Tag Archives: Donald Trump

WELCOME TO THE UNITED STATES OF COMMUNIST AMERICA!

You probably did not notice, but I have not written a blog for 5 months. The reason? I always attempt to write something interesting, factual, and entertaining. But I am so appalled by the current events taking place in this country and in the world, I am suffering from ‘writer’s block’ when it comes to writing anything humorous. Thus my 5 month hiatus.

Hunter Biden’s laptop

A couple of weeks ago, Representative Matt Gaetz was questioning the deputy director of FBI intelligence as to where the Hunter Biden laptop is located. His response? “I don’t know where it is.” Say what? I have lost ink pens. I have lost some loose change in sofa cushions, but I have never lost anything as large and expensive as a laptop computer. But luckily for the FBI, and for the American public, Rudy Guliani made a copy of the information on that laptop. According to sources, this laptop contains child pornography, taped sex acts, business transactions with foreign companies, and more importantly, emails linking many of these foreign money producing transactions to his father, the POTUS. So, Hunter, if you need a copy of the information on your computer, see Rudy, because the FBI lost your laptop.

I want to give credit to the former POTUS, Donald Trump, in that he deserves an “I told you so” moment. He forewarned us before the last presidential election of Hunter Biden’s schemes and about the damaging information on Hunter’s laptop. What was the national media explanation? The media accused Trump of political maneuvering before the election, and the Hunter Biden laptop was a myth promoted as “Russian intelligence disinformation.”

Yet, three former Hunter Biden partners are in prison or awaiting prison. Everyone has heard of Tony Bobulinski. He was the first to testify before the House Intelligence Committee about the monies that were earned by Hunter in China and the Ukraine, with 10% going to then Vice President Joe Biden. Bubulinski said that Joe Biden was referred to as ‘the Big Guy. Who was the chair of that intelligence committee? None other than Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA). Schiff did his best to bury and discredit the testimony by Bobulinski. (I still have difficulty using the words Shiff and intelligence in the same sentence!) This is the same Adam Schiff that got hours of TV attention by stating he had iron clad proof that Donald Trump colluded with the Russians. He never produced that proof, but he got hours of camera time saying he did. Have you heard of Bevan Cooney or Devon Archer? I never heard of Cooney, but I have heard of Archer. Well…they are both in prison, and they were both partners in Hunter Biden’s Chinese dealings as officers in shell corporations. Cooney even turned over 28,000 emails concerning the Biden/Chinese connections. Do you think that Cooney and Archer may be a little miffed by being in prison while Hunter Biden is not? The first of two questions is this: Why is FOX news the only network covering anything concerning Hunter Biden, and all the other liberal media has no coverage of the story? Like one FOX pundit said, “the Hunter Biden story is a Pulitzer just waiting to be claimed.” But no one from the media is researching or covering it. The Nixon presidency was brought down by investigative reporting. Apparently investigative reporting is only done on conservatives. But here is question 2: Has this whole Hunter Biden affair affected decisions by his father?

(As an aside, the Steele dossier has been proven to be total fiction, paid for by the Clinton campaign. The Clinton campaign accused Donald Trump of colluding with the Russians, when in actuality, it was the Clintons! Score another, “I told you so” for Trump.)

Recent White House decisions.

Why did the White House not pursue the cause or the origination of Covid? It obviously began in China, even with the extensive Chinese disinformation campaign. Were we not aggressive in the pursuit of this knowledge because of the Biden/Chinese business dealings? Who was funding Wuhan? The United States lost almost 1 million people to Covid!

I am old enough to remember all of the requirements placed on auto manufacturers when the number of vehicular deaths went over 30,000 per year. In the fifties, when the driver hit the brakes, everyone in the front seat (no seatbelts!) could expect a mouthful of a dash constructed with the finest American steel! Now…padded dashes, shoulder and seat belts, collapsible steering wheels, air bags….you get the picture. Most of this because the vehicular death toll exceeded 30,000. So why have we not done anything about the 100K+ deaths a year from drug overdoses? It is no secret that fentanyl is responsible for many of these deaths, yet we allow thousands of pounds of Chinese manufactured fentanyl to cross our southern border illegally. It is estimated that drug and human traffickers on our southern border are making $100 million per week! So much fentanyl has crossed border, that the price is actually going down! (The only product during this administration that has gone down!) Why has the White House not castigated the Chinese government about fentanyl manufacture? Why have we not closed our southern border to human and drug trafficking? Are these decisions because of the Chinese/Biden connections?

Our response to the Russian saber rattling involving invading the Ukraine was late and insufficient. We should have provided the Ukraine with weapons and equipment much earlier. More importantly, we should have been mustering and leading our NATO/European allies to assist the Ukraine and to agree on economic sanctions in the event that Russia invaded the Ukraine. None of this occurred. Why? Firstly, for whatever reason, we did not take the lead. Secondly, many of our supposed NATO allies do not want to place economic sanctions on Russia. As a matter of fact, in the past, some of our allies have used just such situations to make money. Need an example? When we invaded Iraq during the first Iraqi war, we learned that the Germans were building Sadam Hussein’s palaces, bunkers, and tunnels. We learned that the French were providing the expertise to run his oil wells. Thus, their hesitancy to invade Iraq. So much for sanctions. But the Europeans have become dependent on Russian oil. Trump criticized the German government for their dependence on Russian oil. But Trump also got the United States into the position of being not only energy independent, but also an energy exporter! (Remember $1.79 gasoline?) So, how does the current administration handle this energy crisis? Well, rather than getting all techie on you, just go fill up your gas tank. Just at the time that Europe could use any fuels we could export to them so they could stop buying from Russia, (Tesla’s will not heat your house.) we close down our own energy drilling and transportation resources. If Green Deal advocates think that the tanks and trucks in the Ukraine are running on batteries, you better think again. We could be assisting the war effort, and placing more pressure on Russia, if we could provide oil and LNG to the Ukraine and to our allies in Europe. Why not? Is this not a large enough event to place our country on at least some semblance of a war footing, or are we more concerned about Teslas? Is our hesitancy to take advantage of our natural resources because of Biden/Ukraine ties, Biden/Russia ties, Biden/Chinese ties or are we just flat-ass stupid. And to further the ‘stupidity’ theory, the White House wants to purchase oil from Iran and Venzuela! (Does this government have an aversion dealing with democratic countries?)

Now that I have you in a pessimistic pissy mood because of my blog, I am now going to write about the bad scary stuff!

China is watching! China is watching what is happening in the Ukraine. China is watching for the US/NATO response to the Russian invasion. China is monitoring what the economic sanctions are doing to Russia. China is observing the effectiveness of the Russian military men and equipment versus the Ukranian resistance. China is evaluating the United States ability/willingness to muster a successful coalition with NATO/European allies. China is estimating how effective/willing the United States would be in defending those countries with which we have mutual defense pacts. Why? Because China wants to invade Taiwan! I believe the Chinese believe our US response would be weak because of the Biden/Chinese connections. The Bidens have taken more money from China, than any other country. If Russia would have successfully overrun the Ukraine in two weeks, the Chinese may have already invaded Taiwan. I believe the only thing stopping them now is the Ukrainian resistance, and the amount of men and material the Russian military has lost. Putin is losing support at home and losing support for the war, and that has to be uneasy for the Chinese Communist Party. If this country does not get serious about the Chinese intentions concerning Taiwan, the Ukraine situation will look like a picnic in the park in comparison.

There was a Chinese authority on TV this morning claiming that the Chinese openly brag that they control the politics in the United States, and that the United States has virtually become one of their ‘provinces.’ Have we become a Chinese province? Are they claiming this because of the Biden/Chinese connections affecting our relationships with China or because they have infiltrated our society and politics with their financial and technological superiority? Either way, it does not paint a pretty picture.

This country has spent $6 trillion on Covid. This administration, in 16 months, has increased our national debt to $30 trillion. When George W. Bush left office, it was $5 trillion. Inflation? Up 8%+, gas prices are up double. We are not protecting the sovereignty of our country at the southern border. We are losing 100k+ of our citizens every year to drug overdose. We have shirked our responsibility to lead a coalition against the bad-asses of the world. And…..we have a country claiming that our country has become one of their provinces! Welcome to the United States of Communist America!

There you have it, a pissy blog from a pissed off American.

Magicians or Politicians? Who is Better at ‘Slight of Hand?’

Have you ever seen a really good magician? I mean, a really, really, good magician that leaves you wondering, “how did he do that?” (I’m not being sexist. It’s just I have not personally seen any female magicians. I am sure, however, that the very attractive female assistants are wholly involved with the act. Women are devious that way!)

Have you seen that trick where someone from the audience writes their name on a $100 bill, and then later in the trick, the $100 bill magically appears in the center of a grapefruit? How do they do that?

I am a simple farm boy, so I am even impressed with the ‘needles through the balloon’ act. But the trick that I have seen the most and still impresses me the most is when they ‘saw a person in half.’ I have seen this trick when the ‘victim’ is selected from the audience. I don’t know if the person in the audience is a ‘plant’ or not, but I have volunteered Grandma P to be the victim. For the sake of brevity, I even volunteered the use of my chainsaw for the act as it is faster than a handsaw, but to no avail.

I have seen dozens of different ‘slight of hand’ tricks done with a deck of cards. Some of these were very impressive. After observing these tricks, I am elated that I would never be playing poker with any of these guysl. (Playing poker with my 12 year old grandson is challenging enough!)

So why are these magic tricks so successful? Well, without being a professional magician, I am going to speculate that these magicians are masters of the ‘slight of hand.’ What is ‘slight of hand?’ In midwestern farm boy terms, it is the magician’s ability to have you watch one thing, while he is performing the trick with the other. While you are mesmerized by watching his right hand move, his left hand is actually doing the trick. And…a good looking female assistant walking on and off the stage is another very successful diversion. Generally speaking, the good magician has directed your eyes and thoughts to one area, while they are pulling off the ‘trick’ elsewhere.

Do you know who else are masters of the ‘slight of hand?’ Politicians! Especially politicians at the federal level. Let me give you an example.

As you are all aware, the cost of gasoline has gone from roughly $2.00 per gallon in our area, to approximately $3.39 per gallon in just one year. The current Secretary of Energy, Jennifer Granholm was interviewed earlier this week asking about this. Her response? After she was done snickering, she professed she did not have a crystal ball, and the price rises were because OPEC has stated that they were not going to pump any more oil! Here is the ‘slight of hand’ concerning this matter. Madam Secretary put the blame on OPEC, when the current administration in fact, put the binders on the Keystone pipeline. She also conveniently forgot to mention the U.S. was an energy exporter during the Trump administration! We were fossil fuel independent, with cheap gasoline, and exported LNG. Not anymore. It’s OPEC’s fault, not the stupid decisions made by the Biden administration to overturn Trump’s energy independent mandates.

Have you seen much national coverage of how many illegal immigrants have entered our country this year? No? Very few news agencies are covering that issue. Let me be succinct in this; according to knowledgeable sources, 1.8 MILLION illegal immigrants will enter the country this year. Let me put that in perspective. That many illegal immigrants equals the population of Minneapolis, Minnesota…..4 times over! Additionally, all kinds of rumors were circulating that the Biden administration was considering granting $450,000 to each adult member of a separated illegal immigrant family. Say what? Where is the slight of hand in this situation? The Biden administration and the supporting liberal media wants you to be focused on climate change and Biden’s recent trip to meet with European leaders about climate change. It must not have been much of a meeting, as many leaders did not attend. Of course, the ‘wall’ that was being built under the Trump administration was halted by the Biden administration. (Wasn’t Kamala Harris suppose to be the border czar?)

Another example? Are you tired of having COVID restrictions beaten into your head by governmental agencies? Yeah…that is what I thought. I got three times more positive responses than Biden’s approval rating. But yet…wait for it….18% of the illegal immigrants entering this country tested positive for COVID. That is insane, it is not covered by the media, and our government refuses to do anything about it. But yet, our COVID restrictions continue.

Last week, there was a gubernatorial election in Virginia. Virginia has had Democratic governors since the 70’s. Terry McAuliffe was the incumbent democratic governor who faced the challenge of conservative Glenn Youngkin. Because of all the hoopla concerning parents becoming concerned about what was being taught to their children, education became the paramount issue of this election. Parents were being told by school boards that they did not have a ‘say’ in determining what was taught. This stance raised the hackles of many parents and more than a few school board meetings became heated. They became heated to such a level that school boards wanted the FBI to investigate and prosecute some parents as ‘domestic terrorists.’ This whole issue resulted in the upset victory for Glenn Youngkin. So how did the liberal media report this victory the day following the election? There were some idiotic liberal commentators contending that Youngkin’s victory was a “victory for white supremists.” So…we are suppose to focus on the fact that these parents were domestic terrorists and white supremists. Never mind that elected school boards are to serve the community, not the other way around. Never mind that not all of the concerned parents were white. Here we go again playing the racist card. Really?

Are you confident that our federal government is spending our money wisely? If you are anything like most, your reply would be an emphatic ‘no’. If you are anything like me, your reply would be an empatic, hell no! When younger, I was mesmerized by government expenditures that were in the millions. Then, in the not to distant past, the millions became billions. Now, there is no hesitation in Washington, D.C. to pass legislation involving trillions. My problem is this: we become so focused on the size of these expenditures, that we loose site of actually “what is in these expenditures.” It is a page right out of the magician’s handbook! These politicians are counting on our lethargy when it comes to these expenditures. I know I would like to see exactly what is buried in these expenditures with a line item synopsis. But, government is experienced in titling these items in superfluous terms. Still…it is OUR money!

Our current administration wants us to focus on lower unemployment numbers, a higher stock market, and a recovering economy. All of these are positive and important items. But, with the waning of the Coronovirus, Bozo the Clown could be POTUS and these improvements were going to occur. Things were so bad that the only way was up.

So I am going to assume the role of the magician, and suggest the American public begin to focus on these:

  1. Climate Change. I am a firm believer that we should attempt to take the practical steps necessary to protect our environment. But…having said that, no environment protection measures will be effective without China and India being involved, and they aren’t involved. They, not the U.S. are the largest polluters of the world. Climate change has occurred for millennium and will continue without our input. Some years the ice cap melts, some years it freezes. That trend will continue. Some people will not be satisfied until there are glaciers covering Canada and the upper third of the U.S., just like in prehistoric times. (Bring back the dinosaurs, and let’s see if those candy-ass liberals still want to support gun control!)
  2. China military buildup. In case you haven’t noticed, the Chinese successfully sent a supersonic, nuclear capable missile around the world in about 30 minutes. The scary component of this is that it is so fast, there is no way of neutralizing it. Additionally, China is spending a huge percentage of their GDP to increase their military capabilities. What will we do if they invade Taiwan? We have a mutual defense pact with Taiwan. If we do not honor that pact, we will loose the support of our allies in that part of the world with whom we have mutual defense pacts.
  3. Supporting our first responders. It is time to support the police and incarcerate the criminals regardless of race. Period. I don’t care if we have to convert the Aleutian islands into a penal colony! The government and liberal media want us to focus on racial injustice, when we should be focused on justice. I have written enough about this in my last blogs, so I will not be repetitive.

If I were to be closer to a magician performing a trick, eventually I may be able to figure how it is done and how he diverts attention while performing the trick. With the mastery of our federal government, I am sure we will always be victims of their ‘slight of hand.’ ” Keep your eye on this, while we are ‘tricking’ you elsewhere.” After all, they are better at it than most magicians.

P.S. Since writing this blog, it has been substantiated that only 10% of the recently passed infrastructure bill is for roads and bridges! Holy crap! Where is the other 90% going?

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!”