The last blog I opined (We might as well use certain words when there's an opportunity to use them!) about the economic recovery not really recovering for many of us. I heard from a friend the other day that a speaker told her that here in Oakland Co, one of the 11 or 12 wealthiest counties in the US, more than 50% of the people live under the poverty level. Of course that might say as much about the arbitrary selection of the poverty level as anything. But I don't think so. I think some folks, many of them are still hurting and hurting badly. I wish the LameStreams would quit just parroting the Administration and dig for themselves.
And about aging...... I ran, raced even!, a 10K last weekend. I, for several reasons, didn't train very hard to race. I just put in lots and lots of miles, nothing of real quality. But I surprised myself, finishing about 50 seconds faster than I did last year! I ran at a 7:30 or so pace, which I really didn't think I could do. I was second in my age-group, which might sound impressive, but in reality just means I've outlasted a whole lot of people, I think. But, during the race (and, yes, I pushed myself out of any comfort zone) I asked myself more than once, "What is a 67-year old doing out here racing a 10K?" I never came up with a good answer, but I'm glad that I was. I will admit, though, I've been quite tired and even sore this week (The fatigue and soreness reminded me of post-marathon recovery, but not as bad.), although today is much better.
I can't wait for the next bit on the dishonesty or lack of integrity aimed at Ben Carson. "Did you know that one time he returned his rented video and didn't rewind it first??????" Oh my...if anything would disqualify him for the Presidency that would be it. I'm still chagrined by some folks, not just the Establishment ones who are obviously opposed to anyone outside the Establishment. These folks agree, Ben Carson is very intelligent, thinks quickly on his feet, is honest and decent, and so on. It's as if they are saying, "He's a great guy! I'd love him for a doctor or even a neighbor." But then they question whether they'd want him for their President. Maybe that says more about us than him?
I'm waiting to get up one AM and while driving to class, not hear about another murder in Detroit. I think every day this past week or two has produced at least one shooting.
The arrogant elitists are at it again. And this time it's hitting personally on me. The administration at Amherst College is (if not having completed a fait accompli already) working to get rid of "Lord Jeffs" as the school's athletic mascot/nickname. It likely should be noted that Amherst is not name after Lord Jeffery, but the town of Amherst, in which it is located. Still, there's the nickname. The argument about vaporizing "Lord Jeffs" revolves around his use of blankets infected with smallpox when fighting the Indians. OK, there is in existence a letter in which he urges (?) a subordinate to use such a tactic. But it seems to me the PC police are on patrol here, selectively, very selectively using history to carry out their agenda. Maybe Lord Jeffery was guilty of that. Hmmm...... Were Indians, who may have been killed by the smallpox any deader than, say, British soldiers who were scalped to death by you-know-whom? And weren't many of those same tribes members of the Iroquois nation who conducted raids over hundreds of miles (even to Michigan) against smaller tribes like the Sauk, Fox, and Hurons, looting and plundering, murdering, and even taking captives for slaves? Perhaps, while we're at it, we should re-name the Finger Lakes of NY and about a million street names there, too. Let's not stop there; let's get rid of anything with names like Washington and Jefferson (They each owned slaves.) and Truman (He ordered the dropping of the atomic bombs.) and a host of others who did "bad" things. Somehow the administration has corralled the student body, at least of majority of it, at Amherst to agree to dropping the name. I've not been at all impressed with the new president of "The Fairest College," not since the first day. This certainly adds to my concerns over her abilities/competence. I had the chance last May to spend some time with one of the college trustees, but never thought to ask him what the trustees were thinking when they hired this woman!
Speaking of colleges, what's the deal with the University of Missouri? It seems to me, well, that things are not as they seem there. First, so many folks are applauding the football team for threatening to strike if certain conditions of the protesters were not met by the college. Hey, wait a minute? Isn't this, along with the men's basketball team, one of the schools ranked highest in the commission of felonies, including sexual assault/rape? That about 1/3 of the charges were dropped likely says more about the influence of big-time sports on campuses than it does about guilt or innocence. Where were all the student protests about that?????? Admittedly, I don't know a lot of details about the grievances, but it seems to me there are a lot of inconsistencies, such as the "proof" of the "poop-stika," the swastika made of feces left in a dorm lavatory actually being a photo on You Tube that was posted a year before the claims at U of Missouri were made. (See the article in The Federalist.) And what's all this junk about "freedom of speech?" Who says we have the freedom to speak if we make someone uncomfortable or feel bad? Well, listening to or reading the words of some Missouri student leaders, they do! But, come to think about it, I think I like the idea of freedom of speech for only ideas that I like. Who's teaching these students?????? Of course, I did hear one so-called "professor" from there who echoed a lot of this crap. BTW, who invented this "safe space" junk? And a professor who planned to continue to hold class/give an exam during all of this was pressured into tendering his resignation?????? OK, I went to Amherst during the Vietnam War protests. But it seems to me--and I think I can substantiate it without much trouble--those protests were quite different from these.
Hmmm...... If the Russians become convinced that ISIS was responsible for downing their aircraft, what will be their response? I have a sneaking suspicion that Putin will not pussyfoot like Obama. I wonder to what lengths the Russians will go to get revenge, to send a message "Don't mess with us." Is a nuclear weapon on ISIS strongholds/territory out of the question? For that matter, I asked a friend the other day, why do we have to live in fear, potentially, of getting on a plane that might carry a bomb planted by ISIS or any other jihadist group? Nuclear weapon? Sometimes I have to convince myself I'm not serious.
And here we go again, big gov't knowing what's best for us, better than we do. A half dozen or more states are seriously considering laws that require people to establish savings plans for retirement. I understand their concern, esp with people who make no plans and will be seriously strapped when they retire. But, if they make no plans, say other than Social Security, then that's their problem. They must live with their own choices. And, for many, forced savings plans would be a severe hardship. Note above, as I doubt a lot of people are experiencing any financial relief from this so-called economic "recovery." They are hurting already and being forced to establish savings plans wouldn't help them. And, in NY, the atty-general has ruled that some (the daily ones) Fantasy Sports games online are illegal; they are forms of gambling. The little bit of rationale I read seems like a stretch, a big stretch, in differentiating between season-long and weekly Fantasy Leagues. But, obviously, they know best......
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