Huh?

I read way too many blogs.  OK, it's a lousy habit but recently some of the blogs are just going crazy about the end of civilization; demonizing President Obaba, just going completely off the tracks.  Get a grip folks!  He's a dummy but that's about it.  I'm sorry that there are people who believe the Pres is a POS non-American commie nigger.  Well, I don't think he is doing a very good job but Mr. Cruz is bringing up a much more interesting slant on being American born.  As for the rest, if you understand the definition of communism, you know Mr. Obama isn't one.  And for his color; who really gives a shit?  If you do, you're an idiot.  I expect he would agree that he's not meeting his own standards as a President.  But he's not the anti-Christ. 

Come on folks, he's just some twit who isn't very good at politics.  Not many remember but Kennedy was cruising for a really lousy presidency when he was killed.  VP Johnson stepped in and in spite of f*&king up Vietnam did a really stellar job of changing civil rights law. He isn't given much credit but in 100 years he'll be seen as a real deal changer.  Obama is like Kennedy; a newbie who can't get things done.  His VP, Biden, should be in charge of getting things done but Obama isn't capable of letting go that much.  It's a shame.

Anyway, the end of America as we know it isn't around the corner.  The economic collapse isn't either.  So stop prepping and start living.  My folks made it through the great depression and mom (20 in 1932) didn't even have to sell her self to the highest bidder.  Neither did my wife's mom.  Hard times, yes.  But not the end of the world and it isn't coming now either.  Take a big salt pill and wake up to smell the roses.  They really are nice.  Just like forever.

Thanks for checking in.  Have a good one.

An open letter to President Obama:

 

Dear Mr. President:

Someone famously said if you want to tell a story you should start at the beginning, carry on until the end and then stop.  I guess the beginning of my story about you is when you made that magnificent speech at the 2004 Democratic Convention.  It was obvious then that we the people would be hearing a lot more from you.  That was indeed a magical moment.  I'm sure everyone who heard it was impressed.  In 2008 I voted for you hoping that you would bring us some relief from the crazy cowboy foreign policies of George W. Bush.  You started off really well but you must admit we still aren't minding our own business very well.  How many thousands of dead and wounded military personnel have we suffered since you took office?  It's a big number.  In 2012 I voted for you again; unfortunately this time it was because I was voting against the other idiot; yes the OTHER idiot.  Your Presidency was already a disappointment.

That is really the theme of my letter:  disappointment.  You have so many gifts:  you can deliver a speech as from the Gods; you are obviously extremely intelligent; I shouldn't even bother to mention your physical good looks, your beautiful family and all that.  I do wish you had bothered to serve in our military forces.  It isn't so much the 'patriotism'; it is that one learns so much from giving to your country in that manner.  It's not easy to explain to one who hasn't served but offering to go and do whatever you are told whenever you are told is both complete freedom and the most complete servitude one can imagine.  I served during the Vietnam era but did not go to Vietnam.  Frankly I think you would be a better President had you served earlier in your life.  You would find that the oath of office is quite similiar. 

You have only three more years to 'make your mark'.  I would suggest giving up on perfection and settling for 'good enough'.  The end of your story is not here yet.  There is actually a chance to change the tax code.  Some sort of immigration reform is possible.  There is a chance to keep at least parts of 'Obamacare'.  There is a chance to get MOST of our troops home.  You can do these things.  Your country needs these things.  Give it a shot!  Don't be a pedantic supercilious professor of law.  The President of the United States is a politician.  Give some; get some; and make your Presidency a success.  LBJ is the guy who got the Civil Rights Act of 1964 passed; not JFK.  And if you don't think LBJ was a politician and a pretty good President; well, maybe I'm writing to the wrong guy.

Good luck Mr. President.  It would be really wonderful to remember you as a great President rather than just a great speaker.

Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas to all and may you and yours have a fantastic New Year!

Things are happening around here; some good and some bad.  I'll start with the bad.  Last Thursday we loaded our dog Sammie into the car for a trip to visit the nice people at the Las Vegas Veterinary Specialty Center aka the oncologist.  Just before Thanksgiving we noticed that the growth on the dog's chest was going wild.  This is the same spot where she has had three surgeries for cancer; the latest only last April.  We spent quite a long while talking with a very nice (and very pregnant!) vet who explained what kind of cancer the dog has and the various treatment options.  The options are all over the place.  The most aggressive is taking her to Los Angeles or San Diego for surgery and a month of radiation treatments.  Let's not even discuss cost!  Then there is surgery done here in Las Vegas, various radiation therapy options and finally a simple painkiller to keep her comfortable until we need to euthanize her.  The doctor helped us understand why this sort of cancer is so difficult to remove completely and that even the most aggressive treatment would probably not be successful.  The doctor took a lot of time to help us come to our decision which is, of course, the last since it is so doubtful that the cancer can be overcome.  Right now she doesn't seem to be in any particular pain.  She is slow to get up but likes her walks and is always looking forward to feeding time.  The huge growth on her chest doesn't seem to bother her at all.  So we are good to go until something causes a reduction in her quality of life.  When that happens, it will be time to say goodbye. 

The good news is that talking with the vet brought us a better understanding of what we will be facing for the next few months.  Knowing that makes facing it easier.  Our other good news is that we are actually ready for Christmas.  Part of the reason is that we are reducing the size of the celebration.  Since it is only us and Number One Daughter, we don't need four appetizers, two desserts, rolls, two vegies, etc.  We'll have a ham, mac and cheese and a vegie.  We even managed to find a slightly under six pound ham (2.6 kg) - it should be fun to find out if that will provide enough for dinner plus all the secondary uses we find for ham. 

We made a trip into Las Vegas about a week ago for shopping.  Shopping together means that there won't be too many surprises under the tree but we are confident that we'll like what we get!  Old people can do this stuff!  I think it's in the Bible somewhere; near where they say you have to go out and go into debt buying presents at Christmas.  

I did actually write (email) to President Obama and my Congressional representatives about the fiscal cliff and how they shouldn't act like school children but should keep us from going over and under.  My Representative and one Senator responded with canned responses; nothing from Mr. Obama who is so proud of his "open and responsive adminestration".  I hope they can manage something but I guess we'll just have to get along if they don't.  It wouldn't be the first screw up by those idiots we voters send to D.C.

We have been having all kinds of different weather.  Cloudy days, clear days, windy days and all the possible variations have been coming our way.  I left the hummingbird feeder out one night and discovered it frozen the next morning.  I'd forgotten that last year we brought it in every night so now that is added to the nightly chores.  I saw a hummingbird trying to drink from it the morning it was frozen; afterwards he perched on the holder and kind of looked at me.  Bet he was thinking nasty thoughts!  Here's a shot of Mt. Charleston with the desert floor in the foreground.  Have a happy holiday.  I'll be back before the new year.

Not good news

Our visit with the vet was less than satisfactory.  She basically has no idea why the dog's wound is weeping and the bandage she put on was single use and ineffective and cost $30.  She did take a sample of the material and sent it off to a lab to see if they can figure out if it is an infection or just part of the cancer.  So we are spending the next few days trying to control the weeping.  Fun, NOT!

I listened to part of President Obama's news conference this morning; I was rather surprised.  Everyone knows he is a great orator but he sounded like a bumbling newcomer this morning (or G.W. Bush on a good day).  There were more "and's" in his statement than any other word.  Then someone asked if he was angry about having some news leaked out; instead of saying 'Hell yes I'm angry', he wandered around and around verbally.  It wasn't until there was an implication that the leaks were from the White House as some part of a re-election strategy that he actually got angry.  I just thought it was a weird performance coming from such a fine public speaker.

Speaking of politics, the Republicans are going to have a very interesting summer.  I live in a very Republican area and Ron Paul is the flavor preferred.  Personally I find some of his opinions rather 18th century (a totally non-interventionist foreign policy) but I really like others (like drug decriminalization).  It will be interesting to see how the convention turns out.  If you think the Congress is divided by Democrats vs Republicans, the Republican vs Republican show should be interesting.  It wouldn't surprise me if it was even bloodier!  At our county Republican convention, the county chairman left after receiving threatening phone calls.  She was worried for her safety because " many of the party faithful were packing pistols".  How cool is that?  “I’m beginning to believe they are racist. They are after me because I’m a Filipino,” she said.  Yep, the national convention should be interesting!

Now I support the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution and even own several guns that I inherited from my parents.  I've had Concealed Weapons Permits (CWP) from the states of Washington and Florida.  But Nevada is something else.  First, the CWP process is cumbersome so people don't want to go through it.  Second, open carry is legal in rural Nevada.  (Rural Nevada is basically defined as everywhere except Las Vegas and Reno.)  So it's not unusual to see a man (or a woman) with a pistol strapped to their hip.  Only yesterday I saw an older guy come out of the drug store wearing a shoulder holster.  (Guess his belt wasn't strong enough to hold in his gut and his gun at the same time.)  It can be intimidating and I don't blame our Republican chair for heading for the hills.   

Enough politics.  There will certainly be more interesting news tomorrow!  Have a good one.

Loading....

We are headed to Vegas on Thursday to help our daughter move to her new place.  There are some things we promised to bring over so I spent an hour or two loading the truck.  The hardest part is tying everything so it won't get bounced around.  The second hardest part is crawling around in the back of the truck on my hands and knees!  Let me tell you, knees aren't made for crawling after sixty. 

President Obama finally came out and talked about Libya.  He is being criticized for it being an incomplete plan and I'm reasonably certain he'd rather have a better plan as well.  He is certainly painstakingly thorough when he has the time.  I've read that the Brits helped make up his mind to participate in the no-fly attacks.  In this case I guess I'm ok with the attack.  Having a U.N. resolution behind the action makes me a LOT happier than going off on our own as we did under GWB. 

Politico.com had this to say:  (His careful response)" is part of his DNA — a response to the grand strategic hopes that accompanied the Iraq invasion and, indeed, a return to his first foray into foreign policy: his little-noticed, later crucial, 2002 opposition to the Iraq war. “I am not opposed to all wars. I’m opposed to dumb wars,” he said at the time, and he and his aides Monday sought to make the case that in a careful analysis, the war over Libya is worth it."

“I’ve made it clear that I will never hesitate to use our military swiftly, decisively, and unilaterally when necessary to defend our people, our homeland, our allies and our core interests,” he said. If there is any semblance of an Obama doctrine, it is that a president who clearly sees force as a last resort will nonetheless use it, but only after deep reflection and only under circumstances that he feels give him no other choice; it is a doctrine that makes sure above all that one size never fits all.

One of the things that isn't being emphasized enough in the press is that the Arab League supported intervention in Libya.  I cannot tell you how important that is to me and I hope to the world.  As an atheist I dislike and fear all religions.  Magnificent things have been done in the name of religion but so have awful things.  There are plenty of examples in the past but you hardly have to go there.  Just look in your newspaper; if Israel or Palestine is mentioned there is probably a death or deaths being reported.  What do you think the war in Iraq is all about?  (Aside from greed and stupidity!)

If I believed in anything or anyone, I'd be praying for a swift end to all this; including Iraq and Afghanistan(!) but I've no one to turn to except my fellow human beings.  But I think we are unpredictable and unreliable, especially when money ("oil that is, Texas Tea") in involved. 

Here's to peace; it's not just for holidays.

Republican's Problem

I've been thinking more about how Mr. Obama can become a one term president and it seems to me that if the Republican party can find the right candidate, Mr. Obama is toast.  On the other hand, finding that person is going to be really tough.  I can hear people talking up Sarah Palin now.  I've gotta say, it's tough finding someone less experienced than Mr. Obama but you've got one there!

Here's something that Jack Welch (former head of GE) says:  "The Republican Party has a real challenge and I think more than I've ever seen in my life they need a vision,".  I couldn't agree more.  When Mr. Obama won election it was because it sounded like he had a vision.  Maybe he did but he's been unable to implement it so it's like it was never there.  One of the mysteries of history is whether Jack Kennedy could have implemented his vision had he lived.  Lyndon Johnson inherited the office and the vision and he was politician enough to implement the vision.  Welch went on to say the Republican's must not be merely obstructive:  "If we get wild gridlock and we don't get constructive discussion about these policies, we won't be better off but no worse off,".

So why are our politicians unable to think these ideas?  Jeez!  A quote for Mr. Obama from Samuel Johnson:  "He who waits to do a great deal of good at once, will never do anything."

We're all voted....

I hope that at least some of your candidates won.  I've had a couple elections where I didn't get a single winner; happily that was not the case this year.  I didn't bat 100% for sure but at least Senator Reid was returned.  I hate having to vote against someone but that was the position we were given.  Bah humbug.

Now it's going to be interesting to see in the new Congress can manage to do anything at all.  From what I've heard of the Republican leadership, there's a reasonable chance that nothing will be done at all in the next two years.  That might be a good thing! 

Random Roger, who is an investment advisor, had an interesting post that included his opinion that it's going to be very difficult for Mr. Obama to be elected for a second term.  I agree that it will be difficult but don't see it as an impossibility.  The way Harry Reid was re-elected was because his opponent was to far right for a lot of people; no reason why Mr. Obama might not have the same good fortune in 2012. 

Hell, Mr. Obama might even stop sounding so good and actually do something.  A reasonable immigration bill might be a start.  (I was watching "Undercover Boss" on tv the other night.  As an aside, the guy says getting his US citizenship cost him $15K.  Can that be true?  What the hell is that?)  Simplifying and clarifying Obamacare would perk up a lot of people.  Since we are supporting Fannie May and Freddy Mac anyway, why don't we just write down every mortgage by 25% or so.  Your outstanding balance was $200K; now it is $150K.  You still might be upside down but it would have to feel better and you would be much more likely to be able to afford it.  Do I like the idea?  No.  Is it the American Way?  Probably not.  But we need to get this behind us and foreclosing on 20% of the population is going to be ugly.

Well, at least we don't have a bunch of political ads to listen to any more.  Thank goodness for small favors!  Have a good one.

I've been quiet again....

No particular reason but I just haven't been here. I'm reasonably certain that the pinched nerve in my neck has something to do with the amount of time I spend on the computer so I've been trying to cut that down to something 'normal'. Ha! Like I can ever be normal!

The only thing that's got my attention lately is Mr. Obama being given the Nobel Peace Prize. I'm not really against it; certainly he brought a whole new face to the way the U.S. is interacting with the rest of the world, but I'm not certain I like him being recognized at that level for what he has done. As many others have pointed out; it's an award based on his potential. At any rate, here's hoping he can earn the darned thing.

We took the trailer back to the dealer with a couple of warranty problems and I must say it was a great experience. They did the work promptly and without a bit of hassle. Of course, we are using the dealer who sold the unit. If it had been sold by someone in Florida, there might have been some paperwork foolishness. Still, full marks to Johnnie Walker RV in Las Vegas.

One of my favorite bloggers, lawyermom, points out that I might get into trouble for saying something nice about the rv dealer. Well, all I can say is that I didn't get any compensation for that plug. Thanks for the heads-up, lawyermom, if they ever offer me a cup of coffee while I'm waiting I'll know to just say 'no'.

Another favorite blogger, RandomRoger, who is supposed to be a financial guy, came up with a reference to a great article on Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer. We do watch his show all the time and pretty much drink his coolaid in regard to treatment of our dog. We are nowhere near consistent enough but we try. Turns out that Cesar is one of those illegal immigrants that we don't hear a lot about - a successful one! Go Cesar! And don't forget to pay your taxes, buddy!

Take it easy, it's dangerous out there!

Brave New World

I'm sitting here watching Mr. & Mrs. Obama walk up the Avenue in Washington. Now the fun starts; he's got a hell of a job in front of him. Here's hoping he can do miracles. That miniature tank they are riding in is pretty funny! The tv folks are saying it has 5 inches of armor (12 or 14 cm to the rest of the world).

It's a nice day in Pahrump. Took a walk around the block after breakfast; it's a mile around. Met one of the neighbors; he seems like a nice guy. Out of work though; he may have to move out of state - I can't think that's a good idea in this economic climate. When we got home, we sat outside for a while and talked about turning the yard into something. It was warm so we came inside and opened the windows for the first time; don't know why it's taken so long. During the day it's certainly been warm enough. Now my wife is calling all her relatives telling them how comfortable it is.

One of the things I don't talk much about is the Pahrump Valley. We have mountains on both sides of us. The land in the valley here speaks volumes about the river that ran through this valley thousands or millions of years ago. The way the dirt is washed up against the rock mountain shouts out 'sediment'. That river must have been amazing! It's pretty interesting; I'm liking it a lot.

Gotta go. Have a good one.

Things are happening

Have been in the house now for twelve days. It is SLOWLY starting to look like a house. We got the shipment of things that we had stored in Florida: a desk; a dresser; table and chairs; a bed; and boxes and boxes of books and a couple of tools. It took the guys under two hours to unload. We also went to Las Vegas and found a couple of easy chairs for the living room. My wife found a large TV and a washer and dryer and had them all shipped here.

Finally found a desk for myself and a couple of office chairs just today. We spend a lot of time on the computers so good stuff is important. My new desk is small but the room is going to be pretty full so small is better. Leaves more room for books & toys! And maybe I'll blog more regularly since I have a comfortable place to do it from.

You can see we are doing our own little economic stimulous package for America. Mr Obama is taking over in five days. I sure hope he can translate some of his popularity into successful programs. Certainly spending money on the country's infrastructure is something that is sorely needed. I don't know that 'green' is really the way to go but it's an easy political sell.

Here in our little town is a gas station that sells E-85 - that's 85 percent ethanol. In the first place, it's something like $2.40 a gallon while regular gasoline is only $1.90. In the second place, it's made of corn. Using ethanol in motor fuel just doesn't make a lot of sense to me. But the farm lobby is extremely powerful. That's something that Mr. Obama can't change!

Something I'd sure like to see him change is our healthcare system. I think this is the only major country where healthcare is 'private'. It isn't really, of course. Medicare is there for the old (>65 I'm gonna be there soon!). Medicade is there for the poor. Military people have a government funded system. We pay something like $700 a month on health insurance through my wife's old employer. It's not the most I've heard and not the least. When we go to the doctor we pay a set fee: $25. Then the insurance company sends us a statement that says things like: Blood test A - doctor billed $300 - we pay $20. It's all some giant accounting scam.

Gotta quit before I get really depressing. Actually things are going well personally and the country is getting a new leader; the most popular in many years. What's not to like! Have a good one!

Pahrump Days

Sun is up but it's kind of windy this a.m. I was glad of the hood on my jacket. Took a few photos of the full moon but I doubt if they are worth sharing.

Yesterday was a cloudy day in the desert. Temp was in the 50's (12C). When I walked the dog a bit of sunshine managed to shine on the base of the western mountains but not on the tops. Interesting. In a few minutes, it was gone.

I'm going to have to buy some warm clothes. Nights are near freezing and will be getting cooler still for the next few months. When we left Florida we gave away almost all of our clothes; there isn't much storage in our trailer and we thought we would be in warm places. I have one long sleeve shirt! I guess it will be a sort of economic stimulus for the local merchants. (Walmart since it's the only game in town!)

Speaking of things economic; I hear some liberals are worried that Mr. Obama's choices for his cabinet are too centralist. I wonder what they thought they were going to get? If Obama is going to accomplish anything he is going to need the support of lots of lawmakers who are a lot more conservative then he. By selecting
people who are not terribly liberal he may have a chance to get some liberal ideas across. For example, I suspect that if we had a national health service the automakers would be doing just fine. Just my guess but it would be interesting to see some of the numbers.

It does bother me that there are so many people from the Clinton era. (Including most of all, Hillary.) I've read lately about corruption in Bill's White House (including Hillary and her brothers amongst others) and I'd sure like Mr. Obama to get through his term or terms with an untarnished record.

Sorry if my post is all gloom and doom. I've picked up a slight cold and I think it makes me grouchy. Maybe I need to go look at the mountain for a while. Hope you and yours are all doing just fine.