democrats had control of the House there was no reason to investigate Hunter's business dealings (according to them...) or anything else related to the Bidens or the FBI. But, the dems aren't in control anymore. The investigative wheels have already started turning looking into Hunter's shady business dealings. The DOJ has assigned a special counsel to investigate the classified docs found in Pop Biden's office and garage. Interesting... The FBI can bully the old Twitter (but not the new one...) but the special counsel is hands off. He's a Trump appointee which means he's not a dem. Director Wray, have a seat. 

So, back to the original question, who or what is the biggest problem? The Bidens, nah. They'll be investigated, might face some charges, probably get their filthy little hands slapped and in a couple of years they'll be history. The FBI is a huge problem. But that all comes back to leadership. Who in the hell was in charge letting those little shits get away with that crap? Barry Obama and Joe Biden. With a little luck and if the creek doesn't rise, maybe the rest of the trash will get taken out...

Is it a Pack Mentality...

 Reading the news, I used to enjoy getting a newspaper and keeping up with what's going on in the world. It was once relaxing and there was enjoyment in it. But that was then. Such is no longer the case. It's no secret why, there's just too much bad stuff going on. Way too much. Major cities have become decadent. I live near one and from personal observation I can tell you it's bad. Crime has skyrocketed. Everything from murder, rape, burglary, arson, human trafficking, theft (including everything from bicycles to airplanes) is off the charts. Places, neighborhoods that were long thought to be safe aren't anymore. Living in the suburbs used to be the solution. Not anymore. And just why, exactly is this happening?... Perhaps we should carry that question a little further, why does this keep happening and getting worse?..

Have our values changed? Our morals? Even our sense of right and wrong? Of course they have. All of that. But the problem lying at the root of all this, at the very core is way too many of us are simply accepting it, going along with it. I don't meant to sound like I'm throwing everyone under the bus, I'm not. There are plenty of solid people out there who are standing up, who are calling out those who are creating and promoting this pandemic of decay. There are still even sources in the mainstream media and press that are calling it like it is. Though you do have to seek them out. They aren't the ones on TV in your face very night. First off, it's a problem of leadership. If any one group deserves the bulk of the blame it's them. The leaders. Let me name some of them; corporate leaders, mayors, city council members, district attorneys, chiefs of police, governors, congress men and women, supreme court justices, presidential cabinet members, and of course the commander-in-chief himself and his useless sidekick. We look to our leaders to do the work of building and maintaining the structure that society needs to function in a productive and civil way. With few exceptions, we elected them to their positions. We should expect this of them, it's their job and responsibility. We should hold them accountable. And when they fail, we should get rid of them. 

But that's not often the case. It happens, all too often, that there is a miserable, horrible fail and not only are they not dispensed, they are re-elected. And re-elected again. All of the fallout from their failures are overlooked, denied, even defended. Let me offer a stellar example, Lori Lightfoot, the mayor of Chicago. She was elected in 2019 and hailed and heralded as the first black, female lesbian mayor in Chicago's history. Since she was elected crime has spiked over 40%. Last year, homicides rose to their highest levels in 25 years. She operates under the thumb of the cartels. Chicago has long been known, very long, as a Democratic bastion. So why don't the dems get rid of her? Elect someone else? Because she's protected by her diversity shield. Not all democrats agree with this. But they all accept it. They go along with it. Maybe they're telling themselves 'damn, this is bad but it's not really that bad.' Will she be re-elected? Probably. Is she the worst mayor in the country? Probably. 

Political party ideology is a pretty complex subject. But it does have some very obvious, consistent symptoms. One of them that the dems seem to struggle with is they'll grab hold of something that makes absolutely no sense and benefits but a few (or maybe even no one...) and they'll run with it. And keep running with it. And they'll all get behind the dog with the bone and cheer them on. Seemingly, forever. Dogs have a pack mentality, they follow the one with the bone. Relentlessly. Are democrats dogs? I don't know, look into what's going on in Chicago then you tell me... I really feel bad about disparaging dogs, though.