Bernie or bust mistake

Bernie or bust mistake

Posted on by Jack

I watched part of the first night of the Democratic Party convention last night. As I expected, after the primary contest there was still considerable support for Bernie Sanders, his ideas, and the political revolution he started.

But Bernie came in second. It was a great showing, especially since many considered the primary process to be unfair to Sanders.

The convention will nominate the winner Hillary Clinton to oppose the Republican nominee Donald Trump. Some Sanders’ supporters think the best course is to sit out the election and not vote for anyone. This is the “Bernie or bust” group and I think they are making a huge mistake.

I doubt many of them would prefer a Trump presidency to a Clinton presidency. But that could be the result if Hillary Clinton does not get the support of all Democrats and progressives.

So “Bernie or bust” people think about it. Do you really want to take a chance on the outcome of this election? Well, we all take a chance every 4 years. Those who vote get a say in the outcome.

David and Donald and the GOP

David and Donald and the GOP

Posted on by jack

David and Donald, a fine pair, are part of the new GOP.

David Duke, former Ku Klux Klan (KKK) leader, has thrown his hat in the ring for the GOP nomination for Louisiana US Senator because Americans are “embracing the core issues I have fought for my entire life.”

I suppose in this belief he is thinking about the drift of the national Republican party since there is widespread support with the victories and now nomination of Donald Trump.

Is this the new GOP?

Zika, politics as usual

Zika, politics as usual

Posted on by jack

Zika is a public health emergency. Yet Congress sees it as Zika, politics as usual. It is a chance to get what you want in return for the other side being able to provide funds to address a public heath emergency.

I get a weekly newsletter from Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA). In this week’s newsletter he was talking about how the Republicans are trying to pass a bill to fund the research and the fight against the Zika virus. The bill also includes provisions relating to military construction and veterans affairs. The Democrats are filibustering this commonsense bill. In Senator Toomey’s words: Continue reading “Zika, politics as usual”

Shadows of the Stone Benders

Shadows of the Stone Benders

Posted on by jack

I liked Shadows of the Stone Benders by K. Patrick Donoghue  much more than expected.  I occasionally enjoy science fiction and rarely like fantasy. Yet the write-up I saw on Netgalley was interesting.

The publisher compared it to the books of James Rollins and Steve Berry.  I’ve never tried James Rollins but I have read and liked several books by Steve Berry.  So I thought I would give it a try. Continue reading “Shadows of the Stone Benders”

Scenic drives

Scenic drives

Posted on by Jack

We like driving get-aways. It might be a day trip or maybe a short journey of a few days. Sometimes you are in a rush to get somewhere but if you have the time, scenic drives make the journey worthwhile in itself.

We have a book I have mentioned here before, National Geographic Guide to Scenic Highways and Byways: The 300 Best Drives in the U.S.. As the title tells us has hundreds of scenic drives in the United States.

This time we were going to spend one night away from home which gave us 2 days of sight-seeing. We decided to see the lower to middle Hudson Valley in New York. We had been there before but usually we had a specific destination in mind and were in a rush to get there.
Continue reading “Scenic drives”

The Lewis Man by Peter May

The Lewis Man by Peter May

Posted on by jack

The Lewis Man by Peter May is the second novel of The Lewis Trilogy. I had read the first after a friend had suggested I might enjoy it. I liked it very much as is apparent in my review of The Blackhouse.

In The Lewis Man several of the main characters are back but not necessarily in the way expected. Detective Fin Macleod is back. Detective Macleod grew-up on the remote Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides.  But in this story he is no longer with the police but has moved back to Lewis. Continue reading “The Lewis Man by Peter May”

Dystopian thriller

Dystopian thriller

Posted on by jack

I liked The Punishments by J.B. Winsor but thought it could have been better. Given the current political climate I think this  dystopian thriller is very timely.

Author J.B. Winsor writes about a United States where the government is taken over by Christian fundamentalists. The situation in the county is not unlike that today.

Continue reading “Dystopian thriller”

My Gows are in disarray

My Gows are in disarray

Posted on by jack

I thought I had it. Not real convincing but plausible. A few weak spots but still the best I had. Seemed like the best I could do a few years ago. Now my Gows are in disarray.

Why the Gows? My great grandmother is Emma Cash McKenzie. I’ve made good progress on my McKenzies but gotten nowhere with Emma until very recently. And then very quickly things went downhill. Continue reading “My Gows are in disarray”

The Blackhouse by Peter May

The Blackhouse by Peter May

Posted on by jack

The Blackhouse by Peter May. is the first novel of The Lewis Trilogy. The prologue sets the scene which will become important as the book progresses. Although chapter 1 gets off to a start in Edinburgh where Detective Fin Macleod is dealing with personal tragedy, much of the story takes place on the remote Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides.
Continue reading “The Blackhouse by Peter May”

New York City Exposed

New York City Exposed

Posted on by jack

The full title New York Exposed: The Gilded Age Police Scandal that Launched the Progressive Era was a bit long to fit as my title. The author is Daniel Czitrom. The history of New York City is an interesting one. At least, I find it interesting.

The story is set in gilded age New York City. It was 1892 and the rich were very rich, the poor were very poor, the police and the city government were corrupt, and Tammany was in charge of it all. Continue reading “New York City Exposed”

Subaru Forester Small SUV

Subaru Forester Small SUV

Posted on by jack

Cars keep growing. Well cars don’t actually grow but they are getting bigger. We have 1999 Subaru Forester and it has been a wonderful car. I think of it as our Subaru small SUV.

The Subaru Forester has grown. The new ones are wider, taller, and longer. Our 1999 Subaru Forester looks like a miniature car when parked next to the newer models. Continue reading “Subaru Forester Small SUV”

Democratic Presidential primary

Democratic Presidential primary

Posted on by jack

I think there are 2 strong candidates in the Democratic Presidential primary. Neither is perfect but both are good. Certainly much better than we’ve seen on the Republican side.

I do not have a vote in the primary. I live in Pennsylvania. You get to vote in the democratic primary if you are a registered Democrat. You get to vote in the Republican primary if you are a registered Republican. If you are neither, you do not get to vote in the primary. I don’t think that is particularly good and I’ll probably write more about it later but I’m digressing from my original purose to discuss the Democratic Presidential primary.

I’ll probably support the democratic candidate in the fall. It may be Hillary Clinton but maybe it will be Bernie Sanders. Continue reading “Democratic Presidential primary”

How does it look?

How does it look?

Posted on by jack

How does it look? Both Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton are trying to convince voters in the Democratic presidential primary of their abilities to represent the people as President.

At least part of the convincing revolves around who will do the best job for the American people – not the few but the many. Each thinks they would do better. And tries to convince people that of that.

How does it look?

But how does it look when Bernie runs off to Rome to see the Pope and spread his message while Hillary goes off to Hollywood to raise money and meet with movie stars.

How does it look?

Think about your votes

Think about your votes

Posted on by jack

Do you have a Presidential candidate in mind? Do you think he or she can do what is talked about during the campaign?

You should vote. But make sure the vote does what you want. Think about your vote.

It seems to me that if you think Smith would be a good president because he or she favors issues you think important, it makes little sense to vote for Jones for Senate or House if he or she opposes those issues. Of course things could be more complicated and there could be a variety of issues to consider but think about your votes.

This year we are electing all members of the House and a third of the Senate. Everyone voting for President can also vote for the member of the House of Representatives for their district. And about a third of us get to pick and senator. Choose wisely. I think your votes in these races should be consistent with your Presidential vote.