Not Again

My, oh my, oh my. 

 

There’s a county in the People’s Republic of Maryland known as Anne Arundel, which is home to the state’s capital, Annapolis.

 

No, I’m correct – Baltimore is NOT Maryland’s capital.  Please feel free to look it up; I’ll wait for you.

 

Being steeped in history, Anne Arundel County was named after Lord Calvert’s wife, Anne Arundel.  It was the mid-1600’s when Anne died, at which point the county was named in her honor.

 

As an aside, Lord Calvert, too, has a county honoring his name.

 

From the 1700’s, Annapolis, and Anne Arundel by extension, has been heavily populated by African Americans who have become an integral part of Maryland’s rich culture.

 

But it was a skirmish called The Civil War, which ended in 1865, that freed America’s slaves.  Until that time, though, women slaves were used as servants for weaving, sewing, cooking, washing, baking, and other chores; men were used for chopping wood, ditch digging and working as sawyers, blacksmiths, and maritime tradesmen.

 

Unfortunately, with this history comes a dark background which regularly continued until recent decades that included physical abuse and lynching.

 

Lynchings were used as a racial terror tactic to keep the slaves in check, and were conducted openly to discourage other slaves from “straying.”

 

Still used today as a symbol of hate, and to induce fear, the noose can be fashioned out of rope – tied to form a slip knot that is able to be tightened or loosened.  Such utilitarian knots are used for securing boats, lifting cargo, and securing newly planted trees.

 

However, that powerful symbol of hate and subsequent centuries of intimidation have brought us to a place of great discomfort we left behind.

 

In 2020, an African American NASCAR driver, Bubba Wallace, was racing at the Talladega, Alabama, racetrack where a noose was discovered in his garage bay.

 

Almost immediately, local and federal law enforcement agencies swarmed Wallace’s garage to examine the “hate-crime” scene, and secure evidence of this emotional attack.

 

A NASCAR official publicly decried this vile act, while most news agencies desperately tried to bring this horrible, divisive symbolic act into today’s headlines.

 

The fifteen FBI agents investigating the scene determined the noose was not a message of hate, but a rope that had been tied to enable the raising and lowering of that particular garage bay door.

 

Although this valiant effort by select news people to portray White people as a racist sub-society had failed, it was also applauded as a success in pointing out the bigotry that remains.

 

I wasn’t quite sure how this all worked.  Blacks were brought to America in the 1600’s, they were freed after a bloody civil conflict, official legislation proclaimed them whole, and though decades of affirmative action and special programs, more than a few Black activists remain dissatisfied.

 

To investigate further, several local news organizations reported on this, with one headline reading: “’Lynching in Anne Arundel County’ historical marker vandalized with apparent noose.”

 

Other headlines and following stories were just as caustic implying no one with dark skin was safe leaving their homes.

 

Upon reading the story itself, this news scoop details how “a piece of string was found attached to the ‘Lynching in Anne Arundel County’ historical marker Sunday morning.  Police said they’re investigating it as racially motivated vandalism.”

 

Terrifying ball of string

Of course they are.

 

But this story continues.  It seems as though a special dedication of this marker would not have been complete were it not for flowers and balloons.

 

A closer inspection, and a thorough costly investigation, revealed the “racially motivated vandalism noose” was used to secure flowers to this historical marker for a recent ceremony.  Mystery solved!  The inferior flowers needed help to stand upright.  Amen.

 

But this would not be as satisfying without the finger-pointing and false accusations of normal ‘Us vs. Them,’ Black vs. White, men vs. women, gay vs. straight, and so on.

 

Everything in life is not motivated by hate or having some unsettled ax to grind.  Sometimes a piece of rope is just a piece of rope; sometimes a piece of string is just a piece of string.

 

Let your vitriol rest.  Please.

Decorum

 Unlike the biden (intentionally lower case) administration, I, without fail, give you nothing but facts.

 

It has only been eight-months into this Democratic dumpster fire and already our nation is flooded with illegal immigrants, COVID misinformation, fentanyl, and a slew of reversed effective policies to protect our citizenry.

 

Our hapless leader, Joe biden, routinely dodders to and from his dais where he plies his fabulous lies, and offers falsities about former President Donald J. Trump, biden’s predecessor.

 

This routine would normally be getting old, but seemingly appearing from virtually nowhere, up from the grave like the Crypt keeper, pops a fellow named Bob Woodward.

 

Woodward’s claim-to-fame was in 1972 when, as a fledgling reporter for The Washington Compost, he teamed up with another fellow, Carl Bernstein.  Together, these reporters brought down several Republican politicians including President Richard M. Nixon.

 

Riding this much like a 50-year old former high school quarterback who nearly weekly recounts his tales of that 98-yard touchdown run back in 1988 – Woodward is just finishing up the details on a new book.

 

Thus far he’s written twenty, and true to his “Gotcha!” style, he seems to be preparing America for his latest surprise moment; dribs and drabs from his manuscript are hitting media outlets being announced as valid news.

 

Of course the book has yet to be released, so only speculation as to its contents can be gleaned from this holey boat.

 

Among the information leaked was disturbing accusations about the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Alexander Milley.

 

Exceptionally decorated Gasbag General Milley

This is the time when I tell you that Milley’s military record appears stellar, at least on paper.  His awards include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, Army Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, and on, and on, and on.

 

In fact, he has so many ribbons on his uniform he lists to the left while walking.  I don’t believe he has any awards for fidelity, integrity, or decorum, though.

 

 

Once again, General Milley looks really nifty on paper.  But accusations from Bob Woodward’s latest book seem to tarnish at least a few of the General’s four stars. 

Woodward claims that Milley was not a fan of President Trump, even though Milley was serving in his same position while Trump was President.

 

It appears as though General Milley had so little respect for President Trump that he secretly contacted at least one Chinese general.  This phone call was allegedly a pre-emptive measure used by Milley to prevent a war which he thought Trump would start.

 

Not being a military guy, but having been gainfully employed by the federal government for over three-decades, I can tell you lots.

 

The first day on the job EVERYONE must take an Oath of Allegiance to protect The Constitution.  There’s more to that oath to include the words: “I do solemnly swear that I will support, protect, and defend The Constitution and Government of the United States against all enemies, whether domestic or foreign, …”

 

For the record, China is a foreign enemy, and Russia is a foreign enemy.  This means General Milley broke his oath by contacting that Chinese general, and not honoring his boss, President Trump, a duly elected president.

 

I’ve met tons of General Milley-types in my life, most of whom are blowhards; over-accomplished, self-anointed heroes who BS their way to the top.  Unfortunately, once there, they quickly become fish out of water and prove their impotence by overcompensating for their shortcomings – usually by hiding under their walnut desks.

 

Milley recently and angrily stated he was anxious to find out more about the racial health of the United States military.  He vowed to get to the bottom of things so as to make soldiers hate one another for the sake of racial equity.  That in and of itself proves Milley is not the strong thinker he’d like to be.

 

There was the Washington D.C. church photo-op that Milley avoided to distance himself from President Trump, and now his loose lips to Bob Woodward seem to be a lame attempt to further jab fingers in the eye of an America-loving President Trump.

 

The military has a lot of rules and regulations, and since they can tell you how to eat, stand, walk, sit, salute, speak, and catch bullets for your country, there’s probably a rule on generals not aiding and abetting the enemy.

 

I once heard about something called a “court martial.”  If it still exists, some extra smart military lawyer might want to see if the proverbial shoe fits.  Spit-shined for a general, of course.

From Hero to Zero

I’ve been voting in elections for nearly fifty-years and continue to be amazed at all the dirty tricks and fabrications emanating therefrom.

 

If you are capable of doing racist math, my voting record began in 1972, and has steadily continued ever since; the answer is 49-years.

 

In Presidential, Congressional, Senatorial, state and local elections, I have voted without fail, and mention this as both a sense of pride as well as a note of civic duty.

 

And throughout most of this half-century of elections I have noticed things getting smarmier and smarmier as the time passes.

 

Last year, 2020, questions arose about the validity of the presidential election, plus a handful of state elections. The solution to resolving these perceived aberrations has been to silence any and all references and debate about their legitimacy.

 

Social media has grown into a powerful force through which many people, world-wide, find a vehicle by which to express themselves.  This is all valid and understandable until those vehicles decide to change the rules of use.

 

Many people, including the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, found himself on the “banned” list of users because of a seemingly arbitrary set of rules that are applied fluidly, not carved in stone.

 

Excuses, often lame, include perpetuating false information, spewing hate speech, racist language, and anything someone – any one – deems hurtful, are reason enough to penalize and subsequently ban someone from participating on a particular media platform.

 

Exchanging views that may eventually be found valid, but also having merit for society, should be shared without prejudice and/or bias.  Besides, an integrated society should be run on a general consensus for ideas and thoughts by including both pros and cons to improve life in general.

 

If you don’t believe me, think back to the time lunch counters in the Deep South discriminated by not allowing Blacks a seat, or more recently, the baker who refused to bake a cake for a gay wedding.

 

Those are just two examples of varying ideas joining to resolve perceived problems.  I dare say, none of that would have been resolved if excluding one side or view from expressing themselves would prevent hurt feelings or honest dialog.

 

In any case, we are at a crossroad in society which requires us to choose a direction.  And if you’re going to sanction someone for honest opinion, everyone should be subject to that same discipline.

 

President Donald J. Trump was excoriated for expressing his opinion on the solution for keeping people safe from the infamous COVID-19 influenza.  The media twisted his speeches and outright lied about his supposed ‘telling people to drink bleach.’

 

The media did everything in its power to misdirect intelligent dialog and reasonable conversations into dangerous and angry monologues without recourse, and little truth.

 

Throughout the decades, my many voting options were chosen by information I garnered from varying ads and appearances by the politicians and their representatives.

 

Of course the information emanating there from was always positive and sunny with promises of flower-lined streets and lower taxes, pots filled with chickens and driveways with new cars.

 

Predictably, none of those promises materialized.  Not because of some unforeseen snags, rather those hollow guarantees were the result of outright fabrications to later be explained away as a result of the previous office holder, or the need for another term.

 

And so the perpetual incumbent boondoggle begins.

 

So it was with interest that I studied the 2020 elections to see just who was endorsing which candidate and why.

 

Another proud, low-intelligence voter

So many different organizations were vying for recognition, and likely a seat at the Presidential table if and when their chosen candidate won.

 

Here’s what I realized: That infamous “defund the police” movement that was ever-so-popular during the mini-race war of 2020, was suddenly embraced by “over 75 sheriffs and police officers” who endorsed Biden and called “Trump ‘lawless.’”

 

That headline taken from Newsweek magazine, adds that “over 175 law enforcement officials – including state and district attorneys general, police chiefs and U.S. attorneys – who support the former vice president’s election as well as his criminal justice reform plan,” made it clear where these criminal justice folks stand in the war on crime.

 

Remember those figures when hearing about the spike in crime rates in America.

 

But let us not forget the grand daddy of endorsements: Veterans for Biden.  Their mission: “Veterans for Biden was founded in 2017 by US military veterans seeking to get Joe Biden elected as the next President of the United States.”

 

“We believe America is strongest when it is united, and we are confident Joe Biden is the ideal candidate to bring all Americans together,” their website proudly proclaims.

 

Think Afghanistan.

Lack of Candor

Today is special for me for a number of reasons.  Being Labor Day Weekend, it is the traditional “last hurrah” of summer, the beginning of college football season, and the time when nature’s weather gives us reprieve from oppressive heat and humidity.

 

Dr. Anthony Fauci wearing white after Labor Day

The sad part of all this is that the only “white” we are allowed to wear until spring is the white mask Dr. Anthony Fauci, the highest-paid federal guvment employee, deems acceptable.

 

In case you haven’t heard, Dr. Fauci is the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and the Chief Medical Advisor to the President.  This lengthy title comes with a whopping $417,608 salary, more than the President, his boss.

 

Being the be-all-end-all and the final word on everything in the allergy and infectious diseases world, Fauci has been advising – no, demanding – compliance with rules and regulations he has set since early 2020.

 

Back then, the world heard a rumor, which quickly became a news story, regarding a variant of influenza that apparently came from a place called Wuhan, China.  Fauci immediately took to the airwaves to console people in America about the veracity of this newly-discovered disease named COVID-19.

 

Dr. Fauci calmly told Americans that this flu variant was nothing about which to be concerned.  He assured us that N95 masks would unlikely protect us from any and all transmission of COVID-19.

 

Doubling down, Fauci and his associates conjured up charts and graphs and studies that promised there was nothing to this, and that COVID-19 amounted to little more than the common cold.

 

Fast forward to Labor Day 2021, and we discover we have been lied to.

 

In the roughly year-and-a-half since this goat rodeo began, Dr. Fauci and his minions have resorted to what we used to do as kids.  The old saying goes: “If you can’t dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with BS.”

 

Fauci’s brilliance moment left the COVID-19 discussion when it was discovered he intentionally lied to Americans about the N95 masks.  First they were unimportant, as they did little to protect people from this flu.

 

It was learned he fabricated that story to protect the first responders who really needed the masks in order to protect the balance the country.  Then he proceeded to fib about how the disease was transmitted.  And so on, and so on, and so on…

 

All the while, Dr. Fauci was providing less-than-reliable information to us in the way of medical advice.  Unfortunately, he was also providing that same weak information to then-President Donald Trump.

 

Not very popular with the biased press, President Trump was slammed each time he attempted to make life safer for Americans, especially in terms of the COVID-19 crisis.

 

In the midst of all this, our nation was embroiled in a quadrennial presidential election, which wound-up being, in itself, questionable.

 

It turns out, the newly-elected president, Joseph Robinette Biden, who spent most of the election campaign in the basement of his Delaware home, is an idiot.  Elected by an alleged majority of people, Biden climbed onto Fauci’s lap to appear as though he was an oversized ventriloquist dummy.

 

During his mediocre acceptance speech in January 2021, Biden parroted Fauci’s one-note song of wearing a mask and how it will save lives.  Although a complete 180⁰ from what he said to prevent you from obtaining a mask in March 2020, the good doctor – and by extension the new President – promised that masks will save lives.

 

Just give him 100-days, he said.  And the calendar was marked.

 

Biden promised that wearing a mask would virtually erase the COVID-19 flu from society.  Social distancing, staying at home, not working, not attending school, closing social gatherings, shutting down theaters, ending athletic events, and even ceasing activities such as gardening and fishing, would guarantee the end of COVID-19.  AMEN.

 

We’re 240-days into this hot mess of lies perpetuated by Dr. Fauci, President Biden, their lackeys and minions, and the compliant mainstream media.  And there is no end in sight.

 

BUT!  President Nitwit has been encouraging unvaccinated and untreated and COVID-19 infected third-world refugees from Central and South America into our country, unconstrained since his Oath of Office, January last.  To the East, Afghanis are being flown into our nation by our military without a hiccup, again unvaccinated.

 

And none of them are wearing masks.  Ahem, Dr. Fauci!

 

During the opening day of college football this weekend, tens of thousands of gleeful attendees crowded the stadia to cheer for their favorite teams; I didn’t see a mask anywhere.  Anywhere.  At all.  Anywhere.

 

By my calculations, everybody attending games, or in contact with illegal immigrants or refugees – which number in the millions – will soon be stricken with COVID-19.  And, if not, Dr. Fauci should be summarily incarcerated along with President Joseph R. Biden.

 

‘Nuff said.