All Al Gore's Fault


Today's non-climate change non-global warming temperatures: Fresno 104°, Las Vegas 109°, Phoenix 108°. And he gets "better", as in it will be a hot time in the old town tonight. In Palm Springs where it's 112° in Death Valley where it's 119°. All Al Gore's fault.

There is no global warming

We had one of the warmest December and beginning of January's on record, and then a very cold second half of January and a good chunk of February. Which made the yahoos say global warming is a hoax, the science was not settled, and after all almost 1/2 of 1% of the sciences disagree. Well, that many. So here are some of the temperatures today in our non-globally warmed country: Dallas 105°, Houston 104°, Mobile 100, Birmingham 102°. And it gets "better" (as in hotter), New Orleans 106 degrees, Jackson 108°, and our "winner" Alexandria, Louisiana 109°. Fine, there's no global warming, but i'll bet if it happens it will get really hot.

Politics are complex

Every now and then, like just about always, world events and politics gets complex. Let's start with "Saint" Ronald Reagan, maybe the only person or entity this current group of Republicans "loves" more than Israel. You know, that's the same Ronald Reagan who was the only president in our history (and we hope the only present ever) to actually honor the German SS by visiting their main cemetery in Bitburg. Quick historical recap, they were not soldiers in any honorable sense; their total goal was to degrade murder and torture Jews. And of course it was  under the administration of Mr. Ronald Reagan that Jonathan Pollard was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. 

And of course there's Barack Obama, who according to Mike Huckabee would "march all of Israel to the ovens". Interesting, since the Iron Dome which obviously saved thousands of Israeli lives received over $1 billion above and beyond the normal aid to Israel, from Mr. Obama as to the opposed to the amount George W. Bush gave Israel, which was ZERO. AND, Mr. Obama is now ramrodding the pardon and release of John Pollard. Only the simple think things are simple.

Just one voice

A number of Republican presidential candidates including Rick Perry are "admitting" that the Republicans in their own states have been very unfair to black citizens. Now can just one of them, please Lord one of them, say to remedy that at least in part, we're going to take away voter suppression laws. And actually increase or at least reinstate some of the early voting days so essential to the working poor. 

How The Donald Helps


Donald Trump may - in his own roundabout way - be helping the American electoral process. Because even in hotly contested presidential years, 40% of the people don't vote. In fact two months before the last midterms, polls showed that less than 50% of the people even knew there was a midterm. But, with The Donald, more and more people are aware that we really do have a presidential election coming in 2016, and that may just result in a few more people being interested enough to actually vote for whomever.
One of the (many) reasons the Super Bowl is our most highly followed event are the many unique stories leading up to it. Wouldn't it be wild, wacky and wonderful for democracy, if the presidential Election Day received the same level of interest, ratings and participation as our National Football Championship Day.

The Yankees "you knows"

The Yankees had a fine 8-6 win over the Red Sox going into the All-Star break, and there were two interesting interviews. One with the rookie call up for the weekend Rob Refsnyder and the other was all star reliever Dellin  Betances. The interviews were approximately two minutes each and between them they reach the total, you know, of 30 "you knows". Great young players and fairly smart too, but, you know, they could use a well, you know interview coach . Well now you know.

Lighten up

Good news for smokers, relatively speaking. Smoking reduces your life on average by "only" 10 years whereas type II diabetes (in conjunction with the previous heart attack or stroke) reduces it by 12 to 13. So forget that extra dessert and light up; maybe even better do it with a cigar.

Newsflash to right wing Jews

Mike Huckabee announced on  "This Week" that if he were president we shouldn't be surprised if he has a nativity scene on the White House front lawn. I thought these right wing guys love the Constitution and the separation of church and state, I guess unless its their church. But again attention RWJs, I'm sure he loves Israel, at least until that time coming......

FREE HAIRDRESSING!


There are reports that Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton plan to Institute a program of deduction on college tuitions. Donald Trump is going to counter that with a run for the presidency...hairdresser schools and hair weaves will be free for all.

Thick armor, thick society


Thick armor, thick society: The man who instituted the armored car attack on the Dallas police headquarters was fortunately the only casualty. But as thick as the armor on that vehicle complete with gun slots was, I think we're a little thicker as a society when it comes to guns. Because consider, he bought this assault vehicle on eBay from a South Carolina police department with no ID, no background check, and heaven knows where he got those assault weapons. So thank heaven there were no innocent victims among the police and the bystanders.....this time.

Lets blame Clinton


I think it's time for real FOXNews to shift our focus from blame Obama to blame Hillary. We figured out he got elected twice by total of 13,000,000 for the two elections which is a touch more than George W. Bush's composite of 3,000,000 (well just the number "1"). So let's focus on Mrs. Clinton. First, we've all heard the break out those two murderers in northern New York; don't you think it's more than a coincidence that it's the "Clinton" prison where security was so lax.....

Bikini Observation

Regarding the Texas takedown of a 15-year-old girl in a bikini by a police officer. There are differing stories of how rowdy the kids were and I can't honestly say for sure where
all fault lies, but I have strong opinions on bikinis, most of them favorable. And I feel qualified to make this observation; the skimpier the bikini, the less likelihood of concealed weapons, at least of the lethal sort.

In Honor of Memorial Day

I AM HONORED TO HELP KEEP ALIVE the memory of five brave men I have known who served this country well and are regrettably no longer with us. 

CHICK AIMES served in both World War II and the Korean War, including some time in the DMZ between North and South Korea, where he used to say with a smile "we were never there". He was a keen student of politics and veterans benefits and did not suffer gladly those politicians who avoided military service, and in his words “waived the flag but never served it”.

TOM COADY was an on-the-ground combat WWII Ranger. I knew him from when I was 10 years old, and he taught me so much including how to drive a truck and safely load material. He enlisted right after Pearl Harbor, and the running joke about Tom was that was the only argument he ever won with his wife was when he insisted she sign the waiver necessary for married men to enlist.

JERRY LEVY, a member of a "rival" youth group  in my teen years, was the first person I knew who went to Vietnam. I can't say we were close friends, but I was saddened to learn that in his last month in that country he died in action saving another soldier. When I visit the Vietnam wall, his name is the first I seek.

BOB MATHESON was my father-in-law, and served under General George Patton’s armored division. He won numerous metals with a "V" for valor and was also involved in some of the earliest liberations of concentration camps including the notorious Ohrdruf, the Nazi death camp that Patton wanted all his troops to witness. Ironically he died around the time of Memorial Day, 11 years ago. Still miss him.

ED MEAGHER was Tom Coady's coworker and my co-mentor. In World War II in Europe he found himself in a ditch with a few other men and German tank hovering over them. Late one summer afternoon he took a long sip of his beer and looked at me and said "I was determined not to die doin' nothing." So he did something, and sprinted alongside the tank, shot a grenade into the turret which for the moment was open, rolled away and then boom! He won a Silver star, and when I said as a naïve youngster it's a good thing you didn't miss, Ed answered "if I did, we wouldn't be having this conversation would we champ?" Without men like these there's a lot of conversations we wouldn't be free to have.

A No Bull Elephant

A BULL ELEPHANT who apparently takes no bull lives in a place called Chewore North, Zimbabwe. On April 17 one Ian Gibson was leading an "expedition" for a firm called "Safari Classics", just a polite way of saying they go on this macho man elephant hunt with the purpose of bagging one of these rather imposing majestic and often  threatened species. Well on this particular day there was some irony involved in chasing the ivory, because the head of the herd wasn't with their program. And he so to speak he “put his foot down” on Mr. Gibson, a number of times. The website of the Safari Classics organization said that Mr. Gibson was "brutally trampled to death" (hey, did you think it would be gentle?) and noted their client wasn't hurt. Good for you Mr. Client, worse luck next time.

Give Fleece a Chance

We want to take away corporate welfare which of course dwarfs, absolutely dwarfs, personal welfare in this country. Here's a saying the corporations might use to continue it:
Sure, we're  scamming but just a few more decades please: give fleece a chance.