A GREAT MAN AND A GREAT FOOL

Good Evening:

Just a few notes on things I've seen lately , some of which astounded me and some irritated me.

In the news for the past few days is the nearing of the spacecraft New Horizons to the Dwarf Planet Pluto.

As some of you know Pluto was discovered in 1931 by Clyde Tombaugh, a farm boy who was fascinated by Astronomy, but , owing to the failure of the crops in his family farm, he had to postpone (and as far as he knew then, forget about) College to study this science. He none-the-less continued, in his space time, which those of you who have lived on a Farm, know there is precious little, the study of the Planets he could see, first in a small Sears-Roebuck telescope, which almost immediately proved much too small, so he began building his own. He build something over 20 telescopes, and like a true man of science, he was always seeking to build a better, bigger one.

This Man is the type of man I think of when I think of Common sense. He was offered a job in an observatory after his discoveries, still without a college education, and only after he had firmly established himself as a would-be man of science, did he attend College, Getting several Degrees and ultimately becoming a Professor.

As I say this is a man with common sense. And he is the good side of the coin.

Now if we take a bright shiny counterfeit coin from our pocket, and let it represent a Man named Alan Gribben, who earned his notoriety, after his College Education and multiple degrees, by one simple act that I will focus on.

Mr. Gribben, a fine example of an educated jackass, chose as his signal work, a purging the Novel Huckleberry Finn, as fine a novel that has ever been written in my estimation, of all that sticks and stones word nigger, and changing it to "Slave".

This is Mr. Gribbens contribution to our Literature.

I wonder, if next he will, after notifying the press, take copies of all the books which have something in their words to make Mr. Gribbens Elbow Patches fall off, and take them to street and burn them.

Can you imagine the ego of this man, to think that he knew more than Mark Twain.

Now I formerly earned a Living as a Uranium Chemist, and I would never dream of crossing metaphorical swords with good Ol'Alan. bUT I CALLS 'EM AS I SEES "EM.

Sic Semper Adolf

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Politics and other curse words.

Hi there sports fans.


Well its that time again. The time when all television stations feature nothing but politics. BLEAH!


It seems that every single pundit who jumps into the foray issues comments which, I think, they want us to believe. We are supposed to take as gospel every half-assed word that these fools excrete.


At the moment I am incensed by the so called commentator, Jon Steward. At times his show slips into sensible waters, but at the present, he seems to have pulled off his sup-hose and waded into Cow Shit.


His latest target, out of all the possible targets out there is Donald(I'm Richer than God) Trump. I am not a fan or supporter of  "the Donald" BUT he has a right to say whatever he wants. Mr. Stewart (nee Leibowitz)  apparently does not believe in the First Amendment.




WAKE UP JON, IF NOT FOR THIS AMENDMENT YOU WOULD NOT HAVE A SHOW  !!


Sheesh!


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Danger-danger-danger

Good Afternoon.
Those of you who are operating a windows program on a computer whose warranty expired sometime ago, will be, in all probability,receiving a call fom an East Indian saying that they (?) see a virus (or wirus) on your computer, and they sound like they are with Windows and tell you they will remove this contamination. then a box comes up that asks , among other things,  to click on a box saying (paraphrase) that you trust this program. I would not click this box and asked this Tiger bait how did I know he was trustworthy and he just kept repeating cleek the box sar. I told him that this was the second of these calls I had received in the past few weeks and the previous one cost me $119.00 and asked him how much THIS call would cost me, and he said "at least $100.". I told him I was going to notify the Fcc and the Ftc and to never, ever call me again. 
SO IF YOU VALUE YOUR SANITY, YOUR HEARING, AND YOUR BANK ACCOUNT IF YOU GET ONE OF THESE CALLS JUST HANG UP.

BEST

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Insurance Companies and other Lesions.

LIKE A GOOD NEIGHBOR (WHO HATES YOU)

All you folks out there who have State Farm Insurance, I would like to say just one thing; YOU HAVE MY DEEPEST SYMPATHY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!also^!^!^!^!^!!!!!!!and!!!occasionally!!!!!!!!!!!!!furthermore!!!!! and then pull the letter from the President and CEO of State Farm saying they would never cancel my policy, plus!!!!!!!!! and finally a pox on their house( and here I might get my revenge, for if they (state farm) has State Farm Insurance, to put it simply but succinctly  THEY ARE NOT ONLY ON THE HORN'S OF A DILEMMA, THEY INVENTED THESE ACCESSORIES OF THE BOVINE POPULATION (but refused to Insure them and their victims) so there, their House (complete with pox) WILL NOT BE INSURED.

Whatever you do, DO NOT say anything good  (as I foolishly did) about State Farm Insurance.

I have had the above named insurance since 1958 and frequently recommended this Company to a considerable number of folks.

That is, until one day a neighbor mentioned to me that he had seen Raccoons hanging on one of my upstairs window, appearing to chew on the wooden part.

I cannot climb stairs anymore due to impaired health so I had no occasions to be upstairs for a couple of years, but after my neighbor's remark, I went up the stairs stopping at each stair to catch my breath and allow my B.P. to go down a little, and when I finally got to the top where I could inspect the windows, I almost fainted. Nearly every window had  the muntins, (Mullions?) State Lines? Goalposts? (well whatever the wooden dividers between the glass are called. partially or wholly chewed upon, to the point where the glass was almost ready to fall out. I then went to the Attic access door and opened it. MY LORD !! I with I hadn't. Not only were there signs of
raccoon occupation, there were actually a family or two of Raccoons staring at me, as if to say, What the Hell do you want?!!.

I slammed the door and nearly fell down the stairs and called a Window company to come out and replace nine windows in the upstairs of our home, which was done in about a month, AFTER I had killed about six or eight of the filthy Animals residing in my Attic.  When the window companies men came out and replaced the windows, one of the men happened to ask me who I had my Homeowners Insurance with. I guess, No I know, that Old Age has made me stupid but that was the first I had even THOUGHT about Insurance. I told the fellow that I had State Farm Insurance, and he shook his head, petted me on the shoulder and sighed, saying, good luck!

I wasn't sure what he meant then, but I do now. BOY DO I KNOW!

I called State Farm (Motto, we'll bring the Vaseline) and told my agent that I wanted to file a claim he sighed deeply, as If I had Stolen his Dog, Wrecked his car, sabotaged his computer, pee'd on his lettuce and raped his Wife and his Postman, then said in a weary, tote that Bale voice, Okay (Sigh) Jack (sigh)what(sigh) is (sigh) the trouble (looooong sigh). I told him what the trouble was and the said in a Voice like he worked for the Pharoh, who wanted to change the design of the Pyramids to Round, with window boxes, just get  two or three thousand estimates, pictures, statements from the Raccoons AND their Union (The Amalgamated, Occupational Fraternity of snakes,harpies,infections Tax,' shit,' and he would let me or my survivors know when, after the Congress of Insurance next met, (approx. 3001-A.D.) what I needed to do next, and sighed again.

At this point I started calling Funeral Homes and Insane Asylums inquiring about vacancies, .but they were all booked up due to a rash of Insurance problems "Damndest thing I ever saw, said the guy at the Funeral home. We had to pick up suicides and Heart Attacks on school buses, got em stacked up like cordwood in our freezer downstairs, 'N had to order embalmin fluid a 55 gallon drum at a time, 'N if this keeps up we'll have to order it by tank truck. "Wow", I said, "I guess the Coroner is about run ragged." "Well he were, the Director said, "But he's okay now, he's with Jesus, or will be if I ever get far enough down in the stack to find him".

I thought I was being honest, until my claim for the replacement of eight of the windows (The ninth one hadn't yet been chewed upon,) was denied , as I had no pictures of the Raccoons at their work. but I replaced it anyway and paid for it myself) and even went sofar as to tell the National Claims director "If you think I am lying about the damage to the windows, just don't pay me (she didn't). At this point, the Insurance Company has sent us a couple of checks, well, actually three, with a promise of one more to come, if, after the repairs are completed, and their adjuster examines the house and is satisfied. I'm taking bets and so far the "won't be's are ahead about 161 to 3of the will be's

IN DEFENSE OF BOOKS

Good Afternoon.

My wife and I are contemplating a move to a different Town and State.

As anyone who has ever moved can tell you it's one heck of a job.
Apart from Selling one's House (2 in our case) deciding what to move and what to sell or discard are just some of the 1001 things we have to do in order to move. Obviously Old Aunt Agnes' circa 1890 Corset need not make the journey, while Auntie's set of solid silver tableware will most obviously make the trip. (Ed note, it should be noted that in truth, neither my wife nor myself had an Aunt Agnes, nor did anyone leave us a Corset, OR a Solid Silver tableware set. ) As one goes through the somewhat timeworn possessions, keeping this, discarding that, donating this to Goodwill or that to the Salvation Army. Tossing the pants that will never, ever fit me again, unless I'm about to run out my personal clock of life, in which case I'll most likely be wearing Pajamas and drool. We will keep a few articles of clothing that while dated, hold some sort of nice memories for us.
We'll keep those articles of furnishings that we most favor, sell some , give some away, and set others out on the curb, hoping someone will "steal" them during the night. We'll take our T.V. s as they are fairly new. Take our keepsakes that have meaning for us, and winnow down the rest, so as to cut down on Moving Costs.

Then comes those items that are necessities to us. All our Family Photographs, Vacation souvenirs, Perhaps even dig up a small shrub or some flower bulbs to plant in our new location.

Then. .. . Comes the Killer. Books and Magazines. Forgive the needless Capitalizations, but these things are really the staff of life to my Wife and I. My wife loves in addition to her hundreds of  books, Magazines. In fact, she owns,in addition to her many books, by actual count, enough magazines to equip all the Dental and Medical waiting rooms, and Barber and Beauty shops in the U.S. and several English Speaking Countries, as well as her books, while I, simple soul that I am, own almost entirely Books.(At this point I should confess that I Do subscribe to one Magazine, a Magazine about books.)

To me, Books are the standard of the staff of life. As Thomas Jefferson said, "I Cannot live without books". And the more rustic Abraham Lincoln went down in History as saying "My best friend is the Man who brings me a book I ain't read"! (And yep, he did say Ain't), so while I'm about the distance to the Moon and back behind these two Giants of History in terms of  accomplishments, the three of us share the Love of Books. Now that, other than the three of us being of the sex and species that normally wear trousers and mind our Wives and Superiors, who, as any fool knows (and who wants to stay in tolerable good health,) are one and the same, do, I'm proud to say, share at least this.

So as the job of winnowing proceeds apace, one thing is for certain. My wife will move her Magazines and I'll move my books if there is room in the truck and my Wife will let me, and by the way. I'm talking about REAL books of paper and Ink, not those instruments , of the devil, The Kindle, and it's kin.

My love of books started when I was a child of about 8 years of age. For some reason, perhaps a request on my part, I received a book, whether for Christmas or a Birthday I don't recall, but the result was that I was firmly hooked on books. As a child, and even on occasion as an Adult, I have mentally shared the feats or fears of the proponent of whatever novel I happen to be reading, for I, as does a Physician friend, read books mainly for escapism. Of course, none of us can really escape the world we live in, whatever trials we happen to be undergoing, current illnesses and so on, but we can sure try.

I can recall, as a child being stunned when I accompanied my Dad to pay our rent, and saw in the home of the landlord what seemed to me to be almost endless book cases full of books. I never had thought overmuch that people actually kept books once they had read them, but from that day on, I did so. Other than whatever few books one of my family happened to own, our literary holdings consisted of the Bible, a set of Comptons encyclopedias, that my Dad had purchased from a pretty Red Headed Door to Door Saleslady. In so doing he obtained three things. 1. was a time payment plan for the books, 2. was the books themselves and 3. was the everlasting habit of my Mom periodically "Mentioning" the saleslady, until all of us could recite her speech exactly.

The rest of the reading material in our home was largely sporting Magazines, as all the men in the family enjoyed Hunting and Fishing. We lived in the country, about five miles from the nearest town, so I was a total stranger to the county Library. As an adult I have tried my best to make full use of the library of any Town we were currently living in. My wife and children were no less faithful patrons of these Treasures of free entertainment and learning.

But for the rest of my life, up until now, I have always loved books and the view of a large and chock full bookcase still thrills me. I had rather hold in my hands an actual, printed, paper and cardboard or leather book than the most expensive E reader available. Books to me smell good, and its a thrill to turn to page one of a new book and hear the rustle of the pages. Holding an E reader, however, is about like holding any other palm sized Electronic, batteries not included, gadget.

Recently I heard someone say "I would forecast that, within five years all printed on paper items will be gone". I hope this worthy was wrong.!

All that I or anyone can really know and appreciate are things that appeal to them, or me. I think that one of the first thing my wife and I did, in our first little and neat New Orleans Apartment, once we both had jobs, was to join a book club, and somehow procure something like a bookcase. today, about 60 years later, we still have a couple of those books from that era. Throughout the years and through all our travels, we have endeavored to keep those books, plus the hundreds we have acquired over the years.

Books serve two purposes to me: Education and Amusement. I have a number of books to refer to when I run across a knotty question(and the older I get, it seems there more and more of such questions) for example, I have a copy of the Federalist Papers, which I mainly procured to look up things discussed by people who are vastly smarter and better read than I. I once said "I can't get through a William F. Buckley column without 2 books by my side. And they were of course, the above mentioned Federalist's and a Dictionary, and occasionally a Bible. Recently our local Library had a book sale, towards the end of which books were going for One dollar per  bag full. Among the books I bought was, I thought, a Biography of William F. Buckley. It wasn't until I got it home that I tardily noticed that it was actually a Bibliography. Now I have little or no use for this volume, but I still marvel at a person who wrote so many Books, Articles, editorials and other columns, that they require a rather thick, Hard Bound book to list them all. We are not supposed to envy, but in this case I sure do.

Now that Mr. Buckley has gone to that great symposium in the Heavens, I have to use the same references when I read George Will.. If it sounds like I cannot think for myself, that, now, is sadly becoming ever more true with each passing year. I still enjoy it when I can remember this or that in History or Today's happenings, but it is getting more difficult. I can, however, read for enjoyment and still to this day recall the titles and Authors of Decades ago, and at my age this is getting to be all I can do. that and a little foray into attempting to at least start trying to write a Novel, which may never be published or even finished.

So, for heaven's sake, whatever your age read, read, read and write, if you are not satisfied with what you have written, stick it in a file and try again.
I have what amounts to the beginnings of two Manuscripts, which may or may not be the embryos of someday books.

Well, I'm tired, and can will imagine you are too.


Keep reading and stay well.
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THE PASSING SCENE

GOOD EVENING:

just some common sense tips for those who've forgotten;

If you shoot at a Police Officer, don't be surprised if he shoots you back.

Some old tips

Don't go out with your fly down.

The easiest thing to do is to tell someone what they should do, particularly if its to not do anything stupid.

If you hate this country enough to burn our flag, Move to Saudi Arabia and try burning their flag. But have your next of kin info tattooed on your chest first.

Remember, I before E except when it ain't.
Don't use contractions unless you want to.

REMEMBER; COURAGE IS NOTHING BUT BEING THE ONLY ONE WHO KNOWS HOW TERRIFIED YOU ARE.

HOW'S THAT ?

Stay well and read the funnies, and if you read the editorials wear gloves.

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LES SAUVAGE`

GOOD MORNING ALL

WELL ONCE AGAIN THE SAVAGES HAVE STRUCK. IF YOU WATCH THE 'NEWS' YOU ALREADY KNOW OF THE ATTACK BY THREE HEAVILY ARMED GUNMEN WHO ATTACKED THE OFFICES AND PERSONNEL OF A FRENCH PERIODICAL KNOWN FOR ITS PURPOSELY SILLY CARTOONS AND EDITORIALS.

AND FOR THIS, IN THE MINDS (AND I USE THE WORD DELICATELY) OF SO CALLED MUSLIM FAITHFUL, THEY SHOULD BE KILLED.

THIS IS, OF COURSE, AN ATTEMPT TO SILENCE ANY OF THOSE WHO WOULD DARE TO SAY ONE WORD ABOUT ANY OF THE TENETS OR WRITERS WHO IN THE SPACE WHERE MOST PEOPLE HAVE BRAINS, HARBOR NOTHING BUT A FEAR OF HONEST DIALOGUE AND HONEST LABOR.

FOLKS, WE ARE, I FEAR, ENTERING THE FENCEROWS OF A NEW AND USELESS WORLD WAR, AND  THE FOOLS WHO USE THE KORAN AS AN EXCUSE TO CHANGE THE WORLD TO SUIT NO ONE BUT THEM ARE THE ONLY ONES TO BLAME.

THIS HAS BEEN TRIED BEFORE, AND NO DOUBT WILL BE TRIED AGAIN, AND IT HAS ALWAYS FAILED.

Hollywood Obscenities

GOOD EVENING FOLKS.
I WAS JUST READING AN ARTICLE THAT TOLD ABOUT TOM CRUISE, AKA "THE MIDGET SAMURAI" ENDEAVORING TO SELL HIS TELLURIDE, COLO HOME FOR (JUST A SECOND WHILE I TAKE A ROLAID)..

AH THATS BETTER.

TO CONTINUE; SHORT STUFF WANTS TO SELL HIS HOME, SITUATED IN THE WOODS NEAR TELLURIDE, COLO  FOR  THE PALTRY PRICE OF $ 59 MILLION DOLLARS.

SAY WHAT?

IT'S TRUE FOLKS, THE COUCH JUMPER IS RELUCTANTLY SELLING THIS 4 BEDROOM 6 BATH HOME FOR MORE MONEY THAT MOST AMERICANS WOULD MAKE IN TEN LIFETIMES.

A LOCAL CITIZEN, KNOWN AS CRAZY HARRY ALLOWED, DURING AN INTERVIEW WITH A JOURNALIST, SAID, AND I QUOTE; "I HEARD THAT THAT LITTLE FELLER HAD THE HOUSE BUILT AND HE AND SOME WOMAN COME AND LOOKED AT THE HOUSE, SPENT ONE NIGHT THERE, HEARD SOME NOISES IN THE NIGHT, DECIDED TO TAKE THEIR COLLECTIONS OF SUNGASSES AND ELEVATOR SHOES AND GO BACK TO WHERE THEY COULD HEAR SOME GOOD OLD FASHIONED TRAFFIC NOISE.

BESIDE WHICH, CRAZY HARRY SAID HE RAN INTO CRUISE WHEN THE  LITTLE FELLER "COME UP T' ME AND ASKED ME WHERE HE COULD GET A CAP OF CHINEO, OR SOMETHIN LIKE THAT" "WHEN I ASKED HIM WHERE HE WAS FROM, AND HE LOOKED AT ME LIKE A WAS CRAZY AND ASKED ME IF I DIDN'T KNOW WHO HE WAS, AND WELL SIR, I LOOKED DOWN AT HIM AND ASKED HIM IF HE WAS A STUDENT AT THE LOCAL GRADE SCHOOL. "FOR SOME REASON OR OTHER, HE GOT ALL RED IN THE FACE AND JUMPED INTO HIS CAR, CLIMBED IN HIS CAR SEAT AND TOLD THE NICE TALL LADY WHO WAS DRIVIN TO 'GET ME OUT OF HERE, THESE YOKELS DON'T KNOW WHO I AM'. WELL COURSE I KNEW WHO HE WAS. HE WAS THAT JACKASS THAT HAD THAT BIG HOUSE BUILT, DIDN'T PAY THE CONTRACTOR ALL HE OWED, AND PUT IT UP FOR SALE FOR ENOUGH MONEY TO IMPRESS ANYBODY WHO'S FOOL ENOUGH TO COME LOOK AT THE HOUSE AND WONDER WHERE THE REST OF IT IS!

IT'S ENOUGH TO MAKE A SANE PERSON (WHO LETS OUT MOST OF THE FOLKS  IN HOLLYWOOD.) LAUGH

STAY WELL p.s. I should elaborate. I DO NOT have anything against shorter people, Just this overpaid moron Cruise.

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IN THE NEWS

Hello Folks:
I watched with interest an Interview with Charles Barkley over the past few days, in which he stated his opinion of the people who, upon receiving the verdict that the Grand Jury returned in the matter of the recent of an 18 year old youth in Ferguson, Missouri.

I honestly cannot say that I was surprised when hordes of lawless fools descended upon the area and began looting and setting afire businesses in the area. Now, I'd venture a guess that not ONE person in that mob ever once thought, "wait a minute" the folks who own this store or shop had NOT one damn thing to do with either the shooting, the verdict of the Grand Jury or anything else pertaining to this matter. These individuals just saw an opportunity to steal as much as they could carry and then set the just pillaged shop afire to make their theft seem like anger. It wasn't anger. It was GLEE. A damned good chance to light finger a bunch of stuff with little or no chance of being arrested.

Therefore I was, as I have already stated, very interested in Mr. Barkley's opinion's. He stated that the people who were doing all these illegal acts were "scumbags" and he said that the verdict of the Grand Jury was properly the only verdict they could have returned, given the testimonials offered there. He, as I, was also interested, and outraged, that some of those testifying had shown by THEIR OWN TESTIMONY THAT THEY WEREN'T EVEN AT THE SCENE, EITHER WHEN THE SHOOTING TOOK PLACE OR  IMMEDIATELY AFTERWARDS.

Mr. Barkley also said  words to the effect that it is monumentally stupid to think that the Police are always wrong or that all Black people are always innocent. Just as (I think) it would be monumentally stupid of me to think that all white people are always right. Ask anyone who knows me and they will tell you that when one or more white trash individuals are arrested for, among other things, making and/or selling Meth, I will either vocally or in the written words say a sincere 'Attaboy(s)" to our Police Officers.

And I say OUR Police Officers advisedly. these unsung heroes are, in their own words, 'SERVANTS OF THE PEOPLE'.

Now let me be a little more clear, in case there is any confusion of any of my words. All Black People ARE NOT crooks or trash.
All White People are not crooks or trash and most certainly, neither group are always innocent or guilty.

And all the foregoing is why I so happily endorse Charles Barkley's words, and if I knew how to contact him I would thank him, knowing full well that he wouldn't care what I thought, and I would not by taken aback by this, as, THE MAN SAYS WHAT HE THINKS!!.

It's just too bad that our news media do not hew to this line. Its also a damned shame that so few people, beside me, saw the video of the Poor, Innocent, Angelic, slender young Mr. Brown just boldly helped himself to an entire box of Swisher Sweet cigars, and tried to steal a second box only to be thwarted by his cohort in this crime who wanted no part of it and put the box of cigars aside,

 that Brown had thrust at him while he (Brown) was in the process of stealing another box of the Cigars. And I am sorry that so few people watched the store tape that showed all the foregoing, along with the slight Asian clerk being shoved violently back when he objected to the crime and then when he (the clerk) said something else to Brown, Brown turned and advanced upon the clerk in a threatening manner..

To sum up.

THANK YOU CHARLES BARKLEY, AS YOU KNOW, THE TRUTH IS ALWAYS REFRESHING.

Stay Well

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Lessons

Good Evening:

The events over the past few months in Ferguson, Mo have prompted me to comment, which I really shouldn't do, but what the heck.

Agonized Black Lawyers and screaming white liberals have screamed (literally) for change. They(Or their placards) demand justice, and they participate in those most Holy of righteous protests, Looting and Arson, while the grieving Mother somehow pulls herself together long enough to dye her hair an endless series of blazing neon colors (shows up better on T.V.) and swoons frequently into the arms of one or another large men, if on T.V.

Here's a Tip Mom, or rather a couple of tips.

1. Teach your kids not to steal.

2. Teach your kids not to commit strong arm robbery, on Camera.

3. Teach your kids not to assault and threaten tiny Asian storekeepers, again, on camera.

4. Teach your kids not to Fight with a Policeman.

5. Teach your kids not to try to grab the Policeman's weapon.

Teach your kids and their friends not to lie in an attempt to cover up a crime
6. Teach your kids to surrender.


Now I don't want anybody to think that I, nor any Police Officer that I know, lacks feelings. To the contrary, I do not know of one single Police Officer who really wants to shoot somebody!

Oh, and one more thing!!


Teach your kids to obey the law and do so your self......................................Dammit!!!

Love
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THE GAP WIDENS

Good Evening all.

But to be honest, I don't feel like it is such a good evening. First of all, just  about the only thing on the Television was the shooting of a Black Teenager by a Suburban St. Louis, Mo Police Officer. This jump- started, as it too frequently does, a Black Riot, during which white-owned stores were broken into, and basically all their merchandise was stolen by BLACK looters. The stores, when empty, were then set on fire. The one exception I saw was a black owned store, open safely for business (Thirsty Work, Rioting and thieving) and on the front of the store was painted "the only good Cop is a dead Cop."The rioters and looters weren't looking for Justice, they were looking for Nikes, or anything else they could lift
And naturallywho Comes to save the day?why  the attorney general of the United States, who wasted no time in instructing the F.B.I. to investigate the affair for civil rights violations, on the part of the (white) Police Officers. And quite naturally those merchants whose entire store, and all it's merchandise were pillaged and looted have no civil rights at all. The Attorney General detailed dozens of Agents to knock on doors for a six block radius. Presumably these instructions led to lots of :I didn't see  that cracker Cop shoot that po boy, but I know he did it fo sure; replies.
 You give me about six solid troopers with saws and I'll promise you that those particular looters will no longer be in business. I'm as sure as I can be that people will all think or emote "Racist", that's Bullshit and you all know it. Since when is it racist to Decry Strong Arm Robbery, Rioting and Looting and Arson? I'm more than a little sick and tired of the Police always being described as the Bad Guys by T.V. Media and Al," call me shit-stirrer Sharpton", et al. Those who are very ready to criticize the Police are the first to call the Police when they fear they are in trouble. Now I won't pretend to know the circumstances of the shooting of the large young man who was fresh from a Strong-Arm Robbery of a convenience store. For all I know he and his smaller companion might have been walking down the  street, singing Gospel Hymns and passing out Church Bulletins. But even as I write this, I say "Not bloody likely". But also not likely is a scenario of a Police Officer shooting an innocent young man. and just to add fuel to my mental-fire is the fact that Police Powers being stripped from the Ferguson Police by the Federal Government. This, if I remember correctly is called "Posse-Comitadus" and is unconstitutional.Folks, we have all got to  stop automatically blaming the Police anytime there is an altercation, without stopping and waiting until an investigation is complete. Then who ever is at fault will be named as at fault and will be tried and if found guilty will receive appropriate punishment. But to make my status as clear as clear can be and I will say this: I have known a lot of Law Enforcement Officers in my life, from community officers to Federal Officers of all stripes, and I have known a Hell of a Lot more Honest and capable officers than I have corrupt Officers.BUT you ask any Police Officer in a big city and who was or is investigating a shooting if he or she found anybody who was or is willing to point a finger at this particular felon, if the felon is black. THIS HAS GOT TO STOP. Anyone who knows me knows that I am absolutely in favor of Law Enforcement, be it in a Black or White neighborhood, PERIOD.

Then to just make this a Jim-Dandy day, I have just read where Robin Williams, one of the funniest guys in the World, is dead. A suicide. It has not been all that long since Jonathan Winters died, of apparent Old Age, so we are left with a huge hole in our society where Humor used to be, and boy could we ever use it on a day like today. I made a prediction when Obama was elected that I would not be surprised if Race Relations became worse than ever. I take no satisfaction in these events proving me right on this one subject.
Be afraid folks. Be very afraid.


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DEATH OF A NATION

DEATH OF A CITY, STATE AND COUNTRY.

Good Evening:

I was watching television recently and I happened on a talk show in progress. Now I almost never watch these shows, as it is a seldom thing when any of the participants know what the Hell they're talking about, but on this particular bit of Television verbiage the participants were discussing and Tsk-Tsk-ing the near abandonment of certain neighborhoods in many, if not most, large cities in the U.S. Now all these "learned" folks all had a different opinion of what was the cause of the decay of these once nice neighborhoods, and I should stress Neighborhoods, even though the participants on
 this show did not. they just glossed over the fact that in these areas people lived, worked, maintained their properties, raised their children and felt safe and a sense of pride in their neighborhood, but slowly but surely as these long ago good Citizens either died or moved to the suburbs, in what pundits call "White Flight", and these once fine areas decayed, as many, if not most of the properties became rental properties, as their owners could find no one willing to live in a changing neighborhood, as they would not feel safe in doing so. And they were right. So the decay continued. Where happy children once played on safe streets, but were told, with no discussion, to be in before dark. these same children were living in an atmosphere of Good Manners, attention to Schoolwork, obeying the law, and growing up to be a good member of a prosperous city , state and Country.
But No longer. As the houses were either rented, as long as they here habitable, or alternatively occupied by either a family where no Father was present, or were occupied by would-be gangsters or "Crack Pads" or drug houses. In the isolated home where an actual family lived, one with a Father as well as a Mother, and decent children lived, they lived in constant fear for their safety. On almost any street corner you would find either one or more Hookers or a Drug Pusher or two. It is not uncommon to find a child as young as ten or so being used by these pushers to fetch a given amount of drugs, once the pusher was sure that he was not selling to a Policeman, as in the unlikely event of a "Bust", the young runner would be lectured and sent home by the Authorities, and would in too many instances, go right back to his same job with a different pusher.
And yet the participants in these so called "Talk Shows" would blame everyone except the people to blame from this decay. They would blame the Government, the Police, the Schools and the Churches, ignoring the fact that most Schools and Churches had also fled to the Suburbs. but they still talked, around and around, weekend after weekend, and the decay continued and is continuing.

The predictable effect of all this is simple. First neighborhoods, then cities have fallen into decay, the Police and Fire Departments WILL NOT go into these areas, as they are not fools, to unnecessarily risk their lives for people and areas that are just not worth it, and before you know it the City is doomed, and people such as Ray Nagin, the onetime Mayor of New Orleans, run these cities long enough to fill their pockets, and those of their cronies, and the decay continues, unabated, and only seldom is any one of these 'City Killers', once their pockets are full, fail to move to a safer area themselves.
But not one person will speak up and assign the blame to those responsible, for fear of being called a racist.
But maybe one of these fine days a man or a woman will say "Just a damned Minute, I'm sick and tired of the people of these United States being so damned quick to blame everything and everybody but themselves for the state of their neighborhoods. Some misguided people have felt that they could change the Nation through Elections, even going to the extreme of Electing a man, or a number of Men (and Women) too, who have never managed anything in their lives, but they are the color dujour, religion du jour, attitude and well....Hell, you get the idea. We've currently got a President who waltzed into the highest Office in the land, not because of his qualifications, for he had none, but for his ability to read a good speech from a teleprompter, and for his Color (that and a bunch of millions of Dollars from Oprah). And these selfsame people have convinced themselves, and made excuses into the hundreds for Junior. "Looky there everybody in the Band is out of step but Junior".

Now I have admitted a hard truth, and that is that I am an Old Man, and as any fool will tell you an Old Man is, or should be, free to tell the truth.
I'll let you in on another little secret. I once thought that the harder you worked, on almost any job, the more success you would have. But that truth turned out to not hold true, which I found out the hard way, that of working over 35 years with that belief, only to, after working for 20 years in a Nuclear Fuels Laboratory, be disabled and gasping for breath every day, all day. Now, it's true that I made a living in all these jobs, to a greater or lesser degree, but I NEVER hit the Mother Lode. That Executive Job that would enable my Wife and I to sock a Bank full of Dollars in Savings to enable us to live what is customarily known now as the good life.
But take Heart America. There's always Bankruptcy. Of the Pocketbook I mean. The Country is already morally Bankrupt, I fear.

Stay Well and Hope for the Best.

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Read any good books, lately?

Good Afternoon:

Reading over my Email today, I received, as I frequently do, an advertisement for Amazon.com.

I have ordered several books through this fine organization, and therefore I usually scan their ads pretty carefully.

Today's offering included an ad for The 100 Books one should read, in a sort of "Bucket List", presumably before one dies. (it'd be pretty difficult to read these after the final fact, eh what?)

Anyway. I scanned over the list, and agreed with #1, which was "To kill a Mockingbird". No argument there. I must have read that book close to a dozen times, and each time discover another part of the book, whether it be dialogue, character or situation, or just the mental image that a passage evokes in me.  This to me is one test of a really good book. If a person can set down with a book, and be instantly transported to an area , a time, a situation, or whatever else that this person finds instantly either thought provoking, a "feel-good" bit of dialogue or a description of a time or place that he or she remembers with fondness, then that person is reading what amounts to a Good Book. To that person. And I submit, that that is the reason we all read. This, to me, I have a mental list of a number of books that I've read, enjoyed, and would not hesitate to recommend to another.

Of course, like any list, there will be some lemons on the list that I did not enjoy, sometimes after more than one reading, thinking I surely must have missed something in the book, as others have praised it to the sky.

One such book on this current list of 100, is "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger, who perished a year or two ago, and was, according to some of the people who had , to me, the unhappy experience of knowing him, however well, he is more often than not described as disagreeable. So in this case at least, I would be likely to employ the book only to give to someone I didn't like.

However in the case of a person whose company I enjoy, I would consider it an insult to give this book to him or her.

Of course, on this list, as with any other list there is a lack of some books that I found absolutely wonderful, and I expect that this is true of almost anyone who loves to read, and personally I can't imagine anyone who doesn't, except an Aunt of mine who was very nearly boastful in stating that she had never read a whole book !.

Now this Aunt was in most ways a lovable sort who loved, generally, all people, and loved also to cook, an Art that she practiced with expertise, so perhaps it's not really a character flaw if one chooses not to read, but I just can't imagine a life without books. I recently had the unhappy occasion to file a claim with my Home Owners Insurance Company, which led to a visit by an adjuster, who made the remark that 'You guys got too much stuff', how many books have you got, anyway?

All this accomplished was an almost overwhelming urge to, as my Grandfather once said of a man who tried to crush a person's hand when he shook it, made me want to piss on his leg.

But that's just me, my wife and our books.

Stay Well and read

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Good Evening Folks

As you can see I've had to increase the Font Size on this blog, due to Google changing so many things about BlogSpot and/or blogger.I guess they (google) figure that since it doesn't cost anything to have a blog on either of these two sites, one shouldn't complain about a few changes, and maybe they are right, whoknows?

I've been asked how I would typify myself as a writer, blogger or what have you, and never knew what to reply.
so. .  . I've decided to call myself a Ninja Writer. I don't, as far as I can tell, fall into any other category save, perhaps, amateur.

But since I've never been one to fence myself in in few or any endeavors, I've decided to call myself a Ninja Writer. I will write as well as I am able, but I will not necessarily comply with any of the Iron rules of writing. I will capitalize when and if I choose, punctuate, when I do at all, strictly when and where I choose, and just in general write in a fashion that would horrify an English teacher (that's the one sop I'll throw them).

My youngest son is currently awaiting publication of his second book, so HE and he alone will be the writer in this family.

So. . . Dear Hearts, I will continue to write to please myself and if I accidently please someone else, it'll be an accident.

I have over the past several months been writing a series of stories, hopefully in the Comedy Genre, about two boys/men who are residents of  the fictional town of BeeHop, Arkansas. Neither of these youths is what one would call intelligent, gifted, ambitious, or any other of the qualities we like to use when we are praising someone. They live to please themselves, and scrape along as best they are able. I have arbitrarily named these two nimrods Therlew and Norvun and I am trying to make the stories about them and their little town amusing to me, and perhaps sufferable to a few others. I may or may not someday start posting an occasional one of these efforts on this site, and if I do, I won't even bother to try to evade the slings and arrows from those literati who always know better.

thanks and Stay Well

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