Memories

 It was just about this time of year, roughly sixty-years ago, when our parents assigned my sister and me to a very, very serious task – to create a list for Santa Claus.

 

Obediently, we sat at the kitchen table and thoughtfully jotted down our hopes and wishes for gifts from Saint Nick.  This one particular Yule Season found my sister wanting girl stuff, largely consisting of Barbie’s play sets and baby dolls, of course.

 

I, on the other hand, desperately needed construction equipment to finish the highway I was building in the sandbox.  This major project was put on-hold due to cold weather and accompanying upstate New York snow, but I digress.

 

Tomorrow, after church, was when we were to make sugar cookies from scratch, and later decorate them with homemade edible paints.  They were usually a bit burned, but only around the edges.  Not to worry; the singe marks would be hidden by the vibrant red, green, blue, and yellow food coloring/egg wash paints.

 

Dad had Ray Conniff’s Christmas record playing on the Hi-Fi, readying the tree for the wobbly stand, while the cooking decorating proceeded.  It was a magical time.  As if by magic, the Christmas holiday spirit had appeared in the form of traditions and enjoyed by all.

 

Still carefully painting, my sister and I gave it our all.  We decorated the pale sweet treats with caution and aplomb, demonstrated by our tongues poking against our cheeks, intently staring at the progress as though we were in a trance.  I wonder if Picasso operated like this.

 

Nonetheless, I recall those times with great fondness evident by a smile these memories still evoke.

 

Eventually, after weeks of Christmas movies and music and snow shoveling and snow shoveling and snow shoveling, Christmas Eve had finally arrived.  We were almost at the last door of the Advent calendar meaning Santa would stop by at midnight!

 

All the decorating, tree trimming, Ray Conniff singing, snow shoveling, and road planning left me drained; I slept well until I was awakened by the aroma of French Toast.

 

My sister beat me to the parlor – we had a parlor which, for your information, is a room built and used largely by anyone not living in our house – where the tinseled tree proudly stood.

 

We were forced to have breakfast before opening the great volume of packages from the North Pole.  Needless to say, we ate quickly.

 

Giddy, we realized Santa didn’t disappoint, once again.  Except for the socks and underwear, that is.

 

Fast forward to 2022, and things have changed dramatically.  A new family, a different house, a son who closely resembles a midget in a cat costume, and different goals, all bring a new perspective to this age-old celebration.

 

But a celebration it is.  It is about the coming of Baby Jesus, our Savior.  The gifts and memories are all related to this religious instance, though.

 

It was neither the Barbie doll nor the Tonka bulldozer that we were being gifted.  Jesus was the gift given to humankind to save our souls.  The believing and hope and love – all the rest – is up to us.  Never forget.

 

Merry Christmas!

God Bless Joe

 For many years we have listened to public figures, uh, well, lie to us.

In a time when practically everyone in the world has encyclopedias – in the form of their cell phones – in their hands, they still fall for tripe spread by the anointed among us.

Mainstream Media (MSM), politicians both past and present, along with social media, all seem to enjoy pulling the wool over everyone’s lives – almost as if they were running a gag on us.  Unfortunately, this is no gag since it is affecting the outcome of elections, our economy, as well as efforts at world peace.

We have to retreat to when a beloved man – Barack Hussein Obama – served as America’s 44^th president from 2009 until 2017 – just prior to President Donald John Trump.

A Republican congressman representing a South Carolina district had been serving since 2001, Addison “Joe” Graves Wilson.

It was during a speech given by President Obama regarding his brilliant proposed “free” health care plan when, well, I’ll defer to a CNN byline:

Rep. Joe Wilson at work

WASHINGTON (CNN) - The South Carolina GOP congressman who shouted at President Barack Obama during his Wednesday night speech to Congress insisted Thursday that his outburst was "spontaneous."

Rep. Joe Wilson shocked many when he shouted "You lie!" after the president denied that health-care legislation would provide free health coverage for illegal immigrants.

Fast forward to today, 2022.  Rep Joe Wilson is still serving South Carolinians, but he should be clearly vindicated from calling out a lie when he heard one.

 

America is now chock full o’ illegal immigrants – over 2,000,000 within the last two years – with hands out for free EBT debit cards, free cell phones, free housing, free education, and free health care.  Now who lied?

 

But if you listen to the MSM and politicians you will hear nothing concerning crime, inflation, over-spending, lack of energy independence, while teetering on the cusp of World War III, you would believe all is well.  Period.

 

It is not well, though.

 

Just overcoming mid-term elections for numerous governors, senators and congressfolk, Republicans are aghast as to why their self-predicted “Red Tide” never materialized.

 

Some soul searching should squarely place the blame exactly where it belongs: the Republican Party itself.

 

Over the years, Democrats have summarily jettisoned American values in favor of killing babies, tearing up The Constitution, and encouraging hate amongst the races.  Republicans, however, are still attempting to grow spines and learn what the word “cohesion” means.

 

All this is pretty easy when voters receive their “news” from late night television comedy shows, biased internet sites, the slanted MSM, and lying politicians themselves.  The current president, Joseph Biden became the Commander-in-Chief by what some people feel were questionable means.

 

As this election coup is still being debated, social media, MSM, and self-appointed speech-cops have been hard at work keeping information under wraps.

 

Call it what you will: suppression, censorship, bowdlerization, or silencing, all these are ways to slant or simply ignore facts that could and should assist a voter in making an intelligent electoral decision.

 

Our country is now mired in a costly war between Ukraine and Russia.  Why?  Politicians will tell you it is for freedom, but freedom for whom?  Not Americans.

 

We are not allowed to drill for our own oil to be self-sufficient on the energy platform.  Why?  Politicians tell us it is for the environment.  That is a lie because we are begging Saudi Arabia and Venezuela to drill oil for us.  I believe this is all part of the same planet.

 

Russia is supposed to be a genuine threat to America, yet Rep. Adam Schiff was willing to secretly work them in order to impeach then-President Donald Trump.  Sleazy?  Sure. But because of lack of evidence MSM is mum.  Now Schiff is at it, again.

 

The MSM and social media have suppressed open exchange of ideas by deeming anything pro-Conservative dangerous or fake news.  It seems odd that their own fake news is not subject to censorship.

 

Crime rises are being misconstrued as your vivid imagination, elementary school kids can’t read at grade level, Americans are being goaded into saying men can have babies, and even a Supreme Court Justice – albeit an affirmative action hire – cannot define a “woman,” all because of lies.

 

Rep. Joe Wilson appears to have been way ahead of his time when he called out President Obama’s blatant lies decades ago.  And he should be held up as an example when smarmy media – social and otherwise – scream lies of systemic racism, no crime, weather crises, and the like.

 

God bless Joe Wilson.

Green Bean Casserole

 A recent racist holiday was just celebrated by most and it helped me recall a true tale that I remember roughly 60-years later, with a smile.

 

The racist holiday – not Independence Day or Columbus Day, not Halloween nor Veteran’s Day – no, it was that gut wringing Thanksgiving Day, which led me to this story.

 

Thanksgiving Day is a well-established holiday celebrated in the United States and Canada.  Its creation was to celebrate harvests of the land since the Protestant migration to the New Land in the early 1600’s

 

President George Washington proclaimed Thanksgiving Day a national holiday in 1789, to be celebrated annually on the last Thursday of November.  And it seems as though some self-anointed among us have been trying to shame the rest of us ever since – hence, the racist reference.  But I digress.

 

I recall our family developing and modifying various traditions for this much anticipated fete over the years.  Of course, the centerpiece of this meal is the turkey, followed by mashed potatoes, gravy, and cranberries.

 

Here’s where the traditional Thanksgiving Day fight begins, though.  My personal family has dressing; it’s a concoction of old, dried bread seasoned-up to taste, to which celery and broth are added.  It’s called “dressing” because it is cooked and served outside of the turkey.

 

Stuffing, on the other hand, is stuffed into the turkey cavity, where it is cooked and from whence it is served.  Although dressing and stuffing appear similar, this where arguments start, but rarely end.

 

Then a traditional classic side dish consisting of green beans, cream of mushroom soup, and crisp fried onions, also makes its appearance on many Thanksgiving tables.  And this is where today’s saga begins.

Typical green bean casserole

 

It was more than six decades ago, when I was a young lad that my Dad had given up on growing grass in a particularly difficult spot in our yard.  This sliver of land received only 11-minutes of sunshine per day, which is why my Dad couldn’t grow grass there.

 

Out of frustration, he “deeded” me this strip of barren mud to with as I pleased.  I had a fleet of Tonka trucks and heavy equipment that could easily make quick work of developing this postage stamp-sized parcel, but I was gravitating toward being a farmer.

 

We were poor and didn’t know it because nobody told us.  Don’t misunderstand – we had shelter, food, warmth, and transportation.  Our clothes were neat and tidy, and we always fit in.  But being a unionized factory worker who was regularly on strike, had its challenges.

 

As a roughly seven-year old, my plan was to help with providing food for the family by growing copious amounts of fresh vegetables for meals.  And what a brilliant plan it was.

 

My Grandmother decided to make my dream come true.  Off we went to Woolworth’s, via city bus, to secure some seeds and a Woolworth’s Lunch Counter banana split.

 

As I recall, seeds were in the nose-bleed price range of 5¢ per package; I bought carrot, corn, and green bean seeds, as an inaugural planting.

 

Being a novice, I was unfamiliar with planting rows of anything, so my carrots closely resembled a Picasso painting.  Still, after some friendly advice from kin, I later used string as a guide to secure a more orderly path for the green beans to follow, as I did with the corn.

 

Each day I diligently checked on the progress of ‘north forty,’ while I conscientiously watered and weeded.

 

There’s an old adage about learning from ones mistakes; that’s because if we are successful, we make no improvements, even though there may be plenty of room for them.

 

It seems a though I was soon flush with wisdom.

 

That “free” land from my Dad was free because the 11-minutes of daylight it received precluded any use other than a rock garden.  The soil wasn’t properly worked beforehand, and those nasty city squirrels kept digging up – and eating – my corn.  Alas.

 

Eventually THE day came when I carefully picked the carrots which were the size of skinny toothpicks, I believe I pulled any remainder of the yellow corn crop up as a misidentification as weeds, and systematically removed all the green beans, placing them into a colander for immediate preparation.

 

There’s a Bible story about Jesus feeding a multitude of hungry fishermen and their families by multiplying loaves of bread and freshly caught fish. 

 

Our dinner that night amazed even me.  A large bowl chock full of green beans became the star of the meal.  And accolades flowed freely from everyone seated at this banquet.  I later realized that the green bean harvest was secretly augmented by my parents as well as my Grandmother.  still, we all kept mum.

 

This agricultural experiment began in earnest and ended with a Thanksgiving-style feast which all enjoyed.

 

Memories of others attending our special non-thanksgiving Thanksgiving have faded or simply passed away.  But my memory remains, begging for its place in history.  And now you know why I selected my future career.

 

And no, it wasn’t farming.

Random Thoughts 11

 Be prepared for one more iteration of Random Thoughts, this time both gluten-free and free-range.  Please enjoy the ride.  By the way, Smokey the Cat contributed to this posting.

 

• Why did it take a nation chock full o’ lawyers 49-years to realize the word “abortion” does not appear in the U.S. Constitution?
• Let’s wager on AG Merrick Garland investigating Hunter and Joseph Biden
• Paul Pelosi luckily just purchased $1,000,000’s in semi-conductor stock manufacturers, just ahead of a guvment contract vote without inside info
• Let’s train prisoners to make boots for our troops rather than us buy them from China
• Heck, let them make everything we buy from China
• Arrest Nancy Pelosi, Liz Cheney, Adam Schiff, and the other liars for insurrection
• I hope Mayor Pete Buttigieg is doing well after his birth of twins
• And Lia Thomas has been nominated for the NCAA Woman of the Year – yea!
• Why is Newsmax trying to commit suicide?
•  Fox News is now shunning Donald Trump, too
•  I’ve got my fingers crossed that the environmentalists can stop hurricanes and tornadoes
• But what if they can’t, after spending trillions of dollars on altering the weather?
• Who owns the manufacturing of those rechargeable EV batteries?
• Cheap bologna now costs $6/pound
• A 28-ounce can of Dunkin’ Donuts ground coffee is selling for $22!
• The White House should be shuttered in hopes the lying stops
• Why is Monkeypox now an official pandemic?
• Is Mayor Pete still lactating?
• Speaking of which, where’s all the baby formula?
• Someone should check Janet Yellen’s pulse
• An electric vehicle for $70,000 without a complex internal combustion engine is sinful
• Are we still listening to the criminal thugs about defunding the police?
• How come those pro-baby murderers could locate the word “abortion” in the Constitution, but not the words “Keep and bear Arms”?
• I just witnessed Hurricane Ian devastate Florida, Georgia, S. Carolina, and N. Carolina; how is that costly climate change thingy working out?
• If cows are responsible for methane flatulence, why is nothing being done about MSNBC’s gasbag, Joy Reid?
• I wish had my old Frye Boots from my college days
• Karine Jean-Pierre can’t possibly be getting paid for acting as the White House Spokesliar
• Mimes are still the worst
• The Biden Organized Crime Family is a close second, though
• I think the racehorse, Pay Chester, just crossed the finish line; he started the race in 1973.
• Taylor Swift is really whiny
• Gisele Bundchen: Gimme a call
• And Brittney Griner won’t be packing any more drugs to Russia again, I bet
• What kind of nonsense is The White House going to lie about this week?
• I just got a full tank of gas for $22!  Of course it was for my lawnmower
• What a strange day…first I found a hat full of money.  Then I was chased by an angry man with a guitar
• I hate when people act all intellectual and talk about Mozart while they’ve never seen one of his paintings
• I don’t think a therapist is supposed to say “Wow,” that many times in your first session
• And lastly, the people who think men can get pregnant are suddenly worried about misinformation on Twitter.  Ah, yes.

Please print and save for future adventures with us.  Thank you!

 

Let Them Go Hungry

 Here’s some special anniversary news: It’s been about ten years since we heard about someone named Jack Phillips.

 

You may, or may not, know Phillips by name.  If you’re thinking, “Yeah, I recognize that name…he was played by Tom Hanks in the modern day pirate movie, Captain Phillips.”

 

Great guess!  But you’re wrong.  Hanks portrayed Captain Richard Phillips in the aforementioned flick.

 

Today’s Phillips – Jack, in particular, is a Christian baker.

 

To recap, Jack Phillips is a Colorado baker who is also a celebrity because a decade ago he became embroiled in a situation where he declined to make a cake for a same-sex wedding.  He merely invoked his Constitutional right to freedom of speech, and was taken to court.

 

Before you jump ahead, Phillips is not discriminating because he, too, has protections – against harassment, in this case.  Phillips’ bakery, Masterpiece Cakeshop, in Colorado, is not the only bakery in Colorado, making this situation suspect.

 

A legal counsel for the Alliance Defending Freedom “argued that the district court erred in its June 2021 ruling that Mr. Phillips violated the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act,” according to The Washington Times.

 

Not a true likeness, but a beautiful cake

Here’s the stroke of luck: “’On the same day that the Supreme Court decided to hear Phillips’ first case, plaintiff called Phillips’ shop and asked for a custom blue and pink cake to celebrate a gender transition,’ Mr. Warner told the three-judge panel.”

 

Clearly the Alliance Defending Freedom doesn’t own a calendar, otherwise their repeated dogging Phillips would seem to be a case of pestering at the very least.

 

Here’s the rub.  Phillips is a Christian who maintains certain personal values about gender relations and the way they affect his religious beliefs.  The in this particular instance, Phillips appears to be targeted by people whose beliefs are not in sync with his.

 

Rather than let the proverbial “sleeping dogs lie,” the Alliance appears intent on rubbing Phillips’ nose in his earlier court victory. 

 

And rather than finding another, more amenable bakery that is sympathetic to the gender and sexually-oriented legal gymnastics, Warner and the Alliance seem to make their goal to punish Phillips for the way he follows his religious tenets and beliefs.

 

Bankrupting a legitimate business, such as Masterpiece Cakeshop, would probably delight the people whose thoughts and actions differ widely from others, are now seen as enemies to be defeated and summarily punished.

 

This same school of thought is woven into the texture of social media, schools, and even some ultra-liberal religions, all of whom attempt to cater to the non-conformists and misfits in today’s culture.

 

Much like Jack Phillips has thoughts and beliefs that are his – and perhaps his, alone – other machinations of society are actively using these same sordid tactics to silence and sway the balance of civilization, without the benefit of honest thought or discussion.

 

Take the climate change crowd, for example.  Since the early 1970’s, a wide variety of thoughts, ideas, and notions, have peppered media, eventually finding their way into schools.  There, those premises eventually solidified into official classes, eventually culminating in actual areas of study, and finally, degrees.

 

Large corporations with seemingly endless purses politely hired people with burning desires to “save the planet,” “keep humanity alive,” and “protect Mother Earth.”

 

Based on now-questionable computer data, long-since “established” regulations, statutes, and legislation, have been passed and implemented, all in the name of “science.”

 

Unfortunately, not everyone living on Mother Earth’s epidermal believes our planet is in peril.  Still, something called “group think” has summarily taken over the psyches of much of Earth’s population.

 

Group think, by its very definition, discourages creativity and individual responsibility. Unfortunately, those limitations present speed bumps to effecting science and facts.

 

Scientists who were driving the climate train since its inception are now jumping off because of the copious amounts of “corrections” in the science that contradicts long-held climate change studies.  It should be noted that Al Gore was a co-recipient of the Nobel Prize for Peace in 2007, because of his work on this now-flawed study.

 

Still, disbelievers and non-believers, alike, are publicly chastised and ridiculed for not adhering to the half- and non-truths presented as facts.  Period.

 

Social media sites and even banks are suddenly punishing users for not adhering to the contrived climate-related data.  Yes, banks are engaging in what is called “ethical banking” and “ethical savings accounts,” to better serve the world.  Sure.

 

Just as with Jack Phillips and his beliefs of surgery to permanently alter the sex of people, or merely foisting their personal beliefs upon total strangers for some reason that’s unknown to me, is akin to the religion of climate change that has found its way into a once free culture.

 

And that sort of false god or idol is something that will have to be dealt with in the afterlife with someone way beyond my pay grade.  Enjoy your self aggrandizing while you still can.

Fish Shooting

 
Just as with most people, I enjoy an occasionally simple day tackling world issues, as well as those that directly affect me.  And today is one of those days.

 

Midterm elections are officially held tomorrow, November 8^th, 2022.  At stake are a few consequential issues that can, and will, influence the direction of America, for Americans as well as the rest of the world.

 

Although we know Election Day is established as 11/8/2022, countless people have already cast their ballots – some at least six-weeks ago – according to their particular jurisdictions.  That can be troubling.

 

Several races in different states have been contentious and have been clearly guided toward The Left by both the politicians and media, alike.

 

Not unlike the way the media has been regularly ignoring the facts of life, they are still cherry-picking stories and half-truths that continue to shape our nation’s policies of yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

 

Contrived news articles from half-baked authors clearly influence teachers, schools, and subsequently students – for better or worse; today, teachers at all academic levels are stuffing lies into impressionable student minds, with impunity; and tomorrow looks equally bleak due to libraries salted with sexually explicit content that would make a sailor blush.

 

But here we are.  What can we do to separate fact from fiction, in order to formulate an informed voting decision?  Turn to late night TV for an embarrassing guide to American politics.  Oh, my.

 

One host, Stephen Colbert, has been the standard unfunny emcee of American and Conservative-hating media, regularly cheered on by equally clueless audience members.

 

Colbert, who made headlines in November 2020, over the last Presidential Election, was repeatedly reported as fighting “tears while eviscerating Trump’s Election Lies.”

 

This overly emotional Democratic Party shill has been carrying their water for years under the guise of comedy.  Too bad it is not funny.

 

Claiming “democracy” is being threatened, Colbert recently crawled out from under his rock in an attempt to sully other currently running Republicans.  He has touted false narratives of stories from strong, female Republican candidates, only to be exposed as being a liar, himself.  My bet is that his show will soon be canceled out of mercy.

 

Not to be outdone in the please-look-at-me category, Barack Hussein Obama, William Jefferson Clinton, Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Kamala Harris, are all burning those irreplaceable fossil fuels, traveling hither and yon, to stump for desperate in-trouble Democrats.

 

But it seems as though the long-term voting span has created a somewhat perplexing situation for those early voters; unfortunately, new information has been popping up like the proverbial turd-in-the-punchbowl, leaving those eager beaver voters with little recourse.

 

One race in particular is in Pennsylvania. There’re voting on a U.S. Senate seat between John Fetterman, current Lieutenant Guvnor, and Dr. Mehmet Oz, a well-known television personality.  But there’s a glitch in this contest.

 

Fetterman suffered a stroke earlier this year, and is now trying to straddle the line of being disabled, and able, simultaneously.  Of course the media is leading the march to publicly shame anyone who criticizes Fetterman.

 

However, Fetterman needed no help proving he is currently incapable of serving mashed potatoes, much less serving as a U.S. Senator.  A one-and-done “debate” between Fetterman and Oz proved what many viewers suspected the results would be: a catastrophe.  Still, the fix is in.

 

President Biden has been taking his amusing show on the road to get credit for his accomplishments: the economy, border, gasoline prices, supply chain, foreign relations, inflation, world peace, and racial harmony, are just a few of his braggings.

 

Throughout his public appearances he regularly stutters, stammers, slurs his speech, and fabricates his words, all while wearing a distressed look that often switches to anger.  Yet, he rarely tells the truth.  Alas.

 

On the other hand, Republicans – many of whom ignored and disrespected President Donald J. Trump, during his term – still seem to anticipate a good fight to lose this “gimme” election.

 

All this comes at a time when the idiom “Shooting fish in a barrel,” should ring true.

Shooting fish in a barrel refers to a ridiculously easy task for which there should be no chance of failure.

 

Long known as being gifted for snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, Republicans commonly switch between being frightened and hapless.  Like a baby’s diaper, politicians need to be changed regularly because they eventually stink as they are full of poop.

 

Let’s hope Conservatives grow a spine and begin fish shooting.  It’s about time.

Perpetual Motion

 It was 1971, and an effort was underway to raise awareness of, and fund relief for, refugees from Pakistan, following the Bangladesh Liberation war-related genocide.

 

The brainchild of former Beatle, George Harrison, and sitarist Ravi Shankar, this endeavor would become to be known as the Concert for Bangladesh.  Its idea was to gather a variety of musical artists to perform in front of an audience for a fee to be used for charity.

 

August 1, 1971 was the date of this concert which sold seats for $10, while general admission was $2.50 – a kingly sum in the early 1970’s – when gasoline sold for 33¢ per gallon, and minimum wage was $1.60 per hour.

 

Two shows were performed by numerous big-name musical artists for 40,000 attendees.  The gate was $250,000.  But soon thereafter, the Concert for Bangladesh album was released, as was a film by the same name; millions of dollars were made off those additional products adding substantially to the total of monies raised.

 

This effort was so successful that it inspired later concerts: Live Aid, and Farm Aid.  Live Aid proceeds were earmarked for an Ethiopian famine, while Farm Aid earnings were to help suffering small American farmers.

 

And, as recently as 2001, the Concert for New York City was held a month following the infamous 9/11 terrorist attacks that same year.

 

The common theme in all these fund raisers is pretty simple.  Organizers gather people with talent to perform for cash that eventually goes to helping specific suffering groups of people.

 

Disasters such as massive fires, flooding, hurricane and tornado devastation, as well as earthquakes, all inspire others to help in desperate times and dire situations.

 

Until today, music TV stations and radio conglomerates rerun the above-mentioned concerts for historic and continued fund-raising efforts.

 

Being personally unsure as to both the beginning and the end of when an event turns into a disaster, I’m writing this from a viewpoint of compassion.  And what does this have to do with continued fund raising?

 

Fifty-one years later, the pressed LPs turned into CDs, and the movie has been transformed into DVDs, all still collecting monies that hopefully wind-up going to the Concert for Bangladesh.

 

This decidedly noble effort should be heeded today inasmuch as tough times have been plaguing not only Americans, but many other countries around the world.

 

When tragedies occur invariably seemingly everyone with a guitar or piano finds inspiration to write a song.

 

Following the death of Princess Diana, Elton John re-wrote his song Candle in the Wind, to honor this beloved icon.  Countless songs played on the radio after the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks, without rest, too.

 

There are plenty of hungry, poor, homeless, and ill people who, after an international pandemic, now find themselves in bad situations unable to find shelter or feed their families.

 

Although today’s minimum wage hovers around $15 per hour, gasoline has jumped to between $4 and $7 per gallon, while intentionally created inflation is peaking at 40-year highs, all in an effort to ‘alter the weather’ via climate change.

 

Hurricane Katrina devastated portions of Louisiana in 2005.  Causing over 1,800 deaths, and more than $125,000,000,000, in damage, Katrina’s aftermath is still being felt today.

 

Florida recently took the brunt of mega Hurricane Ian.  Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina, also felt some of Ian’s wrath, although to a lesser extent. Nonetheless, entire towns and counties have been leveled to resemble warzones, replete with large loss of life; property damage is still being estimated due to the massive swath Ian cut.

 

Hurricane warning flags

The obvious question is “Where are the concerts, legitimate fundraisers, and charitable efforts to assist with these catastrophes in the United States?”

 

No one – to the best of my knowledge – is writing songs, performing concerts, or extending helping hands to the victims of these ill-timed disasters that affected literally millions of fellow Americans.

 

It seems as though time has arrived to forget child-like ambitions to be able to control and alter the weather, at the expense of newly homeless and destitute.  At this moment in 2022, we must help one another as fellow citizens and neighbors, rather than act like spoiled, deserving brats.

 

Let’s put some of these fund-raisers and acts of kindness to work helping the needy – currently in Florida – instead of merely stroking already over sized egos.

Forget the Grapes

 
Here’s another timely story that deserves a reprint for a touch of nostalgia, along with a hardy chuckle.  Please enjoy it and return next week for a brand new essay.  Thanks for reading!

 

 

A recent shopping adventure made me smile – behind my mask, of course – because of all the Christmas trees, bins full of wrapping paper, and toys.  This prominent display of holiday retail revelry got me to think: Wow!  We’re just two weeks away from Halloween.

 

Indeed, Halloween is approaching and will likely arrive before Thanksgiving and Christmas, unless Congress, who changed the time, declares otherwise.  They have the power and ultimate last word in everything else so, why not?

 

Oddly enough, this evident calendar faux pas presented another great law of unintended consequences – lots more candy is suddenly available, and in spades!

 

While perusing the confectionary aisle I recalled days of yore when times were different, and I once again mustered a masked smile.

 

Years ago, one never knew how many trick-or-treaters would stop by to raid the candy bowl, or if they would even show up to beg or threaten for goodies.  After all, America is still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, finding themselves in need of a respite.

 

Some years seemingly countless rug rats would envelop the street in a mob-like scenario dressed in a varying array of costumes ranging from the latest television characters and movie heroes, to the old standby hobos and witches.

 

Of course, there were some disguises that appeared professional while others seemed to reflect a last-minute, poorly executed attempt at candy pillaging.

 

Not to be left out, a few late stragglers sporting 4-day beard growths and smoking Marlboros invariably would show up in a weak effort to snag some free stuff.  Unfortunately, those tired ploys rarely worked on me.  Get a job, I say.

 

It was during some social awareness campaigns that the number of trick-or-treaters dramatically dwindled, though.  Parents fearing for their children’s safety kept many of the masquerading kids home, on some occasions, while other years introduced community gatherings that were controlled and managed by neighborhood parents and housing organizations.

 

These feel-good efforts resulted in fewer kids marching from house-to-house-to-house to bang on doors demanding extorted goods by yelling, “Trick-or-treat.”  And it usually worked. Except for the stingy neighbors, that is.

 

Yes, you know who you are.  That is why your house is annually subjected to a good toilet papering or a thorough egging.  But you asked for it.

 

Unfortunately, those safety-concerned awareness campaigns not only kept the kids off the streets and away from front porches, but they also created a supply and demand imbalance, resulting in people buying less goodies for next year’s Halloween go-around.

 

Because of the season change and waning daylight, wee children and pre-K tots normally made their rounds early – just after Mom and Dad returned home from work, about five PM.

 

Some kids were carried, others were dragged around by their hands, and some arrived sleeping in their strollers.  But all were adorable and deserved a prize.

 

We’ve had bumble bees, elephants, princesses, clowns, science fiction characters, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and soldiers darken our doorway.  Firemen, nurses, policemen, chefs, and politicians also stopped by to join the All Hallows Eve fun.

 

But it was the early comers that scored tens on the give-away scale.  After a few consecutive years of slacking visitors, we cut back on the candy and opted for something healthier and more appealing to my sainted wife and me.

 

Our modified giveaways consisted of pre-packaged pretzels and cheese crackers.  Once again, because we wanted fewer leftovers, we bought less.  And that was when the panic began.

 

Our pretzel and cracker bags were purchased in boxes of 48; we bought 2 boxes.  That was the year we received 122 ghoulish trick-or-treaters.

 

It was at this moment that I recalled my own trick-or-treat adventures back in the 1950's and 1960’s.  Then, the elderly neighborhood widows passed out homemade popcorn balls, caramel apples, and candied apples; labor intensive, but made with love.

 

It was when their supplies dwindled, they began passing out wooden pencils, loose change, and individual cough drops, all in the spirit of the moment.

 

Not to disappoint due to lack of preparedness, we contemplated passing out “thoughtful” treats along those lines and eventually resorted to turning off the lights in lieu of handing out sugar packets, cat treats, a handful of grapes, ice cubes, or Post-it Notes.  I think that was a wise choice.  And notation made for next Halloween.

 

On the other hand, a roll of toilet paper, paper towels, gas cards, or hand sanitizer might just appear overly generous and thoughtful in today’s climate.

 

In any case, Happy Halloween!

 

Mesmerized

 Once upon a time, late night television consisted of smart, funny, and clever hosts.  Those shows filled a void in the 1950’s and, in 1962, a new irreverent host named Johnny Carson, began his 30-year run as the gold standard of nighttime comedy.

 

Since there were only three national channels at that time, Carson had little in the way of competition, unlike today.

 

Running Monday through Friday, immediately following the local 11:00 PM news, Carson paraded familiar as well as not-so-well-known guests across his stage to offer a brief opportunity for national exposure.  And it worked well.

 

Singers, musicians, comedians, and authors, all graced The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson bringing entertainment to the average American household.  Unfortunately, The Tonight Show of yore was on much too late for a youngster, such as me, to watch with any regularity.

 

To make matters worse, home video recorders were not available precluding anyone with a “normal” job with “regular” work hours, from enjoying the ruckus world of genuine TV amusement.  The only occasions I was able to tune-in was on school-free eves, and those were rare, indeed.

 

But I recall watching at least on episode on which a hypnotist appeared.  And I was agog.

 

Seeing similar skits wrapped into Saturday morning cartoons, I watched the ‘toons pull a pocket watch from their non-existent pocket.  An exaggerated arc was created by the watch’s fob swinging to engage another cartoon character who became mesmerized in a matter of cartoon seconds.

Tool of the hypnotism trade

 

From there, a spell-like trance was imposed creating a comical furtherance of the cartoon.

 

It was the The Tonight Show guest, though, that brought funny imagination to life, so to speak.

 

Much like the aforementioned cartoon humor, a living, breathing humorist with a pocket watch enters Carson’s stage during the one of very few nights I was watching.

 

As I recall, a brief explanation of the hypnosis procedure was given to the audience, followed by supposedly clueless participants.  Several people who were the hypnosis recipients (I’m pretty sure there’s an actual word to describe them, but I’m too lazy to search for it,) were given explicit instructions by the hypnotist.

 

The presumed gold, chained watch – remember that most of these shows were in black and white – was then swung to garner the attention of the first subject.  One-by-one, these televised Guinea Pigs were summarily put under a psychological spell to begin the fun.

 

With one person being told to believe he was a chicken, the newly-designated 160-pound chicken started clucking while strutting about the stage.  Another participant was instructed to imagine themself as a dog; the barking and sniffing began almost instantaneously.

 

A third person was also temporarily transformed into something which I can’t remember, likely due to my incessant laughing along with The Tonight Show audience.  Eventually, the hypnotist, as per earlier instructions, snapped his fingers to bring the willing participants back to reality, to everyone’s pleasure.

 

In any case, it was acts and appearances such as this that helped shape today’s television lineup, for better or worse; you can decide.

 

It’s right about now when the Democrats are taking a page from The Tonight Show playbook with their lead up to the November 2022 elections.

 

For the past six-years, Dems have been telling people that former President Trump was a Russian spy, a racist, a homophobe, a misogynist, and all-around bigot, and have recently expanded that list to an incompetent public health leader, as well as leader of an insurrection, all without merit.

 

Democrats would have you believe gas prices are in a good place, the economy is strong, employment is robust, abortions are in demand by 98% of Americans, and everyone wants to drive an electric vehicle.

 

They’re wrong.

 

But just as Carson’s hypnotist did the Democrats are desperately continuing their barrage of half-lies and total lies in an attempt to deceive Americans that they are not to believe their eyes or ears when it comes to the utter failings of their hare-brained policies and ideas.

 

This crush to alter reality will continue at last until the upcoming elections.  But don’t be fooled.  This is their way to “keep things fair.”

 

Sure it is.

 

Random Thoughts 10

 Good news and bad news: We now have gasoline selling at $4.85/gallon, our planet is only nine-years from extinction, and General Mark Milley and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin are demanding our military troops conduct nicer wars. 

 

That means it’s time for more Random Thoughts.  Please enjoy them.

 

 

• Are those stupid hidden, secret singer shows still on television?
• Why do people continue wearing N-95 masks?
  
• With all this recession and inflation, the Biden Administration is raising taxes
• Can’t anyone else see that Putin is trying to draw the US into a war?
• Russians have been funding environmental problems for decades.  Who knew?
• Doesn’t Joe Biden’s wife know her husband is inept?
• Let’s save Iran the trouble and just give them a nuclear weapon
• Katanji Brown Jackson can’t describe a woman; her poor daughter, alas
• Now we’re supposed to expect food shortages from Biden?
• Vice President Kommie La Harris is a true gift
• Jake Sullivan must’ve gotten his job as the token white guy, by default.  He’s not very good at it
• Why does anyone except the condemned care if capital punishment hurts?
• So, the Left hates Elon Musk, the savior of the environment, because he’s rich
• Does Jen Psaki, aka: Colonel Rosa Klebb, expect her nose to grow if she tells the truth?
• Prepare yourself for more COVID restrictions come election time
• Mayor Pete’s over his twin birthing; now he expects us to buy electric vehicles
• Is Colin Kaepernick still begging to get back into the racist, slave-like NFL?
• I wish my nextdoor neighbor, The Skipper, was blessed with tact and manners
• Why is it important to teach 5-year olds about sex?
• AOC wants me to pay for her college education.  She should sue her college for a refund for making her dumber
• Does anyone realize men can get breast cancer, too?
• By the way, is Mayor Pete still lactating from his twin birthing?
• Can Dr. Jill Biden write me a prescription for Cyclobenzaprine?
• Smokey the Cat is too quiet; he’s up to no good
• Why not encourage “Pro Choicers” to have more abortions; it won’t be long before their sick cult vanishes from society
• Who did Neil Young sleep with to get his record contracts?
• Thank God Tiger Woods is playing golf again.  Just kidding
• The Dept. of Justice wants to prosecute “insurrectionists.”  What about prosecuting protestors who antagonize Supreme Court Justices?
• Is my new electric vehicle going to be charged by wind, the sun, or fossil fuels?
• How long before ALL children need therapy to reverse CRT, transsexualism, and hate for America?
• Why is no one upset the U.S. Government lied to us about UFOs? 
• Is Adam Schiff still not taking his meds?
• Maxine Waters looks really good for being 137-years old
• Fox broadcast needs a show about mimes; that’s the one last thing that annoys me more than Madonna and Bette Midler
• God bless Donald Trump
• Why is it dangerous and illegal to put a tube in a car tire?  Every NASCAR vehicle has tubes in their tires and they travel at 200+MPH
• An alleged January 6^th “insurrection” is terrifying because unauthorized GOP constituents roamed about the Capitol; is Stephen Colbert going to be guilty?
• Gravity seems to be President Brandon’s worst enemy – he just fell off his bicycle
• According to the White House high inflation is the fault of Americans
• CNN is apparently grabbing the water in which they are drowning in ratings
• Under Pete Buttigieg, Transportation Secretary, airplanes cannot land in rain.  Huh?
• It seems as though the only people angry about the Saudi LIV Golf Series are the ones who are too stupid to accept the money
• Karine Jean-Pierre is the perfect replacement for Jen “Circle-Back” Psaki; “inept” is the word
• What sport is swimmer Lea Thomas going to participate in now that he/she lost?
• When you mow your lawn, please don’t blow the grass into the street; it’s not as attractive as you think
• If your eye hurts while drinking coffee, take the spoon out of the cup
• Who convinced Cassidy Hutchinson to be a useful idiot?
• So, Janet Yellen wants a global minimum corporate tax rate, as the first female U.S. Treasury Secretary?  She may very well be the last, too
• I wish someone would send me a photo of a “LatinX”

 

 

That’s all I have for this iteration of Random Thoughts.  Thanks for visiting, and please return next week for more ‘free range’ opinions.

Coffee Maker

 Everyone is so persecuted.  I know this because I am well aware of labor unions and their effects on society.  Always eager to “help,” unions began righting wrongs of those persecuted, with the best intentions.

 

Labor unions are organizations that were designed to protect workers from corporate overlords literally working their employees to death.  Those unions were critical to the actual physical survival of workers in a variety of industries including mining, manufacturing, and transportation.

 

These are just a few of the many unions that remain active in the United States with origins in Europe to protect textile workers and miners from overly harsh companies and bosses.

 

In days of yore, too often, children were employed as mine workers, factory machinery operators, and general laborers, who put in too many hard hours of dangerous work for too little in benefits.  The obvious solution was to organize the workers and, by sheer numbers, create an appendage for the workers – something that had been lacking for decades.

 

Presidential input, public pressure, along with general empathy, exposed an environment long-ignored by greedy corporate magnates.  Workers united and, through strength in numbers – collective bargaining – were able to successfully make demands for better working conditions, enhanced benefits, and more money.

 

Being applauded by much of the lower- and middle-classes, labor unions eventually graduated from helping the lowly worker achieve safer and more humane treatment to becoming environmental activists and political shills – virtually all geared to helping the Democratic Party.

 

While one-sided in their support, unions have gravitated toward support from Democratic politicians who regularly, openly pander to union leaders, activists, and entire communities, with lofty promises – to be paid for with taxpayer monies.

 

“Icky” is an excellent word to describe this carnal relationship that demands a thorough cleansing after most demands are made for mo’ stuff.

 

Think about regularly traveled roads you take.  Everyday you dodge the same potholes, animal carcasses, orange construction cones and barrels, and overgrown medians, years in the making.  Although these avenues are unsightly, you realize there is a finite amount of tax dollars to address these issues.

 

Suddenly, one day enroute to work, you notice a new pave job, potholes vanished, and fresh painted lines plus newly mowed berms, create an almost pleasurable commuting condition for you and your fellow travelers.

 

Let me guess: it’s less than two-months before local elections.  Witness your tax dollars at work.  Anything for a vote.

 

That’s pretty much the way unions operate, too.

 

I was reared in a union town, and I witnessed it deteriorate from a world-known manufacturing center into a crime-ridden toilet.  This feat was accomplished with the help of both the unions and Democratic Party, alike.

 

This is a good time to stress that I am not pro-union nor anti-union; but today’s smarmy union-political affiliation has evolved into a mob-like operation, pressuring companies into strong-arm tactics, fleecing companies that are also known as: employers.

 

Speaking from experience, normally, people create a résumé, complete an application, or simply marry into a job.  Rarely do average people receive job offers from political agencies, corporations, or government entities; you need to apply.

 

That being said, let’s say we awaken every morning to make coffee and a modest breakfast.  I do.

 

Hi-tech coffee maker

While digesting my morning prescribed medications, my coffee is brewing to be extra strong.  I have several different types of coffee makers, to include a French Press, Italian Espresso percolator, automatic drip coffee maker, and a K-cup machine, to serve my caffeine needs.  None are difficult to operate.

 

In fact, my sainted wife also makes her morning cups of Joe, with ease, too.  It’s not as arduous as you may think.

 

Pour the appropriate amount of water into the coffee maker, add coffee grounds according to desired strength, wait until it brews, then enjoy.

 

I told you it was simple.  Of course, I don’t make coffee for a living, just for a daily defibrillator-type jolt.  It’s not a secret recipe that I use, either.  In fact, it’s actually printed on the outside of the coffee bag.  I’m sure it can be found on-line, as well.

 

But I enjoy making my own coffee because I can control the strength, type, flavor, size, and cost.  My coffee amounts to roughly 35¢ per cup, while major coffee shops sell a similar sized cup of coffee for somewhere in the neighborhood of $4 per cup.

 

Thank goodness this is not where the story ends, because I have so much more to say.

 

Just recently, I read a media article regarding the formation of a labor union branch to serve and protect baristas.  You see, baristas are snobby people who make expensive cups of coffee for wealthy people.

 

I’ve never actually spoken to a barista, but I dare say I have some opinions about them and their patrons, alike.

 

Sure, $4 per cup is bit extravagant for me, but evidently plenty of people are willing and able to fork over that kind of money for a pick-me-up brew, each day.

 

It seems as though baristas are decidedly overburdened with steam facials, coffee bean-stained aprons, and writer’s cramp, all in the name of caffeine and customer service.

 

Quickly drawing a line from slave-like treatment of young children miners of yore, to overpaid adults who gladly chose a career boiling water to transform coffee beans into Java, demonstrated pure genius in the war of words and ‘mistreatment’ demanding unionization.

 

Yet, the Starbucks Workers United is very comfortable with that line.  They evidently feel that brewing coffee, as a career, is just another rung on the ladder to canonization.  They are wrong.

 

The way I see it, making coffee requires little, if any, skill – other than those possessed by Smokey the Cat.

 

Here’s some free advice for any and all baristas: If you feel your job is so grueling that you need self-serving labor union to protect you, it may be time to find another job – a real job.  There are plenty out there.

 

Make your Mom and Dad proud by applying your college degree for something useful.