I personally don’t care that much for Trump…

I literally can’t stand Biden!

Trump v. Biden? I’ll vote Trump every fucking time!

That being said, if either party presents reasonable alternatives to Biden or Trump, I’ll give them due consideration.


One of the things that I’ve always thought we should consider is a politician’s interaction with the public. Trump interacts with the common folk. I’ll bet the Secret Service has a lot of migraines because Trump gets into crowds in public. Trump is confident that people are going to be generally decent. I think that confidence is born out of his belief that things were better while he was president, and the average person knows it. Many people believe that Trump was at least trying to do the right thing even if misguided from time to time and Americans are pretty forgiving.

I look at Biden interacting with people and there is not the same energy. It not just his age, there’s something else. He’s uncomfortable and the crowd is uncomfortable. It’s like he’s forcing himself to be someplace that he doesn’t want to be.

Any politician that is visibly uncomfortable in a crowd of well wishers causes me to have an immediate distrust of them. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons that I personally distrust so many politicians.


I watched the coverage of Trump after his court appearance in Miami. CNN’s Jake Tapper was clearly offended demanding that the control room cut the live feed. I’d suspect a lot of America tuned into conservative video feeds and found those stations were sticking with Trump as he went to the Cuban restaurant.

When the locals embraced Trump and prayed for him I thought, “how kind,” then I thought, “The only time anyone is going to pray over Biden is when he’s in a box. Even then it’s questionable!”

I tuned in again when Trump made his speech in New Jersey.

While I don’t care for Trump, I found that his speech made sense. His words and the points he made were clear. This was refreshing, because the universal translator in my brain blows a fuse every time I try to listen to Biden.

Moreover, I agreed with him. Something is fundamentally wrong in this nation.

One of the most obvious examples of the rot, is a justice system that clearly has two tiers.

If Pence had documents, and Biden had documents, and Hillary had documents (and destroyed them even under subpoena), and Trump had documents, Why is ONLY TRUMP indicted?

Love Trump or hate Trump, if having documents is illegal then ALL of these people should be indicted. Especially since, of them all, Trump is the only one who had the power to declassify documents. It’s written in black and white in the Law

No one is above the law, right??? Isn’t that what the pundits and wags are saying? Isn’t that what the democrat machine is screaming from the rooftops?

We all know what the Democrats really mean is, no one is above the law, (Except Us). That sentiment extends well into the Republican Party too. I suppose a more accurate statement would be, “No one is above the law… (Except we who are the political elite.)”

That’s one of the fundamental problems in this country right now and everyone knows it. There are two tiers of justice. Hell, thinking about it there may be more than two tiers of Justice.

I’m a white guy. If I shoplift, I know for sure that I’m going to be arrested. If I was any other color but white, I’d get a pass.

White people get punished! Everyone else gets some kind of excuse.

Look at that Marine in New York.

A dude gets on the train, obviously not right in the head. He’s telling people he’s gonna kill them, he’s telling people he don’t care if he dies, he’s telling people he don’t care if he goes to jail. He’s saying all this crap in a closed train car that’s moving, there is literally no place to go to escape and of course there’s no police because… New York and defund the police.

So an ex Marine steps up. He didn’t plan to kill that dude, he didn’t plan to do him any harm at all, and he didn’t choke the guy for 15 minutes.

No Marine would waste the energy. If a Marine is gonna kill ya, trust me, it’s going to be over real fast.

Regardless of the fact that the dude was threatening people, or that he had a record of violence, (The Marine couldn’t have known that,) or that the Marine is by definition going to protect women and children. The New York DA decided to indict him saying that he essentially murdered the crazy dude. Let’s think about that. The New York DA whose known for not charging criminals for their behavior decided to charge a white guy who was protecting a train car full of women & children of multiple races. Mr. Penny was also assisted in restraining the crazy person by two other men who happened to be black or brown. They’re not charged as accomplices. No, only the white guy is charged.

I’m sorry that’s racist on its face, and underscores the two tiered nature of justice in this country.

An old rule is something like; You don’t let a rabid dog get a chance to bite someone. I’d say the same rules need to apply to humans.

Threaten people and say you don’t care if you die…

Don’t be surprised if someone stands up and says,

“Your Terms are Acceptable.”

But I guarantee you if the white dude was the one doing the threatening, screaming & hollering in people’s faces, terrorizing them, and a black Marine choked the fool killing him. The black Marine would be a hero, and the mayor would be shaking his hand.

No one would point out that the defund the police movement and the DA’s office in New York is very soft on crime. Or that these factors are responsible for the increasing crime in the first place. Would we apply reasoning and / or logic to the situation or ask how we came to this dire circumstance?

Nah. We’d move on to the next bullshit without missing a beat.

I don’t have to outrun the Bear, I only have to outrun YOU!

Two Hunters in the woods.
One Hunter turns to the other and asks if they encounter a bear, could they outrun it.
The second and older hunter replies;
I don’t have to outrun the bear, I just have to outrun you.

That old joke passed through my mind during some news coverage about Daniel Penny.

I’m not sure exactly why.

Perhaps it’s because if both hunters worked together they would be able to defeat the bear. But if they break and run then the bear is likely to get at least one of them.

Daniel Penny and two other men stood up to one bear in the subway car. I don’t believe for an instant Mr. Penny thought to kill anyone.

I’ve heard of, and actually seen on one occasion Marines goofing around choking each other out. They seem to consider it kind of harmless play. Indeed, most of the time, in most situations it seems to be harmless. Among Marines.

They’re fit, strong, and in the prime of their lives. (At least they’re supposed to be.) So they’ll lose consciousness, their buddies will draw a dick on their forehead and when they wake up everyone laughs and the recently unconscious guy is handed a beer. It’s a weird bonding, an expression of comradeship and nothing is thought of it.

Or wasn’t back when all my best friends were Marines. Granted, that was a decade or two (or three) ago. Things may have changed and the Marines might have gotten a little more pussified than they used to be.

Everything is going “Woke”. There may have been some recruits that couldn’t cut it, who sued because BOOT was too hard, and their feelings got hurt.

I wasn’t in the military. I broke bones as a teenager and the surgery to fix it disqualified me. I should have gone military. Looking back, I wish I had been able to, I’d like to have been pushed up against my limits. I’d have either gotten a lot out of the experience or I’d have spent my time in the brig or stockade. Whichever, I’d have learned a lot.

I suppose my experience with Marines colors my opinion. Every Marine I knew was goofy, funny, dirty minded, rough & tumble, honorable, kind, and when the shit hit the fan, deadly serious. In an instant, they focused on everyone getting out of the situation in one piece. None of them put up with threats, intimidation, or the strong picking on the weak. In my experience two Marines could hate each other’s guts, but they’d join forces instantly to protect someone who couldn’t protect themselves. It’s like somehow all of this is hardwired into Marine DNA.

I was honored to be counted among them, and honored again when they said I was scrappy in a fight but needed some training, then showed me how to fight better. I appreciated knowing they had my back as I had theirs. There was a rule that a lot of folks didn’t get…  if you ran your mouth in a bar or wherever and deserved an ass whipping you’d get one.

They’d stand by and let you and whoever you offended duke it out, but you weren’t gonna die. They’d make sure your well deserved ass whipping didn’t go too far in either direction. Win or lose, they’d take ya home clean ya up and critique your style while doing it.

It’s a weird mix. I guess it would confuse the hell out of people who’d never hung with any group of military folks. The group dynamic is different from any other group I’ve ever seen. Maybe a large family would come close. You and your brothers might fight like you’re going to kill each other but God help anyone who sucker punched a brother.

I miss those guys a lot.

_____________________________________________

I guess all of this went through my mind as I was processing the news outlet reporting.

One conservative commentator got away with pointing out that the general media wouldn’t have made a big deal about it, if both participants were black, or if the person who died was white and the Marine in question was black. Or if both participants were white.

But because the Marine was white and the person who died was black, the media is in the promised land. Likewise we wouldn’t have all the protests and discussion about homelessness or all the rest. It would be just another white guy dead on the subway… Big Deal!

The problem is The Bear we all have to worry about now is the Bear of the mob, of the preconceived notions, the Bear of our spineless pandering leaders.

We’ve spent the last few years ignoring the mob, and all the stupid reasons for protests or razing of city blocks. We’ve watched politician after politician cave in to bad behavior and tacitly approve of escalating violence. At the same time police forces around the country are bleeding officers from their ranks.

This inevitably will lead to people standing up to defend those who cannot defend themselves, today we call it vigilantism, in centuries past we called it guardians of the community or village. The warriors who stood between the village and marauding hoards.

Woe be unto those who cause a warrior to put down his plow and pick up his sword. They will not survive the encounter. Real warriors value peace, home and hearth above all, but they understand war and the necessity to sometimes fight. When they go to war, they go to win.

New York and other large cities better brace for what’s coming next. If the people don’t feel safe going about their daily lives, Vigilantes will fill the vacuum left by the dismantling of police forces. When prosecution isn’t an option for career criminals in these cities, summary street execution will be. Vendetta will be the norm and innocent people will be caught in the crossfire.

Do you ever read Police Blotters, or Law Enforcement sites?

I do. I suppose some would say it’s morbid curiosity. Others might infer that I’m “Looking for trouble”.

I don’t look at it that way. I use this information to keep myself informed about the myriad ways that criminals work.

I’ve been interested in carjackings, follow home robberies, and street crime that I’m likely to encounter in cities.

Living near a large metropolitan area like Los Angeles, and knowing that we’re going to have a lot of Winter tourists in the small town I live in from that area, I just want to have a slightly heightened awareness of the possibilities.

After all criminals like to play in the snow too, don’t they? Some criminals might prefer to operate in an area full of visitors taking advantage of the chaos and confusion to steal from the unwary.

Some of the things that have caught my interest are “Bump & Rob”, “Follow Home Robberies”, and the clever ways criminals are inciting altercations as cover for theft.

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There’s an article in Law Enforcement Today about a rise in Bump & Rob/Carjack accidents in MN. The article is here It’s interesting. The criminals bump into a victims car, then get out while the victim driver is collecting their wits. In the momentary confusion, the criminals point a gun at the victim and then steal his or her car with all the contents.

There have been similar incidents in Los Angeles. The MN police have gone so far as to issue public warnings. I doubt that Los Angelino’s will see warnings. The LAPD and City council seem to be far more interested in sweeping rising crime under the carpet.

“Follow Home Robberies have been reported in LA and the surrounding communities. Some of the more high profile follow home robberies have involved celebrities and people in wealthier neighborhoods around Los Angeles.

Recently, there was a rather shocking smash and grab in Cucamonga. That one got my attention because it was relatively close to my home. 

Reading about the methods of both, and some of the precursor behavior I feel, makes me a little better equipped to avoid the situation before I become a victim. That’s not a guarantee but at least I’m more aware of shady behaviors that might be leading up to something.

A follow home situation is unlikely given where I live. I doubt criminals will want to follow me to where Jesus lot his other sandal, and given the rural nature of my community, criminals might think twice, assuming that rural people would be well armed and more likely to give them lead poisoning. (Generally True!)

Smash and grab might also be less likely even during the Winter because avenues of escape are few and choked with traffic. Home robberies on the other hand might become more of an issue. It’s not uncommon to see strange vehicles in my neighborhood because of lost people looking for snow play areas or the ski resort. 

In Winter there are so many strange vehicles and people occupying rental properties it’s become difficult to determine who belongs where.

The point I’m making is be aware, keep an eye on your surroundings, and report shady stuff to the police. Depending on where you live, you might have quick response or as in my case, the police are at minimum 15 minutes away. If you know or suspect your’e being followed, don’t go home. Find a police station. In the case of bump & rob, keep your eye on the occupants of the other car until you determine they’re not armed. If you see a weapon and your vehicle is drivable, I’d say  leave. You other choice it to comply (as the MN officer suggested).

I’m gonna leave! I’ll call 911 as I’m exiting and ask where the nearest police station is. Yeah my car is covered by insurance, but lets face it, the insurance company is gonna try to put you in a roughly used gardening truck with what they pay out if your car is totaled.

If I didn’t live in California, I’d be more likely to greet a carjacker with a weapon of my own. Oh, to live in a constitutional carry state!

That’s another story…

This holiday season, keep your head on a swivel and be very careful out there.