Last Post

This is post 415 this year. Not bad. Not my highest, nor my least number of entries in a given year. It seems I once again opted for quantity over quality at the old blog. Even my occasional readers probably expected nothing more. We are once again at the end of the year.  I do not anticipate plopping two entries onto the interwebz, so this is the last post of the year.

Happy New Year.

At this point we have nothing planned. The couple we usually hang out with is on vacation in the Florida sunshine. Our other friends are busy with a real life struggle: my friend Tony is lying in a hospital bed waiting on a heart transplant. I don't usually ask for this kind of thing but your prayers are appreciated. Compared to his plight, sitting at home watching Ryan Seacrest do his best Dick Clark impression is not so bad.

I spent yesterday evening cleaning carpets. The upstairs and stairway are done. I will do the rest of the house after we get the Christmas decorations and trees put away. Sounds like a great way to spend the holiday doesn't it? I'm not sure how I will stand the excitement.

Enjoy your New Year celebration. If you drink, do not drive.

How about a little ghost of Guy Lombardo to round off the year?

Big bag of nothing

Coasting today. Enjoy your Friday

Sad stuff indeed

In recent years 1950's Debbie Reynolds has replaced 1940's Esther Williams as my favorite old chick younger me would have fantasized about when they were young. I bet Reynolds did that intoxicating little laugh if you tickled her in just the right secret places.

Debbie Reynolds passed away yesterday. The death the previous day of her daughter, Carrie Fisher, was a strain Reynolds could not bear.  I have said it before, no parent should ever have to bury their child. It is a horror I pray to never face. After my aunt died you could almost see the life slip from my grandmother. Even though those two wonderful women died a few years apart, my grandma was not the same after cancer claimed my only aunt.

I am one of the least star struck people on Earth. I cannot think of a single celebrity, artist or musician that I care to meet. I wouldn't cross a restaurant to bother any athlete. I have no desire to go backstage to hang with my favorite musicians. It should come as no surprise that I do not watch TMZ and I don't scan Buzzfeed for the latest celebrity gossip. I really do not care what Johnny, or Jennifer, or Brad are saying or doing. That said, the passing of this mother/daughter pair is sad beyond belief. One would have to have the coldest of hearts not to understand the tragedy of the events, no matter if the people involved are famous. May they both rest in peace.

Temper tantrum

I had to behave like a real person yesterday. I got up at dark O'Clock, showered and hit the highways to arrive at the home office before seven. It was inventory day and my ability to count without using my fingers and toes was needed.  I don't mind getting up and going into work, just not early enough to post something on the old blog before i leave. I don't love you that much.

I am amazed at the pettiness of President Obama. He has absolutely stabbed Israel, our only friend, the only democracy in the Mideast, in the back. He has given the Palstineans yet another reason to refuse to negotiate with Israel on a two-state solution. Obama does not like the Israeli PM. Too bad.

Why Jews continue to vote overwhelmingly Democrat has confused me since Jimmah Carter was President. Democrats from FDR to now have screwed over the Jews. But American jews still keep voting for the anti-Semites. It is Stockholm Syndrome or something.

It appears Obama is going to shove his legacy down our throat in a last minute hissy fit. He is gonna figuratively trash his Vegas hotel room because he lost big at the craps table. He'll show us. Well, Mr. Obama, it is like you told us after you were elected; elections have consequences. America has repudiated your agenda on every level from local to state to federal. Get over it. These last minute moves make you look small, petty, and unPresidential. What is next? Are you going to stuff paper towels in the urinals and rip up the pillows as you vacate the White House? Did you carve a big "O" into the oval office desk so succeeding presidents will remember you?

Obama probably thinks the XX Amendment is racist because it kept him from sharing his vision for another four years.

Partied out

Good morning everybody. I'm at the old blog a bit later than usual. Late to bed and late to rise keeps me from posting anything wise.

I hope you had an enjoyable holiday weekend. I sure did. Food and family gatherings were all a great time. The granddaughter had a ball and really likes opening presents. The joy of a two year-old is contagious. I received some great gifts including a framed copy of the Chicago Tribune depicting the Cubs World Series victory.

The food...what feasts! From barbecue at my mom's house Christmas eve to turkey and ham at my wife's family that evening to more turkey and ham at my daughter's on Christmas day, I ate and ate. Desserts and cookies and fudge and peanut butter pie and cherry delight and mashed spuds and noodles and rolls all have combined to make my blood sugar readings a bit high today, but lower than I expected. I dont even want to jump on the bathroom scale. That damn thing lies anyway. I'm thinking of frying up a piece of the leftover ham in a skillet and cracking a couple of eggs for breakfast. What he heck, one more day of over-eating won't kill me. Probably.

It was a great weekend and I hope yours was too.

Merry Christmas

The view from my patio December 2016

Reason for the Season

Sums it up perfectly

Frankie says Relax

We are in the midst of the holiday season. Lots of religions have celebrations around this time of year. Many are based on rebirth as we hit the solstice and the days begin to get longer. Indeed, this post may be better suited for next week and the advent of the New Year.

This may be a "pot meet kettle" posting. I sure hope not. I was most disappointed when Obama won the election in 2008 and 2012. I have looked at some of my posts from that time and I am certain I expressed disappointment, but in a reasonable manner. But life goes on. It is politics. The country is not going to collapse over night. We still have a system of checks and balances.

It is time to relax. No matter what you think about Trump, and there is plenty to worry about, some of this reaction is over the top. When you plan to disrupt the inauguration, when you want to have a concert that will compete with the festivities, when you boycott and shame entertainers for considering an inauguration performance you are borderline unhinged. It is OK to disagree about policy. Respect the office. Trump has yet to perform a single Presidential act. In fact, it looks like he is going to push an agenda most Democrats will like, starting with a stimulus not so different than he one Obama gave us. I am not in favor, but that does not give me leave to chase and harass Trump's daughter through an airport. That is just crazy behavior.

In the spirit of the holidays step back and assess.  Reign it in. It is OK to disagree with the policy, but Trump won. Get over it. Move on. Win the next election. Enough of the stupid stuff. If right wingers had disrupted Obama's inauguration, if his daughter was chased through the airport would you approve? I thought Bush Derangement  Syndrome was bad, but the angst and downright bat-shit crazy response to Trump's election makes me think a great number of liberals really do need therapy.

Relax. It will be OK. There is no need to ruin your Christmas dinner. Hug your kid. Pet your cat. Play fetch with your dog. Enjoy a cigar. There is plenty of good in the world. Do not spend so much time focusing on the bad that you miss it.

I complain as much as anybody. There is more than a decade of evidence right over there in the archives. Perhaps you will point to dozens of rantings stored over there on  the right that prove I am a hypocrite of the worst sort. I like to believe I spew my rant and move on with my day. You can't let this stuff consume your life. Everything Trump does or says is not a sign the sky is falling.

Relax, Chicken Little.

Edit: or just go Read a post that makes a lot more sense on the same topic

The day prior to the night before the night before Christmas

The stockings are figuratively hung by the chimney. The gift shopping is nearly done; we are out of time and out of money. I think a couple of items for the family gathering is all that is left. Cookies and candy are baked and prepared. The wife will make up some containers to gift the neighbors. I will brave yet one more trip to the grocery to get stuff to make for the various family get-togethers.

Friday and Monday are work holidays. In reality this week and next will be slow. No one wants to see or hear from a salesman at this time of year. To be honest, they don't want to anytime, but particularly right now. The first week of January will be tough to schedule appointments too. Even my winning personality, charm, and wit cannot overcome the holidays.

It appears a white Christmas is not in the cards this year. Winter storms are forecast for the Midwest, but it looks like we will be on the warm side and will see rain instead of snow.

Today's recommended Holiday movie is Donovan's Reef. This 1963 John Wayne comedy/action flick may not strike you as a Christmas movie, but the holiday plays a central theme in the tale. I may just throw the DVD into the player this evening. Heck, you can never go wrong watching The Duke.

I hope you have a great Thursday

The previous post left me sick

My wife, daughter, and granddaughter are all in the kitchen baking and decorating Christmas cookies.

Life is good. I feel better knowing there is still decency and goodness in the world.

Sick, disgusting, evil

Actress Lena Dunham says she wishes she could get pregnant so she could have an abortion. Source

No matter where you fall on the ideology spectrum regarding abortions, that is a sick, disgusting sentiment. It is borderline depraved.

She has apologized. She says it was a "joke". Are you laughing?  Some words cannot be taken back.

Winning comes at a high price

My oldest son and I went to see the movie Miss Sloane last night. It was filled with drama, action, and just the right amount of humor. The acting was better than I expected and the plot was remarkably complete. Over all, it was a pretty good movie.

No wait, we did not see that anti-gun flop. We saw Rogue One.

Spoiler Alert:

Stuff you know

Until Waterloo, Napolean and the Duke of Wellington had never faced each other on a battlefield.

Two of the greatest field generals and tacticians, not only of their time, but in history, were contemporaries, antagonists, and enemies. Yet they fought only one battle.

It was, for the most part evenly matched, right up until the end when the Prussians showed up on the French flank.

Liberal Irony

My oldest son is a bartender/waiter in a college town. He works at one of the chain restaurants. Some of his frequent customers are the professors from the university. My son says these professors are the worst tippers as a group. One guy in particular irritates him. This professor comes in often giving all within earshot a hearty dose of his political philosophy. The liberal professor holds forth on Trump, economics, and the so-called "living wage".  And never, no matter the size of the bill, tips more than $2, says my son.

Waitstaff and bartenders are paid in tips. Their minimum wage is a fraction of the federal standard and most restaurants only pay the minimum wage if the tip amounts are less than the hourly minimums. It is either/or for the worker. Most establishments get rid of servers who cannot pull in more in tips than the paltry minimum wage. So when this blowhard tips a measly couple of Washingtons on a $50 tab, then he has cheated the server. Not only did he not pay the worker for the effort. But he took up a table that might have tipped better.

I am in no way arguing you should generously compensate bad service. I do find it hard to believe this one guy gets substandard service every time he dines at this restaurant. If he does, he should not continue to patronize the business. I think we all can deduce this liberal professor is like a lot of progressives, he likes to spend everyone else's money, but is hypocritical when it comes to real life situations. Talk is cheap, apparently this blow hard liberal is too.

Panic

The losers of the election are in full panic mode. They tried recounts to change the Trump victory then it was fake news, then they blamed it on the Russians. They hope enough electors will ignore their will and then enough GOPers the House risk tar and feathering by their constituents to vote for ..well someone not Trump.

Now in an OpEd Some Dufus is arguing that the populous states could sue in the Supreme Court because less populous states get more influence in the electoral college. He compares the populations of California and Wyoming and since both only get 2 senators then each one in Wyoming represents far fewer voters than the 2 for California. I guess he does not understand that is a feature, not a bug of the Constitution. This Kenneth Jost believes that there is some method that the Court can make the Constitution, well unConstitutional or something. The electoral college is written in. It can only be abolished through the amendment process. Oh, and notice as a good liberal, he trots out he old "the electoral college is racist" canard, despite it not being true; the Connecticut Compromise HURT the slave states.

Anyway, if this is what passes for intellectual thought then the losers are truly desperate.

Ice, ice baby

The cul-de-sac in front of my house is a sheet of ice. It looks like a skating rink. Freezing rain, more like freezing mist, started around 10:30 last night and we have a fine coating of ice everywhere. I don't think it is heavy enough to start breaking power lines, but I suspect the roadways are treacherous. You can learn to drive in snow. No one can safely drive on ice.

Leftist hysteria and attempts to delegitimize the Trump election continue. The sore losers are sowing seeds they will regret. Just as Democrats are sorry they changed Senate rules to get their agenda passed, they will wish they never cast doubt on the integrity of the electoral process in the future. The nation is divided politically. That will not change anytime soon. The smooth and seamless transition of power we have enjoyed since Washington left office in 1787 is no more. Acrimony and hate will ratchet up with each succeeding election. Disruptions of the electoral college, faux outrage and refusal by Congress to accept the election results, riots at the inauguration are just the beginning. How long until a future former government refuses to hand over the reigns of power because of a real or imagined issue with their successor? Just like my driveway this morning, it is a slippery slope and fraught with danger. This nonsense is the stuff of Banana Republics and the breeding ground for tyranny and future dictators.

 In the not so distant future we are going to look back and wonder how did we lose our Republic and we can point to George Soros and the Democrat Party. They will not be able to control what they have started any more than a speeding motorist can control his car on the icy interstate.

Turkey gravy in five easy steps

Friday at last. Another miserable week in this  miserable year is almost in the books. I'm going to try and get in some Christmas shopping this weekend. It is far more likely I will take a day off next week and go to the mall during the day when the crowds are smaller. As usual, the wife has given me little to work with. "There is a white shirt with red on the sleeves at the Loft" is not much help. I have no intention of spending an hour sorting trough clothing at a women's store to determine if that is a T-shirt, a blouse, stripes? Or she tells me there is a necklace at Macy's. She assures me it is similar to "that one" she has, but when I ask her to show me she says she will later. So Christmas comes and I buy the wrong stuff or different stuff that she takes back or never uses or wears. A little help on her part would go a very long way. Women. I suspect yours is just the same.

Can you dig it? Ding , dong-ding, doooong.

I had a mini-rant here about the sore losers and their efforts to disrupt the Electoral College, but I erased it. It is Friday and I don't want to get all honked off. Besides, you either find the whole Democrat/never Trumper effort a disgrace or else lack the sack or ability to make a cogent argument against my position. And sorry, but Hamilton would be appalled at the hijacking of his name to thwart the will of the people and States.

If you see me at the mall, do not try to stop and chat. I will be on a mission to get in, get out, and making every effort to avoid beating any number of nitwits I encounter about the head and face with rolls of wrapping paper. Oh, and there is "this one sweater at Kohls" the wife likes. If you see it, let me know.

What a pile of steaming horse crap

This is why many of  us out here in flyover country think that Black Lives Matter and Identity Politics in general is a damn joke. If ever an asshole deserved to die, it was that guy and race had nothing whatsoever to do with it.

Maybe they should teach students at Ohio State a course in old tales, starting with the one about the boy and the wolf.

Hoo Boy

Baby, it's cold outside, and I ain't singing a Christmas song. The wind chill is around -12 or so. It really doesn't matter, once you pass zero, it is just cold. Go stick your head in the freezer. Yes, it is just like that outside.

But I'm just complaining. It is not like I have to work outside or anything. I'm ensconced in a warm house. I have a doctor's appointment later this morning, but that means I will be out in the cold long enough to scurry from my warm car to the warm lobby. It may be uncomfortable for those 45 seconds, but in reality I wouldn't even need a coat. But hey, my bitching filled up a couple of paragraphs!

I'm off later this morning to get an annual physical. I should put " marks around the annual, since I have not had a physical in five or six years. I have been to the doctor, I just have not had a thorough exam. But as far as I can tell, I am reasonably healthy. Except for the diabetes thing. Oh, and the going blind thing. I think that one is fixed. And I need a haircut. I don't think that is a health thing, unless I develop a Sampson complex in the next few hours. I hope the Doc doesn't want to do a prostate exam. I had chili for supper last night.

I have wasted enough of your time. No soldiers of the Rebel Alliance were harmed while creating this post. This entry was created using electricity generated from coal. This is, and will remain a vegan-free content website. Void where prohibited. Please don't send cash or stamps. No CODs. Bonus offer void in Montana. Final notice, your auto warranty is about to expire. Kevin is home alone and it is clear that Betty, Bailey, and Mary Ann were hotter than their more glamorous counterparts. I really do have a model of the HMS Victory on my desk. In just over a month Barry will be gone and my glee has nothing to do with the amount of melanin in his skin. Do not staple, mutilate or fold. Keep off the grass. Any resemblance to a real person, living or dead, is a coincidence.

Bonus Question: do you think Bill shook his head and with all the venom he could muster said to Hillary, "I can't believe you lost to Donald Fucking Trump, you stupid c%#t".

Not an original thought

Shut up about the popular vote.

Democrats are not being governed by a minority. Clinton won California by an estimated 4.3 million votes. She is ahead in the 'popular vote' by just over two million votes. That means she lost 49 states by about 2 million ballots.

California got screwed*. The rest of us got what we wanted.

I can live with that.

It is well past time to quit bellyaching. Consider this post an electronic Kleenex to wipe away your tears.

Besides, we do not elect the President through the popular vote. This election is proof positive why the system we have works perfectly.



* and just how many illegals voted in California?  More than a couple of dozen I am certain. 

Next you will be telling me the USSR was so afraid of Carter they got Reagan elected

So let me get this straight, anonymous sources at the CIA have told the Washington Post that Russians deliberately tried to help Trump win the election. The Evil Empire managed this not through direct interference in the voting process, but by hacking various Democrat emails and releasing the contents. Now no one is claiming the released info is not authentic, but that by telling the truth Hillary lost the election.

Ponder that for a moment. The truth cost the Democrats the Presidency, and that is the chief complaint. 

Many intelligence agencies dispute the claim the Russians were trying to help Trump. After all, the DNC admits they were first hacked in the summer of  2015, long before anyone considered Trump would be the nominee. There is an "inconvenient truth" for you conspiracy-minded losers. If Putin was all in for Trump, why is there no evidence he was attacking or trying to hack Trump's 16 competitors for the GOP nomination? After all, the Kremlin had to get Trump the nomination before they could help him win the Presidency.

Maybe we should consider the source. This is the same CIA that brought us the Bay of Pigs, failed to predict the Iranian takeover of our Embassy, did not foresee the fall of the Berlin Wall and the USSR, The CIA said that Iraq did, then didn't, then that they could have WMDs. They claimed that Iran stopped trying to get nukes, until it was discovered that they were. The CIA missed the Arab Spring and was as surprised as we were when terrorists struck on 9/11. The CIA failed to warn that Russia was moving into the Ukraine, and underplayed the strength and spread of ISIS.

Democrats have blamed their loss on racists, Russians, fake news stories about fake news,  hacked voting machines, ignorance, global warming, lack of safe spaces, SUVs, angry union guys, homophobia, xenophobia, not enough early voting, maybe even space aliens, for all I can tell. Blame falls on anything but a lying, untrustworthy candidate only concerned with getting more money and power who did not have a valid plan for the economy, foreign policy, fixing ObamaCare or immigration. But Hillary had a vagina. There was that. They don't understand how Clinton lost Wisconsin when she did not even campaign there.

The whole idea that the Russians tried to elect Trump is about as silly as the notion that rogue electors will try to give the election to either a politician who didn't even run and lost both of his previous tries at the office (Romney) or the guy who was so unpopular he could only barely win one primary - his own state (Kasich).

I think we have just another example of butt-hurt establishment types who cannot accept that the American people were not the sheep following the herd as they imagined.

Perhaps all of you so outraged that a foreign power would try to interfere in elections should take a gander at St. Obama's actions during the last Israel elections or the Brexit vote in Great Britain.

It is beginning to look...

It started in snowing pretty hard earlier this morning. We are expecting anywhere from 1-3 inches. SnowTeamScareTeam is hyping 3+ inches, so I suppose we will get about half of that, at best.

In any case, the snow makes it seem a little more Christmasy. Here is a shot of the lights on front of the house:

Here is a view of the big Christmas tree taken right afyer we got it up and decorated:

You can just see a glimpse of the lighted garland-wrapped stairs in the foreground.

You can get two euchre decks from a single pinocle deck of cards

I work out of a home office. When I first started the arrangement, setting up a home office was a problem in a three bedroom house with three kids. We were already short on space. I now have a four bedroom home, albeit the bedrooms are on the small side. I am not sure how we managed to upsize in the last move. Anyway, we have a four bedroom house for the two of us since the youngest has a college apartment where he mostly resides. But he does still have a bedroom. My wife watches our granddaughter, so we have a bedroom with a bed for her and my office occupies the last bedroom. My office is upstairs in the corner overlooking the backyard and the big willow.

My office is eclectic in its decor. I have a couple of those big pictures on canvas -- one of Wrigley Field and one of Lucas Oil Stadium. My college sheepskin is framed and hung next to my desk. Framed photos of Johnny Cash and the Rat Pack flank the football stadium picture. My 24" wooden cigar store Indian stares in somber reflection from atop one of my two-drawer filing cabinets and a printer sits on the other one. A model of the HMS Victory shares room on the shelf above my desk with my humidor and an artificial plant.  My favorite picture of my wife, taken some thirty years ago, sits on a corner of my desk.

My desk is a cheap one from WalMart that I put together. It is small but adequate. I have a nice high backed leather desk chair. A recliner occupies one corner. My office is crowded and comfortable and my space.  I like it fine.

I have worked out of a cubicle. I was the sole tenant in a 70 year-old five story office building for a number of years. I had an office on the second floor above a credit union when I started this blog. For more than a decade I have worked from home. It takes discipline. I go into the office, shut the door and do my thing. There is no TV. I come out to get more coffee and to get rid of it an hour or two later. I go down for lunch and ignore everything else that may be going on in the house. It was easier to work at home when my wife left for work every day, but she respects that I have work to do and rarely bothers me.

Please don't

I read over the weekend where the government is thinking about letting people use their cell phones on airplanes. Only those who never fly or routinely fly on government aircraft or private planes could think this idea will work out well. It is bad enough listening to other folks' private conversations in the gate area. Crammed shoulder to shoulder with fat Mary while she discusses her colitis with cousin Jane or next to sunglasses indoors guy while he negotiates a contract is the last thing I want to do. And let us not forget about Speakerphone Steve who cannot be bothered to hold that heavy phone up to his ear or twenty-something Teresa trying to facetime with her cockapoo back in Cedar Rapids. No thank you. 

People cannot be bothered to get off the phone for ninety seconds to complete a retail transaction. What makes anyone suppose that same pajama pants-at -WalMart chick will be any less rude crammed into the window seat in 16A?

It is hard to imagine that there was a time when ordinary citizens went about their daily lives where the only phone they had was screwed to the wall in their kitchen. Look, I love my cell phone. I have had one since 1993 (most likely long before you got one). But I can, and do, survive a couple of hours without using it. I do business deals. I have customers and bosses. They accept I am out of touch while flying the friendly skies.

This is a convenience we do not need.

Happy Birthday Indiana

On this date in 1816 Indiana became a state. At that time most of the population lived in the southern part of the state. A few hardy souls ventured along the Wabash or Whitewater rivers This was the woolly west. It took tough and brave SOBs to battle mother nature, wildlife, and the native Indians to settle here. Tecumseh's Confederacy was defeated at the Battle of Tippecanoe only five years before Indiana became a state.

My many times great grandfather arrived sometime around 1820 into the north central part of the state. I am a Hoosier through and through. According to the Internet, and everything is true on the Internet, only a little over three thousand people share my last name in the United States. One-third live in that same part of Indiana today.

Happy Birthday Indiana. You may be 200 years old, but you don't look a day over 150.

Saturday cartoon

I have nothing today. I don't want to rant about politics. You don't give a fig about my personal life. We all have weather.

I'm not really sure why you visit this blog anyway.

Have a great Saturday.

Grab Bag 'o Fun

The windchill was -6 when I left the hotel to head to the airport yesterday morning. Guess what? It is winter. We have a dusting of snow on the ground this morning. It is quite pretty.

By the time I left for the airport in Omaha, flew to  loathsome O'Hare airport, sat through my layover, flew to Indy, rode the bus to my car in long-term parking, and drove home in rush hour traffic it took almost exactly the same amount of time to get home as it would have if I drove home from Omaha.

I'm flabbergasted at the total loss of reason from the losers of the election. Michael Moore is calling for riots protests to disrupt the inauguration. Can you imagine his outrage if a righty proposed such for Obama?

I'm still trying to figure out how voting for a rich old white guy instead of a rich old white woman is racist.

I am astounded at the complete lack of understanding of how the Constitution works. I have read editorials and listened to Democrats who argue that a majority of Americans are being governed by a minority. One went so far as to argue that the whole setup was designed to placate slave states and is further evidence of the racist underpinnings of our nation. The failure to teach history in this country is America's chickens coming home to roost. The electoral college and the senate were designed to protect the less populous states from the tyranny of the larger states.

Indeed, the Connecticut Compromise ensured that the Constitution established a bicameral (two houses) legislature. Virginia wanted the legislature to be based purely on population. New Jersey wanted each State to have equal representation. The Connecticut Compromise established the House of Representatives based on population and the Senate giving equal representation to each state. From day one, the most populous states were under-represented in the Senate. Note, nothing in this design had anything to do with slavery. In fact, it was the northern small states pushing for equal representation to make sure Virginia, New York, and Pennsylvania did not push their agendas on the small states. It had nothing whatsoever to do with slavery.

Democrats are crying over Trump's electoral victory despite not winning the popular vote. This is exactly how it was designed. Clinton's margin of victory comes almost entirely from California. If we were a pure democracy then California and New York would dictate the direction of government. This is not that hard people. The election worked as it is supposed to. It is a genius design. The United States is exactly that; a collection of states. The states are semi-autonomous political entities united together.  The states are not political districts of the federal government. The collective states formed the federal government. The feds did not create the states.

If you want to believe otherwise, then I have one argument for you. If all the states have to be the same then New York, Massachusetts, California, Illinois, and Virginia would have to have the same open carry laws as say, Indiana or Texas. Federalism doesn't seem so bad now. eh?

I find the idea that California wants to secede from the Union equally laughable. Let us leave aside for a moment that secession was settled some 150 years ago. If California were to secede then Social Security stops. Medicaid stops. There are no more food stamps or WIC programs, There are no more highway funds. There are no more drought funds. There are no military bases. No border patrol. The US would likely impose a tariff on California goods. The cost to import cars and oil, and manufactured goods into California would soar. California would no longer get electricity generated by dams in the United States. US dollars are no longer valid currency. California would have to establish its own currency. What do you thing a California currency would be worth? The State is billions in debt. Who will back the currency? California would have to negotiate its own trade deals with China, Canada, Mexico, the EU, and OPEC.Go ahead and leave.

The sore losers in California cannot accept that they are out of step with a large portion of the nation. The secessionists are like petulant teenagers threatening to leave home. It sounds great until they learn they will have to pay for their own gas, insurance, cell phone, and clothing. Then mom and dad do not seem so unreasonable.

I didn't want to do a long political rant on a Friday. I suppose it is only marginally more palatable than a Friday Music selection.

I oughtta grab a box of steaks while I'm here

Here I am in former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning's favorite city, as least when it comes to snap count cadence. It is cold, temperatures in the 20s and wind chills around 10 or 11.

My flight in yesterday was typically boring. On the leg from Chicago I had the seat hog asshole next to me. He wasn't satisfied with part of the armrest, he needed it all and also part of my seat space for his elbow. I took my space when he reached for his drink but when he put his arm against mine he wins; I don't like to be touched and it weirded me out after a while. I nearly smarted off to him, but what is the point. The new, more polite me sucked it up. It was a short flight and experience tells me you cannot shame assholes. They are who they are. He knew he was being a selfish jerk and did not care.

For a good part of my life I flew a lot. I was boarding a plane between 100 and 130 times a year, every year, for a period of more than six or seven years. In my last job I flew every three or four weeks. Now, not so much, a few times a year. I don't miss it. Flying has become  crowded, uncomfortable and inconvenient. Even if I was back in top frequent flyer status with free first class upgrades on EVERY trip, I still would not want to be back in the commercial airways every week. The free miles are nice, but but not worth it in the post 9/11 squeeze every cent out of the passengers, cram 'em in airline mentality.  At this point in my life I have around 1,000 commercial flights under my belt. It quit being an adventure a long time ago. It is a necessary evil to avoid driving more than 9 hours each way to do my job. 

So it goes, life on the road ain't the fun you imagine it to be. Work travel isn't vacation travel. But it is my life and I'm used to it. 

December 7th

To the Congress of the United States

Yesterday, Dec. 7, 1941 - a date which will live in infamy - the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.

The United States was at peace with that nation and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with the government and its emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific.

Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in Oahu, the Japanese ambassador to the United States and his colleagues delivered to the Secretary of State a formal reply to a recent American message. While this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war or armed attack.

It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time, the Japanese government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.

The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. Very many American lives have been lost. In addition, American ships have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu.

Yesterday, the Japanese government also launched an attack against Malaya.

Last night, Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong.

Last night, Japanese forces attacked Guam.

Last night, Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands.

Last night, the Japanese attacked Wake Island.

This morning, the Japanese attacked Midway Island.

Japan has, therefore, undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area. The facts of yesterday speak for themselves. The people of the United States have already formed their opinions and well understand the implications to the very life and safety of our nation.

As commander in chief of the Army and Navy, I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense.

Always will we remember the character of the onslaught against us.

No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.

I believe I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost, but will make very certain that this form of treachery shall never endanger us again.

Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory and our interests are in grave danger.

With confidence in our armed forces - with the unbounding determination of our people - we will gain the inevitable triumph - so help us God.

I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, Dec. 7, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese empire.

--December 8, 1941 President Franklin D. Roosevelt

This man has no honor

Christopher Suprun is a man without honor, a person with no integrity. He was chosen to represent the wishes of  the voters of Texas. He is unable unwilling to fulfill that obligation. Instead, he has chosen to represent his own interest. He is a piece of shit with no honor. He can wrap it up in rationalization all he wants, but that does not change a thing. Suprun wanted to be an elector, now he won't do his duty. He should resign. He is a disgrace, he is deplorable. He should not be trusted at all going forward. Christopher Suprun is not a man of his word.

Pretending to be a textile worker does not make you an expert on weaving

There is not much to report today. I fried up some chicken last night. Mashed spuds, gravy, corn, and biscuits rounded out the meal. Yes, there might have been a few carbs present.

Not much happened, news wise, over the weekend. Recounts are going on in Wisconsin and starting in Michigan today. Early results in Cheeseland indicate the initial counts were pretty accurate and that Trump is slightly expanding his lead.

Funny, the sore losers are only asking for recounts in close states where they lost. Why not claim there might be, could be, perhaps was...well something...since the polls were wrong in New Hampshire and Minnesota which were much closer than expected Clinton wins? Oh, right, because this is about trying to screw up the Electoral College and making money for Jill Stein.

I read a rant from Sally Field yesterday where she claimed that the Electoral College has stolen the election from Hillary Clinton. Sally said ( I paraphrase) that if we are a democracy then the person with the most votes should win.  Sally, I really, really don't like you.  Silly, ignorant proclamations of this sort are exactly why we should not listen to actors or actresses on topics of importance. Pretending may be a skill, but it does not make one an expert. I will type this slow so you can follow along, Sally Field. We have a representative republic in the United States, not a democracy, you ignorant slut. Maybe you should have taken a civics class back in high school. Maybe instead of flying around letting schoolboys look up your dress in some sick sexual fantasy involving nuns and weird hats you could have taken a course in political science at the local community college.

Johnny Cash hit song to be banned in Eastern Tennessee

It is cold this morning; near freezing. It is not abnormal for the season. SnowTeamScareTeam was in a lather because it might snow today. Probably not, but maybe! If it does, it will be at best a dusting, but SNOW! Since this is written garbage, not video garbage you cannot see me shaking my head in mild disgust. I am, believe me. Look, I'll do it again. Imagine it, people, that is what words are for.

Yesterday was entirely unproductive. The wife went shopping and I  mutated into a couch potato. John Wayne, a documentary about the Cubs World Series win, and a broadcast showing of "It's a Wonderful Life" pretty much took up the day. I guess. Oh, I also watched a Debbie Reynolds movie in the morning. And can I add that she was hot back in the day? I went back and looked, the flick was "Bundle of Joy". I've seen it bunches of times. It is a musical remake of an older film. This was filmed when Reynolds was married to Eddie Fisher and around the time Princess Leia was born.

So yeah, I wasted the day. I did walk about three miles in the morning, so there is that. Since i smoked a cigar while strolling the neighborhood I suspect any health benefits from the mild exercise were negated. If you were using me as a roll model I seriously question your life choices.

I do not anticipate today being much more exciting. Enjoy your Sunday and because I too often forget to say it, thank you for stopping by.



*re: the title of this post -- too soon?

And on Saturday

We watched cartoons. And ate sugary cereal. And turned into productive citizens (with diabetes). But we did not sit around playing video games.

Praeses et Professores

I'm not dead, just busy. Year-end mileage logs for the company car and filling out November expenses have delayed posting today. Wednesday and Thursday I was in Chicago doing my work thing. In other words, I'm offering lots of lame excuses for why I haven't posted my normal brand of genius for a couple of days. This is post 5,514. It is my 382nd effort this calendar year. Go ahead, demand a recount. It is the thing to do these days.

I dragged out the mower Tuesday and chopped and bagged the leaves in the front and back yard. When I got home last night the back yard is again covered completely in a gold layer of leaves. The trees back there are still at least 80% covered. It was January last year before they were done shedding and it looks like it will be that way again this year.  I refuse to rake in January. They can lay there 'till spring when I will mow them up then.

There is snow in the forecast this weekend. I am ready. Bring on the white Christmas, baby.

I picked up my re-done glasses this morning. Since the prescription is fairly strong and mostly to correct astigmatism, they lenses are a stark change. I have a headache and stuff looks a little distorted. .
You are now caught up on the tediousness that is my life. Don't you feel better?

Here is a little Friday Christmas Music for your enjoyment.

No, no, there is no need to thank me.

This is not the post I wanted to write today

I have said it before and I will say it yet again, freedom of speech is for that speech we find most loathsome. That includes flag burning. It includes skin-heads and Nation of Islam  and the Westboro Church. Freedom of speech even allows idiots like the NFL quarterback from San Francisco, who demonstrates his opposition to oppression by wearing a T-shirt of Fidel Castro.

Trump is wrong to want to punish flag-burners. They deserve our contempt, our derision, or disgust, but they have every right to burn the flag.

Tyranny is a word that has fallen from fashion. Stripping a person of citizenship and throwing him in jail over their dissent is tyranny at its worst.

How many more have to be hurt before we do something?

Funny, I keep waiting in vain for a call for a national dialogue about cars and butcher knives. Why aren't Democrats in Congress demanding that anyone on the No-Fly list be banned from owning, renting, or driving an automobile? When will we see demands that the cutlery industry install "smart" technology on knives?  I hear people can buy knives at gun shows. This loophole must be closed. When will the families sue the car manufacturer? Why is the President silent?

Bippity Boppity Boo Ballots Turn into Votes for You

I am scratching my head over the whole recount effort. USA Today has run several articles all stating emphatically that Trump made a flat-out wrong assertion when he claimed illegal ballots were cast for Hillary. Their very words about Trump's assertions is "no basis in fact". But when Democrats and sore losers demand recounts based on zero evidence of electronic machine hacking, the paper is silent. Even the Stein people admit there is no evidence of tampering, but want a hand-count "just in case".  If leftists didn't have a double standard, they would have no standards at all. 

This is no more than an effort to cast doubt on the election, throw the system into turmoil and in some way hope to deligitimize or marginalize the Trump Presidency. Well, the country overcame election shenanigans in the Jackson/Adams and Tilden/Hayes elections and will again.

One article I read (somewhere, sorry or I would link) said Clinton is in favor of recounts because if it looks like she was robbed of the election it helps bolster her run in 2020.  Put up you hand, who wants more Hillary!?

Pundits claimed the election of Trump would destroy our Republic. It might just happen. Not so much for anything Trump has done, he has not even taken office.  Rather by the losers, who cannot accept that the Democrat leftist agenda has been rejected at the local, state, and federal levels. Lefties have never felt any qualms about forcing folks to accept their version of paradise, even If it means building a big wall to keep the capitalist pigs from flooding East Berlin, or throwing dissenters into gulags and prison in the USSR and Cuba, or even mass murder like in China, North Korea, and South East Asia. Saul Alinsky would be pleased by this election chaos.

5510

It is Monday, buy something online.

I have a list if you need to waste your money on a complete stranger.

It occurs to me that this place could really, really use an editor. And a spell checker. Or maybe an author who takes time to proofread his submissions. Going back the next day after posting to find typos may not be he best way to go about the process. This is post 5,510. Things probably won't change soon. I can only hope I'm not really the moron my writing around here indicates. 

Trump says there were illegal votes cast for Hillary and the press goes wild, accusing him of making irresponsible statements without proof. Democrats demand recounts in states they lost based on discrepancies in polling compared to actual votes. They claim that maybe voting machines were hacked by nefarious somebodies, even though there is not a shred of evidence. The press thinks that position is reasonable.  Which is more likely, people casting ballots who are not supposed to vote - like non-citizens and people who vote in multiple precincts and dead people voting ( all of which have been documented) or hackers targeting specific voting machines in Kinross, Michigan? 

Remember that filing and those customer visit reports I wrote about doing last week? Yeah, well guess what did not get done? Today for sure. Probably. Maybe. 

Shedding light on dark times

I've been binge-watching "The Last Kingdom" on Netflix. I missed the series when it aired last year. The series is based upon the Bernard Cornwell books and is set in the time of the Norse invasions of Britain in the late 9th Century. The series is pretty good, the books are better, but that is often the case. One has to skip a few details and characters in a TV series to accommodate for time.

Until recently, the Middle Ages held no interest to me. As far as I am concerned my studies skipped right from the Romans to the Enlightenment. These Cornwell books piqued my interest, and the British History podcast * has confirmed it.

The preceding paragraph is not exactly true. I did take a course in medieval history back in college. The instructor was a retired professor. He was a good teacher, but my interest in the subject matter was low. The situation was not helped by the difficulty in learning the material. The textbook was remarkably expensive, even by today's standards. Some asshole stole my text from under my seat in the first week of class. I know who it was but could not prove it. So I had no text, and no money to buy a replacement. When it came to buying beer or books I often took the wrong choice. But I had a lot of fun. I am indebteded to a fraternity brother who was in he class that let me use his text to do the readings.

Anyway, it does not matter how great the instructor is, it is impossible to adequately cover a thousand years in a semester. All one can get is an overview. I like details when it comes to history.

Here I am blogging when I could be watching Uhtred fight in the shield wall. That situation is about to be corrected.

Enjoy your Sunday.

* I highly recommend this podcast if you have any interest in history at all. It is free and entertaining and informative. Each episode is about 20-30 minutes long,  Perfect for your commute. The Cornwell books are a good read too. Any Bernard Cornwell book is a good read.

Feeling the heat

Fidel Castro is dead. I hope he is burning in Hell at his very moment. I know, that sentiment is not very Christian of me. So be it. I can only hope for the worst outcome for a murderous piece of filth like the dictator of Cuba.

Castro was one of the last of the mass-murdering despots of the twentieth century. I'm sure more will crop up in the years to come, but the last one hundred years seemed to spawn a substantial number of mass killers: Lenin, Stalin, Trotsky, Hitler, Mussolini, Mao, Pol Pot, Tito, Peron, Che, Castro. These butchers all had one thing in common, they were all leftists politically. I'm sure it is a coincidence. Insert sarcasm alert.

The world is a better place today. Castro is pitching in Satan's baseball league and the Cuban people are a baby step closer to freedom.

I am so confused

I swear some days I think I am Alice in Wonderland. Everything is topsy-turvy.

The DOJ  has fined the Denver Sheriff Department because they only hired US Citizens as deputies. I suppose The Obama Justice Department thinks we should hire illegals to enforce the laws? You know, people who broke the law to come into this country?

Can any of you lefties, open-border types explain the rationale behind this?  I am serious. I have no doubt I am an ignorant redneck xenophobe, but I really cannot see what is wrong with demanding our law enforcement officers are citizens of this nation.

Suspension of belief

Let me get this straight, Democrats want us to believe Hillary lost because hackers took over voting machines in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. To accept that theory you have to believe that:

1) the hackers were able to hack voting machines. They created a program that would not show up in pre-election testing, and somehow deleted itself leaving no trace the hack existed right after skewing he election for Trump.

2) the hackers chose those three states as opposed to any other random trio.

3) the hackers were able to sneak the code into the voting machines of just the key districts and precincts necessary for Trump to win. There would be no use in hacking voting machines in predominately Democrat or Republican districts. The more machines you infiltrate the greater the odds you get caught. The hackers knew precisely which voting machines at which elementary school gymnasium to attack.

4) the hackers knew to target Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin despite polls clearly showing Clinton ahead in those states pre-election. She was so sure of Wisconsin she did not even campaign in that state. Yet, we are to believe he nefarious  Russian computer wizards were able to consult their magic 8 ball to know which machines in which polling places to manipulate to ensure a Trump win?

This conspiracy theory is so unbelievable that Oliver Stone thought it stupid. This makes the 9/11 Truthers appear sane. Random rednecks who claim they have been anal probed by aliens from Alpha Centauri find the whole "Russians hacked the voting machines" theory ridiculous.

Remember how so many of you Democrats mocked Trump when he said he wasn't sure he could accept he results if he lost? Well once again your hypocrisy shines through. Get over it, I am not thrilled Trump is going to be the next President (I'm ecstatic Clinton lost) but that is how elections work in this country.

Even the stoplights blink a bright red and green

I can tell you this, I ain't out shoppin', and I'm not going to be either.

I will turn on some Christmas music. This is my favorite time of he year.

What say we start out with a classic for Friday Music? Oh, and listen to it,. You will feel better if you do. Would I lie to you?

OK, would I lie to you this close to Christmas? After all "he knows if you been bad or good..."

And yes, I know the title of this post is a lyric to a different Christmas song. There are no rules when it comes to post titles around here.

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving.

The blogger behind-the-scenes stuff changed earlier this week. I like the subtle changes, but suddenly I am unable to post or edit on my old junky iPad original version. That could be a problem. There is no way I am lugging the old laptop around on business trips just so I can blog. You may be reading a whole lot less of me unless I can figure things out.

Have a good Friday

Happy Thanksgiving

It is that time of year. Here is a great song from the Bestest Holiday* movie ever.

Now, what are you doing reading this blog? Go eat some turkey. Watch a parade. View some football. Thank God for the blessings he has bestowed upon you.



Edit: I lost the original video trying to edit it for size and I'm to lazy to do it all over again.  I put a different video of the same song in its place.

* that's for you Ed B.

I wrote tomorrow's post before I wrote the one you may (or may not) read today.

I should have taken a vacation day today. Instead, I have customer visit reports to type and about four inches of filing to do. Blah. I would like to have my desk cleaned off heading into the long weekend. I don't know why it matters. We are not hosting any festivities this week, so no one beyond my wife will see the clutter. It is not like my work space is a real mess. I have some customer folders neatly stacked on one side. Completed folders, stray quotes, invoices, and order confirmations are stacked over on the filing cabinets waiting to be filed. I like my desk to be cleared of papers at the end of the day, or at least neatly organized.

I raked the front yard yesterday afternoon. The maple still has maybe 30% of its leaves; most waiting until just after I came in from raking to fall. After the rain that arrived last night the front yard is again covered.  The leaves filled one and a half large garbage cans. There are even more leaves still on the ground in the backyard. What was I thinking when I wanted a house with lots of trees? I bet the broken branches and detritus from the giant willow in the back would fill an additional trash can or two. I am not sure if I have posted a picture of the willow tree. It is easily 50 feet tall and the trunk is at least 7 feet in circumference. It is a gorgeous tree, but boy, does it make a mess. I am constantly picking up branches. The three tall Bradford pear trees are just starting to turn and have virtually all of their leaves still on the branches. I could be still raking in January, if I was so inclined.  I am not.

I got most of the outside decorating done last Friday when it was warm out. We still have to do the lighted garland on the porch rail and around the door this weekend. Then inside decorating shall commence. I'm not sure if we are going to be able to put up the second big tree this year. Usually we have the big 8-1/2 foot tall one in the living room and a smaller skinny one in the family room. The granddaughter's play kitchen has taken over the spot we usually use for the tree in the family room. I am sure the wife will find someplace to put the tree. She has a lot of knickknacks, pictures, baskets, redware plates, crocks and country crap all over the house. Almost every piece is replaced by a Santa or snowman at Christmas time. Her decorating will take all weekend. At least I don't have to help. It does look great when she is done.

Have a great day. Save some room for the spuds tomorrow. Remember, there are no diets on Thanksgiving.


edit: today's post (and thus tomorrow's) were written on an actual computer as opposed to an iPad for the first time in a couple of years. Any misspellings and typos should be attributed to the lack of autocorrect.  Yeah, let's blame it on the device...

This is my life

Yesterday I got up around 6:15. Took my handful of meds, dropped some steroids into each eye and brewed a mug of coffee. I read some news and blogs. I wrote a ridiculous post. I shuffled into my office, reviewed a customer folder and packed up my briefcase. After a quick shower, I was on the road.

I drove 3 plus hours to the Big Mitten State. I stopped for lunch and then went to a customer's factory. I examined their machine, agreed that one of my components needs to be replaced, and left. I was at the plant 20 minutes, including time in the lobby waiting on my contact.

I changed out of my steel toed boots, gassed up the car and drove 3 plus hours home. I spent about seven hour in a car to spend 20 minutes with a customer. That my friends, is easy money and a boring day.

Yes, you in the back, do you have a question?

You are right, I could have seen more customers in the area. Unfortunately I saw several in the southwest part of the state a few weeks ago. Second, no one wants to see a damn salesman in a short week. Three, I did not want to spend an overnight this week. Before this visit came up, I considered taking the whole week off.

Paperwork and filing is on tap for the rest of the week. I also have to make plans to be back on the road next week. Long experience tells me that seeing customers from this point until the second week of January is going to be tough. People have vacation to use. Year end projects have to be completed. That is OK. I think there is nothing more depressing than the sad artificial Christmas tree in a hotel lobby. 

Read All About It

When I showed up college in 1980 I suspect I was one of the most well-read students to the freshman class.. The school was a small, expensive liberal arts institution famous for churning  out doctors and lawyers, so that brag is noteworthy. Perhaps well-read is not the right choice of words. Most-read might be more apt.

After I discovered reading in the 3rd grade I devoured everything I could find. I read all of the time. By the time I headed off to college my personal library held well over 1500 books. My bedroom walls  were lined with book cases. The walls were wallpapered in National Geographic maps, but that is a tale for another day.

I read everything: an entire set of encyclopedias, the Bible, westerns by the score. I read dozens of volumes of Reader's Digest Condensed Books, I picked up whatever my mother was reading and finished it after she went to bed. I spent my money from mowing and later my job on novels from he rack at the drugstore. I went to the library. I borrowed from grandma, even romances. I read and read. But mostly it was history. Biographies, military history, and American history were addictive. I couldn't pass.

All of that reading had an optional benefit. I was able to easily do the high volume reading required of  a history / English Lit double major. I was also able to write a pretty good paper. Unfortunately, those writing skills are not evident around here these days. But some of the stuff in the archives is not bad.

I still read a lot. Not the three or four books a week of my youth. In those days I would knock out a Louis L'Amour western in a day. If you count the time I spend reading crap on the interwebz and in my Kindle I guess I'm still getting in a couple of hours of reading time each day. That is a far cry from the six or eight I managed as a kid. I read much slower now too.

The past few years have been tough as my eyesight made reading hard. That is much better now. I read more for fun these days. I cannot imagine trudging through an encyclopedia or reading the dictionary like I did as a teen. I read a lot more fiction. I suppose entertainment trumps learning at this stage of life.

Jackanapes in Aisle Seven

Some geese flew over the house this morning heading west.  Perhaps the leader of the V forgot to calibrate his iPhone compass. I imagine it is hard to do that roll-around thing with webbed feet.

It was a cold day yesterday. Wind chills in the twenties. Hard to take after it was 75 Friday afternoon. In another month temperatures in the low thirties and twenty-four degree windchill will feel downright pleasant.  Pitchers and catchers report in just over three months.

We ventured out to Sam's Club yesterday. Going on a Saturday afternoon is nuts. It is made worse in that people are mostly jerks. The place is packed and buttheads park their carts sideways in the middle of an aisle to talk with an acquaintance, while others just park in the middle of the busiest lanes and stare at the shelves, letting no one pass by. Hey buddy, either you want that five pound bag of sugar or you don't. There is no option three.

We are heading off to see the Colts play today. My daughter bought us tickets for watching our granddaughter. I would pay them to watch my granddaughter. If you tune in to the football game I will be the one in a Colts jersey.

I didn't post anything yesterday. I did not feel like it. I imagine the lack of electronic contact with my greatness made you sad and depressed. I hope you did not cry all day. Maybe that is what the rude morons were discussing at Sam's. "Where's Joe? How shall we survive?". Perhaps their deep consternation was reason enough to block up the aisles. Or more likely, they were just ass wipes.

Have a good Sunday.  

It's too late to say I'm sorry

At long last it is Friday. And payday. And next week is a short week. And it is supposed to be close to 70 today. And I am alive. Life is good .

Did I mention the temps are going to be near 70 today? The weather people claim there is a chance for snow flurries tomorrow. I wonder if they were gazing into the snow globe instead of their crystal ball? Let me check my Magic 8 Ball.

I probably should take advantage of he nice day to rake some leaves or put up my Christmas lights*. I have some time off from work due me.

This song is bouncing in my brain pan this morning. Although it might be this version:

Anyway, enjoy your Friday.


*I never turn them on until after Thanksgiving. And I turned them off on New Years Day, unlike the house down the street that left theirs on until late April.  Yes April.

Books

I periodically peruse the Kindle best seller lists, especially the free books. I sometimes pick up a decent read.

This morning I was tempted to get a non-fiction offering titled "How to Stop Being  Insecure" but I wasn't sure if it could help me.

Midnight Rambler

The harsh glare of my iPad dominates the dark room as I do the one-fingered dance on the little electronic keyboard.  To my right the soft white glow of the waning super moon lights the neighborhood outside the windows. For the third time in a week I'm awake before 3:00. That is, Dear Reader, fact, not complaint. Sure, I wish it were otherwise, but that is just the way things are.

I picked up my new glasses yesterday. I don't think they are right, I can't see diddly through them. Stuff looks tilted to the right. Instead of a rectangle I see the shape of Gumby's head. I'm going to give it today to see if it is just my eyes adjusting, then I'm taking them back tomorrow. I'm pretty sure my first impression of new specs shouldn't be " Boy, things are sure blurry". I am so sick of dealing with my vision. I have almost resigned myself to never being able to see well again. I'm certain this is mostly my fault for going to the discount glasses shop. Since I am likely going to have to get more in six months or so as my eyes will keep changing, I opted for cheap over good. Once again, life demonstrates you get what you pay for. I still want them right.

We went to the company Holiday Dinner last night. I ate entirely too much. It was at one of those Brazilian steakhouses where they go around and cut off chunks of different meats from skewers. It was nice.

I've read some of the news of the day. I think I will pass on politics in this post. I suspect many of you will shout a hardy "Amen". Neither of the Cubs pitchers up for the Cy Young Award will win the hardware this year. The manager that won more games than anyone in baseball also fell short for manager of the year. I'm not sure how that works. I suspect all would rather have the World Series trophy anyway. 

I'm going to try reading a bit to see if that puts me back to sleep. Have a great morning.

Sore losers and math

Th recent election losers are crying that Hillary Clinton won the popular vote but lost the electoral vote. Boo Hoo it is not fair. When reasonable people point out that we do not elect candidates for President by popular democracy in this country then Democrats insist we must change the system. "Abolish the Electoral College" is the rallying cry of the not-so-oppressed. This "I don't like the results, let's change the rules" approach is exactly what the Founders feared most.

The Founders were concerned about the tyranny of the majority. They did not want 51% of the population determining the President.  They did not want the passions of the day to dictate law, so they instituted a representative form of government. They believed the nation was a collection of States, not a collection of administrative districts. The States had a say in how they were to be governed. That is why initially the States chose the Senators while the people chose the representatives. Senators were to represent their States while the members of the House were to represent their districts (This very workable system was changed by the loathsome XVII Amendment). That is why the States choose the President through the Electoral College.

The Founders also recognized that the Constitution would need to be changed from time to time. While they wanted to include this mechanism, they also wanted the process to be deliberative, necessary, and free of immediate passions. In other words, to thwart knee jerk reactions like those of sore losers in Presidential elections.

There has been a general hue and cry that the Electoral College must be abolished. Here is the mathematical problem with that proposal: 3/4 of the States must ratify any Amendment to the Constitution. A quick count on the surface indicates Mrs. Clinton won less than half of the states. The very electoral college map that kept her out of the White House will prevent passage of any Constitutional amendment abolishing the Electoral College. For the record, Obama won the 2012 election with less than fifty percent of the states. In fact, one has to go back to 1984 to find a Presidential candidate that won more than 3/4 of the States.  I won't even address the fact that some of those blue states have Republican controlled legislatures. I also will mention that a full 2/3 of both the Senate and House of Representatives must approve a proposed constitutional amendment before it can be sent to the states for ratification. Democrats have less than 50% of the seats in either house. Perhaps you sore losers should read Article V of the Constitution and while you are at it spend a few minutes perusing the Federalist Papers.

The election is over. The person you wanted lost. Changing the rules will not change the results. Just as blowing up the filibuster rules and giving the President powers to change law with the stroke of a pen seemed a good idea when you were in charge, changing the rules can come back to bite you right on the seat of your pants. Be careful for those things you wish for.

What is the endgame?

For those of you out there angry, protesting and rioting because the person you wanted did not win the election I have a couple of questions:

Did you vote? If not, further editorializing from me is unnecessary.

What do you want? I'm all for protest. But there has to be a solution. Marching in the streets because you don't like something is not protest, it is a tantrum. There is no indication the election was fraudulent. Trump was elected. If your endgame to overthrow a duly elected government, that is the best example of the very tyranny you are protesting against. Is your riot the ultimate blackmail -- elect my guy or gal or I will break your stuff?

Go home. Hug a loved one. Go back to work. If you don't have a job, maybe you should look hard at the folks who have been in charge and wonder why you are out rioting because you could not get more of the same.

I don't need anything. Except this pen. And this phone.

I keep having this vision of Inaugaration Day, The Obama is leaving the White House and the whole situation is like a scene from the Steve Martin flick "The Jerk"; "Idon't need anything. Except this pen. And this phone..."

In case you are too young to remember the 1979 movie:

I really pounded my meat last evening

I fried up some breaded tenderloins for supper last night. I served them with hash brown casserole, green beans and some sliced tomatoes from my garden. Yes, I was still getting tomatoes this week. That is done now. Friday night's hard freeze killed the plants. I still have four 'maters on the cabinet that I picked Friday morning that were turning, but not completely ripe. I will have to wait until next summer to have more.

I have learned in my travels that a good breaded pork tenderloin is a regional thing. Sometimes you can find a loathsome frozen pork fritter or a breaded pork cutlet, but a good breaded tenderloin is impossible outside of the Midwest, and Hoosierdom in particular.  I cheat a little in that I use a boneless pork chop. I beat them thin with a tenderizing mallet. I run the meat through an egg and milk wash seasoned with salt and pepper then cover them in Ritz cracker crumbs. Yes, Ritz crackers, it gives the pork a rich buttery taste. I then fry them in oil. In a skillet. Not just a couple of tablespoons of oil either; cover the bottom completely. Oh, and use Crisco, not some gosh-awful healthy canola or olive oil, or peanut oil. Lard would be even better.

You did not come here for recipes. I hope not anyway. In fact, I'm not sure why you came here. I am glad you did.

I'm off to the Windy City to do my Willie Loman thing later this morning. I'm staying in a different hotel this time. My usual haunt on the far north side is booked up. I will be a couple of exits down the Tri-State this time. That means I may have to find new restaurant choices or drive a little further if I want to stay in my routine. Life is hard.

Have a great Monday.

Mundane, your name is Saturday

For a Saturday, yesterday was about as uneventful as a day can be. In the morning I dusted and vacuumed the downstairs. The furniture on the upper floor remains dusty. Hah!, "upper floor" denotes a grandiosity in my house that certainly does not exist.  The wife went to lunch and shopping with a friend and i grabbed some Chinese takeout. I spent the afternoon watching my first college football game since this time last year, seeing the Wabash College Little Giants fall in defeat to the evil DePauw Dannie's (spit). In the evening we watched the granddaughter for a couple of hours so her mom and dad could do a little shopping for the kid's upcoming second birthday and Christmas. I came home, shared a bowl of popcorn with the missus, watched some TV and went to bed.  Ho hum.

And that thirty seconds it took to read that post is wasted time you will never get back. I bet that makes you sad. You might even cry. You could be disappointed. I suggest you go out and riot in the streets. That seems to be the way we deal with disappointment these days. I blame it all on soccer. If the youth soccer leagues would not insist on their idiotic policy to never keep score, to tell every kid there is no winners or losers, to award everyone a trophy, then we would not have a generation of idiots shocked, dismayed, near a nervous breakdown when they find out sometimes in life there are actual winners and losers.

Damnit, I swore to myself there would be no political rants in today's offering. Don't read that last paragraph.

Upon further review

I'm sick of politics. I had no intention of going into that rabbit hole again this morning, but...

My support of Trump was tepid at best, probably less than tepid. Would that be lukewarm? Maybe room temperature? I said a couple of years ago right here in this space that I would vote against any Bush or Clinton. Look it up. There was no way I was going to vote for a woman who perpetually has scandals swirling around her like the dust clouds around Charlie Brown's buddy Pigpen. Ever. Hillary represents everything that is wrong with American government: lifetime politicians who think they are owed, think they are privileged, are corrupt and above the law. Too many go to Washington, make $160 K a year and somehow in a decade or so have tens of millions in the bank. I don't care how much you scrimp, save, and cut coupons, that is not feasible for an honest person. It makes me sick and I don't care if you have a 'D' or an 'R' attached to your political beliefs.

So anyway, I was not a Trump supporter. Nary a post in favor of him showed up here. I remain a small government conservative. With Trump there is no guarantee I will get that, but Clinton assured me I won't. Trump's Supreme Court nominees can't be as bad as Hillary's. She vowed to emasculate the Second Amendment. 'Nuff said.

The preceding ramblings are mere background and further example of my wordy ramblings. I was never much of a Trump fan. But every time one of you liberals decide my position is based on racism, sexism, homophobia, ignorance, and hate instead of reasoned political positioning my support for The Donald grows. Every time I'm painted as an uneducated hick because I do not agree with your position I dig in my heels and strengthen my "fuck you" attitude.

Reasonable people can disagree on political matters. Liberals don't want discussion. I saw it in blogs over the past several years. You either toe the line or you are shouted down, insulted, or banned. For folks who like to crow about the First Amendment, they sure hate speech with which they disagree. It has gotten to the point that liberals will not even tolerate ideas they don't want to hear, claiming safe space from microaggression. Whatever the hell that means. 

Sorry to break it to you, snowflake, I'm offended every time you advocate taking more of my hard-earned wages to redistribute to someone else, every time you advocate a new government program, every time you make my electric rates "necessarily skyrocket".

Keep on rioting, crying, insulting me. I keep voting for the Trumps of the world. You don't change people's attitudes and opinions by insulting them.

The reason for the day

Veteran's Day is on November 11 for a reason. Shooting in The Great War, The War to End All Wars, The Big One, WWI  came to a halt through an armistice agreement at eleven minutes after the eleventh hour on the eleventh day of the eleventh month 1918. The slaughter and death was so horrific both sides wanted a memorable moment to halt the killing. The actual end of the war actually came on June 28, 1919 with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. One could make the argument that WWII began on June 29, 1919.

WWI has largely become forgotten. It was overshadowed by the world war that erupted a generation later. I'm not sure that the First World War was more gruesome or horrific for the combatants than wars that came and went before or after. The new ways modern man invented to kill one another, the scale of death to civilians and combatants alike was unprecedented. It is not exaggerating to state that a significant amount of the young men of a generation were wiped out. Study The Great War and you can understand why the French passed when the Germans came calling at the start of the Second World War. It is also no way denegrating the service of the American soldiers, sailors, and marines when I say their contribution was material, important, but minuscule compared to the rest of the nations involved.

If you have not studied WWI, I suggest you do some research. My own investigations over the years have barely scratched the surface. If you are not into history books, Dan Carlin's Hardcore History podcast has an excellent series that covers the war in an entertaining and educational manner. His description of the opening days to the horrors of the end give a good flavor to the war. Barbara Tuchman's "The Guns of August" is one of the first histories I read of the war more than 30 years ago. A good historical fiction account is "To the Last Man"by Jeff Shaara.

Veteran's Day

I want to thank, from the bottom of my heart, each of you who donned the uniform of this country to protect my freedom. Thank you for your service, your sacrifice, and hardship.

What it means to be white in a liberal editorial

 Trump represents the last wisp of the rich white plantation owner holding on to the glories of the past.  Source 

This is the crap we are sick of hearing, simply because I envision a smaller government, or you don't like ObamaCare, or maybe your neighbor hates NAFTA or maybe you are a lifetime Republican and have voted straight ticket for decades. Non-support of the Democrat candidate does not make me a racist bigot.

As long as those on the left take this position, they will keep losing voters. Even if the white population drops to 47% by 2050 we will still be the single largest population in America. Insulting us in mass is crude, uniformed, and represents the very bigotry Abdul-Jabbar tries to paste on those with whom he disagrees. Stereotyping every person who did not want to elect Hillary as a closet KKKer is as offensive as stereotyping every African-American as a shuffling Sambo Step n' Fetch It. It makes me sick.

There were a significant number of reasons to vote against Hillary Clinton. In my state, Democrats were defeated in nearly every state-wide contest.  Is voting against every democrat running for senator, congress, governor, or school board a sure sign I'm a wanna-be white plantation owner? Is it somehow manifest proof I am a bigot, a homophobe, a sexist?

That accusation is beyond offensive. It is to borrow a term, "deplorable".

Wrapping up the election wrap up

The best news of this election year is that finally we have eliminated the Bush family and even better, the Clintons from office. No more Bush, no more Clinton. That makes me almost as happy as the Cubs World Series win.

It will be interesting to see if the donations to the Clinton Foundation dry up. That will be the real measure of how corrupt things are, how deep the pay for play scheme was imbedded.

Just a thought, surely the Democrats aren't going to trot out Chelsea in 2024, are they? Hopefully, enough Democrats are as tired of the Clintons as the rest of us?

Marching in the streets

I went to bed early last night. I am sure that contributes to why I'm up at 3:45 this morning, but not entirely.  Last evening my cough returned, not with the fury of the bronchitis of a few weeks ago, but enough to annoy me. It woke me in the night. I coughed enough that I finally padded to the medicine cabinet and took the last of my prescription cough syrup. I'm now waiting on the codine to kick in and put me back to sleep.

I find it ironic that many of the same liberals that were aghast when Trump said he might not accept the election results were marching in the streets chanting that Trump was not their President. Shouldn't Cher be home packing instead of protesting? She promised to move out of the country if The Donald won.

Here is a thought; maybe a bunch of Americans are sick of being told by the left that we are racists, sexist bigots every time we don't agree with you. You tell us you don't like us, then are shocked when we don't vote for your candidate. If you leftists feel like you don't know where your country is headed, like the things you believe are being repudiated, if the new president is terrifying, if the politics of the day do not reflect the America you want, then welcome to how half the country has felt for at least the past eight years.

Suck it up buttercup, elections have consequences.