Ok - so we are off to a week in America's playground - nope not Disney. Las Vegas....
Visiting my son and daughter-in-law(close enough) before the April trip for the wedding when it will be the Whole Fam Damily, and all the "joy" that will bring = so this time it's just us......
Listening to the Dem and Reps give statements about the Articles of Impeachment makes me think that someone is not using their active listening skills... both sides cannot be right ! and we ain't talkin a slight difference of opinion. We are talking about that it CANNOT be that all of these guys listened to the same words and drew conclusions that are 180 degrees opposed to each other, one saw a Red Horse and one saw a Blue Horse. One saw a guy rob the store that was 7 ft 6 in tall and was naked and the other side saw a 4 ft 2 in women dressed in a tuxedo.
Actually what I think is happening here is what I have said before - that they - BOTH Sides - decided what the End would look like , and what they needed it to be, then they bent the narrative to fit the necessary outcome.
I'm not sure that the best defense from the POTUS is that the Impeachment is Weak and thin.. that sorta says to me that the evidence of the article exists ....... that yes,, I got caught with my hand in the cookie jar - but he I only took two cookies (one for each hand) it's not like I took them all !!
They are scared of Trump - they don;t wanna be called names. They don't want to get on his bad side,,,, I have to say that I believe in exactly what they said in the Impeachment inquiry.
The Phone call was one thing,,, the Quid pro Quo - was essentially stated in what the Whitehouse released,,, that the President of the US withheld monies meant for a foreign country until they announced that they - the Ukraine - stated publicly that they were investigating, Biden and his son. The once found out they released the money and Covered up the evidence or tried to and continue to by blocking Congress's ability to to do the investigation - to do their Job as required by the Constitution.
i have been saying that I do not believe that the US will be able to survive another 4 years of Trump presidency - that the Republic that we know - will be forever changed 4 years from now ,,,, and the Crimes outlined in the Impeachment investigation say exactly that.
That the 45th President presents an immediate, clear and future threat to American national security, the Constitution and the resilience of the republic's democratic self-governance itself. the Congress - both Houses - need to wake up.... they need to look at the Country and see what he has done ,,, and then vote to both Impeach and then Remove him from office.
I work outdoors - mainly - and the lower temps and rain have made it less fun than normal - add to that - the Office that we use at the Marina is kept - near the Temp that HELL is at ... OK - maybe at say 80 - 85..... buy still you get all warm / and yes,, sweating at times - then head outside even inot 20 degrees,,,,, means it seems even colder then it is,,,, I'm not whining,,,, Just don;t feel overly well...
I'm did take some dayQuill,, Night quil afternoon and and morning quil.,,,,,
- next - while is seems much of the Country will be experiencing tough weather,,, we in th east are having some winds,, I think the only impact that I heard is that the Macy's Day PArade Balloons may not be able to fly ! - I think we will live !
read an interesting article about the TRUTH not mattering anymore - and that especially being the case in Politics / Impeachment. That we - THE GREAT DIVIDED COUNTRY - Make up our minds about something then bend the narrative to support whatever side we support. So that If you support the POTUS - you discount all the testimony and hearing, you focus on only thos eItems that support your position. and If you Think that tRump should be Impeached you focus on those Items that uphold YOUR position, and discount everything else. The polar opposite of what you are told as a Juror in a Trial - that you need to listen to all sides of what is said and presented and then and only then you make up your mind about Guilt or Innocence.
On Thanksgiving night in 1976 - The Band played their last concert. t San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom on Nov. 25, 1976. and although we were able to see Rick Danko and Levon in and around Woodstock for years after that ,,, the BAND, Helm, Robertson, Manuel, Hudson, Danko - never played together again. I encourage you to play the entire concert with all their guests.... You can visit Rick and Levon's grave sites in Woodstock Cemetery off Rock City Road - ask me to tell you the Story of how we found those spots sometime !!
So - Just when I think that all my Issues are on the right side,,, my left knee today is killing me,,, maybe slightly swelled up - not as much as the right knee has been,,, but hurting one the less.
and just as an update : Starting from the top - I think the issues with my right hand - numbness in the index, middle , ring finger is all coming from my shoulder. If you do not remember - I slipped and fell down 3 stairs off a porch onto my shoulder last year... funny I was concerned that my F-in- Law was walking on that same porch and him falling and Whoops! There I went - reached my Right hand out to grab the stair rail - and I never touched it,,, next thing I knew I was on the ground. So, sleeping on my Right side turns my hand into a numb lump.... and BTW - that numbness hurts.
.....and just to continue my whining ...... the right knee, ankle, and somehow - foot all hurt,,, is this a result of the HARD work that happens at the Marina this time of year, - yea - I would suspect that is part of it...
Ok - onto the Impeachment hearing,, this is where you scroll down to the Videos to see if there is anything of interest there. because who wants to hear more about Impeachment.
1st off - this is extremely historic -
The House has impeached 19 federal officers. Of these:
So we are living thru very historic times, and I believe we will see Trump Impeached by the House of Representatives (Democrats hold the Majority) , and then acquitted by the Senate (where the Republicans hold the Majority). I would suggest some simple things when listening to this process - Listen to those giving the Testimony. NOT the Media - not FOX news, not even Cnn news,,,,listen to the Testimony.
IMHO - I do not think that those who have supported Trump right along will change their minds and say that he is Guilty of Abuse of Power or Obstruction of Justice. They Can't - that would be admitting - in their minds - to all the things that have been being said right along - and that is not going to happen. Let me say further that the only person who can beat Trump is Biden.... Buttigieg make the most sense in my opinion, I just don't believe in this election we are going to elect an openly Gay man to the presidency. And I don't think Biden will win either.
I DO NOT THINK WE WILL SURVIVE AS A REPUBLIC WITH 4 MORE YEARS OF TRUMP.
Ok - let's move on - IF the allegations agains the Astros prove to be true - they should be stripped of the 2017 World series title at minimum. Just leave MLB with no champion in that year- and note that this was due to deliberate cheating by that Team. Listen - stealing signs has always been part of baseball - pitchers tipping their pitches - holding their hands higher or lower for a certain pitch. positioning on the Pitching rubber - for certain type of pitch,,,, the 2nd baserunner - seeing the catchers signs has ALWAYS been an issues,,, if it's not then why do they go to a second indicator when a man gets to 2nd base,, why do the pitcher and catcher cover their mouth with the glove when they talk on the mound ?!?! HOWEVER - a Team involved in it ,,using a camera set up in center field that can then relay the Pitch to or towards the dugout and then another player - whistling, banging a bat or hitting the top of the Dugout rail to tell the batter that a certain pitch is coming - off speed or Fastball.... that is WAY OVER THE TOP !
Think how fast that has to happen- Catcher gives the sign. Camera operator sees that sign, Somehow relays to the player in/near the dugout. that Player then signals the batter in time -BEFORE the Pitch- so he can adjust to the Pitch. Man - that has to be fast communication.
kinda cold these days,,,,, 15 degrees two mornings in a row.. don;t think it even got to 32 yesterday..... too darn early for this much cold.
Finished - 99% of of the 2nd Bedroom in our house.... Had to open a short - 2-3 feet long "hallway" thru what used to be a closet. reinstall the closet doors on the right , reroute the Heat/AC feed and Air return to the 2nd story, Move the light over into the new closet and install a switch for room lights, I replaced the 5 Halogen lights with LED type - never liked how hot the Halogen got in the attic space- closed off the wall and reframed the wall between the Master BR and the "office" / Now 2nd BR. Shiplapped the Wall on the 2nd BR side, I'm still finishing the Sheetrock on the Master Br side. installed an entry door and moulding in the hallway and around the new door. Primed and painted the Ceiling and walls,,, the old Really DARK brown is gone replaced with nice white Ceiling, and Sweet Butter Yellow Walls, . I built a simple Queen size BedFrame - and got a new mattress for that - so pretty much done and awaiting Family/Grandchildren to use the repurposed room - I need a couple of 1 foot pieces of Moulding around the ceiling,, and want to find a dresser for the other side of the tall window and relocate a dimmer switch to control the recessed fixtures - . But other that that - 'VIOLA !! done !
Ok - wadda ya want to hear ???
Felice Brothers - THE KID
If you can get thru this without a tear - then you are better than me.....
It's Alan Jackson at the The Grand Ole Opry for George Jones' funeral - singing George's song - "He Stopped Loving her Today" - note the Circle of OLD wood in the stage ,,, that circle - If you are not aware - is from the Stage of the Ryman Auditorium - the Ryman was the venue of the Original Grand ole Opry. That Circle of Wood was cut from the stage at the Ryman and Moved to and installed at the New Opry as Tribute to the Ryman and symbolizing the old song Will the Circle be Unbroken - the old song by the Carter Family .... that the Circle is NOT Broken.
Ok - ONE MORE - Willie with Ray Charles and Seven Spanish Angels..
If you have not watched Ken Burns - "Country Music" you should..... It is a great history lessen about music that started in our country , and - obviously - continues to day....
It goes back to Jimmy Rogers,, and Mother Maybell Carter ..... Hank Williams,,, Bob Wills, etc and moves forward to how the Grand Ole Opry started in the Ryman Auditorium and then moved to Opryland where it is today.... Ken Burns does a fantastic job of Outlining the Music and Musicians,,in similar fashion that he did in his documentary about Baseball and of course the Civil War ...
He tells the story of the old timers,,, and all the folks that we know - Johnny Cash, Porter Wagner , Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, George Jones and Tammy Wynett, Merle Hagggard, Willie and Waylon, and on and on....
IF by chance you only have time or get to see one the episodes - "Are you sure Hank done it this way?" is #7 ,,,,, and really highlights the ones that We/ I are familiar with
The way that These folks came into their own ,,, the confidence that they had in their musical ability,,, Dolly - knowing that she needed to get away from Porter Wagner - as he was too controlling to her career,,, Waylon - forcing RCA in his contract to give him control of the Recording process on his records,,, using his band, his producer and making the Record in the studio HE chose so that his records sounded like he sounded on stage..... Wille making the Album "Red Headed Stranger " for just $4k and not using ANY voice over dubs, or fancy Background strings, horns, etc,, Just his guitar and vocals, a string bass, and a back up guitar,,, Colombia did not want to release the Album - cause it did not have the "Nashville Sound" of the day,,, but a Guy named Jackie Sherril - a Colombia record producer at the time said - lets make Willie happy ,,, we will release it - It will totally fail and he will come back to making records the way we - Colombia records - want him too... HA - the record was a multimillion seller ,, stayed on the Top Country Charts for over 2 and 1/2 years !!! Sherril even says in the Film - "Man - was we WRONG!" and he says - everyone left Willie alone after that !
It discusses Emmy Lou Harris ,,,her rise from a Quasi - Hippy folk singer to country music artist,, her getting all these great studio musicians to tour with her as her back up band that hse called the HOT BAND - Partnering with Rodney Crowell,, Her Label wanting her to turn more main stream - country folk // Folk Rock and her then putting out 2 hit albums in one year that featured a turn to Blue Grass sound and featuring Ricky Scagggs.. Like "Roses in the Snow" .. much to the dismay of her record label. Oh - that just happened to win a Grammy as best Female vocal performance
They Talk about Waylon and Outlaw music - the release of the Record the "Outlaws" and that propelled them - Waylon , Willie, Jesse Colter (Waylons wife) and Tompall Glazer Careers,,, and Waylon saying that we now realized that "They" no longer needed Nashville that Nashville needed them !
and the episode ends with Willie and Merle making the Album - Pancho and Lefty,,,,, and how that Title song came from a former hippy singer - Emmy Lou Harris record that Willies daughter played for him that night, and that she (EmmyLou) got the song from a Cosmic Cowboy - Graham Parsons who converted her to playing country music, and Parsons heard the songs years earlier and he knew the song from the guy who wrote it - Townes Van Zant - then it was recorded by Merle and Willie at 5am in the Morning - Willie insisting that Haggard get up - he was asleep on his bus- and come into the studio and record it with Willie - Haggard getting up the next morning, and asking that he get to rerecord the vocal - and being told that the final cut of that song was on it's way to NY and the record company. , the album went right to #1 on the Country charts and crossed over to top ten on the pop charts !!!
This country is lipping into a very dangerous time - from the President's impeachment, the Congressional inquiry as an Impeachment inquiry - the Whitehouse doing everything it can to obstruct Congress from doing their job, The POTUS trying to gain the identity of the Whilstleblower - when that person(s) identity is protected under the LAW ! You remember the Law ?? If there is nothing to hide then why not release all information.
The Potus - Clearly asked the President of the Ukraine to look into a political Rival - Joe Biden - the Transcript of the Conversation says EXACTLY THAT ! So if and more like when someone tells you that not what it says - they are in Denial - tell them to go read it again - and imagine that it is another president saying it - Like Obama - or Clinton - cause they would be running around with their Hair on Fucking fire if it was either of those guys - but cause they are all scared of tRump = Scared he will call them names - like Moscow Mitch Mconnell and Lenigrad Lindsay Graham ... And his supporters can not say anything "bad" against him , as it might mean they have been incorrect to support this monster for President. And need to continue to support him to the END !
One of the things that should scare the shit outta you is that a Political pole that asked self identified Republican supports about the Phone call and the Ukraine thing. Nearly 50% of them said that the name Biden was never mentioned , never said by the POTUS in that phone call,.
Here is a Direct Quote from the POTUS - from what the Whitehouse released... "There's a lot of talk about Biden's son, that Biden stopped the prosecution and a lot of people want to find out about that so whatever you can do with the Attorney General would be great. Biden went around bragging that he stopped the prosecution so if you can look into it... It sounds horrible to me." SO - don't you tell me that that all this talk about - Fake news, Press is the enemy of the people , only listen to what I say say is true has no impact on what people think. - IT might get old - It might get tiresome - but you need to continue to Speak Truth to Power - not get into fights .... but A) know the Truth - & B) Speak the Truth. Here is a U2 Video & Eddie Vedder / Pearl Jam - "Just Breathe"
Who is actually happy ?? People with Money - heck I can show you folks with lots of Moola that are miserable - how can it be ??? I always think that if I had that kinda money - I'd Burn mine - and man would I be pleased with myself ! you know that part is not true - you can't buy yourself into happiness. You can always find someone that you think is happy ,, and you find that they are really not ,,, when you see - fakey fake smiles and videos on the FB pages - that behind that are struggles.
I know for me - I try to take things in short Terms - a Work shift .... and then getting home - showering, and sitting on the couch with a big ole cup of cold water or Juice - probably closely followed by MY cat - the only one in 40 years that has ever like me best !
Or finishing a project - thru things I don;t really want to do - but if I put it off,,, or just procrastinate - it's worse - So I try not to think about too much to do at once ... Small victories.
There is a song Lyric that says " Are you livin the Life you chose ...? or are you livin the Life that chose you ?" I really think its the latter,,, cause the life we would have chosen is simply not real - so we live with the life that Chose US ... and make the best of it that we can - celebrate small even short times, and minimize the Bad stuff,,, even of the bad stuff ain't so Bad,.. but as you are going thru it you think HELL NO - I ain't gonna survive this - or I can not handle that ! Bullshit - we can take what we would not believe possible. We survive what others think we cannot - and we would not think others can withstand.
So it's a Cold World out there and tomorrow we are going out there Again !
Chin up - Fuck them - and let's keep pushing thru the storm - the Eye and the Calm are in the middle of the Hurricane !!
Really - does it make that much difference if its a normal cycle that the earth is warming or of its an affect of Humans not doing any thing to reduce their impact on the Planet ??
IF you are on the "Normal Cycle" side of this debate , you need to tell me about how we can have billions and billions of people on the Earth and have no impact on what is going on. Seriously.... how do not impact anything ??
Ok - so no matter what - we need to do something about the Warming of the Planet - the Category 5 Storms that are more normal now than ever - it is absolutely undebatable that Warm water feeds these storms - NO ?? Why don't hurricanes start in the Northern Hemisphere ?? Yea - thats right - cause the water is not warm enough,,, Warm water feeds these huge storm... Did you see the photos of Bahamas near total devastation ! If the Death toll is not in the hundreds it will be a miracle.
Yanks Magic number is down to 13 - that's a combination of NY wins and Tampa losses that will clinch the AL east for the Bombers.. There will be a race for Overall AL record and Overall MLB record - down to the last game probably ... why is that important ?? I'm glad you asked,,,, That will determine A. Who gets to play the Wild Card team in the Division series.... B. Who will have home field advantage in the ALCS... C. Who will have home field advantage in the World Series.
On paper - the yankees do not match up with the Astros pitching or theDodgers pitching,,, However - IF - and that's a BIG ole IF - a Guy like Paxton or Happ can step up and win a maybe that they are overmatched in OR the Offense has a great night against an Opposing pitcher - like scoring 8, 10 , 12 runs,,,, then the pitcher has a lot of wiggle room for a so - so outing.... 22 Games to go -
BTW - theYankees set a record lake night with 13 players having hit 10 or More home-runs.
in no particular order : Voit, Torres, DD, Urshela , Gardener, Hicks, Judge, Sanchez, Ford, Frazier, Encarnacion , LeMahieu, Tauchman. Kind of amazing production from guys like Ford, Frazier, Ford, Urshela, - but I think it's a product of Pitchers not wanting to walk guys on base in front of the Real Home run hitters ....
Don't know if they showed it on the Yes Broadcast - I was at last nights game - but did you see CC with the Stuffed Parrot in the dugout after Encarnicion hit that home run ?? Pretty funny - Encarnacion go the Rep for the Parrot walk way back - if you watch his Homerun Trot - he holds his right arm horizontal to the Ground and bent forward at the elbow - as if Holding a Parrot on it ,, go ahead try it ..
Yea - 2 Firsts,,, after all these years,, I attended my 1st Baby Shower a few weeks ago - my niece is now - was then about 9 months Pregnant.. and now I have attended my 1st Bridal Shower for my - soon to be - although I already think of her as my Daughter in law - marrying my younger son next year - they have been together for a while so I look at them as already married - as I would anyone who's lives are intertwined with children, homes, pets, schedules, Lives ! One is married in every sense of that word....
Yankees magic number is 15 ..... so any combination of wins by NY added to losses by Tampa bay equaling 15. Gives NY the Win for the AL EAST in 2019,.... still gotta play for Best Record in the AL over Houston and best record overall MLB .vs the Dodgers mostly... I would still question of they have enough starting pitching to beat Houston and/ or LA in a series... We have one more regular season game to attend, hoping we can get a playoff game or two -as some of the guys in the ticket group only want to attend World Series games, not any playoff contests,,, so perhaps some will fall to us...
Short post today -
Let's go for some songs - this one Written by Jason Isbell and you can find this by Drive By Truckers - on a CD called Dirty South...
and a Drive by Truckers song .. Written by Patterson Hood
Someone I know had their Grandson - 7 years old - killed in an automobile accident. This happened in a rain storm - a week ago .... I cannot imagine this happening ! I would be devastated if anything ever happened to any of my grandsons.... There is little discussion beyond that. As a Parent or grandparent - you are not expecting bury a child or grandchild. Don't know what else to say...
The summer is winding down - in the last week of August - Labor day weekend is upon us,,, Local colleges are back in session. Schools start next week.... I kinda lose track of that date.... this means my job will be on the borking side during the week, "school nights" and getting dark before 8pm now.... have to be careful to not fall asleep in the chair as others have - one of my co-workers did just that - waking up at 10:50pm !! We close at 8pm - and leave at 8:30 ! and no he did not collect OT pay for the hours he slept !!
Yanks have all but won the AL east - they are 11.5 up on the Rays (11 on the loss side) and 15.5 ahead of the Red Sox with 27 games left to play . The Wild card in the AL will be a game between one of 3 teams . Cleveland , Oakland and Tampa... The Yanks are only 1/2 game ahead of the Astros that winner - best record- will play the Wildcard winner in the division series. And the team with the 2nd place record in the AL will play the Central Division winner - thats the Twins right now... None of those match ups seem easy to me,,, and I still don;t think that NY has the pitchers to matchup against the Astros...
The Yankees MAGIC number to Win the AL east is 17... that's a combination of wins by NY plus losses by Tampa Bay...
I'm gonna go with a song that I heard for the 1st time in along time last night -
and If you are not a Tom Waits fan - you should be..
- Tariffs that are NOT being paid by China and them doing a Tit-forTat so to speak - by leveling tariffs on U.S. goods ?
- The Amazon Jungle burning - and how this might be the biggest environmental issue of today ?
- The Yankees in 1st place in the AL East despite not having what one would think of as the REGULAR players on the Field for much of the year. ?
- Scaramucci and Walsh may be able to do to trump what the Democrats can't ?
- Who "really" pays for Tariffs ?
- Who the hell got the idea for these MLB uniforms ?
- SO Max Muncey admitted to doing a Flop at 2nd base to hopefully (and yes he did) get a timeout to stop Torres from scoring the tying run in Saturdays' game ??? A player ADMITS to Cheating to change the outcome of the Game ??? and BTW - this just might come down to who gets home filed advantage in the World series - Now - I don't know if the yanks win the game or not after all this would just Tie it up .... and let's not be too dramatic it may actually mean nothing in the end, Let's see if MLB reacts in any way at all.....
- Hey its cold here in the North east this morning !! High 40's - thats great for late August
- The USA team - Louisiana team wins the Little league World Series.
If you have not heard of or know Sebastian Maniscalco - you need to watch this. Very Funny - Very True...... but I think it's more than 20 years ago...
Hey - greetings - Is this all you have to do - really - Reading this dribble is all you have ....
Ok,,here goes..
once in a while we get lucky and a remake / redo goes really well.... Not everything did on this one,,,but - we really made an upgrade from what was there... and as we say it's BTW.... Better Than it WAS !!!
The porch itself was a challenge,,, really first time doing everything in Vinyl....the replacement windows went better then I though,,, I figured when the old framing came out the whole block assembly would fail,,,, but it did not - and I places Several Tapcons into the Cement to hold those windows. I made that screen door - thank you very much - Pocket screws and all.... and it FIT !!
Probably need to do something hide the Red Brick underneath,,, someone - years ago - cut out the Block in order to install a new Oil tank in that basement area,,, and they used old redbrick to reseal the hole - anyone read Poe's the Cask of Amontillado ??? Kinda same deal with out the Murder part !!
Was I spose to leave a video - ?? Ok - I am super excited - we are going to see Hot Tuna -
Jorma Kaukonen (guitarist/vocals) he is 78 years old and Jack Casady - he is just 75 (bassist).
Former Members of Jefferson Airplane - and yes they play at Wookstock in 1969 !!
Here is Come back Baby....
Here is Jorma with Susan Tedeschi and the Tedeschi Trucks Band - We saw this show at SPAC a few years ago !!
Jefferson Airplane - At Woodstock - the were planned to go on at like 10PM - but they never took the stage till between 5am and 6am - hence Grace Slicks comment about Morning Maniac Music ..
Oh BTW - Grace Wrote White Rabbit when she was just 17 years old - WOW
If you think what is happening in this country is normal ....then you are not.
Mass Shootings dot the headlines on nearly a weekly basis. There is an immediate call for Gun control measures ,,, that - I can say with reasonable certainty - will not happen. The NRA holds the Balls of the POTUS . Remember last time the Shit head in the Whitehouse was gong to enact universal background checks, bans on assault rifles, multiple load magazines and look at Red Flag laws.... the net day he met with Wayne LaPierre - the head of the NRA - and the Shot for Brains suddenly changed his tune ... the NRA lobby is far too strong and gives too much money to politicians to let any of those laws happen.
If you think what is happening in this country is normal ....then you are not.
The Shooter in El Paso writes a manifesto that uses the same language as the President does to describe minorities, and immigrants to this country, then goes to the Walmart and targets shooting Latinos - but hey there is no connection to the Presidents words,,,noooooo.... and looks what the Democrats did,,, look what Obama did.... Took one of tRumps Butt Boys 38 seconds during a CNN debate to use Obama's name .... Same old thing - Defer and deflect, then turn the discussion - or try to in a different direction - it's classic Trump apologist rhetoric.
If you think what is happening in this country is normal ....then you are not.
Shit for Brains (SFB) goes to visit Dayton Ohio - then Rails on the Mayor for being anto Trump and lying about his visit , even though the video of the the Mayor describing the POTUS 's visit is very positive about that visit - still SFB calls them Liars. He goes to El Paso -where they did not want him in the 1st place,,,, and the remaining Shooting victims that are in the hospital refuse to meet with him. However, as he tours the hospital - he brags about the size of the crowd that he had at his last (KKK) Rally in El Paso in 2018 and pokes fun at Beto Orourke as having far less - Like 400 people in a parking lot - at his rally. Seriously - he can't even fake felling empathy / Sympathy for an hour or so - these folks have been thru a traumatic experience and SFB talks to them about about himself and how many people were at HIS rally 0 Like they Give a SHIT !
Let's turn to the Bullshit I see posted on Social about gun control and Racism.
1st - the idiotic comparison of Stopping people from driving cars because people drive drunk and kill someone equates to Gun Control. A) No one I ever knew ever said "let me get drunk and drive and Kill some other innocent Driver tonight" NO one that drinks and drives thinks that. They don't take months and months gathering Liquor and Beer and plan to get drunk and go Kill someone in a car Crash - But that is exactly what a Gun Man DOES do ! B) A car is meant to be used for transportation,,, to and from work, Vacations, to the Grocery store. That is the Purpose for which it was intended - IT was not intended to be used as a Weapon to go Kill / Injure someone - there is no Automobile Ad that touts that this is the best car to kill and maim your fellow citizens. But the Gun on the other hand is being used for exactly what it was intended to do - Blow a big hole in something (someone) , Kill or cause great injury. Thats what a gun is for - I bet that 99% of us that have pistol permits put on that permit that we want the gun for 2 reasons - 1) Recreation - Target shooting, and 2) Personal Protection - Ya - shooting someone that is shooting at us ... Thats what the gun is for . So this Bullshit about - "Hey - we don;t don;t take a cars away from everyone else casue someone drives drunk - we Can;t control guns cause some maniac kills people in Walmart" is simply a STUPID argument.
The second one I saw was about being a Racist - it said - " Wait a minute - I disagreed with the last President and I was called a Racist and now I agree with this President and I am still called Racist" ?
Now if that makes sense to you -Go slam your F-ing head in a Car door ! Yes - if You Disagreed with the President Obama because he was black that is Racist (at least Bias) and If you agree with this presidents (SFB) views on immigrants and his Racist tone, words and policies - then YES that makes you a Racist !
If you think what is happening in this country is normal ....then you are not.
I will say again that I do not think this country can withstand another 4 years of SFB as POTUS ... I do not think there will be anything left of our Free Republic - I believe he will cause permanent - irreversible damage to this Country. . I sincerely hope that out of the - far too large right now field - of Democrat Candidates there is one that can Defeat him in November 2020 and we can put this DARK TIME behind us starting in January 2021.
Thoughts and Prayers are not enough and at least for my view - don;t seem to be doing anything to stem the violence that grips this country.
Remember - you are reading text written by a member of the NRA, a Gun Owner with a License for a Concealed Carry pistol permit.
DO I have a solution,,, NO.. Saying we need to keep the guns out of the hands of "crazy" people is obvious. How do we Identify these people ? We have constitution that has language hat protects all of us from Government interference into our private lives. a First amendment that allows freedom of Expression. So there is a fine line to be walked when investigating our lives. However. If there is chance that you have a friend or relative that you REALLY think is a bit off the rails... you need to step up and Identify that person to the local authorities. Are you ratting them out ?? Imagine IF they are the next shooter and you did not say anything. ?? Now this is the Rarest of occasions,.. right - there are about 300 million people in the US - and even of - God Forbid - we had a shooting a week - that would be 52 people out the 300 million - yea - most likely you don't know someone like this.
A few things that I think could be done..
- Universal background checks - not just state be state BUT federal.. and a Review of those Licenses across any database that might ID someone with a Mental Health issue.
- A restriction of Assault type weapons. No one really needs multiple AK47's... but keep in mind these latest shooting did not involve that type of Weapon.
Just an observation : They are reporting that the Dayton gunman was taken down in 24 seconds of him firing the 1st shot. WOW - 24 Seconds, hard for me to think that 1st responders can act quicker than that - and still 9 dead and near 30 wounded.... shows what a semi automatic weapon can do in an extreemly short period of time.
Weekend was a blah- got a few things done , but this is why I don't mind that much that I work weekends. We never seem to do anything of any significance that would keep me from working.
Yanks sweep the Sox to about end Boston Chances to win the AL east. and put a real hurtin on their Wildcard hopes. While every team does it ,,, Pitchers and Catchers and Hitters all think that the strikezone the Ump is calling is not in their favor, but I got a laugh out of Cora and Sale arguing and getting tossed the other day. Yea - maybe a pitch or two could have gone the other way for Sale , but he really lets himself off the hook for shitty performance saying that it was the Ump ... BTW - Mr Sale is 5 and 11 with an ERA of 4.68 - must be a lot of BAD umpires !!!! Idiot.
All right - where the hell have I been - I tell you - just seems I am always busy,,,,, I know how can one be too busy to write a few words in a stupid blog, ?!?!? All right lets not waste any more time...
1st off - I crossed off 2 Bucket list Items - Not that I have a Real list,,.... And I for me - the Biggest Bucket list Items are already done,, and some I have nothing to do with - Since I had Children - I always wanted Grandchildren - and now that I have them - I realize that they are the absolutely best things in my life. I only hope I live long enough to see them grow up a bit I'd be good with 10 more years - If the force that controls that is listening !! HA !
Nearly went to see the Rolling Stones when they did the Steel Wheels tour, but did not have the money at that time for tickets ..... so Put it off. When they announced the " No Filter " tour last year - I said we MUST go ,... Got tickets to the Show at Gillette Stadium because the date for Meadowlands fell right on top of our already planned vacation. Then Mick Jagger had to have to that heart procedure and the postponed the date into July 7th- I loved this show - Amazing - I like Gary Clark jr as the opening act,,, played for 45 minutes, then the Stones ..... Huge Stage - from Sideline to sideline in the Stadium and had a finger that came out into the crowd for about 40 yards or so,,, the Started with Street Fighting man - Paint it Black - Honky Tonk Women, Sympathy for the Devil, Tumbling Dice, were my favs and they ended with the double encore of Gimme Shelter and (I can't get no ) Satisfaction, 2 hours and 40 minutes later ! For the record - these guys are all in their mid 70's - they look like they are 120 years old and they play like they are 20 ! Mick never stopped ,,, walked, danced etc from Side to side (thats 50 + yards) and out to the Center of the field - non stop for over 2 hours....
and - like it's just Oh BTW .... We took a 2 week trip to Alaska - and if you ever get the chance to do it - GO ! It is absolutely incredible. the Scenery is amazin ! We did a week on the land and week on a Cruise. The land took us from a really long day of Travel - We started out getting up at4am and taking a 6am flight from Albany - that went to Minneapolis to Seattle to Anchorage - landing there at 2Pm (6PM EST) so like 15 hours of travel. Then rented a car and drove to Denali National Park for 2 days, down to Talkeetna for 2 days, then to Seward for 2 days, back to Anchorage to get a bus to Whittier to the Coral Princess - for a weeks cruise to Glacier National Park to Skagway to Juneau to Ketchikan. and then to Vancouver for a flight back home. We did some stuff that we do not Normally do.... 1st as a White water Rafting trip with III and IV class rapids - very exhilarating - Put us in these "dry Suits" and off we went for a 2 and 1/2 hours trip .... water was freezing cold - Glacier fed - it was from about 7:30 to 10PM and no , it's not dark at 10 o'clock - was in Mid Juse so never really got dark - just dim sunlight at 1AM ! - the next day was a bus trip into Denali National park - 12 hours worth - well 9 on the Bus with a break in the middle for Lunch and some talks on Sled dog mushing... we saw many Moose, Caribou, Dall sheep, a Fox , Alaskan Ground squirrels (prairie dog like) 6 Grizzly Bears, one was Mom and a yearling cub, the other was a Lone Male, and then near them was a mom with 2 - like 2 year cubs - they were are big as her,,, and the guide said most likely they would leave her this year. Plus amazin views of Mt Denali (formerly Mt McKinley) it's over 22, 000 feet high - and they say only 30 % of the visitors to Alaska ever see the Mountain, as it is usually shrouded in clouds - we were so fortunate to see it the Day prior on our trip up to Denali and to see it that day - the fact is that Mt Denali has on of the Largest viewable areas of ayn peal on earth - it starts at approx 2000 ft and goes to over 20, 000 so 18000 feet of viewable mountain - in relation to say Everest that starts at 20000 ft and goes to 30,000 - thats 10,000 feet of viewable Mt. Denali actually make sit own weather - as its so high... then onto Talkeetna to a Jet boat ride,,, a Flight Tour up to near Denali and a Landing on the Ruth Galcier that is simply massive - over 3 miles across... and BTW - was kinda warm there , 60 degrees,, but the snow reflecting the sun made it fine in short sleeve shirts ! Down to Seward on the Kenai Peninsula - For a Wild life boat tour - dozens of Humpback Whales, Eagles, hundreds of Sea Lions, Lunch on an Island out in the Fiord. Then Got a bus to Whittier for the Cruise - Skaway was great as we went on a Sled dog ride- and met the Dogs who were so friendly and sweet - all wanted to be petted ..... we missed Juneau with an Illness - so next stop for us was Ketchikan , and the Logger show - really good,,... Cruise was very nice, Good Food, very good Service, and a nice clean boat - the Coral Princess - a bit smaller boat if smaller is Just 1800 passengers and 900 Crew... we saw much larger ships - other cruise lines that had 3000 - 4500 Passengers, so the Coral is Small compared to that ! They put on some wonderful entertainment, - I don't think we are Cruise type people - we don't drink much (even though we had the Premier drink Package for free) we don;t gamble, but the food and all was great - they had some presentations, based on Alaska - and even met the 1st women to win the Iditorod sled dog race..
I'll post this and get back to it to add some photos;
Mount Denali
Moose - no kidding
Mother bear and this years cub - saw 7 grizzly total
a few dozen humpback whales
hundreds of Sea Lions
Flight Tour From Talkeetna - landing on the Ruth Glacier
Quick Post - and I promise to lay-down more updates than I have been.... like who the fuck cares about that ??
Anyway - I don't like to talk work much here,,, BUT - here is the essence of a phone call I received last night at ~6:30pm.
me - XXXXXXX Marina ,,,,,
Them - Hello - I was up there earlier today and went on a Kayak Paddle on the River,,,,,
Me - Ok - how can I help you
Them - I got home and I can;t seem to find one Item that I had,,, I think I left it over by the Kayak ramp..
me - Ok - What is the ITEM - and if you hold I'll go look ,,,,,
Them - It's a White shirt with a 6 foot Snake skin in it..
me - A white shirt with a snake skin in it??
Them - Yes - I had it there and I can't find it...
me - Ummmm ok - let me go look
What are the chances that there are several White shirts that have been left behind,,, and ONE oif the Many has a Snake skin in it !!! WTF ?!?!?!?
me - No sir there is no shirt and no snake skin in the Kayak ramp area..
Them - ok - TY for looking - Ill have to keep checking here,, maybe OI miss placed it !!
me - goodbye
Ok - so does the snake skin accessorize the White shirt ?
is it attached to the shirt?
Did he bring the Skin with him or found it here?
Why is it in the shirt ???
and About 25 other questions I would love to ask !!!
May 1st the Marina came back to Life - 6 months of boating and sailing begins, and does not end - obviously - till Halloween !!
What does this mean ? That my morning hours are over ,,, and I start working evenings,,, noon to 8 or 3 to 8pm ... Launching and trailering boats, Retail sales,,, Whew ! exhausting ! (read that as sarcastic) The "real" work at this job is before the Marina opens and after it closes )April and November) ,,, during the season its a pretty sweet gig,... beautiful setting on the Hudson - fantastic Sunsets, Wildlife viewing, Eagles, Osprey, fox, coyotes, beavers, muskrat, a rare sighting of a lynx or bobcat and last year a black bear. Yea - gotta put up with a few P.I.A. folks - but the far majority are very friendly , nice people... So you can find me there several evenings a week,,,,
The POTUS is now constantly saying that Biden does not matter, but he and his henchmen can't seem to answer a question of make a Tweet without mentioning him - Biden clearly is getting under their skin. Now - will Joe with the Democratic nomination - I am not sure,,,, can he beat Dump in an election ,,, I think he can,,,, I do agree with his message that 4 more years of a Dump presidency will forever change this nation,,, and may destroy the Republic that we know.
I believe that even of the Impeachment vote cannot be won in the Senate, that the House of Representative has a Constitutional obligation to Go forward with Impeachment proceedings.
Let me go with these today....
IF you are not familiar with Micheal Franti's music - maybe you Shouldn't be !
Caution - you WILL be moved if you watch this video - you might even shed a tear.....
This is Michael Franti and Spearhead,,,featuring Victoria Canal -
WE can be the Healing - we can be the Flower in the gun.....
