Category Archives: Mistakes

Calculatus Eliminatus

Posted in Mistakes, Truth by

I love the above term. When my sons were young, I guess in the late seventies, we watched a Cat in the Hat show in which someone lost something. Then the Cat in the Hat came up with a solution.

When you mislaid a certain something

Keep your cool and don’t get hot

Calculatus Eliminatus is the best friend you’ve got

Calculatus Eliminatus always helps an awful lot

You can google the term yourself. I suppose to some degree I am already a little in danger of stealing the Dr. Seuss out take, but I hope I will be forgiven. If you have not heard it or seen it, it would be very good to look it up. Also, as with much of Dr. Seuss, there is some good humor there too.

However, if you like I will try to give you a short version. The concept is that you look someplace. Once you have, that place has been eliminated as a place that something might be. If you look enough places and eliminate them, you will find what you are looking for.

I was recently reminded of the little song being as I lost my checkbook. For three days I looked for it. I was reasonably certain it was in the house. However, there was a time element. Though there was no evidence anyone was misusing it, I decided to stop payment on the checks.

Then, about a month later, I walked in and set my keys on the place next to the head of my bed when something caught my eye. That’s right, there it was, my checkbook right in plain sight. I had put my keys right on top of it apparently a month earlier.

Sometimes, I find things like that the best evidence of space aliens. I mean, otherwise, how could I have overlooked it for a month. One of those gray things must have snuck in and took it. Then later, after examining it, he returned it where I would be sure to see it.

Well, then I thought of the old Cat in the Hat thing, Calculatus Eliminatus. Obviously, that was one place I should have eliminated. It also goes to prove the adage that the best place to hide something is in plain sight. I don’t know. If I hadn’t put my keys there, I might not have ever found it. I almost didn’t see it then. Also, my own observance, there is no one better at hiding something from me than I am.

Anger

Posted in Abuse of Power, Alcoholism, Back Space Keys, Christian values, law enforcement, Lawyers and Representation, Mistakes by

First, to keep anyone from getting the wrong idea, this applies to both genders. When I use the masculine pronoun, it applies to both male and female, though not necessarily equally. In grammar, we are told to use he or him anytime we know not the gender. I don’t really agree with that, but the only way I know around it is to say him or her or use he/she. That gets clumsy after a while. So to remain grammatically correct, I will use he as well as him for both genders. Of course, no problem with plural. They and them are already clear enough.

At any rate, the reason I write this is that there is something I noticed about people and anger. People, in general hide behind masks. I am no exception. No one knows me better than my wife but there are things even she doesn’t know about me. I would guess it is common with everyone. None of us wants the world to know our deepest darkest secrets and desires. We all hide things, sometimes even from ourselves.

Anger, however does have a tendency to expose some of those things we wish to keep hidden. When we are angry, we lose control of ourselves and we tell others a little of that we would rather not be known. So. If you really want to know that other person, watch what they do when they are angry. That which you see everyday is only what he wants us to see.

We are all experts at pretending to be what we aren’t. Moreover, the more important that that one person is to us, the more we hide what we are from them. It’s just natural.

Here’s one that will likely get me in trouble. It is a common thought that one of the best places to meet the person of your dreams is in a church. After all, we should all be equally yoked. It’s biblical. However, it is also one of the worst places to meet a your future mate.

He is going to be at his best behavior in church. He will be hiding his real self from others more while in church than when he is in a bar with all his rowdy buddies. Just saying. Moreover, he will be even more careful not to lose his temper. I mean, we Christians just aren’t supposed to lose our tempers. It’s what we are taught even while we are still in diapers.

But we do. In spite of my best efforts, I lose my temper. I say things that I later wish I hadn’t said and I do things I wish I hadn’t done. Daily, I practice control from the time I wake until the time I sleep. However, it’s a good thing the TV doesn’t get its feelings hurt. My wife does ask me from time to time why I yell at the TV or radio. She said it won’t do any good. On the other side, it doesn’t hurt anyone either. Better I take out my anger at it. Well, maybe there are exceptions. I have managed to keep from losing it bad enough to put my foot through the thing, tempting as it is. I did hear on the news of a sheriff that put a bullet through one. I wonder if he went through any anger management courses.

I don’t know. I am not sure but I think anger is something that only humans have. Generally, when one animal attacks another, it is mostly for self-preservation or food, sort of the same. However, mankind can do some pretty horrid things while angry, especially while under the influence. Oddly, men have been known to kill their wives, the person he’d likely give his life to protect. Both men and women abuse their children while out of control. I simply don’t understand it. And, by the way, some of these people are highly respected members of churches.

I don’t understand it. I have seen it. I have heard of it. A leader of a church loses his temper and a very pleasant, amiable woman ends up in the hospital. Try as I might, I can’t figure it out. Well. I’m not alone. I suspect there are likely many in law enforcement that have seen it more than I have.

Oddly, for this reason, I make two important suggestions. If you are one of those, as me, who has a tendency to lose his temper… when you see you are losing it, walk away… before you do something you will be sorry for later, as I have. It’s why I take a walk when I feel myself hitting the boiling point.

Secondly, advice that is worth all your paying for it, don’t marry someone until you’ve seen him angry. If you have never seen him or her angry, then you don’t know him. I can assure you of it. Besides, it’s common sense. If that person is the type that will resort to physical violence, better to know before the “I dos.”.

One more little thing, a guarantee. If you do not know what he will do when angered before you get married, you will afterward. There are no backspace keys in life. Therefore, be careful before making those those lifelong decisions. Divorces are possible, but it will not erase that mistake that was made.

Unbelievable News Story of the Day

Posted in Cancel Culture, Christian values, Crime, Mistakes, Religion, Respect by

Just heard an update to a shooting that occurred a couple days ago in Memphis (Whitehaven area). According to the news story, a customer “pistol whipped” a Popeye’s employee and the employee responded by shooting the customer.

Here is the unbelievable part. According to the report, it all started over condiments. Tell me that makes sense. Is this the way two people should treat each other? Are condiments in such shortage that we need to attack employees over them?

They didn’t give any details beyond that but let me use a little imagination. It doesn’t take much. I have seen customers helping themselves to packets of ketchup by the handful. I suspect over half of it went home to enhance the customer’s pantry. That does not take a stretch of imagination.

Regardless, the employee is the representative of the owner. As such, he is the authority. If he says don’t do that then don’t do it. You don’t get to assault him or her. Not only is it wrong, it is against the law. But in this case, it is also stupid.

As an aside, as a former employee of a restaurant, I am somewhat knowledgeable about them. In general, the restaurant profit margins are some of the smallest. Moreover, those ketchup packages are expensive. When one customer walks away with an abundance, the restaurant must raise their prices. Hence the rest of us pay for the thievery. Incidentally, robbery, no matter how petty, is still wrong.

It has become a fact of recent society to take whats possible and if an employee stands in the way…. As I have said many times, it’s time to teach respect in our homes and schools. This means respect for humanity, for law enforcement and, yes for those that work hard to provide our meals for us. It’s time we stop taking their hard work for granted.

I don’t know how bad the assault by the customer was, but it is possible that lethal force was justified, especially if there is any evidence that the assault would continue. I am not totally saying he or she was right in retaliation. However, to some degree, I do understand it.

But really? Over a handful or two, maybe three? What has our society come to? What matter of hate must fill the hearts of people that they consider the life of another so little?

One more small point. If the customer disliked the restaurant so much, he should have just left. Far better for everyone.

The Unanticipated Obvious

Posted in Biden, Electectric vehicles, Gas vs Electric, Going Green, Mistakes by

I’ve said it and said it again. I barely made it through high school. I have no college degree, though I did have a littie college. Yet it seems I anticipated something the guys with with the big degrees overlooked. At least, they chose to ignore it.

When they first started really pushing the electric autos, I actually wrote a post pointing out that the electric power grid would need some serious beefing up.

I don’t guess anyone paid any attention to me because it was only today I heard of anyone else taking note of the problem. As obvious as it was from the beginning, it seems to have taken about 4 years to realize that the grid just isn’t up to it.

Their suggestion to deal with the problem is to charge the batteries at work during the day instead of at home at night.

Guess I can’t have an electric car. Can’t plug it in at work. I’m retired.

Really Neat Invention

Posted in Dyslexia, Education, Mistakes, Reading by

It’s about 3 by 4 by a quarter inch. There is a small monochrome LCD screen and it has a little microphone on it. You press a button on it and say into it the word you can’t spell and it displays the right spelling on the little screen.

There is but one big problem with it. To the best of my knowledge, it doesn’t exist. No one has made it yet. It has yet to be invented. Leastways, I can’t find it.

I looked to see if I can find an ap but couldn’t find any. Even if I found one, I’d prefer a separate device. I’d prefer no one looking over my shoulder, so-to-speak.

If properly configured, it would also display hyphenated words and differentiations for words with same or similar pronunciations. That way I’d know to use affect or effect.

Well, guess this one will have to just remain in the wishing part of my imagination ’cause I suspect it will not get into the design phase. I suppose the folks who design such things don’t figure there is a need of such things.

So, when I want to know how to spell some French word as soufflé, I will just need to try various combinations until I find the right one. Fortunately, I don’t have to use such words very often.

Last Two

Posted in Christian values, Lawyers and Representation, Mistakes, Obama Care, Politally Correct, Religion by

Late each night when I went home from work, I passed a real estate office. The owner(s) liked to post little quips, which I must admit I enjoyed reading.

One of them said, “Why didn’t Noah swat those last two when he had the chance.”

I suppose one may fill in the missing frustration. Perhaps, it might be the fly. That would be the pest most picnickers would suggest; or would it be the ants. I think the mosquito would have my vote. While in Nam, they used to bite my feet while I tried to sleep. Hence, I woke with itchy feet. As small as their little brains were, they seemed to realize that I really had to reach for my feet. By the time I did, they were alerted and gone.

In the end, I put my mosquito net up and it was the end to it while sleeping. While out and about, they still dive-bombed me regularly, as well as most of us.

Naturally, those of us with homes built of wood live in fear of termites. It is amazing how those little pests can do so much damage in so little time.

Maybe you have your own choice. Regardless, many of these insects do more than bug us. While in Nam, they made us take a quinine based drugs to prevent us from contracting a very deadly disease. Much of Africa was under attack by the sleeping sickness spread by the Tsetse fly. Memphis was almost turned into a big ghost town by yellow fever, spread by mosquitos. Then, of course. We can’t overlook Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Lyme disease spread by ticks.

It does make one want go back a few years before Noah, like before Adam ate the fruit. Before the fall, I’m sure Adam never felt the bite of an insect.

Hence, you just might want to remember, sometimes, seemingly small things can have devastating, long lasting results.

Afterthought: those who take salvation so lightly just might want to look at it more seriously. Forever never ends and insects will be the least concern of any of those who reject the the gift of eternal life.

Perhaps Nixon’s Greatest Mistake

Posted in Abuse of Power, Biden, Cheating, Christian values, Communist Takover, Fauci, law enforcement, Lawyers and Representation, Liberals, Mistakes, News media, Our Legal Systems, Politally Correct, Politcal Opinion by

I guess there are those who call out mistakes made by Richard Nixon. However, I suspect his biggest mistake was after the election in which Kennedy was declared the winner. He chose not to contest the votes in and near Chicago.

Most historians will quickly agree that had he contested the votes, he may very well have won the election. Yet he chose not to contest them because he was afraid of the national division it might cause. What he apparently overlooked was that it sent a signal to the democrats. He set the “no contest” pattern.

He basically implied that Republicans would not contest elections of future elections even when the dems cheat. Hence, every election since, the democrats have cheated, and might I say, very effectively? Since that election, there have been many dead voting. People in nursing homes voted, oddly entirely for dems, even when the voter had not even seen a ballot.

In every election since, the dems come up with new methods of putting their thumbs on the election scale. And by the way, whoa to anyone suggesting that there was any kind of voter fraud.

By the way, does not really matter. Laws were broken and people actually admit to it. The problem is that no one in the position to prosecute wants to. Anyone that wants to prosecute can’t. The dems basically control the Justice Department and many of the courts. Even more, the DC courts are critical and completely controlled by the dems. (Over 90% dems in the District of Columbia. No way to convict a dem. No way to defend a Republican.)

Few of us at the time knew, or could even imagine, the damage that was done by that one magnanimous decision made unselfishly by Richard Nixon. It just shows to go, one cannot play nice when it comes to the dems. They have no interest in doing things right. They have no interest in the good of the country or the Constitution. Their only interest is socialism and the power it will provide them.

As a sidenote, I would point out that socialism and the Constitution are mutually exclusive. They cannot co-exist. Hence, for the dems, to win, they must tear down the Constitution and the American way of life. Hence their efforts are to destroy what Americans have spent over two centuries building.

My aside: Fauci is retiring. Maybe we can arrange to put him in a prison cell for the next thousand years.

A Little Reminder Of Years Gone By

Posted in Biden, Christian values, Communism, Controllers, Crime, CRT, Customer complaints, FOC, Going Green, Kamala Harris, Liberals, Mistakes by

At my most recent visit to McDonald’s I had just turned in my order. As I approached my table, a woman came storming in and reminded me of language I had tolerate while going through M.C.R.D. (Marine boot camp)

She did manage to meet her goal. Within a minute or two she walked back out satisfied that she now had the food she wanted and also, I’m sure, upset the poor guy behind the counter. To be sure, such language was effective but it also spoke volumes about her. I would suspect there were a few others who took note too.

However, what she may not have known was that it also spoke volumes about her and her parents. Likely, she didn’t care, which also said something about the woman. For one thing, I instantly had no respect for the woman. Why should anyone have any respect for a woman who has no respect for herself.

More than that, she clearly had no anger management skills. She never made any attempt at resolving the problem with simple reason. I don’t know about others, but I have found that when I complain with a smile, it generally is at least as effective and I don’t upset anyone. If I do continue to have problems, I ask to speak to the manager. I don’t always get a resolution, but, believe me, they do remember me. A proper word spoken with reason can be far more effective than a bunch of profanity spoken loud enough that everyone in the place can hear it.

Most important, when I leave, I am generally respected. Again, why should they respect me if I don’t respect myself.

I have written about respect before, but the type we have for each other. However, it would seem we also have problems with self-respect. People who respect themselves don’t get involved in the “crash and runs.” People who do such things, even according to the Bible bring shame on themselves and their parents. In a more broad sense, they bring shame on all their kinfolk. After a while, it is only natural to think badly anyone close to him.

And again, the person does not care one iota. Why should they. No one taught them any better. Many never had fathers. In some cases, it might be better if they didn’t have fathers. Those who raised them, those who were their example might be worse than they are. Nonetheless, when I see them going through a Walgreens with their arms full of loot, it speaks volumes to me about them, and those who brought them up.

Respect, all respect begins at home. If kids are not taught respect for others and themselves at home, then no one will respect them. It really isn’t a difficult thing to figure out, but it would seem the dems are having a difficult time of it.

Incidentally, respect of the law and those who enforce it is pretty important too. It just might keep a person out of prison. It just might keep a person from being killed. It’s a good thing to remember, even when you get pulled over for have something dangling from the rear-view mirror.

As usual, I have a little side note. If you speak respectfully to those behind the counter, it just might be a little less embarrassing when you find out you were wrong.

Comments on Recent Elections

Posted in Abuse of Power, Biden, Cancel Culture, Communism, Communist Takover, CRT, Deceit, Drive-throughs, FOC, Kamala Harris, Mistakes, New Cars, Pelosi, Politcal Opinion, Socialists, Vaccine by

It would appear to me that the dems would learn their lesson concerning CRT, mandatory vacs and mandatory masks. Certainly, intelligent people would see the error of their ways and reconsider their goals. Not the dems. Not an intelligent bone in the bunch of them. Instead, they only push on faster, harder. As near as I can tell, they want utter destruction of the US before the 2022 elections, at which time the conservatives will attempt to turn things around right. The problem is that either Biden or Kamala will still be in The White House. Well, at least we might be able to slow them down. We might even be able to bring them to stop until 2024.

One odd thing I have noticed, the mainstream media must have seen the car crash coming and they didn’t say a thing. Indeed they only offered encouragement. Now they have become a party to the event and they will not be believed again for many decades.

When I was a kid, we had a saying, “Everything you say about me bounces off me and sticks to you.” It was childish but it did serve its purpose at the time. Yet, it would seem that the media is accusing the republicans of everything the dems do. I mean, CRT is racist and is the absolute opposite of Martin Luther King’s teaching. And, weather they admit it or not, the dems teach it or something like it in every school they control.

Moreover, it is the dems that stand in the way of allowing the African-American kids to go the best schools, allowing only the elite FOCs to go to the better schools. I would say it is like the pot calling the kettle black, but it is neither accurate nor appropriate. The old saying assumes that the pot is as bad as the kettle, whereas, in this case, the dems are far worse than the republicans. Not only do they not offer a better education, they stand in the way of permitting the republicans to provide a better education. For obvious reasons, that is worse than racism. It hampers the kids from learning and it incites anger and racism. It is exactly the way communist work. First, they destroy by causing division. They create hate and discontent to the point of destroying a country. Then they build it back the way they want. It is exactly the way they did it in Cuba and Venezuela.

Now look. If things continue to go they way they are, the dems will control a much larger version of Venezuela. You think we have supply problems now. A few decades with the dems in control will teach you just how bad things can be. By the way, most of us will not need to worry about the cost of new cars. There won’t be any, unless you are one of the elite. A car wouldn’t be much good to you, anyway. You won’t be able to buy fuel or electricity for it.

Fully Automatic Assault Rifles

Posted in Biden, Border wall, Crime, FOC, gun control, Immigration, Lawyers and Representation, Lobbyists, Mistakes by

I don’t know but I suspect there is one aspect that few have considered as a result of the fiasco in Afghanistan. Consider: we left thousands of M16 rifles behind during the Biden retreat. Some of those just might end up being for sale to those coming up through the Mexican border.

May I remind one and all that the M16 is a true assault rifle. It is able to fire fully automatic with the flip of a switch. It looks very similar to an AR15, a semi automatic which the FOCs are trying to outlaw. I have fired an M16 fully automatic as part of my training. It takes a second or two to fire twenty bullets. Magazines are available that hold 70 bullets, and it takes about a second and a half to change magazines.

No truly law abiding citizen would ever try to buy something like that, but the criminal element would certainly love to get their hands on a few of those things, along with a few thousand bullets. I would say I can only imagine what the criminal type could do with something like that, but I can’t. Three or four men with these things could do things even I can’t imagine, especially if they know how to use them.

So now, we can thank our fearless leader for the possibility of the criminal element using M16s on our police or crowds or whatever they can imagine. However, it doesn’t end there. There are likely also machine guns and 50 caliber guns that can shoot through engine blocks and hit a target a mile away. I would suspect there are also a few other things in there, like anti tank weapons and M79 grenade launchers.

I am going to terminate my imagination there. It already bothers me far to much. Regardless, if these things find their way north of the border, we’ll know it. If they are used on the Mexican authorities, they will know it. If any of this makes its into Canada, they will definitely know it.

It is the sort of thing that happens when people like Biden don’t think ahead. Well, in this case, he likely was not thinking at all. YEP! This mistake will not go away with an eraser! I sure wish it could.