Obama to nominate first openly gay service secretary to lead the Army
Ever Since Obama flipped flopped on the issue of gay marriage, the gay agenda has been for front in the media. Daily, there is a story about something gay.
The story of the bakers that were targeted by the gay couple, to make them a cake was one of the most outrageous stories dealing with this.A quick look at their website would paint them as incredibly religious as there was scripture on every page! An activist judge quashed their first amendment rights not only with their freedom of religion, he also repressed their first amendment rights when he basically put a gag order on them, so they could not even talk about it! On top of this he found for the two gay folks that targeted this couple, and fined the bakery some $135k as one of the people claimed that she was mentally raped!
Kim Davis also had her first amendment rights quelled when she too was targeted by activist gay couples wanting to force her to do that which violated her religion. She sat in Jail for several days as the activist judge found for the couple.
Now we have Obama nominating a gay service secretary to lead the Army. I am sure Pattonis rolling over in his grave! This is a political maneuver to try once again to make the Republicans look weak or bigoted. He has placed them in a no-win situation. If they oppose this nomination for any reason, they will be painted as bigots. It does not make any difference if the guy is qualified or not. If they block it for any reason, they are bigots. If they don’t block it, the conservative voting block will see them as weak, and vote them all out at their earliest convenience.
Obama is doing anything he can to make the republicans look bad, and this nomination is simply moving one more pawn on the chess board,dividing this country along gay vs. straight lines. This president will go down in history as the “Great Divider!”
Those on either side will either see the LGBT side of this, or the evangelical conservative side who are being assaulted in these political maneuvers and are simply collateral damage, which this administration does not care about.
When you use your sexuality as a weapon, you are a bully!
Further collateral damage will most certainly occur in the minds of our service men and women. Those of this day and age will probably not think too much about this but, those Vets, of an earlier generation like Patton, will be offended. This is the emotional trigger that manipulates the masses, and some chess master in the Obama administration knows this; and is very good at what they do.
This is where the “Art of the deal” would come into play. I would use any leverage I could to make Obama re-consider, and somehow put the monkey back on his back. The republicans must take a stand, and force this president to take a stand, instead of giving him a pass. I would force him to veto so many bills that he ran out of ink in his famous pen.Boehner and his people must grow a pair, or the 2016 election will look badly for them; as Americans will not see the political maneuvering, and the liberal media will certainly spin this in favor of the Democrats.
Those conservative candidates should talk about this during the next debate. The general public has no clue how this government really works or as Obama calls it, “the process!” “It’s a process and sometimes it gets ugly.” Said Obama at some speech four years ago. Trump is bringing a very large audience to the table, use it to place the blame where it belongs! We have lost the art of the politics or we are cowards when it comes to this president. The race card has been his “standard” for 7 years and that is getting really old!
Promising the American people a transparent government, with no lobbyist, are two of the first promises he broke.
Yesterday, Mr. Trump gave a talk in New Hampshire. During the talk he decided to simply open up the floor to questions from the crowd.
My gut feeling is that he decided that “practice fielding questions from just anyone,” might help him in future debates. Now, that would by my reasoning however; I would not do it if I were him because he loses control of the setting.
True to form there were some nut jobs, or plants, that got the mic and asked some really far out questions.
Mr. Trump is short on substance anyway, so simply ignoring the bad questions and or placating them with “yea yea sure sure” was his strategy.
One of the loons talked about Fema camps and “visions” of bad things happening, which got no play in the press.
Supposedly 1 billion dollars worth of disposable coffins ordered by FEMA
Another loon (first question actually) asked about the “Muslim problem” and accused President Obama of being a Muslim and not an American Born citizen. Trump used his standard answer “were looking into a lot of things, next.”
The press has seized on this to once again attack Trump and of course his rivals are attacking him.. ”outrageous” on cries and another calls him a clown and not fit for the office!” His opponents have nothing to lose and by saying things like “outrageous” simply gets them printed or Air Time.
These are all great sound bites but, what they are not reporting is that Mr. Trump simply placated the (nut or plant) and moved on.
Trump knows that Obama is a good guy, not a Muslim, and certainly not an alien!
Official portrait of President Barack Obama in the Oval Office, Dec. 6, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza) This official White House photograph is being made available only for publication by news organizations and/or for personal use printing by the subject(s) of the photograph. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way and may not be used in commercial or political materials, advertisements, emails, products, promotions that in any way suggests approval or endorsement of the President, the First Family, or the White House.
No matter how much you disagree with this president, allowing such talk to go un-challenged is pretty close to saying it yourself. If the press and other candidates have their way, they will spin this as Trump said it.
Tip: When you run for any office, everything you say (or don’t say,) has to be, “Has to be” metered with“how will this be perceived by the voters, and how will it be used against me.”
Practice debates should be only with your staff, with no outside people anywhere near it.
In 1990 Clayton Williams was running for Governor of the state of Texas. He made an off the cuff remark at a party for friends, that cost him the election. He suggested that some victims of rape should “simply relax and enjoy it!”
Now this was said at a private party, drinking was involved and we don’t know the context of the statement. He said it was part of a joke but, never the less, it cost him the election.
Rape is kind of like the weather. If it’s inevitable, relax and enjoy it.” —1990 Texas gubernatorial candidate Clayton Williams (March 1990)
When you are in the public “eye” so to speak, you must control the environment and you must be rehearsed. While Mr. Trump has defied the laws of politics thus far, this cannot last forever.
The sophomoric behavior and truculent attitude must stop, he must be armed with some substance when asked questions, and he needs to control his stump speeches.
When loons like those two were allowed to speak, they hurt him.
Mr. Trump should employ people to vet the questions, and the people, before they are handed a mic.
Those two loons should never have been allowed to speak on camera.
I stress camera, as every time he speaks there are many live television feeds; and he knows this! Don’t play to your competition.
His candidacy will implode if he does not take control of it.
While many watched the GOP debate last night, many did not. It did in fact draw a record audience of 22.9 million which is a record, and clearly due to Trump!
Many in fact will get their news from snippets, sound bites, tweets, or comedians looking for ratings, at the expense of candidates.
This is the world that we live in.
The first debate between the lower polling candidates, it was easy to see why the four there polled so low and to be fair, Rand Paul should have been there as well.To be absolutely fair to Mr. Paul, I admire him. I don’t think he is presidential material but, I do think he is fighting for you and me and the Constitution and Bill of Rights, and for that my hats off to him.
Even this debate was about TRUMP
Lindsey Graham who I have little respect for, actually schooled the bunch and tried to drive the message home that the world is a dangerous place; and under this administration, it has not gotten better.
I actually respect Lindsey a little bit more, after his performance last night.
The reason that we have so many GOP hopefuls is, that this president set the bar pretty low! There was a time that I was considering running on the slogan, “I could not do any worse!” If you like this guy as your president, my apologies and “bless your heart.”
I am certain that as a person he is probably someone I would enjoy knowing. These last 7 years have been an unmitigated disaster.
What we have in the white house is the JV teamand of that, I have little doubt.
Most of the candidates simply took shots at the front runner, in order to make a name for themselves. They were desperate and floundering and it was to be expected. This was their chance to get back onto the board and I think they all failed. Mr. Graham focused on the president and the issues of the day which is really how as a candidate you should differentiate yourself. His comment about “more drinking in the white house,” Showed a human side of him that I liked.
At the main debate, Donald Trump was set up as the Straw Man by CNN for ratings. Simply that, nothing more. The questions and methods used were to tarnish the entire GOP; and of course make the front runners appear as feckless, as the current administration who think that ISIS is the JV Team. My opinion, your mileage may vary.
Hollywood elites also weighed in and that too, sniping from the cheap seats.
Just because you can remember a few lines and emote, does not make you a brilliant politician, or your opinion any more germane than that of john Q public. It simply means that when you speak, people know of you, and because you have name recognition, you can get printed. If you played a good guy, they might think your character is that of a good guy etc. There is a responsibility that comes with that, but few acknowledge it and abuse it regularly.
Donald Trump is resonating because Americans’ don’t like where we are going, and want America to change. Mr. Trump cannot be purchased by special interests and even though he is flawed, I like the idea that if he says he will do it, he probably will.
His largest flaw is not his truculent attitude towards “idiots,” or his sophomoric attacks on people’s looks. It is; he is very short on substance. His bravado and ego seem to overpower his respect for the office which he seeks. Donald needs to come up with some humility and reverence for the office of President, and I question if he can do it.
Think about it just for a moment, what kind of person thinks that he or she can be the most powerful person in the world?! Narcissism would certainly come into play or should be suspected.
It was obvious that Mr. Trump was not rehearsed or prepared for the onslaught of attacks from both his fellow candidates, and the moderators. He deflected and defended, but the facts are that he was on defense for 3 hours! I am certain that he felt like one of those Trump Piñatas the Hispanics are selling. Those of you who don’t like him probably enjoyed that part of it but, this is more than entertainment. We have serious issues and we need someone who is going to get serious about fixing them!
That face!
Carly appeared to be the “winner” last nightbut, I must tell you as much as I appreciate her moxie, she came off as a bitch last night. She came off as petty, vindictive and uninformed, in many political areas, even though she managed to memorize some facts and figures, much like Rubio, it was too rehearsed for my take. She tells of great times at HP but as someone who has been in IT since 1982, I know that it was because they merged with Compaq. I also had many friends who lost their jobs to overseas. Tough decisions to put Americans out of work are not what we need! While she gained ground with some, she lost it with me. It is my hope that she can earn that back, as we really need serious candidates.
Huckabee, Who I have never really been a fan of, gained some traction with me in that he gave a solid performance. I would like to know more about him without the bloviating. Cruz was too rehearsed, and way too in your face.
“If we can make provisions for convicted killers we can certainly make provisions for elected officials!”
Chris Christie had a good night, and I think his pitch to the American people was smart, I liked how he “became the adult” in the room and, I think that was a good moment for him. Christie will be one to watch.
“You had your turn now do not interrupt me!”
The media is having a hay-day poking at Trump, and his argument that autism and vaccines have some sort of link while standing next to a neurosurgeon “planned by CNN,” fell flat.
We need answers to this!
While science says that is debunked, they also say we are in the middle of global warming. While I am not a denier of some sort of climate change, I do think it is a little like Chicken Little. I know that Al Gore has those Carbon Credits all printed up, waiting to sell them to companies here in the US; while we ship our coal to China! In short it is completely disingenuous and all about money!
Files/The Associated Press Workers cycle past a coal-fired power plant on a tricycle cart in Changchun in northeast Chinas Jilin province. Chinas label as a developing nation in climate matters is facing a challenge. —
This administration evidently thinks that the poisoned air over China, will stay over China!
If there is a shred of doubt in the vaccine science, it needs to be looked at carefully.
I personally feel that the rise of autism is due to drug use in the different countries and once you “do drugs” you screw with you DNA, thus effecting the DNA of any progeny. That is true for both parties, not simply the mother! True fact, we like the drug culture for some reason, so we don’t report it.
Maybe we feel that people who did drugs and gave birth to kids with special needs don’t need to bear the burden of their actions, so we downplay it. Sorry folks! We need a nation of accountability. If you speed and get caught you get a ticket. If you do something wrong and there are consequences, you should pay those consequences. If you give birth to special needs kids and you did drugs…..it’s probably on you.
Twitter was busy last night with GOP haters talking smack behind their anonymous handles, and what have you. There were even threats lobbed at some of the candidates. If you live behind the curtain, and in your mother’s basement, I guess you feel pretty bold.
Well my pretties, let me tell you something as a technology guy, they can find you! They can not only find you by the unique id of the device you are using but, with technology; they can walk right up to you in a crowd of thousands. If I can do it, so can they, and they have much more expensive toys than I.
One way to find you and your secrets.
Freedom of speech is one thing, threats are another. Calling Trump stupid is your right, not smart, but.. Threatening someone with his resources, and a presidential candidate, really not too smart.
Speaking of really not smart, Someone not on the stage but, a vocal supporter of Trump tweeted through the entire event.
Ann Coulter, who I have watched, listened to, and find her intelligent, had a major brain fart last night.
I hope your accoutnt was hacked but I think it was you… Not smart!
I do not understand this tweet of hers, and I don’t think Mr. Trump will find it any too smart either. He will have to distance himself from her, and hope that he does not get too wet from the splash. Many on the twitter-verse were linking the two as one.
Most people that I know and call friends or even associate with, welcome diversity. You and I can be polar opposite on everything. As long as there is mutual respect, we are good.
This tweet is totally disrespectful and uncalled for. The similar attacks lobbed against her, were also over the top, and simply sub-human.
Israel is our friend and so are the people of Israel. Mentioning them in their closing statement was germane as many feel that this administration has dissed them (they have) and they don’t like Netanyahu for reasons which escape me.
To alienate people with comments like hers is unacceptable, and proves once again that you should not drink and drive, and or drink and tweet!
Bush and the rest were unremarkable …to me….Sorry. We don’t need career politicians and we need term limits. Once you retire as a politician you go home. You don’t simply move over to Avenue K and become a lobbyist, you go home. And by the way, you live by the same laws that we do.
Facebook friends, Social Media and thought of the day!
I am convinced that Facebook is not the place to have political discussions or debates.
First off, most people do not get on Facebook to read a political opinion, unless of course they agree with you, and then by all means; prattle on.
Most of us have opinions in that regard, and some are well founded, others are simply based on the last thing someone read, or heard, on the radio or TV.
A quick look at the twitter feeds, especially with the total anonymity that people enjoy, they can say the most vile, disgusting things, under the cloak of being a coward in their mother’s basement, and the world sees this. These people have opinions and they don’t want yours, they simply want to lash out and call everyone who differs from them names. Of course they do this most eloquently, utilizing their limited vocabulary consisting of 4 letter words, that they would not want their mother to hear.
Whatever the case, if someone is interested, they most probably are a little more actively involved than simply reading a few post, and thinking that is “news.”
If on the other hand, someone shares their perspective on “things” and you “unfriend” them, or they unfriend you over the sharing of opinion, I would not get too torn up about it.
If you have “friends” they will respect your right to an opinion, and you will respect theirs, and you can go on with life. Agree to disagree and life goes on.
I happen to value friendships, and while I don’t agree with some, I would never equivocate when it comes to their right to post it, have it, or talk about it. I also would never block someone as I firmly believe that there is “strength in diversity.” That has its limits however; if personal name calling comes into the equation, there are things that I will not put up with.
Toxic people, and or toxic relationships; I have no use for, and will divorce them.
If your opinion is different than mine, I want to know why; as it may be possible that I don’t have all the facts. You too should want to know for the same reason. We are much stronger united by the truth, than divided by lies.
“Diverse” is what we really are as a people when you think about it.
Your race, religion, political standing, etc. are all part of who you are. If one were to only have likeminded friends, one would have a myopic view of the world, and that would distort their reality.
If someone leaves your circle, blocks your feeds, etc… they are allowed, and if they do that the friendship was truly one sided to begin with so, no loss.
A friendship is accepting me and all of my warts etc. as I accept you.
I am not perfect, but I am smart enough to have friends that are diverse enough; to obtain all sides of the equation instead of just one.
In short, your opinion matters to me. I may not agree with it, or I might adopt it.
Social Media is a great place to see who lives around you, and what they do…. in some cases it’s about what they eat for breakfast lunch and dinner….
Well, one would think that I was about to write a commentary on some DJ, or perhaps some radio personality that was messy, or ill fit for their job but, that is not the case.
This is actually a technical article regarding the GRECOM PSR 700.
This radio is actually a very nice, easy to use scanner, for the person who wants to listen immediately without punching in all of those dozens of frequencies.
The data base comes on a small SD card that you simply install in the radio under the batteries and it is then menu driven with familiar controls as it mimics the old iPod in many respects.
I picked up the radio the other day as I have not used it in over a year. With Trumps visit coming up and all of the protesters I thought that listening in might prove interesting.
When I picked up the radio it literally stuck to my hand. This thing was made in China and I am guessing that like their famous capacitor flub up they too did not do something right with the chemical makeup of the case on the radio. The plastic actually started to break down and reacted with the atmosphere “I am guessing.”
If you run your fingernail along the back of the plastic the “sticky” actually comes off and adheres to your fingernail much like the glue on those nasty little labels that you find on so many things that you buy now days.
Going on the web looking for a solution there was not one. There are others that have reported this but, Grecom is out of business. I am guessing that the refund or warrantee of all of the radios that this affected was too much for them and they abandoned those customers.
I took the battery cover off and simply tried to wash it. Dish soap and a brush just made a sticky mess of both the brush and my hands.
Even if it worked you could not run the radio under water so some other form of “fix” was going to have to be discovered.
Goo Gone to the rescue.
Using Goo Gone and that little plastic tool that you use to take laptops of smartphones apart worked nicely.
Simply get a little goo gone on your finger and rub it on to the area that you want to clean.
After it sits for a few minutes use the tool much like a scraper and small deliberate strokes and you will see the sticky crap come off and pile up at the end of the stroke.
If you feel comfortable dismantling the radio first that might be your best bet as any mistake will have this stuff inside your radio.
I carefully did this too all of the surfaces removing as much as the sticky stuff as possible. I then got a cloth rag and with some force rubbed and buffed the rest as best I could.
I finished the process with “Windex,” and a paper towel. Dampen the paper towel with Windex, never spray it on to the radio. Small deliberate forceful strokes, removed the rest of the nastiness that was nothing more than flypaper on my radio. Cosmetically the radio is not as pristine as it once was, and the lettering that was under the sticky mess disappeared as well.
The radio is still usable, and does not stick too anything any longer.
If you are thinking about buying one of these online think twice as you may be buying a sticky mess.
This is not for the faint of heart and I am disappointed that I spent that kind of money and have a radio that clearly is not as pristine as it was when I bought it.
If you have one of these here is the page for downloads and if you want third party out of warranty service.. I contacted them several days ago and no response so, your mileage may very…
I find it fascinating that the liberal media does not understand why Trump is where he is in the polls.
They think it has something to do with “thinking people,” not liking politicians, but they are not really sure. “He is Teflon.” they say, “He defies the laws of political gravity!….”
Trump cannot be bought by special interests, and that is what is resonating along with his, “in your face to PC speak” which has crippled this country for far too long!
Add to this a complicit media that only reports on that which bring ratings, and only then if it fits an agenda of whoever they are supporting.
I think Americans are tired of being lied to and Trump, Carson, and probably Fiorina are Washington outsiders, who have yet to sell their sole to the devil“that is the Washington DC Good old boys, what can you do for me” crowd.
Trump is most likely the only candidate that cannot be purchased by this crowd, and that is why (Washington insiders) are talking trash about him and, why he resonates with people, even if he is not the perfectly scripted, speech written by committee based on polls of different demographics, type candidate. I find his rambling, unscripted style of speech refreshing, and if he wants to bitch about China at each speech, so be it. He is what he is, and for that I will stand up and say Hell Yes!
If he “Trump” gets elected, how long do you think it will take to get the Keystone Pipeline started? Do you think we will be spending more millions studying the effects on migration patters of birds or fish that are in some small creek? The stalling will be over! The Age of Bullshit will be over, at least political backscratching bullshit that has paralyzed this country for the last 7 years!
Twenty thousand (20,000) attended today’s speech, (not simply thousands WFAA) in Dallas, and I have no idea how many more watched it on TV but, I suspect that Wednesday, CNN will enjoy a boost to its ratings as never before, and it will be because of Trump, not the others…. (Sorry Ben and Carly) Those that choose to attack Trump at the Debate should tread carefully, he brought you that audience.
I think Trump is right about this phenomena, I think it is a movement!
Personally, I do not want to see another Bush or Clinton in the White house. I think it is time for the “dynasties” and Washington Elites to be dethroned, as they have time after timeconvinced the masses that they think that they are kings and emperors and other types of royalty who are above the law, who simply tolerate the little people. “let them eat cake…” Hillary still thinks she is above the law and this whole e-mail thing and the Benghazi lies are simply a right wing conspiracy! Keep trying to sell those lies, you still have a few hard core believers… Chris Mathews still loves you.
It is time for term-limitsand hopefully we can get that enacted by getting the right person in the white house. Whether that be Trump, or Carson, or Carly, I think Washington outsiders are a good start.
“Of the people, by the people, for the People, should be our battle cry!”
Our Government is accountable to us the people, and when they forget that, you get what we have, lawlessness!
We also have pens, and phones, and Social Media and … we vote!
Most Americans do not want this Iranian nuke deal to happen and yet the Democrats are supporting Obama, thus pushing this through; against our wishes.
The majority of Americans thought that Obama Care was not a good deal and yet the Democrats pushed it through anyway, in spite of the folks.
All of the promises of the plan were indeed empty promises. You might in fact, not be able to keep your doctor. “sorry….”
Washington is a “good ol boy club” and even after a politician is booted out, they become lobbyist and still write the bills that nobody but special interests want! The same bills that nobody reads.
Running a successful campaign takes money. To be a successful candidate you must always be in campaign mode, which means you must always be looking for money.
Campaign funding laws need to change. Transparency is key so at least you know what company or special interests, owns your candidate. Truly I want to know where their loyalties are. You vote for a guy that talks the talk and as soon as they get in they no longer are responsive to the voters that put them there.
Maybe you own a railroad or you have interest in a company that owns a railroad. That railroad is currently making tons of money hauling oil from Canada to the gulf. A pipeline which would put thousands to work, would not bode well for your bottom line so….you give money to whoever will sit on the pipeline bill, stall it or stop it, from happening!
You might even fund some tree hugging activist to bring some sort of frivolous law suit claiming that some fish might become extinct if the pipeline is allowed to continue. Everyone knows that nothing moves fast in the government so a committee must be formed to look into it. The committee calls for an investigation which means specialist must be hired (at taxpayer expense) and study the possible impact that a pipeline would make on the fish in question. This process could take years just to return the study.
If progress is being made another group is hired to pursue a suit claiming that the pipeline might affect the migratory patterns of the rare and troubled species of bird.
Another committee is formed, another specialist hired and more time is bought for the controlling partners in a company that happens to have a railroad.
If it was truly about climate change someone might point out that the railroad has a much higher carbon footprint than oh say, the building a pipeline. There is also a much greater risk of the fish being effected or those birds becoming confused by a derailment with toxic spills in god knows where.
Donald Trump is using his own money.
The question I and everyone else has to ask is“what is in it for Donald?”
Mr. Trump has said he will work for a $1 a year!
I for one like the idea of someone that is not in the pocket of the others.
Now the people in the house and the senate are still in the pocket of special interest, but Donald, not so much.
Any candidate that takes millions from someone is beholding to someone. I am guessing that the Unions, big business and those hedge fund guys, which make billions if things happen a certain way are the big contributors to politicians. You know, the “fat cat bankers” that Obama warned about as he was taking their money.
Most politicians promise relief for the middle class.
The middle class pay the bills.
The middle class is squeezed from the top and bottom, and then marginalized when it comes to benefits because those are handed out as cell phones, free internet and food stamps to those who choose not to work.
If we take in 10,000 Syrians as Obama is saying, those too will be paid for from the taxes of those who work.
The people pay for these things in taxes and in fees that are levied on their bills as some sort of “universal fee,” code for socialism.
Most people look at their phone bill or cable bill and see those “universal fees” and have no idea what they are. That is what they are, both federal and state.
Emotions are one way to manipulate you, and that is not lost on Hillary as she cries for the camera in a recent interview.
Are you old enough to remember the Sally Struthers commercials for the orphans? She had her 90 second spot on prime time TV crying for the orphans. The purpose of her tears were to evoke a response from people, an emotional response which would hopefully translate to opening your wallet.
It was later reported that this group was not Christian and that is simply used the word Christian to garner support from “Christians.” It was also reported that very little money actually went to help children.
This Iranian deal is a mystery to me and to anyone that knows anything about it.
I was astonished to learn that if Israel should attack Iran, part of the contract is that the US has to defend Iran! Hello, Israel is our friend.
Depending upon where you get your news, this is either the greatest deal of all time or it is the absolute worst deal.
I have found that the main stream media is terribly biased towards the liberal ideology so I tend to treat anything that they report with more skepticism than say One America News Network.
Please Mr. President, go work on your golf game. I bet Trump would allow you access to his courses, just stop doing anything else. Deals like this we don’t need.
At this point it would be cheaper if the president took his family and simply traveled the globe on a yearlong vacation. Let Uncle Joe see if he wants to really try out for the job, at least he is entertaining.
Trump is a flawed man and probably not in touch with us mere mortals. I think he loves the country, it has been good to him and I think he is genuine when he says he will make us respected in the world again.
Dr. Carson is soft spoken, smart man but I have not heard from him any strategy for dealing with the issues we have at hand.
True statement…Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.
Carly, waiting for the debate next week to make up my mind.
Chris Christie shoots from the hip but I don’t like the idea that he will further screw with Social Security. What I picked up from him today is that the age might be raised again and there might be some sort of means test, meaning; if you planned for retirement or are making some ambiguous amount of money decided by some committee, that you might not qualify to get “your money from social security, back!”
Make no mistake, the money that you paid into the system is yours. When I got into the work force it was 65. Reagan changed it so now the baby boomers get it much later.
The argument is that people are living much longer today but…here is the gotcha…! Once you reach middle age, companies don’t want you anymore! Why do you think that so many middle ages professionals that are working at a hardware store or other retail part time job? They don’t want to, that is all they can get. Something part time without benefits that makes their retirement income last a little longer.
They should be enjoying their golden years but they had to live off of what they saved for retirement because they were let go before they reached retirement.
The deal was 65, and it should be changed back to 65! We need the jobs to come back to the US.
We need people to be able to work until retirement instead of being subjugated to part time retail jobs meant for kids in high school. By the way Wall-Mart got rid of their door greeters, which was my retirement strategy….. I love people, what can I say….
We have some tough challenges ahead of us and the next president had best be up for the challenge and really needs to be in tune with the folks who pay for everything, the middle class.
More on this after the next debate…. I know, you can’t wait…
How about a post that has nothing political in it?
How about a post that is instructional and interesting?
Think I can do it?
Me personally, sometimes I feel like someone is going to have to develop a twelve step program to break the addiction of collecting and repairing these things. Truth be known some of these are highly collectable and some are well, just not.
I am guessing that if one saves them long enough the radios that are not collectable today will be at some point in the future.
To that end, I collect those that are “collectible” today as well as radio’s that are unique or sought after for some reason ie the Owl Radio from Clash of the Titans.
More often than not I will purchase a collection of radio’s from different sources. I might purchase the entire collection because one of the radio’s in that collection is collectable or I might get them because I need parts that I know they will render.
The bottom line is the case must be intact. It must look good with no cracks etc. If it is busted all to hell it turns into a parts piece and devalued substantially.
Today I worked on a radio that was marketed to the US although it is typically marketed to the Russians.
Repaired, aligned and cleaned up….
Someone had worked on it sometime in the past as the slugs were all out of place. I guess it is terribly irresistible to resist putting a screwdriver in the transformers and trimmer caps, as I get more radio’s that have been tweaked, by someone with a screwdriver, instead of the proper alignment tool.
Having said that this radio defies common logic, in that the wire colors that we come to expect over here in the states is backwards. Red which normally denotes positive, was the negative lead and of course that made the black wire positive.
When I first apply power to one of these radios I do so with a variable supply. Turning the radio on first, then slowly increasing the voltage from 0 to whatever the voltage should be whether it be 3,6 or 9 volts or somewhere in between. The trick is to have a power supply with an amp meter.
Most transistor radios draw very little current. If you start to raise the voltage and the current starts to jump and maybe hold at 10 milliamps or so, check your polarity.
Bottom line is that after I figured out that the power leads are opposite of what one might expect the next thing needed was an alignment.
In most radio’s like this you start with injecting a signal at 455khz. After tuning the proper transformer and trimmer cap for this, than I move on to tweaking the rest of them for maximum sensitivity at 1600, 55 and finally around 800khz.
The process takes less than a five minutes and when finished the radio is as good as new.
Most of these vintage electronics need new caps “electrolytic capacitors.” Caps made in the day were expensive so the manufacturers used the minimums that they could get by with. Tracing and/or injecting a signal one can usually tell which if any caps are bad, and within moments, have the audio back to where it should be.
Radio needing new caps.
Some of the newer capacitors on the market are NP or non-polarized! Too often I pull out and old cap to find I did not remember which direction to install the new one as I need to keep the negative and positive leg in the correct holes. With NP caps simply install them and move on.
I suggest that you take pictures before taking too much apart as without a print if a wire pops off, you can have a devil of a time figuring out where it went.
Six transistor radio’s are the most common and really all you need to pull in strong station and actually differentiate between the different stations without too much overlap.
Eight Transistor Radios have much better sensitivity and are able to differentiate strong stations from weak ones thus, you can have much better selectivity. My favorite radio to actually keep batteries in are the 8 transistor variety.
Some manufacturer’s in the day found that they could use the PN junction as a diode but yet claim that they had 10, 12 or even 16 transistors! The unknowing public equated that to the “jewels in a watch.” The more the better and so they had a gimmick until some government agency clamped down on them. If the transistor is being used as a diode it cannot be counted as a transistor.
Ross to name just one of the brands was one of the manufacturers that became famous for this tactic.
Shortly after Bell labs came out with the transistor Raytheon and a company named Idea came out with the first transistor radio. It was know as the Regency TR-1.
These are highly collectible even today. Around $100 might get you one that the case is basically in tact.
This is a nice looking example of the TR-1
Before this portable radio’s were tube based and used two different batteries to play them. One of the I believe was a high voltage battery known as the “B” battery, and one drove the filaments and I think it was 1.5 volts.
I have a few of these but, with no availability of the B battery, I think that other than something to sit on a shelf; it is a waste of time and energy to collect. Your mileage may vary…
If I get enough interest I might post more radio stuff in the future as I work on many of these and it is a hobby.
See, no political rhetoric on this post, I can do it! 🙂
Warning: The following blog contains pictures from the go topless demonstration in New York Today. Some of these shots “that were taken by other people and posted publicly” contain (nipples.)
You were warned…. 🙂
As stated in my letter to “free the nipple,” there are real issues with public nudity.
While I agree that there is a time and a place for everything; I feel that a truculent style of forcing your “agenda,” detracts from the message.
Why do some women want to go around topless?
Is it really an equal rights thing?
Is this an attack on men?
Most men like nipples ladies and I have to tell you that if the laws were only left to men to make, they would be very generous to any lady that wanted to walk around half nude!
I give the respect that I am accorded.
When you choose to dis-respect a segment of the population; you don’t win over very many of them.
I get it, you got publicity and you made the news. Now people like me are spending their time pontificating on the merits of your cause, and how best to solve the issues.
I don’t get the pink mask.
As I stated in my letter to “free the nipple,” men are visually stimulated. (I must admit that nothing in the picture above stimulated me what-so-ever-!) That is the way that we either evolved, or God made us pick your choice; those are the facts! When you expose yourself, you set hormones and other endorphins into action.
A whole host of things happens when we are sexually aroused and visual stimulation for men starts with hormones.
We call it behavior but, in reality, our actions may be partially driven by things out of our control. Things happen automatically that we are not in control of. Chemicals are released which cause us to sweat, pupils dilate, adrenaline is released along with cortisol (the stress hormone) followed by Dopamine the “desire and reward hormone” then comes into play. We have serotonin that causes us to “think about a person” or in this case those “lovely breast,” several times a day!
The list goes on and folks, we are programmed for this action. Had we not been such a puritanical society and ran around naked or “nude,” then I dare say that we would control our “urges much better.”
The argument to allow half-naked folks to run around cart-blanch anywhere should really be addressed by serious people who understand what they are asking.
If you don’t think that what I am saying holds water, then tell me this, why is pornography such a huge issue today?!
Some Men and some women are lost in pornography.Where it used to be restricted by age and content, with the internet there is nothing held back. I find it amazing that with each successive year, each and every magazine took pornography to new lows.
Much like drugs, pin-up girls no longer cut it.
There is an interesting parallel to this and drugs because, if you think about it, both are chemical addictions. With drugs, some of those same hormones are released as well as the action of the drug itself!
Some people cause themselves pain because, endorphins are released that like adrenalin; one can become addicted to them.
From the early days of Playboy, where clover leafs covered the nipples, and maybe a little flash of pubic hair to” gynecologists’ type shots” of inside the vagina or anus! Who thinks that is sexy!?
Where are we headed as a society?
It is clear to me anyway, that you simply can’t just walk around naked, anywhere that you please.
For the same reason drunks who are “recovering,” don’t go where there is booze, people who have issues with porn, or sex addicts, don’t go to strip clubs. It is not fair to everyone to allow you to parade around naked when or where you choose.
On the flip side of the coin, there should be places where such behavior is permitted with adequate signage depicting same.
The bottom line to this is really respect. Ladies from a pragmatic look at things there is little difference in our anatomical makeup and for that, your argument is germane.
Realistically, however; looking at the science involved and how we as humans are “driven;” you can certainly see that unfettered nudity would not work unless you forced the issue making everyone walk around naked! I suspect that after an hour or so, the novelty would wear off and soon; breasts of men and women would look like any other part of them, and a stare would quickly turn into a passing glance, and then into not even noticing.
Ok, I included a few bums for effect…you get the point. These folks are enjoying the outing and looking at the scenery and not staring at each other’s rude bits…
That is a part of human evolution that is simply not there in this country at this time.
Most people are way too hung up on their body, whether it be good or bad, and sexuality is right under the surface of most people’s thoughts.
With the Ashley Madison hack, it should have placed a light on what is going on with people of all walks of life.
SEX SEX SEX!
It is not simply sex, as these folks have a wife or husband who they could have sex with. It is different partners or sex with someone else. WHY?
If we could put our differences aside, just let people be who and what they are and “get along” and, we were not thinking about, planning for, and working towards sex, just think about what we could accomplish as a people!
Is it just me or does this thing appear phallic in nature….?
We are terribly un-evolved for the most part. Those that want to “free the nipple,” I actually think might be more evolved than those that see this as some sort of taboo.You can’t simply feel that it is wrong, you need to know “why it is wrong.” These folks are pushing the envelope on social mores, that admittedly are out of date but…to what end?
If you go to a nudist resort, there will be people there who are probably more evolved than those that would condemn such a place just because. Some will undoubtedly be there for the same reason that I thought about becoming a photographer for Playboy as a child. The difference is, I grew up!
When we accept who and what we are, we can move past this truculent dialogue that persists in the world today. We are in fact sexual creatures that are geared for procreation, and that is why we do what we do, and think as we think. That is why sex feels good, and hormones are released to drive us to seek partners to spread our seeds and subdue the earth.
That is why a high percentage of people will read this blog, over the others that I have posted which frankly are much more intelligent and enlightening than this, and many men will peruse the picture of the attractive redhead, longer than those with the pink mask over their faces! Just know why you do what you do, and know who you are….
Life is about more than sex. As a young person, I expect this and make allowances for this. Spring break and other places where young people gather seem to be nothing more than a hormonally charged group of people oozing with testosterone and estrogen. You hope that they make it through it, and hope that someone in the group is adult enough to govern the collective body, so people don’t get injured.
Spring Break 2016 Daytona
When you become “self-aware,” you learn to ask yourself why?
Why
“Why” is probably one of the most important questions that we learn to ask as a human being. I do not discourage but encourage this.
Why do I like this?
Why do I hate this?
Why is this a good idea?
Why is this a bad idea?
Why did my parents tell me no?
Knowledge is powerful and, self-knowledge is one of the most powerful tools at your disposal!
I call this mirror time. Who is that person in the mirror?
Before espousing your thoughts on a particular subject, know where your thoughts came from.
We as a nation have stopped thinking critically. We act upon emotions which is just stupid. Emotions are one of the easiest ways that there is to manipulate you, and those that are in power; know this.
The Race card is played to divide people and it works because it is an emotionally charged issue.
If I can stir your emotions, I can control you! The elite call these folks, “useful idiots!” They can think for you by stirring your emotions, causing you to act without thinking!
A movement based on a complete lie. While there may be some issues with Police and people this movement which has been the flash-point of much violence and mayhem needs to stop.
If you spend some time in the mirror guess what, they lose that power and you gain it.
Free the Nipple and Go Topless are saying the same thing. Personally, I would not mind seeing everyone wear a shirt. Let’s take this issue off the table, just wear a damned shirt!
If you want to be naked in public, seek out nude beaches or nude resorts or clubs, or even cruises that cater to clothing optional events. There are actually parks in Germany I think that are clothing optional.
Americans are much more prudish than our European counterparts and I am certain that is a left over from the puritan start, this country had not that many years ago. Don’t be disrespectful of them; if you want to be taken seriously, and respected.
With the LGBT community, I have a thought that I would also like to espouse upon.
There are many places “spas” and such where people enter into an area and are expected to remove all of their clothes. They are provided a “uniform” to wear in the common area but not before they are expected to shower and enjoy the wet area with other people who are also nude.
friends Justin Estill age 30 (blond) and Michael Ladagana age 34 of Astoria (dark hair) . Spa castle premier, saunas, and pool. 115 East 57th Street Manhattan NY
It is no secret that there are men who happen to be gay that go to these spas to watch other naked men shower and what have you. Folks, that is simply creepy.
I know from reading, that some women do this as well, and then you have the folks who are Trans gendered, who identify as one sex or another. What do they do?
In these “wet areas” not only are there adults but there are children, naked children who simply are playing in the water and having a good time.
I think that the laws need to be changed to protect children from let’s face it, pedophiles that might be lurking in the area. As an adult, I can choose to go into one of these places knowing full well that there may be some deviant in there that enjoys watching others shower and what have you.
I don’t believe that we have any business exposing children to possible creeps.
While I am on that subject, since gay folks knowingly go into these areas; how about a communal wet area that anyone can decide to use?
It would be interesting to see how many people of different genders would actually take advantage of it.
Once again I have pontificated to the tune of right at 1700 words on a subject that should be rife with stimulating conversation.
As always, I appreciate comments, shares, re-blogs and of course stimulating conversation. Please keep your comments civil. Thanks!
Premature failed LED bulbAs an electronics guy, when something fails I like to figure out what failed and then why.
When lights fail, well they just fail!
Not so much with the CFL or LED variety.
LED bulb with clear dome etched by some sort of out gassing from something.Today I want to examine this bulb, an LED bulb that did not last the advertised amount of time by any stretch of the imagination.
The first thing to notice that there was some sort of out-gassing during its use which adhered to the inside of the plastic dome and actually etched the plastic in such a way that it is no longer translucent but rather opaque even after I cleaned it with 409.
The reason I pulled it apart is that it became dim.
Here you can see the electronics of the LED bulb and possibly you can see the loose leg of the electrolytic capacitor.After disassembling it, I found that the electrolytic capacitor had become un-soldered on one of its legs.
Re-soldering it and re-assembling it, the bulb became bright again for about a minute until it flickered and quit.
Bulb working after repair Same bulb flickering before second failureRemoving and testing the capacitors they were both in tolerance and I suspect OK.
Testing electrolytic cap,Checking the LED’s one by one, I found one that was dead. As I tested each with a DVM the good LEDS would slightly illuminate. 98% of these when biased correctly would illuminate properly. One of them was much dimmer than the rest, and one of them would not light at all.
Dead LED at the end of my thumbIf I were of the mind to, I could replace the dead LED and the dim LED and I would guess I would obtain more hours of life out of the collective bunch of LED’s
LED lights being in series to me says that when one fails, the light is dead and trashed. Much like that lousy string of Christmas lights that are a real bugger to keep going.
Dead bulb from another angle IF you look carefully you can see some brown substance near the end of the last LED, I think that is the chemical that is responsible for the out-gassing and subsequent pitting of the plastic dome.
Does it make financial sense to “repair” light bulbs?
Will dead LED bulbs fill the garbage dumps with the same frequency of regular light bulbs or CFL bulbs?
The good news about LED bulbs is that there is no lead in the solder as it is Tin.
I would be interested in knowing what actually out-gassed from the light during its use?
What actually pitted or etched the plastic?
Looking closely you will see what looks like flux, that suggest that there is heat generated with use.
Here is a closer look at the dead LED and the brown substance.I am thinking about holding on to this bulb and when another like it fails, making one out of two, just because. Is my time worth more than this, of course it is! Does this interest me enough to prove a point? Yes.
While LED bulbs will save you cost in operation, will that cost be offset by the cost and reliability of the bulb? Even though there is a warranty on these bulbs as well as CFL bulbs, do you know anyone that puts a date on them when installed and then keeps up with the sales slip in case they don’t last the warranty? I don’t think that you can prove much, and it would really be up to the benevolence of the store where you purchased them from to replace your product..
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