Republicans, Craft What Will Endure

A bit o' turbulence in the stock market of late, due to dawning realization that the Republicans cannot accomplish Jack, due to being incapable of compromise with their Democratic colleagues. The proper way forward is straight-forward, simple and elegant: ensure long-term success, not just now but twenty years from now, by incorporating the Democrats into any plan, any bill, because why? Because gerrymandering and voter-suppression tactics aside, the Democrats represent over half the country is why. That is enough reason. America is Democrats, period, end of discussion, we are the country. You go against the Democrat on every bill, and guess what? Whatever you do won't last. It will be reversed next election cycle. So compromise, and why not? Do something intelligent for once. Listen to wonks, listen to policy experts, listen to the voice of experience. Learn, grow, gather intel, and act based upon what is optimal, not based upon your base base. It is entirely possible to craft a Republican-slanted bill, with a good Conservative color, and get Democratic sign-on, maybe not all Democrats, but some, and the goal should be, what can endure, not what is politically expedient for the current election cycle.

Fanatical buttheads is the problem with the world today, terrorists, fanatics, people convinced that the only way is their way or the highway. Refusal to listen to the other side once in a while, or at least take other people's feelings into consideration. Any man in a marriage of more than twenty years knows that compromise is key.

Trump Has Some Good Ideas

I recall a smart writer opining that "even a stopped clock is right twice a day," and that applies to Trump. I like some of the things he says. For instance, on trade. Yes, the U.S. is getting raped by China, among other nations, and that's a big concern of mine. Yes, we need to curtail some of the immigration coming in from the Middle East, and we need to end the refugee program. The damn refugees can go live in Africa or Russia, where there is plenty of space for them. We don't need a massive influx of Muslims coming to change our ways and build mosques in every village and holler out a call to prayer five times a day where people kneel in the middle of business, pointing their turban-covered head toward Mecca. No, we don't need that.

The trouble with Trump is he grew up rich and spoiled, having had everything handed to him on a silver platter, because Daddy gave him millions. He dodged the Viet Nam war because of Daddy's money. So the man has never really worked for a living and doesn't care about people who aren't millionaires. He pretends to care and does a good job at pretending, but you know, it is not really that difficult to see through him, if you have eyes that can see. A lot of people just go through life with blinders on. They can't see past their tribal allegiance to white supremacy. The only thing Trump cares about is helping the rich get richer, and pushing the poor to the boneyard.

Whereas Obama, on the other hand, had nothing handed to him. He worked and struggled and succeeded on merit. He found a way. That is the reason to vote Democrat, because the Democrats know what it is to work for a living. They have worked a full-time job in their day and know what it is to pay bills.

My, My, Roy Moore

Next time Alabama's Roy Moore goes off about "the homosexuals," he'll invite a sharp rebuttal. Worse than Clinton, by any measure one might care to apply. So all those long tedious tirades the right launched against Bill Clinton ring false now, as they beat the drum for Chester.

Why was an Uzbeki Terrorist in the U.S.?

An Uzbeki terrorist mowing down bicylists in New York City while screaming "Allahu Akbar" is the poster child for why Muslims must not be permitted into the United States. Keep them in the Middle East, which they have ruined already. Don't let them ruin North America or Europe.

All of his family should be immediately arrested and confined in Guantanamo Bay until such time a prisoner exchange is arranged for the return of U.S. captives, now or fifty years from now. That would wipe the smirk off the scumbag's face.

A Spoonful of Tussin Shuts Up Your Fussin

Another friend of the Trumpette without health insurance, after Trump's latest moves to gut Obamacare, is Robitussin. Take 'tussin for whatever ails you. It is said to be the cure for everything. You don't need no Obamacare! Be a true Republican, and go without health insurance, as your leaders desire. A spoonful of Tussin shuts up your fussin.

Roy Moore

Alabama's Roy Moore, he's a live one, a typical specimen of hatemonger that, while professing his piety, is steeped in wickedness. To what entity, then, is his piety directed? For transitory power in this world, men estrange themselves from the other--a poor bargain, in any event.

Take Some Bufferin to Ease Your Sufferin

Those that voted for Trump now stand to lose their health insurance. Oopsy-daisy! You voted for Trump, now do what he says. Trump says you don't need health insurance, all you need is to take some Bufferin to ease your sufferin.

The Arab's Women

I read about an Arab up in New York who left his date to burn to death while he hailed a cab. With the influx of refugees in recent years, that's what we're bringing over from the Middle East, the idea that a man's minor discomfort is of greater moment than a woman's whole life. That fits in with the way the Arab culture treats women in general, beating and whipping them for minor infractions of the rigid religious laws. Women that go along with that sort of thing must have a taste for fist.

Trump is the President Some Americans Deserve

Trump is the President that a big segment of our fellow Americans richly deserve. The Vanity Fair article says it all. Trump reflects a big segment of our population, say around 46%: fat, lazy, old, and grasping for quick, simple, easy solutions to a complicated and changing world. People just don't want to be bothered to think about things. They want everything to be easy, across the board, quick and easy, most of all, first and foremost. But the world isn't easy, never has been and never will be. Thus, we have a President with a fundamental disconnect from reality, living in an alternative Universe of his follower's making, based on Fox News and Sean Hannity and little else. That everything they believe is false, is a thought that never occurs to them. Perhaps they deserve Trump. As for the rest for us, we have merely to survive and nurture hope for the future. Perhaps it is too early to advise teaching one's children Chinese.

Treatment of Animals is the Ultimate Moral Litmus Test

When one reads about the needless torture of lower life forms, such as pigs--a grave sin committed in an effort to maximize profit--and probably ineffective--and the alarming footnote, that this torture is now defended with all of the vast resources of our Federal Government, by directive of the Trump Administration, it is a shock indeed; and one wonders whether the moral divide between the U.S. and other countries, such as N. Korea, has diminished from a mighty chasm, to a hop, skip and a jump. Our enemy tortures humans for no good reason, for sport; we torture pigs for no good reason--and persecute those who would show any consideration at all to the animals. We are better, still, but there is a stain.

How can it be that the "Conservative Christians" that are all for Trump can turn a blind eye to the needless suffering of animals, committed out of pure callousness? The question must be posed: if their god would approve callous cruelty against animals, then what sort of god is it?

We may one day by judged, if not by God, than by an alien race, based upon how we treat other life forms on the planet, and if that day comes any time soon, then I certainly hope we are judged individually, rather than collectively.

Trump the Motivator

Trump is doing more for the Democratic Party than any of his predecessors ever did. I think, for all those Democrats, Independents and IDunnoKnow's, next time election-day rolls around, they are going to feel like voting. Thank you, Trump, for motivating the people to vote.

Emotional Support Pets

A Muslim woman was dragged off a plane merely because she mentioned she had an allergy to dogs. The pilot freaked out and ordered police to remove her by force. Turns out the dog on the plane was for so-called "Emotional Support," not because there was a blind person on board. And, by the way, seeing-eye dogs are exceptionally well-trained and well-behaved, and in all my days, I've never seen one act up. Seeing-eye dogs are better-behaved than a lot of human beings. Emotional support dogs get no training at all. You can have a toy poodle that barks its head off all day, and that's your emotional support dog that you can bring on to a plane.

Those morons that insist upon bringing animals into public spaces due, not to blindness, but to the supposed "emotional support" should be required to complete Army Basic Training as a condition of release from a psychiatric labor camp. If they fail to complete Basic training, they should stay in the labor camp to work out all of those emotional issues and help clean toilets, garbage cans and ditches in public spaces. I think, after either Army Basic Training or twenty years cleaning toilets, they may not have a need for an emotional support pet any longer. Of course, at either facility, pets would not be allowed.

Iran's Reparations

Iran should be paying the U.S. reparations for all the terrorism over the years. About a hundred billion a year, for ten years, would be about right. They have plenty of oil, they can pay. Terrorism should not be a risk-free or cost-free business. If Trump does go to war with Iran, then he should make sure the U.S. does not wind up footing the bill for the entire exercise.

How to Live in France

If one lives in France, definitely one should travel armed and ready to slay a terrorist dead, along with any of his accomplices. France should institute nationwide defense training to educate its population on the most efficient methods of slaying terrorists, and everybody over there ought to be armed with something, be it mace, knife, or even a pistol. There shouldn't be a single woman walking in public over there without a fully loaded pistol in a holster on her hip, with additional cartridges in her purse along with a can of mace. The obvious solution to terrorism is to arm the populace, to militarize it. Terrorists treat civilians as military targets, so might as well in fact make them military, with the capability of slaying the terrorists. The only reason civilians are targeted in the first place is that terrorists are low-life, rotten cowards looking for a soft target. A good old bullet to the brain is the best cure for a terrorist, and there's no reason a civilian can't serve it up, when needed.

This is the consequence of letting in all those Muslims that hate democracy and hate the West. You have to arm everyone in society and be ready to kill in an instant. Basically, the Middle East is exporting itself, its instability, craziness and senseless violence.

Sonic Warfare on U.S. Diplomats in Cuba

I am tired of reading about the so-called "mystery" surrounding hearing loss of U.S. diplomats in Cuba. It is no mystery. It is obvious and transparent. A sonic generator was deployed. Those gadgets, anybody can buy for a hundred bucks or so. Whup-de-doo. Where's the mystery? It's not rocket science. You plug it in, hide it somewhere, and a sonic wave emanates below the range of detection by human hearing, yet quite damaging. The only tip-off the victim has is that they feel bad in a certain area of a building. There is no mystery, repeat, no mystery. As to who did it, I think that will never be known until somebody squeals. Most likely, it is North Korea or Iran, because these are the declared enemies of the United States, and these countries have a huge interest in cultivating animosity between the U.S. and Cuba. At any rate, blame Iran or North Korea, because those regions are completely worthless, full of evil-doers with no value to the world, and deserve whatever punishment gets meted out. Ultimately, who cares who is to blame? Iran and North Korea are the default scapegoats. Iran actually says "Death to America!" on a regular basis, and North Korea threatens to nuke us, so their intentions are clear.

Trump is Right about Puerto Rico

The reality is, Puerto Rico won't be around in a couple decades. It will be under the ocean. To invest money on rebuilding anything else on that doomed island is ludicrous. Hand out birth control and food, and that's it. Temporary shelters at most. Anything built will become homes for the fish of the future. All we have to look forward to is more and worse storms in that part of the world. Rebuilding New Orleans was stupid, too. I think people need to educate themselves on climate change and what exactly it means, then reconsider investing billions on the coast. Maybe billions of their retirement savings, but not of taxpayer dollars. If they want to go bankrupt flushing money into the ocean, that's their business. But it shouldn't be the taxpayer's.

As for the debt, default. Wall Street should have known better. Maybe they can recycle whatever is left on that island or sell the land to carnival ships, who can use it as a tourist destination until it disappears.

Uber

Uber is another loser corporation that provides crappy service using scabs working at subsistence wages, just enough to buy McDonalds for a treat on Sundays. Uber is another company run by irresponsible, childish executives and another tool to destroy the middle class. The basic model of Uber replaces moderately-waged jobs with crap jobs that have no benefits. Uber doesn't want to comply with any licenses, rules or even the basic law of the land, so good riddance if it gets the boot in Quebec and London.

The only way a spoiled, know-nothing corporate executive earns his keep is this: he figures out a way to pay the workers less for more work. Uber is no exception to the rule that pervades all industry and all commerce.

People working for Uber need to ask themselves, why did I wind up working as a temp scab for a company that pays next to nothing and will fire me just as soon as self-driving cars become a thing?

Going back to the land may be a good adaptation in today's economy, where so many manufacturing and service jobs are getting replaced by automation. Farm, as our ancestors did. At least by farming, one is assured of having enough to eat and enough land to dwell in.

The Equifax Debacle

The American people have been told, yes, Equifax had all your permanent, private, personal data: your Social Security number, birthdate, et cetera. No, you are not allowed to ever change this data. Yes, anyone can apply for a new credit card with that data, thus placing your credit history, privacy and even freedom in jeopardy. Care to play dice with your financial future? There goes your retirement, chump. All your hard work, down the toilet.

I don't recall consenting to give Equifax all my information. They invaded my privacy and then gave my information away to criminals.

Personally, if I have to go through identity theft hell at some point down the line, then it seems only right that Equifax people have to suffer, too, because that's not my cross, it's theirs. The amount of time I am willing to spend cleaning up Equifax's mess is zero. I will not lift a finger to resolve any kind of identity theft problem. Equifax makes me whole. There is no other way. If my dinner gets taken away by identity theft, then they feed me. My life is not about cleaning up after Equifax; otherwise it is no life. But if millions of people suffer identity theft, then our entire financial system is called into question.

The proper response, which would have already been taken by a benevolent dictator, is to make credit card applications much, much more difficult. Credit card, loan, or any kind of financial account application must be done in person and require a DNA sample, retina scan, or something else that is very individualized and extremely difficult to fake. That is the simple, elegant, permanent solution, not just to Equifax, but to all the other scandals that have hit our sorry, stupid, negligent and corrupt business community, driven by greed and completely unconcerned about the country.

However, none of the above is going to happen, because the Republican Congress is just as stupid as the business community. Maybe more so.

Congress has proven again and again it is incapable of acting, even in the face of overwhelming evidence that action is justified. Marijuana was proven non-toxic and harmless way back in the early 1970s, during the Nixon administration, and due to stupidity, Congress never did anything about the laws that equate pot with heroin.

So, is social collapse on the horizon? No, because the American people have a high tolerance for pain and suffering, a limited memory, and are easily distracted by social issues like bathrooms, prayer and abortion. What will happen is that millions of "nobodies" like myself will go through identity theft hell, and nothing will be done, and there will be a lot of hand-wringing but ultimately no changes, and the cycle will continue with more scandals, more data-leaks in the future, and future generations will deal with the problem as well. Because stupid rules the land.

In the end, the only hope for H. Sapiens is that genetic engineering creates a smarter species, capable of seeing through obvious lies and falsehoods. Then the electorate might become capable of electing good people into public office. Such a species might demand more accountability from the corporations that control so much of our lives. But today's people? They just roll over and take it, again and again. They focus on what's important, like Hillary Clinton's email server, or Anthony Weiner's weiner.

Dumbsday Prediction

That a Doomsday prediction of Sept. 23rd received widespread, mainstream media coverage, followed soon after by "what exactly does dotard mean?" betrays the cretinism in the American population. Cretins played their Trump card in 2016, and now Stupid rules the land. Goodbye, several trillion dollars, hello, waste and corruption. Poetic justice will be served if medical care is stripped away from the cretins that voted for Trump.

Iraqi Asylum Seeker, Stupid England

I read that an 18 year-old Iraqi asylum seeker committed the latest act of terrorism in Great Britain. In the first place, he should get the death penalty, whether it killed anybody or not, and it should be a hanging.

I don't think the Brits know what time of day it is, if they are letting in asylum seekers from barbarian territories that follow the cult of death. Anyway, why do asylum seekers need to come to the developed, rich West? Britain is a crowded island as it is. Is Africa so bad? Send them over to the Sudan, Kenya, or Zimbabwe, and let the folks over there deal with 'em. Definitely I would vote Conservative in every British election if the Conservatives are the only ones that have common sense on this particular issue. The Labour Party needs to sit down with the bombs and think about those nails, knives and screwdrivers penetrating their eyeballs. I think then they could "see" the simple truth, that granting asylum to every Tom, Dick, and Harry is stupid and wrong, and a poor use of taxpayer money. Those people can go over to Africa and live there. There is surely some African nation that will take them, or they can just slip off into the jungle and live off the land. Beggars can't be choosers. I can't even immigrate to England, so why should some 18 year-old Iraqi who doesn't know anything except how to kneel before the demon-pig?

Hopefully, the educational system over in England will improve to the point where politicians can trace the obvious line between letting terrorists into the country, and people getting blown up in bombs. Hopefully, they will learn that letting in terrorists in not such a great idea, and that includes all the Muslims, who are always going to feel alienated from Western culture and will always hate the West and are really just ticking time-bombs, destined to kill Westerners at some point in time now or later. To accelerate the learning process, politicians that don't get it should be voted out of office.