tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34893436295450262492024-03-14T03:46:34.249-04:00THE RIGHT TO GRIPETHE RIGHT TO GRIPE - J. M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04193784424776041797noreply@blogger.comBlogger393125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3489343629545026249.post-41058427968476795282021-03-14T12:43:00.017-04:002021-03-14T13:43:37.703-04:00Voter Surpression / Be Afraid, Very Afraid<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KzluMvD7cuQ/YE5Kb4I_MZI/AAAAAAAAFUE/ZwVkLlPTciMe0Qpo89PwRfRpn425b15wQCLcBGAsYHQ/s795/voter-suppression.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="795" height="118" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KzluMvD7cuQ/YE5Kb4I_MZI/AAAAAAAAFUE/ZwVkLlPTciMe0Qpo89PwRfRpn425b15wQCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h118/voter-suppression.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>During the 2020 Presidential election a record number people voted by mail or absentee ballot. The majority of these people voted for now President Joe Biden while most Trump supporters voted in person. In fact, 159,633,396 total votes were cast with Biden getting 81,283,098 votes, or 51.3 percent while Trump won 74,222,958 votes, or 46.7 percent of the votes cast. More people voted in this election than for any other in history. Now, you would think that this was a good thing, correct? Sure, voter turnout is usually dismal at best especially during off Presidential elections. Again, this was a really good thing, right? <br /><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E7PxEQHdUS4/YE5KqFPjcBI/AAAAAAAAFUI/q3d1jekpDfgg2puq0fLmZz2ZoyrP1uStgCLcBGAsYHQ/s258/Block-the-vote.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="196" data-original-width="258" height="152" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E7PxEQHdUS4/YE5KqFPjcBI/AAAAAAAAFUI/q3d1jekpDfgg2puq0fLmZz2ZoyrP1uStgCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h152/Block-the-vote.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Well, it is not a good thing according to Republican State Lawmakers. In 43 states across the country, Republican lawmakers have proposed at
least 250 laws that would limit mail, early in-person and Election Day
voting. These limitations include such constraints as stricter ID requirements, limited hours and a narrower eligibility to vote by absentee ballot. This is according to data compiled as
of Feb. 19 by the nonpartisan Brennan Center for Justice. Even more
proposals have been introduced since then. In essence, the GOP did not like the election results so now they want to change the rules. Many of these Republicans who are leading this charge are Trump loyalists who have fed into the "Big Lie" that the election was stolen and that Trump won in a landslide. Of course, any human being with 5 brain cells in their skull knows that this is not true.<p></p><p>Just to outline a few of these potential changes that all Americans should be worried about;</p><p>1. In Iowa where Republicans have the majority in the State Legislature, in a vote strictly along party lines, they voted a few weeks ago to cut early voting by nine days, close polls an hour earlier
and tighten rules on absentee voting, as well as strip the authority of
county auditors to decide how election rules can best serve voters. Basically they are tailoring the voting rules for older white Republican voters.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ryNzUUYtzjQ/YE5LI9L149I/AAAAAAAAFUY/yKuojwUkYgs-4x8U16sM7TwRZn0uM3OJQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1066/DY3GZHMR2VKR6L2LRA2MZN5LYM.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1066" height="113" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ryNzUUYtzjQ/YE5LI9L149I/AAAAAAAAFUY/yKuojwUkYgs-4x8U16sM7TwRZn0uM3OJQCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h113/DY3GZHMR2VKR6L2LRA2MZN5LYM.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>2. In Georgia, the GOP is proposing sweeping voter rules regulations which include cutting the times for early voting down to three weeks. People would also only be able to vote early Monday through Friday from 9AM to 5PM, the times that most people actually work. Also, they also proposed to shrink the window for Georgia voters to
request an absentee ballot and limit the timeline for county officials
to mail them out. No absentee ballot can be requested earlier than 11
weeks before an election or later than two Fridays before the election. These absentee ballots would not be sent out by mail until four weeks
before day of the election. At this point, the voter could only hope that the USPS can deliver it on time. In addition to these changes, the Georgia GOP wants to cut out many if not all of the voting drop boxes and place insane time limits on the mobile voting buses which were mostly used in Fulton County which includes Atlanta. Another move to suppress the minority vote which are mostly Democrats.<p></p><p>3. In Arizona, the State Legislature has proposed many of the same changes which are being made in other states, however, Rep. Shawnna Bolick, R-Phoenix, has proposed letting the Legislature void the results of a presidential election if it chooses. This insane Bill would allow the House, by a majority vote, to revoke the Secretary of State’s certification of presidential electors chosen by Arizona voters
to cast the state’s electoral college votes. To put this in context, Arizona residents go to cast votes and if the State Legislature does not like the result, they can void the results. Along with this voter suppression, they added another bill which would let the Legislature award two of the state’s 11 electoral college votes. So the people of Arizona get to cast votes for 9 Electoral College votes while the party in power gets 2 free-bees to cast whatever way they want. This actually makes me sick! </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8Ab8hSzSRkA/YE5K0QymfII/AAAAAAAAFUM/RXbX3zwWyjA0RtrBtRVR64oALeAzncWOQCLcBGAsYHQ/s275/the%2Bbottom%2Bline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="133" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8Ab8hSzSRkA/YE5K0QymfII/AAAAAAAAFUM/RXbX3zwWyjA0RtrBtRVR64oALeAzncWOQCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h133/the%2Bbottom%2Bline.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>The Bottom Line here is the Republicans did not like the historic voter turnout in the 2020 general election nor the result. They have seized the opportunity to manipulate their majority to change the rules based on racist allegations of voter fraud and election irregularities. Of course there has been no factual evidence to support this baseless claim. These unscrupulous legislators have introduced well over <b>four times</b> the number of bills to restrict voting access as compared to this time last year. <b>Thirty-three states </b>have introduced, pre-filed, or carried over <b>165 restrictive bills</b> this year as compared to 35 such bills in fifteen states on February 3, 2020. In essence, the Republican party wants to stop certain people from voting because when there is a high voter turnout, Democrats win. They want to suppress the votes of minorities and working class folks like you and I. Is this just the start of total voter suppression? Will the time come when only certain people can vote? Will the time come when there are no elections, Period? As Americans, we have the right to vote with no impossible limitations in place to stop us. This angers me and it makes me afraid of what may come down the road. You should be very afraid of these changes because your right to vote is next. <br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><br /></p>THE RIGHT TO GRIPE - J. M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04193784424776041797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3489343629545026249.post-79422682344711941252021-02-28T16:40:00.001-05:002021-02-28T16:40:56.187-05:00GRIPE SHOTS<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3HgXrF6d0fM/YDwGoS1YmSI/AAAAAAAAFS0/1Ssunf-nQWYGZqZqBpO0GZQQFuYfj3A4wCLcBGAsYHQ/s290/Gripeshots1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="290" data-original-width="290" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3HgXrF6d0fM/YDwGoS1YmSI/AAAAAAAAFS0/1Ssunf-nQWYGZqZqBpO0GZQQFuYfj3A4wCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h200/Gripeshots1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>A lot has been going on over the past week or so, some good, some bad and some that just tick me off. After careful consideration, I was not able to pick just one topic to write about this week. As you may know, when I have more than one topic I want to Gripe about, I belly up to the bar and I have the bartender line up the shot glassed to pour me a few Gripe Shots.<p></p><p>To start off with my first Gripe Shot, I have to say that I am sick and tired of Covid-19. I'm tired of being cooped up in the house, tired of the masks and tired of tip toeing around. However, one of the things I miss the most is going out to the local tavern to sit with a few friends to drink a few beers and have some laughs. I know the time for this will be coming soon but I'm hanging on by a thread. Yes, I wear a mask when I go out, I keep my social distance and I got my first vaccine shot. It's been almost one year since we locked down due to the Big-19 and I for one am sick of it. I do feel that we are in the home stretch, so I will stay strong and I hope you do too.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x56mHOlnwfA/YDwMING98MI/AAAAAAAAFS8/1nuv2WnWtHYPFCXV31R8wYPzOXLBF5-5gCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/GettyImages-1027286740.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="113" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x56mHOlnwfA/YDwMING98MI/AAAAAAAAFS8/1nuv2WnWtHYPFCXV31R8wYPzOXLBF5-5gCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h113/GettyImages-1027286740.webp" width="200" /></a></div>My second Gripe Shot is a follow-up to last weeks R2G when I wrote about the confusion that I had with Mitch McConnell and his vote during the 2nd Trump Impeachment Trial. Moron Mitch voted to not convict based on it being unconstitutional to impeach a President who was not in office. He then went on the Senate floor and verbally stated that Trump was 100% morally responsible for the siege on the Capitol and that the private sector should take legal measures against him. This week, McConnell was asked by a reporter that if Trump was the 2024 Republican nominee for President would he support him? His answer was yes, I would fully support him. WHAT! WHAT! ARE YOU FREAKIN' KIDDING ME? Just a week ago you said that he was totally responsible for the Capitol siege and now you would support him! What the hell is wrong with this clown?<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tor_dL7nhTc/YDwMWBk_8ZI/AAAAAAAAFTA/1DRAFGljoioY8qOOF1BDU3ISbeAx5Ea1gCLcBGAsYHQ/s638/Logo%2BCompressed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="638" data-original-width="600" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tor_dL7nhTc/YDwMWBk_8ZI/AAAAAAAAFTA/1DRAFGljoioY8qOOF1BDU3ISbeAx5Ea1gCLcBGAsYHQ/w188-h200/Logo%2BCompressed.jpg" width="188" /></a></div>Finally, <span data-parade-clicks="false" data-parade-location-ids="article" data-parade-location-types="promoarea" data-parade-mouseovers="false" data-parade-touches="false" data-parade-type="promoarea" data-parade-views="false">Frank Sinatra once said, <i><b>“The big lesson in life, baby, is never be scared of anyone or anything.”</b></i> This rings so true for me right now because I was just diagnosed with Prostate Cancer. I normally don't write about myself on this blog, but I felt it necessary to do so today. Luckily for me, the cancer was caught early and with some surgery I will totally recover. I hope to not miss a week of posting here on The Right To Gripe but that will all depend on my recovery time. I do know that I have a great support system with my wife, sons and daughters and friends to help me to get through. In case you don't know, I am the co-founder along with cancer survivor Robert Washney of a charity called Castin' For A Cure which benefits cancer and cancer research. This years event will mean more than ever to me since I hope to be a 2 time cancer survivor. Please check out our Facebook page @castinforacure for updates on this years event. I hope you will make a donation to our worthwhile cause when the time comes. To end, I will leave you with this, </span><p></p><p><span data-parade-clicks="false" data-parade-location-ids="article" data-parade-location-types="promoarea" data-parade-mouseovers="false" data-parade-touches="false" data-parade-type="promoarea" data-parade-views="false"><i>“Life imposes things on you that you can’t control, but you still have the choice of how you’re going to live through this.”</i> — <strong>Celine Dion</strong></span> </p><p><br /></p>THE RIGHT TO GRIPE - J. M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04193784424776041797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3489343629545026249.post-31360859817953985352021-02-20T10:16:00.002-05:002021-02-20T10:16:43.438-05:00Congressional Confusion<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WHcWD_4NhLc/YDEkvxQd0MI/AAAAAAAAFSA/JzAfR_lMVMM4-7k_xX8h9dIJg9GRC8oyACLcBGAsYHQ/s850/Confusion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="850" height="113" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WHcWD_4NhLc/YDEkvxQd0MI/AAAAAAAAFSA/JzAfR_lMVMM4-7k_xX8h9dIJg9GRC8oyACLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h113/Confusion.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>I am totally confused! I know, it doesn't take much, but the events of this past week regarding the 2nd Trump Impeachment vote has me scratching my head. Whether you believe Trump was guilty or not, you have to question the thought process behind some Senator's voting to acquit. If you are not familiar with the Impeachment process, please read last weeks post and it will give you all that you need to know in a few paragraphs. What I am baffled by is the reasoning, other than partisan politics as usual, behind why almost every Republican except 7 voted Not Guilty. I am also befuddled to their rhetoric afterwords regarding the former President.<p></p><p>One of the main sticking points Republicans had of this Impeachment process was that a President who is no longer in office cannot be Impeached. The Constitution is not 100% clear on this point, however many constitutional scholars believe that you can Impeach a former President for transgressions he or she committed while in office. This question came up early in the process and was voted on by the Senate. If they voted that it was unconstitutional, then the remainder of the Impeachment would be a moot point and it would be dismissed. If they voted that it was, then the proceedings would move forward. The Senate upheld the constitutionality of the trial by a vote of 56-44. All 48 Democrats along with 2 Independents and 6 Republicans voted in the affirmative. At this point, the trial was able to move forward. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LhZND4m__KE/YDElDDvk5QI/AAAAAAAAFSI/cMXCwsGaJdorMC6ELNPXRkFOFQfEkEcwACLcBGAsYHQ/s890/1001.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="890" height="120" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LhZND4m__KE/YDElDDvk5QI/AAAAAAAAFSI/cMXCwsGaJdorMC6ELNPXRkFOFQfEkEcwACLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h120/1001.webp" width="200" /></a></div>Here is where it gets confusing. After a few days of arguments from the House Managers and Trumps attorneys, the Senate voted 57 guilty to 43 not guilty. Remember, 2/3's of the Senate must vote guilty for a conviction. This did not happen so Trump got off again. After the Impeachment hearing, several Republicans who voted to acquit faced the media and stated that they thought Trump was guilty of the Incitement of Insurrection charge, but voted they was they did because they thought it was unconstitutional since Trump was no longer in office. WHAT! WHAT! ARE YOU FREAKIN' KIDDING ME. A few days earlier the Senate voted that it <u>WAS</u> constitutional which means that should not have factored into their votes. The Top Republican in the Senate Mitch McConnell tore Trump a new one after the trial saying he was 100% guilty of inciting an insurrection and basically invited the private sector to file civil charges. In his speech he stated, <b><i>"There is no question that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of that day. The people who stormed this building believed they were acting on the wishes and instructions of their president".</i></b> Guess what, Mitch voted <b>Not Guilty</b>! This makes absolutely no sense what-so-ever. What the hell is wrong with these people? Either he was guilty or not and these clowns should have weighed the evidence and voted based on the evidence and not the constitutionality of the process.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QM_nWvibZdM/YDElQHyCRKI/AAAAAAAAFSM/mvqahD-c21MnpRf0iajstIQGhYH2ug33ACLcBGAsYHQ/s275/the%2Bbottom%2Bline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="133" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QM_nWvibZdM/YDElQHyCRKI/AAAAAAAAFSM/mvqahD-c21MnpRf0iajstIQGhYH2ug33ACLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h133/the%2Bbottom%2Bline.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Here is the Bottom Line as I see it. If you look at why the Framers of the Constitution provided an Impeachment process, it was simple, to avoid one person becoming a monarch or king. They came to America to escape the tyranny of the King of England and they did not want that here. The argument that a President cannot be Impeached after he or she is out of office holds no water. If this were the case, then any President would have a free pass on committing crimes, treason or sabotage during his final weeks in office. I am confident that the Founding Fathers did not want this. Regardless, the entire Impeachment process was a sham, a slap in the face to the American people who had to endure watching Trump incite his followers for months up to the siege of the Capitol. To acquit based on this Impeachment being unconstitutional is laughable. Whether you believe Trump was guilty or not, you have to question the logic used in the Senate or should I say the lack thereof. <br /><p></p><p> <br /></p>THE RIGHT TO GRIPE - J. M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04193784424776041797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3489343629545026249.post-44265244279790821092021-02-13T14:35:00.000-05:002021-02-13T14:35:36.104-05:00Congress, Partisan Politic's and Impeachment<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XyJUWEBSzqg/YCgiovlftpI/AAAAAAAAFQ4/pizjF8zRJ6MHLj6wYC02W1J_22WY1cP7ACLcBGAsYHQ/s270/impeach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="187" data-original-width="270" height="139" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XyJUWEBSzqg/YCgiovlftpI/AAAAAAAAFQ4/pizjF8zRJ6MHLj6wYC02W1J_22WY1cP7ACLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h139/impeach.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>I have been following the 2nd Impeachment of former President Donald Trump as I did the first and began to wonder about the Impeachment process and how Congress has handled these matters in the past versus how they are handling it now. In case you don't know, the Impeachment terms are outlined in the United States Constitution, <b><span style="font-size: small;">Article II.S4.2.2 Impeachable Offenses:</span> The President, Vice President or any civil Officers of the United
States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction
of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors. </b>At the time of ratification of the Constitution, the phrase <q>high crimes and misdemeanors</q> thus appears understood to have applied to uniquely <q>political</q> offenses, or misdeeds committed by public officials against the state. Alexander Hamilton, in explaining the Constitution's impeachment provisions, described impeachable offenses as arising from <q>the misconduct of public men, or in other words from the abuse or violation of some public trust.</q><sup> </sup>Such offenses were <q><span class="small-caps"><i>Political</i></span>, as they relate chiefly to injuries done immediately to society itself.</q><sup> </sup>In the centuries following the Constitution's ratification, precisely
what behavior constitutes a high crime or misdemeanor has been the
subject of much debate as we have seen during the 2 Trump Impeachments.<b><span class="ILfuVd NA6bn"><span class="hgKElc"> </span></span></b><p></p><p><span class="ILfuVd NA6bn"><span class="hgKElc"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="ILfuVd NA6bn"><span class="hgKElc"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-02fE1DAIp5w/YCgi9SOtD8I/AAAAAAAAFRA/H93szT5LgP0dD9eRvm7aAxNZNnCQcDqlwCLcBGAsYHQ/s768/impeached_presidents_hero.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="768" height="113" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-02fE1DAIp5w/YCgi9SOtD8I/AAAAAAAAFRA/H93szT5LgP0dD9eRvm7aAxNZNnCQcDqlwCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h113/impeached_presidents_hero.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></span></div><span class="ILfuVd NA6bn"><span class="hgKElc">So, how many Presidents have actually been Impeached? The answer is only 3, Andrew Johnson (D) in 1868, Bill Clinton (D) in 1998 and now Donald Trump in 2019 and 2021. Thirteen other Presidents have had Articles of Impeachment introduced to the House of Representatives, however these had no action taken. <span style="color: red;"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_impeachment_efforts_for_presidents_of_the_United_States#Andrew_Johnson_(impeached_Feb._1868,_acquitted_May_1868)"><span style="color: red;">List of impeachment efforts for Presidents of the United States</span></a><span style="color: red;">. <span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="ILfuVd NA6bn"><span class="hgKElc"><span>The one thing these 3 Presidents have in common is none of them were convicted and removed from office. The 2nd Impeachment of Donal Trump is currently in the Senate and a result has not been determined. However, the consensus is that he will not be convicted based on party lines. </span></span></span><p></p><p><span class="ILfuVd NA6bn"><span class="hgKElc"><span>As many of us know, Congressmen often vote down party lines on many topics and Impeachment is not immune to it. Currently, as I mentioned above, it appears that Donald Trump will not be convicted in the Senate simply due to the number of Republicans voting to acquit. I could go into the reasons, but that is for another time. If you look back on the Bill Clinton Impeachment, he was charged with perjury to the Grand Jury and Obstruction of Justice. Here is how the Senate voted. </span></span></span></p><table class="wikitable"><tbody><tr><th colspan="4" style="background: #f5f5f5;">Articles of Impeachment, U.S. Senate judgement<br /><span style="font-size: 90%;">(67 "guilty" votes necessary for a conviction)</span>
</th></tr><tr style="vertical-align: bottom;">
<th rowspan="2">Article One<br />(perjury / grand jury)
</th>
<th colspan="2">Party
</th>
<th rowspan="2">Total votes
</th></tr>
<tr style="vertical-align: bottom;">
<th style="background: #b0ceff;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;">Democratic</span></span>
</th>
<th style="background: #ffb6b6;">Republican
</th></tr>
<tr>
<td style="background: #F5F5F5; width: 13em;">Guilty
</td>
<td style="width: 7em;"><span style="color: transparent; visibility: hidden;"></span>0
</td>
<td style="width: 7em;">45
</td>
<td style="background: #F5F5F5; width: 7em;">45
</td></tr>
<tr>
<td style="background: #F5F5F5;"><b>Not guilty</b><span class="nowrap"> </span><img alt="check" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="600" height="14" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c2/Black_check.svg/14px-Black_check.svg.png" width="14" />
</td>
<td><b>45</b>
</td>
<td><b>10</b>
</td>
<td style="background: #F5F5F5;"><b>55</b>
</td></tr>
<tr style="vertical-align: bottom;">
<th rowspan="2">Article Two<br />(obstruction of justice)
</th>
<th colspan="2">Party
</th>
<th rowspan="2">Total votes
</th></tr>
<tr style="vertical-align: bottom;">
<th style="background: #b0ceff;">Democratic
</th>
<th style="background: #ffb6b6;">Republican
</th></tr>
<tr>
<td style="background: #F5F5F5; width: 13em;">Guilty
</td>
<td style="width: 7em;"><span style="color: transparent; visibility: hidden;"></span>0
</td>
<td style="width: 7em;">50
</td>
<td style="background: #F5F5F5; width: 7em;">50
</td></tr>
<tr>
<td style="background: #F5F5F5;"><b>Not guilty</b><span class="nowrap"> </span><img alt="check" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="600" height="14" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c2/Black_check.svg/14px-Black_check.svg.png" width="14" />
</td>
<td><b>45</b>
</td>
<td><b><span style="color: transparent; visibility: hidden;"></span>5</b>
</td>
<td style="background: #F5F5F5;"><b>50</b></td><td style="background: #F5F5F5;"><b> </b></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span class="ILfuVd NA6bn"><span class="hgKElc"><span> As you can see, like the Trump Impeachments, the Senate voted down party lines with 100% of the Democrats voting to acquit along with 10 and 5 Republicans. Here is how the Senate voted for Trump.</span></span></span></p><table class="wikitable"><caption><b>Articles of Impeachment, U.S. Senate judgement</b></caption><tbody><tr>
<th colspan="2" rowspan="2" style="width: 20%;">Party
</th>
<th colspan="2">Article I (Abuse of power)
</th>
<th colspan="2">Article II (Obstruction of Congress)
</th></tr>
<tr>
<th style="width: 20%;">Guilty
</th>
<th style="width: 20%;">Not guilty
</th>
<th style="width: 20%;">Guilty
</th>
<th style="width: 20%;">Not guilty
</th></tr>
<tr>
<td data-sort-value="Democratic Party (United States)" rowspan="1" style="background-color: #3333ff; width: 2px;">
<br /></td>
<td rowspan="1" scope="row" style="text-align: left;">Democratic (45)
</td>
<td style="background-color: #ffaeb9;"><b>45</b>
</td>
<td>–
</td>
<td style="background-color: #ffaeb9;"><b>45</b>
</td>
<td>–
</td></tr>
<tr>
<td data-sort-value="Republican Party (United States)" rowspan="1" style="background-color: #e81b23; width: 2px;">
<br /></td>
<td rowspan="1" scope="row" style="text-align: left;">Republican (53)
</td>
<td><div class="NavFrame collapsed" id="NavFrame17" style="border: none; padding: 0;">
<div class="NavHead" style="background: transparent; font-size: 105%; text-align: left;">1</div>
</div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: #ccffcc;"><b>52</b>
</td>
<td>–
</td>
<td style="background-color: #ccffcc;"><b>53</b>
</td></tr>
<tr>
<td data-sort-value="Independent politician" rowspan="1" style="background-color: #dddddd; width: 2px;">
<br /></td>
<td rowspan="1" scope="row" style="text-align: left;">Independent (2)
</td>
<td style="background-color: #ffaeb9;"><div class="NavFrame collapsed" id="NavFrame18" style="border: none; padding: 0;">
<div class="NavHead" style="background: transparent; font-size: 105%; text-align: left;">2</div>
</div>
</td>
<td>–
</td>
<td style="background-color: #ffaeb9;"><div class="NavFrame collapsed" id="NavFrame19" style="border: none; padding: 0;">
<div class="NavHead" style="background: transparent; font-size: 105%; text-align: left;">2</div>
</div>
</td>
<td>–
</td></tr>
<tr>
<th colspan="2">Total (100)
</th>
<th>48
</th>
<th>52
</th>
<th>47
</th>
<th>53
</th></tr>
<tr>
<th colspan="2">Result
</th>
<th colspan="2">Not guilty
</th>
<th colspan="2">Not guilty</th></tr></tbody></table><p><span class="ILfuVd NA6bn"><span class="hgKElc"><span>Like the Clinton impeachment, Senators stayed within party lines with their votes. A sad fact, but not unusual. In fact, most of these Senators have their minds made up before the Impeachment hearing begins. For the Trump hearing, this is evident by several Senators not being in their seats, doodling on paper and actually dozing off. <br /></span></span></span></p><p><span class="ILfuVd NA6bn"><span class="hgKElc"><span></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="ILfuVd NA6bn"><span class="hgKElc"><span><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8_kdyUsNHbo/YCgiAZrceYI/AAAAAAAAFQw/yD-cjRGYzDQJzVBKjL0aNqRgnFoVK7LpACLcBGAsYHQ/s275/the%2Bbottom%2Bline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="133" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8_kdyUsNHbo/YCgiAZrceYI/AAAAAAAAFQw/yD-cjRGYzDQJzVBKjL0aNqRgnFoVK7LpACLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h133/the%2Bbottom%2Bline.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></span></span></div><span class="ILfuVd NA6bn"><span class="hgKElc"><span>So, what is the Bottom Line here? It's a fact that it is almost impossible to Impeach and Convict a President. It's also a fact that the Senate Trial itself is really a lesson in futility. No matter what evidence or testimony is given these Senators already have their minds made up and that is a shame. These people take an oath at the beginning of the trial, "</span></span></span><i><b><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="hgKElc">I solemnly swear (or affirm,
as the case may be,) that in all things appertaining to the trial of the
impeachment of , now pending, I will do impartial justice according to
the Constitution and laws: so help me God". </span></span></b></i><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="hgKElc">To me, it appears that they do not abide by this oath. Frankly, why even have impeachment trials since the outcome is determined before it starts. The answer to this is simple, we need to hold our government officials accountable for what they do and there needs to be a process in place to hear the facts and determine guilt. It's just too bad that our Congresspersons don't seem to take the well being of our country into consideration. Instead, they are all worried about being elected for another term. </span></span><span><b></b></span><p></p>THE RIGHT TO GRIPE - J. M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04193784424776041797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3489343629545026249.post-37453853468807070392021-02-07T12:40:00.000-05:002021-02-07T12:40:33.055-05:00SUPER BOWL / A SPECIAL EDITION R2G<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M9rxwWPUHWU/YCAjsimsmwI/AAAAAAAAFQM/OXHw9uG0dSgnOopeiSix0oQ_grB3QDstwCLcBGAsYHQ/s778/Super%2Bbowl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="413" data-original-width="778" height="106" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M9rxwWPUHWU/YCAjsimsmwI/AAAAAAAAFQM/OXHw9uG0dSgnOopeiSix0oQ_grB3QDstwCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h106/Super%2Bbowl.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>I have been watching College and NFL football for over 40 years. The first Super Bowl I ever watched was between the New York Jets and the Baltimore Colts in 1969. Even though the Colts were the heavy favorite over the fledgling AFL. I was rooting for them anyway. Why was I on board with the Jets? One reason was because of Joe Namath and his guaranteeing a win. The second was my grades school Jimmy Cheek was a huge Colts fan and had been bragging all week that the Colts would destroy the Jets. Well, we all know the outcome of that game. Jets 16, Colts 7. One of the biggest upsets in sports history. Even to this day, I root for the Jets even though my favorite team is and always will be the Green Bay Packers. <br /><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tL-Rchu1QBc/YCAkTPupFMI/AAAAAAAAFQc/yt-7BskToUcgHZm3peYJmbU4oa2tA6jJACLcBGAsYHQ/s1280/maxresdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="113" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tL-Rchu1QBc/YCAkTPupFMI/AAAAAAAAFQc/yt-7BskToUcgHZm3peYJmbU4oa2tA6jJACLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h113/maxresdefault.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Over the years, I have watched what I would think are hundreds of NFL football games. However, during the recent years I have come to the conclusion that the game has deteriorated into predictability which has made games less exciting. I know many of you may not agree, but this is how I feel. It almost seems like the regular season and it's results are a foregone conclusion as to who makes the playoffs. If you think about it, over the years, it seems like the same teams have appeared in the playoffs. These teams include the Cowboys (33), Packers (I'm thankful) (33), Giants (32), Steelers (31) and the Vikings (30). These are actually staggering numbers since the NFL has had 54 years of playoffs during the Super Bowl Era and these 5 teams have made the playoffs 56% of the time.<p></p><p>So, what does this mean? Well, it could mean that these 5 teams have very good organizations, draft well and nurture great players. With the 5 teams I listed above, this is true. However, I am not sure this rings true today. It seems like year after year there are a few chosen teams that make their way to a Super Bowl win with the help of the officials and the NFL itself. In many games that I watch, the officials throw very few penalty flags for most of the game and when there is critical moment, the laundry comes out. It's usually a questionable Pass Interference, Defensive Holding or an Offensive Holding call. These infractions occur all game in every game but are not called all the time.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A0wluQxk93k/YCAj4kYPV0I/AAAAAAAAFQQ/48qABSwW38soP9zA779VbEG0wQUZk6i1gCLcBGAsYHQ/s275/the%2Bbottom%2Bline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="133" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A0wluQxk93k/YCAj4kYPV0I/AAAAAAAAFQQ/48qABSwW38soP9zA779VbEG0wQUZk6i1gCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h133/the%2Bbottom%2Bline.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>So what is the Bottom Line here? The NFL is fixed! It's rigged to have certain popular teams and players to win. This means more money to the NFL in Super Bowl ticket prices, commercial prices and merchandise sales. This year is a great example. Tom Brady (The NFL's Chosen One) and the Tampa Bay Buc's who beat the Saints and the Packers in the playoffs. Of course there were questionable calls in pivotal times during both games to secure a Tampon Bay win. As for Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, I hate to say it, they were the best team in the AFC. With this being said, I have no dog in this fight so I really don't care who wins as long as I hit some numbers on my 3 pools. <p></p><p><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>My Super Bowl Prediction: Tampa Bay 31, Kansas City 30. A controversial late penalty call in favor of the Buc's will propel them to the win. Don't be surprised if it's a roughing the passer call.</b></span><br /></p>THE RIGHT TO GRIPE - J. M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04193784424776041797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3489343629545026249.post-31847124549036755912021-02-06T13:59:00.007-05:002021-02-07T11:44:20.667-05:00Marjorie Taylor-Green / A Threat To Us All<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-60yOKbHK1jY/YB7kg1vRTyI/AAAAAAAAFO0/4G8GmiMhJ54sAkXmF9QCzJMUjwuAxOjIwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1280/maxresdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="113" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-60yOKbHK1jY/YB7kg1vRTyI/AAAAAAAAFO0/4G8GmiMhJ54sAkXmF9QCzJMUjwuAxOjIwCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h113/maxresdefault.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>There is so much to write about in this crazy country of ours. The Covid-19 pandemic is still ravaging the country, Donald Trump was impeached for a second time in the House of Representatives and will now be tried in the Senate and the siege on the U.S. Capitol still remains fresh in our minds as the FBI rounds up more and more treasonous traitors. However, the one thing that really has me baffled and has ticked me off is Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Green. What happened over the past week in Congress is confusing and rather alarming. It is something that every true blooded American should be angry about. In case you are not aware of who Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Green is, let me fill you in. She is a freshman Republican Representative in the U.S. House representing the 14th District of Georgia. She has come under fire, and rightly so, for what she has said, done and posted on social media. Let me give you a little taste of a few examples of these insane things and my take on them.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Sdn81GAdwJk/YB7jOYptApI/AAAAAAAAFOo/9cbIpOGjJxkZQzskvWVXt-VD6jxHogVyQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1280/greene.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="113" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Sdn81GAdwJk/YB7jOYptApI/AAAAAAAAFOo/9cbIpOGjJxkZQzskvWVXt-VD6jxHogVyQCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h113/greene.webp" width="200" /></a></div>1. In 2018 and 2019, Maniac Marjorie was the moderator of a Facebook Page that supported the execution of Democrats and non-Trump supporters. On the House floor, she is often seen wearing a "Trump Won" and "Stop the Steal" mask. Obviously she supports the insane Trump theory that the election was rigged for him to lose and that he actually won in a landslide. <i><b> (To this I say, "No Way Beaver Breath". Trump lost and that is a fact! If you believe that he did not you need to really examine your mental capacities)</b></i><br /><p></p><p>2. In January of 2019, Greene liked a comment on Facebook that said "a bullet to the head would be quicker" to remove House Speaker Nancy
Pelosi. In other posts, Goofy Greene liked comments about executing FBI agents
who, in her eyes, were part of the "deep state" working against Trump. <i><b> (Liking this kind of post is certainly not something a House of Rep. member should have liked....PERIOD. I would think talking about executing Pelosi and FBI Agents should have sent up a red flag.) </b></i> <br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U26rqy8etmM/YB7lE3WQpkI/AAAAAAAAFO8/QqQj4ctxwFQXR4Hq0hlG7ZrJVK8Lq1V7ACLcBGAsYHQ/s700/5ee10e294dca686cfd618496.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="700" height="100" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U26rqy8etmM/YB7lE3WQpkI/AAAAAAAAFO8/QqQj4ctxwFQXR4Hq0hlG7ZrJVK8Lq1V7ACLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h100/5ee10e294dca686cfd618496.webp" width="200" /></a></div>3. In
one of her Facebook posts from April 2018, Goofy Greene wrote about
the Iran Deal, one of former President Barack Obama's signature foreign
policy achievements. A commenter asked Greene, "Now do we get to hang
them ?? Meaning H & O ???," which was in reference to Obama and Hillary Clinton. Greene
replied, "Stage is being set. Players are being put in place. We must
be patient. This must be done perfectly or liberal judges would let them
off." <i><b> (Whether you agree with the Iran Deal or not, talking about hanging former Presidents is in my opinion treason against America. I would think it is also illegal. Of course people will cry the 1st Amendment of Freedom of Speech. I am no lawyer, but I think she is aware of some plan and she should be questioned about it.) </b></i><br /><p></p><p>4. Before she ran for Congress in 2020, Goofy Greene created a<span style="color: red;"> </span><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20190330091543/https:/petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/impeach-nancy-pelosi-crimes-treason" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">White House petition</span></a> in January 2019 to impeach the Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi for "crimes of treason,"citing Pelosi's support of so-called sanctuary policies that "are serving
illegals and not United States citizens" and because Pelosi did not
support Trump's border wall. In one speech promoting the petition Greene suggested Pelosi could be executed for treason. <i><b>(Just another example of threats of violence toward Democracy. I really think that if those idiots who breached the Capitol got a hold of Nancy Pelosi, they would have strung her up. Something Maniac Marjorie would have supported. She might have even tied the noose.) </b></i><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MnH47WL4yNY/YB7l3IJmHpI/AAAAAAAAFPI/KK6ePoR8GcUQqvlwK36YKuPjpvsmNWcagCLcBGAsYHQ/s780/210128102628-marjorie-taylor-greene-2019-video-exlarge-169.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="438" data-original-width="780" height="113" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MnH47WL4yNY/YB7l3IJmHpI/AAAAAAAAFPI/KK6ePoR8GcUQqvlwK36YKuPjpvsmNWcagCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h113/210128102628-marjorie-taylor-greene-2019-video-exlarge-169.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>5. This next example is probably the most egregious act that she has perpetrated. In a <a data-analytics-post-depth="80" data-uri="8664e8480f1751c247e86edfadd65017" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/survivors-want-gop-greene-quit-over-school-shooting-denials-2021-1" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">recently surfaced video</span></a>, Greene was seen harassing a survivor of the Parkland school shooting and claiming the tragedy was a false-flag operation, something she still stands by today. On more than one occasion she has liked Facebook posts and verbally stated that the Parkland and Sandy Hook school shootings were faked. Greene liked the post, and another referencing a conspiracy theory
that the Georgia Guide Stones, a granite monument in Elberton, Georgia,
contained coded messages about a "New World Order" plot by elites to
control the world. In response, Goofy Greene said: "That is all true. By the way, I've seen the Georgia guide stones." <i><b>( All of this is just plain nuts! Her thinking involving the school shooting defies belief. Go talk to the parents who lost a child and see how fake that is. As for the Georgia Guide Stones, no one really knows who put them there or what the really mean. They could and I say could be interpreted as a guide to keeping the worlds population at a controlled level.)</b></i><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5Mzb5AuoNYg/YB7m8yopdFI/AAAAAAAAFPo/NygJ8-Y7LqE8CLG6GZDH94uG7-B-9fr0gCLcBGAsYHQ/s275/the%2Bbottom%2Bline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="133" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5Mzb5AuoNYg/YB7m8yopdFI/AAAAAAAAFPo/NygJ8-Y7LqE8CLG6GZDH94uG7-B-9fr0gCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h133/the%2Bbottom%2Bline.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>The Bottom Line here is this woman is a whack job who needs to be placed in a straight jacket and put away for a long time before she can do any more damage to our country. The scariest part is the people of the 14th District of Georgia actually voted this maniac in. What the hell were they thinking? Now that she is in the House of Representatives and all of these things have surfaced, the Republican Party has to come down hard on her. Of course, they did not! She was originally selected to two committees including the House Budget and House Education and Labor Committees. ARE YOU FREAKIN' KIDDING ME! The Education and Labor Committee! Sure, lets put a mentally unstable nimrod on a committee that deals with education. This past week, the top House Republican, Kevin McCarthy condemned her actions but failed to act by “unequivocally” condemning the Georgia freshman’s violent and
conspiracy-laden remarks, but declined to revoke her committee posts. Since he failed to act, the Democrats quickly brought her removal from the committees to a vote. All the Democrats and only 11 Republicans voted to remove. There are 211 Republican members of the House which means 200 voted to do NOTHING! Wake up you blind bastards! This woman is nuts, a whack-a-doodle! BTW, as a parting shot, Marjorie Taylor-Green also believes that the wildfires this past year were started by Jewish Lasers. <i><b> </b></i><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>THE RIGHT TO GRIPE - J. M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04193784424776041797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3489343629545026249.post-81629291151224702072021-01-31T13:38:00.000-05:002021-01-31T13:38:28.910-05:00Cocaine Hippo's<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IkvWJtcYHCE/YBb2fzt3BAI/AAAAAAAAFNY/tldGWkRIEPcjMrC9n84j09kh76U3W27-QCLcBGAsYHQ/s2000/esco-hippo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1338" data-original-width="2000" height="134" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IkvWJtcYHCE/YBb2fzt3BAI/AAAAAAAAFNY/tldGWkRIEPcjMrC9n84j09kh76U3W27-QCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h134/esco-hippo.jpg" width="200" /></a></div> In 1993, Colombian Drug Lord Pablo Escobar was shot dead with a gun shot wound to the head and his luxurious estate was taken by the Colombian government. A fitting death for a Drug Lord who was responsible for the deaths of hundreds, maybe thousands of people either by murder or by the drugs he sold. If you don't know anything about Escobar, he was the founder of the Medellin Cartel who became the wealthiest criminal in history. His drug operation had an estimated worth of $30 billion U.S. dollars at the time of his death. His drug cartel was responsible for most of the cocaine trade in the United States from the early 1980's until the early 1990's. He established the first cocaine drug routes into America when at it's height, transported shipments of 70 to 80 tons of cocaine a month from Columbia into the U.S.. Yes, you read that right 70 to 80 tons A MONTH! His legacy does remain somewhat controversial however, because many people in Columbia saw him as a Robin Hood-like figure since he provided many amenities to the poor. Of course, as a man of unlimited wealth and power, Escobar was able to have just about anything he wanted and this is where the Hippo's come in.<p></p><p>During his time at his estate, Haceienda Napoles, Escobar collected many things including two hippopotamuses that he kept in a private menagerie. He was fascinated by these big lumbering creatures and sometimes treated them better than humans. After his death, the Colombian government decided that these two Hippo's were too difficult to catch and move, so they left them to roam free on the estate. By 2007, these two hippo's multiplied to 16 and had taken to roaming the area by the Magdelena River for food. As of early 2014, the hippo population grew to 40, by 2018 to 60 and by December 2020 there were an estimated 90 to 120 hippo's that cover an 870 square mile area. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ji3Qw3ogHEQ/YBb2qUcV63I/AAAAAAAAFNc/l2RF6-VlxRs6BSquVYVIyJzLYTAj3aOBgCLcBGAsYHQ/s624/p06r2bhw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="351" data-original-width="624" height="113" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ji3Qw3ogHEQ/YBb2qUcV63I/AAAAAAAAFNc/l2RF6-VlxRs6BSquVYVIyJzLYTAj3aOBgCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h113/p06r2bhw.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>So,why is this a problem? Everyone loves hippo's. Hell, there was a song called, "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas". However, hippo's are not native to South America and are considered an evasive species. If they continue to propagate and expand, they could change the entire ecosystem of the area since they eat tons of plants and could displace species like the West Indian Manatee<span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;"> Neotropical Otter, Specaled Caiman and various species of turtles including the endangered Dahl's Toad-Headed Turtle not to mention various species of fish. There is also the threat of attack on humans since hippo's can be very aggressive when protecting their offspring and "home turf". </span></span>In 2009, two adults and one calf left their herd, attacked humans and killed cattle. Let me guess, the attack must have been unprovoked.....NOT! One of the adults name Pepe was killed
by hunters under the authorization of the local authorities.<sup> </sup>When a photo of the dead hippo became public, it caused considerable
controversy among animal rights groups both within the country and
abroad, and further plans of culling ceased. Human's always amaze me. When in doubt, start killing off the animals that cause a problem.<br /><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--cm4ifUPiYg/YBb2znGjZrI/AAAAAAAAFNk/nRQI92nfl2wJ79qj3i7IJZCY9XxK09-aACLcBGAsYHQ/s275/the%2Bbottom%2Bline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="133" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--cm4ifUPiYg/YBb2znGjZrI/AAAAAAAAFNk/nRQI92nfl2wJ79qj3i7IJZCY9XxK09-aACLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h133/the%2Bbottom%2Bline.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>What is The Bottom Line here? Other than culling the heard or "bloat", (a group of hippo's is called a bloat), some alternative methods to stop the spread of hippo's have
been considered, but they are unproven, or difficult and expensive. A
wild male hippo was caught, castrated and released again, but it cost
about $50,000 U.S. dollars. As of 2020, there were no plans by the local government on managing the population, but further studies on their effect on the habitat have been initiated by scientists. These scientists along with conservationists have recommended that a management plan needs to be implemented quickly before things get out of control. I happen to like hippo's, so I hope they come up with something other than killing them. Make no mistake, hippo's are a very aggressive animal, however there is some alluring quality to them. <br /><p></p><p> </p><p> </p>THE RIGHT TO GRIPE - J. M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04193784424776041797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3489343629545026249.post-77195499548241852842021-01-24T13:52:00.000-05:002021-01-24T13:52:28.266-05:00The Covid-19 Vaccine / Part of the Solution<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WuZDVtE5sK8/YA2z1wcuOkI/AAAAAAAAFMY/4aULmErS2SwQAH3ELwJQzMluN8INyZkNQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/AdobeStock_67093297-e1548248414267.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1229" data-original-width="2048" height="120" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WuZDVtE5sK8/YA2z1wcuOkI/AAAAAAAAFMY/4aULmErS2SwQAH3ELwJQzMluN8INyZkNQCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h120/AdobeStock_67093297-e1548248414267.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>On January 22, 2020, the first case of Covid-19 was diagnosed here in the United States which means we will have been under the grips of the pandemic for one full year. Who would have ever thought that this would be the case? Not me for sure. Due to a total debacle at the federal level under the Trump Administration and the inconsistent responses by our states, the pandemic worsens day by day with 4,000 plus people succumbing to the virus daily. According to the CDC, 24,704,417 have been infected with Covid-19 while 412,592 have died. On January 8th, the United States hit an all time high with 314,093 new cases reported. Compare this to just two months ago in November when we broke a national record of 136,147 new cases. By now, most of us, myself included thought that we would be finished with this virus and things would be back to normal. No such luck! We, America failed the pandemic test. We got a big red <span style="color: red;">"F"</span> on our report card. <br /><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WAflD2olo1E/YA20bS9LAkI/AAAAAAAAFMg/jjviwDMYCnYqygGtAnAdmgETtMU4KjFewCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/esq-cvdvaccartboard-1-1586444649.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="113" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WAflD2olo1E/YA20bS9LAkI/AAAAAAAAFMg/jjviwDMYCnYqygGtAnAdmgETtMU4KjFewCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h113/esq-cvdvaccartboard-1-1586444649.png" width="200" /></a></div>There is hope however in the form of a vaccine who's distribution was also bungled by the previous administration. I could go into the multiple reasons for this failure, but I won't. Even though it was improperly handled at the Federal level, I have to say that in Luzerne County (PA.) vaccine distribution is moving forward. How do I know this? I know this because I received my first dose of the Moderna on Saturday. So far, 24 hours later, I have no side effects other than my arm is a little sore. I have not turned into a government controlled zombie either. I did however have a dream last night about brains....only kidding. The process involved in me getting the Covid-19 vaccine was relatively seamless. I went on the Geisinger web site and followed the prompts to their Covid page. There it gives you criteria to see what group you qualify for. I fell under the 1A category so I was able to get the vaccine. Here is the link for the PA. Department of Health web site so you can see where you qualify. <p></p><p> <span style="color: red;"> </span><a href="https://www.health.pa.gov/topics/disease/coronavirus/Vaccine/Pages/Vaccine.aspx"><span style="color: red;">https://www.health.pa.gov/topics/disease/coronavirus/Vaccine/Pages/Vaccine.aspx </span></a><span style="color: red;"> <span> </span> </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8J57iOL1Yss/YA20zCnlrbI/AAAAAAAAFMs/6E4UT3eFKyw1lyi4QxXTUxQpRgofNwhSgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1440/139512406_10218706069148925_949643653714078455_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8J57iOL1Yss/YA20zCnlrbI/AAAAAAAAFMs/6E4UT3eFKyw1lyi4QxXTUxQpRgofNwhSgCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h200/139512406_10218706069148925_949643653714078455_o.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Once on the site, I simply completed the short survey, picked a date and boom, I had an appointment. The ease of getting the vaccine did not stop there. The day of the shot, I traveled to Gesinger in Pittston, put on my mask and got in line. After about a 2 minute wait, I was in the door, showed my ID and Health Insurance Card and had a seat. About 5 minutes later, I was placed in a small group of 4 people and ushered into the room where I would say about 50 employees including nurses had stations set up to administer the shots into arms. One at a time we were asked to approach a central reception desk where they checked you in and off you went with a nurse. After about 3 minutes of banter about Notre Dame football and being Irish, I had my shot. My nurse was a pleasant woman of Irish decent with red hair and freckles who liked Notre Dame. After I had the shot, they set up my appointment for my second shot and then I was ushered to a waiting area where I had to sit for about 20 minutes to make sure there were no immediate side effects. Luckily, I had none. After my time, I got a picture with my Covid-19 vaccination card by their wall of I Got The Shot and off I went.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b1e-Hy16TAQ/YA20qCD-M1I/AAAAAAAAFMk/bqiSDpEk5FQx3I8slk3AZmD5NAet2WQEgCLcBGAsYHQ/s275/the%2Bbottom%2Bline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="133" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b1e-Hy16TAQ/YA20qCD-M1I/AAAAAAAAFMk/bqiSDpEk5FQx3I8slk3AZmD5NAet2WQEgCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h133/the%2Bbottom%2Bline.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>As you can see, my experience with the Covid-19 vaccine was great. Geisinger provided a well organized and seamless experience. I think from leaving my driveway to coming back home was about 1 hour. Yep, you read that right, 1 hour. All social distancing and mask wearing protocol were followed. This was a well oiled machine, the way it should be all over the country. The bottom line here is everyone should get the vaccine when it is available to them. The sooner we get this all done, the sooner we can get back to normal. Please be part of the solution to the Covid-19 pandemic and not one of the stumbling blocks. I will make sure to keep you all posted if I have any side effects over the next few weeks. <span style="color: red;"> </span><span style="color: red;"> </span><p></p>THE RIGHT TO GRIPE - J. M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04193784424776041797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3489343629545026249.post-21878448655265123802021-01-17T16:03:00.000-05:002021-01-17T16:03:08.770-05:00Insurrection / How Deep Does It Run<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cnxXI7vQGXI/YASbE_Jx-XI/AAAAAAAAFLk/5QNtreHN9oQj6u_WOG6QXKDoJGw5Ldq4wCLcBGAsYHQ/s2000/Demonstrators_clash_with_police_at_US_Capitol_1.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="133" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cnxXI7vQGXI/YASbE_Jx-XI/AAAAAAAAFLk/5QNtreHN9oQj6u_WOG6QXKDoJGw5Ldq4wCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h133/Demonstrators_clash_with_police_at_US_Capitol_1.webp" width="200" /></a></div>Normally, I would post every week here on the R2G, however I skipped last week due to the events at the U.S. Capitol on January 6th. It shocked the world when a mob of protestors became violent and stormed the entrances and gained access to the Capitol building, the symbol and heart and soul of our Democracy. It made me angry, sad and vengeful all at the same time so I wanted to take some time to let it play out somewhat and to research what and how this happened. I did not want to knee-jerk react to write with anger in my heart so I waited until now to do so.<p></p><p>At face value, this insurrection against our government looks like just a large gang of Trump supporters or what I call Trumpanzees, who got up enough nerve to follow a few radicals and to break into The Capitol. However, as the days unfolded, it appears that this was much more than that. It was an organized seize on our government by multiple radical, white supremacist and anti-government groups to stalk and kill members of Congress and even the Vice President himself. They were hell bent on taking the Capitol by force and to assassinate and lynch multiple members of Congress. Hell, they even assembled a makeshift gallows with a rope and noose outside the building. Make no mistake here, this was an effort to overthrow our government. <br /></p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3j16MG5lMHs/YASbhMgBtyI/AAAAAAAAFL0/a8_eyQTEqWcmdHmYh84Brp-sazzo7HIuQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/3000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="133" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3j16MG5lMHs/YASbhMgBtyI/AAAAAAAAFL0/a8_eyQTEqWcmdHmYh84Brp-sazzo7HIuQCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h133/3000.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Senator Mo Brooks (R)<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>So, who was really involved in this mess? This entire debacle was organized and fueled by multiple sources including the President himself, Donald Trump. The Trumpster solicited his supporters
to come to Washington D.C., gather for a rally and to march down
Pennsylvania Avenue to The Capitol by saying, "You have to show strength". His #1 crony Rudy Giuliani fired up
the crowd by saying, "If we're wrong, we will be made fools of, but if we're right a lot of them will go to jail. Let's have a trial by combat". Alabama Senator Mo Brooks in his speech told the crowd, " Today is the day American patriots start taking down names and kicking ass". I have no idea why anyone would heed the words of a guy named Mo. All I can think of is Moe from the 3 Stooges. If these are not statements to incite an already violent crowd I am not sure what are.</p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SkE5YfuPDDg/YASMH_YM2PI/AAAAAAAAFLE/mXuHuSKL7ScYxqcEcCJ0ko-CPLnNPgqqACLcBGAsYHQ/s1140/01_josh%2Bhawley%2Bfist%2Bfrancis%2Bchung.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="642" data-original-width="1140" height="113" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SkE5YfuPDDg/YASMH_YM2PI/AAAAAAAAFLE/mXuHuSKL7ScYxqcEcCJ0ko-CPLnNPgqqACLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h113/01_josh%2Bhawley%2Bfist%2Bfrancis%2Bchung.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Senator Josh Hawley <br /></td></tr></tbody></table>It doesn't stop here though. The insurrection goes deeper; it was entrenched in Congress itself. Republican Senators Josh Hawley of Missouri and Ted Cruz of Texas joined the big lie that the election was stolen. Even after order was restored, Senators Tommy Tuberville (Ala.), Roger Marshall (Kan.), John Kennedy (Loui.) and Cindy Hyde-Smith (Miss.) all joined Hawley and Cruz to object to the Electoral College results even AFTER the siege. In fact, Josh Hawley was photographed giving the protestors a fist in the air as he walked to the Capitol. Let me tell you it doesn't stop here. In the House of Representatives 121 members, all Republicans supported an objection to the election results AFTER the insurrection. I would list them all but I won't for the sake of space. I recommend that you go to this story from NPR to see the list. </p><p><span style="color: red;"><a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/insurrection-at-the-capitol/2021/01/07/954380156/here-are-the-republicans-who-objected-to-the-electoral-college-count "><span style="color: red;">https://www.npr.org/sections/insurrection-at-the-capitol/2021/01/07/954380156/here-are-the-republicans-who-objected-to-the-electoral-college-count </span></a> </span></p><p><span style="color: red;"> <span style="color: black;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A1aG1u6UZbo/YASaN5pemOI/AAAAAAAAFLQ/j6q9Y-Zq7Fw9q6aw-arAaS1xrWvM8tOuACLcBGAsYHQ/s1266/police_officer_suspended_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="654" data-original-width="1266" height="103" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A1aG1u6UZbo/YASaN5pemOI/AAAAAAAAFLQ/j6q9Y-Zq7Fw9q6aw-arAaS1xrWvM8tOuACLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h103/police_officer_suspended_1.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Capitol Police Officer<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>There is more if you can believe it. As the investigation moves forward on the siege of The Capitol, it is being found that current and former members of law enforcement and fire and rescue companies from all over the country as well as a few members of the Capitol Police themselves were involved. Hell, a member of the Capitol Police force was filmed taking a selfie with one of the rioters. State government representatives including West Virginia Republican Derrick Evans who filmed himself inside The Capitol building were arrested for illegal entry. He has since resigned from his position on the House of Delegates in West Virginia. I have to add here that this idiot actually filmed himself and posted it on social media as did many of the other morons.<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s5ZvE-9fsqk/YASabyho7dI/AAAAAAAAFLU/h9ydEci5CiYa-UtpKCegBMwd4dHFrPMIACLcBGAsYHQ/s275/the%2Bbottom%2Bline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="133" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s5ZvE-9fsqk/YASabyho7dI/AAAAAAAAFLU/h9ydEci5CiYa-UtpKCegBMwd4dHFrPMIACLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h133/the%2Bbottom%2Bline.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>The Bottom Line here is this insurrection against the United States of America runs very deep. It runs through the veins of radicals who either support Donald Trump or are using him as a vehicle to spread their vileness. It is a cancer on our nation that must be cut out by the roots. This cannot be left alone. The people responsible including Trump and his minions must be held accountable for their actions. Swift and decisive justice must be dealt out for everyone to see or it is going to happen again and again. I fear for our country right now and you should as well because this could be the start of another civil war. Friend against friend, neighbor against neighbor and relative against relative. <p></p>THE RIGHT TO GRIPE - J. M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04193784424776041797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3489343629545026249.post-84028283509033934992021-01-02T16:48:00.000-05:002021-01-02T16:48:08.906-05:00The 2020 Presidential Election / It's Over! <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GMFE5wAI3aQ/X_Dgw_RXA1I/AAAAAAAAFKE/kowkbz0-dSkcx2uFy92KbbXMpwQI1m3TwCLcBGAsYHQ/s300/fraud.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="135" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GMFE5wAI3aQ/X_Dgw_RXA1I/AAAAAAAAFKE/kowkbz0-dSkcx2uFy92KbbXMpwQI1m3TwCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h135/fraud.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Over the past several weeks, Donald Trump and his legal minions have filed case after case after case stating that the 2020 Presidential Election was rigged. They have filed dozens of lawsuits with courts at multiple levels including the Supreme Court with all of them being denied, dismissed, withdrawn or settled due to no facts being presented to back up their claims. Not one court has found a single strand of evidence backing this idiotic claim. Nor have any states found voter fraud to an extent that it would change the results of the election. Of course in every election there are individual cases of fraud, but none to the scale that Trump and his minions say happened. This is a fact and it cannot be changed! Here is a link to NBC News that details these lawsuits and what the results were.<p></p><p><span style="color: #e00909;"><a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/trump-s-election-fight-includes-over-30-lawsuits-it-s-n1248289" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/trump-s-election-fight-includes-over-30-lawsuits-it-s-n1248289</span> </a> </span></p><p>What bothers me the most is the notion that our elections are under attack from within our own government. Some of our Congressional people and the President himself are trying to attack the will of the people and Democracy itself. Our country was founded on holding fair elections where the citizens vote to elect government officials and not anyone else. The Founding Fathers put this in place so we would not have a king or a dictator leading the nation. They put it in place to stop unscrupulous people like Donald Trump! This is now under attack and it must be stopped.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LfJvb4MrS-M/X_Dg8e_cDZI/AAAAAAAAFKI/K6veQBS5xmY8ywc5lr_0Xzgvr1D6GgewACLcBGAsYHQ/s395/trump.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="128" data-original-width="395" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LfJvb4MrS-M/X_Dg8e_cDZI/AAAAAAAAFKI/K6veQBS5xmY8ywc5lr_0Xzgvr1D6GgewACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/trump.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />The latest ploy by Trump and his Republican cohorts is to reject the certified results of the Electoral College when it comes up to a vote in a joint session on January 6th. A group of Senators led by Ted Cruz (go figure) plan on voting to reject the results in certain states such as Georgia and Pennsylvania. "We intend to vote on January 6 to reject the electors from disputed
states as not 'regularly given' and 'lawfully certified' (the statutory
requisite), unless and until that emergency 10-day audit is completed,"
the group said in a statement on Saturday. Cruz is working with Senators Ron Johnson, James Lankford, Steve Daines,
John Kennedy, Marsha Blackburn, and Mike Braun, and Senators-elect
Cynthia Lummis, Roger Marshall, Bill Hagerty, and Tommy Tuberville. Only
one of these senators, Johnson of Wisconsin, represents a state won by
Mr. Biden. If one of these nitwits are in your home state, remember their names when you go out to vote next election. These people want to take your vote and throw it right in the garbage. <br /><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P1z-3UduK9E/X_DhTl6TWxI/AAAAAAAAFKU/bDeb2bM_t6QARbVqcklgEb1UXIJK6xBRwCLcBGAsYHQ/s600/5fecee629ff41f001883f776.webp" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="419" data-original-width="600" height="139" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P1z-3UduK9E/X_DhTl6TWxI/AAAAAAAAFKU/bDeb2bM_t6QARbVqcklgEb1UXIJK6xBRwCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h139/5fecee629ff41f001883f776.webp" width="200" /></a></div>Also, Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri will also object to the certified Electoral College results. "I cannot vote to certify the electoral college results on January 6
without raising the fact that some states, particularly Pennsylvania,
failed to follow their own state election
laws. And I cannot vote to certify without pointing out the
unprecedented effort of mega corporations, including Facebook and
Twitter, to interfere in this election, in support of Joe Biden," the
Missouri Republican said in a statement. "At the very least, Congress
should investigate allegations of voter fraud and adopt measures to
secure the integrity of our elections. But Congress has so far failed to
act."<p></p><p>So what is the Bottom Line here? It's the fact that Joe Biden won the election and Trump lost. The Republicans lost the White House and they are crying foul. Four years ago I heard from countless Trumpanzee's that I had sour grapes over Hillary Clinton losing the election. Now who has sour grapes? Yep, you Trump supporters do. Face the facts, Trump lost the election. Just sit back and think about this; Do you know how difficult it would be to actually rig a national election? It would be logistically impossible.<span style="background-color: white;"> Also, why on earth would Democrats rig the election but fail to make sure that the Senate and House become Democrat as well?</span> Can voters be swayed by misinformation being transmitted over social media. Sure it can. Trump and the Russians did it in 2016. This is another fact that cannot be dismissed. The Bottom Line here is Joe Biden won the election and there is nothing anyone, including member of Congress, can do about it. Instead of wasting everyone's time in Congress with this benign objection, how about they all get together to g<span style="background-color: #fcff01;"><span></span></span>et the suffering Americans some stimulus relief. </p><p></p><p> <br /></p><p><br /></p>THE RIGHT TO GRIPE - J. M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04193784424776041797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3489343629545026249.post-5615503613157302912020-12-26T15:59:00.002-05:002020-12-28T17:15:18.300-05:00Consolidation Appropriations Act of 2021 and the Covid Relief Bill<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9--ABKZyFmo/X-eT9dS0anI/AAAAAAAAFI4/JNLlxMkWxQ0wP8fefIoh8tk2RLwxpDl1gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/COVID-19%2BRelief%2BPackage.webp" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="628" data-original-width="1200" height="104" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9--ABKZyFmo/X-eT9dS0anI/AAAAAAAAFI4/JNLlxMkWxQ0wP8fefIoh8tk2RLwxpDl1gCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h104/COVID-19%2BRelief%2BPackage.webp" width="200" /></a></div>To my dismay, I have seen a bunch of posts on Social Media from people who simply post crazy shit without knowing the facts and it drives me crazy! This is no different when it comes to the Consolidation Appropriations Act of 2021. Some posts I read blame the Democrats while others believe that all of the money in this bill was for COVID relief and was hijacked by Congress. First of all, if you think it is just the Democrats responsible for this bill you are an idiot. Yes, I said it, you are an idiot! Both Democrats and Republicans in Congress agreed to the terms and passed the bill. Now it sits in the hands of President Trump who has found it in his wisdom to play a few rounds of golf in Florida while Americans suffer. Of course I could ramble on and on about Trump but that is for another time. <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AulvZS2hmB4/X-eUYDO0ceI/AAAAAAAAFJA/_5vbqXVEUKMS4K3UaHbl17VOj_NT9vvggCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/Ep2s__gU8AAVubh.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="553" data-original-width="1200" height="92" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AulvZS2hmB4/X-eUYDO0ceI/AAAAAAAAFJA/_5vbqXVEUKMS4K3UaHbl17VOj_NT9vvggCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h92/Ep2s__gU8AAVubh.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Before we move on, lets set the record straight. This was NOT just a COVID Relief Bill, but a comprehensive spending bill which will keep our government up and running. Nine Hundred Billion dollars was included for COVID Relief while $1.4 trillion was put in for what is called an Omnibus Spending Bill. So what is an Omnibus Spending Bill? Wikipedia writes : "An omnibus spending bill is a type of<span style="color: #fcff01;"> <span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;">bill</span></span> </span>in the United States<span style="color: #e00000;"></span> that packages many of the smaller ordinary appropriations bills
into one larger single bill that can be passed with only one vote in
each house. There are twelve different ordinary appropriations bills
that need to be passed each year (one for each appropriations
sub-committee) to fund the federal government and avoid a government shutdown. An omnibus spending bill combines two or more of those bills into a single bill.
Here is a story from the Washington Post which summarizes the Consolidation Appropriations Act of 2021 bill<span style="color: red;">.</span><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/context/read-the-summary-of-the-908-billion-economic-relief-proposal/25faf998-b77f-4cbc-8e19-20ffac8213ba/"><span style="color: red;">https://www.washingtonpost.com/context/read-the-summary-of-the-908-billion-economic-relief-proposal/25faf998-b77f-4cbc-</span>8e19-20ffac8213ba/</a> Sounds fairly normal doesn't it? Not on your life.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W4SmYDvU1k0/X-eWGYJVuzI/AAAAAAAAFJM/xiJwOj3f_QAaC4LO4mUT2gd4oT9KeoQwgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1280/WP-Template-1-2.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="113" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W4SmYDvU1k0/X-eWGYJVuzI/AAAAAAAAFJM/xiJwOj3f_QAaC4LO4mUT2gd4oT9KeoQwgCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h113/WP-Template-1-2.png" width="200" /></a></div>If you have the time and the intestinal fortitude to read all 5,593 pages you are a better person than I am or you just have a boat load of time on your hands. Media outlets such as CNN, NBC, The Washington Post amongst others have people to do this. What I did find out is that there are several insane items that got slipped into the bill by both parties. Here are just 5 of them;<p></p><p>1.<b> Tax Breaks: </b> There will be $110 billion dollars in tax breaks for liquor producers, the motorsports entertainment sector and the manufacturers of electric motorcycles.</p><p><span> </span><b>A. Liquor Breakdown:</b> “I wrote this law for one purpose: to help small brewers and wineries
and everybody in this space because the rules, the regulations, and the
taxes were practically from Prohibition,” Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said
in an interview. However, mega breweries such as Anheuser-Busch, the Distilled Spirits Council, Bacardi North America and the Brewers Association will also benefit.<i> (I'm good with breaks for small local breweries, however companies who produce swill like Anheuser-Busch should be excluded or even taxed more.)</i><br /></p><p><span> <b> </b></span><b>B. Motor Sports Entertainment Sector:</b> Another extension benefits the motorsports entertainment industry, such
as NASCAR, by allowing for the faster write-down of costs related to
their complexes. That provision, which has appeared in prior legislation going back to 2004, helps those companies lower their overall tax bills and has now been extended until 2025. Why the hell does NASCAR need a tax break? <i>(For many years they have been raking in millions of dollars hand over fist and now because one season was affected by COVID-19 they cry poverty and get federal help. I would rather watch table tennis or the International Trolley Car Competition.)</i><br /></p><p><span> </span>C. <b>Electric Motorcycles: </b> Another extender grants a tax credit to buyers of “two-wheeled plug-in
electric vehicles” or electric motorcycles. This credit is worth
10 % of the cost of the motorcycle, up to $2,500. Manufacturers
of the bikes, such as Energica and Zero, are already advertising the tax credit on their websites. <i> (Electric motorcycles? Do you know anyone who has one? Hell, that might make them quiet so we would not have to hear the ear drum bursting noise that they make.) </i></p><p>2. <b>Special Interest Groups: </b> Included were tax breaks for special interest groups who always lobby Washington hard to get what they want. “They are a gravy train for members and lobbyists, who repeat the same exercise every year or two,” Howard Gleckman, a tax policy expert at the Urban Institute, said in an email to The Washington Post. “The lobbyists get to keep billing hours, the members of Congress get campaign money
from the same people while many of these classic special interest tax
breaks do not benefit the overall economy in any way.” Both Democrats and Republicans were in favor of this. <i>(Of course they were, they can still make millions from special interest group kick-backs.)</i><br /></p><p>3. <b>Tax Deductions for “Three-Martini Lunches.”</b>
</p><p>Yes, you read this right. Until now, businesses have only been able to deduct 50% of
meal expenses on their federal tax returns. Under this change, for which
President Donald Trump advocated as a way to help businesses, business meals will be deductible from soup to nuts. The entire meal including cocktails hence the name "three-martini lunch".<i> (This really ticks me off. They shouldn't be able to write any of these so-called business lunches off, PERIOD.)</i></p><p><b>4. Prohibits “Doping” In Horseracing. </b>
</p><p>In a subsection of the Bill labeled the “Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act of
2020,” the Federal Government will create and fund a committee to regulate the use of
performance-enhancing drugs in horse racing. <i>(WHAT! WHAT! ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME! I think my head just exploded! I am all for protecting the horses, but this is INSANE!)</i></p><p><b>5. Warns China Against Interfering In The Naming Of The Next Dalai Lama: </b>Under this section of the bill, “interference by the Government of the People’s Republic
of China or any other government in the process of recognizing a
successor or reincarnation of the 14th Dalai Lama and any future Dalai
Lamas would represent a clear abuse of the right to religious freedom of
Tibetan Buddhists and the Tibetan people.” <i> (I can't believe that I actually wrote this on this blog! I think Congress has other important things to worry about.) </i></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QdG1CjKhOrQ/X-eXBaSxRlI/AAAAAAAAFJU/xwPevHIXREQ4SxJTZs0vtAaL2d0qUC2JACLcBGAsYHQ/s275/the%2Bbottom%2Bline.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="133" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QdG1CjKhOrQ/X-eXBaSxRlI/AAAAAAAAFJU/xwPevHIXREQ4SxJTZs0vtAaL2d0qUC2JACLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h133/the%2Bbottom%2Bline.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />There you have it, 5 mind blowing items that got slid into the Consolidation Appropriations Act of 2021. The Bottom Line here is these types of things are not unique to Washington and have been happening since the day's of our Founding Fathers. I'll slide your Bill into my Bill if you and your pal's vote yes. It happens all the time and I don't like it. Each Bill should stand on and be voted on it's own merit. Hell, some of these bills, like Consolidation Appropriations Act of 2021 are so huge no one in Congress even reads them before they vote. <p></p><p>I guess this could all be a moot point since Trump claimed via Twitter, that he would veto the bill unless the payout to American's went from $600.00 to $2,000.00. When he will veto the bill is yet to be determined. Trump and his family bolted out of D.C. to spend the Christmas holiday at Mar-A-Lago on the taxpayers backs. The same taxpayers who are out of work, having their homes foreclosed on, business being closed or bankrupt and are getting evicted because they can't pay their rent. It's time for Congress and this President to think of the people that they have lost touch with. Do what is right for your constituents and not what Mitch and Nancy tell you is good for "The Party". </p>THE RIGHT TO GRIPE - J. M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04193784424776041797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3489343629545026249.post-70349633366812780912020-12-20T14:46:00.005-05:002020-12-28T17:22:42.355-05:00Covid-19 - The Real Truth (Part 2 The Vaccine)<p></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-duc5_8WjSyU/X9-ks0XCelI/AAAAAAAAFIk/B20Fjhi8FtQugZvkiY8AyqqfzEGvTcewQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/vaccine_tracker.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="133" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-duc5_8WjSyU/X9-ks0XCelI/AAAAAAAAFIk/B20Fjhi8FtQugZvkiY8AyqqfzEGvTcewQCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h133/vaccine_tracker.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>It has been some time since I have written here on The Right To Gripe. There has been so much going on in my life with some health issues, my family, my work and of course Covid-19 or what I call the Big-19. A few days ago I decided to bring this Blog back and to dedicate some time to it every week. I also decided to revamp the look of the R2G and to cut back on a few side bar features. Don't worry, I did not cut Mr. Pissed Off or the Schmuck of the Week. There are plenty of idiots out there to make the weekly schmuck. So peaking of idiots, I will restart the new look The Right to Gripe by writing about Covid-19 and the vaccines that are available and may become available in the near future.<p></p><p>Over the past several weeks, I have read about and heard about people that do not and will not get the Covid-19 vaccine. I have also spoken to people that I know who refuse to get the vaccine based on reasons that baffle the hell out of me. Back in November, there was a Harris Poll regarding this matter which resulted in 40% of the people polled saying that they would not get the Covid-19 vaccine. This survey polled 1,954 adults which in my mind is really not a lot. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kY_w7OK8qx8/X9-g7yGfAZI/AAAAAAAAFII/sfPgtPlleAgVZ33JxBNSq-aOBUCdYoCawCLcBGAsYHQ/s365/natgeo.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="138" data-original-width="365" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kY_w7OK8qx8/X9-g7yGfAZI/AAAAAAAAFII/sfPgtPlleAgVZ33JxBNSq-aOBUCdYoCawCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/natgeo.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />In December, National Geographic along with Morning Consult polled 2,201 Americans and 37% claimed that they would not get vaccinated. An interesting note, 69% of the men who responded said they would get the vaccine while 49% of women stated they would not. I would have guessed this to be the other way around. <p></p><p>If you take the total population in the United States which is 331,912,730 and calculate the actual number of people who will not get the vaccine it comes out to 132,765,092 who will propagate the spread of Covid-19. Not getting the vaccine is something I cannot comprehend in my brain. As of 12/20/20, 17.7 million Americans have been infected with Covid-19 and 317,000 have died or 1.8%. We have a deadly virus which was released on the world via China, but people in America are either skeptical, afraid or just plain stupid.</p><p>When I hear the excuses from people as to why they will not get vaccinated I hear things like the following (which I will easily Debunk)</p><p><b>1</b>.<b> I don't know what's in it? </b> (Do you really know what is in the yearly flu vaccine that people get every year? No, you just get it! BTW, if you go to<span style="color: red;"><span> <a href="https://www.prevention.com"><span style="color: red;">https://www.prevention.com</span></a></span></span> you can find out what is in both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. Open your eyes and your mind.</p><p><b>2</b>. <b>It was made and produced too quickly. </b> (It took the U.S. only 6 months to develop, create and approve the Swine Flu vaccine per the website cell.com. so this logic is not valid)</p><p><b>3</b>.<b> I already had Covid-19. </b> (Statistics show that you CAN GET Covid-19 a second time. However, the University of Maryland Medical System wrote that there is no conclusive evidence that points to how long immunity lasts).</p><p><b>4. I don't know what the long term side effects might be.</b> ( This may be somewhat true, however the benefit of the vaccine for a single person or the total population outweighs the actual risk of getting Covid-19 and it's long term side effects).</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ht4WSpxVoX0/X9-hGnM-14I/AAAAAAAAFIM/33KqFAzokmkMGdCvac6TmyHby0x-apYHwCLcBGAsYHQ/s275/the%2Bbottom%2Bline.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="96" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ht4WSpxVoX0/X9-hGnM-14I/AAAAAAAAFIM/33KqFAzokmkMGdCvac6TmyHby0x-apYHwCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h96/the%2Bbottom%2Bline.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>The Bottom Line here is everyone should get vaccinated, PERIOD. I am going to get it as soon as I am deemed eligible. You should also wear a mask and social distance whenever you can. If you don't care about yourself, please care about your fellow human beings. This is no joke, it's real and it's serious. Thousands are dying every day in the United States so pony up and DO IT! <br /><p></p><p> <br /></p>THE RIGHT TO GRIPE - J. M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04193784424776041797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3489343629545026249.post-4300113233099922862020-05-10T13:18:00.004-04:002020-05-10T13:18:39.032-04:00Covid 19 - The Real Truth (Part 1)<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t71bc20lfjI/Xrg0uR7X7SI/AAAAAAAAFC0/tYolwIPAgwQ785bzDWyqa5GQ74_TbMtuACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/US_braces_for_tough_COVID_19_week__deaths_drop_in_parts_of_Europe_pic___4.6.20du___usa_4974031_1920___Pixabay.5e8b411805052.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="648" data-original-width="1152" height="112" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t71bc20lfjI/Xrg0uR7X7SI/AAAAAAAAFC0/tYolwIPAgwQ785bzDWyqa5GQ74_TbMtuACLcBGAsYHQ/s200/US_braces_for_tough_COVID_19_week__deaths_drop_in_parts_of_Europe_pic___4.6.20du___usa_4974031_1920___Pixabay.5e8b411805052.png" width="200" /></a>I have not posted on the Right To Gripe in quite some time but feel the
need to bring it back with a weekly Gripe. My reason for bringing this
Blog back is my intolerance of some people and their inaccurate postings
on Facebook. I have to tell you that this is quickly becoming one of
my top 5 pet peeves. It won't replace the masses being idiots thouygh!
During the election which put Donald Trump in the White House and now
during the Covid 19 Pandemic people are posting inaccurate information
on the web more and more. For some reason, they feel the need to post
bogus stories from news and web sites with a zero reputation ranking.
They are posting nilly willy video's of people giving their opinions and
treating them like fact. Right now we see so called doctors and even
general practitioners posting contradicting stories and video's about
the Corona Viruses. These posts are contradicting to the viral and
pandemic experts from around the world who actually know what the are
doing.<br />
<br />
One of these topics that we see quite often is the Covid 19 Virus is no
different that other viruses that we get all the time. This statement
drives me CRAZY! Medical workers on the front lines in Covid 19 hot
spots will tell you different as well as the viral experts who deal with viruses everyday. NO, it is
much different and here are some facts that prove this.<br />
<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-2799154015511938957" itemprop="description articleBody">
<br />
<u><b>Virus</b></u> <u><b># of Cases In U.S.</b></u> <u><b> # of Deaths in U.S.</b></u> <u><b>% of Deaths </b></u> <br />
Covid 19 1,350,000 79,773 5.9%<br />
H1N1 60,800,000 12,469 0.02%<br />
Swine Flu 1,400,000,000 575,400 0.04%<br />
Avian Flu 0.00 0.00 0.00%<br />
<br />
<i><span style="color: #cc0000;">* H1N1, Swine and Avian flu numbers are based on a 1 year span of time versus a much shorter time for Covid 19. </span></i><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8fy_mgveysM/Xrg3UveJqwI/AAAAAAAAFDM/EpMJMHfd0PQ4YqbqmJ0ZzYzJ93KvBI8vQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/na0407-covid-19-testing-by-country.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="691" data-original-width="1000" height="137" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8fy_mgveysM/Xrg3UveJqwI/AAAAAAAAFDM/EpMJMHfd0PQ4YqbqmJ0ZzYzJ93KvBI8vQCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/na0407-covid-19-testing-by-country.png" width="200" /></a></div>
When you look at the numbers, H1N1 and Swine Flu infected a
significantly higher amount of the American population while the Avian
Flu never made the transition in the U.S. from birds to humans. The
Avian Flu was first detected in Mute Swans in Michigan on 08/14/06 and
then again in ducks in Pennsylvania and Maryland on 09/03/06. Covid 19
ranks 3rd out of the 4 examples of total people infected with modern day
flu cases, but ranks 2nd in the total number deaths. The significant
number to look at here is the percentage of deaths related to Covid 19
versus the rest of the pack. Covid 19 ranks #1 by far with 5.9% of
Americans passing away once infected. We do need to take into play the
short time that Covid 19 has been in the U.S. and our inability to test
people early in the Pandemic. Of course these numbers will change as
time goes on and more testing is completed. Our inability to test
people is another topic soon to be Griped about.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HDf6sker9O0/Xrg2C7FhTwI/AAAAAAAAFDA/wqu_kqCwXQEmpr0fI0P0406-IYaNUEzSACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/the%2Bbottom%2Bline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="133" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HDf6sker9O0/Xrg2C7FhTwI/AAAAAAAAFDA/wqu_kqCwXQEmpr0fI0P0406-IYaNUEzSACLcBGAsYHQ/s200/the%2Bbottom%2Bline.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
The bottom line here is the Covid 19 Virus so far has been deadlier in
terms of the percentage of people who die because of it. It is easy to
sit back and say, "I'm not going to pay attention to the virology
experts because I think this is no worse than a common flu". If you
actually believe this, then you are sadly mistaken. Please, please,
please, I implore you to do some valid research on reputable sites such
as the CDC, WHO and other good medical sources. Don't believe every
Tom, Dick and Harry who posts nonsensical garbage on the internet. And
for God's sake, don't believe everything you read on Facebook. Believe
it or not, I know at least one person who depends on Facebook for their
news. Finally, STOP POSTING false information on Facebook. As I just
mentioned, there are people who believe everything that they read on
FB. Do the research and then come up with your own conclusion based on
the facts at hand. Don't be an idiot! We still don't know everything
that there is to know about Covid 19 and it will take time to do so.<br />
<br />
Listen to the experts! Stay at home and wear a mask when you go out.
Is it hard to do these things? Not really. Let's make sure we can kick
the BIG 19 so we can get back to what will be a new normal.
</div>
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THE RIGHT TO GRIPE - J. M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04193784424776041797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3489343629545026249.post-50820492761535478062019-03-24T10:52:00.002-04:002019-03-24T10:52:39.163-04:00THE BIG GRIPE - NEPA ROADS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2V1_a5z1R84/XJeT8kTKh1I/AAAAAAAAE_E/A1eps3DueqU1kRDjUm__2oXgNTWOv-TnQCLcBGAs/s1600/1pothole.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="207" data-original-width="245" height="168" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2V1_a5z1R84/XJeT8kTKh1I/AAAAAAAAE_E/A1eps3DueqU1kRDjUm__2oXgNTWOv-TnQCLcBGAs/s200/1pothole.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
All winter, all I heard were people of NEPA griping about the roads. Well, that's really a lie, they griped about the cold, the snow, the wind and just about everything else you can think of. I was proud of the people of NEPA. The really know how to Gripe. The one thing that I heard the most was people complaining about the roads. In fact you hear about them and encounter these auto damaging demon holes all year around. It's really nothing new to NE Pennsylvania, we have been dodging potholes all of our lives. So to start out this Gripe, I'm going to let you know that I am bringing back the POTHOLE OF THE WEEK side bar feature. If you encounter a pothole of massive proportion or even one that you just hate with every fiber of your being, snap a quick pic of it and either post it to the R2G Facebook page or email it to me at our email address at the top of this Blog. Your pic could be The Pothole of the Week <br />
<br />
So why are the roads in NEPA so bad? The powers to be will tell you that it's the weather. Yea, right. The government said the UFO that crashed at Rozwell was a weather balloon. How about some swamp gas? I say bullshit to that excuse! I've been to plenty of places in upstate New York, Virginia, Maryland and West Virginia where the weather is the same as ours and their roads are nothing like ours. Their roads are smooth as a baby's behind. Our roads suck around here for a few reasons and let me tell you what I think.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MALSMLKXZDo/XJeZQxnXQ9I/AAAAAAAAE_Y/D3xQymIdOvAoMEA08A_hpZ_KzOkziAQRgCLcBGAs/s1600/1paving-003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="212" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MALSMLKXZDo/XJeZQxnXQ9I/AAAAAAAAE_Y/D3xQymIdOvAoMEA08A_hpZ_KzOkziAQRgCLcBGAs/s320/1paving-003.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
First off, the idiots around here either don't know how to pave a road or they are skimming money off the top and doing a half ass job on purpose. When you watch them grade down an old road surface to get it ready to be paved, it looks like they only take it down about 6 inches or so. That's no where near enough. I watched them work on Market Street in Kingston and N. Franklin Street in Wilkes-Barre and I don't think they even went down that far. This does not allow for a sub base to be put down which creates a frost barrier and reduces winter damage. This is the key to reducing the freezing and thawing that creates all of those little cracks that you see in the roads which eventually lead to the potholes. All they do is grate down some of the old road and then slap on some new pavement. In a short period of 5 years or so, we will be dodging new potholes again.<br />
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Another thing I don't understand is when they pave roads around here, why don't they set the manhole covers flush with the road surface? Instead they indent them down a few inches so when your driving it's like your hitting a pothole. People in the Valley have to swerve all over the roads to avoid these things, sometimes swerving into oncoming traffic. Do the powers to be want us to hit potholes? Do they own car repair shops in the area? I just don't understand why they do this? The only thing that I could think of is they want the rain water to run into the manhole covers but isn't that why the roads are pitched toward the curbs and toward the storm drains? Take a drive down Church St in Kingston past the baseball and football complex there. It's brutal! And don't get me going on Welles St. in Forty Fort. The manhole cover right down from the White House Diner is sinking into an abyss. Wait until those dump trucks from the Swoyersville culm bank removal project start whacking the crap out of it. <i><b> (Note: I just went by to snap a pic and this manhole cover has been fixed. Cudo's to Forty Forty) </b></i><br />
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Finally, why, please tell me why is it when a road is newly paved and we all feel good about it, either the gas or water company comes along a few weeks later and tears it up? WHAT? WHAT? ARE YOU FREAKIN KIDDING ME! Why don't they fix what they need to when the road is torn up? This happens all of the time. In fact 4 weeks after North Franklin Street in Wilkes-Barre was newly paved, someone came in and tore up a portion of it and then did a lousy job patching it back up. Now, I know for a fact, that these entities such as the water and gas companies are required to return a street to a pristine drive able condition when they are done. As we all know, they DO NOT! So why are they not held accountable? Instead they throw a half-ass patch on the hole they dug and off they go. Within a week or two, the patch is torn up and we have a pothole. Then whatever city or town it is in is responsible to take care of it. The town then comes out and puts another half ass patch on it and the cycle of half-ass-ism begins. Our hard earned tax dollars being thrown into the pothole of no return. It's really a sick joke.<br />
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The bottom line here is, all of this pothole stuff can be alleviated if the roads were paved and maintained correctly right from the start. Instead, our tax dollars are being thrown away by the politicians who give out contracts to friends and family members to pave roads in a half assed manner because they know in a short time they will be back to pave it again. It's a vicious cycle of theft by pavement and pothole. In the meantime, the people of NEPA are trying to dodge these massive craters and when they miss are damaging their vehicles. Tire stores and car repair shops are raking in the dough while the politicians get away with not being held accountable. This has to end. It's time for NEPA to rise out of the potholes and to take control of our roads. We should be as mad as hell and we should not take it anymore. I'm sick and tired of the roads around here. <br />
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Send me your pothole pictures and don't forget to include the location. I will also pass them on to the town that they are located in and post them here on the R2G and on Facebook. Maybe a little embarrassment will get them moving. THE RIGHT TO GRIPE - J. M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04193784424776041797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3489343629545026249.post-79620536591321351782019-03-16T10:47:00.001-04:002019-03-16T10:47:07.348-04:00Life's Little Bites In The Ass<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Sometimes in life we make some decisions that we regret. One that I made was to stop blogging here on The Right To Gripe and to create and spend all my time on a Beer Blog called The Beer Meister. It wasn't so much that I made an error in starting the other Blog, but the mistake was not continuing the R2G. Believe me when I tell you there was nothing wrong with traveling around, drinking different types of beer and then writing about them. HELL, IT WAS GREAT! What I regret was not keeping up with Griping right here along with all of you fellow Gripers. I know, I let you down and for this I am truly sorry. It was a bite in the ass.<br />
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Speaking of a bite in the ass (left cheek), just as I got my Beer Meister Blog up and running, I had 2 seizure like episodes where I found myself passed out on the floor. I know, you are saying that I drank too much beer and simply passed out. Well, yes I was drinking beer for both episodes and yes I drank way too much. Common sense would say that I drank to much and that I may have even been dehydrated as well which caused me to pass out. But NOOOO, the doctors here in the great Wyoming Valley determined that I had Epilepsy and the seizure trigger was alcohol. WHAT! WHAT! ARE YOU FREAKIN KIDDING ME! Epilepsy and the trigger is booze! It can't be! To make a long story short, after a few tests and their diagnosis, I was placed on an anti seizure medication and can no long drink alcohol. Well, maybe only one or two drinks now and then. To top it off, the medication that I am taking kills the taste of all carbonated drinks which in essence murdered The Beer Meister. Yep, the doctors murdered The Beer Meister. They executed him by pharmaceutical. <br />
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Me not being satisfied with the jug head doctors in the Wyoming Valley Area, I decided to go to an epilepsy expert in Lehigh Valley for a 2nd opinion on all of this crap. After a 1.5 hour initial visit, yes you read that right, an hour and a half visit, she is not convinced that I have Epilepsy. The only hour and a half you spend with a doctor around here is in the waiting room with 28 senior citizens that smell like either rose water and bad body odor who are hacking and coughing up mucus and farting. So I would say that I would like your thoughts and prayers, but really I just want you to buy me a few beers.<br />
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To make things worse and to bite the right cheek on my ass, while I'm going through this Epilepsy debacle, I was diagnosed with skin cancer. I'm not kidding you. I had basal cell cancer on my forehead and melanoma on my back. Both of these required minor surgeries that totaled 15 stitches on my skull and 20 on my back. I also had 2 lymph nodes removed from under my left arm which were sent out to be biopsied. All of this happened within about a months time. It happened so darn fast. That just reminded me of a Drivers Ed. film that we had to watch in high school. The other car came out of nowhere and it happened so fast. Remember that line from the film? Anyway, the result of all of this slicing and dicing was that I am now cancer free! Again, I would have asked for thoughts and prayers, but I just want you to buy me a beer.<br />
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Yep, life can really bite you in the ASS and I now have teeth marks on both my cheeks. For now, The Beer Meister is dead and the Right To Gripe is back. I have been thinking about the R2G for some time now and boy do I have some good idea's on how to Gripe. Stay tuned right here, get involved and always remember, you have The Right To Gripe! <br />
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THE RIGHT TO GRIPE - J. M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04193784424776041797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3489343629545026249.post-11462161762048614162017-06-04T18:06:00.002-04:002017-06-04T18:06:50.481-04:00Is President Trump A Russian Double?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Ever since taking the White House, God help us all, Donald Trump has made decisions and said things that make me wonder if he is actually a Russian double. Every week I watch the show The Americans which portrays a Russian couple who were specifically trained to be planted into the American mainstream so they can spy on the U.S.. While watching this show I thought to myself, damn, The Trumpster is a Russian plant, a body double. No one person could make so many careless decisions, say so many insane things and post ridicules Tweets which are contrary to the best interest of our great nation. It seems like everything he does is manipulated by the Russians.<br />
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If you think that I am crazy to propose this, check out what happened during the campaign and what is happening in a little over 100 days of the Trump administration.<br />
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1. During the campaign, The Trumpster touted Vladimir Putin as a great leader and that someday maybe the U.S. and Russia could be more friendly. He said this time and time again. In fact he said that he would, "Get along very well" with the Russian President. Why would he even fixate on this? Every U.S. President has these hopes, but they don't bring it up multiple times on the campaign trail. Maybe The Trumpster already gets along with Vlad.<br />
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2. Let's talk about Trumps Cabinet. He hires Retired Lt. General Michael Flynn to be his National Security Advisor after spending time as a Trump advisor while the orange devil was campaigning. Since he retired in 2014, Flynn has built ties to Russia and even appeared on the Kremlin's RT Television Network and at a gala where he sat at the same table as Putin himself. Also, on December 29th, 2016 right after then president Obama laid down the smack sanctions on Russia, Flynn was is contact with Russian Ambassador to the U.S., Sergey Kislyak to set up a phone conversation for The Trumpster and Putin. Remember, Trump was not sworn is as President yet. Why would he set up this call and who asked him to do it? As we all know, Flynn resigned from his White House post after lying to V.P. Pence and getting caught.<br />
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3. With allegations flying all over the news and in the halls of Washington revolving around The Trumpster and his evil minions ties to Russia, the lain brained idiot invites Sergey Kislyak and Sergey Lavrov along with a Russian photographer right into the Oval Office for some talks and a photo op. WHAT? WHAT? ARE YOU FREAKIN" KIDDING ME? You are under investigation for illegal ties to the Russians and you invite them right into the Oval Office. What is wrong with this man? Is he that dumb or is he a Russian body double?<br />
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4. Let's talk about the Trumps family ties to Mother Russia. The Trumpsters son Eric had an interview with Golf Writer James Dodson and the topic of funding for the Trump golf courses came up. Here is a part of that interview,<br />
<b>Dodson</b>: “So when I got in the cart with Eric,” Dodson says, “as we were setting
off, I said, ‘Eric, who’s funding? I know no banks—because of the
recession, the Great Recession—have touched a golf course. You know, no
one’s funding any kind of golf construction. It’s dead in the water the
last four or five years.’ And this is what he said. He said,<br />
<b>Eric Trump:</b> ‘Well, we
don’t rely on American banks. We have all the funding we need out of
Russia.’ I said, ‘Really?’ And he said, ‘Oh, yeah. We’ve got some guys
that really, really love golf, and they’re really invested in our
programs. We just go there all the time.’ Now that was three years ago,
so it was pretty interesting.”<br />
Now, let's not forget about The Trumpsters Son-In-Law Jered Kushner. He is now under the FBI's scrutiny for his December 2016 meetings with the Russian Ambassador and a banker from Moscow. Doesn't it seem like the Trumpsters evil minions met an awful lot just before he took office in January? I do feel the need to make it clear that Kushner is only a "person of interest".<br />
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5. Finally, what is going on with The Trumpster and his wife Melania? It seems that all might not be good in The Towers. Melania and their son Baron are still in New York with no move to the White House in the works yet. And how about the media catching her slapping his hand away not once, but twice on their recent visit to the Middle East. Does she know something we don't? Does she know deep down that this is not the man she married? Does she think something unusual is going on with him? Maybe he is not the man you married but a Russian double. By the way, why does Melania always look so freakin miserable? She never smiles. Well, maybe when The Trumpster grabs her by the p*$$#.<br />
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The Bottom Line here is that something smells like borscht here. It seems like everything Tump and his evil minions do is in favor of making America weaker in the eyes of the rest of the world. His decision to bail out on the Paris Climate Accord has weakened us even more in the eyes of the European nations and the rest of the globe. The Trumpster claims that he will propose a new climate deal which leaders have already thumbed their noses at. It's time Congress, the FBI and the CIA step up this investigation so we can get rid of this jack weed and his cronies once and for all. The American President was always referred to as the leader of the free world. Not any more. THE RIGHT TO GRIPE - J. M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04193784424776041797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3489343629545026249.post-51626084280783671132017-05-29T12:39:00.000-04:002017-05-29T12:39:14.140-04:00My March For Science<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Back on Friday, 4/22/17 I jumped in the Gripe Mobile and headed south in I-81 towards our nations capitol, Washington, D.C. Of course the drive down boarded on a vehicular Bataan Death March with multiple construction zones and dozens of road mules (tractor trailers) impeding a smooth flow of traffic. By the way, I hate tractor trailers on the highway. Don't get me wrong, I know they are a necessity when it comes to interstate commerce. How else would we get 20,000 pounds of banana's to Price Chopper. What I don't like about them is when the drivers place two trucks along side each other and they both go the same speed. I call it the old side by side. This drives me insane! These mule drivers will clog up 2 lanes while they go the same speed for miles. It's like a game to see how pissed off they can make all of the drivers stuck behind them. After a 4.5 hour drive that I normally make in 3 hours and 58 minutes, we arrived at the home of my Washington operative in Virginia. After a nice dinner and a few beer's, it was time to hit the sack to get a well deserved rest. We had a long day ahead of us Marching for Science.<br />
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Saturday came quickly and it was time to hit the streets of D.C. to protest The Trumpster and his administrations views on science. I was really looking forward to this March since I had never been involved with a protest of this magnitude. Hell, we have protests in Wilkes-Barre, but usually 12 people show up. I don't think the people of the Valley really give a rats ass about anything but themselves. They know how to bitch and butt their noses in where they don't belong, but God forbid if they actually took a stand on something. Anyway, the 5 of us who were marching jumper in a car and headed down to a free parking spot by the Pentagon. Not many people know about this spot so I will not tell you exactly where it is. It's Top Secret information that Trump most likely gave up to Chancellor Merkel at the G7 Summit. Once we got to our lot, we summoned an Uber and headed down to the lawn by the Washington Monument.<br />
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After a few speeches, chants and roars from the crowd I heard the words, "It's time to March"! A huge cheer went up and the several thousands descended onto Pennsylvania Avenue to parade down several blocks and to the Capitol Building. It was thrilling to walk with people of science. They were very prepared for the occasion with signs and chants. Most of the signs protested The Trumpster in one way or another and his personal views on global warming and climate change. In case you don't know, this buffoon does not believe if global warning and climate change even though scientific facts have been reported to support it. He is blind to anything that may result in him and his evil minions losing a few bucks.<br />
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After about an hour or so of marching, we finally made it to the Capitol Building, the home of the U.S. House and Senate. Of course they were not in session. They were on one of their many breaks that they get throughout the year. Did you know that the member of the House and Senate only work about 133 days out of a year. Most Americans log about 240 days a year at work. For working almost half less time than most Americans, our illustrious law makes make $174,000.00 per year in salary. Doesn't this make you want to charge the Capital Building. In fact, I wanted to but the members of my group held me back. They said that they would not forgo a nice dinner to bail mew out of jail. I was surprised that no one charged the building or caused a small riot. I guess people of intelligence know better.<br />
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The Bottom line here is that this march made a statement. It showed our current buffoon riddled government that the people have a voice and it's going to be heard. Did the thousands there make a difference? I really don't know. Did they take a stand on what they believe in? You bet they did. This was just one of many demonstrations that have and will be held across these great 50 states. The organizers of this March did a great job overall. The only thing I was disappointed in was the end of the March. We got to the Capitol and that was it. No rally. No war cries for science. No speeches and certainly no riots. It was anti-climactic to say the least. I guess there were no paid protesters involved with this March as The Trumpster would claim. A final by the way, Trump was not there to see it. Guess where he was? YEP, MAR-A-LAGO. <br />
THE RIGHT TO GRIPE - J. M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04193784424776041797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3489343629545026249.post-63208509707990101912017-05-22T14:31:00.002-04:002017-05-22T14:32:04.363-04:00Proposterous PennDot<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have spent a boat load of time bashing our President for the things he has done so far in office and rightly so. However, I have a Gripe about something that hits home right here in the Kingston and Forty Fort area of the Wyoming Valley. This Gripe has to do with our wonderful state department called PennDot. Believe you me, it is easy to have an issue with what PennDot does, especially when it comes to the roads in the Keystone state. In most cases, it seems that the PennDot road crews are constantly working on the same stretches of roads like Interstate 81 between Dupont and Dunmore without finalization of their project. <br />
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A few weeks ago, PennDot started to work on the bridge portion of Rutter Ave. or what I call the hump of the Cross Valley. This is a very high traffic area that links Kingston to Forty Fort and both communities to the Cross Valley Expressway. It's a vital link between the West Side communities and the shopping areas up and around the Wyoming Valley Mall as well as Interstate 81. Speaking of the Mall, does anyone actually shop there anymore? Anyway, PennDot started work on the lane coming from Kingston to Forty Fort and blocked off the entire road starting just after the CV entrance. Believe me, I am thrilled to death that they are repairing the bridge and the road to make it safer for drivers. However, it seems to me that not a lot of thought was put into this plan other than to tear the place up and fix what may be broken.<br />
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What the brain surgeons at Penn Dot did was to prohibit traffic from moving in the North bound lanes totally while maintaining the two lanes moving South. They did not split the South bound lanes into two lanes moving North and South. Wouldn't that have made sense? Instead the traffic can only move in one direction which causes drivers to go up E. Bennett St. to access Wyoming Ave to travel North. This detour has now caused traffic jams at the light on the corner of E. Bennett and Wyoming Ave. The jams have occurred because no one at PennDot thought far enough ahead to change the traffic signals to accommodate additional traffic. Also, you have another light about 30 yards down the Ave., for the turn onto Church St.. When this light turns red, the traffic backs up past Bennett St. and stops people turning right with the green light to sit and wait. Of course, when the light at Church turns green, the light at Bennett turns red. A proverbial log jam of stupidity.<br />
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Speaking of stupidity and lights, lets talk about the light at the end of the CV exit ramp into Forty Fort. Yes, its still functional even though absolutely NO traffic can come from the Kingston side. WHAT? WHAT? ARE YOU FREAKIN' KIDDING ME? Drivers have to actually stop at a red light even though there is a (0) zero chance of traffic coming from the other direction. It may be one of the dumbest things I have ever seen. Has anyone at PennDot actually thought about this? I'm sure the answer is NO! I just don't get it. Maybe, they don't know how to change the signal pattern. Maybe they forgot about it or maybe they just don't give a rats ass about it.<br />
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The Bottom Line here is since this functional light is so stupid, I regularly slow down and simply blow through it. I drives me crazy when something doesn't make sense and I have to abide by it. To all of you motorists who exit on this ramp, I say blow through this light whenever you can. There is no way in hell that you can get hit by oncoming traffic while the lug nuts of PennDot are working on the bridge. If someone in front of you is dumb enough to actually stop and wait for the light to turn green, lay on your horn until the nitwit in front of you goes deaf or runs the red light. Wake up PennDot and think through these projects. Think about not only the traffic problems that are caused by the direct work, but also the jam ups that may occur from the detours. THE RIGHT TO GRIPE - J. M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04193784424776041797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3489343629545026249.post-36396667000111865862017-05-07T11:49:00.002-04:002017-05-07T11:49:28.603-04:00The U.S. House - Unfathomable Pinheadery<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I know I was supposed to write about my weekend in Washington, DC and my participation in the Science March. However, this past week, the U.S. House of Representatives jammed through a Republican created Healthcare Bill that is being referred to as the AHCA or Trump Care. I felt that this would take preference over my march since this bill and the way it was handled really made me sick to my stomach. The passage in the House of the AHCA was hailed as a major victory for the Republican members as well as President Trump who promised his supporters that one of the first things he would do once in office would be to "repeal and replace the disaster that we know as Obama care". The Trumpster got his wish on May 4th when the Republican majority House led by Speaker of the House Paul "The Pinhead" Ryan virtually rammed this down America's throat. This victory was so big for the Trumpster and his evil minions that he had all of the Republican "Yea" voters bused over to the White House for a big press conference in the Rose Garden. Of course, he took credit for something he had very little to nothing to do with as usual.<br />
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For the record, I liked some of the parts of Obama care but did not care for others. I guess most people could say this because certain areas of the plan helped or hurt Americans in different ways. For example, I liked the part that allows your child to be on your health care plan until they are 26. I liked it because my youngest son is 21 years old and could not currently afford to pay for health care. One of the parts I didn't like was the mandatory health care for everyone or you get fined part. I always have a problem when the federal, state or local governments tell me that I "have" to do something or else. It's kind of like making the wearing of seat belts mandatory. By not wearing a seat belt, I am not harming anyone but myself so why do I have to wear one? By the way, I wear my seat belt every time I get in the car.<br />
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As for Trump Care, I have a few problems with it.<br />
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1. First off, this plan was put together and passed by the House in less than 2 months. It makes me wonder if any legitimate thought about the American people was put into it. Compared to the several months of preparation for Obama care, this was lightening fast.<br />
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2. Did you know that the Trump Care bill was actually submitted to the House as a budget reconciliation bill as part of the 2017 Federal Budget process? It was presented this way because rules will not allow for any filibusters and that it can be passed through the Senate with a simple majority vote. It would repeal the parts of the Affordable Care Act within the scope of
the federal budget, including provisions contained within the Internal
Revenue Code such as the individual and employer mandates and various
taxes, and also allow modifications to the federal Medicaid program. This seems somewhat underhanded, however it is within the rules.<br />
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3. The MacArthur amendment which was added to the plan to lure and reel in doubting Republicans allows insurers to charge enrollees in their 50s and early 60s more
than younger enrollees. I am 58 years old and have two words for this. FUCK YOU! It also allows states to waive essential health
benefits and certain sections of the community rating program. The
revised version of Trump Care weakens protections for
insurance consumers with preexisting conditions while allowing insurers to charge people significantly more if
they had a pre-existing condition. This is a kick in the ass to many of our Senior citizens who struggle with major infliction's.<br />
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4. I have a real problem with a health care bill that effects the American people being created and passed by a bunch of rich men and women in Washington who have the best health care that the tax payers money can buy. These ass clowns health care will not be effected in any way by this bill. Maybe if it was, they would take their time to come up with a better bill or maybe entertain the thought of our federal government getting out of the health care business all together. <br />
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5. Finally, I really have a problem with a bill like this being passed without first being reviewed and approved by The Office of Management & Budget. The OMB dissects and analyzes all budget type bills to access their financial stability. In other words, they make sure that a bill makes sense financially. Our members of the House rammed this bill through without getting a true view of how it will effect the federal budget as well as the pocketbooks of the American public.<br />
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The Bottom Line here is the Republican majority House rammed a new health care bill down America's throat without regard for "We the People". They were more interested in pounding their proverbial chests to say that they got rid of Obama care. This actually makes me sick! I threw up 4 times when I heard this passed. Instead of taking their time to create a plan that benefits most to all Americans, they jammed through a bill so they could finally get a victory. It's wrong and it's time to get these unfathomable pinheads out of Washington. <br />
THE RIGHT TO GRIPE - J. M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04193784424776041797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3489343629545026249.post-90259987594391103892017-04-16T10:48:00.001-04:002017-04-16T11:22:18.447-04:00Mar-a-Lago, A Taxpayers Nightmare<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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During this past election, the Trumpster said, "If you're in the White House, who wants to take a vacation". This sentence was uttered to a crowd of supporters in Spencer, Iowa as a criticism of then President Obama taking a vacation. Well, here we are 87 days into the Trump presidency and the Trumpster has spent 7 of his 13 weekends at his Palm Beach estate Mar-a-Lago. NBC news estimates that he would spend at least 28% of his 4 year term at his plush, for profit estate and club. In fact, since the Trumpster has become President, the membership costs have doubled. By the way, just in case you were thinking about joining, it would cost you a cool $200,000.00. People like you and I can only dream of belonging. Well, not me. This would be more like a nightmare for me.<br />
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Over his first 3 months as our President, the Trumpster has hosted 2 foreign leaders at Mar-a-Lago, Chinese Prfesident Xi Jinping and Japan's Shinzo Abe. In both instances, they talked policy in the public dinning room of the posh resort and while eating dinner there with Jinping we launched 59 tomahawk missiles into a Syrian air base. For some reason I think that talking international diplomacy at this level should be done in the White House or not within earshot of the public. Of course, after the Chinese President left, our boy the Trumpster stayed and shot a few rounds of golf all on the taxpayers dollar.<br />
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Ah, golf. That brings up another sore subject for me. No, it's not my poor shooting of that little white devil ball, it's the fact that he blasted President Obama for playing golf and has in fact played more rounds of golf in his first 87 days than Obama did in his first 100 days. Here are the facts, Barack Obama actually played 333 rounds of golf in the 8 years he was President or 3% of the time he was in office. So far in 3 months, the Trumpster has played 16 rounds of golf or 18% of his time in office and has racked up cart fee's of over $35,000. This equates to a cart costing $2,187.50 per round. WHAT! WHAT! ARE YOU FREAKIN' KIDDING ME? Do I smell a rat here? Are his Mar-a-Lago cronies price gouging the taxpayers for this guy to rent a cart? It certainly seems that way.<br />
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Now, this leads me to my final Gripe about this whole Mar-a-Lago thing. In case you have had your head in the sand or have been fixated by April the Giraffe giving birth, the Mar-a-Lago property is owned by the man himself, Donald Trump. This made me wonder who exactly is profiting from the Trumpster's visits? After some careful research, I decided that who actually pays for his trips is more important. Besides Trump, 2 dozen A-Lister's from his administration have visited the property over the past 3 months, along with some high level job applicants and even New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft. All on the Taxpayers buck. In fact, Judicial Watch estimates the cost of just the trip from Washington to Mar-a-Lago and back is $1,000,000.00 or $142,380 per hour. So far, the estimated costs of the Trumpsters 7 trips to Mar-a-Lago is somewhere around $10,000,000 or $625,000.00 per trip. Of course all of this is paid for by the taxes of "We The People". <br />
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So, what is the Bottom Line here? The BL is that the taxpayers of this country are paying for the Trumpster to take trips to his Florida property which is putting profits into the Trump family coffers. This wreaks of impropriety. What also stinks is that the Trumpster ripped President Obama during the election for spending too much time away from the White House and for playing golf. On his present pace, Trump will easily eclipse Obama's trips and expense. The Trumpster is either a hypocrite or a liar. I say both. He bull shitted his way to the White House and his supporters fell for it hook, line and sinker. In fact many of them that I know, still believe in this parasite. I can only hope that America opens it's eyes and wakes the hell up to Trumps fleecing of our great country.<br />
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Next weekend, I will be heading down to Washington, DC to march in the March for Science. According to the march organizers, this gathering is being held to protest the Trumpster's hostile views toward science. I will fill you all in on my next Gripe. THE RIGHT TO GRIPE - J. M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04193784424776041797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3489343629545026249.post-3154530079094228002017-03-26T15:42:00.000-04:002017-03-26T15:42:02.612-04:00Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The latest edition of Time Magazine released this past week shows a black cover with 3 words, "Is Truth Dead". When it comes to the state of affairs in Washington D.C. and especially at the White House these 3 simple words ring a loud warning bell. It seems that our leaders in the nations capitol have thrown common sense and truth to the wind for partisan volleys of lies and untruths. They have blatantly disregarded the intelligence of the American public for their self interests and self esteem by spewing untold lies during interviews or on their Twitter accounts. Lying seems to be common place anymore. It is actually sickening.<br />
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When I was a kid, my parents taught me not to lie. It was a fundamental belief that most of us grew up with. Today, this belief has been thrown to the waste side by the men and women who are deciding the fate of our country every day. This new trend of untruths is being led by none other than the President himself, Donald Trump, or as I call him The Trumpster. It seems that every time he opens his filthy pie hole nothing but garbage flows out. During his campaign, the Huffington Post wrote,<i><b> <a class="bn-clickable" data-beacon-parsed="true" data-beacon="{"p":{"lnid":"Donald Trump","mpid":1,"plid":"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/donald-trump/"}}" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/donald-trump/">"Donald Trump</a> has lied so many times this presidential election campaign that the very value of truth in politics seems meaningless". </b></i>He lied to the faces of the American public time and time again during his campaign, but somehow still got elected. Does this mean that the people just don't give a rats rear end anymore? It certainly seems that way.<i><b> </b></i>I guess the public was so fed up with politics as usual they decided that a liar was better as President than a full time, qualified politician.<br />
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Now that the campaign is over and The Trumpster is actually our President, the lies have not stopped. In fact they have become bigger and are spewed more often. On January 23rd of 2017, the Independent wrote, <i><b>"President <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/topic/DonaldTrump">Donald Trump</a>
cemented his reputation for fabrication on the campaign trail, but
ascending to the highest office in the land has not kept him from making
false claims", </b></i>only days after he was sworn into office. Let's not forget how his mouth piece Kellyanne Conway uttered those ridiculous words about Sean Spicer giving "Alternative Facts". I just grabbed at my forehead yet again in disbelief as I write this. There is absolutely no such thing as Alternative Facts. A fact is a fact...PERIOD! If it's not a fact than it is a untruth or a lie.<br />
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So what is the bottom line here? It's either our President lives in a fantasy world or he is simply a down right lying sack of crap. In my opinion it could be either. The Trumpster once claimed that he was on the cover of Time Magazine 14 or 15 times and that was a record never to be broken. Wrong-O beaver breath. Richard Nixon donned the cover 55 times while The Trumpster hit the cover 11 times. Was this a lie or was he just inflating his own self centered ego. Either way, this has to stop. Have politicians in Washington been lying to the American public since the beginning? Sure they have, but not as blatantly as they are now. Our President needs to lead by example and reign in the politics of untruths. It's time for our politicians to come clean and start to lead our country by telling the truth. If not, We The People need to rise up and vote these knuckleheads out of office. It's time that they make decisions based on what is good for this country and not was better for their own personal gains. It certainly seems that the truth is dead in Washington. <i><b> </b></i>THE RIGHT TO GRIPE - J. M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04193784424776041797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3489343629545026249.post-4531315175122542132017-03-18T12:18:00.001-04:002017-03-18T12:18:02.800-04:00My Prediction Comes TrueI must be a genius. A prognosticating mammal with more powers than the weather predicting rodent Punxsutawney Phil. A real Nostradamus when it comes to predicting the future. Back about a year ago during the Presidential election, I predicted that Mexico would not pay one red cent or should I say Peso toward Donald Trumps wall. I also predicted that our maniacal, delusional President would hoist the burden of his wall onto the backs of us taxpayers. Boy was I right!<br />
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This past week, the Trumpster released his 2017 fiscal budget that included $1.5 billion for his "great" wall. I put the word great in quotations because the Chumpster himself says that if you do this it broadens the meaning of the word. This is for a future <span style="color: red;"><i><b>Gripe</b></i></span>. He is also asking for another $2.6 billion in the 2018 fiscal budget which by the way begins this October. That is a total of $4.1 billion dollars for a wall in the 2017 calendar year that in my opinion and the opinion of many experts, will not stop the flow of illegal immigrants. It may slow it down, but it will not stop the flow of illegals coming into our country. FYI, in case you didn't know, the Department of Homeland Security estimated that the entire cost of this wall would be somewhere near $21.6 billion. Of course the Chumpster claims that it will only cost a mere $12 billion. The $21.6 billion must be a "fake" number.<br />
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People, I have a real <i><span style="color: red;"><b>Gripe</b></span></i> with this. Back on the campaign trail, one of the central themes of the Chumpster was, "We are going to build a wall and Mexico is going to pay for it". In fact his supporters would chant it right along with him when he said it. It was a call and response rally cry for the Chump campaign. However, in January, Chump backed off his campaign promise and finally admitted that "We The People" would be paying for the wall, but Mexico would reimburse us for it. Of course, time and time again Mexican President Enrique Nieto stated that in no way will Mexico pay for this wall. Former Mexican President Vicente Fox tweeted, "I've said this to @realDonaldTrump and now I'll tell you: Mexico is not going to pay for that fucking wall." I love this guy. He is not afraid to tell it like he sees it. <br />
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<b>Here is the bottom line.</b> Our President lives in an ivory tower fantasy world where he is used to getting his own way. The people around him in his business world bow down to him because he holds the ultimate power over them. In the political realm, Chump does not wield Excalibur all over the world. He cannot strong arm other countries to genuflect at his feet so he can get what he wants. Donald Chump lied on the campaign trail and he continues to lie to this day as the President of the United States. The wall is only one example of the numerous piles of bull shit that he laid on the American public. I sit here at my lap top shaking my head as I write this. How could close to half of the American public fall for his forked tongue rhetoric? I know I didn't. I made my prediction a year ago and I will stand by it until Mexico sends us a check. <br />
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THE RIGHT TO GRIPE - J. M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04193784424776041797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3489343629545026249.post-47160197874802599912016-07-31T17:03:00.003-04:002016-07-31T17:41:57.666-04:00Top 5 Trump Business FailuresDuring this heated Presidential election Donald Trump has told us time and time again about how great a business man he is. He claims that he is a self made billionaire due to his success in making deals. However, no one really knows the scope of his wealth because he refuses to release his tax information which is required by every candidate. He may be the first candidate in history to get away without releasing this information. The question remains, "What is he hiding"? You see, the Trumpster does have some successful businesses, but he has also had some real disasters. Here are the Trump-a-zoids Top 5 Business Failures. <br />
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<b>5. Trump Airlines:</b> In October 1988, Donald Trump purchased Eastern Air Shuttle, a service that for 27 years had run
hourly flights between Boston, New York City and Washington, D.C. For
roughly $365 million, In the deal he got a fleet of 17 Boeing 727s, landing
facilities in each of the three cities and the right to paint his name
on an airplane. Trump pushed to give the airline the Trump touch, making
the previously no-muss, no-fuss shuttle service into a luxury
experience. He added maple-wood veneer to the floors,
chrome seat-belt latches and gold-colored bathroom fixtures to his planes. Little did he realize is people were flying on these planes for the convenience not the fancy look. This combined
with high pre–Gulf War fuel prices meant the shuttle never turned a
profit. The high debt forced Trump to default on his loans, and
ownership of the company was turned over to creditors. These friendly skies were not so friendly.<br />
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<b>4. Trump Vodka: </b> This failed business was introduced in 2006 to a much anticipated boatload of fanfare.. Under the slogan "Success
Distilled," the liquor was touted as the "epitome of vodka" that would
"demand the same respect and inspire the same awe as the legacy and of Trump himself." At the time, Trump predicted
the T&T (Trump and Tonic) would become the most requested drink in
America, surpassed only by the Trump Martini. On <i>Larry King Live</i>,
he said he got into the vodka business to outdo his friends at Grey
Goose. Six years later, Grey Goose is still on top shelves throughout
the country. As for Trump vodka? Yeah, we'd never heard of it either.
The New York City blog Gothamist <a href="http://gothamist.com/2011/04/19/donald_trump_upset_over_israelis_dr.php" target="_blank">reports</a>
the vodka has stopped production "because the company failed to meet
the threshold requirements." Trump's company also filed an
injunction to prevent an Israeli company from selling Trump vodka
without his consent or authorization. Meaning the Donald stopped the
only people in world who wanted to drink his vodka from doing so. Today when you go to the liquor store you will not see Trump Vodka. Frankly, I don't ever remember seeing it.<br />
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<b>3. Trump Mortgage: </b>In April 2006, the Trumpster announced that, after years in the real estate
business, he was going to launch a mortgage company. He held a glitzy press
conference (no surprise there) at which his son Donald Jr. predicted that Trump Mortgage
would soon be the nation's No. 1 home-loan lender. Trump told CNBC, "Who
knows more about financing than me?" Apparently, plenty. Within a year
and a half, Trump Mortgage had closed and gone belly up[. The would-be lending
powerhouse was done in by poor timing of the declining housing market
and ironically enough, given Trump's <span style="font-style: italic;">Apprentice</span>
TV show, poor hiring. The executive Trump selected to run his loan
company was E.J. Ridings who claimed to have been a top executive at a
prestigious investment bank. In reality, Ridings' highest role on Wall
Street was as a registered broker, a position he held for a mere six
days. I guess the Trumpster didn't check references on this hire. A first year manager knows to do this.<br />
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<b>2</b>.<b> Trump: The Game:</b> Many of you may not have heard of Trump The Game. Back in 1989, the Trump - U- Later teamed up with Milton Bradley to release Trump: The
Game, a Monopolyesque board game in which three to four players must buy
and sell real estate and try to trump (get it) one another in business deals. A
year later Trump admitted the game was vastly underselling the predicted
2 million units he and the toy company had hoped for. Not one to
abandon ridiculous ideas, Trump brought the game back 15 years later after
his success on The Apprentice, making sure to incorporate the
series catchphrase "You're fired!" into the game. Other updated features
included a sterner-looking Trump on the box cover, somewhat simpler
rules and cards with business tips. Enduring feature? The considerable
tack factor of a Donald Trump board game. If you check out the board game area in Toys-R-Us, you will not see Trump: The Game. I'm not sure I want the business tips either.<br />
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<b>1. Trump Casinos: </b> In business, gambles don't always pay off and neither did some of Donald Trump's gambles, especially when that
gamble is gambling itself. In February 2009, Trump Entertainment Resorts
Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for the third time in a
row which is an extremely rare feat in American business. The casino company,
founded in the 1980s, runs the Taj Mahal, the Trump Plaza and the Trump
Marina. All three casinos are located in Atlantic City, N.J., where the
gambling industry has faced a decline in tourists who prefer gambling in
Pennsylvania and Connecticut instead. Trump defended himself by
distancing himself from the company, though he owned 28% of its stock.
"Other than the fact that it has my name on it — which I'm not thrilled
about — I have nothing to do with the company," he said. He resigned
from Trump Entertainment soon after that third filing. In August of
that year he, along with an affiliate of Beal Bank Nevada, agreed to buy
the company for $100 million. The company reported it emerged from
bankruptcy in July 2010. <br />
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There you have it, the Top 5 business failures of Donald Trump. When you really look at this it is obvious that this man has no vision of market trends. He starts businesses that quickly fail because he cannot read where the economic trends are taking our country. I don't think I want a President who lacks this ability. I don't want a President who fails to peer into the future based on economic trends and facts. I don't want this ass clown to be my President. Make no mistake, Donald Trump has no real plan for the economic future of America. Frankly, I'm really getting sick and tired of the Trumpster saying he can do it and do it good. Yea, I can say that too. <br />
<br />THE RIGHT TO GRIPE - J. M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04193784424776041797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3489343629545026249.post-69185405975548971212016-06-05T18:57:00.000-04:002016-06-05T19:03:38.727-04:00TRUMP - THE INFIDELITIES<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2b2sFu4B0g4/V1SvsAdyhqI/AAAAAAAAE2E/o174LD3bfhgzs8TGLCpyTJ93x2hIBtn1QCLcB/s1600/trump2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2b2sFu4B0g4/V1SvsAdyhqI/AAAAAAAAE2E/o174LD3bfhgzs8TGLCpyTJ93x2hIBtn1QCLcB/s200/trump2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
One of Donald Trumps barbs he has shot Hillary Clinton's way involves the infidelity that her husband "Wild Bill" had with intern Monica Lewinsky. "Chump" seems to think that this makes Hillary a lesser of a candidate because he thinks she is an enabler. Well, the Chumpster should be careful when he opens up this can of worms. If you look at his history with wives, you will see that he has been unfaithful as well.<br />
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When Donald "Hump" was married to his 1st wife, Ivana, he had an affair with Marla Maples. Maples who was 17 years younger than "Chump" eventually became his second wife after Evana dumped him like a bad habit. Married for just 6 years, Maples and "Chump" started out with a fairy tale marriage. Soon, the honeymoon was over and the two ran into rocky times. The Chumpoid drifted away from his wife who by the way still has a soft spot in her heart for him even though he was mentally abusive to her near the end.<br />
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Enter wife number 3, Melania Knauss. She met the "Chump" at a party in 1998 and initially refused to give him her phone number. Why you ask? Because he was at the party with a date. Hitting on another woman while there with a date. Low I would think. "I heard he was a ladies man and I am not one of the ladies" she said. They married sometime later and have been happily married ever since, or are they?<br />
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The web site TheDirty.com reported that back in 2006, the "Chumpster" cheated on Melania with a porn star named Stormy Daniels. A source close to Donald claims that he cheated while Melania was pregnant with their son Barron. In fact he allegedly lured the actress to rooms for sex multiple times. "Chump" has denied these allegations and has threatened a law suit against the magazine.<br />
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To sum it up, who's calling the kettle black. This clown is nothing but a hypocrite. He has at least one documented affair maybe two but blasts Hillary Clinton as enabling her husband Bill with his affair. I say, "Shut the hell up Chump"! You are a womanizing pig that degrades women without batting an eye. His reputation seems to have been forgotten by the media as well as his followers who have drunk the Kool Aid. Don't be fooled by this guy. He is not one of the good guys. He is for Trump and Trump alone. How any woman in this county can actually support him is beyond me. There is an antidote for this sickness and it is a large dose of common sense. Get it now! THE RIGHT TO GRIPE - J. M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04193784424776041797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3489343629545026249.post-85352742109547438912016-05-31T19:47:00.001-04:002016-05-31T19:47:06.965-04:00I'm Back With A Vengence -The Trump Cronicles<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8zFye-xQfYE/V04gigbTwaI/AAAAAAAAE1E/O1Mw1ya4_PEMi8BUlgYSXLgxKWHnen1wACLcB/s1600/Trump%2BCon%2BMan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8zFye-xQfYE/V04gigbTwaI/AAAAAAAAE1E/O1Mw1ya4_PEMi8BUlgYSXLgxKWHnen1wACLcB/s1600/Trump%2BCon%2BMan.jpg" /></a></div>
I took several months off from writing here at the R2G and felt it was time to come back. I have been keeping myself busy with work, writing my Beer Meister column in the Times Leader and keeping a very close eye on the current Presidential election. In fact it's this election for our highest office that has motivated me to bring back the Right To Gripe.<br />
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Over the next 6 month's, I am going to set the record straight while giving you facts along with my opinion on the Republican candidate Donald Trump or should I say "Chump". This guy has bamboozled certain segments of the American population with generalities, name slanderous calling and derogatory remarks concerning women and minorities especially Hispanics. He claims he is going to build a big wall on our southern border, stop ISIS and put the Russians in their place. This all sounds good doesn't it. The only problem is "Chump" has not given the American public a strategic plan on how he intends to get these completed. <br />
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Donald "Chump" Trump is nothing but a con man and guess what, I can prove it. Back in February a report was released by Politico (www.politico.com), a web site dedicated to political news that stated Trump had been planning this Con for a few years now. Two years ago the "Chumpster" was approached by GOP operatives that wanted him to run for Governor of New York. <span style="font-size: small;"> He declined the notion but added that these operatives would be useful for when
he ran for president. He said, “I’m going to walk away with it and win
outright. I’m going to get in and all the polls
are going to go crazy. I’m going to suck all the oxygen out of the room.
I know how to work the media in a way that that they will never take
the lights off of me.”</span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GCbJLssUL24/V04hGJ5BKAI/AAAAAAAAE1I/2miOQtPRvSYaG2wWeZdteD7iL0sy21AUACLcB/s1600/cnn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="131" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GCbJLssUL24/V04hGJ5BKAI/AAAAAAAAE1I/2miOQtPRvSYaG2wWeZdteD7iL0sy21AUACLcB/s200/cnn.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chump News Network</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: small;"> Unfortunately for America he was right. His supreme Con Man powers have lathered media news outlets like CNN (Chump News Network) into covering everything he does so they can report on what nonsense he is going to spew about how great he is and how he can get things done. He has conned the media into providing the vast majority of his marketing for him. I have to ask, how dumb can they be? Evidently idioticly dumb. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">To sum it up, the "Chumpulater" is a Con Mans Con. He is unfolding the greatest Con in world history and the sad fact is he may just get away with it. The American people are so sick and tired of politics as usual and are ripe for the taking. They are like helpless lemmings being lead to the cliff. If you are thinking of voting for this fraud, think again. He has no idea on how to make America great again nor does he care. Trump is simply for Trump. Nothing more, nothing less.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Each week over the next 6 months, I will be hitting this Con of Con's hard from every angle. I will give you facts as I get them in and my opinions on them. I hope to hear from all of you Trumpites. I'm sure I will. I also hope to hear from the Stop Trump movement as well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Next week it's all about the Trump infidelities. How dare he bash Bill Clinton! </span>THE RIGHT TO GRIPE - J. M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04193784424776041797noreply@blogger.com0