Trump's Select "Voter Fraud" Comission

President Trump has put together a special commission on election fraud.  But they aren’t striving for fair elections.  By their own admission their one goal is to prove that between three and five million minorities illegally voted last year.  It’s a hand-picked commission of the most loyal right wing partisans and specifically excluded are democrats and “academics”.   You know that they threw a lot of people off the voter rolls because they had the same first and last name, or they assumed that if you were accidently registered in two states then you must be guilty of voter fraud.  The other way they exclude voters is the photo ID card that costs a lot of money in many states, which discriminates against minorities.  I think what they want to make sure of is that the democrats won’t take Congress next year by further stacking the voter odds.  Clearly these ultra rich elite like the Koch Brothers don’t value an open democracy. 

Yesterday there was a commission that announced that wages for the average household is now up to $59,000 – which is strange because people like it’s supposed to be over a hundred thousand or something.  People like Paul consider people in the lower tax brackets that don’t pay income tax as shiftless and lazy or something.  But in addition to the rosy unemployment numbers there are also rosy health insurance coverage numbers.  The percentage of covered people in the US has never been higher and I’m thinking President Trump is going to try and take credit for this.  Incomes have been headed up the last two years.  This is a left over residu from the Obama administration.  If Trump’s draconian tax policies are put into effect, the ranks of the poor will swell again with slashed government programs.  They will have to be cut when taxes for the rich are cut.  The estate tax is less than one percent of the entire population but the ultra-right wants to completely eliminate the estate tax and take every other precaution that the rich don’t contribute substantively to the revenue of the government.  As of now I would imagine that the deficit is at record lows because unlike all of the projections, the economy has continued to grow and stock market prices have boosted family incomes.  But if Trump gets his way all this will come to an end.  If a crash comes before 2018 Trump will be in big trouble.

The Olympic committee met officially today and made the long awaited announcement that Paris would get the 2024 Olympics and that Los Angeles would get the 2028 Olympics.  The trouble is that's eleven years in a future.  By then I'll be in my late seventies.  Any remaining relatives will be dead.  My roommate (if I'm still living here) will be dead.  Eleven years is such a long anticipation time most of the elected officials including the mayor of LA will be different.  We could be two Presidents into the future by then.  All of the athletes planning for it will be considerably older than they are now. 

Today on Days of our Lives, Marlena and John were rescued from the padded cell at Bayview just before they were to receive electro-shock treatements.  But they didn’t rescue Andre at the same time but he’s languishing there now.  The staff reerred to it as “a little excitement with a couple of the patients”.  They weren’t patients but prisoners and so many charges will be filed against Bayview as an institution they’ll have to close the place down.  Hope got Hatti to confess where John and Marlena were being held.  Meanwhile Adrian was acting strangely and has been clashing with Maggie and now she’s even getting on Victor’s nerves.  That jail bird lady is thinking of being bribed to double-cross the real Adrian.

The I Phone 8 came out today.  It has a clearer screen and face recognition and good security and also a better camera.  The more expensive of the two models cost a thousand dollars and the other one costs six hundred.  I don't see who affords these things.  Either they are marketing to an elite few or else we aren't being correct information about that the median household income is.

Hillary Clinton came out with her long awaited book today called “What Happened?”  It’s about the past election and of course she understandably tosses a lot of blame in all directions.  But what choice does she have because there is a whole lot of blame to go around, including herself.  I think I’d like to read it if not buy it.   We live in such a polarized society today that those on the political right will assume Hillary is lying about everything.  But we on the left already believe the things she says and for this reason may have no need to even read this book.  

Senator Bernie Sanders tomorrow will introduce a “Medicare for everybody” bill that has only gotten a hand full of endorsements including Senator Elizabeth Warren.  A lot of other health care bills are out there, too.  My saying is “The more the merrier” because one of the bills might catch on.   It's a good thing there are so many bills being introduced.  They should all be carefully scrutinized and then we'll have a good oppertunity to select the best one.  

Irma, Jose, and Katya

Well Hurricane Irma has been on a rampage for days now streaking accross the Caribean islands.  But it hit the north side of the islands, which is the weaker, left hand side of the hurricane.  For a long time Hurricane Irma was 185 miles per hour with gusts of over two hundred mph.  It has now slowed to between 150 and 155 mph or on the upper end of Category four.  185 would be a category six, if they even went up that high, which they don't.  Hurricane Irma is scheduled to hit the Florida Keys tomorrow morning and then go up the west side of Florida, which would be the strong side of the hurricane.  So Tampa Bay would be hit.  Of course the roads are clogged and people are running out of gas in traffic jams, and the airports aren't doing flights in Miami.  Rush Limbaugh said the whole Hurricane Irma thing was a media hype to promote the notion of global warming.  So it's all a liberal conspiracy.  None the less Rush Limbaugh abandoned his radio studio in Palm Beach and allegedly didn't have a program on Friday.  They say that building codes in parts of Florida are really strict to withstand hurricane winds up to 130.  It wouldn't even do any good to fly to Atlanta or something because the hurricane is going there next.  Meanwhile Hurricane Jose is following right behind taking the same path as Irma.  Hurricane Katya they say is headed to Mexico City, which would be difficult because Mexico City has an elevation of eight thousand feet.

An 8.3 earthquake hit Mexico but I'm confused.  I thought the 1985 quake was 8.6 with an after-shock of 7.8, which would make it a lot stronger.  They are now saying that Mexico City, though hundreds of miles away felt the earthquake stronger than the 1985 one.  Their early warning system sounded the alarm before the shaking even started because of wave activity out in the Pacific.

On Wednesday President Trump made an alliance with congressional Democrats to pass a bill that raises the debt ceiling and gives funding for Hurricane Harvey.  This alliance seems strange to me and a lot of people are coming up with reasons for this sudden change in strategy.  But they say it's a done deal and I guess President Trump either has signed the bill or is about to sign it.  Somehow he got Paul Ryan and Mitch Mc Connell to go along with him.  Either leader has the power to stop this proposed bill dead in its tracks.

My health hasn't been that great this past week.  I've had diaria since Sunday.  But even before then I haven't been up to my usual since May, when my typing rates slowed down drastically.  There was that heatwave of last week that came to an abrupt end early Sunday evening when it began raining.  Many areas have gotten thunder and lightning and lots of rain.  Our room wasn't even getting air conditioning till Friday afternoon and it turns out we only needed it in a big way the rest of Friday, Saturday, and most of Sunday.

Hurricane Harvey is Finally Over

President Trump was going to announce his decision on the Dream Act over the weekend but put the decision off till Tuesday because he would be visiting the devestation area of Hurricane Harvey over the weekend.  The Dream Act may expire as of tomorrow when President Trump is expected to announce that at most these dreamers have six months before the executive order of President Obama expires.  These were young children when they arrived in America and now have productive jobs and aren’t convicted of any crime.  Donald Trump has waffled on this issue saying that the dreamers have nothing to fear from him, but he also made it as one of his campaign promises that these children were going to be deported.

I had the Gary and Shannon show on.  The Royals, William and Kate are having another baby but we don’t know when.  This is their third child.  Shannon was doing this phone call pretending to be Queen Elizabeth.  According to them the Queen downs an astounding number of drinks during the day. 


Kim Jong Un detonated a hydrogen bomb in North Korea on Saturday that produced a 6.3 sismic shock.  This is on top of lobbing missiles over Japanese space earlier in the week.  The secretary of defense had stern warnings for North Korea saying  that they were risking World War III.  This was the number one topic on the Sunday talk shows.  

On Tuesday President Trump went to Austin and Corpus Christi where he talked with government officials about disaster relief.  But I guess due to public pressure the President revisited the area on Saturday and went to Houston and Lake Charles, Louisiana where he actually met with victims.  I guess eight billion or something are slated to be allocated for the storm once Congress gets back tomorrow.  They will have a full agenda with tax reform and keeping the government open and dealing with North Korea and all.

 At nine thirty they started an NCAA came on ABC.  It was Penn State beating Akron 21 to nothing and then it was 28 to nothing.  The teams were mismatched.  I didn’t have Bill Handel on.  For lunch we had good chow main with soy sauce flavoring made with real Chinese noodles and chicken and stuff.  But I had no appetite when they offered seconds.  I could have gotten seconds on coffee too just by going up but I didn’t do that.  We had a banana for dessert.  I had Leo Le Port on and Leo warned against using XP or Vista on the internet at all.  Leo says he doesn’t recommend anti-viruses at all now.   The second game on ABC started around twelve thirty.  It was Michigan playing Florida and Florida is leading Michigan 17 to 13 right now.  They are having halftime really late for a college game.  Of course Michigan ended up winning the game in the 2nd half 26 to 17.  

The Free Speech and Public Protest Primmer

By John Whitehead, constitutional and human rights attorney, and founder of the Rutherford Institute.

“If there is any principle of the Constitution that more imperatively calls for attachment than any other, it is the principle of free thought — not free thought for those who agree with us but freedom for the thought that we hate.”— Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes

There was a time in this country, back when the British were running things, that if you spoke your mind and it ticked off the wrong people, you’d soon find yourself in jail for offending the king.

Reacting to this injustice, when it was time to write the Constitution, America’s founders argued for a Bill of Rights, of which the First Amendment protects the right to free speech. James Madison, the father of the Constitution, was very clear about the fact that he wrote the First Amendment to protect the minority against the majority.

What Madison meant by minority is “offensive speech.”

Unfortunately, we don’t honor that principle as much as we should today. In fact, we seem to be witnessing a politically correct philosophy at play, one shared by both the extreme left and the extreme right, which aims to stifle all expression that doesn’t fit within their parameters of what they consider to be “acceptable” speech.

There are all kinds of labels put on such speech—it’s been called politically incorrect speech, hate speech, offensive speech, and so on—but really, the message being conveyed is that you don’t have a right to express yourself if certain people or groups don’t like or agree with what you are saying.

Hence, we have seen the caging of free speech in recent years, through the use of so-called “free speech zones” on college campuses and at political events, the requirement of speech permits in parks and community gatherings, and the policing of online forums.

Clearly, this elitist, monolithic mindset is at odds with everything America is supposed to stand for.

Indeed, we should be encouraging people to debate issues and air their views. Instead, by muzzling free speech, we are contributing to a growing underclass of Americans—many of whom have been labeled racists, rednecks and religious bigots—who are being told that they can’t take part in American public life unless they “fit in.”

Remember, the First Amendment acts as a steam valve. It allows people to speak their minds, air their grievances and contribute to a larger dialogue that hopefully results in a more just world. When there is no steam valve to release the pressure, frustration builds, anger grows and people become more volatile and desperate to force a conversation.

The attempt to stifle certain forms of speech is where we go wrong.

In fact, the U.S. Supreme Court has held that it is “a bedrock principle underlying the First Amendment…that the government may not prohibit the expression of an idea simply because society finds the idea offensive or disagreeable.” For example, it is not a question of whether the Confederate flag represents racism but whether banning it leads to even greater problems, namely, the loss of freedom in general.

Along with the constitutional right to peacefully (and that means non-violently) assemble, the right to free speech allows us to challenge the government through protests and demonstrations and to attempt to change the world around us—for the better or the worse—through protests and counterprotests.

As always, knowledge is key.

The following Constitutional Q&A, available in more detail at The Rutherford Institute (www.rutherford.org), is a good starting point.

Q:        WHAT LAWS GIVE ME THE RIGHT TO PROTEST?

A:         The First Amendment prohibits the government from “abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” Protesting is an exercise of these constitutional rights because it involves speaking out, by individual people or those assembled in groups, about matters of public interest and concern.

Q:        WHERE CAN I ENGAGE IN PROTEST ACTIVITY?

A:         The right to protest generally extends to places that are owned and controlled by the government, although not all government-owned property is available for exercising speech and assembly rights. However, beyond public or government property, a person cannot claim a First Amendment right to protest and demonstrate on property that is privately owned by someone else. This also applies to private property that is generally open to the public, such as a shopping mall or shopping center, although these areas sometimes allow demonstrations and other free speech activity with permission from the owner. You are also entitled to engage in protest activities on land you own.  The Supreme Court has ruled that the government may not forbid homeowners from posting signs on their property speaking out on a political or social issue.

Q:        WHAT ARE MY RIGHTS TO PROTEST IN A TRADITIONAL PUBLIC FORUM?

A:         Places historically associated with the free exercise of expressive activities, such as streets, sidewalks and parks, are traditional public forums and the government’s power to limit speech and assembly in those places is very limited. The government may not impose an absolute ban on expression and assembly in traditional public forums except in circumstances where it is essential to serve a compelling government interest.  However, expression and assembly in traditional public forums may be limited by reasonable time, place and manner regulations. Examples of reasonable regulations includerestrictions on the volume of sound produced by the activity or a prohibition on impeding vehicle and pedestrian traffic.  To be a valid time, place and manner regulation, the restriction must not have the effect of restricting speech based on its content and it must not be broader than needed to serve the interest of the government.

Q:        CAN I PICKET AND/OR DISTRIBUTE LEAFLETS AND OTHER TYPES OF LITERATURE ON PUBLIC SIDEWALKS?

A:         Yes, a sidewalk is considered a traditional public forum where you can engage in expressive activities, such a passing out literature or speaking out on a matter of public concern. In exercising that right, you must not block pedestrians or the entrances to buildings. You may not physically or maliciously detain someone in order to give them a leaflet, but you may approach them and offer it to them.

Q:        CAN MY FREE SPEECH BE RESTRICTED BECAUSE OF WHAT I SAY, EVEN IF IT IS CONTROVERSIAL?

A:         No, the First Amendment protects speech even if most people would find it offensive, hurtful or hateful. Speech generally cannot be banned based upon its content or viewpoint because it is not up to the government to determine what can and cannot be said. A bedrock principle of the First Amendment is that the government may not prohibit expression of an idea because society finds it offensive or disagreeable. Also, protest speech also cannot be banned because of a fear that others may react violently to the speech.  Demonstrators cannot be punished or forbidden from speaking because they might offend a hostile mob. The Supreme Court has held that a “heckler’s veto” has no place in First Amendment law.

Q:        HOW DO THESE RIGHTS APPLY TO PUBLIC PLACES I TYPICALLY VISIT?

A:         Your rights to speak out and protest in particular public places will depend on the use and purpose of the place involved.  For example, the lobbies and offices of public buildings that are used by the government are generally not open for expressive activities because the purpose of these buildings is to carry out public business. Protesting would interfere with that purpose.  Ironically, the meetings of a governmental body, such as a city council or town board, are not considered public forums open for protest activities because the purpose of the meeting is generally to address public business that is on the agenda.  However, some government councils and boards set aside a time at the meeting when the public can voice their complaints.

The grounds of public colleges and universities are generally considered available for assembly and protest by students and other members of the institution’s community.  However, those who are not students, faculty or staff of the institution may be denied access to the campus for speech and protest activities under rules issued by the school.

Public elementary and secondary school grounds also are not considered places where persons can engage in assembly and protest.  However, students at these schools do not lose their right to free speech when they enter the school. The First Amendment protects the right of students to engage in expressive acts of protest, such as wearing armbands to demonstrate opposition to a war, that are not disruptive to the school environment.

Q:        DO I NEED A PERMIT IN ORDER TO CONDUCT A PROTEST?

A:         As a general rule, no. A person is not required to obtain the consent or permission of the government before engaging in activities that are protected by the First Amendment.  One of the main reasons for that constitutional provision was to forbid any requirement that citizens obtain a license in order to speak out.  The government cannot require that individuals or small groups obtain a permit in order to speak or protest in a public forum.

However, if persons or organizations want to hold larger rallies and demonstrations, they may be required by local laws to obtain a permit.  The Supreme Court has recognized that the government, in order to regulate competing uses of public forums, may impose a permit requirement on those wishing to hold a parade or rally.  Government officials cannot simply prohibit a public assembly according to their discretion, but the government can impose restrictions on the time, place, and manner of peaceful assembly, provided that constitutional safeguards are met. Such time, place and manner restrictions can take the form of requirements to obtain a permit for an assembly.

Whether an assembly or demonstration requires a permit depends on the laws of the locality.  A permit certainly is required for any parade because it would involve the use of the streets and interfere with vehicle traffic. A permit to hold an event in other public places typically is required if the gatheringinvolves more than 50 persons or the use of amplification.

Q:        DO COUNTER-DEMONSTRATORS HAVE FREE SPEECH RIGHTS?

A:         Yes, they do. Just because counter-demonstrators oppose you and the viewpoint of your demonstration does not mean they have any less right to speak out and demonstrate. However, the same rules apply to counter-demonstrators as apply to the original assembly. The group cannot be violent and must assemble and protest in an appropriate place and manner.

Q:        WHAT CAN’T I DO IN EXERCISING MY RIGHTS TO PROTEST?

A:         The Supreme Court of the United States has held that the First Amendment protects the right to conduct a peaceful public assembly. The First Amendment does not provide the right to conduct a gathering at which there is a clear and present danger of riot, disorder, interference with traffic on public streets or other immediate threat to public safety. Laws that prohibit people from assembling and using force or violence to accomplish unlawful purposes are permissible under the First Amendment.

Q:       AM I ALLOWED TO CARRY A WEAPON OR FIREARM AT A DEMONSTRATION OR PROTEST?

A:         Your right to have a weapon with you when you protest largely depends on what is allowed by state law and is unlikely to be protected by the First Amendment’s guarantee to freedom of speech. Not all conduct can be considered “speech” protected by the First Amendment even if the person engaging in the conduct intends to express an idea. Most courts have held that the act of openly carrying a weapon or firearm is not expression protected by the First Amendment.

The right to possess a firearm is protected by the Second Amendment, and all states allow carrying a concealed weapon in public, although most require a permit to do so. Some states allow persons to openly carry firearms in public. However, it is not yet settled whether the Second Amendment guarantees the right to possess a firearm in public. Thus, the right to carry a firearm at a demonstration or protest is a matter that depends on what is allowed under state law. Carrying other weapons, such as stun guns, which are not firearms also is subject to restrictions imposed by state law. Possession of weapons also may be prohibited in certain places where demonstrations might take place, such as a national park.

Even if possession of weapons is allowed, their presence at demonstrations and rallies can be intimidating and provocative and does not help in achieving a civil and peaceful discourse on issues of public interest and concern. Demonstrations often relate to issues raising strong feelings among competing groups, and the presence of counter-demonstrators makes conflict likely.  In these situations, where the purpose of the gathering is to engage in speech activities, firearms and other weapons are threatening, result in the suppression of speech and are contrary to the purpose of the First Amendment to allow all voices to be heard on matters of public importance.

Q:        WHAT CAN’T THE POLICE DO IN RESPONDING TO PROTESTERS?

A:         In recent history, challenges to the right to protest have come in many forms. In some cases, police have cracked down on demonstrations by declaring them “unlawful assemblies” or through mass arrests, illegal use of force or curfews. Elsewhere, expression is limited by corralling protesters into so-called “free-speech zones.” New surveillance technologies are increasingly turned on innocent people, collecting information on their activities by virtue of their association with or proximity to a given protest. Even without active obstruction of the right to protest, police-inspired intimidation and fear can chill expressive activity and result in self-censorship. All of these things violate the First Amendment and are things the police cannot do to censor free speech. Unless the assembly is violent or violence is clearly imminent, the police have limited authority under the law to shut down protesters.

Clearly, as evidenced by the recent tensions in Charlottesville, Va., we’re at a crossroads concerning the constitutional right to free speech.

As Benjamin Franklin warned, “Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech.”

It must be emphasized that it was for the sake of preserving individuality and independence that James Madison, the author of the Bill of Rights, fought for a First Amendment that protected the “minority” against the majority, ensuring that even in the face of overwhelming pressure, a minority of one—even one who espouses distasteful viewpoints—would still have the right to speak freely, pray freely, assemble freely, challenge the government freely, and broadcast his views in the press freely.

This freedom for those in the unpopular minority constitutes the ultimate tolerance in a free society. Conversely, as I make clear in my book Battlefield America: The War on the American People, when we fail to abide by Madison’s dictates about greater tolerance for all viewpoints, no matter how distasteful, the end result is always the same: an indoctrinated, infantilized citizenry that marches in lockstep with the governmental regime.

Some of this past century’s greatest dystopian literature shows what happens when the populace is transformed into mindless automatons. For instance, in George Orwell’s 1984, Big Brother does away with all undesirable and unnecessary words and meanings, even going so far as to routinely rewrite history and punish “thoughtcrimes.”

Where we stand now is at the juncture of OldSpeak (where words have meanings, and ideas can be dangerous) and Newspeak (where only that which is “safe” and “accepted” by the majority is permitted). The power elite has made their intentions clear: they will pursue and prosecute any and all words, thoughts and expressions that challenge their authority.

This is the final link in the police state chain.

If ever there were a time for us to stand up for the right to speak freely, even if it’s freedom for speech we hate, the time is now.

President Trump Reinvigorates Afghanistan War

Last night President Trump gave a televised address.  It was on gearing up for Afghanistan and it’s kind of like a replay of the fall of 2001 and George W Bush was President.  That was sixteen years ago.  “My personal instinct was to pull out of Afghanistan and my rule is to follow my instinct”.  But now he’s saying that things look different behind the desk of the Oval Office.  I think what the President means is that he got brainwashed by the pro war lobby.  I heard nothing new or original in this speech and there were no specifics.  He claims he’s counting on the element of surprise, but the truth is that he doesn’t have a plan any more than Bush or Obama did.  That’s the problem.  He only says “I inherited a mess”.  He’s said that about everything.  The whole speech was filled with time-worn platitudes on not backing out of a commitment.  Because our leaving will create a vacuum and the Taliban will rush in and from there they’ll be able to launch attacks against America just like they did in 2011.  It was a much more long-winded speech than I was expecting.  He did say “We are event driven now and not time-table driven”.  George Bush also said that.  He says we’ll leave when we win and the enemy is clearly defeated.  There was a new strand about pitting Pakistan against India.  These two nations hate each other.   Norman says he doesn’t believe India is likely to take up that invitation. 

RIPLEY'S BELIEVE IT OR NOT (AND I DON'T BELIEVE IT)

1. A rat can last longer without water than a camel.

2. Your stomach has to produce a new layer of mucus every two weeks or it will digest itself.

3. The dot over the letter "i" is called a tittle.

4. A raisin dropped in a glass of fresh champagne will bounce up and down continuously from the bottom of the glass to the top.

5. A female ferret will die if it goes into heat and cannot find a mate.

6. A duck's quack doesn't echo. No one knows why.

7. A 2" X 4" Stud is really 1-1/2" by 3-1/2".

8. During the chariot scene in ‘Ben Hur,’ a small red car can be seen in the distance (and Heston's wearing a watch).

9. On average, 12 newborns will be given to the wrong parents daily.

10. Donald Duck comics were banned from Finland because he doesn’t wear pants.

11. Because metal was scarce, the Oscars given out during World War II were made of wood.

12. The number of possible ways of playing the first four moves per side in a game of chess is 318,979,564,000.

13. There are no words in the dictionary that rhyme with orange, purple and silver.

14. The name ‘Wendy' was made up for the book Peter Pan. There was never a recorded ‘Wendy' before.

15. The very first bomb dropped by the Allies on Berlin in World War II killed the only elephant in the Berlin Zoo.

16. If one places a tiny amount of liquor on a scorpion, it will instantly go mad and sting itself to death. (Who was the sadist who discovered this??)

7. Bruce Lee was so fast that they actually had to s-l-o-w film down so you could see his moves. That’s the opposite of the norm.

18. The first CD pressed in the US was Bruce Springsteen’s 'Born in the USA.'

19. The original name for butterfly was flutterby.

20. The phrase “rule of thumb” is derived from an old English law which stated that you couldn't beat your wife with anything wider than your thumb.

21. The first product Motorola started to develop was a record player for automobiles. At that time, the most known player on the market was Victrola, so they called themselves Motorola.

22. Roses may be red, but violets are indeed violet.

23. By raising your legs slowly and lying on your back, you cannot sink into quicksand.

24. Celery has negative calories. It takes more calories to eat a piece of celery than the celery has in it to begin with.

25. Charlie Chaplin once won third prize in a Charlie Chaplin look-alike contest. (???)

26. Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying.

27. Sherlock Holmes NEVER said, “Elementary, my dear Watson."

28. An old law in Bellingham, Washington, made it illegal for a woman to take more than three steps backwards while dancing!

29. The glue on Israeli postage is certified kosher.

30. The Guinness Book of Records holds the record for being the book most often stolen from public libraries.

31. Astronauts are not allowed to eat beans before they go into space because passing wind in a spacesuit damages them.

32. Bats always turn left when exiting a cave.

Steve Bannon is Someone else to Jump Ship.

I haven't kept up with blog posts lately.  Steve Bannon resigned on Friday.  This was all over the news and I'm sure the media has beaten the topic to death.  But we might as well trot this dead horse around the block one more time.  Bannon was the head of "Britebart" or however you spell it.  He rejoined Britebart the minute he left the administration.  He is a "tea party" Republican, which means certain things.  He's a racist for one and feeds the racism of the Trump administration.  He's also an "anti-globalist", which in this case is a good thing.  He distrusts internationalist banker money and finance.  And he's also against these deals with China, Asia and Latin America.  He's anti NAFTA.  And there is one more thing.  He's an "America First" person, which means he's against United States involvement in foreign wars, and let's face it, just about all of our wars are foreign wars we have no business being involved in.  The media was saying that Bannon will now begin attacking the Trump administration.  Bannon was even quoted as saying "The era of the Trump administration of the past seven months- - is over".   Others have quoted Bannon as saying that he's going to do articles which support the Trump administration.  We'll see.

The other big news event of the week was Thursday, the day of the Barcelona masacre of this guy with a van doing a zig-zag pattern through the packed mall, mowing down as many people as he could.  He killed thirteen or fourteen people and over a hundred were injured.  Trump will say THAT is terrorism but he won't say the incident in Charoletteville was terrorism.  ISIS has taken credit for it.   ISIS is that beast that won't die no matter how military victories are obtained on the battlefield.

I noticed three significant E mails from Paul.  One was that list of 32 things you didn’t know and may not even be true such as a scorpion will go nuts if you put a drop of liquor on it, or a feret in heat will die if it doesn’t find a mate.  Then there was the list of heteronyms.  These are words that are spelled the same but are pronounced differently and have different meanings.  One I didn’t see was separate and separate.  Then there was the one on the eclipse that is a five and some odd seconds video.  It’s the John 10:10 project.  I still don’t know the verse.  Paul called while I had the E mail up and he asked if the cookies are gone and they are, as of a few hours earlier.  He invited me and any friends I want to take along to the Harvest Crusade, but I said I don’t think I could round up a party that soon and asked if it was on TV.  Then I got coffee from John Kip’s room.

(Friday)  In the news Steve Bannon was forced to resign as White House chief strategist.  It’s a job that probably won’t be replaced.  Bannon is too much a “tea party” person who is an anti globalist and anti Wall Street banker like a traditional tea party person.  He’s also less inclined to jump into a war.  In general I guess President Trump’s advice will be more one-sided now. 

President Trump Reveals His True Colors

This whole bit with the rioting by Neo Nazis and White supremicists isn’t going away this Tuesday August 15, 2017.  President Trump finally had that long awaited news conference and he claims that “violent anti fascists” were attacking the peaceful racists and KKK members who were demonstrating with signs and stuff and the anti fascists beat them violently.  Because of this President Trump has attacked them as the violent “Alt-left”.    Shawn Hannity was the first person I’ve heard making reference to the “alt left”.   I would like to think that the press and the major networks have been objective in describing this days long conflict.  If they haven’t been objective it’s going to cause our side to lose credibility.  Yesterday at gunpoint the President finally attacked these protesting racists in Charolettsville as “Nazis, KKK, and other white supremicists of which there is no excuse for in this country.  The mayor of Charoletteville wants all these white supremicists to just “go home” and they aren’t wanted in this town and to go back where they came from.  (some dark hole in the ground)   Personally I don’t have a problem with the South having statues of Robert E Lee or Stonewall Jackson or other Confederate War Heroes.  They were patriots for what they believed was right.  In general they were moral Christian men who had formerly considered themselves Americans.  As such I was offended when Thom Hartman said they were no better than the Nazis of Germany.  Nazism was a death cult and renounced all pretence of godliness or civility.  The founding fathers such as Washington and Jefferson owned slaves.  But Jefferson could still write about “All men being created equal in the eyes or their creator”.   We kind of have to “put ourselves in their shoes” as a famous man has recently said.  Having given a tip of the hat to the right, let me make clear that President Trump is responsible for fomenting a climate of racial hatred and bigotry in this country and if David Duke can call the President his friend, then in the words of the Bible “Bad company corrupts good morals”.  I think the Apostle Paul said that.  The question is where does the President get his moral support and encouragement.  Where is the president’s base?  These KKK and other white supremicists organizations came out and supported the President last year in the Presidential campaign.  Hence a vote for Trump is like a vote for Wallace in 1968.  Even Republicans such as Marco Rubio and Oren Hatch have come out against Trump’s basic attitude on this whole rioting.  It’s not a case of “Both sides are equally guilty” because they aren’t.

HERE IS MORE MATERIAL FROM TODAY TO BUTTRESS MY ARGUMENTS.

Robert E. Lee, before the outbreak of the war, was overwhelmingly regarded as the finest military mind in the U.S. army. Winfield Scott offered him command of all Union forces at the outbreak of hostilities. But he chose allegiance to his state of Virginia, rather than the Federal government. He didn’t fight for slavery. He freed his slaves. He was fighting for states’ rights. He was an honorable God fearing noble man. Stonewall Jackson was an extremely religious man who waged war with a passion, but also taught Sunday School to slaves. Lee and Jackson must be viewed in the context of the 19th century rather than being judged by the standards of the 21st century.  The vast majority of Confederate soldiers who did the fighting and dying during that war didn’t own slaves. They weren’t fighting to maintain slavery. They were fighting because a foreign army had invaded their land. In 1860 this nation was more an amalgamation of states than a centralized government. States still had a tremendous amount of power and leeway to run their states the way they chose. The ever increasing power of a central authority occurred during and after the Civil War. The South were not the bad guys. Their leaders, generals and soldiers were not evil. They were Americans.

For lunch we had pasta mixed with beef and tomato.  There was nothing wrong with it but I just wasn’t in the mood for it.  I wish I’d changed my menu.  There was also soggy broccoli I didn’t touch.  We had fruit cocktail or something.  I had the Gary and Shannon show on.  Nora was here.  On Days of our Lives- - Abe’s daughter has severed relations with that FBI agent named Elijah because there is an inherent conflict with the Salem PD.  She threatened to get her father to fire Police Chief Rains, which to me is a good idea because nobody likes him anyhow.,  Kayla has told Trip that she isn’t going to the police about Trip’s sabotaging of her medical carrier.  I’d have gone to the police and told Trip that if he wants absolution for his sin, that’s what Priests are for. But I’m not going to grant the forgiveness you’re looking for. 

I went out for snacks in the morning and in the afternoon.  I had iced tea in the afternoon and grape juice in the morning and both times I had graham crackers.  The line to see Jennifer for Money Draw wasn’t moving and the reason why is because she just announced that Money Draw was officially beginning at 2:25.  Before this I went to see Dr Saran and only Kathy was ahead of me.  I complained of being tired.  That’s my “medical issue”.  Dr Saran said it was either my psych meds or more likely it’s because I’m a smoker and not getting enough oxygen to the blood.  Dr Saran repeated that all my blood tests are normal.  I should have mentioned the possibility of Epstein Barr virus and see how that struck him.  My blood pressure was 114 over 64, which is a little low.  I spent a lot of time just sitting around in the courtyard but finally got in line when it was short enough.  I was behind that Linda that nobody likes.  I got in there and asked how much money I had in my account and she said “fourteen”.  “Then I’ll take fourteen” and she counted it out.  Gabby was lying down in the office and not roaming around outside the way she usually is.  I grabbed two mini Milky Ways and left.  I bought a pack of Clippers.  Bill had some program on KCOP.  Eye Witness News was on at three.  Barbra finally got paid at least some of the five or six weeks of back payments that she was owed.

We're hearing more and more about the possability of some kind of life on other planets or sattelites of planets.  One of the latest theories is that Titan, the biggest moon in the solar system that orbits Saturn, may have life because it has seas of liquid methane that life might possibly live in because of the possability of the way carbon compounds forms.  In terms of the upcoming total eclipse, we in California have seen better eclipses.  The eclipse of May of 2012 obscured a lot more of the sun, which took place in the evening and totality was around Fresno and Carson City.  But the media is saying this is the biggest eclipse since February of 1979.  I remember that one.  It was cloudy that morning.  In terms of the eclipse of May of 1994, which went accross the country, I think that one is disqualified because it was an anular (ring of fire) eclipse and hence wasn't total anywhere.  New York has a pretty good shot at that one.  

The Complete Mc Cartney

Ok this is not exactly the complete Mc Cartney but basically it's the updated version with the two first songs changed to what I now believe are the appropriate songs to fill the slots. The previous location you had to dig way down below a lengthly David Gregory interview and I know you don't have the patience for that.  Also we're going to include the third album in the trilogy to make a complete, balanced "best of" set.

MC CARTNEY HITS AND MISSES

- - - - - DISK ONE- - - -
MUMBO (WINGS WILDLIFE)
I CAN SEE THE WORLD TONIGHT
ANOTHER DAY
BACKWARD TRAVELER / CUFF LINK
MONKBERRY MOON DELIGHT
HOUSE OF WAX
SINGLE PIGEON
TOMORROW
HIGH, HIGH, HIGH
SPIN IT ON
NOD YOUR HEAD
DON’T SAY GOODNIGHT, TONIGHT
O WOMAN O WHY?
LET ME ROLL IT
MRS VANDERBUILT
ONLY ONE MORE KISS
HELLEN WHEELS

- - - - -DISK TWO- - - - -
FLAMING PIE
MAMA MISS AMERICA TAKES 1 & 2
KREEN AKRORE
MAYBE I’M AMAZED
BACK SEAT OF MY CAR
TOO MANY PEOPLE
CAFE ON THE LEFT BANK
GIVE IRELAND BACK TO THE IRISH
THAT WAS ME
DELIVER YOUR CHILDREN
ARROW THROUGH ME
ROCKESTRA THEME
I AM YOUR SINGER
COSMICALLY CONSCIOUS
LITTLE WOMAN LOVE
MY VALENTINE
SMILE AWAY

Released March 20th 2013 on Sirius A by Burt Lombard and Jimmy Mc Culloch

BLOWING IT IN THE SEVENTIES (Mc Cartney expended album)
ACT I
Venus and Mars opening theme
Rock Show
Love in Song
You Gave Me the Answer
Cook of the House (Linda)
Time to Hide (Denny)
The Note You Never Wrote (Denny)
I Feel Like Letting Go
ACT II
Venus and Mars Part Two
Spirits of Ancient Egypt
Medicine Jar (Jimmy)
Calling Me Back Again
Sally G
Junior’s Farm
Beware, My Love
Wino Junko (Jimmy)

ACT III Played off stage in the rehab ward)
Cover of s guy snorting Cocaine powder

Jeff Sessions on verge of Confirmation for Attorney General

Jeff Sessions's name was voted out of committee to the full Senate 11 votes yes to 9 votes no.  Final passage isn't expected till later tonight.  Elizabeth Warren was ruled out of order by Mitch Mc Connell when he attacked Senator Jeff Sessions on Civil Rights.  It’s the darndest thing I’ve ever heard.  She quoted Coretta Scott King for complaining about an unjust prosecution of Blacks in a voting rights case in 1984.  Sessions indicated an eagerness to prosecute Blacks in a case where they were eventually acquitted and then was up for a judge ship in 1986.  She was reading a letter from Coretta Scott king that was entered into the congressional record in 1986.  Apparently a congressman can attack anybody and everybody in committee hearings whether the charges are true or not.  But you’re not allowed to say something that’s completely true in the hall.  Jeff Sessions is in the process of getting the final approval vote for Attorney General and the way I figure it, the more power to everybody and anybody who uses all of the political power they poses to stop him.  Stated another say, we now know that the U S Senate is on stated record as being a racist, bigoted body who denies the light of Truth from penetrating its chambers.  If anybody had any doubts about whether Jeff Sessions was a racist, this ends those doubts. 

Stephanie is still clinging to the theory that Donald Trump won’t be president for much longer.  I think these liberals are just getting desperate grabbing at straws.  I’m afraid something horrible is going to have to happen either with the economy or in world affairs before people are “disabused” of the notion that Donald Trump is the greatest thing since sliced bread.   It’s the same way the Germans and Japanese had to be “broken in spirit’ as a people being utterly defeated in war before they at last saw the light and realized they’d been under the spell of dictators.  If there is a way of somehow short circuiting the process I don’t know what it is.  Mao Tse Tung said in his little red book, “Power flows from the barrel of a gun”.  It’s still true.  

Yemen's foreign minister said Wednesday his government has asked for a "reassessment” of a U.S. anti-terrorism raid last month that apparently caused the deaths of several women and children, but he denied reports that the government requested a suspension of American ground operations.  “Yemen continues to cooperate with the United States and continues to abide by all the agreements,” Abdul-Malik al-Mekhlafi said, according to the Associated Press. He said the government “is involved in talks with the U.S. administration on the latest raid.”  His remarks followed news reports that Yemen's government had demanded a halt to U.S. special operations. He said the reports are “not true,” according to the AP.  Yemen's government controls only part of the country, which has been divided by civil war. A Saudi-led coalition is fighting Houthi rebels, which are supported by Iran. The chaos has allowed al-Qaeda to grow in strength.

 Betsey De Vos was confirmed as Secretary of Education.  Two republican senators defected but they needed three to defeat her.  Mike Pence broke the tie vote.   I’ve been saying for days now that the democrats can flap their gums all they want but Trump is getting his way and all of the cabinet appointments as well as the Supreme Court justice, will be approved almost without a hitch.  The democrats are out of political capital, pure and simple.   And I’m tempted to say the same thing about world leaders regarding Trump.  They may initially complain about his brashness or inexperience but in the end they will go along with him and make deals with him. 

There are three types of hyperbolas.  The first classic type is the one in the formula for hyperbolic trig where there is a ninety degree angle cocked at a 45 degree angle each way.  From this the calculations from hyperbolic trig are made.  A plus sign is turned into a minus sign so this type could be called a circle “turned inside out”.  There is another type of hyperbola even more basic, which is the one where a space craft overshoots a planet it’s supposed to be orbiting and goes off on a tangent out somewhere away from the planet.  This one differs from the first kind is that the angle needn’t be a ninety degree angle.  It could be between anything and a hundred and eighty.  (or 179)  This and the first kind of hyperbola have an official “midpoint”, and in this orbital type it’s the closest the space craft ever gets to the planet before it starts getting farther away.  It gains speed till it hits the midpoint and then slowly loses speed from that point on.  Both parts of this hyperbola are symmetrical.  There is a third type of hyperbola and this is a ninety degree hyperbola like the first type however it differs from both the first and second kind in that there is no official “midpoint” of the hyperbola.  It’s all how it’s grafted.  You may see a hyperbola on the national debt or some other economic debt trend and see a hyperbola- - but twenty years ago you could have drawn what looked like the same shape.  So the “midpoint” of the hyperbola in this type keeps shirting, because indeed the ‘midpoint” is a subjective experience and in fact doesn’t really exist.  There is no “mid” point.  One might say a hyperbola is the opposite of a Venn diagram.  In that diagram what’s on the inside of the circle is what’s relevant, or the data you’re showing.  But with a hyperbola it’s the information on the outside of a hyperbola that’s relevant.  I just thought that was an interesting fact.  

Taking Time to Catch Our Breath

Let's take a break from politics and talk about terms we use to describe ourselves.  I call myself a Deist for instance.  A deist is a person who believes in God but not a personal god whom you can pray to.  I am a Deist and not a Theist.  As such I could still be called an Atheist.  You follow that?  I also call myself an economic nationalist.  Apparently racists have taken to use that term now, just as they have taken to use the term "Objectivist".   It struck me that Objectivist is a polar opposite of things that are themselves polar opposites.  I an not an empericist.  Or let me put it this way.  The scientific method is a very valuable way of learning information but not the ONLY way of learning new information.  I also state there is information out there that is just as True as anything else, as true as any other known Fact, and yet there are things we may never know the Truth of.  In this way you might say I am suggesting a Being or God out there.  There doesn't necessarily have to be a Being out there but to say there is some standard or Truth or body of knowledge that isn't known to use but known by - - somebody, would be suggestive of some sort of Deity.  But if you look at it another way, an empericist and a subjectivist have in common one thing.  Both would make the statement of "Whatever my eyes see and my senses record - this is Truth".  I do not necessarily believe that.  Even that Heisenberg fellow with his uncertainty principle would state that there is a lot of illusion out there where ether waves and light is concerned.  I would say that I am an empericist as long as my empericism serves Truth.  And the minute empericism no longer serves Truth is the time I get off the train and look for some other method of acquiring knowledge, or at least "knowing what I don't know".  The subjectivist believes the world revolves around Him.  He says "Whatever I see, that's what IS".  The empericist says the same thing though his aim is a little different.  People who are subjectivists believe there is no Absolute truth.  There is only Your Truth and My Truth and nobody is entitled to say one's oppinion is worth more than another's oppinion.  The empericist on the other hand would say "There is an absolute truth and I am on the road to fining it and we're getting closer all the time".  I too would say "We're getting closer to Truth, but like the rainbow at the end of the road, I don't believe it's a goal we will never achieve.  Psychologist would say that yes there are are varying standards of what is right and moral.  And they would attach certain words to these "disagreements" or conflicts among humans.  For instance there is a thing called Projection where you project your faults on to others like a movie projector.  It's no longer you but then.  It's FROM you but you don't want to own it.  You've heard the adage "If you want to figure out what's wrong with everybody else why don't you look in a mirror".   This brings us to politics.  Some would say "well if you believe in subjectivism or lack of any absolutes then you believe that Conservatives and Liberals are equally morally justified.  Conservatives try this approach.  They have this thing called "false equivelency" meaning it doesn't matter whether they insult themselves in the process they're sticking it to You and that's the important thing.  Shawn uses this approach all the time.  But as Ghandi once said "If you have the blind leading the blind then both men fall into the ditch".  (Selah)  We liberals are better than that.  At least if you're an objectivist as I am.  But you see the labels they use on each other and it would be easy to begin wondering about it.  Thom Hartman today was reading from Mein Kamph  about the "Jewish press" and they have their cancerous sores and leshions exposed in the light of Truth or something.  But Thom Points out that all you have to do is substitute a few words and you could be talking about today.  So when you see the word "Jew" just substitute "liberal" and when you see the term "Germany" just substitute "America".  It's eye opening reading.  On top of this there is a current book out now on the liberal press that reads like a Donald Trump speech or something saying that the press can't be trusted.  Projection can be explained by the following generalizations.  If you assume that everyone is a liar than maybe you yourself are the liar.  If you assume everyone is a crook, it could be you yourself are a crook.  If you believe everyone thinks about sex 24 hours a day in every situation, than maybe you yourself are the one with the obsession.  When Thom was seven a classmate of his accused Thom of stealing his pencil box and the teacher asked Thom about it and made a really big thing about it.  Thom hadn't done it and later the other boy found the missing pencil box in his own things.  When Thom got home he asked his father about it and the father in non psychological terms explained to his son just what projection was.  The bottom line is that we liberals need to be sure of our high moral ground.  I believe in order to have high moral ground you have to believe that there is some absolute higher standard to strive for.  At times I think Thom makes too many sweeping generalizations both about human nature and economic theory along the lines of Karl Marx.  He makes certain conclusions and I''m "not ready to go there" at least yet, but I'm nibbling around the edges making one emperical conclusion at a time.  If you're at all curious I myself did not start off hating Donald Trump.  I was open minded.  Indeed many of his early ideas I actually liked.  My profound distaste for Trump now was definitely an acquired one.  I still tend to assume people are saying the Truth unless confronted by strong evidence otherwise.  This is in contrast to a Shawn Hannity aid named Linda, who constantly assumes the worst about people untill she's forced to think otherwise.  In other words I'm an optimist while it makes sense to Be an optimist.  After all the word comes from "optimal" or "best performance".   I am a believer in "optimizing" one's life.

This is Tuesday after dinner on February 7, 2017.   Donald Trump’s foreign Islamic visa policy is on trial tonight as the Ninth Circuit Court here on the left coast heard the case tonight.  Right now there is a temporary stay on the executive Visa action of the Trump administration.  This court will set about to making it permanent.  But also it will be appealed to the Supreme Court and at that time it’s believed Trump’s executive order will be upheld.  There is a whole history of executive orders.  An early one was the Emancipation Proclamation by President Lincoln feeing the slaves in the south.  The WPA under FDR,  the Works Progress Administration, was an executive order that the Courts struck down as unconstitutional in 1935.  The order of setting up Japanese internment camps in 1942 was the result of an executive order.  Also the order integrating the Military branches by Harry Truman in 1947 was an executive order.  Also seizure of the Steel Plants in 1952 was an executive order.  I didn’t know that one was ever upheld and it sounds a tad too communistic for my taste.  Eisenhower’s order federalizing the National Guard in 1957 was an executive order that integrated Little Rock.  Also the Peace Corpse was set up in 1961 with an executive order of John Kennedy.  So far President Trump has issues over twenty executive orders.  That’s running way ahead of normal, just as we in California are running way ahead of normal in our snow pack and rain tally figures.  How many executive orders will this Trump administration end up issuing.  And are worse ones yet to come?  These are the pressing questions that keep liberals up at night.  Now we hear that women are more affected by the stress of politics than men are.  I guess this is understandable because they have a lot more to lose with abortion rights and equal pay and all of that.

The Drake Institute is one of these drug free organizations that treats hyperactivity attention deficit disorder.  I wish I had a drug free doctor.  The doctor I got as a kid was a regular pill popper or expected me to be, experimenting with first this drug than that.  But they use things like brain mapping to determine what portions of your child’s brain are being properly stimulated.  Also they do things like neuro feedback.  It’s been stated that kids don’t outgrow hyperactivity disorder.  Indeed Thom Hartman is almost proud of his ADHD.

Rhapsody in Black did songs from February of 1966.  A couple of the songs were three months late.  I think a lot of the songs were early.  Here are the songs they played.  “Do the Duck”, “This Old Heart of Mine”, “The Cheater”, “Crying Time”, “634-5789”, “Shake Me; Break Me” (or maybe it’s “wake”), “Scratch My Back”, “Hard Day’s Night” by Ramsey Lewis, “Uptight, Out of Sight”, “Get out of my Life, Woman”, “My World Is Empty Without You”, and “Going to a Go Go”, “Don’t Mess With Bill”.   “Feel So Fine” I remember vaguely.  Glenda remembered “Let’s Talk it Over” or whatever when she came to use the phone.  I went out for cigarettes at 25 minutes to four and got John Black gold.  I almost tripped over a small bike wheel.  When I returned Bill Gardener was playing a few really old songs including one from 1953 and maybe an older one than that.   Sam and Dave, Otis Redding, and Marvyn Gaye checked in with songs I didn’t recognize.