THE EARTH MOTHER

IT'S ALL REALLY PRETTY SIMPLE. GIVE UP THE RACISM, THE BIGOTRY, THE HATRED, THE GREED, THE FEELING THAT YOU AND YOUR KIND ARE ALL THAT MATTERS. GRASP INCLUSIVENESS, DIVERSITY, UNDERSTANDING, COMPASSION. REMEMBER THAT WE ARE MORE ALIKE THAN WE ARE DIFFERENT. WE ALL SEEK HAPPINESS AND A BETTER LIFE FOR OUR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN. ONCE YOU GET OVER YOU, YOU WILL HAVE A BETTER CHANCE TO SEEK THE COMMON GOOD. THAT GOOD COMES FROM ALL OF US, ALL CREATED BY GOD. WE DON'T NEED POLITICIANS TO TELL US WHAT TO DO, OR IDEOLOGIES TO INFORM US. WE ARE EACH CAPABLE OF CONTRIBUTING TO CREATING HEAVEN ON EARTH. WE SHOULD ACCEPT NOTHING SHORT OF THAT.

We Need Our Fathers and Our Mothers To Be By Our Side

We Need Our Fathers and Our Mothers To Be By Our Side

ELECTION-2016

YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST. ELECTORAL VOTES: CLINTON-330 OR SO, TRUMP-220 OR SO. IN MODERN DAY TERMINOLOGY, HE GETS STOMPED. AND THE SENATE: DEMOCRATS UP TWO. THE MEDIA IS WANTING TO MAKE A  RACE OUT OF IT, BUT IT WOULDN'T WORK. WE WILL IMMEDIATELY HAVE TO START WORKING ON HILLARY. SHE IS NOT THE PROGRESSIVE I WAS HOPING FOR. SHE IS ONE OF THE "GOOD OLD BOYS," SO TO SPEAK.

MORE ABOUT OUR EATING VENUES IN AND AROUND THE VILLAGE

PREVIOUSLY, I TALKED ABOUT ELAN'S AT THE GRANADA CLUBHOUSE. THEY ARE MAKING A PLAY TO STAY ALIVE. TANNER'S IS KILLING THEM. THEY HAVE LOWERED THEIR PRICES SIGNIFICANTLY. QUALITY IS FINE, SERVICE IS GOOD. I THINK IT WILL BE A STRUGGLE FOR THEM. THEY WANT TO BE A FINE DINING ESTABLISHMENT WHICH THE VILLAGE WILL NOT SUPPORT. FOLKS HAVE PLENTY OF MONEY, PUT THEY INTEND ON KEEPING IT.

THE HOME PLATE ON HIGHWAY 7 IS VERY POPULAR. THEY GIVE YOU A LOT OF AVERAGE FOOD FOR A DECENT PRICE. THE SERVICE IS ALWAYS GOOD. WE DON'T GET THERE VERY OFTEN. IT'S A LONG DRIVE. ABOUT 30 MILES. NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO MAKE THE EFFORT VERY OFTEN.

THE ITALIAN HOUSE & GRILL IS GOOD. LOCATED JUST OUTSIDE THE WEST GATE, I HAVE NEVER BEEN DISAPPOINTED. IT IS CONSISTENT, ALWAYS GOOD SERVICE. PRICES ARE MODERATE. I WOULD RECOMMEND IT WITHOUT RESERVATION.

THE LAST CHANCE HAS KIND OF RUN ITS COURSE. NOT SURE WHAT HAPPENED. MAYBE JUST BEEN THERE TOO OFTEN. CHICKEN IS USUALLY GOOD. THEY HAVE AN EXCELLENT GROUPER SANDWICH ON JALAPENO BREAD. (I DOUBT IT'S GROUPER). SERVICE HAS BEEN SOMETHING OF A PROBLEM. A GOOD BAR AREA, ALTHOUGH BARTENDING NOT AT ITS BEST. THEY DO HAVE FREE POPCORN. AS IS EVIDENT, I AM THUMB'S DOWN AT THE MOMENT. THEY NEED A REVAMPING.

MOLLY O' BRIANS, JUST OUTSIDE THE BALBOA GATE, HAS ALSO LOST SOME OF ITS PUNCH. PIZZA HAS BEEN GREASY, WHICH IS HARD ON MY SYSTEM. THEY DO SEEM TO BE MAKING A BIT OF A COMEBACK, BUT TANNER'S WILL ALSO HURT THEM. WE STILL GO OCCASIONALLY. ACOUSTICS NOT GOOD. IN A PINCH, WE WILL ORDER A PIZZA TO GO. SERVICE HAS ALWAYS BEEN GOOD.

Who says America doesn't need unions? • Hightower Lowdown

Who says America doesn't need unions? • Hightower Lowdown: In their ongoing, all-out assault to crush labor unions, corporate forces have fabricated a cultural myth to undermine popular support …



NO UNION-NO FAIR PAY. NO RETIREMENT. NO VACATION TIME. NO OVER-TIME. NO SAFE WORK PLACE. NO MATERNITY LEAVE. NO NOTHING.

SHIPROCK

SHIPROCK. ONE OF THE MOST SACRED SITES OF THE NAVAJO NATION. OUR BUS WENT RIGHT BY WITHOUT ANY ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. (I TOOK THIS PICTURE FROM THE BUS). THE NAVAJO NATION RECENT SHUT OFF THE PUBLIC FROM GETTING CLOSE BECAUSE OF CLIMBERS, LITTERING, AND GENERAL MISBEHAVIOR. IT IS NOW FENCED. ONLY THE NAVAJO CAN GO TO THE BASE.

THE GRAND CANYON

“The really wonderful moments of joy in this world are not the moments of self-satisfaction, but self-forgetfulness. Standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon and contemplating your own greatness is pathological. At such moments we are made for a magnificent joy that comes from outside ourselves.”  John Piper, Don't Waste Your Life

THE NEW CAR BLUES

We had to buy a new car. I'd rather go to a funeral. I hate dealing with auto dealers. It's always a screw job. They cry more than a newborn baby orangutan. Found a fairly decent deal in a 2016 Murano with 11,400 miles. At least I didn't feel quite so violated. I never was much of a car person. If it gets me there and back, that's all I'm hoping for. Our other car is a 2009 Altima with 52,000 miles. Cars are unfortunately a necessary evil. Where we live, you have to be able to drive. And we still need two cars. I blame Henry Ford. As Henry said, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” That accounts for my feelings when I buy a car.

BACK BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

     More of the same from the village Board of Directors. More secrets. Guess what? You have a new general manager. The old one is scheduled to advise her on an on-going basis. Sweet! I attribute all these secrets to our military leadership. They are not used to operating in a democratic fashion. It’s “do as we say, we know what’s best for you.” Executive sessions continue to be abused. The board policy has seven reasons to go into executive session, the seventh a catch-all for just about any time they want. By comparison, the state of Arkansas has three reasons to go into executive session. And our Board does not vote in pubic on personnel matters, a blatant violation of the public trust. No vote affecting us should be taken behind closed doors. We elect them and we are entitled to know what they are doing. And how each of the members are voting. The five years we have been in the Village full-time, the Board of Directors has been the most disappointing thing about the Village. And the Village Voice has not encouraged them to change or do anything different regarding all the secrets. The media usually takes up these battles, but then again, this is the Village. (I’m going to have to check if the Chamber owns them). At any rate, one can only hope that things might get better. It’s a great place, but secrets have no place in our community. We are mostly all capable of discussing various proposed ideas and letting the Board know in a reasonable fashion how we feel, prior to the Board making a final decision. That’s how it should work, assuming we are using democratic principles, which I would hope is our intent.

FALL

HAPPY AUTUMN EQUINOX. DON'T BOTHER ME, I'M BUSY DANCING AROUND THE CAMPFIRE. NEEDLESS TO SAY, I DON'T THINK YOU WANT TO HEAR THIS IS A WICAN AND PAGAN TRADITION.

PEEVER LAW #63

Revenge will never mend a broken heart.

Donnie Is a Trumpist, Not a Populist

Donnie Is a Trumpist, Not a Populist

48 Words at 4 AM Is All Network News Has to Say About Pipeline Protests

48 Words at 4 AM Is All Network News Has to Say About Pipeline Protests



CORPORATE OWNED AND CONTROLLED.

'Whose Side Are You On?' Dakota Access Emerges as Pivotal Battleground

'Whose Side Are You On?' Dakota Access Emerges as Pivotal Battleground



A GREAT THING TO SEE.

DOWN THE RIVER OF GOLDEN DREAMS

• EVERYONE HAS PLENTY TO EAT. FARMERS ARE GROWING LESS CORN AND SOYBEANS AND MORE VEGETABLES. LIFE IS GOOD.
• THERE ARE NO BILLONAIRES. IT IS NOT SEEN AS NECESSARY OR DESIRABLE. CORPORATIONS ARE NO LONGER THOUGHT OF AS PERSONS. WHAT A FUNNY NOTION. THEY ARE A GENERATOR OF PROFIT. THEY MUST SHARE THAT PROFIT WITH THE POOR. STOCKHOLDERS COME LAST.
• GUNS ARE FAR AND FEW BETWEEN. THE POLICE CANNOT DRESS LIKE THEY ARE READY FOR COMBAT. THEY EXIST TO HELP US, NOT HARM US. A COMMUNITY REVIEW BOARD LOOKS AT ALL SHOOTINGS. ATTORNEYS AND POLITICIANS (BUT I REPEAT MYSELF), ARE NOT INVOLVED. 
• WOMEN MAKE ALL DECISIONS CONCERNING THEIR BODIES. THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS. 
• ANYONE DAMAGING THE EARTH FOR PROFIT WILL FORFEIT ALL OF THEIR ASSETS TO BE USED FOR RESTORATION PURPOSES. THEY WILL NO LONGER BE ALLOWED TO OWN ANYTHING OF VALUE. 
• HEALTHCARE IS A HUMAN RIGHT, NOT A COMMODITY TO BE SOLD TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER. EVERYONE GETS EQUAL TREATMENT. NO EXCEPTIONS. WE CAN PAY FOR IT BY STAYING OUT OF WARS AND TAXING CORPORATIONS.
• SPEAKING OF WARS, THEY WILL BE A LAST RESORT, NOT A FIRST CHOICE. IMPERIALISM IS A THING OF THE PAST. WE NO LONGER EXPLOIT FOREIGN COUNTRIES FOR THERE NATURAL RESOURCES AND CHEAP LABOR. NO MORE REMOTE KILLINGS (DRONES, SMART BOMBS, ETC.). YOU FACE YOUR ENEMY SO YOU UNDERSTAND YOU ARE KILLING SOMEONE'S HUSBAND, SON, DAUGHTER, UNCLE. 
• ANY POLITICIAN WE ELECT IS TO ACT ON BEHALF OF THE COMMON GOOD. ANYONE REFUSING TO DO THEIR DUTIES WILL BE RELIEVED OF THEM. A PUBLIC SERVANT GIVES HIS OR HER TIME FOR THE BENEFIT OF EVERYONE, NOT JUST THE RICH AND WELL CONNECTED. 
• IF WE CANNOT ACCOMPLISH THESE THINGS, WE SHOULD ALL GO AWAY AND LET MOTHER NATURE START OVER.

BACK BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

     More of the same from the village Board of Directors. More secrets. Guess what? You have a new general manager. The old one is scheduled to advise her on an on-going basis. Sweet! I attribute all these secrets to our military leadership. They are not used to operating in a democratic fashion. It’s “do as we say, we know what’s best for you.” Executive sessions continue to be abused. The board policy has seven reasons to go into executive session, the seventh a catch-all for just about any time they want. By comparison, the state of Arkansas has three reasons to go into executive session. And our Board does not vote in pubic on personnel matters, a blatant violation of the public trust. No vote affecting us should be taken behind closed doors. We elect them and we are entitled to know what they are doing. And how each of the members are voting. The five years we have been in the Village full-time, the Board of Directors has been the most disappointing thing about the Village. And the Village Voice has not encouraged them to change or do anything different regarding all the secrets. The media usually takes up these battles, but then again, this is the Village. (I’m going to have to check if the Chamber owns them). At any rate, one can only hope that things might get better. It’s a great place, but secrets have no place in our community. We are mostly all capable of discussing various proposed ideas and letting the Board know in a reasonable fashion how we feel, prior to the Board making a final decision. That’s how it should work, assuming we are using democratic principles, which I would hope is our intent.

Clinton's Embrace of Republicans Will Harm Her Own Party's Future

Clinton's Embrace of Republicans Will Harm Her Own Party's Future



  I'M BECOMING LESS LIKELY TO VOTE FOR A DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE
WHO COURTS RIGHT-WING REPUBLICANS. IT JUST GOES AGAINST MY NATURE. AND
COMMON SENSE.

Voting Rights Victory as Supreme Court Refuses Stay for NC Restrictions

Voting Rights Victory as Supreme Court Refuses Stay for NC Restrictions



I HOPE MR. SCALIA IS IN A BETTER PLACE WHERE HE CAN DO LESS HARM.