Guard Dog

I disagree. Completely and emphatically. Not one this has that man accomplished that I would call completely good especially since so much of it was done by ignoring or subverting the law. I can't help but notice you never comment on the problems I bring up that the Obama administration has either created in whole or exacerbated. It doesn't matter. We are not going to come to any kind of agreement on this. There is no accomplishment you are going to mention that I won't find fault with and no over-reach or abuse that I could being up that you won't gloss over or ignore. You and I will find no common ground here.

A continuation of what has been happening. A slow and steady erosion of individual liberty coupled with continued marginalization of state and local governments as more political power is consolidated at the federal level. Every step will be small but there will be many of them an all in the wrong direction.

You right, I do believe he is a good guy who wants to do good things. And he has done many good things, I can list them if you want to discuss them? But don't you think using the word evil is hyperbole.....its just seems extreme? What would you call using the IRS to shut down political organizations whose aims are opposed to his?

What Bruce is thinking, while it does not stand up to factual scrutiny I'm afraid to say, is just another example of the political tribalism that is gripping the US. Like many of his supporters Bruce believes in Barack Obama. Like many he believes Obama is a good man who wants to do good things. And the too many people are willing to accept what they are told is good ends justified by bad means. Obama is "their" guy so it must be ok. It was the same during GWB's admin I am sorry to say. Too many people who favor the Republicans did not stand up to stop the Patriot Act. Indeed too many who should be a bit more libertarian in their thinking supported it. The left opposed it. Obama doubled down on it now the left likes it and the right hates it. If everyone had their heads on straight is would have been stopped. Those on the left want Democrats in power. The don't necessarily like Obama using the IRS to destroy political opposition but if it gets more democrats in power the ends justify the means. But someday that weapon will be in someone's else's hand. Why does no one ever think of that? Every overreach, every abuse, every right usurped and every freedom mitigated harms us all. That is evil. That so many go along with it because the temporarily like the result, or it's "their guy" doing it makes it tragic. To quote Daniel Webster: "I apprehend no danger to our country from a foreign foe. Our destruction, should it come at all, will be from another quarter. From the inattention of the people to the concerns of their government, from their carelessness and negligence, I must confess that I do apprehend some danger. I fear that they may place too implicit a confidence in their public servants, and fail properly to scrutinize their conduct; that in this way they may be made the dupes of designing men, and become the instruments of their own undoing."

Thats why Death Valley is high on my list of places I have yet to visit, light pollution there is virtually non-existent - a photographers dream come true. I've also heard there is an entire national park in Canada for night sky photographers, a remote place where they try to keep artificial light sources to an absolute minimum. Sadly you can't find anything quite like it here in Europe, a major city or an airport 100 kilometers away from where I take the photos produces enough light pollution to dramatically degrade the quality of the photos. The main problem is I don't want to stay for more than two weeks and for those photos the weather has to be absolutely right, I have to check the moon phases, I have to make sure my business keeps running during that time etc. Timing all that far in advance with booking a flight is quite the nightmare. Actually if you are going to Death Valley you really should visit Moab in Utah. It's a little out of the way but you'd like it. It's on my to-do list too.

Bruce I just don't understand where you get the notion this is what Barack Obama is all about. How is a society where an agency of the government is used to undermine political participation of opposing viewpoints fair and equitable? How is a society where veterans are subject to addtional police scrutiny because of political opinions the administration THINKS they MIGHT have fair and equitable? How is a government that asserts it would be perfectly ok to kill it's own citizens with no due process if the leader of that government believes they are participating in terrorisim? How is is fair and equitable for an administration to use executive orders to make changes to laws passed by the legislature and signed by the executive years after the fact? How is is fair and equitable when every shred of electronic communication is being monitored by the NSA? How is it fair of equitable if the government can use the force of law to complel a citizen, as a condition of citizenship, to enter into a private contract with a 3rd party of the governments choosing? There is nothing fair or equitable about that has been going on in the United States the past fifteen years.

I remember a long time ago when I was in the military. We were on our way to Team Spirit in Pohang Korea from Okinawa aboard the USS St. Louis, an old LKA, what the Navy guys called a Gator Freighter. The first night out my friends and I went up to the top of the helipad to watch the sun set. After wards the ship blacked out because US ships run lights out in international waters I guess. After the sun set with no lights, at sea the stars stretched from horizon to horizon. It was February in the East China Sea, cold and clear. I've never seen the stars quite the same way since. I stayed out there most of the night, even after the others left. I'll never forget it.

I didn't click the link at first... it took me a minute to figure out the reference. I almost failed my geek exam for the day!

None in general. I do have a problem with mine. It's older than I am. My dad bought it in Sears before I was born. It's been repaired many times although I haven't used it that much recently. I have a small tent that has seen a lot of miles and a lot of nights under the stars though. The thing it, I'm not as young as I used to be. I'm still in good shape physically but I'm finding that being comfortable is more important to me now than it used to be.

I bought one of these today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8mOc6PImP0 It's being delivered to a dealer in Memphis next week. Anyone want to buy a large tent? I'm done with that trash. I'm keeping the small one though. It's good for backpacking. I think this spring I'm going out to the Rockies to do some fishing. Maybe Snake River. My dog Tommy is coming with for sure. I'll have to start working with Sunny. She is a little to nutty to be trusted off-leash and keeping up with her and supervising Tommy at the same time is a lot of work. Tommy has a good temperament and he's well trained, plus he's almost 10 years old so he's long out of his rambunctious days but he is still a dog and when he gets an idea in his head he's going to act on it.

Which horse did you pick WoD? If you've ever said I don't recall. My horse has checked out already.

It's official, Fiorina & Christie are out. Bom bom bom... another one bites the dust. And another one gone and another one gone and another one bites the dust.

It's just how it is now. Once upon a time you got your education, then a job, stayed in that job all the way to retirement. Then it's gold watch, golf and pension. Now few companies even offer pensions and almost no one is able to hang on long enough to fill it out anyway. Most companies I've seen if you've been there 10 years you're the old graybeard. Heck by the time I turned 35 my resume was two full pages. The only exceptions seem to be public servants and govenrment jobs. The pay isn't great but it is stable.

Remember this one thing though. The Democrat party is not very democratic. 1/3 of the delegates at the convention are super-delegates. In other words party VIPs, celebrities, etc. They are not beholden to the voting outcomes. From what I’ve read Hillary is expected to get the majority of those so to win at the convention Bernie will need to scoop up at least half of the electoral delegates. That will be a tough row to hoe considering he is a hard sell in the south and west. But momentum counts. Nobody thought Barack Obama was a contender until after Iowa & New Hampshire in 2008.

Trump won big but that was no surprise. He's been leading in all the polls. Kasich coming in 2nd is a surprise.

He didn't just win he won big. Impressive actually. I was just watching CNN (aka the Clinton News Network) and I thought Donna Braziles head was going to explode. Hillary absolutely MUST have south Carolina now or she is in trouble.

I've been on the receiving end of a termination notice twice times now. Most recently from the company I helped start! It sucks for the people it happens to and it sucks for the ones who have to tell them. I remember reading some of the HR folks in Citibank having a nervous breakdown over having to do that.

The polls are closed in NH. So far Trump & Sanders are looking like big winners. Trump is leading Kasich by 16% and Sanders is leading Clinton by 11%. But still along way to go.

I love catfish filleted and blackened. That is good stuff. Farm raised only for me though. Wild catfish have some nasty eating habits. When I catch them they get put back.

I am going to build a time machine, go back to 1914 and shoot Hitler while he's riding his bicycle around delivering messages in the army. To say nothing of the other benefits that will have at least then we can get through an election cycle without hearing about a modern politician who has never and would never order the gassing of anyone to Hitler!

Both sides will conduct their due diligence and explore what needs to happen to make it work. But ultimately the Warriors are going to have to pass. They are the defending champs and on a record setting wins pace and are on the brink of creating a dynasty. Why break it up and risk breaking up this team by getting rid of key rotation guys and introducing a significant new variable? Totally agree. One thing that makes the GSW what they are is good chemistry. A new player, even a positional upgrade can upset that.

I must admit I wondered about this: http://variety.com/2016/tv/news/super-bowl-2016-peyton-manning-budweiser-1201699746/

I'm having stress with a side of anxiety. Maybe some worry for dessert. Or I might have beer for lunch in which case the dinner menu will change.

I have been using Excel for about 12 years, its much more powerful than people may initially think I have seen people manipulate the macro functionality so it serves as a database Sure, .csv files could be imported into MS Access (back when it was around) to build actual databases. The functionality is already there. I'm it to trend suspended FeSO4 quantities in mg/L in Ft. Pillow over the last 3 years and paralleling that with rainfall on the Ohio river. Can you imagine doing that without Excel?

I'm working from home today. My advice to anyone in any profession is to learn how to use MS Excel. It is an excellent tool and might even saver you sanity one day.