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Monthly Archives: September 2016

WTF!!


This morning as I got my daily news fix, there was a report on 88 retired General Staff officers (generals & admirals) who are supporting Donald trump. The spokesman sounded more like an uninformed voter rather than a previously serving military officer. One would think a retired officer would have access to how immigrants are vetted or at least understand what happens. I was moved to think about past military actions and decisions  possibly committed and made by these retirees and what affect it had on all of us long-term. Were any or all of them associated with some previous military errors and imprudent decisions? Could we look at their military records and come up with a heroic story or maybe some tarnished areas(like regular people)? Apparently these learned (?) former military folks are not (or were not) as good as we needed then or now. It is well that this is America and not some other country where our freedoms allow open speech by everyone. I support their freedom to support and speak out according to their conscience but I take issue with the seeming lack of back up information.

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Lawmakers Likely to do what they do best: the bare minimum


No more to be said on this, all the more reason to pay attention to the small elections rather than the big one. The power to do lies with Congress.
yahoo.com |

WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers return to Washington this week for an abbreviated election-season session in which they will likely do what they do best: the bare minimum.

All Congress must do this month is keep the government from shutting down on Oct. 1 and, with any luck, finally provide money for the fight against the mosquito-borne Zika virus. Republicans controlling Congress promise they won’t stumble now, but the weeks ahead could prove tricky.

A chief motivation for the September session, especially for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., is allowing lawmakers to return to campaigning as soon as possible. Republicans are scrambling to hold onto their Senate edge as GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump lags in the polls.

The short-term spending measure is sure to pass. The alternative is that Republicans would get the blame for a government shutdown, as they did in 2013.

But it’s a complicated path for the temporary spending bill. Some House conservatives say the measure should last into next year, when there is a new president and a new Congress, and that would block any chance for a session after the Nov. 8 election. Leaders in both parties feel otherwise — as does President Barack Obama — and a temporary measure until December seems to be the consensus.

“We are not doing anything into next year and every Republican should be aware of that right now,” said Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

Lawmakers left Washington seven weeks ago without resolving a dispute over money for Zika. The virus can cause severe birth defects and is linked to a host of other maladies. Obama asked Congress in February for $1.9 billion in emergency money, but legislation to partially pay for his proposal collapsed in July amid various fights. Among them was a Republican provision to deny money to Puerto Rican affiliates of Planned Parenthood.

Because the shutdown-prevention measure simply has to pass, it’s a tempting target for lawmakers seeking to use it as a vehicle for their preferences. For instance, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., is pressing for emergency grants to help communities in his flood-ravaged state to recover.

“I hope we can accomplish that in September,” Cassidy said.

But GOP leaders probably will try to keep the spending bill as free of unrelated additions as possible, especially now. If GOP leaders were to grant Cassidy’s request, it would make it more difficult to say no to others, such as Democrats seeking money for fixing the lead-tainted water system of Flint, Michigan.

House conservatives are looking to press ahead with impeaching IRS Commissioner John Koskinen over the destruction of agency emails and misleading testimony on whether the tax agency, before his arrival, improperly scrutinized conservative groups seeking nonprofit status. The impeachment drive is a headache for Republicans who believe that Koskinen’s conduct isn’t serious enough to warrant impeachment, but who may be reluctant to support the Democratic appointee in such a politically charged environment.

In a recent memo, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said lawmakers will take up legislation regarding the Obama administration’s $400 million payment to Iran in January, made immediately after four U.S. prisoners were released. The payment, for undelivered arms to the shah of Iran, was made on the same day of the prisoner release, and Republicans call it “ransom.” The as-yet-unreleased legislation is designed to prevent a repeat, but seems like an election-season messaging effort.

McConnell also wants to advance a popular water projects measure. But the priority is to simply adjourn the chamber to allow embattled incumbents such as Sens. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., Pat Toomey, R-Pa., and Richard Burr, R-N.C., to get back home and campaign for re-election against the political headwinds created by Trump.

The abbreviated session should give GOP-run committees a final pre-election chance to hold hearings on the Obama administration and other targets such as EpiPen manufacturer Mylan, N.V. That company has come under withering criticism for steep price increases for its life-saving injector, which can stop potentially fatal allergic reactions to insect bites and stings, and foods such as peanuts and eggs.

House Republicans are promising hearings on Hillary Clinton’s emails. FBI Director James Comey criticized Clinton’s use of a homebrew email server to handle sensitive work-related emails as “extremely careless,” but said his agency’s yearlong investigation found no evidence of criminal wrongdoing.

Republicans now are demanding that the Justice Department open a new investigation into whether Clinton lied during testimony last year before the House Benghazi committee. They claim the FBI note may show Clinton provided inconsistent answers to questions about her handling of emails containing classified information.

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This story has been corrected to reflect that Sen. Reid is D-Nev., not R-Nev.

Not As Sharp As We Need To Be


The election has brought us many diverse looks and opinions. I am still confused as to why so many smart people cannot see this election clearly. We have two damaged contenders but still one (1) is a better choice regardless of party backing. So many are complaining about change in Government but when that opportunity was available not enough supported the changes. We were so caught up (and still are) in buzzwords, sound bites and catch phrases to see what the real issues were (and are). Our long serving Congress and the well-known pundits decried the Affordable Care Act (Obama care) and scared people away from it, now the system is failing from lack of participation while damaging the people who are covered. There is always the “We” in speeches and conversation but the “We” is actually “I” in most cases. We have been subverted by the very people we follow and trust to be honest. While we have been busy hearing the correct sounding phrases and speeches the real information is hidden like  old clothes in an attic. It is time to clean out the attic and decide which of these less than perfect candidates has the ability to do the job. My personal choice is H and not T primarily because she is better equipped to do it because of a relationship with the rest of the world. Keep in mind that Europe and Asia is watching and a T presidency will hurt us for years to came. It is well to remember that you have an opportunity to make changes in the Congress which is more critical than the Presidency (since the Congress will set the tone for any future progress on anything the country does). To be a better voter clean out the clutter and find the real facts

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We Do It Anyway


Why is it that we do things against all odds? We consistently create problems for ourselves that by all  measures of rationality we should be able to avoid. Even with the information available on the tool we use for entertainment on a daily basis (internet), we ignore information that could prove to be our salvation in some cases and helpful in others. There are back stories on our politics and policies, there are stories on the best and worst vehicles to buy, household goods and how to avoid being ripped off. Of course there are tons of ads from unscrupulous sources but a little judicious reading will weed those out (if you looking for a company avoid the listings that clearly have the word “AD” in the address line, these are not  company websites. There are no specific laws against those type of listings but there are alerts and those alerts exist in each one of us. The old saying “Caveat emptor” still applies and is more  important now. In spite of this post and other warnings on these deceptive practices-we do it anyway . The recent dustup over a QB’s refusal to stand for the national anthem is another instance of under informed people making a big deal over nothing. What if the American Revolution was covered in modern times? Our history would be one of constant turmoil among the races, religions and the native Americans who we stole from. Given our written history in spite of the errors of omission and commission we have done OK as a country. Our failure has been in our trust in the words of our leaders (primarily the long serving ones). We have come to depend too much on what we are told without investing time in vetting the content or the back story of that content. We have to stop doing it anyway.

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Something To Talk About


The under informed again are knee jerking their way into the news amid lesser shout outs. Colin Kaepernick is being supported and unsupported regarding his protest against the National Anthem. How many have actually read the words? Read All of the lyrics and you will get the idea.

 “Oh, say! can you see by the dawn’s early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming;
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,
O’er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket’s re d glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there:
Oh, say! does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe’s haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o’er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning’s first beam,
In fully glory reflected now shines in the stream:
‘Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh, long may it wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vuntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps’ pollution!
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Oh, thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war’s desolation!
Bless with victory and peace, may the heav’rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: “In God is our trust”:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave”

The lyrics are written in the original language so some words appear to be incorrect but they are not. To castigate someone over  previously unknown information is pejorative and unsustainable. The real issue is that America is well past the time that the population has to follow old line and often outdated ideas. The divide in this country has never gone away completely it just went underground like the workings of our Congress and many state officials when making new laws that are forced upon us. If we are not open to modernizing our government and the laws that govern us the we are doomed to make the same mistakes over and over. We already vote in a vacuum and our Government leaders promote this behavior by maintaining 18th and early 19th century election policies. I salute Mr. Kaepernick for bringing this to our attention.

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