national security, political news

Game of election denial … breathtaking!

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Never in my life — not ever! — have I witnessed a rhetorical game being played out to the extent that it has been regarding the result of the 2020 U.S. presidential election.

I’ve been around a bit, as I am now 76 years of age and have been following politics pretty closely for, oh, about the past 60 years.

Donald Trump’s choice to become the next director of national intelligence was merely the latest Trumpkin to play the word game with Democratic lawmakers. Jay Clayton, in testimony this week to a Senate committee, refused to say that President Biden won the 2020 election.

Here’s how Al Jazeera reported the exchange between Clayton and senators:

“Senators pressed Clayton about his views on the 2020 race between Biden and Trump, and he acknowledged that Biden had been ‘certified’ as the victor. But he avoided directly saying Biden ‘won’ the race.

“In one exchange, Democrat Jon Ossoff asked Clayton point-blank, “’Who won the 2020 election?’

“’I’m not going to do this with you,’ Clayton responded.

“’This is a job interview. We’ve established that you have an obligation to be honest and forthright with the committee,’ Ossoff replied. He then repeated, ‘Who won the 2020 election?’ Clayton responded that he had ‘already answered the question.'”

Clayton danced the same two-step with Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona. He refused to say Biden “won” the 2020, but that he was “certified” the winner by virtue of the electoral votes he received.

It baffles me to end in sight why these individuals would choose to damage the integrity of the electoral system based on the Big Lie being fomented by the liar in chief. This game has been going on since that election, which President Biden won a slim but undeniable Electoral College majority and a 7 million popular vote majority. Trump, though, still has none of it and, of course, he instigated the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol that injured hundreds of people and killed several others.

Trump’s team has repeatedly refused to answer the simplest of questions regarding the 2020 election. They have demonstrated their disgusting fealty to a convicted felon over the U.S. Constitution. They make me sick.

national news

ICE goons are back at it

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The individuals who comprise the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency do not deserve to be called “law enforcement officers,” as they routinely break the law with actions that result in the deaths of innocent U.S. residents.

I’ll stick with terms I believe more closely describe the character of these masked, heavily armed and unidentifiable individuals.

You know, terms like goons, thugs, creeps, crooks … and toss in a**holes.

These ICE goons keep killing people they should never have stopped in the first place. At last count, I’ve heard 11 people have died at the hands of ICE thugs. This also shouldn’t surprise a single American patriot, which is that Donald Trump — the POTUS who elevated ICE to the front of our discussion on immigration — never says a word that is remotely critical of what we can know about the deaths of these victims.

ICE agents continue to run amok among us. They continue to pounce on residents hiding behind those masks while adorned with body armor and carrying weapons designed to inflict maximum pain on those who dare to resist. Many of them don’t bother to inform the arrested the reason they are being detained. Their task, seemingly as defined by the Homeland Security department, is to intimidate the public.

Nothing I say on this blog will change anything. Trump will continue to deploy the thugs to seek migrants from sh**hole countries. Just know that ICE only disgraces itself in the eyes of Americans who are repulsed by the behavior of individuals who break the law while pretending to enforce it.

local news, national news, political news

Lowering flags for this clown?

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Someone will have to explain why flags all over Collin County, Texas, have lowered to half-staff … and I damn sure hope it isn’t to honor the memory of a piss-ant partisan who died over the weekend.

I have concluded that the flags are flying at half-staff because Sen. Lindsey Graham — a Republican from South Carolina — has passed away.

Now, I must ask: What in the name of politics has Graham done to benefit Texas, other than to fall in line with his Big Daddy, Donald J. Trump? Graham once had the balls to tell the truth about Trump … when he was running against him for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination. He called Trump a “race-baiting” nitwit; he called the future POTUS an individual who is unfit for public office, let alone the presidency.

He fell in line about the time Trump secured the party’s nomination that year and has been licking the liar in chief’s boots ever since.

And for that — and virtually nothing else — he’s being honored with businesses, government offices and individual property owners flying flags at half-staff.

Give me a … break.

national news

Sen. Graham is gone, but damage is done

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I wish I could speak well of Sen. Lindsey Graham now that he’s dead … but the hard truth is that I cannot in good conscience speak of him without tossing out a qualifier or two.

Graham was a South Carolina Republican who became one of Donald Trump’s fiercest allies in the Senate. And this was after he portrayed himself as one of Trump’s most ferocious critics. It makes me wonder: Which Lindsey Graham is the real thing and which one is the phony baloney fraud.

I will say this about Graham: He bucked Trump by becoming a close friend of Ukraine President Volodymr Zellensky, who had drawn Trump’s wrath because he had the temerity to stand up to Russian strongman/goon/thug Vladimir Putin’s illegal and immoral invasion of Ukraine. OK, that’s one positive thing.

Graham, though, became a shill for Trump, even after declaring “I’m out” when it came to the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the capital.

Graham also maintained close friendships with politicians on the other side. He was dear friends with former President Joe Biden and the late Sen. Joseph Lieberman. Graham once declared that Biden was the finest man ever knew in politics. Then he would remain silent as Trump trashed Biden repeatedly. What gives with that?

So, Lindsey Graham is gone. History will record that he was a complicated man driven by complex motives.

Still, I will wish him a peaceful rest in eternity.

military news

Redefining ‘winning’ and ‘losing’

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It seems safe to say that Donald J. Trump has reinforced something I have believed for the past 50 years or so, which is that we have redefined winning and losing wars.

I took part briefly in the Vietnam War, which is generally considered to be a conflict that the United States lost to a determined enemy. We won virtually every major engagement on the battlefield. We inflicted far more casualties on the enemy than they inflicted on us.

But we ended the war because we ran out of patience. We ran out of time. Vietnam was fighting to preserve its existence against a foreign power. I now accept the idea that we actually lost the Vietnam War. I am no less proud that I spent some time there doing my duty as ordered by my government.

Trump launched a war with Iran a few months ago. He decided to bomb the crap out of the place. Our aviators along with those from Israel sent bombs crashing into military facilities. Trump declared the war essentially to be over a few weeks after he started it. He kinda/sorta declared victory as well.

Then we entered talks to end the war. The sides emerged with a “memorandum of understanding” that they would stop the fighting. Iran wouldn’t obtain nuclear weapons, according to the MOU. Iran also would be able to sell its oil on the open market. The United States would lift the sanctions it imposed on Iran during the Barack Obama administration.

I have to ask: Is that winning?

Trump’s strategy looks more like that of a loser than a winner.

Now we’re back to bombing Iran. The Iranians have shut down the Strait of Hormuz — again! The price of oil is inching back up. We might lose more American lives; to date, 14 Americans service personnel have died.

To make matters even more maddening to American patriots … such as me: We don’t yet have a detailed explanation from the commander in chief as to our strategy for going to war, nor do we know of an exit strategy that Trump has cooked up in his feeble brain.

national news

Come clean, old timer

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Mitch McConnell has a few million “bosses” in Kentucky who have every right to know whether he’s able to represent their interests in the U.S. Senate.

McConnell, who is more than 80 years of age, is hospitalized with an undisclosed illness. He’s been out of action for several weeks. His family isn’t talking about his condition. There actually has been some discussion that he might have died. I don’t think that’s the case.

But this matter brings to mind the issue of elderly men and women in public office and whether they are able to serve the public they were elected to represent. McConnell, the former Republican leader of the Senate, once was a formidable political figure who controlled legislative flow.

This matter spreads across party lines. You’ll recall how the late Diane Feinstein, a California Democrat, missed many months of votes in the Senate. She died from her ailments. Then we have the case of President Biden, who was running for re-election in 2024 when he stumbled badly during a debate with Donald Trump. Questions arose about the president’s mental acuity. Biden said he had all the snap he needed to govern, but he pulled out of his re-election effort.

McConnell’s condition needs to be dealt with openly by the senator. If he is incapable of speaking for himself, his bosses in Kentucky need to know. He is drawing a healthy six-figure salary to make decisions on behalf of the people of his state.

This matter won’t go away … until Mitch McConnell comes clean.

local news

Waiting for my ‘home town’ to mature

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You know already that I love living in North Texas, particularly this city that is under construction.

I refer, of course, to Princeton. The construction to which I refer is the highway work along the length of the city’s main drag … U.S. Highway 380. My family is nearby. I enjoy living so close to them that I don’t have to make a day out of traveling to visit.

When my wife and I moved into our home, we had no real idea that we would be on the front end of a building boom that continues to this day. Therein lies the crux of this blog.

Princeton’s population has exploded since we closed on our home. It stands at 40,000-plus. I don’t have an exact figure because I don’t think anyone really knows how many folks live here from week to week. The number keeps growing. As a result, the number of residences in Princeton have turned this into a classic “bedroom community.” Lots of new residents have a place to call “home,” where they sleep at night and from which they go to work.

However, the city’s path to full maturity has yet to be traveled. I refer to development of commercial businesses that serve this growing city’s needs. We lack any sort of fine-dining establishments. Virtually nowhere to purchase major appliances. Almost all the home-repair outfits in this area operate out of neighboring communities.

I keep hearing about plans to build something called the Princeton Town Center. I see signs identifying where they want to turn the dirt over. The Town Center will solve a lot of the issues that face residents daily. It will contain a plethora of commercial developments and give the 40,000-plus residents plenty of places to shop locally.

When will this occur? Beats the bejabbers out of me, man. Texas transportation crews have to finish their highway and street work. They haven’t broken ground on the Princeton Town Center. Yes, some small businesses are cropping up along U.S. 380.

I am a patient man. I am waiting for my new home town to grow into the city I know it can become.

local news

Good news to report … yes, really!

As a general rule I am not inclined to use this blog to bemoan personal matters or bitch out loud about small things that annoy me.

Yes, I know I have shared with you my journey through my grief over losing my bride, Kathy Anne, to cancer. That was important for me to share as I know it resonated with others who have made similar treks through the darkness.

Today I have some good news to share. So, here goes.

I had piled on a lot of extra weight in recent months. I struggled for the longest time to get rid of it. To no avail. That’s changed. I’ve lost almost 15 pounds. I have much more to lose. I’m doing it through a severe lifestyle change.

I’ve long known about the theory “calories in, calories out.” I have reduced my caloric intake. I am no longer eating pastry. I am down to two slices of bread daily. I am consuming my share of veggies and protein in the form of grilled meat. It’s working!

The other thing that I’ve been struggling with has been the aches and pains associated mainly with old age. You know already that I am long in the tooth. I turn 77 in December and I figure that seven years into my 70s means I am officially pushing 80. The main pain source has been my left knee, which I learned recently has a torn meniscus tendon. I wrecked my knee when I took a tumble while exiting my truck. I landed squarely on the pavement in my garage with my knee taking the brunt of it.

My primary care physician referred me to an orthopedist. I went to the doc’s office. He took pictures of my knee and then gave me a shot in the knee to curb the pain. The relief was instantaneous! I know it’s not permanent, but I will deal with its return when it becomes necessary.

One more worrisome ailment also is being targeted. Sleep deprivation. I haven’t slept well for many years. It has caught up with me. But I’ve decided to go to bed the same time each night. I take some deep-breatbing exercises to relax me. That, too, is beginning to help.

I do not intend to keep you posted on my progress. Just know that I have zero intention of returning to the old way of living that caused me so much grief in the first place.

local news

Why not probe turnover at City Hall?

Carolyn David-Graves might, indeed, be onto something worthwhile in calling for an investigation into the embarrassing turnover at the top of the city’s municipal chain of command.

David-Graves serves on the Princeton City Council and she made the call for a probe at a recent council meeting. As a spectator to what has been going on at City Hall, I was left with one question to which I cannot find answer: Who is going to conduct such a probe, one that is thorough and gets to the truth behind the turnover?

I now shall review what we know.

City Manager Mike Mashburn resigned at the beginning of the year after spending less than two years on the job. Then the interim manager walked off the job suddenly. The fire chief resigned at about the same time. Then the city let its legal counsel go, citing a need to change law firms to represent the city’s interests. The public works director quit. Before he decided to quit, the city manager had fired several key personnel.

David-Graves must believe there is reason to investigate. Given that I am just a taxpaying resident who doesn’t know more than enough to make me dangerous, I am inclined to think she might have reason to seek some answers.

Back to the question: Who would conduct such a probe? The city attorney’s office couldn’t possibly do it. The office likely wouldn’t dare expose any wrongdoing among council members, if there’s any wrongdoing to expose. Princeton doesn’t appear to have an extensive legal community that has built enough distance between a legal team and the city. What about the Texas attorney general’s office? That’s a thought, yes? The current AG is running for another office, so he would be distracted, but he does have a staff of legal eagles capable of handling it.

The single issue that any investigative team would need to identify would be a common denominator. All those resignations must be related somehow to someone or a set of concerns that one could identify.

David-Graves reeled off the list of resignations, which also include three chief financial officers, two deputy city managers and the assistant city manager. “That’s a lot of turnover,” she said. Yeah, no kiddin’. The city might do well to look deeply into what’s wrong at City Hall.

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