So, the members of the Kokomo Tribune Editorial Board are going to vote for Hillary Clinton and they believe we all should do the same. I believe this to be an incredible demonstration of poor judgment and complete naivete. The KT Editorial Board would have us vote for a blatant liar who, along with Barack Obama, is largely responsible for the deaths of thousands and setting the world on fire.
Hillary Clinton is in the pocket of Wall Street, large corporations, big donors, lobbyists, foreign governments, and anyone who would feather her nest. What Wall Street giant would pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for a 30 minute talk unless they are buying influence and favor? What foreign government would pay hundreds of thousands of dollars, or even millions, into the Clinton Foundation unless they are buying influence and favor? It stinks to high heaven.
Hillary Clinton is responsible for the deaths of 4 Americans at Benghazi. She has lied about what happened and who is responsible time and time again.
Hillary Clinton put the United States at security risk for nearly a decade with an email server in her home, a fact clearly stated by the Director of the FBI. She has lied about emails time and time again.
Hillary Clinton is all about Hillary Clinton. Hillary Rodham Clinton should be in the jail house, not the Whitehouse.
Donald Trump may be blunt, brash, and undiplomatic at times. I say, “Good for him”. We need to hear it straight out. His dry sense of humor may not be understood or appreciated all the time, but I say this is a problem for those who don’t get it, not for him. Wise up; get smarter.
As for your comments claiming Trump disrespects our military, he is the one who believes the VA is a mess and is not taking care of vets as they should be. This is one of his primary issues. And he is the one who thinks it is pathetic we have planes that can only fly having scavenged parts from others. He is the one who believes our military has been abused, used, and allowed to degrade. He is a champion of the military, not one who disrespects it. Ask the vets.
Many of us are fed up with the Washington political elite of which Hillary Clinton is a decades long card carrying member. We are tired of politicians who dance around the issues and do nothing. We are tired of getting screwed with abusive trade agreements. We are tired of “do nothing” about illegal immigration except to open the doors wider. We are tired of incompetency and self-serving. We are tired and fed up.
I, for one, will be voting for Donald Trump in November. I hope and pray Indiana will join the states needed to put him over the top. Frankly, I strongly believe if we do not elect Donald Trump as President of the United States but rather put Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Whitehouse, we can kiss this country good-bye.
Trump Trump
If it was up to the GOP District Chairman from Howard County, Satan would make a better choice for the Republican nominee for President of the United States of America over Donald Trump. This is what Craig Dunn, the Chairman, told Politico in an interview. According to Politico, Dunn said, “If Satan had the lead on him (Trump) and was one delegate away from being nominated as our candidate and Donald Trump was the alternative, I MIGHT vote for Donald Trump. I have always wanted to own a casino, but he couldn’t give me a casino and have me vote for him”.
If it were just Dunn, this might be dismissed, but it is not. The GOP in Indiana has it totally backwards. Most of the 57 delegates, three from each Congressional District and 27 at-large, that will represent Indiana and its citizens at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland have already been chosen. If you wanted to be considered for a spot in the delegation, an application had to be filed by March 15th; long before the citizens of Indiana will vote on May 3rd. One requirement for eligibility to be selected as a delegate is a promise to provide $2000 to participate. This selects out people of limited means. One GOP district leader who is involved in delegate selection also says, “One of my criteria for filtering out folks was whether or not they supported Donald Trump. I didn’t care whether they supported Ted Cruz or John Kasich”.
The final choice of delegates is made by Party insiders. Delegates have one obligation and that is to vote on the first Convention ballot for the Presidential candidate chosen by the people of Indiana. Beyond that, they have no obligation or loyalty. They can vote for whomever they choose. Politico says that according to interviews with a dozen party leaders and officials in the delegate selection process, an anti-Trump sentiment runs “hot” among the GOP leadership in Indiana. This means that if Donald Trump does not secure the nomination for President on the first ballot, they will be free to “vote their conscience” regardless of the outcome of the vote by the citizens of Indiana.
In other words, the dice are loaded. Your vote may come to mean nothing, particularly if it was for Donald Trump and even if the majority of voters in Indiana voted for Donald Trump. The only vote that would matter would be those of Republican Party insiders; the system as usual.
People in the United States are angry. They are fed up with politics as usual. They are fed up with party insiders and politicians who for decades have feathered their own nests. They are fed up with the loss of millions of jobs and the decline of the middle class. They are fed up with political manipulation and skulduggery. They want America back.
If the Indiana GOP engages in back room politics as usual, which it appears is happening, there will be consequences. The voters of Indiana, regardless of who wins the vote in our state, should be represented by delegates loyal to the will of the voters; not their personal whims and interests. They should stand fast for the voters regardless of the outcome of the first Convention ballot.
Trump Gathering Agitators
Enough is enough. The “protesters” at Trump rallies, meetings, and in front of Trump property are not protesters but rather are largely agitators and anarchists. Many are admittedly being paid. Many, when asked, don’t even know what they are protesting; they are only there to disrupt.
The electronic media are to blame for sensationalism of the “news” coverage of the bad and threatening behavior of agitators. The media has become a driver of the news rather than a reporter of the news. The electronic media aid and abet the shutting down of free political speech.
There are two incidents that are telling. One involved an African American Trump supporter who punched out a agitator who was wearing Ku Klux Klan garb, defacing an American flag, and yelling all sorts of profanity. How would you expect the African American to respond? And this was during a time when security personnel were attempting to remove the agitator who was kicking, screaming, and punching at them. It was too much and over the line. The other involved a woman agitator who screamed in the face of a police horse, then slapped the animal in the face when the horse did not flinch at her screaming. The screamer was later arrested and will face charges.
Then there is a video by a black Tucson police officer, Bradon Tatum, that has gone viral. He attended the Trump Tucson rally as a civilian. He reported how shocked he was at the violent, profane behavior of the anti-Trump protesters. Further, he told about how he was not mistreated by the Trump supporters; much to the contrary about how electronic media are reporting treatment of Black attendees. Tatum said he feared for his own safety from the anti-Trump protesters. He said, “These are the most hateful, evil people I’ve ever seen. I could not believe what I saw.”
Now the Secret Service and Trump have said that security staffing for the Trump campaign will be increased. This follows disruption of several Trump gatherings and blocking of Trump Towers, the residence of the Trump family. NBC reported that former Secret Service agent Dan Bongino said, “You have counter-assault assets, you have counter-sniper assets; this says to me that this is a grave threat [to Trump]”.
Disruption and agitation are not coming from Trump supporters. Donald Trump speech is not responsible for the behavior of the agitators as alleged by the media and his rival candidates. Trump does not encourage his supporters to retaliate on agitators but rather directs security personnel to “get them out of here”. The Secret Service and police need to get tough and, if necessary, rough with people who are only present to agitate, disrupt, or harm. It has been well established paid agitators are not “protesters” but rather disrupters being paid by such as MoveOn.Org and others. Get them out of here.
Nevadans: Choose Wisely
Nevadans have the opportunity to choose.
Deceit, manipulation, and lies have proved Ted Cruz to be nothing more than a commensurate Washington politician. He was educated in East Coast schools, practiced law in Washington DC, hid personal loans from Goldman Sachs and Citibank from Texas voters, and is not respected or liked by Senate peers. In short, he cannot be trusted.
Then there is Marco Rubio who claims more than any to have extensive foreign policy experience when that largely consists of sitting in a chair in a Senate committee room for briefings. He rarely showed up for votes in the Senate and has the worst voting record of any Senator. His prior experience consists of time in the Florida General Assembly. A lot of mouth and no action.
Both are less-than-one term Senators ala Barrack Obama. Neither has managed anything including a hot dog stand, so know little about business or economics.
Nevadans, please choose wisely.
Indiana HB1082
If you care about Indiana’s natural environment, pay attention.
The Tribune front page Associated Press article on February 16th reported on an Indiana Senate committee hearing about House Bill 1082. This bill passed the Indiana House with co-sponsorship by Representative Heath VanNatter and the “aye” vote of both him and Representative Mike Karickhoff, our local representatives. What are they thinking?
HB1082 strips the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) Environmental Rules Board (ERB) of the authority to make or enforce any environmental rules or standards more stringent than the corresponding regulation or standard established under federal law. In short, this says that VanNatter and Karickhoff trust the federal government more than Hoosiers to make the wisest decisions about Indiana environmental protection. They want the federal government to set both the floor and the ceiling on environmental regulations. In the past, the federal government has set only the floor. Under this bill, Hoosiers will not be able to address unique environmental issues with stronger regulations than elsewhere in the nation even if Hoosiers decide they are needed. Any stronger regulations would only be permitted under specific statute passed by the General Assembly. No immediate actions could be taken. The IDEM Environmental Rules Board would be in a straight jacket. One must wonder why.
The IDEM Environmental Rules Board, which makes environmental policy in Indiana, consists of 16 members including 11 appointed by the governor and 6 specifically defined ex officio members. The ERB came into existence on January 1, 2013, but did not meet until after the inauguration on January 14th of Governor Mike Pence. Under the legislation that established the ERB; the Indiana Air Pollution Control Board, Solid Waste Management Board, and the Water Pollution Control Board were all abolished. Shortly after Pence’s inauguration, he issued an executive order placing a moratorium on new regulations, and announced plans to initiate a process to review all existing regulations with the exception of federal mandates not subject to a waiver request, rules needed to reduce the cost or burden on job creation, and rules to address emergency health or safety concerns. Again, in short, he took action to prevent adoption of any more stringent environmental regulations. Now comes HB1082 which adds to limiting the authority of the ERB. Why?
The AP article tells why. Fred Mills, the director of governmental affairs for the Indiana Energy Association, is quoted as saying “This is not about what is happening today, this is about what could happen.” The article goes on to point out that IDEM’s leadership could be shuffled by a Democratic governor in the future who is “less inclined to give business a break”. So, here it is: control. The passage of HB1082 cements that control by making it a requirement that any regulation more stringent than federal regulation be approved by specific General Assembly statute. The concern is not about protection of our natural environment. Be clear, it is about political and corporate control.
Spring is Coming
It is only February, but soon the countryside will be filled with tractors plowing and planting crops for this year. About all that will be seen from horizon to horizon are fields dedicated to growing genetically modified, or genetically engineered, corn and soybeans. The final destinations for these crops following harvest this fall will be livestock feed and, in one form or another, food for our tables. No one will know that though because none will be labeled, “GMO”, or genetically modified.
That label is required for GMO’s in over 60 countries worldwide. These include all of Europe, Australia, Japan, Russia and dozens of others. Some countries ban genetically modified foods altogether. One has to wonder if other countries know something we don’t. The big seed and chemical companies do not want labels. They have successfully stopped labeling in the United States so far. They do not want people to know what is in the food they eat. It is a secret to be kept by them only.
There are many questions concerning genetically modified foods and their long term safety for people and the environment. More and more evidence is accumulating saying all is not well. All is not well for people and animals that eat these foods. All is not well for the natural environment and the genetic contamination GMOs bring. All is not well with the use of toxic chemical poisons, herbicides and pesticides, used on the crops or in the case of GMO corn with the pesticide that each and every cell in the plant produces on its own — and that wind up every corn kernel. All is not well with the pesticide residues on harvested crops. All is not well. But all that is to be kept secret, too.
The historical record shows that even the scientists in the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) were concerned about the safety of genetically modified crops over 20 years ago. That did not matter because the people that approved them were political appointees. One key appointee at the FDA was an attorney for a firm doing work for Monsanto before he came to the FDA. Although he has been in and out of the FDA and Monsanto more than once, he is even now in a key food safety position at the FDA in the Obama administration.
Many states have had GMO labeling legislation introduced. The most visible one was California. The big agriculture and food corporations spent about $45 million on a publicity campaign to narrowly defeat Proposition 37 there. That is a lot of money. The private citizens who believe they have a right to know what is in their food could not match that kind of steamrolling propaganda effort. One wonders what there is to hide if that kind of money is spent to defeat a law that would simply tell people what is in their food.
This is reminiscent of the tobacco companies that kept people in the dark for decades about the bad long term health effects of smoking. The corporate executives even lied to Congress. The largest GMO seed and chemical corporation that wants us to trust them is the one that gave us DDT, Dioxin, PCBs, Agent Orange and more. Do you trust them?
Burlington Clinic Anew
What strikes me as a heart warming story appeared in the February 5th issue of the Kokomo Tribune. It was about the opening of a new medical clinic in the small rural community of Burlington. Now Burlington is no metropolis. It is a community of about 600 or so population located in the far south east corner of Carroll County. Highways 22 and 39 meet in the middle of town. There is a gas station close for fill up for your car and yourself. You see it has a Subway restaurant as a part of the station. Burlington also has a couple of other restaurants, a lumber/hardware store, a couple of antique shops, and the community library. That is about it.
Right outside of town it did have the Wagoner Clinic. The Wagoners have now long gone because they were found guilty of being a major narcotics distribution operation. But, they also legitimately served as the only medical clinic in the area for the folks of Burlington. The problem was that people from all over the place found getting narcotics there extremely easy. With the demise of this clinic, the people have the choice of getting medical services from Delphi, Kokomo, or Russiaville; all about 15 miles or so away. This works for many, but in times of bad weather or for folks with limited transportation or the elderly, it produced hardship.
Many of the people chose to head for the North Central Nursing Clinic at Delphi. This clinic is affiliated with the Purdue University School of Nursing. Susan Overholser, the Director in Delphi, saw a need for the Burlington area. She and Burlington community leaders found a way. Now the North Central Nursing Clinics has a location in the Burlington Community Club building adjacent to Burlington Park.
Amy Aeschliman is the family nurse practitioner that heads the Burlington services. She has a background of 17 years at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. But, she was raised in Russiaville and has a mother that lives in Burlington. What a perfect fit.
So, Burlington now has medical services close at hand. Major health facilities are in Kokomo and Lafayette for those kinds of needs, but the day-to-day health care needs of a very small community are now more than adequately met. Good conclusion.
The Man Cave
Would you like to know where all of this great thinking takes place? No? Well, I am going to show you anyhow! Double click the photo for a larger view. This is my equivalent of a man cave. A well padded desk chair sits between two desks and a couple of file cabinets. I have three computers (one Macbook Pro and two PCs) going most of the time hooked up to 5 display screens. On my wooden desk I have the “Wizard” wood carving done by my 
talented wife, Marcia. He is the link between the seen and unseen worlds. You see pens vertical in a Plexiglas base. This base held glass laboratory test tubes during my Ph.D. research days. They were typically filled with fish blood. On the right you see a Day Lilly in bloom and behind it just peeking out is a Christmas Cactus, a plant that has been with us for decades. It was Marcia’s mother’s cactus. CDs and DVDs on the wall rack. Then there are three printers: one laser and two ink jet. These take care of both Marcia and me, although Marcia’s computer work is done way at the other end of the house. There is also a Fujitsu ScanSnap scanner that is very valuable. All appraiser records and field notes are scanned for saving. You cannot see one computer, a HP laptop, which is behind the copy holder left of the chair. The Mac and accessory monitor for the Mac are on the wooden desk. The equipment is rounded out by the two black 4-drawer cabinets that house general files and 5-drawers of family history records.
That is it except for the wall hangings. The photos directly in front are of two inspirations to me: Albert Einstein and Nikola Tesla. Both were dreamers whose imaginations brought forth a plethora of technology and theories about energy and matter. Above them is a frame of a photo of a work of art showing God touching mankind.
On the left wall (not visible) there are several frames holding my four Purdue diplomas, a pix of my Culver Horsemanship class, one of me about 2-3 years old, one of my first experience in a newsroom on a typewriter, another of me receiving my PhD diploma from the Purdue President, and finally a graphic of my discovery in PhD research concerning DNA in Sturgeon and the evolution of the Sturgeon genome.
This rounds out my man cave. I both work and enjoy creative time here. My fingers dance with joy on the computer keyboards!
Ken Ferries Column
In his Kokomo Tribune column on December 31st, Ken Ferries attempts to ridicule and insult the field of Republican candidates for the Presidency of the United States. It was not funny. It is not time for “funny”. The country is in trouble with an incompetent Democrat President in office for another year and yes, a do-nothing Republican Congress.
In his last paragraph, Ferries states he is hopeful someone will emerge as an adult in this presidential race. He further states…. “maybe from the other side of the political fence”. That got me. Ferries does not take on the Democratic Party candidates for the Presidency of which there is really only one viable one, Ms. Hillary Clinton. He does not point out Ms. Clinton was an incompetent Secretary of State that did little except to fly all over the planet. Certainly her efforts, in concert with President Obama, in the Middle East produced nothing but continuing disaster including the murdering of our Ambassador at Benghazi. Then there are all sorts of questions emerging about the Clinton Foundation: how it is financed, who are the contributors, what might be expected by contributors, and on and on. And Ms. Clinton is still being investigated by the FBI for her actions with a private email server in her home over which she had complete control in violation of law regarding certain federal government communications. I hope Ferries does not believe Ms. Clinton qualifies as the “adult” from the other side of the political spectrum. Ms. Clinton has tons of dark baggage including who would become the “First Gentleman” if she became President.
Here ya go..
Welcome to his world!