Saturday, February 18, 2017

McCain and the Free Press

John McCain is doing his usual shtick.  It seems that you never hear about him unless he's playing up to the liberal media.

Seems like there were several articles in my reading which referred to McCain's criticism of Trump, who denounced the media as an enemy.

At this point, it is not a worry with regard to Trump.  The claim of this criticism is that Trump aims to be a dictator. 

There's plenty of ways to stop an aspiring dictator.  One way is to enforce the law.  The Congress is not without power in this matter, according to the Supreme Law of the Land.  According to the Constitution, Congress has the power of impeachment and removal from office of a wayward president.

However, any such talk regarding Trump is laughable at this point.  Besides, if you won't remove a president who was guilty of perjury, as Clinton was, then what good is McCain's criticism?  If we get a dictator, it will be because of a negligent Congress.  Trump's criticism of the media is no crime.  It is also no impediment to their freedom.  They have the freedom to write and speak as they wish, but they don't have the right to be unopposed.  All the president is doing is challenging them.  What's wrong with that?


Gorsuch, nominee for Surpreme Court Justice

Surprisingly even handed write-up of the nominee from the Washington Post.

Based upon what I read, I would be concerned that he wouldn't overturn the flawed homosexual marriage decision.

We didn't get the kind of justice that would do that.  Unfortunately, that decision looks pretty safe.



Friday, February 17, 2017

Senate Confirms Scott Pruitt to Lead EPA

Senate Confirms Scott Pruitt to Lead EPA



The goals seems to be to return power to the states.  The swamp creatures don't like it.

Trump’s BIG Move On ObamaCare – Lunch Alert!

Trump’s BIG Move On ObamaCare – Lunch Alert!





summary:  Trump signs executive order that no longer will individual mandate be enforced, and that the insurance companies do not have to cover unneeded stuff.




Obligatory, 2.17.17

Some news on the Dallas front:  It looks like I am going to be going there next week (cross my fingers).  Still waiting on approval from the insurance people.  If everything looks okay, and starts moving like we think, it could start next week, or lets say "soon".

Yeah, and it couldn't have come at a better time.  This stuff is getting worse, make no doubt about that.  I have several pain medications, and if I were to commit the indiscretion of not taking them, as I did today, I will definitely feel it.

I'd say the day was lost, but the news sorta saved it.


Thursday, February 16, 2017

A Personal Post

This post will be a bit different from the usual fare on this blog.  It is primarily about myself.  It can also be about the bigger picture, as there are factors that are much bigger than myself.  It may seem like a bit of complaining, but I hope to keep that to a minimum.  Having said the preliminaries, let me begin.

I never approved of Obamacare.  Yet, I find myself in a position in which it may be necessary in order to save my very life.  So, what do I say now that this has been visited upon me?  I say the same as before, but at the same time, I will not be ungrateful.  If it turns out that Obamacare saves my life, then I will say so.  But at the same time, I do not endorse this way of doing things like this.

I did not protest Obamacare, other than with words.  I did not do a tax strike, as Barnhardt did.  I followed the law, even though I did not approve of it.  I sought repeal of it, and still do.  That may sound crazy, since it may save my life, but I should be consistent with what I believe.  And I believe that it isn't the government's place to do things such as this.  Only in cases in which it cannot be avoided, and it would be a last resort.  Such is not the case here.  If the government is to be involved, then it should be kept at a minimum.

But that is all water under the bridge, so to speak.  The law is the law, and we all have to live with it.  It may well be that Obamacare saves my life, but that may not happen either.  There are those who may claim that it will, but the reality is that I haven't received any treatment yet.  Yes, I did get some care at the hospital recently, but those were in response to symptoms, not the disease itself.  The disease is killing me.  Unless treatment is obtained soon, I may not be long for this world.

As for the proposed treatment, it seems like state of the art, to me.  However, state of the art probably costs more money.  If the insurance company refuses to pony up the bill, I could be up the infamous creek without a paddle.  What do I say in the event that I don't get that treatment?  Well, the alternative is a 30 hour operation.  Thirty hours on the operating table doesn't sound like a sure bet to me.  Not only that, but the aftermath will be difficult.  Quality of life will definitely be lower.  I will need a lot of time to recover and rehab.  To me, the choice of proton therapy was a no brainer.  But the insurance company may not agree.  In that case, I may decide for no treatment at all.  If that happens, then I won't last long.

I won't bitch too loudly about refusal to fund my treatment of proton therapy.  That is because I had an alternative, which I would have refused.  However, I will protest anybody saying that Obamacare was a better than nothing.  To me, it is worse than nothing.  It gives false hope.  I hate false things, and have said that over and over on this blog.  This blog is about truth.  Obamacare in such a scenario would only be a chance to make a claim that ain't so.  If you want to claim that it will really help those in need, then by golly, it ought to do that.  If it is just about the money, then they aren't any better than what we had.  In fact, it is worse.  It is worse because it doesn't do what is claimed, and expands the scope of government without just cause.

Here's hoping that I get the proton therapy, and I get to live for awhile longer.  If that is not to be, then I have lived a long time already.  I am happy that I had that much.

That is all.


Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Passive solar test

This one won't go into the subseries of posts.  Reason being that the test was a failure.  What would be the point?

The failure came when I realized that this thing isn't getting all that hot.  It had the full sun on it for hours, but it just didn't get very hot.  I had the water running through it for hours as well, but at the end of the day, the water just wasn't very warm at all.

The question is whether or not to try again.  The system was out in the wind.  Perhaps the wind took away what effect the sun had, and diminished the output of the system.  The system will have to be shielded against the wind.  That means an enclosed area that has access to the sun's light.

That would require a rework of the idea.  I could route the heated water into a place where it could be kept insulated against the weather.  ( It wasn't today.)  Perhaps inside the trailer would be the best thing.  There would have to be a pump that could be strong enough to get the water through the system.  That would require a strong pump, as the onboard pump to the trailer took a long time to get the water through the system.  There was a lot of hose for it to go through, you see.

Well, now I have something to think about.

Update:

A fact to keep in mind is that the water going in was actually quite cold.  It wasn't freezing, but it was probably in the low fifties.  I should measure the temperature of the water somehow, but I don't have a thermometer that would be appropriate. 

In order to proper evaluate performance, I may need to run another experiment.  This time, with a thermometer.




Flynn Was Forced Out By Obama Operatives – Lunch Alert!

Flynn Was Forced Out By Obama Operatives – Lunch Alert!



A coup says Morris, subversion says Morris.



If this be treason, then let there be consequences fitting the acts.




Walk on By


Morning,ya;ll.   Something made me aware of this song. Cannot identify it.  Funny how that happens.



Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Off grid notes

Don't want to make this another post in the off grid posts, but will link to it from one of the next ones.

  • Instead of using cattle panels, post holes can be dug, and a metal roof can be installed.
  • More pieces for my passive solar project arrived today.  Should be ready for a test soon.
  • The trip to Dallas is pending.  Once that takes place, I will gone for a couple months.  But I will still be able to post from there.  I won't be able to do any work on my off-grid stuff.
  • Still practicing how to get the most out of my water.  It would be best to not filter it so much, but to divide the water into classes, and use the water accordingly.  A principle should be kept in mind: wash with slightly degraded water, but rinse with clean water.  The rinse water is now the slightly degraded water.  Never filter water saturated with food residues.  Use this water for earthworms.  Never filter soapy water.  This could be used as degraded water along a chain of uses until it can be flushed down the toilet.
  • Been using my dehumidifier.  Getting to know its capabilities.  Collecting a stash of water, and don't know what to do with it.
  • My infirmities seem to change over time.  The main trend holds, however.  Things are not going to get better until I start getting treatment.  After several months, I still haven't received any treatment at all for the cancer, but at least now, I am getting treatment for the symptoms.   One cannot be too happy about that, as it is only the symptoms, not the disease.


Flynn Victim Of Obama

Flynn Victim Of Obama

quote:



....the prospect of the political appointees in one administration  {Obama's} using their powers and surveillance capabilities to bring about the resignation of a highly placed official in the incoming administration is, itself, a more alarming event than any perpetrated by Michael Flynn


comment:

Looks like sheer spitefulness to me.  The loser getting off a parting shot.

Update:

If you note the word "alarming" in the quote.  It should be noted that Obama had ties to the Bill Ayers character who was with the Weathermen group of radicals.  These characters spoke of the necessity of killing millions of Americans in order to pursue their revolution.  People downplayed that in order to give Obama the benefit of the doubt during the early days of his presidency.  Note how an all-American type is dragged through the mud by the media, and is treated wrongfully by the outgoing administration.  It seems that the generosity expressed towards Obama was most likely a grave mistake.


Monday, February 13, 2017

Rebutting Media Attacks On Trump – Lunch Alert!

Rebutting Media Attacks On Trump – Lunch Alert!



Morris says videos like his are the same as Radio Free Europe, which combatted the propaganda from the commies.  Actually Morris didn't say "commies", I did.  As far as I am concerned, they may as well be.




The Media Sucks

Just wanted to say that, ya'll.

Why do they suck?  All they seem interested in is in attacking Trump.  That is not their job.  Their job isn't to be political hacks picking political fights with whoever is in the White House.  They may not like Trump, but if he is so bad, it will become evident on its own.

The people really aren't stupid.  That is why Hillary isn't president.  This is what these people do not understand.  They must think the people are stupid for putting Trump into power.  By their way of thinking, the people must be overcome.  If it means stirring up a revolution in order to overthrow Trump, by golly, they will do it.

Frankly, instead of just a Twitter war against these assholes, Trump should arrest and hang the whole damned bunch.


Sunday, February 12, 2017

A screen porch and awning combo for the trailer

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This post will go into the Construction sub-series of the off-the-grid main series of posts.  These posts can be accessed from a table of contents and watched individually or in series from beginning to end.

A lot has changed since this last post in this series.  The post linked to previously was written just before I had to move out of Houston.  I had to move out because my illness was preventing me from working enough so as to pay bills, such as rent for the apartment.  Shortly after this post, I got a proposition to move out of town into a trailer rent free, so I took that opportunity.

A trailer changes the plans a bit.  Now that the trailer is in the mix, I am considering ways in which to utilize this trailer out west.  That assumes of course, that I am well enough to make the trip out there and vigorous enough to live out there.  Assuming all that is true, then I will need a place to stay.  But I may be able to stay here as long as I like, too.  Either way, I am going to need to provide some shade from the ferocious Texas sun.  As of this writing, it isn't that far from spring in this neck of the woods.  Time to make plans on the weather warming up, and warming up considerably.

As of this writing, I have marked off the site on which I will build a screen porch that will double as an awning so as to keep off that ferocious sun.  If I am still here next winter, it can double as passive solar solarium, which will heat up the air inside an enclosed heat trapping "greenhouse" type structure. 

I will use the building techniques that I used to build the shack out on the property.  There will be six cattle panels that will be bent into shape, and will be nailed into a frame constructed next to the trailer.  On top of the cattle panels will be a screen.  Or, it can go under the cattle panels, whichever is the better idea.  The cattle panels will form a semicircle around the side of the trailer.  It will be about as high as the trailer, and will fold out about five and a half feet away, so as to make a corridor to walk along the side of the trailer under the cattle panels folded above.  A wooden frame will secure the cattle panels into position.  The frame itself will attached to ground, and to the trailer.

Details of the construction will be covered in later posts.  This is no longer theory, but practice.  This will be built, unless health problems forbid it.