What I'd Change on the Supreme Court

 Over the past month, I've reflected a good bit over the Supreme Court and think it's probably time to make some changes.  My four:

1.  Once 'elected' to the position on the court, it's for a 10-year term, and then you retire, period.  Lifetime appointments come to end.  

2.  Maximum age upon appointment?  Sixty.  To be precise....60 years and 364 days of age upon nomination.  

3.  A total of ten members on the court, with one person always held as a reserve judge.

4.  Upon death or retirement, an absolute understanding that the seat will be filled within 60 days.  The 'reserve' member would ensure a nine-member court is always in the game-plan.  The President will nominate someone within seven days of the death/retirement.  The Senate must meet within 14 days to start the process (with some Xmas/Thanksgiving exemption).  

Urban View

 In the past, I've worked with people who lived most of their lives as kids in major urban centers (Philly, Chicago, NY City), and they would make the comment that they couldn't live in a city of less than 500k residents.  

I worked with a contractor at Ramstein, who arrived and became fairly disenchanted with the local town (K-town) because it just wasn't that 'big' (100k residents)....that it lacked cultural events....that it didn't have much of anything to do. 

I've always been at the other end of the spectrum....living around a small area of 300 residents is mighty fine, and just as interesting as the enchanted cities of Seattle or Dallas.  

I've felt that way as I travel across Europe.  There might be some pluses in cities like Rome, Den Haag, or Munich. But the smaller towns have character and charm as well.  

Lately, with all the chaos focused on cities like NY, Minneapolis, Seattle or Portland....I see less and less reasons to be urban-charmed.  You give up some element of safety and security, without anything to be gained.  

An end-point?  No.

Signatures

 I noticed today....federal judge got into the middle of a mail-in-vote situation....where a state had a rule, if your mail-in-vote papers arrive, and it doesn't match the signature on file....it was NOT accepted.  Judge said 'no'....you can't do that.

I sat and pondered over that.

From August of 1977 to now....I've probably signed around sixty-thousand signatures.  Just in Air Force boot-camp (six weeks)....I would estimate that I signed my signature at least four-hundred times.

I signed the meal rooster three times a day.  Every occasion that they gave me something....even a hat....I had to sign for it.  The eight-hour pass into San Antonio?  You had to sign for it.  The weeks after boot-camp in Wichita Falls?  You had to sign into the class each morning, plus the three meals of the day, and if there were any documents created....you had to sign them.  

The stupid AF form 341?  The disciplinary form for screwing up?  It had a nice block at the bottom where Sarge had to sign....with his explanation on how you screwed up.

On a daily basis, from the 1990 era to 2013....I probably signed at least ten times a day, and on some occasions....it probably went near sixty times in a single day.

Even now in retired status?  Whenever the FEDEX guy comes by....I have to sign for those stupid packages.  

So if you went back and analyzed all sixty-thousand....would there be much difference?  Somewhere in the early 1980s.....I developed one single change on a letter.  Other than that....it's the same signature for sixty-thousand occasions.  

I'm not really buying into the judge's order or his sense into this.  Either the signature is the same one on file....or it's not.  If there is some conflict....call the call up on the number listed for his home, and ask him to show up and sign once again.  If it doesn't match to what is on the envelop....call the cops and report the guy for fraud. 

Observations

 1.  Maybe you know this....maybe not.  On Roe versus Wade (1973)....which liberals often want to hype up.....only went in this direction because three Republicans on the bench crossed over and agree with four liberal judges.  Shocker?  Just something to think about.

2.  This whole riot business in Philly?  All based on a black guy who'd had mental issues for most of his life.  How'd the police get called?  An older member of the family was in fear of her life.  

The comment that police need to be trained to react correctly?  I'd suggest that they just drive up....lock the doors to their car and use the speaker to get his attention to come out.  If he kills the relative?  At least the guy is still alive, and the police are alive.

Here's the thing you need to think about....there's probably over 500 people in Philly who are crazy-crazy, and ought to be locked in a facility.  All it takes is one good argument to set them off......with the cops pulling up and another incident starting up.  

3.  Postal clerk getting federal felony charges for messing around with 100-plus absentee ballots.  Real jail....probably more than ten years.  

4.  Hunter Biden, in five years?  I see him basically broke, and begging Dad for an allowance of $10k a month to survive.  

Calling Oregon a Trump-Win State

 Normally, Oregon would go to the Democrats....in most all elections of the past fifty years.  I think it's close enough in reality now....to be a Trump-win.

Observations:

In 2016, Trump carried 782k votes (39-percent of the vote).  Libertarian candidate Johnson?  He took 4.7 percent (94k votes).  Johnson is around in this election, and the Libertarian candidate isn't attracting that much attention.  So I would suggest 50k votes going from this group in 2020, to Trump.

Added to it....around the five major urban areas of the state....this defund the police effort, rioting, looting....has escalated local feelings in a negative way.  So I'm forecasting roughly 120k of Hillary's 1-million votes in 2016....will go to Trump.

Finally, when you go and count the Latino and black vote in the state.....which the vast number in 2016 went to Clinton....I would suggest that near 20k of such votes this time around....will go to Trump.

By my math....190k votes flipping to Trump.  The unknown factor?  How many democrats got sour and left for the Republicans in the past year or two?  Difference without knowing this number between Trump and Biden....probably a difference of only 3k to 5k.  Biden might still win, but this unknown factor of Democrats who left the party is what would make it a Trump-win.  

Shocker?  At the end of this evening, if Trump were to win Oregon....it's be a massive state of disbelief among far-left folks in the state, and likely to trigger more riots in Portland (once again).  

Camp Idea

 Over the past couple of years, I've come to note a number of young people (mostly college-age or in their early 30s)....jabbering about the great advantages of living a highly socialist world.  They usually mean Finland, Germany or Iceland.  

Their general problem, is that they've never been to these places, and they certainly don't have a frame of reference for what they are talking about.

Added to this....they'd like for the government to set income levels, pricing for housing, and see that that no company makes any profit.  In simple terms....no poor people, no rich people. 

So I'd like to put a suggestion out there....around age 15....to send kids off for the summer to 'Camp Soviet'.  It'd be a four-week experience where you get dumped into a 1970s Soviet-type kid's camp.  You give them the whole experience of communism and socialism, for four weeks.  

I suspect after that month-long experience....they'd get all of this out of their system, and never talk about this ever again.  

The Coyote Talk

 There are several topics which came over the Trump-Biden debate which seem to linger as folks talk about them.

The 'Coyotes' are one such topic.

Trump got into a border-type discussion, and talked about how 'Coyotes' are helping to bring the illegals over the border, and pro-migration folks (liberals) are drifting around on this....thinking Trump is crazy, and the term 'Coyotes' means actual animals.  

In their mind, you (the illegal) just walk up and cross the border on your own.

The reality?  In most all cases, as you near the border on the Mexican side....you have the Coyote-guides who you pay.....several hundred dollars to....to get you to the border and hopefully five to ten miles into the US....maybe even have a truck there to pick you and get you 300 miles away into the US (safely).

In the liberal mind, you (the illegal) do this all on your own.

It kinda demonstrates the lack of understanding on  their part.....with a key subject apparently, and the desire to just believe in some fantasy.  

On this part, Trump is correct.  

Newest Worry for Tesla Factory in Germany

 RBB (Berlin public TV) got around to an interesting update on the Tesla factory being put up about 45 minutes SE of Berlin.

The local water association.....Strausberg-Erkner Water Association (WSE)...started chatting this week over a fear that they will not be able to supply Tesla with water on a long-term basis.

Their direct thoughts?  Basically a two-year supply or reserve on hand, and then the water would be turned off.

True or not?  Unknown.  A lot of criticism has been generated in this area to hinder or halt the placement of this factory.  In terms of reacting and putting in more reserves or drilling for more wells?  Well....no one seems to say a word, and you kinda wonder if they are extremely set in a pattern, without change.

If the factory construction halts, and the whole thing goes away....to say....Czech?  You would basically mark off all of eastern Germany as unable to accept a factory or desiring to create jobs.  For almost thirty years.....this lack of job creation has been talked about greatly in what was old DDR (East Germany).  So along comes the first real company to talk technology type jobs, and then hindering the progress.

Added to this whole discussion.....this entire region (southeast of Berlin) is full of lakes and there appears to be an abundant watershed in the region.  If you have a shortage....get the state government involved.....drill wells, and lay out pipes to the WSE site.  

Or if this is all too much to handle....just say so, and let the factory go to Czech.  I'm sure they know how to handle situations like this.  

Wind Generators, Dead Birds, and Trump

 Trump laid out a comment at the debate which got pro-Biden people upset.  The comment?  It centered on wind generators producing dead birds, and one reason why they might not be the greatest answer in the world. 

So, around twenty years ago, I sat and watched a German documentary piece which was supposed to hype people on wind generators.  

The public TV crew arrived in early AM hours at a site (3 x generators).  Here was 'Marvin', the guy who was supposed to spend about 60 minutes at the site, and he had responsibility over a dozen sites.  

Marvin got out of the van, and opened the back to take out a plastic glove and a garbage bag.  The crew asked....what's that for?  Marvin walks over and picks up a dead bird and then explains....the birds hit the blades...killing themselves.  They kinda cut at that point, and go to Marvin at the control box....writing down numbers and inspecting things.  

How many birds did Marvin pick up? Unknown.  From the three generators.....there might have been a dozen birds laying there....to be picked up daily.  

I noticed about a month ago.....some crew had experimented and painted the blades black.  Just about all blades in Germany are white presently.  In this experiment, they discovered that birds see the black blades and avoid them.  You would have thought that they would have tested this color idea two decades ago.

This imaginary shock by pro-environmental folks with Trump?  Well....Trump is correct....the wind generators kills birds, period. 

Five States in the Game for 2020

1.  New Mexico.  Clinton won NM mostly in 2016 because of the Libertarian candidate (Johnson)....carrying 9.3-percent of the vote in the state.  Johnson won't be around in 2020, and I doubt if the libertarian candidate can get more than 3-percent of the vote.  

If you count those votes returning to Trump, then toss in police disenchanted folks (active and retired)....it probably will be a narrow race where 3k votes might separate Trump and Biden.  Toss in the factor as well....McMuffin....is also not in this race, so there's another 5k votes which you can't really identify who might get them.

My best guess is that Trump marginally will win because of this Libertarian situation.  Latinos for Trump here?  It might actually matter.  Probably a 3-point difference between Trump and Biden in this situation.

2.  Colorado.  Clinton won Col by 130k votes.  The Libertarian situation in 2016?  144k.  So I'm forecasting that fewer than 35k Libertarian votes will occur in 2020, and that 100k votes easily side with Trump on this election.  Again, you toss in the police de-fund situation, with active and retired folks....there's probably another 50k votes across the state which will side with Trump on this occasion.

My best guess is that Trump will marginally take Colorado....maybe by 50k to 80k votes.

3.  Minnesota.  McMuffin took 53k votes in 2016, and those votes have to go elsewhere in 2020.  Same story with the Libertarian effort in 2016 (112k vote).  Toss in the de-fund the police anger, police votes, and those affected by the looting and riots.  

My best guess is that Trump edges upward from his 2016 count (1.32-million) to around 1.5 million....more than enough to easily win the state.  It might be a six-point win for Trump here.  

4.  California.  McMuffin and Libertarians took around 510k votes in 2016.  I'd carve off 300k of these votes and give them to Trump in 2020.  I'd also be generous and say say that 500k votes for Hillary Clinton in 2016....will flip (mostly because of the riots, looting, negativity existing in SF).  Toss in a higher black/Latino vote as well for Trump.  

My best guess is that Trump will take near 6-million votes....way better than 2016, but not enough to win.  Joe Biden wins, but it's a shaky win in several areas (especially around LA).  Having Harris on the ballot in California probably doesn't help much. 

5.  Finally.....Michigan.  Trump marginally won in 2016.  If you toss out McMuffin, and half the Libertarian votes....toss in the defund-the-police chatter, looting and rioting.....added black votes this time around....there's probably an added 350k votes this time around to whatever Trump had four years ago.

My best guess is that Trump carries a 8-point lead over Joe Biden to the end.  Trump-win easily.

Observations

 1.  99-percent of people who take a item to be repaired.....know the 'deal'....you sign the bottom to return and pay for the services at the end, to get your property back.  So it's hard for the bulk of society to grasp how Hunter Biden turned over three laptops, and just simply 'walked-away'.  

My belief?  I think he was fairly doped up when he dropped them off, and forget all about them. 

2.  These 50 top VIP intelligence folks coming out for Joe Biden?

This is the basic story.  These 50-odd individuals were all part of the Clinton, Bush and Obama intelligence leadership.  They believe their statement in supporting will reshape the election.

The effect? I would suggest they converted zero votes.  This was more of a 'dog-and-pony' show, to give the networks some hyped-up chatter.  

3.  This court case being developed against Google, by the Justice Department...any big worries?

Google, in its heart and mind....believe even if it reaches an end-stage....it'll just be a fine of a half-billion dollars, and life will go on.

However, the intent here....to demonstrate to Facebook and Twitter....might be to force Google into dividing up it's business (like what happened to AT&T).  In that case, Google might be fairly unhappy about the results.

4.  All this censorship chatter by the Washington Post....aimed at Trump?

Basically, they wrote up an editorial piece and suggested that social media must censor Trump, from now until the election.....to correct his behavior.

People looking at this....might then ask....shouldn't the Washington Post just stop production of all election news....till the day after the election as well?  We might all agree....massive censorship for the entire last month....by EVERYONE....would be a brilliant idea.

5.  Russian 'disinformation'?

I know, it gets repeated almost fifty times a minute now, by various news groups.  None of them can explain how it's Russian, and not Chinese, or not of a French origin.  

6.  Boeing putting it's Seattle-area headquarters up for sale?

Well....it's a rumor that they've packaged the real estate and would like to sell.  The odds of anyone offering money?  I'd put it near 1-percent.  

The message here?  Things around Seattle aren't that appealing now, and for a commercial operation....that's a bad sign.

7.  Around two weeks ago....this big massive 'Trump' sign appeared in the Hollywood hills, and freaked folks out.

Yesterday, a 2nd Trump sign appeared.

8.  What happens to Hunter in the end?

This new piece with the underage girls video?  The Delaware Police have the video and are piecing the story together.  At the very least...one might suspect that Hunter will be detained in the next month, and have to stand for some court action.  If convicted....a minimum of a year out of this.  

At that point, I see Hunter at the end of the 'glory' period, and no real income after he gets out of jail.  Maybe he's still got 10-million dollars stashed away somewhere and just quietly lives out the rest of his life.  

The Revolutions That Never Get Told

 This is one of those historical essays that I occasionally write, and deals with a topic that is rarely discussed in German society or in German schools.  The subject....the revolutions of 1840s (note, I used the word plural here).

So to lay out the landscape that existed....Prussia was on the initial steps of unifying the country and still way off from a unified Prussia/Germany.

Most people will say that the revolutions basically started at a weekend fest held at Hambacher Castle (about forty km's SW of Mannheim).  All in one weekend?  This was a spring fest held in the local community around the castle....starting on 27 May, and ending 30 May 1832.  It's safe to say that a fair amount of alcohol was consumed and a lot of talk occurred by the locals and the guests in this period.

This area around the Hambacher Castle was fairly well known in the previous thirty years as a region where students and intellectuals gathered and 'chatted'.  It had been under some influence of the French before.  This group of 'radicals' ended up discussing in the weeks and months prior to the fest....freedoms.  

One of these discussions revolved around freedom of the press....to openly talk about corruption and ill-habits of the leadership.

Historians generally figure that around 30,000 people gathered for the fest, and it was more about expressing discontent....than partying up with booze.

When the fest ended....one could say that it left people with enthusiasm to voice discontent and frustration over where their governments (regionally) were going.

So all of this brewed....until the spring of 1848 (16 years later)....then all hell broke loose.

The regions affected?  Prussia, Austria, Saxony, Baden, the Pfalz, the Rhineland, and Bavaria. 

Historians generally figure that 400k revolutionaries were in the mix of things....opposed by the police and military authorities (figure a minimum of 40k altogether).

The general demand?  Social change, rights structure, improved work conditions, and voting rights (meaning the kingdom business would eventually dissolve). 

By the summer of 1849....roughly 15 months later....the various revolutions had been put down. The authorities would say they 'won'.  The leaders of the rebellion?  Well...curiously...most left Germany and resettled in the US (in the central region).  Yes, a lot of this German immigrant mix in 1849 and the next couple of years were the result of this rebellion effort and revolution.

This revolution stuff leading to a republic?  One could say that the path was laid out and Prussia was forever changed by this period of chaos.

Karl Marx's book Das Kapital coming twenty years after the revolutionary period?  This is another piece of the story, and Das Kapital probably laid out all of the wishes and desires to correct things....still left from the revolutionary period.

You can imagine this 1847 to 1848 period being very similar to the American 1770s era, and the disenchantment with the British leadership, taxes, and lack of reform.  

Being openly laid out and simple to understand?  No.  Because you have so many regions and separate parts to the story....historians generally make this a miserable experience to read through and understand.  I think it'd make a great historical mini-series, but telling the story would require at least a dozen evenings.  

So to the final part of this story....after the 1849 ending of the revolutions...a number of German/Prussian states sat down and in 1851....created various versions of the Secret Police.  Their whole purpose in life....stifle or limit political discontent.  This meant infiltrating various groups, knowing their path and plans, and countering them.

Yeah....this 1851 action did create the simple path were the Munich Secret Police would hire a young guy by the name of Hitler....to be a insider and spy to a new and progressing party (the Nazis).  It took seven decades, but it opened up a whole new dilemma to be handled.  

The Month After the Election

 Financially speaking....roughly 20-percent of the nation (if you believe what the financial chat folks are saying)....will be out of 'capital' to survive in the four weeks after the election.  In simple terms, by Thanksgiving....a new harsh reality will have occurred.

Similar in nature to the period of the Wall Street crash in the year after the 4 September 1929 event?  In this case, it's not related to banks lacking cash....it's individuals (regular people) who will lack the cash.

Resolving this by the House in the month after the election? I don't think so.  All indications show that various states will not have concluded their election count and all emphasis by the news networks will focus upon this....rather than the personal dilemma of 50-odd million Americans.

With stimulus money, open society and business operations, and ban rules in effect...there's a crash coming.  It probably doesn't matter if Trump wins, or Biden wins, or we have no winner....to move onto 3 January and the use of the back-up system.  

Holding governors, mayors, and various political leaders responsible?  It's hard to see this happening.

So I'll suggest these five things coming down the pike:

1.  A lot of people are going to be forced out of their leases, and pack cars to head 'home'.  They are hoping that Mom and Dad can sustain them in this period of crisis (whether this is good idea or not....doesn't matter).  

2.  I would expect a fair number of people residing in NY City, LA, and SF....to be part of this next wave.  But I'd go further to suggest people coming out of Miami, Houston, Chicago, and other urbanized centers.

3.  The news media will act like they never saw this coming.  In truth, they've been disconnected from society for well over twenty years.  

4.  Social media (Facebook and Twitter) will sow massive discontent.  People will talk about their fall from 'grace', and hype on revolution.

5.  Neither Trump or Biden will have any vision to resolve this....other than trying to get people back to work.  If governors don't want to participate...then Bide/Trump action won't matter.

So on the morning after the election....mark your calendar and start observing the national trend.  That four weeks will be pretty rough.  

A Baseball Chat

 We are days away from the 2020 baseball season ending.  My interest in this season....between the Covid business and childish political stances being played out....is virtually zero.

But we are entering the point where various contracts on players are supposed to up for renewal or new teams bidding on players.

The number of 4-star players up for new contracts?  Roughly 35 folks.  

The odds of no-pay-raises in twenty of these?  I'd give it pretty high chance.

The odds that five of these players might not be offered contracts at all?  Yes, that's another high chance situation.

The odds that none of them get more than a three-year contract?  Another high chance situation.

If you were an agent to these players....it'd be a dismal period to walk and talk money with the teams.

Can you even make a real estimate of a player's value....based on the marginal season of 2020?  No, that's another problem with this whole discussion.

Will they even attempt a true 160-game season in 2021?  I'd question that logic, and suggest at best....you might be looking at a 120-game or less 2021 season. 

Screwed-up?  Yes, and just another reason why I have no real interest looking ahead at base (or football, or NBA action).  

Observations

 1.  If you laid out the current Hunter Biden story back in the 1980s....Joe Biden would be finished off and the DNC would have to hype up Harris to fill the slot.  But this symbolizes how screwed up things are, in that the news media and social media have to deny this to the ninth degree, and junk their 'trust-status' to the general public.  In essence, they think a crack-head like Hunter is just another regular guy in the neighborhood.  

2.  James Clapper says the Russians are behind the whole Hunter-laptop story.  

3.  We are confronted now on a hour by hour basis, with fact-checkers.  You can probably note around twenty individuals in an average day....telling you they fact-checked things for you.

4.  If you asked an average group of Americans....one-thousand in number....to explain what the hell a Marxist is.....98-percent would be silent for about 30 seconds and ask you to clarify the question.  One-percent would respond they knew a Mark Syst back in grade school...who had a collection of Iron-Man comics.  This would leave you one-percent who could give you a 3-line explanation of Marxist.

5.  Rumor has it that only 5-percent of the Hunter hard-drive has been openly discussed in the NY Post so far.  That leaves you around 20 front-pages of sensational news before they are finished.

6.  State with highest unemployment rate currently?  Hawaii.  Remember....there's virtually no industry there, and tourism is their 'bread and butter'.

7. Five US airlines are 'near' default status (Jet Blue, United, Delta, SouthWest, and American).  The odds here of at least two, maybe three....having to combine...to survive?  I'd give it better than 50-percent odds.  The odds of one disappearing entirely by January?  Better than 50-percent odds as well.

8.  Serious science study says Corona can survive on your skin for 9 hours.  So using a quart of alcohol-rub on your buddy over the whole day....might not be that crazy.  I might mix some Aqua Velva solution into it....to give it a manly smell.

9.  Joe says he could mandate or make you wear a mask, period.  Well....he says that.

10.  Rumor started up late in the week that the White House is looking at potential Executive Orders to be given to Twitter.  You'd have to wonder....how they'd react, and if they were crazy enough to shut it down for 24 hours to make a point.  

11.  This Ice Cube guy is looking more and more interesting each day.  Liberal press is hating the guy.  Ice Cube may have done more for the black community in past six months.....than Obama's crew did over eight years.  

12.  Over past hundred years, you just can't find any single episode of censorship that went well for the party/group/press conducting it.  In each single case, a value of trust was lost.

13.  Tab is dead (or will be shortly).  Tab has been around since 1963.  A fair number of folks never realized that Coke made 3 variations of Tab (Tab clear, Tab Energy, and Tab X-tra).  On soda taste?  Its the only soda that I'd rank as minus-zero.  

14.  New season of Star Trek Discovery started up.  First episode?  Well....it just has the look and feel of Star Wars.  

15. If you found out that various high-ranking CCP Chinese Party officials had easy meetings set up with VP Joe during the Obama era....would it really bother you?  

Joe Logic

From last night's chatter with Joe Biden......this one episode unfolded with the mother of some 8-year-old kid who was transgender.  The mom wanted to be sure that Joe was onboard with this stuff.  To which Joe said: "....being transgender is a choice, that children "decide" to be trans."

All day, this has been on my mind.  Eight-year old kid.....happy mother from the stuff....Joe indicating that kids need to decide on this.

So, it finally occurred to me that this was a logical moment to think about the whole landscape.  If this kid is capable of making the decision, it ought to lead onto:

- Marriage at 8

- Tattoos at 8

- Voting (yes even at age 8)

- Drivers license by 8

- Buying cigarettes', booze, and beer

- Traveling to Mexico alone

- Wrapping up school by the 4th grade

Call it Joe-logic or just plain common sense....but we just don't need to stand in the way of a 8-year-old kid.  If Karl wanted to hook up with the lunch-room-lady, or try jumping off the barn roof (at 40 foot)....let him make the decision.  If Karl wanted to travel up to Alaska and hunt bears....let him.  If Karl wanted to perform some bronco-riding....let him. 

This would be a whole new world, where you'd have folks prepared for real life by age sixteen.  

The Leg Discussion

 Throughout my Air Force years, I probably got a chance to go out to the weapons range on twenty-five occasions with the M-16.  Just at Tucson alone, along the 4th year, the organization had like 60 extra reservations given to them, and nowhere near enough folks to send.  My boss didn't care, so I spent six days over a single month....firing the weapon.  

As for shooting the M-9 pistol?  One single morning out of the 22 years.  We had a two-hour class, and roughly 90 rounds of ammo to get orientated with the M-9.  

This morning, I sat over a comment made by Joe Biden....on how to handle criminals (as a policeman).  What he basically wanted cops to do....if confronted and the situation was out of control, then you'd aim at the guys legs.

You know....like that guy constantly did in the TV series....Person of Interest.  Virtually every single bad guy on the show was always wounded by John Reese (the character) in such a fashion.

I pondered over Joe's suggestion and my morning at the range with the M-9.  What you tended to figure out....if you were going to fire the pistol....you kinda wanted the 'threat' to be within one-hundred feet, and preferably within forty feet.  Aiming at just the legs?  Depending on the angle....you probably are aiming enough to blow the guy's balls off, or hit the right vein....to render him dead in six minutes anyway.

But at forty feet....if you don't hit the guy on the first three or four rounds, and he's still advancing....you got two seconds to think about the situation, disregard Joe Biden's advice, and just hit the guy, period.

The problem here, I think Joe has watched a lot of the TV show Person of Interest, and thinks that in a stressful situation.....this joker advancing on the cop....will stand still and let you shoot him in the leg.

Then you ask yourself in this scenario.....left leg or right leg.  Personally, I favor my left leg a good bit over the right leg.  This ought to beg a national discussion....do we teach cops this, and if so....can we mandate they only shoot the right leg?  

So you sit down in a pub with a dozen police, and explain Joe's scenario, and the leg-shooter thing, and wait about six seconds for them to start laughing.  They absolutely won't take the idea serious.

To end this silly topic....I stood and remember the end of the M-9 morning on the range.  My basic feeling....in any general situation....it just seemed logical to have a M-16 rifle instead (with a 30-round magazine).  You just needed one of the 30 rounds to hit the guy advancing on you.  This way, you didn't worry about his intentions, his legs, or idiot politicians.  

Observing Joe's Town Hall Event

 Over the past couple of hours, I've watched about six clips (probably totaling 45 minutes of the two-hour event).  Four observations:

1.  Not a single word asked about Hunter.  Dismal performance by the moderator.  It was like some journalist asking Grandma to tell how she baked cookies, and never challenging Grandma on the sugar content. 

2.  This question by the young black gentleman, which I felt was legit....was given a basic non-answer.  The black guy said he didn't feel the passion to vote for Joe and was considering just staying home (not-voting).  

Joe basically failed, and I think this guy walked out....probably had a beer or two later, and just finally assembled the data to say 'no' (he won't be voting at all).  You might be seeing twenty-percent of the normal Democratic black vote...just not showing up.

3.  Joe did seem to be alert and focused.  I didn't see him stumble at all.

4.  I just found it odd....Joe sat 12 feet away from the moderator, and probably 30 feet minimum from everyone in the audience, and you can't arrange a face-to-face debate situation with Trump?  As they kept pulling the camera back and you could see the two on the stage or Joe within range of the audience....this kept coming back to bother me.  That's why I said enough with the watching of the video sets. 

It wasn't a bad town-hall, and maybe Joe did 'OK'.  But on that one black question....an enormous failure to get the black vote. 

Twitter and Facebook's Open Pit

 Twitter started up in 2006, two years after Facebook started.  I don't think in the development stage of either media group.....they ever thought much over politicization or being tagged as propaganda vehicles.  They just felt....people would comment on their lives, their jobs, their thrills, and share stupid cat-pictures.  Somewhere in the mix....money would be made.

So you move up to 2008, and this general feeling after the election....Barak Obama's team found some clues to use both Facebook and Twitter.  No one can say that it was a big deal, but obviously on college campuses.....these two platforms got the Obama 'brand' out in front of people.  The Hillary people....I think....screwed up by not grasping the impact.  As for John McCain's people....they were still living in the 1980s, and felt that newspapers were the 'charm' of their campaign.

Trump?  Oddly enough....there in his early sixties....he gravitated over to Twitter.  His short blunt chatter had a great fit on Twitter.  

So today.....Facebook and Twitter are standing there with a problem.  They can't ride the 'wave' out to the future.  They've anchored themselves as a open but private property platform.  Their profit machine?  It is entirely attached to people being hyped-up over politics....both left and right.  If you removed the news angle and political chatter....you could cut 50-percent of the profit overnight with the new 'giants'.

Dodging this whole Hunter story and creating a mess to clean up?  Twitter and Facebook are now stuck having to explain things to the Senate, and it won't go in a pretty way.  For Jack and Twitter?  I suspect that Jack will give notice in December, and quietly leave the company by early spring of 2021.  I don't think he wants to be part of the clean-up crew anymore.  

As for Facebook?  I think they will end up accepting some break-up of the empire in 2021, and the frustration crowd will just more hostile and fed-up with the whole social media game.  

Just This Odd Thing of Hunter's Emails

 In the midst of what the NY Post published, there's this one email where Hunter says....50-percent of what he makes....goes to 'dad'.  So if Hunter was pulling in a minimum of 1.5-million a year....Joe got some cut of the money.

But this begs the question....if so, how does Joe explain this on yearly tax submissions to the IRS and pay taxes on this?

Or is the real question....did Joe pay taxes on any part of the money?

This would open a whole new level of discussions....if any part of this were true. 

Trump and the Town-Hall (NBC-Style)

Went back to review the tape on this Trump-NBC townhall. Five observations:

1.  It went sixty minutes.  Maybe I was expecting more, but then that was 'free' time that they gave Trump.

2.  Savannah Guthrie, on my moderator scale....was maybe a '7' at best.  She should have allowed the audience to ask more questions.  About 30 minutes into it....it seemed to be a debate situation....Guthrie versus Trump.  It just felt odd from that point on.

3.  Weird question of the night...over Q-ANON.  With all the 'mighty' powers of the established news media of the past four years.....they've used maybe 4 ounces of 'strength' to figure out what Q-ANON is.  If you asked people to rate issues....this goes to the 500 to 700 level, and frankly....no one much cares.

4.  Interruption scale....near '9' on my scale.  If Guthrie thought it tripped him up....no, it demonstrated that he stayed on the topic and didn't goof up.  In some ways, it added points to Trump.

5.  That weird 'nodding' lady over Trump's shoulder?  As he answered questions....she nodded.  Subliminal gimmick?  Just makes you wonder.  

Just didn't feel like a townhall theme....more of a debate....Guthrie versus Trump.  Guthrie lost, in my humble opinion.  

'Daniel' Trump

 I saw this image today....Trump painted in a den of lions (like the Daniel from the Bible story).

Trump stood there, gazing at the light through the cell windows, and the lions just wandered around him...unable to react or take him down.  Hindered, perhaps.

Somewhere along about age seven or so as a kid....I remember getting this 'Daniel in the cage with lions' story.

Naturally, being a skeptic even then...I asked how one would do this safely.  The response was....it just happened and you need to accept the story.  It didn't sell that well to me.

Some guy sat down and made up some art....with Trump playing the role of Daniel. I saw it yesterday and kinda admired it.

The thing about it....if you went out to some flea-market operation and had 500 of these mounted on a frame....big 2x3 ft size....they'd all sell out in a matter of an hour.  Some guys would put it in their garage as they came home at night.  Some would mount by the dining table.  Some would put in the tool shop where they could quietly admire it on weekends.

In some weird sense, Trump has become this legend of sorts. 

There was some turning point in the early 1960s....where JFK became a legend.  Folks drifted around for a while, and Clinton achieved legend status (to some degree).  Twelve years ago....President achieved legend status.  I think for Trump's situation....it's awful rare (Teddy Roosevelt was probably the last Republican with legend status).

This is the issue at hand....with everyone against him...it is a den of lions scene.  And as much as the lions ought to be capable of taking him down, it just hasn't occurred.  So these lions have started to look very lean, and thin.  They've almost reached the status of being 'old and non-circus' type lions....set for retirement than show-status.  

What Happens to the NBA for Next Season?

Frankly, I don't care, and haven't watched a single NBA game in the past five years (I admit this).  Back in the 1980s.....I probably watched sixty to seventy games every year (that includes the champion series).  At some point toward the 1990s...I started to lose interest, and this grew every single season. 

So I'll go and suggest these five things occurring as we enter the next NBA season:

1.  Viewership on TV marginally returns.   

2.  Owners start to have round-table meetings to discuss the way to recover.  Certain behavioral issues with the players will be topic number one.  

3.  At least two teams will be on the sell-list, and active interest from China will occur....in bringing the teams there.  

4.  I don't expect much recovery on numbers for the next season's round in the championship series and viewers.  

5.  Finally, several players looking for new contracts will find limited interest in long-term contracts, or high-pay deals.  Owners won't engage in big conversations over this issue.

So I'll go to the main topic....the TV contract is the only thing holding the league to a profitable brand.  When this contract ends....there's trouble brewing.  Oddly enough, a Chinese TV contract might actually save the league.  

Joe and Hunter

 1.  This laptop business....how weird is it?

Repair guy is given the laptop....now admits it might not have been Hunter who said 'repair' it.  Water damaged?  That's the claim, on how it was damaged.  What happened here?  Just me guessing....but I think around December of last year....Hunter went and dumped the laptop into the bay, to ensure it didn't fall into the wrong hands.  Some guy witnessed this, and had a scuba-buddy drag it out.  The rest of this story by the repair guy....I suspect....is made up.  

2.  This appointment chatter that Hunter arranged the meeting with 'Dad' and the Ukrainian business guy?  

Joe says nothing on the official calendar, so it didn't happen.  Find the Secret Service schedule and ask them on this particular day.....did Joe have this particular meeting?  My guess is that for 30 minutes....some meeting did occur.  Secret Service won't know with who....that's the chief problem.

3.  The Twitter and Facebook development trying to control the story?

Too late.  

4.  Are we at the end of all the Hunter issues now? 

Doubtful.  There's still potential for another mess or two to clean up.

5.  Hurting Joe?

At this point, I suspect that 99-percent of folks who are pro-Joe...will stick with him.  Across the nation, on independent voters....there might be 200,000 votes that shift now....at best.  

What Joe Said

Yesterday, Joe Biden showed up in Erie, Pennsylvania....at a local plant operation.

In his basic speech....he drifts around and finally at some point.....suggests in some fashion that their factory was 'thinking of shutting down'.

All heck broke loose in a matter of minutes, with workers walking around and asking what the heck is going on....they'd not heard any rumors of a shut-down....is there something going on that they'd not heard about?  The union got called....the foremen got direct chatter from employees, and the management folks were quizzed.  

Well....it took about two hours for the plant managers to realize the impact of the bogus statement, and they sat down to formulate a 'answer'.

In a direct way.....they said no....the claim of the shut-down was totally bogus.  

How many workers did this piss off?  I'd take a guess that more than half the folks there were in serious worry-status for two to three hours, calling their spouses over the potential impact, and this Biden speech basically sold them on voting for Trump.

Regionally?  That one statement probably flipped a couple of thousand votes over to Trump.  

Basically, it's another case where Joe needs to do more lid-time and ease-up on making speeches.  The less seen or heard....the better off that the campaign is.  

Observations

 1.  I've sat and gazed over this picture of Joe Biden....wearing two masks, and often wondered....if it's that hard to breathe with one mask on....how exactly do you breathe with two masks?

You have to be cutting off at least a quarter of the oxygen 'content'.

2.  At some point in the hearing yesterday with Ms Barrett....the Hawaii Senator suddenly 'wakes' up and asks....'wait, are you telling me that policy considerations are something we should address?'  To which Ms Barrett responds....'you are the one who writes the laws'.  

It was one of those moments like you had Einstein in the room, and some 6th-grade science teacher gets lectured on actual science.

3.  If you haven't watched this exchange yesterday (Tuesday) between Wolf Blitzer of CNN and Rep Pelosi....go google it up and watch it via YouTube.  For a brief moment, I had this impression that Wolf might actually might be a secret Trump-enthusiast.

4.  With all the hype of the past ten days in Germany being Covid-19 infections drastically on the rise (now bumping 5k per day nationally)....breakfast public TV news started the morning off discussing 'vacation frustrations' of Germans.....that you can't just pack and bag and drive off five hours to some Alpin resort, or Berlin hotel....without worrying about the check-in procedures, your Covid-19 test, etc.  

5.  Virtually every single diabetic in the nation has awaken in the past couple of months to realize their insulin cost dropped by 60 to 70 percent.  Responsible party? Donald Trump.  It did not require rocket-science to figure out the way to reduce cost.  

6.  This Arizona campaign 'stop' for Joe Biden from three days ago?  Complete and absolute f**k-up.  There was no one there....not even the city council members.  A real campaign would have hired a minimum of 100 people to fake-show-up, and be a crowd.  These campaign managers did nothing.

7.  Should you get paid-time-off for voting?  This came up via Amazon employees and they want the company to cover this 'cost'.  The problem here....in some urban areas....you could be talking about four hours of time to wait, and finally get a chance to vote.  

8.  US investigating fires in Chevy Bolt electrical cars?  Basically, there's three mystery fires, where Bolts were just sitting there (non-moving).  All started under the rear seat area.  

9.  The FBI came out yesterday and admitted that four times the number of Americans were killed with knives, than assault rifles in 2019.  No one suggested however background checks for knives. 

10.  Trump yesterday, tested negative for Covid-19.  Twelve days with Covid.  Yes, that's it.  The drama?  Basically a one-star pony-show, with a bunch of talkative midgets running around and pretending to be journalists.   

Hearing Over Amy Coney Barrett

 I've probably watched about 5 to 5.5 hours of the Barrett hearings (to become a Supreme Court Judge).  My five observations:

1.  This constant use of the Ginsburg 'rule' (never engage on hypothetical questions) has destroyed any real 'got-you' situations.  You can sense that the Senators that would like to have something negative to tag upon her....are screwed.  

2.  Senator Hirono of Hawaii is a pretty dismal individual for this type of atmosphere....like dragging some 75-year old grandma into the midst of a family argument.  Once the senator asked if Ms Barrett had ever sexually assaulted anyone...I just sat there laughing over the necessity to ask this.  

3.  This Senator Whitehouse 'dark-money' briefing?  What the heck did this really have to do with Barrett?  I almost got the impression that he was supposed to be in the next building and just accidentally wandered into this judge hearing.  

4.  If you just watch raw feed (not filtered with NPR hosts talking what they think, or CNN dimwits sharing their thoughts)....it's pretty slow and boring (enough to put you to sleep after two straight hours).

5.  To a great extent....you end up with the fairly negative opinion about some of these Senators.  Those up in their seventies and eighties....are performing at a level that you'd expect.  It just makes you want to establish an age requirement....to be mandated to retire as a Senator by age 70, or take a test to show mental skills if you want to stay on for another year or two.  

More 25th Chatter

 There was a comment from yesterday....that Pelosi's 'vision' of the 'group/team' involved in the 25th Amendment process....will include doctors and scientists.  It is a puzzling group....most folks were thinking when this originally came up....the entire group from the House effort would be politicians. 

The chief problem here now?

Well....a doctor is expected (by his licensing board in the state that he holds a license) to actually physically examine the individual (in person).  

If you were a doctor, and wrote up a whole report on some guy or gal....but you'd never been in the same room as they were in.....the report would be invalid, and the state board could be called to question your license.

In this case, if Pelosi's 25th 'board' met, and Trump wasn't cooperating....refusing them an audience, then the report was produced....I would imagine that the license board could come into play, and they'd ask if this event really occurred.  The report then?  It'd be withdrawn quickly....I would imagine.  Licensed doctors would be in fear of a lost license. 

So these individuals being mostly retired doctors?  That's about the only way ahead, that I could see this event occurring.  

I noticed a number of people discussing via social media the whole 25th question.  Some suggest that the legal system and courts might be drawn into this and the 25th might be sent onto the Supreme Court....to test the legality of it.  To be honest, after reading through the material.....it's never been used, and so it's never been tested in court.  

I do agree....it exists in the Constitution, but the written form has only a certain amount of instruction, and you could easily create stuff out of thin air....which wouldn't be within the scope of the Constitution.  

Chief Problem of the 25th Amendment Chatter

 This question runs along three lines:

1.  This commission that Pelosi is talking about....would have to be created out of thin-air (it doesn't exist today)....then hold 'secretive' meetings/hearings.  The odds of this happening prior to the election?  At this point, zero.  No house member has the time to take away from his campaign business.  

At best, the hearings would start in mid-November, and run through till Christmas, with the vote in the House then occurring.  

If Biden were set to win?  None of this would be worth the effort required.  So it does appear, that Pelosi does not expect the President to lose.

2.  This chatter over mental and physical capacity?  

Here's the thing, if you took such a test and reflected upon the House and Senate....at least twenty members would have to be released or sent home.  There's at least three Senators that I consider marginally capable of clear decisions or the ability to reason.

3.  This vote on the 25th results?  Well...you have to have a vote in the House and Senate (two-thirds)....to confirm the removal of the President.

Presently in the House?  They don't have the two-thirds vote.  Presently in the Senate?  They certainly don't have the vote.  Forty-odd Republicans would have to cross over, and that won't happen.

New situation in January?  Well....if you put on the speculation hat....I kinda expect the Republicans to have a slight majority....maybe 10 to 15 minimum....over the Democrats, so this commission vote is a joke.

So what is all of this about?  It's simply a dirty-laundry situation, where witnesses come in and offer their observation.  It'll be stamped official, and done only to embarrass the President.

Trump's likely reaction? He'll probably draw up a list of incompetent Democrats in the House and Senate, and just make it public that they can't be dealt with because of their incompetency or mental health 'loss'.  Once on the list, you don't get any respect, and people will treat you as a child.  

It's a stupid way to run a government but maybe this is the answer for the future....just 'mute' incompetent people and pretend they don't exist.  Trump could go one more step....bringing in some minister to pray daily for those with mental health issues, and mention them by name on a daily basis....asking God for their recovery.  

Observations

1.  "Tomorrow, by the way, tomorrow, come here tomorrow.  We're going to be talking about the 25th Amendment."  -- Nancy Pelosi, on removing President Trump from office.

What's this all about?  The 25th says that if the President is in some health situation/emergency/heart attack/etc, then the VP can stand as President.  

So Pelosi is saying that the House will pick up the discussion and have Trump (temporarily or permanently) removed.  

Odds of this happening?  I expect a formal process to start and a serious attempt to be made over the next four weeks, prior to the election.  The Supreme Court angle?  It'll be dragged there and discussed if the situation fits the loose profile discussed in the 25th.  Another reason on why replacing RBG's seat is necessary.  

Appearing like a coup?  If you described this situation to anyone in Paraguay or Chile....they'd grin and say 'yes'....pure coup type situation.  Here's the curious end-point, if they removed Trump but he won the election....he'd come up in January on a whole new fresh situation, and could run again in 2024.  

2.  The guys in Michigan arrested for this plot to kidnap the governor?  

Well....if you dig through everything....they seem to be some 'club' of anarchists.  I wouldn't refer to them as far-left or far-right....just a group of six guys who seem to have an extreme view of the world, and how to rectify problems.  Adding to this story....the intention was to create a 'civil war'....at least that's what the news media has suggested.

3.  Someone brought up this oddity.  If you drive by houses with Trump/Pence signs in front, there's a 30 to 50 percent chance of a US flag somewhere on the property.  If you drive by houses with Biden/Harris....there's almost never a US flag on the premises.  Why?  

4.  Was Twitter or Facebook ever designed with Freedom of Speech in mind?  Just a silly question.

5.  This virtual debate episode?

It'll never happen.  The final debates can be written off....dissolved.  Trump won't participate in this type of 'gimmick'.

6.  This video-feed of Jewish guys in NY City rioting?  Well....on the riot-scale of one to ten....they marginally made it up to a 'one'.  Basically, once the mayor said he'd shut down their synagogues....they stood and said 'no way'.  

Cops trying to enforce the shut-down?  I don't think they have any enthusiasm for the job.....some kind of 'defunding-fever'.   

Observations

 1.  Trump-optimism carrying him out of the hospital?

Optimistic people mend well after accidents....recover from bankruptcies....and don't allow negativity to highlight their lives.  Trump built his entire life on optimism.  It now carries him through Covid-19.

2.  Biden campaign strategy.....registration of all guns?

Well....his web-site has said this....although he has marginally gone to suggest this as an idea worth achieving.

Throughout the south, I would imagine that 50-percent of stated Democrats have a weapon in the home or car, and fewer than a quarter of them would be willing to do some kind of registration.  Maybe this sells well in California or NY City, but in the non-urbanized regions?  It won't help the Biden campaign.

3.  NJ mail carrier arrested and charged-up.....dumping mail, and 99 voting ballots in the mix.

The sad thing here....this idiot could end up in prison, and on day one....he'll be asked how he got there, and his response will be....well, I just dumped a bag or two of mail.  On bad-boy routines, this is the biggest joke....pulling real prison time for such a stupid act.

4.  Here's this odd factor on the new Supreme Court justice story....a lot of hype centers back on this fictional TV series....the Handmaid's Tale.  If you look around.....beyond the intellectual or TV-obsessed folks....fewer than two-percent of the 'others' have ever watched the TV series.  It's just an odd 'game'.....trying to talk about Supreme Court judges, and inserting in a fictional TV series.  Hopefully, this never revolves around Gilligan's Island or Ninja Turtles.  

5.  Number two nation (after the US) for gun ownership?

Falkland Islands (66 weapons for every one-hundred residents).  Saudi Arabia comes in third with 53 weapons for every one-hundred residents.

6.  Doctors not feeling that Trump is better?

Well....yeah.

Some doctors are openly suggesting that Trump can't be this fine or recovered. I watched some news journalist suggest that it should have 'dogged' the President severely, and he should have been down and out for three-plus weeks, at his age.

None of these 'experts' however.....said much of anything when Hillary Clinton got over the pneumonia episode in roughly five days. 

7.  Number of days with House Speaker Pelosi in the mix?  87. On the 88th day, there will be a new Speaker of the House.  

Debate Chatter

 After viewing around 50 minutes of clips from the debate (Pence-Harris), some observations:

1.  The moderator was prepared and capable.  I'd rate her as a 'B' (Wallace?  A solid D-minus).  

2.  I'll be honest and say that Pence skipped over answering about 30-percent of all questions thrown at him.  Harris?  It's probably closer to 50-percent for skipping answers.

3.  Maybe just me, but Harris looked a bit overwhelmed and out-of-place.  But in the Democratic debates.....that was the same person who showed up there.  I think she just hates public debates. Call it 'bad nerves'.

4.  Looking at the Biden decision on selection of the VP.....I just think he could have done better.  Harris might have made a better choice for AG.  

5.  Finally, this debate didn't help the Biden campaign.  I won't say Harris lost....but Pence came out three steps ahead of her.  

So now the question  is....will Trump test 'negative' for Covid in the day prior to the next debate, and will Joe Biden show up?

What This Election Is About

 This not a normal election, and the things driving us....are not 'normal'.  So my list of the 'drivers':

1.  Mob action.  While Antifa/BLM may be in disbelief, the bulk of people in non-urban areas don't react in any positive manner to mobs.  Every video that shows mob action....drives people to vote for Trump.  Probably over 100k votes in Washington state will flip to Trump because of this stupidity.  

2.  Looting/burning of business operations.  Every video drives people to vote for Trump, as sending a message to the loot crowd.

3.  Covid-19 'dictators'.  Remarkable childish leadership seen in states like Michigan, NY, and California....have led people in these states to be skeptical of the intent and goals.  If you feel skeptical to that degree.....you'd likely vote for Trump, to send a message.

4.  For two years of effort with the Democratic House....there's virtually nothing that can be said on the accomplishments list except for a failed impeachment process.  That doesn't win votes.

5.  Pelosi.  As much as Joe Biden would like to claim he is a national authority or national party 'chief'.....Nancy Pelosi serves as that person, and is marginally liked by the moderates of the Democratic Party.  Around independent voters, it gets pretty questionable.

6.  CNN.  Without thinking much over the implications....the network has become the anti-Trump network, and become comical relief at various times over the past year.  Yes, without thinking much about it....they enabled more people to find Trump.

7.   Twitter and Facebook.  Well, maybe it wasn't on the goals list, but they provided the platform for pro-Trump people to gather.  Both are kicking themselves currently and in a state of denial that they did this much damage to the Biden campaign.

8.  Homelessness.  While the governor of California will say otherwise, he's basically weaponized the homelessness problem of California and charmed the public into a 'send-a-message' routine, with Trump likely to get votes simply because they need a platform to counter the governor's 'record'.  

9.  Blacks.  If you'd suggested that Trump could stir up passion and possibly get one-third of black votes in 2020....people would have laughed.  It's now possible, with black discontent.....that one-third of the national vote within the black community might shift to Trump.  The Latinos?  Don't be shocked if the same factor occurs with them.

10.  Finally, Hillary Clinton.  As the curtain closed in 2016, folks had the idea that she'd ride off into the sunset, and not be connected to this 2020 election.  Well....because of the fake Russian involvement angle....she's basically tied to this election now, and a anchor for Joe Biden....meaning he can't move ahead if documents get put into public domain, and she looks attached to some massive fraud.  

Suggesting this weird election could occur, or that the Electoral College might be screwed up enough in this election to fail, or that mail-in-voting was legal/ethical?  Well....five years ago....folks would have laughed.  

KGB Story

This morning, I read through a piece which was uttered by a Harvard professor.  It doesn't mean much to me....it could have been a Tulsa cable-TV repair guy.

The guy got onto some rant or claim that Russian KGB guys (secret agents) were capable of wandering into Walter Reed hospital where Trump was this weekend.

That was the bulk of his rant.....he didn't say that the agent put Ex-Lax into Trump's soda, or they had a bug inserted in Trump's room, or that the agent pretended to be a secret agent of Nancy Pelosi.  

All of this....without any factual data.

It was the kind of statement that you'd hear at the general store in the 1960s, where some farmer discussed aliens having landed and taken over the country, or that secret agents from Cuba were running the Ford Motor Company.   Yeah.....nutcase chatter.

Why did they have to be Russian KGB guys?  Why couldn't they be PRC (Chinese) agents, or Ukrainian agents, or German BND agents, or perhaps even Iceland secret-police agents?

Maybe it's just me....but it seems like some of these PhD guys need a break from work....maybe a full-year sabbatical situation and get pushed into a cabin in the Idaho wilderness with pallet of Pabst Blue-Ribbon beer, a freezer of steaks, and maybe no connectivity to the rest of the world....to clear their head.

If you are going to make up a Russian KGB story....at least get some names in the mix, suggest they are connected in some way to CNN, and crank up some story about the Russian mafia buying up cattle-futures on the Chicago market system.

Observations

1. Trump roaring back after a brief stay in the hospital?

Yes, and it makes you wonder how other folks could be handled, and if doctors really have any idea on treatment.  Patients are going to arrive shortly and demand the 'Trump-treatment', and what will the doctor say?

2.  Did Joe Biden really say: "If a police officer “goes on a 911 call, it’s better if he or she has with them a psychologist or psychiatrist?”

Yes, Joe said it.  Maybe it's time that we make up some national number....like '666' and when you have troubles of a nutcase type....you just get some 'Doctor Marvin-type' guy who will spend thirty minutes of clinical time talking to you and convincing you of the wonderful world around you.  

Naturally, it'd be a AI-type system, and going to a database in China. 

3.  If you had three doors....one leading to a room with Covid-19, one leading to a room of six cobra snakes, and one leading to a pretty weak African guy with Ebola....which door would you open?  

4.  Did Joe Biden really say: “The reason I was able to stay home during the pandemic is because black women were able to keep the grocery shelves stocked?"

Yes, Joe said that.

Some black women would be laughing their ass off at the comment, but Joe was serious.  But to be honest here....I doubt if Joe has stepped into a Piggly Wiggly in forty-odd years.

5.  If there is no Russian conspiracy this time around....what will consume the Democratic Party passion for 2021 or 2022?

6.  In a real insurrection....generally, a fair number of people either die on the streets or just disappear, so I'm kinda wondering if the Antifa guys grasp this part of the deal?  Maybe Professor 'Doug' didn't mention that part of the story?

7.  If you measured empathy on a Antifa guy....one to ten....where do you think these guys would range?  Then you start to wonder....where exactly did they grow up as a kid, and are the parent figures basic failures in life?

8.  Barrett confirmation process?  

If any negative 'swing' is filtered into the system by the Democrats...it'll turn into immediate advertising by Trump.  At this stage of the campaign, for Biden's sake....they probably need to shut up and say nothing...voting by the last work-day of October.  

Only a Observation About Oxygen

 Years ago, in the 1990s....I worked around a contractor in Germany who had this odd health ritual....breathing oxygen (yes, out of the tank).  He'd found some doctor (German guy) who advised that a minute or two of pure oxygen...in the morning as you awaken....would be good 'therapy' for something.  I never understood the 'something' or the necessity of this.  

He'd go through a tank about every six weeks, and would say that he felt better-than-usual after doing a few minutes of this. 

This episode came up in my mind as news journalists hyped up the fact that Trump was doing pure oxygen in the hours before his trip to the hospital.  The way that the CNN guy explained it....I almost got a feeling that humans don't normally breath oxygen, and that this was laced-up with oxygen-type drugs.  None of that is true, but the childish performance of the CNN guy kinda stood out.

The sad thing about this CNN chatter....you will end up with two or three million Americans who think that breathing oxygen is hazardous to your health, and suggest that it'd be better if you'd just breath air....instead of oxygen.  

Observations

 1.  What is a lid (under Biden-chatter)?

Well....this is what a self-made man gives to himself as down-time.  It means he takes off at 9 AM or Noon....to golf, guzzle booze, fish, paint fence posts, and just sit in a darken basement area to reflect upon life.

Note: Farmers are still puzzled by Lid-chatter.  Those nearing sixty will admit that for one brief day in the fall of 1993....they took a Lid at noon....mostly because of rain, and sat in the tool shop listening to Kitty Wells tunes from 1966.  

2.  Are some people visibly upset over the recovery of President Trump?

In simple terms, yes.  But here's this odd factor at work.....this is a guy who never consumed an ounce of cocaine or booze in his life.  That means something in the health aspects of an older guy.

3.  NBA ratings crash for game 2 of the finals?

It's crap.  I expect more or less the same for game 3.  If this goes to game 7?  Well....I pity the network folks for the money involved and lack of viewers.  

4.  It's a sad fact, that even when Trump is sick and laid-up with Covid-19, he's actually active than Joe Biden.  Instead of using Joe's word (LID) for down-time....Trump has invented a new concept (DIL), which basically means he's pulling a 15-hour work-day, even on down days, and he readily admits that he hasn't been to the White House basement....ever.  

5.  Odds of Trump showing up at the 2nd debate?  Probably a 95-percent chance right now.  The chief question to be asked....was in the first day or two of infection when he did the first debate, and his game was 'off' due to the early infection?  Boy, you really don't want to answer that question.

6.  Theaters on a doomsday schedule?

For 2021, I see dozens of drive-in theaters being quickly erected in March/April timeframe....mostly in medium and smaller towns.  It's the only way that movie audiences will be ensured, and the market can survive.  By mid-summer, another 300 drive-in's put up and doing amazing business.  

7.  Oil prices stabilized?

Basically, the Saudis came up over the last day or two and project that oil per barrel....will linger at $50....for a minimum of three years.  So don't get to thinking that gas prices will go up by any significant amount.

8.  Right around 1-million Chinese immigrate into the US yearly now.  

9.  Pretty much official.....twenty-percent of LGTBQ folks will vote Trump in 2020.  Maybe going as high as twenty-five percent.  The LGTBQ folks may have to clean out the organization, splitting it off into two groups and admitting that one group is Trump-conservative-queer and hopeless.   

10.  Beneath all the news that people missed....it seems that the federal cops got into cloning cellphones of Portland Antifa guys, and have a complete run-down of text-buddies, and whose-who.  Somewhere there, there's an enormous 300-foot long white-board, which details out 4,000 individuals connected in some way to the whole looting and intimidation business.  They know your favorite pizza, your drug-dealer locally, your favorite episode of Gumby, and read your dad's 'don't come home' message.  

The Last Person on Earth You Want Financial Advice From: The Pope

 Over the weekend, the Pope (Francis) came up and made the statement over the Covid-19 era, then said....it's basically proven that 'magical theories' of market capitalism are in a failure-mode.  Then he said with Pope-authority....the world needs a new type of politics that promotes open-exchange, solidarity, and has no war involved.

Out of 100,000 folks in the news 'world' (to include North Korea's Kim, Putin, etc)....I'd rank the economic and financial views of the Pope off this scale, and limit the guy mostly talking over Jesus, general religion, and handling demon-possession.  That's it.

I do agree...capitalism is built to run 24-hours a day....seven days a week, and disasters are likely to sideline it.  The suggestion of shutting down an entire economy....not just for a week or month, but for several months (like in NY City)?  You basically destroy economy to the extent that it can't continue.  

But you come to his end-point....he wanted to let you know that a new type of politics is out there and ready to replace the current capitalism model that the majority of nations embraces.  He sounds like one of those college 'kid' types that believes in some massive socialism model....where things are magically produced at X-price and sold at a cheaper rate than possible, with no one asking the question how you can achieve success. 

Just my humble two cents of observation.  

Trump and Ten Days Off

 With this Covid-positive test, I will suggest this scenario taking place:

1.  He's going to get all of the good drugs.

2.  Because of the hefty amount of vitamin D in his system (golfing a lot)....he'll come out in a lesser period of time as well.

3.  Since he doesn't consume booze of any type.....that will also be a plus.

4. I'll suggest that around 11/12 October that he emerges, gets re-tested, and pronounced well.

5.  He'll be all powered-up for the 15 October debate, with the news media in absolute disbelief.

6.  Then he'll make this one comment....'It was kinda like the flu', and not a big deal.  This will just irk the news folks to the 9th degree.

7.  Finally, over this ten-day period, he'll Twitter out at least a dozen comments a day, even while weakened.  

The only question....will Joe agree to show up on the 15th?  I'm betting not.    

Just Something To Think About

 When the absolute worst came on the 2020 stock market, and all the Covid crap drove the market to the low point, with 'experts' appearing on interviews and saying that it'd take three to five years for a recovery?

Well....if you check the market from the day of the lowest point, it recovered in roughly 100-odd days.  

I admit....jobs are still not to a normal stage, but the economy is sitting there....like 1957 Cadillac, ready to go.  All you need is the driver and a direction.  

Just to Get It Out of My System

 I want to denounce white supremacy.

I also want to denounce New Coke.

I'd also like to denounce fraudulent late-night commercials.

I'd like to denounce Nancy Pelosi.

I'd like to denounce fire-ants.

I'd like to denounce the movie 'Grease'.

I'd like to denounce all of the episodes of Matrix.

I'd like to denounce those goofy cat videos on YouTube.

I'd like to denounce military close-order drill, military parades, and marching in Florsheim shoes.

I'd like to denounce any magic act where a elephant moves 300 feet across the stage.

I'd like to denounce Thanos.

I'd like to denounce fake news, biased news, and hyped-up news.

I'd like to denounce Hillary Clinton.

I'd like to denounce NBA basketball....since the early 1990s (everything prior to that was ok).

I'd like to denounce American Airlines for almost no legroom on international flights.

I'd like to denounce fat women who wear ultra tight tube-tops, or skimpy shorts two sizes too small.

I'd like to denounce cheap beer.

I'd like to denounce....well....just anything of a bad nature.

There....I got that out of my system.  But will I have to repeat it again tomorrow, again?