Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
I am officially in the home stretch to my second retirement. While these past several months have felt like I’m running up a down escalator, I’m still plugging. And the clock keeps ticking, as clocks always do.
With an official retirement date of August 31, I can see light at the end of this tunnel – and it’s not a train.
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
Over the years I’ve lived in the Washington D.C. metro area (“DC”), I’ve tried various techniques for commuting. All these techniques have been focused on making the best of a truly sucky situation. The best technique was, of course remote work and just not commuting at all. But, since the end of March I no longer have that option.
So, my latest and probably last pre-retirement commuting technique involves commuter trains and bicycles. Call it “alternate commuting for this modern age.”
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Today is officially “No Kings Day.” This is the day we – again – protest against the monster in the White House. Now with music to fit the occasion.
I started writing this post as an angry screed against our wanna-be king trump. The music I looked for was angry music, filled with defiance and rage against the would-be two-bit penny-ante dictator and his sycophants currently running our nation. Music that would fit the mood of a national protest against Trumpism and the hate-filled monsters who’s life goals are seemingly built around destroying the lives of other people who just want to live free and build a better life for their children.
But, then, I realized I was taking the wrong road.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
I’ve been struggling these past months to cope with the ever-swelling horrors of the Trump administration. It’s increasingly difficult to wrap my head around the staggering levels of corruption, viciousness, and pure evil practiced by apparent human beings leading our government. Not to mention, the convivial corruption, viciousness, and pure evil practiced by people seemingly enraptured by the cult of trump.
How in the fuck did we get here?
Estimated reading time: 51 minutes
Winnie and I recently returned from two-weeks of cross-country adventures in Peru. During our trip we took a boat ride around marine sanctuary islands; rode a dune buggy in sand dunes; flew over hard desert to view the lines of Nazca; spent three nights in a jungle lodge keeping our snacks locked away safe from monkeys; hiked a portion of the Inca trail between Cuzco and Machu Picchu; and toured a number of Incan archeological sites. We also drove over an 18,000-foot mountain pass; viewed Lake Titicaca; got altitude sickness; and (briefly) lost my luggage to a Peruvian airline. It was quite the trip.
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
In a few days, Winnie and I will be heading out on a vacation trip I’ve wanted to do since about 1979. We’re headed to Peru for a two week tour of this magical South American country.
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
So the days go by, one at a time, as days always do. Here in America each day brings a new atrocity from our mad king trump. Every time we think he’s gone as low as he can go violating our laws, our ethics, and our humanity Americans have long taken for granted, our mad king goes lower. And lower still.
Meanwhile, our mad king’s brown-nosing quislings continue to fall over themselves in their endless quests to kowtow. While us non-trump-fluffing shell-shocked Americans watch our civil liberties melt away and our retirement funds shrink as the price of essentials rockets to the skies. And we watch the nightly news in helpless fury at new horror each day brings.
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
This past weekend I had a front-row seat on the latest Elon Musk-driven insanity of screwing with federal workers. It seems that Musk decided, all on his own, to task three million federal workers to report their current work assignments directly to him. On a weekend. With no prior warning.
The good news is, various federal agency heads slapped Musk down. Hard. Which possibly portrays the wheels falling off Musk’s ability to destroy the federal government. And embarrassing Pres*dent Trump in the process. A double win!
No system of ordered liberty can allow the Government to use the carrot of dismissing charges, or the stick of threatening to bring them again, to induce an elected official…
Coming To America
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
I’ve written a number of posts on immigration during the twenty years of this humble blog’s existence. All four of my grandparents are immigrants. Several of my aunts, uncles, and cousins are naturalized American citizens. Both my first (ex-) and present wife are immigrants and naturalized American citizens. Most of our family friends are immigrants that I’ve met through my wife.
I happen to believe the best thing about America is how, throughout our history, we have been able to accept and assimilate people from many different cultures and make them “Americans.” My beliefs appear to now put me into complete opposition to the current monstrosity of our federal government.
I’m good with being on the side of people coming to America.
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Hispanic immigration