If You Can't Say Something Nice....

Gonna rant for a moment...

"Comedian" DL Hughley took to Twitter yesterday to make fun of Debbie Reynolds death.

"Debbie Reynolds died a day after her daughter did! Black Mama's don't die cuz they kids do!They cry and say God don't make no mistakes!" Hughley said.

It's obvious that Hughley has no idea about the devastating pain of losing a child. If he did he wouldn't trivialize Debbie Reynolds' statement about wanting to be with Carrie. I wonder how he'd feel if he lost one of his three children and someone made fun of it?

Most of us who have lost a child didn't/don't want to die ourselves because of it. But we certainly understand the feelings. There is no pain like that of losing your child.

I have lived through many painful things in my life. I have lost beloved family and friends to death. I have watched people die while I did everything I could to keep them alive and I have watched people die with an empty feeling of knowing there was nothing I could do.

Even seasoned professionals - paramedics, doctors, nurses, firefighters, law enforcement officials - who deal with death on a regular basis, are affected by it in some way. Sure, they'll joke about it sometimes - but that's a coping mechanism rather than an attempt at humor. It keeps them from being consumed by the tragedies they see on a regular basis.

Hughley doesn't really have that excuse for what he said.

Of all of the things I've dealt with in this life the loss of my son was by far the most devastating. I cannot imagine anything else that could hurt that badly.

Mr. Hughley thinks he's funny. Perhaps sometimes he is. But this was not one of those times. Imagine if the celebrity mom and daughter had been black and a white comedian made such a comment. It would be main stream media news for a week. The only reports about it so far is that there is a "backlash against him in social media."

I actually feel sorry for Mr. Hughley. It takes a cold heart to trivialize and mock the deaths of two people the way he did.

Carrie Fisher left behind a daughter. That young lady has lost both her mother and grandmother in the last three days.

I wonder how Mr. Hughley would feel if that happened to him? My guess is he wouldn't think it was funny.

Olbermann: "Trump Is A Puppet Of Vladimir Putin"

Keith Olbermann, the loud mouthed liberal who went from sportscaster for ESPN to political pundit for MSNBC, said yesterday that the Russians had not only hacked into the Democrat National Committee computers and made information public to hurt Hillary Clinton in the election but that they had also hacked into the Republican National Committee computers. He said they are withholding the information discovered in the RNC computers so they can use it to control the Trump administration once Trump is inaugurated.

Typical for a liberal nut job - Olbermann didn't present any evidence to support his claims. Like Harry Reid, he put the information out there as fact and leaves it up to the listener to determine whether or not his statements are true. He bases his knowledge of the subject on news articles from the likes of the New York Times and the Washington Post, both far-left supporters of Hillary.

The CIA and the FBI disagree about whether or not both the DNC and RNC were hacked. The CIA says both, the FBI says it was only the DNC. So who is to be believed? John McCain and Lindsay Graham both want an investigation to see if the RNC was hacked and to see if Trump benefited from Russian hacking. That tends to make me say “Forget it.” McCain and Graham are the dufus duo of Washington.

Olbermann, in his 1200 plus word rant, says that the Electoral College must vote for Hillary Clinton to “save the country” and that anyone who doesn't believe his “existential facts” is a traitor to the country and “will immediately, and forever after, be held accountable.”

Held accountable by whom, Keith? You? That's laughable at best.

Go back to sports broadcasting. Your liberal views are pushing you toward fanaticism. You're losing it. And you're annoying.

Liberals Going Crazy Over Trump's EPA Appointment. It's Entertaining!

Donald Trump has appointed Scott Pruitt to head the Environmental Protection Agency. The left is going absolutely crazy over this pick. Personally, I think it's brilliant.

Pruitt is a critic of climate change science. That's good. We need someone heading that agency that isn't fueled by left-wing panic over climate change which, as Pruitt himself has stated, and despite what liberals like to claim, is not an absolute fact. Climate change statistics are generated by computers based on information fed into them by people. And while the left likes to believe that those people feeding the information are infallible, there is mega money to be made in the climate change arena.

The Obama administration, in collusion with the EPA, has taxed corporations and caused huge, expensive changes to be mandatory for them to survive. They're killing the coal industry (intentionally) in the name of clean air and they've squandered countless billions of dollars on green energy companies that got your tax dollars then went belly up - taking the money with them. The list is long.

Like it or not, fossil fuels will be our main sources of energy for at least a couple more decades. Understanding that and managing them wisely is prudent to the future of the nation. I have no doubt Scott Pruitt will do just that.

Of course - there will be some who will start shouting "Republicans want dirty air and dirty water!!" In fact, that's already happening. It's the same as them saying "Donald Trump is going to end medicare outlaw abortion and end same sex marriage." Simply untrue.

What they fail to understand is that the laws already in place keep the air and water clean. A new, conservative head of the EPA will keep things in the realm of logical instead of emotional.

If climate change and global warming are so real why is it that the polar ice caps are still here when "experts" (including Al Gore) predicted they would be gone by September 2016? While the Arctic ice cap shrinks and grows, the Antarctic ice cap is growing at nearly a record pace. Imagine...

Why is it that two of America's most outspoken climate change celebrities, those being Al Gore and Leonardo DiCaprio, travel all around the world in their private jets while telling the public that reducing their carbon footprint is vital? Why is it that Al Gore said the ice caps would melt and sea levels would be rising then bought a home on the beach in California? And why is it that Mr. Gore's global warming movie, which garnered him a Nobel Prize, was proved later to be full of falsehoods and outright lies yet he was never called on it?

Why is that that Al Gore has made millions upon millions of dollars pushing "green" products and solutions that really haven't worked except on his bank account?

Perhaps the most important question of all... why is that the left simply doesn't care about the answers to those questions? But then - they don't care what Hillary Clinton does either so it's no big surprise.

Like Trump's other appointments, Pruitt will be a great choice. He will be able to reign in the overzealous, emotional agency and keep it focused on real issues and find real solutions. And the other plus about his appointment? Far left zealots who currently work for the EPA might just resign if he is confirmed by the Senate - thus reducing the size of government. How bad could that be?

Missouri House Bill Would Make Gun-Free Business Owners Liable

This may stir up controversy. If so - that's OK. At least it will get people thinking...

Do you own a gun? Do you have a license to legally carry it? Have you been prevented from carrying it by certain businesses owners who have declared their business property to be “gun-free?” Or have you carried into the business anyway – which is some states is a crime?

One state representative-elect in Missouri has decided that business owners who refuse to allow legally armed citizens to carry their firearms onto/into their businesses can be sued by any citizen who is on or in their business property, unarmed against their will, and is injured by another person or animal.

Newly elected Representative Nick Shroer will be introducing House Bill 96, which would allow gun carriers to file suit against businesses that enforce gun-free zones on their property.

Business owners who declare their property to be gun-free would be liable for any injuries sustained that could have been prevented had the injured party been allowed to carry their firearm on their person while on the property.

In some ways a business owner's decision to forbid firearms on their business property is discrimination on the level of the same-sex marriage vs businesses controversy. Stay with me here.

Businesses are not allowed to refuse service to a same-sex couple up to and including forced participation in their wedding if one is a photographer or a baker.

Yet states allow business owners to discriminate against gun license holders by refusing service to them if they're carrying their legally registered, licensed firearm. In Texas the law says if the business owner(s) post an official 30.06 and/or 30.07 sign (concealed and non-concealed) in their business window or in a prominent place near the entrance, licensed gun owners may not enter the business carrying a firearm.

There are no criteria for the business owners to meet when deciding their businesses are legally gun-free. At least here in Texas, business owners merely have to post the sign to instantly make it illegal for a licensed gun owner to carry on the business premises.

Why is that not discrimination against a protected class of people? If the law says I'm legally licensed to carry a firearm in public am I not protected by that law? And if the law allows business owners to say “Not in my business,” how is that not discrimination against those with a legal right to carry?

Of course, gun owners will never be placed in a protected class. That wouldn't be politically correct. Yet the principle is the same. If business owners are not allowed to discriminate against people for their lifestyle choices (which is a Supreme Court decision not an actual, written law) why should they be able to discriminate against someone for legally exercising their guaranteed Second Amendment right?

Representative Shroer says his bill wouldn't have affected any cases in Missouri but instead refers to the mass shooting inside the gun-free theater in Aurora in 2012. The theater was designated by the corporation as a gun-free zone. Yet, if one or more theatergoers had been armed that evening they very well could have stopped the killings before the numbers began to add up.

Shroer says business owners who declare their businesses gun-free put targets on every one of their customers. And that's true. Gun-free zones often draw crazed murderers because they know they will meet little to no resistance.

It's about time to hold business owners accountable as accomplices to the murders of innocent people.

School System Bans Classic Books For Political Correctness

It's a sad day for school children in Accomack County Public Schools in Virginia. Accomack County, a peninsula between the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, is probably best known for Chincoteague Island, a small island famous for wild ponies and the annual “Pony Penning” event.

Accomack County Public School system can now be known for setting back time and forcing censorship in the name of political correctness.

It seems a parent of one of their students (just one) complained to the school system because two classic books - “To Kill A Mockingbird” and “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” - have racial slurs in them. The school system has “temporarily” pulled them from all county school libraries.

Apparently, rather than deal with the truth that both classic books were written with the authentic language of the period about which they were written and, therefore, were not meant to be racist but merely accurate, is more than the school wants to deal with.

Harper Lee and Mark Twain gave us outstanding stories depicting real life in the South. The language in each book was accurate. Neither author meant to offend anyone but instead to tell a story that was believable. How sad that in 2016 we have become so “enlightened” that school officials ban them because someone is offended by words. Perhaps the school system will next set up safe spaces.

It would appear that Huck Finn's friendship with Jim and the development of Jim's character in the story are simply dismissed because the N word is part of the story. Likewise, and for the same reason, the actions of Atticus Finch in defending Tom Robinson, falsely accused of rape, to the best of his ability despite anger and negative pressure from the townsfolk, are also dismissed. And those dismissals are because of non-politically correct language that is accurate and fitting for the story itself.

Harper Lee won a Pulitzer Prize for her book. And today it's banned?

Political correctness is turning this country into a land of whiners and crybabies. People believe they now have the right not to be offended by anyone or anything – and our school systems are reinforcing those beliefs by doing their best to prevent anyone from being offended.

The coddling of college students following the election shows that our young people today cannot deal with real life and adulthood. And now it seems secondary schools are preparing the younger children to grow up to be college crybabies.

I wonder if the child of the parent who complained about the two books listens to rap music....?

To the parents of young people who will be reading classic books in the near future... talk to your kids. Explain to them that life isn't perfect, that words won't harm them and that a book doesn't have to be banned simply because there are words in it that in today's society have been deemed unacceptable in Politically Correctville. 

These two classic stories are bigger and more important than the N word. To Kill A Mockingbird is one of the best novels I have read. To deny students the chance to read such a poignant book is to deny them the chance to learn about values and integrity. Atticus Finch should be considered a hero in every sense of the word and in both the white and black communities. His personal convictions are something which each of us should try to emulate.

To say the school system overreacted to the complaint of one parent is an understatement. And that's part of the problem with today's society. One complaint draws an immediate reaction rather than time and consideration of the larger picture. Where will it end?

Calling The Appliance Repair Help Desk....

Woke up this morning to our microwave not heating. Everything else works - just doesn't heat anything. It's under warranty so I had to call Samsung. The conversation went like this:

She: Thank you for calling Samsung. How can I help you?

Me: My microwave quit working this morning. It's under warranty.

She: I'm sorry that happened, Sir. Let's see if we can figure it out. I want to ask you a few questions. Is that alright?

Me: Sure.

She: OK. First, I'd like you to unplug the microwave.

Me: OK. Done.

She: Can you please check the power cord for any damage or frayed wires?

Me: The power cord is fine.

She: OK, Sir. Thank you. Can you please check the power cord for damage or frayed wires?

Me: The power cord doesn't have any damage.

She: OK, Sir. Thank you. Now, let's see if it's in demo mode. Can you please set the clock?

Me: OK, I set the clock.

She: OK. Now, push the Options button to option number 6.

Me: OK. I'm at option 6.

She: Can you please push the number 2?

Me: OK, done.

She: What does it say?

Me: It says "OFF"

She: OK. Please press start.

Me: OK. Done.

She: Can you please put a cup of water in the microwave and run it for 60 seconds?

Me: OK.

Sixty second interval.....

She: Did the water heat up?

Me: No. Still cold.

She: OK. It's not in the Demo mode.

Me: (Silently) Duh....

She: OK, Sir. Did you maybe use the kitchen timer by accident?

Me: (Getting a little irritated...) No, I didn't use the timer. I'm very familiar with this microwave and use the timer on a regular basis.

She: OK, Sir. I have to ask. Some people use the timer by mistake.

Me: I'm fairly intelligent. I know the difference between the two.

She: Yes, Sir. I'm sorry, Sir. I have to ask these questions to try to solve the problem.

Me: OK.

She: Now, Sir... we need to determine if the power source is the right voltage.

Me: It's been working fine for the last year.

She: OK, Sir. Is it plugged into a dedicated 120v outlet?

Me: Yes.

She: Can you plug another appliance into the outlet to make sure the outlet is working properly?

Me: I'm looking at the clock and the interior light - both working fine. I'm pretty sure the outlet is working.

She: Yes, Sir. Do you have another appliance you can plug into it to be sure?

Me: You just had me set the clock and try to heat water in the microwave. I couldn't do either if the power source wasn't working.

She: Yes, Sir. I have to ask. Do you have another appliance you can plug into the outlet to make sure it's working?

Me: I'm not going to do that. You're just going to have to take my word for it.

She: I'm sorry, Sir. We have people who call us sometimes and say their microwave isn't working and when the technician gets there he finds the outlet not working properly. In that case you would be responsible for the call and have to pay.

Me: I'm willing to take that chance.

She: OK, Sir.

Me: (A bit irritated) Why would you not ask me that first, before I set the clock and attempt to heat water? Obviously, if the clock is on and the microwave ran for 60 seconds the outlet works.

She: I sense that you're not liking the questions I'm asking but I do have to ask them.

Me: I understand that. What I don't understand is why you don't ask that one first. Asking me now if the power is working, after I've already demonstrated more than once that it is, is nonsensical.

She: I'm sorry you feel that way, Sir. This call is being recorded and they're listening to it.

Me: Good. They need to reword their script to keep people from feeling like they're being demeaned and not smart enough to know whether or not the power is on.

She: Again, I'm sorry you feel that way. But there are some people...

Me: I understand that. But I'm not one of them. I also understand that it's not you and that you have to ask the questions. But the questions should be subjective so that if I answer the question indirectly it can be omitted.

She: Yes, Sir. I understand. But I have to ask them.

Eventually the woman understood that I had done everything that could be done to correct the problem and that I needed a service technician to come out and look at it. She gave me a ticket number and said someone would contact me in 1-2 business days. In the meantime we have no microwave. But I've got fodder for a blog....!

Happy Thanksgiving To All

A little reminder of why we celebrate Thanksgiving....

A Proclamation.

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. 

In the midst of a civil war of unequalled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. 

No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. 

It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the United States the Eighty-eighth.

By the President: Abraham Lincoln