It's Almost 2016, So Where's My Rocket Pack?

Blogging when the passion strikes me. Yep.

Get this out of the way immediately (more fun yet to follow): I am a doomed eternal optimist partially braced for the horrific nightmare that Donald Trump or Ted Cruz could be the next president..... (Durango said that).

Since I was about 11 years old, I've hated being smart. It was almost not worth the good grades with the amount of vitriol and despise that was hurled in my general direction.

I think Obama handles it rather well. I personally would not want to be in his shoes, but perhaps he likes it. It's also possible he's not as humble as my rose colored outlook lets on. But, I'm still optimistic.

When I was in college I swore off watching the news. It was too irritating and depressing. The only news that apparently sold was depressing and horrid. I haven't watched the news since 1989.


I was mostly happy with the popularity of Facebook. There were several people who weighed in my thoughts occasionally who I thought I'd never see again. Never is a long long time. With the advent of Facebook, I've become reacquainted with several of those people.

I've discovered recently that I've been somber. I could even say almost depressed. I've finally put a finger on it. People on Facebook are spewing the filth of the news that I gave  up over 20 years ago.
I see lots of funny stuff on Facebook. I also see pictures of my granddaughter and my children and my friends and my friend's children and grandchildren. It's a cool place.

But thrown amid the good stuff is the vitriol. People who I call "friends" are calling my President a pussy. People who I call "friends" are saying he's a traitor and a pathetic president. I've recently decided to take a stand simply against misinformation (regardless of the target of the misinformation).

My mom always told me if you can't saying something nice about someone don't say anything at all. I pretty much try and live by that. I'll occasionally let slip some negativing towards people, but I usually keep it between me and my wife, myself and I. And my wife pretends to agree with me!

For people who hate Obama (for some strange reason), I'd like to ask what he's done to you? In my life, I've had only one President who affected me in a negative way. And that's because he cutoff funding for Type 1 Diabetes research (albeit indirectly) and he started the military action to invade a country when I was overseas and having to deal with the fallout. Even then I didn't call anyone names. I didn't vote for him and I'd say I wasn't happy with him invading Iraq, but I never called him names. I just don't understand the hatred. People in Germany would ask me what I thought of Bush and I'd simply say, "Well, I don't agree with what he's doing, but what can you do? I didn't vote for him."

I didn't vote for Obama in either election, but I've recently decided I'm a Democrat. I don't like Hillary and I doubt seriously I'd actually vote for her, but if Republicans and especially Republicans I consider friends insist on this level of hatred and close mindedness then I am most definitely anti-Republican.

From this day forward Republicans are like the Dallas Cowboys. I don't necessarily like the other team, but I'll root for any team playing against them. There's no place in the great USA for that amount of hatred and drama.

My favorite coach on "The Voice" is Shakira. I think they should get rid of Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani. Let them "go get a room" for a season. They should bring in Dee Snider to replace Blake. He'd be a helluva coach! And let Shakira replace Gwen for all that's good and right in the show we adoringly call "The Voice".