Sunday Morning Coming Down

A high school classmate went on a rant about free tuition, free health care, free abortions, free housing .... The gist being that life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are possible, but that nothing is free.  I get it.  Government can't do everything and individual effort is essential. How anybody could use the term "snowflake" as related to affordable education, a woman's right to choice, affordable health care for everyone, and affordable housing, is out of touch with the reality many people face. " Snowflake is a 2010s derogatory slang term for a person, implying that they have an inflated sense of uniqueness, an unwarranted sense of entitlement, or are overly-emotional, easily offended, and unable to deal with opposing opinions. " In some ways the idea of entitlement is a pejorative term in this context.  As if all entitlements are earned when in fact they are not.  Opportunity is often restricted, artificial barriers established and pr...

The President wasn't the first to say "love it or leave". I even remember the bumper sticker : will the last American leaving Florida please bring the flag. From the Miami Times June 11, 2010. "Uh oh. Here we go again. Gov. Charlie Crist signed into law the state's first Hispanic license plate this week. People are already taking sides. Some say it's good, others bad, and still others are convinced it will bring out the racists among us. The plate reads "UNI-DOS" (UNITED) with a Santa Maria -type ship in the middle of the word. At the bottom, it states "Hispanic Achievers," and in even smaller type, "Since 1513 Helping Communities Prosper," which is as confusing as it is asinine. We had to look it up, but that was the year when Ponce de Leon's expedition first visited Florida. How he helped the community prosper is less certain." I remember the draft during the Viet Nam War.  Some left for Canada to avoid...

I came across this e-mail from a cousin that is timely.  He is currently rebuilding after losing his house and possessions during a  wildfire about a year ago in Redding, California.  I'm forwarding a part of the e-mail. "We are old but we are strong and still competent. We have and will continue to survive. I draw inspiration from my ancestors that lived through devastating volcanic events, loss of pastures and livestock in Iceland, not to mention economic exploitation by the Danes. They traveled across the Atlantic to new nations, learned a new language, lived in small, hastily built, crude little cabins occupied by multiple families served by a single wood stove. They survived smallpox, cleared marginal land, were initially not well fed and damn near froze to death. The  average family in the 1875 group brought with them an average of 6 Canadian dollars per family. And look at the contribution they made to both Canada and the United States. They were i...

Several weeks ago I drove past a temporary overflow facility for unaccompanied minors that crossed the border that is located in Homestead, Florida.  A UU Church Service in June made me take a slight detour past the facility which is part of the Homestead Reserve Air Force Base and a former Job Corp Center. The drive by disturbed me. I have known adults who have been in detention and by all reports at the time, I can only imagine what kids between the ages of 12-17 might be going through in a prison like facility. I went to the Homestead Facility last Monday arriving at 10:00AM with some church members, a follow up, and to show my displeasure with a broken immigration policy.  At least that is what I thought I was doing on the ride down to Homestead.  Standing on a ladder waving a heart and watching kids being lead outside while others were marched back into buildings for classes was weird.  After about an hour on the ladder, I stood outside the entrance to the f...

"And How Are The Children"? According to Masai this is a traditional greeting and the traditional response  would be:" All the children are well".  This could mean it's all good or something similar. You really have to wonder what motivates the current administration of the President, Senior Advisers, Homeland Security, I.C.E., the Border Patrol, H.H.S., the Office of Refugee Resettlement, and Caliburn International, and Comprehensive Health Services that has the contract to manage the Homestead Overflow Detention Center. "And How Are The Children"? The conditions  could be, should be and must be made better at the border and the various detention centers around this country.

June 13, 2019, Eyeonthewind broke her maiden with a win in the 1st Race at Canterbury Park.  The filly's Dam was Zoominthewind and the Sire was Fly the Red Eye and the baby was foaled in Minnesota in 2016. The owner/trainer is Randy Weidner.  I've been a partner with Randy in a couple of Quarter Horse ventures and overall I can say horse ownership has been crossed off the bucket list.  You can make more money flipping burgers.  Working however, is not as much fun as going to the track and it is even more fun if you can hang out with horses in the morning and see them run in the afternoon or evening. Fly the Red Eye stands in Texas for $2000.00.  Zoominthewind is a mare Randy trained for Bill Price at Hialeah and she was given to Randy after the vet bills and rehab got up there.  Fly the Red Eye is an AQHA Supreme Champion.  AQHA's Supreme Champion title encompasses the versatility and athleticism of the American Quarter Horse. The title requires a...

Boy, did I screw up.  I like golf and I watch it on TV on weekend afternoons and sometimes on the Golf Channel on Thursdays.  A friend, drinking buddy and long time golfer has me participating in a golf pool for the U.S. Open and we almost always have a side bet on the fate of Tiger Woods. The Thursday golf discussion almost always meanders around the Doral Tournament that has been around a long time.  My friend Dan has been a marshal, carried the sign that showed the group's scores for the round and the tournament.  I used to go to the Doral with my Dad and in the old days if you bought a season pass for the tournament you could play a round for free during the off season. I looked up how much it cost to play a round of golf at Doral now.  The fee starts at $149 and it includes a room.  Not sure if the fee includes a cart and it probably isn't that low on the weekends, but it seems like a good deal. The bad news is the Trump Doral Advertisement is no...