Monthly Archives: June 2022

RINOS

25 Saturday Jun 2022

Posted by in Insurrection Jan 6, 2021, President Trump

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            I hope all those so called “Republicans” who condemned U.S. Representative Adam Kinzinger have seen how elected officials of any political party should act.

            They should be so ashamed of themselves and their lack of ethics and morals that they resign any political elected or appointed office or position. The blight should follow them for the rest of their lives. Their progeny should wonder if such morals and lack of intelligence are genetic.

            When these so called “Republicans” supported an acknowledged egoist and liar over an honorable man like Adam Kinzinger, who I often don’t agree with, is beyond any moral bounds. Real Americans need to come forward on Election Day and vote these immoral traitors to the Constitution out of office. They swore an oath to the Constitution but their oath to Trump superseded that one. We should be electing honorable people of any party for any office.

Justice Should Resign

19 Sunday Jun 2022

Posted by in Supreme Court

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         Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas should never have been confirmed in the first place. His rulings in lower courts were often overturned so his qualifications should have sunk him from being considered. His molesting Anita Hill should have been a disaster, too. Other women were molested but wouldn’t come forward as Hill courageously did.

            We knew his wife was involved in trying to get Arizona to put out a different set of electors who would support Trump. Now we find out Thomas was working behind the scenes to get the United States Supreme Court to take a look at whether Trump’s lies were real and he actually won.

            Thomas’ decisions as a justice have been questioned on several rulings. The decisions seemed to be more political than constitutional. It’s time for him to resign before he destroys the reputation of the United States Supreme Court even more than he already has.  Justices are supposed to be apolitical. His wife is definitely not, nor is he.

Primary Change

19 Sunday Jun 2022

Posted by in Supreme Court

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            Millions of Americans think it is time for the United States to have sensible Primary elections. These elections would be restricted to certain uniform rules. Campaigning could only be done forty-five days prior to the primary election. No PAC or individual could help prior to the forty-five days.  This would reduce costs

            Primaries would be conducted ninety days before the general election further reducing expenses. No campaign money can be accepted outside those two periods meaning those people who are already elected can spend their time doing what they were elected to do instead of working the phones and going to campaign events.

            The one major change in most states would be what a few have already done. They have an open primary which means the voter gets a ballot with all the parties on it and all their nominees. That allows the voter to pick the best person in any party. Then the two with the most votes for their parties are on the general election ballet.

            Today some primaries and general elections can take up to a year and cost millions for many state and federal elections. Some governor, senator, and representative elections might cost tens of millions. These changes would save billions in each election cycle.

Pipelines Wanted

15 Wednesday Jun 2022

Posted by in Pipe Line Permit

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            In an effort to be transparent I admit owning shares in the oil and gas producing and transporting companies as well as solar, wind, and charging station companies. I watched the CEO of EQT saying how we only need new pipelines to reduce the consumer prices, give us security and still supply all our allies.

            The CEO blamed the government and the judicial system for keeping more pipelines from being built. He didn’t mention that people don’t want a pipeline going through their properties whether it is farmland, lightly populated or residential area. We know pipelines are not going to go through wealthy neighborhoods like the EQT CEOs.

            Gas pipelines explode, setting area homes on fire, and killing people. Oil pipelines ruin the earth and groundwater. My home sits on less than fifty foot of sand and gravel so any spillage of oil from a six foot deep pipeline would contaminate the ground water for hundreds of homes. The path for the Keystone would go through sand and gravel hundreds of feet thick. Water is scarce so the ground water is necessary for people and animals to drink and to irritate farmland. A leak could destroy hundreds of square miles of the aquifer forever.

            I worked in the oilfield as a teenager and we occasionally had small leaks on the three inch low pressure lines. Some of the places where we had leaks are still having trouble growing weeds much less crops. Imagine a thirty inch pipe with a thousand pound pressure spewing oil into an aquifer for a few hours or days.

            So before we criticize others for preventing a pipeline from going through their property, imagine it your property and the danger and damage that would come to your property and to your family.

Didn’t Watch the Truth

15 Wednesday Jun 2022

Posted by in Insurrection Jan 6, 2021, President Trump

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            I had hoped the first January 6 Committee’s report would be influential in getting people to understand how they have been duped by Trump and his sycophants. Only about 20 million watched on TV. How many more watched on social media or some later method is unknown. One estimate was another 10 for a total of maybe 30 million.

            Fox news didn’t cover it live or even play it all. Fox and other right wing media continued their idol worship of Trump and his lies about the election and his involvement in the insurrection.

            I am afraid if only 30 million saw it and the next six telecasts, are they only showing the evidence to those who already know what happened and who caused it? The similarity between Trump and Nixon is amazing and their crimes are much the same. Both had massive egos requiring them to have second terms. Both considered using the military to stay in power. Both tried to cover up their involvement.

            A fifth of the population watched the Watergate hearings while only nine percent may have watched hearings involving events much more dangerous to the American Democracy. The Republican Party supported Nixon for a while and then abandoned him. Maybe more Republicans will stop kowtowing to Trump and drop him. When 60 million start watching it is all over for Trump.

Broken Democracy

15 Wednesday Jun 2022

Posted by in Democracy

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            Chuck Todd on NBC’s Meet the Press June 12 episode presented some astonishing poll results. The respondents answered questions this way: Do they trust government? In October 2001 60% said yes but today 20% said yes! In 2001 52% of Democrats said yes with 68 % of Republicans. Today it is 19% and 9%. Do those who run do so to serve their community? Overall 21% said yes, 19% of Democrats and 24% of Republicans. When asked if people run to serve their own interests, 65% said yes, Democrats 66%, and Republican 63%.

            Todd did not present the same questions prior to 2016 but I remember polls gave much higher numbers. Millions of Americans have been bombarded by one lie after another by Trump and repeated, enhanced, and more lies originated by Fox and podcasts. The purpose on Fox is to be divisive as Roger Ailes intended when he founded the network. Today we have millions of Americans who watch only divisive media. Some of the left wing media like MSNBC and podcasts aren’t as divisive but still radiate an agenda.

            How can we bring honest moderate people back into office with the trust so law? Do we have a broken democracy that can’t be fixed? Do dictators around the world say their authoritarian control is the best choice when Americans can’t trust their government?

Quicker Is Better

12 Sunday Jun 2022

Posted by in Politicians

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Who has a right to a speedy trial as the sixth amendment requires? Apparently the politicians have a right to go as slow as possible for a trial date. Some of these trials could last several weeks or even months. Defense lawyers stretch the pre-trial motions and motions during the trial out for years.

Calendars for courts are stacked for years but I am sure quick dates could be had if authorities tried. The longer the trials are postponed the more likely witnesses are to forget or die or evidence to be lost. In high level political trials the latter may be more likely.

Mike Madigan’s trial should have been over a long time ago but the prosecutors don’t seem to be in a hurry. Of course, at his age, he might not live to be tried, much less get jail time. Trump will probably die of old age before any trial and he has said enough to be found guilty in any unbiased trial.

The old axiom is wrong. It should be “The bigger they are the longer they fall”.

Wars Have Become Too Expensive

12 Sunday Jun 2022

Posted by in Ukraine

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           The war in the Ukraine should and probably will be taught in every military school around the world. As a student of military history and the weapons used, I was surprised at how effective the Ukrainians used the new high tech ones to destroy a 1990’s army.

            The European theater in World War II thought US tanks without infantry support were sitting ducks. Today’s shoulder-fired anti-tank weapons have a range outside normal infantry support. In previous wars thicker armor overcame the anti-tank weapons but not today.

            Today drones can do damage that aircraft and artillery would have done a few years ago. The suicide drone is a man-carried weapon that can be guided to a tank, artillery, or a depot from miles away. Larger drones carry missiles hundreds of miles away and then orbit an area until a target is identified.

            Explosives have gotten more powerful so they can be used in smaller weapons. One hole in Kyiv caused by a Russian missile must have been fifty feet across and twenty feet deep. A World War II 1,000 pound bomb wouldn’t have made a hole that big.

            Military intelligence has always been the butt of jokes but in today’s world it has the ability to physically locate an enemy and their communications network. The Ukrainian snipers have killed eleven Russian Generals whose communication was hacked.

            Fixed wing and rotating aircraft have become much more efficient in their jobs. Many of the weapons the Ukrainians are using are the old Soviet ones that are being piloted by well trained people. If they had some of our most advanced craft their successes would be even greater. A squadron of five 35s costs more than the GOP of many countries.

Ups and Downs

12 Sunday Jun 2022

Posted by in Finances

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            Conflicts abound in today’s financial world. We are told that we must invest our money for retirement because Social Security won’t be there in a few years. I remember the ads on TV were to invest the maximum allowable into an IRA and have a million in the account.

I have been investing in equities and an occasional bond before most of the talking head experts were out of grade school or a twinkle in their father’s eye. I have gone through Black Tuesday, Dot com, Pandemic and a myriad of Fed rate raises and cuts. I get great ideas from Cramer’s Mad Money, CNBC’s talking heads, business magazines, Bloomberg financial, and stock brokers. I have gotten some great and some disastrous ideas. The point is markets go up and down. Some boom and some bust.

People are saying to sell out of the markets but then, where would one put their money? When interest rates go up, bond prices go down. The interest rate remains the same but when the Fed raised rates in the late 1970s, a twenty-year 1,000 dollar bond was 350 dollars until the rate drops or the bond is recalled.

An example of conflict is when Cramer says to buy particular stocks at today’s prices and then spends ten minutes to say the Fed should hit the country with a one percent hike further reducing stock prices.

One place not to invest is crypto currency. Investing in it is like betting on which Triple Crown ghost horse will win a race. The race is as much fantasy as crypto currency.

Investing is good advice but be aware finances go up and they go down. Not keeping a critical and frequent eye on them is required. Stay involved.

Who Watched the Truth?

11 Saturday Jun 2022

Posted by in Insurrection Jan 6, 2021, President Trump

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      After watching the first night’s episode of the January 6 Committee’s work, I can’t believe anyone can still believe Trump won or he didn’t cause the insurrection, or that he didn’t try to overthrow the government, or he should not be arrested on several charges.

      His chief of staff and others refuse to testify. Many of those refusing had asked Trump for pardons but he threw them under the bus and refused. Many were elected officials or appointed by Trump and confirmed by the Senate. Some were never confirmed because he made their appointments temporary.

      Will these proceedings convince people’s minds about the election and Trump? How can they watch and not feel they are being conned and lied to on a massive scale? Will they watch and read the truth or will they rely on those far right wing podcasts and websites which will still deny the truth and continue with the fantasies and alternate realities? Fox News talking heads are continuing the fantasy.

      If those millions can’t see and react to the truth then the American Dream is shattered!