Don't bother voting, OK?

So you don't want to bother voting because...

"My vote doesn't count."  Well of course it doesn't, if you don't vote.  Problem is that if almost everyone believed that and didn't bother voting, the few of us who WILL vote will control YOUR lives.

"I don't like either party," "Both parties are the same."  If you believe that, you haven't looked at either party.  There have never in US history been more differences between the two major parties than there are now.  Yes, in some ways, like corporate funding, they are similar, but that's about where it ends.

"I don't like choosing the lesser of two evils."  Well, I don't like choosing between cancer and a broken bone either, but I definitely have a preference.  One IS better than the other, even if neither choice is particularly palatable.

"Candidate X doesn't represent all of my views."  No, no candidate is perfect.  No spouse is perfect.  Nothing in life is perfect.  Does that mean we just give up because we can't have perfection?  Not me.  I'll choose the candidate who BEST reflects MY views.

"I support one issue, and this candidate doesn't."  If you are a one-issue voter, fine.  But most people look at the whole candidate or the whole party, and then choose.  Voting on one issue ignores all the other issues on which you might strongly disagree.

"It's too difficult to vote."  Funny, you can probably get out to see a movie; or go to dinner; or go to work or school.  You go shopping, don't you?  You can probably vote -- if you REALLY want to.  Many others are denied the right which you may be squandering.

All in all, I've heard all these arguments recently, and I don't agree with any of them.  Too often, they are the thoughts and opinions of people who are too lazy to find out the issues or research the candidates.  Too often, they are a reflection of the cynicism we see everywhere in our daily lives.  Too often, they are simply rationalizations.

So, go ahead and stay home.  Let me, and people who think like me, decide on our elected officials.  I'm sure we will do a good job for you -- but don't complain when we do.

Fantasy and Reality

Some thoughts on last evening's Democratic Party Debate:

1.  Fantasy - Medicare for All.  This sounds just wonderful.  Republicans say it would be too expensive; Democrats say we'll just raise taxes to pay for it.  Reality - it ain't gonna happen, not because it's not a good idea, but because the country isn't ready for it yet.  Even a large number of Democrats aren't sure of it -- that was obvious on the stage last night.  My favorite solution? Medicare for those who want it, private insurance for those who want it.

2.  Fantasy - Eliminate private insurance.  Insurance companies have earned the hatred of most Americans, and they are racking up irresponsible profits at our expense.  Reality - imagine if they were eliminated over a short period of time -- even over 3-4 years.  Stockholders and pension plans losing their investments.  Millions of people losing their jobs.  Whole sectors of the economy destroyed.  Are all the employees now going to work for the government?  I don't think so.  My favorite solution?  Expand the ACA to include a public option, but allow anyone to sign up for Medicare, regardless of age, physical condition, income, or residence.

3.  Fantasy - Eliminate all college debt.  Free up billions now being paid on loans to be spent in the economy, allow younger people to buy, buy, buy.  Reality - banks losing legitimate income could lead to a major recession.  My favorite solution?  Eliminate debt for those earning less than $50,000 per year per person.  Eliminate interest for everyone else.

4.  Fantasy - Confiscate all assault-type weapons immediately.  These killing machines were never designed to be in civilian hands, and are the favored weapons for mass killers, so confiscating them will make the country safer.  Reality - again, it ain't gonna happen, may not even be Constitutional.  Gun owners aren't going to give them up willingly, and if we want unending violence in the streets, just try this.  My favorite solution?  A buy-back, paying at least $5,000 or even more for each AR-15 or AK-47 turned in.  Heck, people may even steal them from criminals to sell them to the government.  Will it get all of them?  Absolutely not.  But it may get enough off the streets to cut down on the killings.

5.  Fantasy - We will find the perfect candidate.  Reality - they are ALL flawed simply because they are human beings.  My favorite solution?  I have my favorites, but I'm not against any of them because any one of them would be better than what we have now, so I'll vote for whichever Democrat has the best chance of beating Trump ("Vote Blue No Matter Who").  Because if we don't do that, none of the rest of this matters.

Democrats need to earn the votes of liberals, moderates, and conservatives, of independents and Republicans, in order to win in 2020.  The stronger Democrats and the party embrace these five fantasies, the more a Trump re-election is guaranteed.

Far-left liberals don't want to give up on these fantasies, and in an ideal world, they shouldn't have to.  They hope to see them enacted fully and immediately; liberals love the ideas, but may realize that they are not practical at this time; moderates may like the ideas, or could be persuaded to support some version of them; conservatives may not like the ideas that much, but they need to be shown how ANY Democrat is better than what we have now. 

Republicans?  There may still be some sane liberal or moderate ones out there who would be willing to vote blue in order to save the country.  The conservatives are a lost cause, and we shouldn't waste our time, energy, or funds trying to convince them otherwise.

We are a party which wants perfection, so we don't or can't accept the good or the reasonable.  Medicare for all, eliminating private insurance, eliminating student debt, and confiscating all assault weapons are perfection in the minds and hearts of many Democrats.  We're not going to get ANY of those fully, even if we keep the House, and flip the Senate and the White House.

We seem to forget that the overwhelming majority of people in this country are NOT far-left liberal, and we forget that at our own peril.

So the longer Democrats cling to the pie in the sky fantasies, the less our chances of winning become.  Some Democrats remind me of the starving person who turns down all food offers, because s/he doesn't like any of the choices.

And winning is paramount right now, and in 2020.

Now I'm totally confused...

With all the talk about boycotting businesses who support Trump, I'm confused.

I really don't want to buy from anyone who is a Trumpist. 

So if I want paint or hardware, do I shop at Lowe's or Home Depot?  Neither.

If I just want some fast food, do I stop at McDs, KFC, or Chick-Fil-A?  None.

For that matter, before I purchase food at all, can I check to see that they are all Trump-free, or is every company owned or controlled by Nestlé?

I really don't want to support anyone who supports Trump, and I really don't want to buy from any businesses that do.

But, does that mean I have to grow my own food, provide my own supplies, drill and refine my own gas, or wear animal skins instead of cotton?

But we must help our own first...

"Why don't we help our OWN homeless and disabled before these illegals?"

"We should help our VETERANS before we help immigrants."

These and similar posts on social media really set me off, for several reasons.

First, if we hadn't given $1.5 TRILLION in tax cuts to those who least need it money to help all would be no problem.

Second, those who want to help the poor or the homeless or the veterans seldom actually DO anything to help those groups.  They are trotted out on a regular basis to make people who want to help immigrants and "undocumented" people feel guilty.

There is no reason we can't provide all the needs for all veterans.

There is no reason we can't provide all the needs for the poor and disabled.

There is no reason we can't provide assistance to asylum seekers to get on their feet and get a new start.

There is no reason we can't provide decent conditions for "illegals" who are arrested at the border.

There is no reason to separate infants and children from their parents.

We as a nation apparently have decided that only certain groups are worthy of help.  But then, we don't help even THOSE groups.

When we are paying between $500 and $750 PER DAY PER CHILD to take infants away from their parents, who have done nothing wrong or illegal except to request asylum, we have lost our way as a country.

And any people who claim to be religious and do nothing to change this have lost all rights to call themselves that.

War with Iran? A Rachel Maddow type Explanation?

Since the 7th Century AD, Saudis and Iranians have hated each other over religious differences.

After World War Two, the US becomes an ally of Saudi Arabia, sometimes ally of Iran as well, until  hostage situation under President Jimmy Carter.

Under President Ronald Reagan, the US supplied arms to BOTH Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Both Saudi Arabia and Iran want to be top dog in the Middle East.

Donald Trump goes into huge debt to Saudi Arabia going back years.

The US with many other countries signs a treaty with Iran to halt their advance toward nuclear weapons.

Republicans oppose the deal because President Obama negotiated it, and Saudis are against it.

Obama unfreezes Iranian assets because deal is working.

Republicans scream about Obama giving our tax dollars to Iran, but it wasn't ours in the first place..

Donald Trump is elected president, and pulls the US out of the deal.

Trump's debt to Saudis increases.

Every other country, including Russia and China, says the deal was still working, and Iran was complying.

With the US out of the deal, Iran no longer feels it has to comply.with deal.

The Saudis want war with Iran, but can't pull it off on their own.

The Saudis put pressure on Trump for war; Bolton and Pompeo begin cheering in Washington and Netanyahu jumps for joy in Jerusalem..

This is where we are.

This is where we MAY be going...

Trump increases sanctions on Iran; rest of the world (except Saudis) say WTH?

The US and the Saudis start war with Iran over US provocations that had Iran responding.

Russia and China side with Iran.

Europe stays out of it because US has pissed them off so badly.

US, Russia and China have nuclear weapons.

"Christians" jump with joy because Armageddon will bring on the Second Coming and the Rapture, sure that THEY are going to Heaven..

Somehow, Trump will make money from whole scenario.

Another day of totally random thoughts...

1.  Researching businesses in the African-American business district of Danville from 1897 to 1976, I'm struck by several things. 

First, in 1897, the area was almost totally residential.  By 1942, until the early 60s, the street was humming with businesses, as many as five restaurants in a two-block area, with barber shops, cab companies, civic organizations.  Then the decline began.  By 1960, there were only as many businesses as there were in 1909.  And by the late 1960s, almost all were gone.

My thought has always been that urban renewal destroyed the business district.  But not so, apparently.  By the time renewal came along, most of the buildings were empty anyway, with only a few businesses left.  As one local amateur historian noted to me, the businesses were gone but the owners remained, and urban renewal was one way of getting rid of them.

End result -- I now have a fairly complete list of businesses up and down both sides of South Second Street from Main to Green (now MLK Blvd), so I can "see" the changes over the years.

2.  I'm upset at people criticizing Rachel Maddow for giving all the facts, and reading all the quotations she reads. 

One woman said, let US read them, you don't have to go point by point explaining everything.  Well, yes, Rachel DOES need to go point by point, because a good story connects ALL the facts together, and the only way she can do that is to go point by point.  If people don't want to see good teaching, let them watch FOX.  Besides, I don't have the time or the access to read all the newspapers she quotes, so I appreciate her doing it for me.

3.  I'm upset at the new round of the Democratic Party's circular firing squad. 

Biden (I LOVE Joe, but just not this time for president) is being criticized for actually -- get this now -- working with segregationists and racists in the Senate 30 years ago.  I thought the idea of representation was to reach consensus, and to compromise, and to do that, one MUST work with others whom one may personally detest.  If what the "purists" expect of Biden is an apology, they're in for a surprise.

I'm also wondering where this demand for an apology is coming from.  If it's from the Bernie supporters (I LOVE Bernie, but just not this time for president), they're just setting us up for another 2016.  Bernie can take the "high ground" while his supporters cut the ground out from other Dems, so that if Bernie does not get the nomination (which he won't), they can say they supported him, but they can also avoid voting for whomever does get the nomination.  Result?  Four more years of Trump.

4.  Speaking of Trump, how about this?  You're sinking in the polls, Congress and the courts are after you and your family, you're totally incompetent as a leader because you know everything but you know nothing, you don't listen to those who DO, and your cabinet is a revolving door.  You distrust all your advisors including the CIA and the FBI, but you think Putin is the cat's meow.  So what do you do?  Of course, you fake a war with Iran -- something you said repeatedly that Obama would do.  58,000 dead in Vietnam over a lie, and 5,000+ dead in Iraq over a lie weren't enough apparently.

5.  And now, the latest controversy is over what to call the "detention centers" where thousands of people are being held.  To me, if people are kept behind fences and barbed wire and not allowed to leave, it's a concentration camp.  Just because "illegals" aren't being gassed and burned doesn't make it any less.  We didn't murder Japanese internees in the 1940s, but they were still concentration camps.

6.  The decision by the city of Portland, Maine, to accept several hundred asylum seekers from Africa is a wonderful decision made by a city that is caring and compassionate.

The reaction of many Mainers, however, is straight out of Mississippi in 1950.  I am totally ashamed that so many of my former statees are so openly racist and bigoted.

7.  Why are we helping illegals when we aren't caring for our own veterans? 

Too many assume that "illegals" get all the benefits of citizens.  They do NOT, but these troglodytes don't let facts get in the way of their racist opinions.  I'd ask just what have Republicans done to help veterans?  And I've been told that Trump is the best friend veterans ever had -- by MAGA-hat-wearing cultists.

We CAN do both, as a compassionate nation, we MUST do both.  And if we just taxed the 0.01% of the richest multi-billionaires just 0.01%, we could pay for it, too.  I mean, does idiot Betsy DeVos REALLY need a 10th yacht?

If it's so much better there, move there...

When I write that another country does something better than we do, I usually get the "If it's so good there, move there" response, like when I pointed out a few years ago, that Denmark had a highly developed network of wind turbines -- a Norwegian company was considering investing in an offshore wind farm in Maine until the then right-wing conservative governor screwed the deal -- he noted that the turbines were actually powered by small electric motors, not the wind.

Hey, at least he didn't say that turbines cause brain cancer.  But I got the "if it's so good there" response from a Mainer who didn't believe in climate change, and LOVED that governor because he "told it like it is" including offensive language and crude comments and threats.

The backstory --

Back in the 1600s, China was the most advanced civilization on earth.  The very name for the country in Mandarin, was "Chung Kuo", 中国, the "middle kingdom" the gateway between earth and Heaven.

They knew they were the best, so they stopped innovating.  The rest of the world (the barbarians) would never match China.

Other countries caught up and eventually surpassed China.  

The Chinese did not forget that.  They did not forget that for over a hundred years, western powers that became more advanced, like hyenas, gradually picked off pieces of China -- like Mongolia, Manchuria, Macau and Hong Kong.

In the past generation, everything has changed.  China is again on the upswing.  They are innovative, they invest in that innovation, and it shows.

We were the most advanced civilization a generation ago, and knew it.  But then we stopped innovating. 

We began to criticize anyone who did anything better than we did. 

We created the myth of "American exceptionalism" which allowed us to continue to backslide.


Now, with disrespect toward science and facts, and reactionary religious groups, and right-wing nationalists and white supremacists taking over, I'm not sure we can ever get back to where we were.

We need a national plan, wherein we look all around the world to find out what other countries do better than we do.

• National health care in most of Western Europe
• Solar power in France
• Wind power in Denmark
• High speed rail in Japan
• Highways that glow at night in Poland
• Trees that glow at night along highways in the Netherlands
• Or maybe trees that glow at night along highways that glow at night in the US?  YES, we could do that...

We need to fund research (and believe in that research as well) into innovative ideas and products, like green energy.

We need to get over the "we're better than you" mindset that keeps us from discovering new ideas and implementing new techniques.

We need to get off our asses and fund research and development.

And to do that, we need to guarantee that EVERY SINGLE BUSINESS in the US pays at least a bare minimum in income taxes.

We won't rescue this country by continually giving tax breaks to the rich, who don't bother re-investing it.  "Trickle down economics" is really "Pee on everyone else".

I mean, does anyone REALLY need a tenth yacht -- and don't tell me they worked hard to earn all those millions to buy it -- most simply inherited their wealth.

A tax break for the rich -- deductions for every job created; for every dollar invested in R&D and education, deductions for every "green" innovation -- THAT I could go along with.  A tax cut so they can simply send more money to offshore secret banks?  NO!

Will we actually DO any of this?  Frankly, the pessimistic side of me says, no.  Julius Caesar destroyed the Roman Republic and gave people "bread and circuses" so they wouldn't care about things like government.  Later emperors ignored the "barbarians at the gate" until it was too late.

So we'll just cash in our lottery tickets, watch football, have a Bud Light, and forget anything to do with the rest of the world.  

As long as we can text on our Chinese-made smart phone and watch that game on our Chinese-made smart TV...

A Rose By Any Other Name -- probably isn't a rose?

OOPS!  I just published a post written about two weeks ago that I forgot about...

So here is what I WANTED to post today.

A few days ago, someone posted on Facebook that Muslims aren't wanted in the US because they don't worship God -- they worship Allah.  My first thought was, how ignorant that person was -- and I told her so.

Then I began to think of many ways I could explain the difference.  Shakespeare wrote that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.  But apparently if your word for "rose" is different, it's not a rose...

Well, in Maine, we have a sandwich we call an Italian (usually pronounced "EYE-tal-e-an".  It's a longish bread, cut down the middle, and filled with cheese, sliced ham or salami, dill pickles, tomato, onions and black olives.  But the same sandwich in Massachusetts is called a "sub", for "submarine."  And the same sandwich in New Jersey is called a "hoagie."

So that means that they must be three different sandwiches because they have three different names, right?

And a "hot dog" and "frankfurter" must be two different meats.  And "baloney" and "bologna" can't possibly be the same.  And "French Fries" can't possibly be the same in Quebec because there, they are called "Patates frites".

Christians all around the world worship the idea of one God, right?   But ...

Arabs can't worship God because they worship Allah..
Finns can't worship God because they worship Jumala.
French Christians can't worship God because they worship Dieu.
Greeks can't worship God because they worship Theos.
Hebrew-speaking Chistians can't worship God because they worship El or YHWH.
Italians can't worship God because they worship Dio.
Portuguese Christians can't worship God because they worship Deus.
Romanians can't worship God because they worship Dumnezeu.
Russians can't worship God because they worship Bog.
Spanish Christians can't worship God because they worship Dios.
Swahili-speakers can't worship God because they worship Mungu.
Turks can't worship God because they worship Tanri.

I'm sure Christians in these countries, or those who speak these languages can't REALLY be Christians because they don't worship "God".

At least that's what a number of people believe.  They will tell you however, that the only group here that really doesn't worship God is Muslims, because ... Allah.  And the Muslim "Allah" can't be the same as the English "God."  Why don't we make the same distinction with Spanish speaking people, after all they don't worship "God", they worship "Dios, and those can't be the same, right?

It's been too long and I've been too busy!

Working on genealogies of African-Americans here in Boyle County, and transcribing 110 years of marriage records, plus having company, has kept me from thinking too much.

Well, the marriage records are transcribed, and the company has left.  The genealogies will ALWAYS be there, but I can work on those a little at a time. 

So now I can think.

Thoughts for today:

• Obama gets US into anti-nuclear treaty with Iran.
• Trump pulls US out of Iran treaty, says Iran is violating treaty.
• Russia, China, others say, no Iran isn't.
• Trump doesn't listen.
• Iran now feels threatened, positions missiles on ships.
• Trump now says Iran is militarizing and Bolton says Iran is a threat.
• Trump believes Bolton, not the rest of the world.
• US attacks Iran.
• House sits on hands afraid of upsetting Trump.
• Senate investigates Hillary's emails.
• Cut to the future.
• US casualties, hundreds of thousands dead or wounded, Iranian, Iraqi, Saudi, and Israeli casualties too many to number.
• Armageddon.
• US Christians can't control their joy at the End of the World...

Plausible?  I think so.  As long as we have a mad man in the White House, and a Congress that is basically letting him get away with whatever he wants, i don't think this scenario is that far-fetched.

Right now, I fear for the future of my daughter and son in law, and grandchildren.

Potpourri -- issues of the day

Medicare for All.
Considering what is spent for insurance premiums and co-pays already, increasing my taxes by $3000 would still be a bargain.  People who wonder how to pay for it seem to forget about the outrageous premiums many people pay now.  Frankly, I'd prefer a system whereby those who choose to go into MfA can, and those who prefer to keep their private insurance can -- provided that they pay something to support MfA.

Free College.
I don't see how this will work as long as we're spending hundreds of billions on war and Amazon pays no taxes.  So stop spending so much on war and guarantee that corporations that make billions in profits pay at least millions in taxes..

Can a Democratic woman win?
Hillary's defeat soured many people on a woman.  Maybe she wasn't the RIGHT woman?  The primary process will winnow some people out (like all but one?), and my hope is that a woman will be in the final two in the race.  If a man wins, then he MUST choose a woman for VP.  And finally, if Dems do NOT get behind WHOMEVER is nominated, they can not complain when Trump wins again.

Does everyone need to carry a loaded gun all the time, everywhere?  
A local columnist wrote about going to a family restaurant where she was startled by a middle-aged man open-carrying a gun.  Here now, basically anyone can carry a gun almost anywhere, concealed or not, no permit needed.  What I don't understand is why middle-aged white male conservatives feel the NEED to carry, all the time, everywhere.  If they feel THAT threatened every time the leave their homes, maybe they need some psychological help.

Trump's not a racist.
So then why did he congratulate the #2 NFL pick, while ignoring the #1 pick?  The first pick is black, the second pick is a white supremacist.  Trump will be the first president since Truman in the late 1940s not to present the Teacher of the Year award.  The recipient is black.

How can they continue denying everything Trump does yet believe everything he says?
Trump's supporters say he's not racist, and that the Manafort, Gates, Flynn, and Cohen confessions are "propaganda" and not true.  Trump says Democratic abortion bill allows mothers and doctors to deliver babies, wrap them in swaddling clothes, then "execute" them.  And his supporters BELIEVE this!

Cite Your Sources?

Before you start using internet references to back up your argument, please check the reliability of those references.

Not all internet sources are equal.

I just read a post by a "friend" on Facebook that quotes a website saying that all measles outbreaks here in the US were caused by foreigners traveling here, so therefore immunization is not workable, as we can not insist that foreigners be immunized.

First, we CAN insist on that.

Second, most of the outbreaks were caused by Americans traveling abroad.

But the worst part about all of this is the website that the "friend" cited.

It is the type of website that makes Breitbart look like real factual news.

It is the type of website that makes the National Inquirer look like the Times of London.

It is the type of website that is so full of outlandish and ridiculous conspiracy theories that one would have to be totally ignorant of all factual knowledge to believe anything it says.

Yet this person cites it as fact to bolster her anti-vaxx beliefs.

The articles cite all sorts of references -- references to totally discredited websites, or fellow-conspiracy "nutjobs" -- which makes them LOOK scholarly.  But if all the references are pure crap and garbage, then the article, whatever its topic, is totally less than reliable.

Now people will come along and say, how do you know that YOUR sources are correct and accurate? 

Well, I'd sooner rely on the old time standards for my facts, you know, broadcast media like ABC, CBS and NBC; cable media like CNN or (to a lesser extent) MSNBC, and certainly the world's major newspapers -- The New York Times, The Times of London, The Washington Post, The Guardian, Le Monde, or any of a dozen other papers here in the US -- St Louis Post-Dispatch, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Miami Herald, Boston Globe, DesMoines Register.

If you can't verify that your sources are accurate and factual, and not based on outlandish conspiracy theories, then don't post crap on Facebook -- there's enough of that already.

Mueller Time?

It's been 10 days since I last wrote, simply because there hasn't been anything about which I felt strongly enough to write.

But that has now changed.

With the release of the Mueller report, I have several concerns.

1 -- Impeachment?

As much as I would LOVE to see this "president" impeached, the Senate will not go along with the House on that.

And as such, the only thing impeachment in the House will bring is a circling of the wagons around Trump by Republicans, and fence-sitters. 

Impeachment by the House is the best way to guarantee his re-election.

We need to investigate him to the ends of the earth, and let the lower courts, such as SDNY come up with whatever they can find on him.

Then we need to SUPPORT whomever the Democrats nominate for president, so Democrats WIN in 2020.  Then with Trump out of office, all Hell can break lose over his head.

Sadly, I'm already seeing one group of Democrats saying "Bernie or no one" in so many words.  That's what got us Trump in the first place, but they are too stupid, or too brainwashed to see that.

I was a Bernie supporter in the primaries.  But when Hillary got the nomination (and frankly it's water under the bridge how she got it), I voted for her, because no matter how bad she might have been, Trump was going to be (and has proven to be) worse.

So rather than impeach the man, defeat him at the polls, then let the slow but steady wheels of justice take their course with him, his corrupt family, and his corrupt underlings.

2 -- Deflection?

Already, some are blaming Obama for not telling the country that we were under attack by the Russians prior to the 2016 elections.

But those who say that conveniently forget that Senate Majority Leader McConnell (a.k.a. "Turtle") told Obama that announcing that would be tantamount to rigging the election.  So Obama kept quiet. And that was a HUGE mistake.

Shortly, James Comey announced that the FBI was re-opening an investigation into Hillary's emails.  This announcement, only days before the election, seriously shifted popular opinion against Hillary, thus contributing to Trump's election.

So, with both "Turtle" and Comey coming out as they did, Trump won.  Those weren't the only reasons, but they were both significant.

And now Republicans want to blame Obama for not doing what their OWN majority leader told him not to do.

Republicans want it both ways, apparently.

I just hope Democrats this time wise up to the FACT that we MUST remain unified or we'll get another 4 years of Trump, the statute of limitations on obstruction of justice will run out, and HE WILL GET AWAY WITH EVERYTHING.  We can bleat all we want about impeaching him, which will be an exercise in frustration.  We can stay home if our preferred candidate doesn't get the party nomination.  We can vote our consciences, as we did in 2016.  OR we can beat Trump. 

I'm for the latter.

Washington going to H3ll?

Trump is consolidating his power.

He has denigrated every facet of American society that is able to control him, and his followers are going along with it all.

The free press, the FBI, the IRS, the Department of Justice, and now the Courts -- all either criticized heartily by Trump, or now under his direct, personal control.

In the 1937s, Hitler made judges in Germany swear personal allegiance to him, not the Constitution.  How far are we away from that here?  Will the Constitution survive until the 2020 elections?

Cabinet positions are filled by "acting" administrators.  That way Trump can appoint whomever he wants, and they don't have to be vetted or confirmed by the Senate, and then HE controls those departments.

The Secretary of the Treasury insisting that a 1924 law that is unequivocally clear doesn't have to be followed.  So he's suggesting breaking that law, and has the support of the President.

Border agents, when told by the courts to let asylum seekers enter the country, are told by the President to lie to the courts and say there's no room.

An Attorney General in charge of a 2-year investigation refuses to release it to Congress, in violation of the law, because there may be something in that report that will be harmful to the President.

A President who tells, on average, 10 lies per day, and has gone back on every single one of his campaign promises, blames his former opponent, and the former president for his troubles.

Family members of the President who got security clearances because he insisted on it, travel to foreign countries.  Then it's revealed that those trips resulted in business deals in those countries.

It's easy to get pessimistic, and I certainly know that feeling.

But please tell me, what reason is there for any hope?

Maine's Implied Warranty Law

A friend on Facebook was complaining that a major appliance she purchased just over a year ago was out of warranty when it died.  The place where she purchased it refused to do anything because the manufacturer only had a one year limited warranty.

But what few Mainers realize is that Maine is one of a handful of states that provides a MUCH longer warranty for durable goods. 

In Maine, if you purchase a refrigerator, a computer, or a car battery, and it goes bad within FOUR years, the store where the item was purchased is obligated to repair or replace it for free.

I have had several friends who have needed this warranty.

One friend bought a battery for his boat, which went bad after three months.  He took it back to the big box store where he purchased it, and the clerk told him there was nothing he could do.  My friend asked for the manager, and then pulled out a copy of Maine's law.  The manager told the clerk to get my friend a new battery right away.,

Stores do NOT want you to know about this.

Extended warranties?  You know, when you buy a $100 item and they try to sell you an extended warranty for $17 that adds another year of coverage to the manufacturer's warranty?  Don't waste your money.  You're ALREADY covered for FOUR YEARS.  Sales people are told they have to push these extended warranties, which simply add to the company's profit margin without giving consumers any more protection than the State of Maine gives them.

Warning though -- this warranty DOES NOT apply outside Maine.

http://www.maine.gov/tools/whatsnew/attach.php?id=27922&an=1

Spring in the Bluegrass

Well, I guess it's finally "spring" here in the Bluegrass.  It's only 56 degrees out, but with the sun it's certainly warm enough to work outside.  We had a total of about 5 inches of snow all winter, and I don't think that temps dropped below 0 all winter.  But still, people around here were complaining about what a long, hard winter we had.  Then I tell them about Caribou, Maine, and I don't hear any more.

We can expect some nice warm days, which will send all the flowering trees and shrubs into a frenzy of blossoming, leaves will emerge, and it will look and feel like spring.

Then, about the middle of April, we usually have one more killing frost.  That's why, after 10 years, we have yet to pick a single peach, nectarine or plum off our trees, and why for one night, every cotton sheet in the house ends up out in the garden to cover everything we can cover.

This may be the last year we even try to grow fruit on the trees.  We're both getting older, and they physical labor it takes, to say nothing of the expense of protecting from bugs (we MUST spray here or the bugs will get everything), if we don't get something this year, the trees are either coming down or we're not going to bother any more, and will just let them grow.

Our forsythia is blooming, as are others along our road -- ours always seems to be the last to blossom fully.  We should probably prune this shrub, but I think I like it naturalized.  Our neighbors have several they have pruned into round shapes, and they are beautiful, but ours looks more like the picture, and I think that's the way I like it..

The Bradford and Cleveland pear trees are blossoming.  One can see their white plumage all over the place, which is kind of unfortunate, as the Kentucky biology powers that be have declared both trees to be noxious invaders, and they urge everyone who has them to cut them down and destroy them.  I'm not sure what it is that makes them so bad but they do, as I understand it, upset the natural ecosystem, as invasive plants are wont to do.  They are fragile, and with much wind at all, they break -- we lost one totally in 2009, and the other has been seriously damaged twice; next time, it's coming down totally.

https://www.southernliving.com/garden/grumpy-gardener/i-just-hate-bradford-pear

The Eastern Redbuds are not quite out yet, but in another week, their almost iridescent purple-red buds will be spring from the bark all over the trees.  Yes, the flowers grow right out of the bark, and when in full bloom, one can't tell there is actually a tree there -- the flowers just seem to float in mid-air.  And it's not that they are showy like the pears, or the dogwoods (which won't be out for a few more weeks), so one can actually see them on the roadsides and yet almost NOT see them.  I think they're my favorite tree.

So far, that's about it for our significant flowering plants.  In another month, all of them will be green like everything else, but for awhile, they are colorful and enjoyable.