The Right to be Wrong

So a black millionaire athlete who was raised by a white couple finds America so oppressive he cannot stand for the National Anthem. He is the very embodiment of "privilege".

My first blush is to tell him and like-minded others they are free to go to that magical country where they will have more freedom. Heck, I will gladly let my tax dollars go toward a one-way ticket straight out of the USA for anyone who hates it here that much.

In truth, the First Amendment trumps all of those knee-jerk reactions.  If Colin Kaepernik really feels that way, then he should obey his conscious. The First Amendment exists to protect the speech we find most offensive. Period.

I think he is wrong. There are no scholarships just for whites. There are no quotas in hiring or in college admissions for whites.

Is there discrimination? Yes. Whites discriminate against blacks. Blacks discriminate against whites. I have seen staunch New England liberals treat very smart guys from the south as idiots because they have an accent or talk slow. I have seen women much smarter than I treated with disdain purely based on sex. We all have biases. Even you MS Liberal. And you Mr. Kaepernik.

If you do not want to stand for the National Anthem, then don't. Just do not cry about it when your endorsements disappear and your jersey sales drop. Consequences come with taking a stand.

For those who care

Just got back from the Doc. All is good. He took out the stitches and said come back in a month.

Unless something happens, this is the last you will have to read on his subject.

I can see better, without glasses, than I have in at least a decade WITH glasses. Once I get glasses to correct my severe astigmatism (in a month or so, after my new corneas have settled down), I will have 20/20 vision.

Do you deny that you are still a communist?

Hillary says Trump has to own the far right KKKers and skinhead-types. Everyone knows that if you are not a liberal Democrat you are a racist asshole. By the same logic, Hillary then has to embrace as part of her campaign the far left, the hard-core communists, the anarchists, the domestic terrorists like Bill Ayres (who wants folks like me put into gulag-like "re-education camps"). She must embrace the ant-Semitic, homophobic, misogynist regimes from the Middle East who have donated millions to her family's slush fund.

Does anyone take the KKK bogeyman seriously any more? Ten guys in their wife's good bed sheets burning a cross out on a farm is not a threat to democracy. They are cartoons of the past, leaving photocopied crap in mailboxes just to get attention, the Blues Brothers Illinois Nazis in real life. Sure they exist. Sure they hate. Sure they are bigots. The KKK no more represents mainstream conservative America than ELF eco-terrorists represents those volunteers picking up trash out on highway 24.

Dimocrits do not like Trump telling people of color to try something new. They don't like that he has called out the emperor's lack of even boxer briefs. He is pointing out that the places with the highest crime and worst economies are controlled by Democrats for fifty years or more. That scares Democrats more than Reagan's Ghost. Hillary's only response is "Don't listen to him, he is a secret member of the KKK".  Is she next gonna warn us about the monster under the bed?

I supposed I am more attuned to politics than your average bear. I have never even heard of the so-called alt right. Is that something she and the press made up? perhaps Hillary should have a press conference so she can answer questions about these accusations.  It has been what, almost a year? Why won't she answer questions?

North and South

I don't care what the Beach Boys say, you don't want to go to Kokomo...Indiana that is. That section of the state was hit hard by severe weather last week. Yesterday, four separate storms kicked up tornadoes during he course of the afternoon and evening. Some of the very same neighborhoods were hit that were savaged by a tornado in 2013.

The ugly weather passed just north and south of me. We got thunder and rain. Tornado sirens spunded -- think WWII air raid siren if you don't live in the Midwest -- but we avoided the bad stuff. The storms were strangely slow-moving and did not head off to Ohio until well after dark. StormTeam ScareTeam stayed on the air, and rightly so, until 9:00. They did find time in the reporting to show an occasional commercial though. Gotta sell those cars!

There are no reports of death, and only minor injuries. I make fun of the overwrought weather coverage, but it does help keep people out of harm's way. That is a good thing.

Dear Interwebz

I'm alive and doing fine. Spent most of the last two days lying flat on my back staring at the ceiling, yada, yada.

The Doctor says things look good. He is pretty sure I got a good transplant. I'm starting to see a little. I think that is a good thing. The doctor says severe allergy symptoms ate impacting the recovery in both eyes. I could have told him that. Now I have another prescription eye drop to add to my collection. So now I take a steroid eye drop (anti rejection) an antibiotic eye drop, an allergy eye drop, antibiotic pill, Invokana, metformin, glimiperide, a statin, a blood pressure pill, and a vitamin B6. I think it all adds up to around 20 doses of meds a day.  The antibiotics will be done this week.

I hope your week is going well. Forgive any typos, typing one handed upside down on the old iPad isn't easy. I'm dedicated that way.

Just like before, only different

 I am off to the surgeon for round two five of eye surgery. This time my right orb will be sliced open.

Here's hoping.

Horry Clapp, where did I stash that inflatable raft?

It was sunny and the grass was dry enough so I used my lunch hour to cut the lawn yesterday. It was warm and humid and I needed another shower when I was done. What do you think ladies, does visions of a sweaty old man get your motor running?*

It is a good thing I did, it started in raining around two and didn't let up until almost dinner time. And boy, did it rain hard. I had a mini river flowing out next to the flower beds. The cul-de-sac was an inch or two deep in water at the height of the storm. With more rain on tap today, my mid-day mowing session appears like a move of genius. 

My wife and daughter are headed off to the outlet mall for some shopping today. I promised I would do a little housework in her absence. I might as well, I have nothing else to do.  I can hack away at this and I can watch TV, but reading is still an effort with one eye approximately 20/50 and one approximately 20/200. I can't really wear my glasses since my vision in my good eye is better than my vision in my "bad" eye with glasses.  Confused? The bottom line is I don't mind helping with housework. I always have. And since I will spend all of next week lying flat on my back, the wife will have to do everything, including nurse my crybaby self. 

Anyway, it looks to be a good Saturday. I hope you enjoy your day.

* image of that hotness below the fold

Free massage coupons

Thank goodness it is Friday. This has been a long week. I think someone in the matrix snuck in an extra Tuesday without us knowing. If it was payday, then it would be a great day. alas, that only rolls around every other week.

It finally stopped raining for the first time in a week yesterday. I was all set to mow the lawn after work. Then the lawn treatment guy showed up. My grass really needs cut, but I'm not going to chop off all of the fertilizer I just paid for. Hopefully the predicted rain will hold off today long enough for me to get the yard done. I have to get it finished by Sunday, I go back on medical restrictions next week.

We have not had any Friday music for a while. I know that has left you sad and disappointed to no end. Well buck up little buddies, I am here to make you smile. Have a good Friday.

Same tune, different chorus

Louisiana is under water. Thousands are without homes. People have died. An uncaring President pays no attention. It has been days and FEMA is nowhere to be found. The press covers this massive governmental neglect non-stop. The President is held personally responsible.

Does this sound familiar?  With the exception of the last two sentences, all of the above is happening under the watch of President Obama. Of course he is a Democrat, so we have to assume he cares, even if the only example of his concern is scheduling yet another round of golf and partying with his one percenter buddies on Martha's Vinyard.

Do you think we will get the flood of '16 stories every damn time The Saints play a national game ten years from now like we are constantly reminded of Katrina?

Just another straw on my camel's back

I returned from a quick trip to Kalamazoo late yesterday afternoon. The customer visit went well. It was good to be traveling again.

The wife wanted me to make fried chicken for dinner. She need a couple of things from Target, so while I started supper she went to do whatever it was she needed to accomplish. I made some iced tea. I sliced up som tomatoes from the garden. I peeled and put potatoes on to boil for the mashed spuds. I dredged the chicken and let it sit to get a good coating.

The wife called to say she was leaving Target. I dropped the chicken into the hot oil in the skillet. The store is about ten minutes from the house and by he time she got home I should be getting ready to make pan gravy. She called back. Her car won't start. The battery was completely dead.

I took the skillet off the burner, turned off the potatoes and pulled on my shoes. The keys to my car were gone. The wife had them in her purse. We have gone from " oh crud" to " ah crap".  Luckily, my SIL was available to drive me to the Target.. We tried jumping be battery, but it would not turn the engine over. We have moved to "shit" status.

SIL brings us home. I grab some tools. We go to the parts store and drop $140 that I don't  have on a new battery and head back to the dead Ford Escape. I am not a mechanical genius, but I can change a battery in about ten minutes. I losen the battery with no trouble. The red terminal comes right off. The black side won't budge. I send the wife home for better wrenches than he piece o'crap adjustable wrench I was using. I get the nut lose finally, but the clamp still won't come off the terminal.

Did I mention it was raining? It is getting dark. I pry. I twist. I curse a little. I pried and twisted more. I cursed a lot. I called AutoZone to see if there was something special about the negative terminal on a Ford Escape that I couldn't see. They suggested I pry and twist until the clamp breaks free. Duh.

It is 9:20. I've spent more than two hours trying to do a ten minute job. I'm tired. I'm hungry, it's dark. I need a bigger screwdriver and maybe a hammer to try and pry the clamp apart. The store says they won't have the car towed if we leave it over night.

We grabbed a fast food burger. I came home and threw away the oil-soaked chicken. I threw out the potatoes. I put the clean dinner plates away and washed up the pans. The whole supper went straight to the garbage.

I'm up early. I'm waiting for sunup so I can head down to try again. I wonder if I will have hubcaps or window glass in my car when I get there. I hope a new day finds the clamp magically unfused by corrosion and that I finally break it free this morning.  I sure don't want to pay to have a car towed over a stupid battery terminal.

On the scale of problems this is small, but why can't things ever be easy?

Random thoughts that explain Trump, chipmunks, and the alien megastructures

Gymnasts have remarkable self control. I would fall off the beam because I had to stop and pull that leotard out of my crack.

It is International Left Handers Day. My oldest boy is a lefty.

It is raining. We need it, even though we got a couple of inches over the weekend.

I'm traveling for work this week. It seems like forever since I have hit the road. Don't worry, a colleague is driving. I'm sick of working he phones and email. I'm ready to get out of the house and see some customers.

I get the cornea transplant in the right eye next week. Hopefully after a week recovery I will have significantly improved vision. I can order new, weaker glasses and resume life as normal. I'm sick of being driven everywhere.

In the old days superstitious building owners refused to have a 13th floor, skipping from 12 to 14. Perhaps the Chicago Cubs should look at skipping he 8th inning when they play the cardinals. The Cubs gave up 11 runs combined in the 8th inning on Saturday and Sunday. They were leading both games through seven and ended up losing both.

Happy Monday.

Can you win gold for jumping out of swings?

Trampoline is a real sport; who knew? I knocked of work early yesterday afternoon and went downstairs to catch the last few innings of the Cubs. They weren't on my TV, 'cause I don't get the MLB channel, but the Olympics were. Lo and behold there were svelte young ladies jumping on a trampoline. If my kids had taken their trampoline seriously back in the day I could have been down in Rio yesterday watching them compete for medals and living the high life on the polluted beaches by night.  Instead, my kids were content to jump up and down, turn an occasional flip or lie under it for shade --lazy farts.

Hanging on by my fingertips

The internet is a lonely place when your mouse dies.

Blue skies, yellow tomatoes

We just about wore out the buttons on the TV remote last night jumping from the Cubs to the Olympics and back. The wife wanted to see gymnastics. Switching back and forth worked out fine since NBC has a LOT of commercials in their Olympic coverage. I wanted to see the evil Cardinals lose. The good guys won all around.

The 'Mericans took gold and silver in women's gymnastics. Little Simone won by more than two points which is the equivalent of winning by 96 in basketball.  Michael Phelps won more gold in swimming.

The Cubbies wrapped up their game just after midnight Eastern time when the Cards walked Anthony Rizzo with bases loaded. That was the easiest RBI in the world. As an ardent Cubs fan I will say that ball was a strike. The Cards got screwed by the umpire. 11 innings in the sweltering heat were just too much, I guess. The ump called a ball that sliced down the inner quarter of the plate and called a free pass, ending he game. I will take it, things happen. Ten in a row for the Northsiders.

Happy Friday to you. You can listen to the music of your choice today. No Friday Music.

Here is a bonus for those of you in the Hoosier State: how is Evan Bayh claiming with a straight face he is for not putting party first when he had one of the most partisan voting records when he was in the Senate last time? I suppose he is counting on name recognition and the ignorance of the voters. His optimism is probably justified. By January, I suspect the reliably red Hoosier State will have two Democrat Senators and a Democrat governor. 

I'm feeling a bit blue.

The Post You Have Been Waiting For

Isn't this one

No inspiration this morning.

That may change. It may not.

Hmmm

What does it say about you as a candidate when you feature at one of your rallies the father of a homophobic mass murderer who has been outspoken in his derision of America?

What does it say about the bias of the media when they ignore it?

Every Four Years

We watch sports like swimming or beach volleyball, or curling in the Olympics and act like we care. If you came upon a swim meet on the television while channel surfing on a rainy Saturday afternoon you would pause just long enough to put down the remote to take a sip of your beer. Then you would move on to a rerun of CSI or yet another showing of Cool Hand Luke.  I would and you would.

But be Olympics has a special flavor. It is an us vs. the world show of athleticism. For those of us of a certain age the Olympics calls back a subtle front in be Cold War, when the evil doped up Soviet Bloc nations were competing against the free world. Every time we saw a loss by someone in a CCCP uniform, you could cheer. What happened to the dominance of he East German women swimmers and Bulgarian weight lifters?

The Olympics also gives us a much needed break from the mind-numbing politics of a seemingly endless election year.

Many sports in the Olympics are boring as heck to watch. And I am free to admit that I derive no pleasure watching the best of other nations battle for victory when Americans are not in the running for a medal. Nationalist?, Heck yeah. Go 'Merica! Still, it is compelling in a sense to watch greatness. Has there ever been an athlete more dominant in his sport, in any sport, as Michael Phelps?  That, my friends, is true greatness. I am pleased to see that any time.

Things I know and things I don't know

My belly is growling. I don't know why. I had a cranberry muffin for breakfast. I'm up early this morning. I don't know why about that either. There is a lot I don't know. Why was "Seasons in the Sun" a hit record? Why don't the flowers on my wife's hibiscus turn to dollar bills when the fall off? Why are there snakes? I'm sure I do not know.

Ha, you thought that was going to be "Seasons in the Sun" didn't you? We had joy, we had fun... Put that in your skull for the rest of today. Jake and Elwood make a good brain palate cleanser.

I have to wear a hard plastic shield over my eye when I sleep, to keep from rubbing the eye ans scraping loose the transplant for the next several months. That is fine, but when I do the other eye I will have to wear two "pirate patches" taped to my face. Getting up to pee in the night is going to be a challenge. At least I'll then have an excuse for peeing on the floor. Not that I do, mind you, but the wife accuses me of it all the time.  I don't know why.

Monica Lewinsky says she will not vote for Hillary. She claims the last time she was around a Clinton it left a bad taste in her mouth.

About that

If my life is an example of the extraordinary privlege I garner by benefit of my skin color, then those with a differing amount of melanin must lead a desperate existence.

I thought I put a title here. Now I have

Happy Monday. The granddaughter is downstairs watching Mickey the Mouse, snuggling with my wife.  It looks to be a great day.

There was not much excitement over the weekend. We went to our friend's house Saturday. They swam, I dangled my feet in the water. I am banned from pools and hot tubs for two months.  Sunday I watched the Cubs. I was all set to watch the Colts first preseason effort, for as long as I could stand to watch putrid per-season football, but the game was cancelled due to the poor condition of the field. WTH? How is that possible? How embarrassing for the football Hall of Fame and the NFL. Someone is going to be out some money. Fans paid for tickets, hotels, etc. to see that game, not to mention the lost revenue on ESPN. You just know some money-grubbing attorney is already on he case.

I'm off to do some work, hot dog hot dignity dog.  The Olympics continue. Hillary Clinton is a liar.

News you can use

The Olympics are underway. You might not have noticed, there has been nothing in the news about it.

Saturday Situational Summary

The doc says my surgery was a success this time. I can see out of my left eye better than at any time in recent memory.  I can read my phone, IPad and see the TV without glasses. The eye is still a little swollen and thus "itchy", but woot! It will just get better with time. Two more nights on my back. Next up; the other eye. I will keep you posted.

Sybiugfroijhg

If you can't imagine pulling the lever for Trump I get it. I'm not sure I can do it either. If you are an elected GOPer and say the same, I can live with that.

If you are an elected Republican office holder and claim you will not only not vote for Trump but will vote for Hillary then you have betrayed the voters, the donors, and the party. You should return any re-election funding you got from the GOP. You should be booted from committees. You are no longer part of the Party. In fact you are proven to be untrustworthy, a liar, and opportunist.

You fit in well with Hillary Clinton.

No wonder people rank politicians right up there with dog shit in popularity.

Typed in Popeye mode

I have the MLB app for my phone. This allows me to hear the radio broadcasts of my beloved Cubs.  It also gives me access to the radio broadcast of every major league game.

I confess I would rather listen to a baseball broadcast than watch it on TV. It is easy to see why baseball reached its peak popularity in the radio age. The subtle shifts, the movement of the fielders based on the count and the pitch sign create a tiny ballet that cannot be captured on the tiny screen. The real action is in the pitch-hit and that is where the cameras focus. On the radio the slow pace allows a good announcer to describe the scene in detail. The non-action moments cry to be filled with stats and averages, creating and full filling baseball's insatiable desire for minutiae.

It is no wonder football is king in the television age. The concentrated action and frequent stoppages in play coupled with a time clock makes the game perfect for the television. commercials can be aired regularly, pretty much on schedule. An inning may last two minutes or twenty. We know exactly how long a quarter will last.

Perhaps I love baseball because I played  it a lot in my youth. I was never any good at it, but e still played endless games in the summer heat. two people can play a game of Whiffle ball in the backyard, tracking ghost runners and score. You can't do that with a football.

I have listened to a lot of baseball in the dark over the past few weeks. I fell asleep listening to the late innings of a west coast game last night. The crack of the bat, the pop of leather, the roar of the crowd was a timeless image of an America I never knew. I could have been my grandpa listening the crackle of WGN in 1925' or my Dad listening to a game in 1950,

That gives me comfort.

Back Blogging

As in "from my back". My left eyeball was back under the knife bright and early Monday morning. Yesterday the doc said all looks good. I go back today, but Friday is when we really know if the transplant takes this time. In the interim I'm spending much of my time lying flat on my back, no pillow, staring at the ceiling. You have heard it before.

I was up for a bit last evening, walked around with he wife while she watered the flowers. It is OK, I can be up increasing hours each day. It was nice to be outside.

Otherwise life is boring. I have avoided the news and talk radio. My attention has been taken up by music, audiobooks and baseball.

Sorry, boring life leads to boring posts.  My vision should start to clear tonight and tomorrow as the air bubble injected into my eye to hold the cornea transplant in place starts to dissipate. Maybe I will have something worthwhile for you by then.

Excuse any typos and have a great day.

Episode Six: the heroine escapes

Good morning blog readers. In today's thrilling installment I will take the trivial and mundane events of my life and through juvenile prose, imperfect analogies, and flawed logic render those meaningless events more boring than necessary.  In other words, spew forth another episode in a long succession of postings. Here we go.

I woke cheerful and rested yesterday. I picked some of the  first tomatoes of the season from my little garden. Seven were ready, and at least four or five will be ready today. I ate one of them for my lunch. There is nothing better than a fresh picked 'mater. I went for a walk around the neighborhood. It was warm and I tired before I got more than a couple of miles. Considering I had spent most of the previous two weeks lying in bed, I guess that is pretty good. We drove down to B-town...well, I rode...to drop off a dresser at the boy's new apartment. We ended up taking him to an early dinner then bought him some groceries. We came back home and picked up a small Pizza King pie for a late (second?) supper.  We ate sandwiches with the boy before five, we were hungry. How do old people eat so early? 

I know. I expect you are breathless just reading about it.

I woke up dreaming about cooking pork chops on the grill. I think I know what is for supper.

I'm not going to belabor this stuff much going forward, unless I do, but no posts for the next few days. If you don't know why, read down a post or two. But why in the heck aren't you stopping by several times a day?

In summation; long boring post accomplished. Hey, it takes skill to write prose more boring than "Moby Dick". For all you know the past decade of effort has been entirely on purpose. Perhaps I work at being this uninspiring. Yeah, that's it.

Enjoy your Sunday.

Close call

I went to the surgeon yesterday. I go back and start over on Monday, just as I expected.  After the doctor visit we met our best friends for a burger. They were in town to pick up her car after some service work. The came on the motorcycle. On the way home he was in front, she in the car behind, when he hit some wet pavement and lost control of the bike. Thank God he was wearing a helmet. A broken rib, torn thumb ligaments and lots of bruising is the extent of the damage. Like I said, I don't have anything to complain about.

So, anyway, I am moseying along this weekend with shitty vision in one eye, and blurry vision in the other. I can see as well as ever in the right eye,  everything in the left looks like I am viewing the world through a frosted shower door. No more lying on my back! Until Monday. I rewarded myself for being a good patient by going to the mall after supper and purchasing a new Chicago Cubs hat. We were there when we learned about our friend's wreck.

So there you have it. No politics. Nothing of interest. Have a great Saturday.

About last night

In case you missed it, here is a synopsis of Mrs. Clinton's speech last night:

1. Vote for me, I've got a V.  As in vagina.

2. Really angry woman claims Trump is unfit because he is really angry.

That pretty much covers it.

Wasted

I don't return to the due surgeon until this afternoon. I already know the verdict, and my man Freddy sums it nicely in this song. A waste of time. My corneal transplant didn't take. I got a dud. Unlike your typical Democrat, I am not blaming anyone or anything. Sometimes stuff doesn't work. I will start over Monday like the last two weeks did not happen.

Instead of recovering and getting back on the road and doing my job in mid to late August it will be at least two weeks later.  I worry about that. I can only be so effective working the phones, especially when flat on my back.

Wasted days and wasted nights indeed. I've had three surgeries and spent pretty much 90% of the past two weeks lying flat on my back. So it goes. I could be really sick, or in pain. In the scale of things this is a minor speed bump in a life full of them. Plus, it is a story I can tell my grandkids -- " Yeah, well I once had to lie four weeks on a bed of plywood, facing uphill in a snowstorm....".

Dear Women of NOW

Through my limited reading and watching (listening) to the various speakers at the DNC it seems women should vote for Clinton because she is a woman. It is time to break that glass ceiling. It is beyond time we support women for higher office, I'm told.

Where was this support when Sarah Pallin was on the ticket for VP? I'm pretty site she was a woman.

Of course NOW was exposed as frauds when they supported Bill Clinton's serial sexual harassment. The "lib" in Women's Lib" is for liberal, not liberation.

Second verse, same as the first

Remember my last post? No, not the rerun, the one where things did not go so well with my transplant? Well mentally cut and past that one right here. Yes, it still isn't sticking down deipite spending approx 72 straight hours flat on my back. So we did the whole needles in the eyeball thing again yesterday. I'm again on my back until Friday; only up to eat and relieve myself and short stretches. The doc thinks I'm going to have to likely have a new implant. We will know Friday afternoon. If so, my left eye will be redone on Monday instead of doing my right eye.  I've had three procedures on my left eye in eight days, with the balance spent lying flat on my back. I'm starting to not have much fun. Plus the Cubs are losing to the damn Sox. WTH?

It's hard to type upside down on the iPad. Forgive the typos

A post

  Here is a rerun, a classic joke from April of 2006. I used to post a lot of jokes.

The Seven Dwarfs go to Rome

The Seven Dwarfs

The Seven Dwarfs go to the Vatican, and because they are "the seven dwarfs" they get ushered in to see the Pope.
Dopey leads the pack.

"Dopey my son," says the Pope, "what can I do for you?"
Dopey asks, "Excuse me, Your Excellency, but are there any dwarf nuns in Rome?"

The Pope wrinkles his brow at the odd question, thinks for a moment and answers, "No Dopey, there are no dwarf nuns in Rome."

In the background a few of the dwarfs begin giggling.

Dopey turns around and gives them a glare, silencing them.

Dopey turns back to face the Pope. "Your Worship, are there any dwarf nuns in all of Europe?"

The Pope, puzzled again, thinks for a moment and then answers, "No Dopey, there are no dwarf nuns in all of Europe."

Once again, Dopey turns around and silences them all with an angry glare.

Dopey turns back to the Pope and says, "Mr. Pope, are there ANY dwarf nuns in the whole world?"

The Pope answers, "I'm sorry, my son, there are no dwarf nuns anywhere in the world."

The other dwarfs collapse into a heap, rolling, and laughing, pounding on the floor, tears rolling down their cheeks as they begin chanting:

"Dopey screwed a penguin!"
"Dopey screwed a penguin!"

Ain't that a kick in the head

It seems kinda sorta was not what the doc had in mind. He was looking for perfection. I have a recalcitrant implant that was not sticking in place, so Friday I was poked and prodded, a speculum screwed my eye open and needles injected another air bubble in my eye to hold it down. I then got to spend another 24 hours flat on my back, no pillow, no tv, just staring at the ceiling with my one good eye.  Saturday meant 12 hours of my awake time on my back. I know why Cyclops was so pissed all the time in mythology. His lower back ached and he was bored. Now I'm back to blurry vision, like looking underwater, as I focus through the air bubble. The good news is I only have to spend 1/2 my waking hours lying on my back today.

So it goes.

Sorta

I'm alive. I can kinda sorta see. It is like I have Vaseline smeared on my eye. Perhaps it is more akin to the cheesy blurring you used to see in romantic scenes back in the seventies tv shows. The Doc says all is as it should be and things will improve more when I get the stitches out layer today.

Reading is hard, typing this harder.

But at least you know sometime (still another eye to go) in the future things will return to normal around here. That may be good or bad depending on your point of view.

Excuse any typos please

canning okra for fun and profit

Reruns. Take what you can get, even if it is a canned post. Boy, the quality of this place was not any better back in 2007

August 19, 2007

When you wish upon a star

I am sitting here daydreaming. It is one of my favorite pastimes. Old Walter Mitty has nothing on me. Like many of you I wish I had more money, or sex, world peace, or the opportunity to punch Hillary right in the snatch...

Today I have a very simple wish. I say it is a simple wish because I could easily make it come true with just a little effort. I just do not want to do the work. Here is my wish:

I wish someone would fry me some bacon.


What do you wish for?

For the first time in my life I am brimming with optimism

Today is the big day. I'm off to have an endothelial keratoplasty. I'm told my surgeon is not only one of the best in Central Indiana, but in the country.

I'm not sure when i will resume regular posting. It all depends on how fast I heal. I'm told to expect vision in my left eye to return in days to weeks. This is obviously a canned post, and I have others scheduled for your periodic amusement.

This tune is representative of my expectations:

This is a snappy, attention grabbing title to a riveting post you will want to bookmark and read again and again. Unless it is not.

The coffee is black and hot. The day looks to be gorgeous. I have stuff to do that I can assure you won't get done. Probably tomorrow. You never know.

Pence. I'm not positive he was going to win re-election as governor of Indiana, so I'm not sure what he does to help Trump beyond assuage the conservative and establishment types in the GOP. Pence is the prototypical establishment candidate. He believes in his conservative ideas, but is a party man through and through. He semi-supports amnesty. He signed the terrible "religious freedom" law. He has been at war with the duly elected State Superintendent of Schools, primarily because she is a Democrat. Mike Pence is very well spoken (he used to host a radio talk show) and a great debater. His refusal to go negative in a campaign will be an effective counterbalance to Trump's attack, attack, attack tendencies. Pence is the proto- typical vanilla hard-line GOPer Trump and his supporters have voted against all along and probably just the guy to make many in the party hold their nose and vote against Hillary. Think of a boring Kasich, who aligns ideologically more with Rubio.

I need more coffee. I have "Lido" by Boz Scaggs stuck in my head. Please make it stop.

I hope you have a great Saturday.

Pure Evil

There is evil in this world. There always has been. That makes it no easier to accept. The events in Nice, France saddens me to no end. Families, babes in strollers, the innocent killed because they may or may not believe in the same religion as a guy in a truck out to murder, terrorize, and destroy.

I am tempted to wonder of the President of France will call for restrictions on trucks, but that would be trite and insulting to the murdered.

We will hear the usual calls for tempering our anger. We will hear again that those who do this do not represent Islam. But there is the rub. The suicide killers believe they are on jihad, they are convinced their God will reward them for wanton acts of murder. They believe they are acting as directed by Islamic creed, therefore, they are. Perception is indeed reality. Just as witch burning and the Star Chamber represented Christian beliefs in the past, modern Muslims must accept that terrorism and the murder of innocent people is a tenet of their religion in today's world. Secular and political pressure alone will not change the culture of violence. The call to stop the insane violence and terror must come from the Imams and prayer leaders. Those who want to burn down the world must be isolated and marginalized. Political pressure must be brought to bear on the governments in places like Iran and Saudi Arabia to stop their tacit approval and outright support.

Make no mistake, we are at war. We have been since the eighth century.

Friday Music

Why not? I try to accommodate my commenters:

True confession: I have never heard this song before.

Satisfaction Guaranteed

The skies are heavy with clouds this morning. The view to the west from the blog room window is gray and foreboding.

Heavy thunderstorms rolled through late yesterday afternoon and evening. Thunder rolled, lightning flashed, winds blew through the trees. We got a couple of inches of much needed rainfall. The wife's flowers look a bit bedraggled this morning, but they will spring back nicely with a little sun. I have not been to the side garden to look at my 'maters, but I'm sure they are fine.

The wife went to hang out with a friend yesterday evening. She left just before the storms came through and returned in time for the late news. I'm sure it was a night of girl talk. That left me on my own for supper. I drove down to the corner and got some Chinese take out. It was OK, I went well before dark and the round trip was less than a mile. I had Mongolian beef with fried rice and one half of an egg roll. The rest of he evening was filled with reading and a little TV. 

Geez, this whole thing is just boring minutiae, if I had a cat I would be cat blogging. I will tell you what I will do, send me a self-addressed stamped envelope and I will return your subscription fees for this entry. No, that is not good enough. I value my readers, I will return a whole week of payments to each and every one of you. I don't want anyone to think they are getting less than their money's worth around here. I may not have the glitz of a ShamWow, nor the reputation of high quality you get from a Ronco product, but you have my word I will refund your money in full if you are not completely satisfied. In fact, I will throw in a post tomorrow for free! 

PSA

I have been a registered organ donor since I was 18. While I'm certain there is very little anyone could want from my body, you never know.

Starting next week the gift of someone's eyes, more specifically corneal tissue, will keep me from going blind. I cannot express my thanks enough to the anonymous donor.

If you are not a registered donor, you should consider it.

Just to be clear

If I understand President Obama, the white police in Dallas who lost their lives protecting a BLM protest are just part of a culture rooted in systemic bias and prejudice.

Quite the uniter, isn't he?

Get off my lawn

Re-reading my lame efforts from this morning it occurs to me I am turning into an old man, repeating the same old stories. Don't believe me?

Or maybe this one that I have no recollection of writing at all, probably for good reason.

Star date 24-14.7

It looks to be a beautiful summer day here in central Hoosierdom. This is the kind of day that reflects my youth in my memory banks. Eight-year old me would be on my red stingray bike pedaling the backstreets of town, going to the park, wading in the drainage ditch by the railroad tracks, or riding to my grandma's house. Thirteen-year old me was still in bed at this time of day. Later in the afternoon I probably went to the public pool. Fifty-four year-old me is getting ready for work. It still looks to be a beautiful summer day.

Didja know?

Here is some trivia for you. Today is one of only two days in the US that there is not a game occurring in one of the major sports (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL). Owners of sports bars weep, wives rejoice. Those who do not like sports don't care.

I am certain my wife will be pleased to find I am not watching a game, checking e score, or talking about the Cubs today.

On other stuff that is not politics

I'm pretty sure you are sick of political posts around here. I'm sick of 'em myself.

There is little in my personal life that is of much interest, of that I can assure you. I need to mow the yard later today. Ho hum

Yesterday was spent like the past several Saturdays; we hung out at our best friends' pool. I drank a few beers and smoked a couple of cigars. We had a great time. A comfortable gathering of people I have know for forty years.

The wife has effectively taken away my keys. I am condemned to life as a passenger for a while. I go under the knife a week from tomorrow. I am ready. The good news, the surgery will be 100% covered beyond the balance of my deductible.

Life continues. The Lord has blessed me in ways beyond count. Not with a winning lottery ticket, but that is my fault for not buying one.

I think I will cook something on the grill for supper. I may try to talk the boss of domestic stuff into eating out on the patio. It looks to be a gorgeous day. I hope it is for you too.

Now that is strange

I watched video on the news last night of a BLM protest. A very large crowd was marching down the street, carrying signs denouncing police brutality. The reporter interviewed a man who said he was afraid every single time he got in the car that he would be pulled over and murdered by a white cop. I heard the deputy mayor claim there was no justice in Indianapolis for people of color.

I saw white cops blocking streets and traffic so the demonstrators could march and rally and call them brutal racists thugs. Not one cop pulled a gun, a nightstick, or pepper spray. They were protecting those that despise them most.

That buck doesn't stop here

Actress Lena Dunham says I'm responsible for the police shooting of a black-skinned man because I'm white. First, I don't care about the rantings of an actress. Just because you are good at pretending, does not make you an expert; her opinion is just that, opinion. I have one too and it is just as valid. I once starred in a high school play. So there.

At the risk of violating Godwin's Law right at the outset, doesn't blaming one race for all of society's ills sound a lot like blaming the Jews for Germany's economic woes after WWI? My skin pigment is no more than genetics and biology. I can no more change my skin than I can my eyes. The very people who assure us a gay person is just "born that way" insists I need to change because of the color of my skin. Sorry, I refuse to don the mantle of white guilt.

I worked hard, got an education, stayed away from drugs. No one gave me preferences based on my skin color, in fact, I was precluded from scholarships and aid precisely because I was not black. I think any mind is a terrible thing to waste. Assigning me culpability for society's ills based on my ancestor's European roots ignores the basic tenet of individual responsibility. I am no more responsible for the police shooting of an African-American than I am of the robbing of the local bank branch by a white guy. I am not my brother's keeper.

If a black guy shoots a white cop in Texas is the African-American lady who lives next door to me morally culpable?

I grew up in a small town. I can tell you some of the biggest jerks I knew went on to be cops. They like the power and authority. Anecdote is not data, and I also know some wonderful police officers. It is also true that when you wrestle with pigs you get muddy. It is no wonder so many in law enforcement have bad attitudes when the only people they interact with are the liars and criminals of society.  I imagine you would tend to adopt a jaundiced view of the citizenry at large. I have seen a cop lie right in court while under oath. A cop also drove my son to a gas station and provided a gas can when he was stranded on a remote stretch of highway out of fuel. Are there racist cops? Absolutely. Are there skin color-blind police officers? Absolutely.

Is there a stealth movement to gun down minorities? Statistics do not bear that theory.

I do know that reactions and comments by the Governor of Minnesota or the President before the facts are in only exacerbates the situation. Events in Ferguson are a prime example. Knee-jerk justice is just another name for a lynch mob.

I didn't wrestle with the cops in Baton Rouge. I didn't pull the trigger in Minnesota. We are all responsible for our own actions. Blaming the conduct of a few on the many is inherently evil. That is not to say we don't need a dialogue. We have have a violence problem in this country. We have a race problem in this country. We have economic problems. But I assure you, the color of my skin had nothing to do with the 66 people who were shot in Chicago last weekend, nor one shooting in Louisiana. That, is a starting point I reject wholeheartedly.

Cleanser

Maybe some Friday music will help wipe away the filth and grime of politics that covers the nation.

President Obama is Right

we do have a racial disparity in our justice system. Rich white women with political ties are let off the hook when they commit crimes. Funny how he never mentions Hillary or Lois Lerner, eh?

What I wouldnt give...

To see just one so-called journalist stand up in a press conference and ask "Mr. Obama, given your justice department has stated Secretary Clinton was negligent in her handling of State Secrets, do you have any qualms about her handling of or being privy to Top Secret information going forward?".

Or better yet, asking Hillary why we should trust her going forward, given the negligence and cavalier treatment of rules and regulations for handling secret information?

It won't happen, but if it did, I could die a happy man.

No reasonable prosecutor...

Bryan H. Nishimura

Look him up yourself.

Here, I will help.

The FBI recommended charges. Dude was prosecuted.

Too bad we don't have a real press, instead we have an adjunct arm of the Democrat Party.

What happened to America?

Why not?

Why hasn't Hillary Clinton and her staff been stripped of all Security Clearances? The have been proven they cannot even be trusted to handle the neighbor's  mail when they are on vacation, forget state secrets.

On the lighter side

It smelled like a fish fry

I know you don't click links.  I don't either.  You will be glad you did in this case.

In case the link does not work see below the fold.  This has to be saved forever.

Everybody feels better today

Democrats said they were going to have another anti-civil rights sit-in in Congress yesterday. I suppose that since Hillary was not recommended for indictment it was not necessary.

Good news Democrats, now you can tout that your candidate is a liar and incompetent, but not a criminal. She is careless with State Secrets, did her best to avoid FOIA laws, but she is not a felon! As long as she supports abortion, give her your vote!

Only the Stupid Party could potentially lose to a candidate this bad.

Those who think the Russians or the ChiComms are going to reveal the cache of Hillary emails as an October surprise are naive. They want her elected. That is how blackmail works. I suspect that on day two of office that seldom-used red phone will blink. Hillary will pick up to hear Putin laughing his ass off. Russians will be in the restt of the Ukraine and heading towards the lost Balkan states in no time.

After the Chinese call our aircraft carriers will move away from the Spratley Islands. China will be threatening Vietnam and the Phillipines within a year or two.

We will be giving concessions to North Korea and the Iranians.

It's OK, she supports gun control and open borders.

Different Rules

The Director of the FBI is slated to speak at 11 this morning.

There is no way in hell Hillary would be riding on Air Force One with Obama today if the FBI was recommending charges.  The fix was always in.

Oh, and why is she getting a ride on Air Force One anyway?

We truly have become a banana republic.


Edit. So as I understand it, according to the FBI, Clinton broke the law, but didn't break it enough to be prosecuted.

I wasn't aware there were degrees of law: sorta speeding, sorta selling drugs, sorta assault, sorta robbed that bank, sorta gave away state secrets.

I'm saddened most by the fact that so many a democrats know Clinton is corrupt to the core, but refuse to speak out. I guess a corrupt leader is better than losing power.

Confusion has its price

I guess it is because I was on vacation part of last week. For some reason, I kept thinking it was Saturday when we were on our road trip. It was really Thursday and Friday. Then both Saturday and Sunday felt like a Sunday. Monday seemed more like a Saturday, I guess because we went to a cookout and the fireworks. That means today seems way more like a Sunday than a Tuesday.  This is a rambling roundabout way of stating I'm not ready to go back to work this morning. It is the first time I have said that in a very, very long time.

Gypsies have more honor

I mowed the lawn yesterday. I have nothing else to report.

How sickening is it that the corruption of our government is displayed in full view when the US Attorney General meets with the target/spouse of the target of an investigation? Anyone with any sense of propriety and honor would immediately resign. If she refuses, then the President should ask her to resign. If he won't, then Congress should start impeachment proceedings against the AG onTuesday.

This is banana republic-type shenanigans.  It makes me sick. Here we are on July Fourth weekend watching our nation roll in the very muck of corruption that forced the colonies to declare independence.

Every politician should be forced to watch the first two episodes of the mini series John Adams once a year just to be shamed into acting like a true representative.

Could you imagine the outrage if Dick Cheney had met with he special prosecutor during the Scooter Libby/Valerie Plame investigation? The Democrats and the press ( whoops, I repeat myself) would be having an apoplectic fit. Now: chirp , chirp, chirp.

What will it take for decent Democrats to stand up and say politics aside, this is just wrong and I can't support it any more? Apparently more than running guns to Mexican Cartels, more than using the IRS to target political opponents, more than covering up the killing of Americans in Libya, and more than seeing the entire Justice System compromised to maintain power.  What will it take for decent people to say "enough"?

How I really spent my vacation

If you scroll all the way back to the last post, you can read my disappointment over not going to the beach for a few days. Wednesday afternoon the wife and I were trying to think of some day trips we could take instead of wasting my vacation days on yard work or staring at the TV. She asked me how far it was to Gatlinburg, TN. When I told her it was six hours she declared she could drive us that far. A few keystrokes later a room was booked using Hilton points.

Thursday we got up, threw some clothes in a suitcase and were on the road. We made it to the hotel just short of 4:00. I threw the suitcase down and headed out to walk around town. We spent our honeymoon in Gatlinburg more than three decades ago. We also visited sometime in the mid-1990s. Boy has the place gone to pot. Have you ever seen an attractive woman walking toward you and when you get close and realized there is no amount of make-up or cosmetic surgery that can cover the ravages of time? Yeah, the Smokey Mountain tourist areas are like that.

I remember the area was always a bit "touristy", but wow. The whole place is nothing but China-made souvenirs, old time picture shops, and candy stores. We walked up and down the streets. We played a round of miniature golf. We ate some perfectly tasteless fudge and had dinner at a decent, but not outstanding, BBQ joint. We ambled back to the hotel and ordered a couple of drinks at the bar and settled in at the hot tub patio area. There was a fire pit and comfy chairs. It was 9:30. I had booked us for two nights. The wife looked at me and said "do you really want to spend another night?".  I didn't say a word but went to the front desk and cancelled the second night. 

I don't remember the place being so cheesy. I suppose we found other stuff to do on our honeymoon. We spent a lot of time at pool, I remember that.  There was a band and lounge in those days at the hotel. We went up into the park. We could have done that this time, but I've been there about six or seven times, including a couple of years ago as a side trip to a business trip. The wife isn't much thrilled by trees or scenery. I kept thinking we should have gone to Niagara Falls. A place I have never seen, but didn't mention it. Besides, that is a much longer drive.

So Friday morning we had a good breakfast then we packed the suitcase and hit he road. I was neither thrilled nor surprised when the driver veered into the outlet mall. I guess we found something to do all day after all. I quipped that I should have kept the hotel reservation. She drove us home, ignoring my offers to drive, and we pulled into the garage around 11:30 PM.

I was bored to death travelling as a passenger. I like road trips. I like travel, I do it for a living. I. Don't. Like. Riding. I read, I dozed, I watched the scenery, I offered to drive about two dozen times. I was rebuffed like a fourteen year-old on his first date with a maiden. I wish the wife hadn't gone with me to the doctor to learn how bad my vision has become.

In all, we had a good time. Who else goes to Tennessee to eat mediocre BBQ for their anniversary? We were cruising along, somewhere near Lexington, KY when the wife says to me " You know where we should have gone? Niagara Falls". I love that woman. 

Damn it, Jim, I'm a doctor, not a barista

It is a cool morning here at the old homestead.  When I scrambled out of the loft I had to break a skim of ice from the water bucket. The fire in the stove was a welcome relief from the chill. I leaned against the cow as I milked her, absorbing her body heat. Nonsense abounds. The closest I ever came to milking a cow was an evening I spent with this chunky gal in he back of a station wagon during a football game at Western Boone High School back in 1977 or '78. I didn't even know her name.

I'm on vacation today. We were supposed to be using up some of those hard-earned Hilton points at a lovely resort in Florida for the next couple of days. Alas, the wife did not feel comfortable driving that far by herself. Me, I could do the 12 hours each way easily, that is a routine business trip for me. But she is all scared to let a blind person drive her across country, particularly at night. Every time the lecture starts with "Joe, you can't...", I just tune it out. It starts to sound just like a teacher in a Charlie Brown cartoon: whaaah, whaaaah. So, we are having a staycation. That is a fancy word that translates as wasting good vacation days doing nothing fun. 

There is a park bench overlooking the retention pond on the other side of he housing addition. Maybe I will walk over there. I bet staring at that water will be just like watching the ocean. Only different. No sharks. There is that. 

I think I saw tne Go Gos back in '82. That story is in the archives somewhere. I could look it up, but I'm on vacation.

The Cubs have a day game today.  That will eat up a few hours.

Nose removed. Take that face

Trump isn't conservative. Neither was Romney, nor McCain. Both Bush Presidents had some squishy moments.

I have some issues with Trump's positions, especially a Muslim ban. But anyone who says they will vote for Hillary because Trump isn't conservative has some explaining to do. Just what will Trump do that is worse than Hillary? Hate the direction of the Supreme Court? Just wait.

You are smarter than I, George Will. You are a Cubs fan. You are great writer. But apparently you are just an emotional, petulant child. Go ahead, take your ball and go home. And yes, I am figuratively throwing dirt clods at your back as you run crying to your mommy.

And that is how I spent my Sunday.

I gave away my treadmill yesterday. I should be using it but I don't. It was a big space waster. It was a nice one too. It didn't go far. I gave it to my daughter on the condition that I didn't have to help carry it down the stairs. Suddenly, the blog room looks much larger.

After we did the treadmillandectomy, the wife and I headed out to do some work. I mowed while she trimmed the bushes. I helped her clean up the mess between frequent breaks. That woman works me too hard. I was too exhausted to complain when she reported that she had cut the electric cord with the hedge trimmers. I have done it myself. It happens. I came in for a much needed shower while she washed off the porch. I wanted to weed the garden, but I was just too worn out.

My oldest son and his sweet girlfriend came for supper. It was great to see them. After they left I plopped on the couch. The wife started doing laundry. WTH? Doesn't she ever get tired?

I need a couple of days off to recover from my weekend. I hope yours was good too.

it has been lonely in the saddle since my horse died

I'm sitting here sipping my coffee and tapping away one-fingered on the old iPad. Saturday was great; hot and sunny. We went to our friends and spent the day in and around their pool. Beer, cigars, snacks, and laughter were on the menu. We ate some pizza for supper and played some euchre as the evening turned to darkness. Relax, the wife drove us home.

Friday night the wife decided she was going to bake a batch of sugar cookies to take on Saturday. It was after 9:00 at night when she decided. She mixed the dough, let it cool in the fridge and finally started the first sheet around 10:30. A bit later I asked if any were ready. I needed to taste one to make sure they were eatable. I'm the official sugar cookie taste tester. She said I had to wait two minutes.

The timer dinged, the oven opened and my wife swore. That does not happen often. That is why I try to take up the cursing slack. But she did in this case. It seems she forgot to turn on the oven.  I only teased her a little. "I'm senile and you are blind, what a pair", she laughed.

We are a pretty good pair. Next week will mark thirty-two years of marriage. Damn, that is a long time.

I gotta go buy some beer

It looks to be a gorgeous summer day here at the old homestead. Skies are blue, trees are green. Sentence fragments are in the air. I'm awake and breathing. There is indeed plenty to be thankful for. Proper syntax aside.

I know you are sick of my political rants. I'm sick of them too. I have more disgust bubbling inside but I will refrain from venting on this delightful Saturday, about politics anyway.

I'm surprisingly upbeat about the prospect of some dude slicing open my eyeball. I'm a little weirded out about getting some other person's body parts stitched in. I'm really depressed that my kids have a 50% chance of developing the same issues. That sucks.

So Joe, you ask, how bad is your vision? OK, you didn't ask. But it is my blog and I can ramble on at my heart's content. I haven't spent a lot of time and words whining about diabetes or pains in my foot or other stuff. Well, I do complain a lot, but let's leave that aside. But you digress. Anyway , I have gone from "can't see shit" to can't see at all. We are talking big E on the eye chart capabilities. With my glasses on. Forget reading line four, I can't even see that there is a line four. I'll be driving through your state next week BTW. Feel better?

If I can't see I can't drive. If I can't drive I can't work. Yeah, that's why I am scheduled for eyeball replacement in weeks, not months. Yes, I know it ain't the eyeball. Just give me my drama queen moment already. The doctor wanted to space the surgeries a month apart. I suggested we do both at once. We compromised on a two week interlude.

I won't be able to pick up or hold my granddaughter for at least six weeks. I'll be restricted from bending over too. I'll have to have my wife tie my shoes. That's just a bit humiliating, but just a little less than having her read a menu to me. That is where we are now. Which is worse: I can't tie my shoes or I can't read? Both make me feel like a damn three year old. At least I'm not wetting and crapping my pants.

Yet.

That is two posts in a row crying about poor me. I doubt there will be many more. That is not how we like to roll around here. At least I hope not.

What time does my surprise pity party start anyway? Will there be a piñata?

Enjoy your weekend. I'm going to enjoy mine.

Part of a theme

Why, no. I can't.

I have struggled with some vision issues for years. I have what is called Fuch's Dystrophy. You can look it up. I will wait.

I've told you for years that I'm exceptional and once again I can prove it. Usually, Fuch's afflicts women. Almost always older people. I was diagnosed in my mid-forties. Hooyah. Anyway, in recent months my vision has deteriorated severely. When I went last month for new glasses the eye doc said he cannot help me and sent me to a surgeon.

Yesterday, it was confirmed. In a couple of weeks I go in for the first of my cornea transplants. The second one will follow two weeks after that. I'm assured it is not a big deal and fairly routine. I'm getting my minor cataracts removed while they are in there. Unfortunately, new lenses can't correct severe astigmatism, so when I'm done I will still have to wear my damn bifocals. But at least I will be able to see. There is that.

So, you will continue to read my rants and nonsense for a few more weeks. Then I will not be posting for a while; maybe for six or eight weeks - until the transplants start to work and I can get my new, far weaker glasses prescription. You will survive.

Me too.

I will keep you posted.

nothing political in this one

Is there anything better than a fresh, ripe peach on a summer day?

King George is alive and well and running the Democrat Party.

Democrats claim they do not want to take away anyone's Second Amendment rights. I suppose we can take them at their word.

It is obvious they have every intention of revoking your Fifth Amendment rights.

Welcome to the era of the "living document" Constitution.

call me skeptical

House Democrats staged a sit in* yesterday. It was all over the news.

Do you know what didn't get covered as a consequence? Hillary's IT guy taking the 5th a hundred and twenty-five times in depositions or Trumps speech denouncing Clinton's character issues.

I'm sure it is a mere coincidence.

* is this first ever anti-civil rights sit-in?

Trust but verify, I don't think so.

Celebrities, politicians, bloggers, Democrats, and gun grabbers in general want to prohibit those whose names appear on a "watch list" from purchasing a gun. Let's skip for a moment that the most recent mass killers were not on that list and such legislation is a knee jerk "we have to do something" measure.

Do you really trust your government to only put legitimate national security threats on that list? Be honest. After all, the current administration used the IRS to target organizations with differing political beliefs. So did the Clinton administration. Nixon tried to use the IRS in a like manner. All of these Presidents and the second Bush had a so-called "enmities list" of political opposition. How hard would it be to merge the two lists?

For you liberals who seem to have no problem with Obama using the IRS as an attack dog, what are your fears about a President Trump controlling the list of those who get Constitutional Rights? How big a leap is it to claim First Amendment Rights are a national security threat too? We have already seen attempts to limit free speech on the college campus.

I have seen little in my lifetime that leads me to trust the government from Watergate to the present. We have seen countless examples of the bureaucracy abusing its power. Perhaps even for good. But abuse is abuse.

I have not even discussed the anti-American idea that we do not deprive people of their rights without due process. The same people who find it incomprehensible to provide identification to vote have no qualms about depriving a citizen his right to bear arms based on whim, suspicion, last name, religion, race, or national heritage. 

So I am left with this argument for my progressive friends: do you liberals really trust future administrations to do the right thing? Do you think the Koch Brothers or Trump, or Big Oil will not attempt put those they disagree with on a "watch list". Do you trust future administrations not to deprive you of your rights once we say it is OK to do it once? Me neither.

I'm not a black helicopters tin foil hat kind of guy. I have studied enough to know history is replete with examples of how power corrupts. Once most people taste power, influence, and money they want more and will do anything to keep it. They will even abuse a list of names. 

Freedom is messy. We have to take the good with the bad. But we don't have to make it easy for those with misguided intent to take those freedoms away.

I would welcome and encourage counterpoints in the comments.

stuff you won't see on the news

Apparently, Democrats in the Senate are far mor interested in having a campaign issue than passing incremental gun laws. I guess it was all or nothing, or else just a reluctance to pass legislation put forth by the a Republicans.

Isn't that what they blamed the GOP of when they were the minority?

Boy, I hate politicians.

Not that the laws would have prevented any mass shooting in the past forty years, but that is beside the point.

redacted title

I had to go see a (redacted) this morning about buying some (redacted). It was an early (redacted).

I'm kind of tired (redacted). The wife scored some (redacted) at the farmer's market (redacted) and I did not get around to planting them until yesterday (redacted). She had a couple of other plants that needed put into the (redacted) also. I spent the evening digging holes with a (redacted) and post hole (redacted). About eight to be exact.

This morning I am sore and I have (redacted) on my hands, mostly from the post hole (redacted). Just as I finished digging in gone rock hard clay and planting the last plant, the sky darkened and we began to hear rumbles of (redacted) and shortly began to rain.

(redacted) ( redacted) (redacted) you.

choices

I have an early morning meeting today. I have to jump in the shower soon.  That means I can either blog or have a bowl of Cap'n Crunch. It is all about clock management.

When did crunch berries become blue and green and purple?

Lame but real.

It looks like a gorgeous day outside my window; hot and humid,  as is normal for the season. I had a good weekend, nothing extraordinary to report. I wnt to see my dad yesterday. I took an apple tree sapling I dug up from my yard and replanted it at their house.

I have to prepare for a meeting later today. I should have done it Friday. I really should have worked on it over the weekend. I must do it now. Yet here I sit blogging. Bad Joe.

There you have it, a legitimate excuse for a lack of meaningful content.

Happy Fathers Day

to all you dads out there

What my Saturday's used to be like

It could never happen...

The Government has a list. It has several actually. If you are on that list, your Constitutional rights are suspended. You have no way of knowing if you are on the list. You don't know how you got on he list. You do not have recourse to get your name stricken.

Perhaps you made the list because you wrote a blog post criticizing the government. Maybe you made the list based on your name, or your heritage.

We would never do that, right? Not in America.

The Democrats did it before. Just ask the people of Japanese decent what happened during WWII.

It always begins with a list for progressives. Just study the Reign of Terror, the Soviet Gulags, the so-called Cultural Revolution, or the killing fields of Pol Pot. They all had lists. They were all leftists.

Oh, they also started by rounding up all the weapons.

Let's see

We need to lighten things up around here.

I'm reading the Jungle Book. I'm skipping the poetry parts.  Sorry Jean.

I spent the night in a Hampton Inn. It was right next to a Holiday Inn Express, does that count?

I will be a mile or so from my old boss's office. I don't think I will stop by.

It is Thursday.

The wife had a colonoscopy Tuesday.  All was good.

Three customer visits and five hours or so in the car and I will be home.

I need a vacation.

A parable based on a true story

Last summer my son-in-law had a section of his fence fall. We put in new posts and stringers and started to hang he picket boards back on. I was using a square to get the proper spacing between the boards. At some point I slipped and the board was nailed crooked. That means the next was crooked and the next. It was only after nailing a half dozen boards or so we discovered the mistake. I immediately identified the problem. It was my old square. It had to go. I threw it in the trash and vowed I would never allow a square of any type to be in my toolbox again. Not only had that adjustable square failed to do the job, it was metal and sharp and old. I vowed "never again". as we redid our efforts.

That is what reasonable people do; blame the tool when things go wrong. If only I had instituted some common sense rules and proceedures before using the square, I would not have messed up the fence. We could have avoided the tragic waste of wood, time, and effort.

Makes perfect sense.

The More Things Change...

About a century and a half ago newspaper editor/owner Horace Greeley opined that "not all rascals are Democrats, but all Democrats are rascals".

You may take exception to this characterization, but any party that would nominate a liar and incompetent boob like Hillary Clinton is indeed filled with rascals.

Can we be done with this?

The gun did not kill anyone in Orlando. A hate-filled religious fanatic did. He had all of he background checks, there was no "loophole". Just like Sandy Hook or Va Tech, or San Bernadino there is not a single "common sense" gun law that would have prevented the murders. The brand of gun had nothing to do with it, the type of gun had nothing to do with it. A semi automatic rifle comes in many calibres and various amounts of plastic. The scariness of the gun had nothing to do with the attacks. Any gun short of a muzzle loader could have accomplished the evil task. The only gun laws Hillary wants is total confiscation. Then you too are a potential victim.

Read some history. The Mongols managed to wipe out entire towns and cities without guns. Man has always had a vast capacity for killing his fellows. The only remedy is self defense.

Best value for breakfast

My bathroom scale is such a liar it could easily be considered as a competent running mate for Hillary Clinton.

One continually lies about my weight, the other about pretty much everything else. Between them they have all the bases covered.

Imagine a world different from John Lennon's

What if there was one or two or three people inside that nightclub in Orlando packing heat? Instead of a gun free zone target rich environment, the shooter was facing a barrage of counter-fire? Maybe somewhat less than 100 people would have been shot.

But who could Hillary and Barack blame then? Citizens stopping crazed gunman does not fit the we have to ban guns narrative, does it?

Dear President Obama

You can say it. The words themselves have no power. It is not like muttering Rumplestiltskin three times and he shows up to get you. Likewise, refusing to identify the evil does not make it go away.

You can do it. I know you can. Say it with me:

RADICAL ISLAMIC TERRORIST

Do you need help? Say it: iz lawm ek terror.

Everyone in the world knows it exists. It is long past time you admitted it. You cannot begin to solve a problem until you recognize it. Oh well, I am sure there is an obscure movie or book or website you can blame.


edit. BTW, All Florida bars and nightclubs are gun-free zones. How did an Islamic Terrorist have a gun? Clearly, we need more gun llaws and gun free zones.

Is the sarcasm font turned on?

Nuance

Do not doubt me, I could create a post from thin air. Too bad I'm just a few hundred feet above sea level and the air is heavy and humid. If I worked in the mountains I bet you would get some real quality stuff.  Alas..

We had a good day yesterday. We went up to our friend's house and spent the day in and around their pool. It was hot and the water was nice. It is important to pick friends with cool stuff. I did the dumbest thing though. I will tell you so that you can make fun of me in the comments. It is so stupid you will think I made it up.

I was smoking a nice cigar --Oliva Series G -- and had laid it down on the edge of the table, probably to grab a cold beer. I picked up the cigar, put it in my mouth, and drew hard. I spit it right out. I had put the lit end in my mouth. I burned the hack out of my tongue! It still is sore today. Everyone got a good laugh at my expense, especially my wife. I picked the stogie up from the patio, put the right end into my mouth a puffed it back to life. I'm a trooper like that.

But boy was that a dumbass thing to do.

Stupid crap with a bonus at the end

Let us see, yesterday I typed up visit reports from my last couple of weeks travels. I watered the lawn and flowers and garden. I played with my granddaughter.  Now it is Saturday. I got up early because I can never sleep when I have the opportunity to sleep in. I suppose since I tend to be obstinate and perverse about most things in life, I should not be surprised when my brain does that shit to me personally.

Left Brain: Woot, it is the weekend! We get to sleep in!
Right Brain: Fuck you. You are getting up an hour earlier than usual.
Left Brain: No, we're are sleeping.
Right Brain: Now you have to pee. Sleep through that jerkwad.
Left Brain: Don't tell me what to do.
Right Brain: Let's solve quadratic equations
Left Brain: I don't even know what that is, leave me alone
Right Brain: We could finish the book we have been reading
Left Brain: I was having a great dream
Right Brain: I'll make coffee
Left Brain: I hate you

My 'maters are blooming

Friday! Hoo-freaking-ray, I say.  It looks to be hot and humid weekend. Currently the clouds are heavy and dark and it looks like it will rain at any second. We need it, so I won't complain any more than usual. After rain chances this morning, it is supposed to be sunny through Sunday.

I don't know why so many of my entries start with a weather report. You don't care. Your weather is likely different if you live more than a few dozen miles from my blog room window. Unfortunately, the useless weather report has been a staple of my blogging for at least five decades. In fact, I told AlGore back in junior high he should invent some kind of platform where people could share their local weather.  That Al, he was always dreaming stuff up.

 Here I was, typing up a morning weather observation on my manual Underwood, and then just filing the paper in the round file. Old Al, he says I should expand my observations on the climate and throw in some music, politics, cat pictures, and maybe mundane recitations of travels and daily life. Al said other people -- maybe even a half dozen -- would get a kick out reading that kind o'crap. He said he was going to create a way to connect everyone's typewriters so we could share cat pictures and recipes and nekkid pictures and movies of old songs and weather reports. That Al, he always had a great imagination. He also told me my obsession with weather gave him a great idea to scam some people for some real serious money...

Does antimatter really matter to the Mad Hatter?

These words are arranged in a certain order that makes a modicum of sense to those who understand English, or at least my Hoosier version of that language. I could continue to type letters into words, but at a point not so far into the future they will cease to be arranged into semi-coherent sentences. They will be naught but random words. Shortly after that, this post would become random letters. Not only would that chaos be a literary example of the third law of thermodynamics, but a clear indication that I really, truly have nothing of consequence to offer today. Now that state of things is in no way unusual, but I have even less inspiration than normal today. Tree secretary steak and cupcake right wing beer ashkutrvbm, km .

See?

The Eighth of June

Today is my fair and lovely wife's birthday. She is as old as she is today.

What? you think I am a complete idiot?

I made a lightning trip to the greater St. Louis area this week. I got back yesterday evening. Most of the trip was uneventful. At one point a guy in an older Chevy was following a truck out of a rest stop. I moved over to the left lane. Suddenly the guy in the Chevy cut over into my lane to get around the slowly accelerating truck. I guess he didn't see me, because I only averted a major accident by a foot or so. I laid on the horn pretty heavy since he just kept on coming. Finally, I had to swerve onto the shoulder to keep from doing a NASCAR spin 'em move on his left real quarter panel, while applying the brakes hard. Certainly it all happened in a split second. When he finally moved back to the right lane he flipped me off. I hate to sound like the get off my lawn guy, but I really think people used to drive better. Maybe we really do need self-driving cars.

It is hump day. The weekend is coming. It just cannot get here soon enough.

Arguments

I guess we can say all of the Presidential candidates suck. Trump is a buffoon who needs a filter on his mouth. Hillary is a lying, despicable power hungry crook, and Johnson just ended any hope of getting my throw away vote with his comments last week that he agrees with Sanders more than 70% of the time and that he agrees with Obama's amnesty for illegals. The latter comment is a deal breaker for me.

Yesterday while cruising, the talking heads on the sports station were discussing Ali. That lead to a discussion of the sports "Mt Rushmore".  They thought Jordan, Ruth, and Gretzky were sure things and I cannot argue. The discussion came on the fourth head.

One could argue the real Mt Rushmore faced the same problem. I'm not sure TR really belongs. Similarly I'm not sure who the fourth sports head would be. I lean toward Jim Thorpe. One caller suggested Secretariat, but come on. I suppose we could consider Bruce Jenner. He could be a man and a woman and a whatever. Maybe Hank Aaron? Usain Bolt?

We could never build such a monument today. The progressives would argue that Ruth played in the white era. We would have to include every subgroup imaginable because calling anyone the best leaves out others. I'm not sure there is a mountain big enough to satisfy the SJW. Then the environmentalists would freak about carving the mountain. Then the perennial offended would complain that only sports figures were included. Perhaps it best remains a topic of imagination and something to discuss over a beer.

Who would you put on the sports Mt Rushmore?

June 6, 1944

history.com

These are the boys of Pointe du Hoc. These are the men who took the cliffs. These are the champions who helped free a continent. These are the heroes who helped end a war." -- President Ronald Reagan

Fuzzy reminds us that today is also the anniversary of the Battle of Midway. That naval encounter was at least as important to winning the war in the Pacific as the invasion of Normandy was to defeating Hitler. In fact, Midway was almost a larger gamble. The Navy went in all or nothing and a defeat at Midway likely would have set the war effort back years against the Japanese.

Float like a butterfly

It is raining. It is a steady rain, the kind we need after a pretty dry spring. My yard already looks better for it. I'm sure the farmers are delighted as the corn pokes through the rich black dirt. I doubt my neighbor is so thrilled. His daughter graduates from high school today. They have spent the past several weeks preparing. I know they have fixed up their backyard in anticipation of an open house. And it is going to rain all day long. My daughter and SIL are going to a wedding. A rainy wedding day sucks too.

Mohammed Ali has passed. The brash young man turned into a sage old one. He was a great fighter. The best of his generation. Perhaps the best of all time. Of course the "who is the best" conversation is always a matter of perspective, time, and loyalty, no matter if you are arguing boxing, quarterbacks, pitchers, or bass players.

Have a great Saturday.

Friday Frappe

I spent a couple of days this week working my way through western Michigan. There was nothing extraordinary to report, just routine work, driving, hotels. After my last visit yesterday in Three Rivers, I cut straight down US 131 which turned into Indiana 13. I took 13 through Amish country. I saw several dudes on bikes, hat clamped firmly on their head as their beards waved in the breeze of passing cars. Several of he horse-drawn vehicles were work wagons, not the enclosed black buggies we usually associate with the Amish sect. One large wagon going the opposite direction was pulled by big draft horses pulling four abreast: that one really had traffic backed up on the highway.

I passed through Syracuse and the lake country and down through Wabash and in Marion I switched to highway 37, which took me to within a quarter mile or so from my garage. The whole trip was as boring as this account. The only bright spot was while surfing he static-filled airwaves I found the Cubs game on the radio. I have to admit I found the sounds of he ballpark far more entertaining than another afternoon of talk radio or British History podcasts.

It looks to be a beautiful day today, but rainy this weekend.  I suspect that will not keep the wife from dreaming up a project or two for me to tackle.

My coffee cup is empty and work becons. have a great weekend.

Please don't eat the salad

Yesterday I stopped at a Big Boy for lunch. I sat down and ordered. After the nice waitress brought my diet Pepsi, I went to the restroom. When I went in someone was in the stall groaning. As I started to do my business at the urinal he flushed. The man walked straight out of the restroom, not bothering to wash his hands.  I zipped, washed and using a paper towel, opened the door. I saw the dirty old man. He was up at the salad bar. 

That is why I don't buy the salad bar. 

There is a reason I don't often tune on that side of he dial

How is it that so-called experts can be so ignorant? I was switching through the radio today while cruising to customer visits. I landed on PBS to hear a discussion of Fascism. The members of the panel all were gravely concerned of the neo-fascists in Europe and their "right wing extremism". Then they got on Trump. One "expert" said that Trump had the same facial expressions as a classic Fascist like Mussolini or Hitler. First, can you really determine political tendencies based on facial expression? What a crock. Worse, with every syllable these miserable jerkwad political hacks showed their complete lack of historical and political understanding.

Mussolini was a Fascist. Hitler was a National Socialist. Neither was right wing. Both sought big-government solutions. "Right wing" and fascism and socialism are diametrically opposed. Mussolini and his Fascist Party rose to power opposing the conservatives! This panel of experts and the old hag hosting the show clicked their tongues in consternation over the coming fascist wave that was overtaking he EU and America. How damn ignorant can you be? Worse, people listen to this auditory bag o'crap and believe the batshit ignorance, thinking they are intellectually superior to us hayseed right-wing nut jobs. Thank goodness I could change the station before further misinformation and ignorance wasted any more of my precious brain cells.  Is the left completely made up of nasal talking, smug, self-righteous, ignorant, poorly educated, politically and historically moronic blowhards? I don't know, but there was a whole herd of them spouting their nonsense on PBS today.

On gorillas

Let me get this out of the way. I love animals. In any choice of saving an animal or a human, the human wins. Sorry, EOS.

Shooting that gorilla sucks, but if the zoo keepers, the folks that probably love animals more than you or I, thought the little kid's life was in danger, then they did the right thing. It does not matter how the child got in the pen. It was either/or.

Those twitter idiots proclaiming an animal is equal to a human are pathetic. Show me an animal that has built a car. Show me an animal that can set a broken leg. Show me an animal that invented antibiotics or band aids. What animal cultivates to grow his food source or has domesticated other animals. When the "Planet of the Apes" starts and the chimps have guns, we will will talk.

Until then, I say a four year old is more important than even the last gorilla on Earth. Yes, your dog or cat may be more precious than some of the human scum that walks the planet. I don't doubt it. That changes nothing. A human life is far more important than any animal.