Thoughts on Splitting the National Sheets

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

Showing signs of having compassion or intelligence has never been a requirement for serving in Congress, so when a member of the US House of Representatives announces that she believes our country should undergo a national divorce with the red and blue states each going their own separate ways - permanently - none of us should really be too surprised.  

The flaws in that notion could almost fill an ocean, with perhaps the first and foremost being that the Republican congresswoman spouting that nonsense is from a state that shows an increasing amount of blue in each election.  There would also be serious concerns about how the red states - who often take more from the federal government than they contribute through taxes - would survive after the national breakup.   Clearly the congresswoman's mouth was operating at a much faster rate of speed than her brain while she was planting this bomb.  

Maybe she should poll that idea - Democrats might even be more supportive of a national divorce than Republicans!

The congresswoman, who is herself freshly divorced, is not serious with her political divorce rhetoric, but she does apparently believe that she is seriously being considered as Trump's potential running mate in 2024, and to that end she is deadly serious about keeping her name in the press as much as is humanly possible - and one way to do that is by constantly churning out crackpot ideas - like a national divorce.

The congresswoman's long game is about burnishing her own unique brand of crack-pottery, demonizing people according to their political beliefs, race and ethnicity, religion, and how they identify sexually, and to suck up as much of the political oxygen as she is capable of inhaling.   She does not fear the press, the voters, or even the gazpacho police - and, in fact, the only thing she does fear is a lack of attention!

It's not about secession, but it is about being the center of attention and making Donald Trump smile - and on that I would bet my Jewish space laser!

The Dark Art of Creative Cookery

 

by Pa Rock

Kitchen Provocateur

My father liked to cook and was fairly good at it, but as he aged his taste buds began flaming out and Dad started to "rev-up" his cooking with various spicy ingredients so that he could continue to enjoy the taste of his own cooking.   Visitors at Dad's table did not always enjoy his recipe modifications as much as he did.   Two of Dad's regular specialities were potato salad and meatloaf, both of which lent themselves well to endless experimentation and became more "revved-up" with each passing year.

But Dad's kitchen creativity predated the loss of his taste buds,  I clearly remember one morning when my sister and I were in elementary school and Dad fixed our breakfast.  The grilled cheese sandwiches waiting on the table were not standard breakfast fare in our household, but they would have sufficed if Dad had not chosen to experiment that particular morning.  As we bit into the breakfast sandwiches, we discovered not only the golden layer of melted cheese which we had been expecting, but also a melted grape layer, too.  If Velveeta and grape jelly each made tasty sandwiches, our Dad figured that together they would be even better.  And they probably did make a warm and tasty breakfast sandwich, though my sister and I declined to try them.   Dad wound up eating them himself, and he said they were very delicious!

My favorite imaginary friend, an old coot  by the name of Rusty Pails, also enjoys cooking, and like my late father, Rusty's creations are sometimes "out there."   Rusty's favorite speciality is a sandwich that he calls the "Rustwich," and he and his friends often consume several at their more festive social gatherings.  Rusty describes his "Rustwich" as:

"A brazen blend of fried baloney and onions sandwiched between thick slices of grilled rye and served up with a good dose of horseradish mustard."

Rusty notes that to make the "supreme" version of a "Rustwich," all one has to do is add a layer of sauerkraut.  Another imaginary good friend of mine, Esther Pearl, says that a Rustwich is harder to swallow than one of Shadetree Mike's fish tales.  Esther also says that a Rustwich is the only food she knows of that tastes exactly like its name!

So with all of that background, it should not surprise anyone that I also occasionally dabble in the dark art of creative cookery.   My endeavors, however, are far more subdued that the fiery creations that my father served up to an unsuspecting world, and instead of pursuing spicy surprises, I seek out new forms of comfort foods.

Yesterday my son served up a very nice platter of French toast for breakfast.  I knew that Nick would be working that evening and I would be on my own for supper, so when two slices of French toast remained from breakfast, I secreted them away for supper.  But as suppertime approached I realized that two slices of French toast would not be enough to satisfy my hinger pangs -  and after a few minutes of careful thought, I came up with a plan.

First I put two slices of American cheese between the French toast leftovers and set the partially-cooked sandwich aside.  Then I beat two eggs in a small bowl and set that aside,  After that I brought out the handiest gadget in my kitchen - a small "flip" skillet.   I poured a layer of the egg sauce in the bottom portion of the skillet, placed the cheese sandwich on that, and then poured the remaining egg sauce over the top of the sandwich.  Finally, I closed that skillet and began to slowly fry the sandwich-in-an-omelet at a fairly low temperature, flipping it only a couple of times while it cooked.  The meal was completed with a nice glass of cold milk.

My evening meal was good, and comforting, though not great.  I am left wondering if a tablespoon of grape jelly might have made it a classic!

Be afraid, Emeril - be very afraid!

Single-Wide Trailers: The New Symbol of Humble Origins

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

America's first political class, people like Washington, Jefferson, Madison, the Adams, the Lees, Patrick Henry and the other national leaders of the Revolutionary period, were born to privilege and represented the elite segment of society.  It wasn't until the election of Andrew Jackson to the presidency in 1828 that the public began to realize that common people were also capable of leadership - as long as they were white men.

Our seventh President, Jackson, had roots which were far more common than those of our "founding fathers."    Old Hickory not been born amid wealth established in Europe, and his views on the future of the young country had been forged on the frontier and in the military, rather than from the lap of luxury.  He came across as a true man of the people, someone who shared the views and interests of ordinary individuals - and someone who, like most of them, had even been born in a log cabin. 

The log cabin quickly became a symbol that early 19th century politicians used to highlight their humble origins, reminding voters that they, like Andrew Jackson, were also men of the people.  Following Jackson, at least six other US Presidents were born in log cabins, including:   James K. Polk, Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan. Abraham Lincoln, and James A. Garfield - as well as hundreds of holders of lesser offices.   Having been born in a log cabin essentially "made" a candidate a man of the people, and any who had been fortunate to have been born with that advantage were quick to cash in on it.

Today, of course, standards defining "humble origins" have changed.  I recently read that Jimmy Carter, who was born on October 1, 1924, was the first U President to have been born in a hospital - and indication that we are truly becoming a modern nation.

Now the emphasis is shifting away from the circumstances of our birth to the environment in which we were raised.  Last week in an article in Politico which focused on Jason Smith, my US congressman, a Republcican from Missouri's 8th district, I came across this deprecatory gem that Smith has crafted about his own humble origins:

“I grew up in a working-class family. My mother was a factory worker and my dad was an auto mechanic and a preacher, and I lived in a single-wide trailer for most of my life.  My background is what drives me and the policies I’m pushing.

Tennessee Williams couldn't have said it better! 

Jason Smith Reeks of Self-Importance

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

My congressman, a 42-year old bachelor Republican by the name of. Jason Smith, has represented most of southeast Missouri in the US House of Representatives since a special election ten tears ago.   Smith's district, Missouri's 8th, is the largest district by land area in the state and was described by the Cook Political Report as being the sixth most consecrative congressional district in the nation.

Smith, who considered running for the US Senate seat that Roy Blunt vacated earlier this year, ultimately chose not to leave the safety of the House, and was rewarded for his fear of unemployment by being selected to head the occasionally prestigious House Ways and Means Committee when the new (barely) Republican House officially formed last month.

Congressman Smith sends out an email newsletter each week to residents of his district who go to the effort of subscribing.   Smith has smugly referred to his weekly newsletter in the past as form of a "town hall," as he remains resolute in his intention to never hold actual town halls or other unscripted affairs where he could  be confronted face-to-face with surprises or unanticipated concerns from his constituents.  

The tenor of Smith's newsletters has changed markedly since his selection as chair of the Ways and Means Committee last month.  Before his ascension within the GOP congressional power structure, Smith's newsletters, to the fortunate few who signed up to receive them, were roughly equal parts unhinged complaints about President Biden and local news - much of which featured photos of the ambitious Missouri politician and area farmers along with their prized farm machinery and livestock.  There was also always a short listing of commonsense legislation that Smith had voted against during the previous week, as well as right-wing hyperbole posing as serious legislation which he favored.

But now Rep. Jason Smith, as the Chairman if Ways and Means, suddenly has a national perch from which to pontificate, and his self-aggrandizement is truly starting to blossom.

Prior to his political facelift, the congressman was usually pictured in faded blue jeans and untucked shirts as he drove around his district most weekends posing and backslapping.  This week in his most recent newsletter, there were nine photos of the congressman, and in each he was wearing a suit and tie.  He mentions in the very first paragraph of the current  newsletter that he is the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, and his new position within the House hierarchy is mentioned at least nine other times in the weekly newsletter - along with several other references to the work of that committee. Each of the political news stories that the congressman addressed in his newsletter, in fact, mentioned the Ways and Means Committee and used it as the focal point for the story.

All of that, and his farming costume was gone..  

It's almost like we have a new congressman here in southeast Missouri - and that could very well be for the best!

Around the Bend and on the Mend

 

by Pa Rock

Recuperator

The last good night's sleep that I have had was on January 29th.  Since breaking my left arm early on the morning of Monday, January 30th, I have been forced to try to sleep uncomfortably on my back, without moving, while in a moderate amount of pain.  Any night that I managed to get two hours or more of sleep was a good night.

All of that nocturnal misery seems to have come to a screeching halt as of last night when, without warning, I enjoyed just over twelve hours of blissful unconsciousness with only a few brief interruptions.  The restful sleep was wonderful, and this morning I feel blissfully recharged!

Today my morning shower was far less tortuous than it has been during recent weeks.  I have better movement in my arm, and I can get both hands to the keyboard, although my left hand shakes so badly that it is still of little use in typing.

But better sleep will will bring quicker healing - and I am unanimous in that!

Weird Dreams

 

by Pa Rock

Nocturnal Hallucinator

I am not a person who normally remembers my dreams, but I had a couple last week which stuck with me.  The first happened one afternoon while I was sitting in the living room recliner at Tim and Erin’s house watching the umpteenth episode of “Grimm” for the umpteenth time.   I became very drowsy and faded off into some nether world that was probably influenced by the offbeat television series as well by the pain meds that I had been taking for the preceding two weeks.
 
The First Dream:
 
As I lost consciousness, I immediately found myself transported back to the 1960’s at what appeared to be a seldom-used airfield in Springfield, Missouri – the place where I had been attending college at the time.  I was standing in the field along with a female friend from that same period in my life – and we were waiting on a plane to arrive which would take us to Ozark, or Crane, or Nixa, or some other nearby small town.
 
Suddenly a small passenger plane came roaring down from the clouds and landed nearby.  As we boarded the plane directly from the ground through an open cargo door, I caught a glimpse of the pilot sitting at the controls.  It was my old second grade teacher, Cora Gum, who would have been in her eighties at that time!
 
Mrs. Gum appeared to be in a hurry, and just as my friend and I got ourselves strapped into the only two seats in the cabin, the plane was bumping along across the rough field, and we were soon airborne heading toward the heavens.
 
It was at point where things started to get weird.
 
Suddenly I noticed that my fellow passenger was now Mrs. Gum, and that my friend from college was flying the plane – and that she had a tumbler of scotch sitting atop the plane’s control panel.  I also noticed that the airplane’s configuration had changed, and it now seemed to be a flying school bus.
 
We were rapidly descending and heading for a landing in another rough field, this one containing a long runway composed of large, uneven paving stones.  I was entering a panic mode but was minimally reassured by the pilot’s calm demeanor as she worked the controls and sipped her scotch.  
 
Moments later our school bus-plane was bouncing happily – and gratefully – down the runway.   We had arrived!
 
(The first dream lasted less than ten minutes.  The second was probably even shorter.)
 
The Second Dream:
 
This one occurred late that same night.  I was aware that I was lying in bed, but uncertain as to whether I was awake or not.  I was uncomfortable and lying on my back – my only sleeping option since breaking my arm two weeks earlier.  As I was lying there, I happened to glance down at the left corner of the bed just as a strange little man hopped up onto the mattress and began walking across it - and me - toward the upper righthand corner of the bed.
 
The intruder was about eighteen inches tall and probably weighed less than fifteen pounds.  He was dressed formally in a blue business suit and tie, and he bore a strong resemblance to my best friend in high school.  I’m not sure why, but I found this second dream to be much more frightening than the first – and I woke myself up with a scream.  I had scared myself, and I guess I scared the intruder as well because he hopped off of my bed and has not been seen since!
 
Sleeping can be difficult for someone with a broken arm, but at least it is entertaining!
 

Education Should Rise Above the Stench of Politics

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

There is a former President of the United States currently stumbling around cyberspace under the guise of once again trying to capture the highest political office in the land.  But as he waddles from microphone to microphone, he also makes a point of issuing outrageous pronouncements which seem to have the primary focus of keeping his name in the news while increasing his on-line presence, and ultimately his value to advertisers - and even to his own bottom-line net worth.

It's all about the money, honey - and every "like" or "retweet" that the political manipulator and scoundrel gets because of his crackpot ideas makes him, and the platforms and "news" shows which feature his absurdities, that much more valuable to advertisers.  Advertisers want their products and services to be seen by the most eyes possible, even if those eyes are primarily implanted in the skulls of lemmings, sheep, and people who run a high risk of drowning from looking up in rainstorms.

I'm going to make a few comments this morning about that politician without using his name - not because I'm worried about being sued, because I am not - it's all a matter of public record.  I am omitting his name because I do not enjoy typing or using it - and I do not want to add to his on-line value - even by a modest penny or two that my efforts might generate on a really good blog day.

The conniving politician on whom I am focused today has lately put out some very bizarre ideas on American education, and since I am a retired school teacher and administrator, I feel a strong need to note and rebut what he is saying.

This featured politician, as well as many others, is clamoring for more public involvement in the schools - not the private schools where their children go, but the public schools where their tax dollars occasionally drift.  The general public, however, already has a large interaction in the schools which their kids attend - from being room parents, helping with fundraising and special projects, to even volunteering in the classrooms.   They go to the ballgames, spelling bees, field trips, activity days, bake sales and car washes, and may even check in at the prom.

But that is not the type of public involvement that this politician and others like him are seeking.  They want community rabble-rousers storming school board meetings and intimidating members into making brash decisions which will limit educational opportunities for the students and ultimately help to keep them on the lower rungs of the socio-economic ladder throughout their lifetimes.  Pulling books from library shelves and texts from classrooms is also all about controlling ideas and maintaining on old-line class system.

Money, honey.

Manipulating the uninformed is, at its base, all about maintaining the economic status quo and keeping the poor kids poor while enhancing the privileges of the privileged.

The right-wing politician about whom I am feverishly typing - and with one hand - said a few days ago that he favored the "election" of principals.   Actually, principals are already "elected" (hired) by the votes of officials (school board members) who have themselves been elected by the public.  The move to directly elect principals is actually a political maneuver to disrupt the operations of the schools.

Being the leader of the school is, by its very nature, contentious.   Money is always tight, and deciding on ways to equitably distribute resources can be a minefield for administrators.   And then there are a myriad of other pressures to deal with:   testing and measures of student performance, student activities, staff and faculty issues, student discipline, community outreach, and even managing the occasional pandemic as it ravages the local school.  A good principal is running to maintain his or her office every day -  and has no time for the added nonsense of standing for a community election.

Yesterday, the verbose politician who is trying to increase his own political stature on the backs of American public school students and educators deployed another doozy of a distraction when ge pivoted to the subject of student discipline and suggested that when he returns to the presidency he would "end the leftist takeover of school discipline and juvenile justice" and "allow" the federal government to oversee school discipline through involvement by the Department of Justice and the Department of Education.  The. presidential candidate, who some say has a history of conflating race with crime, said that "troubled youth" were "going wild" by indulging in criminal activities.

A threat of bringing in the big (federal) guns to manage school discipline is just one more less-than-subtle way to try and make crime a racial issue.

There is plenty of room to "reform" education in America, but that will be a losing battle as long as our already underpaid teachers are forced to purchase classroom supplies with their own funds, or pay off lunchroom debt out of their own pockets in order to be able to interact with students who aren't focused on hunger - or until good community citizens can once again feel safe in serving on school boards - or until students are free to study ideas and texts which are routinely recommended for those who wish to go to college, or until the day when active-shooter drills are just a bad memory.

Education should be free, available to all, and beyond the malignancies of politics.                     

Decrepitude Is Only a Fall Away!

by Pa Rock

The Wanderer

Tim had Rosie and I back to West Plains by early afternoon yesterday.  During the eighteen days in which we had been away, there didn't seem to have been much that had changed around town or at The Roost.   A heavy snow had knocked quite a bit if brush out to the trees shortly before we had vacated to the Kansas City area, and  it was nice to find that Number One Son, Nick, had cleaned up most of that during our absence.  (Nick had also done some much-needed house-cleaning while we were away - and the cat and guinea both looked like they had been well cared for during our sojourn to the Kansas suburbs of Kansas City.)

Tim took me to the local pharmacy and grocery shopping before he headed back to his home.  He spent about ten hours on the road yesterday.  Pa Rock is truly grateful for the love and support of his family.

Today has started off well.  The mower shop in Mountain View where I purchased my monster lawnmower came and picked it up this morning for its annual service.   I also managed to complete all of my standard morning routines by myself - save one.  So far I haven't figured out how to put the arm sling on without assistance, but I will devise a system for accomplishing that as well.

Big picture:  the arm is slowly getting better, and I am becoming more proficient in taking care of myself - also slowly.

Take care of yourselves.  Decrepitude is only a simple fall away!

The Long Road Back to Normal

 

by Pa Rock

One-Armed Wonder 

It was just barely daylight on Monday morning, the 30th day of January, and I was outside at my little farm in the Missouri Ozarks taking care of a few morning chores when I slipped on the ice and managed to break my left arm.  The break was just below the shoulder in an area that cannot be secured by a plaster cast.  Less than three years earlier I had broken my right arm just below the shoulder when I had fallen backwards out of an elevated flower bed, so I knew the drill and had a good idea of the slow adventures in healing which awaited me.
 
This morning marks three weeks since the accident.   The orthopedist has told me that it would take approximately six weeks before the healing would kick into high gear.  (Somehow ”high-kicking” does not sound appropriate for this blog posting!)
 
My youngest son, Tim, came to West Plains on February 2nd and transported me to his home in the Kansas suburbs of Kansas City where I have been residing for the past eighteen days.   Tim and his family have been very gracious to Rosie and me during our extended stay, and we have enjoyed being around them, but today the Kansas adventure ends and we are headed home!
 
By way of a medical update, my arm is already noticeably better with a wider range-of-movement, and I am now able to do some tasks which were giving me trouble when the break was new – such as giving myself insulin shots four times a day with hands that have been impaired for years by basic tremors.  Thanks to the nice reprieve In Kansas, I think that I will now be able to manage necessary chores and survival skills on my own.
 
Having family who were willing to step in and share my medical burdens for the past couple of weeks has certainly been a blessing!   Tim, Erin, Olive, and Sully – Pa Rock and Rosie love you all very much.  Thank you for allowing us to share in your lives!

Thanks also to Tim's siblings, Molly - who has been doing some medical services' research for me during my convalescence, and Nick - who has taken care of things at home during my absence.   It is great to have all of that family support!

Politicians Dealing with Mental Health Issues

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

John Fetterman, who was elected as the junior US senator from the state of Pennsylvania just this past November - and who suffered a major stroke during the campaign - was again admitted to the hospital last week with an undiagnosed ailment, and this week he has admitted himself to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center outside of Washington DC where he declared that he is suffering from clinical depression and is seeking treatment.   Fetterman’s staff have indicated that the senator will be receiving in-patient treatment for the next several weeks at the hospital.  They are expecting a full recovery.
 
Politicians from both political parties are speaking favorably about the Democratic senator’s honesty and openness in dealing publicly with his serious mental health issue.  An exception to that general rule was voiced by Donald Trump, Jr., who referred to Fetterman as “the vegetable senator“ on his podcast, but even young Trump managed to say before the show was over that he wished Senator Fetterman well.

(I'm sorry for feeling the need to point this out, but Junior Trump criticizing anyone's mental health status other than his own, is irony well beyond measure!)
 
Senator Fetterman's announcement that he is dealing with mental health issues was not only well received by fellow politicians of both major parties, it also seems to be resonating favorably with the American public in general.
 
After Fetterman’s announcement this week, there have been stories in the press about a couple of other politicians who shared their own mental health diagnoses with the public.  Two of the most talked about were prominent Missouri Democrats.  Hearing their stories serves as a good gauge of how the public response to politicians with mental health issues has changed over the years.
 
US Senator Thomas F. Eagleton of Missouri was nominated to be George McGovern's running mate on the Democratic presidential ticket in 1972.  A couple of weeks after that nomination was made and Eagleton had been approved by the Democratic National Convention as their vice-presidential nominee, one of the young senator’s previous political opponents released a story to the press which stated that Eagleton had undergone mental health treatment as well as electric shock treatment for depression and exhaustion.   Those incidents, which were true, had occurred several years before Eagleton's name went on the national ballot.
 
When the news of Eagleton's past mental health history and treatment became public knowledge, George McGovern went before the press to state that he was standing by his running mate and that he supported him 1,000 percent.  Press coverage of the story was unrelenting and McGovern soon changed his mind and asked Eagleton to remove himself from the ticket.  He was replaced on the ballot by R. Sargent Shriver, a Kennedy in-law who had been the founder of the Peace Corps. 
 
While some national politicians and journalists had trouble accepting a politician who admitted to having received mental health treatment, that was not the case with Missouri voters who went on to send Thomas F. Eagleton back to the United States Senate for two additional six-year terms.
 
Jason Kander, a Democrat, had already served a term as Missouri's Secretary of State when he decided to run against incumbent US Senator Roy Blunt, a Republican, in 2016.  Kander gave Senator Blunt the scare of his political life when he came within a three points of defeating Blunt in the general election that year - at the same time when Republican Donald Trump was walloping Democrat Hillary Clinton in the same state by 18 1/2 percentage points.
 
Two years later in October of 2018 Jason Kander was a candidate for mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, and he was leading in the polls with less than a month remaining before the election when he suddenly withdrew.  Kander, who had been an intelligence officer with the United States Army for eight years and had served multiple tours of duty in Afghanistan, made the following surprise announcement over Twitter:
 

“I suffer from depression and have PTSD symptoms.   After 11 years I'm finally ready to do something about it.”

After a prolonged period of treatment, Jason Kander has not returned to politics, and instead he works nationally with programs for homeless veterans - and he also tours talking about his mental health issues and the road to recovery.
 
Of the three Democratic politicians discussed in this blog posting, Thomas Eagleton of Missouri received the most push back regarding his issues and treatment, but even Eagleton held up well with voters in his home state.    And the two more recent instances, Kander and Fetterman, both seem to have inspired public confidence with their openness and honesty.  
 
The times, it would seem, are changing for the better.  I think we can all be proud of that, and we can definitely be proud that people are stepping forward to face their demons.  When that happens, society benefits - and the world is a safer and more nurturing place.

Usually It's the Poultry That Gets Plucked!

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

This past Thursday Dominion Voting Systems, a company that sells voting software and hardware, such as voting machines, to government entities, filed a 178-page legal brief in its 1.6 billion dollar defamation suit against Fox News, a suit in which Dominion is claiming that Fox accused it of helping to cheat Donald Trump out of a win in the 2020 election against Joe Biden.    

 

In that legal brief Dominion stated that Fox knew “from the top down” that their news coverage trying to link Dominion to voter fraud was “total bs.”   To highlight its case against Fox, Dominion produced excerpts from text messages and depositions which had been generated by executives and others from Fox News.    The defamation suit had gotten underway in March of 2021 – roughly two months after Joe Biden’s inauguration as President – and has now been in-process for nearly two years.    
 
Those messages shared among Fox News personalities as well as other members of the Fox organization showed that certain stars of the Fox News network fully understood that Donald Trump had lost the 2020 election shortly after its conclusion, and that some of those stars (including Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson, and Laura Ingraham)  commented among themselves about Trump's team losing the election - but failed to share any of that information with their viewers.
 
In its legal brief Dominion Voting Systems suggested that Fox was fearful of losing viewers to rival Newsmax if Fox failed to support the election denialism being generated by the Trump team.
 
Now, as this legal case heads toward a conclusion, the extent to which Fox created and filtered the news is becoming evident, and it looks as though the injured party, in this case Dominion Voting Systems, will soon be due a payout - and that payout looks to be hefty and well deserved!

Usually it's the poultry that gets plucked - but not always.  Fox News appears set to lose a big chunk of its plumage to a company that it defamed as it tried - unsuccessfully - to keep Team Trump happy.

Another Russian Falls Out of Another Window

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

Yesterday in this space I commented on some of Donald Trump’s musings with friends and associates regarding “classic” forms of capital punishment (hanging, firing squads, and even use of the guillotine) as ways to deter crime.  I also mentioned that Trump had sought input from associates on the idea of videotaping executions up through the point of death, and then sharing those tapes with the public as a way of promoting his criminal justice ideas.  I noted that the idea bore a strong resemblance to “snuff films.”   
 
Yesterday’s blog posting was based on reporting in the current on-line issue of Rolling Stone Magazine.
 
And while much of what Donald Trump seems to regard as preventive measures are seen by others as wantonly sadistic, he is perhaps just a bush-league player when it comes to responding to what he deems to be criminal activity.
 
In the United States we usually try to buttress what constitutes crime and punishment through a system of courts and laws –  a concept generally referred to as “due process.”  But that is not how the rest of the world necessarily operates.  
 
On December 27, 2022, I posted a blog entry in this space which told of some Russian dissidents and oligarchs who seemed to be the victims of state-sponsored executions and attempted state-sponsored executions without any form of due process.  That piece focused on a half-dozen or so Russians and others who had been poisoned, most of them lethally – appartently by agents of the Russian government.  That posting also told of eight individuals who had become irritants to the Russian government and had subsequently fallen to their deaths from high windows of very tall buildings.
 
Yesterday internet news sources reported that another prominent Russian had fallen to her death from a window on the 16^th floor of a high-rise building in St Petersburg, Russia.  Marina Yankina, age 58, the head of the financial department of the Russian Ministry of Defense, fell 160 feet to her death.  She was a key financial architect for Putin’s war in Ukraine.
 
Perhaps filming these frequent flyers would act as a deterrent to behaviors which offend the Russian government.  Maybe instead of “snuff films,” they would usher in a new sub-genre of “splat films!”
 
Or maybe it will take updated heating and air-conditioning systems to keep those deadly windows closed and locked!
 
Just sayin’ . . .
 

Are Guillotines and Snuff Films Deterrents to Crime?

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

Donald John Trump, easily one of the most personally dishonest and reprehensible people to ever serve as President of the United States, has a long history of misusing his position and authority to break badly on low-level criminals, and especially those who espouse political views contrary to his own.  Trump, for instance, has encouraged police to get physical with protestors and reporters, even suggesting that law enforcement officers bang the heads of protestors against their squad cars.  He has also mentioned, on occasion, his personal desire to have the military shoot racial protest demonstrators.

At one time Trump paid for full-page newspaper ads calling for the execution of the Central Park Five, a group later exonerated for their alleged crimes.  Trump never apologized to those men over hir racist and unhinged rush to judgment.
 
And, lest we forget, Donald Trump was the prime instigator and cheerleader for the violence at the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021.
 
Donald Trump has a well-known penchant for violence and sadism.   During his presidency – which was mercifully just one term - Trump oversaw more executions of federal prisoners than any other President in the past one-hundred-and-twenty years.  Trump even oversaw the execution of some prisoners during the lame-duck period after he had lost re-election but before Joe Biden was sworn in as President – something that rarely happens.
 
This week Rolling Stone Magazine ran an article detailing conversations that Trump has had with a few aides as he develops campaign messaging on crime and punishment.   In those discussions Trump expressed a curiosity as to his  associates’ thoughts on some some classic forms of executions – as well as their thoughts on releasing videotapes of executions to help sell his plans to the voting public.  The videotapes would cover the executions up through the point of death – much like “snuff films.”   The classic forms of executions which Trump supposedly have been discussing include hangings, firing squads, and even the guillotine.  He is also discussing the notion of group executions, especially for drug dealers.
 
Additionally, according to the Rolling Stone article, Trump wants the families of drug dealers to be required to pay for the costs of their relatives’ executions – such as for the cost of any ammunition used in killing the criminals.
 
All-in-all, this new information reveals the emotional underpinnings of a man who also just happens to be a former President of the United States and who is currently busy seeking election to that most important position of public trust again.  Surely Trump is an aberrant reflection of American civilization and values – because if Donald Trump accurately reflects who we are as a society, then we are in the process of losing our way – and our humanity.

Canadian Goose-Stepping

 

by Pa Rock

Urban Adventurer

I don't get out much of late,  and with the onset of the clarity gained through twenty-twenty hindsight, I am becoming increasingly aware that I never got out much in life at all.  Next time I will endeavor to see and do more.   But with a few shards of my current life remaining, I make a conscious effort to see and experience as much life as I can each time I make it beyond the confines of the house.

This evening my son and I made a supply run to Costco where we were exposed to many wonders packaged in bulk.  Before we even got to the big box store, however, we were exposed to a survival wonder of nature.   It was right at the height of rush hour on a very busy section of Johnson Drive where we encountered two fully-grown Canadian Geese slowly, and very carefully, making their way across the vehicular war zone - on foot!  We drove by just as they were completing their daredevil adventure.

Having recently priced airline tickets to Oregon, I completely understood why the geese had chosen to walk!

I don't know but I've been told

    Canadian Goose Vodka is mighty bold,

I don't know but I hear tell

    Too much of it rings Jody's bell!

Sound off

    One, two,

Sound off

    Three, four,

Bring it on down

    One, two, - three, four!

Bubba's Balloons

 

by Pa Rock

Conspiracy Theorist

As Bubba and his drunken hillbilly cohorts race around the backwoods in their big pickup trucks looking for electric substations that they can shoot up - so as to hasten the arrival of the inevitable race war that they are sure is just a blackout or two away - I’m wondering what else they may be up to?  What other disruptive things are currently going on in America which could be the work of barely functional simpletons?
 
IMHO, the current spate of mysterious objects floating across the North American airspace could possibly be one such subversive distraction.  Yes, the first of the four objects shot down so far was reportedly a Chinese spy balloon the size of three school buses and adrift at around 60,000 feet – but the three subsequent floating objects were flying at lower altitudes and were considerably smaller than the Chinese balloon.
 
Could objects two, three, and four (or any combination thereof) be “copycat” efforts designed to keep the national hysteria bubbling happily along?
 
I’m not proud of it, but I have been to a couple of social gatherings and “balloon releases” by elementary schools and civic organizations where some people used non-standard balloons for demonstrations and entertainment.   In one instance a science teacher used the leftover helium to fill a large garbage bag which he then released to pursue the smaller balloons that had been released by his students.
 
And yes, in hindsight that was dangerous, especially with regard to modern air traffic – but we were not that smart in the old days.  
 
I would argue that Bubba and his running buddies still aren’t that smart.  They are, however, smart enough to tape together some really big balloons, fill them with helium, and release them into the night sky.   And if a race war springs up out of the ensuing panic, well . . . that would just be gravy!
 
Vandals - and goobers - could be contributing to this strange UFO saga.

Super Bowl Sunday as Experienced From Kansas

 

by Pa Rock

As I sit typing this with just one hand, it is Sunday afternoon a couple of hours before the beginning of Super Bowl LVII.   This year's big game is being held at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, where the Arizona Cardinals play football.   I lived in Air Force housing at Luke Air Force Base in Glendale, Arizona, just off of Glendale Avenue from 2012 until 2014, and my home was less than two miles from the stadium.
 
This week I am in Roeland Park, Kansas, recuperating from a broken arm.  Roeland Park is a suburb of Kansas City, and, as such, it is appropriately bedecked in Kansas City Chiefs decorations, clothing, and merchandise.   The Chiefs normally play at Arrowhead Stadium which is on the Missouri side of the line, but they have plenty of supporters in Kansas!        
 
Some celebrities, and in particular some Republican politicians, seem to have trouble understanding just exactly where Kansas City is, or that there are actually two Kansas Cities, the iconic one with the skyscrapers and major sports venues, theaters , and “riverboat” casinos in Kansas City, Missouri, and the other, a more restrained urban area in Kansas.
 
The fact that there are two Kansas Cities has led to some complaints and even jeers when a celebrity takes to the stage in Kansas City, Missouri, and begins their performance by commenting on how great it is to be back in Kansas.
 
After the Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl in February of 2020, Donald John Trump, a clueless and not-popularly-elected President of the United States, tweeted this little gem from aboard Air Force One as he was taking his weekly free ride from Washington, DC, to Miami, Florida:
 

“Congratulations to the Kansas City Chiefs on a great, and a fantastic comeback under immense pressure.  You represented the Great State of Kansas and, in fact, the entire USA so very well.  Our country is PROUD OF YOU.”

 
The current clueless politician of the year is another Republican, Missouri’s Senator Josh Hawley.    Senator Hawley, who owns a nice home in Virginia but has no fixed abode – nor even a recliner – in Missouri, joined in a hoary old tradition of wagering a local product against a local product of an equivalent office holder from the state of the opposing team.  Hawley bet some Kansas City barbecued brisket against some Ohio barbecued ribs put up by Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio back when KC played Cincinnati to advance to the Super Bowl
 
Hawley’s bet with Vance was problematic because he wagered Kansas barbecue from a place that does not have any outlets in Missouri!  Former Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill has offered to meet Hawley in Kansas City, Missouri, and introduce him to some real barbecue from the state that he claims to represent in the United States Senate.
 
It is now several hours later and the Super Bowl – which Kansas City won 38-35 – is history.  Tim and Erin hosted a Super Bowl get-together at their place, my first ever.  It was interesting and fun.  As soon as the game ended, neighbors began pouring out of their Kansas homes and into the streets – streets which were already alive with the sights and sounds of fireworks.  The steady banging of fireworks along with joyous shouts from the neighborhood went on for more than an hour.
 
I still have problems with politicians who don’t understand the geography of their own nation or state, but after last night I am more acutely aware that the Kansas City Chiefs represent two states, and not just one.
 
And last night the Kansas City Chiefs made both if those states - Missouri and Kansas - proud.
 
Go Chiefs!
 

Someone Should Have Popped Marge's Balloon

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

 
Over the past week one gigantic, white Chinese balloon – almost as large as three school buses – and two other large unidentified objects have been shot down by the US military over North American airspace.  Yesterday President Biden ordered that an object floating over Alaska be shot down, and today Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, after consultation with President Biden, gave the go-ahead for US fighter jets to shoot down an unidentified object that was floating high above Canada’s Yukon Territory.
 
The Chinese balloon which was shot down first is now believed to have been a spy balloon that was monitoring US communications.
 
Congressional clown Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican from rural Georgia who whines about being underpaid for all of her hard work in Congress, attempted to troll both President Biden as well as Pentagon officials by carrying a large white balloon into the State if the Union address this past Tuesday night.  Greene, who alerted right-wing noise outlets ahead of her political stunt, said she was expressing her wrath that the Chinese balloon had not been shot down when she first demanded it.
 
(This tired old typist is pleased to know that neither President Biden nor US military officials appear to be responding to the political and military advice of Marge Greene.)

 
Efforts by the Canadian government to salvage the object that was shot down today over the Yukon Territory are currently underway.  Maybe then we will finally have some idea of what is happening high above the Northern Lights.  Until then, however, we are stuck with paranoid conspiracies and political rumors being generated by American right-wing gadflies and distilled through Fox News.
 
And it is going to take far more than a big balloon to make Marge Greene a relevant voice in American government.  Perhaps she should also try carrying a bottle of seltzer water and wearing floppy shoes!

GOP Debating Points

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

With nearly a year to go before the next presidential election cycle kicks into high gear, Republicans are already giving us a glimpse of the tactics they will use in their intra-party debates.  Donald Trump, who seems to feel (and fear) that Florida governor Ron DeSantis will be his main obstacle in grabbing the Republican Party's presidential nomination, managed cough up a claim last week that DeSantis is a pedophile.   Trump, who clearly does not understand that the term “pedophile” relates to adults who are attracted to prepubescent children, based that characterization on a photo from an old high school party in which DeSantis, as a young high school teacher, showed up at a student party where alcohol was being served.   DeSantis, being the bigger man figuratively, if not literally, seemed to laugh off the Trump accusation.
 
Referring to political enemies as pedophiles has become a standard-issue Republican campaign tactic.  Many, such as Republican Party nitwit Marjorie Taylor Greene, also toss in the word “groomer” whenever “pedophile” is used in their impolite discourse.
 
That's where it begins, especially for Republicans who prefer starting in the gutter and then digging lower.  Someone initiates the exchange on comfortable ground, at least for Republicans, by calling someone else a pedophile.   That person then blusters out a denial, and, in turn, accuses the original name-caller of being a pedophile and a groomer.    After that is denied, the first name-caller will add something like “and your wife is ugly” to the growing list of insults - which sort of automatically forces the other guy to come back with “and your wife is ugly and fat.”
 
Donald Trump, who believes that his own wife is attractive, has a long and colorful history of disparaging women based solely on their appearance.  
 
Since Republican candidates are unlikely to ever engage in meaningful debate, at least among themselves, they might as well start the process early and jump straight into the mud pit.  It is their comfort zone and a territory which they know well.  But for those with a serious interest in policy discussions that could affect their lives, time would be spent more productively by listening to Democrats address the issues.   Democrats at least know what the issues are!

Missouri GOP Votes to Allow Kids to Openly Carry Guns without Adult Supervision

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

There is no shortage of interest in the Missouri legislature when it comes to overseeing efforts to control crime in the city of St. Louis, a traditional boogeyman that rural white politicians have long used to instill racial panic in their agrarian voting base back home.  They want their voters to see crime as being primarily based in race – the other guy’s race – and an urban issue. The state’s Republican legislators draw the line, however, when it comes to doing anything which would help St Louis law enforcement agencies in their constant struggle to control crime in the city.
 
Yesterday the Republican-controlled Missouri House of Representatives passed a major piece of legislation which had been drafted primarily to address crime in the city of St Louis.  That bill, as originally written, included a provision that would have banned unsupervised children from openly carrying firearms on public land in the state of Missouri.  The provision had been included based on a request from St. Louis Police Department.  The exact wording had been drafted by a bipartisan committee of three Republicans and three Democrats.
 
Basically, anyone can currently open-carry in Missouri, and some Republicans legislators were unhappy that limitations were about to be put in place which would affect some children, so that language was pulled.  But later it was added back in as an amendment.
 
Yesterday, as the bill was being debated in the Missouri House, there was a motion and vote to reject that particular amendment – and the House voted 104 to 39 to keep allowing unsupervised children to continue openly carrying guns on public lands.  It was primarily a party-line vote with all but one of the state’s GOP legislators voting against the common sense amendment and in favor of unsupervised children’s “rights” to openly carry firearms.

(To some Missouri residents - such as the one typing this blog posting - it almost seems as though most Republicans in the state legislature want crime to continue to be a major issue in St. Louis - as though rural, white legislators benefit politically from being able to demonize residents of that major metropolitan area.  But surely my state's GOP politicians would not be that crass and uncaring toward their fellow human beings . . . surely not!)
 
Keep all of that in mind when planning your next vacation to the Great Midwest, especially if that outing includes visits to Missouri state parks or other public lands.   We proudly protect everyone’s right to be shot in the “show-me” state!

Recliner Shopping with Pa Rock

 

by Pa Rock

Comfort-Seeking Creature

 
When I made my first visit to the orthopedist last week four days after breaking my left arm, I explained to the doctor that I was having trouble sleeping.   "Yes ,” he said, “that's normal.   Some of my patients say the only way they can get comfortable is by sitting in their recliners.   Some of them even sleep in their recliners.”  
 
But Pa Rock, alas, does not own a recliner.
 
That same afternoon I relocated to my son and daughter-in-law's home in the Kansas City area.   Once there I quickly discovered that I was still having trouble sleeping, so late one night I got out of bed and went and climbed into their recliner in the living room where I was able to get a small amount of sleep.  At that point I decided that it might be a good idea to look for a recliner – my first - to take back to West Plains with me when I eventually return home.
 
Two nights ago the kids took me shopping at the Nebraska Furniture Mart in Kansas City, Kansas.  It was much more than I was expecting!  I had done some basic research on-line before leaving home and learned that the store is huge, and that it has over a thousand recliners, so I had some idea of the daunting task that lay ahead.
 
Even with the preliminary visit to the store’s web page, I was still surprised by the actual size of the business enterprise.  The store that we were in was just about as large as the small city in southern Missouri that I call home, and it had just about as many pieces of furniture and appliances as are scattered throughout my entire community.
 
The broken arm kept me from being able to enjoy the full awesomeness of the recliners, but I was able to sample a few different types and make some decisions as to what I was looking for regarding recliner amenities.
 
I live in a house with a living room which has plenty of space, so getting a wall-hugging recliner was not a necessity, but I reasoned that I will one day probably live in smaller quarters and that it might be smart to get one that can be placed up against a wall.   So that became a requirement.   
 
Another equirement was that it have enough seating space to accommodate myself and my little dog, Rosie, because every time I sit down anywhere she wants to be right at my side.   Recliners come in a variety of styles.   Most are designed just for a single individual.  There are also double recliners connected together like a love seat, and even triple recliners connected together like a couch.  I was looking for a single, but the singles I tried weren't large enough to accommodate me and Rosie comfortably.   I quickly discovered that there is a variation called the recliner-and-a-half which is a single-seater with an extra-wide seat.   I tried out a couple of those and found that a fat-man's recliner would work very well for the pair of us.
 
A third requirement that I settled on was that the new recliner must be power-driven.   Of the few that I was able to try last night, the power models were clearly far superior in ease and comfort to the ones operated by hand.  My primary concern with power-driven recliners is that the power occasionally goes out in the area where I live when the hillbillies drive into power poles instead of deer, and I could imagine myself being stuck in a recliner when the power went out, especially if I had another broken arm.  I guess the safety plan there would be to always keep my phone with me when I recline!
 
Another important requirement for a recliner was that it be covered in a material that is durable and easy to clean.  I don't want one that will require constant vacuuming to remove dog hair, nor do I want a vinyl covering that Rosie's little claws could tear into.  I also did not Rosie having the opportunity to scratch or mar fine leather.   I found a few that I liked which were covered in a durable cloth material that looked nice and seemed rugged enough to handle our situation.
 
I discovered that cup holders are an important feature on recliners and every bit as useful there as they are in cars - so at least one cup holder became a must for my first recliner.
 
The final requirement was that whichever recliner I wound up selecting must be able to fit in the back of Tim and Erin's family war wagon.  I learned that most of the new recliners come in two major pieces and that they should fit into that particular type of vehicle.

And speaking of cars, the recliners at that particular mega-store began at $269 and went on up to about the price of a nice used car.
 
Tim and Erin had to do some shopping for other things while we were at Nebraska Furniture Mart so I took advantage of that time and explored the store beyond the recliner section.  One thing that I came across on the ground floor was a Sees Candy Store.   While exploring that business I discovered a stack of boxed peanut brittle which looked delicious.   I took a box off the stack and was headed to the register when I noted the price of $17.50 for ten ounces.  Needless to say that I put it back - and that I blame Trump!
 
So we did a lot of looking last night and I personally tried out several recliners, but I didn't pull the trigger and make a purchase.   Now that I have a general idea of what I am after, I will visit the store again before going back to West Plains, make a selection, and part with the cash.  Then, when I am safely back in the comfort of my own home, Rosie and I will spend as much time as we like snoozing in the recliner.
 
We will have arrived – but without the peanut brittle!

Abortion May be a Protected Constitutional Right After All

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

A federal judge who is overseeing a case against anti-abortion activists has raised what some are considering to be an interesting possible way around last summer's Supreme Court Dobbs’ decision which said that the right to an abortion is not guaranteed under the 14th Amendment.  What the court failed to do in that instance was to rule out the possibility that the right to an abortion may be protected elsewhere in the Constitution.
 
Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly suggested that the 13th amendment may be the one that actually protects a woman's right to abortion.  That amendment, which was drafted by the “radical Republican” Congress which was running the country at the end of the Civil War, brought about the end of slavery – as well as the entire notion of ”involuntary servitude.” 
 
In her “wonderings” regarding whether forcing a woman to endure a pregnancy could be considered "involuntary servitude,” Judge Kollar-Kotelly has asked both sides in the case she is currently overseeing to provide briefs by mid-March addressing the questions which she has raised on the matter.
 
The 13th Amendment to the US Constitution states:
 

“Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”

 
Forcing someone who doesn’t want to be pregnant to carry a pregnancy to term certainly sounds like “involuntary servitude” to this weary old typist.  And since almost half of the population can never be subjected to this form of involuntary servitude - while the other half can - it also sounds like a clear instance of discrimination based on gender.
 
But, hey, I’m not a lawyer – just a malcontent with a social conscience, a blog, and time on his hands.

Feds Foil Attack on Baltimore's Power Grid

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

A pair of white, gun-toting, hillbilly neo-Nazis had their plans to blow up the Baltimore power grid thwarted earlier yesterday by federal authorities.  The failed act of terrorism is being described in the national press as "the latest attempt by far-right extremists to destroy energy facilities across the US.”  (Sanjana Karanth, Huffpost)
 
I have written about several of these attacks over the past couple of months, some of which were successful when the terrorists sprayed remote power substations with automatic gunfire.  Now, with a planned attack on electric service to a major US city, the criminals seem to have upped their game.
 
The FBI arrested the pair, a 34-year-old woman from Maryland and a 27-year-old man from Florida, on Monday, February 6, 2023, and charged them with conspiracy to damage energy facilities.  According to a press release from the FBI, the two planned to “inflict maximum harm” on the power grid with the ultimate aim of destroying the city of Baltimore.
 
There seems to be a common belief among this new breed of terrorists, the ones focused on sabotaging the nation’s power supply, that if they can precipitate a major power outage, angry citizens will rush into the streets and begin bringing down the government – a lame movie plot, at best.
 
The female terrorist gave the plan away when she approached an FBI informant for help in purchasing a gun.   She told the informant that she had a terminal kidney condition which would take her life within a few months. She reportedly also said that she would sacrifice “everything” for “my people” to just have a chance for “our cause” to succeed.
 
An assistant US Attorney General described the couple’s cause as “racially-motivated hatred.”
 
The male member of the duo expressed a belief that a successful attack on a few substations would cause a cascading failure for most of the nation’s power grid.  He also said that “putting holes in transformers is the greatest thing somebody can do.”
 
Actually, Bubba, getting an education is the greatest thing somebody can do.  An educated person could have put all of those crackpot ideas into a movie script and then sold it to Jean Claude Van Damme or Sly Stallone.  In fact, some educated person probably will put your ideas into a movie, and then you can watch it on the small screen in the dayroom of the federal prison that will be your home for many, many years to come.
 
I am anxious to see how that racially-motivated hatred works out for you in there.

AZ GOP Fantasizes Over Bondage in Dog Parks

 

by Pa Rock

Friend of Animals

In an attempt to ensure that the public conflation of church and state stays conflated, the Arizona Republican Party met this past week in a Phoenix mega church to chart the state party's political future.  Last November the Arizona state GOP lost almost every race for statewide office, with the state superintendent of public instruction being the only race which they were able to win.  This week the state’s GOP chieftains met in a big church to come up with a path to victory through some clever, punitive ways of increasing their vote totals.
 
It has just been just a very few years since Arizona Republicans would routinely win every election - but, oh my, how things have changed!  Now, they are losing most elections - a situation that some blame on the party’s RINOs - Republicans In Name Only. 
 
One method that Republicans have used in the past to corral wayward members is a censure, a move whereby certain politicians are officially called out and ostracized by their party for not showing enough enthusiasm for party officials, candidates, or policies.   Over the past few years the Arizona Republican Party has censured former US Senator John McCain as well as his wife, Cindy, and former Arizona GOP governor Doug Doocy.   Now, however, Republicans are figuring out that a censure just by itself probably isn't enough of a deterrent to keep their party members in line.
 
At this week’s GOP meeting in Phoenix, some ideas on enhanced censures were put forth.  One committee member suggested making a censure more memorable by duct-taping politicians who were insufficiently loyal to the party’s screed to trees in a dog park, thus allowing the dogs to come by and pee on the disloyal politicos.   The GOP central planner who put forth that idea also wanted to keep the offending politicians taped to their trees for several hours in order that make certain that they would be forced to crap in their pants while being bound in public.
 
This suggestion for an advanced censure perhaps tells us more about the current state of the Arizona GOP than most of us really wanted to know!  And the absolute lack of respect that the plan shows toward the dogs of Arizona is outrageous, immoral, and completely unforgivable!

It sounds as though Arizona Republicans do not deserve to win elections - or to enjoy the very good company of dogs!

Decoding Pelosi

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

Nancy Pelosi may no longer wield the Speaker's gavel, but that does not mean that she has abdicated any of her powers to control the ambitions of fellow Democrats who wish to operate in her chamber or in Washington, DC's political milieu.  Her tenacity was on full display this week as the former Speaker of the House, a Baltimorean by birth and a San Franciscan by choice, sought to insert herself into the upcoming California US Senate race at the expense of a California House member who has served both Speaker Pelosi as well as the residents of the member's district well and faithfully for the past six years.

The upcoming Senate race in California in 2024 is already promising to become quite dicey.  Two current and very well known members of the California Democratic House delegation have announced their intent to run to replace the nation's most senior US Senator, Dianne Feinstein - a situation which is complicated by the fact that Feinstein seems to have forgotten to announce that she is not running for re-election.  A third Democratic House member from California has also signaled her intent to get into the race.

Here is a rundown of the race so far:  The current senior United States Senator (and the current sitting senior senator in the entire US Senate) is Dianne Feinstein who was born early in FDR's first term in office and will be ninety in June.  Fienstein (or at least members of her staff, have been fighting reports in the press indicating that she is rapidly losing her mental acuity, and it is widely believed that she will not run for re-election to another six-year term next year.

Democratic congresswoman Katie Porter, who serves in a politically volatile district in California - and who is known for schooling Republicans and business leaders with her infamous little white board, became the first Democrat to announce that she is running for that particular Senate seat less than a month ago on January 10th.  Porter is a single mother of three who turned forty-nine last month.

Democratic congressman Adam Schiff was the second political horse to enter the California US Senate race.  Schiff, like Porter, is from the progressive side of the Democratic Party.  He will be sixty-three in June.

Another progressive Democratic House member from California is also busy pre-announcing that she, too, will run for Feinstein's Senate seat.  Rep. Barbara Lee, who is seventy-six and serving her 12th term in Congress, seems eager to join the political fray.

Meanwhile former House Speaker Pelosi, who will be eighty-three next month, is seeking to influence the election.  The past week she announced her support for Adam Schiff to replace Feinstein in the Senate - if, and only if, Feinstein chooses not to run for re-election.   

I did not send in my three dollars for the Nancy Pelosi decoder ring, but I think that I have managed to decode her anyway.  Those who wish to advance in politics from a perch in the House had best genuflect to the queen, bigly and deeply.  Also, Katie Porter should take her prissy little white board and go take a seat in the bleachers - where she belongs - and if she dallies in her self-deliverance to the cheap seats, Pelosi will take that irksome little white board and stick it . . . And finally, incumbency prevails all costs.  If Feinstein chooses to run for re-election, whether she knows which planet she is campaigning on or not, then she must be supported.

Some dinosaurs still roam the earth.

Pa Rock ia a proud contributor to Katie Porter's campaign for the US Senate.

Biden Declines to Shoot Down Chinese Balloon - Until Today

 

by Pa Rock

Human Being

Yesterday a large Chinese observation balloon drifted across the United States at approximately 60,000 feet.   The Chinese government claims the balloon's flight path was accidental and that it posed no threat to US national security - but GOP Putin bootlickers in Congress were vociferous in their demands that the Biden administration shoot it down.  Fortunately Joe Biden does not take leadership advice from morons,  traitors, or Russian operatives.

Rep. Marge Greene of Georgia was particularly incensed over the balloon's presence which was more than eleven miles above the central United States - and well above the flight paths of all US air traffic.  Another GOP intellectual heavyweight, Donald Trump, Junior, who earned his masculinity merit badge by hunting and killing endangered animals, suggested that patriotic Americans might forgo waiting in their government to respond to the obvious threat of a runaway balloon by rushing out into their own yards and firing their own guns at the evil balloon.  It was, after all, a mere eleven miles overhead. Take the shot, Junior,  take the shot!

In fact, if every armed paranoid delusional in America would haul all of their high-powered weaponry out into their yards and begin firing straight up into the air - what a wonderful world this could be!

I broke my arm earlier this week and am currently staying with my son and his family as a safety measure.  Staying in a strange home poses its own unique challenges.  Yesterday afternoon I had taken a nap in my temporary quarters with the door closed.  When I awoke I was very uncomfortable and wanted to get up - but try as I might I was unable to pull myself upright and get out of the bed.  

I yelled for help several times, but everyone seemed to be gone and I was home alone.  As panic began to set in, my situation seemed to be getting worse.  Finally, after even more yelling, I heard alight tapping at the bedroom door.  It was Ella, the somewhat shy and timid foreign exchange student who lives with Tim and his family.  After some major exertions, Ella managed to get ne extricated from my situation - and I was able to quickly regain my composure.

I was alone, and scared, and in pain - and it was a very kind young woman from Beijing, China, who came to my rescue.  It wasn't Marge Greene or bleary-eyed Junior Trump along with a platoon of gun-totting, white nationalist Christians pretending to do God's work through bigotry and hatred.  

Political and religious extremists who define patriotism and freedom as seeing the world exactly as they do scare me.   Bigotry, intolerance and injustice scare me.  Book bans scare me, and angry, under-educated people telling schools what they can and cannot teach to other people's children scare me.  The rising costs of healthcare and prescription drugs scare me.  Members of Congress wearing lapel pins paying homage to weapons that have sent literally hundreds of American school children to their graves scare me, and unstable young men with semi-automatic guns and weapons-of-war scare the hell out of me.  Marge Greene, she scares me - and so does Junior.

Chinese people do not scare me, nor do balloons.

Update:  Biden had the big balloon shot down just off of the coast of South Carolina this afternoon.  Perhaps polls scare him.

AC/DC and Cousin Minnie Pearl

 

by Pa Rock

Chronic Complainer

Rosie and I have relocated to Roeland Park, Kansas, for a couple of days. My son, Tim, showed up at our home in West Plains yesterday and took me to a doctor's appointment where I met with my orthopedist, and then brought Rosie and I to his home in Kansas where we can be better looked after.
 
I broke my arm, the left one this time, last Monday morning at daylight.   An ambulance transported me to the local hospital's emergency room where I received minimal attention before being sent home in a used-farm-truck-ride-share that looked and smelled like a used-farm-truck-ride-share.   (I'm not complaining about the ride-share because at my age that may be the only chance I ever get to be driven around town by a member of the rock group AC/DC, let alone a lead singer!) 
 
Rosie and I were totally alone at home for 48 hours, and during that time I learned a lot about my limitations.  I discovered, for instance, that I'm not strong enough to open a bottle of tea with one hand, nor am I dexterous enough to get out of a sweatshirt while wearing a stabilizer belt, one that the emergency room personnel had installed backward.  (Harry Houdini probably couldn't have done it either!)  Rosie and I couldn't even enjoy the distraction of going to the mailbox because of the ice that kept falling throughout much of the time that we were stuck in the house.   Fortunately there were no power outages at Rock's Roost during our captivity!
 
Going to the doctor’s yesterday was a real Cousin Minnie Pearl experience.  I couldn't get a shirt on over my stabilizer belt so I went without one, but I did have the decency and good taste to cover up with a large winter coat.   It was a new coat that I bought a couple of years ago for a trip that wound up being cancelled due to the pandemic - and I knew when I put it on that the coat probably had a price tag dangling from it someplace since I'd never worn it before - but I couldn't find it, the price tag, that is.  It wasn't until I was leaving the doctor's office that I caught sight of my reflection in a window and saw the price tag hanging from the coat pocket.   It was about the size of my hand!  Cousin Minnie would have been so proud!

That's why they don't let me out much!