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.
I think of myself and others as individuals. Not as members of a group.
American popular & political culture insists on dividing people up into groups- then assigning a separate value to different groups.
Political experts have been reaching out to latino, black, Asian American, and women voters. Surely, members of a specific group would think, act & vote as one?
Discrimination is common in 2023. The US federal government is OK with much of it.
Parking pass for federal lands you paid for the same as the wars in Iraq & Afghanistan:
Both major political parties are now OK with treating 18-20 year old adults as second-class citizens.
Those who are 18-20 years old are placed in a land of the free holding pattern.
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.
While the troops were deployed, federal law was signed prohibiting the sale of tobacco products to adults age 18-20.
I feel like racial tension is higher today than at anytime in my life.
I did some time in the Marines. One of the best parts of it was living and working with people from all 50 states, some foreign countries and every color under the sun.
Interracial marriage was quite common. People were family oriented and loving their kids.
Head over to the daycare facility at any military base. You will see kids of all colors playing together without any regard for what color they are, or what color their Mom or Dad is.
Those Moms and Dads will not be interviewed for a TV news story related to any of this.
Random thoughts:
Did President Obama work on race issues during his time in office?
America now seems very much about identity politics. 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?
Authorities identify the family heritage of an unknown person?
If a black person is visiting, or has moved to the US from Canada, Jamaica, England, Africa, or Australia, at what point are they considered African American?
“Let’s take a quick look at the new House Minority Leader. CNN praised Jeffries as “the first Black lawmaker to lead a party in Congress.” That’s truly what matters, right? Diversity. More Black faces in high places. Or more women at the top. Or more LGBTQ+ and so on.
“But what if “diversity” results in no meaningful policy changes? What if diversity, as my wife puts it, is mainly an optical illusion?”
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.
A live and let live attitude seems to be fading. Governments at various levels are now in the habit of setting deadlines for new restrictions, bans and mandates.
$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?
Gas Cans
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.”
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.
Seems like most people carry a smart phone. These are always improving. They are extremely popular with consumers. An honest demand for products requires no helping hand from the government. No tax incentive, no public relations and promotional campaigns. Let’s go with the free enterprise system. Let’s go with industries that specialize in making people happy.
US federal government:
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.
Honest and meaningful ideas stand up to questioning and discussion.
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.
Americans do not live in a free and honest society.
In a free and honest society, newspeople would be asking questions related to public policy all of the time.
Voting is highly emphasized in American culture. Asking questions related to public policy takes a lower priority.
Has anyone ever seen the Puget Sound area press ask questions about Whidbey water quality impacted by sewage treatment plant outfalls?
Has anyone ever seen any government agency, elected official or volunteer organization seeking answers related to one or more sewage treatment plants sending unsafe product into the waters near Whidbey Island?
Federal FBI agents swing into action after federal US Dept. of Homeland Security agents fail to keep more than 100,000 fentanyl-laced pills and more than 50 pounds of methamphetamine from moving past strict post 911/GWOT security protocols at border crossings and ports of entry, then showing up in Eastern WA:
“Preston Joseph Smith was arrested in December 2021 in Port Angeles on allegations he distributed pound quantities of illegal drugs, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.”
Question for newspeople:
Is Port Angeles CBP staffing and infrastructure at all relevant in keeping heroin and meth from entering the Puget Sound area?
Has Port Angeles CBP been able to intercept any inbound meth or heroin?
Even one time?
Newspeople remain silent.
Question for newspeople:
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 seem to be OK with undeclared/unwon wars.
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:
Homeland Security is a scam
Federal DEA agents swing into action after federal US Dept. of Homeland Security agents fail to keep 3,552 pounds of methamphetamine and 66 kilograms of cocaine from moving past strict post 911/GWOT security protocols at border crossings and ports of entry, then showing up in Norco, California:
If sending US troops to Afghanistan and creating a $51.6 billion (every 12 months) 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?
A symbol of newspeople not asking questions and 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.
$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.
Work on access to the beach at Damon Point too.
Damon Point
People familiar with this location know that public access is more tricky now than it was 18 months ago.
Today, beach walkers moving toward the water from the parking area are channeled to a choice between an eroded/unsafe former road drop-off and private property that is posted, telling walkers that they are not welcome. WTF?
Maybe skip the feds and go with cooperative efforts, negotiations with the tribe and creative thinking here. City leaders, volunteer work parties, local businesses who may donate trucks and materials, landscaping resources, etc. Offer to create some sort of access trail with a fence, plantings, trash cans, etc. Make an offer to the tribe that can help to improve the situation.
The marina facility has potential. Any federal grant money for ports and coastal improvement?
Maybe these efforts are already in the works. Thanks to those who may be involved.
$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.
What about school teachers? Do they have a part in teaching students about government structure and the honest role of the US Armed Forces?
Each November, school teachers across America host Veterans Day assemblies– and promote the idea to children that The Troops are in distant lands-fighting for American rights and freedoms-as if the US Armed Forces function as some sort of giant civil rights organization.
In Washington State, these assemblies are mandatory.
Elementary students grow up and enter the adult world to find out that 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.
Growing up in the 60s & 70s- veterans were all around- church, school, Boy Scout leaders, family, the neighborhood, etc. It was all just an average thing. These folks weren’t seen as a separate part of American society.
People weren’t stepping over to say “Thanks for your service” to my Dad- who did time in the Navy in the 50s- but looked just like anyone else out in public.
In the 60s & 70s I never attended a Veterans Day assembly at school.
There were none.
Probably enough veterans around to remove most of the mystique, or maybe those veterans thought it was all just an average thing and did not want to be seen as a separate part of American society, or get priority parking spots over at the grocery store.
Love to see a student ask: If The Troops fight for your right to sit, stand, kneel, etc.-why were black people still riding at the back of the bus after the big WWII victory?
Love to see a student ask: If the wars aren’t won-how can they protect our freedom?
Love to see a student ask: Whatever happened to lessons about Armistice Day?
Whatever happened to the formal congressional declaration of war?
This would be the time to hear from elected leaders and top generals Re: lessons learned on all the issues that have doomed the Department of Defense track record for winning wars since DOD was established in 1949.
Not here to say that most of what the Dept. of Defense touches turns to crap, but, 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.
It feels like the people who run the Pentagon specialize in undeclared/unwon wars.
Top generals and politicians have a recruiting crisis on their hands. They will blame young people who are overweight. They will not blame a DOD brand that is known for decades of undeclared/unwon wars.
When do we get to vote our way out of undeclared/unwon wars?
Marketing Partnership Update
We are the very best at militarized pageantry for pro sports events.
TV newspeople perform like paid actors reading a script.
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?
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.”
I am from the last century. Maybe it’s not fair, but what it is now doesn’t seem to measure up to what it was, or what it is supposed to be.
A pretty close family connection for us was in place maybe fifteen years ago. Add in a couple divorces. Loved ones who have passed away. Kids who aren’t kids anymore. The family togetherness tends to break down, even outside of the traditional November/December weeks.
Speaking of last century, I like a good parade. Sometimes we tune in to see if the one in NYC is still the same. We watch for a few minutes and we’re not seeing much in the way of old cars, the US Marine Corps marching band, groups on horseback, and some of the best high school marching bands in the nation. Nope. It’s a made for TV lip sync fest. Some TV celebrity signed a contract and it says they must be here and be super enthusiastic again this year.
We do not have regular TV. The holiday ad blitz is weaker this way. We watch TV through the web and we still see some ads. A luxury automobile in the driveway with a giant bow on top. It’s a great time to surprise her with diamonds.
Don’t be the poor family that fails to purchase the right retail products this holiday season:
Not in the habit of doing any Christmas shopping. OK with the idea that people take joy in it.
Not connected with a church and have nothing against it. Do not care how people choose to express their greetings in public. Seems like people who are solid in their faith would be OK with whatever others do or don’t do Re: casual greetings. Ditto with the styling of disposable fast food packaging.
I look at 365 days a year as the time to do more or less in terms of what we think is meaningful in life. Things that are meaningful are on our mind all the time. They are not saved up for a special day on the calendar.
American culture seems less interesting and meaningful as time goes on. I saved all the voting materials that came in the mail this year, going all the way back to the Aug primary. I studied and made notes on the voter guides. Today, it all went into recycling. Do I feel better or different for voting? No.
I have been reading about California’s Lost Coast and the Punta Gorda lighthouse. I have never been to this location. There is a lot of info on the web about this site.
“We’d like the patrol to be everywhere, all the time, but they don’t have the staff or the money,” said ferry spokeswoman Susan Harris-Huether. “If they’d have been (at Bainbridge), none of this would have happened.”
I was researching old news links after I posted a blog on WSF security. I found the above example of excellent news reporting. There have been several incidents at ferry terminals over the years. Instead of asking any questions, newspeople will often post a press release from agencies handling the situation.
“Washington State Ferries officials had received two complaints from passengers, saying that they had to abide by security measures while Michael did not.”
The Washington State Patrol uses dogs to check vehicles at some ferry terminals on some days. Walk-on passengers are not checked at any terminal- at any time.
My interest in WSF security comes up now because it looks like there was no security staff present at:
Mukilteo or Clinton for an inbound/outbound DUI driver. Two fatalities.
“When the ferry arrived in Clinton, everyone got off the ship, except Cruz. She had reportedly fallen asleep over her steering wheel.”
“Ferry staff tried to rouse her, but were unsuccessful. Finally, with the help of more employees, they were able to wake Cruz up. The lawsuit alleges the state Department of Transportation destroyed surveillance video showing this.”
“At this point, WSF staff had already observed Cruz strike another vehicle in the ferry lineup, they had received passenger reports of Cruz’s intoxication, they called to request assistance from Washington State Patrol, they required the assistance of multiple crewmembers to wake her up from her unconscious state,” the lawsuit reads. “Despite being informed that Cruz was impaired, the Vessel’s crew directed Cruz to drive her vehicle off the ferry.”
Recommendation:
Be honest. Report the facts. Eliminate ongoing war on terror/security theater mixed messages. Insist on more in the way of newspeople asking questions.
If the GWOT is bogus, just say so.
Forget about the War on Terror and The US Dept. of Homeland Security and ask yourself:
When motorists at a local ferry terminal witness erratic driving/driving over a curb and the rear-ending of another car in the ferry lane, should they be ignored when they report it? Should WSF terminal staff & boat crews be placed in a situation where they make it up as they go along because no impaired driving response protocols are in place on the job?
Background
Looks like no security staff present at several incidents:
Mukilteo or Clinton for inbound/outbound DUI driver. Two fatalities.
Gunfire on Bremerton ferry during Puget Sound crossing.
If the Oklahoma City bomber rolls onto the ferry-how does the SWAT team help out an hour later?
This state-run media video shows US Coast Guard gun boats escorting the ferries. K-9 teams are on site to detect explosives:
A state-run media report from June, 2012-
This video tells us that security personal are on site every day-at 2:56
Maybe security personnel are present at some specific terminal each day. Dozens of round trip crossings from various terminals indicate that in many cases-no security screening takes place prior to boarding ferries.
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.
