Monthly Archives: August 2023

How Many

Posted in Abuse of Power, Truth, Uncategorized by

The balloon will pop. I have no idea when but it will pop. The dems keep telling lies. Those who support them continue to believe or pretend to believe. I really don’t know which. Either way, the leadership in the democrat party will tell one lie too many and the balloon will pop. Very possibly to late.

My question is how many lies will it take before the truth persists. At what point will the limits be exceeded. When will those in the party finally put their feet down and say enough!

It has amazed me at how many lies they have already gotten away with. Then again, I shouldn’t be so surprised, not with the main stream media helping. Since I gave up cable TV, I have had to settle for main stream media. Guess what. They lie too, in support of the leadership in the party. It would seem that everyone who is anyone is required to take an oath, not to support the nation but the party line, no matter what that lie might be.

Oddly, there are still those in the country, indeed vary many that still believe in the collusion idea. It has been years since that has been totally and objectively debunked. Even the dems don’t try to make us swallow that one anymore. However, it has served its purpose. As long as no one tells the truth about it, many still believe it.

Then, of course there is the letter from the so-called intelligence folks. You know, the ones who are not so intelligent. Because of that lie, there are still those that believe that the laptop was not from Old Joe’s son. If you ask them, it is just another Russian plot.

The lies have taken hold and so very many are reluctant to let go of them.

However, suddenly, like the popping of a balloon, it will become plain that they were lied to. I do wonder if it will be too late to do any good. But even more, I wonder just how many lies they will tell before the truth becomes apparent to one and to all.

Times Past

Posted in Abuse of Power, Computers, Elections, Lawyers and Representation by

The wife and I went to a Baskin and Robins ice cream place a while ago. Across the street was a sizable post office. Compared to the one it replaced, it’s huge. The one replaced only had about a dozen or so parking places and the building was only a little larger than the parking lot. The replacement opened ten or twelve years ago. I don’t quite remember when. I don’t know for sure, but I’d guess it has close to a hundred places to park.

As I looked at the reasonably new building, the question came to mind. Just when last was it that I put a stamp on something and dropped it in the mail. In the old days, I made car and house payments by mail. I suppose I still can. However, most of my payments are made my internet. Communications with friends and family is generally by phone, voice or text. Occasionally I send an email, but not often.

It’s sort of odd. The post office is the one department that I know of that is specifically established by The Constitution. Could it be that it just might fade away. Will we reach a time when it will no longer be practical to open the doors of the post offices. 20 or 30 years ago, who would have figured that?

It does show, however what happens when something is run by the government. This was not something that came on us suddenly. If someone in the hierarchy saw what was happening, plans and methods could have been made. When things started to be sent by computer, the postal service did have the option of getting in on the ground floor. Indeed they had the advantage of having the infrastructure in place. Documents could have been sent electronically just as securely and much faster. This was especially true for commercial users of the mail system.

Federal Express popped up to fill the void left by the post office. There were those who needed documents and such things sent other places overnight. Indeed Federal Express invented the new verb, “overnight,” as in “Please overnight that contract to the Chicago office.”

Nowadays, many things such as contracts are sent at the speed of computer. They can be sent either by internet or phone. For all practical purposes, it is instantaneous.

So. What happens to the USPS? I certainly don’t know. I suppose it could just fade away. On the other hand, one day someone might decide to do away with it. In either case, how will I ever be able to survive without all those circulars.

On the other hand, some really forward thinking individual just might figure out a way to modernize the mail service. I’m not sure what a modern post office system would look like, but in the hands of the government, it would likely be worse than today. If turned over to some private company(s), it just might surprise a bunch of dems. Who knows? It might even start turning a profit.

As an aside. We just might could have secure elections all in one day. Don’t think the dems would like that. First they don’t like elections in one day and they certainly don’t like them to be secure.

They Just Don’t Care

Posted in Alcoholism, Uncategorized by

The man gets drunk and starts to go home. On the way, he hits a car. About 6 hours later, he wakes up in a hospital room. He will be okay after a year of so. The two children in the car he hit will live, hardly any injuries. The same can’t be said about the mother and father. One died right away. They other died in the hospital an hour later.

One child, eighteen months, will likely remember very little of her mother. The other child, five will remember the crash for the rest of his life. Both will go into into the system and will likely be adopted into different homes, if they are adopted at all.

The alcoholic who caused the crash, might actually feel really bad about, but not likely. The man is determined to have his liquor and he doesn’t care what it causes or what gets in the way. Before it’s all over, he will be arrested two more times for drunk driving. He might even kill more before it’s over.

The above story, I just made up on the spur of the moment. However, I have seen similarities. In some cases, it is the parents that die. In other cases, it’s the kids. I personally know of one woman who lost two of her three kids in an accident and spent a while in the hospital. Then about a year later, she lost the third child. All were lost to people driving under the influence.

Apparently, they don’t learn and apparently, they don’t care. Even when their driving privileges are revoked, they continue to drive and they continue to drink and they continue to kill. The only conclusion that I can draw is that they just don’t care. Apparently, nothing short of locking them up for a while will stop them from getting into a car and converting it into a weapon.

My guess is to head it off. The first time they are caught, they need to spend serous time in jail, that is besides any other laws they are guilty of breaking. Perhaps a six month stint in a jail will change their might about driving drunk. The second time, make it two years.

When they don’t care, we have to do something to keep them off the road, at least for a while. Apparently, revoking their license is not enough. Maybe, if the penalties are stiff enough, we can keep them from killing someone the first time. After all, as near as I can tell, right now all they get is a warning the first time. They need to get the first warning when they are issued the license and each time it is renewed. They need to know better before ever getting behind the wheel.

Then, maybe, just maybe, there won’t be so many parents without their children and children without their parents. We really ought not excuse crime as a sickness called alcoholism.

Shall We Call it a Conflict

Posted in Alcoholism by

In the Marines, one thing you learn is the process of checking in or out of a duty station. This is where I was handed a paper with a bunch of stuff on it. When checking in, I was given three days to visit each of these places and check in there. There was admin (S1), intel (S2), supply, barracks, armory. As a said, it was a full page of stuff. No since going through it all here. Oddly, religious or not, we all had to check in or out with the chaplain. I’m not sure why that is but, every duty station, I did have to see the chaplain or his representative. Generally, it is a simple formality. I hand someone my paper and he signs me off and away I go.

When I checked into Iwakuni, Japan in 1975, it was a little different. It seems that the base commanding general had noticed an increase in the rate of alcoholism and he wanted to slow it down. Hence, all those checking in were required to watch a film about 40 minutes to decrease alcoholism and its associated problems.

I had a little bit of a laugh. Speaking to the chaplain, himself, I explained that I never did and never would touch the stuff. I also went into a little of why. Nonetheless, to placate the base CG, I was required to see the film, which I considered a waste of time. I did have one advantage. Because I was an E6, he sat up the projector and I was able to watch the film by myself. Those with lower ranks were required to see it in groups. It seems a small thing, but it did save me quite a bit of time.

To be honest with you, the film was good and I did learn a few things from it, though I could have told them a few things they left out.

The fact is that I spent 9 years in the Marines, and there was not one year that went by where a person or organization within the Corps didn’t try to get me to drink, many times it was official. Had I stayed in the Marines, it would have become a problem. Everyone within certain commands were expected to attend parties, which some called bear bashes. I tried to stay away from them. Each time I was promoted it became more difficult to avoid them. As an E6, I would have been required to attend. If somehow I picked up another promotion to E7, it certainly would have definitely been required. I also suspect that if I didn’t drink, it would not have gone well on my fitness reports, you know, “works well with others,” category.

I simply do not know if a person could ever spend 20 years in the Marines without ever taking a drink. It would seem to be an unofficial requirement.

Besides my not drinking, I am uncomfortable being around those who do. I have seen firsthand what drinking can lead to. To be sure, that base CG was right. Drinking does cause problems. He was in a position to see it so he tried to do something about it, or at least he tried to make look like it. I doubt there are any marine generals that don’t drink. It is part of the political part of the service and one I don’t like. However, it does seem to be required. It is sort of how things get done. Without it, the gears just don’t seem to mesh well.

However, while they are trying to “solve” the problems caused by drinking, they are also encouraging it. Indeed, they are making the nondrinker pay for for their stand, even to the point some nondrinkers start their drinking in the armed forces. Those of us who didn’t want to drink always, and I mean always pay the price. This is especially true among the higher ranks.

I have said before, and I will say it many more times. All alcoholics have one thing in common; their first drink. and it would seem the military is determined that everyone will get their first drink. Then, when they become alcoholics, they boot them out of the military for becoming what the military made of them.

It is a conflict. No one advances unless they drink. If they start drinking too much, they get tossed out on their ear as undesirable.

When I was in the Marines, I thought the problem was just a military problem. However, the private sector has those who encourage alcoholism too. There are the Christmas and New Year’s parties. And of course, if you don’t go, you better have a really good excuse. While a person is at the parties, they are encouraged to drink, or at least carry a drink around. It really does ‘not look good’ to be at a party where almost everyone gets drunk. I mean the one who remains sober has a tendency of making the rest feel guilty.

Therefore, those who make it up the ladder of success, play golf, have the little martini lunches and the go to the costume bashes on Halloween or whatever they can think of for a reason for everyone to get drunk. And then, when the former teetotaler starts showing up to work because he is now a problem drinker, he gets called into the office and tossed out on his ear.

Seems to me like a lousy way to run a railroad, or regiment or corporation. It’s a conflict that I don’t think will go away soon… or at all.

An Accident

Posted in Safety by

I have had more than my share of accidents. Sometimes, I refer to myself as accident prone. Fortunately, I haven’t caused any big catastrophe…yet. Who knows? If the Lord keeps me alive for another ten or so years…

The short intro serves a little purpose. When I went out in search of a charging station the other day, I noticed the traffic was really bad. I mean, Goodman Road going through Southaven is prone to have heavy traffic but this was unusually bad. Moreover, all the businesses on the north side of the road were closed.

After a while, I found out the cause. It seems that a dump trunk operator forgot to lower the dump bed. Before he realized it, he pulled it through some power lines going across the street. Then, he proceeded pulling down five or six power polls with the wires.

Now, that is an accident. I pity the poor man. He either did work for someone, who immediately fired him or, if self employed, is facing bankruptcy… or worse.

I’m sure the man didn’t do it on purpose and likely everyone knows it. However, it is the sort of thing you don’t just say sorry and walk away from it. My guess is, once he realized what happened, he likely sat in the cab a cried for a while. I would have.

Invariably, the lawyers will get into it. Moreover, someone will have to pay for the repair. My guess is that the man’s liability won’t come close to covering it. He just might have to sell all he owns and he’ll still come up short. Maybe someone who knows how can set up one of those fund me pages. I’d contribute what I can.

I have no idea what the final outcome will be but I’m sure it won’t be good for that driver. It just took a moment to make the mistake and it will likely ruin his life, at least in the short term.

I hate it, but that is the way life is. In moments, things happen that change our lives for the worse and it simply cannot be removed with an eraser. Sometimes we bear the blame. I really do hope things turn out well for that driver. As near as I know, no one was hurt badly. At least he can take some solace in that.

It is one of many reasons I decided to leave the Marines. As I said, I do seem to be accident prone and I didn’t want one of my accidents to bring down an F4 with the crew of two. I went on to work on computers. If I make mistakes there, it can cause problems, but, well, there is just no way that I could have taken out the power for a couple of blocks on one side of the street. Those mistakes I made while working on computers were normally easily recoverable.

Yet we need guys like that driver. We need skilled folks who are willing to take the chance. Can you imagine what it would be like if no one would be willing to take the chance to drive the big trucks, knowing that their lives can be ruined in seconds.

As I sit here typing, I wonder, have we lost a good operator for one little lapse in memory? Is the man ever going to be able to drive again?

I don’t know. It’s really not my place to judge. I am sure there will be an investigation. But I sure hope we won’t lose all our truck drivers the first time the have an accident. It could end up making things bad for the rest of us. Not only that, given the risk, we just might start having a hard time finding men and women who are willing to take that risk for a reasonable wage.

I mean, the reason I left the Marines was because I didn’t want to take the risk. Fortunately, there are others who will and do.

As an aside, I would not have wanted to die for my country, but I would have. I just don’t know if I could stand it if I found out that I caused the death of another marine because of my mistake. I would not have liked that at all.

That truck driver. I’m sure he is having a tough time living through it too.

A Little Curious

Posted in Christian values by
Daily writing prompt
What are you curious about?
View all responses

Over the years I have been curious about many things, about why people do some dumb things, including myself. I have been curious about many things in science. Then of course, there are the things where an engineer designs things a certain way when almost the whole world knows it should be another. A recent thing that has my curiosity is why they seal potato chip bags so well that you can’t open them. I guess in a way, they could call them diet potato chips. If you can’t open them, then you can’t eat them.

However, throughout my life the one thing that has me the most curious, almost sense I first heard about it was just why Eve was not curious. I mean, if I was just standing there looking at a fruit tree and a snake came along and started talking to me, that would have me curious. Yet, as near as we can tell from the text, she does not seem to be surprised.

That spawns a number of more questions. Perhaps I have not even considered them all. Was it common place for the snake and Eve to converse? For that matter, did Adam and Eve converse with other animals as well? They might have talked about the weather with the chimps or with the the birds.

Then again, maybe the communication was not by sound. Maybe they communicated by mind waves. I guess they could have had some form of sign language.

It does say that God punished the snake by drastically changing it. Maybe the snake was very intelligent. Maybe, of all the animals, the serpants were the only ones that could talk.

Truly, I have found nothing in the Bible that explains it. It doesn’t make me doubt it. Just curious. One more thing. It really makes me wonder if this was the serpent’s first conversation with Eve, or Adam for that matter.

By the way, you notice one more thing. Satan talked to Eve through the serpent. It does make me wonder if it was possible for him to speak to Eve without something to speak through. If Satan did not need the snake, why did he use it?

Just curious.

It Has Been Suggested

Posted in Abuse of Power, Being woke, Biden, Border wall, Bribes, Build the Wall!, Communist Takover, Crime, FOC, Uncategorized by

Sorry. Don’t know the man’s name and I should. He is the third in the Republican running for President. Just is that I don’t know how to spell his name and I certainly can’t pronounce it. I guess this disqualifies me to ever become a reporter. Well, I will learn his name, both the spelling and the pronunciation.

Don’t get me wrong. I am still for Trump for president, but I heard the other guy say something I really like. He said that if he were elected president, he would send troops to the border. Now that is an idea I can live with. It should have been done a long time ago. The fact of the matter is that it should be treated as an invasion because an invasion is exactly what it is. They might not be using planes and tanks, but it is just as bad and maybe even more effective. We don’t shoot anyone because, well they aren’t really the enemy are they? They just want a job. Who can fault them for that?

Well, it is time to finish the wall and put some serious soldiers there. We need to arm them and give them authorization to shoot. Then we need to make it well known to one and all that we will no longer permit anyone to cross the border illegally.

No one would need to shoot anyone. The illegal migration would stop immediately.

Then the next step… the deportation. They should be rounded up and deported immediately. If they want to apply for asylum, fine. Let them do it from the south side of the border. It should have been done that way to begin with.

If we had done it right in the first place, there would be no need for the army to do the job. The problem is simple. The dems want more voters and the rinos want more labor. Then too, the criminals want the money they make off the smuggling, slaves, dope and prostitutes. It is why few people running for office will run for control of the border. It is why they like to come up with platitudes like, comprehensive immigration reform.

Report on EV Car

Posted in Electectric vehicles by

It has been a couple of weeks since I purchased the Nissan Ariya. So far, I must admit that it is far more than I expected. Considering the little driving I do, the range is not a problem. With the HHR I generally spent at or around thirty a week for fuel. So far, I’ve spent 30 for two weeks. After a while, I think that will only decrease.

I guess much of the car could be compared to the Rogue and I’d suspect, it was the platform used as a guide. It is, in truth a crossover. The seating, even the back is spacious. Only those more than six feet would feel the need to bow a little back there. There is no tunnel so three children would easily fit back there. By the way, did I mention it has rear air that can be separately controlled. It’s a shame. One of our sons is in Texas and the other in North Carolina. Sure could have used that room when they were younger and playing ball.

The trunk is big. I could easily put three weeks of groceries in it, even back when my kids were trying to eat us out of house and home. Moreover, the rear seats fold down, which just about doubles the space.

I must say, when I need to stomp on it, it never lacks the git-up-and-go. It is odd, however, it is not accompanied by the roar. I’m still getting use to that. Also, the brakes have different feel to them. I like it more but some might need some time to get used to it.

Some of the controls still confuse me. I keep wanting to push forward on the cruise control to engage it. To engage, I need to pull back. Pushing forward only causes it to resume. Naturally, if I just started out, there was no speed to resume so it just ignores me. Other than that, the controls are simple and easy to manage, though, in some cases you might want to pull over to use them or you just might end up in a ditch while trying to figure them out. There were a few times I almost did. When the cruise control is engaged, it will follow the speed of the car in front of you to the point it will completely stop about 5 feet behind it. When the car in front resumes, then I can press resume and it will again start following.

Mostly, the nav system knows the speed limits and displays them for you on the heads up display. The more expensive version can self drive and likely has a better database of speed limits. The one I have does not account for school being in or out of session. It just assumes it is always in session. Better to err that way than the other. The heads up display also displays speed, when the cruse control is on and when it detects a vehicle in front of you.

Planning routes is easy and versatile. You give the address of where you want to go and it will give two or maybe three choices. One for distance, one for time, and one alternate. Following the navigation is simple too. There is even a mode that puts route right next to the speedometer where it is easy to see. If you prefer, you can follow the route on the large display about midway between driver and passenger. For those with passengers, it might resolve the question, “Are we almost there?”

The only noise in the car of any consequence is the air from the vents. Turn the AC off, turn the radio off, and you just might find the silence eerie, especially after driving some kind of hot rod. Yes, there is some noise. I guess some comes from the gears, quite a bit from the air rushing by, but you just won’t notice it. You will want the radio just so you will have some noise.

The key-less entry is the best I’ve seen. If I am in possession of the FOB, as for instance in my pocket, I put my finger on the right place on the door knob and it unlocks. Press again and it locks. I just can’t see it getting easier than that. If the FOB stays in your pocket, it is far less likely that you will lock yourself out. Also, the locks can be controlled from a smart phone as well as the air conditioning. It allows you to cool or warm your car while you remain in your home or office. You need not be close to the car to do it.

It does pose the question to me. Is this better for those who live in the deserts or the snowy peaks. I don’t know.

For me, there is just one serious problem. It just won’t go without being charged. As near as I can tell, most charging stations are for Teslas. With a converter, which I now have, I can use the Tesla chargers, but we’re talking a five hour charge time instead of 30 or 40 minutes with the CCAs. I would hope that there will be more charging stations in the near future. In the mean time, if I have to I can go to one of the many Tesla chargers nearby. I guess I can work on the book while waiting on the charging.

By the way, even wit the fortune I paid, if I had it to do over, I’d definitely do it again. It is not that it’s electric. It’s just that much more of a pleasure to drive.

Another Comparison

Posted in Biden, Bribes, President Trump by

When it was President Trump, he did all he could to benefit the country and the American people. He did not need the job of president. He already had 4 billion dollars.

Old Joe, all he wants is what benefits Old Joe, his family and the dems. If Joe doesn’t win the next election, he and many of his family might end up in prison for true criminal activity. Many of the appointed folks in US government just might be looking for a job, while many of them just might be looking out through prison bars, the ones who committed the real crimes. Moreover, without his kingship, he will not be able to make money off the bribes.

Old Joe and the greyhound dogs just might have something in common. He just might be running for his life. (Figuratively for Joe. For real for the dogs. I don’t like dog racing, not even a little.)

Comparisons

Posted in AARP, Abuse of Power, AOC, Being woke, Biden, Bribes, Christian values, Drug Abuse, Uncategorized by

The dems just love making comparisons. Well, here are a few things to think about. To keep things straight forward, let’s use 2020 for it all.

364 by rifle. Too many to be sure but it is one of the lowest. More people were killed by hand, fist and feet that year.

1476 were killed by knife. My guess is that if we were to outlaw guns, this number would rise very fast, like at least double.

6365 killed by hand gun. I didn’t know that. In light of that, I really wonder why they want to outlaw the AR15. The AR15 is intended for distance. It loses it’s effectiveness in close.

Approximately, 71,000 are killed by drunk drivers. I’m not real great with math but that looks to me like more than all the above weapons combined. Maybe we should do more to keep the drunk drivers off the road. It would certainly save more lives than outlawing all rifles combined.

91,000 were killed by overdose, many of which were opiates. Many of those opiates came from China. Why do we let them do that? Why do we let criminals smuggle them over the border. Why do we let the drug aider in chief remain in office.

Note, every time there is a shooting, there is an uproar. Where is the uproar over the drugs that Old Joe intentionally allows across the border.

By the way, whether you want to admit or not, drunk driving is also drug abuse. So, really about 160 thousand are killed in one way or the other from drug abuse. That does not include the murders that are relative to drug abuse. There is no telling how many that would add to it. I would guess 20 thousand would be a conservative estimate.