Resolve

In all the years I’ve known me, I have never made a new year’s resolution. It has always seemed to me that I would forget what I had resolved or circumstances would have prevented me from doing what ever it was I was supposed to do. But, this year I have come up with something I know I can do regardless of what happens.

I do hereby resolve to get grumpier.

PMO
©2014

Thieves Oil

If you have never heard of thieves oil, four thieves oil, or thieves vinegar, then you would be like me, until recently. While there are variations of the story, it seems that four thieves were stealing from folks that were dying of the Bubonic Plague, in Medieval times. The thieves were caught and tried, but he judge offered leniency if they would share how they avoided contracting the disease.

It is also reported that during this time period that physicians were seen wearing long black robes, wide brimmed hats, and masks that appeared to have a beak. The masks were said to contain a combination of herbs, spices and essential oils that the doctors would breathe to keep themselves safe from those afflicted with the illness. Their long robes were also said to be doused in a similar fragrant concoction.

Strange as it may sound, in the land of those that use herbs and spices to ward off disease, thieves oil is used today to prevent bacterial and virus infections.

Because my financial controller has recently become ill, it was suggested that I need to use thieves oil to protect myself from catching her malady.

I didn’t realize how hard it would be to find one of those mask and a long black robe.

Amazon.com doesn’t have them.

PMO
©2014

School Bus

On my buying trips, I don’t shop, I have to take a highway that goes past a gentlemen’s club, a.k.a. strip joint. One morning recently as I stopped for the traffic light in front of the place, there was a school bus exiting the parking lot. Naturally, that caused me to have questions.

Was the driver turning around in the parking lot? Was he just leaving the club? Did he drop off a load of students? Or did he just stop and peek into a window.

When the light changed, I soon caught up with the bus and there were no students on it. There should have been at that time of day. I did notice that the driver had a really big grin.

If we had field trips like that when I was in school, I would have stayed longer.

PMO
©2014

Fire And Ice

I really don’t know what a "fire and ice" facial is, but my dermatologist has a sign in her office that her assistant has them on sale. My mind conjures up visions of gasoline and a bag of crushed ice. First, you set your face on fire and then put it out with the ice.

I’m sure it has something to do with making one look younger and sexier. The last time I asked her what would be the least expensive treatment to make be better looking, she put a paper bag over my head. The bag cost me $1.00.

I hope insurance covers it.

PMO
©2014

Drug Testing

According to a story in the Detroit Free Press from the Associated Press, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder has signed legislation that creates a drug testing program for adult welfare recipients who are suspected of using drugs. A one year pilot program in a limited number of counties is supposed to start next year.

Basically, the program will require recipients or applicants to take a drug test or suffer consequences of loss of benefits for a period of time or even permanently in some cases.

Naturally I think this is a great idea. There is just something wrong with paying people to be drug addicts. I know that the "nanny nazis" and some others disagree with me, but "So what!"

I think we need to take programs like this to a higher lever, like congress.

And, we need to implement a "stupid" test for them too.

PMO
©2014

Survival

The way you measure success in a big family Christmas gathering is, "Did you survive?" When you get parents, kids, grand kids, great grand kids, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, great uncles, great aunts and the list goes on, the challenge is to survive. This is the primary reason such gatherings are held only once or twice per year.

I discovered a long time ago to find a spot out of the way and be very quite. Everyone seems to like for me to do that. I’ve tried joining in on the conversation at previous gatherings, but that did not work out well.

The upside was that my ace number one daughter, an only child, baked pecan pies. I think this was the best ever. There was a small slice left, so I ate it so it wouldn’t go bad.

I try to be helpful on Christmas Day.

PMO
©2014

Merry Christmas

I wish you the Spirit of Christmas.

©2014

Letter To Santa

Dear Santa,

All I want for Christmas is for politicians, race baiters, Christian haters, talking heads news people and self appointed nannies to come down with a good case of lockjaw.

Talk about peace on earth.

PMO
©2014

Christmas Guest

Several years ago, country music performer Louis Marshall "Grandpa" Jones recorded a poem about the meaning of Christmas. It seems that a lot of people have lost sight or never knew what Christmas is really about. The poem is a bit long, but so is the message.

It happened one day near December's end
Two neighbors called on an old friend
And they found his shop so meager and lame
Made gay with a thousand bows of green
And Conrad was sittin' with face ashined
When he suddenly stopped as he stiched a twine
And he said "Oh friends at dawn today
When the cock was crowin' the night away
The Lord appeared in a dream to me
And said 'I'm comin' your guest to be.'
So I've been busy with feet astir
And strewin' my shop with branches of fir
The table is spread and the kettle is shined
And over the rafters the holly is twined
Now I'll wait for my Lord to appear
And listen closely so I will hear His step
As He nears my humble place
And I'll open the door and look on His face"
So his friends went home and left Conrad alone
For this was the happiest day he'd known
For long since his family had passed away
And Conrad had spent many a sad Christmas day
But he knew with the Lord as his Christmas guest
This Christmas would be the dearest and best
So he listened with only joy in his heart

And with every sound he would rise with a start
And look for the Lord to be at his door
Like the vision he'd had a few hours before
So he ran to the window after hearin' a sound
But all he could see on the snow-covered ground
Was a shabby begger who's shoes were torn
And all of his clothes were ragged and worn
But Conrad was touched and he went to the door
And he said "You know, your feet must be frozen and sore
I have some shoes in my shop for you
And a coat that'll keep you warmer too"
So with grateful heart, the man went away
But Conrad noticed the time of day
And wondered what made the Lord so late
And how much longer he'd have to wait
When he heard a knock he ran to the door
But it was only a stranger once more
A bent ol' lady with a shawl of black
With a bundle of kindlin' piled on her back
She asked for only a place to rest
But that was reserved for Conrad's great guest
But her voice seemed to plead "Don't send me away
Let me rest for awhile on Christmas day"
So Conrad brewed her a steamin' cup
And told her to sit at the table and sup
But after she left he was filled with dismay
For he saw that the hours were slippin' away
And the Lord hadn't come as He said He would
And Conrad felt sure he'd misunderstood
When out of the stillness he heard a cry
"Please help me, and tell me where am I!"
So again he opened his friendly door
And stood disappointed as twice before
It was only a child who'd wandered away
And was lost from her family on Christmas day
Again, Conrad's heart was heavy and sad
But he knew he should make the little girl glad
So he called her in and he wiped her tears
And quieted all her childish fears
Then he led her back to her home once more
But as he entered his own darkened door
He knew the Lord was not comin' today
For the hours of Christmas had passed away
So he went to his room and he knelt down to pray
And he said "Dear Lord, why did You delay?
What kept You from comin' to call on me?
For I wanted so much Your Face to see"

When soft in the silence, a voice he heard
"Lift up your head, for I kept my word
Three times my shadow crossed your floor
And three times I came to your lonely door
I was the begger with bruised, cold feet
And I was the woman you gave somethin' to eat
I was the child on the homeless street.
Three times I knocked and three times I came in
And each time I found the warmth of a friend
Of all the gifts love is the best
And I was honored to be your Christmas guest."

That’s what Christmas is all about.

©2014

Racist Shopper

By now you should have heard about Moochelle’s claims of having experienced racism. She tells of a woman in a Target store asking her to reach an item from a top shelf - because she is black, not because she is tall. Well! That’s certainly racist!

Several years ago as I was leaving a department store, a well dressed black woman was walking toward the store. Suddenly the heel on one of her shoes broke and down she went onto the pavement. I rushed over to help her. She wasn’t hurt and I helped her get back onto her feet. She thanked me and then she said, "If you weren’t white, I would hug you."

My friend Dave and I used to travel from an Army post together. Dave is black. We often stopped to get something to eat. On one trip he suggested some fried chicken. I like fried chicken. When we stopped in front of the little café, he told me to stay in the car. Some black folks outside starred at him and at me. He came back with a bag of some great fried chicken and we munched as we drove.

There are many more personal experiences that I will not share. I think you get the point.

The Prez says he has been mistaken for a valet while in black tie attire. I wouldn’t trust him with my car. And, if I see her while shopping, I dang sure won’t ask her for any help.

I’ve seen what kind of help they both can be.

PMO
©2014

I Love

The question of the day is, "What do you love?" People are constantly saying they love this or that. "I love my new car," or "I love my new shoes." There is even a TV commercial that suggests that you love your laxative. That’s a hard one to believe.

The issue is that the word, love, has become almost worthless. If one loves everything, even laxatives, then it is no wonder that there is doubt when one says, "I love you." "Do you love me as much as you love your new car?" How about your house, gym shoes, fried pickles, or new computer?

To say, "I love" should have meaning. Real meaning. Like love for parents, spouse, siblings, your country or a select few friends. Before you say, "Oh, I just love.......," ask yourself a simple question.

Are you willing to die for it?

PMO
©2014

Cuba

Now the POTUS wants to restore relations with Cuba. Why not, he wants to be buddies with all the dictators. And, of course setting up an embassy in Cuba will require congressional approval. In spite of what they say, congress should not be an issue.

I just hope that we get some Cuban cigars out of this deal.

PMO
©2014

From The Files

I’m not exactly sure where the following came from. I found it in some old files from 2010.

"I bet you think this is one of those Christmas letters,
you know the kind where they tell you ma’s cold is better.
Well a Christmas letter, this definitely ain’t.
It’s the Christmas story from somebody that’s not a saint.
You see, it all started a long, long time ago.
Way back before Texans tried to drive on snow.
Now folks this happened before plastic trees with little red balls,
and way back when they didn’t have shopping malls.
Actually, is was even before then,
Whenever it was, let the story begin.
God was looking down at us from his place,
and he thought, I ought to go down and get in their face.
But he knew it wouldn’t do no good, nope, not none.
He knew the only chance we had was to send us his son.
Now baby Jesus was born in a stable, more like a cave.
So it was that a King came to become a slave.
He grew up to tote the load of all sin,
and was given the power to forgive all men.
He said, "when it comes to sin, I’ll carry your load.
Just throw it on my back and let’s get on the road."
Baby Jesus didn’t get a truck load of presents from grandparents afar.
He was just born poor, in Bethlehem, under a star.
That star still shines brightly and will til the end,
long after you forget the presents you got from a friend.
Now, if you are wondering what this story has to do with you,
well, the way the story ends depends on what you do."

©2014

Life Lesson

If one pays attention, there are many things to learn in life. Like don’t stick a butter knife into an electrical outlet or do something else really stupid just because someone dared you to. You should learn to doing good things is better than doing bad things, even if the bad things are fun.

And, if you work hard on trying to do the right things, and have some success, you will have one less thing to worry about.

There's always someone that will worry about what you did wrong.

PMO
©2014

Rock-A-Bye Baby

I hired a tree service to remove a rather large tree in front of our house. It had been planted too close to the house and had caused some problems with promise of more. The tree service is typical of East Texas. It has taken about a month for them to get to the job. A week or more was lost because of deer hunting season. It’s true.

On with the story. The crew arrived about 9:00 a.m. and began the job. I am amazed they could cut down the huge tree without letting limbs crash on to the house. All went well and they stopped for lunch about noon. Then it happened. Louis wife called. She told him that their baby was coming now! So, Louis, the expert trimmer, left as any responsible father would. That left two to clean up what had been cut, with the promise that they would be back.

I’m not complaining. I understand.

I just hope I don’t have to wait until the kid starts school or gets old enough to deer hunt.

PMO
©2014

Law Suit

NBC News reports ten families touched by the Newtown, Sandy Hook School massacre have filed a wrongful death suit against companies that made, distributed and sold the Bushmaster AR-15 rifle that Adam Lanza used to kill 20 children and six staffers at the elementary school two years ago. The argument is that the gun is a military assault weapon that should never have been on the general market.

Certainly the grieving process will take years and my heart felt thoughts for these people are real. It was a horrible event. How can anyone directly involved ever recover?

But, now it appears that they have become victims a second time. Anti-gun thinking has obviously found it’s way into these families. It just may be that they are being used to further an agenda that otherwise they would not. Emotions are powerful and easily manipulated.

Guns, knives, rocks, or clubs don’t kill people. It is the person or persons that use them to take lives that is the problem. An AR-15 (civilian gun) is not an automatic assault weapon. It is both a sport and hunting rifle. To sue the manufacturer is similar to suing a car maker because someone deliberately crashed into another car and killed an entire family.

Pray that these families find the peace that goes beyond understanding.  And, that they understand this is a dangerous world with dangerous deranged people.

And, since the beginning of time, no one has come up with a solution to stop them.

PMO
©2014

Trial By TV

I for one am tired of all the protest about police officers not being indicted for performance of their duties. Notice, I did not say they were innocent or guilty of charges the media and protesters want to levy against them, but I am willing to go along with grand juries since they have information we don’t.

As I’ve said before, follow the money and you’ll find the real reason for organizing the protest. Yes, people have the right to protest peacefully. But, when you have criminals burning and looting to protest what they think was done to other criminals, it just doesn’t make any sense. Is trial by television what they want? Perhaps we should let Judge Judy rule on every case where an officer’s action are questionable. Or, maybe Judge Joe Brown. I like him. Judy is not one of my favorites.

The problem with trial by TV is that when you have a few hundred or even thousands passing judgement, there are about 350 million or so that are not protesting.

The protesters lose.

PMO
©2014

Corporate Medicine

Over several years there has been a lot of discussion about socialized medicine. It is obvious that we are headed that way or maybe we are already there. But, there is an another type that is already in place - corporate medicine.

Investment groups have bought hospitals, doctors clinics, and dental offices. And, they are profit driven. Simply put, profits have priority over patients. In an effort to reduce healthcare cost, many doctors now have physician assistants or nurse practitioners. I’m not suggesting that these are bad, but they are not doctors. Basically they follow an outline/procedure for diagnosis and treatment. It’s like vaccinating cattle. One shot fits all. That means you have to fall into the herd, giving up your individuality and special needs. People aren’t made that way.

We are common only to a point, and while the basics are the same, each one of us is a little different. For example, I don’t well with most the medications I’ve been prescribed. Recently I was given an antibiotic that caused me to want to die. The nurse practitioner didn’t listen to me when I told her that I don’t tolerate drugs very well. But, I was in and out of the office in just a few minutes. That means money. The more patients you see, the more money that flows into the business.

I go to a dermatologist that has gone into a private practice because an investment group bought out the clinic where she worked. She explained the new rules were to turn out the billings and keep the cost down. No more getting calls after office hours unless you can bill them.

Investors and insurance companies think corporate medicine is a wonderful thing. And, it blends in with socialized medicine quite nicely.

Be careful what you tell the doc the next time you have to see one, or the PA or NP. If you lead them to think that you may be pregnant and you are male, you may not be happy with the outcome

However, if you are male and pregnant, you may get rich, if you make it through the delivery.

PMO
©2014

Both Are Right

Jonathan Gruber, the architect of "Obamacare" says the American people are stupid. Comedian Ron White says you can’t fix stupid.

It does appear they both are right.

PMO
©2014

Torture

Someone is going to have to explain to me why the interrogation tactics of the CIA needed to be released to anyone, especially our enemies. There are people in this world that want us dead and all the report does is put up a roadblock for the CIA to do its job. As usual, it’s politics.

When we were attacked at Pearl Harbor, do you not think that there were actions taken to get information necessary to defend our country? Why should there be a difference in the attack on our mainland?

Strange as it may sound, there are people in this country that will do anything to keep us safe, including laying down their lives. To listen to the media and politicians, we are the bad guys. And, again, as usual, there is serious doubt about what was released. It is an obvious intent to cut a line of defense. Wonder why?

If the CIA or any agency wants to torture people, all they have to do is make them listen to our politicians and media. And, if you really want to destroy an enemy, make them watch daytime television.

And, just so you will know, there is no such thing as Senate Intelligence Committee.

PMO
©2014

Expiration Dates

When you grocery shop, do you check the expiration date on what you buy? I do. As a matter of fact, I go to extreme. On some packaged products, the date is hard to find, but I look at everyone on the shelf until I find the date. In the meat counter, I drag out all the meat products and look for the one that is the most fresh. I try to find one that still moo’s, oinks, or clucks. I want fresh.

On the other hand, groceries place the oldest products on the front so they can keep their inventory rotated. And, the average shopper just grabs the one in front, but not me.

Some people think I take this to extreme. Maybe. Maybe not.

Why don’t they put dates on toilet tissue?  TV ads proclaim such products that make you feel fresh.

Inquiring minds want to know, when the freshness expires.

PMO
©2014

Naked

One of my pet peeves is the rising cost of food. And, it surprises me that not a lot of other people have noticed. Food cost is higher in East Texas and when you add the national rising cost, it is really high. Several times in the past few months, I’ve told my financial controller that I am going to have to stop eating.

Now, I am upset about the cost of clothing. I had to do some clothes shopping on line and prices have gone up over last year when I shopped. So, I now have told my financial controller that not only am I going to have to stop eating, I am going to have to go naked.

I bet when I do gather enough coins to go food shopping - naked - somebody will notice.

In our society, maybe not.

PMO
©2014

Handy Man's Secret Weapon

Red Green, played by Steve Smith, was a handyman on Canadian TV from 1991 until April 2006. The show was a spoof about a television show directed to men about being handy. What amazes me is that I was introduced to the program by a woman and recently found out that my neighbor was a loyal fan of the program. Her husband never watched it.

The show was about "fixing" things. And, more often than not, Red chose the "handy man’s secret weapon" to do the fixing - duct tape. I was truly inspired by the show and just this week, I applied duct tape where a part was going to cost me $50. My financial controller’s laptop computer has a connection port for an external monitor, but there are no screw holes to make it secure, like there is on a desktop. Therefore, the plug does not stay in. The weight of the cable would cause the plug to lose connection. After she mentioned it several hundred times, I did some research and discovered I could buy a USB connection on one end with a VGA (monitor) plug on the other. But, I had to order it and pay the fifty bucks.

Light a light bulb lighting in my brain, I got the idea that if Red Green could do it, so could I. I got out a roll of duct tape. I have more than one. In short order, I now have attached the cable and it works fine.

If it had not worked, I had a stand by plan. Red always said, "Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati"

Pseudo-Latin for "When all else fails, play dead"

PMO
©2014

Peace On Earth

Listen up. I have come up with another one of my wonderful plans. We hear a lot about peace on earth this time of year.  If everyone truly wants peace on earth, all we have to do is not fight on a religious holiday. If you count all the variations of the religions in the world, there are about 4000 to 5000. Each one of them has holidays of one sort or another. So, we just need an international law that does not allow fighting on a religious holiday.

It doesn’t matter which religion you believe, you must agree to observe peace for other religions. And, when you add in other holidays, you pretty well come up with no days that you can fight. If you live in East Texas, you also have to take out all of deer hunting season.

See, peace on earth is not all that difficult.

PMO

©2014

Worth Trying

In a recent issue of the comic strip "Shoe", there is a conversation between Shoe and Senator Batson D. Belfry. Shoe made a comment about shrinking government and the expected reply from Belfry was that people are always saying we need to shrink government. Then he made the mistake of asking Shoe if he had any ideas on what is needed to shrink government. Shoe replied, "A tube of Preparation H the size of the Hindenburg."

I wish I had said that.

PMO
©2014

Don't Understand

I am not a genius, but I’m not stupid. My IQ is in the upper range of normal, which is amazing because not much else of me is normal. Especially my thinking. My problem is that there are so many things I don’t understand. Case in point is all the protest going on around the country.

Right now we have two criminals who lost their lives. I am not saying that the police were innocent or guilty. Just like everyone else that was not on either grand jury, I don’t know. The problem I have is understanding why people are protesting, burning and looting. And, a majority of the burning and looting is being done by blacks on black owned businesses. In one case, a black female police Sargent was supervising the take down of a man committing a crime.

These things are confusing to me. Perhaps it is an effort to convince others that the way you deal with racism is to destroy. That makes no sense.

The only two things out of all that’s going on that makes sense to me is the media is doing their best to keep the events going and some "reverends" are making a bunch of money and gaining more notoriety.

I guess they are too afraid to get in there and set some fires and do a little looting.

PMO
©2014

Santa Claus?

My financial controller was talking to a young woman that is of another belief and she asked, "What does Santa Claus have to do with Christmas?" The short answer is absolutely nothing. Santa is not and has never been the reason for celebrating Christmas. However he is good for business.

Christmas is to celebrate the birth of the Christ. And, it is probable that He was not born in December. Some where around April is the best guess, for there were shepherds abiding in the fields. Shepherds don’t abide in the fields in the winter time. They stay home and keep the sheep protected from the cold.

Why then do we celebrate Christmas in December? What else is there to do in December? In April, everybody is working on their income tax return.

And, nobody has any money left after taxes.

Not even Santa.

PMO
©2014

Thought For The Day

As long as you’re alive, there’s a good chance that things can and will change. When you’re dead, you’ve run out of chances.

PMO
©2014

Give It Back

Okay people, I want all of you to give back whatever you took from society. Just because you earned what you have, you should feel guilty. Never mind that you went to school and made sacrifices to improve your self and your earning potential. Forget about working long hours and scrimping and saving. Don’t mention that you have helped others. And, don’t even think that because you don’t have a lot, you are exempt. You should feel guilty about whatever you have.

Under no circumstances should you hesitate giving back to those that don’t and won’t work. You should feel obligated to support them. And, don’t come up with some lame excuse that you won’t help those that won’t help themselves. It is your duty, your obligation, your responsibility and your liability to give back. After all, you took it.

That’s stealing and you know you are guilty.

PMO
©2014

Front Yard Sign

The leaves are falling in East Texas. Virtually every tree with leaves is shedding at least a few million leaves. The tree in our front yard drops its leaves a few million at a time. That means, that if I should be so inclined to clean up the yard, it would last less than 24 hours. If I don’t clean up all the leaves, then they just hang on until there is a high wind to scatter them all the way to the back yard where there is no tree.

This year, I am taking a new approach on getting rid of the leaves. No more raking, blowing, mulching and bagging. I’m putting up a sign - ‘Free Leaves, Take All You Want.’ If it works, I’m going into the sign business.

It’s got to be easier than cleaning up leaves.

PMO
©2014

Shop Until You Stop

So far I have avoided all the shopping mayhem. I am not a shopper. Being a typical grumpy old man, I buy only what I go to get. If I need a shirt, I go and get a shirt. It doesn’t matter to me what’s on sale between the shirts and the store exit. And, I hate to stand in line, so I don’t go to buy when the entire population of the country is in the stores.

Up until this year, I’ve had little problems with buying on-line. There are at least two sites that were down when I tried to buy a camera and a computer. I do hope that this is not a sign of things to come.

Maybe this year, I won’t buy any presents. Instead, I will just tell those folks we get for, that they can have what they want.  If they go to the store and get it. No on-line. You have to go and get it, on the second day after Christmas. That’s the prime return day for everything purchased that no one wanted. By the time they wait in the lines, they will have forgotten what they came to get.

Another of my wonderful plans on how to save money.

PMO
©2014

Turkey Report

Well, I survived another turkey day, although I thought I was going to die. The "crud" that I have had for almost a month, came on strong. But, we did have turkey and dressing and ham. Dessert is always my favorite because my number one daughter makes pecan pies. I only had two slices. That’s because someone must have taken the rest.

The usual three to four hour trip, one way, was extra fun because of my little plague. And, we stayed over at a motel. I checked in before my financial controller got there so I had a few hours to die, but I didn’t. I amused myself by counting the sheets on a roll of toilet tissue that claimed it had 473 sheet. Sure enough, they were all there. Then it was TV time. I hate televison. But, found a channel about survival in different circumstances. Now, I know what to do if I am ever in a hot air balloon that goes wild, and how to survive a flash flood in a car. My favorite was what to do if you get caught too close an erupting volcano.

We don’t have any erupting volcanos in East Texas, but if we get one, I know what to do.

PMO
©2014

Turkey Day

Okay, here’s the grumpy old man’s perspective of Thanksgiving.

Get up early, very early.

Load up the car with stuff including baked goodies that will only make you hungry while you enjoy a three to four hour drive.

Stop along the way and pickup some in-laws. Wait until they get ready to go.

Drive to another in-law house.

Wait, wait, and wait to eat.  By now the baked goodies have you so hungry you are capable of eating a live animal.

Finally, it’s time to eat.

Gobble gobble.

Rush to the TV to watch 24 hours of football. I hate football.

Nibble on left overs.

Go to bed.

Get up early again.

Drive another three to four hours.

Get home.

Unload the car.

Eat if there is anything in the pantry.

Go to bed.

Lie awake and wonder why it has to be this way every year.

I don’t think this is what God intended.

I'll be back in a couple of days.

PMO
©2014

Justice

Rioting, looting and burning on the streets of Ferguson, Missouri, all in the name of justice. I agree. Justice should be served. Justice would be every perpetrator arrested, tried and sentenced for crimes against the good citizens of that town. One report stated that all of the businesses destroyed were owned by black business men and women. That’s justice?

People have a right to protest. They don’t have a right to destroy the lives of innocent people.

Yes, it’s that simple.

PMO
©2014

What I think

Have you ever wondered why we have turkey on Thanksgiving? Well, I have. So, I did a little research and found absolutely nothing definitive. Some think it was because when the colonists sat down to dine with the Wampanoag Indians, beef and fowl were on the menu, according to letters and records.

Although historians cannot say for sure what type of fowl were served that day, a letter written by Edward Winslow does mention a turkey hunting trip before the meal. If that turned out like one of my hunting trips, they would have had peanut butter and jelly.

Ben Franklin wanted the turkey to be the national bird because it is a native bird to North America. We all know that didn’t work out for Ben, and the bald eagle became the symbol for the United States. I guess if Ben had gotten his way, we’d all be eating eagles instead of turkeys.

Although there is no historical documentation supporting the exact reason we have turkey on Thanksgiving, I think I have the answer. At least for modern day Americans.  It’s the sound that turkeys make.

Gobble gobble.

PMO
©2014

What'd I Say

As an official out of date grumpy old man, I find myself in situations that I just don’t seem to know the right thing to say. In fact, I often say the wrong thing at the wrong time. That’s probably why most people avoid me.

When someone says, "I’m gay." "What do you have to be so happy about?", is not the correct reply.

A woman sternly remarks, "I’m a feminist." Apparently you are not supposed to say, "I’m a male and I could tell by looking that you are a female, but thank you for telling me."

When some perky young server at a restaurant says, "What would you guys like?" Apparently, it is not correct to point out that I am a guy and my financial controller is a female.

A young unmarried woman shoves her baby son at you and asks, "What do you think about my baby?" Again, not knowing quite what to say, I have discovered that, "He’s a cute little bastard," is not the right thing.

Somebody should write a book on what grumpy old men are supposed to say.

PMO
©2014

Vote Time

It’s time to vote for new board members in our little commune HOA. They have sent out an official qualifications of the candidates. As I read them I wondered just what kind of people run this place. Social activities involvement, married with two kids, love to play golf, promise to not change anything and when they moved here and from wear, are the best of the qualifications of the three hopefuls.

Somewhere there just has to be someone that actually knows how to run a business, but not on the list of candidates or the current board for that matter. After careful review, I have to ask, "Why would anyone vote for these people to handle your dues and run the business of a country club?

I also notice that the dues are going up.

Guess the board members get free golf balls.

PMO
©2014

Na Na Na Nana

Better check the spelling of the title, but it means, "I get my way and there’s nothing you can do about it." The POTUS has proclaimed that an illegal action is good if it serves people that break our laws and meets a political agenda.

Illegal immigration is against the law. Taking action toward amnesty by one member of government is against the law. Maybe in this case, two wrongs make a right. He did say that he was not the King of the United States.

Only kings can do what they want to regardless of what the people want.

PMO
©2014

Have You Noticed?

Has anyone, besides me, noticed that our current POTUS thinks that he really is KOTUS? The Constitution is the foundation of this nation. When the foundation is trashed, everything falls.

You should be afraid. Very afraid.

PMO
©2014

Power Of The Purse

The language of Washington D.C. is money. It is money that drives everything that happens or doesn’t. Money is what gets people elected and keeps them in office - until they do something that cuts off the money supply. Money is why you and I have little influence, unless we speak as millions. Politicians spend most of their time raising money for the next campaign.

Interestingly enough, money can stop the current administration from trashing our immigration laws and opening this once great sovereignty to a waste land of those that come to take. Hey, you can’t blame the illegal immigrants. They get jobs that pay in cash and all the social services that tax paying citizens receive. And, they can send money back home.

One would think that the recent election would have sent a message to Congress that the people want immigration laws enforced. Apparently the POTUS has gotten the word. He does seem to miss a lot until he sees it on TV.

When, not if, he issues his executive order on immigration, not only will he violate the Constitution he will impose a greater financial burden on the American people. All congress has to do is simply cut off the money it will take to implement his plan.

In life, a lot of plans are cancelled by a lack of money.

Like me driving a Rolls.

PMO
©2014

Insanity Runs Amok

(Dallas Morning News - Associated Press) A woman in Texas City, Texas, whose four pit bull dogs entered her neighbors yard through a hole in the fence and killed their 10 year old beagle is suing the neighbors for $1million.

She says she was seriously injured on October 27, trying to stop the attack and retrieve the dogs. She says she suffered multiple serious bites and scratches and accuses her neighbors of failing to securely confine and restrict their dog.

The paper says that the woman’s attorney didn’t respond to calls seeking comments. I wish the paper had printed the lawyer’s name. I would have posted it with his/her name, address and phone number.

Nobody is going to get me to believe that the world hasn’t gone crazy.

PMO
©2014

Stripes With Pride

Kellogg’s Tony the Tiger says, "wear your stripes with pride," according to a story in the Detroit Free Press. Tony’s talking about gay stripes. The Battle Creek cereal maker is out to see that you know that homosexuals should be proud.  And, they want children to accept the lifestyle because someday they may be approached. 

I have questions. Why should anyone be proud of their sexual orientation? Gay or straight. What’s to be proud about? Over the years, I have known several homosexuals - male and female - and the subject just never came up about how proud they were. They just wanted to live their lives and go about their business.

I don’t understand the LGBT bullying people with law suits and protest to get recognition for what I do not know. There have always been homosexuals, and one of my friends who is a lesbian will tell you that it is not something you are born with. It’s a choice. She should know. She used to be married and has children.

If one chooses to live a life that is not the norm, then it is their choice. Just don’t try to force everyone else into accepting it. That’s like ISIS saying everyone has to be Muslim or die.

Sorry Tony, you have taken a bad position on this issue.

You may find your customers and stock holders don’t see the benefit from this.

PMO
©2014

Stickers

Since we moved two years ago, we have been showered with letters from charities soliciting money. We get at least one everyday. That’s about 600 in a two year period. And, they all send personalized return mail stickers as their free gift. So, you can stick them on your outgoing mail.

The problem is that we don’t have a lot of outgoing mail, except bills and I really don’t want my return to have cute puppies or an array of flowers. However I have been saving all the stickers, because I have a plan. I always have a plan.  I knew that sooner or later I would get enough of them to be useful. Well, I did.

I'm going to wallpaper the hall bathroom with them.

PMO
©2014

Chili Time

With all the cold weather across the country, we have had our share. Because my financial controller tells me that chili is for cold weather - she eats it in the summer, but not at home - I decided to make my usual batch. Four pounds. When I started making chili, I had to make enough to feed six people and four pounds worked out just fine. Besides, my cooking pot only holds four pounds. I have tried making lesser amounts, but it just doesn’t turn out the same. If we need only one pound, I make four and dip out a pound.

Cooking chili is not easy. You have to go through a lot of steps, including cutting up the meat into bite size bits and then bringing the whole concoction to a boil for just the right time, before you turn it down to a simmer for about six hours. Then, you have to put it in the refrigerator over night to let it "blend."

She’s still trying to convince me that chili is not just for breakfast anymore.

"How about if you have ribs with the chili?"

PMO
©2014

No Lies

Here’s another one of my genius ideas. I know I have so many that it’s hard to keep up. Anyway, how about a law for severe punishment for any politician that lies? I’m thinking life in prison at hard labor, but would be willing to settle for just deporting them to North Korea.

Politicians tell you what they think you want to hear and when they don’t do what they say, they make it sound like it was your fault. Or, they simply know that by the time they tell another lie, you will have forgotten about the first one.

It’s like the Justin Wilson story about two Cajuns. One said, "How come you told me that lie?" The second one replied, "Which one?"

If we could somehow, force politicians to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, the world might be a better place.

It would have to be a better place, because we'd have a lot fewer politicians.

PMO
©2014

News Flash

Attention Mr. and Mrs. America and all the ships at sea. Governments are corrupt, unskilled, inefficient, inept, power hungry, with no intentions of serving the people or providing for their safety or welfare and have no fear of answering to the electorate.

The modern media is all of the above with a focus on creating news.

Now that you know, quit asking, "How can they do that?"

A free service from a grumpy old man.

PMO
©2014

Billion Is Disappointing

I play a computer game that keeps score in dollars. I’ve been playing it for several years because it is a diversion from the daily routine. Sometimes, I play for an hour, or 15 minutes, or not at all. A few days ago, I realized that I was near 1 billion points. This was important because the display only had room for nine digits, meaning that I could go to 999,999,999 and then it would have to roll over, or crash or something.  I played the dang thing for an hour per day for about a week.  Guess what? It didn’t do anything. It just added another spot.

Now I have to go to 999,999,999,999 to see what happens.

I’m beginning to hate the game.

PMO
©2014

Thank You

To all that said, "Thank you for your service," to a Veteran November 11, we all want to say, "Thank you for remembering."
The free lunch was good too.
PMO
©2014

All the talking heads and political pundits are trying to dismiss the November 4^th election as a mandate to Congress to work together and compromise. It is not. It is an ultimatum to fix what’s wrong with this great nation or we will get someone that will.

Simply stated, the message is, S.T.O.P. - Stop The Obama Policies. Now!

Call and/or write your representatives and tell them to S.T.O.P. and then watch what they do.

There you have it! My political perspective for the day.

PMO
©2014

It's Personal

With all the talk about guns, I feel compelled to put in my two cents worth again. As I’ve stated before, guns are tools and are not for everyone. Please don’t buy a gun without doing some use and safety training. You can hurt yourself or someone else with these things. Don’t think because you took your new gun out and shot it the day you bought it that you are ready to defend America. Get some instruction and range time - often.

Nevertheless, let’s get on with what I wanted to say in the first place. Selecting a gun, especially a hand gun is personal. They come in numerous styles, shapes and brands, and all are not the same. That doesn’t mean they operate differently. They don’t. Basically, you have a revolver and a pistol. The revolver is the one that has the wheel that turns when you shoot and usually holds six rounds. A pistol can hold up to 17 or 18 rounds depending upon caliber. The caliber you select should be something that you can handle effectively. Trust me, you don’t want a 44 magnum for shooting all day at the range. And, most people don’t need a 50 cal either, except the Israeli military.

Take the time to shop for a gun. Handle them. See how they feel in your hand. Does it fit? That means can you hold on to it and fire it comfortably. Go to a range that allows you to rent guns and fire several different types, models and calibers before you buy.

Several years ago a friend and I went to a gun show because I wanted a particular pistol. I had read up on it and decided that’s the one I want. After locating a dealer that sold them, I held the gun and it felt pretty good, but not quite right. It occurred to me that I should shop around. You guessed it, I bought another brand and model. It cost a lot more than I planned to spend, but it is well worth it.

There you go. You have my gun lesson for the day. Remember, buying a gun is like buying underwear.  You want to be sure you get the right fit.

If you don’t, you will be constantly reminded.

PMO
©2014

Telepathically

I am posting telepathically today. If you think of something funny, that was me.

I stole this one.

PMO
©2014

Hey Dudes And Dude-ettes

This is your hippy dippy reporter reminding you that Washington D.C. voters overwhelmingly voted to legalize recreational marijuana for adults. The measure to legalize weed was supported by almost 70% of the voters. This makes it legal for those 21 and older, to grow and possess marijuana, but not sell it. Like that ain’t going to happen.

Yes, I know that Alaska and Oregon also passed similar measures, but those allow sales and open the door to more taxes. Perhaps in D.C. they don’t need taxes because they are sucking so much from the rest of the country. Not! Taxes will follow in the blink of an eye. Or, they may just charge a fee or require a permit. Those are not taxes - right?

In defense of what I would term ‘stupidity’, it may be the only way that the residents can stomach what government does, since they are so close to the White House.

It will be interesting to watch how the drug dealers are going to deal with State governments taking over their business. These can be some ruthless people using any means or methods to grab money and power.

Oops. I slipped back to talking about government.

PMO
©2014

Moochelle's Fault

All the talking heads and radio talk shows are spewing out reasons that the Democrats lost in Tuesday’s election. Reality is, Michelle Obama can take the blame for the Democrats losing so many spots. After she came out with her statement that she gave permission for anyone that voted to be allowed to have fried chicken.  She obviously forgot about all us redneck Republican voters.

If she had said ribs, the polling places would still be open with voters lined up.

PMO
©2014

Death, Marriage And Taxes

Roger Miller recorded an old song titled, ‘Lou Got The Flu And He Died.’ Well that’s how I feel. I seem to have contracted the East Texas version of Ebola. Whatever it is, I can understand when someone says, "There are worse things than dying." Yes, I went to the doctor and she did her routine and gave me a shot and a prescription. She did tell me I had a cold nose. I think she used to be a vet.

Not only am I going to have to die to get better, our 49^th wedding anniversary is today. My financial controller never quite knows what to expect from me. So, I told her we will do something really different and take a tour of all the local funeral homes. You know, check out a few caskets. I’ve heard they have made some real progress in those. I think you can get them now with Wi-Fi. After a full day of trying them out for size and comfort, a nice dinner at the local chicken shack. We can even go inside instead of using the drive through.

And, when we get home, we can get out the life insurance policies and tally up how much she gets if I croak.

She did seem to light up when I told her she doesn’t have to pay taxes on life insurance.

PMO

©2014

Vote - Get Chicken

I do hope you voted - or you can’t have fried chicken. In an interview on TV One, a cable station targeted at the African American audience, Moochelle Obama said, "I give full permission to eat some fried chicken after they vote - only after." Roland Martin, the host, didn’t ask what you had to eat if you didn’t vote. He did ask the leading question, "Can we do soul food after we vote?"

As I have mentioned before, when did fried chicken become soul food? Anyway, since she has appointed herself the supreme food czar, it appears that she moving beyond schools, where no one will eat the slop, to include all Black people. Maybe all Democrats.

So, to be safe, I hope you voted, which ever way, so you can get some "soul food" fried chicken.

If you didn’t vote you get turnip greens.

Hey! I’ve got my hand up. I voted. Where’s my chicken?

PMO
©2014

Exact Science

You may not want to hear this, but there is so such thing as exact science. New discoveries and further studies into existing science change current thinking everyday. What does it matter? It matters a heck of a lot.

Medicines that are supposed to be wonder drugs may turn out to be deadly drugs. What you are not supposed to eat today, may be the best thing for you to eat next week. Theories about everything that affects your life change regularly. What are you going to do, if tomorrow science says new studies find that smoking is really good for you?

You know, the moon really is made of green cheese?

PMO
©2014

Let Me Count The Why's

Often someone asks me, "How do you like living in East Texas?" My simple reply is, "I hate it and that’s putting it mildly." And, I have some very good reasons - at least to me.

First, I do not like the house we bought. My financial controller wanted the house and she gets her way 12 out of 10 times. As we begin to move a few things from the old place, on the first trip, I stepped out of my truck and thought I was going to die with pain. Plantar fasciitis. Up until that moment, I had never heard of it.

The movers broke, bent or bashed everything and then informed us that they really didn't have insurance that would cover the damages.  Oh, they tried to hide and cover us damages until they got out of the house, but I found some of them.

My next joy came while having a pizza, I broke a tooth. It’s true. A broken tooth on a Sunday night in a strange land is not where one wants to be. And, I have been sniffling and sneezing since the day I got here. Not to mention the headaches.

Then there is what I call, East Texas jungle rot", which covered my left hand and didn’t get better for almost two years. Yes, I went to doctors, which is another negative. I was spoiled to the doctor I’d had for almost 20 years. He actually knew something. I’ve had one internal medicine doctor tell me that there is no such thing as Lyme disease. Since I’ve had chronic Lyme disease since 1987, that really impressed me.

As I have written about in previous posts, if you need a plumber, painter, electrician, appliance repairman or other service, you are better served to go to school and learn how to fix everything yourself. And, if you do find someone, you had better get the job cost in writing. These folks have no intention of charging you what they tell you. Then, they act like they are doing you a favor by misleading you.

The cost of groceries is about 30% higher. Utilities cost twice what we used to pay. Phone and internet are terrible services from the only two providers and the rates are 50% higher that what we used to pay. Yes, they quote you a rate and then send you a bill for twice that amount. Then, they argue about what a good deal you are getting. Without exception, every service we’ve had to have, comes with a chuck in a truck, who greets you with an attitude of how can I stick it to you today. Even my banker didn’t tell the tax assessor to send the tax bills to me, and not the bank. The tax bill went directly to her and who knows where it went. We had to pay a penalty. She didn’t even say she was sorry.

If you have a few years, I can go on and on. But, you are probably thinking why don’t we move?

Daughter and two granddaughters - one with special needs - is why.

PMO
©2014

We're Watching You

It is reported that the New York State and Connecticut Democratic Committees are threatening people about voting on Tuesday. They are sending bullying letters that claim they can easily determine which potential voters cast a ballot. The letters are quoted as saying, "Who you vote for is your secret. But whether or not you vote is public record. If you do not vote this year, we will be interested to hear why not?"

Can they really know if you vote? Yes, they can find out, by requesting a copy of the information from your county officials. They can get the information down to your street address. The data is usually used to determine how many registered voters actually vote in a particular area, not for sending threatening letters.

I would suggest that everyone that gets such a letter, go vote a straight Republican ticket. And, take your neighbors with you to do the same.

Or, just sit by the door with a "Joe Biden" shotgun and wait for them to "ask why not?"

No such letters have gone out for Chicago.  There, they vote for you.

PMO
©2014

Civil Disobedience

In a protest over the homosexual agenda for same sex marriage, hundreds of pastors and Christian leaders from across America held a press conference about a week ago in Lansing, Michigan to jointly say they have had enough, even if they have to go to jail. They jointly, black and white, proclaimed their opposition to the Michigan Legislature proposed amendment to place homosexuality in a civil rights protection group. National Christian Leadership Council president Stacy Swimp said, "There is nothing civil about that!"

Swimp believes the country is at a point where Christians have little choice but to exercise civil disobedience and stand up for the law as the founders of the United States intended.

What is this? Are the winds of change shifting?

PMO
©2014

Married Men Make More Money

According to a new study from the American Enterprise Institute and the Institute for Family Studies and published by the Heritage Foundation, married men make more money. Middle aged married men make about $19,000 more on average compared to their single peers, according to the report authored by W. Bradford Wilcox and Robert Lerman.

And, there are other benefits of marriage. Like, children growing up to get married and make more money because they have opportunity for more education and learn the value of working to get ahead.

There is lots of other data in the report such as the decline in male employment is due to, not caused by the drop in marriage rates. Heck I could have told them that.  When you’re married, you have to make more money.

A lot more!

PMO
©2014

Daylight Saving Time - AGAIN

Be sure to set your alarm and get up at 2:00 a.m. Sunday, November 2 to set your clocks back for daylight saving time. Trust me, there are people that do just that. That’s probably why we have daylight saving time. It makes no sense. And, it doesn’t save energy.

My new plan is to quit running the clock back and forward. Let’s just run it back an hour, twice per year. That way, we really save because we would be at the time we already used the energy. And, in just 12 years, we would have saved a whole day. That way, we would get an extra day off - energy free. If this sounds stupid, I should warn you that some politician reading this will think it’s a great idea.

We don’t want to run the clock forward twice a year.

The rent would come due sooner.

PMO
©2014

Acorns

There is an old saying, "Even a blind hog finds an acorn now and then." My question is why they would want to? Acorns are bitter to the taste and in some cases can be toxic. Are they fit for human consumption? Yes. All you have to do is shell them and repeatedly boil them until the water no longer turns brown. Or, you can put them in a mesh bag and put them in a river until the rushing water no longer turns brown around the bag.

My point is that acorns are useless. And we have about ten trillion pounds of them. There are oak trees around the place that shed acorns year round. The tree next door has some as big as grapefruit. Maybe bigger. You do not want to be outside when they fall. It’s like a hail storm.

Back to the hog. It’s better to just dig for grubs and roots.

PMO
©2014

Survey Says

I have long wondered what the result would be if we could get churches (Christian denominations) to conduct a simple survey on what the congregations truly believe. The survey would be completely anonymous, with the only information required to be an age range, male or female, and married or single. All of the answers would be yes or no.

Here are a few examples of the questions:

Are you a Christian?

Do you truly believe there is heaven and hell?

Do you believe the Church needs to change with the times?

Do you believe abortion is a woman’s right?

Do you support same sex marriage?

Do you support marriage with multiple spouses?

Do you support government taking religion out of schools and business?

The list of questions could go on, but they would have to be few so it takes about a minute to complete the survey. Of course, there are a lot details on how the survey would have to be conducted.

I suspect that the results would be quite interesting and wonder how many would choose to participate.

And, I wonder how many pastors would want to know the answers.

PMO
©2014

Walker

My father-in-law has a new walker. He is almost 92 years old and isn’t as light on his feet as he used to be. On second thought, maybe he is light on his feet. They keep flying from underneath him. Falls are not an old persons friend. So, now the challenge is to get him to use the walker.

The walker has a seat to sit if one gets tired. And it has reflectors. I’m guessing this is for night walking. If that’s the case, reflectors don’t seem adequate. I think I am going to add headlights, tail lights, turn signals and a horn.

Chrome spoke wheels and a racing stripe might be nice too.

PMO
©2014

Searching For Gold

I have a friend I will call C. He and I went to high school together. We talk often and exchange email. Although I have challenged him several times, he is prone to believe what he reads on the internet, especially if it’s something that fits his way of thinking.

It is amazing how many people - millions, maybe billions - that are like C. They think because a website has a lot of followers, supposedly renowned writers, and a slick looking page, the information is absolute truth. Unfortunately folks, that is not the case. No matter what you read, there is no one that can predict the financial future of the nation, cover news stories that are not anywhere else, or cure dandruff with a sure proof home remedy.

I am in agreement that there is no or little truth in what the media presents as news, but just because it is on an internet site, doesn’t make it the truth either. People want to believe in something and are inclined like C. to swallow what ever they want the truth to be. This applies to medical cures, social trends and whatever else you can Google.

Someone said the internet is like a giant septic tank with a tiny nugget of gold in it.

You have to sift through a lot of "stuff" to find the gold.

PMO
©2014

Faults

Have you noticed that everyone has faults? It doesn’t matter who they are, they have faults. Some are worse than others. There are people that talk too loud or too soft. Some really grind on your nerves and others you just feel sorry for. I’m not going to get into physical faults except to say that beauty is skin deep and ugliness goes to the bone. I think it was Flip Wilson that said that.

The point of all this is that we forgive others for their faults or we try out best to avoid them. Maybe that’s why everyone avoids me. Wouldn’t it be nice if the world would be more forgiving of others?

There is one fault I can think of that has great potential.

The San Andreas fault.

PMO

©2014

Bacon

Perhaps you’ve seen the commercial with a dog mugging the camera and saying bacon, bacon, bacon. Well, that’s how I am about bacon. I like bacon. And, I don’t care if it’s unhealthy, bad for the environment or politically incorrect.

Every time I visit our local supermarket, gas station, fish bait, used tire center, I go by the bacon section to look for a sale. Bacon is expensive. Some brands are $8 to $9 per pound. That’s a lot to be eating low on the hog.

Making a trip to the ATM at the super center, I went by the bacon aisle and lo and behold, they had a sale on one of the brands I like. I got four pounds. Then, I went by produce and got a tomato. The lady at the register looked at me strangely. I explained I was going to have a BLT. She didn’t say a word.

Bacon - bacon-bacon!

Woof Woof.

PMO
©2014

Wastebook

Senator Tom Coburn (R., Oklahoma) has released his final ‘Wastebook’ because he is retiring after this term. This years report is almost two hundred pages long and chronicles $25 billion in silly, unnecessary or low priority projects.

The National Science Foundation spent $331,000 on a study that found that spouses stab voodoo dolls more when they are hungry and angry. Well, that explains a lot - to someone.

Grants to the National Endowment for the Arts included $10,000 to produce a play about two lesbians who think they are Elvis Presley and Theodore Roosevelt. I’m going to wait for the sitcom to come out before I watch this.

As a shooter who is shocked about the cost of ammunition, my attention was drawn to the Pentagon spending $1 billion to destroy $16 billion worth of ammunition. Why didn’t they just give it to Walmart? It would have sold out in a weekend.

Oh, the National Science Foundation also taught monkeys to play video games and gamble. That has got to further science more than the discovery of fire.

Not to be out done, the Department of the Interior actually paid people to watch grass to see how quickly it grows.

I wonder where one would submit an application for that job?

PMO
©2014

Love vs Hate

Humans are like wind and water. They take the path of least resistance. Such is the case of love and hate. It is so much easier to hate than it is to love. Hate only requires that you hate and it doesn’t matter if you have a legitimate reason or not. When you hate, you not only don’t have to have facts or truths, you can just hate because you want to.

Love on the other hand takes a lot of effort. With love, you have to make concessions, compromises, and sometimes you have to give in when you know the other party is wrong. That’s why it says in the Book, that love is long suffering. But, love brings pleasures beyond any perceived with hate. Love takes time and blossoms into relationships that are meaningful and lasting.

It is so easy to hate others. It is not always easy to love others, but the rewards are worth it.

You don’t get anything out of hate.

PMO
©2014

Vote For Me

The mid-term elections are getting closer and although I have never had any interest in politics, I’ve been thinking about what I would do if I was in charge. Because I am a firm believer in "know before you go - to the polls" it is reasonable that I should state my platform.

First, I would do away with political correctness. PC is only political and is never correct.

Next I would do away with hyphenations. If you are a citizen, natural or naturalized, you are an American. Americans don’t always agree, but they do or should stand together and work together to resolve all matters, especially those that divide or threaten the safety and freedoms we enjoy.

There would be no special privileges for anyone regardless of race, creed, color, religious beliefs or sexual orientation. Everyone would be responsible for their actions and suffer the consequences or benefits of their actions. Yes, that means a lot of people would have to get a job.

Abortion is always a hot topic, so my position is simple. There are so many forms of birth control, there is not a need for abortion.

I would spend your money like I spend mine. Ask anyone and they will tell you that I am stingy. Well, maybe I’m a little more than stingy. I had to work for my money and if you have to work for yours, you should vote for me.

States would have rights again. After all, they know their citizens needs more than any federal institution will ever know.

We would have a strong military because there are millions of people in this world that want to kill us. They don’t want us to surrender, they want us dead.

The borders would be secure and any illegal entry would be rewarded with immediate deportation or imprisonment. Legal immigrants would be welcomed with open arms and get the same opportunities that we all have.

While there would be no religious persecution, we would be a Christian nation again. Our laws and customs would be based upon Christian beliefs and principles.

All laws would apply to elected representatives just like they do to every citizen. The same requirement would apply to benefits. And, if any government employee, elected or appointed, does not do their job correctly, morally and ethically, they would be fired. Not promoted or moved to another job.

Education would be a matter of teaching reading, writing and math, with emphasis on science. No social engineering classes. Kids would graduate knowing how to make change for a dollar without a machine and be prepared to know what the real world expects of them.

Leaders would be required to unite and direct everyone to be a part of a strong nation dedicated to preserving peace. JFK said, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what can you do for your country?"

Obviously all these things wouldn’t solve the problems we have, but we need to start somewhere. Therefore, vote for me. Just write in "Grumpy Old Man" for the office of your choice.

I can do more than one job because I won’t spend 90% of my time campaigning and I don’t play golf.

PMO
©2014

Best Of The Week

As I’m sure that most people do, I come across a lot of junk on the internet every week. But, every now and then, something comes by that is truly funny.

"President Obama’s approval ratings are so low that Kenyans are accusing him of being born in the United States."

As Larry the Cable Guy says, "On’t care who you are, at’s funny."

PMO
©2014

The Doc Is In

I red this week that Walmart is experimenting with walk-in clinics - their own doc-in-a box. They reportedly have a stop set up in Dalton, Georgia and some in rural areas of Texas. We don’t have any I know of, but out here it will be years before it happens.

The plan is for $40 one can see a doctor for non-serious ailments and get referrals to a specialist if needed. On the economics site where I picked up this tidbit, the plan could mean trouble for existing walk-in clinics because of the low price. Walmart stands to pickup business in their super centers.

If they ever put these in East Texas, I do hope they give serious consideration on the clinic location inside the store. If you don’t remember, where we shop, the candy is in bicycles and charcoal is on the toilet tissue isle.

I’m guessing automotive would be the spot.

PMO
©2014

Turnips

Michelle Obama says everyone should eat turnips. I suggest that she feed them to the family dog. If he eats them, shoot him.

He’d be a disgrace to dogs everywhere.

PMO
©2014

Now You Know

Did you know that there is a school in Lincoln, Nebraska that instructs teachers to avoid using terms like ‘boys and girls,’ ‘ladies and gentlemen’ and similarly gendered expressions to get kids attention? It’s all part of a 12 step program for gender inclusiveness.

In California, Governor "Moonbeam" Brown passed a law allowing transgender students to use whatever restroom they identify with. And, to play on whatever sports team they want.

Meanwhile at Bellevue College in Washington state, offers seven gender selections on their applications including, bisexual, gay, lesbian, queer, straight/heterosexual, other and prefer not to answer.

Back in Nebraska, teachers instruct all of the ‘purple penguins’ to meet in the center of the room.

How do we know that purple penguins aren’t to be recognized by sexual orientation?  And, what happens if they check all of the above on gender selection?

I’ve been telling you the world has gone mad dog insane.

PMO
©2014

Houston Mayor

Houston mayor, Annise Parker, the city’s first openly lesbian mayor, apparently is out to stop pastors from preaching about homosexuality. According to several sources including Fox news, the mayor is issuing subpoenas from pastors that may have spoken on the subject of homosexuality, gender identity, or the mayor herself.

Apparently this all began in May when the city council voted an ordinance banning discrimination by businesses. And, it allows for a man or woman to use the restroom of the opposite sex if they say they are transgender.

Parker obviously has no idea what the First Amendment states very clearly. All the reports I’ve read say the pastors will refuse to submit to the subpoenas. They have legal counsel.

If you take the position of "who cares" on this issue, then you should know. You will care.

Problem is, it will be too late.

PMO
©2014

Civil Forfeiture

Civil forfeiture is a procedure that allows police to seize property suspected of being related to a crime. The intent is to allow police to confiscate property from drug dealers and money launderers. However it has morphed into a tactic for property to be taken from innocent citizens. Even if one is not arrested, property may be taken if it is suspected in a crime.

A couple of real examples are: a man traveling cross country with $2,000 in cash, had the money taken because it could have been used for buying drugs. It was a gift from his father to help him start a new business; and then there’s the story of a couple who allowed their son to live in their house. The son got arrested for drugs, so the police came and searched the house. Although no drugs were found, the house was seized under civil forfeiture.

Just suspicion can get property taken. The proof that it is not part of criminal activity is placed upon the owner. Good luck in getting it back.

According to a report from the Heritage Foundation, both houses of congress are working on rewriting the law. But, states have laws too. And, there are reports of state and local officers taking property to help them get items for their departments they would otherwise not get.

The quote from Sergeant Phil Esterhaus from Hill Street Blues, now applies to the civilians:

"Hey, let’s be careful out there."

PMO
©2014

Uncle

Cultures are interesting to me. We recently attended a family reunion where some members came from Hawaii. I discovered I like them a lot better than the ones that live here, but that’s another story. In their culture they call older people auntie or uncle as a sign of respect. It doesn’t matter if they are related or not.

This little tidbit explains a TV show that is filmed in Hawaii. The characters often refer to older persons by these terms.

It actually was enjoyable to visit, which I normally do not enjoy. They even brought gifts for everyone, including macadamia nuts. No, I am not willing to share.

They live on the big island where’s there an active volcano. Obviously this causes them a lot of concern, but I assured them we have a bigger threat.  We are closer to Washington than they are.

They got to sample Texas barbeque and chicken fried steak.

That’s real culture for any auntie or uncle, no matter where you're from.

PMO
©2014

Rethink

I’ve been rethinking ISIS fighters crossing into Texas. All we have to do is when captured, the culprits are turned over to a bunch of East Texas red-necks for special orientation and training. Within a week, or so, they will be eating eggs and bacon for breakfast, pork ribs for lunch and fried pork chops with gravy for supper. All three meals come with a beer or beers of your choice.

Training in wild hog hunting and using dynamite for fishing should get any terrorist to realize that the true good life is right here and right now.

After a few days of gutting hogs and catfish, they surely will recognize the errors of their ways. If not, then we can always load them in the back of a pickup and haul them to DC and make them participate in the political process.

If they are just a little bit smart, it won’t take them long to understand we already have an enemy force trying to destroy us.

PMO
©2014

Reasons Not To Vote

Okay, I’m back on my get out the vote campaign. But, I do want you to understand that there are legitimate reasons not to vote.

If you have no idea about what you are voting for or against.

If you don’t know one candidate from another.

If you really don’t care what government does to you and everyone else.

If you are not willing to take a little time to research and understand the issues.

If you don’t understand the voting results outcome will affect you for the rest of your life.

If you have a real mental problem that prevents you from making an informed decision.

If you are dead.

The last one doesn’t apply if you’re from Chicago.

PMO
©2014

ISIS In Texas

According to a Fox News report with Greta Van Susteren, ISIS fighters are crossing into Texas on the southern border. In an interview Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) told her that at least 10 ISIS fighters have been caught by the Border Patrol. And, Hunter added that if 10 have been caught, there must be more that are not detected. Just like drug and gun smugglers.

We have ebola infections and it appears that more may be exposed. But according to the powers that be, this is nothing to get concerned about.

Well, unless all the true Texans moved away while I was sleeping, there are a bunch of folks that will get upset over both of these events.

Texas ain’t gonna become a third world country.

Not even if everybody else wants to.

PMO
©2014

Rules Don't Apply

It has always irritated me that some people honestly believe that rules don’t apply to them. I can understand that some "rules" are so stupid that they should not apply to anyone. But, there are always a very few that ignore or demand a exception to a rule that is for the general good of all.

My case in point is that I manage a communication network for our little commune. I have rules, such as no political ads or opinions, no games of chance, and no commercial ads. If you ever want to know how to make enemies, just ask me. I have alienated some folks because they want to advertise their business.

The reason for the rule is simple. If commercial ads were allowed, we would have a spam service. I want no part of that. And, since no one is willing to do this job, I get to say "NO."

There is one woman that must have a dozen businesses she tries to sneak in. Although I have caught her and refuse to post her messages, she keeps on trying. This just puzzles me.

Oh well. On my bulletin board, we go by the control rule.

The one that has control makes the rules.

PMO
©2014

Texas Vote

Our precinct chairman reports that Texas has one of the lowest voter turnouts in the nation.  It’s in the bottom two. I don’t understand why people won’t vote. It is (right now) one of the few ways we can get the attention of government.

There are a lot of excuses for not voting. But, they usually are just that - excuses. I certainly support people not voting if they don’t know who or what they are voting for. I just hate to think that’s the case in Texas.

For people just think that their vote is not important. Check out the next line I borrowed today.

If you think you are too small to make a difference, you’ve never gone to bed with a mosquito in the room.

PMO
©2014

FBI

The FBI - Federal Bureau of Investigation- is not easy to contact. To be fair, I am trying to contact their community outreach group. I have need for them to make a presentation for one of my retiree group meetings. They’ve done it before at another group.

I’ve made several phone calls and after pressing 1 through 2 million at the prompts, I always get a voice mail for someone that says to leave a message and they will call me back. Ha-Ha. The person does offer an email address, but after going through all the prompts several times I have yet to understand the email instructions.

As usual I have a plan. I’m going to take my picture and put it up at the post office and let them contact me.

If my picture is already there, I may just give up on the whole idea.

PMO
©2014

Not Responsible

I have a couple of friends that have a problem with their adult children. One has a son that is facing up to three years prison time because of a history of DUI arrests and charges of domestic violence. This child is over 40 years old. The second friend has a daughter that is being investigated for driving under the influence and causing a major traffic wreck. Both of the friends agree, it’s not their child’s fault. The question you would expect from me is, "Who’s fault is it?"

Often we hear that someone did some heinous crime because of their environment when they were a child. The old, "they were abused as a child" shift of responsibility trick is argued time and time again. What ever happened to, "I did it and I accept responsibility?"

We have become a society that easily accepts that whatever happens, it’s not our fault. Such is the case of abortion. "It’s not my fault I got pregnant." Think about that for just a moment. Then, sure to follow is, "It’s a woman’s right to have an abortion." Reality is that abortion is not a right. It is a horrendous choice that follows a really bad choice.

Humans get to make choices, but some make some really bad ones. And, far too often, they don’t learn from their choices. Why should they?

It’s not their fault.

PMO
©2014

Ebola Quarantine

Unless you live in a cave, you are aware of the Ebola disease that has now been discovered in the USA. We even have a case in Texas. And, officials have ordered the patient and some relatives into quarantine. Enforced isolation is sometimes necessary to prevent spreading disease and in this case is certainly justified - my humble opinion. Unfortunately, not everyone agrees with me. That is not a surprise to me or anyone that knows me.

Yes, the experts say that the disease isn’t an airborne transferred virus. But, when you deal with something as deadly as this can be, a temporary inconvenience for a few is better than an epidemic.

Anytime there is a threat to the safety, security, health and well being of the citizenry, every measure should be taken to isolate the potential danger and keep them locked away until they are no longer a threat..

With those guidelines, we need to quarantine all politicians.

PMO
©2014

Americans Out - Illegals In

In case your haven’t heard, the POTUS has issued an another executive order which allows 1,500 illegal immigrants to join the military. Strange this is happening just after about 2000 field officers have been told they are out at the end of their enlistment.

There is a law prohibiting illegals from joining the military, but they may be allowed if it’s "in the national interest."

It’s not surprising that he salutes with a cup of coffee in his hand.

PMO
©2014

Majority Doesn't Change Truth

Giordano Bruno (1548-1699): "It is proof of a base and low mind for one to wish to think with the masses or majority, merely because the majority is the majority. Truth does not change because it is, or is not, believed by a majority of the people."

How much truth is buried everyday because a majority refuses to believe it?

Think about that next time someone says, "Everybody says," or "Everybody knows?"

PMO
©2014

United ?????

Politicians know that if you want to control people you have to keep them divided. I must say that the current batch in Washington is doing an outstanding job. But, I have been thinking about what we Americans might all agree upon, as a uniting point. Guess what? I can’t think of anything. I’m not sure we could get a consensus on what day it is.

So, I called my friend, Dr. Wild Bill, the retired preacher and avid squirrel hunter to get his ideas. He couldn’t think of anything either. He said he would agree it was Tuesday.

I couldn’t agree with that.

PMO
©2014

Compost Or Else

According to a recent report by the Associated Press, residents in Seattle will be fined if they remove food waste from their trash. A new ordinance which goes into effect next year, will impose a $1 fine on violators for each occurrence of having more than 10% of trash that could be composted.

San Francisco also has a mandatory composting ordinance.

As usual I have questions. Because meat, bones and skins don’t compost, are they allowed? Vegetables that are heavily seasoned with butter or meat scraps won’t compost either. Are the collectors going to test or taste them to see if they pass. And, how do you tell exactly how much is 10%? Won’t it take a lot of extra time to go through trash just to issue a $1 fine?

Let’s say that homeowners comply, what are they going to do with all the compost? Put it on their flower beds or yard. What happens if you don’t have flower beds or much of a lawn? I suppose you could put it on your neighbors. Knowing me as I do, I would probably just put the food scraps in my neighbor’s yard to begin with.

Why doesn’t Seattle also require composting toilets? Yes, they do make these things.

That way they could get to residents, coming and going.

PMO
©2014

Drivers License

My youngest granddaughter now has a drivers license. She passed the driving exam on the first try with a score of 98. Now all I have to do is to learn to live with the fact that she is growing up, even if I don’t want to admit it. She was a lot easier to deal with when she was a baby and thought granddad was fun to be around.

I did not pass my driving exam on the first try. It seems that they did not want a new one way street on the route I had to take. It looked like one way to me.

Getting a license has changed a lot since I was a kid. We had to study a handbook. Now, they just go online and take trial exams until they are ready for the real thing. We had to go to a State Police station and wait. Now, they make an appointment. Now they place the burden of learning how to drive upon the parents. Way back then, we got someone to show us how to shift a manual transmission and then we just took it from there.

To celebrate granddaughter’s accomplishment, we all went out to dinner. When I got my license, I was sent on an errand. I still go on errands.

In the old days, we didn’t have seat belts, air bags, crash bumpers, backup cameras and warning lights. We had cars built like tanks and curb feelers for parallel parking.

You had to be tough to get a license back then.

PMO
©2014

Old People Problem

Because I work with two retiree clubs and a gated community information system, and because I am a self appointed expert on human behavior, I suggest that I have found the number one problem with old people. No, it’s not all the wrinkles and blue hair. And, it’s not the fact they are falling apart. As I’ve said before, "Never, never, never ask an old person how are you?" They will tell you. For hours in great detail.

Sadly in addition to all the things they forget, they forget how to laugh. Everything is so dang serious. Perhaps it is because they can only handle so much information and frustration. Or, maybe it’s because they just don’t take time to relax and have a belly laugh. Well, in some cases that would be a big laugh. The point is that old people are old because they have forgotten how to be young. If nothing else, we may as well laugh at ourselves.

Everybody else does.

PMO
©2014

It Continues

Since we moved to East Texas, I have experienced some weird things that puzzle me. Like why charcoal at the Wallyworld is in the toilet paper aisle or candy in bicycles. I don’t ask why. But, I may need an explanation on my latest event.

I ordered a product online and had it shipped to my house. The sender sent it via FedEx. It was due to arrive on a Thursday, so I checked the porch a few times to see if it had arrived. I went back online to track the shipment and discovered it was delivered the Saturday before, according to the driver. I called FedEx to find out what happened. They promised to investigate and call me back. Here is where the plot thickens.

A neighbor two doors down and across the street called and said they had a package for me that was delivered on Thursday. Then, they told the rest of the story. It seems that the delivery truck parked in front of my house and the driver came to the door. Then he went to another neighbor’s house and left the package on the back porch. That’s where my neighbor picked it up because they knew that neighbor was out of town for a few weeks.

I’m guessing that the driver must work part time at Wallyworld.

PMO
©2014

Myths And Lies

There are so many myths and outright lies that are presented as the truth today, I though I would list a few of them for you.

Only men cheat in a marriage or relationship.

Only white people are racist.

Abortion is a woman’s right.

There is a war against women.

Politicians are smarter than you are and know what’s best for you.

Illegal immigration is not illegal.

Sexual assault is anything someone wants it to be.

People cause climate change.

Alternative lifestyles deserve special treatment.

One whiff of second hand smoke will kill you.

Smoking marijuana is good.

Men and women are equal in everything.

Women have special rights.

Proving you are a citizen to vote is wrong.

Rich people are evil. (Except celebrities)

Someone owes me a high standard of living.

Guns kill people.

Christianity should be banned.

The list could go on and on, but here’s an old favorite:

I am from the government and I am here to help you.

PMO
©2014

Miracle "Drug"

For many years there have been numerous case studies and trials on a simple miracle "drug" that often reducing suffering, pain, and in some cases may cure illness. Patients just get better when this treatment is applied. Yet, it is seldom used despite the cost is usually nothing. Doctors don’t prescribe it and pharmacies don’t sell it. But it works.

The miracle "drug" is simply laughter. Time and time again in study groups, some with terminally ill participants, there is a positive result.

For best results use daily.

A day without laughter is a day without living.

PMO
©2014

No Seconds

When I drive alone or with somebody, I usually listen to talk radio. Such was the case on my way to the grocery. The topic of the few moments I got to listen was school lunch menus and some crazy rules. The host explained that schools were not allowed to offer students seconds - as if they would want them. According to the host, schools had to throw the food away and could not even serve the next day.

Old crazy me looked at the official government website that explains such things. First, let me say that the items offered to students may be healthy according to someone, but it is unhealthy not to eat and that’s what a lot of students are doing. Anyway, the official site proclaims that it is a myth that students can’t have seconds and schools can use the left over food the next day. Just imagine, a left over corn and Johnson grass sandwich with lime juice, on whole wheat pita bread.

The point of the story is that there is so often, misinformation, misunderstood information and misapplied information. Who can you believe? A radio talk show host or the Federal Government?

Has the government ever lied to you?

PMO
©2014

Greater Threat

According to a report in the New York Times, a group called Khorasan, also based in Syria, may be more interested in bombing the U.S. mainland that ISIS. The leader of this group was reportedly very close to Osam bin Laden and one of the few that knew about the 9-11 attacks in advance.

It seems now that there is a competition to see who can get the U.S. first. While there will always be wars and rumors of wars, it appears that most groups today are agreed on destroying America.

The question of the day is, "Which is the greater threat to destroying the USA?"

"Them or us?"

PMO
©2014

Math Problem

Back in the old days, the following would be a typical math exam question. See how you do.

WAIT ! No calculators, computers or electronic devices of any kind. You have to use a #2 pencil and notebook paper which you have to turn in.

"Bob decides he will treat three of his friends to lunch. The first one ordered a meal that cost $6.00. The second one ordered a meal that cost only $4.75. And, the last one ordered a meal that cost $7.25. He must have had cheese and fries with that. Bob’s meal cost $5.50.

All four of them had a drink which cost $1.75 each. The sales tax on the lunch is 8 ¼ %.

Bob only had two $20 bills, so he had to wait until he got change to leave a tip. He always tips 15%.

After he paid the bill and the tip, how much did Bob have?"

Give this to any recent high school graduate.

Chances are, they may not know what a #2 pencil is.

PMO
©2014

Hard To Argue With

Just when we think we are so smart, along comes a story like the following:

Indian Chief Two Eagles was asked by a white U.S. government official,  "You have observed the white man for 90 years. You've seen his wars and his technological advances. You've seen his progress, and the damage he's done."

The Chief nodded in agreement.

The official continued, 'Considering all these events, in your opinion, where did the white man go wrong?'

The Chief stared at the government official for over a minute and then calmly replied, "When white man find land, Indians running it, no taxes, no debt, plenty buffalo, plenty beaver, clean water. Women did all the work, Medicine man free. Indian man spend all day hunting and fishing; all night having sex." Then the chief leaned back and smiled, "Only white man dumb enough to think he could improve system like that.."

I have enough Indian blood and too much good sense to argue with that.

PMO
©2014

United?

Scotland has voted to remain in the United Kingdom. It’s probably a good thing because just think of all the details that would have to be worked out. But, the vote has gotten me thinking about how such a vote would go in Texas.

If only legal voters were allowed to vote, I suspect that Texas would secede by a vote of about 90%. This would upset a lot of folks, especially in Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arizona. They would want to vote too.

Texas wouldn’t have a lot of details to work out. We’d just put up a sign.

"If you don’t like it - Leave."

PMO
©2014

Top Religions

No one knows for sure how many religions there are in the world. From a little research, a good guess is about 4,000, give or take a few hundred. Christianity is the largest with about two billion believers, with Islam, 1.3 billion, second and growing quickly.

It’s easy to understand why Islam is growing so much. If you don’t join up, they will kill you. At least that’s what is happening in parts of the world.

Hinduism and Buddhism are next in order. You don’t hear much about them. Judaism, which seems to upset so many people, has only about 15 million followers. I don’t understand why everyone gets so mad at them. Maybe, it’s those funny hats.

Then, there are the true top two religions in America. Bet you thought Christianity was number one.

Football and golf.

PMO
©2014

September 17, 1787

"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America." --Preamble to the Constitution, George Washington and the Delegates to the Constitutional Convention, September 17, 1787.

You don’t hear much about Constitution Day on radio, TV or in the newspapers. Maybe that’s because it has been erroneously assumed that "the people" know about the Constitution.

Our nation's second president, John Adams, warned, "A Constitution of Government once changed from Freedom, can never be restored. Liberty, once lost, is lost forever."

Think about that for awhile and I’ll get back to you.

PMO
©2014

More Evidence

A little road trip this week caused me to further believe that Americans are officially dumb. Motoring along the interstate I couldn’t happen but notice a billboard with a picture of a young girl and big bold letters. "Human trafficking. It’s not okay."

Everyone that thought it was okay, raise your hands. Someone must believe that everyone thought it was okay or else they would not have put up that sign.

Human trafficking is a serious and heinous crime. If it’s not worse than murder, it is equal to it.

Now, that we all know that human trafficking is not okay, I suppose we’ll have to wait for another sign to tell us what to do about it.

They better keep that sign simple too.

PMO
©2014