When is the last time all of Penn Cove was safe for recreational shellfish harvest?
Went to a favorite Asian restaurant yesterday. To go box/containers are made of 1970s style styrofoam. Take out bags are made of plastic.
Feels great. I do not have any fetish about using or going without plastic and styrofoam. That ends when big brother says you can’t/here is a deadline, etc.
In recent months-
Visiting/shopping at more than one Puget Sound area military installation:
Plastic bags are still readily available and in use. No extra fees/questions, etc.
Having/wanting a choice on plastic bags does not indicate a disregard for the planet.
Governor Inslee,
Please take a look at several Whidbey beaches that 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.”
Love to see the press get out and interview people on various sides of this issue.
My take: TV newspeople tend to report only one side of the story.
Much of 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.
I want to know what various people are thinking on various issues.
Today, voices of dissent, and their social media accounts, are suppressed.
I think people could reject alternative media and be totally good with mainstream media, but it would require the family friendly, hometown pride-oriented local small town papers and TV news folks to try harder.
“The order, which took effect Sept. 4, was challenged in action filed in Clallam County Superior Court by six eateries in Sequim, Port Angeles and Joyce.”
“A half-dozen local eateries have sought the injunction. They say it unconstitutionally targets a single industry and harms their freedom of commerce.”
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.
Alternative media is good about keeping an active comment section up & running. There’s always something to learn or think about from the points others make in the comment section.
Local papers have stripped away all comments from past articles, and removed the opportunity to post comments to new articles.
Various newspapers in the Puget Sound area have gone with this trend.
Suppressing comments, getting away from asking questions related to public policy and telling us they need more support from subscription and advertising sales.
Got it.
My personal preference would be to let business people make business decisions.
Let customers support or walk away from the businesses of their choosing.
My take: TV newspeople tend to report only one side of the story.
Much of 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.
I want to know what various people are thinking on various issues.
Today, voices of dissent, and their social media accounts, are suppressed.
People who work in and around the medical field who have been on the job over the past 18 months and reject the vaccine? Why not connect with a couple of these people and interview them?
“WSF said they are experiencing a severe staffing shortage due to an aging workforce, recruiting challenges, while feeling the impact of the global pandemic and now a vaccine mandate for state workers.”
The Puget Sound area includes several military bases. Has the US Navy delayed or canceled sailings because of crewing issues? Any chance that TV newspeople could go and do some interviews and ask these sorts of questions?
I do not speak out against vaccines or anyone who takes them. Ditto for mask wearing indoors or out.
I am OK with the Washington State Ferries workforce protesting COVID mandates.
TV News
Would TV newspeople be willing to interview people from various sides of an issue?
Much of what we get today is sort of a press release style of news reporting where a statement is prepared by whatever agency is involved in the latest policy update, drug bust/federal grant money award, etc.
Love to see TV newspeople ask: How has the greater maritime industry dealt with COVID crewing challenges? How have various industries and public agencies handled this? Airlines? US Navy? FedEx? UPS? Costco? Local fire dept?
Port Townsend is a good walking town. We have visited many times to take a look around, go shopping, drink a couple beers, enjoy a local restaurant or pub, meet friends and family, etc.
Today we had to wait for the ferry and it was time for lunch. Several restaurants are within an easy walk of the ferry dock. Over the years, these restaurants must have done a significant business serving people waiting for the ferry or showing up in town just to visit.
We quickly realized that the county we were in would not let people enter to dine in a restaurant without proof of vaccination.
One of the restaurants closest to the ferry was clearly open, but the parking lot was completely empty.
The outdoor dining area was completely empty. There was no sign of life.
Like many other locations, they are looking to add staff.
The lunch rush appears to be dead. If the customers are gone, how will new hires serve customers?
Snohomish County – Trip Report
Later in this same trip, we visited a traditional Mexican restaurant.
A very active dining and cantina scene here. Customers and staff seem happy. Masks required to enter. We have been here several times over the years. Recommended for anyone who still wants to get out to a Mexican restaurant. It looks like the large cantina has a bit of a sports bar vibe too.
Visiting/Shopping at more than one Puget Sound area military installation
Installation number one:
Saw a Got Freedom? t-shirt. The concept behind this could be discussed for hours.
Installation number two:
On Oct 2nd, 2021, plastic bags are still readily available and in use. No extra fees/questions, etc.
Having/wanting a choice on plastic bags does not indicate a disregard for the planet.
“Gov. Jay Inslee announced Thursday he is extending Washington state’s eviction moratorium for one month. The state’s moratorium was set to expire on Sept. 30, 2021.
USS Calhoun County sailors dumped thousands of tons of radioactive waste, using GIs in mustard gas experiments, using GIs to test nuclear weapons, Agent Orange, MCAS El Toro and Camp Lejeune water contamination & Gulf War Syndrome.
Love to see KING 5 ask: How has the greater maritime industry dealt with COVID crewing challenges? How have various industries and public agencies handled this? Airlines? US Navy? FedEx? UPS? local fire dept?
Is there any medical advantage that comes with the new format?
If it is the choice of the business, what are they trying to achieve?
I will wait on the sidelines if dining out features unpredictable new protocols. The whole idea of returning to a place you like is to duplicate the experience you had before.
There has been a lot going on in the news. I’d like to move away from it, but the big stories have pulled me in over the past few days.
A man on the moon in 1969 was a proud American moment.
Since that time, both major parties have taken turns in power and have squandered credibility that would help in the current situation.
We were told we needed to send troops to Vietnam.
Syria, Lebanon, Somalia, Iraq, Afghanistan, etc.
Some may have become skeptical along the way.
Love to see the press, school teachers, sports announcers and politicians come clean on how any of this was linked to American rights and freedoms or defending the constitution.
Much of the TV news reporting we get today is sort of a press release style of reporting where a statement is prepared by whatever agency was involved in the latest policy update, drug bust/federal grant money award, etc.
Stopped by a WA bar on Friday. Masks must be worn to enter. Masks come off inside and people carry on as always. Even for people with a completely neutral mind, much of all this seems like just going through the motions.
My personal preference would be for business owners to make business decisions. Customers would support or walk away from the businesses of their choosing. If people want to sit at the bar and drink, let’s leave that option open.
A One Size Fits All Society?
TV newspeople tend to report one side of the story. Would TV newspeople (prior to the protest phase) be willing to interview people from various sides of an issue?
A large number of news stories Re: parents showing up at back to school protests tell us that different people believe different things.
Allowing people to voluntarily opt in or out may ease the tension-similar to the way people select the church they attend, or chose to attend no church at all.
People who wish to wear masks and get vaccinated may do so at any time.
None of these images belong to me. I did not create them. They were shared on the web.
Don’t miss our companion blog-found here: Old Man Blog
Earliest days of WA COVID concern: We were told that COVID-19 was a life and death concern requiring regular people to stay home from work and school while marijuana and booze sales were designated as essential. This policy may have made people wonder about the science here.
The state took money from some people, and gave it to some other people.
If your construction crew is working on a project based on any sort of voluntary exchange or honest demand for services, you might have to stay home for a while.
I live near a military base that I visit frequently. Over the past year, a wide range of changing COVID restrictions have been in place.
You can find different requirements at different buildings and facilities all on the same base, in the same day.
Military exchange
Over the past 12 months, every possible combination of closing one or most entrances to the building and channelling shoppers into and out of one door. Next visit, a different combination of entrance/exits closed is in place. Ask anyone who works or shops there, they would be able to verify. Never have understood how COVID risk is minimized by changing up the building entrances and exits. Masks are always required.
Military commissary
Overt the past 12 months: count shopping carts so that a limited number of shoppers can be in the facility. Check ID cards before entry. Later, no more checking cards or counting shoppers. Masks are always required.
Other base facilities have required a temperature check before entry. Some have required a face covering. Some have required a cloth face covering.
Walmart
Whoever designed the building did so by code/permit. Size of building dictates number of exits/entrances and how large the space is where people are able to move shopping carts, enter with their family, etc.
COVID brings on restricted store entrances and exits. To enter the store, the normal access is restricted and made more narrow, forcing people to bunch up in order to get into the store. What is the medical advantage of this?
If terrorists are trying to kill us, and REAL ID matters, why are drug cartels able to move product into all 50 states?
Love to see newspeople interview the US Dept. of Homeland Security & ask:
Are passports/enhanced/REAL IDs effective in keeping cartel drugs out of the US?
Standard driver’s licenses have not been accepted at the border since 2009.
If sending US troops to Afghanistan and creating a $49.8 billion US Dept. of Homeland Security was meant to keep bad people from coming here to do bad things, why are drug cartels able to move product into all 50 states?
“There are currently 33 HIDTAs, and HIDTA-designated counties are located in 50 states, as well as in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia.”
Look for newspeople to ask zero questions in this area.
Alternative media continues to ask questions.
30:35
Joe Biden is wearing a mask on a zoom call-when he has been vaccinated:
Would it make sense to have age/physical standards requirements in hiring? The US Armed Forces are one example of where these requirements are in place.
Do property taxes go down because fleets of school buses sat idle and students remained at home?
Are deadlines for payment of property taxes extended?
If we could save just one life-
We might reduce the speed limit on the highway to 40 mph.
We might require all drivers on state roadways to wear a NASCAR/Indy-style helmet.
If driving a car without a seatbelt is not legal, should motorcycle use be phased out to save lives?
Cartel drugs can be deadly for some.
US Troops at the border, the big El Chapo takedown, opioid lawsuits, REAL ID, Homeland Security grant money, CBP social media posts, strict post 911/GWOT security protocols, and a $49.8 billion US Dept. of Homeland Security fail to keep meth, heroin and fentanyl from arriving in Hometown USA.
Should further restrictions be put in place?
The legal drinking age could be raised to age 35, if it would save lives.
Everyone could be required to go to 12 step meetings as a preventative measure.
High risk activities could be phased out.
Mountain climbing, riding in a hot air balloon, operating a home built aircraft, and swimming in any location without a lifeguard are examples of activities that could be restricted.
Would it make sense to have age/physical standards requirements in hiring? The US Armed Forces are one example of where these requirements are in place.
I think people could reject alternative media and be totally good with mainstream media, but it would require the family friendly, hometown pride-oriented local small town papers and TV news folks to try harder.
We are fans of alternative media here at Oak Bay Starfish.
Are the people who took steps to discover that new evidence conspiracy theorists?
Apply this same curiosity and desire for knowledge to some controversial topics and you’ll be labeled a conspiracy theorist.
Why the effort to suppress questions?
The culture of the Marine Corps includes taking a careful look at things that may have gone wrong in order to prevent them from happening again in the future:
If we have a party and order 3 large pizzas, the pizza place will tell us if they are unable to make a delivery or unable to have product ready for pickup. When orders for 1,200 doses of vaccine are placed with the state, is the state indicating the delivery will be made? What is changing between the time the order is made and the delivery date?
This item came in the mail weeks ago. It did not look like official government mail or tax info to me. It looked a bit questionable. I set it aside and forgot about it. Later, I read more on the web about this card and could not remember if I threw it out. After a thorough search, I found the card.
We have a local financial institution that we are very happy with. My wife and I both have accounts there. My wife activated the card at home, then called our Bank/CU. She was told that we would both need to go to the bank and both go inside to have the funds deposited into our separate (not joint) accounts. Months ago, when the stimulus check arrived, we were able to make the deposit from the drive-thru. Access to the inside of the Bank/CU is quite restricted now. We waited to enter the outside lobby area. When it was our turn we went in and were told by the screener that we would have to go in and sit down one at a time. Wife went first with the card. I went second. This Bank/CU has a very high reputation for efficiency and none of that changed today.
It took extensive data entry for the person helping us to complete this transaction. We both have had accounts there for years, and the stimulus check deposit was a simple & fast process.
The data entry required today was similar to what I would expect for opening a new account after moving to a new town or city.
The card came in an envelope with instructions and lots of fine print. None of this had been required to deposit a check from the federal government.
Love to see a mini-documentary with banking professionals to inform the public on how much more time consuming the card is compared to a government check of the exact same value.
Computers, the web, government, banks and credit unions have been around for years now. Why not keep it simple? Why does depositing funds from the card seem to be much more time consuming?
Some people have been out of work and missed paychecks because of COVID.
Some people have missed zero checks because of COVID.
Seems odd to send the same bulk amount of cash out to everyone, no matter what their situation is.
“…LeVine, a 51-year-old former Microsoft and Expedia executive and U.S. ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein for three years in the Obama administration, is a longtime player in Democratic politics. She and her husband, Eric LeVine, gave more than $400,000 to the Biden campaign and other Democratic causes in 2019 and 2020, according to federal campaign records.”
Jan 2021
“And despite steady calls for her ouster following the fraud and other ESD problems, LeVine maintained the support of Inslee. LeVine “led the Employment Security Department through an extremely challenging time and I never doubted that she had the best interests of working Washingtonians at the heart of all her endeavors,” Inslee said in a statement Friday.”
“Employment Security Department (ESD) Commissioner Suzi LeVine, who came under fire for delays in unemployment benefit payments and the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars to fraud during the pandemic, is leaving her position to join the administration of President Joe Biden.”
Being on watch for fraud at Washington state’s Employment Security Department seems like it would be a normal part of the job, even if there was no pandemic.
Jan. 22, 2021 The Seattle Times
“Allies say she revived a dysfunctional and demoralized state agency. State Sen. Reuven Carlyle, D-Seattle, said that LeVine, who graduated from Brown University with an engineering degree, used her considerable technical and management expertise to help modernize an agency that had been slow to upgrade its systems.”
“She took an agency that was in the ditch … and I think she did an extraordinary job of turning that ship,” Carlyle said. “And then, [she] ran into the largest global pandemic in world history.”
Why did Governor Inslee allow this agency to struggle prior to July of 2018?
“It’s unclear at this time what job LeVine is taking with the new administration, but she has served as an ambassador for the U.S. government in the past.”
Why are voters presented with issues on the ballot that may not be legally decided by voters?
“But the Washington State Patrol looked the other way, even setting up barriers during the nearly three weeks of nighttime protests on the freeway.”
After enabling criminal conduct, WSP will no longer enable criminal conduct:
“Blocking a freeway is a crime and no longer are we going to enable that criminal conduct to continue,” said State Patrol Capt. Ron Mead, who made the decision to no longer close the interstate. “We are not going to be allowing protesters to access the freeway unimpeded, and there are consequences for criminal conduct.”
Not disputing the mask requirement, but telling us that COVID-19 is a life and death concern requiring regular people to stay home from work and designating marijuana and booze sales as essential, may have made people wonder about the science here.
January of 2021
In the entire history of Washington State, how many times has any group attempted to breach a gate at the governor’s mansion because they were unsatisfied with public policy?
Which Governors have been in office when this has happened at any time in history?
Will elected officials and the press acknowledge that things may be different now?
Both Whidbey papers have stripped away all comments from past articles, and removed the opportunity to post comments to new articles.
This is the trend in the Puget Sound area.
Newspapers are suppressing or eliminating online comment sections. A forum for individual thought is not part of the plan. Newspapers are getting away from asking questions related to public policy while telling us they need more support from subscription and advertising sales.
“We’re getting very frustrated here in Northern California,” said Dr. Richard Wickenheiser, the Tehama County health officer. “We have a lot of anti-vaxxers and a lot of independent people who just feel that COVID was a hoax…”
“But the Washington State Patrol looked the other way, even setting up barriers during the nearly three weeks of nighttime protests on the freeway.”
After enabling criminal conduct, WSP will no longer enable criminal conduct:
“Blocking a freeway is a crime and no longer are we going to enable that criminal conduct to continue,” said State Patrol Capt. Ron Mead, who made the decision to no longer close the interstate. “We are not going to be allowing protesters to access the freeway unimpeded, and there are consequences for criminal conduct.”
Not disputing the mask requirement, but telling us that COVID-19 is a life and death concern requiring regular people to stay home from work and designating marijuana and booze sales as essential, may have made people wonder about the science here.
January of 2021
In the entire history of Washington State, how many times has any group attempted to breach a gate at the governor’s mansion because they were unsatisfied with public policy?
Which Governors have been in office when this has happened at any time in history?
Will elected officials and the press acknowledge that things may be different now?
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.
Not asking about the oath of enlistment. Asking about what happens after the oath has been taken.
When the US Armed Forces are sent to Lebanon, Somalia, Haiti, Bosnia, Vietnam, etc.-how is that defending the US Constitution-or our rights and freedoms, or our physical security?
Look for newspeople and school teachers to ask zero questions in these areas.
We are honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by forcing people to pay for bombing Somalia, Iraq and Afghanistan, then lying and telling them that this is all to protect American rights and freedoms.
Not asking about the oath of enlistment. Asking about what happens after the oath has been taken.
When the US Armed Forces are sent to Lebanon, Somalia, Haiti, Bosnia, Vietnam, etc.-how is that defending the US Constitution-or our rights and freedoms, or our physical security?
Look for newspeople and school teachers to ask zero questions in these areas.
“The county’s rate of new infections continues to be very low. In the three-week period following the move into Phase 2, only two new infections were reported and both those were the result of people in the same family visiting another county, according to Island County Public Health.”
Sort of like rooting for your hometown high school football team to win the championship, but they can’t do it if other teams in other counties do poorly.
“And only one of the protesters was seen wearing a mask. The county’s Public Health director confirmed that the unmasked people packed together on the side of the highway were violating the state’s COVID-19 rules.”
Should decent people be placed on hold because bad people were doing bad things at the same time 3000 miles away?
The mask rules apply to individual people no matter what political causes they may support.
“Some of the people who traveled in our planes yesterday participated in the insurrection at the Capitol today,” she said. “Their violent and seditious actions at the Capitol today create further concern about their departure from the DC area. Acts against our democracy, our government, and the freedom we claim as Americans must disqualify these individuals from the freedom of flight.”
How do you separate these people from those who were not involved in any illegal activity?
Causing disruption on commercial aircraft is not to be tolerated no matter if you represent the Girl Scouts, the KKK or no group at all. The article offers no explanation.
“Airbnb says it will cancel all short-term reservations in the Washington, DC area next week, an escalation of its efforts around safety and the presidential inauguration.”
People of good will, who have attended the parade in the past, where the President may step out and wave to the crowds are not able to book a reservation because bad people did bad things?
What happened to the strict post 911/GWOT security protocols meant to maintain order on Jan 6th?
Welcome Home Troops
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:
Not asking about the oath of enlistment. Asking about what happens after the oath has been taken.
When the US Armed Forces are sent to Lebanon, Somalia, Haiti, Bosnia, Vietnam, etc.-how is that defending the US Constitution-or our rights and freedoms, or our physical security?
Look for newspeople and school teachers to ask zero questions in these areas.
Don’t miss our companion blog-found here: Old Man Blog
“But the Washington State Patrol looked the other way, even setting up barriers during the nearly three weeks of nighttime protests on the freeway.”
After enabling criminal conduct, WSP will no longer enable criminal conduct:
“Blocking a freeway is a crime and no longer are we going to enable that criminal conduct to continue,” said State Patrol Capt. Ron Mead, who made the decision to no longer close the interstate. “We are not going to be allowing protesters to access the freeway unimpeded, and there are consequences for criminal conduct.”
If the Girl Scouts or the KKK enter the interstate and block traffic/risk public safety people must be able to count on elected officials and LE agencies to do their job.
An important component of a free society is that different people believe different things and are able to act on their beliefs.
An example:
Some parents are OK with public schools. Some want to send their children to private schools. Some want to homeschool their kids. People get to move off in different directions. This is a safety valve.
Americans were never meant to agree on matters of a personal nature. This is why we have so many different churches here.
People choose different churches to attend, or attend no church at all. This is a safety valve.
Years ago, it was understood that some people preferred to smoke. Some preferred to be vegan. Some preferred to eat meat. Some preferred electric cars, some preferred a powerful truck to pull a horse trailer.
We don’t ask voters to pick the two most popular churches and make plans for government to eliminate the rest because they may be spreading misinformation.
Will this help people to accept a one size fits all society?
I saw a comment somewhere that said Twitter is a private business and free to set its own rules. Does that also apply to the florist or bakery that does not want to create a product for a gay marriage ceremony? Does that also apply to a tavern that wants to allow indoor smoking?
If I ran a bakery-
Store policy:
We do quality cakes for all occasions-no customer application/background check required.
Growing numbers of happy customers and building our positive reputation is our goal.
Please tell your friends & contact us at any time.
In a free and honest society customers would support or walk away from the businesses of their choosing.
Maybe there is a minimal terror threat these days.
If suicide bombers with concealed explosives packed on their bodies wanted to disrupt American society at the US Capitol, it looks like there would be no SWAT team to keep them out or to have them show ID and pass through the metal detector.
US Troops at the border, REAL ID, Homeland Security grant money, CBP social media posts, strict post 911/GWOT security protocols, a $51.6 billion US Dept. of Homeland Security, border wall efforts and the Post 911 surveillance state (fusion centers, license scanners, monitoring of e-mails, text messages, & social media sites, no fly/terror watch lists, tracking of cell phones, etc.) appear to have played no role in preventing these crimes:
The War on Terror has prompted law enforcement authorities to calm the public by looking into the future and announcing that no credible threat exists.
“While officials say there are no credible threats following the bombing in Nashville, Long Island residents say they are still concerned.”
Where was the threat forecast before the Nashville event?
If the good guys can tell what the bad guys will do before they do it-surely, these powerful crime fighting tools will be used to shut down gang and cartel activity, heroin trafficking, bank robberies, mass casualty shootings, etc.
Credibility of LE and elected officials at all levels of government is questionable.
Seattle protests on I-5 go on for 19 nights. Washington State Patrol allows Interstate highway public safety protocols to be suspended until a fatality after dark one night.
I do not favor the ugly side of politics. When I was younger, both major parties took turns in the White House. It was routine. It did not involve the TV making claims that this is the most important election in our lifetimes, etc.
I think the ugly side of politics is a reaction that comes from trying to force a one size fits all society.
While the troops were deployed, federal law was signed prohibiting the sale of tobacco products to adults age 18-20. Can elected officials of any party or any member of the press help us to understand the militarized version of freedom here?
1967
Did the Joint Chiefs of Staff send The Troops to safeguard American freedoms?
Was it the Viet Cong that set up laws in 16 US states to prohibit interracial marriage?
Post 911 surveillance state (fusion centers, license scanners, Homeland Security grant money, monitoring of e-mails, text messages, & social media sites, no fly/terror watch lists, Real ID, tracking of cell phones, etc.) appears to have played no role in preventing these crimes.
Good thing these guys were not part of a professional mercenary hit squad or suicide bombers with concealed explosives packed on their bodies. It looks like there would have been no SWAT team to keep them out or to have them show ID and pass through the metal detector.
What failed?
A second grade teacher making small children recite a pledge to a flag?
“Police seized five guns and arrested at least 13 people during the violent protests involving supporters of President Trump at the Capitol on Wednesday…”
Did the sergeant-at-arms and multiple law enforcement agencies fail?
Jimmy Carter at age 96 will not travel to the inauguration ceremony. He is a Navy veteran, known for teaching Sunday school and building houses for the needy. No scandals involving business dealings, cheating on his wife, etc.
Mitt Romney
Respectable politician. No scandals involving business dealings, cheating on his wife, etc.
I do not favor the ugly side of politics. When I was younger, both major parties took turns in the White House. It was routine. It did not involve the TV making claims that this is the most important election in our lifetimes, etc.
I think the ugly side of politics is a reaction that comes from trying to force a one size fits all society.
Suppressing choices
Years ago, it was understood that some people preferred to smoke. Some preferred to be vegan. Some preferred to eat meat. Some preferred electric cars, some preferred a powerful truck to pull a horse trailer.
I’m thinking back to maybe the 1980s. I am thinking of a guy who is a Democrat. He works in an auto plant somewhere in Ohio, Michigan or Indiana. He is a member of a union. His union supports the Democratic Party and the party supports his union.
When he is not at work, he enjoys towing his boat to the lake to go fishing. He enjoys deer hunting, camping, and tailgating at college & pro football games. He is a family man. He likes to fix up old cars.
Sounds like somebody I could get along with.
2020
There is a perception that democrats may be OK with rioting. They may hate police, or maybe they are just OK with a political party where some do. They want to put an end to cars powered by internal combustion engines. They predict worst-case scenarios related to climate change. They believe you should turn in your guns. A bbq grill, like a Weber probably isn’t a good idea because it will add to a carbon footprint. Ditto for campfires.
Maybe I have it all wrong. Maybe the people who support the Democratic Party fully reject riots, arson, mob violence, causing personal injuries, blocking traffic, property damage, and destruction of businesses and loss of life during protests.
I would let restaurant people run restaurants. They have an incentive to keep their customers safe and happy.
I would let church people run churches. Dozens of choices for worship would be in place. Each place of worship would be free of any mandates handed down by the Governor’s office. People would be free to attend any church or none at all.
I would let businesspeople run fitness centers.
I would let the owners of bars and taverns decide on indoor smoking, serving times, closing times, etc.
Bars and taverns to allow consumption of marijuana? Yes.
No furnishing to minors. No driving while impaired. Same rules as for alcohol.
Customers would support or walk away from the businesses of their choosing.
Love to see newspeople ask:
