Category: Idle Thoughts

The Curmudgeon philosophy and lifestyle.

As Easy As A.B.C. ***UPDATED!***

Curmudgeon

WikiLeaks has released a group of emails from the DNC that shows a portrait of graft and conspiracy. Some examples are below and you can find a huge list on memoryholeblog.com.

When I first heard the controversy over the Hillary Clinton emails my first thought was “Why was she using a private server?” As a former network administrator I know of no good reason to set up a private email server and lots of bad reasons. I also know how hard it is to keep any server secure. This private server was setup when State Department’s policy was that all normal operations were to be on an authorized system.

ExtremelyCarelessThe pattern of questionable conduct seems to go on and on. When the House Oversight Committee asked if she had used private email the did not reply. This could be considered lying by omission. The State Department later responds without a satisfactory answer. Later the State Department told the committee investigating the Benghazi tragedy that Clinton used the private server exclusively as Secretary of State. The list of ethical questions goes on if you study the story.

Now, I have no problem with personal email accounts. Hell, I have four at last count. A personal email is not a problem until someone with clearance sends classified information through an unsecured server. That is the big problem there. The FBI called it “Extremely Careless.” Do you think someone who wants to be president should be allowed to be “Extremely Careless” with classified material?

I think the answer to that last question is as easy as ABC! Anyone But Clinton.

A sample of the links to WikiLeaks show the true nature of the DNC. More can be found at memoryholeblog.com.

DNC conspiring to create false Trump information and release with Reuters. https://wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/emailid/7102

DNC Hillary supporters infiltrated Sanders campaign. https://wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/emailid/4776

DNC making fun of black woman’s name. https://wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/emailid/17942

DNC member killing horses for insurance money. https://wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/emailid/578

And Then God Sneezed

Curmudgeon

I had a dream last night. I died and went to heaven. As I was standing there at the Pearly Gates, talking to God, He sneezed. I didn’t know what to say.

The joke above is a very old one. It revolves around the age old habit of saying “Bless you” whenever someone in the room sneezes. The origin comes from the ancient belief that when someone sneezes their heart stops for a moment risking death. Other beliefs are that the soul leaves by way of the nose. Saying “Bless you” is supposed to keep the soul from leaving.

Church in Colorado Mountains

In reality, this happened the other night at a family gathering. There were people from various sections of the country and various faiths. We had everything from Southern Baptist to agnostic. I was the one who sneezed with the result of more than half the people at the table saying “Bless you.” It got me wondering why those who are not normally superstitious still cling to this one. After all, the chances of a fatal sneeze are minuscule. I have however seen people with a nose big enough to accommodate a Greyhound bus so a quickly exiting soul could be a danger to them.

In today’s culture of political correctness this unsolicited blessing could become a sign of rudeness. How does a sneezer know that the people blessing him are not doing him any harm? Can you be overly blessed? Does an agnostic blessing even work? Is it ok for a Catholic to bless a sneezing Jew and vice versa? Would they have to convert? Maybe the person just doesn’t want to be blessed.

And what if in the future this leads to more superstitious traditions? What if one starts that’s totally opposite where when someone farts everyone in the room says, “Curse you”. This could become especially prominent in elevators. It might come in handy too as the farter joins in with the curse to leave doubt as to who the guilty party is.

Personally I find it annoying. I’m not gonna die from a sneeze. I do my own blessings, just as I do my own curses. So don’t expect me to thank you for keeping me from a nonexistent, fatal sneeze.

The Garden Plants and Flowers

Curmudgeon

The spring planting on the compound is pretty much done. We were lucky to have a late spring this year so we had a little extra time. There was an unfortunate hail storm one night a couple of weeks ago which did some natural pruning to the hostas and volunteer bleeding hearts. They seem to be coming back with the help of a week of sunny, cool days. […]

A Shadow On The Moon

Griffin

It’s early morning and I am released from my nightly captivity of the house, I leap onto the deck railing with the smooth viscosity of crude oil flowing uphill.

Watching for trespassers in my garden.
Surveying my garden.

From my vantage point I survey the garden for the slightest movement.

My constantly twitching ears catch the faint rustling sound of a trespassing rodent looking for food in the undergrowth.

Like a shadow on the moon, a black form with no substance, I jump down and make my way along the hedgerow. The siren song of the starlings announces my presence.

Moving silently thru the grass.
Moving silently, closer to my prey.

Oblivious to the screaming birds my prey continues to forage in the grass for its morning grain. The breeze brings his blood scent to my nostrils. It sets my hunting instincts on fire.

All cats deserve love. Click on this shirt to find it in the Idle Thoughts online shop.
All cats deserve love. Find this shirt in the Idle Thoughts online shop.

I bend low, moving silently, closer to the rodent. Then I stop, still without sound. I deepen my crouch, the sinews of my rear haunches tightening with a need to strike like an over-wound clock.

With a single leap I dispense feline justice. My prey has no time to cry out.

The temptation to devour my victory is a strong one. But the apes have been good to me recently. I will leave this one for them on their living room carpet. Their screams of delight are reward enough.