seriouslyscorpio

thoughts of the moment and of my life

Category Archives: justice


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DON AND CHRIS…..FRESHENING UP THE REPUBLICAN PARTY


Been waiting to see the comments begin after Don and Chris came into the running for the next Republican President.   Have long enjoyed their banter, full of truths that no one will come near to discuss.  Their desire is strong, their character more open and upstanding than those so quickly to either attack or walk away from their statements.  I am not so dim that I do not see they are in need of speech writers who are cut from the same cloth.  Not everyone in this fair democracy has the ability to give thrilling speeches full of a meat and potatoes agenda that Don and Chris speak about.  Most of those vying for the possibility of being president tell stories of past presidents, and their failures, of poorly fought battles in years past, and then go on to say how well they will handle the same.

Don and Chris speak of what exactly is failing in these United States.  We all know the borders are open.  We all know that  people flow freely. We also know that within a few days or months, a new plan for a safer place to live, can be in place. If you know it and I know it, and there are laws in place to address it….you get my picture.

Americans are just tired…..and the reason they are tired, is that they are smart.  They listen, they learn, they discuss, and they know what is going on.  It is refreshing to hear Don and Chris acknowledge what we know….as a problem.  And, even more importantly, they want to do something about it!  They even have plans!! They even tell you exactly what some of them are and how easy they are to implement!

Shame on NBC and Univision, etc. for being so chicken as to not stand up for what is true….even tho it is not popular.  Truth is sometimes not popular and these two men don’t really care.  Tell your shareholders you really don’t like the plight of illegals inside the United States and that the country’s hands are tied by the current administration.  Where is your character…..your backbone…..Where are your true colors?  It is time you changed your minds….and stood for the people you represent and present to…..those Spanish speaking people who come to hear they are indeed welcome, and are well thought of……when they work under the rules and freedom afforded them by these United States.  It can’t be one way for some and another for others…..and that is exactly what is going on.

Be brave Don and Chris……we are counting on you……(but look in to the speech writers)


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GRUBER……LISTEN AND LEARN


It is time for Mr. Gruber to make his presentation before the committee tomorrow…..As I previously stated on 11/22…..it is also time for us to take his remarks very very seriously. Why….because we are stupid….stupid not to read the paper, or listen to the news, stupid to think we are going to get something for nothing, stupid to be so lazy as to let others lead us down the primrose path, and really stupid for not admitting to any of the above!

Mr. Gruber has the key to open the door of change…but that can only happen when our representatives in government use them….It is time to let the chips fall where they may. Business does it every day….it is called ‘learning from mistakes’ and then acting on them. Tenure of any government employee should be abolished, thereby freeing up the ability to be a government who works for the people and thru the vote of the people.


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A STUDY IN HOW ….’HOW NOT TO MOVE FORWARD’


Have been paying attention to the demonstrators in cities lately….those walking with signs and screaming and wearing masks…..When stopped by network news and asked why they were there and what they were demonstrating for, the answers came 5’5″ tall children……They liked to yell into the camera mostly with answers like….’we are tired of this’……’we want to be heard’…..’they can’t ignore us now’……’we’ve had enough’…..’no more killing of innocent people’, etc, etc.

This will be short……..not one person has a plan…not even a bad plan. No one pulls out a type written list of how they think their town, or county, or state should go about making a change. Phones are not ringing at city hall…asking to have special meetings with the police, mayor, or the city council. No groups are meeting regularly to review the outcome of past court cases involving racial overtones.

There are not groups contacting lawyers and putting together enough money for retainers, to look into past wrongdoings.

There are very few who say that some people of color and some Caucasians actually did break the law, by not following the law, being on drugs, drunk, or stealing…..that crime does actually occur by locals who want to do the crime.

Someone in those groups need a 5 minute plan….a week plan, a something plan on how to make a difference…….or……maybe….. that’s not what they really what they want to do after all.


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FERGUSON, MO. AND OTHERS….. (TOWNS & PEOPLE)


Ferguson is just one of the towns in this United States that needs to feel better about itself.
Towns grow and stop and some even fail. Years change the people, the jobs, the drive, I’m sorry to say. They breathe with history but become sickly when families, factories, schools, volunteer groups, health care, and dreams wane.

However, that seems to be the least of problems for some towns….because when anger, miss-trust, and the ‘you owe me because I can’t have what others have’ belief becomes an everyday occurrence, it is a sentence of eternal strife…never growing, never going away, just stagnant.

The life of any village is its people, and their striving to achieve. They are proud, they are caring, they are determined, and they respect their history. How many towns do you drive through that are 500, 1000, 4000, 9000 people….and have been for 150 years!!! They did not come to this moment without working, believing, creating, bonding, and achieving in a united way.

Attend city council meetings all over and you will see people….working, planning, and looking forward to successfully helping each of residents. Of course you will hear different opinions of how to complete these goals….but, in the end, (most of the time) all will benefit.

Go look in the mirror……it starts with you, then you and someone else, and someone else and so on.
It starts with realizing basics….abiding by the law, respecting family and neighbors, realizing that you must do your part, that your parents, family, town, and state, no longer want carry you!

Did those people burning Ferguson care about Ferguson? Don’t think so…..How many had finished high school….and if unable, how many had gone to vocational training, or joined the service of the USA. How many had seen to it that their folks were okay that day, that there was food on the table for their kids. How many had sought jobs, any job. How many had seen to it that their birth control was taken care of, or that of their sons and daughters that chose to be ‘free’ with sex.

When looking for work, how many sought assistance in knowing how to look, how to speak, how to respect the job offered, regardless of how menial. And how many took the job, because it was a start, to a better place in life, regardless of how difficult the climb.

If you did, I and many others salute you….If you did not….begin today to better your life….In doing so you will better your family, your reputation, and your self-esteem. Will it be easy? Hell, I say Hell no! Will you enter into a new phase and be proud to look in the mirror. Hell, I say Hell YES!!

It is time….right now…Do not disrespect what others have died for…..you have this wonderful opportunity to carry on the living history of your life and your surroundings.


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FERGUSON AND ME…..IN THE 50’S AND 60’S


If I lived in Ferguson, Mo…..was any age, including over 18 and lived at home or close by, there would have not been a chance in hell I would have been allowed to participate in that brawl. I don’t care if they were 100% right, I would have been at home! My parents would have announced to anyone under their roof that they were to stay at home, stay out of the mess, ‘downtown’ and if they didn’t,mmmmm…mm…mmmmm, if ya know what I mean. Let it be known that my parents never beat me….and were never abusive. However, there were times when the fly swatter was not used for flies.

I was taught that being in a mob….defacing anything, (and that included soaping windows at Halloween), yelling at people, using bad words, and in general, embarrassing the family, was totally out of the question.

I was never told, but ‘asked’ when I would be home when I went out….I said a certain time and I was home by then. If something occurred (legally), I called….they respected me and I them. Didn’t have to, but I did.

Don’t tell me my parents didn’t have control….regardless of my age. At first it was the law, then control, and then it became respect. Respect for my family, my neighborhood, and my town. My friends and I say, of course there was a certain amount of fear….there has to be. Fear came in to play when I was little and continued til it became respect and the ‘right thing to do’. That doesn’t mean fear of pain…it means fear of being a fool, and making your family look foolish.

If I would have done the least of what those kids did….I would have been down there first apologizing, then with my broom picking up the mess, then with my money replacing all that was damaged, then with my body working there to pay anything else off, and then, under my mother’s guidance, putting an article in the paper saying how sorry I was to have hurt the people and businesses in the town I lived in.

Parents of those in Ferguson, Oakland, or anywhere else destroying becomes the way to ‘fix’ unrest….get out the broom. If you don’t want a 100% white police force, work in your city to get a majority black police force. If you think there is no work…finish school and be marketable. Showing yourself like last night will certainly not get you hired where a good reputation counts. Wear clothes that make you ‘classy’ instead of ‘assy’. No one should be without wonderful clothes….there are racks full in great thrift shops. Oh yes we do….buy stuff there for us and our kids.

Work in your church….for nothing….get out the broom again, keep the grass mowed, help those who have less, have more.

Notice I haven’t said anything about staying out…drink’in, drugs, etc. Give me a break, if you are doing what you should be, you won’t have time.

My mother-in-law said ‘Nothing good ever happens after the sun goes down’……amen


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Jonathan Gruber….what do we do with him?


Jonathan Gruber…..what do we do with him….what do we do with his statements? Sorry to say, we listen and listen closely. Correct what should be corrected….pay attention to how the system has worked in the past and see that it changes. People like Mr. Gruber are not new to the scene. However, people who come clean are—-no matter what the venue.

I’m sorry to say it is my opinion that ‘yes’ some people are stupid. Stupid hurts just like breaking the law of morals and ethics hurt.

Mr. Gruber should be asked how all of this came to be….then heads should roll….and new ‘Mr. Grubers’ should come to fix it. When I mean ‘new Mr. Grubers’ I mean those men and women who are smart, able in their profession, with honorable thrown in. His actions should be examined and he should be forthwith when it comes to solutions to those actions. Don’t toss him…..bring him around to the side of what is in the best interest of all US citizens. If he (or anyone else) comes to the conclusion they cannot be part of that solution, it is then time to move them out.

Voters need to pay attention, starting today, of what their vote does. Behind the scenes employees should be culled if they are doing wrong…..Look at VA….it will take years to clean up that mess….unless laws are changed to let superiors release, fire, or layoff those do a bad job….

A lot of officials start out in our local city and county….and some rise higher than their level of responsibility. Just because the name is familiar in your county, state, or government does not mean they will work on your behalf. Start to read, listen, notice the small print, watch how they voted and what intelligent, stupid, or responsible statements they make in front of the camera, to get the next vote.

Sorry voters, it is our stupid, uneducated, or just plain lazy way of watching over our democracy.
Begin today to be accountable….and to hold those you vote for, accountable.


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NFL……can’t govern jack….and for sure, doesn’t worry about jill!


just can’t pass this one up……how sad it is that an organization of the NFL’s so-called caliber cannot count on it’s own morals and ethics enough to respect women…and to prove (not improve) its position.. has to employ/acknowledge the very center of conflict….in order to “relieve” its own stupidity to the public…….CHOSEN LADIES…..go to women’s shelters every day before negotiating….Remember the eyes of the children who live in fear….and the ‘lost’ future of the women who seek asylum there…


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YIPPEE!!! JUSTIFIED IS BACK!!!


One never hears me discuss or rate shows on TV…..I hardly get caught up in shows/specials/or series….HOWEVER, Justified is another story. I stumbled on it 2 seasons ago and will remain an avid follower forever. What is there not to love about this series….the characters are true, gritty, and powerful. The episodes begin and end, and yet there is a great story line that continues to hold me tight. There are also characters that have come and gone…that I truly miss. I know it had to happen, but I guess that is what makes a story memorable.

(I did go see Wolf…Wall Street, etc) and although I did not like the story or the characters…..I came to that conclusion because of the acting. They made me hate them!!

With Justified….I am sorry but I love them….sure there are bad guys,along with good guys,but they are wonderful bad guys…almost becoming endearing as the season progresses. I love mostly, however, the humor, the way the English language is used, and the special mannerisms that draw me back every Tues at 10….

Sad times the author of so many great books passed in 2013……I salute him!!

Remember Tues 10PM FX be there or be square!!!


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Church…WHO DO WE SERVE? #1


I’m going out on a limb here by saying I think there are lots of church goers, non-church goers, and all those in between who question in their hearts, how the ‘church’ is suppose to work. In these next few posts…I’m going to pause, probe, and press for answers to questions that are hundreds, if not thousands of years old.

For those who think these problems are new…read the wonderful world of Paul in Corinthians. This book has warmed my soul because here is a daring guy that leaves no stone unturned, when it comes to creating the best church he can. As I said in my thoughts earlier about Paul, I can see him vividly….gnashing what’s left of his teeth, as he hears, ponders, and writes to his new churches about how they act in his absence.

Flash forward to today and multiply the situation. Churches times a thousand, flocks times ten thousand, and guess what, the problems are almost identical those Paul and his new desciples found in their midst.

One thing for sure, the issues don’t touch any one segment of any one church. That, in itself, should make them easy to identify.
Send a group representative to the local church leadership meeting, discuss the problem, discuss the solutions, come to a vote, take the vote, and run back to the nest with a smile……problem solved.

How many board/vestry meetings have attempted to do just that…how many pastor/parish meetings have grappled with attempts to solve the most petty of church fumbling, and on and on.

Well, I’m here to talk about it….to think out loud..on this paper, in hopes you will do the same. For some it might be ‘been there, done that’; for others, it might be ‘we don’t talk about that’; and yet others might say ‘well, the Bible says’.

Right now I am thinking this will be a discussion of why we do what we do in our church….and why most of us think ours is the best.
We’ll look into boards and vestries…to pastors and priests, to rules of law and rules of church, and to condemnation light. Church or club…..business or belief….is there a definite line..or is it a blur.. we’ll talk later


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I read two papers this AM with 3 cups of coffee…..let me say it again, I READ TWO NEWSPAPERS  this morning with 3 cups of coffee.  My kids tell me I’m really ‘out of mainline journalism’…..I’m in ‘mail-line journalism…and that is further out.   I’m sad if it is the truth….that the days of newspapers are fading.  Yes, the word ‘sad’ is appropriate.

The better part of my 68 years I’ve shared with a newspaper…..When I was learning to read….the newspaper was always in my home.  Mother and Dad read, and then I read.  Sure, at the age of 10 I wasn’t all that interested in the front page, but there were always the ‘funnies’.  Kind of like learning to iron…..first you start with the hankies and then you move onward to more difficult pieces of clothing. That’s how the newspaper and I made friends.

Then, in high school, sometimes things in my small brain began to gel….I would read something in the paper and low and behold…we’d talk about it in government or history.  Dang!

And now, after all these years, I’m more of an avid reader than ever.  I learn every day…whether it is a joke, a piece of history, a sale, a divorce, a birth, a death, and on and on. LIFE is the newspaper and the newspaper is life.  It tells me the weather, the high school basketball scores, the time of the July 4th parade, the mass at church, the sale at the local dress shop, the fishing report for the local lake, and the local police beat…often and thank goodness, more humorous than scary.

I would be foolish to say the Internet has not proved to be another great spot for the news….I know we can hear it all on local TV stations as well as  CNN and FOX, but that’s not the news I long for….We all live in little areas..they may be inside large  cities or on farms, distant from neighbors, however, we all desire to be close to one another….The local newspaper, whether it is weekly, bi weekly, in the morning or in the evening, binds our hearts, our lives, our dreams, and it extends the hand of friendship to all.

When traveling thru Tennessee, I read about the lives of folks in Nashville, Knoxville, and all the little towns in between.  I look at their housing, their taxes, as well as their squabbles with local, county and state government.  It truly does my heart good to see that we are pretty much the same, regardless of our proximity to one another.  Soccer might be hot in So. California, but football is the game in Louisiana. High school football barely makes it in some western states, however, in Indiana, and the Ohio Valley, the homes are empty on Fri. night cause they are at the game.   In the assisted care facilities…..everyone is in their room…..not cause they feel bad….but in season….it is basketball and football that keeps the lights on late into the night.

And last but not least…I love the ads…Where am I going to find so easily…..the for rent and for sale section, the used car section, the misc. for sale section, the legal announcement section, the inside ads for carpet, granite, hot dogs. 2 for 1, picking fresh blueberries, and the editorial section, including all the letters to the editor.  So much entertainment, so much knowledge, so much life…..and all  available in the paper.

So go ahead, read the Internet, learn that Tiger won his 74th, that the Supreme Court did or did not make the right decision, and the high in Las Vegas will be 104…..but for me, I’ll use it as backup only…..cause it is the paper…..I truly love.