YO-YO BUCK + LIL' BUCK + THE URBAN SWAN DANCE

URBAN DANCE - YO-YO MA COMPOSES FOR LIL' BUCK

TED ED - HOW DOGS SMELL

POLITICAL HISTORY

For those of you who -- like me -- wonder (quoting a candidate) "what the hell is going on" this political season should read a book called "The Loudest Voice in the Room" by Gabe Sherman.

This is a link to a review of the book by the Washington Post. Before you jump to conclusions, the book is heavily annotated & researched.

I think it puts in perspective some of what's going on this political season and provides some directly relatable history.

Lest you think I am one sided. I also read an 'authorized' bio on Donald Trump called "TrumpNation" & Carl Bernstein's exhaustive bio on Hillary Clinton titled "A Woman in Charge".

None of these books were complimentary.

Then there is an excellent book written just after the Nixon election called "The Selling of the President" by Joe McGinnis.

All of these books accurately reflect this election season & are worth your time if you are a serious voter although I'm sure some will argue that one could be a serious voter w/o reading them.

WEALTH CAN BE BAD FOR YOUR SOUL. [EXCERPTS]

Privilege, Pathology and Power
www.nytimes.com

By PAUL KRUGMAN 
January 1, 2016

Wealth can be bad for your soul. That’s not just a hoary piece of folk wisdom; it’s a conclusion from serious social science, confirmed by statistical analysis and experiment. The affluent are, on average, less likely to exhibit empathy, less likely to respect norms and even laws, more likely to cheat, than those occupying lower rungs on the economic ladder. [...]

Just to be clear, the biggest reason to oppose the power of money in politics is the way it lets the wealthy rig the system and distort policy priorities. [...]

[...] it’s not trivial. Oligarchy, rule by the few, also tends to become rule by the monstrously self-centered. Narcisstocracy? Jerkigarchy? Anyway, it’s an ugly spectacle [...]

ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE

ORWELL's 1984? NOPE. REAGAN'S 1986 [A Politico.com Magazine article]

[...] The INS’ multi-pronged proposals left little to the imagination, offering two options: a “general registry” and “limited targeting.” In its general registry scenario, the State Department would “invalidate the visas of all nonimmigrants” of the targeted nationalities, “using that as the first step to initiate a wholesale registry and processing procedure.” In its limited targeting scenario, the Investigations Division imagined a series of eight steps to expedite the deportation of the targeted nationalities. One was an executive order, requiring the FBI and CIA to share data with INS to locate alien undesirables and suspected terrorists. Another expanded the legal definition of international terrorism as a deportable offense; to speed the process, the measure would circumvent “proposed rule-making procedures, as a matter of national security.” The INS recommended holding aliens without bond, excluding the public from the deportation proceedings and convincing immigration judges to agree to those terms by referencing classified evidence. [...]

READ MORE HERE

PIVOTING

TRUMP TRANSITION TEAM LEADER

DOGWOOD [from Facebook] Photo by Anthony Photography in Boise

SERIOUSLY, FOLKS......

Seriously, folks:

Can you imagine Mr. Trump sitting through meeting after meeting in the oval office or situation room, listening to all the principals offer their opinions on some issue?

Do you really think he wants to work 12-14 hours a day, 7 days a week except for a few days of golf while under constant scrutiny?

Do you think he's going to read reams of position papers on various issues around the world day after day; even after his 14 hour day in the Oval ends?

How do you think he's going to react when the SS says, sorry Mr. President, it'll take a week to organize your security for your trip to Atlantic City to speak to the Chamber of Commerce about jobs.

Whether you agree with his random thoughts on governing or not -- just as a personality -- do you think this is a guy who is emotionally / constitutionally suited for the constant meetings & discussions as the chief executive of the united States?

What happens the day he gets bored and just wants to have fun? Will Donald be able to be Donald? I don't think he will be able to be true to himself in the Oval Office. It's a gilded cage.

Not being in total control will frustrate him. Although he might enjoy the perceived power, he will not enjoy the job.

Even if Hillary was the only un-trustworthy alternative, one could at least imagine her wonkishness fitting in better.

And there are alternatives.

THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE

For all the people who chant USA! USA! USA! (a sentiment I share), I wish they would put the USA! before political affiliation. That doesn't mean voting for Hillary. There are other choices.

When the SCOTUS took on the state's rights case and decided the election in Bush v Gore, that exalted institution became a political football with feet of clay. Sadly, we see how well that has worked out. 

When a presidential candidate suggests that the elections are rigged, it could set in motion a national loss of confidence in another pillar of our democracy. This is not good for the USA! 

Win or lose, this guy -- Trump -- will do just fine.

If he loses, he has managed to further his brand, build a bigger customer base for his products and has set in motion a multi-million dollar opportunity in communications, i.e. television and cable. Think Trump TV. Good for him. Could that have been the backup plan all along? Who knows.

If he wins, well.....I don't believe it will be good for the USA!

Maybe it's time to rethink "The Manchurian Candidate".