Wednesday, July 09, 2014

Summer Storms; Old Fools; Bigger Signs; Political Cartoon; War Hawks; Drug Dealers; Jail Meetings; Work Scam; Numbers; Boehner's Lawsuit; Minimum Wage; Goat Patch; A Warrant

Very hot day for a trip on Village bus to the Gettysburg, PA, outlets.  Exactly 10 seconds before Elaine and I got off the bus at home, the sky exploded with more rain, thunder, and lightning than we have had poured upon us for many moons.  Yesterday saw a storm like this one also.. but that storm blew over a tree that landed on a young boy and killed him.  Very sad.


01.  Stupid acts are not limited to the young


A 69 year old Hampstead, Maryland man pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a 92 year old woman on several occasions.  The judge decided that since the man was a caregiver for his invalid wife, he would not have to serve any time.


02.  Oh.. let them have bigger signs if they want them


The Mount Airy, Maryland Council is about to consider  and probably approve a regulation amendment allowing much larger political signs to be displayed in some parts of town.  I guess they are hoping that this action will please "Mr. Conservative" Richard Rothschild.


Also, the Mount Airy Council will consider adjusting its recall process so that a recall can be started without stating a cause.   Huh?!  Is this related to so-called "fishing expeditions?"


03.  Well, its about time


The Carroll County Times finally has published an editorial cartoon that pokes fun at the do-nothing Speaker of the House, John Boehner, rather than at President Obama.  It will be real interesting to read the wording on Boehner's upcoming lawsuit.  (see Mr. Zirpoli's comments in this blog entry.)


04.  Why do our youths have to die?


John Culleton wrote in his monthly column about "not letting the war hawks prevail..."  His comments are "spot on" as Mel B says.  Why should we let our youths die and our coffers get depleted by getting involved in tribal warfare that will probably go on for another thousand years?


05.  Hick town?


A Carroll County informant notified police that some New York drug dealers were invading Westminster, Maryland.  Drug-sniffing dogs helped the police arrest two drug peddlers. 


Why do drug dealers come to Westminster?


a.  They think that Westminster is a hick town that probably has a police force consisting of Andy and Barney Pfife. (Well.. surprise, surprise.)


b.  They probably figure that Baltimore residents like to come to country towns like Westminster to buy their drugs. (They do.)


06.  Did the foxes run the hen house?


The Baltimore Sun reports that the upper management of the Baltimore City Jail held eleven "town hall meetings" with leaders of the Black Gorilla Family (BGF) to get tips on how to better operate the Institution.  It was also reported that BGF leaders were allowed to "frisk" new prisoners and keep anything they found, because then the new-comers would understand that they had to behave themselves in the jail or answer to the BGF.


Some folks believe that Baltimore made a big mistake in locating its jail "in the hood" and then populating the guard force with people who lived there and were brought up with prisoners they were being paid to watch over.   What do you think?


07.  Work and Culture Scam in Turkey?


This was reported by L.A. from Oakland, in a letter to the Southern Poverty Law Center.


"Some students from Istanbul said that they had paid for a Summer "Work Abroad" program in America, and instead, ended up working full time at a McDonalds, 30 miles outside of  Las Vegas.  They worked for no pay in high heat and were housed in a shared small room.. and there were no cultural activities for them to participate in for miles and miles."


08.  Grandpa and the Afro-American


Elaine and I were wondering if the Baltimore Afro-American newspaper was still being printed. I think so.  As we talked, I was reminded of the following:


When I was a kid, people loved to play the "numbers" in Massachusetts.. they probably still do.  It gave a little hope to drab lives.  I've written about this before.. there were two places to see what number "came out".. The Boston Record and the Baltimore Afro-American.  These were my Grandfather's favorite newspapers.  Since it would take a rather long walk to get the Record, he subscribed to the Afro.. and might have been one of very few white dudes to get that paper delivered west of New Bedford's Cottage Street.


Every day, maybe even Sunday, a little old bent-over African American man would shuffle up the mile-long uphill walk to our house to deliver the paper to his buddy, my Grandfather.  And, every day, my Grandfather would give the old guy whatever change he had to be put on his favorite lucky number... 437  .. now, the secret is out... with that number, my grandfather won enough money to keep him in 5 cent beers every day.   I hope he gave the old guy a tip when he won.  I really felt sorry for him trudging all that way up hill... of course, he had an easier time going down the hill.


Later, when I drove a cab in New Bedford, I learned that the number collectors did not always turn bets in.. they knew that if a person won and the money had not been bet, the collector could get enough somewhere else to cover the "win."  We are not talking big money here.  Sometimes my grandfather's big win was around ten dollars.  Once in a while he hit it "big" but not often.  He never did get "stiffed" though.


09.  Executive Orders and Signing Statements


Tom Zirpoli writes in his monthly column that Speaker John Boehner wants to bring his lawsuit  against President Obama because of Obama's excessive use of executive orders and signing statements.   But Mr. Zirpoli cites the fact that beloved Republican President Reagan issued 250  signing statements over 8 years while Obama has issued a grand total of 27 since he took office, and says: "Obama has issued fewer executive orders and signing statements compared to other presidents in the last century"


Presidential executive orders tell Federal Agencies how to do their business. 


Signing statements are written objections by the President to bills or parts of bills, that he does not agree with, even though he has to sign such legally passed bills.


10.  High minimum wage; low unemployment.


A CSPAN interviewee says that places like San Francisco and Seattle, where they pay high minimum wages have the lowest level of unemployment in the Country.  


Remember that the largest group of persons receiving food stamp subsidies, are WalMart workers.


11.  Horsin' Around Goats


A local lady named Hope Holland writes a pleasant column about her experiences with horses and farm issues.  One story she told a while ago was about goats:


One of her friend's goats injured its eye and needed to wear an eye patch for a few days while the eye healed.  Problem: the patch kept falling off.  A patch-holding device had to be able to loop over the horns, snap around the goat's head and have a large-enough area to hold the bandage over the goat's injured eye.


Being a woman.. she found the perfect device.. a bra.  Plenty of snaps, loops for the horns and the (eye) cup size was just right!


12.  Horsin' Around the Farm


Hope likes to tell this story:


An officious Government agent stopped at a rural farm.  He told the farmer:  "I have a warrant to inspect your farm for illegally grown drugs."
The old farmer said, "Okay, but don't go in that field there."
The Government official yelled, "Mister, I have the authority of the Federal Government with me. And he showed the farmer his warrant.
"See this warrant?  This warrant allows me to go wherever I want to go on your farm, no questions asked.  Do  you understand?!"
The old farmer nodded politely and went about his chores.
Later, the farmer heard loud screams and saw the Government official running for his life, with the farmer's bull close behind.
The old farmer quickly ran to the fence and yelled at the top of his lungs:
"Quick, Mister.. show him your warrant!"


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