Update no.794

Update from the Heartland

No.794

27.2.17 – 5.3.17

Blog version:  http://heartlandupdate.blogspot.com/

To all,

            Operational Security (OpSec) required us to avoid public disclosure.  With the mission completed satisfactorily now, I can share a little of our adventure.

            This year, we decided to try being winter visitors (AKA snowbirds).  We are home now, so the OpSec requirement has passed.  Jeanne deserves all the credit for finding the cottage in which we stayed; she found it on AirBnB, of all things.  We tried mightily to find a means of towing the Harley out, but we could not find a small rental vehicle with a trailer hitch – big bummer . . . great riding weather.  If we do this again, we must find a solution; the bike would have made it closer to perfect.

Our Home While Winter-ing in Arizona

[file: Mesa cottage.jpg]

The cottage was near perfect for us.  Even the dogs (just to the left) had their own area and a doggie door that allowed them to come & go as they pleased.  It was not expansive, but it was quiet, comparatively secluded and had easy access to the highway system, stores and restaurants.  The city had an exceptional dog park that our dogs eagerly anticipated every chance we could get there.  All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed the great, mild weather – our primary objective.

            For the adventure, we decided to rent a Dodge Grand Caravan for me to drive and carry the baggage, while Jeanne drove our vehicle with the two dogs.  As I always do with such journeys, I kept a close eye on the weather for the week prior to our travel.  I was concerned about a winter storm forecast for Arizona, toward the end of our planned trip.  We stopped the first afternoon off US-54 in rural, Western Kansas, to give the dogs a potty break.  I shutdown the van, placed the keys in the console and got out to help with the dogs.  After the dogs did their business, I got a harsh lesson in contemporary automotive design.  The Dodge Grand Caravan was designed with an automatic lock feature when the engine is off and the doors closed.  There we were in the middle of nowhere with an outside air temperature of 26°F (-3°C), and no way to re-enter the van.  It took two hours for the rental car company to send a mechanic to open the car.  We only made Tucumcari rather than Gallop, New Mexico, that first night, which in turn put us closer to the winter storm in the mountains of Arizona.  Despite my unfortunate mistake, we made it to the Holbrook cutoff and through the mountains before the rain turned to snow.

            We got to see family and friends.  Jeanne played bingo weekly with her BFF.  And, I made a photography excursion to North Phoenix to take some current pictures of sites for a friend and also made several aviation museum visits.

            I need to give a big shout out and compliments to the Commemorative Air Force Airbase Arizona and Museum at the southeast corner of Falcon Field, Mesa, Arizona.  After a quick look-see tour, I made special arrangements with the curators of the museum to get some special crawl-around time on numerous, flightworthy aircraft in their inventory, including the F3F-4 Wildcat, P-51D Mustang, A-26 Invader, B-17G Flying Fortress, B-25J Mitchell, C-47 Dakota, RAF CC Ventura, and C-45 Expeditor (Beech Model 18).  While several aircraft had post-war modification for other purposes, most of the aircraft were restored to their WW2 configuration.  I was allowed to take detailed images of instruments, controls and various devices, e.g., several versions of the renowned Norden bombsight.  Of the hundreds of images taken, I chose two below to reflect objects viewed.  An extraordinary amount of work and effort has gone into restoring the B-17 to its wartime configuration – very impressive work, I must say.  The CAF regularly flies the B-17 and other aircraft, to ensure they remain in flightworthy condition, and folks can purchase a seat ticket to ride on their flights – different prices for cockpit jump seat or waist gunner’s seat.

B-17 Super Fortress at CAF Airbase Arizona

[file: B-17 CAF AZ.jpg]

            The nose art on the CAF B-17 is typical of the era.  The multitudinous variations range from more to less risqué.  This sample is rather benign.  FYI: the navigator’s station is at the aft window (behind Betty Grable’s head), with a small bubble (not shown) overhead complete with a small sextant for celestial navigation.  I learned a lot about these aircraft with credit and thanks to the CAF Museum.

B-17 Nose Artwork

[file: B-17 nose art.jpg]

            We also made the journey to Tucson to visit friends.  Of course, I could not pass up another important aviation museum, while Jeanne went gambling and shopping. Pima Air & Space Museum adjacent to the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and the Military Aircraft Storage and Disposition Center.  The range of aircraft on display at the Pima Museum was extraordinary.  They had several hangars with exceptional quality displays and an outside display of far too many aircraft to count.  I chose just one image of hundreds I took that day to represent the uniqueness of the Pima Museum.

B-36 Peacemaker at Tucson, Arizona

[file: B-36 Pima AZ.jpg]

The B-36 Peacemaker is a rather awesome machine.  I had to stand so far back just to frame the incredible 270-foot wingspan.  The heavy bomber is powered by six Pratt & Whitney R-4360-53 Wasp Major radial engines rated at 3,800 SHP each, along with four General Electric J-47 turbojet engines rated at 5,200 pounds thrust each.  The aircraft could carry 86,000 pounds payload (roughly eight Hiroshima size nuclear weapons).  If you look closely, you can see the comparative size of several adult human beings near the aircraft.

            We were in Arizona for two months, or at least Jeanne and the dogs were there the whole time.  I had to make an emergency trip back to Wichita about halfway through our stay.  Our granddaughters, Aspen & Shalee, were tending our cat and checking on the house every couple of days.  At the end of January, Shalee found a water leak.  We had our guess bathroom toilet and floor valve replaced a couple of months earlier and the floor valve began a spontaneous leak (bad installation, in my opinion, not yet proven).  I remained in Wichita for a week to supervise the recovery effort (drying).  Once the house situation was stabilized, I returned to Arizona.  We still have repairs to be completed.

            When the time to return home approached and as fate would have it, another winter storm hit the mountains, blocking our primary (shortest / fastest) path home.  The risk was too great, so we reverted to Plan B – the southern route (I-10, rather than I-40).  Everything was running to plan until we reached Southeast Arizona.  Of course, with a winter storm passing through, what happens with high winds in the desert . . . yep, blowing dust, actually dust storms.  And, what happens when rain mixes with dust storms . . . yep, correct again, oh great one, MUD!  Some folks ahead got caught, resulting in a bad accident, closing the interstate highway in both directions.  The result: a four-hour detour through very crowded country roads, adding even more time to an already long day driving (15 hours . . . we’re too old for that).  Despite the rough first day, we made it home safely and took a couple of days to get everything back in its place.

            That boys and girls was our winter adventure.  Now you know.  Life goes on.

            After Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from any investigation of the Trump campaign, President Trump reportedly went ballistic over the Attorney General’s action, and then fired off a series of tweets urging investigations of the relationships of Democrat politicians with Putin and the Russians.  I am left with only one phrase in my little pea-brain:

“The lady doth protest too much, methinks.”
Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 2, page 10.

            The Russian connection in last year’s election appears to be far deeper than anyone of us may have imagined.  Folks can blame the so-called Deep State for the leaks, induced actions and related events; however, I doubt there is, given the paucity of evidence.  The Trump administration is either handling this situation very poorly, or there is substance they are trying to cover up.  At this stage and especially in the illumination of the lame protestations from the administration, I think a special prosecutor investigation is warranted, and let the chips fall where they may.

            A friend and frequent contributor sent along the following item:

“5am (EST) today Trump tweets: ‘How low has President Obama gone to tap my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!’

“Cap, possible Nixon is tweeting from wherever new realm he passed on to (using Trump's Twitter account)?  Strange times.

“Trump's trusted advisors/counsel (if he trusts anyone) need to inhibit Trump from Twitter unless they vett his tweets.”

My response:

            The Donald’s tweets are verging upon paranoia.  There is a boogey-man behind every bush.  This one combines Obama = bad man and the Intelligence Community (IC) is against me.  I see signs of a purge coming on.  We must give him credit, he is a master of subterfuge, deception, obfuscation and deflection.  The only one who has any prayer of inhibiting the Donald’s penchant for Tweets is Ivanka . . . and that may be a stretch as well.  I doubt anyone can dissuade him.  Imagine the power he must feel, feeding his monumental ego . . . three sentences, just 23 words, causing all of this stir in the Force.

            The Donald is well on his way to exceeding Nixon’s paranoia.

            The evidence continues to mount.  I do wonder how far this will have to go, before the 25^th Amendment is invoked?

 . . . to which the contributor added:

“I got to thinking early this morning that anyone running for POTUS should really assume their communications are monitored.  The average American should really assume their communications are monitored.  With the data-siphoning, data-warehousing, and data-mining expertise of NSA (PRISM), who most likely work in collaboration with much of Silicon Valley, Trump had to know he was very much a target in our Technocratic Age.  Did Trump not read Bill Gates' 1995 book THE ROAD AHEAD where he clearly said that one day we all would have a ‘documented life’.

“NSA screener reading this e-mail, good morning!  Of course with the enormous various transmissions to analyze, the bulk is done by computer software, red flagged if needed, for human review.

“Specific to Trump's tweet that Obama ordered the monitoring, would be interesting if true, since Obama himself is monitored and will be for his lifetime.”

 . . . and I responded:

            With the revelations of the last decade, we cannot totally disregard Trump’s paranoia.  Yet, apparently, what the Trump-ster fails to recognize is that his (and others in his camp) communications may well have been monitored by legal wiretap or wireless surveillance of the recipient of his calls.  For any knowledgeable human being to think we are not monitoring every known or suspected Russian agent within this Grand Republic (or worldwide for that matter) would be foolish.  Further, the Justice Department may have had a legal tap on his telephonic communications as a consequence of other potential illegal activities . . . although I seriously doubt there is an active investigation or warranted surveillance of his phone; and, I doubt even more, any agency of the federal, state or local governments would dare do such a thing – Trump as the primary target.  That said, the Bush 43 administration let slip the dogs of war and unleash the NSA.  As a consequence, there is sufficient doubt to encourage a full investigation, as Trump has call for in this instance.

            Comments and contributions from Update no.793:

Comment to the Blog:

“My head spins with the pace of the insane Trump Administration.  I suppose that's one of their objectives, to keep everyone off balance.

“The transgender restroom issue, on its own merits, doesn't amount to much except as a statement of contempt for one's fellow Americans. It is unenforceable and ridiculous.  I wonder if the Bannon crowd is using this stuff to draw attention away from some more important maneuver.”

My response to the Blog:

            Re: “off balance.”  Quite likely; although more likely, they are using the old adage: “strike while the iron is hot,” or they are attempting to define a new normal for chaos, or perhaps even all of the above.

            Re: “doesn't amount to much” . . . except if you happen to be a transgender citizen.  Unenforceable indeed . . . a monumentally ridiculous, spiteful and mean-spirited law . . . and Trump has essentially said, do what you will, the Feds don’t care.  To me, there is NO common good or public safety justification . . . except in the minds of social conservatives who cannot accept or condone anyone not like them.  How an individual sees himself or chooses to identify himself is a private matter, not a public one.

            Re: distraction.  It is the classic tool of the magician or slight-of-hand con man, distract with one hand while the other does the work.

 . . . Round two:

“My comment on the transgender bathroom issue not amounting to much is based on my personal history of having been insulted many times in many ways based on my being different in various ways from those around me. I'm aware of society's attitudes as expressed by government, too. Just this morning, in a medical appointment, I went through a couple of those due to being a Medicaid patient. My point was and is that transgender people will use the restroom they feel is appropriate simply due to nobody else knowing the difference anyhow. That does not justify what amounts to a gratuitous Federal insult to all transgender people, but it will not cause them harm in any direct way. If anybody attempts to check gender in a restroom, the person doing the checking will be the one with the problems.”

 . . . my response to round two:

            Then, I suppose dignity and respect under the law are not worth the fight or even the protest.  I will argue mental or emotional injury can be more damaging than physical injury.  I do not disagree with your argument; I just cannot tolerate the unfairness of it all.

 . . . Round three:

“The BS over which people use which restrooms is a distraction at most. Such nonsense is utterly unenforceable and, thus, pointless. I want to know what stories the media are missing while we talk about who pees where.”

 . . . my response to round three:

            I agree wholeheartedly; however, this issue is not about you and me, or our opinions.  It is all about protecting the respect and dignity of all citizens, not just the anointed chosen of the faith.  Just FYI: I think the Trump-Russian connections have occupied the Press far more than Trump’s spiteful instruction regarding the removal of federal protection for every citizen’s fundamental rights among which are dignity and respect under the law.  But hey, that’s just me.

 . . . Round four:

“I guess the distinction is in the priorities. So long as I can use a restroom without risking harm, I don't really care what someone thinks or what a pointless law says. Any number of other issues (surveillance, corruption, environmental damage and climate change, among others) matter more to me.”

 . . . my response to round four:

            I cannot argue with that.

P.S.: I should have added (but, I did not) the contributor was spot on correct.  I fell victim to Trump’s skill at deflection with his magic-slight-of-hand, when he pushed hard on one of my hot buttons – equality for all, not just the chosen.  In the grander scheme of things, the transgender restroom issue is a gnat compared to far more weighty matters before this Grand Republic.  I will continue to strive to look beyond his obfuscation.

Another contribution:

“I agree with the gist of your criticism of so-called conservatives (actually average Americans) who in some states have elected people who make unnecessary laws, like my own Mississippi legislature, not content to ‘Grow up’ but stupidly intent on sounding ultra-conservative to a fault as if itching for criticism.  I am confident that the classic Libertarian preference would be not only to not add laws, but to reduce the number on the books, and that is my feeling.  I just wish you and others would admit that the bathroom preference problem is not Trump's fault.  It came to a head not because of such conservative attitudes but because of a leftist president who insisted on going beyond his constitutional authority in so many ways.  In this particular case, he published the threat of an expanded interpretation of existing federal law forbidding discrimination based on sex, and he sent out his young Ivy League trained dominions from the DOJ to spread the word.  I attended one of their seminars and was impressed by their sincerity but not the logic of their legal argument.  Obama stretched the congressional choice of the word ‘sex’ to dictatorially include a population who have a preference other than their biology.  The conservative population would have preferred to remain silent, as they are about the plight of left handed students.  As you put it, ‘Transgender people have been using restrooms for as long as we have had flushable toilets with no discriminatory laws.’  Amen, brother.  The small number of bullying cases were slowly being realized for the tragedy they represent, on a case by case basis.  We could have continued to peacefully work on eliminating youthful bullying for any reason and on increasing toleration of individual differences in the spirit of Martin Luther King.  Instead, we have more top-down inspired division, born of Obama and blamed on Trump.

“The eloquent and articulate leftist commentary to [Update no.] 792 (at the end of 793) certainly fits in with your consistent doubts about Trump, but he or she takes it even farther.  (I'll choose ‘he.’)  I'll bet he misses no opportunity to miss every opportunity to see hope in an effort by the first political novice in the office of POTUS to actually make a dent in the Washington establishment that has undeniably failed America for generations.  No leftist would admire any effort to reign in Big Brother, so he gives no credit there.  While all but the blindest of Trump supporters agree with the disdain for the New York Street talk and wish Donald could polish or hold his tongue, the sincerity and patriotism of these surprised voters are haughtily disparaged by this proud member of the elite who chimes in to enlarge on your premise.  You are to be commended for giving him voice, but I hope you can resist supporting his extreme leftist views as you attempt in good faith to solicit fair discussion.

“Your correspondent's predictable generalizations about the comparative excellence of public schools over private enterprise are not well taken.  I conclude that he comes from a state where either the facts escape leftists or a where public schools are an extraordinary exception to the national experience.  Where I am, teachers' unions and habitual blinder-wearing defenders of education budgets have seen only one solution: more money, along with more federal control, of course.  Mississippi private schools, some admittedly heirs of white flight from integration decades ago (just to head off any cynical response based upon our sordid history, which liberals will not ever let us forget) are flourishing and producing far superior black, brown, yellow, and white graduates than all but a very few public schools.  We have great hope for our charter schools because Mississippi imposes standards enforced by a unique blue ribbon board that has only approved three out of dozens of applications.  With luck the cries from the left will not prevent this alternative to the status quo from reaching its potential, thereby indirectly pressuring the regular schools to improve and teaching our so far uneducable legislators a thing or two.”

My reply:

            Re: “sounding ultra-conservative.”  I have absolutely no problem with anyone speaking their mind from ultra-conservative to ultra-liberal.  Where those individuals “speaking” their minds get crosswise with me occurs when they seek to impose their values on everyone via the dicta of law – what I call moral projection.

            Re: Libertarian.  Yes, precisely . . . the political ethos seeks to get government out of our private lives and matters.  It is NOT the place (or authority, I might add) of the government to dictate private conduct.  Trading one set of dicta for another set of dicta is not what I had in mind.

            Re: “bathroom preference problem is not Trump's fault.”  I never claimed it was.  I will go farther, it was not Obama’s fault, either.  Obama chose to try to do something to stem the tide of conservative state legislatures passing these obscene, absolutely silly, spiteful, mean-spirited laws that have no place in law, e.g., NC HB2.  Trump decided to way in with his message to states that the federal government will not defend the rights of all citizens to dignity and respect.  I will admit that I may be wrong, but I do NOT believe Obama originated the issue; he was responding to what he saw popping up in more than a few state legislatures; so, if we wish to ascribe attribution of origination, I will say it was socially conservative state legislators.  “Obama stretched the congressional choice of the word ‘sex’.”  Interesting.  I suppose none of this matters . . . unless you happen to be a transgender citizen.  “conservative population would have preferred to remain silent,” well, actually, my friend, that may be correct; unfortunately, far too many “conservative” state legislatures have bills working their way through the process that I will say these laws are moral projection of the worst kind; they have no place in law.  You are apparently far more tolerant of moral projection laws than I am.  NC HB2 and all the other similar legislation in other states are wrong in every possible manner.  President Obama did what had to be done and used the only tool available to him with a Republican dominated Congress.

            If anyone assaults anyone anywhere under any bogus pretense, then prosecute the perpetrator in accordance with existing, long established law regarding unacceptable public conduct.  Full stop!

            “born of Obama” – No!  Born of social conservative legislators intent upon moral projection and their disapproval of transgender citizens.  “blamed on Trump” – No, again!  None of this kerfuffle was of Trump’s doing.  The ONLY thing I am blaming Trump of is issuing instructions that the federal government is withdrawing from a clear individual civil rights matter.

            “No leftist would admire any effort to reign in Big Brother.”  I am neither a leftist nor an advocate of big government.  I genuinely and truly hope you are correct, and suffering Trump’s monumental character flaws and rather undiplomatic, crass and abrasive manner may well be worth reigning in “Big Brother” as you say.  Unfortunately, the initial signs are not positive.  Just like Bush 43, it appears to be just a pseudo-Republican version of big government rather than a Democrat version.  I am for neither, period, full stop.  Nonetheless, I will try mightily to hold my fire to see how this plays out . . . that the larger picture will eventually come into focus; but, as I said, the initial signs are not positive.

            Yes, we can debate the effectivity of public versus private schools.  The difficulty is, the proof will come many years out . . . decades, in fact, which is a big gamble.  I am not willing to throw the baby out with the bath water.  One of my many concerns . . . public education is quite like insurance . . . it needs a sufficient base to be affordable.  I am also concerned about consistency and acceptable minimum performance levels.  If we take this argument to the extreme, as with medical care, and everything becomes private, then only the wealthy will be able to afford a good education, decent health care, and basic standard of living.  I worry about the privatization of everything.  I am a product of public schools.  I suspect you were as well.  Abandoning public schools does not appear to be in the best interests of this Grand Republic.

 . . . Round two:

“Thank you for your confession, ‘I will admit that I may be wrong, but I do NOT believe Obama originated the issue; he was responding to what he saw popping up in more than a few state legislatures;’ I too may be wrong, but I do not recall any news of any such legislative efforts before Obama's Justice Department came up with his precipitating directive that outraged half the country between the two left coasts.  Obama came into office to divide, and he succeeded.  Yes, the people were already primed to resist federal imposition of extra-constitutional protections for the unfortunate different among us, but a better solution would have been for the half-black president claim and to quote Dr. King and urge individual respect based upon character.

“If you and I are in agreement totally on any one subject, it the premise of your statement ‘If anyone assaults anyone anywhere under any bogus pretense, then prosecute the perpetrator in accordance with existing, long established law regarding unacceptable public conduct.  Full stop!’  That is why I was and still am in total opposition to the feel-good laws passed in all governmental venues to define ‘hate crimes.’  This has served only to further balkanize our country as we foolishly try to protect one group against another, creating the identity politics so skillfully advanced by Barack Hussein Obama, rather than actually treating everyone equally in the model so eloquently espoused by The Rev. Martin Luther King in his imperfect but astoundingly meaningful life.

“Your statement: ‘Abandoning public schools does not appear to be in the best interests of this Grand Republic’ makes me think you did read or not catch my meaning, which certainly did not contemplate abandoning public education but did discourage federal tampering with what is a local imperative best left to the people and private enterprise, like much of what our constitution anticipated but has somehow become federal prerogative.  I am for improving public schools, and I believe the example of good private and public charter schools can be used to pressure elected officials to take public schools away from teachers' unions and require actual improvement, rather than simply pouring more money into administration (the Mississippi problem) or inferior modern technological replacements for old fashioned classroom discipline and learning.  We must save our public schools, and publicly financed charter schools are a legitimate good faith effort in that direction while free private citizens continue to necessarily take matters into their own hands at their own expense.”

 . . . my reply to round two:

            Re: “I do not recall any news of any such legislative efforts before Obama's Justice Department came up with his precipitating directive.”  The legislative bill in NC began in Feb’2016, and the Obama executive order was not issued until May’2016.  A similar bill in Kansas originated in Mar’2016.  February or March is before May, last time I checked. The problem is, most legislative bills begin in quiet, unseen, reaches of capital buildings . . . until they become law.

            Re: “half-black president.”  Oh my!   Does the pigmentation of the President’s skin matter in any of this discussion / debate?

            Re: “quote Dr. King and urge individual respect based upon character”  Abso-f***in’-lutely!  So, where was the respect for transgender citizens in all this kerfuffle?  Does it matter how people identify themselves?  Isn’t what matters the public conduct of individual citizens, regardless of gender identification?  We have got to grow up.  This is NOT the Victorian era anymore.

            Re: “feel-good laws.”  These damnable moral projection laws may feel good to social conservatives; they do NOT feel good to me . . . and I doubt they feel good to transgender citizens.

            Re: “balkanize.”  Actually, I think the proper reference should be: “Balkan-ize”, since Balkan is a proper noun.  I will respectfully disagree.  Balkan-ization is just another version of tribalism.  This debate is not about tribes.  It is ALL about the rights of EVERY, SINGLE citizen to respect and dignity under the law.  NC HB2 was the antithesis of that right – it was spiteful and disrespectful to transgender citizens . . . which make up something like 0.3% of our population (perhaps every population).

            Yes, I did not catch your meaning.  I have been an advocate and proponent for charter schools from the get-go.  However, my concern remains valid.  As I usually do in such discussions, let’s play this to the end.  Does an enclave of Muslims have a right to teach children in their district that Sha’ria Law supersedes the Constitution?  Does an enclave to neo-Nazis have a right to teach the children who attend their school the principles of National Socialism and “Mein Kampf”?  Where do we draw the line?  How do we ensure a minimum standard level of understanding of the Constitution and the Founding Principles of this Grand Republic?  There is a minimum level of competence, awareness, citizenship and language associated with being a productive American citizen.  Who supervises any school and its performance?  When do you attain the threshold of diminishing returns?  I am not against private schools, but I worry about that minimum threshold.

 . . . Round three:

“Re: ‘half-black president.’  Oh my!  Does the pigmentation of the President’s skin matter in any of this . . . discussion / debate?

“I recoil with regret, wondering what was in my mind (maybe the habitual passes given Obama by the press because of his color) and why I let this slip out without clear context to keep it from sounding absolutely racist!

“I do resent Obama's ascent to power on the strength of his glibness and blackness, so I guess that continues to show up in my most reckless commentary, but I AM EMBARRASSED TO ADMIT THAT THOSE WERE MY WORDS AND I MUST SUFFER THE RESULT OF SUCH CARELESSNESS. [emphasis: the author’s]

“I only hope that my entire life of acts and words would serve to belie the implications of this unfortunate quote.  You were right to raise the obvious question, and of course the answer is NO!”

 . . . my reply to round three:

            We all make mistakes.  I thought it was rather odd for you; thus, my illumination.  I appreciate your regret.

            Re: “Obama's ascent to power on the strength of his glibness and blackness.”  After your regrets above, this declaration does not fit.  “of course the answer is NO!”  OK, then why raise his skin pigmentation in your declarative statement?

            It was his oratory skills and articulation that attracted my attention with his Jul’2004 DNC Convention keynote speech.  He has always presented a calm, steady, balanced demeanor.  We can argue his intelligence, good intentions and grasp of world events.  I happen to appreciate his softer approach to international relations.  I have been an anti-Ugly-American citizen from my first reading of the book circa 1965, and my first hand witness in 1969 . . . and many observances since those days.  President Obama deserves more credit than folks have given him, and I trust history will rectify.

A different contribution:

“Yes - here I am in the Dayton, OH, area working at the USAF Museum.  And when I am ‘working the afternoon shifts,’ I have to check the Ladies Rooms at the end of the day.  Just to make sure Bruce Jenner is not there.  There was a recent article in the Dayton newspaper that Advocate Magazine recognized Dayton as #1 in the country for LGBT acceptance.  Better than San Francisco & Key West!!”

My response:

            Well, who’da thunk it!

            Yeah, the whole thing is ridiculous . . . except if you happen to be a transgender citizen or child.  After all, those affected citizens make up on 0.3% of the population (by some estimates).

 . . . Round two:

“And recently took my sweet wife on a trip.  Of course, we went shopping at a new mall.  It is south of us, closer to Cincy, Liberty Township.  There, in the eating area, there are restrooms.  Two.  But both have the same sign on the door, UNISEX.  And only 1 type of toilet in each.”

 . . . my reply to round two:

            I am seeing more and more unisex restrooms as well.  About half seem to have a toilet and a urinal, so I guess you have your choice – female, male, or transgender.  Good solution, it seems to me.

 . . . Round three:

“And on the way down there, on I-75, there is a large church.  Called Solid Rock Church. Right on the east side of the highway.  Between the church & the highway, there is a fountain pond.  And a large Touchdown Jesus statue in the pond.  When I was in Louisville, used to come up here on business often & see it.

“But the Touchdown Jesus statue got struck by lightning & exploded.  Now there is a new statue.  Jesus is reaching out to you – not up.  And there is a large metal rod coming out of the top of his head.

“But the interesting thing is that at the exit you take off I-75 for the church, there is a Hustler Magazine Entertainment Center.  It did not get struck by lightning.”

 . . . my reply to round three:

            Well, now, that was symbology for you.

Yet, another contribution to last week’s Update:

“‘I have discovered that Trump’s supporters have entirely different sources of information from mine.  Their picture of reality arises from Breitbart, Rush Limbaugh, and talk radio. There may be others.’

“Yes there are others..Thank God!  Limbaugh is the greatest however ... he's been analyzing Washington and politics over 30 years and gets paid very well for it because he is so smart and cares about our country and its people, unlike most commentators ..I challenge you Cap to not be critical until you tune in to WMAL radio (on your computer at IHeart.com) right after 8am on weekdays (your time) and listen to Limbaugh ... 105.9 FM or 630 AM on the radio ... and tell me if anything he says Is inaccurate !!

“Breitbart doesn't lie .. CNN is the master of lies along with many of the others ...President Trump "drinks his own product" and so do those who listen and believe what they hear on CNN and read in the Washington Post etc .. you will see if you quit drinking your brand of koolaid !!”

My response:

            Like all opinions, it is all about perspective.  I encourage all opinions, perspectives and views in this humble forum.  I have always tried to listen to all voices from the ultra-left to the ultra-right.  I try to spread my news sources out sufficiently to triangulate on where reality most likely exists.  The solution usually exists in the middle, rather than on one line of sight or another.  Listening to one side or another usually taints one’s perspective.  I have listened to Limbaugh many times.  I have even read Breitbart more than a few times.  I am not foolproof in assessing news sources.  As a concerned citizen, I am deeply disturbed by citizens who do NOT know our founding documents, or our basic governmental structure & operation, or even the most basic geography, or world events or history.  Ill-informed citizens vote.

            I also speak the King’s English.  I know what words mean.  I listen to the exact words spoken by various public figures.  I do not need a decoder ring to understand most folks.  Unfortunately, that is not true in all cases.

Supplemental:

            If Breitbart is truth and CNN & WaPo are lies, then the reality lies somewhere in the middle.  Journalists are human beings.  They have opinions like all the rest of us.  They choose their words based on their perspective of facts.  Our task . . . the burden of ALL citizens . . . is to listen, assess, evaluate and form our own opinion.  If your only news “sources” are Breitbart & Limbaugh, then your perspective will be biased in one direction, just as if your only news “sources” were MSNBC & Democratic Underground.  Listen & learn.

 . . . Round two:

“I do listen to mainstream..unfortunately it is the predominant messages I see when I turn on the television or open the Arizona Republic .. what is blatantly seen is the mainstream promotes division because it is predominantly run by the left ideals .. I do not believe a journalist should push their opinions .. it is like all these crazy celebrities pushing their opinions .. the celebrities are hired to act and provide us entertainment .. but the journalists should be held to providing truth in reporting and not their OPINIONS.

“I can look back in my past conversations with you while Obama was president, and I clearly remember you saying ‘we may not like what he does, be we must respect him as our President’ .. I don't hear that from your blogs anymore .. far from it .. the people who voted for PRESIDENT TRUMP whether they had a firm grasp on past history or government, did know we liked the changes Trump wants to make .. we do not want to continue to pay from our taxes and social security this extreme immigration ..once the ones are weeded out and deported that are draining our resources, who are not even attempting to contribute to our money pool but are draining it, then if it takes finishing the wall to keep them from returning, more power to Trump.  We need affordable and quality healthcare ..not one controlled by the federal government solely.  Too many funds were going toward the global warming hoax .. the left was frantically attached to it most likely due to monetary reward from it ..

“The left doesn't appear to care about the American people as a whole, all they care about is pushing their agendas for this special group or that .. they just want power and control .. and you say Trump is a fascist???  He just wants to improve our economy, our children's education, and our infrastructure for America as a whole.. not just for this special group or that ..

“I don't believe you've listened to Rush anytime during the last year ... he makes so much sense .. His accuracy is astounding ..”

 . . . to which the contributor added:

“Do you remember the classic story of Robin Hood? The man who robbed from the rich to feed the poor. Sounds heartwarming and chivalrous at first glance until you grow up and realize this classic story hero was actually a socialist.

“The tale of Robin Hood is an anecdote Liberals love to use to pretty up their socialist governmental policies.  In today’s modern world people like former President Obama took money in the form of taxes from the wealthy and used it to grow entitlement programs like food stamps and welfare.

“Unlike the tale of Robin Hood, in modern times the socialist scheme doesn’t work out—redistributing the wealth never actually brings the poor up or the wealthy down as any economist will admit. “

 . . . my response to round two:

            As I stated earlier, revisionist history is an entertaining genre.  You are entitled to the entertainment of your choice.

            I choose not to respond to this, without comment.  I shall print in this week’s Update, since your perspective deserves to be heard.  Full stop!

            My very best wishes to all.  Take care of yourselves and each other.

Cheers,

Cap                        :-)