Tue

OK, let's ask a serious question.  This NFL QB and, indeed, an entire team......  If they are so committed to righting social injustice, instead of kneeling or holding hands or power fisting, when their teams come to play the Washington Redskins, why don't they refuse.  That is, why don't they give up a week's pay to boycott a team whose name symbolizes the oppression they profess to oppose?  Oh, that's different.  Indeed it is!  This would require a real sacrifice in the name of principle.  After all, some of these guys might have to give up a million dollars or close to it.  And gee, who can live on only $5 million a year these days??????  Right......

OK, here's another one for these guys.  Why don't they protest the shooting of police officers?  I heard this AM of two police officers who were shot yesterday in Detroit. Where's the protest?  So, is it OK for thugs (at least one of the shootings was by a guy who had carjacked at gunpoint a car from an old lady) to shoot the police, but not for police to shoot thugs?  Yes, I understand that there have been some egregious behaviors by some police, caught on film.  But haven't most of these outlandish charges against them been eventually proven to be false, outright lies in some instances?  Far, far more police officers are shot and killed by thugs than the other way around.  As Casey Stengel used to say it, "You could look it up."  But let's not let facts/reality get in the way of our "narrative."  Nope, let's not let that happen.

I was thinking today of one of my Amherst professors, Professor Rozwenc.  We called him "The Wizard of Roz" as he taught US History.  He told us the story of "mugwumps," those who couldn't make up their minds, finding their "mugs" caught on one side of the fence and their "wumps" on the other.  That's me, a mugwump.  Regarding this Presidential election, I am a mugwump.  Oh, I have decided between Clinton and Trump.  Neither will get my vote.  I just can't decide on where my vote will go.  Will I write in a candidate, likely myself if I do?  I already, unless people are blowing smoke at me, have about 11-12 committed write-ins.  Will I vote for a minor party candidate?  I won't vote for the Green Party candidate and Libertarian Gary Johnson has many views that don't seem to be very libertarian.

Some folks are still trying to talk me into voting for------no, not Clinton.  They know that's a lost cause.  But for Trump.  Nope, I can't do it.  As much as I have come to loathe the Establishment and how it has deteriorated life for so many Americans, how much it has lied and deceived, etc., I see Trump as one of them.  He, too, has spent a lifetime of lying and deceiving, of taking advantage of the system to hose the little guy.  Where should we look?  Not paying bills of a few hundred thousand dollars, smirking to the creditors that his legal team will hold out until the little guy is paying more in legal fees than he's owed?  Filing bankruptcy (which is fully legal, but not always ethical or honest) to stiff the little guys from getting their money?  Using his contacts to utilized eminent domain/takings to grab real estate, not for public good, but his own?  The list goes on.  And, to boot, the man is a pathological liar according to many of the nation's observers.  (That Clinton is one, too, doesn't boots Trump.  Who was worse, Hitler or Stalin?)

But Trump might just win.  Although I shudder at the thought (and I also shudder at the thought of a Clinton win), he's narrowed the gap and is even ahead in some polls.  Even here in Michigan, it's a lot closer than just a month ago.  And, I think, there are a lot of people who, on election day, will vote for Trump, but won't admit it now.  They won't admit it because they might fear being called names (a common tactic by the Democrats), thought stupid, or whatever.  I think there are more of them out there than any of the pollsters recognize.  Trump could win.

No matter what evil is brought up about Clinton, doesn't it seem it's always followed by a "but......"  "Of course she's a pathological liar, but......"  "Of course she's a hypocrite, but......"  And here's another thing to ponder.  Why are she and her campaign always so sneaky?  It's like they are always trying to hide something, to pull one over--they never seem to tell the truth, not unless backed into a corner.  And then they backtrack and try to explain by saying something about "misspeaking." Yeah, right......

I chuckled today listening to the radio.  Yep, I actually had it on for most of the ride up to and back from classes.  Not once but twice callers made good points in contraposition to what the hosts had said.  And both times the hosts quickly said, "Well, thank you.  But it's time for a break."  And the callers found themselves cut off.  Many on the radio do that--just cut off callers when they make good points.  Some, two or three in particular, merely cut off  the callers and call them names--"dummy," "schmuck," etc.--and the callers were anything but "dummies" and "schmucks."  I wonder if I am the only one who then sees the hosts as the "dummies" and "schmucks."

Running and biking.  I love doing both.  Granted, at times I must be out on somewhat busy roads, but that's the chance I take.  And "chance" it's becoming.  The drivers are more and more dangerous, and I mean dangerous!   A couple of weeks ago, a well-known Michigan runner and triathlete was run down and killed while training on her bike.  One article I read noted that the driver was "distracted."  Hmmm.  "Distracted?"  The accident occurred in the AM.  Of particular concern and angst to me are two specific instances, which happen more frequently than one might imagine.  While on my bike, I am sometimes driven from the road or, because I often ride the shoulders due to worry about "distracted" drivers, the shoulder by careless drivers.  Sometimes they throw up gravel, too, when they slide off the road to the shoulder.  How many times (I should count!) have these same inconsiderate (I'm being very nice here!) drivers had racks with bikes of their own on the backs of their vehicles??????  Or, on Sundays, how many church-goers are in such a rush they just plow down the road, oblivious to runners or bikers?  With several churches up and down our main drag, there are quite a few.  Maybe they don't want to be late for mass/service?  Here's an idea.  Why not get up a few minutes earlier and not worry about rushing to avoid being late?  And, if they show up a bit early, gee, they might get a chance to worship privately for a few minutes or give personal thanks.  Oh, but perhaps I'm being a bit too harsh on these "distracted" drivers.  After all, it is important to dial that number on the cell phone, send that text message, and put on that make-up......