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08/16/18 04:35 PM #6474    

 

Jerry Morgan

I do not post to bots and some comments act just like a Puking bot.  Here are some of my GC pics. 


08/16/18 04:36 PM #6475    

 

Jerry Morgan


08/16/18 04:37 PM #6476    

 

Jerry Morgan


08/16/18 04:39 PM #6477    

 

Jerry Morgan


08/16/18 04:52 PM #6478    

 

Jerry Morgan

Some of these we bought at the Skybridge and others we took ourselves.  You could not take a camera onto the bridge.  The Native Americans that owned the bridge (On their reservation) said it was out of fear of someone dropping their camera over the railing but I believe it was part that and part so they could sell you pictures.  In any case we took pics and bought some.  It was a great way to see the canyon for us less active folks.  That is if you didn't get vertigo from looking down through an all glass walkway out over the canyon. 


08/16/18 04:58 PM #6479    

 

Jack Mallory

Great pix, Jerry! The one with the fog is stunning. A different perspective from mine, up looking down!

**********************

Wolfgang--I hope you could tell from the responses that not everyone on the Forum can be taken in by Fischer's twaddle. The economic data you reference is readily available here, and has been widely reported by the media. 

****************

When I taught at Penn State there was a fundamentalist preacher who espoused the gospel of the young earth and creationism on a corner of campus. He came into my classroom one day in the middle of lecture and challenged me to debate creation vs. evolution. I told him I would no more take the time to debate him than I would debate a Flat Earther and threw him out of the room. When someone is disseminating obvious baloney there is no need to honor them with the time and effort of a response. The Rabbi falls into that category. 

***************

For what it's worth, I had a Top Secret (Crypto) clearance as an SF officer. In Vietnam, none of the young officers that I knew gave a good goddam about clearances when they bitched about the war and the stupid decisions of Pentagon officers and the Commander in Chief (Nixon). The free speech of serving military and veterans played a significant part in bringing an evil war to an end.

The loyalty that my security clearance process must have demonstrated meant nothing when I took an anti-war, anti-Nixon political stance. I committed no crimes; my only offense was speaking my political mind, but I got an FBI investigation, a CIA file, and a designation as a domestic security threat. I suppose that as a reserve officer they could also have pulled my security clearance as further punishment for expressing my opinions.

The point to freedom of speech is that people should be able to express themselves without fear of government retribution, whether they are government employees, ex-government employees, or private citizens. I'm stupid enough to believe that's true, and on the day we give up that belief the totalitarians will win. 

*****************

Back on NH waters again. Our canyons may not be as Grand, but our Blue Herons are Greater!


08/16/18 06:47 PM #6480    

 

Jack Mallory

Joanie, join me in taking some comfort in knowing that there are still people of honor and integrity in public service. 

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/08/16/william-mcraven-security-clearance-request-779989

Admiral McRaven stands up for John Bolton, says it would be an honor for Trump to take his security clearance away so he can add his “name to the list of men and women who have spoken up against your presidency.” He's welcome to my clearance, too. Maybe it's still stuffed away somewhere in a file drawer in the Pentagon!

I wonder what kind of slime Trump and his supporters will allege against McRaven to explain this away. 

 


08/16/18 06:50 PM #6481    

 

Glen Hirose

And on to football all-be-it preseason; the menu is something to look forward to. 

Time tested tried and true:

   Image result for italian cold cut sub Related image

   


08/16/18 10:13 PM #6482    

 

Joanie Bender (Grosfeld)

Yes, Jack, I do take comfort in the Admiral taking a stand like that saying to revoke his security clearance. I just got back from a synagogue event in support of the Immigrants and the suffering they are going through....one of the songs that was so poignant that was sang was This Land is Your Land...https://www.woodyguthrie.org/Lyrics/This_Land.htm     The rabbi who plays guitar and was in a group that sang songs said in Judaism there are two things that are the most important, God and welcoming strangers...Jewish atheists are also welcome though but I love the welcoming strangers thought. there are wonderful groups helping the Immigrants, like ACLU and others....

Love, Joanie


08/16/18 11:38 PM #6483    

 

Nora Skinker (Morton)

Yes, you did certainly respond, Joanie. I stand corrected. Though I am left wondering if Trump had blistered Putin, would you’d have thought Trump was war-mongering like Reagan when he blistered Gorbachev way back when? It seems there is nothing Trump can say or do that won’t be roundly condemned by the Left. But hey, I realize that most of what you see & read is information meant to influence political positions. There’s no getting away from it. I thought that was a lovely tribute from the Admiral about Brennan. Am sure he has done good work. From the way the FISA scandal seems to be unfolding, however, he has been up to some mischief, too. We shall see how that pans out. In the meantime, it’s important, I think, to remember that no one is questioning Brennan’s right to express his feelings. One obviously doesn’t lose that right when one loses one’s  clearance. Remember, too, that Trump is exercising his right to revoke Brennan’s clearance, as well.  As far as your active participation re immigrants: that is nice you want our country to welcome strangers. I think we all want that. But some of us want to know who they are, before they disappear into the shadows, harm children, deal drugs or threaten us harm. It makes sense, like teaching our children not to talk to strangers. I would be interested, too, in knowing how you would level the playing field with NATO & NAFTA. Presidents from both parties have known it has been unfair for many years, complained about it & then done nothing. Like with immigration reform, presidents & politicians have promised it, campaigned on it, complained about it & done nothing. For 8 years under Obama, the poor got poorer. Many Liberal policies, once so hopefully implemented in cities like Chicago, Baltimore, LA, have tragically failed to better living conditions &, coupled with an unclear, inconsistent support of law enforcement, have worsened. So far, I have not heard Left leaning politicians put forth new ideas. Hating Trump is the message du jour, day after repetitive day. With that said, what would you like to see implemented that will bring real change to these areas of concern? Are you aligning with the moderates who seem to be phasing out for a younger, more progressive set of voices? And what do you foresee in November? 

Glen, thankfully they won tonight. But, at 8 out, they have to hustle. And, I think I gained 3 pounds just looking at that stacked plate of divinity. If that’s an indication of the start of football season, I’m in! Comfort time!! 


08/17/18 05:45 AM #6484    

 

Jack Mallory

Damn, Joanie, you better get going—you've got your work cut out for you, addressing all those issues!


08/17/18 07:15 AM #6485    

 

Joanie Bender (Grosfeld)

Hi Nori. I wasn't implying that if Trump screamed at Putin that would be effective. I would have liked him to immediately order the Intelligence agencies to go into action since Russia attacked us during the election but he didn't. I would have wanted him to put in the sanctions that Congress legislated but he didn't for months and months and months. Putin understands sanctions. I would have wanted him at Helsinki to support us instead of saying 'Putin said they didn't have anything to do with it"..He did throw our intelligence agencies under the bus.  As for Immigrants, I don't hold the view that the majority are this dangerous group. Most are coming to our country the way our ancestors did seeking a better life and so many are fleeing their own demise in their country. Thank goodness for some areas that have sanctuary cities as people are living in fear and don't tell if a crime is going on for fear they will be rounded up. People here for 20 years or more are being separated when one adult is deported in a family. As for asylum seekers,  It was pointed out that with us closing the door on them and their original country being so dangerous, they have nowhere to go. To see what our country has done to people, separating mothers from childrens, coercing people to sign papers giving up asylum attempts is tragic. I am reflecting what is in my heart.. I just see what is happening before our eyes regarding the chipping away at the free press, the assault on our environment by taking away regulations that help us have clean air and water, the dog whistles towards those in the population that are not white. I hope that we, the people can make the difference, along with the courts, and legislators who see this dangerous precipace we are on. Love, Joanie


08/17/18 07:59 AM #6486    

 

Jack Mallory

An eloquent response so early in the morning, Joanie!

Do you understand how Nora knows what you see and read and how it influences your politics? Does she know what we ALL see and read? That book on the Donner Party I'm in the middle of—is it some subtly coded lobbying for big-government control over wagon-train attempts to cross the Sierras? Or that lovely contemplation on human adaptability in the NYT this morning, written while vacationing on the Delmarva Penninsula—is that some kinda liberal propaganda? Huh. 


08/17/18 10:48 AM #6487    

 

Glen Hirose

FYI or amusement;

A record rain fall in Maryland this summer has brought us beautiful green lawns, but a bumper crop of mosquitoes too.

At 72 I now suffer from an eye condition called “Floaters”.  Small particles seem to cross my field of vision, and while this in itself is not a serious problem mosquitoes and West Nile Virus are, so what should I do?  While sitting with my group at Joe’s a floater or mosquito appears.  In that moment I opt not to flinch fearing the embarrassment from seemingly inexplicable wild gyrations aimed at some imaginary who-knows-what.  At the same moment the guy next to me announces: “Mosquito!”, but then he is about my age; is he seeing a floater too?  Older people should not sit next to each other unless they are certified “Floater Free”.


08/17/18 11:32 AM #6488    

 

Jack Mallory

Floaters—NBD, had 'em for years. In the kayak I sometimes reach for the camera to take pictures of them, thinking they are high-flying birds. When they fly around behind your eyeball, they're floaters. 

I see the big Veterans Day parade in DC is canceled. Trump says he'll use the savings to buy jets. Well, a jet—that's all you get for $90 million. Maybe, since it's a cancelled Veteran's Day parade, the savings should go to veterans' health care. At least the troops who would have had to do the parading will be relieved. 


08/17/18 09:13 PM #6489    

 

Joanie Bender (Grosfeld)

Glen and Jack, I have floaters too and even flashing lights...that concerned me but the eye doctor said that its not serious. I eat a lot of blueberries that I hear are good in general for eyes and for overall health. Anyway, even though I have been called a J, I thought I would join the floater group too. Love, Joanie


08/17/18 10:22 PM #6490    

 

Robert Hall

I think there are even more of us who are members of the "floaters" group than Nori's "Js."

08/18/18 06:47 AM #6491    

 

Jack Mallory

And in the old days we had to buy the good stuff to get the flashes of light!

*************

More military and intelligence leaders condemn Trump's attempts to silence criticism and and impede the Special Counsel's investigation. https://nyti.ms/2MW5mtp

The president aims to rid the government and the airwaves of his real and imagined enemies, especially anyone connected with the Russia investigation. Somewhere Richard Nixon may be looking up and smiling. But aboveground, the special counsel is taking notes.”

These people have far more years of service to the country than Trump can imagine. As Weiner says,

The list of the signatories to the open letter defending Mr. Brennan is striking for the length and breadth of their experience. I never expected to see William H. Webster — he’s 95 years old, served nine years as F.B.I. director under Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan, then four more as C.I.A. director under Reagan and President George H. W. Bush — sign a political petition like this.”

These are the people Trump refers to as the “Deep State,” a conspiracy meta-theory that in a bizarre way links the looniest of the tunes across the political spectrum. It is one of the many conspiracies that Trump has touted for years, and that have raised doubts about his rationality: Obama as a Kenyan, Ted Cruz's father as involved in JFK's assassination, the “murder” of Justice Scalia, HRC's plans to repeal the Second Amendment, etc. Fodder for InfoWars fans, but not markers of evidence-based thinking on the part of the president of the United States. Or some of his supporters. 


08/18/18 07:56 AM #6492    

 

Joanie Bender (Grosfeld)

Yes, and for sure Trump has an Enemie's List. He and Nixon share some things in common. Love, Joanie


08/18/18 09:54 AM #6493    

 

Glen Hirose

I think to this day Joseph Stalin still holds the record for the longest most up-to-date Enemies List.

   Related image

"Uncle Joe" adding last minute touches to his list...


08/18/18 10:45 AM #6494    

 

Jack Mallory

Don’t tell Trump, Glen. You know how he likes to be #1. 

It occurred to me that if, as per the Weiner article I referenced earlier, “Somewhere Richard Nixon may be looking up and smiling,” the Devil's not doing his job. 


08/19/18 06:35 AM #6495    

 

Jack Mallory

So somebody help me out here. For those who don't somehow already know what everone reads, this is from a fascinating news article in today's NYT (https://nyti.ms/2ON7tR0). All about amateur professional wrestling—again, some of you will have to read the article to find out that that means, some of you can somehow know without reading. 

Not something I normally have any interest in, but the combo of photo and written journalism sucked me into reading about the Cajun Catfish, among others. I'm of the naive opinion that a good news article is designed to inform, not indoctrinate. That's what I see in responsible NYT news, and this article certainly does that, unless some subtle indoctrination is subliminallly operating. 

Much respoible, effective journalism informs us about important current events, like political lies and malfeasance. How, or if, that modifies our politics is up to us. Taking in any information—reading Charles Dickens, for example—may alter our beliefs, political or otherwise. A lot of really great journalism is like great literature, or photography, or anthropology. Like this piece, it exposes us to realities we are unaware of, which as human beings gives us the opportunity to change our way of thinking, or not. Reading Catch 22, seeing David Douglas Duncan's photos, or understanding the Yanamamo has changed the way I see and understand war, for example. What I DO with that understanding is something Heller, Duncan, or Chagnon have no control over. 

I have no idea if the authors and photographers of this article want me to go out and protest a brutal sport, buy tickets, or just enjoy reading about it. Like many of the articles in the Sunday NYT, It just seems designed to inform in a well written, and photographed, way—about any number of topics, from politics to food to sports.  What we do with information, how it affects our politics or daily lives, is up to us. 

 

Here's another NYT article from today's edition. Clearly about something with political implications. Can anybody tell me HOW, towards which party, in favor of or opposed to the war, to what purpose, is it intended to influence our politics? Or is it just meant to inform? Nora?


08/19/18 12:24 PM #6496    

 

Robert Hall

Belated thanks for your photos of the Grand Canyon Jerry. We'll have to pay it a visit again.

08/20/18 07:36 AM #6497    

 

Jack Mallory

Did we read 1984 in high school?

 

Orwell, or Trump and his Ministry of Truth?

 

“Truth is not truth”

“War is peace”

“Any negative polls are fake news”

“Freedom is slavery”

“2+2=5”

“What you're seeing and what you're reading is not what's happening”

“Our press secretary gave alternative facts”

“Ignorance is strength”

 

It really was Orwell who said that the test of a party member was “the loyal willingness to say that black is white when party discipline demands this. But it also means the willingness to believe that black is white, and more to know that black is white and to forget that one has ever believed the contrary.”  I guess this is why 1984 remains so relevant. 

*********

It doesn't end, it just gets nuttier. The Miami Herald has endorsed a Republican primary candidate who claims to have been taken aboard a flying saucer by space aliens. The Herald applauds her “plausible conservative ideas.” I couldn't make this shit up. 


08/20/18 06:06 PM #6498    

 

Glen Hirose

We didn’t abduct any person from Miami; this lady is delusional, lying, or out to make a fast buck...

   Related image


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