Time for a Worldwide Response Against Daesh – it could, and should happen

Good Day World!

The 21st century has been about technological advances, and the formation of an evil force that threatens innocent people across the planet.

After the Paris attacks it became clear that if this evil isn’t confronted head-on with a world-wide response, it will continue to spread terror like a cancer among countries.

Millions of people will die in the name of an ideology that can’t really be called mainstream Muslim – more like a bastard off-shoot based upon hate.

The fact that these terrorists spring from the Middle East causes many to suspect all Muslims are evil. That’s not fair. Bad people come from all over the world regardless of origin.

One thing is for sure, something decisive needs to be done quickly. Not next month, or a year from now. The fact is, retaliation could come quickly – as little as a couple of days from now.

A force of elite warriors is waiting for the word. NATO’s Naval Striking and Support Forces are fully capable of going after this group of murders who call themselves Islamic State, but are mostly referred to by the world as ISIS, ISIL, or Daesh (which they particularly hate!)

Of course, the only thing holding this possibility of instant karma back is politics among the countries themselves. Perhaps that’s what Daesh is counting on. Time will tell.

Time for me to walk on down the road…

‘Influencers’ in society: Or, where can I get that guy’s puffy jacket?’

Good Day World!

In elementary school, I was considered an influencer.

Not a good influencer, but someone who led other children astray! I was a bad boy. My friends parents pigeonholed me, and that was all there was to it.

Photo-Drake/Youtube

We know there are good influencers in society who take us down the high road to humanity. Sadly, there seems to be less of those than ever before.

Then we have influence marketing.

I compare it to a herd of sheep mindlessly following a viral ram. The idea is to get someone with media influence to appear with your product. The list of candidates is endless.

It reminds me of high school when popular kids wore certain shirts, pants, etc., that became an instant trend among social climbers.

Popular influencers run the gamut from athletes, musicians, singers, and actors. Cagey companies nowadays believe in picking out a person who already has a big following.

For example:

Drake's 'Hotline Bling' Moncler jacket is selling like crazy

The idea that people matter is always going to be the name of the game. Just like the cool kids in high school mattered. Instead of trying to market for the masses, it takes a completely opposite approach – tapping into an established specialty market (person).

Here’s an interesting documentary (you can watch the trailer or the whole film) Influencers – How Trends and Creativity Become Contagious. This video tells you a lot more about influencers than I ever could.

I would like to say, in passing, that as a parent I became an influencer by default. I just hope I was a good influence!

Time for me to walk on down the road…

 

 

Facts can be so inconvenient at times!

Illustration source

                                      Good Day World!

For some people facts are messy things that tend to explode their crazy universes.

They see facts as unnecessary information that conflicts with their world views. They hide from facts like vampires from sunlight, content to dwell in dark parallel worlds where their twisted ideologies rule.

In our society politicians use fear to motivate would-be voters. When it comes to politicians, truth is the first thing that is hidden behind closed doors…waiting to come out, but never getting the chance.

Lies, like cockroaches, scurry around every promise made by most politicians. When it comes to their personal lives they hide their skeletons deep in an imaginary biography designed to appeal to the masses.

It isn’t just politicians that lie in our society. So-called activists often lie to further their aims. Today, I’ll leave you with three examples to consider:

* Republican presidential contender Ben Carson has maintained a business relationship with a close friend convicted of defrauding insurance companies and testified on his behalf, even as the candidate has called for such crimes to be punished harshly.

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* The Benghazi Committee staffer who says he was fired for resisting participation in what he called a politically motivated probe of Hillary Clinton is not protected under federal whistleblower laws - an exemption that some labor lawyers call "inexcusable."

Advocates say the lack of protection for Congressional staffers effectively silences any House or Senate worker who could otherwise reveal potential corruption in Congress. A perfect example of hiding the truth.

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* Something stinks at the University of Missouri. A reported incident of vandalism at Mizzou sparked university-wide protests, a boycott by the school’s 4-5 football team, and eventually the resignation of the university’s president and chancellor.

There’s only one problem: no evidence of the alleged incident, in which a poop swastika on the wall of a dormitory restroom was reported, has ever been made publicly available. Did this incident occur as reported, or was it an immaculate defecation that formed the foundation of an unimaginable deception?

Related:

1. Is Ben Carson an impostor?

2. Democrats on Benghazi Committee Release Devastating Fact Sheet on Gowdy

3. BLACK UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI STUDENTS HAD SOME GOOD REASONS TO BE UPSET AND ALSO SOME BOGUS ONES

Time for me to walk on down the road…

 

 

Yakety yakking about social media for people who want to hide

“You just put on your coat and hat
And walk yourself to the laundromat
And when you finish doin' that
Bring in the dog and put out the cat
Yakety yak (Don't talk back)”

-The Coasters

 

Good Day World!

Facebook. Twitter. Instagram. Yik Yak.

Yik Yak?

I thought I’d heard about all the social media sites there were, but I was wrong.

Until yesterday, when I read about a man who was arrested for making death threats against black students who attended the University of Missouri, I never heard of Yik Yak.

The man used Yik Yak to post threats.

In another case of a Yik Yak threat, a student at Texas A&M was arrested three weeks earlier for making "terroristic threats."

Apparently Yik Yak is a social media app for iOS and Android that has become very popular on college campuses in recent years. Since I haven’t been on a college campus in a couple of decades, I should be excused for this lack of knowledge.

Yik Yak was launched in 2013 and has been involved in some controversies before. The app was initially criticized for being a tool for cyberbullying on high school and middle school campuses.

Yik Yak isn’t my cup of tea, but the social network does provide a place for students to gripe about finals, publicize house parties, and even share inspiring news anonymously.

A lot of Yik Yak messages are simply jokes, like one of the most "upvoted" posts on the network from a University of Southern California student, who wrote, "Shout out to my grandma cause that's the only way she can hear me."

Time for me to walk on down the road…

Promises! Promises! Not One Presidential Wannabe Will Be Able to Keep Them!

                                      Good Day World!

There’s not one presidential wannabe that can fulfill their grand promises.

Republican or Democrat.

Take Donald Trump. He’s largely downplayed policy ideas in his campaign, but the border wall is one of his biggest promises, even though it requires huge spending by the Mexican government (something that would never happen).

Donald Trump's promise to overhaul both foreign and domestic policy through his leadership skills vastly overstates and misunderstands the power he would hold if elected president, according to political scientists and scholars of the presidency.

But Trump, these scholars argue, is promoting an idea of the presidency sometimes referred to as the Green Lantern theory, named after the Green Lantern Corps, a fictional police force in DC Comics whose members wear all-powerful rings.

The idea that we just need a president who will get things done is much simpler and more appealing than the complex realities of our political system.

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is promising to lead a political revolution that will bring out millions of new voters, resulting in Democrats winning control of both the House and Senate and pushing through his very liberal agenda.

Scholars shake their heads at this promise.

Jeb Bush has said his presidency will result in the U.S. economy growing by 4 percent.

Hillary Clinton has promised she would issue executive orders to implement her proposals if Republicans remain in control of the House or Senate and block them.

Scholars are very skeptical either Bush or Sanders could achieve their goals, because they are largely out of a president's hands.

And the executive orders that Clinton wants to implement could be rejected by courts, which have struck down a number of Obama's executive actions.

I just wanted you to know that none of these presidential wannabes will be able to keep their promises because of that inconvenient thing called reality which will get in their way.

Time for me to walk on down the road…

 

Missouri Activists: ‘White Media Doesn’t Understand Black Spaces’

Good Day World!

What a difference a day, or two, makes.

Activists at the University of Missouri celebrated the resignation of the school's president on Monday after forcing him to quit.

When members of the media attempted to cover their victory celebration they were met with outright hostility and aggression! Watch this video.

After weeks of protests, activists with the Concerned Student 1950 group had turned their complaints of racism into a national story. But instead of welcoming the continued coverage, they acted like mindless morons with bad intentions.

Even faculty members were not above the madness. One member, identified by the Columbia Missourian as Greek Life and Leadership Assistant Director Janna Basler, blocked a student reporter and told him to leave.

Students and faculty were chanting “You don’t have the right to take our photos.” Excuse me? This is America and the media is allowed to take photos of public events.

As a retired journalist (newspaper editor), I was really offended by Melissa Click (see photo on top of page), an assistant professor of mass media (a courtesy title as it turns out), who joined the crazies in driving reporters away from the university quad.

On Tuesday, Click apologized for her actions in a statement issued by the Missouri Department of Communication. Shortly thereafter she resigned.

What really gets me is the hypocrisy: 

The activists defended their actions, saying on Twitter that "it's typically white media who don't understand the importance of respecting black spaces."

Black spaces?

I wasn’t aware there were “black places” at a public university where whites shouldn’t tread. Ironically, the protestors black space was supposed to be a time for “fellowshipping for white, black, and other minorities(!)”

Apparently some sanity returned Tuesday and the protestors welcomed reporters after Monday’s madness.

Activists removed yard signs warning the media to stay away from their black space. The group who started the protests put out fliers saying it was a “teachable moment” and to welcome the media.

Imagine.

Time for me to walk on down the road…

 

 

A Sad Day When Mob Rule Took Over Missouri University

Our so-called institutes of higher learning are caving in to students.

If we learned anything about the University of Missouri’s protests where students forced the president to leave by blackmailing the system – as in the football team threatening not to play (which would cost the university a couple of million dollars) it’s politically correctness has gone mad again.

Now the new normal will be students going on strike if they don't like their professors, or their grades, or don't get free unearned degrees.

Since so much money is involved for colleges and the NCAA, university staff will have to jump if football players collectively have demands, even if they’re ridiculous.

It is a sad day for institutions of higher learning when MOB RULE wins.

 

 

Group Says ‘Hell No’ To Doll Having a Voice

Hello Barbie is displayed at the Mattel showroom at the North American International Toy Fair in New York. Mark Lennihan / AP

                                        Good Day World!

The first talking doll was introduced 125 years ago to the amazement and delight of parents everywhere. Today the idea of a talking doll is controversial. 

The doll in question is Barbie, an iconic doll who made her debut 56 years ago. By the end of this month Mattel plans on introducing the first Hello Barbie.

You’d think parents would be delighted with this new version of Barbie, but that hasn’t been the case thus far.

The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC), a group opposed to marketing aimed at children, launched a campaign to discourage parents from buying Hello Barbie (#HellnoBarbie).

So what happened in the last 125 years that makes a talking doll so sinister? Simply put, the first talking doll could not record anything like the new Talking Barbie does.

She is the first Internet-connected doll that can carry on a seemingly real conversation by recording what the child says and sending it via Wi-Fi to the cloud for Barbie's computer-generated response.

Here’s the rub: these conversations are stored and analyzed by ToyTalk, the San Francisco software company that makes this interaction possible.

Here’s where the controversy really gets interesting:

Mattel released a Thomas and Friends Talk to You app in 2014, based on the popular Thomas the Train character, that uses the same voice-recognition technology to communicate with children and it was a big hit with parents!

Mattel basically took that app and put it into Hello Barbie. Hmmmmm…

Time for me to walk on down the road…

 

 

 

 

 

If you can’t stand the heat get out of the kitchen!

Good Day World!

Presidential candidates have never been thrilled with the vetting process. Most would just as soon skip sharing their personal history.

Their whining over public scrutiny has become a rite of passage in primaries. Take Ben Carson for example.

He claims the media are on a “witch hunt” because their delving into his past and pulling out nuggets that would make any sane person pause before voting for him. 

School children across America were stunned to hear their history books were wrong about what the Egyptian pyramids were used for, according to Big Ben. He’s on video claiming Joseph (see The Bible) built the pyramids to store grain.

Scientists and archeologists be damned.

Benny’s ties to a fraudulent product are no longer hidden because of the so-called witch hunt.

Ben Carson caught on video claiming Mannatech supplement magically cured his prostate cancer

Ben Carson has a decade long financial relationship with cancer-scam supplement company

And the nuggets keep turning up:

Ben Carson faked his story about protecting white students on the day MLK died

Exclusive: Carson claimed West Point 'scholarship' but never applied

FACT

Carson recalled in “Gifted Hands,” a story involving his psychology class at Yale University, called Perceptions 301. He described the professor’s conducting an honesty experiment on the class and wrote that he was the only one who passed, prompting The Yale Daily News to take his picture.

Oops! There he goes again! There was no photo identifying Carson as a student in the newspaper’s archives, The Journal reported, and a Yale librarian told the newspaper that there was no psychology course by that name or class number during Carson’s years at Yale.

I could go on. But I think you get the point. Anyone wanting to be the President of the United States has to be thoroughly vetted or millions will pay.

Cry babies, like Carson, who can’t stand the heat need to get out of the kitchen!

Time for me to walk on down the road…

 

Teacher claims renowned poet was Jack the Ripper

Good Day World!

I’ve read a lot of theories on who Jack the Ripper was, but a recent theory by an Australian English teacher seems to pinpoint the most likely perpetrator.

Richard Patterson believes Jack the Ripper, who killed five London prostitutes over 10 weeks in 1888, was actually the renowned poet Francis Thompson.

HULTON ARCHIVE/GETTY IMAGES - English poet Francis Thompson (1859 - 1907) wrote "The Hound of Heaven" and other works.

According to the Mirror, Patterson read a book of Thompson's poetry in 1997 and became convinced he was the legendary killer. He's spent the years since attempting to prove his theory.

"Soon before and soon after the murders, he wrote about killing female prostitutes with knives," Patterson says. And the Daily News quotes a graphic short story by Thompson about a woman being stabbed to death.

In addition to Thompson's grisly writings, Patterson points to his experience as a surgeon and his troubled relationship with a local prostitute, the Mirror reports. Patterson says Thompson kept a dissecting knife under his coat and knew a rare surgical procedure that was used to mutilate some of the victims.

In the years since the slayings, scholars, amateur sleuths, and others have identified 100 suspects. I suppose we’ll never really know.

Make that 101 suspects.

Time for me to walk on down the road…

Why are we electing people who contribute to America’s infastructure destruction?

Good Day World!

It’s real simple. Rome fell from within.

America is doing the same thing now.

Voters elect corrupt politicians who are more interested in ideologies than realities. Greed pollutes our government like a virus. People are blinded by brands – Democrats and Republicans – sheepishly following along without too many questions.

All the ingredients for America’s eventual disintegration are in place. We downplay our own internal needs even as they worsen.

For example:    

Despite years of warnings that the nation's roads, bridges and transit systems are falling apart and will bring nightmarish congestion, the House on Thursday passed a six-year transportation bill that maintains the spending status quo.

Anyone with a drop of common sense can see this is going to create more transportation problems than we already have. It’s like watching an oncoming train wreck and being helpless to do anything about it.

Yet, we allow Congress to get away with being so politically polarized that it’s like watching fight night at the coliseum every time a bill is introduced. What legislation that does manage to get passed seldom benefits the majority of Americans.

The fact that people are even considering electing Donald “Build that Wall” Trump or Ben “Pyramids for Storing Grain” Carson for our next president, is another sign of America’s end times.

Isn’t there anyone out there who cares enough to actually serve the people in this country, instead of being part of America’s demise?

Time for me to walk on down the road…

 

 

There’s only one thing I want for my birthday…

Good Day World!

I’m turning 65 tomorrow.

At this point in my life I let birthday’s creep by like thieves in the night. Birthday wishes come and go like butterflies in flight. They’re mandatory among family and friends.

I would just as soon get on with the day like it was any other.

I no longer expect, nor ask for birthday presents. This year I’m breaking with my own tradition, and asking for one birthday present:

Don’t let Donald Trump host Saturday Night Live tomorrow! (Are you listening SNL producers?) Please make an announcement today that someone else is going to be your host.

If there’s one presidential candidate I can’t stand it’s that big mouth! I’m embarrassed for the Republican brand right now.

On Monday, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus asked SNL and parent company NBC Universal to "disinvite" Trump to the show.

Brent Wilkes, the executive director of the League of United Latin American Citizens, wrote in an opinion article published Wednesday in the Huffington Post that allowing Trump to host the program "is nothing short of a slap in the face to the more than 50 million Latinos living in the U.S."

There’s a lot of good reasons for not having Trump on SNL, but if it turns out that he’s going to host the show, would you give me an early birthday present?

Don’t watch it.

Time for me to walk on down the road…

 

 

Long Time Passing: What happened to the American Dream?

                                    Good Day World!

As a baby boomer, I grew up believing in the American Dream.

I was taught that if you work hard, you’ll get ahead. But The Times – They Are a Changin…

Fifty-seven percent of Americans say the principle that hard work brings reward once held true, but no longer does.

While half of financially secure voters believe in the tenet that working hard yields prosperity, 84 percent of voters facing economic hardship say it no longer works, or never did.

Feelings about the American dream's demise are basically shared across parties, with slightly more Republican voters saying it still holds true and slightly more Democratic voters saying it never held true according to a recent SurveyMonkey poll conducted by NBC.

This whole subject is making me feel nostalgic…

 Bye Bye Miss American Pie

Time for me to walk on down the road….

 

 

Pass the envelope please: ‘And the Worst TV Show of All Time is…’

Good Day World!

After searching for links about the worst TV shows in history, I’ve come to the conclusion it has to be The Jerry Springer Show. 

• 8 of the Worst TV Shows of the 1990s
• 7 of the Worst TV Shows of the 1980s
• 7 TV Shows That Stayed on Way Too Long
• 10 most hated TV Shows of All Time

Here’s the rub; Springer’s trashy show has been on since 1991 and continues to be popular with a certain segment in society.

Basically, the daytime talk show is the epitome of all things tasteless and trashy.

For example, guests on Springer’s show like to break out in fights as they debate the paternity of their children or whether to pursue sexual relationships with their relatives.

The studio audience makes for the loud hum of an angry mob rather than a laugh track, and that noise is interspersed with bleeped-out profanities every other second.

People with sad and pathetic lives go on the show to scream at each other, air their dirty laundry, and not solve their problems in the slightest.

Springer has been referred to as the anti-Oprah, and as long as there are people who want to scream and fight on television, this show will, unfortunately, probably stick around.

Time for me to walk on down the road…

Today is a Big Day for Ohio Voters: Legalize Pot or Not?

                                    Good Day World!

I want to wish all the people voting Yes on marijuana legalization today good luck. You’re in for a challenge.

IN A NUTSHELL

There’s two ballot measures – or Issues as Ohioans call them.

Issue 3 would add an amendment to the state constitution that legalizes both personal and medical use of marijuana for those over 21 years old.

Issue 2 would nullify legalization if it creates "an economic monopoly or special privilege" for a private entity.

Wait a minute? What’s behind Issue 2? A legitimate concern. A monopoly.

Issue 3 grants exclusive rights for commercial marijuana growth and distribution to 10 facilities around the state. Those facilities are owned by investors in the legalization movement.

A recent poll by the University of Akron shows voters evenly split, but if the proposal passes, Ohio will be the first state to approve marijuana for personal use without first legalizing medical marijuana.

If both measures pass, the conflict will likely end up in court.

I don’t want to be a party-pooper but it looks like Ohio won’t become the 5th, and largest, state to legalize the recreational usage of marijuana, following Alaska, Colorado, Washington and Oregon, as well as the District of Columbia.

Next year, seven other states are expected to vote on recreational marijuana legalization. Chances are one of these will be the fifth state to legalize marijuana.

Time for me to walk on down the road…

 

Rags to Riches: A myth perpetrated by wealthy politicians

Good Day World!

A favorite conservative myth is the one about a person “pulling themselves up by the boot straps” from utter poverty, to riches.

The myths origins are firmly rooted to one author’s body of work. His name was Horation Alger Jr.

He was a prolific 19th-century American author, best known for his many juvenile novels about impoverished boys and their rise from humble backgrounds to lives of middle-class security and comfort through hard work, determination, courage, and honesty.

His writings were characterized by the "rags-to-riches" narrative, which had a formative effect on America during the Gilded Age.

Fast forward to today.

Claiming to be a conservative, Donald Trump is always talking about how he worked his way up to become a billionaire. The fact of the matter is Trump’s Dad gave him a “small” loan of a million dollars to get started.

Let’s get real. How many politicians in Congress pulled themselves out of ghettos and barrios to become wealthy and influential? When I hear about cutbacks in government it’s almost always on the backs of the poor and disenfranchised.

I’m not saying there aren’t exceptional people who overcome all odds against them and rise from poverty like a Phoenix, and live in wealth for the rest of their days. What I am saying is there’s very few and far between that can achieve the conservative myth of rags to riches.

Time for me to walk on down the road…

 

 

 

 

Sleep walkers, talkers, eaters, do the funniest things

Good Day World!

Have you ever talked, walked, or ate something in your sleep?

I have.

When I was five-years old one particular incident really stood out. Fair warning. I was a heavy sleeper and was already known for talking in my sleep.

That day was my birthday. In front of the whole world – which at the time was my mom, dad, uncle and aunt, I got out of bed and walked into the kitchen and up to the refrigerator (and before anyone could move) dropped my pajamas and peed on the remnants of my birthday cake!

How embarrassing was that? As you can guess, I’ve been reminded of that humiliating moment a million times.

People do interesting things when they are in a deep sleep. I use to talk about my day’s activities. My mom would tell me what I said the next day. Basically, I was busted because I even talked about the naughty things I did.

It terrified me until I got over both sleep talking and walking when I was around seven years-old. Thankfully, I just stopped. I was guilty of a sleep eating incident when I first got married.

My new bride was taken back when in the middle of the night I sat up grabbed an apple from my end table, and proceeded to eat it. I never said a thing. The next morning she asked me what that was all about?

As far as I can remember – we’ve been married for 41 years – that was the only time I ate in my sleep.

I saw a video the other day about a young woman who walked nine miles in her sleep. Luckily, she wasn’t hurt, and nothing bad happened.

Related:

7 of the Craziest Sleepwalking Stories You'll Ever Hear

Time for me to walk on down the road…

Why Halloween is a Scary Holiday

Popular kids Halloween costume makes it even harder to see them at night. Photo via Inquisitr

                                       Good Day World!

Forget about Halloween’s ancient origins – most people don’t really care about them anyway. Knowing what happened in the past only goes so far when it comes to scaring people; depending upon the storyteller.

You know what is scary about Halloween? 

An average of almost 30 pedestrians annually are killed each October 31, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration records.

That's almost triple the number of pedestrian fatalities that happen on the average day on American roads. There’s no statistics available on how many of those deaths were children, but you can bet young Trick-or-Treaters account for a large part of them.

MORE REASONS

* The novelty makeup your child is using is most likely made in China, and often contains toxic chemicals like lead, nickel, cobalt and chromium.

* Parents face other challenges, like an “Invisible” costume that’s popular this season. It makes it even harder for drivers to see children crossing streets.

Time for me to walk on down the road…

 

 

 

 

Throwing popcorn and texting can get you legally killed in the ‘Gunshine’ state

Good Day World!

I’m really sick of the gun nuts in this country whining about their Second Amendment rights. They have never been challenged seriously and under President Obama there hasn’t been one new gun law.

Not one. Yet the NRA keeps beating the drum…”watch out the government is coming to take you guns!” Never happened. Never will. We have the most liberal gun laws in the world.

A perfect example is the Stand Your Ground Law, Florida’s infamous creation that allows people like George Zimmerman to shoot Trayvon Martin, an innocent unarmed black teenager and get away with it.

The most recent legal murder will be going to trial early next year. A 71-year-old retired police captain shot a man in a theatre for texting and throwing popcorn at him. A five-day hearing is scheduled to begin on Jan. 25

Curtis Reeves openly murdered Chad Oulson because he was irritating him. That’s the bottom line. And now his unscrupulous lawyer is invoking the Stand Your Ground Law!

With strong support from the National Rifle Association in 2005, the "gunshine state" became the first to pass a Stand Your Ground law that allows citizens to use deadly force if they fear their own harm or death.

That liberal law has become the death of many innocent unarmed citizens.

The big question is whether this lethal confrontation would have happened without the law. If Florida had not passed its law so that a person has no “duty to retreat” before using lethal force, how would Reeves have responded?

Homicide rates in states with a version of the Stand Your Ground law increased by an average of 8 percent over states without it — which translates to roughly 600 additional homicides per year.

Homicide rates in Florida increased by 8 percent from the period prior to passing the law (2000-04) to the period after the law (2006-10).By comparison, national homicide rates fell by 6 percent over the same time period.

So the next time you hear some gun nut ranting about losing his 2nd Amendment rights…remind them of the Stand Your Ground Law. The only people who are losing are people who dare to irritate a “legally” gun-packing paranoid citizen with an attitude!

Time for me to walk on down the road… 

 

If ‘do-overs’ were possible…

Good Day World!

Have you ever wished you could re-do something?

Who hasn’t?

The following stories are some interesting examples of people probably wishing they could have a do-over, after doing something incredibly stupid:

* Take 25-year-old Allie Carter’s moment of madness. She laid her shotgun down and the next thing that happened was her dog shot her in the foot! The pooches name is – I’m not kidding – Trigger.

* A Massachusetts woman is really wishing she could have a do-over after blowing her house up while performing some repairs!

* A suburban Houston school district police officer has to be wishing he could have a do-over after asking a motorist if he could lick her feet!

* The person who sent 50 pounds of pot to the wrong address is really wishing they could re-send it.

* 24-year-old Megan Ohara is really wishing she could have a second chance after leaving her real name and phone number in a guest book at an art gallery that she and 19-year-old David Ziskowski stole from!

Time for me to walk on down the road…

As a Front-Runner, Carson’s Dubious Dealings Are Going to Be Examined

Good Day World!

 He speaks so softly you have to lean towards him to hear what he’s saying. He’s like a black Mr. Rogers with a calm and cool exterior that invites you to sit down and listen to him.

He also has such extreme ideas that he’s become a Tea Party darling. 

Ben Carson has for the past few months been taking baby steps toward a 2016 presidential bid. In the most recent national polls he’s passed Donald Trump for first place. 

He may soon start running in the opposite direction, however, if unfortunate disclosures about him continue to come to light.

FOR EXAMPLE

The retired neurosurgeon faces allegations of plagiarism and his publisher plan to reissue his memoir America the Beautiful without the lifted passages.

Interesting to note because a large part of his backers are evangelical Christians who grew up reading this book.

ANOTHER EXAMPLE

The National Review is reporting that Carson shilled medical supplement products for the Texas-based company Mannatech, Inc., which was sued by the state’s attorney general for false advertising.

Carson appeared in a video promoting its glyconutrient products last year and also spoke at the company’s conferences in 2011 and 2013.

Carson also appeared in a PBS special in which he extolled glyconutrients, which has aired as recently as Jan. 4.

National Review article: Ben Carson’s Troubling Connection

I really don’t need to go any further with this (not even about the time he stabbed a fellow student with a knife) to predict voters are going to be shocked when his personal history leaks out drop by drop.

As a front runner among the GOP candidates he can expect whatever honeymoon time he’s had to come to a screeching halt when his whole story comes out. And it will.

Not many people will want to support a liar, plagiarist, and shill for a disreputable medical supplement company who wants to end Medicare. 

Time for me to walk on down the road…

One Man, One Nation: Artist’s Conceptual Art is Appealing

Good Day World!

 Zag Landsberg is on an artistic exploration to see how far he can push the concepts of land ownership and sovereignty.

(Photo by Mike DeBernardo/KSL-TV via Deseret News via AP)

Ten years ago he bought a 4-acre piece of land equipped with a supply bunker in a sage-brush covered stretch of Utah backcountry so remote you could get lost looking for it.

In a recent AP interview, Zag (now an ex-New Yorker) said his conceptual goal is for the land to become a sovereign nation. He’s not stupid, and knows the possibility of his little nation – Zagistan – ever being recognized by anyone is slim…to none.

But that doesn’t matter. He has a vision. I think we all should be so lucky to pursue our visions.

Zagistan has a nice looking yellow-and-red flag, official-looking passports and a border patrol gate guarded by a giant robot sentry for the realm according to a KSL-TV report.

The nation’s motto is: "Something from nothing."

I don’t blame Zag for being hesitant about giving out directions to his country. People could get lost looking for it. He pays property taxes to Box Elder County, about 160 miles north of Salt Lake City, though he refers to the payments as tributes.

I enjoy watching people taking less traveled roads in life. I respect anyone who follows their dreams and visions. The world needs more artists and less politicians!

Time for me to walk on down the road…

Blind Faith: Rhetoric and outright lies trump facts

Good Day World!

If a conservative pundit says the sky is falling…his followers will look up and wait patiently for it to come down.

They don’t need proof, or facts, to follow the brand.

I recently got into a discussion with some Tea Baggers on Twitter about a doctored photo that purported to show Ambassador Stephens tortured body.

The person who posted it shall remain anonymous here (I don’t want to attack any individual). We’re talking about blind faith here.

The response, when I alerted her to the fact it wasn’t actually Ambassador Stephens, was swift and venomous. She personally attacked me; calling me stupid because I didn’t know the ambassador was raped! (Funny on how she seemed fixated on the rape part – titillating to her perhaps?)

Then the floodgates opened and it was a field day for extremists on Twitter. They piled on with nasty tweets, but NOT ONE would give any proof of their ridiculous claims.

I countered by posted facts: 

Fact Check: Is a story about Ambassador Stevens' death in Benghazi really written by a cousin who knows what happened?

UPDATED: Chris Stevens Torture Photo – Not Chris Stevens

It wasn’t long before the conservative drones drifted away to heckle someone else.

Facts to conservatives are like sunlight to vampires. Or, Kryptonite to Superman, when you have blind faith.

Facts are not what drives people with blind faith – it’s hatred toward an individual, or institution. Let me repeat that – it’s unreasoning hatred that drives people to believe in lies.

Time for me to walk on down the road…

 

Republicans pledge to impeach Clinton if she’s elected

Good Day World!

You want to know how crazy conservatives are getting nowadays?

Alabama Republican Rep. Mo Brooks promised to try and depose Clinton on "day one" of her hypothetical presidency.

So, do they know she’s going to win despite what opposition they’re fielding against her? That sounds pretty pessimistic. And, slightly crazed with fear.

It’s hard to blame them however. Right now it looks like Donald Trump may be their candidate. Now that is pathetic. Even the die-hard extremists realize a real estate mogul and reality star is far from qualified to be the next President of the United States.

The GOP is in complete disarray. Hard-liners have run Boehner out and Paul Ryan is looking to take his place. But he has a big problem; a minority group of loony tune Republicans – with unusual clout – want him to shut the government down until they get their demands.

Who let the nuts out anyway? How can the Republican party move forward when part of their ranks are riding around in a clown car urging chaos to get their way?

Trey Gowdy and his doodies tried to hurt Clinton’s chances of being elected by conducting a witch hunt – also called the Benghazi hearing – but that attempt backfired.

Now the world knows it was a partisan effort to discredit Clinton.

But that won’t stop the crazies. The only thing that will stop them is if they’re not re-elected. Perhaps after the damage they’ve done to the GOP it’ll be payback time at the polls and the clowns will be sent packing!

Time for me to walk on down the road…

  

USA Schools: More common sense needed and less rules

                                             Good Day World!

I don't believe in insane, overzealous rules that try to drain every drop of fun out of childhood and regulate a child's every move with more rigidity than the Marines.

That's just what it seems some schools are trying to do, however.

In a sad day for lunchboxes everywhere, a school has taken pretty drastic action against one it deems to be against its dress code. Wonder Woman is too violent according to authorities.

Most of the rules stem from one-off incidents.

Rather than dealing with those on an individual basis, schools have a tendency these days to swoop in with new rules and regulations. The result is a ridiculous set of rules that do nothing but needlessly punish students and sometimes even do more harm than good. For example:

In a ridiculously overzealous and inappropriate move, a teacher in New York has started seriously limiting her students' bathroom access. And by seriously limit, I mean they only are allowed three bathroom passes a week. Three!

Students in some New York prep schools are flat out banned from even announcing that they got into any college in person or via social media like Facebook.

I could go on forever with examples, but I think you have the idea: our schools need to lighten up and use more common sense instead of stupid rules that leave parents scratching their heads.

Are their stupid rules at your kids school? Care to share?

Time for me to walk on down the road…

 

 

 

 

Time to ‘Man Up’ and to Admit I’m a Straight Male

Good Day World!

In the spirit of fairness, I’m coming out as a straight male.

Inspired by other recent stories about people coming out I decided it would be appropriate to announce my sexuality. This decision didn’t come lightly.

I talked to family and friends to get their advise, and was encouraged that they were all so supportive. After all, when was the last time you heard about a straight male coming out?

We just never make the news. Unlike other genders/persuasions, we are ignored in the mainstream news, and social media trends. Unlike:

World champion skier Gus Kenworthy, who won a silver medal at the 2014 Sochi Olympic Games, who recently has come out as gay.

Or, the revelation that Bruce Jenner came out as a transgender male and changed his name to Caitlyn.

Or, when Robin Roberts (Good Morning America anchor) came out as a lesbian at the very tail end of 2013.

On behalf of straight males everywhere, I would like someone more famous than I (that’s not hard) to step forward and “man up” about his sexual preferences so that straight guys everywhere can feel the love!

Time for me to walk on down the road…

Bengazi Hearing A Waste of Everyone’s Time: But It’ll Help Get Clinton Elected President

Call it the Benghazi hearing, or the Benghazi persecution.

Same thing.

No one with half of a brain can come away from listening to those tedious hours of testimony without understanding it was all about attacking Hillary Clinton like a group of vicious toddlers.

If you watched the trial hearing, like I did for 11 hours, it was as apparent as glass.

Not one important piece of information was revealed from the partisan questioning – like a magician’s sudden appearance of a white rabbit leaving the viewing audience gasping with wonder.

Insults flew from one side of the aisle to the other like raw meat for the press. I thought Gowdy and Cummings were going to duke it our for a moment. (Good theater there).

Every Republican on the committee treated Clinton like a criminal (did you see Jim Jordan’s face?) and made little, or no attempt, at being civil. Some were outwardly hostile, rudely interrupting her answers.

Probably for their constituents benefit – “Hey! Look at me. I dissed Hillary.”

But as the hours withered away during this pathetic partisan onslaught – one thing became clear…Trey Gowdy and company came off looking like a bunch of delinquent children throwing erasers at the teacher!

Facts are hard for Republicans to accept, especially when they have an agenda to make sure Clinton doesn’t get elected president of the United States.

One thing I’m confident about, after millions of Americans have viewed this kangaroo court they going to be pissed that they paid 4.7 million dollars for nothing more a partisan persecution.

The upside, of course, is this kangaroo court is going to get Clinton elected president. Mark my words.

Time for me to walk on down the road… 

 

GOP vs Trump: ‘Are You Ready to Rumble?’

Good Day World!

In the past, Republicans have trusted a Hollywood entertainer/actor, Ronald Reagan, enough to make him president. To many Republicans he’s still considered the very personification of conservatism.

But these days the Republican establishment is turning it’s back on another Hollywood entertainer/reality show host, Donald Trump. Apparently they don’t think he has the right stuff to sit in the Oval Office.

Plus, they’re getting tired of being made clowns of by Trump. It’s been like a Turkey Shoot as The Donald verbally tears apart his competition. Jeb Bush has been like a deer caught in the headlights every time he tries to exchange words with Trump.

Enter former South Carolina Republican Party chair Katon Dawson (a former member of The Whites Only Club). Just call him the Trump Killer. He’s out to ruin the reality star before next year’s election.

Dawson is busy forming a Super PAC devoted to attacking Trump’s credibility and ability to lead the country. He’s got his hand out for donations from establishment Republicans who are getting increasingly uneasy about Trump’s popularity.

Dawson is getting help from another source that fears Trump.

The head of the Club for Growth, a conservative anti-tax group, told the Washington Examiner this week it is also trying to raise millions to fund some kind of broader effort to defeat the real estate mogul. The group already spent $1 million in ads this summer arguing that he is not a true conservative.

Does anyone think Trump would take all of this sitting down?

Trump Campaign Reportedly Threatened To Sue Washington Post Over Super PAC Story

As Michael Buffer so often says, “Let’s get ready to rumble!”

Time for me to walk on down the road…