Just heard the judge’s decision on Acosta’s hard pass. Immediately, I figured a good solution. Insist all questions be submitted in writing one hour before the conference. The selected questions could be read and answered. Conceivably, the questions could be selected at random.
What Acosta did during his his battle over the microphone was just almost assault. Had he gone just a little further, she could have sued him and taken a dollar or two home with her.
I have just heard that there will be another delay in the vote count in Florida. We must count all votes and it has just been discovered that there were some on the Titanic when it went down. Naturally, it will take a while to recover them.
I wonder if Jim Acosta even realized what he did. I saw the thing thing live and I am convinced that he did touch the intern slightly. That should have never happen. I am sure he never hurt her but it did likely cause her some fear. The woman was trying to do her job and he put her in a bad position. Moreover, he obviously had no respect for the woman.
At the time, he thought of no one but himself. He wasn’t even thinking of CNN as he caused them a great deal of embarrassment. He certainly wasn’t thinking of the public as he didn’t even ask a question, but rather made an accusation. By the way, it was a very poor one. People who force their way into a country are evaders by definition. By the way, if they start throwing rocks, they become armed invaders and are guilty of assault. For this, it would be proper to lock them up and charge them with assault.
I do believe the proper thing for President Trump to do would have been to tell the man apologize or leave. If he refused, he should have been escorted out. Then he should have reminded the others that the same thing could happen to them if they insist to speak out of turn. Even a third grader knows better.
Somehow, Acosta will likely regret his actions. He won’t be attending any presidential press conferences for a while. Maybe never. He might remain at CNN, but he will have to find another job.
I’ve noticed two things about gas tax. Most of the people who want them don’t drive cars, for instance those who live in New York city. Also, many people like using the revenues received from the tax on things that have nothing to do with cars, such as trains and subways. Now that’s just not right.
Consider the commuter. Until I retired, I drove eighty miles a day. Some drive a hundred a fifty miles to work, one way. I suspect they have something to say about the way the tax money is squandered, such as on the train that is being built in California.
…but, of course, when the roads become riddled with potholes as such, the first thing those idiots like to yell is, “Increase the gas tax!” Why not? It is nothing to them. Many don’t drive. Many have so much money they don’t care. Then too, some just like the idea of controlling just a little more money. It’s what politicians like to do. They have two main jobs, make laws and spend money.
I don’t like it when people call for a gas tax. As far as I am concerned, anyone who has a brain should object too. In the end, everyone pays those taxes. If not directly, then indirectly. Besides, it is a bad thing to squander tax money, wherever it comes from.
By the way, one reason they think it is a good idea to tax gas is because the price is going down. I think that works one way. They would never remove the tax should the price go up.
Finally, if they used the gas tax they get now on the roads, they would have plenty for the highways, that is, if it doesn’t line some polititian’s pocket… or his friend’s.
During the Republican convention of 2008, Lt. Gov. Steele said, “Drill baby, Drill.” Later, during the vice presidential debate, Gov Palin repeated it. Some time later, Obama said it wouldn’t do any good. At or about that time, the price of oil was $142 per barrel. Then they started drilling in North Dakota and Texas… I guess a few other places too, to the dismay of Obama. The point is, Obama refused to release federal land for drilling. Indeed, he went out of his way to keep people from drilling.
Oddly, the price went down briefly to $26.21 in 2016. Currently, though the usage has gone way up, the price is currently about $63. Moreover, we are virtually self-sufficient, something that I am sure frustrates Obama to no end.
Now, this leads me to believe one of two things. Obama purposely lied, or he was totally ignorant. I don’t know which scares me more. However, given his history, I assume he was lying. He is the same man that said he had shovel ready projects. (I would still like to know where those billions went that were appropriated. I suspect it is lining the pockets of his friends.) He is also the same man that said you can keep your same doctor. By the way, he is the same man that has me paying a thousand dollars a month for my wife’s health insurance.
Do you really want to believe that man, an admitted liar. He himself said, “I guess those projects weren’t shovel ready after all.” I don’t think I want to believe the man. Now he is campaigning for his cohorts. Some people actually believe him. Some have college degrees. Can’t figure that out.
It is clear that he just wanted the price of energy to go up so that he could pay for his green projects. By the way, his green projects didn’t work, none of them. They were all flops. Not only that, the windmills are still killing birds, including the protected eagles.
Concerning my computer, there is little that will upset me more than when some big outfit will try to take it over. In that respect, I would prefer to go back to Windows 3.1. Back then, I installed my software and did my work. Actually, I reformatted my hard drive 3, maybe 4 times a year. It helped to keep things neat and I always knew I could recover from a disaster.
Nowadays, Microsoft has about put a stop to that. Backups and recoveries, even with the best hardware, is very time consuming and iffy. I still do the backups, but I guess I’ll wait for a disaster to see if I can truly make the recovery.
I do miss the good ol’ days of DOS in many respects. On the other hand, I do like some of the newer software. One nice program is Google Earth. I have used it extensively. So, when I got my new computer, I decided to install it.
Not only was I not able to load it, but Google took over my homepage. Did I mention that I don’t like companies taking over my computer?
For the next few days, off and on, I tried to get back to my homepage, Firefox. Oddly, I Googled “how to set my homepage to Firefox,” and got nowhere. First, I could not find the URL for the Firefox page. Second, it appeared to me that Google locked me onto their homepage. Every time I tried to change my homepage at all, it just went right back to Google.
Finally, I figured on simply reloading Firefox. At the first step, I saw two pseudo-buttons, one of which was labeled “Refresh Firefox.” After I clicked on it, after a short time, my homepage was restored, even to the point that it still had all the modifications.
As I said, I like Google Earth, but not that much. I don’t think I’ll use it anymore.
However, the main reason for my writing this is in case Google ever gets control of your home page, you know what to do to get back to Firefox. I would like to give you the URL for Firefox, but I still can’t find it. My URL box is effectively blank while I am on the homepage. I don’t know how they do that.
A week or so ago, I heard that Elon Musk would do business with the Defense Department by helping to build things for national defense. At first, though grateful, I didn’t think much of it. To be sure, he is already building rockets, but those have no direct military purpose.
Then the thought occurred to me that he might build electric powered tanks, you know, the things that run around with big guns on them. If such a vehicle could be built that would have a range of three or four hundred miles, it would have many advantages.
First they would be quiet. A track version would make hardly any noise, only the track itself. If a wheel version were built, it would make no noise at all. Talk about sneaking up on someone.
Second, it would neither need an intake for the motor nor an exhaust. It would mean it could operate almost anywhere, even submersed under shallow water. Naturally, there would have to be an air supply for the crew, but that would hardly be a problem. It also means that the tank would be, to some degree, NBC proof (nuclear, biological and chemical).
Reliability would be a big factor, as long as the batteries were reliable. Electric motors can be built that last just almost last forever. Diesel and jet engines can be very expensive to maintain. Worse, repairing them can take a long time. The electric motors are inexpensive, small and easily replaced. If repair is desired, that is usually simple too.
I am not totally sold on the idea, but, if anyone builds them, we should. Maybe it is worth a little research. Maybe for the rest of the military vehicles too. I understand those Teslas can really move out. Can you imagine an army that can move along at over a hundred miles an hour, without making much noise.
I would hate to think that we don’t make them and the bad guys do. I would hate to put our soldiers in such a position.
Invariably, many say the wall is too expensive and it wouldn’t serve any purpose. I submit one that is undeniable. It would save both money and lives by drastically cutting down on the smuggling of drugs. The vast majority of drugs come across the southern border. Some of the drugs kill people. As for the money, it is incalculable. Just how much is each person’s life worth. How many dollars would you assign to someone in law enforcement.
As far as I’m concerned, if the wall cost 60 billion, it would be a bargain.
The truth is that the cost is not the reason for protesting the wall. The fact is that the protest is because the wall would be effective. Besides, even if it cost nothing, there are people who would fight against its construction. If you can’t figure out who, just look at those who protest it now. Every person that protests the wall has a reason for keeping the border open.
Some see the illegals as votes. Some see them as cheap labor. Some are just globalists; they think we ought to have one big government. (Sounds neat, unless that government is like Venezuela’s. Then, where do you go to escape tyranny, the moon or Mars?)
Moreover, it is inhumane to protest the wall. It results in death by overdose and it take destroys the lives of millions. By the way, might I mention that some of those coming up from Central America will die on the way. By the way, might I mention that some of them are criminals, thieves, rapist and murderers.
It is said that it won’t work. If it won’t, why the uproar to keep it from being built. My guess is that every place they build a wall, the crossings at that point will be greatly reduced.
Then again, maybe you want your kids to have easy access to drugs.
Immigrants carrying the flag of the land they come from are not immigrants. They are invaders. As long as they proudly carry their own flag, their loyalties will remain south of the border. That makes them invaders.
It was late evening. My wife drove me to the emergency room. While she parked the car, I went up to the admissions desk. I showed my hand to the clerk and asked, do you need to explain why I’m here. Even though she smiled, she also displayed the proper empathy.
My wife had warned me a few times about walking at night. I had even been stopped by the police and warned, that is, after they asked what I was doing. There are thieves out there. Some have knives and some even have guns. However, you must understand, it is cooler at night and I need my exercise.
So, generally I walked about two miles a night. The nice thing about walking is that it exercises some of the largest muscles in the body. More that that, walking helps to pump blood through the body. This helps to distribute the nutrition and flush out the poisons.
On this particular night, it was neither thief nor even a gunman that assaulted me. My problem was a pine-cone. After I stepped on it, I was on the pavement before I knew it.
At this point, I started to wonder if a knife might have been less painful.
I mean; I really hurt, pretty much all over. It was as if someone picked me up and slammed me to the ground. In a way, it was worse. I never saw it coming.
I started taking account of everything when I realized that one of my fingers was pointing the wrong way. As I held my hand in front of me, it was pointing to the right, not up as the others. Immediately, I realized that was not so good.
In spite of my best efforts, I couldn’t get up. It reminded me of the commercial where the person calls out, “Help. I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.” I lay there in street a short distance from the curb. I wondered if I should have carried a flare with me. I mean, it was dark. I did have some fear that someone might run over me before they saw me.
Fortunately, I did have my cell phone with me and, like ET, I phoned home. It did not take long for my wife to reach me. I was right in front of my house when that lethal pinecone attacked me.
Well, most of the rest, you already know. She helped me to my feet and drove me to the hospital. There, they determined that I had one shattered one knuckle and dislocated another on my right ring finger.
I knew about dislocations. I had seen enough TV to know that it is painful to fix them. Well, I just had it confirmed. When that PA took my finger and straightened it, I jumped straight up off that gurney. I don’t know how I did that, but I was literally two inches above it. Thinking I was going to hit her, she jumped back about four feet and she was ready to retreat even more.
Unbelievably, I thanked her. Now, when is the last time you ever thanked someone for causing incredible pain. Besides that, I assured her that I knew what was coming and I would have never hurt her. I did mention that I preferred that it might have been better had she not snuck up on me like that.
I got another one of those smiles, you know, one that was accompanied with empathy.
Believe it or not, I was referred to a hand specialist. I did not even know that there was such a thing. He put wires in my finger. They kept my finger from bending sideways while allowing it to bend properly. Then he told me to bend it a lot… to keep it from freezing in one position.
Then after a few weeks, he decided to cause me more pain. The wires had to come out and he decided the best way was to use a big pair of wire cutters. He cut the wire four times. (I suppose I should mention that the wire was stainless steel, very strong, very difficult to cut.)
I know it does seem strange, but sometimes, those that want to help us cause us pain, sometimes a lot. Conversely, some folks who help us mean us harm.
In one of my books, “Stormy,” I try to illustrate this. I consider the book my best. I don’t guess my readers agree with me. I have sold but one. Also, it is the only one that was commercially edited. It cost me $8500. I don’t think I’ll make it back at this rate.
Getting back to my main point, the Bible tells us that work is a blessing from God. Though the Bible doesn’t say as much, I believe it is a proper conclusion that when a nation deprives a person of work, he is robbed of a blessing, though many will emphatically deny it.
Many times I have been approached by beggars. I am not talking about people who have disabilities. I am speaking of healthy able-bodied people who use deceit to get a person to give them money. I might mention that the deceit is thinly veiled. They beg for money to buy food. I offer to buy them a meal, and they go to their next mark.
The fact is that if I give them the money, I teach them that they can survive by begging. If we all deny them, they just might go out and get a job. Therefore, by giving him money, I do him a disservice. You deprive him of one of God’s richest blessings.
All of us come to hard times from time to time. When I first got out of the Marines, I did accept some help for a few weeks. Those were hard times. Looking back on it, I don’t know how I made it, but I did. I won’t go through the explanations, but I took no money from the government, just a small loan from my wife’s grandmother.
Moreover, let me say this, when you take welfare from the government government, then you become a slave to those who run the government.
Speaking specifically about the democrats, it is their hope to arrange giveaway programs. That way, they can enslave the population, or at least a large part of it. To some degree, they have succeeded already. Those on the dole are afraid that they will lose their freebees. Therefore, they already control your vote. If ever they achieve complete control of the government, then they control of everyone. We will all lose our freedom.
By the way, those on the dole now will work. The government will make sure of it. It is the way of socialists. They use giveaways to gain control. Then, once they have control, they remove the giveaways.
It is the pattern. It is the one they have used since the early 1900’s. It is how they took over Russia, China, Cuba and many others. They promise Utopia. Over and over, they have succeeded in their deceit. Yet, wherever they rule, it is far from Utopia. For those who like to hug trees, the socialistic countries have the worst records for the environment. Their only interest is themselves. I assure you, those in the leadership of Venezuela don’t go hungry. They live in their nice big air conditioned houses with their servants while those who were promised Utopia go through garbage cans trying to find a morsel that might last the day. If they don’t succeed, they go to sleep hungry. If they do succeed, who knows what kind of disease they might pick up?
Even more, they have been robbed of their blessing, work. Now they beg, not by choice, but of necessity.
I would encourage one and all to vote republican. More than that, avoid relying on the government for your survival. If you do rely on Uncle Sam, you will be a slave and the elite will live like royalty. The socialists call themselves progressives. Yet, if they succeed at taking control, it will be a regression back to the dark ages.
bfrhodes99 