Will State Employees Replace National Guard?

As millions of Nation Guard troops are misused and abused in foreign wars, there is a shortage of personnel to fulfill their intended role, service during US domestic emergencies. A little bird has suggested to me that state governments are quietly enlisting state employees for emergency service. If that's not a draft, I need to brush up on my definition of involuntary service. Another wrinkle that has not surfaced yet involves state employees with prior military experience. I'd be willing to bet a few brain cells that those folks are going to be assigned more than just handing out blankets and water.

Did someone burn the US Constitution when I wasn't looking?

President Obama; Two-term Wonder or One-term Blunder?

President Obama has been quite a disappointment for me. He seems more than willing to continue George Bush's strategy of governing by fear. I am ready for the change, anytime President Obama is ready to deliver. I've remained silent until now, but the situation is becoming dire. Obama's condescending attitude towards advocates for decriminalizing marijuana is more than a little alarming. Again, if Obama is a Drug War advocate, where is this change we were promised?

First gym work in 6 weeks!

Well, that couldn't have gone a lot better. After pushing my luck and straining my left shoulder, life appears to be getting back to normal. After 6 weeks off, I had a great return yesterday. It wasn't perfect, but I'm feeling soreness exactly where I should and it went very well, very well. Everyone thought I'd quit like many of the New Year's crowd. Nah, I'm there, good or bad. I kept trying to rush my recovery and making it worse so I just backed off completely. I was surprised that I don't feel any tweak or sharp pain with full weight on the shoulder during pushups. I was about perfect and Saturday afternoon was a great time to have the gym almost empty. It was very therapeutic to not have to hassle with people. For some reason, people think it's OK to stare in a gym. It's not. If someone is busy, don't eye f*&* them. They don't have to stare, I AM in great shape for my age, and they HAVE let themselves go.

Dropping US Consumerism

I just tried to get pricing information for Comcast internet service in my area. Their attitude is to just sign up and worry about costs later, and to pay pay services you don't want for a "better" price on an internet connection. It's crazy. Corporations have destroyed our nation. All I want to see are rate plans in my area.
My decision, to drop my internet service entirely. I'll miss it, but I'll be damned if I'll keep being sucked dry. Back to reality for me. I'll use what free services I can manage to find, once my 2 year contract runs out. There is no sense or moral argument for the US government ot allow corporations to bleed customers dry. The US economy is based on criminal relationships between corrupt politicians and corporations, NOT capitalism and free competition.

Economic sanction madness has to stop; Cuba

A good reminder of how cruel US foreign policy is. Economic sanctions are seen as moral and peaceful alternatives to military action. In reality, economic sanctions are pure evil. The purpose is to torture innocent citizens into rebellion against the current government, which is often supported by that the majority of that same citizenry, by starvation and making the lives of innocent men, women, and children as miserable as possible. It is barbaric. What's worse is that economic sanctions on Cuba, like other forms of torture, do not work.

No Cuban products or raw materials may enter the US US companies and foreign

Subsidiaries banned from trade with Cuba

Cuba must pay cash up front when importing US food

Ships which dock in Cuba may not dock in the US for six months

US citizens banned from spending money or receiving gifts in Cuba without special permission, in effect a travel ban

Americans with family on the island limited to one visit every three years.

Madness!!!

Mind your own business!!

Americans seem to have so much leisure time that they are bored with the details of their own lives. As my nomad post describes, my strategy over the next several months will provide me with a complete retrenchment of all material possessions, and provide the ability to move several times a year with minimal effort if desired. That should give landlords something to keep them busy, other than snooping into the lives of their tenants. I relish the demise of personal wealth in America. It's corrupted the core of freedom. Once the government has lost the carrot of easy living to dangle in front of the populace, control is lost and the DNC and RNC will finally crash into history as failed efforts of corruption. We'll see. Karl Marx isn't looking so crazy anymore.

Working out the kinks; Nomad post

On a personal note, I have not given up on this effort. The circumstances of the economy are requiring additional restructuring past what I anticipated. This time, I'm going completely nomad and selling everything I have over the next several months. All I'm going to have to move is maybe a bed and a desk, and a few changes of clothes.

My final strategy is to rent and own only what I can pack into a pickup truck in a few hours and be able to move it all in a single trip. If the bankers want lean and mean, they've got it. In other words, I've given up on ever owning any home or having a rooted existence and have embraced my role as a member of the impoverished nomad underclass of America. We'll see who the bankers loan money to now. They should have been more careful what they wished for. I anticipate a complete transition by July and will resume a more active role here.

Work at home insanity

I see where the snake oil salesmen of the "service economy" are now trying to sell the public on the "Internet economy." They seem to think everyone will be able to type happily on their computers from home and road congestion will be a problem of the past. There's something called market saturation. It is what happens if everyone tries to buy to same stock. There's a surge, then a crashing reset to real value. There is no substitute for producing food, repairing equipment needed for life, and producing ships, generators, water filtration equipment, etc. The world needs less get rich quick schemes and promises of easy living and more nuts and bolts practicality.