Never Too Late To Learn

Posted on June 27, 2025 by Patric

We are coming to the close of Pride Month. And if the Christian Nationalists that authored Project 2025 (and have infiltrated the highest levels of our government) have anything to say about it, it may be the LAST Federally Recognized Pride Month in our nation’s history.

But, this post isn’t about calling out the social agenda on display by the likes of Stephen Miller, Russell Vought, and Kevin Roberts. It is about my own wake-up call, as a “progressive” who purports to embrace supporting the LGBTQIA2+ communities.

And, perhaps I need to start by admitting that as enlightened as I thought I was, I was not even aware that the acronym had grown beyond LGBTQ.

That was about to change with an incident this past week, which forced me to do a little hard self-reflection, and a whole lot of learning.
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There is a Section of the BBBill That Could End the World As We Know It

Posted on June 25, 2025 by Patric

There is a Section of the BBBill That Could End the World As We Know It
Section 43201(c) Stops States from Regulating AI for TEN YEARS
Which may be Seven Years Too Late 

You know that the wheels have come off the wagon, when I agree with Marjorie Taylor-Greene on anything.  However, this section of the proposed Bill being debated in the Senate, is egregious on several levels, the least of which is handing our futures to tech moguls who don’t give a rat’s pattoot about humanity at large.   

It is baffling to see lawmakers, charged with safeguarding the public interest, bending over backward to accommodate the unchecked ambitions of corporations that wield AI like a sword and shield. Section 43201(c) doesn’t just hinder states from regulating AI—it effectively silences local governments, the very entities closest to their communities, stripping them of any power to respond to the challenges and ethical disasters that AI might unleash. This isn’t just negligence; it’s a calculated surrender disguised as progress, an open invitation for exploitation at a scale that we may not survive unscathed.  Continue reading →

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I’ve Joined the FDT Movement!

Posted on April 29, 2025 by Patric

When I first saw the hat, I did a double-take, At first I thought, “Man…another stupid Guts and Old Glory Proud Boy, speaking military code.” But then, I read the code:
Foxtrot Delta Tango. Military for F. D. T.

Wait. As in…Fu*k Donald Trump?  DAMN! A great message hiding in plain site!  I had to have one!

It was displayed in a Facebook ad (so much for Marky Z’s allegiance to Donny), and I quickly clicked on it. For just $9.99 (plus $5 shipping) I wasn’t risking much.

Almost the instant I clicked the payment button, I regretted my decision.
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The Christian Nationalists and Hypocrisy

Posted on April 21, 2025 by Patric


I spent the Easter weekend being torn apart with conflicting emotions.  On “Good Friday” I worked on preparing for my Rotary Club’s Food Box “thank you” event. More than 50 volunteers each month, come together to deliver emergency food boxes to more than 100 families in need. Most of the recipients come through the Head Start program (which may be DOGE’d out of existence) with much of the food coming from our partners at Food For Lane County (which will see budget cuts from the good folks at DOGE) and the Eugene Mission (which is being overburdened with people seeking assistance).

Saturday, I marched the streets of Eugene, with thousands of others, and millions across the nation, to let the “powers that be” know that we are reaching the limit of what we will take, in regards to finding “waste and efficiency” while they allow the biggest Graft Grab in history.

Then, on Easter Sunday, while attending church with my wife and sister-in-law, and trying to be thankful for our health, family, and all of the other blessings of this life, Trump blew up social media with what can only be called the most ludicrous, UN-CHRISTIAN, and outwardly disgusting “Easter Message” to come out of any political leader in my lifetime.

Adding to my contempt and confusion, I remembered that the majority of the authors of Project 2025, call themselves “Christian Nationalists.” Where were they on Easter Sunday?

So…many…questions. And ONE BIG SOLUTION to helping the rest of us spot them from a distance.
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You Can’t Say They Didn’t Warn Us…

Posted on April 4, 2025 by Patric

I guess if I am honest, I am kind of surprised, at just how shocked people are about what has happened in the first 75 days of “Trump 2.0 – The Demons Who Ate Democracy!” Or, maybe call it “Trump 2.0 – The Wreck-oning of America.” Yes…that is a horrible play on words, just like they do for any “B-Movie Horror Film” title.  It would be funny, except the reality of this horrible script, is far worse than anyone could have imagined.

But, is it?

Did you read Project 2025 or Agenda 47?  Of course you didn’t. Because nobody that read it, knowing that it was the game plan for what was to come if Donny was elected, would ever have considered voting for this madman and his evil cast of henchmen (I’d say hench-people, but you know how they hate DEI). Their plans to centralize power, and strip away the rights and programs which serve the majority of Americans, is in full swing.

It was all there…in black and white. Written by some of the very folks who are now buried in his administration, carrying out the worst, of the worst, of the worst policies for America and the rest of the world (except for maybe Putin).

Let’s do a refresher course…and take a look at what’s to come. Because folks…if you READ THE SCRIPT…They aren’t finished yet.
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Resist. Fight. Shut Down. Laugh! It’s Working!

Posted on March 14, 2025 by Patric

Resist…Fight…Shut Down…Laugh!

This may turn out to be the week that we finally see pushback against the insanity of the past two months, actually start to make a difference.

Of course, it’s not coming from our spineless elected officials (with some notable exceptions). It is coming from private citizens who have simply had enough of this ridiculous game being played out by actors who are following a script from the underbelly of Christian Nationalism.

Let’s be clear. There is nothing “Christian” about Christian Nationalism. The Authors of Project 2025 aren’t worthy of calling themselves “disciples of Christ” much less claiming to uphold Christian values. But, that is a topic for another post.

What matters this week, is the clear signs that Trump, Musk, and his army of “Anti-Woke Warriors” are starting to crack under the pressure of actions taken by everyday citizens, leaders of the free world, the courts, and yes…REAL hackers.

Follow Along.

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How to cut $1.7 Trillion from the Budget and Save the World!

Posted on March 7, 2025 by Patric


Over the decades since I have been alive, I have watched the slow but steady numbing of society’s concept of “a lot of money,” as it inflates faster than the price of eggs.

In today’s headlines, millions have been replaced by billions and trillions.

With all of the talk these days about “cutting waste and fraud” by DOGE (whose very existence is being challenged as being illegal constitutionally), the “savings” from their cuts are both random, as well as to be questioned at many levels. The NY Times reported that more than $4 Billion in “savings” had to be removed from their infamous “Wall of Receipts.”

How much have they actually “saved/cut?” Hard to really say, as the numbers are fluid (they appear and disappear), with no accounting for what the effects of these cuts mean in the long run to the economy. But, suffice it to say, with all of the mayhem and chaos they have created, “huge savings” have not been the result.

However, THEY ARE IGNORING ONE HUGE CUT THAT CAN SAVE CIVILIZATION with one stroke of the digital pen…and would immediately cut more than $1.7 TRILLION dollars from the bloated budget!

That is TRILLION with a “T,” and Civilization, as in you and me.

It’s way easier than you think. Follow along.
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Miss Your Mom? Get This App! Or FAIL AT LIFE!

Posted on February 28, 2025 by Patric


Life used to be pretty simple when we were little. If your Mom told you to do something, you did it. It made life easier and happier for everyone involved. But, since my Mom has long since passed away (and I admittedly had stopped listening to her advice decades before), I have to rely on my own motivation to do the things that are good for me, on a daily basis.

Until now. Tech is here to replace my Mom!

I have a routine. Part of that routine is simple. Get up. Make the coffee. Make sure my wife is up (she is still working for a couple more years, bless her heart). Play my “memory game.” Get to work, doing whatever I have to do for the day, as a 71-year-old-retired-man.

But, this morning, as I played my “memory game,” an ad came up for a new app. This app promised to change my life, make me more productive, and healthier, both physically and mentally.

Sure. Why not?  I’m not too old to admit that I could use a happiness nudge now and then. Especially these days. And, 245% Happier?  Who could turn that down?

So, I downloaded it to my phone from the APP Store.  And, I admit…I was stunned!
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Solutions are Somewhere In The Middle…But Where’s the Middle?

Posted on February 26, 2025 by Patric


I take my doses of news in much smaller, manageable gulps these days. I have come to realize that trying to parse and understand the dearth of daily opinions, hard news stories, and social media headlines, is like sticking your head in the ocean when you just wanted a sip of water. There is just so much water, and almost none of it is actually good for you to drink.

I need to find a way to work toward answers that find true compromise, and offer solutions that are in the best interest of all involved. In short, I still feel strongly that the best path is somewhere in the middle of both extremes.

But, WHERE IS THAT MIDDLE!!??

I was befuddled by a report from CBS News on a segment of “Eye in America” from “the battleground state of Wisconsin,” to get their reaction to Musk’s mass firings of Federal Employees. Supposedly, Wisconsin is a “Purple State” which Trump barely won in the last election. To a person, everyone interviewed said they supported the firings because “Government waste needs to be eliminated.” One guy even went so far as to say essentially, “These guys could just be making paper airplanes, collecting their pay, and getting a pension.”

OK then. We’ll call that a “Deep Red Shade of Purple.”

I wonder if the Wisconsin farmers, who reportedly have upwards of 70% of the work being done on their famous dairy farms by illegal/undocumented immigrants, would give the same “stamp of approval” to the ICE tactics/plans being carried out by this same administration?

According to some, The Republicans won a “mandate,” to do whatever the hell they want, because they won the Presidential election, the House, and the Senate. Not by a landslide…but enough to win.

However…trying to find THE MIDDLE for the entire population of our voting-eligible population is a lot more complex, and really exposes some big questions. Like, WHERE THE HELL IS THE MIDDLE?

For that answer, we need to break down the stats from the last election.
Continue reading →

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Pick the Worst News Story from Last Week – If You Can

Posted on February 24, 2025 by Patric

Holyfreakinshirt- It’s Monday!

My original intention was to ask my readers to let me know what they thought was the most important/influential news from the past week. However, trying to pull one story out from the past week, is like trying to fill a thimble from a firehose.  You’re gonna get soaked trying (with your own tears?).

After just three weeks of trying to make sense of the world, with thrice-weekly posts…I am exhausted. But, it’s another week. Let’s see how it goes.

I will get to the “question of the week,” in a second, but want to start with pushing all of you to subscribe/follow/ read Heather Cox Richardson’s almost daily posts, “Letters From an American.” They are brilliant, spot on, and factual with a bent toward historical perspectives.  And lately, they have been so clearly depressing, that I have to read them in chunks between large sips of coffee, bites of pastry, and random rounds of disc golf (nothing says chillax like disc golf).  Until today…when her post actually shed a small glimmer of hope. 

But, I want to hear from you.  What do YOU think is the most important story/development in the ongoing “gallop toward fascism” from the past couple of weeks?

Donny T? Musk? Ukraine? Israel? Shutting down the Federal Government? 

I’ll provide a short list below.
 Continue reading →

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The Oscars- My Picks-Snubs and Rants

Posted on February 21, 2025 by Patric

Every year, my wife and I have a tradition of seeing every nominated film for “Best Picture,” “Best Actress,” and “Best Actor.”  We love movies.  It has been a trademark of our relationship almost from “day one” together.  We have very similar tastes, which makes the movies that much better.

This is not always the case with our choices of television streaming, but that can be for another post, another time.

Since the Motion Picture Academy changed their policy to emulate the Globes, and made it 10 movies, instead of 5 or 6, we end up seeing a LOT of movies in the months of late December through the broadcast, usually in late February.  We just completed this year’s list over the Valentine’s Day weekend. And as you’ll see, we may have been saving one of the best for last.

Hollywood may not agree with me. Hollywood is fickle. Hollywood tends to go with big-budget spectacles that often leave smaller, and far better crafted films behind.

This has already started, with the list of nominations.  There are some good movies on the list, as well as a couple of SUPER STINKERS.

I’m posting this a week BEFORE the Academy Awards- so you still have time to see a couple of these films!

Read on to see my picks of the pics that should be picked! 
(Sorry…that just came out that way). 
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Of ChemTrails, Food Boxes, and a Reality Check

Posted on February 19, 2025 by Patric


It’s Wednesday, and time for another “Somewhere in the Middle” post, where I try to get out of my silo, and see the other side, or at least other points of view.

However, today I’m volunteering to do Emergency Food Boxes for my Rotary club. Something we do monthly, but wipes out a couple of days of prep, and loading, and delivery. So I need to keep it short. One more small detail about this program…it revolves around the Head Start program at one of the local elementary schools. It serves families in need. And, if the trend in cuts to Federal programs moves forward, the “save money not lives administration” may be part of widening the gap of have/have nots, if funding is halted.

I was going to write about a new friend of mine, who illuminated me about the connection between “Chem-Trails and USAID.” To say the conversation had me on my heels, is an understatement. I will do more research (after he already conceded a bet), and write more about the extreme Right and where they get their information another time.

Today, because my brain is broken from this week’s news, I am going to defer my space to something that was shared on Social Media, that hits the “What Do We Do?” button so hard and on point, that I had to look him up. He is a Detroit sports-writer. He has a growing following. And when you read his posts, I think you will know why.

CLICK BELOW FOR MORE
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A Weekend of Love…Mostly

Posted on February 17, 2025 by Patric

When it comes to love and romance at my advanced age, you need to temper your expectations, with healthy doses of reality. However, every once in a while, you actually hit one out of the park, and you find out what is really important in your relationship. And, even after being together almost non-stop, for almost 45 years, you realize that continuing to evolve is the only way to success.

I am proud of myself. I did so well for Valentine’s Day weekend…right until I didn’t.

But, the “didn’t” part had little to do with things within my control (unless you count my inability to simply NOT WATCH THE NEWS, when I am trying to have a romantic weekend}. It’s a challenge. But in the end, love prevails.

Maybe you can learn from our weekend of “keeping it fresh” in the relationship department, while savoring the things that bonded us in the first place. And also learning that “No News” really can be “Good News,” when you are trying to get through this life.

But, let’s start with my admitting a bit of abject shame, that fueled my plans for Valentine’s Day.

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Seeing the AI World Through Two Sets of Eyes

Posted on February 14, 2025 by Patric


It’s Friday- which means it’s time to lighten up a bit, if that is at all possible these days. But, I’m also writing this on Valentine’s Day, which in my case, is marked by the 44th anniversary of my proposing to my wife. Which also means, I have to keep this relatively short, so I can finish doing the things that will allow me to have a 45th anniversary, and not be sent off to live in a van down by the river.

But today, I’m going to divert away from politics, romance, and all things related to Donny and his Co-POTUS-Elon, to talk about some of my experimentations with the new, highly touted, AI glasses from Ray-Ban and Meta. In short, I will sell my soul to the future, to see what the hype is all about.
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The Solutions are Somewhere In the Middle

Posted on February 12, 2025 by Patric

Only a week into posting again regularly, and I’m already changing course.  I originally intended to offer up “plans of action” on Wednesdays (aka Hump Day).  But, after talking with some who have far differing opinions on how they see the world, I am changing course, and going back to trying to see things from BOTH sides, in hopes of reaching some sort of compromise.  In other words, finding solutions “Somewhere In The Middle.”

This requires some very challenging conversations, as well as watching leading news stories from different sources and networks, in order to try and distill at least a modicum of the truth. It takes work.

But this week, the President held a press conference to go over the intention of DOGE, and what we might hope to accomplish with the recent inundation of Executive Orders, Deep-Server Pilferage and Court-Challenged DOGE Actions.

And then…just to make it seem more relatable…Musk brought his kid along to the party.

What transpired was truly remarkable, and weirdly relatable to anyone with kids or grandkids. Or at least took a little of the pain away from an otherwise painful effort to find compromise.
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Who is REALLY Making the Policies? Not the Strawman!

Posted on February 10, 2025 by Patric

Holyfreakinshirt!  It’s Monday! And what a week/weekend it was!

By definition, a “Straw Man,” is:
1. an intentionally misrepresented proposition that is set up because it is easier to defeat than an opponent’s real argument.
2. A person regarded as having no substance or integrity. “a photogenic straw man gets inserted into office, while advisers dictate policy”

When you take a look at the kinds of policies and executive orders that are being put into place, a clear and obvious conclusion comes about, as to who is REALLY behind each of them.

Let’s start with the fact that Donny is waaaaay beyond being photogenically attractive. But, give him a break…he’s damn near 80 years old! Of COURSE he looks like a grandpa trying his best to hang with the real “hep cats and groovy chicks!”  But, he is absolutely, undeniably, a master at getting attention. He is the PERFECT STRAW MAN!

However, along with his aging body, comes an aging, rotting brain, that on it’s best day produces word salad, on a wide variety of topics; most of which are completely useless as they pertain to governance and solutions to the problems facing our country and the free world.

He leaves that to his henchman. All of these guys have their own very specific agendas, and are more than happy to work BEHIND the scenes (mostly behind in Elon’s case), while Donny keeps the cameras, and the attention on stuff that just doesn’t really matter.

Let’s break down who does what, and how you can recognize the motivation behind their actions.
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AI Is Our Friend…When Trying to Make Sense of Gibberish!

Posted on February 7, 2025 by Patric


I made this picture with AI…

As promised, today is FRIDAY…which means I am bound to keep my promise to “keep it light,” as we go into the weekend!  It’s time for a Friday Filler! 

As someone who has been on the “bleeding edge of tech” for more than 40 years, I am doing my best not to freak out over the evolution of AI (Artificial Intelligence for those who are still locked into the analog world of pens, paper, and printed communication).

There is a great deal to be “freaked out” about, as it pertains to AI. But, this is FRIDAY, and I don’t want you to spend the weekend doom-scrolling about how AI is using up all of our natural resources, or how AI is being used by the military, or how Musk is using AI to scour the files that he stole from the treasury department. No. Seriously. Don’t do it! It will ruin your weekend.

No, THIS is about how AI can actually HELP you make sense of some of the gibberish that comes through your email, social media, and blog posts (including mine), in a way that will save you time, and make this insanely complex world easier to understand, more quickly (if you trust what AI gives you as a result).

LET’S START WITH A NEW TOOL FROM GOOGLE/GMAIL THAT HELPED ME UNDERSTAND “TRUMP SPEAK!”
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Elon Musk is Treating Our Democracy Like a Video Game…and He Cheats at Video Games.

Posted on February 5, 2025 by Patric

If this is a Video Game…
Three Things You Can Do Today to Take Back the Controls

How this happened shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. Projection 2025 was there, in black and white, months before the election. Trump denied knowing anything about it. But, yeah…Donny is a first-class, felonious, pathological liar. So why are we surprised

However, there is one element that on the surface, seemed to catch everyone off guard; the Ketamine-Charged-Gorilla-In-The-Ether that is Elon Musk along with his cyber-thugs army.

Tech Billionaires are a strange mix of ego, hubris, and an almost unquenchable thirst for proving that they are “alpha males.” I suspect this comes from years of being bullied in school, and finally being able to buy their version of super-model Barbie dolls, who are in it for the show and the dough, but not that into the “bro.”

But, the “win at any cost” ends up being a trigger for cheating, fraud, manipulation, and yes…even cheating at games. Trump (if he needs another foible to prove that he is a despicable human being), is a notorious golf cheat. There is a book written about this, along with countless anecdotal accounts of his “winning” through various means of cheating, using caddies to help him cheat, shaving scores, and even going so far as to claim “Club Championships” when he is the only entrant.

Musk, is apparently no better. At the end of January (when he was supposed to be forming his special DOGE team), was embroiled in a cheating scandal that rocked the gaming world. It seems that the richest man in the world, has nothing better to do than load up on Ketamine, and play video games, while his mega-billion dollar empire lumbers along on money taken from crypto-victims, government contracts, and businesses loaded with employees who are willing to look the other way, to attain their goals. What a life.

But now…he has something he has always wanted. TRUE power. Of course, he didn’t come by it honestly. Not even close. This is the kind of power that guys enjoy, who buy giant social media companies, and then gut them to make themselves the supreme arbiter of free speech.

There are only a handful of people who have tried this move, but none have done it so boldly, and so completely without any sense of propriety or honesty (unless you are counting dictators…Trump’s BFF list of heads of state). Yes…in no uncertain terms, what happened this week is a coup.

DOGE is nothing more than a video game to Musk. A game that he can “master” by ignoring rules (The Constitution), forethought and common sense (he is decimating the government checks and balances from within), and setting up his own rules with his own referee. And he is gaming the system illegally, with a group of Gen-Z hackers, who have promised that “things are going to get insane” as the re-write access codes, payment systems, and infiltrate government workers’ and citizen’s records. Trump is the only referee at this point…because Congress and the Supreme Court are standing on the sidelines.

How do we challenge this fustercluck of fascism? 

Continue reading →

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I’m Back…No…REALLY! I PROMISE!

Posted on February 3, 2025 by Patric

OK…so yes. I’m embarrassed that I keep saying that “I’m Back,” only to act like a Deadbeat Dad who shows up for a birthday, the first time in years…and then disappears again. I KNOW I keep saying that I will be writing regularly, and then make excuses (I’ve actually not made any excuses, if I’m honest) about why I don’t write.

But, this time is different. Really. Not kidding.

Let’s face it. The time for sitting on the sidelines is over. Waaaaaaaaaay over!

It is going to be part of my “routine.” And I have now proven to myself, that I am really good at “routines” if I actually make them part of my life. The fact is, like many (if not most) retired people, routines are the only way we have a whisper of a chance at sustaining our lives, and being happy (whatever metric you use to measure happiness).

But for me, writing…communicating…staying in touch with friends, families and followers is life-sustaining.  I like writing.  I like making music. I like new challenges. And dammit…I NEED this way more than you probably do. It keeps me engaged. It keeps me focused on the world around me. And now…it may turn into a “side-hustle” that will raise funds for good causes (more on that later).

Here’s what I am going to propose.

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Screaming Into the Echo Chamber

Posted on March 19, 2021 by Patric

As “normal” begins to return to the country (remember normal?), I realize that I am slowing but surely finding a way back from the Trump PTSD way of life that used to start with checking my news/social media/talking heads every morning upon waking.

It is a relief…and weirdly stressful.

We have all been programmed for so long to expect another boot to drop (although Trump likely was barefoot as he did his daily tweet-strafing run from the bathroom), that weeks of nothing is…well…stressful in its own way. 

And the fact is, we have all been screaming into the echo chamber for so long, that we almost feel weird checking in with our fellow “Dump Trumpers” and talking about anything other removing him from office. 

But, weirdly…the echo chamber may have grown louder…and could land you in Twitter Jail!
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Waking Up the Power of the People – Solutions Part III – Finding the Message in a Sea of Garbage

Posted on March 21, 2017 by crankyoldguy067

I really did mean to write this a few days ago. But, when I heard that FBI Director James Comey, and NSA Director Mike Rodgers were going to testify before the Congressional  House Intelligence Committee, I thought I’d wait. It felt like there was a lit fuse, waiting to ignite a bombshell. A game-changer…a “Holyfreakinshirt…this is HUGE” moment.

And there was.  Just not the “HFS moment” I (and most of America) hoped for or expected.

Yes. The news that the FBI is indeed investigating the Trump-Russia connection as a “criminal investigation” sent shock waves of glee/anger (depending on which side of the aisle you sit) across the globe.  But the HISTORY MAKER was watching a sitting President, not only refute the statements of his two highest heads of domestic and foreign intelligence…but actually lie… IN REAL TIME, using his favorite tool of self-deception, Twitter.

Which brings us to our final “Waking Up the Power of the People”- SOLUTIONS PART III

Just a warning…you probably aren’t going to like Part III any more than you liked parts I and II… because it requires you to do your own homework. And we all know how “grown adults” feel about homework.

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Resistance, Persistence and the Commander in Tweet- Solutions Part II

Posted on March 11, 2017 by crankyoldguy067

If all of you who follow along actually did what I suggested in the last post, you have seen a week where our “Commander in Tweet” has once again spun facts, pandered to women (not an assaulting P-Grabbing threat in the bunch), claimed that his strategies have already set new records in jobs creation…and that health care reform, is “making great progress.”

Let’s just agree to disagree on most of what he says…right? He is a master of the “say it enough, and people will believe it” tactic that actually got him elected in the first place.

But what we face, is a daily onslaught of truly random ideas, with seemingly contrary results (reducing the deficit while increasing spending, but cutting budgets, while increasing defense…while cutting TSA and Coast Guard to build a wall), that are all born out of one very clear objective…LET THE 1% RUN FREE and everything else will follow.

This makes Reagan’s “Trickle Down Economics” look like a drip…and the dam that keeps the deluge from destroying the country in an unbridled fury of greed, is being dismantled from the inside.

But, there is a way to turn off the spigot of insanity that is polluting the waters of clear thinking (had enough water metaphors yet?), and it comes back to the same “source” every time…Congress.

Here’s why Congress, and attacking their soft underbellies, is the only way we will wrest back any control from this power-drunk-rhetoric-fueled-potentate.
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Our Commander in Tweet – Waking Up the Power of the People In Three Easy Steps

Posted on March 4, 2017 by crankyoldguy067

commanderintweet
So, I admit it. I started watching the “President’s Address to Congress” with the same snarky, close-minded attitude that many of my “Hate Everything he Says And Does” (HESAD) group of friends had. But, within five minutes of my self-imposed drinking game (take a drink every time he said, “Very, Very, VERY” in his speech), I realized that I was watching a “New Trump.” Kinda mostly… and wasn’t drunk enough not to notice!

He was measured.  He cut back on the campaign rhetoric. He actually presented some ideas (although admittedly not with solutions for funding them) that actually had my bulbous noggin nodding. “Whaaaaaa Happened?”

So then I went to check the posts from our Commander in Tweet (yes, I follow him on Twitter…more on that in a minute), and realized that he had taken a moratorium (short, very, very, VERY short) on laying waste to the Tweet-O-Shere over the days preceding his speech.

Just TWO posts in two days…both pimping his big speech. Holyfreakinshirt!

So, WHAT got into him?  What changed?  Who got his attention? Is it going to last???
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Looking Up Tonight Could Change Your Perspective on Life

Posted on August 11, 2016 by crankyoldguy067

Meteor

My true love affair with the Perseids Meteor Shower was born in a meadow, just below the North Sister, along the Pacific Crest Trail. As some of my Parkrose friends remember, my Dad used to do “Summer Science” camps that ranged from basic trips to the coast, to extended 2-week hikes along the Pacific Coast Trail, starting in the Three Sisters Wilderness area, and hiking South over a 50-mile range.

The most memorable of these was in the summer after my freshman year in high school, which as most of you will confess, is one of the most self-centered times of a young person’s life. Several of my best friends joined more than 25 kids, along with Dad’s co-teacher, Ken Grunwald, on what was likely one of their first real experiences of “roughing it” in the wilderness, carrying everything we needed for two weeks of sustenance.

My memories of the first night of this trip changed me forever.

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