The Book of Faces

Once upon a time, I shared everything on it.  Hell, my youngest wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for Facebook, as it was where I re-met my wife after 17 years. 

I cancelled that Facebook account three years ago.  Let it be reabsorbed into the ether.  Right, sure it got deleted and isn't sitting on a Facebook server farm with an electronic dotted line to my current one where I share very little. 

I quit it before because I didn't like the way it ended up making me feel.  I couldn't wait to log back in.  The straw that broke the camel's back was when I was surfing Facebook on my computer, something distracted me, so I picked up my phone and checked Facebook. 

Fast forward now.  Facebook is acknowledged to be exactly as creepy as everyone thought.  People and companies are leaving it in droves. 

I'm not going to quit it again, yet.  My traffic to it will be curtailed.  I still want to see how friends are doing.  I like pictures of my old friends and their pets.  Pretty much what it should be used for.  Not the propaganda machine that many people I love and respect seem to think it is.

So I'm not going to unfollow or unfriend.  But I will not engage. 

That's what this is for.   You, gentle reader, get it all.  Enjoy.

What?!?

General McMaster's out?!  Holy f--king s---.  Aside from St. Mattis, we're out of free thinkers. 

Help us, Obiwan Mattis You're our only hope...

Still alive

Baby is thriving.

Not skiing as much as I would have liked this winter.

The yard at BaseCamp Ponderosa has responded well to the vast amounts of wood chips and mulch I applied over the last fall and this winter.  I have had great success with something called "chipdrop.in".  It's a direct to arborist service - you get a giant truck load (or two) of wood chips delivered by suprise to your home.  Sign up for a load of wood chips, and you could wait months... or sign up and not be able to get into your garage due to the seven cubic yards of wood chips.  So far, very happy.

I am engaged in a war on my lawn.  Well, actually with my lawn.  You see, I hate grass.  It is the ultimate parasitic organism, and I am trying (with some success) to eliminate it from my homestead. My entire backyard is now devoid of grass, save for a few bits in and around my lower urbanite terrace (fancy way of saying I built a patio area using broken concrete from an old pad next to my driveway that I've turned into a planting bed).  

This winter... wow, talk about a non-event.  Much warmer than normal.  Our local mountains have received not even half of a typical year. 

I'm scaling way back the amount I am on social media.  Again, I turn to my oft neglected blog for an outlet.  

Other than a wicked bout of the "Gombu" fever than went around during the holiday period, all is well, knock on wood. 

How goes with all of you? 

Thanks for your continued support... One of these days I will prepare myself and put up a post on politics (yuck).

Crazed American

Time flies

Holy crap, time goes by... since the last post, I now have another child, a boy this time. 

The global situation is, troubling.  NorKs are still being a pain, but we've avoided WWIII.  Turns out I have overstimated the intellectual capacity of the current CinC yet again. 

Domestically, the US is in trouble...  The country is polarizing along some rather indistinct ideological boundaries. This whole left/right paradigm is really being used by someone for some reason. 

I really wish I knew the endgame.  Political violence is something that we Americans are typically free from (obvious exceptions, granted).  But if I knew the endgame, I'm pretty sure I'd end up in a shallow grave some place, cause it's interfere with someone making a pile of coin on the end of the Republic. 

The Crazed American recommends: Death Throes of the Republic by Dan Carlin.  Find it, buy it and give it a listen.  Parallels are there. 

Will make the attempt to be better about posting.  Wish I had better news or a more positive outlook.  Pretty grim in the medium to long term. 

Pacem.

Cross posting

I put it out to the book of Faces this AM.

Call for the assassination of a political figure once, you have my pity - you're smarter than that. Do it twice in as many days, and you get unfriended. I should call 'em out, but f--k it, it's like talking to a wall. I don't care how repugnant you find the incoming administration to be ideologically. Going down that road makes it OK for the other side to do it to you, you know (also, who do you think has been buying a record number of firearms and ammunition? Hint: they don't read Salon) That kind of shit is what gets reality TV stars elected, or, *shudder* civil war. 

Also, if you think you understand what civil war would entail, and think it's the answer to your problems, you have no comprehension of history, or how brutally savage modern Homo Sapiens can be.
Don't believe me? Check out the events of late 1st Century BCE Rome, as a primary example. Russia in the nineteen teens, Spain in the 30's, Cambodia in the 60's and 70's, Rwanda in the 90's, or Syria RIGHT NOW - THIS VERY MOMENT (Peace Prize in action) might also be illuminating.

Either work within the system, and persuade your fellow Americans in the arena of ideas. Other wise, it's time to catch up with the people you can't possibly deal with. They bought more firearms than needed to equip the United States Marine Corps LAST MONTH.

We're playing with fire. Prayers for love and cooler heads.

Just when you think you...

...have totally figured out - life throws you one major curve ball.  It's happened before, prior to finding out I was going to be a Dad, and getting divorced.

Change is good.  Change is constant. 

Stay tuned. 

Debates

Who hasn't made up their mind for one, the other, or neither?  Interesting question is why are they still having them? 

Ratings and advertising revenue. 

I am beyond disgusted by this.  There is no doubt in my mind of a way-back collusion between Clinton and Trump. I don't believe in coincidence.  The only person that Clinton could possibly beat is Donald Trump.  He makes her look positively presidential in comparison. 

Say what you want to about Hillary, but no one has ever accused her of being dumb.  Evil, perhaps.  Dumb, no.

She's not going to be a good president.  Her vaunted record as Sec State? 

Ukraine, Crimea, Syria, ISIS, just to name a few.  She's made an enemy of the Russians again. 

So, enjoy all of the benefits of the Second Clinton Regieme.  I, for one think bit will be much more of the same, with an option for a major war, and a further erosion of rights.

America, we always get the government we deserve. 

Crazed American, out.

Political Post

Well, the Orange is a certified cretin.  F--k that guy.  The Dowager Empress is also a patent  rapist-enabling, foreign policy dunderhead.  She will either not improve our foreign policy standard or, quite possibly make it far worse. 

The Orange is disgusting.

No endorsement here, and my non-partisan vote pledge stands, but the Dowager Empress is the Devil I know.  With her I know how this goes down!

23 Years

23 years ago today -  3 Oct 1993.

MSG Gary Gordon, 1st SFOD-D / SFC Randy Shughart, 1st SFOD-D / SSG Daniel Busch, 1st SFOD-D / SFC Earl Fillmore, 1st SFOD-D / MSG Timothy Martin, 1st SFOD-D / CPL Jamie Smith, 3/75 Ranger / SPC James Cavaco, 3/75 Ranger / SGT Casey Joyce, 3/75 Ranger / PFC Richard Kowaleski, 3/75 Ranger / SGT Dominic Pilla, 3/75 Ranger / SGT Lorenzo Ruis, 3/75 Ranger / SSG William Cleveland, Jr. 160th SOAR / SSG Thomas Field, 160th SOAR / CW4 Raymond Frank, 160th SOAR / CW3 Clifton Wolcott, 160th SOAR / CW2 Donovan Briley, 160th SOAR / SGT Cornell Houston, 10th MTN DIV / PFC James Martin, 10th MTN DIV

 

Remember.

Reading the Tea Leaves (political post)

OK, team - been a minute but time for me to do a little political tea reading.

If you have not been in a cryostasis tube on your way to a teeth intensive visit to an alien world, you've heard of Hillary "Never tell the damn truth" Clinton's health issues.

For the record: The Crazed American is completely NON-PARTISAN.  F--k 'em both.  I will NOT VOTE FOR EITHER OF THESE TWO CLOWNS.

If she, like a lot of the "Alt-Right" (Read Alex "DOOM is nigh, buy my diet supplements and neutraceuticals" Jones) is correct and she and her campaign are lying about her health and she does have some sort of chronic neurological condition or trauma, and there is some evidence of it (seizures, some of her unexplainable reactions, coughing fits, her handler with what looks to be like some sort of diazepam pen, and the whole DNC contingency plan), then it is obviously exacerbated by stress.

I cannot fathom the stress of having to compete against, much less debate someone like Donald "I'm not bothered by facts" Trump.

If you think there is some for of criminal conspiracy to keep Hillary's health a secret, then the sheer level of dealing with DJT's bullshit would send you over the edge.  Long story short is this:  if she is truly healthy, as her camp says she is, no worries, the debates will be merely a sad commentary on the train-wreck that is American Politics, and a road-map of lies the politicians will tell each other and the electorate.  Then points against the conspiracy folks.

But, when confronted with the bombast and attitude of "let's not let facts cloud the issue" attitude of Trump, what would be the reaction, pray tell if Clinton was to have a seizure from stress, on stage, on TV?

So in the debates, upon advice, he'll push her, confront her, trying to ratchet the stress level up.  It'll get her flustered, off balance.  If she does have some form of neurological condition, that'll be a perfect storm.  Stress, bright lights, fatigue from campaigning, crazy bullshit from the person on stage with her.

Imagine the optics of Trump rushing over to catch a falling, ill old lady.  He'll be quietly noble.  He'll be the closest person to her. He'll be the first person to tell the American Public that we should come together and pray for her speedy recovery, because there will literally be a microphone and a dozen TV cameras putting the whole thing out, live in full HD.  Then we'll have a **Shudder** President Donald J Trump, and I will prepare for an apocalypse.


Or, if she really is healthy, and just had a brief bout of pneumonia, then the debates will allow me to be an asshole non-partisan, grumbling into the whiskey that I will be drinking those nights.  Then we might have a President Hillary R Clinton, and I will prepare for an apocalypse, more distant, but still probable.

I hope she's healthy.  I want the debates to happen, unmarred.  I want the parties to be politically bloodied by this.  Let them spew their bullshit.  People are waking up.

Crazed American, out.