Category Archives: Growing Up in America 65 Years Ago

I LOVE FOOTBALL! I HATE DISRESPECT!

I love football!

I love football so much, that I had credentials to coach football after graduating from college. I played football for 5 years in school. I never played beyond high school, because, as the old saying goes: ‘if you can’t do it, you teach it.’ I fit that mold perfectly.

My uncle was a very good football player. He was so good, he was offered a full scholarship to play football at a Big Ten university. But he wasn’t good enough to avoid fighting in World War II. He lost the ‘life lottery’ because he graduated from high school in June of 1942. There was an insurmountable amount of pressure put on him by the people of our patriotic, small town. “How can you think of going to college to play football, when there is a war going on!” He succumbed to the pressure and enlisted in the Army. After four years in the Army, combat in the jungles of the Pacific theater, war wounds, malaria and dysentery, his college career and playing football ambitions had vanished at war’s end. But he still loved football, and, just as importantly, he got me interested in football. We watched football together.

Now this next sentence may stun some of the readers that know me personally. Until 1961, my uncle and I were Green Bay Packer backers. Yup. We were cheeseheads in abstentia, as we were not natives of Wisconsin. But in 1961, the two closest teams to our state were the Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs. Now I realize that the Chicago Bears may have been closer than Kansas City geographically, but we never had any love for those Chicago Bears. (Still don’t!) Then it occurred. For us it was bigger than winning a small lottery. (OK. If it was Powerball, that would be a bigger deal!) It ranked with Moses receiving the ten commandments. It was more earthshaking than the eruption of Krakatoa in 1883….we got our own, in-state professional football team! Yup. Our home state got the almost 4 time Super Bowl champion Minnesota Vikings.

My uncle and I were in heaven. We loved the game. We admired the coaching. We cheered on the players, and of course, we had our favorite players. Our first quarterback was a very young Fran Tarkenton. He led our new team to an upset victory in their very first game, over those thugs, the Chicago Bears. I had an opportunity to meet him and get his autograph after his football career had ended. Fran is in the Football Hall of Fame, and was a very, very successful businessman in his own right. Amazingly, our biggest rivalry developed with our former favorite team, the Green Bay Packers. Whenever the Vikings play the Packers, the TV viewership is typically one of the top three viewings during the entire football season.

We also very much enjoyed the pre-game pageantry. What is not to like about bubbly, attractive cheerleaders whipping the hometown crowd into a frenzy. The bands. The singing of the national anthem. The coin flip. It was all very exciting. It was our way of escaping the rigors of everyday life and enjoying the entertainment provided by our favorite sport.

But my uncle and I were not impartial. We watched the Olympics, both summer and winter, beginning with the 1960 Olympics held in Rome, Italy. These Olympic games were the first ones broadcast on TV, and we became Olympic junkies. I still am. We also watched basketball. But my uncle was a hard working farmer, with 14-16 hour days not being uncommon. He had a dairy herd as well as growing crops for feed and crops for cash. It was tough. But when sports were on television, he and I were all over it, as he made time to watch.

So why have I taken time to write about my love of football?

Because, this past weekend, the Minnesota Vikings played the Green Bay Packers in the home opener. Yup. It was the biggest rivalry in our conference being played in the first game. I did something this past weekend that I have not done for over 60 years. I did not turn my TV to football. Specifically, I did not watch the Vikings, or any other team, and have no intention of doing so again for the rest of the season.

Why?

Because changes in our society have permeated my favorite sport where it has slipped from the role of providing me ‘escapism’ and entertainment to becoming something in line with a ‘paid political announcement.’ God knows we have had enough paid political announcements during this election cycle.

The owners of these football franchises are all ga-billionaires. Their two assets are the stadium and the players. The majority of players in the NFL and NBA are black. So, to protect their money stream, they need to appease their players. To cave in to a misguided social convention, the owners and the NFL decided it would be appropriate to play the national anthem and the ‘black national anthem’ at the beginning of all the home opener games.

How did this play out in practically all of the stadiums? Well, all of the players, both black and white, stood for the ‘black national anthem.’ A sure-fire indication of respect for whatever the ‘black national anthem’ is suppose to represent. Then….when the U.S. national anthem was being played, the majority of black players took a knee. At this point, as my blood is beginning to boil, I must say that the only thing that is greater than my love of football, is my hate for anyone that disrespects my country, my flag, and my anthem.

So let me ask this question. How do you expect to gain respect for your race, for whatever cause you represent, or for your ‘black national anthem’, when within 5 minutes you show disrespect for the flag and anthem of the country that so freely allows you to speak and act?

Let me be clear. I, like the majority of white people in this country, AM NOT RACIST! No one cares what black athletes do on their own time, but you polluted my favorite sport by turning it into a ‘low class political campaign ad.’ For the owners of the NFL: Did you think this ‘black national anthem’ was going to eliminate ‘systemic racism’ or possibly fan the flames of racism? Isn’t our country, ‘One nation under God?’ Do you think allowing players to take a knee during the national anthem is just ‘boys being boys?’ The millionaire players and the ga-billionaire owners may have money, but let me point out that you have a noticeable lack of respect and common sense.

There are two separate issues involving the beginning of these football games. Firstly, the owners and players have not done one thing to contribute to protection of this country other than pay your taxes. In the meantime, people fought and died in wars since 1775 to create and preserve this great nation. You disrespect everyone that has paid the ultimate price. You have disrespected soldiers, policemen, firemen and other first responders by taking that symbolic, ‘screw this country’ knee during our anthem. And, ironically, you demand respect for the ‘black national anthem’ and your political beliefs. Stupidity personified!

Secondly, as mentioned, you polluted my escapism and entertainment by injecting your political/societal beliefs into a game. Why do you think people watch and play sports?

I was trying to avoid this subject, but I cannot continue without it. I do not believe in ‘societal racism.’ No one in the U.S has owned a slave or been a slave for at least four generations, probably longer. We continue to hear drivel about ‘slave reparations’ in this country. Really? How about reparations for the families of the 600,000 white guys that died fighting for freeing the slaves? Remember? Those guys fought under the flag that many of these black athletes are disrespecting. Again…ironic.

So let me be perfectly clear to anyone of color that may read this article: I and the greater majority of white people in the United States do not hate you because of your color, we are appalled by your actions. 95% of all blacks are killed by other blacks. Rioting, looting and destruction are not ‘peaceful demonstrations’ and are not protected by the First Amendment. Many of the businesses destroyed in the Minneapolis riots were minority owned businesses! Again, ironic. (Too many ironies in this blog.) Black Lives Matter is not a civil rights organization, but a political organization with a socialist agenda. (Check their website!) Yet, I am referred to as a ‘white supremist’ if I say, ‘all lives matter.’ Now who is promoting racism?

So, I have made the decision that my life will be just fine without any sport that wants to inject political/societal beliefs into the game. Sadly, goodbye professional football or any other sport that disrespects our flag, national anthem, or history.

I subscribe to the Morgan Freeman theory; “racism will disappear when we quit talking about it.” Amen.

We Need To Chose Our Heroes Wisely!

My! I haven’t written a new blog for quite some time. With so many things happening to us personally and throughout the U.S., it has been rather difficult. Firstly, my 10 year old computer died as the result of an untimely meeting with a Covid-19 hammer. Yup. My next door neighbor maliciously beat its brains out before I disposed of it. It was old, and could not recover from the Covid-19 hammer beating. It refused to wear a mask.

My new computer is much smaller, prettier, and much more capable than the 10 year old computer. So, here I am. Tickling the keys on a new, responsive keyboard.

The biggest challenge for me is to decide what to write about. Covid-19? Who in hell is not tired of hearing about that? I do find it interesting that the news reports the deaths, new cases and new hospital covid-19 patients on a scoreboard. You remember what a scoreboard is? Its those things we not longer see, because WE DON’T HAVE ANY SPORTS! Somehow, that scoreboard usually never reports the number of cured cases.

I could write about the upcoming elections. And…once I am done puking, I may do that, too.

How about those peaceful riots that somehow managed to burn and destroy major U.S. cities in the name of racial equality and police brutality. Apparently, our nation hates the police by wanting to defund them, and finds a myriad of ways to justify all of the destruction to businesses, government buildings, parks and statues. In Minneapolis, the mayor and the governor waited 4 days before attempting to end the massive destruction that destroyed/damaged over 500 businesses! But wait….it gets better. After not taking any action, the Governor of Minnesota had the audacity to request funds from FEMA, because he claimed the destruction to Minneapolis was a natural disaster! So Governor, let me help you out about what constitutes a natural disaster. Hurricane Katrina was a natural disaster when it hit Mississippi/Louisiana. Hurricane DumAss did not hit Minneapolis, it only hit the state capitol building. Wisely, President Trump refused the funds.

So, I have decided that we need to write not about the obvious, but rather play a game of ‘Who Am I?”

Who Am I?

I served in the U.S military for 33 years. I was director of the Defense Intelligence Agency for two years. I was the 24th National Security Advisor. Part of my military career was shaping U.S. counterterrorism strategy for dismantling insurgent networks in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. Who Am I?

Who Am I?

I played high school and college sports. I was a hip hop artist. Between 1997 and 2005, I was convicted of eight crimes. I served 4 years in prison for aggravated robbery. I have been arrested nine times and served many months in jail as a result. Most of my jail time was for drugs, theft and robbery. I worked as a bouncer.

OK. For my brilliant readers, you have already figured out that the two individuals are LtG Michael Flynn, and George Floyd. So which of these two individuals is a true hero, and which is not.

Michael Flynn served with distinction is every facet of his life. His military career is impeccable. But Michael made the mistake of being lured into the quagmire of the political arena after military retirement. He resigned his position of National Security Advisor after 22 days on the job. Purportedly, it was because he misled VP Mike Pence about the nature and content of his communications with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Unfortunately for Flynn, the government was not done with him, even after his resignation. He became a target in the Mueller investigation. (My previous blogs discuss the validity and motives of that investigation. Investigate all things Trump!) Flynn was set up by an interview with James Comey, As a result of charges, in December 2017, Flynn formalized a deal with Mueller to plead guilty to a felony count of ‘willfully and knowingly’ making false statements to the FBI. He did this because he was facing financial ruination, as his attorney bills exceeded $6 million! In January of this year, (with a new attorney!) Flynn moved to withdraw his guilty plea. On May 7, the Department of Justice announced that it intended to drop all charges against Flynn. But woefully, politically oriented district judges are not dropping the charges. Common sense would dictate that charges would be dropped that were based on a politically motivated investigation that was founded on false documents and personal malice. It appears Michael Flynn’s legal woes will not be over any time soon. Because of his past, and because of his defense of the United States through military service, would he be considered a hero?

Before anyone gets their undies in a bunch, I want to emphasize that the death of George Floyd was a tragedy. I would say, “All lives matter,” including George Floyd’s, but then I would be branded a racist and white supremist. However, let the facts and history show that George Floyd was no saint. He was a criminal that, on numerous occasions committed criminal activities, often with a weapon. In his youth, he was athletic. He played both football and basketball. At 6’4″ and 235 pounds, with a recent job of being a bouncer, he would be a physical force with which to contend. The Minneapolis police department knew him well and of his criminal history. I am not trying to justify the police procedure during his death, or get into the findings of a drug (fentanyl and methamphetamine) laden autopsy. What I am saying is that the death of this ‘non-saint’, resulted in his being buried in a gold casket, with Al Sharpton delivering the eulogy. His death also triggered some peaceful protests which were well-founded and well attended, but were quickly highjacked by looters, vandals and professional ‘hell raisers,’ which resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars damage in many major U.S. cities. Is he a hero?

So what has been the aftermath for these two individuals?

For Michael Flynn, his footnote to history will be that he was the shortest serving National Security advisor at 22 days. His legal problems are spitefully ongoing. My hope would be that if Trump gets reelected, he would be appointed head of the CIA or the FBI. How ironic that he could head one of the two organizations that were largely responsible for his political downfall and public humiliation. There are rumors he may win a very large settlement because of the maliciousness of the actions and allegations against him. Who would pay? Possibly the U.S. government, even though I think James Comey should pay….on his way to prison for politicizing the FBI. The principle reason for LtG Michael Flynn’s woes? He supported Donald Trump. The deep state leftist government hacks could not allow that.

Following George Floyd’s death, many colleges and universities created scholarships in Floyd’s name. Street artists globally created murals honoring Floyd. Depictions included Floyd as a ghost in Minneapolis, as an angel in Houston, and as a saint weeping blood in Naples, Italy. Many other murals depicting his death have been painted in other major cities throughout the world. He has often been referred to as a ‘hero,’ even though there is not one item in his past that would indicate heroism. Unabashedly, the virtual Democratic convention honored him last night with a memorial. No mention of fallen service men and women. No mention of fallen police and first responders. The Democrats decided to bestow ‘virtual sainthood’ on a person least deserving of the honor.

So, like many of you, I am confused and confounded as to how our country went from castigating a person that protected our country, to honoring a person that was pretty much a career criminal. So here is my question for all of you……what would George Floyd’s footnote to history be if the policeman responsible for his death was black? Would we have even heard of George Floyd? Maybe we would still have heard of it, as the mantra ‘racial inequality’ would have waned in favor of ‘police brutality.’ But, I am convinced that the left wing professional agitators would not have missed the opportunity to do their damage, they just needed a cause. Antifa and BLM needed another cause. The democrats and their left leaning media just cannot get enough mileage when a white policeman kills a black thug.

Are either of these men heroes? I guess that would be for you to decide. Personally, I believe Michael Flynn approaches my idea of a hero. George Flynn, does not.

Rest in peace and God be with you, George. We may not have known who you were if it were not an election year.

The Democratic Platform: ‘deja vu’ all over again!

Did you have favorite television programs while growing up? I sure did. In my time, I enjoyed Bonanza and Gunsmoke as westerns. I really enjoyed The Man from Uncle and I Spy for spy shows. And, I could not get enough of the Carol Burnett Shows for comedy. Luckily, practically all of these shows are now available on networks that specialize in reruns. But here is the problem. After watching the original shows and then watching each show as a rerun two or three times, I lose interest. After all, how many times can you watch the same show over and over and over again without losing interest?

Now I need to time travel from the past to the present and as to what is happening on the political scene. Other than the negative mass media coverage of Donald Trump’s tweets, the next most media consuming event is the race for the Democratic presidential nomination. To say that there are a plethora of candidates would be an understatement. To say that there are a platoon of candidates would be more accurate. There are so many candidates, that I have lost count! I thought there were 22 or 23, but I see the upcoming debates are only for 20 candidates. Did some candidates drop out or were they hired to join the Mueller investigation posse? No doubt with Mueller’s concern about Russian influence in our last presidential election, he will now want to focus on what the Democratic National Committee and the Clinton election team had going with the Russkies! (Okay, I am dreaming. That would never happen with the team of Clintonites he had on his staff.)

Here is where I segue my last paragraph with my opening paragraph about reruns of television programs. After watching a television show three times, I would lose interest and quit watching that program. After watching part of the Democratic debates, I lost interest and quit watching. Why? Because the Democrats have not come up with an original thought and it is a rerun of the garbage they have been spewing for way too many years.!

Free health care for everyone! And with a unanimous show of hands, the candidates all agreed that that would also include ‘illegal aliens.’ Or, in the parlance of the political correct, ‘undocumented immigrants.’ (If an illegal alien can be an undocumented immigrant, does that mean a dope pusher is an undocumented pharmacist? Does that make a bank robber just performing an undocumented withdrawal?) Free college education for everyone! Free this! Free that! Free! Free! Free!

Is there a word in the English language (or press two for Spanish) that could possibly be more liberal with other people’s money than the word socialist? Just how would all of these ‘free’ entitlements be paid. Well, that is an easy question for Bernie Sanders. Because for Bernie, there are words in America that are naughtier that the four letter words we heard as kids. The word profit, is a naughty word. If you follow Bernie’s logic, which is in line with the other candidates, a corporation or business should be ashamed, and punished for making a profit! That punishment would come in the form of higher and higher taxes. And, we will need more government regulation and intervention to control those greedy profit makers! Did you notice how many times the words ‘large corporations’ came up in the debate. Oh yeah, those large corporations are what is wrong with America. Have we heard this drivel in the past?

The other source of funding, and another place to punish is the talk about the ‘upper 1%.’ Of course, this refers to the top 1% of those with wealth in our country. Hereto, these people need to ‘pay their fair share.’ Bernie goes on to attack Trump by saying that he passed tax reform that unjustly helped the top 1% over all other taxpayers and wage earners.

I am becoming comatose listening to the same reheated, rehashed garbage coming from the liberal left, just as I have lost interest in multiple reruns, because their platform is a rerun on a continuous loop. And….don’t let reality cloud a faulty accusation.

The liberals have need to take a fact check into reality and, just as important, into economics. Firstly, only a small portion of the total federal government tax revenues come for businesses and corporations. That number has fluctuated over the years, but for 2018, corporate income taxes accounted for only 6% of the federal tax income! Personal income taxes accounted for 51% of the federal tax income. Payroll taxes accounted for 35% of the federal tax income, with miscellaneous taxes accounting for the last 8%. Bernie wants to do a WWF style smack-down on those corporations that only contribute 6% of the federal taxes to support all of his socialistic programs. What would be the result of that economic taxation maneuver? Hate Trump if you want, but his economic policies have stimulated the economy to the point of experiencing the lowest unemployment rate in 50+ years! Like Ronald Reagan said, “The best welfare program is a job.” And gosh darn it, by eliminating government regulations and intervention, and by lowering the corporate tax rate, that 6% (corporations and businesses) have created many more people contributing in the form of personal taxes. If the socialist left-wing dingbat democrats have their way, this trend would reverse. Corporations would again relocate manufacturing and corporate headquarters outside of the US. Higher unemployment would follow, just like during the 10+% unemployment during the Obama years.

Another democrat mantra….”the 1% need to pay their fair share of taxes.” Really? In 2016, The top 1% of the wealthiest people in America paid 37.3% of all federal income taxes. The bottom 90% of wage earners paid just 30.5% of all federal income taxes. Another statistic? The top 50% of all wage earners paid 97% of all the taxes. So you think the IRS codes are skewed unjustly to benefit the top 1%, as asserted by the liberal left? Well, in 2016, the top 5% paid an average of 23.5% in taxes. The top 1% paid 22.9%. (Better accountants?) But the bottom 80% paid a tax rate of 15.6%. So….what part of this is unfair? Wouldn’t fairness, in this age of political correctness and equality, mean that everyone pay the same tax rate? What would those rates be if all those socialistic programs were put into effect? 40%? (If we were lucky!) 50%? (Probably not enough!) 80%? (Probably!)

So, dear readers, here is a summation of my observations of the Democratic presidential candidates and of the democratic platform:

  1. Like before, the democrats are fomenting the belief that in America, it is ‘us versus them.’ They foment this belief by unscrupulously advancing the belief that the 1% are entitled, and the rest of you are being screwed. Trump is responsible…so he needs to be impeached.
  2. Corporations and businesses are your enemy, especially those that have the audacity to make a profit. Never mind that they provide jobs, expand the economy and raise the standard of living for their employees. If they make a profit…Trump is responsible…so he needs to to impeached.
  3. Trump needs to be impeached. (Heard this before?) I have never heard one reason or charge that would warrant this….but Trump needs to be impeached.
  4. Trump is guilty of treason. (See number 3 above.)
  5. Have you ever heard one solution advanced by any of these candidates that would address some of the more serious problems facing America? Me neither. All I have heard so far is free this, free that…yada, yada, yada. Never mind China, illegal immigration, Iran, etc.
  6. Speaking about illegal immigration. I find it interesting that practically every Democratic candidate is a lawyer and does not know the definition of the word, ‘illegal’, as in illegal alien. How do you uphold and defend the constitution of our great country, and not know the difference between legal and illegal. Just sayin’.
  7. Another democratic mantra…’if at first you don’t succeed, begin labeling and name calling.’ Trump is a racist. Trump is a sexist. Trump is this, Trump is that, and anyone who votes for him is ‘deplorable and incorrigible.’ Enough name calling! Advance something that would be good for our country without putting our grandchildren in indebted servitude.
  8. Speaking of servitude…have you picked up that the government (meaning you and me) should pay blacks for slavery reparations? Have you met any blacks lately, or within the last 150 years that were slaves? Trolling for votes. A desperate, stupid move that divides this country further, but yet they blame Trump for dividing the country.

In an odd way, I find the liberal platform sort of creepy. It reminds me of my parents lecturing me when I was young about not taking candy from strangers. These liberals are trolling for votes by offering candy in the form of all kinds of unaffordable freebies. The question becomes, ‘are you smart enough to not take the candy?’

So like too many reruns of the same episodes of the same show, I will probably tune out most of the Democratic presidential debates until they get down to less than a platoon of candidates. It’s boring and it is certainly repetitive. Like Yogi Berra said, “it’s deja vu all over again.” That is the political correct way of saying….same crap, different day.

PS. If you would like to learn why we have a platoon of Democratic candidates, please read my blog entitled: P + P = M The New Political Formula

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!”

It’s Open Season on Non-Career Politicians in Washington, D.C.!

I will make no bones about it….I supported and voted for Donald Trump.  Why?  Well, after living through the terms of more Presidents than I care to count, I decided that maybe career politicians did not make the best Presidents.  (Okay.  I confess.  Trump makes number 13 during my lifetime!)

In the good old days, many of our Presidents were elected because of having military experience.  During my lifetime, that would have been Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and George W. Bush.  Ten of the thirteen Presidents during my lifetime had some form of military experience.  The three that have not served in the military are: Clinton, Obama and Trump.

So, for the last three that did not have military experience, which were the professional career politicians?  That would be Clinton and Obama.  That leaves just one person left and he was a career businessman as opposed to a career politician, Donald Trump.  And Washington, D.C., the political muck-hole and swamp of the political world cannot tolerate a non-career politician in the Oval Office.  Thus he, and anyone associated with him, have become targets in a political assassination game that the majority of this country finds detestable.

So what were the significant contributions and accomplishments of William Jefferson Clinton, the first non-military experienced president during my lifetime?  He was the Attorney General for the State of Arkansas, before becoming the Governor of Arkansas.  He then became the third youngest POTUS in 1993 and was POTUS until 2001.  In today’s political arena, he would have been considered a moderate. With some of his legislation, by today’s Democratic socialist yardstick, he may have even been considered slightly moderate to conservative!  But Bill also had the distinction of being only the second POTUS to ever be impeached.  (The first POTUS to be impeached was Andrew Johnson.)  Yup.  Bill had an affair with a White House intern and lied about it before congressional committees.  He lied about the affair before the 1996 election, which he won, and was impeached in 1998 after scathing evidence was presented concerning the affair.  Because the Republicans did not want to give Al Gore, the Vice President, presidential exposure and experience before the next election, Bill was allowed to finish out his term.  Bill was a lawyer.  As scandalous as his affair was, it pales in comparison as to what he and his wife have done since his presidency.

Barack Obama had a different career path.  Initially, he was a community organizer.  I am not sure for what organization, but that is what he did.  He served 7 years in the Illinois senate.  He then won election as a U.S. Senator.  Within 150 days after becoming a U.S. Senator, Obama began his campaign to become POTUS.  Amazingly, he won the Democratic nomination for POTUS, defeating the well-entrenched, well-funded Hillary Clinton.  He served as POTUS from 2009 to 2017. He was also a lawyer.  (And, from the day he was inaugurated until the day he left the presidency, his net worth increased 30 times!  Wow! )

Now along comes the billionaire and successful businessman, Donald Trump.  The one big advantage for Trump was that because he was not a career politician, he did not owe his political success to any particular lobby group or voting bloc.  Thus, unlike Clinton and Obama, he could not be controlled by campaign contributors or lobbyists.  He spent half of what Hillary Clinton spent on her campaign.  Hillary was the first politician in the United States to spend over a BILLION dollars on a campaign. The Washington smut machine does not like independent players on its field.  They are considered uncontrollable, and….they can be dangerous because you just never know what they can do.  When I was a teenager, I asked my dad why he voted for John F. Kennedy.  My dad’s reply?  I voted for JFK because “its tough to bribe a millionaire.”  Big Daddy G was ahead of his time without knowing it.  Now Trump is in the same position, except he is a billionaire.

Then, Trump had the audacity to place the best and brightest in his cabinet positions and his advisory positions.  As he was making these selections, I said to Grandma P, “This country could not afford to hire the people that Trump is appointing.”  They were the best and the brightest people that could be gotten.  They were paragons of industry, high level military leaders; and the best at everything.  He made these appointments without having to settle political debts, with one exception.  He even appointed Ben Carson, a former political opponent, to be Director of Housing and Urban Development.  How many people would do that?

But the media and the denizens of the deepest part of the ‘swamp’ reared their ugly heads and wasted no time in doing it.  The new word of the day became the ‘I’ word….impeachment.  And they began using this word before he was inaugurated!   But wait…for impeachment to take place, one would have to commit some impeachable offense.  So, in the truest tradition of fake it or make it up news,  we ended up with the Mueller investigation.  It is difficult to remember that this investigation began to determine the Russian influence and tampering in our last election.  It now has become an extended ‘witch hunt’ into Donald Trump and anyone associated with, or close to Donald Trump.

I am not sure what Paul Manafort is guilty of, but I am sure it was not something that required a 4:00AM arrest at his home, and incarceration without bail.  His arrest, when he answered the door in his underwear, was well recorded and publicized.  How convenient.  Manafort was the former campaign chairman for the Trump campaign.  In the good old days, those being any days before the Obama presidency, Manafort would have been subject to an IRS audit, not a publicized arrest by the FBI.

Some of Trump’s former friends and associates have come under scrutiny because of the Mueller investigation and are pleading guilty and plea bargaining to circumstances that are not really criminal.  Why would they do that?  Well…it is really quite simple.  Once the Justice Department, the IRS or the FBI wants to get into your knickers, they can do it with a battalion of attorneys that are all on the government payroll and at tax payer expense.  The accused, on the other hand, has to pay for a defense out of their own pockets.  With the Mueller investigation now rapidly approaching two years of existence, it is evident to any accused to what lengths our misguided legal system will go to harass.  A lengthy court battle would put most people into financial ruination.  Or, you could get a get out of jail card if you turn on Trump?  You would have to be some kind of person not to take a plea deal and turn on Trump with the alternative being financial ruination.  Our misguided legal/judicial system is using this sentiment to their advantage.  Rather than handling the accused persons with ‘kid gloves,’ they come at them with a sledge hammer.

But now as the skins of the onion are being peeled away, we are learning that this ‘witch hunt’ has been coordinated between three departments within the US Government; Justice, FBI and the CIA.  All of this dependent on a fictitious Fusion GPS dossier that was funded by the Clinton campaign.  If I am reading the tea leaves correctly, John Brennan, former head of the CIA, submitted the Fusion GPS report to the FBI while knowing it was all baloney.  The well entrenched FBI Obamaites/Clintonites could not pass up the opportunity to take this to the mat and received all kinds of judicial support, all the while knowing it was baloney, also.  Remember in an earlier paragraph where I said Trump appointed people without political debt except for one?  That one person would be Jeff Sessions, the current Attorney General .  Sessions was an early Trump supporter, and was rewarded with the appointment.  When the issue of the Mueller investigation gained steam, Sessions recused himself.  Big mistake for him and for Trump.  The now steam-rolling Mueller investigation has proceeded unencumbered because the Attorney General has taken a ‘hands off’ approach to the whole affair and the investigation is in the hands of entrenched ‘Anti-Trumpers.”

The arrogance of some of the key people concerning this investigation is breath taking.  John Brennan, the head CIA ‘spook’, has not found a TV camera he doesn’t like in his jihad to belittle Donald Trump and his presidency.  (Aren’t ‘spooks’ suppose to keep their mouths shut?)  Peter Strzok, the most arrogant piece of beetle dung that is collecting a government paycheck, said in a congressional hearing that, he “knew what was best for Americans.”  This was suppose to justify his nefarious actions and his office affair?  Peter, I know what is best for America today…not having our governmental agencies politically weaponized to influence this nation, favor a political party, or chastise and harass a candidate/elected official.  Brennan was CIA, Strzok was FBI, and Bruce Ohr was at the DOJ.  It was Ohr’s wife that worked at Fusion GPS and submitted the fictitious report that worked its way through all three agencies.  

Why are some of the leaders of these three organizations (and the all-to-willing media) attacking Trump and his associates with such ‘heavy  handedness?’  In football parlance, ‘the best defense is a good offense’ and there is not anyone more offensive than the above mentioned individuals.  They are up to their crooked necks in a highly illegal and treasonous  cabal at the highest levels of our government.

If I had a genie in a lamp and could rub it three times for three wishes (did I mention my genie would look like Sandra Bullock?) I would wish for the following.   Wish one:  Jeff Sessions is replaced by Trey Gowdy as Attorney General. Wish two:  Brennan, Strzok and Ohr all lose their jobs, lose their retirements and have their security clearances stripped.  Wish three:  The legal process will finally investigate that the Clinton money machine and Barack Obama are behind all the ‘Anti-Trump’ machinations taking place in ‘Swampington, D.C.’  One can only hope for justice…finally.  Obama may have only been a community organizer, but he certainly is excellent at organizing resistance.

Who is watching the top policemen (FBI), when its top hierarchy is loaded with crooked cops?

Hopefully, God and the midterm election will save this great nation.