Supreme Court and the President

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eadM_USLBkw

 (connects to my you tube blog)

(The opinions here are mine and mine alone.)

Today the Supreme Court ruled that the district attorney of New York City 'could' get the president's tax information by subpoena. It was a 7-2 vote with both the president's appointments voting against him. 

The decision about the House of Representatives getting the information was a little different but did allow it to go forward in the courts.

We won't have them by election day, but the president was furious on twitter.

"No one is above the law", Chief Justice Roberts wrote in his opinion. "Not even the President."

I say, 'good going, Supreme Court'--I'm not relieved yet but having the court be that definite is a start back toward the rule of law. Which in my opinion, this president has been degrading in dangerous ways.

Also, the Court ruled that about half of Oklahoma is legally Native American land. 

That's going to be a big challenge to the state.

We shall see what we shall see.

 

Good for Scandinavia

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eadM_USLBkw
(my youtube blog)

(Opinions here are mine and mine alone.)

THIS MAY NOT BE PROPER FOR ALL TO VIEW!!


Some Scandinavian country has made it a law that men must urinate sitting down in public bathrooms.

A very good idea.

If you are a man and use public bathrooms--even ones with urinals--you know what I mean.

It should probably apply to home bathrooms as well.

I don't know about you, but I sometimes have to use a paper towel on the floor or the toilet to clean up a mis-aim.

Maybe it's just getting older, but for sure, my aim isn't what it once was.

Sitting down to pee might be a good idea for men.

Just me talkin'....

"We're in a good place...."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eadM_USLBkw

  (my youtube link)

(All I write here is my opinion and mine only)

That's what the President said today: "we're in a good place" with Covid-19.

That just isn't true. 41 states have rising infection rates. 7 are holding steady and only 4--CT, MA, VT and NH--have infection rates falling. Yea for New England!

Fauci and other medical experts say cases are rising at an enormous rate and we could have over 200,000 Americans dead by election day.

Plus, the President and Betsy De Vose, Sec. of Education, and mandating that schools reopen at full capacity the end of August. Many won't, I'm sure, caring more about student and teacher safety than full enrollment. They will try to open with masks, hand sanatizers and social distancing.

The President called such precautions "politically motivated", though, in truth they are 'public health concern' motivated!

He still insists that we 'test' more than anywhere and the tests are the reason for the rising cases.

We don't test more per capita than anywhere else and the virus is the reason for the rising cases.

Plus, TV networks and newspapers have copies of his niece's book. She's a psychologist and her observations about the President are devastating. 

Finally, his recent remarks that sound so racially insensitive about the protestors and NASCAR and the Confederate flag, fly in the face of a clear majority of American opinions.

Not a "good place" for the President to be right now.

Here's another blast from the past

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eadM_USLBkw

 

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Toradh caithimh tobac--ba`s

That's what it says on the Malboro Gold Originals I've been smoking for two weeks. I bought a carton at the Duty Free Shop at the Dublin Airport. If I'm doing the Euro-Dollar exchange anywhere near right, the ten packs of cigarettes cost about $4 a pack, less than half what they cost in Cheshire.

That I still have a pack plus some others after two weeks tells me I don't smoke nearly as much as I feared. Most smokers, when they count, are horrified that they smoke more than they thought. So, give me a break on that, OK?

Yes, I KNOW I shouldn't smoke. And I do. OK? Leave me alone. I'm a priest, I stand with the oppressed and the most oppressed people in the Western world are smokers. I'm just standing with my people....

But since absolutely everything in Ireland has both Irish and English on signs, notices, directions, etc., 'whatever', each pack of cigarettes has the warning "Toradh caithimh tobac--ba`s" on it. The English translation is below: "Smoking kills". You have to admire a language that requires 22 letters to say what 12 say in English. And such wondrous words! When I try to pronounce them (which I can't for the life of me) they sound like Klingon. But if an Irish speaker said them they would sound like a bird song, really. I've listened to Irish a lot and it is a language to be sung, not spoken. English is so mundane in comparison.

No wonder the Irish love song and poetry and story so much--it sounds like birds.

I'm listening as I write this to Maggie, our parakeet sing along with the classical music station we always have on beside her cage.

With a little practice, I believe, Maggie could speak Irish. All birds, it seems to me, are Gaelic in their bird souls.....

Something from the past

I didn't feel like writing a new post yesterday or today, so I thought I'd share something from the past. A post which, for reasons beyond my comprehension, was one of the top ten viewed posts of all time.
Here it is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eadM_USLBkw 

Saturday, September 17, 2011

400th Post

I just realized this is my 400th post on Under the Castor Oil Tree. I'm too intimidated to go back and read the first one. Jeter got hit 3000 and Mo got save 600 a few days ago. Now I've got blog 400. Who knew?

Since I waxed semi-eloquent on the weather in West Virginia, I decided I'd do the 400th blog with my favorite West Virginia joke.

A Washington lobbyist grew tired of the fast lane and retired to a cabin in the mountains of West Virginia. He couldn't see another house from where he lived and he was delighted with his new life. He read and wrote and ate simply. He couldn't have been happier.

But on the very day he began to feel lonely for the first time, about three months into his wilderness retreat, there was a knock at his door.

When he opened the door he was confronted by a huge, hairy mountain man.

"Hey there," the man said, "I'm your nearest neighbor. I live over the ridge of that second mountain out there to the west and I've come to invite you to a party."

The city man thought that might just be the best thing to cure his newly arrived loneliness--a party in the mountains.

"I'd love to come," he said to the Mountaineer.

"I hav' to warn you," the native said, "there'll be some drinkin'."

"I like a drink from time to time," the city guy replied.

"And there'll prob'ly be some fightin'," his guest told him.

"Well alcohol will do that," said the man from Washington.

"And, last but not least," the West Virginian told him, "there will most likely be some sex."

The city guy wasn't ready for that but he knew he was a stranger in a strange land, so he agreed and said, "well, I understand that might happen."

The mountain man gave him directions to his house, just a mountain or two over.

"Well," the DC guy said, trying to fit in to the culture, "what should I wear?"

"Dudn't matter much," the huge Hill-Billie told him, "it'll jist be you and me...."

Happy 4th of July

https://youtu.be/n7gwVXk5JGY This will take you to my You Tube blog readings.

(All opinions here are mine and mine alone.)

We went to a backyard party with only 8 people and lots of social distancing. The folks doing the BBQ were even wearing gloves. They have a pool and several people went  in for a swim.

It was a great time with good friends.

I, as always, made deviled eggs. I am the deviled eggs king.

Lots of food and conversation and a good time was had by all.

Back here at 9 p.m. Cheshire is under fire from fire works in all directions.

I've never much liked fireworks so I don't get the attraction, especially by novices.

Yet, apparently since so many communities cancelled them because of Covid, the sale of fireworks to individuals was the highest in history.

Just hope no one gets hurt--as often happens when they aren't pros.

I'm sure it's wet enough to make fires unlikely.

But I don't get it.

July 4th to me is good food, great conversation and loved friends.

That's all I need.

Happy 4th to you all.

 

I forgot to mention

https://youtu.be/n7gwVXk5JGY  This link will take you to me reading my blog on You Tube.

(The opinions here are mine and mine alone.)

I forgot to mention in the last post that it was Calvin Coolidge who was President when Mount Rushmore was ceased from Native Americans.

One of the few things I know about Coolidge is a great exchange he had with a reporter as he was leaving church.

"Mr. President," the reporter respectfully asked, "What was the preacher's sermon about?"

"Sin," Coolidge answered.

"And what did he say about sin?" the reporter responded.

Coolidge replies, "he's a'gin it."

Not a man of many words.