“Homelessness has risen rapidly in much of the city, with hundreds dying on the streets each year. 2022 brought a record-breaking 310 deaths in King County (mainly Seattle), many associated with drug overdoses. A large proportion of the homeless are mentally ill.”
“There is a reason that the UW has been rated as the worst public university in the U.S. for protecting freedom of speech. KNKX listenership has declined greatly, with listeners driven away by its shrill, politized fare.”
“The GAO concluded that leaders at the Pentagon are not only failing to provide oversight — instead choosing to largely punt the issue to the branches — but they also don’t consider it a priority. The result has been bureaucratic finger-pointing, with no one office or leader willing to own the issue.”
Anybody fired over this?
Where is the Cold War era Sergeant Major or First Sergeant who would have raised hell to take care of The Troops. Are they encouraging the young people they know to sign up today? The guys that did a couple tours in Iraq or Afghanistan- are they sending young family members down to enlist?
There has been a big stir over a blocked senior military promotion system. TV newspeople will avoid interviewing people who offer up a voice of dissent. Stalling the administrative steps to promote top level officers might lead to what? Decades of undeclared/unwon wars? A giant Dept. of Defense that was nowhere to be found on 911?
Why would high level promotions be awarded to people who are part of the system that allowed The Troops to live in the barracks described below?
Decades after the lessons of Vietnam, it feels like the politicians, four-star officers and high level DOD civilians who run the Pentagon specialize in undeclared/unwon wars. The DOD brand has been wrecked.
Any college or pro football coach would have been fired a dozen times over for what DOD has done with the US Armed Forces during the fake GWOT era.
“The GAO concluded that leaders at the Pentagon are not only failing to provide oversight — instead choosing to largely punt the issue to the branches — but they also don’t consider it a priority. The result has been bureaucratic finger-pointing, with no one office or leader willing to own the issue.”
Anybody fired over this?
Where is the Cold War era Sergeant Major or First Sergeant who would have raised hell to take care of The Troops. Are they encouraging the young people they know to sign up today? The guys that did a couple tours in Iraq or Afghanistan- are they sending young family members down to enlist?
There has been a big stir over a blocked senior military promotion system. TV newspeople will avoid interviewing people who offer up a voice of dissent. Stalling the administrative steps to promote top level officers might lead to what? Decades of undeclared/unwon wars? A giant Dept. of Defense that was nowhere to be found on 911?
Why would high level promotions be awarded to people who are part of the system that allowed The Troops to live in the barracks described below?
WWII costume reminds us of a time before decades of undeclared/unwon wars stacked up.
The Department of Defense track record goes back to 1949.
If we can just get the veterans, parents and grandparents of the USA to recommend an enlistment to the young family members in their life, things will be looking up.
14:25
Military families no longer recommend an enlistment:
Hey four-star officers, high level DOD civilians, policy think tanks and newspeople everywhere:
Thousands of young, intelligent and athletic young Americans participate in college athletics each year. Certainly, they would qualify to enlist. No photos of them for your public recruiting promotions and events?
For this first video, I will say that I think of myself and others as individuals, not as members of a group. You can find good and bad people in any group. I would have framed the question here as: What went wrong with American culture, rather than what went wrong with any group. Personal blog: Boomer?
What if mainstream newspeople went out and asked questions? What if they were to interview people on various sides of any issue, rather than just one side?
Love to see the mainstream press get out and interview people on various sides of any issue.
Nice example here –
0:41 in the video below:
If ethanol made a lot of sense we wouldn’t have to subsidize it or mandate its consumption:
I want to know what various people are thinking on various issues.
Think of an NFL game. Coaches and quarterbacks face the press after every game and answer questions, win or lose.
No press secretary. No public relations spokesperson. No freedom of information act requests. No classified documents.
Instant replays, commentary in the broadcast booth, analysis from network studios, sports talk radio, etc. Fans get tons of info all of the time. No chance for conspiracy theories to develop. Missed calls by NFL officials may be discussed for weeks on end. No such thing as: “We can’t comment on an ongoing investigation.” Instant replay is for all to see. Sports writers are OK with being critical of coaches, teams, players, the rule book, the league, referees, team owners, when the season starts and ends, etc. This is what a free and independent press looks like. Go ahead and have sports writers go out and cover public policy, Homeland Security and US Dept. of Defense news and I’m good with that.
In 2023, the press tends to support government agencies, departments and policies rather than question them.
Zero questions from small or large newspapers. Zero questions from TV newspeople.
The small papers will say they need more support from subscribers and advertising dollars or cash from the federal government to stay alive. All this because COVID or the internet or lack of newspaper sales, or a free and independent press that needs taxpayer support.
People who take no public funds, private donations or advertising dollars are free to ask questions at any time. Why not the press? Call for unpaid volunteers and you’d get better news coverage than what we have now.
I’d be more interested in paying (again) for a local paper subscription if there was more in the way of newspeople asking questions.
No sense in subscribing to newspapers that do not ask public policy-related questions.
JFK speaks about the role of the press in a free society:
Instead of waiting for school teachers to teach about individual rights and limited government authority, waiting on the overthrow of Saddam Hussein or an ongoing list of other enemies in distant lands, waiting on the press to ask questions, or courts to handle cases, these guys go out and update us with a quick reality check.
I grew up on the West Coast. Trick or Treat was on Oct 31st each year. Trick or treat was done in the dark.
When I was a child in the 1970s, local authorities, elected officials and newspeople played zero role in telling families when trick or treating would begin or end.
Today, Moms and Dads wait until their trick or treat schedule is published in order to map out family plans for the event.
Same country that stages a big celebration of freedom and independence in early July. Same country that once taught a spirit of adventure to small children on Columbus Day.
Mom or Dad might have to jump through their ass to commute home from work on Tuesday to get the kids ready for trick or treating and get started at 5:00. The rest of the community might also be rushing during the rush hour in order to get home in time to welcome the little ones to their door.
Hey Minerva Moms and Dads: get your ass through the workday commute to prep the family for Trick or Treat starting at 1630. “Oct. 31 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m”
A hand once raised to ask how a country that can’t stop bragging about freedom, thanking The Troops for freedoms, staging July 4th events celebrating freedom and fighting undeclared/unwon wars for freedom is not OK with Moms and Dads running the show on October 31st.
I enjoyed it, and it reminded me of life in the USA 50 years ago. This was a much simpler time. Many people were raised in families with 3 or 4 brothers and sisters. Some had a stay at home mom. People with regular jobs had a good family life.
The movie is about life on and around the drag strip. This is an American tradition. People who had the skill to test the limits with internal combustion engines. Risk taking. Adventure. Packing up the family and traveling on the highway.
This was a time when kids went out to play and they went without bicycle helmets. Kids had paper routes. Halloween was fun. Today, Halloween may be seen as unsafe and controversial.
The film was made roughly around the time of the first man on the moon.
Random thoughts on what was different then:
Lightbulbs were made in places like Ohio, Indiana or Michigan. They were the cheaper/simpler version. Household appliances, auto parts, kids bikes, lawn equipment and tools may have also been manufactured in those locations. Things were made to be fixed or repaired, not thrown out.
Americans tended to be less overweight. Gas was cheaper. Newspeople seemed better about asking questions. No mater what political party was in power, there seemed to be less in the way of restrictions, bans and mandates on guns, cars, how you may heat your home, gas powered lawn equipment, etc.
The WWII Generation was in charge. Cars, music, and Hollywood personalities all seemed a little more interesting then. Casinos were for Vegas, Atlantic City and Reno. Mostly no state lotto.
Kids seemed to have less food sensitivities and allergies. Things were less sanitized with antibacterial wipes, etc.
Photo-
Our family camping lantern – 1970s
Old Man Blog category:
Thoughts on changes in American culture relating to those born roughly in the late 50s & early 60s.
Where were you? along with a photo of a peaceful/standing twin towers.
My response:
With my GF in Kingston. Had already done some time in uniform. Took me several years to become skeptical and see that the federal government and the press had lost credibility.
Today:
My feeling is that a man on the moon in 1969 was a proud American moment. That was maybe the best of America in my lifetime.
“What I remember most about 9/11 is the way America was unified the day after. During uncontrollable times we controlled our response. Race, Gender and Political Party were equally irrelevant.”
“We focused on loving each other, how did we get so segregated? We never would have made it this far if we embraced division on September the 12th. We are where we are because we got here TOGETHER let’s embrace love yet again.”
“God Bless The USA.”
My response:
Good Stuff
Let’s keep that and add a free and independent press that will ask questions/rock the boat, no matter who is in office.
The mainstream press provides news coverage that favors government agencies, departments and policies.
I try to think of myself and others as individuals, rather than as members of a group.
Today, American popular and political culture insists on dividing people up into groups, then assigning a separate value to each group.
I went to USMC boot camp after high school in 1979. One of the best parts of my time in the Marine Corps was living and working with people from all 50 states, some foreign countries and every color under the sun. Women and people of color were frequently my bosses at the officer and enlisted level.
Those Moms and Dads will not be interviewed for a TV news story related to any of this.
Random thoughts:
Did race issues become better or worse after President Obama completed 8 years in the White House?
America now seems very much about identity politics. Since American culture prefers to identify individuals based on their family heritage & color of skin, do black mayors and chiefs of police have a better record for controlling violence and police abuse in their cities?
Do women who are mayors and chiefs of police have a better record?
Has there ever been any news reporting on this?
Individual rights and de-escalation of police encounters should be taught and understood as a requirement for high school graduation.
I am in my early 60s and was asked for ID to purchase some legal product. The store took it a step further and scanned my driver’s license into their ID card reader system. I did not fuss about it because I was a few hours from home and wanted to get on with my day. Not sure what the company is trying to accomplish with this.
My view is that adults are 18 years old and should be treated as such. I am OK with the store checking IDs for someone who looks like they are still in high school. People in their 60s can not be mistaken for someone under 21 years of age. Over the past year or two, it is common to get ID checked when buying beer. Again, I am 62 years old.
Pet Peeve:
Beer websites have an honor system these days. You must make up an over 21 birth date in order to study brewery offerings. Underage people who desire to view a brewery web site will be stopped by this bogus honor system?
We drank underage for years with no help whatsoever from the internet.
Thanks for risking your ass in Iraq & Afghanistan-working to keep bad people from coming here to do bad things.
Don’t worry-The Super Bowl and public affairs will be safe:
While at the same Silverdale, WA BevMo! store, a couple of people in military camo uniforms showed up to do some shopping. Since the catastrophic military failure of 911, and the undeclared/unwon wars that followed, it seems common to see the troops in camo out doing some shopping.
Life seemed more simple. The WWII generation set up a modern society that seemed to be working pretty well. Still room for improvement, but mostly, things seemed to be up and running.
“In other words, rent control guarantees that current renters in a municipality can vote themselves huge benefits out of the outnumbered owners’ pockets.”
“Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has again extended the state’s eviction moratorium, this time through the end of March.”
Killing incentives to maintain apartment complexes and homes for rent. Killing incentives to pay rent on time. Killing incentives to be a good tenant.
Love to see newspeople ask:
Have any arrangements been made to cover property owner’s costs for mortgages, taxes, repairs, maintenance, water, trash pickup, sewer, insurance, etc.
Who pays to have the apartment complex dumpster emptied if the property manager cannot collect rent?
I do not want to live in a residential neighborhood where junk cars are moved in next door after the property is purchased. Local code says the junk cars can not be there. County will not act to remove junk cars. What is the answer? The video above seems to be OK with whatever the property owner wants to do with their place.
COVID seems to be over, but fast food places can not hire enough people to keep the lobby open, even in busy areas. I do not understand why this is the case. Help wanted signs seem to be up for various types of jobs, not just minimum wage openings.
In my small town, leaving the neighborhood often means driving past the fire station. It seems like several times a month, for different reasons, the US flag may be at half mast. When I was a child in the 60s and 70s, the flag would go to half mast on what seemed to be rare occasions. Now it seems routine.
KXLY in Spokane tells us at 1:08
“…behind every half-staff flag is a man or woman who laid down their life for our country.”
“…the tradition began centuries ago.”
KXLY,
Was the flag flown at half staff more than 58,000 times for individuals who lost their lives during the Vietnam War?
In reality, the flag is lowered for various occasions:
Several news sources published this quote. View them here.
The idea that sending hometown troops to Africa would be linked in any way with keeping the people of Salisbury Maryland safe and free calls for more discussion.
Mayor Day,
While the troops were deployed, federal law was signed prohibiting the sale of tobacco products to adults age 18-20.
Can you help us to understand the militarized version of freedom here?
If a right to vote has always been protected by the brave men and women who serve in our Armed Forces, how come women were not allowed full voting rights at the end of WWI?
Why the need for a 1965 Voting Rights Act if overseas military operations somehow secured voting rights?
If a right to vote is protected by the US Armed Forces, what becomes of that right when the US leaves Syria, Lebanon, Somalia, Vietnam, Afghanistan, etc., without a victory?
Consider the idea that lowering the flag on a routine basis may take away from the significance of the protocol. Over time, the flag may be seen as a political symbol, something like a Presidential Medal of Freedom that may have nothing to do with freedom.
A man on the moon in 1969 was a proud American moment.
Back in 1969, your lawn mower was probably manufactured in some location like Indiana, Ohio, or Michigan. It ran on plain old gas. You kept the gas in a plain old gas can. You did so safely. The mower lasted a long time. It was made to be serviced and maintained.
At 9:50 in the video below, Taryl, explains the amount of labor required to get a modern mower running again.
Welcome Home Troops
Many interesting comments posted with the video above.
We went shopping today in the Aberdeen/Hoquiam area. Outside one of the stores on our route, I was surprised to see the front page of the local paper in a newspaper vending machine outside the business:
Click image once or twice to show detail.
Front page news has been replaced by a weekly grocery store ad. The business location where we were is not in the ad above.
Love to see newspeople ask: Is there any shortage of lodging facilities in this community?
Months later, has anyone seen any informative news articles on this?
Love to see newspeople show some initiative and curiosity in asking questions.
What we get today is sort of a press release style of news reporting where a statement is prepared by whatever agency was involved in the latest policy update, drug bust/federal grant money award, etc.
Newspeople post this statement as is.
A 5th grade book report would require more in the way of asking questions.
People who take no public funds, advertising dollars, or private donations are free to ask questions at any time. Why not the press?
I’d be more interested in paying (again) for a local paper subscription if there was more in the way of newspeople asking questions.
Various Puget Sound area newspapers have stripped away all comments from past articles, and removed the opportunity to post comments to new articles.
Elimination of reader comments works against the idea of paying for an online subscription.
If DOD was an NFL team, sports talk radio would feature comments like:
The Dept. of Defense was nowhere to be found on 911. We haven’t won a war since.
Any college or pro football coach would have been fired a dozen times over for what DOD has done with the US Armed Forces during the fake GWOT era.
Not here to say that military benefits are inadequate. Just stick with whatever was offered when people signed up to stay on for multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and we’re good.
Recruiting crisis for Uncle Sam? Elected officials and top Pentagon Generals earned it.
Every few years, no matter what political party or personality is in power, there are moves to modify what people thought they were earning in exchange for 20 years of unrestricted worldwide service.
The plan is to save cash by reducing the traditional DOD military benefits that were on the table when people began doing multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.
This is the same country where both major parties invite veterans to be momentarily honored at State of the Union events when they control the White House.
Football games are also used to honor veterans:
0:12 the man is barely conscious when greeted by team owner Jerry Jones:
Where are the veterans who are OK with less wars?
Everyone seems to love it. When the made for TV event is over, veteran’s benefits may be up for grabs again.
Recommendation:
Insert language into recruiting literature and enlistment documents stating that rules concerning benefits may change at any time & that no definite benefit package will be provided in exchange for 20 years of unrestricted worldwide service. No grandfather clause will apply. Have unit leaders refer to this disclaimer when promoting retention drives, giving re-enlistment speeches, etc.
Some will say that this has already been done, and that you will see it if you read the fine print. I say take it out of fine print and make it read like the warnings on a pack of cigarettes.
Recommendation for budget savings:
Phase out undeclared/unwon wars overseas.
The Department of Defense track record for winning undeclared wars goes back to 1949.
Sound of Freedom
Did the advantage of US air power allow the undeclared wars in Iraq or Afghanistan to be prevented, won or shut down?
US jet aircraft have been able to strike targets in what wars won by the US?
Several news sources published this quote. View them here.
The idea that sending hometown troops to Africa would be linked in any way with keeping the people of Salisbury Maryland safe and free calls for more discussion.
Mayor Day,
While the troops were deployed, federal law was signed prohibiting the sale of tobacco products to adults age 18-20.
Can you help us to understand the militarized version of freedom here?
Thanks for sending The Troops to distant lands to keep bad people from coming here to do bad things. If not for decades of undeclared/unwon wars, (The Department of Defense track record goes back to 1949) hostile forces may have come to North America to do away with the free enterprise system and tell us what kind of shower head we must install in our home, what type of gas can we must buy for our generator, or that our push mower does not meet federal EPA regulations.
If not for decades of undeclared/unwon wars, drug trafficking cartels might be able to move product into all 50 states.
Wonder what was happening at border crossing inspections during the 3 years these folks were under investigation. Do the good guys who made the Tempe bust notify the good guys at the border about the weak links in their process?
Love to see newspeople ask:
Were federal authorities at the border notified of this ongoing investigation?
Did the drug traffickers get fast track screening at the border so as not to disrupt this ongoing investigation?
If the drug traffickers were given a pass at the border- would that have tipped them off as to the investigation- or would that have been seen as standard protocol?
Imagine that LE authorities observe a shoplifter or bank robber in action. Instead of going in to make an arrest they back off and conduct an investigation that goes on for 3 years. What if they applied the same tactic Re: crimes involving arson, terrorism, child abuse, DUI, etc.
Has General Milley’s Operation Macho Swagger reduced access to cartel product anywhere in the US?
Has there been enough time for newspeople to ask questions?
Newspeople remain silent.
April 1, 2020 C-SPAN
WWII costume reminds us of a time before decades of undeclared/unwon wars stacked up.
The Department of Defense track record goes back to 1949.
Both major parties and the press appear to be OK with undeclared/unwon wars.
The people of Minnesota need more applicants to maintain a place to live and a regular job in their hometown area when they are not doing time in foreign lands helping DOD with undeclared/unwon wars and missions completely unrelated to their home state.
A few decades back, people might think of the National Guard as one weekend a month and two weeks in the summer plus a way to support your home state by being ready to get called out for floods, fires, natural disasters, civil unrest, etc. Maybe a way to help the next state over if they needed it.
Any members of the press available to show up and ask why the people of Home State, USA needed services in distant lands, absent any military emergency, national emergency, draft, or declaration of war?
Recruiting crisis for Uncle Sam? Elected officials and top Pentagon Generals earned it.
“A massive brawl broke out on a parade ground at Fort Gordon in Augusta one afternoon last fall, when about 70 teenage recruits of the Georgia National Guard’s Youth Challenge Academy slugged it out. Some used homemade weapons, including metal shanks, crudely sharpened toothbrushes and tube socks filled with metal padlocks.”
The US military recruiting crisis was earned by the politicians, generals, and high ranking civilians who have been running the Pentagon over the past 30 years or so. The crisis is also upon us due to newspeople not asking questions going back to the time the Cold War ended.
Here is a made for TV interview that passes up on a chance to ask serious questions. Stroking the general and promoting Hollywood releases is what we’re here for:
This country could use some newspeople who are up for asking tough questions. Love to see an interview something like this:
General Thomas,
Since 1986 Top Gun:
The US Dept. of Defense was nowhere to be found on 911.
We haven’t won a war since.
Decades after the lessons of Vietnam, it feels like the people who run the Pentagon specialize in undeclared/unwon wars. Is it understandable that young people and their parents and grandparents would take a dim view on all this?
Has the DOD brand been damaged?
General Thomas,
Some Americans may be asking:
Did the advantage of US air power allow the undeclared wars in Iraq or Afghanistan to be prevented, won or shut down?
US jet aircraft have been able to strike targets in what wars won by the US?
“Asked about encampments and recreational vehicles, Crain said if they’re on private property then people should talk to the owner about a possible eviction process.”
Spring Break Weekend
Try this over at the State Park: Skip the reservation and fee for an assigned space. Pick your own spot when you are ready. If anyone asks you to move, tell them you are living in your home. Have the Police Chief and social workers come out and talk to you. Have Park Rangers try to reassign people who paid for a reserved spot months in advance. See if you can be a squatter for weeks at a time.
“If they’re on public property, Hill said, case laws cover them differently.”
“As the RVs or tents are often temporarily in public places, Crain said they’ll either move before it goes far in the process and/or the towing company doesn’t have space or the time to move a vehicle so the process starts over.”
“Crain said they’re continuing to work on solutions for a few errant RVs in the city.”
“They are thorny, ugly, and are not going smoothly,” she said.
“We document pattern behavior and what we’ve done. Eventually you can get around to doing something.”
If you are confronted inside a business- respond with good customer service:
“With lighting and cameras, Crain said it could help capture a potential crime in action.”
Where are the success stories?
Whatever issues there are in WA, 49 other states have experience with what works and what doesn’t. Go out a pick a few jurisdictions that have had success and go with it. The WWII Generation had success. What were they doing? Seattle has had problems for years, what did they learn from it? How much public money was spent to make improvements in Seattle?
What I see now from various city and county governments is about collecting tax money to pay for affordable housing, converted motels and hotels for housing. Housing Housing Housing. A spaced out and incoherent drug addict is going to get along in what version of housing? Who is the landlord?
Not against public assistance here. When the experts have had several years to work a problem with public funds and that problem does not seem to improve, newspeople should be asking tough questions.
20 years ago, comment sections on local newspaper websites were more open and available to use. Various papers have now eliminated comment sections. Elsewhere on the web, comment sections may be hard to find, eliminated, or more restricted than ever. Bad people might break the rules, so we all face information suppression and restrictions. More in the way of open comment sections might also be an embarrassment to newspeople and elected officials. Government programs that are failing (War in Afghanistan) would invite comments and questions from the public that newspeople and public officials may want to be avoid.
Symbol of a culture that was once strong (Man On The Moon in ’69). A culture that is now weak. A culture that will yield the right of way to violators while pushing good citizens to the side & collecting big tax money all along the way.
A giant flag ritual at the next ball game will make it all good.
Recruiting, and staying out of, or winning undeclared wars in distant lands might be in the crapper, but we are the very best at militarized pageantry for sports events.
Newspeople play the role of federal public affairs staff as authorities prepare for the Super Bowl.
Sorry, no time for newspeople to ask:
Did the advantage of US air power allow the undeclared wars in Iraq or Afghanistan to be prevented, won or shut down?
US jet aircraft have been able to strike targets in what wars won by the US?
Remember folks, the best beers may require the least advertising.
A man on the moon in 1969 was a proud American moment. Today, the country is starving for some sort of positive cause to get behind.
General Spoehr, the officers available to lead in recruiting assignments have been part of a US Dept. of Defense that has a truly poor track record with undeclared wars. This record goes back to 1949, the year DOD was established.
The Dept. of Defense was nowhere to be found on 911. We haven’t won a war since.
It feels like DOD specializes in undeclared/unwon wars.
Any college or pro football coach would have been fired a dozen times over for what DOD has done with the US Armed Forces during the fake GWOT era.
Recruiters, generals, elected officials, political think tanks and TV newspeople are A-OK with a list of excuses for difficulties in recruiting. Low unemployment, overweight young people, COVID, young people on meds, illegal drug use, etc.
They have a blind spot.
Decades after the lessons of Vietnam, it feels like the people who run the Pentagon specialize in undeclared/unwon wars.
Understandable why young people and their parents and grandparents would take a dim view on all this.
Another article with zero questions from newspeople on a US Dept. of Defense with a decades long tradition of not being able to stay out of or win undeclared wars in distant lands:
55 minute think tank video avoids any questions on how the American people react to decades of undeclared/unwon wars, any need to validate US foreign policy, etc.
Also, no discussion related to the National Guard.
National Guard
The people of Minnesota need more applicants to maintain a place to live and a regular job in their hometown area when they are not doing time in foreign lands helping DOD with undeclared/unwon wars and missions completely unrelated to their home state.
A few decades back, people might think of the National Guard as one weekend a month and two weeks in the summer plus a way to support your home state by being ready to get called out for floods, fires, natural disasters, civil unrest, etc. Maybe a way to help the next state over if they needed it.
Any members of the press available to show up and ask why the people of Home State, USA needed services in distant lands, absent any military emergency, national emergency, draft, or declaration of war?
Recruiting crisis for Uncle Sam? Elected officials and top Pentagon Generals earned it.
Both major parties and the press appear to be OK with undeclared/unwon wars.
If DOD was an NFL team, sports talk radio would feature comments like:
The Dept. of Defense was nowhere to be found on 911. We haven’t won a war since.
A symbol of newspeople not asking questions, and a federal government that is OK with undeclared/unwon wars and telling lies about freedom, then blaming young people and their families when they lose interest in showing up.
Or, a symbol of federal government credibility and followers of both major parties, elected officials, newspeople and school teachers not asking questions.
I have two Twitter pages. One is for news and politics, where I follow a wide variety of people and organizations with different views – Twitter: https://twitter.com/yeomalt
I always liked the idea of being able to choose (follow) the pages that will post to my feed, and that’s how I thought it used to be. If I am a church person and only want to see posts from my church, or other churches I follow- that’s it.
If I am only interested in Volleyball, I can see posts in my feed that are only about volleyball.
Today, Twitter is sending posts to the feed from accounts you do not follow:
I had my @AwayfromtheTV account small and very nicely cleaned up in terms of who I was following. Now I am seeing random posts from others I do not follow.
I left Facebook several years ago, after using it a lot.
I used to like the old version of YouTube. If an account had posted hundreds of videos, you could flip the stack and see the oldest ones first. That feature looks to be eliminated now.
I never did use social media for social purposes. Did not come in contact with a raft of friends because of what I was posting. Whatever I cared about was not popular. Sometimes, I look at what is popular in American culture and I am proud not to be connected with that.
20 years ago, Google was a clean and simple search engine. AOL was there for those who were OK with the convenience of more central control. AOL steered you to use their internet connection, browser, email, their version of searching to find AOL sports, shopping, entertainment, finance, news, travel, etc. Every move you made on the web could happen under the AOL regime.
Today, Google wants you to create a user name and password. Register, sign in, and hand over your cell phone number for security in case you need to update your password. Google wants you to use your Google ID to sign in to an expanding number of sites on the web. If you are away from home and logging in on a different device, they might think you are a scammer/spammer and may take you into a tortuous process to verify who you are. What was the house number across the street from where your best childhood friend grew up?
The internet has been in our homes for 25 years. Any changes that took place should have been for the purpose of making it more simple, faster, quicker and easier to use.
I stopped posting to the blog above a while back because WordPress changed the blog user interface from something that was easy to use and understand to something that became super complicated.
I did not leave WP entirely, but paid extra to keep using this blog. Maybe paying extra means I could easily post to the old blog, but I have not taken time to fuss with it.
Marijuana was commonly available to all at the public high school I attended in the late 70s. People weren’t waiting for ballot initiatives, Governors, Mayors or the Washington state Attorney General to give their blessing.
Honor Roll students sampled it too. Somehow they went on to lead productive lives. Somehow they avoided worst-case scenarios of abuse.
I am 57 years old and the federal government still struggles with marijuana prohibition.
Where are the voters who promote smaller and limited government? Are they the ones who are OK with undeclared/unwon wars that never end? Wars that are explained away as wars for our freedoms?
It took a constitutional amendment to prohibit the sale of a glass of wine- why no constitutional amendment to authorize a federal war on drugs, drug czar, prohibition of marijuana, etc.
Even though marijuana was available to high school students in the late 70s, we were not camping on the sidewalks.
Lessons learned:
Famous celebrities had died of drug overdose decades ago. Here are two from 1970.
Were they camping on the sidewalk? People will have strong views and will be divided on ending drug prohibition. Most will probably agree that a modern society should not yield the right of way to those who want to camp on the sidewalk.
Possibly of interest:
Now in my early 60s, I am frequently asked for ID to show that I am 21 when buying beer at major retail establishments here in WA.
Symbol of a culture that was once strong (Man On The Moon in ’69). A culture that is now weak. A culture that will yield the right of way to violators while pushing good citizens to the side & collecting big tax money all along the way.
Noticing that many people today drive vehicles with a heavy window tint. In the old days, people might be inclined to make eye contact and exchange a wave. Is there an app for that? Today, many seem to be fully sealed inside a computer and climate controlled rolling entertainment/navigation and communications center, surrounded by tinted windows that used to be appropriate for a presidential motorcade. These features are popular even for pickup trucks today.
1970s Mob Boss – No Tinted Windows
Not Sealed Inside Behind A Heavy Window Tint
Took drivers ed decades ago. We were taught to make eye contact with drivers and pedestrians at intersections and crosswalks to increase safety.
I stopped posting to the blog above a while back because WordPress changed the blog user interface from something that was easy to use and understand to something that became super complicated.
I did not leave WP entirely, but paid extra to keep using this blog. Maybe paying extra means I could easily post to the old blog, but I have not taken time to fuss with it.
When I was a kid, reality TV was The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau.
The Night of the Squid:
Also, about this time in history: The first man on the Moon.
The beer ads were a little more robust, back before light beer became the popular thing.
We do not have regular TV at home. Today, the reality TV I see is only in brief ads that are delivered with internet streaming services. Seeing them makes me squirm.
I have often wondered if it just makes business sense to create a reality TV show by putting one together without real actors, real stories, writers, etc. It would cost less to hire people who showed up at their local mall in order to begin the process of trying out for the show?
TV newspeople are not on their way to ask:
When is the last time all of Penn Cove was safe for recreational shellfish harvest?
Daily Status Reports: Washington State Department of Health Shellfish Safety Map
Background
Several Whidbey beaches remain closed all year long for recreational shellfish harvest because of sewage treatment outfall.
Sewage treatment outfall. Not stormwater. Not climate change.
Reporting on this topic appears to be completely off limits to the press.
View the Washington State Department of Health beach list here.
Coupeville
“Clams, mussels and oysters CLOSED year-round.”
“This beach is within the closure area for a sewage treatment plant outfall and is unsafe for recreational shellfish harvesting.”
Google was a clean and simple search engine. AOL was there for those who were OK with the convenience of more central control. AOL steered you to use their internet connection, browser, email, their version of searching to find AOL sports, shopping, entertainment, finance, news, travel, etc. Every move you made on the web could happen under the AOL regime.
Today, Google wants you to create a user name and password. Register, sign in, and hand over your cell phone number for security in case you need to update your password. Google wants you to use your Google ID to sign in to an expanding number of sites on the web. If you are away from home and logging in on a different device, they might think you are a scammer/spammer and may take you into a tortuous process to verify who you are. What was the house number across the street from where your best childhood friend grew up? I quit. No more logging in.
Prior to the midterm elections, I went to the web and searched for:
Will midterm voters be angry about the stock market? and similar searches.
Is the stock market an issue for voters?
All I was able to find was predictions for future market performance.
Random thoughts:
The internet has been in our homes for 25 years. Any changes that took place should have been for the purpose of making it more simple, faster, quicker and easier to use.
20 years ago, comment sections on local newspaper websites were more open and available to use. Various papers have now eliminated comment sections. Elsewhere on the web, comment sections may be hard to find, eliminated, or more restricted than ever.
Bad people might post distasteful content so we all face information suppression or warnings to help us to avoid suggestive images, etc. If Mom and Dad want to set up child safety protocols at home, that is good with me. Just leave the rest of us alone.
When I was a kid, each of the 50 states were free to set their own minimum drinking age. That’s all gone now. We drank underage for years with no help from the internet.
We do not have regular TV at home. A good thing. We use streaming/internet TV. The old days of watching sports are gone. Today, go out and purchase the sports bar/casino style viewing subscription to watch your favorite team. If you’re happy with that, hold on because next year the team might not sell broadcast rights to the same company, a new contract may be in place, etc.
My wife has several passwords for several streaming/internet TV sites. At times, these can seem like they are not ready to work until you log in again, etc. These sites offer limited content. The old VHS tapes seem like a more simple idea.
We tried to watch a YouTube channel on our TV last night. This guy was exploring in the desert out west. A nice change from constant Pacific storms. He had a play list of his desert camping and travels. Good luck finding the play list on the TV viewing format.
A while back I went to the web to find any company that would do roof repairs in the town where I live. I landed on a web site that wanted me to enter my zip code. Seemed super spammy and scammy to me. Creepy. The old yellow pages seemed like a more simple way to go about it.
$6.3 million in federal cash for a used hotel results in saving eight jobs and creating one full time job? Seems like free enterprise might be better at moving things along Re: hotel properties.
Love to see newspeople ask: Is there any shortage of lodging facilities in this community?
Rehab of the marina would attract sport fishermen for launching and mooring of boats. Set up a place for fish and chips, a pub with a view, bait and tackle/boating store, a cocktail lounge, restaurant, etc. Use some imagination and get it going.
School children are taught about a free enterprise system. They grow up to find out that the federal government will tell them what kind of shower head they must install in the bathroom, and what type of gas can they must buy for their generator.
“The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently updated its regulations for emissions from “small spark-ignition engines”—that is, your lawn mower or tractor and other outdoor power equipment.”
“Gov. Jay Inslee and Attorney General Bob Ferguson will request legislation for a statewide ban on the purchase or transfer of assault-style semiautomatic rifles as part of the latest push by firearms-safety advocates.”
Possibly related:
Both major political parties are now OK with treating 18-20 year old adults as second-class citizens.
Alcohol, marijuana, tobacco and firearms restrictions are in place for 18-20 year old adults. Is there any state where recreational marijuana laws remove prohibition for adults at age 18?
Doesn’t seem to fit with a society that can’t stop bragging about freedom, thanking the troops for freedoms, fighting wars for freedoms, staging military jet flyovers at sporting events for freedom, etc.
Certainly, Americans do not live in a free and honest society.
Is the list of things government is not good at bigger than a list of the things government does well?
We just watched Daddy’s Home (2015) and Daddy’s Home 2 (2017). Both films include scenes of cars lined up to drop the kids off at school. Much has changed over the past 40 years.
I have no problem with what Moms and Dads want to do. Please don’t tell me it’s a sin to have a disposable plastic water bottle, disposable plastic shopping bag, or an internal combustion vehicle. I promise not to be a litter bug.
In the old days, kids could walk or bike to school. More of the kids were slim and trim back in the 70s when kids had bicycle paper routes after school.
I realized Saturday morning that it had been years since I watched TV news in the morning. 20 years ago, I would turn on the TV for news each morning. I started watching evening news on TV when I was at Camp Lejeune in the early 90s.
The crew shortage story has been in place since at least June 30, 2020.
Love to see newspeople ask:
Does the WSF HR Director get paid more to keep the system running smoothly?
Are crew member incentives in place for perfect attendance?
Months of poor play would be enough to get an NFL or college football coach fired.
Is there pressure on the WSF HR Director to do better?
Various industries such as FedEx, UPS, Costco, etc. may do holiday hiring to staff up for a busy time of year. Any similar creative thinking in place at WSF?
Misbehavior shuts down federal highway rest stops? Publicly funded highway safety facilities are shut down because of misbehavior? WTF?
Welcome Home Troops
49 other states operate highway rest stops. If I was Governor, I would insist on picking the top 3 states that are best at running rest stops and running WA rest stops in a similar manner until further improvements could be made.
Suppressing comments, getting away from asking questions related to public policy and telling us they need more support from subscription and advertising sales.
Our local TV news today is sort of a press release style of news reporting where a statement is prepared by whatever agency was involved in the latest policy update, drug bust/federal grant money award, etc.
TV advertising has become especially strange. How about legal anti-depression meds that may bring on thoughts of suicide (0:34).
I’d be OK with the mainstream press taking over the task of keeping the public informed. When TV newspeople avoid asking public policy related questions, individual citizens go out to check on what is going on.
JFK speaks about the role of the press and voices of dissent in a free society:
The family friendly, hometown pride-oriented local small town papers and TV news folks are more welcome to do interviews related to public policy. Unfortunately, they seem to have moved away from asking questions.
Still viewing lots of news via Twitter, and I would be more at peace if I moved away from it.
Much voting has gone on over the past 40 years or so. For sure, there is a chunk of public policy that has become worse, not better. Stopped watching TV news a long time ago because of the way newspeople (paid actors reading a script) have dealt with all this.
Don’t miss our companion blog-found here: Old Man Blog
Long-term closure? No chance for a quick cleanup, ongoing State Patrol enforcement, maintenance & volunteer groups to keep rest stops cleaned up and ready to go?
49 other states operate highway rest stops. If I was Governor, I would insist on picking the top 3 states that are best at running rest stops and running WA rest stops in a similar manner until further improvements could be made.
These are federal highways. Publicly funded highway safety facilities will be shut down because of misbehavior? WTF?
“…another Snohomish County traveler mentioned filthy conditions in August, including sewage around the crowded RV waste-disposal areas, and suggested tighter State Patrol enforcement.”
Symbol of a culture that was once strong (Man On The Moon in ’69). A culture that is now weak. A culture that will yield the right of way to violators while pushing good citizens to the side & collecting big tax money all along the way.
I have seen signs in WA State Parks telling us not to collect and burn driftwood.
If burning driftwood was OK- trees and other natural resources could be saved while reducing pollution at the same time.
Probably the most popular version of firewood for camping comes in the plastic shrink-wrapped bundles.
What is their story?
A big smokey truck drives into the hills to cut trees, at day’s end the truck returns to the firewood bundle processing facility where the wood is cut, split and wrapped in plastic by employees who each drove their own vehicle to the factory to start their shift.
The next day a big truck takes the wood bundles to the big grocery store warehouse facility where the bundles are offloaded by forklift.
The forklift is powered by highly toxic rechargeable lead/acid batteries.
The next day a big truck comes to take the wood bundles to a local grocery store.
The bundles are offloaded by forklift. The next day we are on our way to go camping and stop to buy firewood.
We load up the wood in our own vehicle, gas up, and head to the park.
The restriction on burning driftwood may have to do with preserving the natural beauty of the beach. Occasionally, driftwood may be a hazard to boaters. Not seeing any problem in burning untreated wood.
It would be helpful to have some written explanation of this policy posted on the State Park’s website and in the parks.
Rules are easier to understand and follow when they include an educational component. Not this time- this is a “Because we said so” rule.
Of course, there is always the option to have no fire at all, but I like having a campfire.
I grew up in Kitsap County in the 60s & 70s. Beach fires were a common thing.
Don’t miss our companion blog- found here: Old Man Blog
Ongoing Breakdown of Society Update:
