Diminished Mental Capacity?

I must tell you how happy I am that our soon-to-be-POTUS, one Mr. Joseph P. Biden, a guy who's been running for Prez for almost 50 years, was fortunate enough to have previously survived two "CVA's," or cerebro-vascular accidents, or intracranial bleeding episodes, or aneurysms, after both of which required emergency brain surgery.

Didn't know about that?  Funny how some things just go unreported...

Yep, good ol' Joe complained of headaches and flashes of lightning which were blurring his vision back in 1988, so he went to a Capitol Hill doctor for a checkup.  Good thing he did, too, because his first aneurysm would have killed him had he not been rushed to the ER for an operation.  They discovered severe bleeding, with the plaque, or the blood spreading from which, had masqued his brain and clouded his vision.  He was out of the Senate for more than seven months recovering, but apparently did so sufficient to continue his duties.  

Given that he was never too sharp to begin with, having needed to plagiarize the work of others in order to compete, and nearly flunking out of law school, so it was hard to tell when, or even if, he was ever "back to normal."

Quickly thereafter, he suffered his second aneurysm.  Once again he was fortunate enough to have excellent medical care immediately available, so, although life-threatening, another emergency surgery "clipped" off the leaking blood vessel in his brain in time to keep good ol' Joe vertical.  

On this side of the grass is a really good place to remain.

Medical experts have opined that either of these "CVA's" could have left lasting damage, and perhaps did, which those of us who are paying attention believe we can witness daily.  Watch Joe squint at the camera, searching for his words.  Struggling at times, seemingly lost in his own thoughts.  Such as they are.  And then uttering one or more of his patented "Biden-isms," or word-salads of nonsensical verbiage.  

Good thing they're funny, though.  At least there's that...

I for one think Joe evidences diminished mental capacity.  Perhaps you also think Joe has diminished mental capacity.  Only those who desperately want Joe to be somebody else - an empty suit into which they can pour their desired wish list of "Progressive" fantasies - are intentionally failing to witness his quite obvious diminished mental capacity.

Did I mention Joe Biden may have diminished mental capacity?  Oh yeah, I did.  And the passage of time seems to be further exposing this not-so-little "secret."  

For those who either weren't around to witness how Biden used to speak and act before his medical episodes diminished his mental capacity, I invite them to go to YouTube and click on Joe's 2016 POTUS convention nominating speech for Hillary Clinton.  If you believe that the Joe of just 4 years ago is just as "with it" as today's Joe, then I suggest you most likely voted for the right guy...

But hey, the really good news is that even if good ol' Joe comes down with one of those "medical emergencies" necessitating the imposition of the 25th Amendment (which would be pyrrhic karma indeed!), V.P.-to-be Kamala Harris will be waiting in the wings.  

She, having been elected because she's not only a "she," which is precedent making, she's also "Black-ish," sort of, and also our very first Asian-American V.P.  And, with her ascension to the Throne thereby assured, she'll be our very first all-of-those-things President.  A circuitous pathway she's travelled to achieve that lofty goal, I think we'd all agree, but she's to be congratulated.  She found a way.

And who said uber-Left-wing politics doesn't pay?

Oh yeah, and on the way out the digital door, lemme' end with a question:  I've been trying to finger out how, if Trump got 74,223,800 votes, which he did, and there were some 133,000,000 registered voters in America at the time of the General Election, which there were, leaving only 59,000,000 votes left for good ol' Joe to vacuum up, which there were, how is it he managed to get 81,282,000 votes?

Just one of the many election imponderables, I guess...

How About Jesus?

Even those of you who have followed the incessant deconstruction of what was San Francisco, the used-to-be most beautiful city in America, will no doubt be shocked to hear of their latest bit of Liberal tomfoolery.

The District Superintendents of San Francisco County have voted to remove the name "Abraham Lincoln" from Abraham Lincoln High School.  Not kidding.  It seems that the uber-Progressive commie pukes who are running things up there do not now believe that "Black lives mattered to him" sufficiently.   Ummm, exsqueeze me? 

No, not an SNL skit.  That's what they actually said.  Oh yeah, and they also said "...the majority of his policies proved to be detrimental to the Native American community."

Wha...?

A President killed by a Democrat for loving Blacks too much, and who was apparently unfair to Native Americans, according to the Monday morning quarterbacks in San Franpoopsco, a People who he probably never even met or knew enough to worry about (he was pretty busy with a War, as you'll recall), is to be cancelled by a bunch of degenerate fools who think that meat comes shrink-wrapped from their local Safeway. 

I sincerely do not know where this could all end up, but I'm guessing it will be a place we won't like.  The Washington Redskins Football Team was recently hounded by a bunch of Progressive weenies so much that the owner was forced to drop the "Redskins" part of the name for fear of losing sponsorships.  FedEx, the title sponsor of FedEx Field, threatened to withdraw its $20 million dollar sponsorship unless the Redskin's owner folds.  So now this team, previously known by the now unmentionable name for its entire 70+ year history, is now known only as "The Washington Football Team."  And I guess there's no way for the pantywaist delberts to find fault with that.   

Although I'm sure they'll try.

Which brings us to a potential solution to this recurring problem:  how about we simply name sporting teams and towns and military bases and monuments and everything else named for a person, especially a person who somebody somewhere might have thought did something during their life that might have angered somebody, or injured somebody, or caused somebody to have psychic pain, the name "Jesus!"  Yeah, that's it!  How about "Jesus High School" of San Francisco?  

Since Jesus was the only perfect human ever, a fact with which most of us would agree, and you'll recall America was founded as a majority Christian nation, then there shouldn't be anybody anywhere who could find fault with that name.  Unless they are atheists, of course, which I hear nearly everyone in San Franpoopco, is.  And unless they're a Muslim, of course.  Or Jewish, like Senator Feinstein.  But hey, they'd probably be happier with the name Mohammed, But there's already so many schools named after Mohammed these days that renaming another one wouldn't cause a stir.  But I don't recall a single high school named after "Jesus."

So, fellow Pilgrims, I offer up this bit of advice to my friends up there in San Fran.  Simply rename the school after "Jesus" and the problem will be solved.  

Or not. 

(Postscript:  Although the name "Jesus" might well work for a high school, I'm doubtful it would be suitable for a football team.  The "Washington Jesus-us?"  Ummmm, no.)

A Christmas Present to the NFL...

I wrote awhile back about the crazy names some NFL players proudly own.  And they display them with pride on the backs of their jerseys.  Like Ju-Ju Smith Schuster (WR, Pittsburg), for example.  And Barchevious Mingo (tackle, Browns).  And Benjarvus Green-Ellis (running back, Patriots).  I'm wondering if their moms were drunk or stoned the day baby-naming came around, or maybe they just put a bunch of consonants and vowels in a brown paper bag, shook it up and pulled out letters until they formed something approaching a name.  

Yeah, that's probably it...

Some football players' names are weird.  Some are hyphenated.  And some are just flat made up.  Like that first guy up above there.  This guy's the one who got me started on this whole schtick.  His real name is not "Ju-Ju," it's John Sherman.  He just flat manufactured his own name.  Good for him, I say!  And then there's Chad Ochocinco (wide receiver, Bengals), and "Ha-Ha" Smith-Schuster (wide receiver, Steelers).  Don't like your name?  Make one up!  Doing so would be better than some of the guys whose names are impossible to pronounce.  Like those gize from Samoa.  So I thought that they might be running out of strange names.  That they might need a few new ones.  Ones they could just assign to their new players when they first arrive in training camp.  

So I dreamed up a some, along with some of the positions they might play, in the hope that they might be of use.  I'm kind of nice like that, or so people say.  Hey NFL, are you watching?  

And so, without further ado (or a-don't!), for their consideration:

Quinsy Mulberry (1st round pick, Alabama)

Melifluous Alpaca 

Merciless Woebegone 

Lefty Potrzebie 

Sonorious Weeblenixen 

Perilus Lichtenstein (European field goal kicker?)

Poosilanimous Bulemia (perfect for a Ukrainian fullback)

M'Bleck Beneeva (Kenyan tackle?)

Venarial Vulva

Blemish Meeshenable

Flagranti Delecto (Italian quarterback, maybe?)

Langorious Pseudomonas 

Nurblemeen Elekktron

Nuba-Luweenie Pleghm 

Mohammed Mohammed Mohammed (friends could call him "Mo")

Reejema Menablu

Jamaal Jamaal Smith

Toooua Moooblenema (Samoan, no doubt)

Numerific Dillingsquat

Medula Oblongata (cerebral quarterback?)

Hiwary Crinton (Japanese female place kicker)

Turbel Frimmeldingen

Negel-Nisi Seengeleangeruter (Nairobi, perhaps?)

Anel Ekkinskobble

Sneegel Starcruzzer

Vikarious Stawkker-Finke 

Josephus O'Biden  

Digitt  Frekkelloyd

And, not to be outdone, there's...

Bleddit Alloid Freechelminder 

Don't like your name?  Here's a few to new ones to choose from.  No need to thank me.  It's why God put me here...

And in the meantime, to all those regardless of name who choose to stand while the National Anthem plays, and to all of you out there who choose to put up with my miscellaneous ramblings throughout the year...

                    ...Merry Christmas!

"Vital" Statistics...

You'll recall I posted a summary of our chances of catching, and then dying from, the Chinese Killer Wuhan Coronavirus a few months back ("A Few Pandemic Factoids," August 20, 2020).  

In summary, I noted that our chances of catching it were about 1 in 1,000, and if caught, the chances of dying from it were about 1 in 1,000.  This was an intentional oversimplification, to be sure, as the actual statistics were pretty sketchy at the time, and presented in fractions.  However, I was pretty close back then, desiring to simply forestall any unnecessary fears my family and friends and neighbors might have gotten from the "MainStreamMedia" and a bunch of talking heads about this disease and what it portends.  And I still am...

I undertook this task because I have a some experience in virology and epidemiology, having spent more than 40 years in the medical field.  And thus, I felt I could wade through the statistics and allay any unfounded fears being proffered by some of the more liberal TV networks.  Yet, there are those who still harbor dangerously erroneous beliefs about the source of the Virus, and the contagion factors, and the chances of death if contracted.    

That stated, I had a conversation with a friend about the Virus over the weekend.  

He explained to me, with the professorial certitude borne of inaccurate data, that the Virus most assuredly came from folks eating bats in a Wuhan, China "wet" market.  Even though there are no bats such as these within 800 miles of Wuhan, China, and that there is no evidence proving such a claim.  And then he said that the Virus having come from a Wuhan lab has been "thoroughly debunked."  By whom, and when, he could not explain.  And also that this Stage IV Bioweapons Lab in Wuhan is the only one in China, and that we've known for years it's been researching this species of bat.  And lastly, he stated, our chances of dying from this Virus are a straight up 2%.  Why?  Because, he said, the most recent CDC statistics he's heard have told us that there are a total of 17,592,760 folks infected, and 315,260 have died.  Thus, he surmises, one can simply divide the former number by the latter, and...VOILA!...you get 2%!  

Of course, in reality the two numbers have no direct correlation to each other.  People in different age groups have different odds against contracting the Virus, and then dying from it.  There have so far been NO deaths in the 0.4 years old age group, anywhere in America.  And those over 90 have a 16% chance of dying if infected.  And people in the intervening age groups have remarkedly different - but escalating - chances of falling victim.   

Also, we know at least 39% of all Virus deaths so far have come from nursing homes and were perhaps preventable (could be as high as 50%!).  And that the vast majority of those nursing homes have been in New York, California, Washington and Arizona.  Remember when Governor Mario Cuomo ordered aged patients out of hospitals and back into nursing homes, chocked full of infected patients, just as the pandemic hit?  And that order resulted in more than 6,000 deaths?  Remember that?  No?  Your preferred news network fail to cover this?  Maybe you've been watching the wrong news networks...

And, we know that many of the deaths are from ailments where the Virus is but a co-morbidity, as opposed to the primary cause.  Such as having died from cancer, or diabetes, or from a stroke, but also while infected with the Virus.  It may be that when so many are dying so fast, it's just easier to blame the pandemic, even if it's not the primary cause of death.  Especially if the Government pays more via Medicare/caid for a death caused by the Virus (!).  One such example involved a motorcycle accident victim in Florida.  Yep, his death certificate blamed the Virus.  In any event, we will never know for sure.  

Thus, we can state with some degree of certainty that up to half of the reported deaths from the Virus, may be bogus!

But we do know for sure that the CDC's most recent guidance statistics tell us that the blended average projected death rate from the Virus is now 0.26%. (USA Today, December 20, 2020).  Or, as they summarize, we have "a 0.2% chance of dying from the Coronavirus"   In other words, I was wrong back then; it wasn't "1 in 1,000."  It was "2 in 1,000."  Not 2%, 0.2%.  Or, ten times less than my friend believes.  

Now, I'm not here to try and talk somebody out of being afraid of this Virus; they should be.  I am.  Especially because I'm in the most susceptible age group.  But I wished - and still wish - to allay any unnecessary fears the uninitiated might have.  If one does takes the basic steps to stay safe, ala hand washing, and mask wearing, and staying not 5' 11" inches from each other, but a full six feet (ahem!), then you'll likely remain safe.

And be sure to leave the bar by 10:00 p.m.  The Virus only attacks folks in bars after 10:00 p.m... 

And in that vein I'd like to suggest that everyone everywhere obtain their news and information from a variety of sources.  Simply listening to one or two liberal news channels doesn't get it, especially since most are.  You just might find out that what you know to be true absolutely...is absolutely...false.  

I'm reminded of one of ex-Prez Ronald Reagan's favorite sayings:  

"It isn't so much that Liberals are ignorant.  It's just that so many things they think they know aren't so."  

The Good Old Days...

I remember a time in the not-so-distant past when you could vote for a city council person, or a mayor, or a governor, or even a president, without first worrying whether they would kill you or ruin your life.  Perhaps you do as well.

Seems like those were the good old days.  And I want them back...

Now?  Now you vote for some bureaucrat with a degree in "transportation management" from USC or Tufts or Stanford, or even some community college somewhere like that, to keep the trains running on time and the snow plowed.  We look to bureaucrats to do the boring, often thankless jobs that nobody else either wants to do, or knows how to do.  And we throw them a "bone" in terms of pay and benefits for keeping this stuff handled properly.

But none of those jobs remotely resembles figuring out which "non-essential" businesses to close down tight because a virus they don't understand or know how to deal with has been visited upon the land by a hostile foreign power.  We don't vote for doctors or nurses to run cities or states.  We vote for people with an  education and talent in those areas.  And we hope we get our monies' worth...

So what happens when the Chinese release a killer virus?  They do so the very day after Trump announced they'd signed the largest trade purchasing deal in history.  More than $250 billion in farm products, it was.  They were backed into a corner by Trump, and they folded.  Did they release this virus in retaliation?  No proof as of yet, but there's a strong possibility.  A virus that's not only sabotaged our economy, but the economy of the entire world.  And since there's no doubt as to where the virus came from, only why, perhaps we should all focus our energies on trying to gain some degree of pay-back for this horrific act.  Perhaps we should endeavor to make China think twice before committing such a heinous act again.  Maybe we make a few Chinese just "go away..."  

Instead, it seems, the Democrat Party and the Legacy Media wish to deflect the blame from China.  One can only guess as to why.  I'm thinking it might have something to do with bushel baskets of American Greenbacks flowing their way.  And God knows they have plenty of them.  They've been buying our debt and selling us Wal-Mart trinkets for decades.  If you see a politician arguing against holding China responsible for all of this, an event which could possibly bring down our Country, perhaps we should take a look at who's been funneling them money.  Funny how some good ol' palm-greasing can make those charged with protecting and advising us just  Look. The. Other. Way.

So it seems we must now endeavor to protect ourselves not only from our enemies, both foreign and domestic, but from our elected officials as well.  I dunno' about you, but so long as Boy Guv Newsom and Mafiosi Cuomo and their ilk continue to try and punish us, their constituencies, with outrageous demands with which they themselves are unwilling to comply,* maybe it's time to pick up the torches and the pitchforks once again.  Maybe it's time to run these bastards out of their comfy statehouses and send them packing.

What do you think? 

*  Most recent statistics tell us there's only a 1.7% chance of contracting the disease from restaurants.  Even restaurants like The French Laundry, where Newsom dines.  Far less than from other "approved" operations.  Yet, restaurants are still punished with incessant lockdowns.  As an example, more than 1,000 New York City restaurants are now permanently closed.  And we fear as many as 40% of all restaurants will be forced to cease operations.  There will be an end to all of this.  The question is, what will remain?

Thoughts...

As a trained social scientist, clinician and clinical psychologist, or one out of three, not to mention having considerable expertise as a sushi chef, I have a few finely-honed observations about the General Election just past.  And, being of the variety who just neeeeds to share his opinion with the fawning masses (shoulda' been a journo), including perhaps yourself, here goes:

     -  What are the so-called "MainStreamMedia" supposed to do now?  They've crafted their entire programming day around "Orange Man Bad," and now "Orange Man Bad" will be hitting the exits.  What are they going to report about once all they've been reporting about...has left the building?  Will they be left with a crusty old coot who never leaves the White House basement?  Will they wake up that cold, grey morning and realize they'll have to stop being TMZ and start reporting the...news?

     -  I'm wondering if the Left-of-Center folks, the ones who voted in Biden, will ever figure out what it will actually cost them to ease "OMB" out of office.  I'm guessing those Biden Voters all got their news from Google or Yahoo, or maybe Instagram, so they never actually understood that doing so was against their best interests.  That their preferred POTUS and his crowd desperately want to tax them more and take away a bunch of their freedoms.  With a smile.  In essence, this Election was truly about "The Devil you know vs. the Devil you don't."  Most Democrats are, or at least were, fairly conservative folks who just have a bleeding heart gene.  As opposed to "Progressives," for instance, who are dumber than a bag of rocks and desperately want to live in Venezuela without going through the steps in between.  Except that DJT came on the scene, and they all went stark raving nuts!  Enough so that, even though he lowered the unemployment rate and increased the take-home wages and brought China to its knees and made nice with Kim Jung the Un and rejiggered that whole America-Mexico-Canada trade deal and bowed out of the job-killing Paris Peace Accords and gave the finger to the Climate Pact and told the Hi-atolluh to pound sand and found peace in the Middle East, for the First. Time. Ever., and mucho more, they might not have gotten that news.  

And that he did all of this while dragging the entire House of Representatives and the Democrat National Committee and the MainStreamMedia and the Coastal Elites and the social media crowd and university and college professors and union bosses and suburban housewives and the entire Hollywierd establishment along behind him.  Plus, he fought off that whole "Russia Collusion" hoax for two and one-half years.  And then an impeachment trial.  While fighting the Chinese Killer Coronavirus.

Is it possible that Donald J. Trump is the real "Superman?"  Has anyone ever seen The Donald and Superman in the same place at the same time?  Ever?

And his opponent, po' ol' Joe, is a frail old coot who'se beset with early onset non compas mentas-ness.  That means "elevator doesn't reach the top floor."  An old man who is being fed what to say, and then says it.  Jerry Mahoney to somebody else's Paul Winchell (if you're young, look it up).  And HE'S supposed to be the next POTUS?  Really?  

One thing about being old and grey and ready to take that celestial discharge is that I likely won't personally have to live through all the awful realities that will surely be a Biden Administration.  Oh, excuse me, a Harris Administration.  There's not a chance in Hell Biden makes it out of 2021 without Karmela pulling that 25th Amendment thingie on him...

Or maybe something else far worse...

Some Casual Observations...

I thought that now might be a good time to put my trusty digital pen to paper and jot down a few of my observations on the state of America, circa 2020.  These observations have been banging around inside my noggin like BB's in a boxcar for a few weeks now, and they're just screaming to get out.  And so, without further ado, here goes:

     -  Donald J. Trump got elected to President of these here United States because...he's not a politician.  

And he's been unceremoniously shown the door to a reelection because...he's not a politician.

     -  A real, honest-to-God politician (not necessarily a complement) named Obama showed up and was elected to POTUS in 2000.  He managed to set back racial relations here in America by a hundred years, created the first "beer summit," wrote oodles of rules and regulations that hamstrung our businesses and corporations, gutted our military and more than doubled our National Debt.  We had 8 years of unnecessary hardship as a result.  Had he not been who he was, or done what he did, then Trump would not have been seen as a savior to undo it all.  And he was elected to do just that.

     -  Once elected, Trump proceeded to act like a non-politician, tweeting all hours of the day and night, berating reporters, stomping around like the proverbial bull in a china shop, acting anything but presidential, but everything like a frustrated businessman, anxious to fix everything that needed fixing.  Which was nearly everything.  Of course, whilst doing so he cut taxes and eliminated rules and regulations and ended old treaties and wrote new ones.    Those within his "core" group of supporters seemed not to care what he did, when he did it, or who he did it to; they were on his side, no matter what.  That core group comprised approximately 40% of the American electorate.  However, 40% is not enough to get reelected...  

     -  Folks started paying attention to the election on or about the time of the first televised debate.  People were all ready to watch the two combatants go at it when, instead of a polite, gentlemanly exchange of plans and ideas, ala Nixon/Kennedy, or Carter/Reagan, the sort you would expect from presidential candidates, it turned rather into a shouting match...with The Donald doing most of the shouting.  Non-presidential.  Yes, I know he was engaging in combat with two Democrats, including Chris Wallace, the moderator (he proudly admits his Democrated-ness).  And yes, I know he was doing his best to fight back.  However, the majority of that night's TV audience had no inkling of all these subtle nuances and.  

I think he lost the election that night...

     -  Some might have noticed that Biden spent the campaign in his Maryland basement.  Who ever managed that campaign has proven to be a genius.  How else to hide a mean-tempered, crusty old coot with flagging mental capabilities while the Nation was paying no attention whatsoever.  This will go down in history as the first and only non-campaign - campaign.

     -  Trump had no simple, straightforward, easily repeated campaign slogan.  Something like, "Hope and Change," which worked so well for Obama.  He didn't have one.  His was rather a series of dozens of performances in airplane hangers across America.  His True Faithful were there, mask-less, all wearing their obligatory "MAGA" hats and T-shirts, screaming and shouting in unison.  Unfortunately, one does not win an election by preaching to the choir.  One wins by inviting new prospective congregants into the church to hear the Good Word.  He should have.  

He didn't.

     -  I'm of the opinion that Trump is one of those guys who won't be missed until he goes away.  And when he does, people will come to realize how much he did for America, and wish he were still around to keep on doing it.  But they will have to suffer through at least four years of what I consider to be a criminal organization running our Country (there's a lot of proof of that; some prefer not to see it).  The Good News is that Trump will be hiding in the proverbial bushes, watching carefully, just waiting for the Biden Boys to do their socialist stuff.  And when they do, Trump will be there to publicize it.  And capitalize on it.  

     -  And on that subject, I'm betting that Trump will buy or put together a media organization to rival the CNN's and Fox News-es of the world.  And I'm guessing he'll soon have his own TV talk show.  And I'm guessing he'll make it his business to Ruin. Every. Single. Day. of what's left of Joe P. Biden's life.  And I'm guessing if Karmela Harris has anything to do with it, there won't be too much remaining of it...

     -  I now leave you with one of my favorite sayings:  "Be careful for what you want, you just might get it."  The people "wanted" Biden, it seems, and now they've got him.  If they work for a living, and earn a paycheck, I'm guessing they'll soon come to know how wrongly they chose.  And that sense of loss should help to shoooo Trump back into the White House if he wants it come 2024.  

Bet on it...

A Fond Remembrance...

I was stationed in Germany for a time whilst serving in His Majesty's Not-so-secret Service.  

I worked in doing stuff I can't talk about a little town just outside of Heidelberg, one of the very prettiest cities on Earth.  I was lucky enough to make friends with other soldiers who held a recurring Wednesday evening poker game in the Mannheim Top Hat Club.  That's a really big military night club and bar for enlisted soldiers just outside Frankfurt.  We'd get together around 9:00 and sometimes play all night.  Lemme' tell you there's nothing quite like a good poker game with a bunch of crusty lifers to take your mind off a war...

The Top Hat would hire a changing cadre of bands and entertainers to keep the troops happy.  But some were so good, so very well received by the guys that they wound up being pretty much a permanent fixture.  A thing like that happened in Mannheim and I grew to know one such guy...

He was Black.  And he was a country singer.  Ummmm, what?  Those two don't go together.  Or at least they didn't back in the 1960's.  It was just him, and his trusty guitar, singing ballad after ballad, five nights a week.  And one of those nights was Wednesday.  And I found myself getting to the Club early so I could sit and listen to this guy play and sing and drink while I knocked back one of those great German beers.  Because I dedicated some of my time to him, he became friendly towards me.  Friendly enough that he'd usually take a break when I arrived so we could catch each other up on the goings-on in our lives.  He was a bit older than me, so I found myself looking up to this guy.  And that wasn't strange at all; there was no racism in the Army, nor in the other branches, I'm guessing.  There's nothing quite like a war and people getting shot and dying to both unite people around a common cause and forswear simple crap like skin color.

There are no Blacks or Reds or Yelllows or Browns or Whites in a fox hole.  Just so you know...

Anyway, after about a year of this he told me he was going to have to move on.  He confided in me that he was endeavoring to become a country music recording star, and his producer, a guy named Pop Phillips,* had sent him to Germany to hide out while his records were being introduced.  And he told me that they had caught on and that Pop felt he could now come home and enjoy the fruits of his talents without people first considering his "Black-ness."  He told me he was off back across the Big Pond, and wished me well.  We promised to stay in touch.  We always said that back then.  To keep in touch, that is.  But never meant it...

You should know my old friend Charley Pride died yesterday.  He was 87, I think, and fell victim to the Chinese Killer Wuhan Coronavirus (sorry...I will not use that OTHER term).  His records did indeed "hit the charts" and he became one of the greatest country recording artists of all time.  He's also been voted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.  I'm sorry I didn't keep my promise to follow up with Charley and reestablish our friendship.  I'm sure he'd have been glad to see me.  

And I sure would have been glad to have seen him...

"Critical Mass"

Remember last summer when those black-clad "Antifa" and "Black Lives Matters" goons were burning down Seattle and Portland?  Ever wonder why not a single one of these anarchists, who collectively caused more than $One Billion Dollars of damage, was ever arrested and tried? 

Because there was more of "them" than there was of "us."  And "us," in this particular exercise, was the police.

I recall seeing about 200 Chicago cops standing by and watching as these same thugs toppled statue after statue on their tony Miracle Mile.  Why weren't they arrested?  There were thousands of them, that's why.  The cops were outmatched. And so it went, all year long.  First Seattle and Portland, then Minneapolis and Rochester.  And on to NYC and Atlanta and Baltimore.  So many Democrat-led cities looted and robbed and set on fire.  Their police were shown to be insufficient in number to cross swords with hundreds, even thousands of trained anarchists.  And their Democrat "leaders" were similarly found wanting.    And so they didn't even bother to try.  They just stood by and let these criminals destroy their communities.  Sad...

Now let's transmogrify that little lesson in crowd (mis)management with our current restaurant situation.  When the "powers that be" shut down one restaurant for purported "violations" of wispy, ill-defined new rules and regulations, written by those with ivy-league educations in other than medicine, that restaurant will likely comply.  And go broke in the aftermath.  But when hundreds, nay thousands of restaurants are shut down, for no legitimate reason whatsoever,* you then have the makings of civil disobedience.  The beginnings of folks saying, "I'm mad as Hell and I'm not gonna' take it anymore!"  

And that, fellow Pilgrims, is exactly where we now find ourselves; smarmy, overeducated, under common-sensed politicians, like CA's Boy Guv Gavin Newsom or wanna' be Mafioso NY's Mario Cuomo, making up laws to "fix" situations completely beyond their comprehension.  And destroying lives in the process.  More than 110,000 American restaurants are now shut down.  Many of them forever.  And most have been shut down for no good scientific reason whatsoever.  The lives of hundreds of thousands of restaurant owners, and more than a million of their employees, have been torn asunder, without rhyme or reason.  And I'm thinking now might be a good time for them to revolt.

What would happen if thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of these same restaurants were to simply say, "NO!"  What would happen if they were to defy the orders of their governors and mayors and stay open.  With necessary safety precautions taken, of course.  What would happen if these restaurants were to achieve a kind of "critical mass," where there were more scofflaw restaurants then there were cops or politicians to shut them down?  I say...NOTHING!  Nothing would happen!  Oh, the authorities might post a cop or two in front of the more high profile establishments within their states or cities, but I seriously doubt that many would be cited for their "civil disobedience."  In fact, I'd say these authoritarians might well be cowered enough to rescind those same orders, perhaps in time to save the very restaurants they are now seemingly dedicated to destroying.

I wonder where Democrats plan to go out to eat when all of this is over?  Given their recent actions, I'd say they might want to learn to cook...  

*   The size, number or amount of something necessary to cause a particular result.

**  Admiral Brett Giroir, Asst. Director, Health and Human Services, stated unequivocally this week that there is absolutely no science to support outlawing dining outdoors.  In fact, he went on to say, there is no science to support the outlawing of dining indoors so long as necessary social distancing niceties are recognized.  Politicians might wish to take note... 

"Weapons of War"

Do you want a good laugh?  

Our incoming POTUS and his Vice POTUS have promised to unilaterally write Executive Orders to make all our semi-automatic firearms illegal, and to tax them as full automatic weapons under the 1934 Firearms Control Act. That would attempt to make all current owners of what they call "assault weapons" (but cannot adequately define that term) pay a $200 annual tax for the privilege of continuing to own their "weapons of war."  The ones they already own.  And have already paid for.  Orrrrrr, the Plan goes, they may just decide to turn them in to the Government.  How nice of them...

Kind of Orwellian, doncha' think?

By the way, there are some 18 or 19 million of them in circulation.  And the fact that we don't know exactly how many, is the crux of this little rant...

The way our current background check legislation works is the key to this little discussion; it's called the "NICS" system, and it's been in force since 1998.  This "National Instant Criminal System" has been keeping firearms out of the hands of those who shouldn't have them for more than two decades.  Didn't know we had background checks, did you?  

Anyway, the way it works now is you plunks down your money for the gun and some of it goes to pay for an FBI check to see if you're okay to own one.  The dealer electronically sends off a request to the FBI and gets back an approval (or occasional disapproval) within minutes.  The gun dealer is then required by law to keep the resultant "DEROS" (Dealer Record of Sale) for 20 years.  Buuuut, the Federal Gummint is required, by law, to destroy the official request within 30 days.  Hmmmmm.  Soooo, fellow Pilgrim, it seems that the Feds don't know who has what!  18 or 19 million so-called "assault weapons" circulating out there and the Feds don't know who has them.  And it's bothering them no end!  And that's the real fun in this situation!

Soooo, just exactly how is Sleepy Joe going to fine us for owning something if he doesn't know who owns it?  And how is Carmella going to enforce her promise to confiscate "assault weapons" within 100 days of her taking orifice if she doesn't know who has them?  He won't!  And she won't!

And that's why, fellow Pilgrims, they want so desperately to pass the so-called "Universal Background Checks."  This little jewel corrects the "oversight" in the NICS system by making it law that the Federal Gumming must keep a record of all firearm sales....FOREVER!  Get it?  GET IT?  I knew you would...

The Democrats are a bunch of flim-flam artists.  They are doing their best to disarm America any way they can.  The key question is, exactly why?  Why are they so dead set on taking away out guns?  After a Summer of Destruction, where many of our fellow citizens have been in fear for their lives, or actually lost them, where anarchists have been deconstructing America before our very eyes, the Democrats still want to take our firearms.  Do they have s**t for brains, or what?  

I have a question: just exactly how many of those 18 or 19 million "assault weapons" do you think will be willingly turned in by American gun owners?  Just exactly how many Americans will choose to pay an exorbitant tax, created for fully automatic weapons, in order to keep the guns they already own?  I'd say maybe 13.  Or 28.  Not more than 100, nationwide, in any case.

Good luck, Democrats!  Good luck in your never-ending quest to turn Americans into a bunch of fearful, quaking, nervous dolts who need the help of Gummint in order to continue to exist.  Here's a hint:    

We don't...  

Like Rats From a Sinking Ship!

Did you hear?

300,000 people have fled New York City!  

Yep, fellow Pilgrims, 300,000 hard-core, Upper East Side old-money canyon dwellers have given up on their tony digs and bolted for parts unknown.  

Well, not actually "unknown," just dispersed to the winds, so to say.

Many have scurried off to the safe and comfy confines of the "Hamptons."  That's an area at the far eastern end of Long Island.  And that would be East Hampton, where the truly $Rich live, and West Hampton, where the "almost-there," are there.  There is no North and South Hampton.  Yet.  Nobody except $Multi-millionaires live in either of the two locales, so the virus cannot gain a foothold (I've heard the city councils of each village there have outlawed it).  And some have retreated to the wooded safety of their Upstate New York homes.  And others to their Connenneccticutt cabins.  And some have just finally given up and accepted the fact that New York's taxes are "too damned high."  A move for them to Florida, or any other of the low- or no-tax states is finally in their cards.

Funny how much convincing it takes to convince those who shouldn't need any convincing.

And oh yeah, it just might be that these "bolters" also noted that they've been paying a "New York City Income Tax," meaning a charge on top of their New York State income tax of 8.8% and their Federal Income Tax.  That means they've been paying for the privilege of working in NYC.  Whoopie!  And let us not forget to mention the 11% New York State sales tax they've been paying as well.  So let's see here; with Federal income tax, and NY State income tax, and NYC income tax, and NYC's sales tax, a high earner wouldn't have much left to buy that Rolls-Royce, now would they?  Just think: one of those highly-paid news anchors on MSNBC or CNN or Fox could well be paying 63.3% of his/her/its earning in taxes!  Perhaps they finally did an inventory and realized the degree to which they've been routinely screwed over the years.

Have you seen a recent video of what the streets of New York City looks like these days?  No?  It's a ghost town!  Mid-town Manhattan is boarded up.  5th and 6th Avenues between 34th and 60th are "out of business."  The looters and rioters and arsonists made sure of that.  Weeks ago.  They stole everything that wasn't nailed down.  And set fire to what was left.  And yet the businesses have not reopened, as they don't trust Mayor DeBlahsio to keep them safe.

Did you know the Mayor's real name is Warren Wilhelm?  No?  Maybe he changed it to avoid a warrant.  A warrant for Warren?  Get it?  Knew you would...  

Anyway, it seems that the filthy rich in NYC have finally wrapped their Patrician arms around the fact that New York screws its residents with super high taxes and it's finally time to relocate.  To take those diamonds and those mink coats and begin to enjoy the balmy Florida weather.  One of those businesses providing the financial underpinning for NYC that's decided to up and leave is Goldman-Sachs.  It's one of the largest financial management outfits in the entire world and it's decided to call it quits on New York City.  To bail on it.  To leave it in the dust.  You should know that fully 18% of New York State's entire revenue, totaling $15 Billion Dollars annually, comes from financial management firms.  And 6% of New York City's revenue comes from the very same place.  

I recall a recent poll indicating only 3,300 taxpaying families were keeping NYC afloat.  That's all.  They apparently have...or had...enough cash to keep paying NYC's exorbitant income and property and sales taxes and they were milked like a rented cow for all they've been worth.  

Face it:  NYC may soon be uninhabited.  You know that National Geographic series that dealt with what our cities might look like "the day after?"  You know, like after the bomb went off, or that dratted asteroid hit?  Yeah, tumble weeds and bits of computer paper blowing down the Avenue of the Americas.  Lights out, nobody home.  Even the drunks and homeless and Uber drivers all be gone.  Except for the "MainStreaMedia" giant broadcasters who inhabit six blocks in Mid-Town Manhattan.  Without them, NYC would be a ghost town.

With them, NYC is a ghost town... 

Just Catching Up...

Well okay here, just catching up.  

I've been busy with my other career piloting a nuclear submarine (I used to be into animal husbandry until they caught me at it!), so I haven't been following the news too closely.  I gather Joe Biden "won," however, and I put the won in "quotes" because I hear they're still fighting over it, and that some 78% of Republican voters think the election was stolen!  Hey!  That's a lot!  Since some 74 Million people voted for Trump, that means almost 40% of America is pissed!  

                                  Bigly!

So how does this work now?  I'm sure Trump has figured out how to "weaponize" the FBI or the CIA or the NSA or one of those alphabet monster Gummint outfits more closely resembling the Mafia.  Just like Obama did to him.  And most likely Trump has also figured out how to label Biden a Russian spy.  Or maybe even a Chinese spy.  Like Obama did to him.  Remember, Biden's wastrel, addicted, philandering, loser son Hunter was the recipient of $1.5 Billion from the Chinese a few years back.  Don't ask me why, but I have a pretty good idea.  Biden is obviously in China's pocket, so labeling him a spy should be a piece of cake.

Oh yeah, and we must not forget to yell out how Biden's an "illegitimate" president at every turn.  That's what they did to Trump, remember?  The Democrats labeled him as illegitimate from the day he was inaugurated, so doing the same to Biden should be expected.  Heck, remember that some 65 Democrat members of the House of Representatives boycotted Trump's inauguration?  They didn't even bother to show up.  Remember the N. Y. Times' front page on Trump's Inauguration Day?  It blurted out their desire to start his impeachment immediately.  Yeah, couldn't even wait a day for two for him to do something wrong.  Maybe it's time to start planning for Biden's impeachment.  Or, maybe it won't matter since Harris is already ahead of us all there.  Even good ol' boy Jimmuh Carter, previously one of the worst ex-Presidents, named Trump as illegitimate, so sticking Biden with the "i" word shouldn't prove too difficult. 

Special counsel, anyone?  I think The Trumpster should name a Special Counsel before he leaves the Oval Orifice.  He'd be snooping around, high and low, looking under every rock.  No telling what he might find!   Or maybe a "she."  A female Special Counsel would be nice, so Democrats would be somewhat hamstrung on how to treat her.  Or maybe even a transgender S.C.  That would be even better!  And it would take up a whole lot of D.C.'s oxygen, trying to figure out how to lambast a political appointee just when they'd rather focus on raising our taxes and ending fracking and "changing back" the climate and confiscating our guns.  

It's fun to be a pest, isn't it?

And we also have to begin the chant, "He's not my president!"  Loudly.  All day, every day.  We'll demand the boycott of any company or organization that advocates for any cause favorable to Biden or his Democrat henchmen.  And women.  And all the other genders.  Well, don't blame me!  They're the ones that said we have 57 genders!  I'm just trying to be inclusive!

So let's take inventory here: Trump should name a Special Counsel to call witnesses and name grand juries and spend $Millions; and Republicans should start calling Biden "illegitimate" while they plan his impeachment; and boycotts should begin immediately, especially concerning Facebook and Twitter and all those other Left-leaning social media outfits; and Trump should make sure that he does everything he can to turn Federal spy agencies against Biden and his cohorts.   

With all of this in place, Biden can begin his term just like Trump did; facing a quagmire of pitfalls at every turn.  Except that he'll have to do that while also watching over his shoulder for Karmela.  She just might whip out that trusty old 25th Amendment to try and show him the door.  The same one he tried to use on Trump.  And so I wish him the same sort of luck he visited upon Trump.  And all of it was bad.  Too bad, so sad.  

As they say, politics is a contact sport...

1st Amendment...

            The 1st Amendment to the Constitution

"Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or 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 grievance."

Okay then fellow Pilgrims, that above you up there is the 1st Amendment to the Bill of Rights, which is the first ten amendments to the Constitution of these here United States of America.

It sets the tone for the enumeration of our freedoms.  The Constitution itself was filled to the brim with all sorts of special stuff important to us all.  But it did not specify in a sort of "Cliff Notes" layout exactly which freedoms it made sure we possessed.  And so the Founding Fathers (I wonder if they called each other that?) decided that amendments would be necessary to spell out those freedoms from time to time, and they'd just go ahead on and list the first ten that came to mind.  And thus we have the Bill of Rights, with the 1st Amendment thereof spelled out above for all to see.  

Please take a moment, read it, and enjoy!

Okay now, we can begin.  First, I have to say that these old boys were masters at verbal economy.  Very few words, lots of information.  The 2nd Amendment, as an example, has only 27 words.  Yet, it's pissed off more squishy liberal than perhaps any other Amendment.  

Second, you'll note the first few words of this Amendment.  It specifies that Congress shall not tinker around the edges of the Constitution by trying to either create a religion, or to define what one should be.  That's called the "establishment clause," in case you were wondering.  Most busybodies are fond of screeching that the Constitution clearly specifies the "separation of church and state."  It doesn't.  And the first little bit of the Bill clearly specifies that.  

However, it goes on to state that nobody can make a law prohibiting the free exercise of one's religion.  Limp-wristed bedwetters like our Boy Guv Gavin Newsom is fond of doing that.  And so are Deputy Dog Cuomo and DeBlaaahsio in New York, and the Little General governor Phil Murphy from New Jersey, and so many others.  Every day they prohibit our worshipful from attending the church or synagogue or mosque of their choice, or limit the number of congregants, by sworn officers under the color of authority, they are violating the 1st Amendment.  And the Supreme Court just ruled that they had better stop.  I wonder if they will?

The "1st" goes on to mention that our speech must be "free" and that nobody should abridge it.  Meaning modify or change or limit it.  Kind of like is being done by Twitter and Facebook and Instagram and so many other social media sites on a daily basis.  Of course, I might mention that nobody's speech is limited unless they permit it to be.  I don't.  Do you?

Of course, fistfights may occasionally erupt.  Count on it...

The "1st" then states that the freedom of the press shall not be limited.  It isn't.  Except by Liberals and Progressives and Democrats at so many of our newspapers and TV stations and social media sites today.  Just remember: the Government isn't limiting your speech.  The folks in charge of our press freedom are limiting your speech.  Think about that for a minute...

The 1st Amendment then goes on to guarantee we have the freedom to assemble.  That means to get together with each other.  Whenever we want.  Except, of course, if you live in states like CA or NY or NJ or WA or OR or so many other Dem states where they've decided to limit how many people you can have over to dinner, and from how many households may they come, and where they may sit at the table, and perhaps whether or not they get score seconds.  

Do they have s**t for brains?  

And lastly, the 1st Amendment tells us we can demand the Government to rethink actions it takes against us that are unconstitutional.  Or that we think just might be.  And we do.  Every day.  Just think about the more than 5,000 registered lobbyists roaming around the halls of the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.  They are there to try and arm-twist our elected officials into seeing things their way.  And all of that would be just fine with our Founders.

I'd also like to offer up that it's taken me about 500 words to outline and define for you what the 1st Amendment so clearly states in only 45.  That's what I meant by "verbal economy."

In summation, the 1st Amendment outlines for you the Rights you own as a natural born American.  The Constitution did not give those Rights to you.  Your elected officials did not give them to you.  You were born with them.  They were a gift from God.  And these are the very same Rights those on the hard Left, the "Progressives" among us, are working overtime to take from us. 

But you won't let that happen, will you?  You're too smart for that...

Testosterone...

Being of the sort that worries about the health and well-being of my fellow man, and woman, and here in California, the other 55 genders (hey, don't blame me, I'm just the reporter), I'm worried about runaway testosterone.

Testosterone?  Yes, testosterone.  That's the tiny stuff running around in males' inner workings that make them want to go out looking for a little "action," if you know what I mean.  

I've been told, and tend to believe, that testosterone levels are directly dependent upon the regularity of one's sexual activity.  More sex lowers the levels of testosterone, less increases them.  If this is true, then we are in for a whole lot of trouble in the coming days and weeks.  Why?  Welllll, fellow Patriots, for the past 10 months or so, our youts (what's a yout?) have been prevented from heading on out to their local bars and nightclubs and raves and house parties looking for a little sexual contact.  The Chinese Wuhan Killer Coronavirus has resulted in the shutdown of most all of the places one would go to try and find a little bit of that sort of "friendliness," if you know what I mean.  And I think that you do. 

Except for that other sort that requires no other human contact.  Ahem... 

So no regular route by way of which one would lower one's testosterone level now exists.  And this, I propose, is resulting in a nationwide increase in testosterone levels, which may well result in increased violence and criminal activity.  Think about it: recent college graduates with a degree in Existential Phenomenalism, minor in Medieval Lesbian Poetry, for example, who are beset with $100 Grand in student loans, and are living in their mommy's and daddy's basement, working at a job where you ask "Would you like fries with that,?" are frustrated as Hell!  

I would be too!

So frustrated that I propose they are likely the source of much of our recent lawlessness.  Do we know for sure that these folks aren't the same ones responsible for all those fires and thefts and that looting and pillaging that's gone on in 48 Democrat-run cities all year long?  I think maybe they are!  Maybe all they needed was to get laid and all that damage and destruction could have been avoided!  And all because of a virus!

Just think: if all those "Black Lives Matters" and "Antifa" thugs had gotten a little "strange" periodically, would they have been so willing to Mutilate Minneapolis?  Or Sack Seattle?  Or Plunder Portland?  I doubt it.  I'm betting that they would have put down their bricks and baseball bats and frozen water bottles, and picked up some flowers and candy and a bottle of wine or two for their significant other?  Even if they had to steal it!

And BTW, how'ya gonna' find your "significant other," if you can't go out looking for him/her/it/them?

Perhaps these Democrat cities would have been better off promising to pay for a dating service then defunding their police departments.  Maybe hosting cocktail hours and neighborhood gettogethers for singles would tend to defuse all the angst and anger so prevalent in Modern Day America.  Maybe a national "Can't we just all get along" campaign might do the trick...  

Or, maybe just opening up the bars and nightclubs again would finally solve the problem.  And our schools and churches and synagogues and mosques, too!  They should never have been closed in the first place, doncha' know!  When the "book" is finally written, I'm guessing our recent national shutdown will be considered a yuuuge mistake.  And one which just might have resulted in the Trumpster's electoral defeat.  

In short, maybe we should operate America like they do Sweden.  No masks, no lockdowns.  They're just trusted not to sneeze in each others' faces, to keep a safe distance from each other and be considerate.  Notice the key word there is "trust."  A trait well-run governments accord to their adult citizens.  And their infection and positivity rates are lower than ours.  And their hospitalization rate is lower than ours.  And their death rate is lower than ours as well. 

So listen up, fellow Pilgrims!  Just stay out of the way of those who are prevented from looking for and finding some sexual companionship.  Sort of like those caught on the streets of Pamplona just before they release the bulls.  A word to the wise, those without it are to be considered armed and dangerous until they can find a suitable outlet for their heightened testosterone levels.  

I don't know about you, but maybe staying at home with the curtains drawn and the doors locked isn't such a bad idea after all...