Blogger bits....

I haven't written enough recently.

I still want to write about:

• Seeing Hamilton
• My lack of interest in baseball
• Summer
• The importance of one-on-one time with children (especially when you have more than one child).
• Special needs parenting

But those deserve more time.

The summer is moving along. The summer is beautiful in the Northeast because it's not eternal. Just as relationships aren't eternal, to borrow from Buddhism. Summer is for family and family time, visiting with friends and being outside. If someone asked my my perfect summer, it would be time with friends and family spent outdoors. I think I've done enough of the "you gotta do XXX before you die" and I've certainly seen some great entertainment. Spent most of the day today with my daughter. As I watched her sleep I saw how big she's getting physically. She's always been mature and always been a leader - she's growing into it now. My son is so smart and calm but has some of my sad streak in me. Fortunately he doesn't have the anger, at least in an uncontrollable way.

So I guess I'll leave it at that... it's a good summer.  

Violence, Shootings and Villains.

Simple statements on violence and the recent police and sniper killings.

1. Violence creates more violence. It's why we had 2 World Wars. It's why we kill off one terrorist group and another just emerges. It's why innocent police officers are killed by snipers in Dallas.

2. People are afraid. It's easier to be afraid of "groups". People who are afraid of lawful gun owners and shoot them. People who are afraid of police and shoot them. Blanket-statements. Liberals. Conservatives. Rednecks. Blacks. Police officers. Generalizing is an easy way to be stupid.

3. Police officers are not doing their jobs to get rich. Just like any segment of the population, they are mostly good people. Bad men who are police officers (or just bad officers who do not follow procedure) are bad for everyone. But this should not be a reflection on all the good done by the police. When you are in danger, you will call the police.

4. Guns are big dumb thundersticks. Using a gun makes you look dumb, weak and cowardly.

5. Why hasn't the NRA condemned the shootings of the two black males, especially the licensed concealed-carry shooting in Minnesota? Isn't this everything the NRA stands for - the ability to carry a gun for your own protection... following the laws and respecting gun ownership? But they don't. Because the victim was black and the killers were police. The NRA is a bunch of dumb-thinkers who think of things very "black and white". Right or wrong. Police are authority, just like the appeal of Trump - authority. You don't have to think - you just do what they say. The NRA is worthless, especially when the Supreme Court will defend the Second Amendment just fine on their own.

6. Racism still exists. You don't need to see videos of gun carrying-whites and blacks and how they are treated differently to know this. Racism is means of controlling the masses so that they do not unify against their oppressors. The villain is the black person, the villain is the welfare queen, the villain is immigrants. All a means of controlling critical thought which would tear this all apart - but it's easier not to think. Statistics show that racism still exists. It's easier to be a white male in this country than any other group. All the "affirmative action" and "title 9" in the world hasn't changed that.

7. Violence accomplishes nothing but more violence. One killing will just create more killings. If the police snipers are prosecuted as fairly as the police officers who killed the two black males, it will profoundly effect everyone much more than senseless killing, especially of law enforcement. The biggest thing to change law enforcement killings? Cameras, not guns. The camera is the weapon that stops prejudicial treatment.

8. There is a segment of this country that has to blame other people for their faults - take down "groups" (welfare, blacks, immigrants, gays, whatever) because they are insecure of themselves that having more people on equal footing would make it harder for them to get ahead. There's always a villain to blame.

9. Stop killing each other. Put the guns down. If you have prejudice, try to figure out why... actually apply thought to things. The killing just fuels the fire of the polarized. The people in control are all laughing at you... just gives them more power. Income inequality is the biggest problem in this country, no matter what anyone says - and so many things have been done to make this not appear a problem (minimum wage arguments, "welfare", taxes...) The 1% is laughing at you.. all the way to the bank - until our democracy becomes corporate capitalistic feudalism. It's coming... if not you or your kids, but your grandkids.

Trump voter logic - applied to home maintenance shopping

Imagine, if you would, using the same logic as selecting Donald Trump as a nominee or president, and applying it to home maintenance:

"The toilet is backed up again. Even though I made some individual choices to flush things down the toilet that don't belong, I think the cause of the problem is that they just don't make toilets great anymore. Even though I gladly purchased the toilet at cheaply at Walmart, I wish it was made by Americans."

"The last two plumbers I called, I didn't really like them very much. They showed up a little late, charged me a bit more than I wanted. Sure, the toilet didn't leak anymore and there actually wasn't any water damage that required repairs, but I'm sick of plumbers. Instead of a plumber, I'm going to hire a real estate agent to fix my toilet."

"I hired a real estate agent to fix my toilet. He doesn't have any experience in plumbing, but I see signs up all over town with his picture on houses for sale. He's gotta be the man for the job"

"When I asked him how he'd fix my toilet, he didn't give any details on how to fix a toilet; he answered with reasons why the toilet breaking wasn't our fault and how plumbers are to blame and how people who rent apartments have driven up the price for toilets because they don't pay to fix them themselves."

"He told me that he had the strongest plunger in the world and told me he wasn't afraid to use it. He had no trouble disconnecting the water from the toilet and that it would never leak again after that. Makes sense to me."

"He made a lot of personal insults toward my previous plumber and other plumbers who were trying to get the job. He made comments about where their wrenches came from, how small their augers were and how they looked tired when they showed up to the job. These were great reasons to select the real estate agent with no plumbing experience to fix my toilet."

"He talked a lot about how America used to have great toilets, but how sinks and showers came into our bathrooms and made them worse... about how people shouldn't be afraid to say stuff like "my shower has poor water pressure", because people use to say things like that all the time."

"He talked about us and them. I know that "us" refers to me, the people who like the way bathrooms used to be."

"Despite the fact that the real estate agent made a lot of his money buying and selling houses without regard for how the rental tenants would be affected by those sales, I really don't trust where plumbers get their money."

"The real estate agent fixing our toilet, he talked a lot about American values. I really felt like I could have a beer with him which is more important to me than if he can actually fix my toilet."

"He sold a bunch of houses with broken toilets before, but they still sold, I think, since I saw his face on the sign."

"How different could it be to sell houses than to fix them? I mean, common, both involve houses."

"You know, I'm going to hire the real estate agent, because I just don't like what the plumber's spouse did when he was fixing someone's roof 18 years ago."

"I feel like my pipes are safer with a real estate agent watching them who makes a lot of brash statements than I do a plumber."

"I asked the real estate agent for more details on his plan for fixing the toilet and he told me he had lots of great plans and that I'd have the greatest toilet again."