Whoa. These People Are Running; it is not just a sitcom

It is so hard for me not to be able to argue when I hear a progressive deriding republicans for something they probably never did.  But the republicans do so many really stupid, pandering things that I can't defend them.  It makes it look like the fascist progressives win.

Note how unbiased my writing is?  So did I.  Pandering is pandering.

Remember Bill Richardson, ex governor of New Mexico, when he was running in the democratic field?  Probably 2008 election.  He said he'd cure breast cancer in five years if he were to be elected.  He said it more than once.   The good old days when democrats gathered in packs and competed insanely, just like republicans are doing this year.

Ever since I saw him in that "cure cancer" debate, he has been the poster child, in my mind, of political pandering and an implied view that we are all hopeless nincompoops

Not all of them, actually, but enough.   While we have people pandering to snake handlers, tongue speakers, and potential neck tie party participants on the repub side, the democrats have managed to make Hillary look like a voice of reason and pillar of integrity.  And Bernie comes of as the no-nonsense even better voice of reason.

Hillary tries to buy votes as cheaply as possible.  Bernie doesn't care.  He throws out extravagant promises of cash.  All your loans forgiven. Free university for all.  Plenty of dough to raise a family for all.  Whatever.

I couldn't even retain some of the Huckabee notions among others.  The ones I can, I just don't want to repeat because dems will use it as evidence they are right.  But they aren't.  It's just that some crazy people disagree with them for wrong reasons.  The rest of us do because they'll create even more of a totalitarian state than we have.   And they adhere to economic theories that won't even work if we jump to the quantum level.

So they got upset about warning a caravan of truck drivers before bombing their trucks.  Now I do not know if our people suffered as a result.   If not, and it is true that the had reason to think the drivers were civilian and not active ISIS then fine.  But then I wonder, if they are hired to drive trucks with stolen ISIS oil to wherever the islamic state wants it to go,. then I would think isis already vetted them, force converted or whatever.  So, on one hand, it seemed a reasonable, humaintarian thing to do.  On the other it seems foolish.

Which hand is right?
or correct, I mean.  My right hand is right, of course, and left is left.

A World of Questions and Curiosities

One question is, I wonder what I posted below this.  I think the point may have been skewed or mistaken.  Maybe not.

I have no idea, really, what the essential facts are in the whole refugee deal. The basics appear to be being dodged.  Why no real info on demographics, ons and outs of options and reasons for choosing one over another, etc.

All that is to say, I do not know what's what so how can I even have much of an opinion on the matter?  I have my gut feelings and knee jerk reactions but based on almost zero real info.  So that is unreliable.

Here's what is very bizarre, if you consider it; ANONYMOUS.  How did they settle on the look and the logo?  Or even the mask?  What if they had adopted Frankenstein masks?   No way that would be cooler.  I think they did well, personally--the whole Guy Fawkes deal.  I believe they can do a lot to digitally cripple the insane state.  Let's hope our government can avoid sabotaging all efforts to contain the enemy.

Who would have dreamed that organizations which seem like something out of a comic book would actually be powerful, potentially dangerous entities?  Anonymous is just that.  It seems like there are other examples of real live comic book villains and heroes but none come immediately to mind.

Comic book not to be mistaken for cartoonish.  Almost all the self-titled "public servants" and "leaders" in local through national government are cartoonish.  That's different.

What if Anonymous is actually the brain child of the CIA, or other clandestine spook outfit?   And maybe they figured out how to make it a loose sort of hive, with all kinds of brilliant hacksters.  My word I guess.

That would be an interesting twist.   A way of leveraging power without a trail or record, and without the need for agency and other constraints.  Not saying I approve, but I could see devising such a plan if I were in the position to do so.  I understand that sort of thing.  Also, I would expect it to be done so that the President is unable to hijack it.  A way of wielding power when necessary, and it is out of the reach of most.  And most of the time the power is not wrongly aimed.  But I do think it can and will happen.

I have now talked myself into half believing I know who secretly controls anonymous.  But I don't know that I care.  I do like it that they are publicly calling out isis, and that after the islamic state called them idiots they destroyed something like 5500 isis member accounts of various types; mostly ones used for propaganda like twitter and facebook.  

Geez. Twitter.  Tweets.  Facebook.  We do live in a comic book world.

So, I guess I am a member of two musical groups.  One is country. Sort of Texas Country.  The practice room has a big Texas flag at the end.  To me, that was ten points for the group right there.

And the other group is hard to class.   We are somehow classed as Americana.  Maybe that is my fault. I could think of no others category.  I think that may be a bit off.  Anyway, this group plays just about all original music and I don't know what it is.  I like playing it.  No Texas flag but there is a connection to Tennessee since Sande's mother lives outside of Memphis and she plays there when she visits, which she did a couple of weeks ago.  Got paid to do two or three hours on her own.

A vietnam war vet was telling me how the psychological help has improved.; "yea tyhey quit doing this shit about how my childhood and my parents are to blame for my problems.  Hell, my f'ing parents didn't send my ass to VietNam.  My parents didn't do it!  What am I angry at?  The US government!"  Or words to that effect.

I am convinced that dishonest wars exact a much higher toll on service people's psyches.  If the goal and purpose of the fight is hazy, that has got to be tension generating.

Man, Richard Resonator returned form Nashville for some song writing veteran thing.  I knew that rubbing shoulders with some professional song writers and number one artists would probabl;y make him jump his playing up a notch just from the confidence boost.  I wasn't wrong.

Not that he wasn't already good.  Just a little better.  Or else I am.  Or both.

I'm pulling slowly up out of the hopeless sadness depression confusion.  Not a place you go if you are looking for fun.   Anyway, I can feel it.  It is somewhat of a relief.

I believe there were a couple of times last night, when I played in a way that surprised even me.

Oh, we played the Alpine VFW.  My old friend "the cowgirl up the hill" works there part time managing the bar and got us the gig.  I put her on to Sande but maybe I had something to do with it.

Individually, I think maybe some of us have played better, but as a group, we did better than ever,  And there was something happened on a song where I let loose pretty much all through it, something and then I saw the cowgirl and another girl go wow --reading lips now.  It surprised me too.  Can't describe what it was but it was pretty rad.

Alpine VFW is high up just north of I-8.  The view out the back deck is fantastic.  You can see the mountains and hills just that side of my place.

Then today, I played a place called Julian Station---outside historic, touristy Julian---with Valor and Lace (country).  This is different than playing with Sande.  Of course, it should be.  It was good to have Richard there playing.  It makes me better I think.  He's an intuitive and communicative player. Makes all the difference in the world.

I think the women in each band view the other band with suspicion.  However, they know they have to hide any negative attitude.  Sick as it is, and I definitely avoid feeding any insecurities and such, but I do like that they feel a little possessive.