Opuscula Whistle blower cites Unknown persons As “crime” witnesses

Pot calls kettle black and tv heads ignore facts they don’t like

I just watched the Democrat-controlled House attack a Trump appointee for nearly an hour.
The basis for the attack was a whistle blower’s letter that claimed President Trump threatened to withhold aid to the Ukraine unless Joe Biden’s son was investigated.

AS A FORMER NEWSPAPER reporter and editor I saw so much wrong with the hearing.

ATTRIBUTION

The whistle blower cited multiple unidentified sources for his information. It was pointed out to the Democrats that NONE of the whistle blower’s sources were identified. In a court of law, that information would be inadmissible; not accepted.

In a newspaper (from my day, at least), the information would be disregarded. Best case, the reporter would be chastised and told to attribute the claims or, alternatively, find supporting evidence. No attribution, no hard evidence, no story.

The whistle blower DID cite tertiary sources: various media outlets that also failed to attribute sources.

BULLYING BULLY PULPIT

The House Democrats tried, and generally failed, to bully the former Navy Seal into answering Yes of No to questions that could not be answered truthfully with a Yes of No answer.

When I was a kid, such a question was “Are you still beating your wife.” No matter what the response, the responder was guilty of beating his wife.

I have seen the Democrats at work before and today’s exhibition was no exception. (That is not to say Republicans would not badger Democrats given the chance.)

Circa 1500, A prisoner undergoing torture at the hands of the Spanish Inquisition. Monks in the background wait for his confession with quill and paper. Hulton Archive/Getty Images (http://tinyurl.com/yyk6owku)

THE CRIME

According to the whistle blower’s unsubstantiated letter, Trump allegedly asked the Ukraine’s new president to investigate a company in which Joe Biden’s son was involved. The Ukraine already investigated the company and had, on more than one occasion, fined it for its dealings.

The Democrats are making two claims:

1. That Trump was trying to influence the U.S. 2020 elections by giving Biden’s son a bad name, and by implication, involving Obama’s VP and possible 2020 Democrat candidate for the White House and

2. That Trump was threatening to withhold U.S. aid to pressure or “push” the Ukrainian president to investigate the younger Biden.

Democrats, of course never interfere in foreign elections. Obama never interfered with Israeli elections — although he tried really heard to get Netanyahu defeated.

Never mind that the U.S. has a very long record of interfering in others elections and even removing a head of government who failed to toe the U.S. line.

Trying to influence an election is “the American way.” Think of Chicago’s corrupt Democrat politics (and Obama); think of New York and the Democrats' Tammany Hall,

Trump also was accused of trying to hide a recording of the call to the Ukraine.

Shades of Hillary and her emails (which Trump allowed to slide).

AS REPORTED ON TV

Immediately after the grilling by Democrats, the tv talking heads gave their interpretation of what was said — or not.

Mostly it was a rehash of what the generally leftist media wanted to emphasize at the expense of the full story.

As King Solomon is alleged to have said: “There is nothing new under the sun.” (You didn’t know Solly spoke English?)

REPUBLICANS JUMPING SHIP?

According to the talking heads, a number of Republicans in the House and Senate are abandoning ship; 2020 is, after all an election year. They are betting that the Democrats will finally get SOMETHING on the president. So far they continue to come up empty.

What is likely to happen is that in the privacy of the voting booth, many Democrats will consider how well off they were under Obama and how well off they are under Trump and vote to give Trump another four years in the White House.

That won’t stop the remaining Democrats from hounding the president, nor will it stop Republicans from giving the same treatment to a Democrat if one ever gets into the White House.

Trump, unlike his predecessors, does not have D.C. credentials. Unlike LBJ, he doesn’t know “where the bodies are buried.” He is not charismatic a la JFK (although unlike JFK, Trump gets things done) or a relatively handsome actor a la Reagan (who Democrats said couldn’t do the job). Trump simply lacks the proper “school tie” and for that he is hounded. It will be interesting top see the outcome of the 2020 elections, although I think I’ll pass on most of the campaign lies.

Editorial cartoon by Gary Varval for 9/26, 2019

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PLAGIARISM is the act of appropriating the literary composition of another, or parts or passages of his writings, or the ideas or language of the same, and passing them off as the product of one’s own mind.

Truth is an absolute defense to defamation. Defamation is a false statement of fact. If the statement was accurate, then by definition it wasn’t defamatory.

Comment on No attribution

Opuscula It is almost MEDICARE Time again

MY MEDICARE & YOU came in today’s mail. (Unfortunately the letter carrier failed to deliver a really important piece of mail; sadly that is normal on this route.)¹

MEDICARE & YOU alphabetically lists all the services basic Medicare provides.

Medicare Advantage plans (Medicare C) usually provide a great deal more.

It will be October before Medicare-approved Advantage (and Supplemental) plans will be available for review.
Go to www.medicare.gov for a list of all plans available in your area.

IN THE MEANTIME people eligible for Medicare can gather information they will need to compare plans.
When the plans become available in October, prospective plan members will need three documents:

* Evidence of Coverage (EOC)
* Providers’ List
* Formulary.

They all will be available on line and on request from the companies offering coverage.

Do you like your doctors? If you have a primary care doctor you like, write down his or her name.

Under the primary care’s name write down the names of any specialists you use. Are you committed to those specialists?

Most Advantage plans are “capitated.” That means that while a plan’s Providers’ List may include 500 specialists, your primary care may only be able to refer you to 50 (10%) of the specialists on the list. You may have to make a choice: change primary care doctor or be willing to see a different specialist.

Most plans allow members to see optometrists and podiatrists on the Providers’ List sans referral

Check with your primary care physician to determine which, if any, Medicare plans are accepted. Also ask the doctor how responsive the plan is to requests for referrals to specialists.

There ARE alternatives.

Rather than an Advantage plan HMO you could opt for an Advantage plan PPO. The PPO will let you see any specialist in the plan’s network, but at a price. For example, one company offers an HMO plan for no additional (above the monthly Part B Medicare payment) and a PPO plan for an additional $80/month. There also is a Medicare Supplement plan that is an extra cost option.

An aside. Supplement plans tout that they are portable; plan members can see any doctor and check into any hospital that accepts Medicare. Advantage plans also cover members who travel, but there may be paperwork penalties.

If you have a preferred hospital, or if your specialist has privileges at a specific hospital, make certain the hospital (a) is on the plan’s Providers’ List and (b) that the hospital accepts the plan you select.

I tend to check the insurance plans accepted by my preferred hospital and then check to see if my preferred primary care physician (canddate) also accepts any or all of the plans accepted by the hospital.

Pharmacies and pills Make a list of the prescription medications you take. Include name and pill potency, e.g., Metformin 500 mg.

Later, when the Formularies are released, confirm that the drug is listed, and note into what tier the plan has placed the drug. The tier determines any copays, but to find out what the copays are for the tiers, typically four, you must refer to the Evidence of Coverage.

If you have a favorite pharmacy, include its name and address.

When the Providers’ List is available, check to see it the pharmacy is listed.

Subject to change Both the Providers’ List and the Formulary are “subject to change” between January 1 and December 31. The content of the Evidence of Coverage is fixed for the year and cannot be changed.

A word about referrals Many people complain that getting a referral is a pain in the posterior. Referrals are how your primary care physician knows who you are seeing and knows that the specialist “owes” him a report. The primary care is a “clearing house” for all your medical needs and makes certain that one specialist does not contradict the primary or another specialist’s orders. (Another person to trust is your pharmacist who can warn you of any contra-indicated medicines.) I always insist that specialists send reports to my primary care physician and I follow up with my primary to make certain the reports reached the practice.

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1. I subscribe to the USPS.com Informed Delivery service. This free and very good service sends me a daily email with scanned images of the letters I can expect in my mailbox. The service includes a feedback for missing mail. I all too frequently am forced to use it.

PLAGIARISM is the act of appropriating the literary composition of another, or parts or passages of his writings, or the ideas or language of the same, and passing them off as the product of one’s own mind.

Truth is an absolute defense to defamation. Defamation is a false statement of fact. If the statement was accurate, then by definition it wasn’t defamatory.

Comment on Medicare 2020 – Part 1

Opuscula Age should not Be the only criteria For potent potables

I WILL NOT BE SO BOLD as to suggest that age — the time a whiskey or wine spends “maturing” — is of no concern.

For some potables, it is.

I HAPPEN TO LIKE Irish whiskey, a drink in rotation with Bourbon and arak.

Being a bit of a snob, I once drank only "single malt" whiskeys, even when I knew that even "single malt" whiskeys really are blends.

I have had 12 year old "single malt" Irish whiskey and I have had 4 year old ”single malt” Irish whiskey.

None of my Irish whiskey’s are matured in wine casks — used Bourbon barrels and first fill oak barrels only. The wine changes both the flavor and the color of the whiskey; some contend it makes the whiskey more palatable.

Somehow I stumbled — that probably is not a good word in context with potent potables, but … — across a young blended Irish and found it suits me far better than the 12 year old I previously bought.

The blend, the Quiet Man (right) is a relatively low price product — actually, about the same price as older, "single malt" Irish whiskeys. At four years, it is a “young” whiskey. (The distillery also produces an 8 year old single malt.)

I never will pretend to be a whiskey connoisseur; the only “nose” I know is on my face. My Second Born has an educated palate, but he doesn’t drink anything alcoholic. If someone tells me

* Appearance: Bright, golden straw, medium legs.
* Nose: Malted barley, candied fruit, oak, light amount of solvent.
* Palate: Quite sweet, notes of honey, vanilla, banana, velvety mouthfeel.
* Finish: Quick and light burn, with an aftertaste of toffee and butterscotch candy.

I’ll have to agree, although I have no idea what the reviewer really means. (The review is from The Whiskey Wash web site.) From another site, Master of Malt

* Nose: Icing sugar, fresh tropical fruit, green banana and honey.
* Palate: Creamy vanilla, toasted cereals, more honey, marmalade.
* Finish: Faint spiciness of cinnamon and peppery oak.

My personal bottom line: Forget the high falutin’ fancy words of the connoisseurs, try whatever drink catches your eye and decide — on your own — if it suits YOUR fancy. I take my whiskeys “neat.” No ice. No “water back.” Just the drink.

My current Bourbon of choice is from Kentucky and with this brand, age does make a difference. Jim Beam Black (right) is aged between 6 and 8 years — the distiller once included the information on the label, but no more — while the Beam white label is significantly younger and one taste and you know there is a difference. (I spent a number of years with Tennessee Black Jack (Jack Daniels Black Label) sour mash, but in my old age I prefer Beam’s Black.) Black Jack and Beam Black recipes are distinctly different.

Again, I take my Bourbons neat.

As with Irish (and scotch, and Canadian, and wines) there are connoisseurs who will opine on every aspect of the potable, but probably no two will agree.

Fortunately, many of the more popular whiskeys are available as miniatures so having a personal taste test won’t break the bank.

I may be related to Benjamin Kubelsky. I like my (relatively) inexpensive arak (right, with ouzo).

I’ve tries some of the fancy name products with the equally fancy prices. I’ve even tried some araks made from fruits — not for my unsophisticated taste buds.

Arak is about the same as ouzo; both come from around the Mediterranean. If you like black licorice, you probably will like arak. Some people prefer it chilled, others with ice or water. When chilled, with ice, or with water, the drink goes from crystal clear to cloudy. I prefer my clouds in the sky. It’s a matter of taste.

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Sources

Whiskey Wash: http://tinyurl.com/y277gqte

Master of Malt: http://tinyurl.com/yykyuv6c

Benjamin Kubelsky a/k/a Jack Benny: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Benny

PLAGIARISM is the act of appropriating the literary composition of another, or parts or passages of his writings, or the ideas or language of the same, and passing them off as the product of one’s own mind.

Truth is an absolute defense to defamation. Defamation is a false statement of fact. If the statement was accurate, then by definition it wasn’t defamatory.

Comment on Age matters

Opuscula Netanyahu And Trump: Mental twins

ISRAEL’S PRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump are two of a kind.
They surround themselves with, take your choice, sycophants, toadies, lackeys, flunkies, minions, stooges, kowtowers, grovellers and other synonyms for “yes men” (and women).

IT A CABINET MEMBER disagrees with Trump, that Cabinet member is either allowed to resign or, as was the case of National Security Advisor John Bolton, is fired. (How Bolton left is open to debate.).

If a minister disagrees with Netanyahu, the prime minister removes the person from the post and assumes the ministry for himself.

Never mind the individual’s popularity and never mind that in some cases, the dismissal will come back to haunt the chief executive.

Netanyahu would be king, but he may be deposed by a woman, Ayelet Shaked (right), who was given short shrift by the PM. Shaked left the ruling Likud party and, with others, formed a new party that might end Netanyahu’s reign as PM. (It is unlikely it would keep him out of the Knesset.)

I do not expect John Bolton to form a new political party and a jump to the liberal Democrats is not going to happen — I suspect neither wants the other — but he could throw his support to one of the few brave Republicans willing to run against the incumbent, normally as foolish a thing to do as spitting into the wind. Still, with Trump’s knee-jerk tweets and what appears to be an “I’m ALWAYS right” attitude, there may be hope for challengers.

Netanyahu whines that anyone who is not with him must be against him, suggesting that Shaked and other right-wing politicians are liberals who want to surrender Israel to the PLO.

Trump is proving something similar.

Bolton (right) was a hawk who recommended that Trump act forcefully against America’s real or perceived enemies. Trump, who apparently sees himself as King of Negotiators — and he might be — took exception to the advice Bolton is said to have offered.

By the way, Bolton is — was — Trump’s third national security advisor.

My Way or the Highway

More and more we are seeing leaders around the world who operate with the “My way or the highway” mentality.

In the U.S. this seems relatively new.

President Harry S Truman (right) fired Gem. Geo Patton for in­su­bor­din­a­tion.¹ He had strong disagreements with his first Secretary of State, James Francis Byrnes, but kept him on. Byrnes resigned² and Truman appointed Gen. Geo. C. Marshall whom he later named Secretary of Defense, replacing Marshall with Dean Acheson.

Both Marshall and Acheson were against U.S. recognition of Israel but Truman prevailed. Neither man was dismissed by Truman.³

Before Bolton’s resignation/dismissal, Trump had replaced⁴

* Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen
* FBI Director James Comey
* Secretary of State Rex Tillerson
* Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin
* White House counsel Don McGahn

In the case of the VA boss, the dismissal came after multiple reports of mismanagement at VA facilities. While Shulkin may not have been responsible, as President Truman noted: “The buck stops here.”

Apropos of nothing

An amusing side note to the Bolton exit is a headline from Fox News.⁵

Tucker hails firing of John Bolton: He was 'fundamentally a man of the left'

Left? LEFT?

The Fox News report opened with:

Tucker Carlson hailed the firing Tuesday of White House National Security Adviser John Bolton, calling him a "man of the left" whose exit should be celebrated by young service members.

“It is great news for America. Especially for the large number of young people who would have been killed in pointless wars if Bolton had stayed on the job. They may not be celebrating tonight, but they should be," said Carlson, noting that oil prices dropped on the news of Bolton's firing, since global investors "knew for certain that Bolton planned on launching another Middle Eastern conflict that would inevitably spike energy prices."

Will Fox soon declare that Trump is a “man of the left” joining the likes to Pelosi, Tlaib, Omar, et al?

The Fox piece is worth a read, regardless of left, right, or in between.

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Sources

1. http://tinyurl.com/y4tm6z9d

2. http://tinyurl.com/y4p7w7yp

3. http://tinyurl.com/yyecshef

4. http://tinyurl.com/y6n8hked

5. http://tinyurl.com/y4efjhbl

PLAGIARISM is the act of appropriating the literary composition of another, or parts or passages of his writings, or the ideas or language of the same, and passing them off as the product of one’s own mind.

Truth is an absolute defense to defamation. Defamation is a false statement of fact. If the statement was accurate, then by definition it wasn’t defamatory.

Comments on

Comment on Mental Twins

Opuscula Dems have good idea About gun control Until it’s examined

LISTENING TO NPR as I was on the road this morning I was told the Democrats in Congress have an idea to solve the gun problem in the U.S.
If only those Republicans in the Senate and White House won’t sabotage it.

WHAT IS THE DEMS PLAN?
They want to disarm anyone who “poses a threat” to others.
On the surface — at first blush — that seems an excellent idea, one that the senators and the president should give serious consideration.
I hope they will give the Dems’ plan “serious consideration” since it would lead to almost constant abuse.

PROBLEM NO. 1 WHAT defines “posing a threat”? Waving a gun in a public area is a threat; almost everyone will agree on that. But is saying “I’m gong to shoot/kill you” a real threat. It could be. Then again, it might not be.

PROBLEM NO. 2 WHO can make a complaint? The issue here is a bad neighbor who wants to make trouble for someone calls the police and reports that “my neighbor poses a threat to my well being.”
The cops respond and must make a decision: Is the neighbor’s complaint valid; what did the other person say or do to cause the neighbor to call the cops? Does the complaint fall within the guidelines set forth by some government body?
Assuming the cops determine that the person poses a threat to the neighbor and they take the person into custody, who rules on the matter? Which leads to . . .

PROBLEM NO. 3 Can the courts handle the additional case load of both real and just vicious complaints? The courts are crowded enough.
If the court DOES find the neighbor’s complaint is justified, how will the person be punished? A small fine, a few days in the municipal lock-up, six months at the county farm, or a stint at a state or federal penitentiary? How many new facilities will be needed?

POSE A THREAT is a knee-jerk reaction that sounds good but one that the Democrats have not thought out.
If I have a sidearm in a gun safe in my home, am I posing a threat to my neighbors?
Hardly.
I drive my car into a county with a high murder rate. My gun is concealed per my concealed carry license. Am I posing a threat to people on the street?
Not with the gun
I have a gun tucked under my shirt at worship services. Am I a threat to other worshipers?
Hardly.
I AM a threat to anyone who would attack me or my family and that is intentional. That’s why I have the sidearm and the concealed carry license.

TRUE STORY An elderly (~90) woman lives in the subdivision. She saw two very small (2 and 3 year old) children fishing with their father at one of the on-site ponds. Thy were not on her property.
According to all reports, she came out of her home, screaming at the man and his children, threatening to kill the children and waving a gun to do just that. Fortunately the father, who had a concealed carry license, drew his sidearm and the woman wisely retreated back into her house.
The cops were called. They took the woman into custody and collected her weapons (plural). They apparently did not “Baker Act” the woman (send her for a 72 hour psychiatric evaluation), Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for such situations.
Had she been “Baker Acted,” she would have to surrender all her firearms and she would have been prevented from legally buying replacements. The final chapter of this drama has yet to be written, but she now is infamous throughout the subdivision.

I AGREE with the Democrats that “something” must be done to reduce violent crimes. Not just gun-related crime but ALL violent crimes — people are murdered with knives, axes, and other blades; they are murdered with vehicles; some are murdered by poison, and others are garroted to death.
Check out shooting statistics in places where guns are either prohibited or highly restricted. They should be zero or near zero. But they are not. They are not because anyone who wants a gun — sidearm or assault rifle — can find a seller someplace.
On the other hand, I am told that since Texas allowed open carry (where guns are worn openly), the rate of gun-related crime has dropped 50%. I have not confirmed this.

BOTTOM LINE The Democrats knee jerk reaction deserves consideration; the idea of taking guns away from people who threaten others is a start, but such a law is fraught with pitfalls that need to be resolved.

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PLAGIARISM is the act of appropriating the literary composition of another, or parts or passages of his writings, or the ideas or language of the same, and passing them off as the product of one’s own mind.

Truth is an absolute defense to defamation. Defamation is a false statement of fact. If the statement was accurate, then by definition it wasn’t defamatory.

Comments on Dems’ folly

Opuscula Gazans escape To Europe, Not Arab lands

DEAR “SQUAD” MEMBERS AND FRIENDS, why do Gazans leave the Strip for Europe when they could relocate to

* PLO-controlled areas of Israel
* Stay in Egypt from which most of their ancestors came
* Move to Jordan to be with fellow “Palestinians”
* Relocate to any Muslim-dominated country in the Middle East or elsewhere in the world?

PERHAPS “THE SQUAD” and their progressive fellow travelers should press the UN to set up special “camps” for refugees from Gaza where they can fester until Hamas is over-thrown by another despotic organization. The UN could guarantee them a “right of return” for all generations to come as it does with its captives of UNRWA camps.

It could revise the textbooks it uses to inflame children to hate and kill Israelis by simply replacing the word “Israel” with “Hamas.” (It probably would like to replace Israel, not just the word.)

How Do Israel Bashers Answer This Question?

Tell me, you ignorant Israel bashers — I cannot bring myself to call them “ladies” — Why are these escapees from the wonderful government on the Strip going to Europe vs. a Muslim country?

There are, after all, many countries where Muslims are in the majority.

According to the Pew Research Center in 2015 there were 50 Muslim-majority countries. Worldatlas.com (April 2017) identified 45 'Islamic countries'.¹

Islamic World (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

According to various sources, the escapees — what other term can be used for people who abandon everything for a better life elsewhere? — typically are well educated; professional people. They apparently have command of more languages that just Egyptian Arabic, and many have been exposed to other cultures (when in school for their professional degrees outside the Strip).

But why go so far — to Europe — rather than to Palestine (a/k/a Jordan) via Egypt? Why not continue to Libya or turn south to Somalia where professionals are sorely needed? Saudia Arabia and the Gulf states are available.

Europe already is over-saturated with Middle Eastern Muslims to the point of a non-Muslim backlash against immigrants. This backlash also works against students who fully intend to return to their home countries. (This accounts for some of the exodus from Hamas and the Strip.) It’s easy to tar a whole people with a single brush because of the actions of some.

A Tale of One Man’s Escape & Death

This small effort was prompted by an Associated Press (AP) news article headlined Gazan's death abroad shines light on middle-class exodus.²

Two paragraphs sum up the article:

Fed up with the heavy-handed rule of Hamas, al-Sultan braved a treacherous journey in hopes of starting a new life in the West — only to die along the way. His death has drawn attention to the growing exodus of middle-class Gazans who can no longer bear to live in the isolated coastal territory.

It has also struck a nerve among many Palestinians because he appears to have fled persecution by Hamas, rather than the territory’s dire economic conditions following a 12-year blockade by Israel and Egypt, imposed when the Islamic militant group seized power.

The AP article correctly noted than Egypt also blockaded Gaza but it failed to note that the both countries’ blockades were intermittent and that Israel typically enforces a blockade only after being attacked from Gaza. “Fake news” can be created through omission of facts as well as blatant lies.

Sheeple (https://freemanmovement.com)

Ignorance Is Bliss; Facts, Who Needs’em?

“The Squad” of misled women and the sheeple who foolishly follow them in their pursuit of ignorance — Facts? I don’t need any “facts.” I have my opinion and that is good enough. Facts be damned. — are too busy bashing a country and people about which they have no direct knowledge and promoting a program — BDS — that harms the people for whom they pretend to care, while ignoring the reality of states known for undemocratic and inhumane treatment of the people living in those states.

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Sources

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muslim_world

2. https://apnews.com/cd5221bff5694da4b717f811ae2053b6

3. https://freemanmovement.com/dont-be-a-sheeple/

PLAGIARISM is the act of appropriating the literary composition of another, or parts or passages of his writings, or the ideas or language of the same, and passing them off as the product of one’s own mind.

Truth is an absolute defense to defamation. Defamation is a false statement of fact. If the statement was accurate, then by definition it wasn’t defamatory.

Comment on Gazans escape

Opuscula Are school kids More “sensitive” Or too sensitive?

I READ AN ARTICLE HEADED

Active shooter drills are scaring kids and may not protect them.¹

This was just one of several similar articles, some behind pay-to-read sites (e.g., The New York Times).

THE ONE PARAGRAPH the NYT² allowed us to read was headlined When Active-Shooter Drills Scare the Children They Hope to Protect, the leed^cq read:
WASHINGTON — After the first day of school at Mark T. Sheehan High School in Wallingford, Conn., Mackenzie Bushey, a 15-year-old junior, came home upset that a teacher enforced a no-cellphones policy by confiscating students’ phones before class. She needed her cell, Mackenzie told her family last month, to notify police should a gunman attack her school.

I was alerted to the articles by Advisen FPN, an insurance and risk management publication that gets my attention every weekday.

When did kids get so “sensitive”?

When I was in grammar (elementary or primary school) at PS #2 in Indianapolis IN c 1949 we had regular fire drills and — because The Russians are coming, The Russians are coming — bomb drills.³

Being clumsy, I vividly recall tumbling down stairs to the school’s basement to avoid an atomic blast. Later, in south Florida schools, I remember squeezing under the desk or table in another useless exercise to escape a bomb blast.

I don’t recall being traumatized by the exercises, nor do I recall any other children complaining.

When my children were in high school it was all too common to see a school evacuated because some jerk — a student not ready for a test? — had called in a bomb threat.

My Spouse, once a school administrator, had as one of her many duties arranging both fire drills and active shooter drills. (By this time, Russia and the U.S., realizing they could destroy the world, took an animosity break.)

She ran announced drills at the beginning of the school year, thereafter drills sans announcements.

The students in the K-through-8 school were fine. Some of the teachers had to be reminded to be good examples for the students.

Apparently no child or parent came to my Spouse complaining that the child had his or her sensitivities abused.

In Ms. Bushey’s case (ibid.), if the teacher collected cell phones, the teacher obviously knew the students and their ability to use the phones when they should be listening to the teacher or studying. (A modern version of the old “comic book inside the text book” scam many students tried — and failed — in my time?)

Further, if the teacher had all the cell phones, the teacher could call 9-1-1 or the office number to warn the entire school of an active shooter situation. (The teacher should have both numbers in his or her personal cell phone.) Many classrooms have intercom phones that could be used to alert the administration call 9-1-1.

Plus there is supposed to be a school “resource” officer somewhere on campus.

Taking this student’s complaint one step farther, why not allow her to bring a gun to class. That’s a rhetorical question.

I once worked — very briefly in 1976 — as a teacher in an Israeli school. Armed parents guarded the school. (They had special training.)

“My” kids — 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th graders — did not appear traumatized. To be fair, these students had greater worries, such as being shelled by Katusha rockets from Lebanon. Some things never change, but we wish they would. Today, residents of southern Israel and northern Israel live under constant threat of Iranian rockets from Hamas (in the south) or Hezbollah (in the north).

Today, if a child dies of any reason, “grief counselors” immediately are brought in.

Perhaps it is a “sign of the times,” but how did it happen? When did it happen?

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Sources
1. http://tinyurl.com/y2pcmv6f
2. http://tinyurl.com/y5rgu4b8
3. My best friend at my Israeli Hebrew language course (ulpan) was a fellow from the Ukraine, then part of the USSR. I learned that while I was ducking under a desk in the U.S., he was doing the same thing in the USSR because “the Americans are coming.”

PLAGIARISM is the act of appropriating the literary composition of another, or parts or passages of his writings, or the ideas or language of the same, and passing them off as the product of one’s own mind.

Truth is an absolute defense to defamation. Defamation is a false statement of fact. If the statement was accurate, then by definition it wasn’t defamatory.

Comment on Sensitivity

Opuscula When did NRA start Enabling murderers?

TO THE BEST of my limited knowledge, none of the recent crazies who maimed or murdered innocents is/was a member of the National Rifle Association, the NRA.

Having written that, the NRA — that started life promoting safe shooting — has morphed into a political organization with one purpose: protecting the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The Amendment reads:

"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

1776 Fife and drum image and modern National Guard on maneuvers

IF THE AMENDMENT is read sans interpretation, that means members of each state’s National Guard — a well regulated Militia — is allowed to have arms. The Amendment does not state if the arms are to be stacked at an armory or kept at the soldier’s home.

The Amendment goes on to read: the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Does that mean “people who are in the military” or does it mean John and Jane Citizen?

As a gun owner, I trust it means that John and Jane have the right to keep and bear arms.

To date, that generally is how the courts have interpreted the Amendment.

I am not now, nor have I ever been, a member of the NRA. I have owned a number of guns — rifles and sidearms — over the years and never shot any weapon in anger. I have a concealed carry license.

I don’t understand

It is beyond my ken why anyone other than a person with criminal intent would object to a thorough background check before buying their first weapon.

When I bought a gun under Florida’s current law, there was a three day waiting period — a “cooling off period” — while the state did a cursory check of my criminal background. (I have none.)

When I applied for my concealed carry license, I understand the background check included asking the FBI if I had a criminal record anywhere in the U.S. and that I left the military having severed honorably.

I think every potential gun purchaser — REGARDLESS OF WHERE OR HOW the gun is purchased — should undergo the basic FBI check.

When I bought my new gun I had to fill out yet another form, but it was a mere formality; the fact I have a concealed carry license basically was enough.

Hunting with an assault rifle with 30-round magazine?

I fail to understand why anyone would go deer hunting with a semi-automatic assault rifle with small caliber ammunition stuffed into a 30-round magazine.

Small calibers — .22 and similar — are fine for squirrels and other rodents, but if a hunter needs THIRTY ROUNDS to kill a rodent or rabbit, the hunter needs to go back to the firing range and learn how to aim the rifle. Likewise those hunters after medium and large animals. A five-round magazine in a bolt-action rifle is perfect for the job. (The only animal I can think of where a 10 or 15-round magazine of .30-06 or greater in a semi-automatic rifle is a wild boar.-

The problem

Aside from the fact that (I believe) our politicians have their heads “where the sun don’t shine,” there are two serious problems with having the feds vet every initial gun purchase:

1. Not all crimes are reported to the feds.
2. The feds won’t, or can’t, properly do the job of vetting every document they receive.

Until recently, the FBI refused to share information within the Bureau and rarely shared information outside the Bureau (with other Law Enforcement Officers, a/k/a LEOs). Nine-eleven is an example of not sharing within the organization; Parkland FL (Marjorie Stoneman Douglas school) is an example of the second not-sharing issue.

Closing the gap — “red flags”

Florida, where I call home, has a number of laws that permit LEOs to confiscate weapons from people who may have acquired them legally at one time but for whatever reason would not now be allowed to own a gun.

Sharing — If you see something, say something

Too often a shooter has shown “signs” that he or she is mentally unstable. This shows up in a classroom but it’s not reported to the police as the schools try to handle the issue internally. It also shows up in the workplace where a person begins to act strangely — e.g., paranoia — but no one says anything “because.” Some victims are at least partially to blame. In one instance I know about personally, a distraught boyfriend came into the girlfriend’s workplace and shot her to death. Had the girlfriend told a coworker or HR, the boyfriend would not have been allowed into the building and the girlfriend might still be alive.

“Social” media needs to be monitored — by whom? — to alert LEOs and mental health workers that someone is a threat to someone, to themselves, or to a facility. The FBI is doing a better job, but people who frequent “social” media need to take responsibility and share threatening comments with LEOs.

I am not suggesting that America become a “police state” with everyone spying on each other.

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PLAGIARISM is the act of appropriating the literary composition of another, or parts or passages of his writings, or the ideas or language of the same, and passing them off as the product of one’s own mind.

Truth is an absolute defense to defamation. Defamation is a false statement of fact. If the statement was accurate, then by definition it wasn’t defamatory.

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Opuscula Are you really Ready to face Disaster threats?

HURRICANE DORIAN IS making its way to the U.S. Atlantic coast.

As this is composed, the storm is supposed to stay at sea, but communities along the coast are expected to experience high sustained winds and even higher gusts.

PEOPLE IN MY TOWN who have been here for more than a few years pretty much know how to prepare.

Stock up on non-perishable foods in jars and cans

Make sure there are plenty of batteries for flashlights and radios; ditto candles and matches (or bar-be-que starters).

Charge up the AC/DC tv.

Stuff the freezer as tightly as possible; freeze water for drinking later.

Put water in the bathtub for flushing toilets.

I do all those things as a matter of course. Dorian is not my first ‘cane.

Cool batteries

I decided to check installed batteries; mostly in flashlights.

One light recently had been used by a plumber. Turns out he failed to completely shut it off. When I checked it, all I got was a very dim light.

The lamp takes four “D” batteries. I had six in the fridge.

I swapped out the four old batteries (and marked them with a Sharpie so I will know they are used) and installed four, fresh-from-the-fridge, batteries. (I saved the removed batteries; they still had a little power that might be handy in a “worst case” situation.)

Turned on the lamp.

Nothing.

Opened up the lamp and checked polarity. The batteries were correctly installed.

Closed the lamp’s battery compartment.

And waited.

After about 10 minutes at room temperature (79^oF vs. 40^oF in the fridge>) the lamp worked OK.

The points of this are that

  1. Check to assure the things you might need work as OK.

  2. In optimum conditions fix or replace things that fail.

  3. Confirm the fixed item(s) work OK.

Back to the pantry.

Lately it seems many cans come with “pop top” lids; that’s great.

HOWEVER, not ALL cans have pop tops and sometimes the pop tops don’t pop properly. Make certain there is a known-good manual can opener available and know where to find it — you might be working in the dark.

Water, water ...

You filled the bathtub with water for flushing the toilet and washing hands.

Do you have something — a bucket or ladle — to transfer the water to the toilet or sink? I have a bucket Hitachi gave away at a Business Continuity conference many years ago.

Cell phones, smart and otherwise

Most of us have cell phones, some “smart,” some not so smart. All have batteries that require charging. Ditto computers, tablets, and such.

No AC, not charge.

If the AC fails — it hasn’t yet here — I can charge the phone and laptop batteries using a USB charger plugged into a “power port” (nee cigarette lighter receptacle). I have to start the car, and that means opening the garage, but that’s a small price to pay. Meanwhile, I keep the devices at or near 100% charge. My cell phone will function at least 12 hours on a charge; the laptop more than 2 hours, but it will be used sparingly. (The cell gets emergency notifications and email.)

Water in the tank

I have two “plastic” jerry cans filled with regular gasoline for a total of slightly more than three gallons. (For my flivver, that takes me a long way.) The car’s tank is close to full.

But, the tanks have been sitting in the garage for some time — since the last hurricane threat — so I was concerned about water in the gas. A web search on How to test for water in gasoline turned up a show-and-tell at TrustMyMechanic.com . There are test kits on the market and there are more complicated tests, but this one worked for me and all it cost me was a few ounces of gasoline.

Protecting windows

There are numerous ways to protect glass from flying debris.

Accordion shutters Metal accordion shutters are an effective option. The shutters are permanently secured to the structure usually at time of construction. Although these require minimal maintenance, they do need to be lubricated and operated from time to time. These shutters may be operated by an individual.

Roll-down shutters More expensive than accordion shutters, these also require minimal maintenance. The manufacturers provide maintenance instructions, but like accordion shutters, these should be operated before they are needed to assure no repairs are required. Roll-down shutters’ main issue is alignment on the track. On the plus side, many roll-downs have small perforations; if almost closed the shutters protect glass while still allowing in some light. Fully lowered, they are as “light tight” as any other method. These shutters may be operated by an individual or electro-mechanically.

Awning shutters Awning shutters are “drop down” metal awnings. They require minimal maintenance — primarily a coating of petroleum jelly to prevent rust on joints and securing hardware — and, as with the previous options, they should be operated well before a storm to make certain pins or bolts and nuts can be removed easily. These shutters usually can be operated by an individual.

Metal panels Metal panels are “stacked” either side-by-side or one-above-the-other. They are functional, but take up storage space and are time consuming to install and remove. Holes must be drilled into the structure to secure the panels to the building. These shutters require at least two people to install/remove.

Plywood panels Plywood panels may be the least expensive option, but they share the same problems of metal shutters. Additionally, plywood comes in large sheets that can be unwieldy in even a moderate wind. Ply boards require at least two people to install/remove.

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PLAGIARISM is the act of appropriating the literary composition of another, or parts or passages of his writings, or the ideas or language of the same, and passing them off as the product of one’s own mind.

Truth is an absolute defense to defamation. Defamation is a false statement of fact. If the statement was accurate, then by definition it wasn’t defamatory.

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