Peregrinating
2015

August

1 August
Little Creel Resort
Chama, NM

The Park is packed again this weekend. My river view blocked by a small bumper pull trailer, the Excursion pulling it being as large as the trailer. Then just past that trailer a tent canopy has been erected over a couple tables. A big crowd milling around with many of them coming over from the cabins. This too will pass.

This morning was the clearest that it has been for the past 3-4 days. However, the clouds that built up by noon looked like they had some serious intents. The weather experts are predicting a 60% chance of thunderstorms but I think they could have increased that chance somewhat if they had looked out the window. We may not get to do an afternoon walk.

Almost finished reading my latest book. I'm certain to finish it this afternoon if it rains. Even without any rain induced reading time I'll finish it before the day is done. It is excellent and I will not be able to go to sleep tonight without knowing the ending.

I have quoted William Graham Sumner's definition of socialism that he included in the essay Protectionism The -ISM Which Teaches That Waste Makes Wealth, published in 1885. That was 130 years ago and there continue to be people that buy into the "devices and doctrines". As Margaret Thatcher said some 90 years later, "Socialist governments traditionally do make a financial mess. They always run out of other people's money."

Socialism is any device or doctrine whose aim is to save individuals from any of the difficulties or hardships of the struggle for existence and the competition of life by the intervention of "the State." Inasmuch as "the State" never is or can be anything but some other people, socialism is a device for making some people fight the struggle for existence for others. The devices always have a doctrine behind them which aims to show why this ought to be done.

2 August
Little Creel Resort
Chama, NM

I had a problem with my new blood pressure monitor last week. Got repeated error messages that the cuff was not working. This error message is intended to mean that the cuff is not positioned properly. I tried a number of time and finally got it to record.

Yesterday I had the same problem and nothing that I did would give me a reading. As I was starting to go to sleep last night I had a flash of brilliance. I took the cuff off my old monitor that no longer works and plugged it into my new monitor and I could get a reading.

I had sent an email to the company earlier asking them what failed and what should I do. I now know that it is the cuff that failed but I don't know what I'll need to do. I suspect they will want me to send them the entire unit, or maybe the cuff, and they will send me a replacement. Then again they may do nothing.

This Customer Review says what I would have said if I could have done so as well. I found this book to be everything that they said. It was my first Katzenbach book as well and I hope to find more. This was his 9th book of 15 to be published so I do have a chance of finding more just not at this Park. He has had three of his psychological thrillers made into movies but does not appear to have not fallen into the trap of writing "for the movies". Highly recommended!

Quite simply, this is the best thriller I've read so far this year, and actually, very possibly last year too. This is an honest to goodness thought provoking situation that has been presented in a riveting way and totally captured my imagination. It was the perfect case of posing the question, "What would you do if this happened to you?"
When Dr Frederick (Ricky) Starks receives a letter on his 53rd birthday, he has no idea of the implications the message contained inside will have on his life. The anonymous writer, who signed the letter Rumplestiltskin, proposes that Ricky must play a game. In this game Ricky must either commit suicide or work out who Rumplestiltskin is. He has 15 days to achieve either of these objectives and if he fails, a family member will be chosen at random and destroyed. It's a fascinating scenario to open what turns out to be a very nicely constructed book.
To make things even more interesting, Ricky is helped out with clues as to who it was that he wronged in the past that caused this act of revenge. He is also allowed to ask three questions over the 15 days. To make things difficult, however, he keeps getting object lessons in how serious Rumplestiltskin is with his game. What Ricky finds becoming increasingly clear is that nothing can be taken at face value and his life, as he always accepted it, would very likely be changed for good by this experience.
I found this to be one of those page-turners that you just fly through, yet on the other hand keep trying to slow yourself down to try to savour every word. Although it's the first book of John Katzenbach's that I have read, it definitely won't be the last. - Amazon Customer Review

President Omaba is 'winning' his war against coal. The President's War was directed toward coal burning power generation which would make his 'green energy' price competitive if he could shut coal burning down. There were 26 coal companies go bankrupt in 2009-2014. Two more may have to file in 2015 with unanticipated consequences.

Those two casualties in the War are Alpha Natural Resources, the biggest American producer of coking coal, and Walter Energy Inc. an exclusive coking coal producer. This is not used for power generation. Coking coal, also known as metallurgical coal, is used to create coke, one of the key irreplaceable inputs for the production of steel. So his War may impact the steel industry also but he probably considers that unimportant collateral damage.

3 August
Little Creel Resort
Chama, NM

These past two afternoons it has started raining at the time we go for our walk. I have waited it out both days until I thought it was finished only to get out there and get wet. The night before last it rained but not that long nor that hard.

Last night was much harder and much longer. I think it rained non-stop from about 6:00 pm until 3:00 am. I had a roof leak dripping on my bed by 8:00 pm and it soaked thru two folded towels during the night and still got my bed plenty wet. I need to stop that leak but have had it "fixed" 2-3 times so far and I'm still sleeping in a wet bed when it rains long and hard.

The sky was clear this morning but we walked in some fog. It burned off quickly when the sun came up but the forecast has a 40% chance for more rain. I do not need any more.

Mark Steyn appeared on Your World with Cavuto 1 August 2015 and had this to say about the support for Trump. I think he is absolutely correct, it is more about sticking it to the Establishment Republicans than it is support for The Donald.

And the base supported the Republican party establishment, delivered them a huge victory in 2010 in the House and a huge victory in the House and Senate in 2014 and got nothing to show for it,” he continued. “And they’re tired of being stiffed by the Republican party establishment. And I think Trump’s rise in the polls reflects, I think, nothing more sophisticated than the fact that the voter base of the Republican party absolutely hates the Republican party leadership and establishment.

4 August
Little Creel Resort
Chama, NM

Not doing much and not much happening. Weather is much nicer and I think I'll have everything dried out by the end to today. I have my river view back and the RV Loop (where short time RVs are usually assigned) has only one space filled. That is the least I have seen since being here. The Monthly spaces are about three quarters full but not the one on my north side.

I have started working on a drop down menu for the Monthly Peregrinating links in the Site Map. The list is getting quite long and that page is beginning to look strange with that long string of months on the bottom of the page. I'm doing it for appearance, it will not add any functionality. Plus, it gives me something to do and something else to learn how to do.

The Greek God Honey Strawberry has worked out well for my desserts this week. I still prefer the Honey Vanilla because I always add fruit but this flavor is acceptable, not so much the Honey Salted Caramel.

I cooked the cod that I picked up slightly different than I have in the past and it turned out to be good as well. I put a pound in my Roaster covered with a small can of diced tomatoes, onion, jalapaño and some oregano. That was the baked for about a half hour. Served with a side of white beans and my daily large salad.

Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan called for "10,000 fearless men who say death is sweeter than continued life under tyranny" in his sermon on 30 July 2015 at Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Miami. He then went on to say "Retaliation is a prescription from God to calm the breaths of those whose children have been slain. So if the federal government will not intercede in our affairs, then we must rise up and kill those who kill us. Stalk them and kill them and let them feel the pain of death that we are feeling."

I have not read that President Obama has condemned such "hate speech". I will give him credit for not speaking in support of Farrakhan's sermon but it could be a calming gesture if he were to ask the Nation of Islam leader to tone it down a little.

It is not just the President that has been silent. The Justice Department has not commented nor said they will begin an investigation. The Ministry of Propaganda has not made this a headline story. What do you think the headline would have been if this sermon had been given by a white minister calling for 10,000 fearless men to stalk 'them' and kill 'them'?

5 August
Little Creel Resort
Chama, NM

We had a busy morning. Well, busy for me.

It started off with a walk which was normal enough. Then went to Lowe's to pick up another weeks groceries. That went well except for the Greek God Honey Vanilla. They still had none so it was Honey Strawberry again.

Next was breakfast at the High Country Restaurant where I got a sausage, spinach and mushroom omelet with some good home fries. The coffee was decent and the price was right but I just did not like the place. Nothing I can point to and say that I did not like - just did not like it.

Then went to the Post Office and picked up a General Delivery from my UPS Store. I was expecting a refund check for the NV insurance for which I had paid the yearly premium. Also was expecting two checks for my Credit Card Bonus Rewards. I was hoping to NOT receive a notice of License Plate and Registration Suspension from AZ.

Went home and sorted through the mail and found all of the above plus some junk. Made a deposit ticket for the checks and enclosed in an envelope. The Suspension Notice required evidence of insurance which had been sent to AZ on 6/19/15 by the insurance company, but the suspension occurred on 6/15/15. So I enclosed said evidence along with evidence that I was insured in NV from May 2015 (they do not care).

Then drove back to the Post Office where I bought a $50 Money Order to enclose with the evidence of insurance. Got those two letters mailed off and went home again where I sat gnashing my teeth about the fifty dollars and the screw up with NV/AZ insurance.

One good thing came from all this. I took a closer look at the dump valve handle that I thought had broken and saw that it had come un-screwed from the rod rather than broke off. I was able to screw it back on and have one less thing to fix. The black water tank valve does need to be replaced because it has a slow leak so I may have both of them replaced at the same time.

A friend of mine used the expression "$64,000 Question" which got me to thinking. That was BIG money when a quiz show of that name started.

How much would the top prize be today that would match that $64,000? They would have to rename the show "$562,845.24 Question" to match the purchasing power of the top prize in 1955. It is doubtful that the "$7,277.31 Question" would be a hit today but that is what the $64,000 would be worth in purchasing power.

6 August
Little Creel Resort
Chama, NM

I had a visit from my south side neighbor yesterday afternoon. She stopped by to invite me to come and join them at their nightly fire. I thanked her but explained that by the time they had the fire going I was usually in bed. While she was here Patches was able to meet her and get some affection.

I got the dropdown menus finished for the Peregrinating links in my Site Map. I found a few other things that needed fixing while doing that. I have also decided that some of the other long lists of links will be put into dropdown menus. The idea now is to shorten up the page so that when it is opened all, or nearly all, of the links will be available without too much scrolling.

I noticed that MYSHOUTBOX.COM was having server problems yesterday and they continue this morning. Their web site is down also so it is not just a problem with my shout box not appearing. No idea what is wrong nor when it may be up again.

I thought I was going to loose my river view again this morning but there were just a couple pickups pulled into the space to park while visiting the neighbors down river. I will probably have someone in there tomorrow and through the weekend for sure.

Do you have any questions about the "Iran Deal"? Let me try and make it understandable. President Obama relies heavily on the advice of Valerie June Bowman Jarrett, Senior Advisor to the President, who was born in Iran. It has also been reported that she was leading talks with Iran in secret for a year before the formal negotiations began.

Those formal negotiations were lead by Secretary of State John Kerry, who served in Vietnam, for the United States. His Iranian counter-part, Mohammad Javad Zarif, first met Secretary Kerry over a decade ago at a dinner party hosted by George Soros. When Kerry's daughter married an Iranian-American the best man was Zarif's son.

So, this "Deal" is more like the "Families" getting together to agree on territories for their criminal activities rather than sovereign nations negotiating an arms reduction treaty. The President will be named capo di tutti capi (boss of bosses) with Secretary Kerry as the capofamiglia (boss) and Valerie will continue as consigliere (advisor).

7 August
Little Creel Resort
Chama, NM

I enjoy watching the weekenders set up camp. You can bet it is a weekender when they pull in and start walking circles around their bumper pull trailer with a level. Then they are still walking around the trailer with their level 30 minutes later and it takes about an hour for them to set up.

I had one of those mostly blocking my river view when we got back from our afternoon walk yesterday. The other clue to they being weekenders was the huge gas B-B-Q and molded plastic chairs in the back of the pick up tow vehicle. They finally got unhooked and moved the tow vehicle to block the small portion of river view that remained. O well, they will be gone on Sunday - maybe Saturday if I get very lucky.

The Bureau of Labor released their non-farm job numbers for July today that showed an increase of 215,000 jobs. The Ministry of Propaganda let the release get buried by all the Republican president candidate News but that is probably just as well. There was noting in this jobs report that they could have spun as great News. The Unemployment Rate remained at 5.3% which they could not have used in the headline.

The CES Birth/Death Model added 83,000 or a little less than half of all the jobs 'created' for the month. The Ministry never includes this bit of information when they report all the jobs 'created' since it would not support the narrative of a strong economy.

If you look at the Household Data the number of Employed increased by 101,000 after declining last month providing mixed signals regarding a trend. The Unemployed went down by 33,000 and the Not in the Labor Force increased by 144,000 which means more people quit looking for a job.

The Participation Rate remained at 62.6% the lowest in 38 years. While the Not in the Labor Force rose to 93,770,000 another new all time record. The Ministry for the most part ignored this new benchmark for Not in the Labor Force.

The average earnings increased by 4¢ to $24.99 an hour while the average workweek moved up .1 hours to 34.6 hours. This was all rather weak jobs news but I think the Federal Reserve will claim that it is enough for them to increase rates in September. There is more analyst 'talk' that there will not be a rate increase but I'm convinced that there will be.

Quoted without comment.

After having thus successively taken each member of the community in its powerful grasp and fashioned him at will, the government then extends its arm over the whole community. It covers the surface of society with a network of small, complicated rules, minute and uniform, through which the most original minds and the most energetic characters cannot penetrate, to rise above the crowd. The will of man is not shattered, but softened, bent, and guided; men are seldom forced by it to act, but they are constantly restrained from acting. Such a power does not destroy, but it prevents existence: it does not tyrannize, but it compresses, enervates, extinguishes, and stupefies a people, till each nation is reduced to nothing better than a flock of timid and industrious animals, of which the government is the shepherd. - Democracy in America" (1835) Alexis de Tocqueville

8 August
Little Creel Resort
Chama, NM

Yesterday we started our afternoon walk in full sunshine although there were some clouds. They did not look all that threatening and the weather guessers claimed that there may be only scattered showers, especially during the evening.

They got in half right, the scattered showers came when we were about a half mile from Desperado. Took shelter twice during that half mile but still got a little wet. Then bed got a little wet again during the night - not too bad but bad enough.

The Park is full, with the north entrance blocked off because the road is mostly blocked with parked tow vehicles. It is Chama Days weekend August 06, 2015 - August 09, 2015. Fireworks in Robert Gallegos Park tonight where the 4th of July fireworks were last year so Patches will be a little upset. Probably some going off here in the Park which is worse.

Fox gives Trump, er Fox, most speaking time during first debate by Kyle Olson seems to express a majority opinion, if such exists, about the Republican presidential candidate debate.

The moderators made the debate about them and Fox as much as they could with Megyn trying to "take it to Trump". She gave it her best shot and he is still standing, with some people having a lesser opinion of Megyn and Fox. It was a Trump win over 9 debaters and 3 moderators - he had a good night.

Time analysis compiled by a university political researcher finds frontrunner Donald Trump dominated last night’s Republican presidential debate, that is, if you don’t count the moderators...The analysis notes Fox moderators Chris Wallace, Megyn Kelly and Bret Baier spoke for 31 minutes and 53 seconds of the roughly two-hour broadcast, or 31.7% of the time.

9 August
Little Creel Resort
Chama, NM

Although the Park has been packed these past couple of days it has remained rather quiet. I think everyone was "downtown" doing Chama Days stuff. The fireworks last night was not noticed by Patches nor myself - a non event in this household.

When we walked just past Lowe's, parking lot crammed full, and the US64/US84/NM17 intersection yesterday afternoon there were cars everywhere. A motel had live entertainment out front along with some B-B-Qing and lots of people milling around.

One other thing that may have helped keep the Park quiet during this weekend compared to the crowd during the 4th of July last year is - bears. There is a sign on the Park office door that says there are NO tent sites available because of bear activity. Not to disparage tenters but I have found them to make more noise than RVers; but I don't camp with RVers that run generators.

This is the first book that I have read by John Leake. It may also be my last. He has three books published with one of them Vienna Woods Killer being the same story as told in this one that I just read. The majority of the Amazon Customer Reviews were favorable, many of them gushingly so. I did not find it that well written. It seemed like it was a compilation of the source material that he lists at the end of the book rather than a narrative you would hear from a story teller. There is a good story in the book but I don't think Leake told it well.

Austrian Jack Unterweger was many things to many people—celebrated author, well-known bon vivant and loyal friend. To prostitutes plying their trade in Vienna, he was a ruthless killer. When he hanged himself in his jail cell after being convicted of murder in 1994, Unterweger brought to a close a story of cold-blooded murder that crossed social boundaries and international borders. As told in page-turning, savagely intimate style in this debut by translator and editor Leake, Unterweger's vicious killing spree comes alive in horrifying detail. Released from prison in 1990 for an earlier murder, Unterweger quickly began killing again. Passing himself off as a journalist, he took to calling the relatives of his victims. At 5:00 p.m. the same voice called back and said, 'They lie in the place of atonement, facing downward, toward Hades, because otherwise it would have been an outrage.' His 1991 murder of a hooker in Los Angeles proves his undoing as the American police, working with Austrian authorities, track him down. Leake gets bogged down in the minutiae of the 1994 trial in Vienna, but this is a minor glitch in an otherwise cracking good true-crime tale that, while demonstrating respect to the victims, conjures a character in Unterweger that readers will not soon forget. - Publishers Weekly

I'll make a few comments about the Republican president candidate debates on TV but I think it has mostly been said. What has not been said, or I have not read, it the irony of Trump's involvement. NBC and Univision dumped their coverage of The Donald's Miss USA beauty pageant but he is the center of attraction for the Debate Pageant.

Said Debate Pageant was added evidence that my idea of holding the presidential election as is done by American Idol is still a good one. The debate moderators were not much different than the Idol judges. They functioned the same except the Idol judges exhibit more fairness when interacting with the contestants.

See Fox debate by the numbers by C. Edmund Wright for his critique. The fact that CNN and MSNBC liked what Fox did should be a clue about how "fair and balanced" the debate was handled.

10 August
Little Creel Resort
Chama, NM

The Park cleared out yesterday, for the most part - the neighbor that blocked my river view was still here. They have been the good neighbors however. Gone most of the time and quiet when they are here. They have been here and stirring around this morning, taking as long, or longer, to get un-set up as to set up. Didn't need the level!

It felt cold again this morning. No wind which would have made it feel even colder. I'm guessing that it was about 43-45° so it is good that I'll be moving down in elevation at the end of the week. The downside of that will be the increased high temperatures with high 80s, maybe 90°, in the forecast.

I finished The Forgotten Man and Other Essays by William Graham Sumner and want to leave you this final bit of imagined contents in a socialist newspaper written in the future. It comes from The Cooperative Commonwealth an unpublished essay that is a fun and cogent read.

There follow extracts from the inaugural of G. P. M. C.^* Lasalle Brown, which begin with the sentiment:
Of old ye were enslaved by those who said: Work! Save! Study! We emancipate you by saying: Enjoy! Enjoy! Enjoy!
The first right of everyone born on this earth is the right to enjoy. The Cooperative Commonwealth assures this right to all its members.
We have not abolished private property. We only hold that every man is considered to have devoted his property to public use. We have not abolished landlords, capitalists, employers, or captains of industry. We retain and use them. Such members of a society are useful and necessary if only they be held firmly in check and forced to contribute to the public good.
We need "history" and " statistics" to batter down all the old system, but we should be the dupes of our own processes if we used them against ourselves. All sensible cooperators should know that history and statistics are far greater swindles than science.
There are dangers in the Cooperative Commonwealth which demand vigilance. There is danger of jealousy and division amongst cooperators. Harmony is essential to the Cooperative Commonwealth and we must have it at any price.
Some say that our Commonwealth is weak. It is the strongest state that ever existed. No one before our time ever knew the power of a "mob," as it used to be called. At a tap of the bell, every cooperator is at hand. Our only· danger is factious division of this power. Let every cooperator have rewards for harmony and penalties for faction - strict, sure, and heavy!
There is danger from science. The evolution heresy is a worse foe to cooperation than the old Christian dogma. Stamp it out!
There is danger from the virus of the old anarchism - worst of all because it is often enough like the truth to deceive the elect. It means liberty and individualism. Stamp it out!
^*These initials mean Grand Passed Master Cooperator.

According to “The Donald’s” 2011 book, “Time to Get Tough: Making America #1 Again,” Trump offers this tax plan for American’s who’s annual income starts at $30,000:
$30,000 per year will pay 1 percent in federal income taxes
$30,000 to $100,000 will pay 5 percent
$100,000 to $1 million will pay 10 percent
$1 million or above will pay 15 percent
“It’s clear and fair,” wrote Trump on his tax plan. “Best of all, it can be filled out on the back of a postcard and will save Americans big bucks on accountants and massive amounts of time wasted attempting to decipher the tax code.”

11 August
Little Creel Resort
Chama, NM

The riverside space did not stay vacant very long. A huge Class "A" Tuscany pulled in soon after it became available yesterday. The good thing about this new neighbor is they pulled far forward and have left me a river view - even when their toad is parked. The toad could be a problem but so far it has not been blocking.

Today was shopping day again but I changed my routine a little. Today when we finished our morning walk I proceeded to dump holding tanks. I got that out of the way and used the time that I have spent waiting for Lowe's to open the past few shopping days. Arrived just a few minutes after they opened at 7:00 am.

I got some Greek God Honey yogurt this morning. I'll now add my vanilla to that and have my usual dessert flavor. I also wanted to make some Snezhanka and was a bit surprised that Lowe's had cheese cloth. They also had a big container of plain yogurt (not Greek) but no cucumbers. Maybe make it after my next shopping trip.

Went to breakfast at Sonny's where I had a sausage omelet with some fried potato slices. It was alright but nothing that will have me going back for more. They are a bit expensive for what the place is and then to make it even worse - I had to pay using cash.

When we got back into the space at the Park I hooked up to water and filled my fresh water tank. That completes step one of the chores that I need to do before leaving here. Tomorrow will be household chores day.

The 2015-2016 political pundits want to make comparisons between Trump and Ross Perot and how he cost the Republicans a presidential election. They also want to make the gullible public think that it is The Donald that is disrupting the Republican Party. If the Republican Party had not already been disrupted there would not have been an opening for The Donald.

The pundits also believe that history only started since they have been alive. There is no thought that what happened in history before they were born could have any effect on what happens in the future.

A short history lesson. Jefferson was the leading founder of the Democrat-Republican Party, which I think we also have now for all practical purposes. Then when Jackson became president that party split into the Jackson Democrat Party and the Whig Party.

Abraham Lincoln was a Whig far longer than he was a Republican and he did not found the Republican Party. The Republican Party came into being in 1854 the same year that Lincoln sought the U.S. Senate seat from Illinois as a Whig.

He lost that election after six rounds of voting in the Illinois assembly. He has been quoted as saying "I think I am a Whig, but others say there are no Whigs..", which was true after 1854. The Whig Party split over the slavery issue and Lincoln (anti-slavery) went on to be instrumental in forging the new Republican Party.

Written history does not make the claim but it is my opinion that the Republican Party rejoined the Democrat-Republican Party when Theodore Roosevelt became president. He kicked off the "Progressive Era" that was interrupted by Taft which lead to a primary battle by Roosevelt that he lost. He then formed the Progressive "Bull Moose" Party and ran as a third party candidate which split the Republican vote.

The Taft-Establishment Republicans have 'progressed' to be more like Roosevelt and other "Progressives" forming what I call the New Democrat-Republican Establishment Party. Within that New Party there have been splits as evidenced by Henry A. Wallace (splitting from Democrats as a third party), Strom Thurmond (splitting from the Democrats as a third party), George Wallace (splitting from the Democrats as a third party), Regan & Regan Democrats (a split from the Establishment), Ross Perot (splitting from the Republicans as a third party), Blue Dog Democrats (splitting from the Establishment), Tea Party Republicans (splitting from the Establishment ) and The Donald.

I think it may be time for a realignment of political parties in this country and can only hope that The Donald might be the catalyst. At the very least, Trump is expanding the voting base attracting more of the anti-politician movement.

12 August
Little Creel Resort
Chama, NM

I have been thinking about drawing a line graph or chart and posting it in my web page. It just so happens that there is an easy to use HTML5 JavaScript Charting library built on the Canvas HTML element. I downloaded the library file, or some file, into my web host and have managed to draw a multi line graph.

It is a little bit like building with Google API Maps so not completely new to me but I have much more to learn. It is a new toy for sure and you will get to see some of my graphs soon - I hope.

I got a head start on the household chores. I cleaned the toilet yesterday afternoon, even took the lid off which is the only way to get the area clean where the hinge is.

This morning I finished the bathroom including the mirror which does not get cleaned every time the bathroom does. Extra effort this time. HA Then washed the bathroom and kitchen floors and vacuumed the living room. That was enough for today.

I made up my 3x5 card for the two days I'm taking to travel to my next camp. Selected restaurants and gas stops and the overnight RV park stop. I also built the Route maps which I may have to re-do if my anticipated route does not work or the restaurant/RV stops change.

The controversy over "baby part" sales by Planned Parenthood is only controversial because Democrats support it and Republicans oppose it. Both sides are attempting to take the high moral ground with the Democrats claiming that it is all about women's health and the Republicans argue that it is about the right of a fetus to life.

But let us forget that posturing for the sake of this written commentary and focus on "follow the money". Planned Parenthood received $548,400,000 in Government Health Services Grants & Reimbursements during their fiscal year ending 30 June, 2015.

I think you can see where I am going by "following the money". For the election cycle 2014 Planned Parenthood made political contributions of $404,907 (House) Plus $181,188 (Senate) to Democrat candidates and $2,823 (House) plus $-0- (Senate) to Republicans. For election cycle 2012 the numbers were $560,385 (house) plus $168,776 (Senate) for Democrats and $4,383 (House) plus $274 (Senate) for Republicans.

The "baby parts" sales are sick and should be criminal; however buying votes to receive taxpayer money should also be criminal and a lot of people should go to jail. Source

13 August
Little Creel Resort
Chama, NM

As I was sitting at my computer station doing my morning blog reading thing and drinking my first cup of coffee I saw a bird fight. Not more than 20' from my window a magpie and a dove were doing a Bird High Noon in the street.

The dove was all puffed up trying to look as big as possible but still did not match the magpie in size. It was the magpie that broke off the confrontation however. What the fight was about I have no idea but I tend to think it was started by the magpie - you know how they are!

The past couple of days Patches and I have cut back our daily walks a little. Last week we averaged slightly over 5 miles per day. That is claimed to be good for me and probably does her no harm but I am a little foot sore and my resting heart rate is elevated somewhat. The heart rate tells me that it is time to back off just a little and Patches seems to agree with the plan.

The only household chores that I had remaining for today were wipe down the dash area in the cab and the stove and counter tops. I got the dash taken care of early today and the kitchen will be done after I have 'linner'. We then will be ready for the road tomorrow.

Not a good forecast for my next camp. The first 4 days that I am going to be there the high temperature is expected to be 93-96°. A more reasonable mid-80s after that with the morning lows to be in the upper 50s to low 60s. No rain!

NOTE: This graph feature was deleted in August 2016. What I am attempting to show is the difference between the 'First Report' jobs created number that the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases every month, the Second Revision which they release two months later and that number less the Birth/Death Model Adjustment. It is the 'First Report' number that the Ministry of Propaganda, and politicians, all want to cite for as you can see it is generally the highest. The Second Revision is generally lower but follows the trend line of the First Report. When the Birth/Death Model Adjustment is removed the trend line diverges considerably and that is because the adjustment almost always adds jobs. When there were more business Births (new businesses) than business Deaths (closed businesses) the Model may have been justified. However since 2008 just the opposite has been true so the Model has been broken in my opinion and adding jobs is not justified. The months that are shown with a (p) are projected using the First Report less Birth/Death Model Adjustment.

14 August
Mountain View RV Park
Monticello, UT

This was day one of my two day journey to my next camp. I usually do not travel more than one day between camps but it is not a rule.

I also needed to stop in Pagosa Springs, CO for a dental cleaning appointment at 8:00 am. I knew that would take away an hour or so of driving time and the distance between camps was more than I do in one day anymore.

After the dental appointment I drove another 35-40 miles and had breakfast at Brenda's Old West Café. They offered a Stacked Enchilada with Eggs that I had to try. The corn tortillas were extra thick with two layers of ground beef covered with a red or green sauce. I chose red. It came with a good size serving of hash browns and beans and some good coffee.

You almost need to know where the Café is to find it. I went past it and stopped at a RV Park that I wanted to check out and while there got directions back to it. It is a good breakfast stop although a little more expensive than my usual kind of place. The RV Park is way over my budget.

The drive through Durango, CO was not a problem. I have read others that have commented "Do not drive through Durango" but I can not tell you why. My route avoided Cortez, CO so I can not say anything about driving through it. The route was 213 miles on: US64/US84, US84, US160, US160/US550, US160, CO184, CO184/C0145, CO184, US491 & US191.

The RV Park where I am staying overnight is not much but they have a pretty good exchange library considering how small they are and not being much of a "destination park". I was able to refresh my library with 5 thick books, most of them by authors that I recognized. I hate to pay the overnight fees but the book score removed some of the financial sting.

I haven't lost much elevation yet but it is already feeling much hotter. It is 87° here 88° at my next camp and is expected to reach 95 today and 93 tomorrow. I will be at a much lower elevation tomorrow than I have been since back in April. I think I made the move a little too soon but Chama was going to get cold by September.

That is about it for today. Need to do a short afternoon walk with Patches and then rest up for a longer driving day tomorrow.

15 August
Butch Cassidy Campground
Salina, UT

We did a morning walk along US191 and US491, the way we drove in yesterday, for a mile and returned. Saw a deer in a large vacant lot at the intersection of US191 & US491 (center of town) then another one near the RV Park. As I drove south out of town on US191 there was an electric warning sign that said "Car Deer Accidents 237" with repeated warning signs all the way to Blanding, UT.

No deer problems but I did have a rubber strip that covers the corner of Desperado come loose soon after Kanksville. It started at the top of the cab over and I thought at first when I saw something flapping that it was from the roof. That is the area where I have had the leak.

Soon it became a much longer piece of something flapping. I stopped and saw what it was and cut it off. It may continue to come out of the molding along the bottom of the cab over but if it does I'll just cut it off again. I think I can live without getting it fixed until I have Desperado painted.

Breakfast was at the Peace Tree Juice Café in Monticello. There are not a lot of choices and this was the one that opened the earliest, at 7:00 am. Monticello is somewhat a farm and ranch community but the biggest industry is hotel and motel rooms. You would think those tourist would want to eat but there are not a lot of restaurants and none that open early for the farmers and ranchers.

The Peace Tree Juice Café is the kind of place that the name brings to mind. A 60's hippie place that sells a lot of kitschy tourist stuff including tie dyed t-shirts. The kitchen and seating take up about half of the space with a limited offering. The omelet that I ordered was tasty although small for the price - tourist prices.

A longer driving day of 264 miles with just one other stop in Torrey to get a latte and let Patches take a potty break. The route was: US191, UT95, UT24, US50 & US89.

The space here at my new Park is very tight. If I had slide outs the neighbors and I could almost shake hands. I will find out how bad it is in a day or two. If there is an upside it is that I only have a neighbor on the west side with tent sites on the east.

The other poor Park design is the placement of the electric post. It is at the front edge of the space, too far away for my electric cord to reach if I park where I like to and normally would. I can tell already that this will be my first and last stop at this Park.

We will see if I feel better about it tomorrow. Too much stress today has left me with a bad attitude.

16 August
Butch Cassidy Campground
Salina, UT

We did a long potty walk yesterday afternoon. It was too hot, 90°, to do much more than that. What we did find was a lot of interconnecting ATV trails that climb up, down and around hills that border the Park to the south and southwest. So this Park is not all bad.

Late afternoon my west side neighbor hooked up to their trailer and pulled out. The strange thing was they left a car, B-B-Q and a stroller in the space. I didn't know what that was about.

It looks like our morning walks are going to be out and back along US89 to the south and to the north. We went south this morning and it is a good 2 mile route to the Love's Truck Stop and back with a wide shoulder and very little traffic early in the morning. There is an industrial park road that I can also take just before I-70 that will let me extend my distance and provide some variety.

The afternoon walks will be shorter because of the heat. Those we can do on the ATV trails I found yesterday or today we will go around the Blackhawk Arena Grounds where there has been some event for the past week involving the Intermountain Reining Horse Association. Maybe I'll see what that is about this afternoon.

The west side neighbor was back in their space by 10:30 this morning. Strange goings on. It is none of my business but I may have a conversation and get the story. I am certainly not going to rush out there while they are getting set up again and ask.

I can tell that they are not weekenders; they backed their mid-sized 5th wheel into their narrow space with less trouble than I do my Class C. Set up took maybe 15 minutes with no level in hand that I saw.

It is going to be a hot one today. The forecast is for a high of 97°. My A/C kicked on for the first time around 10:00 with the heat that I added from cooking breakfast and then 'linners' for the next few days. It was 80° by 11:00 at my closest weather station and the A/C will cycle for the rest of the day now into the early evening.

17 August
Butch Cassidy Campground
Salina, UT

The two RVs that were directly in front of me, across the street in pull-thrus, left yesterday soon after noon. There is not a lot to see now that they are gone but what there is to see is better than a couple RVs and toads or tow vehicles.

I thought there would be others come in soon and one of the spaces was filled again in the afternoon. They never unhooked so I was betting they would be gone by noon today and I was right. My west side neighbor brought their trailer back but then got in their car and left and I have not seen them since. Very quiet neighbors!

We did a circuit around the Blackhawk Arena yesterday afternoon. There are a LOT of RV spaces available on the grounds with electric and water at most of the sites. Rather barren with no shade and probably subject to some strong winds at times. There were no RVs there nor were there any activities going on. Maybe later in the day or last night but nothing yesterday afternoon.

The light traffic on US89 was yesterday morning. This morning was an entirely different story. There were a LOT of trucks with twin dry bulk trailers that I'm reasonably sure are from the Barney Trucking terminal near the junction of UT24 & US50 here in Salina. Where they are going I have no idea because the were coming and going in both directions.

We did an out and back along US89 north. Went as far as the market or about a block past the junction of US89 & US50 which was a little over 2.5 miles round trip. I can turn toward the east at that junction and walk through the business section of downtown to provide an alternative route. So it looks like the walking routes here will be pretty good although mostly out and back.

Much cooler temperatures so far today. I think I may make it until after noon before my A/C kicks on. The forecast high is expecting 95° but I don't think it is going to reach that. The 10 Day forecast highs are near 90 plus or minus with the lows near 60. The mornings are great, the afternoons a bit too hot.

The political Establishment and it's Ministry of Propaganda have been trying to use the narrative that Trump has not presented any 'specifics'. They swooned when candidate Obama said he was for "Hope and Change" but Trump needs to be specific.

Well yesterday he got specific with his first position paper "Immigration Reform That Will Make America Great Again" and the Ministry has been having a fit. I love the way that every time the Ministry opens their collective mouth Trump sticks his foot in it.

18 August
Butch Cassidy Campground
Salina, UT

It was much cooler this morning, 54° with a slight wind. I think tomorrow morning I'll have my windbreaker on just in case the 52° guess proves to be correct. The high yesterday was 'only' 89° and my A/C kicked on for the first time at about 11:45. This morning it went through its first cycle starting at 11:30. Maybe hotter today although the forecast expects 88°.

We walked south again this morning but turned east before getting to I-70 and went past Denny's to see if/when they opened. Then continued on to the top of a slight ridge along an ATV trail that I am reasonably sure joins the Paiute ATV Trail. This is a 238 mile ATV loop trail that passes thru Salina with over 800 miles of marked side trails.

When we finished our walk I unhooked from electric and went to Mom's Café. Mom’s is featured in the book "Eat your way across the U.S.A" as one of the best places to eat in America and has been featured in National Geographic Explorer Magazine. This gives them the bragging rights to claim they are Famous Mom's Café.

I had their Vegetable Omelet and sad to say - I did not like it much. It is not just Mom's, any place that makes 'fluffy" omelets will not get a recommendation from me. There are not a lot of choices in Salina for breakfast so I will be going back but will not order an omelet.

Barrett's Foodtown was also disappointing. They did have Greek God Honey yogurt and I can add vanilla so that was good. What was not good was their produce; not much to select from and what they had was not that good. They also had a very small selection of frozen fish with no cod available. I'll be going back but I'll also plan at least one trip to Richfield; which is a 40 mile round trip, not something I'll do every week.

19 August
Butch Cassidy Campground
Salina, UT

I had my windbreaker on this morning and was glad that I did. The wind was not as strong as yesterday but the low was 48° a little lower than forecast. The lows will be back in the 50s & 60s again with the highs in the low 90s for the next 6 days and then maybe we get a break and it cools down into the 80s. I'm ready for it.

Our morning walk was into town. We went a block past the market and then turned east for a couple blocks then looped back through the one block business section of downtown. I was looking for a barber and found a shop but it has a For Sale sign in the window. Maybe the shop is still in business and maybe not. There were 3-4 store fronts that had For Sale signs in their windows. Not a promising indication of how the economy is going here in Salina.

What is going well is the truck transport business. I found out that all those dry bulk trailers are carrying coal. Some of it goes to the Intermountain Power Plant near Delta, UT some to Price and some as far as the Salt Lake City area. As I am walking along US89 there is a truck that passes me every couple of minutes and they do that all day.

I read two Ludlum books prior to this one The Tristan Betrayal reviewed on 13 March 2014 and The Bourne Dominion on 19 May 2014. But the first one was ghost written from notes that Ludlum had left and the second was by Eric Van Lustbader with the Bourne character used under franchise with Ludlum's estate. I was not impressed with either of them.

This is the first book that I have read that was written by Ludlum and I can only hope that the Weekly is right when they say "but it's not Ludlum's best by a long shot". The Weekly got part of their review wrong when they say "as well as a reluctant presidential candidate"; he was a reluctant vice-presidential candidate and "the Mahdi" was not the arms seller. I did not have a problem with Ludlum moralizing but I was not impressed with how he put the story together and how he ended it. I got the impression that he started to write one story and then after devoting about a third of the book to it he decided to go in a different direction. Then to 'close' the story he just sort of quit! I like books that have an ending at the end - this one just sort of faded away.

Ludlum's 14th suspense caper has the earmarks of all his others: the mysterious cabal involved in global conspiracy; the surges of sudden violence; the careful veneer of local color to provide authenticity; and the rather graceless prose punctuated with breathless italicizing to keep the suspense going. The protagonist this time is Congressman Evan Kendrick, who secretly goes to Oman to rescue a large group of Americans held hostage there. Disguised as a terrorist and aided by the young sultan and a beautiful American-Arab agent, Kendrick succeeds so well that his anonymity is betrayed, and he becomes an instant hero back home, as well as a reluctant presidential candidate. After his cover is blown, however, he also becomes the target for terrorist assassination. Behind all the evildoing is a cabal headed by a man who calls himself the Mahdi, its purpose to acquire the power that money brings by selling arms to religious fanatics. And on this side of the ocean there are other secret forces at work, with awesome power at their command. While violence piles on violence, Ludlum does some high-flown moralizing. The story's underlying philosophy can be found, or at least sought, in the characteristically fuzzy statement: "The arrogance of blind belief led all the mendacities of human thought." Hardcore fans will have fun with this one, but it's not Ludlum's best by a long shot. - Publishers Weekly

20 August
Butch Cassidy Campground
Salina, UT

Not much happening here. The morning walks are very pleasant with a low this morning just slightly higher than yesterday. The afternoon walks not so nice with the temperatures up near 90°. That has kept our total daily milage down closer to 3.5-4.0 miles versus the 5 miles/day that we did the last week in Chama.

I needed to scale back from that level. My resting heart rate had moved up a bit which was an indication that I was pushing the distance a little too much. The past few days have given me a good rest and resting heart rate has declined.

I said that I could not get any cod when I went shopping a couple days ago. What I did pick up was some Dover Sole. I didn't know how it would cook up but I gave it a try yesterday. I cooked it in my Roaster the same way that I did the last cod that I had and it is good.

Simply put about 2# of fish in Roaster, cover with a small can of diced tomatoes, a diced large onion, a few capers and for me 4 medium sized chopped japapeños. Cook at a high heat setting for 20-25 minutes and serve over rice (I didn't have any rice but that would have been good).

The Sevier Valley, where Salina is located, has filled up with smoke from a forest fire that is in the mountains to the southwest. Each day it has become a little worse with no strong winds to clear it from the Valley. It is not thick enough that I smell it and I don't notice any breathing problems but it has obscured my view of the mountains across the Valley to the west.

21 August
Butch Cassidy Campground
Salina, UT

Yesterday afternoon as we were leaving the Park for our walk we meet three young boys. They were about the age and size that Patches has barked at in the past so I am always extra careful when she is around young boys.

The larger of the three approached us and asked if he could pet Patches. He then knelt down an arms length away and held out his hand for Patches to approach him which she did. She gave his hand a sniff and then was on him like a cheap suit. Licking his ears and nose all the while I'm explaining to him that she does not like boys his age.

He said that Pit Bulls were his favorite dogs. He also said something along the lines of "Is this how she acts when she does not like boys my age?" He knew exactly how to approach her and she loved him. I also hope that she is forgetting what I think was harassment, or tormenting, by boys before I got her.

We have found alternative routes to the south and to the north. We still need to walk US89 part of the way but the south alternative is a loop and the north is and out and back with a small loop at the turn around. A little variety is good for me, Patches could care less.

I think the smoke has lessened somewhat in the Valley this morning. We had a light wind from the east yesterday that I think blew some of it out. Very calm this morning, not a leaf stirring. A good strong wind from the east would be welcome.

I have finished the modifications that I was making to the Site Map for my web site. The long lists of links to the various pages are now in drop down menus. No big change in function just appearance.

Why Obama is torpedoing Hillary Clinton by Monica Crowley is an Opinion in The Washington Times. In it she presents the argument that Hillary would not be having any of the server problems that she is having if it were not being directed by President Obama.

I totally agree that this is the case. She goes on to make an argument that the 2016 Democrat Party nominees will be Biden for President and Warren for Vice President, which I also agree will be the ticket. Elizabeth will be on the ticket to keep the Bernie Socialist and Liberal Women from staying at home on election day. Crowley is also right that citizen Obama wants that ticket because he will have some remaining control with them in office and can protect his "legacy".

22 August
Butch Cassidy Campground
Salina, UT

We walked around the Blackhawk Arena again yesterday afternoon. A couple days ago there were 3-4 RV/Horse Trailers there yesterday I would guess that close to half the spaces were occupied.

Looked for events on the web and found that the Southwest Desert Classic Barrel Racing is happening this three day weekend. Didn't see anyone racing in the outdoor arena when I went past and there were a lot of horses in the stables. Maybe go by again today and tomorrow and see some action.

The Solitude Fire in now 50% contained and some roads that had been closed because of the fire have been re-opened. We got a stiff breeze from the southeast yesterday afternoon which cleared some more smoke from the Valley. There is rain in the forecast which may or may not help.

If you are dodging fires there are three good web sites for wildfire information: National Interagency Fire Center, Active Fire Mapping Program & InciWeb - Incident Information System. I like the Interagency Fire Center as a first look with the Mapping Program providing a quick map view. The InciWeb site offers a lot more information on a lot more fires and also has Announcements and Closure information.

As of the 22 August 2015 report from the Fire Center 'large fires' are burning in Arizona (2), California (14), Idaho (14), Louisiana (1), Montana (13), New Mexico (2), Oregon (11), Texas (2) & Washington (11). There are no 'large fires' in Utah and the Solitude Fire is the only one shown by InciWeb. I think Colorado is the only western state that does not have an Active Fire listed by InciWeb - there and Utah are now the place to be.

The first book by Kellerman that I read was Survival Of The Fittest reviewed on 16 September 2014. It was #12 in the Delaware Series with this book being #19 in a series that totals thirty one. In my previous review I said that I liked the Delaware and Milo characters and that continued in this book. Neither of them have been great books but they are entertaining and Kellerman keeps the plot twists coming. I would describe these as being "long air flight books". Something you would buy while in the airport and start reading while waiting for your flight and then possibly finishing before landing. Something to take your mind off the cramped conditions under which you are traveling.

Psychologist Dr. Alex Delaware stars again after playing second fiddle to Hollywood homicide detective Petra Connor in last year's Twisted. It's been eight years since Alex provided a psychiatric evaluation of two teenagers, Troy Turner and Rand Duchay, who confessed to abducting and killing a two-year-old girl. Troy is now dead, murdered in prison, and Rand has been released—and he promptly calls Alex to tell him he has some important information. Alex agrees to a meeting, but Rand's not where he said he'd be; shortly thereafter he's found dead. Kellerman always fashions fiendishly complicated cases, both literally and psychologically, for Alex to unravel, and this one is no different. During the course of the investigation, he and longtime pal L.A. police lieutenant Milo Sturgis encounter a host of wayward children, a foster family from hell, infidelities that have to be charted to be kept straight and a serial killer who's the exact opposite of the genre's usual madman slasher but just as deadly. The action occurs mostly in the calculating brains of the two detectives as they turn and sift evidence piece by piece, working every angle until they finally come up with a coherent picture. It's an impressive piece of detection, and readers who enjoy watching the delicate untangling of a Gordian knot–like plot will find this one a winner. - Publishers Weekly

23 August
Butch Cassidy Campground
Salina, UT

We walked around the Blackhawk Arena again yesterday afternoon. The RV spaces were well over half full and there was a lot of horse grooming going on. A few riders on horseback going around in circles in the outside arena but I think any racing that was happening was inside the closed arena.

There were a lot of off leash dogs accompanying the horses. There was no problems with any of them, they behaved well as did Patches. But I don't think we will walk through the gauntlet again this afternoon.

We did a long walk this morning. This one was north on the out and back with the small loop but went west and then looped back through town center. I say a long walk but it was the distance we were doing every morning when in Chama, it was long only because we have cut back.

As soon as we got back to Desperado I took on fresh water. I thought I could wait until I got back from shopping tomorrow but there was very little pressure yesterday afternoon when I was doing 'linner' dishes.

While I was taking on water I could see that the dump hose would reach so I dumped holding tanks also. I was where I needed to be to dump and when I get back from shopping I'm going to see if I can park deeper in the space. I know that I can but the electric cord will not reach the post on the left side, the 'correct' side, of Desperado. What I think I can do is use the post on the right side - this is what my right side neighbor has done so the post outlet is available. Who ever did the electric install for this Park did not know what they were doing to say nothing about the narrow spaces.

When I checked into the Park I asked if they had an exchange library and was told that they did. This morning I took my two recently read books to see what I could get in trade. The library is rather small with not a lot to choose from but I struck it rich with two Greg Iles books. I have enjoyed his books in the past and don't find any available very often.

Donald Trump: Warrior male extraordinaire by Kent G. Bailey, Ph.D. is a good article that explains Trump as viewed in terms of human paleopsychology. His views are nothing new see the footnote for his 2006 article.

In 2006, I published a column suggesting that Ann Coulter was the last of the “real men”^* on the intellectual right...Donald Trump is the prototypical, archetypal and testosterone-driven alpha male who rules by the sheer force of his personality, imposing physique, quick wit, mastery of repartee and almost hypnotic control over his gathering masses of adoring followers. He is Attila to the Huns, Henry V to the outnumbered English army, Winston Churchill to desperate allied forces, and now our fearless leader against the pagan forces of progressivism and political correctness. He is the unapologetic, quintessential warrior male of yore capable of vanquishing any and all opposition in his way.

How, then, does the intellectual right routinely respond to one personal attack after another? It prostrates itself, it tearfully apologizes, and it resigns from one important and powerful governmental position to another, and it begs forgiveness from the radical termites that rule the country. Trent Lott comes to mind here. It has been a shameful performance for the past 50 years. The intellectual right has been so out-maneuvered in the war of words and concepts that one can only feel pity and contempt.

24 August
Butch Cassidy Campground
Salina, UT

We got a heavy sprinkle yesterday afternoon about an hour after finishing our walk while it was hot. It would have been much nicer to have done it with the cloud cover that rolled in. Maybe there was some rain on the fire - that would be a good thing.

It did seem to have cleared the air some more which was also good. It is now probably as clear as it ever gets, there is always a haze even if there is no smoke. I saw evidence that there was harder rain to the west of where I am and also around Richfield so it probably rained on the fire.

As soon as we finished our morning walk I unplugged from electric and we headed for Richfield. Stopped at Little Wonder Café where I got Corned Beef Hash with poached eggs for the first time in a long time. They came with a good size serving of hash browns, sourdough, coffee and my own fly swatter.

I was being bothered by a pesky fly and requested a swatter then later I noticed that another table also had their own. I think I killed three while I was there but not sure that reduced the number that were present. Every time I killed one there was a replacement show up.

Then it was shopping at Fresh Market. The best market that I have been in since Taos and even better than the Smith's there which was good. The produce section was all I could ask for except fresh dill or dill paste but I could say that about most markets that I go to. I got some kale, mini peppers, cucumber and yellow potatoes which were not available at Food Town here in Salina; all the other produce was of much higher quality.

They had the largest selection of Greek God yogurt flavors that I have ever seen and I found out that there is a Greek God Plain with out honey, I did not think there was. They had a better selection of frozen fish than Food Town but still not all that much. They did have some salmon which I picked up but it is farmed rather than wild caught. They also had frozen cod which I may be going back for in a couple weeks.

These quotes are from the Republican National Committee Growth and Opportunity Project of 2012 that was the Establishment Republican Guide to winning the 2016 presidential election.
In their Introduction to Demographic Partners they say the following.

The Republican Party must focus its efforts to earn new supporters and voters in the following demographic communities: Hispanic, Asian and Pacific Islanders, African Americans, Indian Americans, Native Americans, women, and youth... If Hispanic Americans hear that the GOP doesn’t want them in the United States, they won’t pay attention to our next sentence. It doesn’t matter what we say about education, jobs or the economy; if Hispanics think that we do not want them here, they will close their ears to our policies. In essence, Hispanic voters tell us our Party’s position on immigration has become a litmus test, measuring whether we are meeting them with a welcome mat or a closed door.

25 August
Butch Cassidy Campground
Salina, UT

One of the things that I picked up yesterday at Fresh Market was some gherkin size cucumbers. With them in hand I started making Snezhanka as soon as I got home yesterday with the first step being to drain a container of regular yogurt thru cheese cloth overnight.

Today I diced up the cucumbers and mixed them in with the now "dry yogurt". This was then placed to cool in the refrigerator until 'linner' time when some will be served with a sprinkle of walnut chips on top.

I also made up some sardine potato cakes. I like to make these using boneless and skinless sardines which are hard to find in most markets where I shop. Even harder to find is canned Red Sockeye Salmon which I also like to use to make the cakes. Found some sardines at Fresh Market yesterday.

I take 3-4 small/medium yellow potatoes (preferred), or red potatoes, and boil them with skins on. When done I course mash them and then stir in 7-8 oz of fish. This will make 3 good sized cakes which I fry in just a little olive oil until brown. Serve with a dab of plain Greek yogurt (or sour cream) with fresh dill (or dill paste or dry dill). Bon Appétit!

Some more evidence that President Obama is not winning his Sanctions War. Two of the 40 countries interested in joining the EEU are China and India; a couple of heavy hitters that are not part of TPSEP.

The Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) is an economic union of states located primarily in northern Eurasia that includes Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan and Vietnam (40 other countries have expressed interest in joining). The EEU introduces the free movement of goods, capital, services and people and provides for common transport, agriculture and energy policies, with provisions for a single currency and greater integration in the future.

US's Loss of Kyrgyzstan Means Losing Its Foothold in Central Asia - Expert is a story that you will not find reported by the Ministry of Propaganda. The reason it is not reported in the USofA is it spells out another abject foreign policy failure by the Obama administration and defeat by Russia in the Sanctions War.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is a proposed trade agreement between several Pacific Rim countries concerning a variety of matters of economic policy. Among other things, the TPP seeks to lower trade barriers such as tariffs, establish a common framework for intellectual property, enforce standards for labor law and environmental law, and establish an investor-state dispute settlement mechanism. It is claimed to be an expansion of the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement (TPSEP with 12 participating countries) but the text of the treaty has not been made public.

The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is a proposed free trade agreement between the European Union and the United States. It is being protested in city streets of Europe and the chances of an agreement being reached are probably not good.

26 August
Butch Cassidy Campground
Salina, UT

There was a high overcast almost all day yesterday that become darker as the day went by. When we stepped outside to go for our afternoon walk was when it decided to start raining. Not much but enough that by the time we reached the dumpster to drop off some trash I decided I was getting wet. Walk called because of rain.

Later, before her dinner, I wanted to take Patches out for a potty walk. We did maybe a 100 yard walk in the Park turned around and started back toward Desperado and I'll be damned if we did not get rained on again.

The forecast for today was a 60% chance of rain although the guessers had the chance yesterday at 0%. Heard it raining once in the early hours of the morning and then again about an hour before we got up. We stayed dry during our walk except for the humidity which was at 90% or more.

A couple accomplishment during the day. I got caught up reading my Monthly blog list. It is fairly short now and does not take long. Takes even less time when about a third of the blogs have not had a new posting since I last read them.

Also got laundry done. Started that as soon as we finished our walk but I was not awake yet. That is my excuse for once again putting my wash in one machine and the money in the one next to it and then wonder why my machine does not start. I'll probably do this again but I sure feel like a fool every time that I do it.

While I was at the laundry and Park library I exchanged this book. Picked up a new to me author but I think I got the best of the trade.

This was the first book by Palmer that I have read and could also be my last. The Weekly gives it faint praise which is more than I can do. It is more of a medical journal essay about Asperger Syndrome with a thin coating of fictional crime and suspense used to carry the story. The suspense climax left me saying "Huh, where did that come from". The authors son had been diagnosed as having Asperger Syndrome which prompted him to write this book. His other books may be better but the Weekly's "routine medical thriller" does not promise much.

In this routine medical thriller from bestseller Palmer (The First Patient), Dr. Thea Sperelakis, an idealist who's been working for Doctors Without Borders in the Congo, rushes back to Boston after learning her physician father, Petros, an intimidating figure known as the Lion, is close to death, the victim of a hit-and-run. Thea faces one challenge after another, including having to resuscitate Petros when his heart stops beating. Her brilliant if socially challenged older brother, Dimitri, adds to her anxiety with his computer reconstruction of the accident, which indicates the driver struck Petros deliberately. When Thea manages to communicate haltingly with her father, she suspects he's stumbled on some medical fraud that's made him the target of those behind the fraud. Aided by the requisite hunky ex-cop turned hospital security guard, Thea doggedly seeks out the truth. Robin Cook fans have seen all this before and in more engaging form. - Publishers Weekly

I have to ask the same question that I have asked before "Where does the Conference Board find these people?" Gas prices were moving up, stocks have been tumbling, and a China meltdown means everything is awesome and the consumer is confident? The Gallop US Consumer's Economic Outlook collapsed to its lowest in a year. Can they both be correct? Who can you believe?

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index®, which had declined in July, rebounded in August. The Index now stands at 101.5 (1985=100), up from 91.0 in July. The Present Situation Index increased from 104.0 last month to 115.1 in August, while the Expectations Index improved to 92.5 from 82.3 in July.

27 August
Butch Cassidy Campground
Salina, UT

We had more rain during the morning yesterday but it then cleared somewhat. By late afternoon there was a high thin cloud cover with lots of sun, 66° but the humidity was also 66%. We did a walk but it was not a very long one.

Much nicer this morning. The weather gurus think there is a 40% chance of rain but you can not tell it by looking out the window. I'm thinking, and hoping, that we get the 60% chance of NO rain.

For all you Climate Change Doubters out there I want you to take note. As of 24 August 2015, it has been a record 118 months since the last major hurricane struck the continental United States, according to records kept by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Hurricane Research Division, which list all hurricanes to strike the U.S. mainland going back to 1851.

Now tropical storm Erika is approaching Florida and it has the Climate Change Believers absolutely thrilled. Finally, finally they will get some evidence that what they have been warning the Doubters about is happening - if Erika will just hang it there and become a hurricane.

President Obama is the first president in 122 years, since Benjamin Harrison was in office, who has not seen a major hurricane strike the U.S. during his time in office. I expect that he will hold a press conference to take credit for this and once again remind us that he would lower the oceans.

This quote is from The Theory Of Money And Credit but I think it applies to the 'settled science' of Climate Change as well.

Nevertheless, arguments from authority are invalid; the proof of a theory is in its reasoning, not in its sponsorship; and with all due respect for the masters, it must be said that they have not justified their position very thoroughly in this matter. - Ludwig Von Mises

28 August
Butch Cassidy Campground
Salina, UT

I stopped at the Park office on our way out to do our afternoon walk yesterday. I wanted to know if the barber in "town center" Salina was open for business. I was told that the barber was getting old, up in his 70s (I held my tongue), and not that reliable about opening. When he does open his hair cuts were not very reliable and it was suggested that my best bet would be the shop inside WalMart at Richfield.

With that information we walked around Blackhawk Arena rather than go to the barber. It looked like there were some team ropers starting to move into the Arena with a lot of roping stock in the pens. I may go by there again during the weekend and see if they have any of the action outside where I might be able to watch.

I saw a bus yesterday that I thought was providing worker transportation for the coal mine that all the trucks are hauling coal from. That sighting lead me to some interesting information on the web.

SUFCO occupies a very tight site in rugged topography with no immediate access to rail services. Which also means no employee parking. All the coal produced has to be trucked to one of two Union Pacific rail terminals, using contractors' vehicles (most of it to the Union Pacific Sharp coal load out near Levan, UT). Each truck consists of a tractor unit and two trailers, and has a capacity of 38t. The mine produces around 27,000t each day with a storage capacity of about half that. That is over 700 trucks per day so it is no wonder they are going by me every few minutes.

The current working areas of this longwall mine are some 16km from the mine entrance in East Spring Canyon. Longwall mining was first used at SUFCO in 1985 with the current face equipment installed in 1998. The mine, the largest coal producer in Utah, exports steam coal through the port of Los Angeles to customers in Japan.

When we finished our walk this morning we drove up to Love's and I filled up with gas. Then had my usual breakfast, Santa Fe Skillet, at Denney's. I think they are open 24/7 so that worked out well with me finishing eating by 7:30.

That is when Barrett's Food Town opens so I arrived there and had no waiting. I had a short list today and found every thing except fresh dill which I did not expect to find but you never can tell. They did have what they called "fresh dill" but it was the entire dried plant that is used by many when they make pickles.

I picked up some regular dry dill to go with sour cream. They had some large containers of plain yogurt but none in the small sizes. The sour cream will work but I prefer plain Greek yogurt with fresh dill. Such are the trials of living a nomadic life; sometimes you can not have what you want.

29 August
Butch Cassidy Campground
Salina, UT

Nothing much happening here today. I did not feel much like walking this morning. Felt the same way yesterday afternoon and did only a short potty walk with Patches. We did our back and forth to 'town center' this morning but I had to force myself.

I don't know if it is a mental condition or I'm just getting wore down by the heat. It was 93° yesterday with the same forecast for today. Tomorrow is said to be below 90 with it moving into the lower 80s by the end of the 10 Day forecast. The mornings are very nice, it is just the hot afternoons that I could do without.

There has been a LOT of Ministry coverage of the confrontation between The Donald and Jose Ramos. The Donald is accused of being rude to the self proclaimed activist acting under the cover of a journalist for Univision. Jose was even given time on Kelly File to plead his case.

What the Ministry has not done is talk about The Donald allowing Jose to return, ask his question when it was his turn and The Donald then talking to him for 5 minutes, more time than he allowed other journalist.

The ministry has NOT devoted much time to the rudeness displayed by The Hillary to questions from Ed Henry. Hillary shuts down Ed Henry’s questions on Huma, Servergate by Amy Miller tells the story but this is posted on a conservative websites not reported as News by the Ministry. If The Donald had responded to a question from The Kelly in this manner it would be headline News for days!

Today [28 August 2015] during the summer meeting of the DNC, Fox News’ Ed Henry asked Clinton a series of questions about the propriety of Bill Clinton’s paid speeches in North Korea, Hillary’s trusted advisor Huma Abedin, and whether or not any other cabinet secretary has ever used their own server.
Her response? Well, let me answer one of your questions because I think that’s what you are entitled to.

A Harris County Deputy was assassinated last night while putting gas in his patrol vehicle. A black male suspect approximately 5’11”, 20 to 25-years-old, approached the officer and fired a single shot in the back of his head. The suspect then stood above the officer and shot 3 more bullets into his back.
This follows a call last week by radical texas-based black activist groups to begin assassinating police officers. Breitbart Media released the details of the activist group along with the names of their leadership. HERE Caution: In this link Breitbart has quoted some VERY nasty language by some "activist" that are not politically correct in their speech and are racially intolerant.

30 August
Butch Cassidy Campground
Salina, UT

Another do nothing day. Although I did spend a lot of time reading the News.

I also made a start on the next month's links for the Will Rogers weekly articles. I got the text copied and moved to my web host. This is fairly easy it is the formatting of the text that takes time.

I then used up some bytes doing Google Research for a possible future post. I get these ideas from time to time and some time I end up writing about them. Then there are other times where the idea just does not merit having anything written. I'll see how this one works out.

Former police chief and community organizers debate best policing practices is an article reporting on the effort to establish "best policing practices" for the city of Madison, WI. This has come about in Madison and other cities because of pressure from the federal Justice Department in its efforts to nationalize the police in the USofA.

Community members gathered to find solutions to tensions between the police force and minority residents during a panel discussion held Tuesday at UW-Madison’s Vilas Hall.
The panelists included former Madison Police Chief David Couper, as well as YGB organizer M Adams and former Dane County prosecutor Everett Mitchell.
Though the panelists agreed on the need for police reforms, they diverged on how to reach those goals.

I just don’t think that they should be prosecuting cases … for people who steal from Wal-Mart. I just don’t think that, right? I don’t think [with] Target or all them other places, them big box stores that have insurance, they should be using justification, the fact that people steal from there as justification to start engaging in aggressive police practices, right?” ^*Currently the University of Wisconsin-Madison Director of Community Relations, pastor of Christ the Solid Rock Baptist Church in Madison and in 2013 he served as adjunct professor for Edgewood College teaching a course entitled, “Black Liberation Theologies and the Dismantling of Racism.”

Trump’s campaign is predicated on restoring American greatness here and now, and he is seen to select policies in support of that overarching purpose. Others, in contrast, appear to pursue public office mostly for the sake of implementing favored policies so that they can read about the results of their grand experiments in future economics textbooks. They are like doctors who use patients to advance medical research for its own sake, rather than physicians who use medicine to cure the patients before them.

31 August
Butch Cassidy Campground
Salina, UT

It was in the upper 80s yesterday afternoon but there was a breeze and occasional cloud cover. We did a two mile walk for the first time in the afternoon since we have been here. We still have a week of these hot afternoons if the forecast is correct then maybe slightly cooler.

When we go out for our morning walks now it is still dark. This morning we did have a full moon and there are a few street lights along US89/US50. With this bit of light and a little breeze I caught a glimpse of something white beside the road that I thought was a plastic bag blowing in the wind. Patches stopped to look so I stopped and looked also at the white on a skunks tail cocked in firing position. Happily, this skunk did not have a hair trigger and continued moving on its way with that ambling, arrogant skunk-walk walk.

The Donald was the only one to raise his hand when asked at the first Republican presidential nominee debate if anyone onstage would NOT pledge to support the eventual party nominee. He said "I will not make the pledge at this time."

He has made nice with the Republican National Committee since then however and he’s invested in his Republican stature now. He was forced to do so because various state GOPs are demanding a commitment to supporting the nominee as a condition of qualifying for the primary ballot.

However, that does not mean that he will not run on a third party ticket IF he looses the Republican nomination. The chances of that happening are not great in my opinion but there may be something else that could happen - write-ins.

Do you remember Pat Paulsen and his campaigns for President of the United States in 1968, 1972, 1980, 1988, 1992, and 1996? His campaign slogan was "Just a common, ordinary, simple savior of America's destiny." His campaign was all done with tongue in cheek but he received votes - write-in votes for president.

Have you read about Deez Nuts? He is a third-party candidate for president running to shake up America’s gridlocked political system, hoping to create a movement on the ground to mobilize voters who are upset with the state of the election. He calls himself Deez Nuts, but is actually a 15 years old high school boy in Iowa named Brady Olson and Dezz Nuts is a made-up candidate.

In their polling results dated August 19, 2015 Public Policy Polling showed Deez Nuts at 6% Favorable and 13% Unfavorable. When the question is: If the candidates for President next year were Democrat Hillary Clinton, Republican Donald Trump, and Independent Deez Nuts who would you vote for? Deez Nuts garnered 9%. Any more questions about why The Donald is being supported?

When it comes to saying anything about the Democrat president nominee candidates there is not much to say. The Hillary has been figuratively anointed to be the nominee and plans for her coronation have been made. She should be indicted for her failure to secure classified material crimes but it does not appear that is going to happen.

In the past month, the Department of Justice indicted a young sailor who took a selfie in front of a sonar screen on a nuclear submarine and emailed the selfie to his girlfriend. It also indicted a Marine who sent an urgent warning to his superiors on his Gmail account about a dangerous Afghani spy who eventually killed three fellow Marines inside an American encampment. The emailing Marine was indicted for failure to secure classified materials. Gen. David Petraeus stored top-secret materials in an unlocked desk drawer in the study of his secured and guarded Virginia home and was indicted for the same crimes. And a former CIA agent was just sentenced to three years in prison for destroying one top-secret email.