downhill

Downhill

The Federal Highway Administration and the Florida Department of Transportation have guidelines for deciding whether to install a traffic signal. A series of accidents may prompt calls for a signal, setting the process in motion. It may be that several accidents occur at a location and then a signal installed, or the required study may determine that a signal would not necessarily reduce accidents there, or might even increase accident risk. The point is, when something new is installed there can be a rough patch to getting there. I’m thinking about Roger Goodell and whether it’s fair for NFL owners to fire him for not acting against Ray Rice before the NFL became active in moving against players for such abuse. If the Commissioner lied about whether he’d seen the video earlier that’s one thing, fire him; otherwise he seems to be just caught up in a process of change.

This isn’t a political blog, but one American has as much right to comment as another. One thing that comes to mind now in the run-up to the midterm elections this fall is that we all have different political views. Mine are different from yours, that's fer sure, that's fer dang sure, but we can be friends or at least cordial, or at least have common courtesy anyway. I have always kept my politics out of the pulpit, and for the most part out of my blog. But seeing the social network site Facebook used for ugly political ranting angers, disgusts and sickens me. It’s already started from the lunatic fringe, so I’ll not be reading FB, nor even scrolling down or commenting, until the elections are over. I’ll make my daily FB post but not scroll down. If I hate rabid haters, that ironically makes me also a hater and I have to deal with that, so I don't hate. But at this age and stage of life I don’t need anger, BTDT including experiencing what anger can do to a person during that time before Cleveland Clinic when anger could immobilize me writhing in excruciating angina pain. Open heart surgery cured the angina among other issues, but I try, not always successfully, to avoid angering situations. So friends must not be offended if a FB comment doesn’t elicit my usual “Like” anymore, it’s not you, it’s me, it’s simply my self defense mechanism. Linda and I share our FB site and if she prompts me I may read something and “Like” but otherwise I’m out for the duration.

Interesting to read this morning of Israeli intelligence officers refusing to serve in occupied Palestinian territories because of evil police state tactics of their own Israeli government and officials and politicians.     


“My country right or wrong” has limits for people of integrity and human decency. I may love Israel, and though the Israeli government makes it very difficult I do try hard, but I am not stupidly blind any more than I am blindly loyal to my own government in the face of excesses. Anyone who thinks they are growing up in the America that my father and I grew up in is seriously deluded. And this is not one of the usual asinine political slams at the present administration. It’s hindsight.

Oscar the “bladerunner” guilty of lesser offenses, OK, I think the judge is a person of high intelligence and total integrity in that she didn’t let my opinion sway her. But then, I’m a father of daughters from Start to the Finish line and my prejudice is always, always, always preset, I am on the girl's side, no exceptions ever. I would have put him under the calaboose for the rest of eternity. Probably without his legs.

What’s wrong, what happened this morning, Bubba? Don’t know. Must have been the coffee. Like it or lump it.

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