Author Archives: bfrhodes99

I G Report

Posted in Abuse of Power, Deceit, Fantasy, Lawyers and Representation, Mistakes, Politcal Opinion, President Trump by

Now that the inspector general’s report is out, I am sure the whole world is waiting to know what I have to say about it.  I don’t believe it, not for a minute.  The FBI and Justice Department has had 2 weeks to modify it.  Moreover, the I.G. was well aware that his report would have to go through both gauntlets before its release.

The truth is that all my books are more believable than this report.  Those who have read my books, or even read the synopsis will know that this is really saying something.  It also says something about those who have read it.  Not only are they dishonest, they aren’t so smart if they expect the public to believe such intentional deceit.

Perhaps we will learn a little more after the House and Senate hearings.  His words will not be subject to editing by Justice.  I suspect we won’t learn much though.  It would seem some unknown person, persons, organization or organizations are behind the scenes controlling it all.  I know it sounds like a conspiracy theory, but it is the only explanation I can think of.

I guess one thing we can say for sure is that Comey was a bad director and he surrounded himself with prejudicial and poor quality personnel.  I might even go so far as to say some were criminal.  How else can you define someone using his position to change an election based on his own politics.

Naturally, the current FBI director came out to throw in his two cents.  Unfortunately, I missed most of his speech, but from what I gather, most of it could be summarized as follows:

We didn’t do anything wrong.

and

We won’t do it again.

I do not believe the first statement and, given the current director, I certainly don’t believe the second.  It sounds like something a child would say after he was caught with his hand in the cookie jar right up to his elbow.  …and I might add, with his mouth full of cookies.

Well, maybe the whole world won’t know my beliefs on the subject.  If you agree with what I have written, you might tell your relatives and friends.  Actually, I won’t mind you telling others, even if you disagree with me.  Also, I do welcome reasonable comments, as long as they don’t contain any profanity.

Finally, I would appreciate it if you browse my author’s page.  I have over thirty-five books there for you to choose from.  Most are well within the PG rating, though a few do have some violence.  As long as you can put up with a few grammar mistakes and typos, I think you will enjoy them.  All are available on Kindle, and hence many other devices too, including PC’s.  Some are on paperback as well, though, of necessity, they do cost a little more.  (By the way, Amazon does a very good job of printing paperbacks.  Other than the cover, they are every bit as good as hard cover books.)

The URL for my author’s page is:

http://www.amazon.com/author/story_teller

You can also log onto Amazon.com and look up my name Ben Rhodes (not to be confused with the communist that worked for Obama).  That will work too, but you might be distracted by some inferior books written by someone else.  I assure you, you will want to ignore all the ones by the other writers.

 

A Few Words About Deceit

Posted in Abuse of Power, Border wall, Communism, Deceit, Immigration, Lawyers and Representation, News Anchors, North Korea, Politcal Opinion, President Trump by

Some time ago, I heard a public service announcement (PSA) that 50% of all car accidents involving fatalities were caused by a drunk driver. More recently, I heard another PSA that it is now 30%. Given this info and only this info, a person might suggest that we get all the sober drivers off the road. They are causing almost three-fourths of fatal accidents.

I call it flawed logic, where a person makes a decision based on incomplete information. The information, as such is correct, just not complete.

I once heard a preacher say, “Deceit and the truth cannot coincide.” Certainly what he said was and is true. Where the problem comes is when part of the truth is withheld. It is on this that deceivers base their craft. Over time, I have formed four rules for deceit.
1. The person easiest to deceive is yourself.
2. To deceive someone else, you must keep at least part of the truth from that person. (The same goes for a group of people.)
3. People are egotistical. When you tell a person how wonderful they are, they are more likely to believe you. Besides, they are more likely to like you.
4. Lies are not required for deceit. Notice, in the above example, I did not lie to you, but I did leave out an important part of the truth. Therefore, I convinced you to keep the sober drivers off the road. (Hopefully, you had enough common sense not to swallow that one.

Yet people are deceived every day by things just as obvious. Many years ago, New York wanted a lottery to pay for the schools. They managed to pass the law by saying that it would be completely for the schools. The deceit lies in a little word, fungible. That means, once the government has our money, they can use it for what ever they want. It’s just a matter of bookkeeping. Today, they aren’t even trying to fool anyone. They have come right out and admitted it. The schools, of course got very little of it. Now they get none of it.

Nowadays, there are people who would like us to believe that a wall on our southern border will not help. Never mind our common sense. Never mind the fact that people put fences around buildings all the time to keep people out. Guess what? It works. Moreover, the walls are permanent. An election won’t erase them.

It is, of course obvious that torture doesn’t work. Guess what? It does. Ask the Russians. They have a lot of experience at it. Do I advocate torture? Only when the lives of thousands of people are at risk. A little discomfort for one verses the lives of millions… not a difficult choice. By the way, telling the enemy I don’t torture is probably a bad idea.

Now, after our president held a meeting with Kim, the bulk of the media are trying to make it sound like a failure. It might end up being a failure. The president himself said so. That is no reason for the vast majority of the media to rain on his parade. If nothing else, it undercuts the chances of success. Then again, the media does not want him to succeed. For them it is the worst of all possibilities. If it should succeed, it would guarantee his re-election. It would also mean the big blue wave would turn red.

I do find it absurdly humorous the contortions the news anchors go through to make the effort look bad. It is casual to the most obvious observer that what happened is good and they are doing their best to make it look bad. I look forward to seeing what they do should they get rid of the atomic weapons and build hotels along the beachfront of North Korea. Maybe the best thing for them to do would be to go and rent a room at one of the new hotels and spend the rest of their lives there. If they stay here, they might still have jobs, but no one will listen to them.

On the other hand, if the effort fails, they will be sure to make the most of it. After all, failure is what they want, even if it means the loss of millions of lives. I do find this a little ironic. They don’t like a little torture, but all those lives mean so little to them.

It is time to look beyond the deceit and use a little common sense. It is time to look at all the facts, not just the ones that are convenient to the media.

 

A Plausible Solution for the Problem With North Korea

Posted in Communism, Food, Important things, North Korea, Politcal Opinion by

I was watching the news this morning, about the meeting.  As I watched, a thought occurred to me.  I wonder what would happen if we offered Mr. Kim a billion dollars and a home on some South Pacific island.

Okay, it’s a long shot.  He would likely turn it down in a millisecond.  Still, I was in South Korea for one miserable week.  I know something about the weather there.  I have no idea how it was that we were able to fight a war there.  It gets cold there, especially at night.  Tell you the truth, I have no idea how anyone can live there.

Considering the weather, Kim just might like the idea of going somewhere warm.  A billion dollars would certainly look pretty good too.  So we offer him a billion dollar check, a deed to a big estate and a one way ticket.  If it doesn’t work, nothing is lost.

On the other hand, if he accepts, the two Koreas could be reunited.  The world would be free of another nut armed with nuclear weapons and no one would be killed.  Oh… and by the way, a few million people could actually start eating regular.  If it worked, it would be a bargain at four times the price.

Who knows?  If it works we can try it on Kumani, and then what’s his name?  The one that likes to go around without a shirt in Russia.  Who says money won’t buy happiness.  If it worked, a whole world would be very happy.  Then again, it is unlikely to work.

All those people are controllers.  They would rather starve than to give up an ounce of control over their people, even though they know they are causing starvation.  I don’t think I like these guys.  I cannot understand how anyone could like these guys.  Yet, in spite of the millions they kill, they have their followers… even in this country.  Now that’s stupid.

A Quick Question

Posted in Compromise, North Korea by

I heard Dennis Rodman is going to join the meeting in Singapore.  I guess that’s alright, but I wonder if someone knows a way to keep him there.

On a more serious note, the demilitarized zone has become a refuge for animals.  I would hope that it can be arranged to keep it a protected area for them should this whole thing get settled.

I’m not a tree huger.  It just seems to me to be a good thing.  Maybe if you think so, you might tell a friend or two.

Listen! Please!

Posted in Customer complaints, Fast Food, Immigration, Lawyers and Representation, Obama Care, Personal True Stories, Politcal Opinion, President Trump by

Recently, I went into a Burger King.  The woman behind the counter asked me what I wanted.  I told her a Whopper… then, before I could get another word out of my mouth she asked if I wanted the meal.

The woman had asked me a question and then didn’t let me finish my answer.  That is impolite, not to mention, not very efficient.  Nonetheless, I know it is part of their training to push the meals, so I ignored her interruption and told her, loudly I might add, “A large onion ring and a large drink.”

Then, when I received my order, guess what, there was a fry.  If I had looked, it was on my receipt.  I ask you, how did she hear fry when I said onion ring?  Did I make a mistake?  Highly unlikely, being as I made it a point to say onion ring.

I have heard it said, if you really want to be a success in life, learn to listen.  In this case, the woman didn’t listen.  She was so disposed to give me a meal that she thought I said fry.  I suppose, to some degree, it was my fault.  It is not the first time it has happened.  Most of the time I correct it before I pay for it.  In this case, it was a real problem.  I don’t like Burger King French fries.

Well, maybe it is just as well.  On this particular day, I cut down on my fried food intake a little.  However, it is frustrating.  In this case, I didn’t get my onion rings.  On the other hand, in industry, or in the military, not listening can be costly or even tragic.  It can cost lives.

I know it is a little matter, but maybe those who run Burger King, or any fast food outfit for that matter, should teach their employees to listen.  It might save more than a customer’s anger.

I might add, sometimes customers don’t complain.  They just go away, and the manager or owner never knows why.  By the way, it wouldn’t hurt for our representatives to listen now and then too.  For over a decade, most of us have been saying, build a wall.  The only one who seems to have listened is President Trump.  The rest ignore him and us.  Same for Obama Care, but more so.

Drugs for the Terminally Ill

Posted in Christian values, Important things, Lawyers and Representation, Politcal Opinion, President Trump, Trial Drugs for terminally ill by

It’s about time.

It should have been done decades ago.

The only question I have is, how many lives has it costs by waiting so long?  Just how many lives would it have saved if it had been passed fifty or sixty years ago.  My guess is that there is no way of knowing.  My guess is that there are likely many who lost a loved one because of the ridiculous laws and rules set up by the lawyers, mostly for their own benefit.

Revisiting the Chairman of the Board Effect

Posted in Customer complaints, Head Lights, New Cars, Personal True Stories by

There was a time that, when my headlight went out, I went to the local store and bought a replacement.  Oddly, they  were sort of standard.  There weren’t but about three types.  Then I popped the hood, got out a screwdriver, and a couple of minutes later, the light was replaced.

Not only did it take just a few minutes, it also took just a few dollars.

Today, things are different.  The little lamp is fifty dollars and it takes another fifty to put it in.  It is impractical to replace it myself.  The car has to go on a lift and the steering wheel has to be cut all the way to one side.  Even then, replacing the lamp is difficult.

That tells me something about those that built my car.  It is not used by those that design it.  It certainly is not used by the chairman of the board.  If so, things would not be built that way.

More than that, it does make me wonder about the motives of the design engineers.  It seems that they have made it difficult to repair on purpose.  They don’t want customers like me fixing our own cars with a screwdriver.  They want me to come back to their garage to get it fixed.  That is something I avoid.  I don’t go back to the dealer unless I have to.

A Choice of Words

Posted in Abuse of Power, Important things, Lawyers and Representation, Politcal Opinion, Presidential Encarceration by

A rose is a rose.  In essence, Shakespeare, those centuries ago, told us so.  If that is true, can we also say that a spy is a spy, even if he is called an informant?

It is a problem with our modern society, lawyer speak. We are told that the man or men that infiltrated the Trump campaign was a not a spy, but an informant.  Pardon me.  I am not a lawyer so I call someone spying a spy.  I think most us do, or at least should.

The fact of the matter is, the Obama administration used spies to spy on the opponent and that is wrong, legal or not.  If it is legal, the law should be altered, though I’m not going to hold my breath, if you’ll excuse the overused phrase.

Those who made the decision to use a spy (or informant, if you prefer) should be ashamed of themselves.  If they still work for the government, they should resign immediately.

The Wisdom of The Electoral College

Posted in Compromise, Important things, Lawyers and Representation, Politcal Opinion by

During the birth of our nation, our forefathers didn’t agree on everything. Certainly the one thing that caused the most grief was slavery. The south wanted it and the north didn’t. Actually, it was a little more complex than that, but that is the summery.

The final result was a compromise. Though it was a horrible one, it did allow the nation to be formed and eventually the matter was settled a number of years later. By the way, many white men gave their lives to free the slaves and many black men gave their lives to preserve the south.

I could go on, but it is not my purpose at this time. Instead, I want to write about another compromise, a good one. It seems all the big states, such as New York wanted representation to be totally by population. The result would be that the big states would control the country. The little states, such as Rhode Island, wanted the states to be represented by one vote, which would allow the small states to have an unfair control of the country.

(Oddly, I learned this in the eighth grade and I wonder why everyone else didn’t. It seems to me that every one ought to know it before entering high school, certainly by the time they finish it.)

The compromise was simple. Each state would be represented by two senators and one representative for every 30 thousand people. (Bear in mind, this is where the previous compromise comes in. Slaves were not counted as whole people.)

Since that time, two changes were made. The Senators were originally selected by the state assemblies, now by popular vote. For practical purposes, the number of representatives is limited to 435. Though every state has at least one, they are distributed by state population.

Hence, the logic was that the Senate represents the state (but no longer) and the House represents the people.

Also, when determining how the president is elected, they decide to use the same numbers. Therefore the populous states could not utterly rule over the less populous states. If they had not used this formula, a person seeking the office of president would never visit the smaller states and just a few big states would determine who our president would be.

At the time I was going to school, it seemed an odd thing to me. It seemed that the one who got the most votes ought to win. However, now I see the wisdom in the ways. Mrs. Clinton complains that she won the popular vote and that she should be president. If we did things that way, a few states on the east coast and west coast would determine who went to The White House.

The way it is, Clinton should have visited some of the states she skipped. Now she’s complaining that they won’t change the rules for her. If I may use an example. If football team complains that they gained more yardage, should they be given the win. Of course not! The rules were plain and set in advance. Clinton knew she needed more electors when she started her campaign. Why should the rules be changed for her after the election?

The fact is, she was just outsmarted and she knew it, though she still does not want to admit it. The fact is that the time to change the rules is before the game, not after. Any card player can tell you that.

More than that, the rule are fair. If it were by popular vote, all the votes of all the flyover country would count for nothing. Those of us in such states just may as well stay home. Also, those running for president would be wasting time going to any but the biggest fifteen cities.

The fact is, The Electoral College was perhaps one of the best compromises this country ever made. If it is ever altered, it will likely result in disaster, maybe in a revolution.

Humans Acting Like Animals

Posted in Christian values, Communism, Important things, Lawyers and Representation, Politcal Opinion, School Shootings by

In 1925, it became legal to teach evolution.  According to certain scientist, it became official, man descended from apes.  Darwin was right and God was wrong.  Henceforth, the schools no longer taught that man was a distinct creation of God.  It became laughable that man was created separate from the other animals.  It was no longer believable that God formed him from the dirt and breathed into him life.

So now, after many decades, we have learned that we are simply animals, as with the other creations that were made on the fifth day.  There is nothing that sets us apart, other than a few more brain cells and apposing thumbs.  …and, oh yes.  We have the ability to talk, write and, of course, read.

Why should we wonder why, when a high school student kills a bunch of students.  After all, as he has been taught, they are just a bunch of descendants from monkeys.  It is true that the young boys and girls had their lives cut short, but what harm has it done?  They are simply a higher form of animal life.  They have hardly any value.

Then too, why should anyone be expected to act morally, especially when there is no reward.  Indeed, why should a person do good when he seems to be punished for it?  If we are animals, why not act like animals?

I would suspect that a chimp would feel little remorse if he were to kill another animal, or even a human.  What makes us any different?

Maybe the scientist can tell us.  Then, of course there are those people that study the human mind and our emotions and behavior.  Maybe they can tell us why we shouldn’t just up and kill someone for stepping on our toe.  Such an act at least deserves a good punch or two, right in the nose.

Humans are said to be civilized and we don’t do that sort of thing.  Yet, in a way, even ants are civilized.  Moreover, they get along much better than we do.  I guess they aren’t smart enough to realize when they have been wronged.

Well, now the scientists have their way.  I have but two questions.  Is Darwinism better than Christianity?  Is the belief in evolution better than what Jesus taught us:  to love God and to love each other?  If the scientist ideas are so much better, than I guess we have taken some big leaps forward in our civilization.

So now we have humans acting like animals killing humans as if they are animals.