SnakeRiverLib

This is running both here and Ontherim Te amo Espana. Siempre I served my mission in Andalucia, serving in Almeria, Algeciras, Jerez de la Frontera, y Jaen.  I love the people there.  I did have a chance to go back in 1990, and was there for just a few days, but not a day goes by without wishing for a trip back. In 1861, as a result of a tumultuous Presidential election in the United States, southern states, beginning with South Carolina, voted to break from the Union, and to form their own nation, separate from the United States of America.  The argument over whether states could secede was settled by blood.  A tragic war that probably was payment for the ugliness of slavery.  Of course, many scholars feel today that states did and still have the right to secede.  Or rather that they did.  The Civil War changed many things. Tomorrow. in the Catalonia area of Spain, a referendum will be held as to whether Catalonia should remain a part of Spain, or form its own independent nati

Today, Art Rooney II, the owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, wrote an open letter to fans, explaining how their cowering in the tunnel was not disrespectful of the national anthem.  Perhaps their greatest public fan,  Rush Limbaugh, turning off the NFL, and letting every one of his 20 million listeners know had an effect.  Maybe Youtube videos popping up everywhere, with fans burning their memorabilia did as well. This is a political issue, believe it or not.  It was a knee jerk to the President's remarks. The owners joined in, as even those that hang out with the President felt that he was crossing the line.  They felt that the fans would be to the NFL what special groups are to the Democrat party.  They thought that they would just go along.  I am sure that they were not prepared for boos, and serious boycott threats. We can sort of compare what is happening to the NFL right now, to that moment when the Drive-bys realized that it was going to be President Trump. (and who doesn

Two things tonight. 1.  Of course, the DREAMERS know that they aren't being deported, though some undoubtedly should be.  That isn't what they are wanting.  That isn't what the Democrats want.  They want the DREAMERS AND their parents, uncles, aunts, grandparents, friend of their nieces, etc, allowed in, legalized, and put on the path to citizenship. President Obama said, when he unconstitutionally acted, (his own words, at least 22 times) that since Congress refused  to act, he would.  Thing is, Congress didn't refuse to act.  They chose NOT to pass any kind of amnesty.  They cried about the broken immigration system, and that SOMEBODY should do SOMETHING about it.  Not them of course, they recognized that those that could LEGALLY VOTE , didn't want it, even when they had a filibuster proof majority in the US Senate. Let me say that again.  President Obama did NOT push for, Rep Pelosi D-CA did NOT seek any kind of amnesty legislation when they had com

Everyone acknowledges that politicians are, shall we say, not always above board? When asked about all of the broken promises President Clinton had, George Stephanopoulos famously, or infamously said:  "He kept the ones he intended to keep."   How do you feel about that? Do we really want them to keep their promises?  Do we hold them to account when they don't?   Do we really? Sort of .  No.  And, Heck no .  Do we care, when one actually works night and day to uphold those promises? I hope so.  Because such a creature does exist.  More rare than hen's teeth. You already know who, don't you?  Of course, there are actually many in the House Freedom Caucus that are consistent.  That stand on principle.  But they are a group.  And right now, they are getting blamed (Wrongly) because the party can't follow through on its key promise since 2010.  Repealing Obamacare . This idea was what swept the GOP into control of the House in 2010, in

"A republic, if you can keep it." Is what Benjamin Franklin said to someone asking about the government. created in Philadelphia, and ratified in 1787.  A balance between the People's House, the State's House (US Senate), and the Executive.  A judiciary, that many thought had too much power (they were right) to keep the rights of states and people intact, and to keep the federal government in check.  A series of checks and balances, that have been exaggerated, lampooned, but mostly shoved off into the corner. We the People is how it begins. For the first time in world history, a written brake on government.  A statement of limitations placed on a governing body.  Not by the lords, or dukes, but by the People . It was all about what the People said the government COULD do.  And more importantly, what it COULD NOT do.  The Bill of Rights exist, only because some states wanted them.  They were left out, specifically because many of those in Philadelphia felt th

Catchy title, somewhat misleading. In spite of the complaining about President Trump having too much power, and acting unilaterally, a vote took place yesterday that shows who stands for the Constitution, and who stands for ceding the power to the Supreme Chancellor, or President.  At least until this emergency is over.  It really isn't fair to the President, as he seems to be doing every thing he can to dismantle this leviathan.  But Congress doesn't want the power.  With power comes responsibility.  It is hard to get re-elected when you are forced to take unpopular votes.  Especially when you campaign saying one thing, and then have to vote on something that puts you on the opposite side. A STAR WARS and SPIDERMAN reference in the same paragraph.  Cool. Yesterday, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) ,  forced a vote on his amendment sun-setting the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force, (AUMF) as part of the 2018 Defense Budget.  He argues that this AUMF has been stret

Too late, well past that number now.  What is it?  The national debt, EXCLUDING future obligations for Social Security, and Medicare.  Want to know what those numbers are? Besides the National Debt, which only includes the day to day needs of the government, there is: $8.5 Trillion in other liabilities, such as federal pensions, accounts payable, and others $29 Trillion for Social Security, ABOVE and BEYOND what is being collected, for CURRENT recipients $32.9 Trillion for Medicare, ABOVE and BEYOND what is being collected for CURRENT recipients. (Agresti, J. D. (2017, September 11). National Debt Facts.  Just Facts . Retrieved September 12, 2017) from   www.justfacts.com/nationaldebt.asp Chew on those numbers for a while.  If you are not a current recipient, well, calculate those odds. For the moment there is no brake on this.  It is rolling like a 120 car freight train. So, with all this money going to the government to fund entitlements, (19% excluding Social Sec

If you would like some mood music for the piece, here it is, if you open it in a new tab, you can listen while you read.  I wonder if they had any issues in the Soviet Union with athletes kneeling while it played, to protest the disappearances of the 3rd and 4th place Olympic finishers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sxTbfeYdO0 How do you know when a President is a would be tyrant?  Or when the media want a president to be a tyrant? When they demand that illegal and unconstitutional Orders be kept as law. Oh, and if that wasn't bad enough, Speaker Ryan (R-WI) who argued for years that DACA was UNCONSTITUTIONAL , has called for this unconstitutional action to stand. As a reminder. In 2009, President Obama had a  FILIBUSTER PROOF MAJORITY  in the Senate and a significant majority in the House.  What did he do with it?  A piece of crap health care law that was never fully enacted, that despite three years of preparation, and hundreds of billions of dollars to sho

Sometime in the next 24 hours, we will learn where the President really stands on DACA .  So, on the front side, the media, rather than wait to hear what the President has to say, has decided to put a full court press on, as we know how President Trump has enslaved, incarcerated, and killed the blacks , hispanics , gays , lesbians , transgenders,   muslims,  and so on.    I have advocated for over a year, that the best way to get Congress to do its FREAKIN' JOB! is to give them a deadline.  President Trump is rumored to implement a repeal of the Executive Order for illegal children who had no choice but to come here (where were these softies when Bill Clinton sent in the jack booted thugs to rip Elian Gonzalez out of the home his mother died to bring him to?) , essentially to begin processing them for deportation.  It is also rumored, and I think wise, for him to put a 6 month delay on his order to go into effect, giving Congress time to act, and perhaps in a bi-partisan fash