Tybee Fun

   

From the weekly police summary:

“Also on Friday, 12/17, an officer responded to a man passed out on the sidewalk in the 1500 block of Butler Avenue. After waking the man and and getting him to his feet, the officer was able to smell a strong odor similar to that of an alcoholic drink coming from his breath and noticed that he had a hard time maintaining his balance. When asked, the man was unable to provide information as to where he lived or where he was staying on the island. At that time he was placed under arrest and charged with Public Intoxication.

On Saturday, 12/18, another officer responded to the Dune’s Inn in reference to an intoxicated man causing problems at the front desk. Upon his arrival, the officer found the same man from the previous incident attempting to enter a room. During this same time, employees advised the officer that the man was not a guest at their motel. Once again, the man was unable to provide information as to where he lived or where he was staying on the island. At that time. he was placed under arrest and charged with Public Intoxication.

Later that same date, officers responded to Oceanside Rehab in reference to a report of a disorderly person. While speaking with officers, several members of the nursing home staff stated that they had been standing in the parking lot when a man walked out of the darkness while screaming and yelling at them. The staff members then locked themselves in their vehicles, at which time the man began screaming “That’s what I thought!”, while referring to them by derogatory names. The man then attempted to gain entry into the nursing home through the locked doors, before eventually leaving the scene. While checking the area, officers found THE SAME GUY from the previous two incidents and noted that he matched the description of the suspect which had been provided by witnesses. He was subsequently placed under arrest on the felony charge of Hindering Medical Personnel in the Performance of Their Duties.”

Leave Memories When You Go

 All I can say is what a life!

Renay Mandel Corren

El Paso, TX—A plus-sized Jewish lady redneck died in El Paso on Saturday. 

Of itself hardly news, or good news if you're the type that subscribes to the notion that anybody not named you dying in El Paso, Texas is good news. In which case have I got news for you: the bawdy, fertile, redheaded matriarch of a sprawling Jewish-Mexican-Redneck American family has kicked it. This was not good news to Renay Mandel Corren's many surviving children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, many of whom she even knew and, in her own way, loved. There will be much mourning in the many glamorous locales she went bankrupt in: McKeesport, PA, Renay's birthplace and where she first fell in love with ham, and atheism; Fayetteville and Kill Devil Hills, NC, where Renay's dreams, credit rating and marriage are all buried; and of course Miami, FL, where Renay's parents, uncles, aunts, and eternal hopes of all Miami Dolphins fans everywhere, are all buried pretty deep. Renay was preceded in death by Don Shula.

Because she was my mother, the death of zaftig good-time gal Renay Corren at the impossible old age of 84 is newsworthy to me, and I treat it with the same respect and reverence she had for, well, nothing. A more disrespectful, trash-reading, talking and watching woman in NC, FL or TX was not to be found. Hers was an itinerant, much-lived life, a Yankee Florida liberal Jewish Tough Gal who bowled 'em in Japan, rolled 'em in North Carolina and was a singularly unique parent. Often frustrated by the stifling, conservative culture of the South, Renay turned her voracious mind to the home front, becoming a model stay at home parent, a supermom, really, just the perfect PTA lady, volunteer, amateur baker and-AHHAHAA HA! HA! HA! Just kidding, y'all! Renay - Rosie to her friends, and this was a broad who never met a stranger - worked double shifts with Doreen, ate a ton of carbs with Bernie, and could occasionally be stirred to stew some stuffed cabbage for the kids. She played cards like a shark, bowled and played cribbage like a pro, and laughed with the boys until the wee hours, long after the last pin dropped. At one point in the 1980's, Renay was the 11th or 12th-ranked woman in cribbage in America, and while that could be a lie, it sounds great in print. She also told us she came up with the name for Sunoco, and I choose to believe this, too. Yes, Renay lied a lot. But on the plus side, Renay didn't cook, she didn't clean, and she was lousy with money, too. Here's what Renay was great at: dyeing her red roots, weekly manicures, dirty jokes, pier fishing, rolling joints and buying dirty magazines. She said she read them for the articles, but filthy free speech was really Renay's thing. Hers was a bawdy, rowdy life lived large, broke and loud. We thought Renay could not be killed. God knows, people tried. A lot. Renay has been toying with death for a decades, but always beating it and running off in her silver Chevy Nova. Covid couldn't kill Renay. Neither could pneumonia twice, infections, blood clots, bad feet, breast cancer twice, two mastectomies, two recessions, multiple bankruptcies, marriage to a philandering Sergeant Major, divorce in the 70's, six kids, one cesarean, a few abortions from the Quietly Famous Abortionist of Spring Lake, NC or an affair with Larry King in the 60's. Renay was preceded in death by her ex-boyfriend, Larry King. Renay was also sadly preceded in death by her beloved daughter, Cathy Sue Corren Lester Trammel Webster, of Kill Devil Hills, NC, who herself was preceded in death by two marriages, a fudge shop and one eyeball lost in a near-fatal Pepsi bottle incident that will absolutely be explored in future obituaries. Losing her 1-eyed badass b**** of a daughter in 2007 devastated Renay, but it also made her quite homeless, since Cathy pretty much picked up the tab. A talented and gregarious grifter, Renay M. Corren eked out her final years of luxury (she literally retired at 62) under the care, compassion, checking accounts and, evidently, unlimited patience of her favorite son and daughter-in-law, Michael and Lourdes Corren, of world-famous cow sanctuary El Paso, TX. Renay is also survived by her son Jeffrey Corren and his endlessly tolerant wife Shirley, of Powell's Point, NC; Scott Corren, and what's left of his colon, of Hampton, VA; Marc and Laura Corren, the loveliest dirt farmers of Vernon, TX (seriously, where is that); and her favorite son, the gay one who writes catty obituaries in his spare time, Andy Corren, of - obviously - New York City. Plus two beloved granddogs, Mia and Hudson. Renay was particularly close to and grateful for the lavish attentions of her grandaughter Perla and her great-grandchildren Elijah and Leroy, as well as her constant cruise companions Sam Trammell of Greenville, NC, and Adam Corren of El Paso, TX. Renay took tremendous pride in making 1 gay son and 2 gay grandchildren, Sam Trammell and Adam Corren.

There will be a very disrespectful and totally non-denominational memorial on May 10, 2022, most likely at a bowling alley in Fayetteville, NC. The family requests absolutely zero privacy or propriety, none what so ever, and in fact encourages you to spend some government money today on a 1-armed bandit, at the blackjack table or on a cheap cruise to find our inheritance. She spent it all, folks. She left me nothing but these lousy memories. Which I, and my family of 5 brothers and my sister-in-laws, nephews, friends, nieces, neighbors, ex-boyfriends, Larry King's children, who I guess I might be one of, the total strangers who all, to a person, loved and will cherish her. Forever. Please think of the brightly-frocked, frivolous, funny and smart Jewish redhead who is about to grift you, tell you a filthy joke, and for Larry King's sake: LAUGH. Bye, Mommy. We loved you to bits.

We Are Losing

 From the Washington Post by Ron Charles:

“In the heated competition between Texas and Florida to see which state government can shed IQ points faster, the Sunshine State has pulled ahead. Aspiring Fox News personality Ron DeSantis, who moonlights as Florida’s governor, has proposed the Stop W.O.K.E. Act. Invoking the memory of Martin Luther King, Jr., DeSantis explained that the act will allow Floridians to take “a stand against critical race theory in our schools” (story). The fact that critical race theory has never been part of Florida's curriculum is irrelevant to the GOP’s Theater of Horrors. 

Aping the structure of the new Texas anti-abortion law, DeSantis’s proposal would give parents a “private right of action” to sue any teacher they think is promoting critical race theory — whatever that might be. Talking to supporters on Wednesday, DeSantis was candid about hoping to create a climate of “fear” in which teachers censor themselves. His army of thought police snuffing out free expression with nuisance lawsuits is part of the governor’s plan to defeat “cultural Marxism.” And irony.”

Is this what we are going to turn our once proud society into over the next few years? We pass laws allowing our fellow citizens to sue us for providing abortion services, teaching accurate history or providing comfort to someone standing in line for hours waiting to vote. California is looking at taking a page out of the Texas playbook and allowing citizens to go after each other over gun rights. It looks like we won’t have to worry about government stripping us of our constitutional rights. They will just stand back and let us do it to each other. I’m beginning to believe I don’t understand how schools are intended to work. It was always my belief that they taught you facts and challenged you to consider them and think independently. I majored in history in college. I don’t see anything wrong with teaching about Columbus and his interactions with the indigenous peoples of the Americas. He was an explorer and a cruel man. Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence in cooperation with others. While he wrote all men are created equal he owned slaves and felt women were not qualified to vote. Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves and wanted them returned to Africa. Our founders and past presidents were not perfect. They were human. They had flaws. They made mistakes. We as a nation have made mistakes. If we don’t honestly look at them and teach about them we cannot learn any lessons from them. It is time to stop yelling at each other. Talk. Find common ground. Compromise. 

Consider These

 

Rust Bucket

 I wrote a little while ago about the Navy’s Zumwalt class destroyers and their cost. I thought the news on these floating turds couldn’t get any worse. I was wrong. The lead ship of the class costing over 9 billion dollars looks like this. 

Yes, that’s rust. That ship was commissioned five years ago. So that’s how it would look representing the United States pulling into a foreign port. I doubt any adversary would be impressed or frightened. According to the Navy there is no chance it will be leaving to sail the world any time soon. Here is the Navy’s latest statement. 

“As of September 2020, the Navy plans to request $169 million to install its four new systems on at least one or more DDG 1000 ships and would need to request further funding to complete the remaining ships’ systems. Though the Navy plans to fully mature these technologies by ship integration, the integration will not occur until several years after the Navy plans to achieve initial operational capability in December 2021. As a result, the DDG 1000 class ships will remain incomplete and incapable of performing their planned mission until at least 2025.” 

So now we know where a tiny portion of the 768 billion dollar defense budget is going. Once again I wonder why we spend so much time worrying about the cost of government programs that benefit our fellow citizens and so little about the bloated costs of our defense expenses. 

Powerless

 It happens every day. Some days shortly after 7:00 in the morning. It occasionally lasts until sometime around 8:00 in the evening. It doesn’t matter what I say or don’t say. It doesn’t matter if I answer or ignore. I know as sure as the sun will rise again tomorrow morning it will happen again tomorrow. Someone will call telling me that my extended warranty is about to expire. If it isn’t that call it is this one. Someone claiming to be from a medical provider wants to know if I have received my package from Medicare. It has the brace I must need for the pain in my knees and back. Sadly for them I have no knee or back pain so I do not want the items they insist I must need. They feign surprise at the notion that someone of my advanced age is not in pain and need of their medical devices. It doesn’t matter how many times I say no. It doesn’t matter how often I ask them to stop calling me. Nothing I say or do matters. Block the calls? They come from different numbers and cities evert time. Moline, Peoria, Fairview, Carlock, Rock Island, Baylis, Cantrall, Stanford, Farmington, Blandinsville all in Illinois. You can add on Lanai City, Hawaii; Logansport, Indiana; Phoenix, Arizona; Sharon Grove, Kentucky to the list of calls. I do my best to be patient and polite. After all it is just some guy or gal sitting in a call center somewhere on the planet trying to provide for his or her family. Being rude, cursing at them and a few other things that have crossed my mind will not stop the calls. So sometime again this morning my phone will ring. It will be my third call today. No Nigerian prince calling about my inheritance or lottery winnings. No one from Social Security or the IRS claiming fraudulent activity and demanding repayment with gift cards. No one claiming my computer has been hacked and wanting me to give them remote access to remove the virus. No one from Amazon claiming a new iPhone has been charged to my account. Just car warranty and medical device calls. Is this what old age and retirement have become? I do feel those calls have one vitally important purpose. When I get to hell (I am going there) it won’t seem so bad. Fire and brimstone? Who gives a shit? At least the damn phone isn’t ringing. 

Debt Ceiling

 Republicans or Democrats? It doesn’t seem to matter. Both political parties spend money. Lots of money. So much more money than the government collects in taxes. So what do we do? We borrow money to pay for the goods and services the government provides. Congress sets a limit on how far in debt we as a nation can go. So, like now, the two political parties are fighting about raising the debt limit so the debt both parties created can be paid and funds to allow the government to continue to provide services are available. Over the past few decades the debt ceiling has been used by both political parties to attempt to score points with voters as a campaign tool. The entire process is stupid. The process could be solved with one vote. Just eliminate the debt ceiling. If you authorize the money to be spent then you also have authorized any debt that spending creates to be paid. Seriously? How fucking hard is that? 

Since I decided to talk about government spending let’s talk about some other government bullshit. The United States Senate has been debating and bargaining over the social program spending President Biden wants. No Republicans support the plan. Why make peoples lives better? Why would they want to make sure the children they want born by banning abortion are fed, housed, clothed and educated? So a couple of Democratic Senators are holding the bill hostage because the drug and oil companies donate lots of money to their campaigns. The fact that the majority of taxpayers want this along with gun control doesn’t matter. So they sit and fuss and fret and argue about a couple trillion dollars spent over a ten year period. What just races through with very little debate? The current defense authorization bill of 768 billion dollars for one year. So we build tanks and jets and ships. Cannons, guns, rockets, atomic bombs and all kinds of other stuff to kill people. Not much debate. Keep folks alive- how will you pay for that? Maybe we could get rid of some command staff in the armed forces. We currently have 1.3 million troops in uniform and 653 Generals. During World War 2 we had over 16 million troops in uniform and 1,100 Generals. If we kept the same ratio of Generals to total troop numbers we should have about 90 Generals. 

So I say fuck both parties. Neither party deserves our vote or to stay in power. They are for the most part more concerned with staying in power and satisfying their donors than they are in governing for the collective good of the citizens who elect them. So FUCK ‘EM!!!!!!

Human Infrastructure is too Expensive?

 I’ve been sitting back watching some members in Congress fret about the cost of providing healthcare, affordable childcare and family leave for Americans. Seems like every other wealthy country can afford these things but here oh hell no. How would we pay for that? Maybe some of our billionaires wouldn’t be able to run their own space program. Maybe not be able to afford another mansion they won’t live in. Maybe that new mega yacht would have to wait a year or two. Let’s take a look at defense spending. 

The floating turd pictured above is the USS Michael Monsoor a Zumwalt class destroyer. The navy originally intended to buy 32 of these ships at a cost of $1.3 billion each for a total of $41.6 billion. After changing the design and the ship’s mission capabilities the total number the navy is building is 3. So the cost per ship went up to over $9 billion each for a total of over $27 billion. That total is still a moving target because the ships are not combat operational yet and the navy is going to replace their 155 mm cannons and radar systems.

Let’s start with the 155 mm cannon. It’s perhaps too easy to make penis jokes about cannon and projectile sizes and rates of fire so I’ll skip that. The cannon is going to be replaced with a hypersonic missile system after the navy determined the cost of shells for the 155 mm gun were too expensive. A reasonable person would wonder about the numbers. In 2001 the rounds called Long Range Land Attack Projectiles (LRLAP) with a range of up to 75 miles were projected to cost $50,000 each and inflation adjusted to 2016 about $68,000 each. The actual cost ends up being $800,000 per round. Surprisingly even the navy found this too expensive. They did manage to buy 150 for testing. Estimated cost $120 million. So they are going to replace that gun because they don’t have any other ammunition developed for it. So the big cannon has no purpose. I’d tell you about the cost of the hypersonic system but I haven’t found cost estimates for that yet. I do note that cruise missiles cost between 1 and 1.5 million each but why do that when the Congress will throw money at you for a new system.  

Radar upgrades? I’m sure those will cost plenty as well. You get the idea. If we want a new weapon system or some other national defense bauble cost doesn’t seem to be an issue. Take care of your people? Affordable prescription medications? Gee, that seems pretty expensive. Might not be able to afford $800,000 shells for our big scary gun. 

She’s Right

 Every now and then I take a blog journey into a minefield of sorts. We, as a country, continue to struggle with abortion rights. I remain pro choice. Don’t confuse that with pro abortion. I would prefer no woman felt abortion was necessary. I am not willing to substitute my judgement for hers. I don’t know her circumstances. I don’t know if the pregnancy threatens her health or if the fetus has a serious defect. I think a hearing in the U.S. House summed up my thoughts pretty well. My thanks to Representative Jayapal for sharing her personal and obviously painful experience. A link to an article about it is below. Please read and think. 

https://www.mediaite.com/tv/pramila-jayapal-torches-chip-roy/

Deeply Stupid

 Tuesday QAnon believers gathered at Dealey Plaza in Dallas awaiting an appearance of John F. Kennedy, Jr.  No one with a functional brain and an IQ above 40 expected Kennedy to show up since he died in 1999. QAnon believers are convinced he has been in hiding and is coming back into the public eye to team up with Donald Trump. Some were even convinced his father, assassinated President Kennedy would also emerge from hiding at the age of 104. Here is my take on QAnon. 

I think whoever is putting out these rumors has a world class sense of humor. He or she puts out crazier and crazier messages just to see how many nuts show up believing the bullshit. John F Kennedy and his 104 year old father aren’t dead. Hundreds show up waiting for them to make a public appearance in support of Donald Trump. They believe the appearance did not happen because the time wasn’t right but it will happen soon. That is some knee slapping funny shit right there. It has reenforced to me that you can fool some of the people all of the time. Is there anything QAnon will put out that they won’t believe? 

I did meet one supporter when I work at the bar in Kroger. She was carrying on one Saturday afternoon and I could only catch bits of what she was saying while I waited on customers. The guy sitting next to her listened to her carry on about nonsense conspiracy theories for about 30 minutes. She paused to take a breath. When she did he looked her in the eyes and said: “You need a tinfoil hat.” There was no point in talking to her. No matter what you said or what evidence you presented her beliefs were unshaken. If you meet a believer don’t waste your time presenting facts and applying logic. They are immune. 

Change

 I worked in correctional facilities for 32 years. I met plenty of men who treated the experience as a revolving door. They got into trouble based on lots of factors: poor family relationships, generational poverty, drug abuse and addiction, and poor educational outcomes to name a few. Some, I thought, incapable of breaking the cycle they were in. I hoped that age and maturity in them would prove me wrong. Some died before they grasped the fragile nature of a life of crime. Others did eventually see a way to change. I think the attitude of lock them up and throw away the key is ignorant and shortsighted in most cases. I’m not the man I was 40 years ago. You are not the person you were 10, 20, 30 or more years ago. Life and experience changes each of us in ways subtle and gross. So, when you are quick to judge remember you don’t know the path they have walked to get where they are and you don’t know their vision of the future. Judge people not by what they say so much as by what they do. The old adage is true. Actions speak louder than words. Take a few minutes to read this. 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2021/11/02/prison-gang-prosecutor-holocaust-friend/

Ignorance is Decisive

 

More Fun?

 I heard the phrase today: “More fun than a barrel of monkeys!”  My immediate thought was that a barrel of monkeys probably wouldn’t be much fun. I get a mental vision of a barrel of primates screaming, clawing and throwing excrement at each other.  Kind of a monkey version of Facebook. 

So it got me thinking. Where did this idea start? What moron thought it would be fun? There was a game when I was a young lad called Barrel of Monkeys. Was that the origin of the phrase? My recollection is that game wasn’t that much fun. 

It appears the phrase was intended to be sarcastic or ironic.  It first appeared in the 1840’s referring to a cage of monkeys  anyone  who has been to the zoo knows how much fun those monkeys are having. It seems from my observation their days are spent screaming, throwing shit and masturbating.  By the 1890’s the phrase had morphed to a wagon load of monkeys.  So wagon load, cage, or barrel a group of primates doesn’t seem like a good idea to me. 

So maybe play the game developed in 1966 or spend some time on Facebook. 

Who Cares???

 Today William Shatner (AKA Captain James T. Kirk) rode Jeff Bezos giant phallus to space. 

It seems a huge ploy by Bezos to garner publicity for his space tourist program. I’ll stick with what I said before and will say every time this happens. When Jeff Bezos can afford to have his own giant dick shaped rocket launched into space he can afford to pay substantially more in taxes than he does now. 

It’s a Bird! It’s a Plane! It’s Superman!?!

 

This is from the Washington Post. My initial reaction was wrong. My first thought was that I wasn’t ready for this change. I reacted to the headline and the picture without reading the article. Reading the article and thinking about the change in Superman helped me see how and why I was wrong. I needed to put myself in someone else’s shoes. Kids, oh hell even adults, need a hero who represents them. Jon Kent is the son of Clark Kent and Lois Lane. So those who feel this is a bridge too far still have their “straight” Superman. Those in the LGBTQ community have a representative who still fights for “ truth, justice and the American way” just live the TV lead in claimed.  I know it isn’t popular at the moment but I think America is always at its best when it is inclusive. A bisexual Superman does not, as some will certainly claim, indicate a moral decline in American. It points toward us realizing that your sexuality is a part of who your are not the entirety of your existence. You can still be a hero. In this case a superhero. You can be a great son. A fighter for social justice. An advocate for a clean and healthy environment for everyone. So, bisexual Superman- I’m good with that. 

History is Everywhere

 Last week we took a trip about an hour south to Jacksonville, Illinois. My wife’s goal was to visit a couple of quilt stores. My goal was to find something interesting to see. I think on this trip we both did very well. Recently there has been a move down south to remove memorials to Confederate officials. Living in the north and especially Illinois (Land of Lincoln) the Civil War monuments here celebrate the service and sacrifice of soldiers. Jacksonville is no exception. 

It was a great park to walk around surrounded by businesses that appear to have made up the old downtown. There is a nice mix of businesses in walking distance. If the ladies at the quilt store are any indication Midwest hospitality lives. 

I found the monument a wonderful tribute to the service and sacrifice of local volunteers who helped save the union. A short walk away was a reminder of Lincoln’s work to abolish slavery. 

Finally, in a corner of the park away from the memorial was a weapon from the war. It is fitting to have it present to remind us of the horrors of war these volunteers faced. 

Bad Marketing

 America is the home of total bullshit marketing. Corporations and businesses around our country spend countless hours and billions of dollars to sell us overpriced, poorly made crap that we most likely don’t need. Is Folgers coffee in your cup “ the best part of waking up”?  If it was I would probably be more inclined to wake up in the morning, put the barrel of a large caliber handgun in my mouth and pull the trigger. Does anyone really give a shit if their Twix bar is from the right or left? It’s a damn candy bar. No matter on either one because the point was to get our attention. It worked. We, as a people, buy both these products and hundreds more based on similar and perhaps even dumber ad campaigns. So where did men go wrong? 

What man or men decided to tell women that oral sex was a blow job? Your wife or girlfriend or significant other female probably has employment. In addition they usually do the majority of the cooking, cleaning, laundry, shopping and childcare. At the end of the day they are physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted. Guys- you want oral sex. Some idiot or group of idiots decided to call that a blow “job”. Do you really think she wants another “job” after the day she’s had? If you can’t get that maybe a hand job? What the fuck! Were you not reading anything I wrote? Are you that fucking clueless? I think maybe Ralphie May said it best. If you want a BJ remember that for your female companionship that means “Bring Jewelry”! Look at it this way. Do you know why hookers provide blow jobs? Because they get paid for their work on their job. Work on your marketing or decide you aren’t ever getting a blow job or buy some jewelry and hope or be prepared to pay a professional. 

The Difference a Year Makes

 Our granddaughter Audrey is playing travel softball again this year. 

The picture above is of one of her at bats. In this case she let a pitch go by and was called out on strikes. She did have a couple of doubles during the doubleheader. 

I watched several games last year and had conversations with her afterward about the mental parts of the game. She needed to know what she was going to do on defense if the ball was hit to her. If she was on base when her team was batting what would she do depending on where and how the ball was hit. Yesterday was an eye opener. The team she plays on this year was defensively flawless. They fielded well. They threw to the correct base. They hit the cutoff person. They backed each other up. No extra throws. So two things have happened. The girls have grasped the mental aspects of the game. They know what to do and they executed plays. The second thing is they are well coached. The coaches are willing and able to teach fundamentals. The are encouraging. They want the young ladies they coach to have fun. It doesn’t matter how many games they win, when they are older they will look back and realize what a great experience this was. 

Don’t Mess With Texas- FUCK TEXAS

 I’m wondering about Texans and Republicans in general. Conservative, small government, individual rights? Where did those alleged Republican policies go? Let’s start with abortion. Turning over enforcement of an abortion ban to vigilantes. Does anyone see a problem with this? No exception for rape and incest? Anyone see a problem with that? No abortions after six weeks. That raises some questions for me. If a six week old fetus has a heartbeat and according to Texas has rights as a human being should the following apply? When you file a tax return should they be counted as a dependent? Should they be issued a social security card? Are they to be counted in the census? If the mother is arrested is the fetus entitled to an attorney? 

Some may mistake my position as pro abortion. In an ideal world no abortion would be necessary. Sadly, we do not live in an ideal world. I believe a woman should be allowed to make a decision based on her life and circumstances. I may or may not agree with her decision. I am unwilling to substitute my judgment for hers. 

I think that pretty well covers my position. 

I do have some thoughts on Texas failure to allow an exception for rape and incest. The clearly mentally challenged governor of Texas stated they would work to ensure rapists in Texas were incarcerated. Well, dumbass, that can’t occur until after the rape has been committed. If the rape has happened so can pregnancy. So incarceration of rapists after the fact does not prevent pregnancy. A final thought on rape. It is NEVER the victim’s fault. In my career in corrections I interviewed hundreds of rapist and child molesters. I conducted exit interviews before they were released from prison. One of the questions was along the lines of tell me what happened. I try not to remember what they told me. The victim was not at fault. While the Texas Governor may have them incarcerated it usually isn’t forever. When they get out they are likely to offend again. There must be an exception for rape and incest. 

Texas assault on voting rights. A review of the 2020 election did not reveal voter fraud in Texas. Yet Republicans have taken significant steps to make it more difficult for people to vote. It seems to me that if your ideas are unpopular with voters you should work harder on convincing them your ideas are best. Perhaps you might even reevaluate your position on issues. Texas Republicans seem to want the people who don’t like their ideas to be unable to vote. I’m still trying to comprehend how Trump got the election stolen from him according to many elected officials. They were on the same ballot and somehow their results were unquestionably accurate. 

The picture below is my mental image of every elected Republican in Texas. 

Oh! To Be Young

 I haven’t written any posts in a bit because I didn’t want to spend my time yelling about the bullshit going on in America. I wanted a positive story first. Today I got one handed to me. Carol and I decided to get out for the house and go to Lewistown to visit a couple of wineries. The first winery was Big Horse Vineyards. The wines were average at best. Virtually next door was Native Trails Winery. They were having a fundraiser so Prater Willi Syndrome. If you have never heard of it I’m not surprised. A little boy in Canton is afflicted. His name is Elliot. His mom runs the fundraiser and the money goes to research. This is the 4th fundraiser and in total they have raised $30,000 prior to today. We made a donation and sat down to enjoy some wine and live music. 

The wine was pretty good. The band was good and even better- kind. A young boy, I’m guessing about three years old came up and stood behind the guitar players and in front of the drummer. During the first song he was trying to snap his fingers with the music. The second song he was tapping his foot and pretty quickly that moved to full on foot stomping.  Before the next song the band asked his name, made him an unofficial member and gave him a tambourine to play. 

He had the best time. Much, at least to my surprise, he kept pretty good time with the music. I would have enjoyed watching him longer but his mother decided it was time for him to rejoin his family. 

So there you go. Sometimes you need a kid to show you that no matter what is going on you can find a bit of joy in the music. Too often as adults we worry about what other people think. This little guy didn’t care. He just wanted to have some fun and he did. Look for that child in you and let the kid out to play. 

Consider These

 1. No one is happy with your success, except your family.

2. Love is a myth. For no reason, no one is your friend.

3. The only people who love you without expectations are your parents.

4. Everyone has a role in your life and when their role ends, they will leave you. So be strong.

5. Money has a strong place in everyone's life, but unfortunately it can't buy you everything.

6. Laugh with everyone, but don't trust anyone.

7. People say they are telling the truth, but nobody really wants to hear it.

8. Nobody gives a damn about what you think or what you do, it's just your perspective they think of you.

9. Expectations always hurt. So expect less or no expectations from others.

10. Never ever sacrifice your happiness for someone else.

11. Who is a friend of all is not a friend of anyone.

12. Living a simple life gives you more time for the important things.

13. The sooner you learn to live alone, the sooner you understand the meaning of life. You are your best friend.

14. Never reveal your secret to anyone.

Don’t Be a Fly

 

That’s All I Got to Say About That

 

Simple

 I think maybe it is just this simple. Don’t confuse simple with easy. It is simple and it can be difficult. 

????

 

Think!!!!

 

That is Dark

 

Maybe You Like?Maybe Not!

 

STFU

 

I can’t say it better than whoever wrote this did.