All posts by James DeVol

My Life

June 24th part 2….

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Well…the shower and coffee did work pretty well this morning…I felt pretty good after the bike ride; this was a pretty easy hangover and I think it has something to do with the fact that I’m sleeping better with the sleeping pills…but I’m going to stop them after this weekend just to see if my brain has been reset yet…hope so.

Where the heck can you find one of those cheap plastic webbed lounge chairs? I have been looking for a couple of weeks now and have looked at every store around here but Walmart…you know how I feel about them. It would seem like a relatively simple task to find one of those, they used to be everywhere you looked a few years back…maybe I’m out of touch? Just trying to get the old vitamin D up some by sitting in the sun…oh, well…

Nothing more right now…looking forward to just hanging out here tonight, watching Burn Notice and the new episodes of Futurama…yeah, I know, a cartoon, for an old guy like me? I appreciate comedy in any form (well, not Jackass)…and the writers do a great job…

Politics

When did anger become a virtue?

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Well…this just popped into my head…no it didn’t hurt…when did anger and the expression of it become such a virtue? To listen to those on the right, Obama is not fit to be president because he acts too cool in times of crisis. You have got to be kidding me again…when I was growing up it was a virtue to not get upset at every little thing…to act like a man (or woman) when things went wrong and to think, then take action. There is even a well-know phrase, “calm under fire” that was one of the highest compliments that you could give someone. What went wrong? I think the right is confusing the sound and fury that has come to define their brand of politics with accomplishment…and being an adult. Fox News is even using the phrase “No Drama Obama” as another slur…what would they have him do? Run around and scream?

It’s just another instance of the right saying whatever they can, no matter how true to try to bring the Obama administration down by any means…sounds like terrorism to me…but as always, I support their right to say it.

Keith, if you decide to steal this one, too..you owe me…

Politics

Good riddance…

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Well…as I advocated the other day…the President has removed General McChrystal from his position leading the effort in Afghanistan strongly reaffirming to this country and the rest of the world that the civilians are now and always will be in charge of our military. And, as more and more information comes out on this guy, what I said about him in the other post is also true: that this guy was just one of the tea partiers that could not accept that their side lost the election and was just throwing an immature fit like you see at all of the tea party rallies. Now, I know that some of you that read this are bosses…what would you do if one of your employees did what McChrystal did to the President? If one of your brightest engineers, for example, spent his break or work time bad-mouthing you to the rest of your team and showed you no respect? I’m sure you’d warn him that it wasn’t appropriate…but if he kept it up you wouldn’t tolerate it and would probably ask him or her to go somewhere else. Just what Obama did.

But, there is a larger danger here that has been ignored by our generation; a warning of which was given by an ex-general who was also president Eisenhower. “Beware the military-industrial complex”…to that I’ll add my own corollary…”Beware the hero worship of the military”. Many of the commentators seem to want to give the military a pass on everything with the right being the biggest cheerleaders…and yes they do sacrifice…but they also know what they are getting into when they sign up. It’s become almost like a religion to some folks and what the world doesn’t need is another religion…geez.

My Life

June 24th

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Well…had fun out with Tom last night but made a huge mistake of continuing to drink when I got home…feel like crap today..but I did win at pool so maybe that makes it okay…nope….it doesn’t. I guess it’s just from boredom but that’s no excuse. Oh, well…

Not much to do today…man…I’m just not thinking right now so I’ll stop…you don’t want to read when I’m not at my best so come back later…I’ll have had coffee and a shower that might make me feel and think human….

My Life

This is just wrong…

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On my way home from shooting pool with Tom and we ran across some kids that were having fun jumping off the camelhump bridge between Ada and Cascade…something that every kid that lives in the area has done since the bridge was built…I’ve gone off it too many times to count as has everyone I know…what made this wrong was a Kent county cop had to stop and give those kids crap about it..”hey teacher, leave those kids alone”, leave them to be kids…why do we have to criminalize doing what every kid has done since forever? geez….

Sports

USA, USA, USA…

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Man….what a heart-stopping match between Algeria and the USA….and Donovan wins it in stoppage time. I couldn’t stand just sitting here so I went over to the local Mexican place to watch with some of the guys over there…the only other soccer fans I know so that was fun….even had lunch…great Mexican food at Cabana Tres Amigos…go there some time..yummy. As soon as the US scored I got a call from my daughter in Chicago checking to make sure I didn’t have a heart attack. England won, too, so her husband will be happy that they got through….I’m smiling….

My Life

June 22nd

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Well…need to get this one out early today since I have to be ready, willing, and able by 10 when the US faces Algeria in the World Cup this morning…but why did they have to have the England/Slovenia game on at the same time…might have to go out where I can have two screens…nope, can’t do that…going to shoot pool with Tom this aft and can’t start drinking that early…will need to take a nap and there just isn’t enough time before 3. Of course, I could just power through the day but I think I lost that ability about 20 years ago…along with the desire to do it….might be a thing to try at some point in the near future, though; just for scientific curiosity mind you…not that it may be fun.

That’s enough for now….it looks like big storms here in about an hour and if the damn dish goes out (again) I am going to scream….

Misc

McChrystal has to go….

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Well…haven’t been paying to much attention today and this story just appeared like a quick thunderstorm…the commanding general in Afghanistan, General McChrystal, in a far-ranging interview with Rolling Stone Magazine has shown his true colors..or I should say has re-affirmed his true colors by again being insubordinate to President Obama. This guy needs to be removed and immediately. President Obama, do not think about this, do not mull it over, do not study it…just do it. This guy is acting like Bush is still president…when they could talk a good game and not accomplish anything and still keep their jobs. And, it appears that he has the same infection that the rest of the Republicans do…that makes them do and say irrational things whenever Obama is involved. Just look at the tea partiers….

I wouldn’t be surprised if McChrystal lands a new job as the Fox News military consultant.

He’s acted like a spoiled child throughout his career when he didn’t get his way…the definition of insubordination…he has to be taught that the military is under civilian control…geez…

Politics

You’re on your own….

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Well…can the Repubs get any more obvious who they are lining up behind in the oil spill mess? First, you have Joe Barton apologizing to BP for Obama slapping them on the wrist…and then you have the new talking points that are urging impeachment for Obama since the Repubs think that asking BP to step up to their responsibilities is an unconstitutional use of presidential power. It’s not like the scene from “The Godfather” where a character holding a gun says that either the subject’s signature or brains were going to end up on a contract. What Obama did is called “jawboning” and it has been a part of the president’s prerogative since there was a President. What the hell is with these guys? I think Eugene Robinson, from the Washington Post, said it best…that the Repubs just want to attack Obama and it doesn’t matter if what they say is true, false, or even rooted in reality…it is the same tactic they used on Clinton, Kerry, and a host of other Democrats. The sad thing is that the Repub followers believe and support this crap.

What Obama is doing, and what I have advocated for many, many years, is a key role of the government that was abdicated under the Repubs…that is to be a referee between the average American and the overwhelming power of the modern corporation. What the Repubs want to happen is, instead of the 20 billion fund that Obama has gotten from BP, is for each and every harmed individual to bet their life savings and take BP to court, or, if you don’t have any savings, you are just out of luck. If we sit here and think for just a second…that’s long enough…we’ll see the other predominately Repub group that would benefit from extended litigation and court fights. Yep, you guessed it..the trial lawyers; not to mention BP.

Please, please, please, America….open your eyes and see just once what the Repubs are all about…they don’t care about you or any other American that is part of the middle class….this is their “let them eat cake” moment…and I hope the results are the same as the French revolution. Geez….