Author: admin

— Dave Barry

Road trip!  This is the best idea ever.  Road trip to Iowa.  Now I used to do that when my parents would bundle all of us children up in the car and with Mom in the passenger seat, we would go west from Detroit to Chariton, Iowa.  The purpose was always to see Grandma and Grandpa, my mother’s father and her step-mother.  In to farm country we went.  For Thanksgiving, and sometime during the summer for the Iowa State Fair.  Great stuff.

Now I know things have changed over the years, such as having a complete interstate highway system.  And Sirius radio so you do not go freakin’ nuts trying to find a radio station to change the noise pattern from highway roar to C&W truckin’ music.  And, there are no more Howard Johnson’s.

Doing the road trip in the van makes a lot more sense than in a bus.  You get to see the world as you drive by in a car.  In a bus the view is not the same.  You get to stop in gas stations every 300 miles (or less depending on your bladder).   Stopping in places lets you see prices.  Visiting towns or cities lets you see for yourself the price of gasoline and milk.  Critical knowledge points for those times when some smartass asks you what the price of milk is.

Doing the up close and personal with real people, like those working for a living, right now allows a lot of time in the future to remember these experiences when giving speeches.  I will say that having time to talk with HRC is something  important for those doing the personal contact thing, each of these people will have fine memories to share for a long period.  Personally, I would like to have the experience, just as I would with Obama.

This morning I was talking with someone, a federal employee, about waking up early and writing for Trail Mix.  She asked what the latest post was about and I told her Hillary’s announcement [. . .].  She asked If I was going to write support articles, I told her no.  I have no reason to write those here, but I would be writing things to remind her of who we are and to keep her aim at our level.  Also, posts about the Republican clown car; but those would be too easy so I would not do too many.

Tell a lie often enough and it might become believable. A lie travels around the world before the truth starts. There was peace in my lifetime.

The last is something I can say occurred in my lifetime, but it was only for a few months at a time, and it was so long ago most people were not alive then. Do you remember the 70’s, late 70’s? How about the Reagan era?

The U.S. has not been at peace in so long that it is “normal” to be losing American mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, husbands, wives and friends to enemy fire. The folded flag from the coffin is a last remembrance. How many loves of the dead throw the flag in the trash? How many mount it, along with the Purple Heart Medal, in the family room? How many cannot talk about the loss because most of America no longer feels the pain?

At the beginning of the Bush II war on Iraq I started posting the numbers of dead Americans on my website as a small way to let those visiting my website know that Americans were being killed in action and not being reported in the media. In the 60’s and early 70’s the evening news always had graphics for American dead AND North Vietnamese dead. It was a gruesome reminder everyday of the slaughter that was occurring in a beautiful country turned ugly by war. Right now I challenge everyone to find the number of Americans killed in action in Iraq and Afghanistan (also Pakistan for collateral KIA).

Tell me the last American military action that ended with the success promised by the war president in the White House at the time. I cannot think of any success in the Middle East, even Turkey is having problems. South East Asia? Philippines are definitely no longer under the control of the Spanish, but that was a long time ago and not under the last forty years of presidents. Caribbean? Please. The U.K. would have taken care of Grenada.

Am I willing to back Obama on this adventure? No. I am sure that the leader of the country is killing his population with poison gas. Is it something America can take care of? Yes. But, it would mean we go in country and cleanse it of poison gas. That is exactly what is not going to happen, if we believe Obama.

A few cruise missiles and a few bombings of the presidential palace will not end the slaughter. Only the world going in and taking control of the country will. And, that is not going to happen.

I now remember why I love Colorado.  Sure there may be a three foot blizzard with twenty foot deep drifts.  It might be twenty below zero and the wind howling above one hundred miles per hour.  But, when it quiets down, all is peaceful and quiet. The air is so clear, you can see one hundred miles. The night stars are so bright and shiny; the cold popping out ice crystals which shimmer and gleam in the moonlight as they float in the sharp air.

Right now I am looking at a destroyed canopy, broken and filled with snow, blocking my path to the wood pile.  The snow looking like soggy white blankets covering and smothering all that is nature and man made in the backyard.  Out front, the American flag is wrapped on its pole, choked in white, twisted in agony from its struggle to stay flying in the winter hell.

There is only one good thing in the air, more Hillary and emails, and the magic word has appeared to save her from the Republican onslaught – Benghazi.  Oh the name evokes such visceral emotions (on one side of the aisle only).  Such a name.  Poor Benghazi, it has been placed into Republican infamy.  America has Pearl Harbor and 9-11.  Republicans have Benghazi.

As soon as I saw that the Republicans went to the Benghazi attack, I knew HRC was on the mend.  It is like the fool who has one hand on the bird, but hears another in the bush.  The fool lets the one in hand fly away and can’t grab the one in the bush due to a shield of Benghazi wrapping her delicate feathers in steel.

Benghazi, a wonderful script, written without understanding how stupid it makes the screamer.  When will the deaf hear the screams of “you are an idiot”?  How will they ever see the script ends with our heroine standing on the worms of the losers.  Are they zombies, stuck on one thought?  Oh, but for Benghazi, our ‘not a candidate’ candidate would be lost, leaving us with men to contemplate for the power seat.

Give me a home where the Benghazi roam.  Nah, too weighted with irony.

Imagine 80 year old Saint Ronnie, on the top of the Jefferson Memorial, over looking the Potomac, in his loin cloth, feet planted well. with one near the edge of the dome.  His arms rising slowly while his unwashed followers (okay maybe they wash in the shower too much) stare intently, waiting for the signal.  Reagan carefully makes a megaphone of his hands around his mouth.  His eyes dull from just awakening from his morning nap.  Desperate for the sound, his followers breathe slowly.  Then you hear it.  “BENGHAZIIIIIII” A roar erupts and shakes the Mall as those believers stamp their spears and shout back “HILLARY”.

Eh, It makes great visuals.

— Dorothy Parker

While sitting watching the dreary Beltway weather forecast something popped into my head. What are the political implications of a Vanity Fair cover? Specifically that of a Republican woman? A woman who had previously changed her name, and not because she married?

Oh my have I heard crickets from the very people who would have been all over the airways if Big Dog had done anything like that. The explosion in Congress never occurred. Or at least is delayed. The RNC has gone missing.

The main political blast or rather, question, is from the Washington Post, “” That is a very good question. One I think will be answered once the Republicans show up with hat in hand trying to fund their campaigns for president.

Jenner, under the Bruce nom de plume (I understand what it means to live a under a name not of your preference), was a solid supporter of the party whose members consider her “confused” if not crazy or “sick and delusional” (no links, I viewed them so you do not have to). His millions, and gold Olympic medals, were well known.

Now? The self-declared Big Tent party will have a chance to show what they really are. Craven, “give me the money (but do not touch me)” or stick with the red meat crowd, “I will not accept anything from the freak.” Will a few photo ops with Caitlyn help the Republican candidates?

I do think there will be Republican candidates sneaking in the door of the mansion to ask for money. Maybe a sit down across the coffee table pics. Perhaps a handshake shot. All of which to show how moderate, if not sort of accepting, he is.

Will Jenner see the error of her ways and become a Democrat? I do not know. I do know Log Cabin Republicans and their false hopes of changing a party that still wants to return to 1840 — and Caitlyn will not fit in with them.

The acceptance of Caitlyn will be Republican generational. The cohort which is fine with gay marriage will be fine with her. The rest of them are holding their tongues, quite unusual to say the least.

I do hope she tells the RNC to go find another money fountain.

The constant bleed of NSA and Syria, with death in Afghanistan on page 2, what does the average American think is going on in the world? Or should it be something like has the faucet flow of heavy water drowned America?

I watched the Broncos beat up the Ravens last night and into this morning. That sea of orange looks like it has for many decades. Although the thunder of the new Mile High stadium is not like the old Mile High stadium it is still nice to hear. Baseball games were played, some to find a wildcard, the others to find the end of the season.

I glanced through the comments of the . Somehow the answers being sought by the Congress are right here, including which way to vote. The answers and reasons are sorting out to mean that more of America is done with war and bleeding of blood and money. There is a strong feeling for the refugees, but lessening of good towards the rebels. Assad should probably be careful about putting on a night light, or even calling home to say where he is staying for the night.

Whatever happened to Obama and the G20? For some reason I could not and would not bother to read the reports, tweets and blogs. It bothers me to sit on the sidelines, ill informed, and not wishing to be any better informed. Did it do me any good to sit in front of the television when our most famed general went to the United Nations to plead the case of breaking the no-fly zone and make it into a killing zone? I could not and would not listen to anything the village idiot spewed, so I relied on others who were presented as the “adults” in the White House. No. They were not adults, they were complicit and disgusting in their actions.

This afternoon is when we need to be carefully watching and listening the media of all types. Fridays are dump days and with all that is going on in the Middle East it may be time to be careful; sniffing and watching for that scent of war. Will it happen today? Or will it be the Congress who presents a package from the military-industrial complex to Obama and the Pentagon?

I do not hold my breath for a good result. Too much is at stake with the talk of war. Do we have any intestinal fortitude left to enter the quagmire of the Middle East from a different door this era? The country borders are of less importance, once again, than the family tree of the combatants. American might is always aimed at a border, when borders are not important. Time to end this war, whichever phase it is in at the moment and return home. Home to repair our severely damaged warriors and citizens.

– General George Washington 1776

I am still having a problem with a strange Republican way of thinking. Their world is all about fear and hate — that has been well established during these terrible years. Fear efficient light bulbs, hate specific phrases or terms, such as “climate change.” Fear non-lily white skin tones, hate peace and love. I think you get the idea.

The most difficult combination of fear and hate going on now is mashed together with the love of a dictator, many dictators in real life, but one in particular. Fear Cuba, hate Obama and love the Ayatollah of Iran.

There is no other way to think of why they are so intent on destroying the on-going talks aimed at creating a 21 century country out of one that is a mix of middle ages and 20 century religion and politics.

Preventing another nuclear powered military, think India or Pakistan, is a wonderful goal. Putin aside, Iran could be a stabilizing force in the Middle East, without the bomb. But these nincompoops have such an overwhelming hatred of a black man in the White House that they dare to destroy any attempt to stabilize or neutralize a country desiring nuclear weapons. It’s pure insanity.

The greater question is to what degree they dare take America before we as a country shatter or these fools are either booted out of office or jailed for traitorous actions? That they continue the path of attempting to aid the “bomb, bomb, bomb Israel” faction within Iran, or other countries attempting to own at least one nuclear weapon, dirty ones included, places them clearly on the outside of humanity. But they do march on the path of hatred for Obama and drag themselves into the fire for it.

Such hatred does foment, leaving a boil on the face of America, and our country the shame of civilization. Oh, they need not fear any action right now. In fact they are heralded in their small minded districts, a shame on them. But, will they be attacked