Thursday, June 30, 2016
Wednesday, June 29, 2016
Monday, June 27, 2016
Sunday, June 26, 2016
Sunday Afternoon Bliss
Just back from a walk at the beach. We wind up doing this at least once a week and sometimes 2 or 3 times. And it never gets old. We start at the beach at Torrey Pines. We park in the lot that is at the end of Hwy 56 (well almost the end). We've bought a State parking pass so there is no day to day cost. It was a couple hundred dollars but we get our money's worth. Plus, the parks need the money. Anyway, we start at the beach on the other side of the lot. Head North about 3 miles and return. So 6 miles round trip. Not bad. Along the way we pass cliffs, surfers, desolate stretches, lots of people at Del Mar (Powerhouse Park), a row of multi-million dollar houses, and end at dog beach, which is always fun. It always takes two hours. No matter what we do, how many times we stop, who we chat with along the way, it always takes two hours. Sorta weird.
One of my favorite things is to come home on a Sunday afternoon from the walk, make a G&T, sit back with the unread paper, and watch a golf tournament with the love of my life nearby. Ahhh...bliss. It just doesn't get any better. Soon the West Coast Zoo will stop by to get their dog who we've been dogsitting for the weekend while they were off at a soccer tournament. Things will get hectic. A good hectic. But for now...bliss.
One of my favorite things is to come home on a Sunday afternoon from the walk, make a G&T, sit back with the unread paper, and watch a golf tournament with the love of my life nearby. Ahhh...bliss. It just doesn't get any better. Soon the West Coast Zoo will stop by to get their dog who we've been dogsitting for the weekend while they were off at a soccer tournament. Things will get hectic. A good hectic. But for now...bliss.
Saturday, June 25, 2016
Tolerance
Saw this today and think that it captures the current state of relations pretty well. Of course, I come at it from a certain perspective but it seems to me that it's pretty rare that I can have a normal, rational discussion about issues of the day with my liberal friends without them going just a little bit ballistic. Maybe it's media influence. Maybe it's the pace of life. Maybe it's information overload. Or something else. Don't know. But I sure wish a lot of them would just calm down.
Friday, June 24, 2016
Gun Control Stats
There has been and there will be plenty more hysteria about gun control coming out of the righteous Dems, those who are all seeing, all knowing, and are in the right on every issue. I'm not going to do a whole diatribe on those idiots or gun control. But I came across this little graphic and thought I'd share. It probably won't change any closed minds but at least it's another little piece of evidence that it's not the arrow, it's the Indian. And in the case of Orlando, that Indian was a terrorist.
USPS
For an organization that continues to lose millions and billions of taxpayer dollars, this doesn't seem like a stretch...
Tax Reform
Lost in all the political noise of BREXIT is that Paul Ryan and House Republicans are at work on tax reform. Real tax reform. To the uninitiated, the House Ways and Means Committee writes our tax laws. Check what they are proposing here.
But just in case you don't want to take the time to read it all, this is a draft of the new tax form. Who couldn't be for this?
Sovereignty
The last two days have seen an interesting rebuking of the liberal forces that advocate for open borders and groupthink among nations. Of course, I'm talking about the Supreme Court in the U.S. letting a lower court decision stand that Obama's executive order regarding amnesty (it's more complicated than that, but that's what it is) stand. BTW, if Scalia were still alive it would have been 5-4 in the same direction. And then this morning we learned that the Brits have voted to leave the European Union (EU). I think both of these decisions, one by the courts and by the people, indicate that there is still a strong sense that sovereignty matters. That countries have the right and obligation to make their own decisions regarding their future.
In our case, it's no secret that immigration is a mess. That Congress and the Executive Branch haven't taken steps to reasonably solve this issue is shameful. The maddening thing is that it isn't rocket science. We are a nation built by immigrants. We need to continue a strong immigration policy that allows people to come to this country to pursue their dreams. After all, we are the place of dreams. But we shouldn't be a place where anything goes. Illegal immigration is illegal. Now I don't know how the laws have evolved that set the number of visa's we award every year, but we clearly need to look to expand the number, make it easier, put programs in place that protect both immigrants and citizens, protect our borders, etc, etc, etc. But it can't get done if the people who make the laws aren't talking to each other let alone the people who execute the laws. So immigration continues unchecked and we all pay the price. The strain on infrastructure and impact on the culture is immense. So there need to be rules. I think that's why Trump resonates with so many. He obviously isn't going to try and enact the draconian measures he has voiced. But he will do something. And that's his attraction. He will do something. The tragedy is that Obama could have done something. When he was elected he had a Democratic Congress. He could have come up with rationale immigration laws and gotten them through, especially in the early days when there was still good will. But he has proven that he either doesn't know how or can't work collaboratively to achieve anything. It's all my way or the highway. Well, the courts have said, "not so fast". So we're still stuck in limbo with thousands of good people being negatively affected. This is at his doorstep.
And now the Brits decide to leave the EU. There are all kinds of dire predictions regarding economic and security consequences. But you know what? Sometimes doing the right thing is more important than your pocketbook. There are a lot of alliances that both of our countries are entangled in, and most of them don't particularly benefit us. I think the EU has gone seriously off course. Their immigration policies alone are broken badly. If you're not sure what I mean, visit Paris, Berlin, London or any other European capital. Parts of all those cities are ungovernable. So I think the Brits just finally decided that the direction that the EU is going isn't positive. And they didn't see the union benefiting them. So they are out.
Both of these issues have big implications for the West and our way of life. Are we going to be governed by laws that we believe are beneficial to our country or are we going to give up our sovereignty? That's the fundamental question. And it appears that there are still folks around that believe sovereignty matters.
Thursday, June 23, 2016
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
Thoughts
This one almost writes itself...
Mom--It's just a phase. I'm sure he's a nice boy.
Dad--Look at this loser. What the hell is she thinking? Maybe she's trying to punish me.
Girl--What was I thinking?
Guy--Whoooeee. I got the girl and a bitchen haircut. What could be better? I wonder if the zipper is in back.
Mom--It's just a phase. I'm sure he's a nice boy.
Dad--Look at this loser. What the hell is she thinking? Maybe she's trying to punish me.
Girl--What was I thinking?
Guy--Whoooeee. I got the girl and a bitchen haircut. What could be better? I wonder if the zipper is in back.
It's a Party!
This poor bastard looks like he's having a great time. I did a little write up on the whole gluten free mania a while back. You can read it here.
Freedom
By now we've all heard about the knuckleheads in the DOJ trying to censor what the asshole in Orlando screamed as he was murdering people. But they don't want us to know. Their story is that they don't want to spread propaganda. But that simply doesn't pass the smell test. I think it's like a lot of other things. What they really want is to take care of us. They want to influence our thinking and minimize what is becoming obvious as a huge, existential threat to the country. It doesn't happen often, but in this case the folly was exposed. And the Attorney General had to backtrack. How humiliating.
Our Congress at Work
Look at these jackasses. I'm sure you've heard about the Dems conducting a sit-in because of the lack of a vote on gun control. Now, I'm not a big gun guy although I strongly believe in the 2nd Amendment. But there could be some controls imposed and I'm positive that most Americans would go along with them. But with most things, the Dems seem to have adopted their nemesis's mantra. GWB said, "you're either with us or you're against us". But he said it in response to 9/11. Not some empty bill that is mostly political. No middle ground. No compromise. And it's tearing us apart. Shame on them.
Here's another thing. It's called majority rule for a reason. When they had the majority, they made the rules. The other side now has the majority, so stop whining and work to get it back. Simple as that.
And here's an interesting question. Most of these idiots get on a plane on Monday or Tuesday, work on Wednesday and a bit of Thursday, and then vamoose out of town Thursday night or early Friday. It will be interesting to see how many of them make their flights tomorrow.
Here's another thing. It's called majority rule for a reason. When they had the majority, they made the rules. The other side now has the majority, so stop whining and work to get it back. Simple as that.
And here's an interesting question. Most of these idiots get on a plane on Monday or Tuesday, work on Wednesday and a bit of Thursday, and then vamoose out of town Thursday night or early Friday. It will be interesting to see how many of them make their flights tomorrow.
Monday, June 20, 2016
A Rational View of Islam
A friend posted this over on FB. It may just be the most rational statement regarding Islam that I've seen. Amidst all the hysteria, scare tactics, denial, and inaction that has come to symbolize Obama's head in the sand approach, it's nice to finally see someone stand up and tell the truth.
"There is not a problem with Islam... But there is a problem within Islam, and we have to put it on the table and be honest about it. There are, of course, Christian extremists and Jewish, Buddhist, and Hindu ones. But I am afraid that the problematic strain within Islam is not the province of a few extremists. It has at its heart a view of religion – and of the relationship between religion and politics – that is not compatible with pluralistic, liberal, open-minded societies. At the extreme end of the spectrum are terrorists, but the worldview goes deeper and wider than it is comfortable for us to admit. So, by and large, we don’t admit it. This has two effects. First, those who hold extreme views believe that we are weak, and that gives them strength. Second, those Muslims – and the good news is that there are many – who know the problem exists, and want to do something about it, lose heart." --Tony Blair
Sunday, June 19, 2016
Saturday, June 18, 2016
Choices
Saw this over on FB and it got me to thinking. Now, I'm no fan of DeGaulle but this makes so much sense. It's not rocket science, but it is just fundamentally true. And as any student of history knows, it can have devastating international consequences. We know that because we've seen it.
If you've been reading at all you know I don't like either choice in the upcoming national election. You'd also know I'm most concerned with national security. So what to do? Because one of the candidates is clearly a nationalist. And the other is clearly neither.
If you've been reading at all you know I don't like either choice in the upcoming national election. You'd also know I'm most concerned with national security. So what to do? Because one of the candidates is clearly a nationalist. And the other is clearly neither.
BREXIT
Most Americans have only casually heard about the big election coming up in the UK about whether or not to exit the European Union. Like a lot of things these days, its very contentious and rather complicated. There are a lot of economic and cultural considerations that come into play and most politicians have gone to their corners. There is a pretty good story about this issue in today's WSJ by Andrew Roberts. You can read it here.
Andrew, like all journalists these days, has an opinion and doesn't hesitate to express it. His take is decidedly in favor of exit, but more than that in favor of letting the British people decide their own fate. And that is how it should be. Obama and others have weighed in rather obnoxiously and it hasn't helped the forces who want to stay. In this issue like many others, people are starting to see that the King has no clothes. Has there been any issue beyond our shores that he hasn't f**ked up? Hard to think of one.
I think in this case it's going to come down to economics vs culture. Do the Brits value being a toady in some smarmy alliance that has proven to economically beneficial to many countries while dictating all manner of sovereign issues? Or do they value making their own decisions, figuring out their own cultural rules, and determining their own fate? All the polls say it's going to be a very close election. We'll see. Somehow I think the Brits will proudly walk away.
Andrew, like all journalists these days, has an opinion and doesn't hesitate to express it. His take is decidedly in favor of exit, but more than that in favor of letting the British people decide their own fate. And that is how it should be. Obama and others have weighed in rather obnoxiously and it hasn't helped the forces who want to stay. In this issue like many others, people are starting to see that the King has no clothes. Has there been any issue beyond our shores that he hasn't f**ked up? Hard to think of one.
I think in this case it's going to come down to economics vs culture. Do the Brits value being a toady in some smarmy alliance that has proven to economically beneficial to many countries while dictating all manner of sovereign issues? Or do they value making their own decisions, figuring out their own cultural rules, and determining their own fate? All the polls say it's going to be a very close election. We'll see. Somehow I think the Brits will proudly walk away.
Friday, June 17, 2016
Dissent
So now it has emerged that 51 State Department employees have signed a letter urging Obama to take action against Assad. You can read about it here.
Apparently there is something called a "dissent channel" in the State Department so that employees can register dissent from a stated policy. Interesting concept. I guess its pretty no fault. In other words, "I don't agree. But my disagreement isn't strong enough for me to risk anything". But it is pretty amazing that 51 folks would step up to this.
By taking action, what they mean is military action. Air strikes. But it doesn't take a military genius to realize that it's too late. The Russians are on Assad's side. They are bombing the guys on our payroll every day. So what are we going to do? Go to war with Russia over Syria. Ain't gonna happen. We had our shot. Obama drew the red line. The media expressed outrage and then moved on, just like everything else they cover. There is a news cycle don't you know. We could have done something early on. But now? I don't think so. And Obama really doesn't care. If it doesn't help him politically or play to his sycophants, he doesn't care. Simple as that.
Apparently there is something called a "dissent channel" in the State Department so that employees can register dissent from a stated policy. Interesting concept. I guess its pretty no fault. In other words, "I don't agree. But my disagreement isn't strong enough for me to risk anything". But it is pretty amazing that 51 folks would step up to this.
By taking action, what they mean is military action. Air strikes. But it doesn't take a military genius to realize that it's too late. The Russians are on Assad's side. They are bombing the guys on our payroll every day. So what are we going to do? Go to war with Russia over Syria. Ain't gonna happen. We had our shot. Obama drew the red line. The media expressed outrage and then moved on, just like everything else they cover. There is a news cycle don't you know. We could have done something early on. But now? I don't think so. And Obama really doesn't care. If it doesn't help him politically or play to his sycophants, he doesn't care. Simple as that.
Finding a Leader
Surrounding yourself with the right people is critical. People you can trust to do a job. Lincoln had a terrible time finding the right guy. Grant was obviously the right guy. All Presidents have had this challenge. And they've all had difficulty.
Evolution
There are still plenty of guys out there who have a pair. Guess she just hasn't met many. I might recommend she start hanging out in places like Ft Bragg, NC and Coronado, CA.
Thursday, June 16, 2016
Friday Funnies
I'm sure they thought this was cute. And it's sorta humorous. But I'm really stretching it to make this a FF. Because part of this is as scary as it is funny!
