I have had a plaque
on display in my office for decades now which states - “If you can’t dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bullshit.”
This seems to be the
creed of Dangerous Donald Trump. He has
certainly not demonstrated any brilliance, or for that fact much intelligence,
and just about everything he says is pure bullshit.
While he has baffled
enough with his bullshit to become the Republican nominee for President, let us
pray that most voters in November see him for the dangerous narcissist he is.
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I enjoyed watching
“Money Monster” on On Demand last week. It
is also now out on DVD.
George Clooney as an
over-the-top “Cramer-esque” (I used to write for Jim Cramer’s MainStreet.com
online financial portal) tv investment show host taken hostage while on the air
by a frustrated and disgruntled investor, Julia Roberts as his director, and
directed by Jodie Foster.
A truly entertaining
film, with Clooney great as the initially scared shitless tv personality who
eventually rises to the occasion, led on via earpiece by Roberts in a certainly
non-glamorous role.
If I have any
comment, and it is a comment and not a criticism, it is that there seemed to me
to be too many gratuitous “f-bombs”.
I recommend this
movie – two thumbs up!
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The 2nd Amendment
has absolutely nothing to do with
the right of an individual citizen to own a gun. It was
written to appease those among our Founding Fathers who opposed a national
Army.
This amendment does
not simply say “the right of the people
to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." It says "A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free
State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." The important wording in the Amendment is “A well-regulated militia being necessary to
the security of a free state”. The Founding Fathers preferred state
militias to a national army.
Our Founding Fathers
were afraid of standing armies. They
wanted to maintain the authority of the individual state militias that had made
up Washington’s Revolutionary Army. The
members of Congress during that first gun debate believed that “standing armies in a time of peace are
dangerous to liberty”. Those were the exact words used in the state of New
York’s amendment to the gun debate.
James Madison,
political theorist, American statesman, and the 4th President hailed as the
"Father of the Constitution" for his role in drafting and promoting
the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, believed, “Oppressors can tyrannize only when they achieve a standing army, an
enslaved press, and a disarmed populace.”
Had the early
framers of the Constitution supported a standing army during times of peace
there would be no need for a “well-regulated militia”, and thus no need for the
2nd Amendment.
Instead, they openly
opposed a standing army during times of peace. Want proof? In the entire
Constitution, there are no time limits on the power of Congress to raise money
and pay for anything – except an Army. We can have a Navy forever. We can have
roads or bridges or post offices or pretty much anything else that supports the
‘general welfare’ without limit and in perpetuity. But an Army? That had to be
re-evaluated every two years, when all spending for the past two years of army
was zeroed out. It's right there in Article 1, Section 8, line twelve reads
that Congress has the power: "To
raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be
for a longer Term than two Years."
The Founding Fathers
were well aware, based on the history of Europe, that military coups by a
standing army were a great threat to any nation. So they required a
re-evaluation of the need for a national army every two years.
This is what I
believe -
A mentally stable,
law-abiding citizen should be able to purchase and own a traditional “one shot
at a time” pistol or rifle for the purpose of hunting, target shooting, or, in
limited situations, protection. But it
should be illegal for an individual or organization to purchase and own an
AK-47, an assault rifle, or any such weapon.
By the very nature of its name, the obvious purpose of such a weapon is
“assault” and not hunting, target shooting, or protection.
In order to purchase
and own a gun an individual should first obtain a license, issued by one’s
state of residence – similar to the current driver’s license system. A
thorough background check must be required as part of the licensing process. And, similar to a driver’s license, in order
to obtain a license an individual must pass a written test and a
“demonstration” test, like a driving test, to show that the individual knows
how to operate and maintain a gun. As
with motor vehicle licenses there would be age restrictions.
And if a person is
considered potentially dangerous enough not to be able to fly he or she should
not be able to obtain a gun license. No fly – no gun!
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I have been revisiting reruns of one of my
favorite television shows of the mid-2000’s – “Numbers” – now on Fridays on ION
Television (the station formerly known as Pax).
It was a unique take on the police, in this
case FBI, procedural, using math instead of forensics to solve crimes. The show combined crime drama with the family
dynamic of the Eppes men (father and sons).
The show, produced by the movie director
Scott brothers (Ridley and Tony), had an excellent and talented ensemble cast of
familiar and then new faces playing unique characters.
If you did not watch this show the first time
around now is a good time to be introduced to it.
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I have always
enjoyed British television police and courtroom crime dramas and mysteries,
finding them to be, to a degree, superior to American tv series.
Over the past
several years I have also discovered many Australian tv series of this genre,
which are equally engaging and entertaining.
My first find, in
the late 2000s, was “City Homicide”.
That was followed by “The Strip”.
I discovered both via free online venues.
Upon subscribing to
Netflix-like Acorn.tv I came across “Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries”, a period
mystery with a flapper heiress as the detective, and “Mr & Mrs Murder”
about a couple who operate a crime-scene clean-up company.
Most recently I have
found “The Brokenwood Mysteries” (actually from New Zealand) and “Janet King”,
about a lesbian crown prosecutor, on Acorn.tv and “The Doctor Blake Mysteries”,
another period piece, on YouTube.
If you get a chance,
please check out any of these Australian series you can find and let me know
what you think.
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What is wrong with
the "great unwashed masses"?
Libertarian
Presidential candidate Gary Johnson, the intelligent and rational alternative
to Dangerous Donald for real Republicans and conservatives, doesn't know the
name of a city or region in Syria and he is called unfit to be President.
Donald Trump shows
his ignorance and the fact that he is unfit to be President every single time
he opens his mouth, and according to the polls the race is still close.
Do you really think
Trump knew what Alelppo was before the issue with Johnson became public?
Johnson showed that
he is an honest and intelligent man with his response to the FU –
“This morning, I began my day be setting
aside any doubt that I’m human. Yes, I
understand the dynamics of the Syrian conflict – I talk about them every
day. But hit with ‘What about Aleppo?’,
I immediately was thinking about an acronym, not the Syrian conflict. I blanked.
It happens, and it will happen again during the course of this campaign.
Can I name every city in Syria? No.
Should I have identified Aleppo?
Yes. Do I understand its significance? Yes.
Even Hillary admits
and takes responsibility for her mistakes.
It is only Trump who never admits he was wrong, and even lies about what
he has said in the past, because of his delusion that he has Pope-like
infallibility.
What will it take
for the Republican Party and American voters to tell dangerous narcissist
Trump, "You're fired!"?
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Your
thoughts and comments on my ramblings are welcomed. Comment below or
email them to me at rdftaxpro@yahoo.com
with "Ramblings" in the subject line.
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