Guard Dog

Is our reputation so great now? Obama's foreign policy was feckless one day, hopelessly weak the next. George W Bush is forever tied to a war he had to fight and flubbed, and one he didn't have to fight and flubbed. Whatever good will or reputation the US had coming out of WWII starting with Johnson and going through today we have pissed on it, shat on it, kicked it down the road and did both again. The only US President in that time to actually have a stable and grounded foreign policy was Reagan. But it was a lot easier in those days when the whole world was divided into two camps and everyone knew where everyone stood.

I've got to read Bob Woodward's new book. It sounds like Trump is a complete fool. He listens to no one. Insults and belittles everyone including his allies and staff. Has a poor grasp of economics, politics, and the American system of governance. His own chief of staff calls his White House "crazytown". He is, in short, the greatest American President of my lifetime. No, you didn't misread that. We finally have a complete fool in office that everyone can clearly see IS a fool. We have had fools before. Many, many, many of them. And worse. Barack Obama was no fool. He was worse. He KNEW the limitations of the office and ignored them anyway. Obama in hos soul is mean. He thinks poorly of those he finds beneath him and carries a chip over wrongs real or perceived. George W Bush was a fool. A decent, moral, thoughtful man true. And a fool. His failure to understand the way the middle east and it's people work has cost us a lot of blood and treasure. Bill Clinton was not a fool. He was the consummate politician. Try to be all things to all people. But he was not decent, or moral. You would be a fool to believe any word he ever spoke, or believe in him for that matter. All of them have flaws and redeeming qualities. But their flaws that drive bad decisions that cause harm and even their errors are given legitimacy because they are the President. To many that makes them above reproach. The prestige and power of the office IS it's own shield. Now we have Trump who, aside from entertainment value, has so far demonstrated no redeeming qualities. His very presence and buffoonery in the office lessens the power and prestige of the office. Already Congress is remembering they can work around him when they want to. That they are in fact a co-equal branch of the government. States are beginning to ignore him and by extension the Federal Government. And they should. We are a union of 50 sovereign states. Those states have been in thrall to Sodom-on-the-Potomac for far too long. In just two years Trump has accomplished something that none of his 44 predecessors has: the debasement and diminishment of the office. Something that NEEDED to be done IMO. There have been times in the last twenty years that Presidents have actually frightened me with usurpation of power. And think, we have at east two years to go! Plus imagine what he could do with a second term! I know most folks here don't like him. I can hardly find fault with you there. But every cloud does have a silver lining and in he long run we may actually be better off having had a fool that could not hide behind the fig leaf of the office because he wadded it up and burned it. We may look back on Donald Trump's time in office and think he did us a real favor, even if that wasn't his intention.

An interesting light diversion to read. How realistic are Sci-fi ships? https://mashable.com/article/spaceships-realistic-sci-fi-science/#DC1pI84JEsqq

Note to self... stay away from Kansas City

Completely agree on both counts. I won't even board one of my pups overnight. When I worked in Mexico for six months a few years back I had five. One stayed with my ex-wife, one with my dad, two with my brother, and one with a friend. I had dogs scattered from Florida to Alabama! But it was important to me that they were in a home with people and pets they knew and who knew them. Losing a kitten at that age is just heartbreaking. You feel like you were both cheated out of what should have been.

It's the last resort. Tommy for example has Osteosarcoma. It's very aggressive in dogs. By the time he was symptomatic it had already spread to his lymph nodes. There were no treatment options other than pain meds to keep him comfortable. So I kept him warm, comfortable and well fed until the meds didn't work anymore and his quality of life began to decline. It was one of the worst days of my life but I would never let him continue on in pain. The outcome of the illness was a foregone conclusion. It is 100% fatal. What matters is how he spends the time he has. All of the dogs I've loved and lost were elderly and infirm when the time came. I've been very lucky to not lose a friend young. I would never deprive them of a day they could be happy. But I won't make them endure a day in pain that I can't alleviate for them. They can't make that decision for themselves. They depend on us to do what's best for them. All death is certain. For every one of us. We are born and sometime after that we die. What matters is the quality of what comes in between. You don't have to do great things. Cure diseases and all that. It does not matter that you go rich or poor. What matters is that you found enjoyment in just being here. If there is one lesson I'v learned for my dogs it's that the most important thing in this life is what you are doing right now! Drink the big cup of coffee, eat the foods you love, kiss your wife, take your kids to the park, don't put off the simple pleasures of everyday life. I think that is why we are here.

I have done it and held them in my arms 13 times now. The last one was the worst by far. I have loved every dog I've ever had but Tommy was special. Not to be melodramatic but a piece of me never left that room. As hard as it is though we OWE it to them. They are stressed, terrified, and not well to begin with or they would not be in there doing this. Being there for them, to calm them down, make them feel secure, safe and loved is the least you can do. I want the last thing they know on this earth is that they are with their family and everything is OK. When Tommy left this world his head was on my lap and I was petting him and telling him what a great dog he was. Never have any words been more understated. I can certainly understand why someone does not want to be there. But rather than blaming them I'd just want them to know they let their friend down right then they were needed the most. I don't know how they could live with that.

I thought this was an interesting call back to conversations we've had here earlier about the US Civil War and the controversy over the monuments and statues to confederate figures. Some of which are in odd places. But what's most interesting to me is when I read opinions that I have expressed in the past in newspaper columns. Not that I can take much credit for that. Like I told Gromnir some months back, those of us who think we know a lot about the US Civil War and US History in general are all reading the same books. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2018/08/29/missing-statues-that-expose-truth-about-confederate-monuments/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.1ee8ebb21649

This looks easy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=472&v=_Ld4hO_GeP0 Mead, mead, mead. Stupid bees and their stupid honey. Would it kill them to get some beer every once in a while?

It depends on what issue I guess. Rand Paul is not his father. He is a bit more R than L. Of course it's hard to even tell whose right or left of who these days. What do the political parties even stand for any more? They are so hell bent on being on the opposite side of each other on everything it's hard to even say what the principles of each even are. They both behave exactly the same as the other when in power and exactly the same as the other when out of power.

So far Gary Johnson has received two endorsements from elected Senators over their own party's candidate. Plus it looks like Bill Weld is running for LP nomination for President in 2020. A lot, no.. ALL the big L types are grinding their teeth over that but the truth is the 2020 candidate cannot win but Bill Weld is high enough profile and is smart and articulate enough he could do the cause a lot of good. He has my vote if he does. I think it was clear between him & Johnson in 2016 which one had the most gravitas. https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/gary-johnson-libertarian-senate-campaign-worth-watching/ https://www.demingheadlight.com/story/news/2018/08/31/libertarian-candidate-gary-johnson-says-hes-not-wallflower-race-u-s-senate/1148016002/

Hey the dead vote here in the US. Why shouldn't they tweet as well. Also, I didn't know Jesus was in Dallas.

One thing Dempublicans and Repocrats have in common is they get really angry when someone outside their clique gets in the dance. And really, really angry when that outsider starts polling well: https://ballot-access.org/2018/08/29/new-mexico-secretary-of-state-puts-straight-ticket-device-back-on-ballot/

You're all wrong. The best hamburger in the US is a toss up. The Black Angus two pound steak burger at Burger Republic in Nashville. The Counter Burger at a joint called The Counter in Naples Florida. Or the original Juicy Lucy at Matt's Bar in Minneapolis. My money on on the last one! It's the only thing worth going to Minneapolis for. As for In and Out, if they ever come east of the Mississippi I'll be sure to visit often just to piss stupid people off. I got tired of Chick Fil A for much the same reason!

Eh? They're a business and have a right to support whoever they want. Be careful. Your Democrat friends will hate you forever if they hear you say that,

When it comes to athletes that happened to play football Herschel Walker was in a class by himself in his prime.

It's been very busy the last few days. I'm working almost around the clock getting up to speed on all my new projects. My townhouse tenants have given notice so once they leave I'm putting it up for sale. Managing a rental property is a pain. Between all that plus work around the house and garden it's crazy. My brother has invited me for Thanksgiving so I'm taking three weeks off in November to go see him and his family in Florida and maybe go down to 10,0000 Islands or the Keys and do some fishing.

Must see this! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FTxKFsWz60

Not likely. He was a pilot and would not ave been exposed to it. Besides hr spent almost his entire time in SE Asia as a POW

https://entertainment.theonion.com/new-game-of-thrones-teaser-shows-cackling-power-mad-1828639447 Now reading this: & this:

Jacksonville Landing is a "gun free zone". I guess he didn't see the sign. So far the bickering over guns has been absent. The weapon he used wasn't his apparently and he did not have permission to have it. According to the Baltimore Sun at least. Personally I see this as yet further evidence of the corrosive impact of video games on the minds of young people. They promote violence and should be banned for everyone. After all, you don't need video games right?