Tag Archives: Media Bias

Why does it have to be so complex?

It appears to me that oftentimes, our government needs assistance in making prudent decisions. If we apply a little common sense and practicality to some of these situations, life for the politicians, and for the public, could be made so much easier and better. For example:

War in the Ukraine

Who does not want to stop the war in the Ukraine, other than Vladimir Putin? I believe we can stop that war in 2 months without sending one more bullet to that war zone. How? It’s really quite simple. All the U.S. needs to do is to start pumping the hell out of our roughly 200-year supply of petroleum reserves. This pumping would lower the price of petroleum on the world market, thus taking away Putin’s primary source of income to continue his invasion of the Ukraine. There are numerous accounts of Russian soldiers leaving the battlefield because of not being paid. By cutting Putin’s money source, there would be less soldiers (who wants to be shot or die for free?), less fuel for military vehicles, less money for bullets and rockets….in other words, Russia could not afford to continue the war without financial ruination.

Think of the positive ripple effects of pumping our own oil. The price of gas would go down. More jobs would be created in the energy industry. Our economy would be stimulated by actual business and economic progress rather than being stimulated by government handouts. We could supply our excess energy to Europe to break their dependence on Russian oil. The currently threatening railroad strike would not have as much economic impact, because we could use our pipelines again. (This would upset the Oracle of Omaha, because his gigantic stake in Burlington Northern is profiting immensely from hauling oil!) And… maybe Joe Biden could afford to replenish our strategic oil reserves at his own expense! After all, doesn’t Hunter Biden have a seat on the board of directors at Burisma? Burisma is an oil consortium located in the Ukraine. So, Joe has juice in the petroleum industry. This would offset his strictly stupid, political decision to use the U.S. strategic oil reserves to lower the price of gas by 2 cents before the midterm election. And maybe, just maybe, the oligarchs in Russia would find their cajones to overthrow Vladimir Putin, and get their mega-yachts returned.

Common sense tells me that there is at least a half dozen ‘positives’ for pumping oil. None of this will get done, however, as long as the democrats are in control. It would make too much common sense and go counter to the Green Deal.

Climate Change versus Environmental Protection

Let me help all the woke-wonks determine the difference between climate change and environment protection. Here it is. Mother nature and the rules of the universe will forever and ever be responsible for climate change. Man does not have one iota of impact on climate change. Man does have responsibility for environmental protection, and we have done it for decades.

Let me begin with environmental protection. Do you have a catalytic converter on your car? Of course, you do. In America it has been required of car manufacturers for decades. The purpose was to reduce harmful emissions entering the atmosphere. A similar requirement was placed on factories. There has to be ‘scrubbers’ on all smokestacks. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has gone to great lengths to keep our rivers, lakes, streams and air free of pollution. We plant trees and create green spaces. We even believe that electric vehicles are the answer to environmental protection. That issue requires more discussion. But the U.S. has gone to great lengths, and has spent billions of dollars, and required industry to spend billions of dollars to protect the environment. The problem is…. many other countries do not do one damn thing to protect the environment of Mother Earth. No catalytic converters. No smokestack scrubbers. They are even cutting down the Amazon rain forest. That rain forest alone supplies a high percentage of our oxygen, and yet they are cutting it down at an alarming rate. What I am saying is that the other 190+ countries need to get on board with environmental protection. The U.S. has taken measures to protect our country, but we are not capable of protecting the whole world.

Sorry woke-wonks. Climate change is beyond the capability of man. Currently there are two volcanos erupting in Hawaii. What if these volcanos spewed enough ash to put a black cloud over the entire planet, and that black cloud would block the sun for two years? Well, it already happened over 500 years ago. The end result? A Little ICE AGE! Yup. People starved and froze because of low temperatures and because the crops would not grow. This event is well documented in Europe. How would man control that? Did you know that the Sahara Desert was at one time a tropical forest? Yup. It became a desert because the axis of the Earth shifted in relation to the sun. How would man control that? There was one volcanic explosion on this planet that spewed more noxious gases into the atmosphere, than all the noxious gases released by automobiles since the invention of the automobile. Yup. How does man control that?

There are going to be years when our summers are hot, and years when our summers will be cooler. There will be years when there will be more ice formed in the Arctic, and there will be years when Arctic ice will be melting. How would man control that? Make ice? Two issues come to mind: 1. How could man change any of these events? And 2. What exactly is going to be done with the trillions of dollars that our government wants to spend and has spent on climate change?

I absolutely cringe when I hear about the Green Deal, or by proposals to spend another trillion or two on ‘climate change.’ Why do I cringe? I cringe because I think this whole climate change and Green Deal crap is just that…. crap! I believe this whole issue is a way of bilking the American public out of monies which eventually end up in pockets or reelection campaigns of dishonest politicians. The idiotic woke-wonk public will buy into it, because they think we need to prevent climate change. Do you remember when Obama was POTUS, and $4 billion was granted to a solar company? I do. That company went out of business within 9 months of receiving the money. What happened to that money? I am not aware of any government investigation to determine what happened to our tax dollars, or of any effort to get the money back. I am irritated seeing Al Gore expounding climate change and eliminating fossil fuels…. while he is getting off his private jet. He made millions by forcing companies to buy ‘environmental credits.’ What happened to that money? As far as I am concerned, Al Gore is a dipshit that ought to be walking…. right to prison. Purchasing ‘environmental credits’ was just a way of extorting money from business and industry.

I would dare say that a proposed spending bill for climate change and the Green Deal, after being loaded with political pork, would be similar to the amount of money spent on benevolent projects by the late Clinton Foundation, about 4%. Through the use of grants, loans and contracts to unscrupulous contractors, I would say very little money really gets to its intended use; and much of the money finds its way into pockets and campaign coffers.

Elon Musk

Elon Musk has suddenly become less popular than a prom queen with acne. With the Green Deal, Elon was mister popular because he owns the most successful electric EV) company on the planet, Tesla. The liberals loved him. And then, Elon did two things that have absolutely placed him in disfavor with liberal woke-wonks.

Firstly, he bought Twitter and fired practically all the woke-wonk employees that were exercising censorship. This censorship was largely against positive conservative conversations or against any negative liberal conversations. For instance, no tweets were allowed that had anything to do that was negative about Hunter Biden. (Executive woke-wonk Mark Zuckerberg has admitted the FBI contacted him about not allowing negative Hunter Biden posts on Facebook prior to the presidential and midterm elections!) But Elon has stated he is going to change the business climate at Twitter to allow free speech! The liberal press is going wild, as is the White House. Last week, the White House stated they are thinking about investigating Twitter. Really? Why? Apparently, it is against White House and Democratic party principles to have some right-leaning executive own a media source.

Secondly, Elon brought disfavor on himself with the following statement, “If the 2024 election were held today, I would vote for Ron Desantis.” OMG! No censorship at Twitter! Voting for a Republican! In the liberal mindset, this man needs to be destroyed.

Be cognizant of what the White House and the liberal media will do to destroy Elon Musk, or any of the Republican presidential frontrunners in the 2024 election. Sorry Elon. No date to the prom for you.

(Please excuse me for using the term woke-wonk excessively through this blog. I am a baby boomer and have lost track, and don’t really care of the names of the generations that followed the baby boomers. So, rather than saying, ‘whiney entitled liberals that have their heads up their asses,’ I thought woke-wonk would be more appropriate. Amen.)

Justice, My Nightmares of Today!

There are certain things I dream about as I am tossing and turning during a sleepless night. One of these dreams involve our elections. Do we have honest elections? I have that particular dream because some states used vote counting software that was designed to overturn elections in third world crap holes. Do our elections replicate those third world crap holes for which it was designed? In line with that, I also wonder why no law enforcement agency, in particular the FBI, did not investigate any of the numerous complaints about voter fraud in our last election. The FBI did find a mountain of ‘uppers’ when it came to arresting anyone that entered the Capitol building on January 6th of this year, however. I would feel much better if some of that new-found energy would have been used to investigate those claims of voter fraud. I would definitely sleep better, if I thought our elections were honest. Remember this. Our elections are only as honest as the election officials responsible for the voting sites.

In continuation, wouldn’t it be assuring if only American citizens were voting in our elections? Would it be a stretch to require a photo ID? In our state, it is a requirement. We voted with an absentee ballot during one election, and we had to go to a government building, produce an ID, and watched as our names were stricken from the election roles as having voted. We were mailing in our ballots. The state of Georgia went so far as to say that requiring a photo ID is racist. Racist? Will someone educate me as to how providing a photo ID to vote would be racist?

But here is my most disturbing dream. It is the dream that almost sets my asbestos sheets on fire from the friction created by my tossing and turning. Here it is: If we defund the police, what will the replacement be? This dream is not only troubling, but it is timely, because next week the City of Minneapolis is having an election, and one of the items on the ballot is to defund the police. Homicides in Minneapolis and St. Paul have almost doubled this year. Many police close to retirement, opted out of the police force to retire. Many more have just left the police profession. Both cities are at least 1/3 short of the necessary police required. This has put quite a strain on those remaining officers. It has increased the reaction times for these departments because they are understaffed. And now, the geniuses in Minneapolis want to defund the remaining remnants of a once very good police department. Why?

I will tell you why, even though you may not appreciate my logic. Minneapolis and St. Paul are not the only cities facing this same crisis. Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles have all had their policing issues. But the catalyst for defunding the police took place right in Minneapolis with the death of George Floyd on May 5, 2020.

George Floyd, according the trial, was killed by officer Derek Chauvin. But was he?

Let me provide this assessment of the already familiar event. Firstly, would George Floyd be dead if he did not pass counterfeit money? No. The police would not have been called. Secondly, would George Floyd be dead if he got into the back of the police car without resisting arrest, as he did. No. There would not have been any reason to restrain him. Thirdly, would George Floyd have died if he wasn’t full of a high-ball of illicit drugs? That would be a resounding maybe, because that is what the coroners report said killed George Floyd. According to that report, as bad as the ‘knee to the neck’ restraint that Derek Chauvin utilized looked, that was not what killed George Floyd. If you believe the coroner, it was from complications from existing health issues coupled with the ‘drug highball.” So….in a matter of less than 20 minutes, George Floyd passed counterfeit money, resisted arrest, and topped it all by being addled with illicit drugs. Derek Chauvin had nothing to do with the causes of any of these George Floyd events.

Exactly what was Derek Chauvin guilty of? I believe he was guilty of two things. Firstly, he was guilty of being the ranking and most experienced police officer that answered the call. This was beyond his control. Secondly, and most importantly, Derek Chauvin was guilty of familiarity. Unfortunately, Derek Chauvin knew George Floyd, knew of his criminal background using weapons, and knew of his prison time. He also knew George Floyd was working as a bouncer, and knew that George Floyd had a physical presence that would be difficult to contend with. George Floyd is tall, muscular, and has not hesitated to use his size and muscle in the commission of some of his past crimes. With all of that, the ranking police officer, regardless of who it was, needs to take control of the situation. Unfortunately, it was Derek Chauvin. Officer Chauvin realized quickly that George Floyd was on some kind of drug. Ambulances were summoned. (Did you know that some police departments have gotten rid of their 9mm caliber service weapons in favor of larger calibers? That is because some drug addled shooters were so pumped up on drugs that the smaller caliber was not bringing them down! An experienced Derek Chauvin would know this. I digress.)

Now racial justice takes over and the riots occur for four days with few arrests before the Mayor of Minneapolis or the Governor of Minnesota take action. Over 500 businesses are destroyed and looted. To further promote and legalize racial justice, a Black Lives Matter fund of $20 million was provided for posting bonds for any of the arrested looter/arsonists. (No money for the victims who lost their livelihoods, just for the people who destroyed those livelihoods!)

Prematurely, before any investigation of depth, Derek Chauvin is arrested, jailed, and fired from the police department. (Never mind the facts….public opinion demands it!)

The City of Minneapolis, in another premature and stupid move, awarded the Floyd family a $27 million settlement before the Derek Chauvin trial. (This is the same family he had not seen for 6 years.)

The national media could not stop running the tape of Derek Chauvin putting his knee on George Floyd’s neck. Never mind the results of the coroners report, Chauvin killed George Floyd! And….George Floyd went from violent gun toting criminal who served prison time to national black hero and martyr! The woman who filmed the whole event on her cell phone got a Pulitzer prize!

Now, after all of this, Derek Chauvin goes to trial….on national television! The judge, in his desire to look better than Judge Judy, did not sequester the jury. He did, however, instructed the jury to not watch television news. What an idiot! 65% of all Americans get their news off the internet, and the jury was not prohibited from using their devices. They knew what was happening all over the country about rioting that was planned with a not guilty verdict, and they knew of their notoriety on the internet! After one of the most lopsided, kangaroo court procedures known to man took place, Derek Chauvin was found guilty of second degree murder, plus some other tacked-on charges. (As an aside, in Minneapolis, two black men arrested in separate incidents, both accused of homicide, were freed from jail because their high bonds were paid for by left over funds from the BLM $20 million get-out-of-jail bond money. Within 6 months, they killed three more people. Did you hear about that on national TV? Did you even know of it? Racial justice?)

After the trial, two of the jurors said that they were afraid to vote not-guilty, because they knew what would occur (rioting, looting and burning!) as they lived in areas that were originally burned after Floyd’s death! So here is the big question: Did Derek Chauvin receive justice, or was he the victim of racial justice? What if Derek was a black cop? What if Floyd was a white victim? If either was true, would there have even been a trial?

With all of this in mind, I return to my original premise; what will replace the police department? And….more importantly, because of the George Floyd death, and trial of Derek Chauvin and the continual media assertion of police brutality…what public-serving intelligent person would want to be a cop?

My guess? Less people will want to enter the law enforcement profession, police departments will lower their standards, and we will end up with a lower standard of police departments in those cities that keep catering to the crooks rather than supporting the police.

Good luck, Minneapolis. If you defund the police, you will deserve everything that you will get.

P.S. Derek Chauvin should have been disciplined. He did not wake up that morning thinking, “I am going to kill George Floyd today.” It was an unfortunate event that took place while the police were doing their job. In my mind, George Floyd killed George Floyd. America needs to get its priorities straight, do we want a nation protected by dedicated police, or some other half-baked solution that would lead to anarchy, much like what the advocates of racial justice are promoting. It’s an easy choice: either support the police or idolize the thugs.

I AM TIRED!

I am tired! No, I had a good night’s sleep. What I am getting tired about is what is happening to our country. When younger, I was sure we lived in a democracy and I was proud to be American. However, I am not sure about our democracy today! Our political system is fraudulent, filled with power and money hungry politicians, and making decisions that may destroy our way of life. We have faced four years of a president that is trying to make good decisions for this country, but he has faced every possible roadblock to his success. Just think what could have been accomplished had our government focused on governing instead of impeachment, destroying a Supreme Court Justice, the Steele Dossier, the pandemic, and too many destructive paths to mention.

Who is not tired of the pandemic? OMG! As of this writing, a day after the beginning of the new year, there are still so many questions surrounding this pandemic. Like you, I have become really tired about conflicting opinions about how and where it began, and how it is spread. It was not uncommon that people of my age have gotten the flu at least once or twice during their lifetime. Granted, we did not have a fancy name for it, such as COVID 19. It was just called the flu. And….it really made you sick. If you were unfortunate to get the flu, as I was at least twice, you stayed at home. The symptoms were: high temperature, coughing, lung congestion and the general all-around feeling that you had a gigantic body ache. The one thing that did not occur, was that the government did not shut down the economy, or send me money for missing work. Before I go any further, and receive death threats for being an idiot, I want to clarify that I do believe that COVID 19 is a real disease that can cause death, if you are high risk and have underlying conditions or are elderly. But guess what? Many of the other flus that we had did the same thing. Occasionally, a healthy person succumbed, as did many elderly.

I am tired of the draconian measures that have been taken, by the government, to stop the spread of the virus. The one fact I do know, is that it has never been proven that restaurants are ‘super spreaders’ of the disease. Fortunately, Grandma P and I live in a state where the restaurants are allowed to remain open. We try to patronize these restaurants at least twice a week, just to keep them open. Some of these restaurants have suffered hurricane damage as well, so they have suffered a ‘double whammy.’ During our last visit, we were seated so that there was a reasonable distance from other tables, and, as soon as one table was vacated, a masked server sanitized the table and chairs. Common sense was displayed by the restaurant, and by the patrons.

I am really getting tired of politicians that believe that rules and laws are for the electorate, but they are exempt from the rules. While closing down all the restaurants in California, the governor has a multi-thousand dollar meal, paid for by a lobbyist, at a swanky restaurant! Thankfully, the electorate in California are beginning to wake up, and petitioning for his recall. Unfortunately, Gavin Newsom is not the only politician that sees himself as privileged. His aunt, Nancy Pelosi, had a hair appointment in a supposedly closed beauty parlor. All of this was caught on camera. There are other examples of ‘politician privilege’ everywhere, while the general population is regulated and punished for the same behavior.

I am tired and concerned about the amount of foreign influence and money that has corrupted our elections. You don’t believe that foreign governments are not dumping millions, and billions of dollars into our elections? Just look at the upcoming Georgia election for two US senators. There is an estimated $500 million being spent on that campaign. $500 million! If that much is being spent there, how much do you think was spent on the 2020 election? Where did that money originate? I have a pretty good idea that billions of dollars are coming from China…which segues into my next paragraph.

I am tired of the media reporting stories that are 97% negative about Donald Trump and his presidency. Beyond his crass and brass personality, and his seemingly unending tweets, Trump had bushels of accomplishments for the benefit of our country. I can name at least 10 things that his administration accomplished from memory in his four years. (What has Biden accomplished in his political career? Pelosi? Shumer? I rest my case!) The media glorified the Steele dossier. They supported Trump’s impeachment, supposedly because Chuck Shumer had myriads of facts to support his impeachment. Facts that just never seem to appear, but were given more credibility than Moses receiving the ten commandments. The Democrats got nasty and created lies to denigrate and discredit the Trump Supreme Court nominees. The accusation that Brett Cavanaugh was the leader of a ‘teenage gang of rapists,’ was a clear indication of how low in the manure pile the Democrats will shovel. Have you ever wondered who owns these media outlets?

I am tired of social media, supposedly representing open forums, from censoring what is on their social platforms. Hunter Biden issues were censored, because they claimed there wasn’t any proof. Yet, the Steele dossier, and fictitious Shumer accusations against Trump were allowed freely. Unbiased? Not in a million years. And unfortunately, 65% of all Americans get their news from the intranet. This blog is being censored, as the comments on the last three blogs have not been published. A coincidence, since this all began two months before the election?

I am tired (and concerned) that a member of the House Intelligence Committee is still on the committee after having a lengthy affair with a Chinese spy. Nancy Pelosi’s driver was a Chinese spy. How much of our government have the Chinese permeated? There is one sure thing that Donald Trump did accomplish. I’ll explain. The Chinese are a very patient people. They, unlike Americans who require instant satisfaction, play the long-term game. The Western world, led by us consumer-driven Americans, have made China wealthy over the last 50 years. (See the 4/11/2020 blog: Were we in Africa, or Were we in China.) China likes being wealthy. They will use that wealth to rule the world economically, technologically and militarily. They will do all of this without having a “cum by yah’ sing- along at the UN, because they want to rule the world and don’t care one bit about globalization. But unexpectedly, along comes a political surprise by the name of Donald J. Trump. What does Trump do? Well, he passed tax credits which made it economically feasible for American companies to bring their manufacturing jobs back to the US. He drastically lowered the unemployment in America. He lowered the number of people on welfare. When American companies did not respond, he threatened to put tax levies on their goods manufactured outside the US. He renegotiated a more favorable trade agreement with China, (He also did the same with Canada and Mexico.) He did what was right for America! But you know what else he did? He pissed off the Chinese. Now they were not getting as rich as before Trump. They also observed that the US was rebuilding their military. The US is now the only major hurdle between China and world domination, which I suspect may occur within the next 20 years, if we let it! So….in the eyes of the patient Chinese, Trump must go! But at what cost? A few million? A few billion? A trillion dollars? Who owns these media sources? Who owns our politicians? Who would benefit the most from the collapse of the US economy? Who would benefit most with Trump being taken out of office? How many of these questions can be answered with one word: China.

I am really tired that many of our elected officials are so entrenched, that there is no opportunity for new faces advocating new ideas. WE NEED TERM LIMITS. Am I the only person in the United States that wants to know how a poor politician becomes a millionaire? Barrack Obama had a net worth of less than $500 thousand when he ran for president. Today, his net worth is estimated at $135 million! His salary for 8 years as POTUS was $3.2 million before taxes! How did he get to $135 million?

I am tired of the fact that our nation is so self-absorbed, that we, as a people, are too ignorant to recognize that we have enemies in the world. We have become the ‘me first’ individuals, rather than the ‘us together’ country.

I am tired of the fact that we may lose our democracy, because we allowed an election within our country with bushels of ballots being sent in the mail without verification if qualified voters actually received them. We allowed ballots to be counted that could not be substantiated. We allowed ballots to be counted that were post-marked after the election date. We allowed 38 states to count ballots with the use of a computer program that was developed outside the US; whose original purpose was to create ballot fraud, to sway the outcome of elections in foreign countries. Did we just become one of these ‘foreign countries?’ Apparently, some people think so as there are over 1500 sworn affidavits attesting to observing voter fraud. For once, I would like our bureaucracy to meddle in the form of the FBI and the DOJ. What did either do? I believe it was Stalin who said, “It’s not the vote that counts, it’s who counts the votes.”

We, as Americans, have two choices. The first is, how long are we going to tolerate the government at all levels to control our lives. Businesses closed. Schools closed. Churches closed. But you still go to Walmart and Target. I believe that the pandemic has shown bureaucracy gone amok in many areas.

The second decision is for us to recognize the threat that we have to our democracy, and what we need to do about it. We will not have honest and fair elections until some election officials are arrested for being dishonest and unfair. We will not have a fair and honest election until we prohibit, and un-elect those politicians who are taking huge sums of foreign monies to maintain power. That issue would disappear if we had term limits, so that 40 year entrenched politicians would begin to do what is ‘right for America,’ than what is right for a foreign power or lobbyist or themselves.

It is up to you, America! I’m tired. Time for a nap. But please decide what you want. The clock is ticking for us and future generations. The Chinese are patient.

To Investigate or to Legislate. What Will Congress Do?

Grandma P and I just got home ten days ago from a 60 day cruise that went around the Pacific Rim.  It was a marvelous, bucket-list cruise that included Alaska, Japan, China, Taiwan, South Korea (North Korea was not conducting excursions that day, or any day!), Viet Nam, the Philippines, Guam and Hawaii.  Whew!  There were to be 22 ports of call, but two were cancelled as we were dodging a typhoon on our way from Alaska to Japan.  There are nothing like 40 foot waves to get your attention on a ship!

Meanwhile, back in the good ole’ US of A, all kinds a ‘goings on’ were occurring.  There were deadly fires taking place in California.  Hurricane Michael, a very late in season hurricane, came ashore just east of Panama City, Florida.  Were we concerned?  Being the eye of that category 5 hurricane came ashore just 59 miles from our house, you could surmise that we were very concerned.  We would have been more concerned if we were not dodging a typhoon at the same time creating the 40′ waves.

The ship did not really have to be concerned about entertaining us for 60 days.  Why?  Because we had the Brett Kavanaugh hearings on three different news channels.  We could watch it on MSNBC, Fox, or the BBC.  As you are aware, the coverage was relentless; almost as relentless as the accusations against Kavanaugh were ridiculous and repulsive.  I am sure that in her mind, Christine Blasey Ford believed something did happen to her.  Without the corroboration of any of her ‘best friends’, the accusations were weak at best.  The whole affair turned beyond ridiculous when the accusation was made that he was the ‘leader of a gang of rapists!’   After 6 FBI background investigations without a blemish?  I don’t think so.   Trust me when I say that I do not enjoy writing about those senatorial proceedings any more than I, and many others, enjoyed watching them.  But the one takeaway from those proceedings that sends a shiver down my spine is the thought that those proceedings, with senators mugging for TV time, with senators posturing to be a presidential nominee, with senators acting as if they are the clowns in a whole new circus firing off ridiculous accusations, that all of this becomes …….the new ‘political reality TV.’  

Oh.  There was one more event that took place during our cruise.  We had the midterm elections.  Was there any drama surrounding that event?  We were not sure who the governor or US senator from Florida would be until almost two weeks after election night.  We got off the ship on November 18, and I believe Ron Desantis and Rick Scott were declared the winners the day before.  (If those damn Russians would quit meddling in our elections, we would have had the results sooner!)  Anyway, after a run-off in Mississippi for senator, and a bucket load of close elections around the country, the end result is that the Republicans picked up two seats in the Senate, and lost about 30 seats in the House of Representatives, giving the Democrats the majority.

So now, dear readers, I have finally gotten to the meat of this blog.  Will our new Congress legislate, or investigate?

I have some suggestions for our Congress if they feel like performing their jobs and decide to  legislate.  Firstly, that caravan of immigrants, that caravan that the media tried to convince us was imaginary, has now appeared at our borders.  Recently, things turned ugly when bottles and rocks were thrown at our border security people.  Not only that, it is confirmed that there are more caravans on the way.  We have all heard different stories as to the composition of these caravans.  The most reliable information for me comes from the Mexican government.  I am skeptical of our media coverage, so the Mexican government has no reason to sugarcoat the caravan composition.  They are reporting that 75% are working age males.  The remaining 25% is divided between women and children.  Less than 5% of these people have a tinge of a case for political asylum.   The Mexican government has offered jobs.  But yet, they decline and keep coming.  The Mexican government has offered ‘political asylum.’  But yet, they decline and keep coming.  The Mexican government in conjunction with our border security people cite that a full 10% of these people have criminal records.  Do you want these people as your neighbors?  If these people are really trying to escape bad countries in the hope of entering our country, why are they carrying the flags of the country they left and not the flag of our country.  To me, this indicates they do not really want to assimilate and contribute to our society as Americans, but abuse our benevolence as immigrants.

So Congress, if you want to listen to the electorate and legislate:  build the wall, establish border security and pass legislation for allowing people to apply for and establish rules for becoming US citizens.  This should apply to new immigrants, and to the ‘dreamers.’

If that sounds like a boring prospect, how about addressing the problem of Russian aggression in the Ukraine and the military build-ups by both Russia and China.  Still boring?  Well, then throw in North Korea and Iran to boot.  That should keep Congress busy for a while.  Our past politicians have failed to address these issues for years and now this has festered into a bigger, global problem.

Here is a thought.  How about establishing voting requirements for elections.  You know.  Simple stuff like being a US citizen to vote in our election.  How about a photo ID to vote?  I know this would inconvenience the average US citizen about 10 minutes to prove they are actually a US citizen, but I believe that the inconvenience is well worth it.  It gores my bull when I think that my vote could be cancelled by someone not remotely eligible to vote in this country.  And with that in mind, Robert Mueller is still, after two years, trying to determine how the Russians influenced the 2016 election.  Let me help you with that Robert.  They didn’t.  After $40 million, you still cannot pinpoint Russian influence on that election.  Yet, I am sure that many non-citizens voted in our election.  The Russians could only dream of affecting our elections as much as states allowing illegals to vote.

Have you heard one item that the Democrats plan for legislation after they control the House of Representatives?  One item?  Anyone?  Naw….me neither.  What I have heard is that they plan to ‘investigate.’  What do they plan to investigate?  Well, they are foaming at the mouth about being able to investigate Donald Trump’s tax returns for the period when his father passed the corporation from himself to Donald.  Considering Fred Trump died in 1999 at the age of 93, and retired from business in the 70’s, that would be one helluva IRS investigation.  How many corporations or individuals keep records for almost 50 years!  But wait!  This investigation would make great ‘political reality TV,’ and maybe, just maybe we could create enough skepticism to get Trump impeached!

Believe it or not, I am OK with the IRS doing an audit on Donald Trump.  Because America is the land of opportunity and fairness, I would want an IRS audit done on each and every member of Congress!  I would want to know how a person gets elected to Congress as a pauper and walks away as a ‘gabillionaire.’  Wouldn’t you want to know?  How is it that Barack Obama is elected POTUS with a net worth less than mine and now has a net worth of $135 million. (Yes. That net worth is more than mine.  But I wrote this blog and what did he do?)  Don’t you want to know?

And, to make this really fair and equitable, as long as the Trump Organization is being audited, I would want the Clinton Foundation audited.  I would want the Uranium One deal investigated.  (I would actually like to see ‘all things Clinton’ investigated!)

I have this nagging feeling that far too many people in this country like and enjoy ‘political realty TV.’  I think that because of some of the candidates that won in the last midterm election.  For example, New York elected a socialist.  Furthermore, a senator from Arizona says it is OK to fight for the enemies of the US such as ISIS.  Are these people really qualified candidates?  Were they the best candidates available?  Or, were they elected to create more dissension and confusion within Congress, thereby creating more opportunities for more ‘political reality TV?’

After watching the Kavanaugh hearings (And the new Murphy Brown show!  But, more on that later.), I hope that ‘political reality TV’ is not the new norm.  If it is, heaven needs to help us through the next two years.

A lesson learned from all of this?  Grandma P and I cannot leave the country for extended periods of time.  It goes to hell in our absence and political programming like Murphy Brown appears on TV, attempting to pass itself off as a comedy.  You failed, and you have been canceled.  Thankfully, good judgement prevailed in that decision.

I am beginning to think that I, too, may be a ‘dreamer.’  I dream that maybe one day, our Congress will legislate, and eventually do what is right for America.  Legislate, not investigate.  GET TO WORK!

My Senses are Degrading….Just Like Our Society!

Gosh Darn It!  There are times when getting older really does suck.  And as I get older, my senses are degrading in acuity.  You remember those five senses from grammar school…sight, smell, hearing, taste and touch.  It appears to me that as my senses are degrading, so are the senses of our society.  (My mind is faltering, too.  But, dammit, I did not have to use Google to remember the five senses!)  Let me provide examples of how I think society’s senses are faltering, much as mine.

Hearing

Have you ever watched an episode of ‘The View?’  That is a daytime show with four very left- leaning women, trying to convince other women to be left-leaning.  Well…admittedly, I have never watched more than 5 minutes of that show, mostly because I am not left-leaning or a woman.  Surprise.  The four primary women on this show are Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Abby Huntsman, and Sunny Hostin.  This past week, they were mocking the message that Melania Trump produced about defending her husband from a New York op-ed piece.  Sunny Hostin began reading this message in an improvised, not funny-at-all, Melania accent.  Admittedly, one of the other women had the good graces and common sense to tell her to stop.

I am sure than anyone that hears Melania speak, can also hear her accent.  (Did you catch that segue?)  I wonder if they would have mocked her accent if they would have heard her speak the other five languages that she speaks?  Yes, Melania speaks six languages: Slovenian, French, Serbian, German and Italian, and of course, English.  I am willing to bet that she speaks more languages than the other four ladies on The View combined.

Touch

Have there ever been instances in your life that you ‘would not touch with a 10 foot flagpole?’  I know I have, but whenever I have gotten close to a real ’10 foot flag pole’, I was either saluting it or reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.  During all twelve years of my el-hi education, the day was begun with the Pledge of Allegiance.  If Colin Kaepernick gets close to a ’10 foot flagpole….he takes a knee.

Amazingly, just to show how disrespectful this act is, the Nike corporation has decided to use Colin as the face of their newest ad campaign.  Their reasoning?  They believe that Kaepernick showed ‘bravery and sacrifice’ by taking the knee.  Now I realize that my mind isn’t as sharp as it once was, but I am having one hell of a time equating disrespect for our flag, our national anthem and our country as being ‘brave and sacrificing!’  

I will give Nike the benefit of the doubt about market research in making this decision.  They realized that their target group is younger people, and that virtually anyone over the age of 55 is off their radar.  But you screwed up in your assumptions.  Us ‘over 55’ crowd are parents and grandparents, which means that those grandkids get presents for birthdays and Christmas.  Do you think us older folks, us that recited the Pledge of Allegiance every day,  are going to rush to buy Nike gear for their grandkids?  Not likely.  You may be spot on by targeting the generation that has never had to live through a costly war.  Their perception of ‘sacrifice and bravery’ would be diluted from us who lost friends and relatives in Viet Nam or Korea or World War II or from 9/11.

Nike, you missed the boat.  If you wanted to push the envelope of society, and touch the hearts of a patriotic America, you could have been a trendsetter by choosing someone else.  How about a fire figher who rushed into the World Trade Center, knowing they may die while trying to rescue others?  How about a paraplegic, athletic soldier or Marine that has lost both legs while defending this country rather than denigrating it.  Those military people who have lost their limbs would only take two knees to pray, but never one knee to disrespect this country.   Need a famous athlete, as you have selected in the past?  How about J.J. Watt?  He raised over $47 million for Hurricane Harvey relief.  But I would guess that J.J. Watts, excellent role model like he is, is not ‘edgy’ enough for your campaign.  Peyton Manning would be left out because he has only built a children’s hospital with his own money.

But there is an upside to this whole affair.  In today’s Trump improving economy, even Colin Kaepernick got a job!

Smell

This past week, the New York Times came out with a scathing op-ed piece about the White House and Donald Trump.  The entire article was based upon a ‘high level anonymous source.’  Within the last two weeks, Bob Woodward has published a new book, also very negative about the White House and Donald Trump.  His book is largely based on ‘anonymous sources and hearsay.’  In his book, he has said that, “his anonymous source overheard” a conversation in the White House.

Does anyone ‘smell a rat’ when it comes to ‘anonymous sources and hearsay?’  I don’t know about you, but I am beginning to equate the word ‘anonymous’ with the word, ‘fictitious’  and the word  ‘hearsay‘ with the word, ‘rumor.’  The reason why I ‘smell a rat’  concerning this type of reporting and journalism is that I am wildly skeptical because of the timing.  It has become common in the last few decades, to release negative garbage just prior to an upcoming election, by both parties.  (Okay.  I am biased.  I feel like the liberal media has the edge in the garbage department.)  This year’s midterm election is going to be huge on how the outcome affects the direction of America and the smelly  journalistic garbage campaign is already beginning.  You can certainly be assured that there will be more to follow.

My opinion about ‘anonymous sources’ is that if they feel so strongly about what information they are providing, then they should be courageous enough to identify themselves.  If they are not willing to identify themselves, then they should not disclose their information.  That is the way it would be in the Grandpa T fantasy world.

Sight

One of my fondest memories of growing up was being in, and watching parades.  I would love to see the floats, the bands with their beautiful majorettes, the beauty queens, the classic cars and catching the handfuls of candy that accompanied every parade.

But I have one regret.  I have only seen one circus.  I was probably 5 or 6, and somehow our family got tickets to see the Ringling Brothers circus.  For a young kid, it was magical!

There are advantages to getting old.  For one advantage, I get to watch a whole lot of television.  For one disadvantage, I get to watch a whole lot of television.  With that in mind, I would like to share with you that while watching television this past week, I got to see another circus.  That makes two circuses in my lifetime!   This particular circus was hosted by the Senate Judiciary Committee during its confirmation hearings involving Judge Brett Kavanaugh.  It was obvious from the questioning and from the proceedings that there were more clowns in this circus than Ringling Brothers could ever afford.  Total lack of respect.  Total lack of decorum.  Total dedication to disrupting the proceedings.

I can see that this is what we receive when we load a room with over-inflated egos, posturing to become a presidential candidate.  Eventually, we did get a smattering of what the Supreme Court Justice nominee had to say, but it was secondary to the circus being in town.  After watching this event, I began wishing for two things:  1.  Take the cameras out of the room, because most of these clowns never met a TV camera they didn’t like, and, 2.  Is it too late to change our government to a benevolent dictator so we would not have to watch how crappy our government really operates?  (How did those 70 demonstrators get into that meeting room?  Did they need a pass from one of the senatorial participants?  Just wondering out loud.)

Taste

In late June,  Sarah Sanders and her family were asked to leave before getting a taste of the cuisine at at the Red Hen restaurant in Lexington, Virginia.  Bummer.  She was asked to leave by the owner, stating that she was asked to leave because she works for Donald Trump.  The owner then took this personal display of stupidity and disrespect by following Sarah and her family to the next restaurant.

But just like the TV commercials, ‘but wait…there’s more!’  Maxine Waters, U.S. Representative from the California 43rd congressional district took this one step further by stating that, “Let’s make sure we show up wherever we have to show up.  And if you see anybody from that Cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd.  And you push back on them.  And you tell them they’re not welcome anymore, anywhere.”  Wow!  Aren’t our elected officials suppose to do what is best for America?  Aren’t they suppose to set an example for Americans?  Heal racial wounds?  Promote a united America?  Well, in this instance, Maxine went out of her way to demonstrate her intolerance and stupidity.

One can only hope that sometime in the near future, Maxine Waters gets a taste of her own medicine and gets thrown out of some facility.  Hopefully that would be the House of Representatives.  Just thinking out loud about the Grandpa T fantasy world.

I still have enough intellectual wits about me to know that my senses are slightly duller as I get older.  My big concern is, ‘Does our society have enough intellectual wits to realize that its senses are dulling, also?’  (And, probably faster than mine!)   America needs to become more cognizant of its ‘senses.’  And in that vein, let’s continue to “Make America Great Again!”