Zbigniew Brzezinski has died. Back in 2013 I applauded him as one of the most intellectual minds on world affairs (here) when he opined against getting mired in Syria.
For the most part Brzenzinski cautioned against U.S. aggressive acts militarily and was one of the few foreign policy experts that warned against the invasion of Iraq in 2003. The exception was his hatred of the Soviet Union, which stemmed from his early life in Poland and in Nazi Germany during the 1930's. After WWII, when the Russians took over Poland, his family moved to Canada rather than return to Poland. As a result Brzenzinski supported spending whatever it took to oppose the Soviet Union expansion.
Up until his death, Brzenzinski paid attention to world affairs and most recently called the Trump foreign policy "lacking coherence." His intellect will be missed.
Not-my-president Trump shoves Montenegro's Prime Minister Dusko Markovic aside at the NATO summit to get his face up front for the camera and sticks his nose in the air.
Yesterday, the day before Montana’s special election for the state’s congressional seat, the Republican candidate has been charged with misdemeanor assault after he slammed a reporter to the floor, breaking his glasses and shouting, “Get the hell out of here.”
Ben Jacobs, a Guardian political reporter, was asking Greg Gianforte, a Montana businessman worth an estimated $300 million, about the Republican healthcare plan when the candidate allegedly “body-slammed” the reporter.
Fox News reporter Alicia Acuna, field producer Faith Mangan and photographer Keith Railey witnessed the incident at Gianforte’s campaign headquarters and corroborated what Jacobs told officials.
During that conversation, another man — who we now know is Ben Jacobs of The Guardian — walked into the room with a voice recorder, put it up to Gianforte's face and began asking if he had a response to the newly released Congressional Budget Office report on the American Health Care Act. Gianforte told him he would get to him later. Jacobs persisted with his question. Gianforte told him to talk to his press guy, Shane Scanlon.
At that point, Gianforte grabbed Jacobs by the neck with both hands and slammed him into the ground behind him. Faith, Keith and I watched in disbelief as Gianforte then began punching the reporter. As Gianforte moved on top of Jacobs, he began yelling something to the effect of, "I'm sick and tired of this!"
Jacobs scrambled to his knees and said something about his glasses being broken. He asked Faith, Keith and myself for our names. In shock, we did not answer. Jacobs then said he wanted the police called and went to leave. Gianforte looked at the three of us and repeatedly apologized. At that point, I told him and Scanlon, who was now present, that we needed a moment. The men then left.
Gianforte has been actively supported by not-my-president Trump and the GOP has spent $17 million to get him elected. Since the incident three Montana newspapers have pulled their endorsement of Gianforte, however that will likely matter little since the election is today.
Speaking at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference in February, not-my-president Trump said, ”A few days ago I called the fake news the enemy of the people, and they are — they are the enemy of the people.” With such divisive rhetoric is it any wonder out-of-control pricks like Gianoforte assault a reporter?
Okay, okay... I'll get away from blogging about politics - at least for now. As I mentioned last week, life on the farm has been routine. Not to say we haven't been busy though.
First thing I did when we got back this spring was to service the mowers. With the rain we have been having it seems like we have been mowing twice a week.
My bachelor brother friends helped trim trees, which has to be my least favorite project. Wrestling downed trees and branches is just too much work the older I get. We got about half way done, ending up so far with a double stack of wood. If we don't burn it all in the fire pit I'll offer it to someone with a wood burning stove.
Before we decided to spend winters in Arizona we always had chickens here on the farm. The past couple of years we haven't. A farm just doesn't seem like a farm without chickens roaming around, so this spring we bought five chicks. Not a big bunch like we used to keep around, but now it feels like home. I'm not sure what we will do with them when we leave this winter, however no doubt we'll find someplace for them - that is if we don't eat them.
One of our favorite times of spring is when the nice neighbor farmer brings his cows back to the pasture. We get the idyllic setting without all the work. The other day he came up to the house to tell us he was going to spray his field for weeds around our fence line since the wind wasn't blowing just then. He wanted to make sure no spray got into our trees and plantings. It's sure helps when you have a neighbor like that. I've been fixing some of his fence to be neighborly.
That's spring on the farm. I guess it isn't so routine after all.
Since returning from our winter stay in Arizona our life here on the farm has been routine. So routine that there isn’t much to blog about. I must also apologize to followers of this blog as I have been posting more comments about our dysfunctional government than life on the farm.
However, in my lifetime I have never seen such a crisis in Washington, with the exception of the Nixon administration. Because of the simple minded voters, who were duped by grandiose promises and bluster, we are now facing another potential presidential impeachment. Finally, an independent investigator, former FBI director Robert Mueller, has been appointed.
Immediately after Mueller’s appointment the White House responded reasonably that they welcomed the investigation. That changed in the early morning hours the next day when not-my-president Trump whined in more of his now infamous tweets.
This entire sordid presidency reminds me of a “death by a thousand cuts” - all self inflicted.
A February memo by FBI Director James Comey reportedly says that President Trump asked him to shut down the investigation of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.
The New York Times reported Tuesday that the memo details a conversation between the two men in which Mr. Trump told the FBI chief that “I hope you can let this go.”
“I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go,” the president told Mr. Comey, according to the memo. “He is a good guy. I hope you can let this go.”
The White House denied to theNew York Times the memo’s recounting of the conversation.
The day after not-my-president Trump fired FBI director Comey, who he has threatened with hidden tapes, he met with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Ambassador to the U.S. Sergey Kislyak in the White House. U.S. reporters were barred from the meeting by not-my-president Trump and the meeting was covered exclusively by Tass, Russia’s official news agency and a Russian photographer.
At that meeting, not-my-president Trump reportedly revealed highly classified information to the Russian foreign minister and ambassador according to current and former U.S. officials, who said the disclosures jeopardized a critical source of intelligence on the Islamic State.
The information had been provided by a U.S. partner through an intelligence-sharing arrangement considered so sensitive that details have been withheld from allies and tightly restricted even within the U.S. government, officials said.
During the presidential campaign Republicans went apoplectic over Hillary Clinton’s “classified” emails. Where are they now? Where are the criminal hearings? Where are the “lock him up” chants? What more do they need?
Just one day more... EDIT: Tuesday 5/16/17 Not-my-president Trump today says he has an "absolute right" to share classified information with Russia. Come on Congress, look up the definition of absolute! Get off your asses and appoint a special prosecutor. This idiot is now jeopardizing the security of this country. He has established an Moscow style oligarchy in the White House. Party loyalty goes only so far. It is time to declare a constitutional emergency exists in this country.
During our winter stay in Arizona we made a trip to Williams to check out the sites and visit the Grand Canyon. One place I was looking forward to was the Planes of Fame Museum just north of Williams.
As luck would have it, the museum was closed for the season. I was especially looking forward to seeing a Messerschmitt Bf 109 that is housed at the museum.
The Messerschmitt Bf 109 was the primary fighter of Germany’s Luftwaffe, commonly called the Me 109 (Me, abbreviation for Messerschmitt). It was one of the most advanced airplanes of WWII, powered by a strong V-12 engine with a maximum speed of 398 mph.
The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is the most produced fighter aircraft in history, with a total of 33,984 manufactured from 1936 up to April 1945. Up until the U.S. rolled out the P-51 Mustang mid-war, the Messerschmitt dominated the skies.
The tractor is up and running again. After the new solenoid, battery and starter switch it still wouldn't start. The next thought was the coil or distributor.
The coil was removed and cleaned, including the contacts. The brush in the distributor was also cleaned. While I was at it I figured I just as well clean the spark plugs and re-gap them. Factory specs are for the plugs are between .025 and .028. Two of the plugs were closer to .030. Once that was finished it started right up.
It's alive again, so back to work and time this tractor earns all the new parts.
No doubt this post will be meaningless to some, however it will serve as a release of frustration for me.
When we got home from our winter stay in Arizona it was time to check the vehicles that were in winter storage on battery tenders, including the farm tractor stored in the barn.
It wouldn't start and after cranking it was dead. Time for a new battery.
Once the new battery was installed and the starter switch was pushed it was still dead. Burned out solenoid? Off to the parts store for a new solenoid.
Once the new solenoid was installed, nothing. Still no power to the starter. Could it be the starter push switch? Off to the tractor store for a new starter push switch.
Once the starter switch was installed - you guessed it - nothing. The new starter push switch tests defective. To heck with that! Time to wire in a new starter push button switch. Fortunately there is a existing hole in the dash.
With the new push button starter switch installed it finally cranks the starter again. The points and distributor were cleaned, but... it still won't start. So, today it is back to the parts store for new spark plugs and a new coil. If that doesn't work I'm stumped. If that isn't it, then it could be a burned out valve or piston.
Seventeen years ago when I restored Model T cars rebuilding an engine wasn't as difficult as it would be now that I'm older. I have several jobs lined up that I need this tractor for and the saga continues.
As I get older, going to the doctor is as routine as going to get a haircut.
Lately I’ve noticed the soft spoken, but scary commercials on television that claim that the federal Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that all baby boomers get tested for Hepatitis C.
While I was at my doctor’s office this past week for an ear ache, I asked him if I should have that test. He gave a quizzical look and said, “not really, we check everything in your annual physical and unless you shared drug needles or had an blood transfusion it isn’t likely.” “Well then”, I asked, “why is the CDC telling me I should in all the ads they are running?” His answer didn’t surprise me. Drug company profit.
It seems that those recent ads are for a drug called Harvoni, being run and paid for by the drug company Gilead.
In November and December 2013, the FDA approved Olysio and Sovaldi, the first drugs in a new class of drugs to treat hepatitis C. Two other combination drugs (Harvoni and Viekira Pak) gained approval in 2014, and more hepatitis C drugs entered the market in 2015 and 2016.
More than 11,000 ads have been aired by Gilead at a cost of between $60 million and $80 million. Last year Gilead bought more than $30 million worth of ad space in magazines to tout Harvoni. I wondered what motivated Gilead to spend that much money on the ads. Could it be their concern for baby boomers? Or was there another reason?
Harvoni and an earlier version of the drug, sold as Sovaldi, have been in the headlines lately because of an intense backlash over their costs. Before discounts, a full course of Harvoni is priced at $94,500 and a course of Sovaldi costs $84,000. Harvoni has generated $12 billion in US sales for Gilead since its approval in late 2014.
So, is Gilead looking out for me and my fellow boomers? It sure seems like $12 billion in sales is the incentive to run the ads. I've never liked television advertising.
