The Aftermath of the AfterBash.

I have been concerned that Mr. Trump has a distorted view of what this office means.

I don't gloat when we win and I don't whine when we lose. But damn.

I tried to be gracious. I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. Can’t be worse than President Bush 43, I told myself. And then Mr. Trump’s first appointment is a White Supremacist. Who will be his special advisor. This is followed by, his illegally refusing to put his businesses interest into a trust while he’s in office. He’s got a better idea than the law. Then he vows to defund NASA’s research into climate change. He appoints a local girl Betsy DeVos (of the Amway DeVos’) who has made a name for herself locally by trying to dismantle public education for years. Of course she is to be Secretary of Education. And now, that ugly pipeline out west that nobody wants to trip over in their state and has protesters by the thousands, turns out Mr. Trump holds stock and will make money off this pipeline. Can you say conflict of interest? But apparently, now that he’s going to be Prez, laws don’t apply to him anymore.

Thankfully he doesn’t have the muscle in the Senate to do many of the radical things he’s promised to do. But maybe he does.

But let us not despair. Let us instead hunker down and be determined in four years. Bernie will be too old in 8 years but not 4. And if my choice Martin O’Malley is the candidate we are a shoo-in. Let us try and make hope where there is none.

Thoughts on the Election

Last Tuesday night was a tough pill to swallow. Not as tough as in 2000, but tough nonetheless. 

But here’s something to consider. Ten months or a year ago Trump was a Democrat. His kids couldn’t even vote for him in the Primaries because they’re registered Democrats. So I say, let’s wait and see how he acts before we start complaining. He may give us lots of reasons to complain, and at that time complain. Maybe I’m deluded in my thinking, but for crying out loud, we got through President George W. Bush (barely, on the brink of depression, it can’t get worse than that), so we’ll find a way to deal with it. We might make it. And perhaps if all these protesters will get vigorously behind the next Democrat and dedicate themselves to them, and cough up the bucks, and make sure it happens for him/her the results might be different next time. 

I don’t understand the protests. Suck it ups Buttercups. I never boast when we win and I never whine when we don’t. It’s just crazy. And I can’t help but wonder, how many of the people in the silly protests didn’t bother to vote? How many were just horrified when Mr. Trump stated if he lost he may protest the outcome? Well, then….sheesh. Get over yourselves. And if you live in America, dummies, like it or not, he is your President. 

The Democrats have to shoulder most of responsibility for this for insisting from the beginning they knew best, and for being patronizing and patting us on the head and being so damn smug and condescending. They insisted who the candidate would be the day after she announced, instead of listening to the electorate, and looking seriously at the Bernie phenom. Bernie wins big in Wisconsin and Hillary never even visited there. Smug. She wouldn’t have come back to Michigan if Trump hadn’t made a play. Some people think Bernie would have won this Presidential election. We will never know. I heard someone on the radio today say that it’s like saying “The Boston Red Sox would have beaten the Cubs in the World Series. We’ll never know, it would have been a different ballgame.” But I truly believe that my candidate, Martin O’Malley would have won in a landslide. He was the most Presidential guy in the entire field of 23 in the beginning. But here’s the irony, although the Republican establishment didn’t like it, they ran their version of Bernie and he won. 

What I think lots of people don’t understand is that the other side has felt just this sad and bitter for the last 8 years, yet they didn’t take to the streets. Like I say, President George W. Bush was a harder pill to swallow than this. He didn’t win, they stole it, and the final Florida numbers confirm it. And then with absolutely no Constitutional authority or anywhere else the 9 people on the Supreme Court get to decide who the next President will be. None of the rest of us. So that was one thing. But Trump won this hands down. So, the sun will continue to come up, the planet will still spin and get warmer, and the 4 or 8 years will pass. They stuck with "their Bernie" and they won. We should take a lesson. 

By the way the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, when in the late 70s early 80’s Trump declare he was reinventing casinos (basically he was going to make casinos great again) was boarded up a couple of months ago. 

And when President Obama was elected the second time, Texas made noise about seceding from the country. That’s expected; there are lots of rednecks down there. But now California is making the same noise. And they claim to be somehow smarter. Hey cereal land, (land of fruits, nuts, and flakes), good luck with that. Mexico would own you in two hours. With no military to protect you, because we Americans would begin to instantly withdraw all military bases, university and school funding, Social security benefits, sports franchises (those are American after all), on and on and on. They would collapse in an hour and Mexico would take over in two. In less time if Japan could get there first. 

But you wanna know what decided this? It wasn’t the people that showed up at the polls. It was the people who didn’t. Do you realize that neither of the two candidates got nearly as many votes as Mitt Romney did in the last election? And he was soundly defeated by President Obama. There wasn’t even a Latino swell! White women voted for Trump overwhelmingly! Are you kidding me? It was we lazy ass Democrats, listening to the smug DNC and assuring us that no matter what, we have this - so you don’t have to even bother going to the polls. Further, Michael Moore, our practical homeboy, stated today he’s learned that between 100,000, and 110,000 Michigan voters made selections in every other category on the ballot but left the Presidential section blank, not being able to vote for either one. Add that in with third party voters and there you go. I also heard a statistic from CBS that 8 out of 10 voters were not voting for a candidate, they were voting against one. I know it weighed heavy on their hearts. My wife stood in that booth for the longest time. A really long time. Searching her soul. I have never asked how she voted, I’d prefer not to know, but I have strong suspicions she voted for Hillary. [We are big believers that your vote is your business and your’s only, so we never ask each other, and never put signs in our yard.] It's none of our neighbor’s business who we are voting for. Because someday it might require two signs!

And now there is some introspective trepidation from the other side. Many of the Republican voters are expressing that they just wanted to flip the bird to the Washington establishment, but they never thought he’d actually win. And they seem a little nervous. The on-the-ground military were being interviewed today and they are very nervous. 

Many voted for Trump because “maybe the Country should be run like a business.” What they don’t understand, is that it can’t be run like a business. Imagine you’re the CEO. You call in your number two man in the company and you say I want to do that like this. And that number two man, Mr. Congress, tells you to go screw yourself and walks out. You have no recourse. You can’t fire him. So you call in your number 3 guy in the business and explain that you want to do that like this. And Mr. Supreme Court says, “Kiss my ass.” And walks out and you have no recourse. Heck of a way to run a business. 

I predict Trump’s first move will be to repackage President Obama’s Job’s Bill, basically just give it a new name, and get it passed. Then it will put more people to work and they will all be thinking “Wow, what a great guy that Trump is!” 

I detest how the Republicans have openly moved to rig the Supreme Court. Here’s the deal. In the year of Rowe v Wade, the Court was 5 liberals and 4 conservatives. The final vote was 7-2. And if memory serves the two were a conservative and a liberal. So don’t get your panties in a bunch about the Supreme Court nominee. You never know where that will go. The last conservative Court okayed Gay Marriage. And when President Obama’s recent candidate for the court was up to be confirmed for the Federal Court system, he was voted in unanimously! Both sides love him. The Senate are just are being crybaby asses. Like the protesters on the streets tonight. 

So now we have a Republican House, Senate, President, and most Governorships. But always remember, we hate Russia because they only have one Party running things there. We are so much better, eh?

But what the hell do I know? I was written in for President and for Town Council. I think I’ll find out how to run for Town Council and try that sometime. Seek comfort tonight and hug your loved ones. 

PS. The Second most powerful person in the world is someone that we rarely ever know their name. They are usually virtually a “Co-President.” We need to know who the Chief of Staff is. 

The Eve of the Election

This is the eve of one of the most bizarre elections in the history of the United States. Tomorrow we will vote for President of the United States. Admittedly, our school board elections affect our everyday life more, but we place great importance on the Presidential election.

One candidate is automatically the underdog, because she is a woman, and the other candidate comes with so much baggage he requires his own railroad car.

One candidate refuses to release his taxes, admitted he hasn't paid any in 20 years, has openly made fun of handicapped people, has made horrible statements about sexually abusing women, is openly racist, is an Islamaphobe, denies climate change, and has suddenly become pro-life, because he was told to, he's openly swore onstage including dropping the F bomb. And his offering for a First Lady has posed nude for magazines.

This candidate also offered in the late 70's or early 80's that his casino, the Trump Taj Mahal was going to be the greatest thing in casinos ever. Basically he was going to "Make Casinos Great Again." They boarded it up last month.

The other candidate asked for additional security for our embassies ten times and was turned down by the Republican Congress because they didn't want to spend the money. And then when an embassy is attacked and people are killed, it was her fault. She took advice from a very respected former Republican Secretary of State and used her own server from home. Classified documents weren't clearly labeled as such. Some documents weren't classified at the time but became classified much later. And twice now it was proven by the Republican FBI director, who must be very pissed at the three Trump supporter FBI folks who broke FBI protocol and release this last week.

FBI protocol has always been, nothing controversial gets released 60 days before an election. Those are the rules. To his credit the FBI director showed no criminal intent before the election.

In or around 2000 I told my son there were three things I regretted that I would never live to see. They were: A black President, and Woman President, and the Cubs win the World Series. And an mere 16 years later......

Tomorrow night, Bill Clinton becomes the First Gentleman.

The October Surprise.

Well, tonight the Hillary campaign got their October Surprise. The FBI is re-opening their investigation on her unhacked server. Any sensitive material should have been on government servers so that it could be routinely hacked. But I’ll tell you what, I admire how she isn’t giving Colin Powell up. He’s the one that advised her to use her own stuff at home. He said, “we all do it.” But she won’t mention his name, won’t give him up. He basically has told on himself, but not in so many words. But what most people don’t realize, she’s willing to just take the heat. 

And guess what? We don’t get any real answers until after the election! Wow. There’s a surprise. But maybe that’s a blessing. They can’t indict a sitting President, but they can impeach. Then once she’s no longer President indict, I guess. Not sure. But projections are that the Democrats are going to gain enough inroads in both houses that they won’t pull off an Impeachment. But here's the question of the day: Can you indict a sitting President for something they did when they weren't President? But 2 to 1 anyway says the findings are the same, and they’ll just close it declaring they can find no criminal intent. 

Folks are still scratching their heads at the leaked tape several days ago of Trump bragging about groping and exploiting women. People are still wondering was this Donald’s October surprise? Because if it was it was released a little early. Usually about now is when they happen. Ala tonight’s FBI investigation re-opening a closed case. 

For those of you who don't know it, an October surprise is a part of every Presidential campaign. It's a standard feature. This should be taken as just part of the election cycle. 

Perhaps the real Trump October Surprise will come out in the next few days, but if the tape was it, it was good, but the timing sucked. 

But there's always Ted Cruz declaring yesterday that they may refuse to hold hearings on any Clinton nominee to the Supreme Court for 8 years. So our court gets to be broken for 9 years thanks to Constitution haters like Ted Cruz. I guess we are tossing out the Constitution and the Bill of Rights as we watch the Cruz fascist take-over. 

Have a pleasant evening outside the beltway.

Republicans Dump Trump

The ironic thing about watching Trump crash and burn is how he steadfastly denies any responsibility. Because for so long he was given a free pass. He could make outlandish remarks about Latinos being rapists, or banning Muslims, and his fans cried, “Right On!” And I also amazed by his hatred of women in authority, or any women that disagrees with him. He goes after them with a vengeance. And including blaming Hillary for Bill’s indiscretions. (Kind of like Pat Robertson telling women if their husbands cheat, it’s the woman’s fault because she wasn’t being sexy enough for her husband). Hillary didn’t do these indiscretions. And Bill’s not running for President. And if he was he would kick Trump’s ass. 

Can you imagine what the Republicans would be screaming if a Democrat had said those things? Yeah, I know not much. But they would be having a huge fit if the Democratic Candidate’s wife had posed for nude photos for magazines, refused to release his tax records, and claimed to be a great businessman and in the late 70’s opened the John Democrat Taj Mahal that was going to be the ‘new look for Casinos’ (essentially, he was going to make Casinos great again), and then they boarded it up last month. They’d be going nuts. 

Earlier in the week the RNC pulled all it’s funding for Trump, and today Paul Ryan is refusing to campaign for him, and has asked other Republicans to do the same. But you know what? Paul Ryan will still vote for Trump. McCain has said publicly that he won’t vote for either one, but he’ll vote for Trump. That's just how they're cut. But alas, all for naught. 

I’ve said many times, the Republicans can have the Tea Party or they can have the White House but they can’t have both. And even I, a Democrat to my bones, am actually starting to long for the days when the word Republican didn’t equate to buffoon. There was a time when they could engage in reasonable discourse and although one might not agree, at least it was an informed counterpoint. But the Republicans have brought this on themselves and now it has come to this. For the last eight years any wing nut that came down the Pike could just claim to be a Republican and they were allowed to jump on the coat-tails of a party that for around 200 years had established some sort of credibility. Some Tea Party reps have no education. Some have criminal records. Did the party do anything? No. Did they say, “Who says you’re a Republican?” No. Until their numbers were such in Congress that they had the Party by the throat. And could shut the government down. And be such idiots that even John Boehner finally had to throw his hands in the air, and quit. 

And now Trump complains to his muddled masses that the Country is in ‘tatters.’ But let’s consider this: 248 seats in the 440 seats in the House are held by Republicans. 54 seats of the 100 seats in the Senate are Republican. 31 out of 50 Governors are Republican. 70 out of 99 state legislative bodies are Republican. 4 of the 8 Justices in the Supreme Court are Republican. And it was 5 to 4 Republican until the recent death. So, if the country is in tatters, I guess we can see who’s making that happen. 

And so has Trump gets “unshackled” today, by having the Party cut him off, he will continue to sink slowly into the west. Unless the Republicans have something quite spectacular for their "October surprise.” And the recent tape isn’t the Democrats “October surprise.” It’s too early. The “October Surprise” is a standard component of any competent campaign. So we’ll see. 

The Wrath of Khan

I’m starting to feel the beginning of the end for Trump. Finally imploding. He might recover, and his ardent followers don’t care what he does, but still, there seems to have been a slight shift in the wind. Hillary has an 8 point lead as of today. 

And to think, an ordinary Muslim took him down. How ironic.

The statements by Mr. Khan were powerful. The act of pulling out his copy of the Constitution was powerful. The true ‘Wrath of Khan’.  But that’s not what really made it mega-huge. It was the fact that Trump felt a need to mix it up in social media about it. And he can’t let it go. He is so juvenile, he has to have the last word. He keeps opening his mouth and stepping on his dick. But he can’t stop. He HAS to get the last word. And he looks more and more foolish. And slowly military groups start to leave, and others who were at least sympathetic are moving away from his camp.

And to endear women even less, he states that if his daughter were being sexually harassed at work she would have the integrity to just quit. This is stupid on so many levels. And tomorrow he will tell veterans in wheelchairs, that his son would just get up and walk. 

And today, Trump refused to endorse Paul Ryan and John McCain in their re-election bids. Paul Ryan. Trump would have more trouble from the House than President Obama, OR President H. Clinton. They at least have great respect for him. Did you know that President Obama and Paul Ryan speak on the phone quite a bit as you might imagine. And after the biz talk they compare notes on raising teenage daughters. 

Finally today, for the first time ever, a sitting President, (he was standing actually), is asked about Trump by the press, and while standing next to a foreign dignitary, The President decides it’s the time. Stating unequivocally that Trump is not qualified to take over the job. Just couldn’t do the job. The President went on to say that while although he disagreed with John McCain and Mitt Romney on policy, he never thought they weren’t qualified to do the job. But with Trump…. naw, he couldn’t do it. And deep in the hearts of thinking Republicans, they know it’s true. He couldn’t do that job. 

I would never be able to imagine Donald Trump in this brotherhood. And that’s what it is. A brotherhood. They all like each other. Because they know the other guys get it. What it means to do the job. And soon they might have to let a girl join the club. 

By the way, I have carried a copy of the Constitution on me for the last 6 years. It really ticks Republicans off when you can pull one out and cite something from it that flies in the face of whatever they are asserting. Repubs hate the Constitution. I mean they love it, they just don’t like what is says mostly. 

A Woman. At Last.

When women got the vote in 1920, the political landscape started to change. Child Labor Laws changed so that 5 years olds didn't have to get their little hands cut off in a coal mine, or work 14 hours a day in a garment factory. Health Care improved. Jobs got better, and so did it's benefits. I think giving women the vote was one of the greatest things our country has every done. Jefferson put in one of the early drafts of the Constitution, that "all Men and Women are created equal." But that was deemed too radical by most of the others and it was shot down.

Interestingly enough one of the delegates for Hillary is 102 years old. When she was 8 she remembers going with her mother while she voted for the first time. Her mother was so excited. And now that child is a 102 year old delegate for Hillary. I hope she gets to see a woman President.

Tonight, Hillary Clinton for the first time in American political history, has been chosen as the Presidential Candidate of a major political party.

I have been fortunate enough to have lived through so much history in my life, and it just keeps on coming.

But the Repubs have cleverly successfully painted Hillary as a criminal. There is no basis in fact, but many Dems are buying into it. Be careful what you believe brethren.

I voted for Bernie here in Michigan. But had I known how juvenile and negative other supporters were going to act at the convention, I wouldn't have.

Let it go. Our guy lost. You don't always get your way. Now it's time to pull together and defeat Trump!

Get on the bus and let's secure our nation from folks like Mr. Trump.

And in case the hate media didn't notice, during the 60 Minutes interview (and yeah Hillary actually let her Running Mate speak), he casually mentioned he's been a missionary, and then quoted scripture eloquently.

So that's my family values. Just saying. It isn't getting into bed with the Russians because they lent you money.

The Republicans and What Ailes Them.

In a surprising turn of events, Roger Ailes the head of FOX News, a network he helped establish and turn into an industry giant, has been bounced from FOX News for being a sexually harassing naughty boy. He crumbles just as the Republican Party that he has all but destroyed, is crumbling too.

Ailes is much the reason that the Republican Party, once a party of reason and willingness to govern together with the other party, has turned into a bunch of ignorant, ranting buffoons. President George W. Bush once lamented that he was "probably the last Republican President." That's sad on several levels. Because if it's true, they sure didn't get to go out with much of a bang. Just a dud fizzle.

But this could be cause for the Democrat's alarm. Even though I have thought for years, "they can have the Tea Party or they can have the White House, but they can't have both." So I was very comforted thinking Democrats would at least have the Presidency for the next 20 years. The more Republicans hate, the more they lose.

But with King Roger Ailes falling from grace, this may present a problem. Although off the cuff Rupert Murdoch, the money behind this network is rushing to the US, cutting his French vacation short, to assume the responsibilities of Ailes, that will be short lived. Soon one of his sons will take over.

And word around the campfire is that none of the Murdoch son's have been happy with the tone of FOX News. This could mean that they insist that the network, ratchet down the rhetoric and start making sense. That could be big trouble for Democrats. As long as FOX News are clueless imbeciles, they are not threat to Democrats. But if they start being at least truthful, reasonable, and honest, they may actually help the Republican Party regain some respectability. And respectability means real competition.

For the longest I have resented the fact that any wing nut that comes down the pike can declare themselves a Republican and jump on the coat-tails of a Party that has spent 200 years establishing some sort of credibility, but I've enjoyed the fact that they falter with this nonsense. I have always thought if they toss these idiots out, they'll be a real power again. But instead John Boehner throws his hands in the air and quits.

But now this could be a serious juncture for both parties. If FOX News starts to become a legitimate news organization and Tea Party folks start becoming the thing of ridicule, this could mean that Republicans are legitimate contenders again.

And I'd be okay with that if we could get another Theodore Roosevelt.

Oil Production May Not Freeze After All....

The Wall Street Journal on todays front page had a story about how the oil suppliers who supply half the world with oil and gas were trying to freeze oil production so that they could ratchet up prices to screw us and the economy, didn't quite get what they wanted. And let's be honest we're talking about Exxon Mobile and all of the other big guys that want to hurt us if they can. Greed has no limits.

But the talks collapsed after Saudi Arabia reasserted a demand that Iran agree to cap it's oil production.

I have often stated "The President doesn't have anything to do with the price of gasoline." But this time I might be wrong. President Obama negotiated a deal with Iran that now allows them to sell oil on the world markets if they let us keep poking around. And as a matter of fact, we do, and we have already caught them wrong, and that has been rectified so it's working. But since Iran can sell oil again, and since they need to raise capital in a big hurry they are going to help flood the oil market.
So maybe in this case the President did have something to do with the price of gasoline.

But wait, these American oil companies can't stand this. They want to be able to rape us again. It is driving them crazing. They still make record profits, but it's not enough. Greed has no limit.

But they fell on their face today. The only reason gas prices have gone up in recent weeks is on speculation that the oil company evildoers were going to get their way. But it was not to be, since talks have collapsed.

But this is not necessarily bad news for these oil guys in the long run. The continued lower prices allow them to force littler oil competitors out of business. And therefore when they ultimately get their way, they will do even better.

Disgusting isn't it?

But for now, oil prices may hit new levels on the downside. There may even see places that see gas under a dollar this summer. And that means they will have more money to spend on goods and services and therefore helping the economy.

But evil always seems to make a comeback, and this prosperity can't last forever.

Can I say something else about guns?

I don't want to beat this one to death, but there are some things about guns I think need to be said.

First of all, even though every time there is a mass shooting in America a call automatically goes out questioning whether or not we need more gun control. But first everyone should look at the facts before pushing the automatic knee jerk buttons.

Gun violence in America has declined sharply in the US in the last 30 years. In 1980 there were 10.8 willful killings per 100,000. By 1993 it had dropped to seven killings for every 100,000 Americans. And by 2013 that number was down almost half: 3.6 homicides per 100,000 people according to data from the FBI and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Maybe it's because of economic growth and opportunity. Maybe it's because of increased police funding. Or maybe it's just due to the drop in alcohol consumption.

But interestingly enough at the very same time gun violence was dropping, gun ownership was increasing. From 1993 to 2013, private gun ownership increased 56%, to 357 million from 185 million. This is based on data from the Congressional Research Service (CRS). That translates to 1.45 guns for every resident.

And yeah, once in a great while a conceal carry citizen thwarts a crime, but that's rare. I'll acknowledge that.

The point is though that more gun ownership has NOT lead to more gun violence. And restricting people from owning weapons will not necessarily lessen gun violence.

Handguns get a bad rap in this scenario when it is actually assault rifles doing most of the damage. So, what do you want to do? Ban those? I hope not. Bernie Sanders a guy I like a lot, asked on a TV show the other day why citizens need to own assault weapons. That answer is simple. Because the cops have them. Our Founding Fathers weren't afraid that we were going to someday have to battle herds of chipmunks, or roving gangs of deer, but they did want us to be able to take on authority. And as long as cops have assault weapons, we need them too.

These guys show us their ugly side everyday. I was on the job for almost 30 years and I know what I'm taking about. When cowards have weapons, they scare easily. So, if you don't believe me, go to YouTube the Battle of Athens, Tennessee 1947. This was a case of a corrupt sheriff gathering up all the ballot boxes in an election an hour before the polls were to close and promising "we'll count the ballots for you."

Well a bunch of good old boys, fresh home from WWII weren't buying it. So they all went home and got their weapons and there was actually a shoot out around the courthouse. The Governor refused to intervene and the citizens got their ballot boxes back. THAT'S what our Founding Fathers were talking about. So yeah, we need everything the cops have and maybe even a little more wouldn't hurt.

So here's the deal. I now conceal carry. You wanna rob me? Rob me. You wanna punch me? Punch me. But if you pick up a pipe or a knife or some other deadly weapon, you will not like where this will go. You break into my home? I'm going to keep our door shut in our bedroom, have the wife call 911 and stay on the line so that what I say is being recorded, and I am going to be barking "Take what you want and get the hell out! I am armed and if you come into this room and threaten me, I may shoot you. Get what you want and get out."

But if you come into a restaurant I'm in and decide to start killing people, I will shoot you. I won't try for a kill shot, but I'm good. Don't take the chance.

And if every crazy understood that wherever he went to kill people he was going to be met with a barrage of gunfire, do you think he'd be as anxious to pull this stunt?

Apple vs. the FBI

Okay, even though it seems this is easy on the surface, this is a a complex issue. The FBI has asked Apple to help them get into the iPhone of Syed Farook, one of the San Bernadine Shooters. You know the FBI wants the info on the phone to see who he's been in contact with, what sites he visits and is influenced by and on and on. Fair enough. It could be helpful, but then again, it could be totally useless.

But one thing that eases my mind is that even the FBI can't break into my phone. If the FBI can't break in, that tells me that I am much safer from hackers, crooks, and thieves.

But Apple has already shared all of Farook's backed up data that was stored in the Cloud. And it should be noted that Apple has totally cooperated with the FBI more than 200 times in the past.

Today, March 29, the government announced they were able to get into the phone in question, and that is reassuring on a lot of levels. One, Apple's matrix is so complex that it took the supposed to be so smart Feds a month or so to break into it, and that Apple was not willing to cave in under pressure.

So, I guess this is a win/win. Kinda.

The Flint Water Crisis.

I cannot believe where this craziness had led us.

The people of Flint Michigan were appointed an Emergency Manager by Governor Rick Snyder. Soon they began taking making major shortcuts to getting the budget to add up. One was to get off the Detroit water supply and go to a temporary system of getting water from the Flint river until the system from Lake Huron was viable.

History now shows this was all about money and not about people and their health. With rushed  decisions and no fact checking, they made the switch to save a few bucks. And chemicals in the water reacted with the old pipes and the lead content became so high that it was dangerous. But people drank it before they knew it was dangerous. And they gave it to their children, unwittingly subjecting their children to potential learning disabilities, and other potential harmful effects.

But before the switch was made, there were people warning the Snyder administration that this was a disastrous move and could prove to be very harmful. Once the courts forced Governor Snyder and the rest of his administration to release their emails, it became apparent that he demonstrated a cavalier arrogant disregard for the people of Flint.

And when there was a primary in Michigan and Democrats cried "This wouldn't have happened in an affluent white community like Grosse Pointe. It would have been fixed in hours." And they weren't wrong and we all know it.

And still to this day "Tricky Ricky" has not insisted that they immediately switch back to the Detroit Water system until the Lake Huron plan is ready to go. No he remains dumbified.

Many, Many groups are calling for the Governor's resignation. But Repubs often get so full of themselves that they can't understand this concept. And I'm not sure I want that either. Brian Calley? Sheesh. What a loser one-two punch.

But as time goes on, it becomes more apparent that Snyder should resign. But of course he won't. Because he knows in a couple weeks we'll be focused on the next big thing and have forgotten all about this.

This just in. Concrete evidence that Snyder was warned before the Flint water switch over that this was going to be a disaster. And it was ignored.

This is going to cost the tax payers so much more than the savings from the temporary switch over, it's incredibly laughable. This will cost us millions, maybe even billions before it's over.

Today, March 30, 2016, Forbes released a list of the Top Worst Elected Officials. Guess who was on the top of the list. Hey, when everything is running smoothly and you're screwing over state employees so you can give your fat cat buddies big bonuses, life is good. But when you actually have to take the throttle and lead, Mr. Snyder you fall flat on your arrogant face.

Time to go, Tricky Ricky.

And I am not a Brian Calley fan.

Oh oh, a Democrat has to name a Supreme Court Justice.

Last Saturday, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia passed away unexpectedly. And this apparently has set off a fire storm of events. Republicans in the Senate immediately announced they will not appoint anyone that the President appoints.

When will the racism end?

Honestly, the President has a Constitutional obligation to do his duty and nominate a successor to this high post. The front runner on the President's list is a guy that the whole Senate loved. They voted unanimously to endorse him last time to the Appellate Court. Each and every member of the Senate likes this guy. But if the President submits his name, nope. Not if the uppity President endorses him.

So President Obama, having more of a spine than any President before him, will fulfill his duties and and Senate of the United States will demonstrate their partisan racism and not even consider whoever.

Because he's a Democrat. So this poses the larger question. If a Democrat wins the election for the Presidency in the fall, as they will if there's a God in Heaven, does that mean we have to wait another eight years before they will appoint a new Justice?

So today a former Conservative Justice says that the President should do his job and appoint somebody. Sandra Day O'Connor is all behind President Obama that he should do his duty and appoint. Put the ball in their court, so to speak. So the President has vowed to uphold his Constitutional obligations, and the Senate has vowed not to uphold theirs.

If the Senate starts to stall, as they have promised they will, this may not work out for them. Remember when the Government shut down? The public blamed the Republicans for that and their numbers plummeted in the polls. So if they pull this stunt now, they will probably elect a Democrat in the fall.

So as much as I do truly empathize and miss the outspoken Justice Scalia and do think of his wife and nine children and all their familes everyday, I do realize that the guy that would be most outraged by the announcement by the Senate that they were going to shirk their Constitutional responsibility would be Antonin Scalia.

He would be angry and have none of this.

Update: Today it was announced that one of the people being vetted for the Supreme Court nominee is Nevada Governor and former Federal Judge Brian Sandoval. This throws a monkey wrench into everything. Sandoval has quite a right wing history, and left wings groups are reacting harshly. It seems the President is thinking about shoving it in Republicans face, by dangling a Nominee they really want. But having vowed not to even acknowledge anyone that uppity President wants, they'll show him by cutting off their nose to spite their face. The downside is that should the Republicans make themselves look wishy-washy and go ahead and have hearings and vote for the guy, it is Senate Democrats that may likely block the vote. Thankfully this may be just a blip in the polls as opposed to the nose dive the Republicans are risking before the election. If they stand fast they may just hand the White House to the Democrats.

And the drama continues......

Again With the Lip Service on Guns.

Everytime there is a major shooting event by some crazies in this country, again there is a call for "gun control". Simply put, the general idea is to make it harder for Crazy people to get guns. Now if only crazy people were born with signs on their forehead that say "Crazy Person." But lately, we would also need to have them born with signs on their foreheads that say "Not Crazy Now, But Could Become Crazy Someday." What is all boils down to is that these Government folks are all frustrated that they simply can't legislate away Crazy.

Even with the most stringent background checks the Virginia Tech shooter would have easily passed, as would have the Sandy Hook shooter, and the San Bernadino shooter. And many more. There simply is no background box to check for Crazy, Nuts, Bonkers, or Whacko.

So making noise that is nothing but hot air does nothing but fuel the sale of inflated priced weapons. And I know all the gun folks, and I'm one ardent believers in the second amendment, start crying the same old ridiculous "The President Wants To Take Our Guns!" or "Democrats Want to Take Our Guns!", let me just point out that under no Democrat has anyone ever lost one single gun. Not one. So stop with the hysterical lunacy. The Democrats want to take our guns crap started with the Aaron Sorkin film "An American President", and he keeps it up in "The Newsroom." But he's a misguided bleeding heart that has not thought seriously about this issue.

Calling for background checks or other such measures looks good to some and causes alarm in others. But think about it. The President is "calling for." What does that mean? It means he's calling on Congress. It means it's dead in the water. He knows it, they know it, and yet they get to stand against it. In other words it's a Washington win-win.

The President is actually a proponent of the Second Amendment. One of his Harvard Professors has gone on record as saying that when Barrack Obama was his student he railed against him, since he had doubts about the Second Amendment. Obama made arguments everyday, he said, trying to instill in this Prof, the importance of the Second Amendment. The guy said by the time Obama graduated he still wasn't completely convinced but he had make him change some of his views.

And for all of those that are still crying he said he want's to undermine the Second Amendment (Marco Rubio), here's what he actually said (from The Guardian 1/5/16):

Although I don't have a hold of what Rubio's (how is this name so much more American than Obama?) statement was trying to imply, I think he was needlessly being desperate. That's why the voters sent him home.

"Well, that's not horrible logic. And it is not really too oppressive as some are going to claim. None of us want kids getting a hold of guns. And the whole smart gun technology is already here and has been around for a while."

And let me go on record as saying "smart gun technology" is the most stupid asinine thing I have ever heard of. So if a soldier in combat falls, and the soldier next to him runs out of ammo, no sense picking up the weapon next to you, because your finger print won't let the trigger allow you to fire. Or if my wife and I are enjoying dinner in a restaurant and a crazy shooter comes in shooting and I am hit first, my wife can't then grab my weapon and protect herself? No. Ridiculous.

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