Can we be friends?

Last week a friend of mine said he was voting for Trump.  I looked at him incredulously, and said, “You are?  Really?”  

He laughed and said, “I hope we can still be friends.”

I have thought about this, and the answer is no.  I won’t cross the street to avoid him, and I will still be civil, but I will no longer consider him a friend.  He could have voted for McCain, and I would have been ok with that.  He could have voted for Romney, and we could be friends.  Trump, no.  

I can’t be friends with someone I don’t respect.  A person who votes for Trump does not care about this country, does not understand American values, and does not merit my friendship.  

How did Hitler do it?

How did a demagogue like Hitler rise to power in the land of Goethe and Martin Luther and Beethoven?  A new book by Volker Ullrich looks at Hitler’s rise from a “Munich rabble-rouser,” regarded as a clown, to dictator of the Third Reich.

The book is reviewed by Michiko Kakutani in today’s Times.  I’d like to quote two paragraphs.

Hitler was often described as an egomaniac who “only loved himself”–a narcissist with a taste for self-dramatization and what Mr. Ullrich calls a “characteristic fondness for superlatives.”  His manic speeches and penchant for taking all-or-nothing risks raised questions about his capacity for self-control, even his sanity.  But Mr. Ullrich underscores Hitler’s shrewdness as a politician–with a “keen eye for the strengths and weaknesses of other people” and an ability to “instantaneously analyze and exploit situations.”

Hitler increasingly presented himself in messianic terms, promising “to lead Germany to a new era of national greatness,” though he was typically vague about his actual plans.  He often harked back to a golden age for the country, Mr. Ullrich says, the better “to paint the present day in hues that were all the darker.  Everywhere you looked now, there was only decline and decay.”

If you would like to read the entire review, and I think you should, go to <http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/28/books/hitler-ascent-volker-ullrich.html>.

Confederate flag, Nazi flag

Dateline:  Brussels

Our two intrepid European correspondents, Janette and Anne, checked out a rumor that Germans who are racist or fascist fly the Confederate flag.  The reason they do this is because in Germany it is illegal to fly the Nazi flag with its swastika.  Janette and Anne contacted their German sources (two friends), and they confirmed that the rumor was true.  The Confederate flag is used as a stand-in for the Nazi flag.

This brings up an interesting point.  Most of the people in this area who fly the Confederate flag undoubtedly don’t know that in the United States it is not illegal to fly a Nazi flag.  As a member of the American Civil Liberties Union I can attest to that fact.

So, the next time you see someone flying the Confederate flag, point this out.  We are not living in Germany.  Tell that person he can proudly fly the Nazi flag. There’s no need to hide his political leanings.

The debate

The idea that someone would base a decision on an hour and a half debate is alien to me.  The idea that people who have not made up their minds by this point (!) will make their decision on which candidate seems more personable, gets in the best put-down, or dominates the stage is appalling.   

I knew for whom I was planning to vote for last January.  The Democrat.  I didn’t know who that Democrat would be, but I knew which party recognized global climate change, wanted to keep assault rifles out of the hands of terrorists and children, supported a woman’s right to choose, supported the rights of gays to marry, supported the right of workers to organize, supported medical care for the poor, wanted to maintain social security....  I could go on, but I think you get the idea.

So I am not watching the debates.  The whole debate thing is for people who are so out of it they need to be entertained in order to make their vote choice and so stupid they still don’t know whether to vote for the qualified candidate or the one who thinks our President was born in Kenya, would create about 11,000,000 refugees, doesn’t understand foreign trade, says he will help both the natural gas industry and coal, thinks global warming is a Chinese hoax, and lies just about every time he speaks.  

Ted Cruz, Weasel

It occurs to me that I may have used this title for an earlier post.  Perhaps two or three.  The title seems to be so apropos.  

Here’s what Ted Cruz said about Trump during the primary season:  “I’m going to tell you what I really think of Donald Trump.”  He then called Trump “a pathological liar.”  Also “utterly amoral.”  Also “a serial philanderer.”  Also “a narcissist at a level I don’t think this country has every seen.”

He went on to say that if the voters didn’t stop Trump, “This country could well plunge into the abyss.”

On September 23, Cruz announced he was voting for Trump.  Has Trump changed?  No.  Cruz is hoping to run for President in 2020.  He has realized that Republicans are flocking to Trump.  He needs to be a loyal Republican.  He has no integrity, no principles, no guts.

Tomorrow:  Why I won’t watch the debates.

College towns

Yesterday we drove to Boalsburg to visit the Pennsylvania Military Museum.  We drove through three college towns–State College, Lewisburg, and Bloomsburg.  

It was an amazing study in political demographics.  The three college towns were full of Hillary Clinton yard signs.  Then, as we got into the rural areas, the Trump signs became prominent.

The problem is, there aren’t enough college towns in Pennsylvania.

Memos to Diggity Dog and Wentz Motors

First, some background.  I have been eating occasionally at Diggity Dog, located on 1st Street in Lehighton, for a number of years.  Our Democratic Information Center for a time was located right next door, and I liked the guys who ran the place.  If you are going in, I recommend the Mac and Cheese.  

I also found out that the owners are hot pepper aficionados, so for the past few years I have been dropping off about half a peck of hot peppers every fall.  You can imagine how upset I was to walk in and see a Trump sign facing me as I opened the front door.

I thought about this for some time, and I decided to present them with a memo entitled “The Trump sign in your place of business.”  Here’s what I wrote:

First, let me say that in all the times I have come in here, I have enjoyed the ambiance and the staff.  I have also learned a good deal about Lehighton.

Secondly, as a member of the American Civil Liberties Union, I believe strongly in the right of free speech and the First Amendment that guarantees it.

Thirdly, I will not do what Mr. Trump does, and call you names or insult your integrity.  I would, however, like to explain why I am bothered by your Trump sign.  I am sure that some of your customers are Independents, Libertarians, or Democrats.  For you to advertise a Republican Party candidate at your place of business is disrespectful to those customers.

Additionally, I personally regard Mr. Trump as a danger to this Republic and the liberties for which it stands.

For the first time in our nation’s history, he would impose a religious test on immigrants.  He made millions of dollars at the taxpayers’ expense by using questionable tax breaks.  He bribed the Attorney General of Florida to drop an investigation of Trump University.  He stiffed his creditors on numerous occasions by declaring bankruptcy, then bragged about it.  He thinks global warming is a Chinese hoax.  He doesn’t understand how the U.S. military works.  He won’t release his tax returns.  He would round up millions of people, many of whom have lived here for almost their entire lives, and dump them across the border.  He believed up to a few days ago that our president was born in Kenya.  

Hillary Clinton, Gary Johnson, and Jill Stein are not perfect candidates, but at least they don’t have the sort of thin-skinned temperament that could involve us in a nuclear war.  Trump will be a disaster if elected; he has already done incredible damage to this country by preaching hatred and violence.

And yes, you will be getting some peppers.

I presented a similar memo to Wentz Motors, another business I have used and respected, which has Trump signs in front of the business on Route 209.  I think it is important to let people know when we disapprove of their politics, especially in this election, which is not the normal election by any means.

Environmental score card

Four environmental groups–Sierra Club, Penn Environment, Clean Water Action, and Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania–have developed an environmental scorecard for Pennsylvania legislators.  

You can look it up, but I’ll save you some time.

Doyle Heffley’s score was zero, as in 0.  

The Lehighton Women's Club

After 103 years of community service, the Lehighton Women’s Club has disbanded.  

Sixteen years ago Robert D. Putnam wrote Bowling Alone in which he argued that cooperative associations and organizations were in trouble in America.  Service clubs like the Moose, the Elks, and the Kiwanis were either dead or on life support.  Putnam was concerned that this lack of community organizations was weakening American democracy as people turned inward.

Way back in 1831 Alexis deTocqueville noted that Americans didn’t wait for government to solve problems; they formed associations to fix the problems themselves.  He thought this was one of the strengths of America.

Voluntary associations accustom people to get along with each other.  They are good for democracy and for the community.  Fortunately, in our area volunteer fire companies, local food banks, the Lions, and the 4-H Clubs remain active.  The Palmerton Concourse Club, an organization of women comparable to the Lehighton Women’s Club, has 130 members and performs many charitable acts every year.  The Friends of Beltzville State Park, a group formed earlier this year, shows that the volunteer spirit is alive.  

We need to foster these groups.  Get off your butt and join up.

Gerrymandering and Doyle Heffley

You can tell a lot about a legislator based on his or her attitude toward gerrymandering.  If the legislator is a party hack from either party, he or she won’t mess with the present Pennsylvania system of drawing legislative districts.  

I want to thank Bill White, a columnist for the Allentown Morning Call, who periodically calls attention to just how badly Pennsylvania districts are drawn.  

Today Mr. White listed area legislators who have signed on to House Bill 1835 or Senate Bill 484, both introduced to reform the redistricting process.

Many legislators in gerrymandered districts have no opponents, so they love the current system.  There is one local legislator, however, who is not co-sponsoring a reform bill, and he does have an opponent.

Doyle Heffley evidently likes the current system.  He is not a co-sponsor of the districting reform bill in the House.  His opponent, a reformer, is Neil Makhija.  Heffley is also the sponsor of a really bad bill that pretends to alleviate the opioid crisis, but will actually make things worse, although it will enrich big pharma even more.  It is time to kick Doyle out.  

If you are worried that the poor man will not have a job, don’t fret.  He already has his state pension locked in.  Vote Makhija.

Stealing political signs

It’s late at night, no one is around, and right in front of you is a yard sign for a candidate you abhor.  How easy it is to just pull it up and throw it in a nearby dumpster.  Nonetheless, this is a temptation that most people resist.  It is a form of mutually assured destruction.  If you take down an opponent’s signs, what is to stop his or her supporters from removing your candidate’s signs?

Unfortunately some deplorable Trump supporter (or supporters) succumbed to the temptation and removed most of the Hillary Clinton signs in Jim Thorpe, including signs in people’s yards.  

My suggestion to people who had signs stolen is to make homemade ones that say, “My Hillary sign was stolen by a Trump supporter.”  That way you don’t have to buy a new one, and the message gets out.  Whatever you do, don’t take Trump signs down.  We are better than that.

Dumping TVs and household chemicals

Sometimes governments do really stupid stuff.  First the state legislature said you couldn’t put old television sets and computers in landfills.  That was perfectly understandable, since they contain all kinds of harmful materials.

It is the same with household chemicals, garden herbicides and pesticides, and old paint cans.  You are’t supposed to put them out with the garbage.  Again, understandable. 

Unfortunately, no alternative was provided.  So, you have an old TV.  You have old paint cans in your garage.  But you have no legal way to dispose of them.

What do people do?  They throw them along the highway, dump them from dirt roads in the woods, or put them into informal and illegal dumps that spring up.

In this case, it is not only the dumpers who are irresponsible.  The Pennsylvania legislature and municipal governments are also irresponsible.  

The irony is that the cleanup from the illegal dumping will cost far more than if the state legislature provided money for electronic recycling and hazardous waste disposal collection sites.

Trump "stretches the truth"

Actually he doesn’t.  He lies.  Over and over.  Nonetheless, newspapers and television reporters have been reluctant to use the word “lie.”  I guess they think they need to show some sort of balance by tempering every criticism of Trump with a similar criticism of Clinton, and the word “lie,” even if warranted, seems so harsh.

Finally today, The New York Times ran this headline above a story about Trump and his “birther” ideas:  “Trump Gives Up a Lie But Refuses to Repent.”

Let’s hope it is the start of a new trend.

Bayer buys Monsanto

The takeover cost $56 billion.  It’s the largest acquisition of 2016.

DuPont, which sells seeds, will probably merge with Dow Chemical shortly.

Agrium, a Canadian company that produces phosphate, is merging with another Canadian company, the Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan. 

Syngenta of Switzerland, producer of pesticides, was taken over by the China National Chemical Corporation earlier this year.

Most farmers think prices of seeds, fertilizer, and sprays will go up.  After all, as competition decreases, companies can raise their prices.  They have done so in the past.

It would really help if we all demanded and bought organic produce and non-GMO farm products.

While I’m on the subject of agriculture, I’d like to point out that Trump’s advisor on agricultural matters is Sid Miller, Texas Commissioner of Agriculture, who created the “cupcake amnesty” for sugary school food and welcomed deep fryers and soft drinks back to Texas schools, where they had been banned for years because of Texas’s soaring obesity rates.  (Mr. Miller also compared Syrian refugees to rattlesnakes and suggested using the atomic bomb on the Muslim world.) 

The info on the mergers came from “Bayer and Monsanto in $56 Billion Deal,” New York Times, (Sept. 15, 2016, p. B1, B-2).  The plea to buy organic is all my own.  I’ll let you think about how the Trump administration would handle agricultural issues.

Why Can't We Have Nice Things?

Mayor de Blasio of New York thought it would be a good idea to have Wi-Fi kiosks scattered around New York to allow users to consult maps, charge phones, or check the weather.  

Unfortunately, the kiosks have attracted people who linger for hours, sometimes drinking, or using drugs, or using their computers to watch porn in plain view of children on the sidewalks.

You’ve heard the expression “It only takes one to ruin it for everybody.”  Library patrons were allowed to bring their pets into the Palmerton library, but then one patron brought in an unruly dog.  Now no one is allowed to bring in dogs except service dogs.

Unfortunately, and even worse, it is often a whole bunch of people who spoil it for everyone.  Hundreds of people swim illegally at Wild Creek Falls, an area with no public restrooms, wrecking a sensitive ecological area.  Dozens of anglers leave their styrofoam bait containers and broken lines along the shores of Beltzville Lake.  Dozens of people dump their tvs and used tires along Carbon County roadways.

I don’t know what has happened to the idea of individual responsibility for one’s acts, but it seems to me that more and more people are exhibiting selfish and irresponsible behavior.  Maybe I’m just getting old and cranky.

Trump supporters

In the latest issue of The Atlantic, Peter Beinart lists some of the campaign paraphernalia he saw for sale at the Republican convention.  I’ll quote the entire paragraph:

Black pin reading DON’T BE A PUSSY.  VOTE FOR TRUMP IN 2016.  Black-and-red pin reading TRUMP 2016:  FINALLY SOMEONE WITH BALLS.  White T-shirt reading TRUMP THAT BITCH.  White T-shirt reading HILLARY SUCKS BUT NOT LIKE MONICA.  Red pin reading LIFE’S A BITCH;  DON’T VOTE FOR ONE.  White pin depicting a boy urinating on the word Hillary.  Black T-shirt depicting Trump as a biker and Clinton falling off the motorcycle’s back alongside the words IF YOU CAN READ THIS, THE BITCH FELL OFF.  Black T-shirt depicting Trump as a boxer having just knocked Clinton the the floor of the ring, where she lies face up in a clingy tank top.  White pin advertising KFC HILLARY SPECIAL.  2 FAT THIGHS.  2 SMALL BREASTS...LEFT WING.

In a poll taken last year, more Republicans said “there is a lot of discrimination “ against white men than said “there is a lot of discrimination” against women.

And one more statistic.  Approximately 12% of voters say they would not vote for a woman candidate running for the presidency.

"Older people underrepresented in film"

That was a headline in today’s Times News.  The article noted that old people in films were seldom seen engaging with computers, cellphones, or other types of technology.  

Since I’m old, I feel qualified to comment.

Of course old people in movies aren’t shown with technological gizmos.  Many of us have thumbs too arthritic to text (if we knew how and had a phone that could do it).  We can’t even change the cartridge in our printer.  

As for movie roles, I know Meryl Streep is a great actor.  Her most recent movie entitled “Florence Foster Jenkins” was excellent, but I’d still rather watch Emma Stone.  Robert Redford is a great actor, but he is OLD and looks it.  A “Walk in the Woods” portrayed him as having difficulty on the Appalachian Trail, and I don’t think the part was much of a stretch

Have you ever noticed that old people are always whining about something?  Next they will be complaining about underrepresentation at the Olympics.

End the property tax

Six Pennsylvania School districts, including the Panther Valley School District, filed a lawsuit in 2014 claiming that the state had not met its constitutional duty to fund the cost of education.  The issue is an old one.  Districts with low value properties must tax their property owners at a higher rate than rich districts.  The rich districts are awash in money; students in the poor districts suffer.

The Commonwealth Court dismissed the case last year, but the State Supreme Court is hearing an appeal of that dismissal.  Legislators and Gov. Wolf want the Court to uphold the dismissal.

Just last week a Connecticut court threw out the state’s funding formula, which was also based on property taxes.

I have been a defender of some sort of property tax, but I’ve changing my mind.  There are ways to make the system fair, but they are unlikely.  For example, we could pay our property tax into a central fund.  Let’s say every property owner paid 1% of the assessed value of the property to the PA Department of Revenue, and then it was distributed to each district on a per-pupil formula.  

The Department of Education would probably have to adjust the formula to give districts with more special needs students more funding, and other tweaks might be necessary, but the quality of a student’s education would no longer depend on whether he or she lived in Panther Valley or Parkland.  

That won’t happen.  Rich districts will want to retain the current system, and rich districts have more clout.  Legislators like Doyle Heffley don’t really want to eliminate the property tax either.  This way they can promise to do it every two or four years, but nothing happens, even when the Republicans had a majority in both houses and Corbett was in office.  

The only way we will fix this is if the Court says the system does not meet constitutional standards.  Keep your fingers crossed.

The Social Security Privatization Experiment

In 1981 military dictator Pinochet privatized the pension system in Chile.  In the old system, workers, employers, and the government all contributed.  In the privatized system, workers paid 10% of their earnings into accounts operated by private companies.  

The average monthly pension in Chile is now $315. less than the monthly minimum wage of $384.  What this means, of course, is that most Chileans must continue to work well past their retirement age.  

When the stock market drops, the pension drops as well.  As more old people enter the system, the pension drops as well.

George W. Bush once hailed the Chilean system as an example to follow.  You may want to remember Chile the next time you hear Paul Ryan or Lou Barletta call for a privatized system to replace Social Security.

Information for this post was taken from Pascale Bonnefoy, “With Pensions Like This ($315 a Month), Chileans Last Out at System,” New York Times, (Sept. 11, 2016), p. 10.

Nature words

In a recent op ed column (Sept. 7), Thomas L. Friedman noted that in 2015 the Oxford Junior Dictionary, which is aimed at 7-year-olds, had dropped a number of “nature words” that the editors thought were no longer relevant to the modern child.  These words included “acorn,” “dandelion,” “fern,” “nectar,” “otter,” “pasture,” and “willow.”  

The dictionary added other words more relevant to today’s kid, including “broadband,” “blog,” “cut-and-paste,” “MP3 player,” and “voice-mail.”  

Does this make you as sad as it makes me?  We are losing touch with the natural world.  In fact, the natural world itself is disappearing.

Bowers Chile Pepper Fest

The Bowers Chile Pepper Fest is held every year in a park about three miles south of Kutztown.  Between 40 and 50 vendors show up with just about every type of hot pepper product, including jalapeño Christmas tree lights and jalapeño earrings.  You can buy Jamaican jerk sauce, habeñero mustard, and salsa that will make you sweat and cry at the same time.  Food vendors are also on site; most sell dishes that come with some heat.

The Fest is only for two days, but if you live in eastern Pennsylvania, you still can make it on Saturday.  Google it for directions.

If you would like to make your own salsa, you can also buy raw peppers.  Remember to wear rubber gloves when you are making it, and whatever you do, don’t touch your eyes or other tender parts of your body.

Fest parking is free.  The festival cost is $2 a person.  I recommend it.

Most important issue

Which of the following is the most important issue facing the U.S. today:

A.  ISIS.

B.  health care.

C.  the economy.

D.  racial tensions.

E.  climate change.

F.  undocumented immigrants.

There is a correct answer.  Only one of these issues threatens the future of the natural world and human habitation on this planet.  

ISIS is a regional group that can blow up people, but holds a small bit of territory and lacks widespread support.  

Health care is important, and if Trump wins, millions of Americans will have their health insurance taken away, but they lacked health care before, and the nation survived.

The economy is doing very well compared to eight years ago when President Obama first took office.  Even if there is an economic downturn under Trump, it will cause hardship, not catastrophe.

Racial tensions are a problem not just in the U.S. but around the world.  We can add ethnic, religious, and linguistic issues as well, but they tend to be localized.

I don’t regard undocumented immigrants as much of a problem.  In fact, some of them are probably paying my social security.

Which leaves climate change.  President Obama says we are on a “terrifying” path on this issue, which he regards as the most important task we face.  We are already seeing the effects of climate change in so many areas in so many ways.  Very few people have a sense of urgency about a problem that has already affected our global environment in significant ways and is reaching the point where the downward spiral may be impossible to reverse.

Oh, yeah, DONALD TRUMP THINKS CLIMATE CHANGE IS A LIBERAL HOAX.  

But hey, let’s not forget that Hillary Clinton sent some emails on the wrong server.  I mean, that’s really important, isn’t it?

Discouraged in Pennsylvania

Today I noticed that my neighbor, a guy I always thought was intelligent and a nice man, had a Trump sign in front of his house.

So he is voting for a candidate who denies that global warming is real, who questioned Obama’s birth certificate, who cheated his creditors by declaring bankruptcy, who is a bully, a liar, and completely unqualified to be President, let alone Township Supervisor.

Earlier I went to a meeting with a fellow member of a Township Commission who had a Trump bumper sticker.  I said, “I can’t believe you are voting for him.”  He said, “Hillary kills Marines.”  I was too dumbstruck to even answer.

I sometimes wonder, am I the only sane and rational person living in this neighborhood?  Do not other people see what I see?  

Violence at a pipeline protest

So far our fight against the proposed PennEast/UGI pipeline has involved peaceful demonstrations, oral and written testimony, letters to the editor, comments at public meetings, press releases, newspaper ads, and other types of protest available to American citizens.  

What happens if we would stand in front of the bulldozers if and when the pipeline is built?  I have been aware of Indians protesting a pipeline in North Dakota.  Today my friend Tom sent me a link to a video showing a disturbing level of violence against the Indians.  

What surprised me is that the “security guards” did not look like security guards at all.  They were not in uniform, and the dogs they brought looked simply like untrained vicious dogs.  

Here is the link to the You-Tube video: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuZcx2zEo4k>.

Ex-felons voting

The governor of Virginia recently signed papers restoring the right to vote for approximately 13,000 ex-felons.  In Virginia approximately one in five African Americans have been disenfranchised by the law restricting ex-felons from voting for life.  The governor had previously signed an executive order restoring the voting rights of some 206,000 ex-felons, but the Virginia Supreme Court said he did not have that power except on a case by case basis.

Trump said the governor was “getting thousands of violent felons to the voting booth in an effort to cancel out the votes of both law enforcement and crime victims.”

Amazingly, Pennsylvania law on ex-felons voting is reasonable.  If you are in prison awaiting trial but have not been convicted, you can vote.  If you are in prison because of a misdemeanor, you can vote.  If you’ve been released, you can vote.  If you’re on probation or released on parole, you can vote.  Under house arrest?   You can vote.  One stipulation is that you can’t use the prison or the half-way house as your address.  

Information on Virginia is from Michael Wines, “13,000 Felons Given Back Voting Rights in Virginia,” New York Times, (23 Aug. 2016), p. A9.  Information on Pennsylvania is from the state’s Voter Registration Application instructions.

Hillary for Prison

Today at the Redneck Festival in Weissport, Pennsylvania, people were walking around wearing “Hillary for Prison, 2016” tee shirts.  

Think about this.  The opponents of a presidential candidate of a major American political party think that candidate should be in prison.  They obviously do not regard her as legitimate.  They believe she is a criminal who should be incarcerated.  

Really?

Have we sunk that low, that Trump supporters by the thousands (millions?) actually think Hillary Clinton belongs in jail.  For what?  Cheating workers by declaring bankruptcy?  Lying to get out of the draft by claiming “heel spurs”?  Taking unauthorized deductions on her income tax?  Committing fraud in a bogus university?

Oh, wait, that was Donald Trump.

Sacred cats

A man from Nazareth was sentenced to six months to a year in the county jail after pleading guilty to charges of cruelty to animals, criminal mischief, and unlawfully discharging a firearm.  This was after he shot his own cat and then called 911 to report it according to today’s Morning Call, page 7.

If I have this correctly, if someone dumps a cat at our farm, and that cat attacks and kills an indigo bunting that has been feeding at our bird feeder, and I then shoot that cat, I can get up to a year in prison.

What is wrong with the criminal justice system in this country?  It’s a CAT!  I’ve heard people make fun of Hindus because they don’t kill cows, but evidently we have elevated one of the most common animals in the U.S. into protected status, a status we don’t give the declining indigo buntings or, for that matter, pigs, which are by almost any measure, far more intelligent than cats.

While I am on this rant, don’t you think there is something wrong with the guy from Nazareth?  He says he thought his cat might be rabid after an encounter with a wild animal.  That wouldn’t have happened if he had kept his cat inside.

Finally, the fact that the guy called 911 is an indication that there is something seriously wrong with the guy himself.  The judge did order a mental health examination, but the article did not say whether those findings would reduce his sentence.  

Rednecks for Clinton

As you can imagine, we are getting a pile of crap from Trump supporters at the Redneck Festival in Weissport.  (Remember the line, “I love the uneducated.”)  So why do we even have a booth there?

Because of experiences like this.  Tonight a man came over to our booth and told us how his mother loved Hillary Clinton, and how he made her so angry at the 2008 primary by telling her he was voting for Obama.  His mother died two years ago, and he was so sorry that she hadn’t lived to see Hillary get the nomination, the first woman to have that honor.

He said he went to her gravesite and put a Hillary sign by the headstone.  He was sure his mom would have appreciated it.  

I must admit I got a little bit verklempt, and I was glad we were there.

Dildo open carry

I miss college students.  At the University of Texas at Austin last week students protested the “open carry” law that allows people to carry guns around on campus.  If you believe, as I do, that college campuses should be places of learning, then why would you need to carry a gun into a classroom?

To protest the state policy, thousands of students carried brightly colored sex toys openly around campus.  

An organizer of the sex toy protest, Jessica Jin, said of the open carry gun law, “It’s absurd.  So, I thought, we have to fight absurdity with absurdity.”

Unfortunately, Texas law makes open carry of sex toys illegal, although as of August 25, no student had yet been arrested for dildo open carry.

Information for this post was taken from Dave Phillips, “Texas Students Wield Absurdity as a Weapon,” New York Times, (25 Aug. 16), p. A9.