My Shoes No Longer Fit

 

One downside of getting older is that your shoes no longer fit.

When I graduated high school, I was a 9 1/2. That has slowly increased as I aged. Your bones don't keep growing, but your ligaments and tendons stretch, making your feet larger.

The last shoes I bought were 11s. Those no longer fit. Around the home here, I walk around in socks because of my toe operation, and I flat out refuse to wear those orthopedic flippers I posted a pic of recently.

So now, I need to buy size 11 1/2 wide. The wide is to accommodate a bunion and hammertoes.

It's a good thing we old folks are wise beyond our years and are savvy enough to do things like buy proper footwear.

In my next episode, I will post about how our stomachs, as muscular as they are, also have tendons and ligaments that lose elasticity and that is why I now have to order extra large tee shirts.

Our Southern Border Crisis

I think that the vast majority of us understand the fentanyl problem in the US is a major one; that the real cause of the problem is not the dealers, but the Americans who are hooked on drugs. These addicts have always been a problem in modern America and will continue to be so.

Since there is so much money to be made from it, stopping the problem in one place will merely result in it moving to a different place, like the little Dutch boy sticking his finger in the leaks in the dyke.

But what can we do? Build Trump's wall? That is about the stupidest thing I've ever heard, and Tim Scott and the other idiots who support wasting tax dollars on a wall are morons. Vote for someone else. This is why:

"the vast majority of illicit fentanyl — close to 90% — is seized at official border crossings. Immigration authorities say nearly all of that is smuggled by people who are legally authorized to cross the border, and more than half by U.S. citizens like Haley. Virtually none is seized from migrants seeking asylum."

That's right. The majority of fentanyl is brought here through legal check points by Americans. Not by people sneaking across the border. Not by the long lines of refugees Fox strangely shows.

I also find it strange that Republicans are in an uproar about the border anyhow. They don't give two shits about drug addicts, and place little value on human life in general, as evidenced by their constant battle to reduce social programs. Could it be they feel threatened by brown folks?

Let's get real. A wall solves nothing. Abbott's razor wire makes the US look no better than Russia. We have to address the real problem, which is the American desire for drugs.

We learned from prohibition that it doesn't work. It only made the mafia wealthy. The same thing is happening today. So like booze we should simply legalize all drugs. That's right, I have finally come to understand that is the only solution.

Legalize and put the illegal drug cartels out of business. Use tax money from drug sales to expand addiction rehab programs. Help the addicts get off drugs.

Folks, building a wall and trying to fight the cartel to solve America's drug problems works about as well as prohibiting liquor and marijuana and closing taverns.

So please, if any candidate for president proclaims that we must build a very expensive wall to solve our "southern border crisis" (as Fox describes it) don't vote for that person. They are either totally lacking in intelligence, or are disrespecting your intelligence.

https://www.npr.org/2023/08/09/1191638114/fentanyl-smuggling-migrants-mexico-border-drugs?fbclid=IwAR2FoqTi87-2Ye2Qrwn5wrdOQfX_QL1yRLWu2epNJr0bujYOacu-OZqQM6s#:~:text=Fenta 

Project 2025

I've been somewhat restrained lately with my anti-Trump rants. I hate the guy, plain and simple, and that is not a word I bandy about. I hate his unethical business practices, the absence of taking responsibility for his actions, and his constant blatant lying. I am not alone, of course.

I've chased off about a thousand people from my friends list, presumably all Trump stupporters, and those left either agree with me or respect my opinions if they disagree.

No, I have nothing more to add to the Trump train wreck. I am more interested in how he will run his presidential campaign and what he will do if re-elected. And that, my friends, is a distinct possibility we have to face. For some strange, bizarre reason, Joe Biden has decided that he needs four more years. He should have stepped aside and let someone younger run, but he didn't. So Bob's your uncle.

Trump and Project 2025 (a right-wing think tank) are figuring out how to shove their brand of conservatism down our collective throats. Project 2025 intends to redesign our republic. Trump is intent on revenge.

First up, naturally, is pardoning himself. That's a given. It should never be allowed constitutionally, but our forefathers never considered such a thing as possible. Next, pardons for all of the January 6th traitors. That's a given too.

Then he will set his sights on his enemies, Jack Smith being at the top of his list. Trump has been planning a truly weaponized Department of Justice including an "Office of Election Integrity" that will investigate elections Republicans lost and look for those "11,780 votes", if you know what I mean.

Trump's motives are all retaliatory to punish anyone who dared to oppose him or punish him for his crimes. His presidency will be one of intimidation and fear. He will purge our government of anyone who disagrees with him. He will undo the work of grand juries.

Trump is working closely with right wing think tanks such as America First Legal, Project 2025, and the Center for Renewing America. It is important to take these organizations seriously, and they are happy to tell you what their agenda is.

The Project for a New American Century laid out plans for the invasion of Iraq in the 1990s to protect US oil interests. Signatory members of the PNAC such as Dick Cheney, Alan Wolfowitz, John Bolton, and Donald Rumsfeld went on to serve in George Bush's administration and, of course, we invaded Iraq under the false pretense of WMDs. WMDs that did not exist, and the Bush administration knew they didn't exist. But that was the plan of the PNAC.

It all sounds like a bad movie, doesn't it?

Pay attention to the political machinery behind the curtain. Both the Trump and DeSantis campaigns are fascist movements, and they are telling you exactly what their political goals are. Only Joe Biden and our Constitution presently stands between us and them.

Reminiscing

I was talking with another resident last night about the cars we had when I was young.

My "car I wish I had today" was my '67 Camaro. White, black Z28 stripes, rear spoiler. Hurst shifter. 327 V8 with a .480 lift 330 duration cam, a 780 dual pumper Holley, and Hooker headers and mufflers. 355 gears, which is tall, but a good road car.

He had a '67 GTO, 400 V8 with three deuces and 411 gears with a posi rear.  

What did we have for lunch today?

I dunno.

Customer Service

 Typical. From all of my years in the computer biz, one thing that I learned is never to trust big corporations.

I need closed captioning on my TV to watch anything. The sound quality of television has declined over the years and everyone on TV now mumbles. No one enunciates anymore. So I turn on CC.

I have Max. HBO changed it's name, along with everyone else. Facebook is Meta, Twitter is X, and Prince is only a symbol. j

I've been having issues turning on CC. The other day I turned it on and got a different CC than the show I was watching. I was watching an action movie and got the CC for a nature show about rhinos. It was funny for five minutes.

Tonight, nothing. CC would not turn on. So I contacted Max via chat. Jagadeeswari signed on. Jagadeeswari had me update Max, update my Roku TV, and had me create a new profile. A half hour's worth.

Then he wanted me to unplug my TV and plug it back in. I declined. I explained that would involve me crawling under my desk. I told him that was busy work and I would just not renew Max and buy Netflix.

Then Jagadeeswari checked for known issues. Ah yes, it is a problem and their system engineers are working to resolve it.

Shouldn't you have checked that first, I asked?

So I cancelled Max. I wasn't thrilled with it anyway. I always had a hard time finding things to watch, and what's featured is bad.

Max should change it's name again to Min.

Our Southern Border "Crisis"

 

I'm watching the news about the "crisis" at our southern border and Greg Abbott putting up razor wire along it. Razor wire.

I have a question for you right wingers- what exactly are you afraid of?

Don't tell me drugs, because these refugees are trying to get to border crossings.

Don't tell me welfare because they are ineligible. For five years, not one red cent.

Disease? Maybe. So vaccinate them when they arrive, and test them. I'll go along with that.

That they'll take your job? If you have a job that a migrant who speaks Spanish can take from you, I feel sad for you. You're pathetic.

So what, exactly? To my way of thinking, unless you come up with a damn good reason why refugees coming to America (you know, the one with the Statue of Liberty) to better themselves and their families should not be welcomed here with open arms, my only conclusion is that you're a racist.

So go ahead, please. Tell me.

American Racism

Have you folks read the news about Florida's state board of education? They "passed new legislation under Gov. Ron DeSantis that bars instruction in schools that suggests anyone is privileged or oppressed based on their race or skin color."

Erasing America's racist past and not acknowledging our racist present does not make it go away. Racism is the bedrock the United States was built on because of our white European ancestors. Taking it out of history books does not make it vanish.

The two most egregious examples, of course, are slavery and the genocide of Native Americans. I believe the old adage that if we don't learn from our history we are doomed to repeat it.

Ron DeSantis is precisely what is wrong with today's Republican Party. That his approval rating is 38% is horrifying.

BTW, Trump's and Biden's approval ratings are 42%. Remember that when Fox tells you how awful Biden's is.

For my few remaining Republican friends - you have to do better than a fraud like Trump and a fascist like DeSantis. I usually don't agree with Chris Christie, but at least he's sane. Take a close look at him before casting your primary ballot. Please.

Hunter Biden

 Hunter Biden. What is he accused of, exactly? More importantly, what is he guilty of?

First, let's forget about the gun charge. Hunter was a legal gun owner. In his memoir, he admitted to illegal drug use during the time he owned a gun. That is forbidden by law, hence the charge. If no one read his book, a charge would not have been filed. If everyone in America could be identified similarly and their guns taken away, America wouldn't have a gun problem.

Next issue.

Hunter Biden received $1.5 million from his foreign jobs in 2017 and 2018 and not paying the $100k taxes he owed on that income. To be clear, Hunter paid taxes in both years. He did not pay enough taxes. Trump's DOJ persecuted Hunter to find something, anything, that they could use against Joe Biden. Hunter pled guilty to underpaying his taxes. That is a misdemeanor and Hunter was fined.

Was Hunter given preferential treatment?

First, he was investigated by the FBI and IRS while Trump was president. The Department of Justice is part of the executive branch of government. Under Trump's administration. Preferential treatment would be if Hunter was not investigated at all. Hunter was singled out by Trump's DOJ and both persecuted and prosecuted. The judge presiding over Hunter's case in 2023 was a Trump appointee.

When I sold stocks many years ago, there was a discrepancy over what I thought I owed and what the IRS thought I owed, centered around the cost basis of my Exxon-Mobil stock. I was told to file an amended return, which I did. The IRS came back a couple of years later and started garnishing my social security check because they said I still didn't pay enough and owed more taxes and penalties and interest.

I did not go to jail. Am I any different from Hunter Biden? Should Hunter go to prison? Should I have gone to prison? Or should we both similarly take our lumps and pay what the IRS says?

You do NOT go to jail for failure to pay taxes in America. You ONLY go to jail for tax evasion or tax fraud. In the United States there are only two thousand people incarcerated for tax crimes. Fraud and evasion. Not under reporting.

The IRS knows that our tax code can be bewildering. It's difficult enough for those of us who work standard jobs in the US and decide to itemize. Add to that foreign investment dividends and income and it's stupefying even for tax professionals.

Hunter Biden is a talented and accomplished attorney. He earns an estimated $20 million annually and his net worth is around $230 million. If I can make an error in my little piddling Exxon-Mobil stock sale, imagine the complexity in Hunter's portfolio.

Did Hunter use the Biden name? Of course he did. Wouldn't you? Did Trump use the White House to enhance the Trump brand? That's capitalism, folks.

I do not believe Hunter was given preferential treatment at all. If anything, I believe he was singled out by the Trump administration because of who he is, and that his last name is Biden.

Now the fascists have their arm bands in a twist because, after many many years of chasing Hunter, they have come up with basically nothing.

The Fascist Court

 If affirmative action in college admissions is unconstitutional and all applicants be judged solely on merit, then make the applications anonymous. Remove the names and addresses from the application and replace it with a number. Omit any reference to legacy. Delete references. Blackout the names of schools attended.

Make a college application truly merit based and I'm good with it.

So far as the case of a web site being considered free speech and protected by the first amendment, we all know that's totally bogus (besides the fact that the incident never happened). If a website is freedom of expression, anything built by man is the same. Ford could decide to not sell pickup trucks to Republicans because F-150s are a work of art.

This Supreme Court is legislating from the bench. The justices also believe they are above the law themselves by taking expensive vacations paid for by the wealthy whose cases come before them. Every public servant understands that is a conflict of interest and forbidden. Notice who is guilty of such practices. The fascist ones.

I'm sure you've noticed, and perhaps taken aback, by my use of the word fascist.

Fascism - a political philosophy, movement, or regime (such as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition

It fits both Trump and DeSantis perfectly, doesn't it? Trump admires communist leaders such as Putin, Kim Jung Un, and Xi Jinpin. DeSantis is taking the Hitler approach of banning books and declaring that liberalism must be eliminated. They're fascists, plain and simple.

The only sane Republican running for 2024 is Chris Christie. While I disagree with his politics, I like the fact that he's not a fascist. His campaign isn't centered around hate and division. I hope Republicans take a closer look at him as a candidate.

Someday soon, we should consider an alternative parliament form of government. The US's government is bicameral, meaning it has a lower and upper house. It is divided by definition. A unicameral parliament would be similar to our House of Representatives. Instead of electing a president, the Parliament elects a prime minister.

Fun stuff to think about, as we witness the wheels falling off our government designed almost 250 years ago by wealthy white men.

Crooked Supreme Court Justices

 It's time to put time limits on Supreme Court justices.

First it was Clarence Thomas taking special favors. Now it's been revealed that so has Samuel Alito. Let's call them what they are. Bribes. Both justices have ruled on cases brought before them by their special friends.

To remove a justice requires impeachment by the House and conviction by the Senate. We all know that a Republican controlled House will never consider impeaching a Republican justice, let alone voting to to do so.

Consider current Republican news. They will condemn Hunter Biden for cheating on his taxes, yet make excuses for a president who advocated the insurrection of January 6th and who stole our nation's most protected secrets and whisked them to Mar a Lago.

Today's class of Republicans are not only hypocritical but are crooks. How they openly rape and pillage this country and flaunt its laws is shocking. Yet half of this country continues to vote for them.

Vote Democrat, vote independent, vote anything but Republican. For any office, even local. Anyone with an R before their name on a ballot is guilty by association.

Hunter Biden

 

Grab the pitchforks! Bring the torches! Hunter Biden is pleading guilty!

We all know Hunter is a screw-up. Hunter himself wrote about his troubled days in a memoir, detailing his problems with cocaine.

Fox, of course, is reporting this with glee. "He failed to pay taxes!" they cry. The truth of the matter is that Hunter paid his taxes LATE in 2017 and 2018. But he paid them. Misdemeanor. He pled guilty.

He admitted, in his memoir, to being addicted to cocaine. During that time, he also owned a legal firearm. But the fact that he admitted to being a cocaine user automatically made owning the gun illegal. Misdemeanor. He pled guilty.

How many of you have fudged your income taxes? How many of you who own firearms are addicted to alcohol?

How many of you have kids who grew up to be a screw-up?

Yes, Joe Biden's son is a screw-up. Yes, he pled guilty to misdemeanor charges, as he should have. No, he is not being treated differently than everyone else. Hunter is getting what he deserves, paying his debt to society.

None of which is connected to Joe Biden.

Use some common sense, folks. And consider the source.

I wish Hunter well in his recovery and on his way to being a responsible adult.

Hannity

I read my friend's blog, David Guilbeaut's blog "The Well Said" this morning. He writes about Sean Hannity's interview with California Governor Gavin Newsom. In the introduction to the show, Hannity said a condition was that he would not interrupt the governor. Of course, that didn't happen.

To twist comedian Ron White's gag a bit, "He had the right to remain silent. He did not have the ability."

Hannity's style is to ask a skewed question, and when the interviewee responds, cuts him off to interject his own conservative viewpoint on his own conservative question. It is very tiring.

I watched it, as painful as it was, to get a sense of Newsom's views. It was difficult to do with Hannity constantly talking over Newsom, or attempting to. The governor gave it right back. Hannity wouldn't stop and is, in my opinion, the absolute worst interviewer in the history of television.

From Quora Hannity "is very good at talking while listening... at the same time. Not many people can do that, but he’s really good at it. Most of the time when he says something that sounds intelligent it’s either being fed to him or he’s reading from the prompter."

Again from Quora "He doesn’t come across as very smart."

Hannity has no solid education. He attended college but did not graduate. His college experience was a smattering of courses taken at three colleges. His lack of education shows. He lacks critical thinking skills and certainly has no debating skills.

Still, Fox News pays him $25 million a year.

Wannabe Dictator

 "WANNABE DICTATOR SPEAKS AT THE WHITE HOUSE AFTER HAVING HIS POLITICAL RIVAL ARRESTED"

Yes, that was a banner on Fox News last night. That, and things like that, is why anyone who watches Fox is stupid, unless you watch it just for your amusement.

Trump is the guy who admires dictators like Putin and Kim Jong Un and who wondered if he could serve more than two terms. Trump is a wannabe dictator.

The right seems to be skilled (or unskilled depending on your point of view) of doing something immoral or illegal and then blaming the Democrats of doing exactly that. It is a form of deflection.

You see it often in comedies. I saw a movie not long ago where a guy runs into another guy's car, then jumps out and yells "YOU'RE GONNA PAY FOR THAT!"

It is exactly what the right does, only in these times it isn't funny.  Too many stupid people.

Whataboutism

 The GOP is playing whatabout. What about Hillary's emails? What about Biden's garage? What about Clinton's sock drawer?

That is their defense. Whataboutism.

Hillary had 33,000 emails on her server, which she gave to the FBI on request. After reviewing them all, three were classified. Two were marked as classified and were not. One was classified but was not marked as such.

Biden returned any and all classified documents found in his office or, supposedly, his garage, on request. He allowed the FBI to search.

Bill had taped conversations in his oval office with his biographer. He kept those tapes, presumably in case what was printed was not what was said. The White House archivist asked for their return as the property of the White House. Bill complied.

Then we have Trump. He had a major tantrum when he lost in 2020. Major. When he left, he took untold boxes of classified documents. When the White House archivist asked for their return, he refused. The FBI asked for them repeatedly and he refused. The FBI eventually raided Mar a Lago and seized them. Trump has charges filed against him.

Whataboutism is not a good defense here.

Trump and the Presidential Order Act

 Let me add one more thing to this whole Trump and his possession of top secret documents fiasco.

Trump claims that he can declassify a top secret document just by thinking about it. OK. Let's say that Trump thought about declassifying our nation's most secret documents, and ~poof~ they're all declassified. They are now no longer secret. Not our nuclear capabilities. Not the locations of our nuke submarines. None of it. What Trump thinks is more important. Got it.

That doesn't change a thing. Nothing. They are NOT HIS DOCUMENTS. All records and other documents belong to the American public. All of them. Classified or not, it doesn't matter. Regardless of what they are, the Presidential Records Act is very clear who they belong to.

"The United States shall reserve and retain complete ownership, possession, and control of Presidential records". Ownership. Possession. And control. Not Trump. The United States. Specifically, the Archivist.

"The Archivist shall deposit all such Presidential records in a Presidential archival depository or another archival facility operated by the United States."

This is all pretty cut and dried, folks. There is no legalize. No gobbledy-gook. No double speak. It is so plain that even the Donald can understand it.

As to why they were stored in Mar-a-Lago in hallways, basements, and bathrooms is anyone's guess. If he sold any information to our enemies, we do not know.

All of your MAGA people were well warned, years in advance. That you chose to support this guy is all on you. That many of you continue to support this guy to this day is totally baffling to me.

Nixon famously said "I am not a crook". Trump is saying the same thing.

Trump and the Nation's Secrets

I'm watching the news on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Which, to be honest, is like all the other days in the week. Anyhow... regarding Trump and his possession of top secret national security documents... Trump claims this is a witch hunt, and Biden is targeting him because he is a political opponent. Even Trump's Republican opponents for the presidency claim it is so.

Let's say, OK, that's true. Joe Biden targeted Trump on purpose. It was all politics. Spot on. Great observation Mr. Trump. You caught him.

So what?

There is no one disputing the fact that Trump had these documents. Boxes and boxes of them, many containing the most sensitive of national secrets, such as plans to invade Iran, and our nuclear capabilities. No one is saying that is not true.

When asked why he has them, Trump replies "It's a witch hunt!" and dodges the simple question. Trump has never said why he possesses information that, should it get in the wrong hands, would be extremely dangerous to our country. Only that he is being targeted.

The FBI says he also possessed them illegally. A grand jury of American citizens believes that he may have as well. Trump says he has not and points to the Presidential Records Act of 1978.

Let's say Trump is right. As a former president, he can have information in his possession that could destroy the United States. No laws broken. That brings us to why. Why does Trump feel a need to own this information?

There is one, and only one, answer. Having that information is valuable to Trump. He looks at them as an asset. A business asset. Certainly, they have no sentimental value. They are goods that have value to certain customers. They are worth money.

We all know that Trump has no morals. From cheating on his wives, to cheating his business associates, to lying to banks, to stealing from students of his phony university, to stealing from his fraudulent Trump Foundation. Trump finds value and capitalizes on it.

Witch hunt or not. Presidential Records Act not withstanding. There is one, and only one, reason that Trump had those documents. To sell. He stole them from the White House. When it was learned that he had them, he refused to surrender them to the FBI. He did everything he could to obstruct justice.

Trump is a businessman, his MAGA followers say. Yes, he most definitely is.

Wordle

 We Wordle athletes have all been there. On the sixth guess, the last four letters in the right place. We look at our remaining letters. Q and no U so that's out. Zs and Xs are rarely used. The other letters made no sense, except two.

A sweat breaks out on our brow as we stare at the Wordle puzzle. Our hands shake as we take another sip of coffee. We close our eyes in prayer to Jigsah, the Greek God of Puzzles, for guidance. We ponder, calculating odds, trying to guess how many times each fitting letter was used. We consider whether we now truly understand the Wordle editor and how evil he is. This is a job for Batman, we think. Perhaps Wordle should give clues like Jeopardy.

I walk out of my room to the dining room for another cup of coffee, snapping at anyone who looks my way. I return in silence. No other residents speak to me, understanding that I am in my Wordle zone.

As I sit and stare at my screen, I envision one of the two letters leaping off my computer screen at me. Perhaps blinking "pick me, pick me". I stare for endless minutes. Sweat now trickles off the end of my nose and hits my keyboard. Onto one of the two letters. A sign! Does the drop of sweat mean that letter is the one? Or is not the one? How do I know. I don't speak qwerty. It must be a sign to pick that letter. What else could it be. That MUST BE THE LETTER. With a shaky index finger I hover over the letter. Be a man, I tell myself. Push it.

Wordle 715 X/6

⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜

🟨⬜🟩⬜⬜

🟨⬜🟩⬜🟩

⬜⬜🟩🟩🟩

⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩

⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩

Talk English

Today it was reported that the US economy added an amazing 339,000 new jobs last month. Unemployment is at a historic low 3.7%. Employers pay record high wages, causing high inflation, in an effort to attract job applicants.

In other news, hundreds of thousands of folks are lining up at our borders. They want to come here and take good American jobs.

If only we could admit them and hire them. But we hate those people. Brown skin, Spanish accent most of 'em. Drug dealers too, I've heard, traveling in gangs disguised at families with children. The ones who will work are taking American jobs. Not many of them, since they'll all be on welfare and selling fentanyl. If they want to come here, they should learn the language. English. Well, it used to be Spanish but we took this land fair and square like we always do. In a war. And now we make 'em talk English.

That's whut I'd do.

Being Woke

Uganda passed a law that will jail for life anyone arrested for homosexual activity. That is disturbing enough, but what is distressing are the MAGA Republicans in the United States who cheer this law.

"It's about time!"

"We should do that here!"

And other such comments.

Think about this. This is 2023, not 1923. Women have the right to vote finally. People of color have the same rights as whites. Non-Christians have the same rights as Christians. The Irish can now apply for jobs.

This is also 2023. Women are not equal to men under the Constitution. Mosques and Synagogues are bombed. Black churches and supermarkets are mass murder scenes. Women are not guaranteed the right to choose. Fascists run for president and are cheered. Books are being banned in Florida.

It is too easy to brush this off by claiming that these MAGA Republicans are just plain stupid. Many are educated. What about them?

This hate is nothing new. Those of you my age no doubt remember Republican Senator Joe McCarthy who claimed there were communists (gasp!) infiltrating America, including the federal government. Never mind that being a communist is perfectly legal. Joe McCarthy painted everyone with a big evil hate brush. McCarthy got people black listed from jobs. McCarthyism ruined lives. Because he didn't like communists, and he got MAGA-type Americans to follow him.

MAGA Republicans, and I'm including DeSantis supporters here, do not believe in diversity. They want to create laws that compel everyone to believe what they believe.

About a year ago, I first heard the word "woke" being used as a derogatory term on Fox News. More specifically "woke liberals". Being woke means to be socially aware, particularly as it pertains to race. Educated people know this. Woke was always a good thing. Fox was now making it an insult.

At the time, I thought it was pretty funny. Dumbasses. No doubt this idiocy will end quickly when the Fox fact checker gets ahold of it. But then the ignorant MAGA crowd picked up on "woke". Conservatives are proudly "anti-woke". DeSantis' campaign is centered around being anti-woke. "Florida is where woke goes to die", says DeSantis.

DeSantis has gone so far as to control what is taught in Florida schools and banning books that show the white race is a less than favorable light. Good books. Classic books.

But whether these books are appropriate for school children is not the issue. That is a question best left to educational professionals, not narcissistic politicians like DeSantis. He is micro-managing and that is never a good thing.

These are dangerous times we're now living in. Fascism is very much alive in DeSantis.

 

Kickin' This Can Down The Road

 At the urging of my hordes of fans (hi Dave!) I am restarting my old blog "Observatatin'".

My first blog, about rebuilding an old trawler and cruising down the east coast ( https://trawlerdriftaway.blogspot.com ) continues getting page view and is now a tad over 940,000. People were awestruck by my foolhardiness and foolishness and looked for its daily entries.

My second blog was about building an off grid small home in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York ( https://bleeckermountainlife.blogspot.com ) was cut short by a tree-head accident. Although peppered with stories of living with Sasquatch all around us, that blog did not amaze as much as the former blog, it is still cruising at 277,000 hits.

Between the two, page views are heading to the one million territory. My goat is to hit that mark, so I am dusting off Observatatin'.

This blog will not be updated daily. Not even close. I will write a new post as humor and/or political urgency demands. The humorous side is usually about the stupid things I do, as my ex'es Jahnn and Pamela will attest to. But since there is not much funny about living in an old folks home, it will most likely be my singular and usually unique takes on politics as only a grumpy old man can do.

I am not really a Democrat. But I am certainly NOT a Republican. I best describe myself as an Eisenhower Republican. You young folks (and the majority of older Americans) have no idea what that is.

So please join me on this internet cruise to one million page views and beyond. If it helps, envision me as a curmudgeonly wrinkled old codger rocking on his porch and yelling at Biden, Trump, and DeSantis to get off my lawn.

The Truth About Our Southern Border

I just want to say a brief word (HAHAHAHA) about what's going on at our southern border. There are two schools of thought.

First, the one that Fox Nooz projects. That of "hordes" (their word) of "illegals" (their word) "massing" (their word) at our border. The news segment is usually followed up with news of how terrible fentanyl is and how it is killing "innocent" (my word) Americans. Then a segment about how crime is so horrible in Democrat sanctuary cities. Then a bit about how Biden wants to keep our social programs for the poor in place, implying, of course, that Illegals carrying fentanyl are massing at our southern border to collect welfare, sell drugs, and kill people.

The second, which is my opinions and the correct ones, is that if these folks who walk hundreds and thousands of miles to get to a border crossing to seek refuge and enter our country properly are most likely not packing fentanyl and are not cartel members. Those who show just cause why they left their home countries are admitted as refugees and are legal. Those who are turned away are also legal.

This next point is important. The ones admitted cannot collect from any federal social assistance program for five years. That's right. Five whole years. During that time, they must find their own way to survive, which is usually friends and family, or sponsors. No, they cannot rent a slum apartment and live on the government dole. All countries have such immigration requirements.

The term "illegal immigrant" regarding those who cross borders never made any sense to me. Think about it. Being an immigrant implies legality. If someone sneaks across the border they are not immigrating.

The real problem, of course, are illegal border crossers (a better term). Or perhaps bandits. Some word that suggests criminality would work better.

The vast, vast majority of "illegal immigrants" are those who enter the country legally, usually flying here, and then overstay their visas. Or those brought here as children. These are best termed "undocumented aliens". Since it costs so much money to obtain a green card I would like to believe that these people just can't afford the fees, but love this country so much that they simply stay here.

What is saddest to me are the "dreamers". These folks were brought here as children. If their parents become US citizens before they reach the age of 18, they also become citizens. But once past the age of 18 they are not, per the Child Citizen Act of 2000. These people are American in every sense of the word, but may be deported. The Dream Act of 2011 and the Dream Act of 2017 was meant to fix this, but they failed to become law.

Obama announced that his administration would stop deporting Dreamers with his Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that DACA reduced the federal deficit by $1.5 billion and increased federal revenue by $2.3 billion over ten years. Unsurprisingly , DACA was scrapped in Trump's first year as president. In 2020, the Supreme Court ruled that Trump's action was unconstitutional and reinstated DACA.

In 2021, a Republican federal judge ruled DACA was unlawful. A Republican US District Court judge also ruled DACA unlawful. Currently, no DACA requests are processed.

Now, Trump is running for president, and Ron DeSantis, the fascist governor of Florida, is running as well. With Fox Nooz spewing its hateful, inflammatory, racist rhetoric, immigration to the US is in turmoil and in peril. Even for people brought here as children.

If only Native Americans had such laws in place when Pilgrims arrived...

Life is a Rerun

When you achieve elderly status, you realize that life is a rerun. I've seen all this before.

This modern right wing MAGA movement is certainly nothing new. It is the old John Birch Society.

The John Birch Society, for you young 'uns, is an ultra-conservative organization formed in 1958 founded on the idea that communists were intent on taking over the world and had infiltrated America everywhere, particularly in the arts and politics. Communists were America's enemy and must be wiped out of American life and off the face of the earth.

The Birchers organized and believed the USA should a fascist state based on their conservative values. Right wing think tanks proliferated. One, the PNAC or Project for a New American Century, called for American world domination. The PNAC's signatories included Jeb Bush, Dick Cheney, Paul Wolfowitz, and many others.

At the time, the world ran on oil. The PNAC designed the war in Iraq in the late 1990s and presented a letter to Bill Clinton calling for the invasion of Iraq to safeguard America's oil. That didn't happen, so they orchestrated the election of George W Bush. PNAC founders became members of his administration. They had the presidency, they had the war, now they only needed the excuse. Then September 11th happened.

Today, we have the MAGA movement instead of the John Birch Society. Instead of communists, they call the enemy "woke liberals".

If you turn on Fox News, you will not see journalism. You will see hate. You will see brainwashing. You will see bigotry. You will see Birchers.

Life is just a rerun.