Tag Archives: United States

A Return to: Do What We Want and Pay Us For It!

Politics, US, World, , , ,

Opinion: After reading the following survey report from the Pew Research Center and looking at their graphs, it didn’t take long to see the overall trend of it. As with any Poll or Survey, It is hard to author a purely neutral question(s) or context of a question to allow the person answering to not be lead one way or another. I did find it interesting that they did try to expand it out over several years but I would have liked to see a one hundred year trend to see if it was a constant cycle or a one event now type of survey. Even after reading the whole article the title I chose jumped into mind.

British, French and Germans Give Biden High Marks After U.S. Election | Pew Research Center

Throughout his presidency, Donald Trump was broadly unpopular internationally, and his poor ratings have had a negative impact on America’s overall image, especially among key allies and partners of the United States. By contrast, early reviews for his successor, President-elect Joe Biden, are much more positive, according to a new Pew Research Center survey in France, Germany and the United Kingdom. People in all three countries express confidence in Biden and optimism that relations with the U.S. will improve now that he is moving into the White House.

Biden receives much better ratings than Trump did

Why was President Trump not liked by our allies and enemies abroad? The business sense that Trump used to bring them to the table and made them understand that they needed to step up and pay their fair share for their own defense and really look at they could contribute their own needs rather than get it handed to them with no strings attached.

Reflecting widespread trust in Biden, majorities in France, Germany and the UK are hopeful that America’s handling of various international issues will improve once he takes office.

Many in European countries surveyed expect improvements under Biden

This shows me that they are ready to get back to one world government mentality of we will tell you what we will do and you will pay for it. They really want to see the US fall back into line. With Biden in charge, it will probably happen. I really suggest you click on the link at the top and read the entire article and then make up your own mind.

Till the Truth comes out.

JH

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2020 In A Nutshell So Far

Climate, COVID-19, Law, Life, Media, Politics, Real Life, Social, US, World, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Found this somewhere.  Original Author unknown. But it puts a good spin on things.

Dear Diary: 2020
In January, Australia caught on fire. I don’t even know if that fire was put out, because we straight up almost went to war with Iran. We might actually still be almost at war with them. I don’t know, because Jen Aniston and Brad Pitt spoke to one another at an awards show and everyone flipped the fuck out, but then Netflix released Cheer and everyone fell in love with Jerry, but then there was the thing happening in China, then Prince Harry and Meghan peaced out of the Royal family, and there was the whole impeachment trial, and then corona virus showed up in the US “officially,” but then Kobe died and UK peaced out of the European Union.

In February, Iowa crapped itself with the caucus results and the president was acquitted and the Speaker of the House took ten years to rip up a speech, but then WHO decided to give this virus a name COVID-19, which confused some really important people in charge of, like, our lives, into thinking there were 18 other versions before it, but then Harvey Weinstein was found guilty, and Americans started asking if Corona beer was safe to drink, and everyone on Facebook became a doctor who just knew the flu like killed way more people than COVID 1 through 18.

In March, shit hit the fan. Warren dropped out of the presidential race and Sanders was like Bernie or bust, but then Italy shut its whole ass down, and then COVID Not 1 through 18 officially become what everyone already realized, a pandemic and then a nationwide state of emergency was declared in US, but it didn’t really change anything, so everyone was confused or thought it was still just a flu, but then COVID Not 18 was like ya’ll not taking me seriously? I’m gonna infect the one celebrity everyone loves and totally infected Tom Hanks, but then the DOW took a shit on itself, and most of us still don’t understand why the stock market is so important or even a thing(I still don’t), but then we were all introduced to Tiger King. (Carol totally killed her husband), and Netflix was like you’re welcome, and we all realized there was no way we were washing our hands enough in the first place because all of our hands are now dry and gross.

In April, Bernie finally busted himself out of the presidential race, but then NYC because the set of The Walking Dead and we learn that no one has face masks, ventilators, or toilet paper, or THE GOD DAMN SWIFTER WET JET LIQUID, but then Kim Jong-Un died, but then he came back to life… or did he? Who knows, because then the Pentagon released videos of UFOs, and we were like man, it’s only April….

In May, the biblical end times kicked off historical locust swarms and then we learned of murder hornets and realized that 2020 was the start of the Hunger Games but people forgot to let us know, but then people legit protested lockdown measures with AR-15s, and then sports events were cancelled everywhere, But then people all over America finally reached a breaking point with race issues and violence. There were protests in every city, but then people totes forgot about the pandemic called COVID Not One Through 18. Media struggled with how to focus on two important things at once, but then people in general struggle to focus on more than one important thing, and a dead whale was found in the middle of the Amazon rain forest after monkeys stole COVID 1 Through 19 from a lab and ran off with them, and either in May or April (no one is keeping track of time now) that a giant asteroid narrowly missed earth.

In June, science and common sense just got thrown straight out the window and somehow wearing masks became a political thing, but then a whole lot of people realized the south was actually the most unpatriotic thing ever and actually lost the civil war, and there is a large amount of people who feel that statues they don’t even know the name of are needed for … history reasons, but then everyone sort of remembered there was a pandemic, but then decided that not wearing a mask was somehow a god given right (still haven’t found that part in the bible or even in the constitution), but then scientists announced they found a mysterious undiscovered mass at the center of the earth, and everyone was like DON’T YOU DARE TOUCH IT, but then everyone took a pause to realize that people actually believed Gone With The Wind was like non-fiction, but then it was also announced that there is a strange radio signal coming from somewhere in the universe that repeats itself every so many days, and everyone was like DON’T YOU DARE ATTEMPT TO COMMUNICATE WITH IT, but then America reopened from the shut down that actually wasn’t even a shut down, and so far, things have gone spectacularly not that great, but everyone is on Facebook arguing that masks kill because no one knows how breathing works, but then Florida was like hold my beer and let me show you how we’re number one in all things, including new Not Corona Beer Corona Virus, Trump decides now is a good time to ask the Supreme Court to shut down Obama Care because what better time to do so than in the middle of a pandemic, but then we learned there was a massive dust cloud coming straight at us from the Sahara Desert, which is totally normal, but this is 2020, so the ghost mummy thing is most likely in that dust cloud, but then I learned of meth-gators, and I’m like that is so not on my fucking 2020 Bingo card, but then we learned that the Congo’s worse ever Ebola outbreak is over, and we were all like, there was an ebola outbreak that was the worse ever?

In July…. Aliens? Zeus? Asteroids? Artificial Intelligence becomes self aware? Return of the dinosaurs?

Events are not going to everyone else’s plans and we have to try to find out what is the truth.  We may need some help.

JH

The Brash Americans

COVID-19, Law, Media, Politics, Real Life, Social, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The last two weeks we have seen the experiment in play and the results are mind numbing.

Stay at home requests.

Maintain social distancing request.

Closing schools.

Trying it decide what or whom is essential workers and so on.

As soon as the National Mainstream Media heard about the new virus in town, they went screaming on air and print about the coming armageddon with the social media following their lead.  This lead to some blowing off these requests, thinking it is a joke, and continue to have large social events or get togethers.  Some idiots went to the stores and hoarded all the toilet paper, masks, and hand sanitizer they could find in what was probably thought up as a quick rich scheme.  In response, others cleaned the store shelves of food stuffs on a daily bases rather than just get what they needed.  Many decided that it was ok, to go on that planned vacation or “Spring Break” rather than worry about their family members, neighbors, or community that they may bring the virus back to.  The local elected officials up to the state level did not want to follow the requests because they would lose all that revenue rather than promote the health and safety of their communities.  Oh my, what a mess we are in now.

The whole point in this initial two week/15 day request was to “Flatten the Curve”.  In stead of letting the virus run rampant and having the worst cases hit our medical system all at once in what would look like a Normandy D-day triage the with medical staff having to decide who is too far gone for medical assistance. 

During this time, the local Emergency Management Directors at the village, city, county/parish, and state level were to pull out their handbooks and review their procedures and stocks on hand to meet the oncoming emergency.  They were to check on local stocks that they should have in storage and freshness along with local medical assets and determine if they where ready or what they may need in following the National Response Framework.  If they did not have the Federally mandated supplies in stock then the Governor(s) would put in a request to the Federal Government for the supplies that are stored all over the country.  (Strategic National Stockpile)

In my opinion, from the way some of the State Governors are acting, rather than spending money on what may happen, they spent it on what would further their own agendas.  Maybe an investigation should be started to sort that out.

Now, those Requests are now Orders and some are still acting like it is a big political show.

While it is hard to determine in advance what disaster may befall the public or an area of the city, county/parish, state or country.  There will always be a shortage of something in an emergency, in the case of a new virus or some health crises, the first thing that may be lacking would be a test for the cause.  While the areas affected may have most of the materials for testing on hand, you need a developed chemical agent or re-agent for the final test, which sometimes takes time.  The next step is to contain the virus till a cure or an immunization can be developed.  Hollywood and the Mainstream Media make it sound like it happens overnight.

For the duration we need to quit being the brash Americans and stop worrying about ourselves and worry about our families, our communities, our states, and our country.

Pray.

Search for the TRUTH.

JH

The Media: We Start the COVID-19 Fire

Media, Politics, Real Life, Social, US, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Once again, the media has got everyone up in arms by spouting fear and panic in the streets.  Too bad we just can’t wash our hands with soap and just get the facts.  They got people so worked up that they are buying all the toilet paper they can find and some of that hand sanitizer they can find.  Were these people not wiping there rears or washing their hands before?  Wonder how much stock they own?  Kind of reminds you of that Don Henley song.  Right.

Each year the CDC and manufactures come up with a list of three or four flu viruses that may be the next years strain and it goes to the production line to make vaccines for the following year.  Some years they choose right and some years they miss the mark.  This year they may have made the right choice but according to their stats: Between 291,000 and 646,000 people die each year globally from seasonal influenza-related respiratory illnesses, according to new estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and global health partners.  The flu is a disease that changes yearly and they have a good idea what they are doing.

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is new and the CDC, all the way down to your primary doctor, is trying to figure out not only what it is, but how would be the best way to fight it.  The Media comes forth with either political or finical gains in mind and start a panic with no information other than their opinions at the time.

Media See

Yes.  The COVID-19 is a new strain with currently no vaccine for it.

But history has shown that when ever a new virus in located or identified that those within the infected zone that are un-informed or without common sense will run like rats spreading to all corners of the globe. In our modern age of travel it can spread fast because of stupid people that have no common sense and fear that they think they are safer at home or any place that is not there.

Yes.  Anybody, under the circumstances of location or age may get it.

But if Everybody would just follow the simple protocol of just washing their hands with soap and water and be aware of their environment would reduce the chance of getting it.  There is situations of self-quarantine if you know you where exposed to any disease and if you look into your state or federal health laws,  Most were written during and after the Spanish Flu epidemic in the 1900’s, you may find some are rather extreme in todays standards but still fall within the common sense standards that we need today in the “not me” standards that are really prevalent today.  Since there is currently no hard number on when you could be expose to out right having the disease, it is requested to follow simple cleaning protocols that do not need a college degree to follow.

Yes.  It will affect those with underlying health problems worse than those without other health problems.

Like those that already have a health problem need another disease to come along.

You can read up on the CDC’s stats and recommendations at the following link:

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Situation Summary

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the U.S.

Share Facts About COVID-19

There are simple things you can do to help keep yourself and others healthy.
Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing; going to the bathroom; and before eating or preparing food.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
Stay home when you are sick.
Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.

Search for the Truth.

JH

Russia Again? The Media Storm.

Media, Politics, , , , , , , ,

Early Sunday morning and the news sites are crying about Russia again.  After a quick search you can find them.  You read the headlines and really tell that they are just spouting propaganda.  Their source(s) are thin air or they are former employees of so and so agency that mean nothing to the public because they just need a name for their stories.  I have no doubt that they may know something, but how factual it may be is not communicated in the story.  If they had worked in the government and is now a front person in a private company, you almost have to assume that the reason they are talking is only to boost their pockets.  The list below can’t even decide if the “Russians” are trying to help Bernie or Trump.

CBS News

The Washington Post

New York Times Click for transcript.

CNN Politics

The following are trying to get people riled up because Trump booted Joseph Maguire possibly because he allowed his underlings to give a classified brief to the House Intelligence Committee possibly without having any hard facts, just rumors and innuendo and we know the House Intelligence Committee is well known as an oxymoron these days.

Daily News

Tasmin Mahfuz A You Tube Blogger

The Washington Times is the only one that said that this is not just a Russia problem with a quote from some underling under Maguire that we have to watch out for everyone with axe to grind or butter to spread.

“This is not a Russia-only problem,” Shelby Pierson, the election security threats executive for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, said last month. “Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, non-state hacktivists all have opportunity, means and potentially motive to come after the United States in the 2020 election to accomplish their goals.”

Sounds like CYA.

Remember the saying: If you fail once, keep trying.  Is this what the media will do for the election cycle?  When we get back to real reporting and real stories?

Search for the Truth

JH

Does an Oath of Office Mean Anything?

Law, Politics, Real Life, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Merriam-Webster defines it as thus:

1a

(1)
: a solemn usually formal calling upon God or a god to witness to the truth of what one says or to witness that one sincerely intends to do what one says
(2)
: a solemn attestation of the truth or inviolability of one’s words
The witness took an oath to tell the truth in court.
b
: something (such as a promise) corroborated by an oath
They were required to swear an oath of loyalty.
took the oath of office
2
: an irreverent or careless use of a sacred name
broadly : swear word
He uttered an oath and stormed away.

From Wikipedia:

In the United States, the oath of office for the President is specified in the Constitution (Article II, Section 1):
“I, (name), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
The oath may be sworn or affirmed (in which case it is called an affirmation instead of oath). Although not present in the text of the Constitution, it is customary for modern presidents to say “So help me God” after the end of the oath. For officers other than the President, the expression “So help me God” is explicitly prescribed, but the Judiciary Act of 1789 also explains when it can be omitted (specifically for oaths taken by court clerks): “Which words, so help me God, shall be omitted in all cases where an affirmation is admitted instead of an oath.”
The Constitution (Article VI, clause 3) also specifies:
The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the members of the several state legislatures, and all executive and judicial officers, both of the United States and of the several states, shall be bound by oath or affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.
At the start of each new U.S. Congress, in January of every odd-numbered year, newly elected or re-elected Members of Congress – the entire House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate – must recite an oath:
I, (name), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. [So help me God.]

This oath is also taken by the Vice President, members of the Cabinet, federal judges and all other civil and military officers and federal employees other than the President.

Blog post by Phoenix:

It is apparent that the section of the oath that seems almost daily violated by politicians is “I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without reservation or purpose of evasion;”

The congress as a whole along with the executive branch has been knowingly presenting legislation contrary to the constitution and then relying on legal challenges to make it to supreme court for final disposition, that folks is still a violation of the oath taken no matter the lawyeristic maneuver of passing legislation as constitutional and waiting for a challenge. If these were your children you would immediately scold for exceeding limits by their hope of getting away with trouble but suffering consequences for only the most egregious just by sheer quantity, its evasive both by congress and by children, both should be accountable.

Below is the most detailed listing of codes covering the subject of congressional oath and penalties for violation,

It is apparent that the section of the oath that seems almost daily violated by politicians is “I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without reservation or purpose of evasion;”

Federal law regulating oath of office by government officials is divided into four parts along with an executive order which further defines the law for purposes of enforcement. 5 U.S.C. 3331, provides the text of the actual oath of office members of Congress are required to take before assuming office. 5 U.S.C. 3333 requires members of Congress sign an affidavit that they have taken the oath of office required by 5 U.S.C. 3331 and have not or will not violate that oath of office during their tenure of office as defined by the third part of the law, 5 U.S.C. 7311 which explicitly makes it a federal criminal offense (and a violation of oath of office) for anyone employed in the United States Government (including members of Congress) to “advocate the overthrow of our constitutional form of government”. The fourth federal law, 18 U.S.C. 1918 provides penalties for violation of oath office described in 5 U.S.C. 7311 which include: (1) removal from office and; (2) confinement or a fine.

The definition of “advocate” is further specified in Executive Order 10450 which for the purposes of enforcement supplements 5 U.S.C. 7311. One provision of Executive Order 10450 specifies it is a violation of 5 U.S.C. 7311 for any person taking the oath of office to advocate “the alteration … of the form of the government of the United States by unconstitutional means.” Our form of government is defined by the Constitution of the United States. It can only be “altered” by constitutional amendment. Thus, according to Executive Order 10450 (and therefore 5 U.S. 7311) any act taken by government officials who have taken the oath of office prescribed by 5 U.S.C. 3331which alters the form of government other by amendment, is a criminal violation of the 5 U.S.C. 7311.

Violating Oath

The subject I am bringing to the table is “why do the American people allow their representatives to break oath of office (a federal crime) and not hold them accountable?

This should be a non-partisan subject simply due to the fact this has been going on for long decades and both parties are guilty according to the law.

The scales could be tipped back somewhat if the public had awareness that the oath has teeth and voiced expectation that it be taken seriously.

I grew up on a rural farm and had an older neighbor and I had just got out of high school in the spring and turned eighteen in the late summer and come the next January, I enlisted in the military service.  The morning I was getting ready to report to boot camp Raymond came over.  I was getting ready to leave for the airport, he came up to me and stuck out his hand.  He said, “You are about to say some pretty big words soon and it will define you as a man.  Good Luck.”

At the time I was stunned, in all the years that I had known Raymond, he had patted me on the back after school football games, other sports, 4H, and at other events but he had never shook my hand till that day.  I had read the oath of service but until you are saying it and what Raymond said actually hit me like a rock.  In his eyes, I had just grown up.

Those words are what you are to live by every day during your service to your country and afterwards.  Why is it that our elected representatives fail to follow their oath of office when they require those in military and civic service to follow theirs.  We have been complacent in letting them tear us down.  We need to stand up and make them follow the same laws and Oaths we do.

High Tech Does Not Always Mean Faster and More Accurate

Media, Politics, Social, , , , ,

We all know that with new and improved stuff there are always problems even after running it through all the test you can think of, but in the Iowa Caucus just proved that the old fashion way would have been better to stay with in the end.

USA Today

“We have determined that this was due to a coding issue in the reporting system. This issue was identified and fixed,” he said in the statement. “The application’s reporting issue did not impact the ability of precinct chairs to report data accurately.”

“Because of the required paper documentation, we have been able to verify that the data recorded in the app and used to calculate State Delegate Equivalents is valid and accurate,” he said in the statement. “Precinct level results are still being reported to the IDP. While our plan is to release results as soon as possible today, our ultimate goal is to ensure that the integrity and accuracy of the process continues to be upheld.”

At about 10:30 p.m. CT, when no results had rolled in, the party issued a statement saying the party found inconsistencies in the three data sets — the first alignment, the second alignment and the overall delegate numbers — and that it would take longer than expected to report results.
– Kim Norvell, Des Moines Register

The head of the Iowa Democratic Party said the organization is manually recounting the results of the Iowa Caucuses and he expects the numbers to be released sometime Tuesday.

It’s unclear how quickly the state that kicks off the presidential nominating process will be able to reveal who won the contest.

But “the integrity of our process with the results have and always will be our top priority,” Iowa Democratic Party (IDP) Chair Troy Price told reporters at a conference call at 1 a.m. CST. “At this point, the IDP is manually verifying all precinct results. We expect to have numbers to report later today. “

Price repeated the party’s early assertion that the technical glitch with the system “is a reporting issue not a hack or an intrusion. And it’s exactly why we have a paper trail and systems in place to uphold the integrity of our process.”

“They’re validating every piece of data we have against our paper trail,” he said. “The system is taking longer than expected but it’s in place to ensure we are eventually able to report results with full confidence.”

Price said the IDP has reached out to the various campaigns and is keeping them updated.

Piyce comments followed criticism from some campaigns, notably former Vice President Joe Biden’s who called the reporting problems “acute failures.”
– Ledyard King

First, they said that there was coding errors in the new system and it was a simple fix but then they started to say that the people putting in the numbers were at fault.  Now after all that mess, to get it right and transparent they will be back to a large chalkboard with one one person reading the numbers, while one person marks the board, and ten people observing the routine.  Kind of reminds you of the “Hanging Chad” debacle.

While the Democratic candidates fumed about the delay and questionability that this new process has caused, they were each quick to proclaim themselves as “Winners” and said they were moving on to New Hampshire.  On the flip side of this, President Trump’s campaign was quick to provide the following.

The Trump campaign was quick to seize on Monday night’s delays in caucus results, calling it the “sloppiest train wreck in history.”

“Democrats are stewing in a caucus mess of their own creation with the sloppiest train wreck in history,” Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale said in an emailed statement.

He also raised concerns about “the fairness of the process” after suggesting in a tweet that the “quality control” issues Democrats cited in the delay were part of a scheme to rig the results.

– Courtney Subramaniam

So, with the official start of election season, is this what we have to look forward to the rest of the year.  No matter who wins or loses, someone will be crying in their beer.

The climate of Earth has been changing since before the beginning of time.  There are solid arguments from all sides but when one side keeps saying, “We are going to Die!” all the time it starts sounding like Chicken Little.  Truth be told it is either Greed or Politics but I think the ones standing on the soapbox are not the ones that will get rich from all their yelling and screaming.

When I first found this article, I thought that it was some new studies but when you look at the release date it was back in October 2015.  It must have not fit into either sides dogma of propaganda that we were deluged with since that time.

via NASA Study: Mass Gains of Antarctic Ice Sheet Greater than Losses | NASA

A new NASA study says that an increase in Antarctic snow accumulation that began 10,000 years ago is currently adding enough ice to the continent to outweigh the increased losses from its thinning glaciers.

The research challenges the conclusions of other studies, including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) 2013 report, which says that Antarctica is overall losing land ice.

According to the new analysis of satellite data, the Antarctic ice sheet showed a net gain of 112 billion tons of ice a year from 1992 to 2001. That net gain slowed   to 82 billion tons of ice per year between 2003 and 2008.

“We’re essentially in agreement with other studies that show an increase in ice discharge in the Antarctic Peninsula and the Thwaites and Pine Island region of West Antarctica,” said Jay Zwally, a glaciologist with NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and lead author of the study, which was published on Oct. 30 in the Journal of Glaciology. “Our main disagreement is for East Antarctica and the interior of West Antarctica – there, we see an ice gain that exceeds the losses in the other areas.”  Zwally added that his team “measured small height changes over large areas, as well as the large changes observed over smaller areas.”

There is much we do not understand about our planet or the environmental system we call Mother Nature.  To bad we no longer have an educational system that trains us how to look for an answer but requires us to know, verbatim, every answer on the test.  We need to see, read. and understand what is going on around us, not what some talking head is telling us.

via LA Times Admits Trump Right About What’s Causing California’s Massive Wildfires

by Tim Pearce

Adopting more active forest management policies such as increased thinning of trees and conducting controlled burns will help mitigate damage from future wildfires, The Las Angeles Times editorial board writes.

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke began advocating similar policy prescriptions earlier in the year after President Donald Trump blamed California’s “bad environmental laws” for creating a wildfire-prone environment.

California forests have grown dryer and less healthy from overcrowded trees, infestations of bark beetles and the effects of climate change, the Las Angeles Times writes. California’s restrictions on active forest management have contributed to the poor and worsening conditions of the forests, allowing them to grow uninhibited while suppressing fires that would normally naturally control the forests’ growth.

“Fire is not necessarily bad for forests. California used to burn with regularity, and low-intensity fires are vital in some ecosystems to clear excess brush and small trees from the landscape,” the editorial board writes. “But there’s been a change in fire behavior over the last century, as the state and federal government began dousing the blazes. Decades of fire suppression have allowed forests to grow dense with trees.”

“Combined with drought, insect infestations and the stress of a warming climate, those management practices have led to more intense and destructive fires that are more dangerous to people living near the forests and more damaging to air quality,” the op-ed continues.

California’s environmental laws entered the national spotlight in early August when Trump blamed them for the severity of the wildfires that were ravaging the state.

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke was soon at the front of the administration’s push for California to begin adopting more active land management policies. Zinke traveled to California to see the damage from the fires and meet with local officials and firefighters Aug. 13.

Zinke ramped up calls for greater forest thinning while also dismissing the idea that climate change is playing a significant factor in the wildfires’ intensity.

“I’ve heard the climate change argument back and forth,” Zinke told Sacramento-based KCRA. “This has nothing to do with climate change. This has to do with active forest management.”

California Gov. Jerry Brown partnered with state lawmakers to introduce changes to the state’s policies. The bill would grant $1 billion toward forest thinning and ease regulations on cutting trees on private property, according to the Las Angeles Times.

Kind of reminds me of something I hear many many years ago.

Setting: Courtroom with the Forest Service Manager (FSM) on the stand.

Lawyer: “Sir you are in charge of all the national forests in the United States. Correct?”

FSM:  “Yes Sir.”

Lawyer: “For purpose of demonstration, we will equate one wooden matchstick for one million trees.  Please hold out your hands, as he placed a couple of boxes of match sticks in the FSM’s hands.  This should equal the amount of trees that were around when you department was formed.  Now, over the years, your department has sold off lumber rights to harvest for private and public industry.”  The Lawyer takes a few off the FSM’s hands.  “With a few outcries of deforestation, your department gets an expert guidebook to run your forests.”  The Lawyer adds a few matchsticks back. “Now with trees doing what trees do in the forest and new science backing your guidebooks,” adding a few more matchsticks to the pile, “Your department was slowly breaking even keeping the forests healthy and productive, correct?”

FSM: “Yes.”

Lawyer: “Now we have the interference from people running around with unproven scientific facts and Lumber companies and corporations trying to tell you how to do your job, making your department spend all your allocated money in the court system which is not allowing you to do your job to keep the forests healthy and productive.”  All this time the Lawyer has been adding to the pile in the FSM’s hand.

FSM: Looking down at his hands and seeing that he is holding about four boxes of match sticks in his hands. “That’s about right.”

Lawyer: “Now to be fair, I am going to remove the percentage that you were allowed to sell off.”  He reached up and removed one matchstick from the FSM’s hands and holds it up for the court to see.  Turns to the FSM and looks him in the eye, “What do you think Mother Nature’s solution to your problem would be?” 

The Forest Service Manager’s eyes got very big as he saw the Lawyer’s thumbnail scratch the head of the lone matchstick in his hand.

I believe in conservation but to go too far left or right really upsets the balance.  Mother Nature has been doing this for millions of years and we can see what she has done with mistakes over that time period.  The bigest problem we have today is too many theorys that are broadcasted by the media, our leaders and schools and not enough facts.

Climate change in nature is an ongoing thing.  If humans are speeding it up or slowing it down is the question we need to answer.  I turn on the news and someone is spouting something about it but it is all theory with little or no facts behind it.  They trot out some unknown science person that says in the last twenty, thirty, or fifty years there has been this amount of change  but when asked, they have no clue what climate did in a certain area one hundred, one thousand, one million, or one trillion years ago.

The Truth of it is, that while it is sad for the lives lost and the damage done to the forests, we need to return to the middle of the road to continue to survive.

Chess or Checkers?

Media, Politics, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

For years the political establishment was like playing the game of chess and they were quite good at it.  They had the money from the Political Action Committees, Wall Street, and the propaganda mill donated by the Media.  Their electorate was contained and bowed to their will at call.  Their strategies were really good and for every move, there was a counter move.  The Elite could skirt the Rules at any time or completely disregard the Laws at will.  The laws that they generated was never top of the line, they wanted an out at every corner.  If you are elected to Congress, you are on the fast track to be part of the rich and powerful elite.

When it came time for re-election, you could almost have a free pass in the primary but if someone came out of left field to challenge your position, you would have a laugh.  For an outsider or a complete unknown to step into the ring, the odds were stacked against him or her.  It is amazing how easy it is to speak up and toss your hat into the political ring but once you are there you have to get the backing from some money source and galvanise the electorate.  The Founders of our country wanted the elected leaders to be people who did well enough in their occupation or companies to want to set it aside for a term and step up help run a country, then return to their life knowing that they helped the country with their service.  But over time, the only ones being elected where people who knew how to gather money and prestige without actually doing nothing or being at the top of their profession.

Now, along comes a person that is a successful business person which helped him accrue some great wealth and after looking around, throws his hat into the ring.  This person is not some nobody.  The people have heard about him.  He is out-spoken.  He doesn’t fall into the category of  the established political realm or a Media darling.  He speaks to the common people like he is at a family dinner table and what he says hits home.  He does not use the Media to filter his message, he speaks over them.  He is playing checkers with the common folks.

The political elite on both sides have been playing their game for ages and now this person has come along and worse than the running of the bulls, he is upsetting their apple cart.  He forces everyone to follow the laws of the land that the elite have spent little time reading over before passing.  He finds the loopholes that will make them scream.  They have had years and many options to fix these laws and didn’t.

Now you look at all the campaign promises that was made, you will find that he has bucked the establishment at ever turn.  He is following the laws enacted by the establishment and the previous administrations.  He has asked and at times, demanded that both parties involved, step up and fix the problems that they both have made.  They both have denied him.  When will they see the error of their ways?  Both sides of the Establishment think that their spines have been reinforced with iron, that it is their way of doing things, and they can outlast him.  They do not think that the laws that they made need to be changed.  They wrote them to keep the money pouring into their pockets.  They wrote them to keep their supporters in the electorate  docile and wanting the free things that others have worked for.

The common electorate on both the republican and democratic sides, as well as all the other fringe parties are starting to sit up and take notice.  Those that vote really do have the right and duty to take the blinders off.  The electorate does have the ability to soften iron or break it.  They may not leave the center base of their parties but in the General Election, a person does not have to vote the party line.  Hopefully they will vote for real leaders, not like the scum that conned their way to leadership.