Saturday, December 10, 2016

Taps Tribute



Eric Barlar
December 7, 2015 · Fayetteville, AR ·
A day that will live in infamy.

Today I decided to play taps in the VA hospital's parking garage that looks out over the hospital complex. As a musician it's all I have to offer in memory of the people who carried this country on their backs through hell and high waters.

Even though this country seems divided in everything right now, unite to remember those who put aside their lives to defend yours.

As an interesting turn of events a nurse asked if I could play at the flag pole, I did. Everyone just stopped, some saluted the flag in honor of those men and women who lost their lives that December day.

And here, in case you are interested, are the lyrics to Taps

Day is done, gone the sun,
From the lake, from the hills, from the sky;
All is well, safely rest, God is nigh.

Fading light, dims the sight,
And a star gems the sky, gleaming bright.
From afar, drawing nigh, falls the night.

Thanks and praise, for our days,
'Neath the sun, 'neath the stars, neath the sky;
As we go, this we know, God is nigh.

Sun has set, shadows come,
Time has fled, Scouts must go to their beds
Always true to the promise that they made.

While the light fades from sight,
And the stars gleaming rays softly send,
To thy hands we our souls, Lord, commend.

More info on the birth of this dirge are here


Michigan Recount Fail

An article by Nick Sharp on his observations at the Michigan recount. Shaking my head in disbelief. One Green party and NO Democrat attorneys? WTF?

What I saw at the Michigan recount

On December 7, 2016, I volunteered as an observer with Recount Michigan 2016. I showed up at 9:00am sharp in the heart of Detroit, in heavily democratic Wayne County, Michigan.

It was a bloodbath.

I did not count a single vote during my entire first four-hour shift.

Trump’s legal team was there in force, circling the room like sharks. They were challenging everything, gumming up the works and disqualifying whole precincts. I was only aware of a single Green Party attorney plus one law student in my (large) room. Many challenges had one or more Trump lawyers speaking with election officials, and no legal advocate present for the other side; they were simply outnumbered and outgunned.
Every recount table had 1–2 Trump observers present, each one holding written scripts to challenge every single precinct, regardless of the facts.

(Note: I am not a lawyer, the next two paragraphs are my understanding based on what I observed on site.)

When a precinct is challenged, everything is recorded in writing by the election officials present. If the challenge is obviously true, the precinct in question is deemed un-recountable, right there. The civic employees write a report, return everything to the box, seal the box, and move on to the next precinct, then the process of recording and unsealing a box begins again.

But, even if the challenge is clearly contrived, it still has to be recorded, on the spot. The civic employees must fill out a form, in longhand, and write up a report―also in longhand — before they can get back to work counting ballots.

I sat at my table for a full hour before our first box was even unsealed.

Around the time our first box was finally getting unsealed, an exasperated election official shouted an announcement to the room. It was a large room and there were many people in it — he would have needed to shout anyway — but his frustration was clear. He had the air of a normally calm civic bureaucrat trying to do his job and get the votes counted on time, but who had been pushed to the breaking point by Trump’s lawyers and their delay tactics.

The election official announced that Trump’s head lawyer had just filed a blanket challenge in the state capitol. So, (here, I’m paraphrasing from memory) “All precincts have already been challenged. You don’t have to read your scripts anymore, we’re not writing down the challenges. If you still want to read them, go ahead and read them.” (Shouting louder) “But we’re not writing them down any more.” (He raised his arms) “We’re not gonna do it!”

Trump observers kept reading their challenges, and civic employees kept counting ballots, trying to concentrate on the count. A miscount of one in a thousand could (and did!) disqualify entire precincts from the recount. Thousands of votes and hours of counting were disqualified if one ballot in a thousand was missed amid the chaos in the room.

Why did Detroit and Wayne County — the bluest county in Michigan — have so many Republican lawyers present?
Where did all these Republican lawyers come from? They looked like they walked in straight out of a Brooks Brothers catalog, but they were not there to have a good time.

I can only speak from my own experience, but I wonder — were there similar swarms of Republican lawyers in the red counties, challenging everything?

Friday, December 09, 2016

Bird



I am grateful to have been alive during one of the times when the Boston Celtics were GREAT, the time when the players were Bird, Robert Parish,Kevin McHale, Dennis Johnson, Danny Ainge and more. Watch this video to see teamwork in action.

RIP Mr. "Right Stuff"

John Glenn: Marine Fighter Pilot,  Test Pilot, Astronaut, Senator, The first American to Orbit Earth.

If you've never seen the Movie "The Right Stuff", please look for it.  John Glenn had the 'right stuff'.

He died yesterday at the age of 95.  

Here is Walt Handlesman's tribute to Mr. Glenn

Monday, December 05, 2016

Friday, December 02, 2016

Way To Go, San Francisco!!!

From fusion dot net:


San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors took a symbolic step to formally oppose Donald Trump last week, passing a resolution that reaffirms the city’s commitment to things like LGBTQ rights, religious freedoms, and racial, social, and economic justice—values largely at risk under the incoming Trump administration.

Introduced by Board of Supervisors President London Breed in the week before Thanksgiving, the 11-point “Resolution responding to the election of Donald Trump and reaffirming San Francisco’s commitment to the values of inclusivity, respect, and dignity,” offers a glimmering ray of hope in this otherwise gloomy political climate.

Here’s the full text:

WHEREAS, On November 8, 2016, Donald Trump was elected to become the 45th President of the United States; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That no matter the threats made by President-elect Trump, San Francisco will remain a Sanctuary City. We will not turn our back on the men and women from other countries who help make this city great, and who represent over one third of our population. This is the Golden Gate-we build bridges, not walls; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, That we will never back down on women’s rights, whether in healthcare, the workplace, or any other area threatened by a man who treats women as obstacles to be demeaned or objects to be assaulted. And just as important, we will ensure our young girls grow up with role models who show them they can be or do anything; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, That there will be no conversion therapy, no withdrawal of rights in San Francisco. We began hosting gay weddings twelve years ago, and we are not stopping now. And to all the LGBTQ people all over the country who feel scared, bullied, or alone: You matter. You are seen; you are loved; and San Francisco will never stop fighting for you; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, That we still believe in this nation’s founding principle of religious freedom. We do not ban people for their faith. And the only lists we keep are on invitations to come pray together; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, That Black Lives Matter in San Francisco, even if they may not in the White House. And guided by President Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing, we will continue reforming our police department and rebuilding trust between police and communities of color so all citizens feel safe in their neighborhoods; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, That climate change is not a hoax, or a plot by the Chinese. In this city, surrounded by water on three sides, science matters. And we will continue our work on CleanPower, Zero Waste, and everything else we are doing to protect future generations; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, That we have been providing universal health care in this city for nearly a decade, and if the new administration follows through on its callous promise to revoke health insurance from 20 million people, San Franciscans will be protected; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, That we are the birthplace of the United Nations, a city made stronger by the thousands of international visitors we welcome every day. We will remain committed to internationalism and to our friends and allies around the world-whether the administration in Washington is or not; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, That San Francisco will remain a Transit First city and will continue building Muni and BART systems we can all rely upon, whether this administration follows through on its platform to eliminate federal transit funding or not; and, be it

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors is determined to maintain the safety and values of the city.

FURTHER RESOLVED, That California is the sixth largest economy in the world. The Bay Area is the innovation capital of the country. We will not be bullied by threats to revoke our federal funding, nor will we sacrifice our values or members of our community for your dollar; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, That we condemn all hate crimes and hate speech perpetrated in this election’s wake. That although the United States will soon have a President who has demonstrated a lack of respect for the values we hold in the highest regard in San Francisco, it cannot change who we are, and it will never change our values. We argue, we campaign, we debate vigorously within San Francisco, but on these points we are 100 percent united. We will fight discrimination and recklessness in all its forms. We are one City. And we will move forward together.

The resolution passed with nine votes in favor, zero against.

The SCOTUS Women

Women of the Supreme Court just did what far too many elected officials have failed to do: they stood up to Trump’s MAGA regime and called b...