Jeff - RIP (Dec. 29-30)

It's hard to believe it's been six years since Jeff passed away!  Time has truly flown by.

It may sound strange, but the place I think of Jeff most is while I'm at work - because of this plant.

The back part of the plant is the last remains of the one thing I took from Jeff's funeral...I have recently supplemented the pot with another small plant, but the tall one in the back continues to thrive.  It truly is amazing, because I've killed many other plants in my office during this time, but this one keeps churning along.

Those who know me well, know I'm not a traditional religious person, but I do believe in the power of positive thinking, and  am very much a person who believes in strange things...This plant is one of those strange things.  This plant is my gateway to my brother.

It is something I see every day at work, something I tend to by clipping dead leaves and watering every Monday and Friday morning...It is something I care for very much.

I have not forgotten you, Jeff.  I think about and talk of you often...I miss and I love you, Brother.

THIS WEEK IN PICTURES

The 'Real' Election Day!

"Anyone not willing to accept the results of an election is a danger to democracy." - Hillary Clinton (October 2016)

Most Americans have no idea that they don't vote for President of the United States on Election Day (this past November 8)...Generally it isn't their fault, because our education system (K-College) has done an absolutely piss-poor job of explaining the matter - by design.

On November 8th, the American people went to the polls and voted for the 'Electors' who have pledged to vote for either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton - as determined by the vote of the people on November 8.  As it turned out on Election Day, the people voted for 306 Electors for Trump and 232 Electors for Hillary...The Electoral College is scheduled to cast its votes on December 19.  This is the 'Real Election Day,' and the results of this vote will determine who is President of the United States.

"Democracy survives because we recognize that there is something more important than any individual campaign, and that is making sure the integrity and trust in our institutions sustains itself. Because democracy works by consent, not by force...Every expert regardless of political party...who has ever examined these issues in a serious way will tell you that instances of significant voter fraud are not to be found. Keep in mind elections are run by state and local officials." - President Barack Obama (October 2016)

It doesn't happen often, so I have to say it very loud and clear:  Hillary and Obama are correct! (above)  

The basic point of America's 'democratic republican' form of government is the "will of the people," and the people accepting the outcome of elections...The only other way of sorting things out is through civil war and tyranny - usually going hand-in-hand.

Which leads us to these lunatics - lunatics who do not believe in "the will of the people", nor "accept the results of an election" (HRC), nor believes that "democracy works by consent" (BO).

Each and every one of theses douchebags DOES NOT HAVE MY RESPECT!  Nor should they have yours.  They are asshats of the highest order.  Everyone knows that to be true, so lets move on to 'the Russians.'

Did Putin play around in our election?  Of course he did!  The Russians (Soviets) have been playing various propaganda games in our elections for decades.  It's like sport for them.

That said, we really shouldn't get too up-in-arms about the Ruskies doing this, BECAUSE OUR GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN DOING IT FOR JUST AS LONG AS THE RUSSIANS!

The CIA is famous (infamous) for foreign political assassinations, getting involved in elections, and setting up puppet governments.  The recent Ukraine spat is the result of Hillary Clinton and her clown show at the State Department playing around in Ukrainian politics, and Obama put millions of taxpayer dollars towards defeating Benjamin Netanyahu in the most recent Israeli election - neither worked out well for HRC or BO...Par for the course for both.

Are we really stupid enough to think the rest of the world is going to perpetually put up with our BS, and not expect them to shoot back?  Especially when they can do it with the simple clicks of a keyboard?  Give me a break.  We reap what we sow.  And the sooner we think that through the better off we will be as a nation.

That said, the Russians didn't tilt the election to Donald Trump.  In fact it's hard to believe they didn't think Hillary was going to win (like all the geniuses in the punditocracy told everyone), and were simply setting Hillary up for massive problems as President.  What better way to take advantage of and abuse a national leader than to have terabytes of data to use against them - if nothing else than as political blackmail?

It is also hard to believe the same punditocracy, who were dead certain Hillary was going to crush Trump, screaming and crying that the Russians and Putin wanted Trump to win...Vlad is a very smart guy (probably playing the weakest geopolitical hand better than anyone ever has), and he knows Trump is a total wild card.  No one knows what Trump is going to do, but no one doubts that Trump is going to put American interests first.  No one other than those blinded by Liberalism and pure Trump hatred that is.  

Two people beat Hillary Clinton, and neither are named Vlad.  Those two people are Donald Trump and HILLARY CLINTON!    

"No hacker, Russian or otherwise, convinced Clinton to ignore Michigan and completely skip Wisconsin. No outside entity forced Hillary to set up a secret email server while Secretary of State. And no outfit, foreign or domestic, caused any of those emails to be written, any of those discussions to occur or any of those lies to be told. Democrats and members of the Clinton campaign did that all by themselves…No hack made Hillary take millions for paid speeches. No leak set up the sketchy Clinton Foundation deals. Nothing computer related caused Hillary to lie about her mishandling of classified material. And no Russian anything caused Hillary to ignore, even belittle, a large swath of the American public. She did that all on her own…The problem for Clinton and Democrats was the attitude revealed in the content of those emails. Whether they had been hacked and leaked or not, that attitude permeated the campaign and the last eight years, and millions of voters did not want any part of it…If Democrats want to know the true reason they lost they need look no further than the top of their ticket." - Derek Hunter

So, enjoy the 'Real' Election Day.  Trump may end up with a few less than the 302 Electoral Votes he earned, because a few Electors just couldn't do the one and only job they were picked to do, but make no mistake Donald Trump will win this election...A truth made even sweeter because it will also mean Hillary Clinton will lose again!

My Sweet 16

My youngest daughter, Brooklyn, turns 16! (Dec 18)  She is such an amazing young lady - but she is still my little girl.

Brookie truly is my wife's daughter, getting all of Melissa's best traits:  Beautiful, smart, hard working, conscientious, loyal, strong willed, etc...I'm happy that she also got some of my good ones as well:  Sensitive, flexible, fun loving, serious but not too serious, etc.

The best thing for Brook is she didn't get hardly any of me and my wife's bad traits - especially not mine :)

I last wrote about Brooklyn on her 13th birthday, and she has grown so much - including much of the crazy-train which comes with being a middle-teen girl.  But, in this past three years she hasn't grown too big for her own britches, and continues to be the sweetest child...She is still my baby and I her daddy.  She still plays with me, goes to our yearly Veteran's Day celebrations, cuddles, tells me her stories, sings in the car with the window down (summer or winter), and she's my 'Katy Kat'.

Those with good memories may remember for her 13th birthday I said she was my 'Katy Smash Up Kid'...She hasn't changed, and this is still the perfect song for my 16 year old Brookie.  It's the song we've sang together more than any other.

Here's how I put it when she turned 13:

"Overall, Brooklyn is a Katy Perry song - or even better, she's a 'Smash-Up' of them all...Forget the hyper-sexual nature of Katy's songs (most of our culture, for that matter).  Katy Perry songs are about enjoying life, getting over yourself, spontaneous craziness, adapting to life's stresses and difficulties, having fun, getting along with others, and pushing to succeed.  In other words, they are about my youngest daughter - no longer a 'tweener,' but I'm pretty certain she'll always remain a good kid-at-heart."

She's growing up tremendously, but she's still the same great kid.

Since the time when I was Brooklyn's age, I've had two goals in life (I figured if I could reach these goals everything else would work out fine - I've been right), and one theory for parenting:

Goal 1:  Be a good spouse...Doing so would help assure the second.
Goal 2:  Be a good parent.
1 Theory for Parenting:  Parents should exist for their children.  Not vice versa.

I hope I have been a good parent for Brooklyn...She deserves nothing less.

Happy 16th birthday, Brookie.  I love you so much - Daddy

THIS WEEK IN PICTURES

A New Take On a Christmas Classic

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THIS WEEK IN PICTURES