Only the government would outsource itself

Published 05-20-21

While everyone is busy arguing about the new CDC directive on mask policies and vaccinations or riffing on UFO’s there have been some worrying developments regarding privacy and government spying not being talked about as much as they probably should be.

The more I read, the more my internal sirens started ringing, reaching DEFCON 1 in short order. Thankfully I saved links to re-read when my brain had quieted just a little and I could have a little more balanced take on what I was actually seeing.

It didn’t really help.

Because the first time through… well “hair on fire” might be too mild of a description.

Thankfully no small children were around, but I’m guessing the dogs learned some new words and phrases…. none of which can be printed here. And thankfully the canines can’t repeat them, otherwise I would have to try to have a tad more self control.

Each storyline got worse… and could make for a heck of a political thriller destined to top the best seller list.

Government contracting a private firm to spy on military members online in an effort to purge private dissent and obtain ideological purity within their ranks.

A secret military group, numbering in the thousands, deep undercover in everyday life infiltrating online forums and chat groups, reporting back to leaders in the Capitol and using psychological operations in furtherance of stated goals and missions.

Using government actors to illegally spy on oppositional political forces, including privileged legal communications, to usurp power and control from said opposition, culminating in backdoor warrants to cover tracks and motives.

It could be I’m spending too much time perusing conspiracy blogs… I guess if you count Newsweek and The Hill as tinfoil wearers. It might depend on the byline.

And since I haven’t seen any news consumption guidelines or government approved websites from the National Institute of Health or the FCC, I’m probably safe for now.

I could yammer on for awhile, at least half this column, about privacy protections enshrined in the constitution. About legal implications of the crackdown on freedom of speech, at the behest of the federal government, outsourced to private firms that are accountable to no one. About military operations occurring on domestic soil, and the implications of what those operations entail, especially in a society as divided as our own. About what a purging of military means in the near term and as part of the bigger picture.

These are big problems… whose solutions tend towards history altering inflection points.

The one thing I kept asking myself… who is going to stop any of it?

The current administration has zero checks on it’s power.

The media, quick to ask for sympathy and back pats in the “never ending news cycle of the Trump Administration” has largely checked out, only getting loud when the official government position isn’t left wing enough.

The opposition… who you think would have some problems regarding that whole spying on your political party thing… is too busy trying to get brownie points and appearances on networks who were just lobbying for their destruction as a political force during the A block.

The Constitution, for all the wisdom embedded in the painstakingly hand written lines, holds no power of enforcement. It is, after all, just words on paper hung up on a wall if a populace gives it no value.

Those who should be defending our enshrined rights… the advocacy groups, the politicians, and the last line of our defense against all of it… the military, are fully co-opted into the leftist orthodoxy.

Think I’m exaggerating?

All U.S. Army threat assessments will now include “climate change considerations” as a priority in line with policy of “The President and Secretary of Defense.” Quite the change from the bureaucratic red tape that met directives and orders from the previous administration.

No word on the environmental impact of a 20 year operation in the Middle East, curiously. Maybe one of the Department of Defense partner organizations can release a statement in support of the inclusive nature of our military and how much our soldiers like to experience nature at home and abroad.

That whole woke thing covers for a multitude of sins in current elite culture… where words are violence and riots are mostly peaceful.

You know what else I wondered in the midst of the hair on fire episode… if these are the lengths that government is willing to admit to taking – seemingly with the consent of a majority of Americans, what the heck else are they doing… that they aren’t?

•••

This is it… the last week of middle school. My little boy is now a young man… on his way to high school.

And selfishly, I wish I could go back to the beginning to experience it all one more time.

Thankfully there are grandsons running around here periodically, so I still get my quota of ferociously strong little boy hugs… even if Sam now gives me that teenager look when I tell him I love him… and to clean his room… for the fourth time in two hours.

It struck me how much Sam, and grandson Vincie had grown up when Vince and I watched them both on stage for the middle school’s drama club production of The Pirate Show last week.

Samuel played Captain Alberto Roughnight, the Spanish pirate leader… complete with dread locks and a mustache (that didn’t need enhancing). Sam left me to be surprised by his quite passable Spanish pirate accent, telling me he didn’t want any help running his lines when I’d ask.

Grandson Vincie pulled double duty as Constable Henry and later Prince Calvin… leader of the island the pirates wash up on, His comedic timing and slapstick portrayal of beat cop and long suffering boyfriend to the play’s antagonist was hilarious… while his favorite part of his costume changes was the Prince’s flashy leopard jacket he was hoping he might be able to take home after the theatre run.

Nope, they definitely aren’t toddlers asking for Oreo’s and launching Hot Wheels off the upstairs landing anymore.

Although Oreo’s are always appreciated if they find their way into the snack cabinet, and Hot Wheels seem to always make it into someone’s Christmas stocking from Santa.

Sometimes it’s easy to still see the little boys… even if they both think I’m “cringe” for being sentimental and reminding them of those little moments.

Though I did get teen points for even knowing what cringe was. After they wiped the shocked look off their faces.

It helps to keep them on their toes about what you know… or may know.

I think it might come in handy over the next few years.

Party like it’s 1979

Published 05-13-21

Here in the South, the big news… at least on the streets… is the Colonial Pipeline shutdown and ransomware attack. A pipeline I might add, that delivers fuel to much of the South and East Coast.

Panic buying, leading to hour long lines in major metro areas and gas stations already out of fuel, combined with a lackluster government response from the Biden team is more than a little reminiscent of a Carter Administration that, thankfully, I was too young to remember.

Like most of the recent reboots coming out of our culture, it invariably will be so much worse than the original, which wasn’t all that great to begin with.

My memories of the 80’s are much better formed… but probably more than a little tainted with the optimism that only kids can have.

But I know what stagnation is. Especially in regards to the American economy.

Rising costs, decreasing dollar values and onerous regulations on every facet of daily life. Sound familiar?

This is the future that Biden voters wanted, apparently. The equity of misery should be pretty fairly applied across the spectrum, right? And that’s what matters.

Something this pipeline debacle had me thinking about while I was painting the last few days… the superficiality and performative aspect of public life.

Public narratives and crisis public relations teams hiding private malfeasance, usually hand in hand with those that are supposed to be guarding against said malfeasance… has become more of a norm than a regrettable mistake never to be repeated, no matter the cost.

I have zero trust in any of the players in this current turn of events. Public or private.

Corporate statements, especially from a company dealing with an oil leak from 8 months ago, aren’t worth the paper they are printed on. Funnily enough, I hadn’t even heard about the oil leak in North Carolina, which is still getting cleaned up.

Seems like something that should have made national news with more than a little fanfare. Especially in light of recent events.

Pushing a narrative that doesn’t pass the sniff test, let alone careful examination of the timeline Colonial is claiming, is only part of it.

As for an administration that thinks that a cyber attack on a pipeline that supplies 45% of the fuel to the East Coast is a private sector matter… well, I wasn’t expecting much, given that Biden said he wanted to ban fossil fuels.

Honestly, how did you think that Green New Deal was gonna get implemented?

•••

Public life as performance art is becoming more commonplace.

Some people might call it hypocrisy.

Just ask Apple, Nike and every other corporation dependent on actual slave labor in China, who gets applause from all the right people domestically because they tweeted “Black Lives Matter.”

All it takes is repeating catchy slogans and aligning with the proper team to get your corporate free pass to being a good global partner.

It doesn’t matter that the head of your company was preying on women for years if your donation check to the Women’s March clears. Ask Harvey Weinstein.

Maybe asking his lawyer might be easier.

Apple, no stranger to good corporate citizenship and presidential commissions, is currently trying to water down provisions on a federal labor bill to ban products built by companies using slave labor. This isn’t an isolated issue and just one component manufacturer, but seven different ones used by Apple in China.

Seven.

Apple isn’t the only tech giant with modern day slavery issues… Facebook, Google, Amazon and Microsoft all have connections to these component manufacturers.

Puts all the “harmless” social media posts and must have phones into a little better perspective, maybe.

We’ve allowed the superficial… feeling and words… to supercede what is actually happening, and what people are actually doing.

It’s a mania.

And it’s malignant.

We’ve become more reflexive, and less critical. We have fallen to confirmation biases and propaganda alike.

We allow technicalities and parsed statements to stand in for truth.

We have an FBI that can’t stop a cyber attack on critical infrastructure or major companies tasked with critical sectors of everyday life, but has spent 5 months and untold millions to bust down the doors of random people charged with trespassing the Capitol on January 6th, sold to the public as a coup.

We talk about fixing failing infrastructure, in turn the government passes bills paying off favored donors and industry, fixing nothing and leaving more to rot.

We allow those in charge to turn us against our neighbors, so they can shield themselves from the consequences of their disastrous decisions and policies that play out in cities and towns across America.

It doesn’t lead to anywhere good, let alone the progressive utopia that the left keeps supposedly striving for.

It’s starting to look less like “Back to the Future” and more like “Escape from L.A.”

•••

The milder days of spring have arrived at our house, after a series of storms left us more than a little waterlogged over the past week.

Of course that milder weather always means more than just blooming flowers in the south.

It’s pollen season.

Specifically, cedar pollen season.

My sinuses could really use a trip to the coast right about now, pretty much any coast would do. As long as there’s no cedars in a five mile radius.

I thought our alllergies would get a reprieve after all the rain, but I think the wind just blew it all back in the air after the rain moved east.

But it sure is pretty. If only my eyes could quit watering I might actually be able to enjoy the view of wildflowers, wild strawberries, roses and jasmine that are starting to take off.

Taking a drive around the area with Vince on Monday afternoon as we ran some errands made me quite thankful that all we had to contend with this weekend were sore throats and stuffy noses though.

This last storm brought some high winds that left more than a few homes in our area with fallen trees, downed fences and damaged roofs.

And a tornado fifteen minutes north of me that left at least one business completely destroyed.

Spring in the South usually isn’t for the faint of heart, and is really just a warmup for the humidity and storms that summer brings.

While the dog is not a fan of the lightning and wind, there’s something beautiful and captivating about watching a storm roll in with lightning flashes and thunderous booms that are felt rather than just heard.

It’s awe inspiring… in its beauty and power. And it’s ferocity.

The continued insanity of California

Published 05-06-21

California’s effort to try every harebrained progressive idea under the sun continued with news of the imminent release of 63,000 individuals from California prisons under the guise of making them safer.

I’d wager the safety of California’s residents who didn’t break the law didn’t enter the calculations of which violent felons should be released.

Just the “over crowded and unsafe” conditions of many of California’s prisons, as decided by California’s Supreme Court.

It’s definitely part of a political calculation that Governor Newsom is risking in the face of a qualifying recall effort statewide.

His White House aspirations are still there. As is his ego.

And California’s electoral votes are pretty firmly in the blue column… no matter the swings of its regional political scene.

The recall will be an interesting political exercise, as it plays out with the themes dominating the national political conversation.

Will Gavin further drift left with the activist base of his party? Will he try to thread the needle of the pro-business leftist after decimating California’s small businesses with his COVID response or will he play to the race conscious left and ever increasing identity politics?

How will that play in other regions of the country?

What I know is that more than politics, Newsom likes power and has been one track in seeking it since his days in the San Francisco DA’s office.

I would bet good money that Governor Newsom will start opening the floodgates of leftist goodies both as a warning to those who oppose him, and as a carrot for those activists he will need during the recall.

It’s what I would do in his shoes.

It;s not like the press, both nationally and in Sacramento, won’t carry his water, or favored narrative.

Newsom’s biggest problem is what Kamala Harris represents… the new guard of the national party and the Obama machine.

He represents the Pelosi wing of the Democrat Party. Old money and power that the new left doesn’t have much of a use for.

They still hold power, but their ability to wield that power is diminished every day and with every new Antifa call to action.

As I’ve said before… we live in interesting times.

•••

Books are an easy way into the public consciousness, and are the social currency for American political elite. And they’re profitable.

Books from politicians and politicos get purchased in lots by party apparatuses to be used as giveaways for donors… both parties are guilty of it. Add the proliferation of Super PACs and advocacy organizations now present in our political culture, all vying for donations and attention, it’s become less about substance and more about being part of the club.

Like much in our elite society, it’s a heck of a grift.

Solutions apparently aren’t to be found in the halls of Congress anymore or in lofty speeches to persuade both the public and those who serve to their better angels, instead you’ll have to wait for the release party and appearances on cable morning shows.

It’s maddening that these public servants spend much of their time in government finding ways to pad their incomes and further capitalize on their service.

The fact that it’s done while collecting a public salary isn’t even considered.

•••••

I’ve written before about what crazy times we find ourselves in… a realignment of the political order, how we identify within it and what our parties represent, both historically and in the modern age.

Some days trying to figure out the landscape can give you whiplash.

Intra party political battles have been around as long as there have been political parties, but this is kind of different.

We’ve seen it play out in smaller instances on both the left and the right. Sometimes having the optics of a binary political system can be helpful.

Free speech, corporate involvement in civic life, immigration, foreign policy and military use in conflict resolution… all have seen a flip flop in positioning by the two major parties over my adult life.

The ACLU of my childhood – an organization of free speech absolutists by mission and design – resembles nothing of what it is today, encouraging censoring of speech and thought.

The right, after a long period of free market absolutism, is waking up to the dangers of corporations run amuck after a full throated defense of Citizens United and corporations are people too.

If it feels like everything is a whirlwind of chaos, it’s because it is.

In modern times, the Republican political establishment is comfortable in it’s position as foil and punching bag. It’s become beholden to the donor class, and unresponsive to its base.

It’s how you end up winning a presidential race, but fail at governing once you’ve won.

And the republicans will continue to fail as long as they pay lip service to a populace that is becoming less patient with every protest and daily outrage that never gets fixed.

A nation that elects a person President that had zero government experience isn’t really in a wait and see kind of mood, and it’s high time someone in charge noticed.

Amnesty, by any means necessary

Published 04-29-21

My check in on the news and narratives of the day as I have my coffee and watch the birds is a usual start to my mornings. Most days it’s an aggravating way to begin the day, but I can’t seem to help myself.

Between media reports and a healthy dose of caffeine my blood pressure rises to a significant extent that I’m more than ready to start on whatever projects and chores need to get accomplished.

Not to mention so disgusted that my first hour or so is spent muttering to myself about how abjectly moronic the people in charge can actually be.

This week has been no exception… for the aggravation or the projects.

Tuesday morning brought a Washington Times story that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) would no longer be imposing monetary fines on illegal immigrants who “refused to leave, and would grant amnesty for any fines imposed by the Trump Administration.”

According to a statement by DHS Secretary Mayorkas, “the fines weren’t having much effect,” but I guess we’ll have to take his word for it, since no documentation of fines levied or paid was offered.

Imagine my shock to learn that while monetary fines had been written into federal law for “several decades” they were not utilized before President Trump’s supposed “ineffective and unnecessary punitive measures.”

Of course this administration deems following the law ineffective. It doesn’t suit either their purposes or their goals.

But let your hearts be lightened by the Biden team’s actions, no matter reality of kids in “holding areas” filled to bursting and border enforcement officers on diaper and bath duty.

I guess the solution to kids in cages is to build more cages, I mean holding facilities.

Policy choices, like cancelling the Remain In Mexico program and a lack of will to penalize those here illegally, result in de facto amnesty without Congressional approval. Selective enforcement of established law has been the norm for most of my adult life, especially regarding immigration.

The picking and choosing of laws and an administration’s priorities, the policy papers and activist training in support of subverting the legislative process and the lawyers to codify it in precedent setting cases have caused a jumble of a national strategy that can only be described as incoherent, and that is speaking charitably.

The view from 30,000 feet is a little more sinister with legislative and executive branches coordinating with non-governmental organizations and corporations to takeover and reshape what is American Life.

Because it usually includes funding. Lots of funding.

Taxpayer funding.

It’s quite profitable.

•••••

As part of the morning news reading I usually try to keep an eye on Ag related news, not just from back home, but here in Tennessee as well.

What plagues farmers doesn’t change much, weather and commodity prices are always top of mind.

And coming from the Central Valley, water has always been at the top of mine.

I have yet to meet a farmer who hasn’t complained about getting rain at the wrong time, wind bent crops or hail and frost damaged fruit and blossoms. In California or Tennessee.

It’s part of the charms of farming, gambling against everything Mother Nature can throw at you. And sometimes she’s ruthless.

It’s not so unusual for me to read about worsening drought conditions and irrigation districts planning shrinking water allotments back home and ten minutes later read a story from Tennessee where water issues tend toward the too much of a good thing and planting windows getting delayed by weeks, if not months.

These issues effect more than the farmer. They trickle down. Tropical storms two years ago left behind water-logged ground at prime planting time. Specifically with soybeans, a staple crop here in west Tennessee and used in all manner of oils and processed foods.

Crops didn’t get in until July, and with late planting you get smaller than expected yields.

Those smaller yields are hitting the market now and causing problems in yet another supply chain.

Has there been any supply chain untouched or unbroken during the last year?

At least this one can’t be blamed on COVID.

Coupled with the national discourse from the left regarding arable lands and the “vast swaths of America” where no one lives opening to development and migration and the push for a diet that drastically reduces beef consumption and a move to chemically extracted “plant proteins” I have concerns for what the future holds for Agriculture under this new normal.

I also have a hard time comprehending that the people wanting to filter cow farts will have to figure out where all these plants needed for protein harvesting will be grown to support our own population, let alone the share of the world we manage to feed on the slivers of productive land America has.

Our hubris is in for one heck of a fall.

•••••

Oh, the joys of Modge Podge!

One of these days, I’m going to talk myself out of the project ideas I have for the house. Or my aching joints will.

In between all the rain I have been trying to get the last of the painting done upstairs, and my sights fell to the kid’s playroom/video game lounge I envisioned for the converted attic room upstairs.

Paint would be bad enough, but I had the crazy idea to wallpaper a couple walls and the hallway with pages from Samuel’s favorite comic books he had been saving through the years and chalkboard paint one side so the kids could draw to their heart’s content. Vince had more than a few concerns about my plans, and the amount of work involved… he should know better after fifteen years of living with my stubbornness, but he’s a man, so I’ll forgive his doubts.

One week later I’m exhausted and I had to buy out two Walmart’s worth of 32 oz. matte Modge Podge. But only one more wall to go!

My OCD was in rare form as I tried to keep pages in order and grouped so the comics could be read and followed… and the Advertising Director is never too far away, as the coolest ads for video games in some of his older comics have also found some prime spots. Even better, Sam asked if they could be included.

That apple definitely didn’t fall too far from the tree.

Funnily enough, as I started sticking pages to the wall I was reminded of years ago when Grammie and I made our own Modge Podge with corn starch and Elmer’s Glue to make a window card with a purple pansy I had picked from her yard, dried and pressed in the dictionary on the bookshelf in our playroom.

I can pretty much guarantee Grammie had Modge Podge in her craft closet… or a suitable fabric glue we could have used, but her call of “Let’s see what happens” was impossible to resist.

I’d say my apple didn’t fall too far from her tree either.

The countdown has begun

Published 04-22-21

As I sit and type this column on Tuesday morning, a glance at the calendar… and the school calendar on my refrigerator, I realized that the official countdown has begun… Thirty days until school is out for the summer.

As I reflect back to a year ago, there was much uncertainty whether there would be a school year, even here in Tennessee. Thankfully, we live in one of the few places where Sam was able to experience his entire 8th grade year in person, albeit with masks and as much social distancing as teachers and administrators could enforce amongst middle schoolers.

Definitely a task easier said than done.

This spring there are more than a few differences. Disappointment about cancelled school plays and not seeing friends are a distant memory. Although there is still much teenage scheming to finagle hang outs and sleepovers… last year required more creativity for them to get together. And working out which outdoor activity they could all agree to since all of us parents were trying to figure out exactly what our lives would look like during and after COVID, while indoor visits were still discouraged.

Like our kids, everyone was more than a little stir crazy, and all reasonable ideas were allowed.

Even though Sam’s summer may have been limited, I choose to think that walks to the corner convenience store for candy and a soda, and morning bike rides with a pack of boys aren’t too bad of memories to have of a locked down spring.

This year, Sam is excited for the school’s Theatre Club spring production, and has almost daily reports of the saga of who’s in and who’s out as opening day approaches, a continuing drama that can only be encountered on a middle school campus.

I both giggle and shudder at the memories of my own junior high dramas.

Sam was excited to get his part… he will play a pirate captain in the production, which is a graded final for the high schoolers in theatre that are directing the show.

The kids are responsible for all of the production, from sets, to lighting and costumes… it’s all in their hands.

Fingers crossed all goes well, and that everyone involved will be be able to hear calls of “Break a leg!” in just a few weeks.

•••

The calendar wasn’t the only reason for the end of the school year countdown, as Sam came home from school last week with a packet of papers for me to look over and sign for his class schedule for high school next year.

HIGH SCHOOL.

After keeping it together while he and I discussed the merits of a fine art track in high school; a curriculum that includes band, theatre and a multitude of art classes both traditional and digital in addition to the regular classes of math, English and science; I went to my room and swallowed a case of the vapors that Sam was going to be a freshman in a few short months.

I tried to work out when, precisely, this happened, and realized probably right around the same time I woke up and found myself middle aged.

With my signature on the dotted line for approval, I have a feeling my life is going to get busier next year as Samuel enjoys all that high school has to offer.

As long as that experience includes passing grades and no missing homework, I probably won’t complain too much.

Well, maybe just enough to let him know I care.

•••

One of the better parts of our quiet Tennessee town (and unexpected if I’m completely honest) is the dedication and spotlight on art in all its forms.

Having a son who loves to be on stage and doodles on every scrap of paper he can get his hands on, finding a place that mixed those interests with the quiet, rural property Vince and I were looking for was not the easiest task.

But we found a place where it all clicks together.

Part of that has to do with moving to a college town. Different avenues open up for creativity when there is a local driver such as a state university. Living in a state that helped birth country music and the blues can’t hurt.

It filters through the community, and in our schools as well.

And while it’s not Friday Night Football in the South, broadcast on local radio, our first NWTN Arts Festival brought out a large crowd on a misty Saturday to celebrate local music, dance, acting and an exhibition of art from the school district’s county wide art contest… not to mention its own on location radio broadcast.

Sam won a ribbon for a 3D printed mask that was helped in it’s creation by cousin Devin on Sam’s last trip to California and decorated with paint he got with Uncle Danny… having his name announced during the show was an extra bonus to seeing his mask displayed publicly with his name on the card next to it.

My proud mom moment got to expand through the family ranks this time around, as Sam made phone calls back home after the show to spread the news and say thank you to all involved.

It was wonderful to spend an afternoon with Sam appreciating the artistic talents in our little corner of Tennessee.

Power politics at play

Published 04-08-21

This past week has been an object lesson in power politics. From the Senate to Major League Baseball, there isn’t a facet of society that isn’t available to the mercy of the whims of the left.

Baseball, as a professional and private entity, is allowed to to do business wherever it so chooses, as long as it does so in accordance with the laws and regulations where it operates.

Those laws and regulations include the sweetheart deals premier teams and leagues are able to make with local and state regulators who are always looking for the economic and redevelopment monies that teams can bring to a metro area.

What’s troubling for me comes less in the details of this exact squabble between the MLB Commissioner and Georgia Governor, where the All Star game is played or even the exact details of the Georgia voter bill on it’s own or in relation to any other state’s voting laws.

Was it passed as proscribed by Georgia’s constitution? Does it violate any federal law? If yes to the first, and no to the second… these are the consequences of elections as I’ve been told.

What has resulted though, the litany of national and international corporations issuing press releases and verbal recriminations was swift and decisive. Big business has chosen their side.

The blatant misinformation and mischaracterizations parroted across the statements were expected.

Government approval, in the form of encouragement by Biden himself in national interviews, of economic sanctions against a state was not. At least not this early in the Biden-Harris administration.

I guess libertarians, conservatives and moderates alike can be glad that this force of will isn’t coming at the heel of a government jackboot. Meanwhile, the pressure campaign on the state of Georgia will continue until someone capitulates, or the state legislature changes hands and voters learn the errors of their ways.

The Chamber of Commerce moderate class of the Republican Party is increasingly found in governor’s mansions and state houses across the South. None of those icky socially conservative ideas taking center stage to embarrass the national party, these are calm men and women whose eyes tend to be on the bottom line.

Never you mind if most all those jobs they are creating center around liberal cities and from sectors known for their liberal politicking. Taxes are low, and gas is cheaper than California and New York.

As these booming states get more dependent on the corporate system to fund state budgets, the more the state will bend in cooperation with that same system and away from caring about the will of the people they supposedly represent.

That dependency is a lever of power, and states that can nullify federal writ, such as those in the South tend to do during Democrat administrations have to be dealt with in a different or more creative manner.

Basically cancelling a state from polite society is a novel and bold approach. I must say though, watching politicians align with corporations in calls for boycotts of a state in our union is a fashy… I mean fascinating hop down the particular path we are on.

•••

As long as Republicans, no matter the stripe, play reactionary to moves from the left they will be susceptible to boycotts and activist attacks such as this one that Georgia faces.

There will be no pushback against these corporations, not from the right. And especially not from the pro-business right.

Yes, Senators Cruz and Lee made waves on social media talking about “doing something” about MLB’s federal antitrust carveouts.

But the esteemed senators have zero chance of passing legislation to that effect. It wouldn’t make it out of the Senate committee hearings.

Their chance to affect actual change was four years and one president ago. They passed corporate tax cuts marketed to the middle class and then proceeded to argue within their caucus about everything else.

We’re the tax cuts necessary? Yes.. but it should have only been the beginning.

They spent four years protecting the minority right of the filibuster for the left to enter the majority and have the Senate Parliamentarian announce that contrary to the rules and entirety of history of the United States Senate two bare majority votes will now suffice to “deem” legislation passed.

Cloture and it’s 60 vote threshold, as proscribed by the constitution, is no longer necessary.

Seems completely legit, a federal employee says so.

Maybe some of the judges Trump appointed could be of some help, although the Supreme Court really goes out of its way to stay out of the other branches business.

That is power in it’s rawest form. In your face and with zero regret.

But Republican senators will show up tomorrow and continue to legitimize both the process and the power.

The theatre will continue, the grift will go on and soon enough a Blue Ribbon Congressional Commission will deem any dissent from the progressive orthodoxy and party line incongruous to civic unity. And it will be displayed in your public health accredited passport.

This is why corporations have chosen a side.

•••

It’s that time of year, when Mother Nature actively tries to make my life completely miserable… yes, spring is here, and it is pollen season in the Mid South. Every tree in my yard seems to be sprouting leaves this week, and blooms can be found all over the place, from the peach and apple trees in front to the dogwoods in the back.

The weather cooperated with enough consecutive sunny days to dry out the lawn for Vince to get the first mow of the season done Saturday… it was at least 12” past due.

While I am mostly corralling myself inside and away from the blooms, enough pollen has made it’s way into my system to cause havoc on my sinuses and ears. It doesn’t help that I love to keep the sliding doors open to air out the house as I go about my day.

There’s only a few precious weeks before the heat brings the cicadas and their constant hum when the doors are firmly locked and the air conditioner gets switched on.

I’m learning an all of the above approach to allergy medication is my best bet for keeping my annual annoyance from turning into anything worse. Sprays, pills, inhalers, oils and vaporizers as well as a stockpile of kleenex are all useful tools in this yearly contest of wills.

Vince jokes that I’m becoming increasingly more high maintenance as I age. Weeks like this I tend to agree with him.

On the plus side, the sprouting leaves and blooming limbs make for a landscape that is a pleasant and beautiful change after the cold and snow of winter.

This week marks the three year anniversary of Vince and I visiting Tennessee to see if our fantasy of living here was remotely feasible. And I as I sit looking out the window I first looked out of three years ago watching the seasons change I still marvel that it actually happened. I sometimes think I should pinch myself to make sure it’s real.

Then I sneeze and have to reach for another kleenex and realize pinching isn’t really necessary after all…. but it may be time for a couple Benadryl.

Let me see your papers…er, passport

Published 04-01-21

The newest fad surrounding the ongoing COVID panic and anxiety by the chattering class is a push for “vaccine passports” to ease our way back to normal life. A life filled with indoor concerts and festivals, dinner at the newest urban hotspots and jetting off to exotic locales will be no problem, as long as you download the app, sign away your medical privacy and consent to tracking every move you make, as well as anyone around you who don’t know how to work their cell phone’s security settings.

It’s for safety and health you see, how could you possibly be against that?

And private business can absolutely control what they require from customers, don’t you know. I’ve never seen so many pundits yell “free markets” as their line of argument, especially pundits who rail against the evils of capitalism in every other discussion. It’s a novel hill to stand on, that tyrannical control and loss of rights are of no concern, since those that control the levers of power in this instance come from the hand of business rather than government edict.

Never mind that that edict is sanctioned and planned with government agents and appointees, who conveniently have grant money, an outside 501c3 created just for this purpose and a convenient tech partnership to get the ball rolling.

Make no mistake, this crackdown will be just as vicious and result in the same loss of freedom, tax collectors and bureaucrats are extraneous.

Red states governors, like DeSantis in Florida – and hopefully soon in Tennessee, are calling for their state legislatures to protect citizens from this intrusive overreach, whether it comes at the hand of big business or big government. Much like mandates for COVID vaccinations, these vaccination passports may seem well meaning and convenient right now, but will end up being anything but.

Where will we end up by following this path… paved as it is with good intentions?

I can see it now… a hierarchy of corporations and brands exclusively serving the papered class. Want to fly home to see your family across the country? Make sure your paperwork is in order, you can upload your certificate directly to the airline.

Favorite band coming to a city near you… make sure you download the app to confirm your health status and disclose medical information to everyone involved.

Don’t forget to check the box for tracing, so the app can log your locations for the two weeks after the event… it’s just in case there’s an outbreak.

Maybe Apple Wallet will have a share option, making it convenient for a group reservation, you know if you have a big fundraiser at French Laundry.

You can totally trust that the databases of information will never be hacked, mined or used for any kind of nefarious purpose.

Have a concern about the implementation, collection of information, security, or any of the other issues surrounding such a policy?

You should probably be classified as a tinfoil hat wearing domestic terrorist. Isn’t that how this works now?

The idea of medical privacy has become a novel relic for the ages, lost to photos of vaccine cards and selfie stations at shot clinics.

It shouldn’t shock the sensibilities that those in power try to further consolidate more power. What should shock is how many willingly sign up to help them.

•••

An interesting poll came across my Twitter feed this week. Not that I hold much stock in horse race election polls, but I still like to watch off year issue polling. Sometimes it can give you a window into the electorate in a way that party polling can miss, where less is clouded by tribal political identity and political affiliation.

At issue in this poll was Voter I.D. After months of election rhetoric, lawsuits and Congressional speeches over 70% of Americans support legislation requiring photo identification to vote, contrary to the law Democrats in Congress are currently lobbying for.

Some might find it ironic that many who are pushing to make vaccine passports necessary to everyday life for working Americans have such a problem with Voter I.D. laws and absolutely no problem with illegal immigration where people show up to the border with zero documentation or proof of identity.

The hypocrisy of holding these positions all at the same time isn’t a problem for progressives and globalist sorts once you realize that it’s about winning elections, and punishing perceived enemies, not about legislation and uniting.

Politics hasn’t been about that for more than a generation. At least.

It’s will to power all the way around.

•••

The mouse hunt continues… and I’m not really sure who’s winning, but we’ve gotten quite the impressive body count racked up.

After a weekend reprieve, when I thought we were over the worst of the mice in my house and all the traps were quiet, I got to take a break. But Monday became a textbook case for why I hate Mondays.

My phone went on the fritz Sunday night, and after leaving it on the charger all night was beyond hope come Monday morning.

No worries, I thought to myself… and headed over to the dresser drawer where Vince and I stash all our old phones and electronics for just such a necessity.

Imagine the horror when I picked up the phone box and uncovered a nest filled with baby mice.

Needless to say I hysterically screamed, shut the drawer and went upstairs to paint trim until Vince could get home to handle it.

It’s a trade off we made in the early days of marriage… I handle spiders, he gets mice. It’s definitely working out for me now, but I’m hoping next spring doesn’t bring a rash of black widows or brown recluse.

It’s better for our wallet too, because my suggested solution was to burn the bedroom furniture and start over.

Although, after the nest cleanup, I think Vince might be coming around to the idea too.

Regrets… foreign and domestic

Published 03-25-21

If the recent diplomatic meeting between China and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken are any indication of what to expect over the next four years, well, its gonna be… problematic.

The continuing ascension of China looks more sure if this is the caliber of those that are supposed to be a steady hand abroad balancing American interests with both allies and enemies… whose self and national interests all collide.

When your top diplomat is complaining about their opponent going over their allotted time and not the substance of the argument your side lost. Spectacularly.

And it sets a tone that the State Department is going to to have a hard time changing.

Especially when said enemies use the narrative and talking points of the Democrat party against those who’ve been espousing the same “truths to power” to serve their electoral goals over the past year.

Even less shocking is the announcement that the United Nations Human Right’s Council will now be investigating claims of systemic racism in the United States.

Yes, lead by the countries most known for their human rights leadership, China and Russia will be the ones to denounce and set to punish the only nation big enough to stop the complete totalitarian takeover of the planet.

They will do it with the terminology that universities and woke professors seeded throughout the credentialed class, dominating the national conversation and stoking further division.

And they will do it better and more thoroughly than any of us can imagine.

One can only hope the smart set running the show at Foggy Bottom can get it together before the real ramifications of this foreign policy “tone reversal” start to rear their ugly head and necessitate a different kind of enforcement action.

One could hope, though not counting on it is a safer bet.

My memory, while sometimes spotty on what I had for lunch yesterday, can remember the not too distant past of Obama era foreign policy quite well, and not quite fondly either, thank you very much.

More of that, no matter who is at the helm, is definitely not good for America.

•••

In the latest installment of regret over throwing the baby out with the bath water, America’s return to an inclusive immigration policy seems to be working out so well even ABC couldn’t avoid it anymore, traveling down to detention centers in Texas where nothing short of an unforced and completely predictable crisis is occurring.

In the early days after inauguration, Joe Biden cancelled or rescinded a flurry of Trump executive orders, including many of the immigration orders and policies given during the Trump administration. The Remain in Mexico policy, one of the most effective tools, was chief among them. Career immigration officials warned the incoming administration about ramifications and consequences to no avail.

Couple that with the rhetoric of then Candidate Biden, Kamala Harris and immigration activists that America’s border be open to all, well it wasn’t surprising that the worst of the practices and plans like migrant caravans and unaccompanied children making the dangerous trek across Central America started forming before a vote was certified.

Over the last four months, over 70,000 migrants have been taken into custody each month. That’s more than have entered our nation during those months in the last ten years.

Couple this with the regulatory crackdown on capacity and interaction limits because of COVID, and the humanitarian and policy disaster becomes a real world crisis at the breaking point in a hurry. And people are starting to notice.

The kids in cages crowd is astonishingly silent, and funnily enough no opportunistic Congressional photo shoots are occurring outside detention facilities on this go round. There hasn’t even been an uproar that under the guise of “COVID protocols” reporters and photo journalists haven’t been allowed in the facilities to document conditions.

I’m sure there’s one or two reporters that got vaccinated and could enter the facility without unleashing the plague, just for transparency’s sake.

When DHS finally released a photo, conditions were shown to be less than optimal. Older teenagers housed with toddlers, food shortages and lack of showers topped the list.

That’s before we get into DHS releasing migrants into communities without proper COVID testing or tracing.

Seems a little disingenuous as federal health officials continue to beat the drum about variants and distancing, even going so far as downplaying the vaccine efficacy and increasing anxiety about every facet of regular life.

The mixed messages could make you crazy. It’s supposed to.

And as to regrets, at least regarding policies like Remain in Mexico, might result in at least one re-instatement.

•••

Spring around here brings rain, and deep cleaning. Something about being able to open up doors and windows, airing out the house and giving everything a good scrub after a long fall and winter gives me a sense of accomplishment… but sometimes has it’s drawbacks, beside the back ache.

It’s the critters. Or more specifically, encounters with critters inside my house that belong outside my house.

The first spring it was the over foot long lizard that took up residence in the basement. Thankfully it wasn’t a fan of humans, so it made itself scarce when we flipped the lights on. Last year it was the king snakes in the dryer. That too was an easy and cheap enough fix after the critter guy took pity on the California people and relocated the male snake that was in the motor to his property in Kentucky.

This spring seems to be mice. Little field mice to be precise, that found entry into my laundry room after a short jaunt from the fields next to my house.

In a boon to the mice, and honestly probably the draw, it’s where the dog food, bowls and water are also located.

I’m kinda kicking myself about relocating that other king snake, in all hindsight. Definitely not the smartest move, balance of nature-wise.

Needless to say bleach spray got moved up to absolute highest priority on the cleaning list when I discovered the trail.

It was also repeated multiple times for good measure.

The dogs were sneezing when I was done… so maybe I went a little overboard. But no harm was done.

Except for the two mice we caught, no thanks to said dogs.

It was past time to move all the stuff that had accumulated in there over the course of a few months anyways.

So our next week will be filled with traps, more traps and checking nooks and crannies, and more than one bottle of bleach spray.

I’m definitely going to say a prayer that this will be my one this spring. I don’t even want to think about what could come next.

Spring is here…

Published 03-18-21

Mother Nature is looking to be busy over the next couple months here in my corner of Tennessee. And while back home everyone is preparing for another summer of water shortages and drought, we’ve had a different sort of water problem around here lately.

Last storm brought so much rain a lower lying section of grass bordering the creek in the backyard looked more like a lake than lawn, as we watched it encroach our basement sliding door.

During any decent rainfall storm drainage flows through a couple of neighboring fields and along the north side of the yard, so much so I’ve started gauging storms by the size of the temporary “river” as it flows to the creek on the southern side of my yard.

Well, as darkness fell, so did the rain, and I was reminded of calls out to the ranch for reports of how close the water was getting when Orestimba Creek would flood.

After a stressful half hour or so of hoping the creek would catch up and mentally kicking myself for not making a stack of sandbags, the water receded before anything really came inside.

After the snow, sun and rain last month, well, I was curious what else spring would have in store. One of these days I’ll remember what happened to the curious cat, especially with 2021 being what it is.

Fast forward to Tuesday, and our newest weather alert… severe storms Wednesday which include wind, hail, thunder, tornado and flood warnings across a big chunk of the Mid-South.

Meteorologists and observers aside, our dog Bones is already laying right next to Vince’s side of the bed… his favorite spot to hide from bad weather (other than on the bed next to us). I’m guessing this one will be a doozy from his behavior, and packing a storm/tornado bag before I go to bed tonight would be the prudent thing to do.

Of course this storm is hitting as all my trees are starting to bud… including my peach trees. Never fails.

Between storms and reports of the coming cicada invasion, spring is definitely coming in like a rampaging lion. Or a drunken, crazy one.

And I’m really hoping the state ag extension office is correct that the mass of Brood X will stay south of my county. My regular cicadas are loud enough, thank you very much… and in reading about the state office’s news release I found out they can give the dogs a stomach ache if they eat too many. Sarek is not known in these parts for his impulse control… especially when there is a chase involved. So that will be fun.

At least I don’t have to worry about that until May.

For now the storm alerts are enough.

••

Thankfully I have plenty to do around here to make it easy to avoid what the powers that be in Washington D.C. are planning to unleash next on the American public. Already we’re back to the normal of balancing the weekly budget with continually rising gas and food prices which can make said budget tight in a hurry. When I heard a news report of $8 a gallon gas by the summer in pricier areas of the country (you have my prayers in California) I about had an aneurysm.

The fact that small and medium businesses, family ag and dairy businesses and wage employees will be financially decimated by the repercussions of these green policies seems more part of the plan than not.

It’s good of way as any to punish those who repeatedly “vote against their own interests” and for a strong nation.

And sadly, that middle class malaise was exactly what Biden voters wanted a return to.

Yep, the pipeline layoffs in the thousands, rising prices, federally funded abortion and overflowing border facilities are nothing new in this country.

Four years wasn’t that long ago.

•••

I’m gonna need a week or so to “spring forward.”

Don’t get me wrong… the extra daylight in the evenings make it worth it, but we’re all dragging our behinds in the morning this week at my house. And that’s after the coffee.

Three days in, and both Sam and I overslept, missing the school bus. My usual alarm clock, the dogs, were both happily snoring when I wiped the sleep from my eyes and Sam came downstairs to tell me he was going to need a ride.

My mom is probably the least surprised by that development, since she used to ask me how I was going to manage mornings once I had Sam.

Some days are better than others. Some days… well, big sunglasses and a sweater cover the under eye circles and visible parts of the pajamas.

Like I said, I’ll need a few days. And extra coffee. I’ve accepted that I’m not a morning person, and never will be.

Arizona has the right idea by not “falling back” and clocking Daylight Savings Time all year. It is so much simpler, and I’d be willing to forego the fall back, and an extra hour of sleep, to not feel like a zombie until my internal clock resets itself.

Maybe Congress, and State Legislatures, could spend a day on something useful and uniting like that.

What a weekend

Published 03-11-21

My morning coffee had a decidedly different view last weekend, as I found myself enjoying my first bits of caffeine overlooking the hills, massive oaks and acres of vines of Central California’s wine country. Quite a change from the still bare trees that greeted my view out the back windows Tuesday morning on my return from a fun (and liquor) filled girl’s weekend with some of my favorite women.

California Central Coast sunrise

Not much can compare to the beautiful and peaceful rural California vistas surrounding San Luis Obispo. An afternoon spent in Cayucos at the ocean with my toes in the sand was the perfect way to waste an afternoon, and the drinks we mixed with the moonshine smuggled in my suitcase from Tennessee paired well with the ocean breeze. But the weekend was was more than just sightseeing and sandy toes, though both were welcome and appreciated.

And it was beyond spectacular to do it in person.

It was a weekend of excess… food, drink, laughter, friendship and love. The only thing that was limited was my sleep.

Zoom and FaceTime, while wonderful substitutes for distance or during pandemics, do not compare to being in the same room with people who care. And nothing can compare with getting together, in the same room, dial-up not required.

There was much excitement in our group text when dining resumed indoors last week before our trip, and I realized, with more than one chuckle, that I wouldn’t be in West Tennessee anymore.

I had almost forgot what it was like living under mask mandates and lockdowns, part of the benefit of living in a red state. And flying the friendly skies seems a little less friendly in the amenity department with Corona regulations surrounding beverage and snack service, which wasn’t that spectacular pre-COVID.

But the company more than made the packed flights to California worth it. And then there was the laughter.

Sometimes it really is the best medicine for whatever life throws at you.

And as necessary as breathing.

I count myself blessed to have friends who are always up for an adventure… and willing to host one involving sleepovers and menu planning, who also don’t forget about the loud mouthed friend who up and moved across the country.

Sometimes they even make linguisa and sopas.

And bring cookies.

Did I mention excesses?

Yes, the weekend had many. The next week will involve detoxing from pretty much everything.

And fantasizing about the next time all of us can get together again.

Because life’s too short to not have fun in the process of making it through.

The girl’s trips and get together may not solve the world’s problems, or stop tragedies and troubles that have crossed any of our thresholds, but they remind all of us that no matter what life throws your way, there will be at least a few by your side to help carry the load and help you laugh about it. Food and drink included.

And that makes the rest of life a little bit easier.

••••••••••

Couldn’t help but compare some notes between life in California and life in west Tennessee – especially for our school aged kids, during our girl’s trip.

Most were surprised Sam’s been in school all year, with no issues. Yes there are a significant portion on distance learning, but his school has been one of the few schools to not have to close for quarantine or exposure. Masks are required, as they have been all year. And most cases of transmission have occurred not at school, but at home.

My friend were even more shocked when I told them Sam’s junior high girls basketball team played for the state championships (coming up just short in the final game) and that player’s families were allowed to watch the game in person. Masks were mandatory, but I’d be willing to bet parents in California would be willing to make just about any concession to see their kids active in all sports again.

I admit life here is quite different than back home, with school in session all year, and administrators and politicians making every possible effort to give students a semblance of regular life during a pandemic.

Yes there have been quarantines and cancelled games, and some games with no fans – especially some of the indoor ones.

But that semblance of regular life has lead in discussions, and decisions, instead of political sticks and carrots.

And that’s how it should be.