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Just another day in America. Right?

This has been one of those extraordinary days in America.

Two presidents — one white and former president and one black who is the president — spoke on the same page praising work of the five Dallas police officers killed in an ambush following a protest march on July 7.

A former Democratic party presidential candidate and the presumptive Democratic candidate embraced in a showing of party unity.

Hey there, take a look at my neck it's a lot like your's. That is if your neck looks anything like mine. (It actually is my MRI neck picture) MRI image. Copyright 2016. Dick at EFD
Old man take a look at my neck it’s a lot like your’s. That is if your neck looks anything like mine. (It actually is my MRI neck picture) MRI image. Copyright 2016. Dick at EFD. Oh, and Fair Use paraphrasing Neil Young’s “Old Man” which is a hell of a good song.

The U.S. attorney general was grilled by Republicans who demanded to know why she didn’t refer charges against the presumptive Democratic candidate in a politically-charged scandal over e-mails.

One of eight Supreme Court justices said she could not imagine a presidency under the presumptive Republican candidate.

All of this took place today as I sat in the Parkinson’s Disease clinic at the Houston VA waiting to see my neurologist. Oh, I don’t have Parkinson’s, at least I don’t think so.

I began reading an interesting article on one major problem I do have, that is maintaining balance. The article was in “Neurology Now,” a title I previously didn’t know. But this magazine had an attractive cover layout that pictured the former California first lady, who also was once an NBC television news correspondent, and a member of the famous Camelot clan from which came a murdered, young U.S. president. That lady shouldn’t be former anything and proves she isn’t by speaking out on Alzheimer’s Disease.

The article, which I have yet to finish, suggests Tai Chi and other methods can help older folks to maintain balance. You, the reader reading this blog, may read this article  before I do. I have had concerns over the last couple of years, since my balance had gone awry, that I might get stopped by police and asked me to perform a field sobriety test. I don’t drink and drive, anymore at least. Buy my balance is way out of whack and that would be the first thing I would tell police. Well, I would tell them right after saying: “No,” I would not perform any tests.

Before I finished the article my neurologist, a very nice lady who came from India to help veterans, gave me about 10 shots of Botox. The Botox shots — I have received about four or five sets — have been in my head, neck and face to attempt helping the great pain I suffer from my cervical spine and the osteoarthritis that has savaged my neck over the years.

The shots today were in the back of my neck in a peripheral area of my spine.

My neck felt better, for the first time since I have received the shots, although after the drive back from Houston the neck is back to its painful ways. My lower back has, in the interim, become much more painful among standing and walking. That has been attributed to the diagnosis I was given of a rare disease called “Arachnoiditis.” And as I must always point out, the disorder has nothing to do with spiders.

I will be checking in my self-examination mirror to determine if the Botox has made the back of my neck appear any younger. In the meantime, my doctor said she will say what, if anything, she will do about my lower back.

This was what happened in my day, another day in America.

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Clinton: No charges that we’ll hear about until infinity

Without a doubt I am likely missing a “talking-head fest” on CNN or other cable outlets right now. I could turn my television on in perhaps a flat two seconds, maybe a shorter period of time. But I ask myself, why?

One wouldn't want Hillary as your IT director. But she isn't going to jail, at least anytime soon. Government photo
One wouldn’t want Hillary as your IT director. But she isn’t going to jail, at least anytime soon. Government photo

Unless the President, who is on the campaign trail with presumed Democrat nominee Hillary Clinton, made some serious gaffe or in a moment of excitement decided to expose himself “in front of God and everybody,” the topic will likely be Hillary.

FBI Director James Comey made a step-by-step statement this morning concerning what government investigators found in their long investigation over e-mails used and sent by former  Secretary Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. But, said the FBI director — a Republican appointee of George W. “GW” Bush — there was nothing found in the investigation into Clinton’s e-mails other than carelessness. Certainly, nothing was found that would make a prosecutor want to proceed with criminal charges against the presidential candidate.

Of course, GOP presumptive nominee Donald Trump cried foul six ways to Sunday. “The system is rigged,” whined Trump.

Trump surrogates and mouth pieces lit into the decision that most likely means Clinton will unlikely face any charges into faulty e-mail practices. And probably into the next General Election will we hear all kinds of complaints about Clinton and the “damn  e-mails,” as Independent/Democrat U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders said during his campaign against Clinton for the D nomination.

But we will continue to hear about the e-mails and Benghazi from now until who knows when.

Well, I have just enough time to do a quick edit on this before I turn on the local news to see if our local TV reporters are better today than they were yesterday in covering what’s happening in our area. There’s always hope. But hope doesn’t get ya ratings!!!

Boy, do I really need a life.

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One day after Orlando. Release the sanctimonious hounds.

It is most likely that police and other authorities hadn’t cleared the Pulse nightclub of the remaining 40-something bodies before the two presumptive presidential nominees were clearly “making hay while the sun shined.”

Donald Trump, the likely GOP nominee, reiterated his call for excluding Muslims from entering the United States. Meanwhile, his counterpart Hillary rolled on an old familiar theme — gun control — while digging into a glimpse of her strategy to combat our terrorist foes such as ISIL.

Somehow the death toll from the early Sunday-morning shooting spree and hostage crisis in the Orlando gay club fell from 50 to 49. I have yet to hear how that happened, although it matters to history and in the hearts and minds of those who lost loved ones.

Both President Obama and Hillary Clinton talked on the increasing need for an assault weapon ban, a proposition that prompts the presumptive GOP presidential nominee to cackle Henny-Pennie-like that such measures will lead to the end of the Second Amendment to the Constitution. That is utter horse pucky. But the lies Trump is floating around seemingly know no boundaries.  Trump is even insinuating that Obama either  is incompetent or he is somehow involved. Perhaps Trump is re-living his glory days, when Trump was convinced the President was from the Muslim World. Yes, Barry Obama, Secret Asian Man, or African, or Hawaiian, I mean, it’s all the same to The Donald.

The president has been beaten up by the Republicans for not using the words “Radical Islamic terrorists.”

“Is President Obama going to finally mention the words radical Islamic terrorism?” Trump tweeted as the president was speaking. “If he doesn’t he should immediately resign in disgrace.”

WTF? Whiskey Tango Foxtrot! I mean I have seen some silly politicians with equally ludicrous ideas, but I mean this whole thing over Obama not calling the terrorists with the “radical Islamic” prelude. That right there sums up the silliness of the Republicans and that silly son-of-a-bitch  Donald Trump.

Politicians like Trump, Clinton and that idiot-assed Lt. Governor of Texas Dan Patrick all are  to blame for starting up the Circus, well, starting it up even more. I know that politicians in general, but Republicans specifically, have well-honed hypocrisy to a calling. People like Patrick saying on Twitter the gays brought this violence on themselves, then he states he had meant that Bible quote for several days prior.

So on this day, when so many parents and siblings are grieving for their losses while other pray for other relatives to pull through from horrible injuries, we are left with the sanctimonious perhaps Muslims shooting it out with gays as sort of a win-win.

Let the pious be pious. Just leave me the f**k alone if you are plan to side with the Donald Trumps and the Dan Patricks of the world.

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Think. Think. Think. About what Trump’s gonna do to us

Sitting here on Christmas Eve, with a little sip o’ Dew, — think Irish and not Mountain — I can’t help but laugh at the 2016 presidential elections so far.

It seems as those of us who are of the Democrat persuasion should think hard and long about holding our nose to vote in November.

I am not a fan of Hillary Clinton. I didn’t care for Bill all that much. It makes me a bit sad to know Chelsea has to hear things like that, but she grew up with it. Bernie Sanders has his heart in the right place — the chest cavity, right? — I admire that he doesn’t feel the least bit ashamed to say he is a socialist.

The word “socialist” brings fear to the hearts of Americans who never studied sociology or political science. Here is a disclosure: I minored in both fields in college. I think I am short six hours having a second degree in political science. I’ve thought about doing it, getting my second degree. Why with my experience in reporting on government for many years and working for municipal, state and federal governments, it seems like a university should go ahead and just award me my second degree. I am not bragging. I am proud of my varied background.

Back to socialism, the short-sighted ignorantly believe socialism is communism. It’s not. Then, say the S-word haters, it is like France. Well, that is a little closer but it is no cigar. I think Bernie hits on one aspect of our society on which he is absolutely right. That is, the middle class is and has been, an endangered species. You are either rich or you are poor. There is no in between.

The Republican party has many candidates this year. But none of those are really a choice as far as I am concerned.

I still expect, somehow and some time, that Donald Trump will hit a bump. Hey, it’s still okay to rhyme. It’s a free country — for now. Should he make it all the way to the convention next year I still think it will mean turmoil for the Republicans. Perhaps it will not end like the Whigs. But the situation could become a replay of the (God forbid) 1948 Democratic convention.

Former Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey, then mayor of Minneapolis, pushed the Democrats to adopt a strong civil rights stance. The measure passed, but barely. Harry Truman was nominated and became elected for the first time. Alben Barkley, a former U.S. Senate majority leader from Kentucky, was the vice president.

The civil rights plank in the Dems platform back in 1948, looking back today, seems like a cynical though proved an accurate way to encourage black voters to elect more Democrat leaders. However, many Southern Democratic leaders back in the day were appalled at the thought of promoting civil rights. The Mississippi and Alabama delegates to the convention, joined by other Southerners, walked out. The bolting members founded what was called the “State’s Rights Party,” a.k.a. the “Dixiecrats,” and nominated that long-living reprobate Sen. Strom Thurmond and Mississippi Gov. Fielding Wright for president. Obviously, the Dixiecrats, were a party in name only. Thurmond served for 48 years as U.S. Senator representing South Carolina.

After dying at the age of 100, a retired Los Angeles school teacher, Essie Mae Washington-Williams, revealed that the long-time senator was her father. Washington-Williams, who was African-American, was acknowledged by the Thurmond family as a relative.

Small world.

Just a few words to say about the Trumpster. He can’t deliver on all his promises unless he plans a military coup. Trump will not drive all illegal immigrants from the states. He is insane to think he can order with a snap of the fingers bombers to “bomb the hell” out of Middle Eastern oil fields. Trump is a blow hard. If he is elected, scary as that sounds, he will be even more isolated from the U.S. Congress than Barack Obama.

Friends, I’m just telling you. Think. You better think (think, think) about what Donald’s going to do to you … Oh freedom, (freedom, freedom, freedom, freedom, yeah freedom.) To paraphrase that great song sang so soulfully by the First Lady of Soul, Aretha Franklin and was written by Ted and Franklin White.

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Just regular stuff here. Except for the Obama Chia pet.

Ay yi yi. I have been away from the blog for the week and the whole operation goes to the dogs. Well, not literally. It seems I have some learning to do on new changes to the dashboard from which the ultimate product emanates.

Like thousands upon thousands who are doing their last minute shopping today, I too was spending money . But all the bucks were spent on me, well, sort of.

My brother and his wife will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on Jan. 2. So far, I bought a suit which I picked up today. I bought myself a white shirt and tie to make my uniform all complete. My brother said he hoped I would wear a dark suit for pictures. I needed a suit anyway. So I should be like ol’ ZZ Top’s hit “Sharp-Dressed Man.”

I also spent about $300 on two new (two for one) pair of glasses. I went to the eye doctor at the VA clinic yesterday. I had originally had symptoms of what could have been a serious retinal tear or else, just something that happens with age. And age had it. If that isn’t enough, I have cataracts. That’s it, it’s official, I’m an old f**k. The doctor said the cataracts were not serious at this point. Apparently, the cataracts are enough to the point that my night vision is not good at all. The doctor said these glasses should help with my eye problems. I hope she is right.

Now I could have gotten a free pair from the VA. I still can and it’s highly likely I will get my VA pair. I am very rough on glasses. I’ve been wearing reading glasses for more than 15 years. And I found that I needed to have a number of back-ups. That can’t be happening with my “real” glasses. I can do it. I can take care of real pairs of corrective lenses. I still have the pair prescribed back in 1995 although I don’t wear them because I can’t see anything with them, meaningful at least.

Okay, that’s what has been happening with my bad self. Oh, I spent the weekend near Dallas with one of best friends and his significant other and her two sons. I enjoyed the visit. My friends have an insane collection of CDs, I ended up recording about 52 albums to my laptop. Now, I need to figure out how I can load them on my phone.

That’s it, folks! No political mumbo jumbo. Whoa, while writing that, a commercial came on the TV for a “Chia Obama.” Now, unlike most people I know, I like Obama. He hasn’t been a FDR. He is more like a regular guy. One who is smart as a whip and not from the patrician background from where so many our presidents began. But a Obama chia pet? What people won’t do for a buck. I hope to write some things over the Christmas holidays. I may. If I am not back tomorrow, have a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Festivus for the Rest of Us. Whatever you celebrate or not.