It is getting late in the afternoon here. As I have written a couple of long posts, which are not my usual thing, I embark upon yet another post. Perhaps this one will be long. I don't know.
The posts got political. Yes, we are in an election year. It is time to choose our leaders for the next few years. This is of importance for our future. This is how we have done things in this country for the last couple hundred years. What I fear is that time may be coming to an end. Reason being that things are in far worse shape than most people may know.
Because the posts have been political, it may be considered suspect in terms of truth. One thing that I will try my darndest to not do is to deceive anyone. My purpose here is not to do that, but the opposite. I hope I am doing that. If I am not, then I am failing. If I am, I have to look at myself and understand why I am failing, and try to communicate my understanding of that to you, the audience.
As for audience, there are but a few who come here. This blog has not gotten much attention out there, which again, I regret. I don't know what I can do about that, but to try a little harder. But trying harder may not be enough, if that which is against you is not against because you are wrong, but because you are right. If you are right, then they are against you because they fear you.
Fear little old me? Let me tell you. If there was anybody to fear, it isn't me. I never hurt anyone. Unless it is your snowlflakey little feelings. Obviously, I am not into self esteem, as it is likely taught today. That's what "snowflake" is about. People need to earn their self esteem. They are not entitled to it, nor to anythng else that which they do not earn. All too often today, people seem to think that they are entitled to that which they have not earned.
So, I start off with some inspiration about courage as it pertains to leadership. I am trying to enlighten some of you. At least some of you out there who will pay attention. But in doing so, you may notice something. What am I criticizing if it is not my own self? Indeed I am. If there is anything to the statement "to know one is to be one yourself", then I know what cowardice is. I have lived that kind of life, let me tell you. And yes, I am sick to death of it. I am sick of disrespect that accrues to you even if you are falsely perceived as being less than adequate in the toughness department.
I don't believe that I am a "pussy". I will fight. I have fought, and frankly, have lost almost all my fights. No, I am not good with my fists. I am not good at fighting. But anybody can fight. What seemed important to some close to me in those days was that I lost. Not that I had enough guts to stick up for myself and fight back. I fought back even when I lost the fight. But never mind that. That makes me out to be more than I am. I will not portray myself as someone greater than what I am. I am merely what I said that I am. An old cowbody who is trying hard not to fall out of his saddle. That is all I am. I am not running for office. Merely trying to help sort out the wheat from the chaff. Merely trying to understand what has happened to our culture and our country, and to do something constructive about it.
So, I wonder. Do people not take what I say as something worthy of consideration merely because I am perceived as a hypocrite? Or someone who is weak and cowardly, not worthy of listening to?
If you think that way, you may be making a mistake. Even a crazy person can tell you something of value. There is this story of a crazy woman who was married to a spy. She told people that her husband was a spy, but because she was crazy, nobody paid attention to her. If people had listened, a dangerous spy would have been caught, and the damage done might have been limited. That is a true story, you people.
I think all too often, people listen to the "big guy" simply because he is big. Take Limbaugh for example. He is probably out there thiking that people who challenge him anonymously like I am doing are too chickenhearted to go after him personally. If anybody like him thinks that way, then come here and challenge me, and find out for yourself. No, I don't think I am too chicken to go after him. I think he will not hear me out fairly if I did. For there is something false about him. He thinks he is of high character, but I am not so sure.
I am after the Limbaughs out there. I think Limbaugh is a sell out. He talks a good game, that is for sure. People listen to him, but what good is there when he says something and there is nothing behind it?
Like I pointed out in the Lady Gaga post. It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing. The swing meaning courage. Nothing about Limbaugh says means anything because he doesn't back it up. He is afraid of losing his radio program.
Look, he may well lose his radio program if he uses it for activism. But he said he used to do Rush to Excellence tours. If he isn't doing these anymore, then what is stopping him? Somebody told him to shut up or else they will run him off the air?
Rush used to also say that he is in the relentless pursuit of the truth. Really? I am not so sure of that. I think he is relentless pursuit of advantage for himself. If he comes across the truth, if it hurts him, he will shut up. He said that himself when it came to doing his caller abortion segments. He let them shut him up over this.
Rush doesn't have it anymore. He may never have really had it at all. He was good when he was new, but what is doing now? Why should anybody listen to him now?
But a lot of people do listen to him. He endorses Cruz, which may be a sell out again. Does Limbaugh really believe that Cruz is Reagan? No. He had to say it because the so called conservatives are the only ones listening to him now. He has to say it in order to keep what audience he has. He won't bite the bullet and tell the truth.
Cruz is not Reagan. Reagan had command of the media. Trump is more like Reagan than Cruz ever thought about being. Limbaugh ain't dumb. But Limbaugh is talking ideology. But Reagan wasn't ideological. Reagan believed in America, but that doesn't make you ideological. Reagan was conservative all right, but something was behind it. Reagan really believed in it. That means his immortal soul was behind it. Yes, Reagan did believe in that. I am sure he believed that we all have a spirit and an immortal soul. Does Limbaugh, or is it just a prop to make money off the gullible who are easily deceived?
Limbaugh is on my fecal roster. He has something to prove in order to get off of it. Maybe the Limbaughs of this world don't care about what little guys like me think, but little guys like me make the show run. If the little guys got the idea that Limbaugh was a fake, his show would be over.
I think Limbaugh is a fake. Just sayin'
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Al Fin: "Cowboy Commentary", aka "Eat your veggies" The Flag banner is posted in order to defy those who would make patriotic symbols illegal or disreputable.
Saturday, February 20, 2016
Long and short of it, part 2
This may not be a series of posts, but I have an inspiration. As long as I have it, I will write about it.
As with the first post, the inspiration, as such, is a revelation about what our problems really are in this society. The revelation is that our problems are spiritual in nature, not material.
To develop this further, I will need to discuss our leadership. Or the lack of leadership, to put it more accurately.
By the way, this may not be as long a post as the last one. The inspiration has its limits in time and space. And besides, I am mortal, I am here only a short time. I must attend to earthly needs, which means I don't have as much time as I'd like to spend on this.
Back to the leadership question. I've been complaining long and loud on this blog about the lack of it. I think it permeates our society much deeper than anyone knows. That's what makes it so dangerous. We are at the lip of a precipice, in which I think we may not be able to avoid falling into. If we had leadership, they would guide us away from it. Instead, they are guiding us straight towards the disaster. They are guiding us towards it because their concern is with themselves, not the people that they claim to serve.
Okay, after a brief break while I ate an early lunch, I got an idea that may take awhile to expound upon. The idea is about Presidential leadership, and since we are in an election year, it is also about Presidential politics.
PRESIDENTS ARE REMEMBERED MORE FOR FOREIGN POLICY SUCCESSES THAN FOR DOMESTIC POLICY FAILURES
Once again, I think of Nixon. People may not remember too much of his domestic policy, which failed against inflation, amongst other things; than with his foreign policy, which opened up China. As a long term success, the China policy may backfire. But in dealing with the problems at the time, it was a success in our Cold War rivalry with the Soviet Union
If Nixon isn't a good example, the let's look at George Herbert Walker Bush. He may be remembered for leading the country to success in the war in Iraq, but his failure with balancing the budget won't be remembered. I may get some disagreement with that, and you may be right to do so. However, balancing the budget isn't that important now, as it seemed to be then; as the Iraq debacle will be sometime in the future. Indeed, in future years, that little war in Iraq may be long remembered. We seem to have a problem with the Middle Easterners right now because of this. They have long memories.
We can go back even further to FDR. Roosevelt didn't really end the Great Depression. He won't be remembered for his failure to do so, but he will be remembered for winning World War II.
Incidentally, I think the victory over Germany and Japan is what helped end the depression. Not because of their defeat, but what it did to the UK and the rest of Europe. Europe has been defanged, and this has helped the USA become fat and rich, but it came at the price of what may come later. Actually, it may sooner than later, unfortunately.
All of these examples have something in common. Or I think they do. In winning World War II, FDR was acting in the best interest of the country. In winning in Iraq, Bush the Elder was trying to do what was in the country's best interest. Even Nixon, which I don't think much of, was trying to do his best to secure world peace. They did these things in service to country and a bit of risk to their own personal interests. Their personal interests would have been better served if their outcomes had been longer lasting and more durable. The risks they took didn't affect them personally at the time, but history may not be so favorable to them. The risk they took was with the verdict of history. Yet, they served the interests of the people alive at the time.
I'm straining a bit to make a point. The point is to serve the country at the expense of self. These Presidents tried to do that. Our current crop of leaders may not be able to. Even those in the history books may have failed too, because they failed to get victories that were longer lasting. But we made some amends to Europe, maybe too many. We tried in Iraq as well, but not hard enough in my opinion. As for opening up China? This helped Nixon win reelection in 1972, but that may not help us in the years to come.
The main point I think is valid. Presidents will be remembered for their foreign policy, not with their domestic policy. This should be true even of FDR, if Europe falls apart. It sure seems to be.
Good leadership comes from serving the country, not from serving the self. Think again towards history. The Roman Emperor, Honorius, did nothing to stop the sack of Rome in 410 AD. Indeed, he did a lot to cause it. The kind of leaders we have now may do a lot to cause the sack of the USA, which may be closer than you think. The reason being, that like Honorius, their concern will be with their own safety, not with their people's safety. Honorius was an unworthy leader. Our duty is to find somebody who is worthy.
THE CURRENT CROP OF GOP CANDIDATES MAY NOT BE WORTH A DAMN
But that doesn't make the Democrats any better. In fact, the Dems are even worse. Far worse. For if there is a party that puts self before all, it is the Democrat Party. They will talk about taxing the rich, as if this is what is meant about putting others first. But if you look closely, all Democrat policies go to help Democrats first. If it helps the people, that is only incidental.
But what about the GOP? Keep in mind here that I am referring to spiritual qualities. What is it that I call spiritual?
I was thinking about that definition on the way from the last post to this one. What I would prefer to call spiritual is that which makes life worth living. Those would be LOVE, COURAGE, AND FAITHFULNESS. Now, Trump may not have been faithful to his wife (s). He may not be the most lovable guy around. What he does have is GUTS. Besides that, he TELLS THE TRUTH. All these pussies out there are afraid to tell the truth today. Trump tells it like it is. He is faithful to the truth, which counts for a lot in my book.
That is something. If he had nothing at all, well he just might be a Democrat.
Democrats might feel love, but they don't necessarily act upon it. Neither do the RINOS.
Democrats aren't completely short of courage, but they have more than the conservatives, who have none at all that I can see.
Democrats aren't faithful to anything but their own selves. That alone makes them formidable. Even without that much of anything else. It is also what makes them dangerous. They can stick together like glue. That party is like the friggin' Mafia. They act like the Mafia.
Cruz? Puhleeze. He has had maybe four years now in the Senate. What exactly has he done that inspires such confidence? He has picked a few fights and he has lost them all. Whoop de do. You need to stick with the fight and make the other guy bloody your nose, or a lot worse. Maybe make both eyes black and a bloody nose. Or have to be carried out of the place. Otherwise you aren't fighting. Does that make Cruz a "pussy"? Maybe not. But he ain't exactly pugnacious either. Give me a fighter. A guy who won't quit until you knock his ass out.
Cruz may have a little courage, but we may need a whole lot more. We have to take on the bad guys over there and over here. There are a lot of them. Not that many of US.
Trump has GUTS. Give me the GUY who has guts. Spiritual doesn't necessarily mean acting like a Sunday school teacher. The world stage ain't Sunday School. It's a bad neighborhood, and you need a butt kicker in charge. Let the Sunday School Teachers teach Sunday School to the snowflakes. It is a tough world out there. Snowflakes don't have what it takes to deal with the bad guys.
St. Peter is said to have had a "potty mouth". If Jesus could forgive Peter for his language, then we should be able to forgive Trump for his. He is good enough to be President, thank you very much.
I could be all wrong about Cruz, but if he is really a creampuff, he is going to get his butt kicked.
Part 1
Part 3
As with the first post, the inspiration, as such, is a revelation about what our problems really are in this society. The revelation is that our problems are spiritual in nature, not material.
To develop this further, I will need to discuss our leadership. Or the lack of leadership, to put it more accurately.
By the way, this may not be as long a post as the last one. The inspiration has its limits in time and space. And besides, I am mortal, I am here only a short time. I must attend to earthly needs, which means I don't have as much time as I'd like to spend on this.
Back to the leadership question. I've been complaining long and loud on this blog about the lack of it. I think it permeates our society much deeper than anyone knows. That's what makes it so dangerous. We are at the lip of a precipice, in which I think we may not be able to avoid falling into. If we had leadership, they would guide us away from it. Instead, they are guiding us straight towards the disaster. They are guiding us towards it because their concern is with themselves, not the people that they claim to serve.
Okay, after a brief break while I ate an early lunch, I got an idea that may take awhile to expound upon. The idea is about Presidential leadership, and since we are in an election year, it is also about Presidential politics.
PRESIDENTS ARE REMEMBERED MORE FOR FOREIGN POLICY SUCCESSES THAN FOR DOMESTIC POLICY FAILURES
Once again, I think of Nixon. People may not remember too much of his domestic policy, which failed against inflation, amongst other things; than with his foreign policy, which opened up China. As a long term success, the China policy may backfire. But in dealing with the problems at the time, it was a success in our Cold War rivalry with the Soviet Union
If Nixon isn't a good example, the let's look at George Herbert Walker Bush. He may be remembered for leading the country to success in the war in Iraq, but his failure with balancing the budget won't be remembered. I may get some disagreement with that, and you may be right to do so. However, balancing the budget isn't that important now, as it seemed to be then; as the Iraq debacle will be sometime in the future. Indeed, in future years, that little war in Iraq may be long remembered. We seem to have a problem with the Middle Easterners right now because of this. They have long memories.
We can go back even further to FDR. Roosevelt didn't really end the Great Depression. He won't be remembered for his failure to do so, but he will be remembered for winning World War II.
Incidentally, I think the victory over Germany and Japan is what helped end the depression. Not because of their defeat, but what it did to the UK and the rest of Europe. Europe has been defanged, and this has helped the USA become fat and rich, but it came at the price of what may come later. Actually, it may sooner than later, unfortunately.
All of these examples have something in common. Or I think they do. In winning World War II, FDR was acting in the best interest of the country. In winning in Iraq, Bush the Elder was trying to do what was in the country's best interest. Even Nixon, which I don't think much of, was trying to do his best to secure world peace. They did these things in service to country and a bit of risk to their own personal interests. Their personal interests would have been better served if their outcomes had been longer lasting and more durable. The risks they took didn't affect them personally at the time, but history may not be so favorable to them. The risk they took was with the verdict of history. Yet, they served the interests of the people alive at the time.
I'm straining a bit to make a point. The point is to serve the country at the expense of self. These Presidents tried to do that. Our current crop of leaders may not be able to. Even those in the history books may have failed too, because they failed to get victories that were longer lasting. But we made some amends to Europe, maybe too many. We tried in Iraq as well, but not hard enough in my opinion. As for opening up China? This helped Nixon win reelection in 1972, but that may not help us in the years to come.
The main point I think is valid. Presidents will be remembered for their foreign policy, not with their domestic policy. This should be true even of FDR, if Europe falls apart. It sure seems to be.
Good leadership comes from serving the country, not from serving the self. Think again towards history. The Roman Emperor, Honorius, did nothing to stop the sack of Rome in 410 AD. Indeed, he did a lot to cause it. The kind of leaders we have now may do a lot to cause the sack of the USA, which may be closer than you think. The reason being, that like Honorius, their concern will be with their own safety, not with their people's safety. Honorius was an unworthy leader. Our duty is to find somebody who is worthy.
THE CURRENT CROP OF GOP CANDIDATES MAY NOT BE WORTH A DAMN
But that doesn't make the Democrats any better. In fact, the Dems are even worse. Far worse. For if there is a party that puts self before all, it is the Democrat Party. They will talk about taxing the rich, as if this is what is meant about putting others first. But if you look closely, all Democrat policies go to help Democrats first. If it helps the people, that is only incidental.
But what about the GOP? Keep in mind here that I am referring to spiritual qualities. What is it that I call spiritual?
I was thinking about that definition on the way from the last post to this one. What I would prefer to call spiritual is that which makes life worth living. Those would be LOVE, COURAGE, AND FAITHFULNESS. Now, Trump may not have been faithful to his wife (s). He may not be the most lovable guy around. What he does have is GUTS. Besides that, he TELLS THE TRUTH. All these pussies out there are afraid to tell the truth today. Trump tells it like it is. He is faithful to the truth, which counts for a lot in my book.
That is something. If he had nothing at all, well he just might be a Democrat.
Democrats might feel love, but they don't necessarily act upon it. Neither do the RINOS.
Democrats aren't completely short of courage, but they have more than the conservatives, who have none at all that I can see.
Democrats aren't faithful to anything but their own selves. That alone makes them formidable. Even without that much of anything else. It is also what makes them dangerous. They can stick together like glue. That party is like the friggin' Mafia. They act like the Mafia.
Cruz? Puhleeze. He has had maybe four years now in the Senate. What exactly has he done that inspires such confidence? He has picked a few fights and he has lost them all. Whoop de do. You need to stick with the fight and make the other guy bloody your nose, or a lot worse. Maybe make both eyes black and a bloody nose. Or have to be carried out of the place. Otherwise you aren't fighting. Does that make Cruz a "pussy"? Maybe not. But he ain't exactly pugnacious either. Give me a fighter. A guy who won't quit until you knock his ass out.
Cruz may have a little courage, but we may need a whole lot more. We have to take on the bad guys over there and over here. There are a lot of them. Not that many of US.
Trump has GUTS. Give me the GUY who has guts. Spiritual doesn't necessarily mean acting like a Sunday school teacher. The world stage ain't Sunday School. It's a bad neighborhood, and you need a butt kicker in charge. Let the Sunday School Teachers teach Sunday School to the snowflakes. It is a tough world out there. Snowflakes don't have what it takes to deal with the bad guys.
St. Peter is said to have had a "potty mouth". If Jesus could forgive Peter for his language, then we should be able to forgive Trump for his. He is good enough to be President, thank you very much.
I could be all wrong about Cruz, but if he is really a creampuff, he is going to get his butt kicked.
Part 1
Part 3
Long and the short of it
This could be a long post, but given my track record, I don't tend to make long posts. However, I am in the communication "business" as a blogger, so I will have to communicate some complex ideas, and this will require a lot of thoughts to be organized into a coherent whole. As I was mentioning, given my track record, I'm not the one to write long, complex pieces. Nearly all of my posts are under 500 words, and the majority are a lot shorter than that.
TO BE ORGANIZED MEANS SOMETHING
If you are a Rush Limbaugh fan, you remember that he likes to say that words mean things. I too believe that words mean things. In order to be organized then means getting organized--- literally.
This blog started off as a real jumbled mess, and I got it somewhat organized. However, most people won't see all that, and may want it all distilled down to just one essay that they can read in less than 10 minutes. That's because people are busy. They read this blog once, and it doesn't make sense to them, then they give up on it.
Limbaugh also liked to say that if you want to understand his radio program, you have to listen to it for awhile. He said about two weeks. Now, like Limbaugh, in order to understand this blog, you have to stay with me. You can't just read it for a day and be up to speed. You have to read it regularly, or it won't make much sense, then you will give up on it and leave.
So, the long and the short of this introduction is this: if you want to understand this blog, you have to stay with me. Or read this post, and hopefully this post will get you started into understanding why it may pay you to start reading it, and staying with me. Otherwise, you won't think it will make any sense, and being busy, you will think it is a big waste of time, and you will do something else with your time.
WHY I STARTED THIS BLOG
As I mentioned in the intro, I'm not into long posts. I wrote the intro just now, and then thought it over, and then proofread it. I found some errors and thought of something else. People will focus in on the errors and then disregard the rest. I don't take that into account as often as I should, and will often fail to proofread my posts. It may be littered with errors, which will cause some people to disregard it because they are focused in on disputing what I have to say. Having something that isn't perfect is a way to dispute it and to discredit it. I will try to avoid that sin going forward, but being the way I am, I may slip up from time to time.
This allows me to get into why I started this blog. The above is an example. People pay attention to irrelevant things. The thought is what should matter, not the way it is presented. Unfortunately, too many people will focus on how it is presented, and then use that as a excuse to discredit it.
As I also mentioned above in the intro, my posts are short. The blog is somewhat disorganized, but it is a lot better than it was in the beginning. You can find out plenty by just taking a minute and looking it over and see what I am referring to with my ideas. Unless you are willing to take the time the do that, it won't make sense and you will leave and not come back.
Why did I start this blog? Because something was wrong. That's how it started. I had a good four or five years during the Bush Administration, but then it all fell apart. Since then has been the lean years and these past seven years or so has all but wiped out everything that I was able to save during the fat Bush years. That's a Biblical reference for those of you who are so inclined. I won't mention where in the Bible, but it is there.
So I started off thinking that it was just the economy, stupid. Fix up a new industry that will grow the economy the way the internet did, and we can enjoy another round of fat years. But it turned out to be not so simple as all that.
IF ONLY IT WERE SO SIMPLE
It is not so simple because it is a spiritual problem, not a material problem. That is a kind of revelation to me that may have just occurred this very morning as I am writing this. Our problems aren't material. We have a spiritual problem.
It is like Jesus of Nazareth said: It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get to heaven.
For a man cannot serve two masters. He cannot serve the god of money and God at the same time. He will hate one and cling to the other. If he serves the interests of money, he cannot overcome the spiritual side of his problems. In a larger sense, the material side of our problem is the problem itself. Too many people are so enamored of money that will do anything for it. When a man goes that far, he neglects the spiritual, and then he has a big time spiritual problem. That's where I believe we are as a nation and as a civilization. We have gone too far down the road of materialism. We have to rediscover our spiritual roots or we are finished.
I think that is the revelation that I had. But it may be read as just the ramblings of a dying old man.
AM I DYING?
I don't know. I may have twenty years left or twenty days, or just twenty hours. I am at that time of life that just about anything can kill me, and just might.
When you are at that stage, and no matter who you are, you will be eventually, it has a tendency to concentrate your mind.
Maybe that explains the revelation. Or maybe I'm just an old nut.
But then again, I've been on this trail for over five years. It isn't like I began this yesterday because the doctor said I had six months to live. If I didn't pay the bill... He'd give me six more. Yuck, yuck. I began this quest in search of what the problem was. That's what I think I have found. You can disagree if you wish. I know I come from a family who can argue about anything and usually do. Yeah, and making jokes about it can keep the Grim Reaper at bay for awhile longer. If I didn't learn that lesson awhile back, he'd have already collected my rotten ass. Making jokes about myself, like saying my ass is rotten is no mere trick. Or maybe it is. The trick is that you have to be able to laugh at yourself and not take yourself too seriously. That's the lesson I had to learn the hard way.
By the way, that's another thing that is wrong. People take themselves much too seriously.
I'm not dead yet, so you "snowflake" types aren't safe yet. Yuck, yuck.
All joking aside, this spiritual thing is serious business. Spiritual means what happens when you die, as we are all going to die eventually. Too many people today act or seem to act as if they will live forever. But they won't. Not unless the Fountain of Youth is found. I'm sure you are wishing for it to be found, but it hasn't been found yet. It may never be found. In the meantime, you have this thing called a body which won't last forever. But, you may say that you do not believe that there is a spirit, so it doesn't matter. Death means nothing to you, it is merely the end of existence. To the contrary, I do believe in a spirit, so it matters to me. The spirit is eternal. I didn't have to learn that one the hard way. But what that means may mean that I will in another way. I'd rather not have that happen at the Pearly Gates. My infirmities of late have gotten my attention. It's no longer a joke.
I'm trying to warn you that it isn't a joke for you either. Or anyone else for that matter. This is the most serious business there is. But in a larger sense, not only can you die, so can everything else that you care about that remains when you are gone. Like the country, for example.
IF YOU DON"T BELIEVE IN GOD, THAT IS FINE
I'm not going to deliver a Bible thumping sermon. I'm not all that religious, you know. Which worries me a bit now that the Grim Reaper is in sight.
But keep in mind who you are following and what motivates them. If our leaders are materialistic, and they sure as heck are as you are reading this, then they will do only what is good for themselves. What they do for you will be incidental to their own interests. For a man cannot serve two masters. He must serve God, or he must serve at the foot of evil one, who lusts for power and MONEY. The evil one does not go to the cross for your sake. He will feed upon your sorrows and misery.
No, if you don't believe in any of that, then you can follow what I think about the materialistic side from the earlier posts. But we, as a nation, didn't follow those paths, which would have been good for us, as a nation, but would not have been good for those who we have been following.
Example: NIXON.
In the early seventies, when the Energy Crisis hit, Nixon cancelled the molten-salt reactor project. Why is that important? Because if we had this commercialized, which came from the genius of our own civilization, and had been PROVEN in the lab, we would not have become dependent upon MIDEAST OIL. Now tell me: What is our big problem today? ISIS anyone? What bred ISIS and is funding it this very day? OIL MONEY. Well, NIXON put us on this path. We got married to the petrodollar in order save Nixon's political ass. We are paying for that mistake now with ISIS.
Make no mistake, there are many other examples. The thing that is really bad is that Nixon was once an exception. What's true today is becoming the RULE. They are all that way now. Those in charge of our well being care only for their own good. NOT OURS. They are on the materialistic path to power and money that rests upon your misery.
Good guys, bad guys? I think just about all of them today are BAD. You have to look long and hard to find much good in any of them today. But you people probably will want to argue that point.
I'm supporting Trump not because he is GOOD, but because he has GUTS. The so-called conservatives haven't got any and have defaulted on their obligation to serve us because they serve themselves. Trump may not be any better, but he does have one spiritual value which is COURAGE. I believe that he will support the nation. The rest of these jokers won't.
By the way, I had to get political because this essay is getting too long. Make no mistake. Everything I wrote here can be backed up. All you have to do is to read this blog. I find evidence of all this that I have written about all the time on the web. I do not write this because I am blindly following Trump's rhetoric. Heck, I hardly even listen to him. I don't need to. I know what he is fighting. He is fighting the very thing that is killing us.
And you.
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
No, this isn't a political piece. I intend for it to be a philosophical and spiritual piece. It was written maybe as a last gasp at something that I have searching for the last five and half years. I want to put up something just in case I don't finish with the thoughts. There is plenty more where this came from. I could write a doggone book about this, let me tell you.
DON"T WORRY ABOUT ME
Take care of yourselves. I will do my part. See ya round. I hope.
continued on part 2
TO BE ORGANIZED MEANS SOMETHING
If you are a Rush Limbaugh fan, you remember that he likes to say that words mean things. I too believe that words mean things. In order to be organized then means getting organized--- literally.
This blog started off as a real jumbled mess, and I got it somewhat organized. However, most people won't see all that, and may want it all distilled down to just one essay that they can read in less than 10 minutes. That's because people are busy. They read this blog once, and it doesn't make sense to them, then they give up on it.
Limbaugh also liked to say that if you want to understand his radio program, you have to listen to it for awhile. He said about two weeks. Now, like Limbaugh, in order to understand this blog, you have to stay with me. You can't just read it for a day and be up to speed. You have to read it regularly, or it won't make much sense, then you will give up on it and leave.
So, the long and the short of this introduction is this: if you want to understand this blog, you have to stay with me. Or read this post, and hopefully this post will get you started into understanding why it may pay you to start reading it, and staying with me. Otherwise, you won't think it will make any sense, and being busy, you will think it is a big waste of time, and you will do something else with your time.
WHY I STARTED THIS BLOG
As I mentioned in the intro, I'm not into long posts. I wrote the intro just now, and then thought it over, and then proofread it. I found some errors and thought of something else. People will focus in on the errors and then disregard the rest. I don't take that into account as often as I should, and will often fail to proofread my posts. It may be littered with errors, which will cause some people to disregard it because they are focused in on disputing what I have to say. Having something that isn't perfect is a way to dispute it and to discredit it. I will try to avoid that sin going forward, but being the way I am, I may slip up from time to time.
This allows me to get into why I started this blog. The above is an example. People pay attention to irrelevant things. The thought is what should matter, not the way it is presented. Unfortunately, too many people will focus on how it is presented, and then use that as a excuse to discredit it.
As I also mentioned above in the intro, my posts are short. The blog is somewhat disorganized, but it is a lot better than it was in the beginning. You can find out plenty by just taking a minute and looking it over and see what I am referring to with my ideas. Unless you are willing to take the time the do that, it won't make sense and you will leave and not come back.
Why did I start this blog? Because something was wrong. That's how it started. I had a good four or five years during the Bush Administration, but then it all fell apart. Since then has been the lean years and these past seven years or so has all but wiped out everything that I was able to save during the fat Bush years. That's a Biblical reference for those of you who are so inclined. I won't mention where in the Bible, but it is there.
So I started off thinking that it was just the economy, stupid. Fix up a new industry that will grow the economy the way the internet did, and we can enjoy another round of fat years. But it turned out to be not so simple as all that.
IF ONLY IT WERE SO SIMPLE
It is not so simple because it is a spiritual problem, not a material problem. That is a kind of revelation to me that may have just occurred this very morning as I am writing this. Our problems aren't material. We have a spiritual problem.
It is like Jesus of Nazareth said: It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get to heaven.
For a man cannot serve two masters. He cannot serve the god of money and God at the same time. He will hate one and cling to the other. If he serves the interests of money, he cannot overcome the spiritual side of his problems. In a larger sense, the material side of our problem is the problem itself. Too many people are so enamored of money that will do anything for it. When a man goes that far, he neglects the spiritual, and then he has a big time spiritual problem. That's where I believe we are as a nation and as a civilization. We have gone too far down the road of materialism. We have to rediscover our spiritual roots or we are finished.
I think that is the revelation that I had. But it may be read as just the ramblings of a dying old man.
AM I DYING?
I don't know. I may have twenty years left or twenty days, or just twenty hours. I am at that time of life that just about anything can kill me, and just might.
When you are at that stage, and no matter who you are, you will be eventually, it has a tendency to concentrate your mind.
Maybe that explains the revelation. Or maybe I'm just an old nut.
But then again, I've been on this trail for over five years. It isn't like I began this yesterday because the doctor said I had six months to live. If I didn't pay the bill... He'd give me six more. Yuck, yuck. I began this quest in search of what the problem was. That's what I think I have found. You can disagree if you wish. I know I come from a family who can argue about anything and usually do. Yeah, and making jokes about it can keep the Grim Reaper at bay for awhile longer. If I didn't learn that lesson awhile back, he'd have already collected my rotten ass. Making jokes about myself, like saying my ass is rotten is no mere trick. Or maybe it is. The trick is that you have to be able to laugh at yourself and not take yourself too seriously. That's the lesson I had to learn the hard way.
By the way, that's another thing that is wrong. People take themselves much too seriously.
I'm not dead yet, so you "snowflake" types aren't safe yet. Yuck, yuck.
All joking aside, this spiritual thing is serious business. Spiritual means what happens when you die, as we are all going to die eventually. Too many people today act or seem to act as if they will live forever. But they won't. Not unless the Fountain of Youth is found. I'm sure you are wishing for it to be found, but it hasn't been found yet. It may never be found. In the meantime, you have this thing called a body which won't last forever. But, you may say that you do not believe that there is a spirit, so it doesn't matter. Death means nothing to you, it is merely the end of existence. To the contrary, I do believe in a spirit, so it matters to me. The spirit is eternal. I didn't have to learn that one the hard way. But what that means may mean that I will in another way. I'd rather not have that happen at the Pearly Gates. My infirmities of late have gotten my attention. It's no longer a joke.
I'm trying to warn you that it isn't a joke for you either. Or anyone else for that matter. This is the most serious business there is. But in a larger sense, not only can you die, so can everything else that you care about that remains when you are gone. Like the country, for example.
IF YOU DON"T BELIEVE IN GOD, THAT IS FINE
I'm not going to deliver a Bible thumping sermon. I'm not all that religious, you know. Which worries me a bit now that the Grim Reaper is in sight.
But keep in mind who you are following and what motivates them. If our leaders are materialistic, and they sure as heck are as you are reading this, then they will do only what is good for themselves. What they do for you will be incidental to their own interests. For a man cannot serve two masters. He must serve God, or he must serve at the foot of evil one, who lusts for power and MONEY. The evil one does not go to the cross for your sake. He will feed upon your sorrows and misery.
No, if you don't believe in any of that, then you can follow what I think about the materialistic side from the earlier posts. But we, as a nation, didn't follow those paths, which would have been good for us, as a nation, but would not have been good for those who we have been following.
Example: NIXON.
In the early seventies, when the Energy Crisis hit, Nixon cancelled the molten-salt reactor project. Why is that important? Because if we had this commercialized, which came from the genius of our own civilization, and had been PROVEN in the lab, we would not have become dependent upon MIDEAST OIL. Now tell me: What is our big problem today? ISIS anyone? What bred ISIS and is funding it this very day? OIL MONEY. Well, NIXON put us on this path. We got married to the petrodollar in order save Nixon's political ass. We are paying for that mistake now with ISIS.
Make no mistake, there are many other examples. The thing that is really bad is that Nixon was once an exception. What's true today is becoming the RULE. They are all that way now. Those in charge of our well being care only for their own good. NOT OURS. They are on the materialistic path to power and money that rests upon your misery.
Good guys, bad guys? I think just about all of them today are BAD. You have to look long and hard to find much good in any of them today. But you people probably will want to argue that point.
I'm supporting Trump not because he is GOOD, but because he has GUTS. The so-called conservatives haven't got any and have defaulted on their obligation to serve us because they serve themselves. Trump may not be any better, but he does have one spiritual value which is COURAGE. I believe that he will support the nation. The rest of these jokers won't.
By the way, I had to get political because this essay is getting too long. Make no mistake. Everything I wrote here can be backed up. All you have to do is to read this blog. I find evidence of all this that I have written about all the time on the web. I do not write this because I am blindly following Trump's rhetoric. Heck, I hardly even listen to him. I don't need to. I know what he is fighting. He is fighting the very thing that is killing us.
And you.
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
No, this isn't a political piece. I intend for it to be a philosophical and spiritual piece. It was written maybe as a last gasp at something that I have searching for the last five and half years. I want to put up something just in case I don't finish with the thoughts. There is plenty more where this came from. I could write a doggone book about this, let me tell you.
DON"T WORRY ABOUT ME
Take care of yourselves. I will do my part. See ya round. I hope.
continued on part 2
Friday, February 19, 2016
Where We Build – Local Affiliate Search Results
Habitat for Humanity
Obviously, this is for El Paso area. Most likely, they would not want to help me. All I can do is ask.
You might wonder why I, as a conservative, would even consider this outfit as a way to get help towards completing my project. Is there any other option? Who else would consider doing this? It is also quite possible that they would not want to touch this, as it has a lot of problems to solve.
One is the water problem that I have been working on all along. If you dig a well out there, you could easily spend thousands of dollars and not end up with fresh water anyway. My idea is to check for the natural flow of water, as it drains from higher places and runs downhill, and then dig a tank area that will naturally fill up when there is enough rainfall. Each time it fills up, pump it out and store the water. The water can be treated so that it can be used for various things, but perhaps not drinking water. The problem here is that it will take a lot of concrete and a lot of digging in order to make a potential tank feasible. However, if there is sufficient water in it, it may hold thousands of gallons of water at a time. There are tanks out there that use this tactic, but these tanks require work to keep them from silting up.
Basically, the problem here is that there needs to be some heavy machinery to dig out the tanks, and then to pour the concete. The same would be true for the foundation and for the septic tank.
For drinking water, you could consider the ones that can obtain water from the atmosphere. They will condense water out the air itself. These may not always work, however, and the machines aren't cheap.
You could distill a gallon of water per day. This requires considerable electricity if you go that route, but it may not be necessary. Perhaps a way to do it can be found using solar power. I'm thinking of one of Greenpower sciences' devices I have watched on their website. It will concentrate the solar power into a spot that will be hot enough to boil off the water which will be condensed back into distilled water.
I'd love to try solutions like this, but they all cost money, and I don't have enough. Therefore, I am thinking of the possibility of getting some help from these people.
To build the cabin, it will probably need to ascertained as to where the rock layer is. If it is way down there, then sinking a pylon down to it will probably be too much money. Aside from that, you may have to sink it down into the sand and hope for the best. That may not pass muster, you know.
I'm told a septic tank could run up to 10k bucks or more. That would be terrible if it were true. No doubt that I would need help there.
I could ask these folks, but it doesn't mean that I would get it. Even if I were to solve these problems, I would still need somebody with me. As I am getting older, I will need more and more help just to get along. That's something I'm overlooking. It wou't be possible to do this alone.
If these problems cannot be solved, then it's on to another plan. This could be the idea of living out of an RV, which would not be so far out in the country. This may be more realistic, and maybe I should consider it instead. Unfortunately, this could have its problems too, but at least it isn't as daunting as what I seemed to have undertaken with the ranch. As daunting as that is, i'd still like to try it. But I cannot do it alone. That is the bottom line. That's what makes it a "moonshot".
Update:
The link provided only gets you back to a search tool, and that search tool doesn't want to put up what it did yesterday. Screw this idea. I already don't like them.
Obviously, this is for El Paso area. Most likely, they would not want to help me. All I can do is ask.
You might wonder why I, as a conservative, would even consider this outfit as a way to get help towards completing my project. Is there any other option? Who else would consider doing this? It is also quite possible that they would not want to touch this, as it has a lot of problems to solve.
One is the water problem that I have been working on all along. If you dig a well out there, you could easily spend thousands of dollars and not end up with fresh water anyway. My idea is to check for the natural flow of water, as it drains from higher places and runs downhill, and then dig a tank area that will naturally fill up when there is enough rainfall. Each time it fills up, pump it out and store the water. The water can be treated so that it can be used for various things, but perhaps not drinking water. The problem here is that it will take a lot of concrete and a lot of digging in order to make a potential tank feasible. However, if there is sufficient water in it, it may hold thousands of gallons of water at a time. There are tanks out there that use this tactic, but these tanks require work to keep them from silting up.
Basically, the problem here is that there needs to be some heavy machinery to dig out the tanks, and then to pour the concete. The same would be true for the foundation and for the septic tank.
For drinking water, you could consider the ones that can obtain water from the atmosphere. They will condense water out the air itself. These may not always work, however, and the machines aren't cheap.
You could distill a gallon of water per day. This requires considerable electricity if you go that route, but it may not be necessary. Perhaps a way to do it can be found using solar power. I'm thinking of one of Greenpower sciences' devices I have watched on their website. It will concentrate the solar power into a spot that will be hot enough to boil off the water which will be condensed back into distilled water.
I'd love to try solutions like this, but they all cost money, and I don't have enough. Therefore, I am thinking of the possibility of getting some help from these people.
To build the cabin, it will probably need to ascertained as to where the rock layer is. If it is way down there, then sinking a pylon down to it will probably be too much money. Aside from that, you may have to sink it down into the sand and hope for the best. That may not pass muster, you know.
I'm told a septic tank could run up to 10k bucks or more. That would be terrible if it were true. No doubt that I would need help there.
I could ask these folks, but it doesn't mean that I would get it. Even if I were to solve these problems, I would still need somebody with me. As I am getting older, I will need more and more help just to get along. That's something I'm overlooking. It wou't be possible to do this alone.
If these problems cannot be solved, then it's on to another plan. This could be the idea of living out of an RV, which would not be so far out in the country. This may be more realistic, and maybe I should consider it instead. Unfortunately, this could have its problems too, but at least it isn't as daunting as what I seemed to have undertaken with the ranch. As daunting as that is, i'd still like to try it. But I cannot do it alone. That is the bottom line. That's what makes it a "moonshot".
Update:
The link provided only gets you back to a search tool, and that search tool doesn't want to put up what it did yesterday. Screw this idea. I already don't like them.
Thursday, February 18, 2016
Last post for the day
I have been in a bad mood all day, but that will not help me. So, I am moving on. The latest project is to try working in delivery again, and see if I can still do it. I am focused on that now.
But while I do that, I want to write a bit more about something.
I do not want to give up on my "moonshot". Even if I cannot live out there myself, or if I must just visit once in a while. Instead of just giving up, I am going to try and get some help for this project, and see if I get it. Maybe that will not work either, but if you do not ask, you will not get it.
The next plan for me might be to move out to the Hill Country, and get an RV. The Uber thing can fill in for the lack of sufficient funds. But it will not work forever. At some point, I will not be able to do that either. That is why it makes me angry, but it does not help to get angry. Truth is truth, and everybody gets old, and everybody dies at some point. To try to ignore this reality is something I must have done, and here I am preaching about reality and truth and everything.
So, it is off to the next thing. Hopefully, I will be able to do it for awhile longer.
But while I do that, I want to write a bit more about something.
I do not want to give up on my "moonshot". Even if I cannot live out there myself, or if I must just visit once in a while. Instead of just giving up, I am going to try and get some help for this project, and see if I get it. Maybe that will not work either, but if you do not ask, you will not get it.
The next plan for me might be to move out to the Hill Country, and get an RV. The Uber thing can fill in for the lack of sufficient funds. But it will not work forever. At some point, I will not be able to do that either. That is why it makes me angry, but it does not help to get angry. Truth is truth, and everybody gets old, and everybody dies at some point. To try to ignore this reality is something I must have done, and here I am preaching about reality and truth and everything.
So, it is off to the next thing. Hopefully, I will be able to do it for awhile longer.
Don't mean a thing if you ain't got that swing
Lady Gaga is on this video. Okay, so what does it mean? It means unless something is behind the words, it don't mean a thing! Even Lady Gaga has that one figured out. A real mystery for so-called conservatives.
That's what's wrong with so called conservatives. There is nothing behind the words, so it ain't go no swing! The swing is "guts". You got none. So, it don't mean a thing!
Put that in your crack pipe and smoke it, so called "conservatives". You sure as hell aren't going to "conserve" anything, that is for sure.
That's what's wrong with so called conservatives. There is nothing behind the words, so it ain't go no swing! The swing is "guts". You got none. So, it don't mean a thing!
Put that in your crack pipe and smoke it, so called "conservatives". You sure as hell aren't going to "conserve" anything, that is for sure.
D Day
D Day againt Hitler was June 6, 1944. My own D Day seems to be today. Like everything else in my life, it has not been planned that way, but how it will likely turn out.
The thing that makes it a D Day was how it all started. I need to make money, so off I go to Uber at 4 in the morning. First thing I get is a call, which is about 10 minutes away. Lots of times, when you have to go that far, these people won't wait. They will cancel on you, and that comes after you have been driving for 5 minutes or so. It doesn't cost them anything to cancel, but as a driver who only gets paid on completed trips, this cost me the time and the gas to go as far as I did.
Sure enough, about 5 minutes in, somebody calls, and I suspect that it is a cancel brewing. Sure enough it was. So, there I was, probably out of position for certain possibilities, and it is all due to this person who did something that didn't cost her, but may have ruined my morning.
I get a couple more rides, but they didn't pay much. Since I needed money, I went by the old place, and asked for my old delivery job back. I will go to work in the morning. Hopefully, I can stand up to the work. If I can't, I may have a problem.
So, there's a decision right there. D Day is Decision Day. I made the decision that to depend upon Uber isn't going to work out. Now, I have to get prepared to work for deliveries again, and have to worry about staying healthy enough to do this kind of work. That won't be easy.
Earlier today, because I was in something of a bad mood, I could have gotten into some trouble. Only goes to show that this wasn't going to be my kind of day. Some dude was driving in my lane, and could have sideswiped me. My luck is he wouldn't have had insurance, and was an illegal alien. I had heard such stories. Maybe I dodged a bullet, hard to say.
Anyway, I went back home, and then to the office I went to ask for a six month lease. I was told only a ten month lease is possible now, but a six month would have been approved by the office, and it would take a couple days to get an answer.
I've got to sign a lease soon, unless I can come up with a better idea soon.
There may be a better idea, and that could be to move into a trailer like Wishbone did. It would also entail moving to the Austin area. If the cost of living can be reduced, then Uber could work out. So, there's a possible decision there. To look into that possibility.
As for my property, it could be a bridge too far. Based upon what I heard from my oldest sister, the problems they had building a spot in the Hill Country bears some resemblance to what I want to do out west. If it is windy, she said, you will have to get an anchor down to the rock below. Otherwise, the sand won't hold up. A New Testament verse comes to mind right there.
The soil out there is sand on top of hard pack, which is also sand. You may not have rock for quite a distance down. Becase of the wind, your place could get blown off of what it is sitting on. This would be a big mess, and you don't want to be there when that happens.
In other words, the deal out West could have fallen through based upon that information. Another decision on D Day.
That last decision is written in stone, but it really does look like a bridge too far. In WWII, there was an offensive called Market Garden, which had an objective a bridge. Turned out that taking that bridge was not going to work because it was too far away. Hence the term, " a bridge too far". Seems to me that I've been doing a lot of that in my life. Trying to take bridges that are too far.
The thing that makes it a D Day was how it all started. I need to make money, so off I go to Uber at 4 in the morning. First thing I get is a call, which is about 10 minutes away. Lots of times, when you have to go that far, these people won't wait. They will cancel on you, and that comes after you have been driving for 5 minutes or so. It doesn't cost them anything to cancel, but as a driver who only gets paid on completed trips, this cost me the time and the gas to go as far as I did.
Sure enough, about 5 minutes in, somebody calls, and I suspect that it is a cancel brewing. Sure enough it was. So, there I was, probably out of position for certain possibilities, and it is all due to this person who did something that didn't cost her, but may have ruined my morning.
I get a couple more rides, but they didn't pay much. Since I needed money, I went by the old place, and asked for my old delivery job back. I will go to work in the morning. Hopefully, I can stand up to the work. If I can't, I may have a problem.
So, there's a decision right there. D Day is Decision Day. I made the decision that to depend upon Uber isn't going to work out. Now, I have to get prepared to work for deliveries again, and have to worry about staying healthy enough to do this kind of work. That won't be easy.
Earlier today, because I was in something of a bad mood, I could have gotten into some trouble. Only goes to show that this wasn't going to be my kind of day. Some dude was driving in my lane, and could have sideswiped me. My luck is he wouldn't have had insurance, and was an illegal alien. I had heard such stories. Maybe I dodged a bullet, hard to say.
Anyway, I went back home, and then to the office I went to ask for a six month lease. I was told only a ten month lease is possible now, but a six month would have been approved by the office, and it would take a couple days to get an answer.
I've got to sign a lease soon, unless I can come up with a better idea soon.
There may be a better idea, and that could be to move into a trailer like Wishbone did. It would also entail moving to the Austin area. If the cost of living can be reduced, then Uber could work out. So, there's a possible decision there. To look into that possibility.
As for my property, it could be a bridge too far. Based upon what I heard from my oldest sister, the problems they had building a spot in the Hill Country bears some resemblance to what I want to do out west. If it is windy, she said, you will have to get an anchor down to the rock below. Otherwise, the sand won't hold up. A New Testament verse comes to mind right there.
The soil out there is sand on top of hard pack, which is also sand. You may not have rock for quite a distance down. Becase of the wind, your place could get blown off of what it is sitting on. This would be a big mess, and you don't want to be there when that happens.
In other words, the deal out West could have fallen through based upon that information. Another decision on D Day.
That last decision is written in stone, but it really does look like a bridge too far. In WWII, there was an offensive called Market Garden, which had an objective a bridge. Turned out that taking that bridge was not going to work because it was too far away. Hence the term, " a bridge too far". Seems to me that I've been doing a lot of that in my life. Trying to take bridges that are too far.
No time for this, but here goes anyway
Almost from the beginning of this blog, I have advocated an Article V convention of the states in order to curb federal power.
So called conservatives like Schafly have come out against it. Why? Because they are afraid of a runaway convention. But you've got a runaway federal behemoth in DC. What is going to stop it? There's nothing legally that can stop it besides an Article V.
Now we are going to have an election in November, Scalia has died, and you are staring at the end of the conservative wing of the Court that was only slowing down this runaway freight train. You are afraid that unless a "real" conservative wins, the commie pinko libs are going to take over. Well, it is a little too late for that. Don't look now, but Obama may get to nominate a pinko to the court and none of the squishes are going to stop him. You put your faith in that, but then again, you won't use it. All in the name of conservatism. A conservatism that cannot win a federal election, and won't win this one either. Ted Cruz? He will lose 40 states, or more.
If you put your faith in the electoral system, then look at what you got now. Close to thirty GOP controlled states. But we can't use that. No, no, no.
I call them so called conservatives because they do nothing but talk. You ask- do what? This! It will work, if for no other reason that it will assert state authority over the Federal. If you won't do that, then what the hell good are you? You will do nothing while the commie pinkos steal our freedom away, and then you will blame the low information voters. Voters may be low information, but you don't have to be an Einstein to spot cowardice. If you showed any balls, you might get them to follow you. They will not follow a "pussy" like Cruz.
If so called conservatives lose the country, it won't be because of low information voters. It will be because of the out and out cowardice of so called conservatives, and they friggin' know it.
Trump ain't no conservative, but he ain't no flaming liberal. That's the best you are going to get this time because look who they voted for in the last two elections. Do you really think you are going to talk them into doing any differently this time?
But I don't know nothing because I am not a high powered radio guy like Limbaugh. If you listen to him, then put you head between your asses and kiss it goodbye.
So called conservatives like Schafly have come out against it. Why? Because they are afraid of a runaway convention. But you've got a runaway federal behemoth in DC. What is going to stop it? There's nothing legally that can stop it besides an Article V.
Now we are going to have an election in November, Scalia has died, and you are staring at the end of the conservative wing of the Court that was only slowing down this runaway freight train. You are afraid that unless a "real" conservative wins, the commie pinko libs are going to take over. Well, it is a little too late for that. Don't look now, but Obama may get to nominate a pinko to the court and none of the squishes are going to stop him. You put your faith in that, but then again, you won't use it. All in the name of conservatism. A conservatism that cannot win a federal election, and won't win this one either. Ted Cruz? He will lose 40 states, or more.
If you put your faith in the electoral system, then look at what you got now. Close to thirty GOP controlled states. But we can't use that. No, no, no.
I call them so called conservatives because they do nothing but talk. You ask- do what? This! It will work, if for no other reason that it will assert state authority over the Federal. If you won't do that, then what the hell good are you? You will do nothing while the commie pinkos steal our freedom away, and then you will blame the low information voters. Voters may be low information, but you don't have to be an Einstein to spot cowardice. If you showed any balls, you might get them to follow you. They will not follow a "pussy" like Cruz.
If so called conservatives lose the country, it won't be because of low information voters. It will be because of the out and out cowardice of so called conservatives, and they friggin' know it.
Trump ain't no conservative, but he ain't no flaming liberal. That's the best you are going to get this time because look who they voted for in the last two elections. Do you really think you are going to talk them into doing any differently this time?
But I don't know nothing because I am not a high powered radio guy like Limbaugh. If you listen to him, then put you head between your asses and kiss it goodbye.
Dog Barks At Hillary’s Lies
Dog Barks At Hillary’s Lies
Dick Morris has an ad running that he hopes will go viral. Click on the link above to see it.
The ad is about what Hillary said about GOP lies. But what about her own? That's what the ad is about.
Dick Morris has an ad running that he hopes will go viral. Click on the link above to see it.
The ad is about what Hillary said about GOP lies. But what about her own? That's what the ad is about.
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
Home again, home again... 2.17.16
It was a longer day than I anticipated. Business dried up about 9 am, so I went home. But I had to go back because it was not enough. The second time did the trick, so I am back just in time to call it a day.
I must be slowing down a lot. It seemed like a lot of hours, but it was not really. Must have put in about eight today. The ususal thing is about ten. I could work more, but why? More money is a good enough reason.
My thinking may be coming around to the notion that I stay here another year. I really hate that, but there is too many unknowns in moving out, and not enough wiggle room.
Still want to get the cabin built and so forth.
I have not decided anything.
It burns me to pay all that money for rent. A decision is going to need to be made soon.
Stay or go?
I must be slowing down a lot. It seemed like a lot of hours, but it was not really. Must have put in about eight today. The ususal thing is about ten. I could work more, but why? More money is a good enough reason.
My thinking may be coming around to the notion that I stay here another year. I really hate that, but there is too many unknowns in moving out, and not enough wiggle room.
Still want to get the cabin built and so forth.
I have not decided anything.
It burns me to pay all that money for rent. A decision is going to need to be made soon.
Stay or go?
Android sucks
Seems like I spend more time maintaining it than in using it.
Do you suppose that all of the computer equipment really does not help you do anything? People can do it better. Machines may do it better in the future, but humans are still necessary.
Do you suppose that all of the computer equipment really does not help you do anything? People can do it better. Machines may do it better in the future, but humans are still necessary.
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Not going to meet deadlines
All of this breakneck pace in order to meet the deadline. Well, it is time to stop worrying about it. It is not going to be made. Okay, that is a load off my mind, so what is next?
Stay here or go? Want to go. Staying here means spending ten grand on rent for the next year. If I can get set up on the ranch, it eliminates that idiocy. Those who think I make a mistake do not consider the waste of spending money on rent. If only I can get out of that bind. This is a chance to do that.
So, if I cannot get situated there in time, I can still move to an apartment in ELP. If I am going to waste money, at least it will not leave me powerless in the meantime. I cannot get situated there if I am here.
The rest involves solving the problems out there. Cannot solve them here.
Stay here or go? Want to go. Staying here means spending ten grand on rent for the next year. If I can get set up on the ranch, it eliminates that idiocy. Those who think I make a mistake do not consider the waste of spending money on rent. If only I can get out of that bind. This is a chance to do that.
So, if I cannot get situated there in time, I can still move to an apartment in ELP. If I am going to waste money, at least it will not leave me powerless in the meantime. I cannot get situated there if I am here.
The rest involves solving the problems out there. Cannot solve them here.
Yecchh
For the last couple hours, I have been getting caught up on the political stuff. I can help the feeling that we may well end up with an establishment candidate because people will not coalesce around anyone else.
Which mean Bush or Rubio gets the nomination. Something similar could be playing out in the Democrat race. Clinton could get the nomination in spite of everything.
For all the talk about the insurgency, such an outcome will have to be considered a huge disappointment. What it could really mean is that the majority of the people cannot govern themselves, and will have to be governed by an elite.
I repeat that I will not vote for a Bush nor a Rubio.
As for Trump, he is an insurgent candidate in a party that is becoming irrelevant.
One article asks, would you prefer that Trump pick the next Supreme Court justice?
What is the point of that unless you think that an establishment candidate will win? In other words, what makes you think that the type of guy who has lost the last two races is going to win this one?
Nobody has their thinking caps on, it seems.
Which mean Bush or Rubio gets the nomination. Something similar could be playing out in the Democrat race. Clinton could get the nomination in spite of everything.
For all the talk about the insurgency, such an outcome will have to be considered a huge disappointment. What it could really mean is that the majority of the people cannot govern themselves, and will have to be governed by an elite.
I repeat that I will not vote for a Bush nor a Rubio.
As for Trump, he is an insurgent candidate in a party that is becoming irrelevant.
One article asks, would you prefer that Trump pick the next Supreme Court justice?
What is the point of that unless you think that an establishment candidate will win? In other words, what makes you think that the type of guy who has lost the last two races is going to win this one?
Nobody has their thinking caps on, it seems.
Obligatory, 2.16.16
Been busy this morning. Went into work early because no money coming in. Did a bit of work, then came home.
I needed to make a phone call yesterday, but because of the holiday, nobody was at work.
What I did was to call the dude who does the permitting and licensing for the septic systems. He will send the application. So, I will have to wait for that.
Meanwhile, I may need to rethink how I do all this, because the shack area was not the highest point on the land. You need to account for a drain field. This means downhill, not uphill, if you catch my drift.
The dude on the phone said that they do not have the kind of people you need for a so called site evaluation, but those who do these things tend to be installers. That tells me that I may have to pay an installer to come out and do the septic tank.
Yeah, and you wondered why I did not want to fool with septic tanks.
I needed to make a phone call yesterday, but because of the holiday, nobody was at work.
What I did was to call the dude who does the permitting and licensing for the septic systems. He will send the application. So, I will have to wait for that.
Meanwhile, I may need to rethink how I do all this, because the shack area was not the highest point on the land. You need to account for a drain field. This means downhill, not uphill, if you catch my drift.
The dude on the phone said that they do not have the kind of people you need for a so called site evaluation, but those who do these things tend to be installers. That tells me that I may have to pay an installer to come out and do the septic tank.
Yeah, and you wondered why I did not want to fool with septic tanks.
Monday, February 15, 2016
Septic system
There does not seem to be any way around this, but I may try it anyway.
The requirements appear to be that if a septic tank is used, the experimental one will have to demonstrate that it will not pollute.
To put something together that I can present to the honcho who gives out the permit may take some time.
You need a professional person who will certify that the plan will not pollute. I will have to find such a person.
Once the permit is obtained, I can build the system and the cabin.
As mentioned, this may take some time, unless you want to go conventional.
The requirements appear to be that if a septic tank is used, the experimental one will have to demonstrate that it will not pollute.
To put something together that I can present to the honcho who gives out the permit may take some time.
You need a professional person who will certify that the plan will not pollute. I will have to find such a person.
Once the permit is obtained, I can build the system and the cabin.
As mentioned, this may take some time, unless you want to go conventional.
Sunday, February 14, 2016
Government Science Monopoly
From Coyote Blog, this impressively qualified scientist is not on the bandwagon for AGW. Coyote was on the show he mentions. He links to the video below. I thought I'd put it up, in case anybody wanted to listen to it.
AGW is BS.
AGW is BS.
The stupid party
Behind the Black Blog
comment:
An endorsement of sorts for Cruz. He points out that Cruz wins in matchups v. Hillary. Hillary isn't the nominee, and she may not ever be the nominee. On the other hand, I've seen no polls that gives Cruz a lead, but I don't tend to follow polls anyway. That's what a lot of people did in 2012, only to have Romney lose his ass.
Cruz may actually be the better candidate and win the nomination. But I have my doubts that he can win the general, and that is because of the red-blue pattern of the last 20 years of so. Unless some candidate can break that pattern, the Democrats will win again. Trump has the better chance at crossover voters. Cruz, as a pure conservative, won't have that kind of luck. I could be wrong, but I've not seen anything to contradict that yet.
comment:
An endorsement of sorts for Cruz. He points out that Cruz wins in matchups v. Hillary. Hillary isn't the nominee, and she may not ever be the nominee. On the other hand, I've seen no polls that gives Cruz a lead, but I don't tend to follow polls anyway. That's what a lot of people did in 2012, only to have Romney lose his ass.
Cruz may actually be the better candidate and win the nomination. But I have my doubts that he can win the general, and that is because of the red-blue pattern of the last 20 years of so. Unless some candidate can break that pattern, the Democrats will win again. Trump has the better chance at crossover voters. Cruz, as a pure conservative, won't have that kind of luck. I could be wrong, but I've not seen anything to contradict that yet.
Water experiment
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This post will go into the water subseries of the off-the-grid type posts.
Curiosity set in, so I set up an experiment to see how long it would take for the stove to evaporate 1 pint of water. It took 25 minutes. If the cooking element used 1500 watts, then that used about x kilowatt hours of electricity to boil off the water. To solve for x, we assume 1/2 hr for time, and 1.5 for kilowatts, then it used 3/4 of a kilowatt hour to boil off 1 pint of water. To extrapolate that out, it would use 8 times that for a gallon, or 6 kilowatt hours per gallon.
This is not the most efficient means of obtaining distilled water, but it gives an idea of what it would take.
A gallon of gasoline has about 36 kilowatt hours of energy in it, but to convert that to electricity would reduce that to maybe 9 or 10 kilowatt hours electric. You would use up roughly a gallon of gas to obtain a gallon of distilled water. But a pretty dumb way of doing it.
A better way would be to use the system I wrote about earlier. It would use wood. A pound of wood per pint, or 8 pounds of wood for a gallon. Wood is cheap to collect off the property and can be used to obtain the distilled water if you wish. Better yet, it may be best to truck in drinking water, and collect rainwater for washing and other things.
Yet, another way would be to use a reverse osmosis system.
This post will go into the water subseries of the off-the-grid type posts.
Curiosity set in, so I set up an experiment to see how long it would take for the stove to evaporate 1 pint of water. It took 25 minutes. If the cooking element used 1500 watts, then that used about x kilowatt hours of electricity to boil off the water. To solve for x, we assume 1/2 hr for time, and 1.5 for kilowatts, then it used 3/4 of a kilowatt hour to boil off 1 pint of water. To extrapolate that out, it would use 8 times that for a gallon, or 6 kilowatt hours per gallon.
This is not the most efficient means of obtaining distilled water, but it gives an idea of what it would take.
A gallon of gasoline has about 36 kilowatt hours of energy in it, but to convert that to electricity would reduce that to maybe 9 or 10 kilowatt hours electric. You would use up roughly a gallon of gas to obtain a gallon of distilled water. But a pretty dumb way of doing it.
A better way would be to use the system I wrote about earlier. It would use wood. A pound of wood per pint, or 8 pounds of wood for a gallon. Wood is cheap to collect off the property and can be used to obtain the distilled water if you wish. Better yet, it may be best to truck in drinking water, and collect rainwater for washing and other things.
Yet, another way would be to use a reverse osmosis system.
What do you want on your tombstone?
Everybody tells me that I'm making a mistake going out west. Yeah, and they may well be right. Heck, I might even die out there. So, what would I put on my tombstone?
I was thinking about that this morning. What a thing to be thinking about the first thing in the morning, huh? I came up with something that tickled my fancy. I was thinking, shit has always been happening in my life, and then the notion struck me. On my tombstone, put "shit happened". I think that would do just fine.
I was thinking about that this morning. What a thing to be thinking about the first thing in the morning, huh? I came up with something that tickled my fancy. I was thinking, shit has always been happening in my life, and then the notion struck me. On my tombstone, put "shit happened". I think that would do just fine.
Valentine's Day
Whaddaya know? Another day has gone and snuck up on me. But no need for me to worry about this one, lol.
Thinking long and thinking hard cuz time is running out. I gotta get outta here by the end of March, and that is only about six more weeks.
This may not seem like one of my off-the-grid posts, but it is now. Most of today has been spent getting my stuff together. The plan now is to build the cabin, install a septic tank ( doggone it ), build a carport next to it, and run back and forth between El Paso and the hacienda. The car will come with me, which will save on storage space. That's what having the septic tank will do for me. I can't get around that one.
So, I've been looking up all the RV joints in the El Paso area. I plan on parking in one of those and "boondocking" while in the city. You can do that for a few days at a time, then you have to go. I'll do that for maybe a week at a time, then head back to the hacienda.
It's a plan. I think it could work, but plans have a way of not working.
BTW, Happy Valentines Day, ya'll.
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Thinking long and thinking hard cuz time is running out. I gotta get outta here by the end of March, and that is only about six more weeks.
This may not seem like one of my off-the-grid posts, but it is now. Most of today has been spent getting my stuff together. The plan now is to build the cabin, install a septic tank ( doggone it ), build a carport next to it, and run back and forth between El Paso and the hacienda. The car will come with me, which will save on storage space. That's what having the septic tank will do for me. I can't get around that one.
So, I've been looking up all the RV joints in the El Paso area. I plan on parking in one of those and "boondocking" while in the city. You can do that for a few days at a time, then you have to go. I'll do that for maybe a week at a time, then head back to the hacienda.
It's a plan. I think it could work, but plans have a way of not working.
BTW, Happy Valentines Day, ya'll.
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