Time for another episode of truth and numbers

The Obama Administration is very proud that in June of this year the unemployment rate fell to 5.3%, the lowest since May of 2008.  Wonderful!  Stupendous!  Outstanding work by President Obama and his team.  Or is it?

Take a look at this graph, which has a downward curve that looks a lot like that of the unemployment rate since May of 2008:

The problem is, this is a graph of the labor participation rate, as provided by the same United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics that tracks the unemployment rate.  The labor participation rate is defined as all of the people within the typical employment-age pool who are either working or actively seeking work.  Since May of 2008, when this measure stood at 66.1%, it has fallen sharply, down to a June rate of 62.6%.  That's scary.

To put this in simpler terms, imagine a group of 100 typical working Americans between the ages of 16 and 64.  From May of 2008 to last month, the number of people working in that group was reduced by 3.5.  Or in even simpler terms, there are more than 3 fewer American working or looking for work out of every 100 in the labor pool than were working just over 7 years ago.  It's the lowest level since 1977.  Not 2008.  It's been 30 years since this measure was this low.

This isn't good.  This sucks.  So why don't we hear about this?  Because we've been trained to look only at the unemployment rate, an artificial measure of economic success.  As long as the stock market is going up and the unemployment rate is going down, we're supposed to think everything is just fine and dandy.  It isn't.  The media is trying to claim that the aging of the population is partly to blame for this reduction in the labor participation rate but that's nonsense.  Since the rate is only calculated based on the percentage of the population that is between 16 and 64, the people passing 64 drop out of the statistical measurement.

* * *

Meanwhile, Congress has been busy.  Our labor participation rate is shrinking.  Corporations are leaving the U. S. to avoid corporate taxes.  Jobs are being exported to other nations to enrich shareholders at the expense of American workers.  We're supposed to celebrate that the amount the federal government is projected to spend this fiscal year is less than $500 billion, the lowest amount in some time.  We have a staggering national debt and we're adding nearly half a trillion to this amount.  According to the Census Bureau, the current U. S. population is 321.3 million.  Putting this in simple terms, if we divvy up the total U. S. public debt among those 321.3 million, we are each going $1,512 further into the hole in this fiscal year.

Where's is all that money going?  Stuff like:

$3 million to the Delta Regional Authority.  It is supposed to provide economic development assistance in the Mississippi Delta, but what it does is almost entirely duplicated by other federal programs.  $17.8 million has been flushed down this particular commode since FY 2003.

The Pacific Salmon Coastal Recovery Fund has received $149.5 million since FY 2000.  Washington's Senator Patty Murray is trying to eclipse the late Senator Robert Byrd as the king of pork barrel spending.  In just FY 2008 through FY 2010 alone, she requested earmarked spending of nearly $800 million.

$120 million to upgrade the Army's M-1 Abrams tank fleet.  Over three years ago the Army's Chief of Staff testified before Congress that there are already more than enough tanks on hand to meet our needs.  In fact, 2,000 such tanks are parked in the Mojave Desert, not being used.

$21.8 million for the Appalachian Regional Commission, a boondoggle if ever there was one.

$2.6 million for the Denali Commission.  President Obama tried to stop funding this pork project back in 2012.  The commission's own Inspector General testified before Congress in 2013 that, "I have concluded that [my agency] is a congressional experiment  that hasn’t worked out in practice. … I recommend that Congress put its money elsewhere."  He works for this group and he wants is defunded.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention that a recent report shows that there are roughly 6.5 million active Social Security numbers belonging to people who are 112 or older.  The U. S. isn't alone here, a report back in 2010 showed that there were more than 230,000 Japanese people 100 and older who could not be located.

So with all of this waste going on and all of these problems facing the United States, what are our elected representatives in Congress doing at the moment?

California's senior senator Dianne Feinstein found time to introduce eight different bills that will allow 18 different illegal immigrants to attain permanent residency status.

Senator Chuck Schumer introduced a bill, the Fluke Fairness Act, which is designed to ensure proper management of the summer flounder stock in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.

Senator Feinstein joined with Senators Whitehouse and Kirk to introduce the Pets on Trains Act of 2015.  This will force Amtrak to allow domesticated dogs and cats that are not service-animals to be transported on trains under certain condition.  Clearly something of vital importance.  Mark this one super-urgent!

Four different senators joined together to introduce the Smartphone Theft Prevention Act of 2015.  Goodness knows that passing a federal law to stop theft of something will definitely solve the problem.

A number of members of the House came together to introduce the Equal Dignity for Married Taxpayers Act, so that the Internal Revenue Code will be modified to change any references to "himself" to just "self" and to replace "husband and wife" with any married couple.  Since the Supreme Court made its decision in DOMA, all this stuff is in place anyway, but we can't let the IRC be perfect.

Then there's the POW Accountability Act, which requires the VA to conduct a thorough review of the current list of former POWs to identify and correct any discrepancies.  Goodness knows that when a veteran shows up at the VA, his or her status as a former POW is critical in ensuring they get proper priority in receiving treatment.  It isn't like the VA is going to stash their paperwork in a drawer somewhere and let them die at home without ever being treated.  That could never happen.

And finally, the CECIL Act.  Yes, the late Cecil the Lion has had a new proposed law named after him.  According to the Huffington Post, The Conserving Ecosystems by Ceasing the Importation of Large (CECIL) Animal Trophies Act would extend current U.S. import and export restrictions on animal trophies to include species that have been proposed for listing as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. Current law provides protection only for species whose status on the list has been finalized by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and it can take over a year for the agency to complete an assessment.  Never mind that any attempt to import Cecil's head or skin into the U.S. would have been a violation of the Lacey Act.  It isn't enough to have one law against it, we need two or three, or maybe more.

Seriously?

Our words define us

Once again, someone of note has said something they claim does not represent how they feel or what they believe.  This time is it Hulk Hogan, professional wrestling icon.  What did he say?  Read it for yourself if you wish.  Hulk's rant


Now here is his apology.

"Eight years ago I used offensive language during a conversation. It was unacceptable for me to have used that offensive language; there is no excuse for it; and I apologize for having done it.  This is not who I am. I believe very strongly that every person in the world is important and should not be treated differently based on race, gender, orientation, religious beliefs or otherwise.  I am disappointed with myself that I used language that is offensive and inconsistent with my own beliefs."

I know I've ranted about this before.  But stop saying that your words aren't who you are.  Especially when you're recorded calling yourself a racist and then you deny being one after the tape is leaked.  Being drunk isn't an excuse.  Being angry isn't an excuse.  They're your words.  They formed in your mind and came out of your mouth (or fingers if typed/texted/written down).  Admitting you said something you should not have and apologizing for it is enough.  Claiming the words don't represent who you are rings hollow.  It lessens your apology.  Let the absence of such statements going forward prove who you are.  If one person who has done a lot makes a mistake like this, owns up to it, and doesn't repeat it, their legacy won't be all about that one gaffe.  Unless of course the error is completely unforgivable, which makes any apology and attempt to defend the statement futile.  Calling your girlfriend by some hot model's name the first time you make love is a really big gaffe.  But doing it on the night of your 25th wedding anniversary is pretty much unforgivable.

Always remember, engage your brain before you put your mouth in gear.

* * *

Speaking of engaging one's brain before speaking, let's look at this video involving a Medford, MA detective who has 30 years on the force (according to multiple sources):

Stephen LeBert, the detective (perhaps we should call him the DIQ, dickhead in question) epitomizes what is wrong with a small percentage of the law enforcement officers in our nation.  He's badge-heavy.  He has a 415 personality, in California copspeak.  He's a jerk who loves to use the power his badge gives him to abuse the public.  No police officer at any time, under any circumstance should be talking about blowing a hole through someone's head.  Not in public, and not to someone that you've just pulled over.  His other comments are equally reprehensible.  He should be severely disciplined and probably fired or forced to retire.  He is not the type of person we want protecting us from criminals.  He may make a lot of arrests, but how many rules did he break to make them?  How many innocents were arrested by this man because of his various problems?  He gives good cops a bad name.


* * *

Random Ponderings:

As I mentioned on my Facebook page, I'm old, tired and physically disabled.  But if the federal government were to issue me a permit, I would stalk that dentist who killed Cecil the lion.  I would put arrows into each of this asshat's knees so he can never hunt again.

On a related note, those writing the scathing reviews on Yelp of this jerk dentist are a waste of time.  They will be gone in a few weeks.  Remember the used car folks who humiliated a pizza delivery driver back in January of this year?  Now their Yelp page has 793 pages of reviews (7,942 reviews) that were removed for violating the terms of service, and can no longer be seen.

I am so excited that I will not have to work in the office or teach any classes tomorrow (Wednesday, 7/29).

No matter how beautiful the make-up artists, stylists and physical trainers make the Kardashian women appear, their vanity, vapidness and utter disdain for the rest of humanity makes them ugly through and through.

 Lady Gaga's fiance bought her three pairs of boots at a cost of $295,000.  While all the money went to charity, it still seems a tad excessive.

Donald Trump's real net worth is nowhere near what he claims it is, and he does not have the cash liquidity to finance a general election campaign on his own.

Loren Wade, oldest employee of Walmart celebrated his 103 birthday and 33 years with the giant retailer recently.  I think he'll qualify to begin receiving his retirement benefits from the company in another 20 years or so.

I'm not in favor of a blanket forgiveness for the entire balance of outstanding student loans.  However, it is time for the federal government to recognize that even the plans they offer to reduce monthly payments and total loan obligations in return for 10, 15 or 20 years of payments are simply too burdensome for some of the borrowers.  Such loans should be allowed to be discharged in bankruptcy.

Jane Birkin wants her name taken off of the Hermes Birkin bag.  Should they just call it the Hermes Really Overpriced Bag?

Kris Jenner went to Caitlyn Jenner's home for a "girl to girl" talk.  That had to be really strange for both of them.

BTW, the new calls from Hulk Hogan for the arrest of anyone from Gawker who was involved in leaking the tape with his racist rant is ridiculous.

Failure to Obey a Lawful Order

Just finished watching the dashcam video of the arrest of Sandra Bland.  Wow.  Powerful.

Let's get through the legal stuff first.  There is no statute in Texas where you can be charged with "failure to obey a lawful order."  None.  That doesn't mean a police officer can't give you an order that is lawful and you won't face a consequence if you fail to comply.  It just means that the failure to obey in and of itself isn't the offense.  For example, if you are engaged in a peaceful protest, at a time when the protest is no longer peaceful; the police can order you to disperse.  Failure to comply will result in your arrest.  It could result in a conviction.  The offense won't read "failure to obey a lawful order."

However, Sandra Bland had no "right" to refuse to exit her vehicle.  In Texas you can be arrested for any minor traffic violation, except speeding and violating the state's open container law.  Now that doesn't mean the officer has to make an arrest.  In fact, if you will sign a promise to appear on the traffic ticket itself, there is no need to make an arrest.  But when a cop tells you to get out of your vehicle, failure to comply can result in arrest.  Not following the officer's commands once you are placed under arrest can result in a resisting arrest charge.

The officer handled this traffic stop poorly.  If his intent was to issue a written warning.  Asking her if something was wrong was a loaded question that was almost certainly destined to create trouble.  When you're writing someone up, even a warning, you don't try to pry into how it makes them feel.  They will not be happy.  Write the citation and move forward.  Be polite.  Be courteous.  Even in the face of attitude.  It isn't worth the hassle.  I've issued tickets on military posts where if the look on the face of the violator could have killed, I'd be one dead person right now.

Ms Bland should not have gotten confrontational with the cop.  If a cop asked me if something was wrong as they were writing me a ticket I'd say "nope" and just sign the ticket.  Again, there's nothing to be gained from a confrontation.  Swearing at a cop and being confrontational is a losing battle from the very beginning.  You can't win and you can lose big.

I'd place the blame here at about 90% on the cop and about 10% on Ms Bland.  If this officer had been better trained and more experienced, this would never have gone where it went.  Her confrontational attitude only made matters worse.

What happened in the jail cell is another matter entirely and is worthy of an exhaustive investigation.  Let's hope that whoever is responsible is held to answer.  This woman should not be dead.

The Franchise Four

As part of the festivities for the Major League Baseball All-Star game, MLB published the "Franchise Four," a list of some of the best players ever.  Here is the list, with my comments on each section of it:

Greatest Living Players
Hank Aaron
Johnny Bench
Sandy Koufax
Willie Mays

I have no real issues with this grouping.  There is a case to be made for Barry Bonds but considering his use of PEDs, he doesn't belong here.  There is also a case to be made for Pete Rose but he's still banned for gambling so I don't consider him eligible.

Greatest Negro Leagues Players
Cool Papa Bell
Josh Gibson
Buck O'Neil
Satchel Paige

Buck O'Neil was a good player and after he hung up his spikes became baseball's first African-American scout.  He signed Lou Brock among others.  But as far as actual playing goes, I'd rank both Oscar Charleston and Pop Lloyd ahead of him.

Greatest Pioneers
Walter Johnson
Nap Lajoie
Christy Mathewson
Cy Young

Houston, we have a problem here.  Nap Lajoie was a great player.  But including him and omitting Tyrus Raymond Cobb is a travesty.  They played in the same era of baseball for the most part, Cobb joining the majors only nine years after Lajoie.  It was Cobb who made the stolen base an offensive weapon, setting records for single-season and career totals that weren't surpassed until decades later.  Cobb remains holder of the record for highest career batting average.  Cobb got more votes in the initial Baseball Hall of Fame voting than any other player.  The other players in this group represent the three greatest pitchers in baseball during the first third of the 20th century and deserve to be here.

Angels
Vladimir Guerrero
Nolan Ryan
Tim Salmon
Mike Trout

I'd rank Jim Fregosi a fraction ahead of Mike Trout but only because it is so early in Trout's career.  This is Trout's 5th season.  At this rate he moves ahead of Fregosi on my list at the end of this season.

Astros
Jeff Bagwell
Lance Berkman
Craig Biggio
Nolan Ryan

No issues here.

Athletics
Dennis Eckersley
Jimmie Foxx
Rickey Henderson
Reggie Jackson

I have to rank Vida Blue ahead of Dennis Eckersley based on the fact that the A's won three World Series titles during Blue's time while winning only one during Eckersley's tenure with the team.

Blue Jays
Roberto Alomar
Joe Carter
Carlos Delgado
Roy Halladay

Limiting this list to only four players makes it difficult.  Who would you remove from the above quartet to add Dave Steib or Pat Hentgen?  I wouldn't touch this foursome.

Braves
Hank Aaron
Chipper Jones
Greg Maddux
Warren Spahn

Chipper Jones - 8 time All-Star, MVP award, 2 Silver Slugger awards and1 World Series title.  Dale Murphy - 7 time All-Star, 2 MVP awards (in consecutive years no less), 4 Silver Slugger awards and 5 consecutive Gold Glove awaards.  Tough call.

Brewers
Cecil Cooper
Rollie Fingers
Paul Molitor
Robin Yount

No issues here.  The franchise has only been in existence since 1969.

Cardinals
Lou Brock
Bob Gibson
Rogers Hornsby
Stan Musial

If Grover Cleveland Alexander had spent more than four seasons with the Cards, he'd be in the mix here.  Sans Earl Averill's line drive off of the foot of Dizzy Dean, the National League's last 30 game winner would be worthy of discussion.  But the problem with the limit of only four is glaring here, as how can you exclude the Wizard of Oz, Ozzie Smith.  15 time All-Star, 13 Gold Gloves, a Silver Slugger award and a World Series title.

Cubs
Ernie Banks
Ryne Sandberg
Ron Santo
Billy Williams

From 1926 to 1930, Hack Wilson averaged 183 hits, 35 home runs and 142 RBIs for the Cubs.  He belongs in the discussion.  The omission of Fergie Jenkins is a travesty.  Mordecai "Three-Finger" Brown is also worthy of mention.

D-backs
Paul Goldschmidt
Luis Gonzalez
Randy Johnson
Curt Schilling

No issues here.

Dodgers
Don Drysdale
Sandy Koufax
Jackie Robinson
Duke Snider

Again, this is really tough.  Roy Campenella might have been the best catcher of all-time had his career not been tragically cut short.  In his ten seasons he was the MVP three different times.  But who do you omit to include him?  Pee Wee Reese was a great on-field leader and an All-Star for ten consecutive seasons.  But there are only four slots.

Giants
Barry Bonds
Willie Mays
Willie McCovey
Buster Posey

Christy Mathewson is listed among the pioneers so that's alright.  But Bill Terry, Carl Hubbell, Mel Ott and Rube Marquard all deserve inclusion ahead of Buster Posey

Indians
Bob Feller
Tris Speaker
Jim Thome
Omar Vizquel

I tend to think of Tris Speaker as a member of the Red Sox, but he did play for a decade in Cleveland so that's fair.  People have forgotten about Addie Joss for the most part, which is sad.  Early Wynn however was a 300 game winner and belongs in the mix here.

Mariners
Ken Griffey Jr.
Felix Hernandez
Edgar Martinez
Ichiro Suzuki

No issues here.


Marlins
Jeff Conine
Mike Lowell
Gary Sheffield
Giancarlo Stanton

No issues here.

Mets
Keith Hernandez
Mike Piazza
Tom Seaver
David Wright

Jerry Koosman belongs in the conversation here.

Nationals/Expos
Gary Carter
Andre Dawson
Vladimir Guerrero
Tim Raines

No issues here.

Orioles
Jim Palmer
Cal Ripken Jr.
Brooks Robinson
Frank Robinson

Eddie Murray is another example of why four is too small a number for some of these clubs.  Same for George Sisler.

Padres
Tony Gwynn
Trevor Hoffman
Randy Jones
Dave Winfield

No issues here.

Phillies
Richie Ashburn
Steve Carlton
Robin Roberts
Mike Schmidt

No issues here.

Pirates
Roberto Clemente
Bill Mazeroski
Willie Stargell
Honus Wagner

Where is Ralph Kiner?  Bill Mazeroski was a defensive superstar and was part of two World Series champion teams; however, Kiner led the NL in home runs each of the seven seasons he was with the Pirates.  He averaged 42 HRs a season during that run and led the majors in HRs for years 2 through 7 of that period.

Rangers
Adrian Beltre
Ivan Rodriguez
Nolan Ryan
Michael Young

No issues here.

Rays
Evan Longoria
David Price
James Shields
Ben Zobrist

No issues here.

Red Sox
Pedro Martinez
David Ortiz
Ted Williams
Carl Yastrzemski

I rank Tris Speaker way above David Ortiz.  Ortiz has 2,232 hits with a career average of .283.  Speaker had over 3,500 hits with a career average of .345.  Ortiz can't field worth a damn.  Speaker holds the MLB records for outfielders for career assists, unassisted double plays and double plays.  Both have three World Series rings.  It's no contest.

Reds
Johnny Bench
Barry Larkin
Joe Morgan
Pete Rose

Frank Robinson was recognized for his play with the Orioles and so while he had ten great seasons here, the four listed players are okay by me.

Rockies
Andres Galarraga
Todd Helton
Troy Tulowitzki
Larry Walker

No issues here.

Royals
George Brett
Dan Quisenberry
Bret Saberhagen
Frank White

No issues here.

Tigers
Miguel Cabrera
Ty Cobb
Hank Greenberg
Al Kaline

Charlie Gehringer is another example of why four is too few.  Hall of Famer, 19 seasons (all with the Tigers), almost 2,900 hits, a career average of  .320 and two consecutive game streaks that exceeded 500 games.

Twins
Rod Carew
Harmon Killebrew
Tony Oliva
Kirby Puckett

Burt Blyleven and Goose Goslin are worthy of being in the discussion.


White Sox
Harold Baines
Paul Konerko
Minnie Minoso
Frank Thomas

This may be the worst example here of the modern bias.  Harold Baines was a really good player but never got even 7% of the votes on the Hall of Fame ballot.  "Easy" Ed Walsh spent 13 seasons with the White Sox and was one of the most dominant pitchers in the game.  He has the best career ERA for pitchers with more than five seasons at .182.  His WHIP is the lowest ever.  Nellie Fox spent 14 seasons with the Sox, was one of the finest 2nd basemen ever, 15 time All-Star, 3 Gold Gloves, 1959 AL MVP and the third most difficult hitter to strike out in baseball history.  Eddie Collins was also a great 2nd basement decades earlier for the Sox, with 4 World Series Rings, 4 stolen base titles and the 1914 MVP.  He had 3,314 hits.  Luke Appling and Red Faber are also worthy of being in the mix here.  And if Pete Rose belongs in any franchise four, then Shoeless Joe Jackson should be listed for the White Sox.

Yankees
Joe DiMaggio
Lou Gehrig
Mickey Mantle
Babe Ruth

I could name a second four here and still leave people out.  Phil Rizzuto, Thurman Munson, Whitey Ford and Yogi Berra.  Are the four players listed by the Franchise Four the best the Yankees ever had?  Probably.  Babe Ruth was the greatest player ever, no contest.  His slugging percentage and OPS remain the highest ever.  Among Hall of Fame pitchers with more than 100 decisions, his winning percentage is the second highest ever (he will drop to 3rd highest when Pedro Martinez is inducted into the HOF later this year).

This was fun!

In Harm's Way

“I wish to have no Connection with any Ship that does not Sail fast for I intend to go in harm's way" - John Paul Jones

The brave men and women who volunteer to serve in our nation's Armed Forces choose to put themselves in harm's way when they enlist (or for officers, are commissioned).  We have an obligation to provide them with every possible means of surviving their military service without being harmed.  So why do we not arm; or provide armed guards for those whose military duty station exposes them to what happened in Chatanooga?

When it comes to the Marine Corps, I'd have no objection to every single one of them being armed at every recruiting station and other non-military-base posting.  Every Marine is first and foremost a rifleman (did they ever get around to changing that to rifleperson?)  Same with Army personnel.  Not all Navy or Air Force personnel get enough training in weapons handling to make me comfortable with a blanket policy of arming them.  Perhaps they should be properly trained before taking on such assignments.  It would certainly be more cost effective than putting armed guards in place to protect them when they should be capable of protecting themselves.

We owe them our best efforts to keep them safe.  That's what they do for us every single day.

* * *

Did the late Kim Fowley, manager of the all-girl rock band The Runaways, actually rape Jackie Fox, the band's bassist?  Did the other members of the band watch this in a motel room?  That is what Ms Fox claims in a story in the Huffington Post.  Joan Jett claims she has no memory of the incident and wishes "healing" for Jackie.  Cherie Curie says she will take a polygraph to prove she did not sit idly by as Jackie was "brutally" raped.  Kim Fowley died in January of this year and isn't able to confirm or deny the allegations.

Sunday night, on my way home from a trivia tournament, I had a long drive ahead of me and so I channel-surfed on the radio for something interesting to listen to.  I stumbled on an interview that had just started with Kari Lee Krome.  She is one of the co-founders of The Runaways even though she never actually played in the band.  She's a songwriter and she's the one who discovered Joan Jett and brought her to the attention of Fowley (or so the story goes).  She had a lot to say about this night and confirms the allegations of Ms Fuchs (Fox, gone back to her real name before it was changed for her inclusion in the group).  She sounded honest and open about having experienced a traumatic event as a bystander.

She also pointed something out that may explain the reticence of Ms Jett and Ms Curie to state that they were bystanders who failed to act at the time.  Everyone there had been drinking alcohol and/or taking drugs.  When your a teen and your under the influence, your recollection of events can be altered quite easily by the passage of time.

Personally I don't believe that Curie, Jett or Krome; or any of the other bystanders are 'guilty' of anything except being traumatized by having witnessed violence.  The alleged perpetrator is dead.  No one can be held responsible for anything.  We should all support Ms Fuchs and the others in their healing process.

* * *

Random Ponderings:

Please tell me that the only connection Ryan Reynolds will have to the new Green Lantern movie will be if he buys a ticket to see it in a theater.  Please?

The idiots who flew drones over the fire on I-15 today, keeping firefighters from water-drops that might have saved cars that burned up on the freeway should be prosecuted.  Or at least held liable for damages for the destruction they contributed to.

There's a pic of Kim Kardashian without makeup making the rounds.  The face I always wanted to see sans makeup was that of Tammy Faye Bakker.  That's because I know it was Jimmy Hoffa hiding under all that gunk.

Alex Rocco, who played "Moe Greene" in The Godfather has passed away.  He appeared in more than 150 feature films and television programs, ranging from the masterpiece above to things like Herbie Goes Bananas and two episodes of T. J. Hooker.  RIP.

Dear Abby got a letter from a woman who refused to respect her mother's privacy and read her diary.  She learned she's a child of rape and wants to talk to her mom about it.  Worst of all, Dear Abby encouraged her to do so.  That's just wrong.  Daughter should go find a therapist and talk to them and leave her poor mother alone.

Rachel Dolezal is now claiming she didn't deceive anyone.  Proving that she was the first victim of her deceptions.

AshleyMadison.com is a website for married folk who want to have an affair.  Hackers are threatening to release the site's records including names and sexual kinks.  Sucks to be an adulterer.  If the records do come out I'll have to scan and see if either of my ex-wives are listed.

Why did it take President Obama so long to order flags lowered to half-staff for the Chattanooga shooting victims?

Someone should return the favor to Donald "Toupee" Trump and give out his private cell number after he did that to Senator Lindsay Graham.

Some idiot asked Selena Gomez to rank her own "hotness" during a call-in interview.  That's just wrong.

Another broken promise from Hillary Clinton.  During the 2008 campaign she said she'd never raise capital gains tax rates above the 20% level.  Now she is talking about increasing them if she's elected.  Sad thing is that she's right.  They need to be raised.  Broken promise = good idea.

It isn't just the 11th Commandment

Ronald Reagan said the 11th Commandment is "Thou Shalt Not Speak Ill of Any Republican."  While he didn't author the phrase, he is the one who made it popular.  Now let's go to the video of the most recent, egregious violation of this rule:

Donald Trump, a man who used four student deferments and a medical deferment for a bone spur on his heel to avoid serving during the Vietnam War, is calling a career Navy officer who spent five and a half years in a POW camp, two of which were served in solitary confinement; not a hero.  The next day in an interview with ABC News he went even further, claiming he doesn't owe an apology to Senator McCain:

Former CBS reporter Sharyl Attkinson says the Washington Post miscast the words of Mr. Trump.  You just heard the words.  What do you think?  I'm of the mind that Mr. Trump was saying that Senator McCain was only a hero BECAUSE he had been captured.

That's just plain bullshit.  During his tour of duty aboard a Navy aircraft carrier off the coast of Vietnam, then Lieutenant Commander McCain flew 22 bombing missions over North Vietnam before being shot down on his 23rd mission.  That's heroic in and of itself.  Surviving those years in the POW camp is definitely heroic.  But most of all, refusing early release because his father was a high ranking Navy Admiral unless all other POWs who had been captured before him would be released at the same time as he was set free is amazingly heroic.

Donald Trump criticized the record of Senator McCain in terms of a failure to help veterans.  Let's look at the record.  In 1999 Senator McCain introduced legislation to identify and assist homeless veterans.   Later that same year, Senator McCain asked the Senate to increase funding for the VA by $3 billion, complaining that funding had been "flat" in recent years, leading to cutbacks in services.   In 2008 Senator McCain, along with other senators, introduced legislation to enhance and increase educational benefits for active-duty military personnel and veterans.  He's been at the forefront of the effort to reduce the backlog in disability benefit claims processing as well as calling for investigation into allegations that a VA facility in AZ and others were involved in cooking the books and preventing veterans from receiving healthcare they are entitled to.  There's a lot more, but the point that needed to be made before asking the next question has been made.

So what in the world has Donald Trump ever done to help veterans?  Well, this past June he did speak at a luncheon to raise money for a veterans memorial in Coralville, IA.  Funny how that sounds more like a campaign event than something designed to aid veterans.  He was on the organizing committee for an event to raise money for the Wounded Warrior project.  Wow, he helped organize.  Perhaps when and if Mr. Trump releases his income tax returns as part of the candidate vetting process, we will learn just how much he's done for veterans.

We do know that when a charity event scheduled for his golf course in Rancho Palos Verdes canceled due to his offensive remarks about Mexicans, Trump refused to return their $7,500 deposit.  That's a much better indicator of how he feels about worthy charities.

Donald Trump, a man who hasn't spent a single day in his life in the service of this nation is a toupee-wearing wimp who needs to apologize to Senator McCain for casting aspersions on the man's heroism.  Then Trump should leave politics and go back to firing people on The Celebrity Apprentice.  If the network would take him back, which I doubt.

 

A question or an editorial?

I'm sure you're aware that the U. S. and Iran have reached a deal on nuclear weapons, subject to the "approval" of the Congress.  President Obama spoke about this and then took questions.  Major Garrett (that's his name, he never served in the military) asked the following:

"As you well know, there are four Americans in Iran, three held on trumped-up charges, according to your administration, one whereabouts unknown.  Can you tell the country, sir, why you are content with all the fanfare around this deal to leave the conscience of this nation, the strength of this nation unaccounted for in relation to these four Americans?  And last week, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said under no circumstances should there be any relief for Iran in terms of ballistic missiles or conventional weapons.  It is perceived that that was a last-minute capitulation in these negotiations. Many in the Pentagon feel you've left the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff hung out to dry. Would you comment?"

President Obama was the first to take him to task for this question.  His response was:

" I've got to give you credit, Major, for how you craft those questions.  The notion that I'm content as I celebrate with American citizens languishing in Iranian jails, Major, that's nonsense, and you should know better.  I’ve met with the families of some of those folks. Nobody is content, and our diplomats and our teams are working diligently to try to get them out. Now, if the question is why we did not tie the negotiations to their release, think about the logic that that creates."

Major Garrett is the Chief White House Correspondent for CBS News and as such is no stranger to the President.  Did he go too far with this question to President Obama?   CNN's Dana Bash, the network's Chief Congressional Correspondent said this, "There’s a fine line between asking a tough question and maybe crossing that line a little bit and being disrespectful, and I think that happened here."  Clearly she thinks he went too far.

I do not agree with her.  Part of being a journalist means you have to ask the tough question.  Some on social media are saying that what Mr. Garrett did was to editorialize and not pose a real or direct question.  I disagree with that as well.  Restated, his two questions were, is the President okay with all of the celebrating going on over this accord while four Americans remain hostage with the nation we just made a deal with; and, did he hang his own Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff out to dry with the agreement's terms regarding ballistic missiles and conventional weapons.

They are both excellent, tough questions.  Questions the President did not want to respond to.  Should the release of the hostages been tied to this deal?  No.  The Iranians would have sought extra questions.  If we had wanted to use these negotiations to leverage the release of those hostages we should have refused to negotiate until the hostages were freed.  There was no way the economic sanctions in place against Iran would have ended without these negotiations being successful.  Should President Obama be "content" that four Americans languish in the custody of the Iranians while he trumpets this successful achievement?  That's for the president to determine on his own.  A better answer than scolding his questioner might well have been, "I'm pleased we were able to make a deal but remain saddened yet hopeful that we will ultimately gain the release of these four Americans who are being held improperly."  It isn't an all or nothing issue.  You're allowed to be happy you accomplished something and still feel sad you didn't get everything you wanted done, done.

Elected officials get indignant when asked the tough questions.  When Pat Robertson was out in his "pre-campaign" prior to his actual campaign for the 1988 presidential nomination, I asked him a couple of tough questions and he was not pleased.  I've had other politicians scold me or ignore me for asking questions they didn't want to deal with.  Asking these questions comes with the job of being a journalist just as ducking those questions goes hand in hand with being a politician.

Well done, Mr. Garrett.

Going a bit too far

In Bloomfield Hills, MI (a suburb of Detroit) a judge sent three kids to live in a juvenile detention facility.  Doesn't seem unusual until you hear their transgression.  The three, siblings aged 15, 10 and 9, refused to talk to their father.  Refused to sit down to lunch with him.  Refused to have a relationship with him.

While the media spin on the story makes it seem worse than it is, it is still a miscarriage of justice.  To tell a 15 year old boy who claims to have seen his father hitting his mother and causing her pain that he will be stuck in juvenile detention until his 18th birthday is reprehensible.  Even if the judge relents in September, the damage will be done.  This boy and his siblings will have spent weeks upon end without access to their mother.  One of the judge's orders was that the mother is not allowed to visit her children.

This is ridiculous.  You shouldn't bar any parent from visiting their children unless they've been accused of neglect or child endangerment.  Even then they should be entitled to supervised visitation of some sort.  To tell a son he won't get to see his mother for the entire period from age 15 to 18 boggles the mind.

Update:  As of Friday, July 10th, the judge released the three kids so they could attend a two week summer camp at the request of their father.  What will happen after camp has yet to be determined.


* * *

Bruce Bochy, manager of the San Francisco Giants is being a jerk by leaving Clayton Kershaw off of the NL All-Star roster.  Why do I say this?  Because Kershaw is the reigning MVP and Cy Young Award winner.  He's only the 11th pitcher in history to win both awards in the same season.  Of the other ten, only three weren't named to the All-Star roster the following season.  Vida Blue is one of the three but he was holding out for a better contract that year and wasn't eligible to play in the All-Star game.  Why Roger Clemens was not on the roster in 1987 is a mystery to me as he won his 2nd straight Cy Young Award that year.  In 1993 Dennis Eckersley's stats and performance fell off sharply although he did save 36 games, off from 51 the year before.

Bochy chose one of his own, Madison Baumgartner over Kershaw.  That's the norm, but when we're talking about someone who won both of the "big" awards the prior year, that changes things.  It's a serious diss to Kershaw.  He says it doesn't bother him but it isn't the first time Bochy has snubbed the Dodger great.

Considering that the Dodgers haven't managed to get to a World Series since 1988, it may be a long time before a Dodger manager can get some payback.  Meanwhile, Kershaw tossed a 5-0 complete game shutout on Wednesday evening, striking out 13 (7 of them caught looking).  Was he motivated by the snub from Bochy?  I think he was.

* * *

Random Ponderings:

There's no reason for Facebook to be suggesting people to me as friends when we have no friends in common, and these people happen to be my clients and/or coworkers.  It's way too intrusive.

Bill Cosby was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2002.  Now a non-profit that works to prevent sexual assault is calling on the White House to strip him of the award.   That's not appropriate, just as the call to take his star off the Walk of Fame in Hollywood is wrong.  Those awards are given out for specific achievements.  Character might be a factor in choosing to make the award, but once given, that should be the end.  I'm not defending the scumbag, he almost certainly assaulted and drugged those women.

Someone needs to tell Scott Disick that getting some isn't an excuse for missing your daughter's 3rd birthday.  Or any other birthday prior to your kid graduating college.

The old J. C. Penney's at the old 3rd Street Mall in Santa Monica was a three story building that had an elevator operator back in the day.  An elevator operator for a three-story building's operator sounds as useless as a screen door on a submarine.

The FBI is now saying that Dylann Roof shouldn't have been able to buy the gun he used in the murder of nine people in that church shooting in Charleston, but a clerical error allowed the purchase to go through.  All the gun control laws in the universe won't stop anything if preventable errors cause this type of system failure.  Then again Adam Lanza didn't need to go out and buy a gun to murder 26 teachers and children at Sandy Hook Elementary.  He just used one his mother had purchased legally.

I want to see a Karaoke Battle between Christina Aguilera and Jennifer Lawrence where both sing only Cher songs.  That would rock.

I saw this on Kitchen Nightmares.  Fast forward to around the 27 minute mark.  This just imploded.   You can read the Yelp Reviews (very mixed, great and awful) here:  Amy's Baking Company 
The reason I mention it is that I saw a news item that says they're closing their doors, but it has nothing to do with the bad publicity from 2013.  Yeah, right.

Kudos to the police officer in a small town in Kansas who went to Walmart to give a citation to a woman and her 15 year old daughter for shoplifting.  He wrote the citation but then paid for the necessities they had tried to steal.  They're homeless and the single parent family of mom and six kids are living out of a car.  Very generous of him.

The "trade Puig/fire Mattingly" talk is hotter than ever in Los Angeles.  Meanwhile they lead the West by 5.5 games and their two best pitchers, Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke are performing at their best.  Kershaw threw a complete game shutout in his last start and Greinke went eight scoreless innings on Thursday night to run his current streak of scoreless innings to 35 and 2/3rds.  Puig may be a clubhouse cancer but is it time to give up on his extreme potential as a player now?

Kid Rock can talk about the "Southern Pride aspects" of the Confederate Battle Flag all he wants but it's still a symbol of hatred and racism.  So if he wants to fly that symbol at his concerts, he should be prepared for the criticism.

Note to Jeb Bush - You can't work longer hours.  An hour has only sixty minutes in it and you can't change that.

Omar Sharif has died at the age of 83 from a heart attack.  It was revealed recently that he was suffering from Alzheimer's Disease.  When I hear his name I think of this shot:

Panavision created a special 482 mm lens for the shot of Sharif riding through the desert toward Peter O'Toole that's never been used since this was filmed.  It's an amazing work.

I'm still shaking my head over something one of the "reporters" at TMZ said on their show today.  There was speculation that Beyonce and Jay-Z were buying the rights to the Confederate flag to prevent it from being displayed and someone asked "why don't the Jews buy the rights to the swastika" to which this asshat actually replied "the Jews are too cheap to put up the money."  Will anyone complain?  Doubtful.

I'm blown away by the fact that Gene Simmons of KISS is a major comic book fan.  He knows the real names of Bob Kane and Stan Lee.  That's awesome.

 

My July 4th Rant About Freedom

I ranted in this forum on July 4th about how most of us really aren't truly free in the U. S. and now today I want to take pains to make sure that my meaning isn't misconstrued.  I love my country.  I gave a decade of my life to it, serving in our military.  I was ready to go to war for my country if need be.  In fact, in November of 1984 when a firefight broke out inside the Korean peninsula's Demilitarized Zone while I was stationed in South Korea, I thought we were going to do just that.  We were issued weapons and ammunition and I was convinced we were going to have to fight.

I treasure the freedoms this nation provides us.  Freedom of expression.  Freedom of religion, including the right to be free from religion.  I can say whatever I want about our elected leaders and/or those running for public office without fear of reprisal from the government.  In February of 1985 I got tear-gassed along with a bunch of college students in South Korea when they were demonstrating just outside their campus.  Wrong place, wrong time.  Some of them were arrested.  I'm sure they weren't treated as well as those who commit civil disobedience here.  I watched as 487 people were arrested outside the Nevada Nuclear Test Site in 1987 and all they got was a citation, a short ride in a vehicle and then they were released.  The citations were later dismissed.

Our nation has problems.  We need to work together to solve these problems.  I wrote about some of them yesterday.  That I took pains to point out that we are a nation that has problems doesn't mean I don't love my country.  I do.

I'm going to borrow some words from a fictional president named Andrew Shepherd because I think they are some of the best words ever written about what's going on in this country.  You can substitute any current presidential candidate's name for that of Bob Rumson in the following:

"  For the last couple of months, Senator Rumson has suggested that being president of this country was, to a certain extent, about character, and although I have not been willing to engage in his attacks on me, I've been here three years and three days, and I can tell you without hesitation: Being President of this country is entirely about character. For the record: yes, I am a card-carrying member of the ACLU. But the more important question is why aren't you, Bob? Now, this is an organization whose sole purpose is to defend the Bill of Rights, so it naturally begs the question: Why would a senator, his party's most powerful spokesman and a candidate for President, choose to reject upholding the Constitution? If you can answer that question, folks, then you're smarter than I am, because I didn't understand it until a few hours ago. America isn't easy. America is advanced citizenship. You gotta want it bad, 'cause it's gonna put up a fight. It's gonna say "You want free speech? Let's see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who's standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours. You want to claim this land as the land of the free? Then the symbol of your country can't just be a flag; the symbol also has to be one of its citizens exercising his right to burn that flag in protest. Show me that, defend that, celebrate that in your classrooms. Then, you can stand up and sing about the "land of the free". I've known Bob Rumson for years, and I've been operating under the assumption that the reason Bob devotes so much time and energy to shouting at the rain was that he simply didn't get it. Well, I was wrong. Bob's problem isn't that he doesn't get it. Bob's problem is that he can't sell it! We have serious problems to solve, and we need serious people to solve them. And whatever your particular problem is, I promise you, Bob Rumson is not the least bit interested in solving it. He is interested in two things and two things only: making you afraid of it and telling you who's to blame for it. That, ladies and gentlemen, is how you win elections. You gather a group of middle-aged, middle-class, middle-income voters who remember with longing an easier time, and you talk to them about family and American values and character.  This is a time for serious people, Bob, and your fifteen minutes are up. My name is Andrew Shepherd, and I *am* the President.

We have serious problems and I've yet to hear any real solutions from any of the candidates.  Bernie Sanders seems to have the best grasp on what some of these problems are, but he isn't offering any solutions at this point, merely identifying what's wrong.  I hope someone steps forward ready to lead rather than fear monger.

* * *

Over the course of the next three days, thousands of people will pay $10,000 to take part in the biggest poker tournament in the world.  The "Main Event" of the World Series of Poker begins today.  Actually there are three "Day One" competitions because the thousands of players won't all fit into the room at one sitting.  While the record number of entries (8,773) doesn't appear to be in jeopardy, there is hope that this year's total will top last year's 6,683.  That was the first increase in entries since 2010.  By July 15th the field will be whittled down to nine players who will face one another at the final table in November of this year.

Professional poker players, pro athletes, celebrities, and others will all put up their ten grand for a shot at a prize that might top $10 million.  The popularity of poker has exploded since 2003 when amateur player Chris Moneymaker was the last man standing in the field of 839 entries.  He pocketed $2.5 million.  His victory, televised on ESPN led to the number of entries tripling the following year and poker is more popular today than ever.

It's big business.  ESPN pays a lot of money for the rights to televise all 67 of the preliminary events in this year's tournament schedule.  Last weekend on ESPN2 they ran a number of prior year broadcasts.  The late Dick Van Patten was an excellent poker player and actually hosted ESPN's coverage of the main event in the mid 1990s.  In one of those prelim events 135 players paid $111,111 to compete.  The winner took home $3.9 million from a prize pool that exceeded $14 million.

Anyone with a dream and ten grand can take a shot.  Or even better, one can win their way into a seat in the main event through a satellite tournament.  That's how Chris Moneymaker got there.  His seat in the tournament was earned by winning a $40 entry on-line poker satellite.  $40 for a shot at the WSOP Main Event title and he went all the way.

If I had a bucket list, one of the items on it would be playing in the main event.

* * *

Random Ponderings:

Sad to hear of the passing of Jerry Weintraub, who produced some really big films in his heyday.  Without him the Ocean's 11 remakes and the Karate Kid movies would not have happened.  RIP

The illegal immigrant charged with the shooting death of a woman in San Francisco is claiming that the gun went off accidentally.  Considering the weapon was fired three times, it was three straight accidents.  Or, it was a handgun that has a setting for three shot bursts, which is highly unlikely.

You've got to be really drunk to put a fireworks tube atop your head and light it.  Or really stupid.  Or both.  The man who did this in Maine was killed instantly.  Maybe this will be some comfort to the Australian moron who tried to shoot fireworks out of his ass a few years ago, causing severe injuries.  At least he lived to enjoy his stupidity.

On a related note, Jason Pierre-Paul, an NFL star may have cost himself any chance at a long-term deal by suffering a severe hand injury while attempting to light fireworks.  He was slated to earn $14.8 million next year.

Hugh Jackman's wife says he's not allowed to work with Angelina Jolie.  Does she really think that would be a risky move? 

The Miss USA pageant is scrambling to find hosts for this year's pageant since every host that was signed to take part bailed after Donald Trump's remarks caused so much controversy.  Bob Eubanks and Stephanie Edwards might be available.  Or William Shatner and Candace Bergen could step in. 

Is a deposition in which Bill Cosby admitted to obtaining drugs for the purpose of giving them to women for sex the long-sought smoking gun?

While I normally do my best to avoid anything involving the fame-whore Kardashian clan, I would love to ask Kourtney what took her so long to dump the jerk who is father to her three kids?  He's been a loser since day one.

I want to know more about the incident but at first glance, the video of college FSU QB DeAndre Johnson punching a woman in the face at a bar appears to me to show that she threw the first punch

If you are old enough to be considered an adult in the eyes of the law at age 18, then you're old enough to decide for yourself whether or not you want to buy and smoke cigarettes.
.

Freedom

Today is our nation's birthday.  The anniversary of the day 239 years ago when we declared our independence from a tyrannical ruler an ocean away from our land.  Some may argue that we didn't actually win our freedom until the surrender of General Cornwallis in 1781 while others mark the signing of the Treaty of Paris as the point at which our freedom was secured.  Over two centuries later, what did this victory gain us?

We are arguable the most powerful nation on the Earth.  Vast natural resources, the ability to feed everyone on the planet if we choose to do so.  We are free to speak, worship and assemble as we wish without fear of infringement of these rights by our government.  We can travel within the 50 states without any limitations being placed upon our movements.

Yet as we gather on this holiday to celebrate our independence, our military and law enforcement forces are at a higher level of security against outside and internal threats than before our the day of our nation's birth.  The financial system of our nation, indeed of the world, faces a serious threat of collapse from tomorrow's referendum vote in Greece. 

The Republican majority in Congress continues to try to overturn the Affordable Care Act while more than 10% of our population remains without healthcare.  Nearly 1% of our adult population is not free today as they are locked in one of the countless prison facilities that dot our landscape.  Our prison population is the highest in the world.  Our current and former college students struggle under the heavy burden of more than $1 trillion in student loan debt; many of them working at jobs that do not pay nearly enough to allow them to repay these loans.  CNN just reported that one in every five children in the United States is dependent upon the food stamp program to be fed.  The exact number of people in our nation who will bed down tonight at something other than a permanent home address because they are homeless is in the hundreds of thousands.  Many of these are veterans who sacrificed much for our country and were subsequently kicked to the curb when they could no longer serve.

It is outrageous that tonight, in a land where there are trillions upon trillions of dollars in wealth, people will go hungry, sleep under freeway overpasses or in public parks, or worse.  That millions of crimes will be committed this month to fund addictions because we refuse to provide adequate resources to aid these victims.  It is criminal that we watch this nation's wealth more and more concentrated among a tiny few who care nothing about providing opportunity for those who enrich them to be provided with a decent standard of living.

Are we really free?  You tell me.

Religious Liberty

Katie Lang is the Hood County, TX County Clerk.  It is an elected position.  Up until late Monday, June 29th, the word was that her office would not be issuing same-sex marriage licenses because doing so would violate her "religious liberty."  She was basing this decision on a non-binding opinion issued by the Attorney General of Texas, Ken Paxton said that officials who have religious objections to issuing these licenses may refuse to do so.

Paxton is a fool.  He did take pains to point out that refusing to issue the licenses would put the person refusing to do so at risk of fines and/or lawsuits.  Ms Lang has now clarified her position and says that while she personally will not issue a same-sex marriage license, her staff will be issuing them as soon as the new forms are printed up.  A wise decision.

As an elected official, when Ms Lang was sworn in she took an oath to uphold the law.  The law of the land is that no state may pass laws that prohibit same-sex marriage.  The United States Supreme Court has issued a ruling, and unless/until it is superseded by another ruling from that august body, that's the way it is.

When you are a government official, you can't pick and choose which laws you will and won't comply with.  Every other government bureaucrat who plans to refuse compliance with this decision will wind up in a world of hurt in the long run.  Guess this is a case of "ask and ye shall receive."

* * *

Which of the following flags was the official flag of the Confederate States of America, during its brief existence?

The answers might surprise you.  These are the officials flags of the CSA:

The first one may seem to be what we consider to be the "Confederate" flag today, but that's actually a white flag with the corner containing what is really the battle flag of the Army of Northern Virginia.  That flag, known today as the Confederate Flag was never the official flag of the Confederacy.  Never. 

What differentiated the Union from the Confederacy in the eyes of those who still choose to label the Civil War as the "War of Northern Aggression?"  One thing.  Slavery.  In 1948, the people who fought to maintain the right to own other people were calling for the segregation of the races.  You can read their presidential "platform" here:  Dixiecrat Party Platform.  The relevant sections I'll extract and display here:

"

- 4 -

We stand for the segregation of the races and the racial integrity of each race; the constitutional right to choose one's associates; to accept private employment without governmental interference, and to earn one's living in any lawful way. We oppose the elimination of segregation, the repeal of miscegenation statutes, the control of private employment by Federal bureaucrats called for by the misnamed civil rights program. We favor home-rule, local self-government and a minimum interference with individual rights.

- 5 -

We oppose and condemn the action of the Democratic Convention in sponsoring a civil rights program calling for the elimination of segregation, social equality by Federal fiat, regulations of private employment practices, voting, and local law enforcement.

- 6 -

We affirm that the effective enforcement of such a program would be utterly destructive of the social, economic and political life of the Southern people, and of other localities in which there may be differences in race, creed or national origin in appreciable numbers"


This flag that so many are defending is a symbol of racial hatred.  Of segregation and discrimination.  It has no place being flown in a nation that was founded on the belief that we are all equal.


* * *

Governor Moonbeam shrugged off that nickname for a brief instant and signed SB227, the bill that makes it mandatory for children to be vaccinated before they can attend public schools in California.  Since the law doesn't apply to students in the 7th grade or higher it will be some time before the entire public school population K-12 will be immunized.  There will be lawsuits.  But in the end, we will all be safer because of this move.

There are risks in everything.  Some will point out that you're more likely to be struck by a car when crossing a street with the green WALK signal than you are with the red DON'T WALK signal.  There are risks of side-effects with vaccinations and for those who have lost a child, knowing that vaccinating all benefits the majority is of no comfort.

It is also worth of note that as of today, July 2, 2015, the United States has recorded its first death from measles since 2003.  A still unidentified woman in Washington died from complications of measles, having contracted it during the outbreak that began earlier this year at Disneyland.  One child whose parents chose not to vaccinate their child led to 117 others contracting the disease.

The claims there is a link between vaccinations and autism have been proven false by competent, reputable scientists and epidemiologists.

In my mind, I'm fine with you choosing not to vaccinate your kids.  Just so long as you school them at home and keep them away from the rest of us, so we don't get sick.  Sounds harsh and unfair, doesn't it?  The bottom line is, you don't get to risk the health of others to support your personal choice.  The woman known as Typhoid Mary definitely caused the deaths of three people and the total could actually have exceeded 50.

* * *

Random Ponderings:

While I don't want to see the so-called Confederate Flag flying at the South Carolina Capitol, TVLand's decision to cancel Dukes of Hazzard because of the display of that flag on the General Lee is ridiculous.  They show Hogan's Hero's, where we see symbols of the Nazis during WWII.  They are just as offensive to me.

Katy Perry sang "I Kissed A Girl and I Liked It" and now Miley Cyrus was photographed kissing a girl.  Did she like it?  Inquiring minds and all.

Reelz network will broadcast the Miss USA pageant.  I can imagine the audience will be way down from last year.  All of the hosts and most of the guests/judges have bailed out.  Will the Donald host it himself?  Doubtful.  I have this vision of one of Trump's assistants calling all the previous Miss USA titleholders to see if they're interested in hosting and all of them saying "no."

Katherine Heigl says she's learned from her public failures.  She's had several, but I think she really has learned something.  Maybe her past of being a serious diva/problem on set will stop and her acting chops will take her somewhere.  I'd like to see that.

Would someone please tell Scott Disick that his 15 minutes were up over an hour ago?

When I was at the movies earlier this week, Magic Mike XXL was letting out as I walked through the lobby and I would have sworn I could sense the estrogen flowing through the air as all those women headed out of the auditorium.

A poll on TMZ.com on who is hotter, Caitlyn Jenner or Kris Jenner favors Caitlyn 58% to 42%.  I'm only surprised her margin of victory isn't higher.

If it is true that the immigrant who allegedly shot and killed a woman in San Francisco earlier this week had been deported back to Mexico five times in the past, it is proof that we have a problem in how we deal with some illegal immigrants.  It doesn't prove a damn thing about what Trump the Toupee said about Mexicans.

While my upcoming review of Terminator: Genisys will not be as negative as the majority of the film's reviews seem to be, the disappointing box office tally for this $155 million-plus budgeted film is extremely disappointing.  Not all franchises will do well in reboot.

The Marvel cinematic universe lost out when they met with Ava DuVernay and couldn't make a deal for her to direct the Black Panther film coming out in 2017.  They should have trusted in her vision.  Whatever film we get will not be as good as what she would have created.