Halloween 2016 (10/30/16)
It's been a long time since I stopped trick or treating as a military brat; I don't recall when I stopped, probably by my late tweens. Nobody really had to tell me: I think it was just part of growing up, thinking trick or treating was for kids, and I was in a hurry to grow up.
I've never been into the adult costume party scene, and, unlike my home-owning married younger siblings, after years of living in apartments, mostly adult communities, I've almost never encountered a trick or treater over the last several years: maybe fewer than a half dozen knocks on the door. It's not that I've singled out complexes without children (in fact, there are kids in my current complex because I've seen them using the swimming pool). Some complexes have solutions to work around the awkward issues, like trick or treating interrupting adult households. For example, one recent complex circulated colorful papers saying that households distributing candy should post them outside of their doors on Halloween.
Most years it hasn't been an issue; I've often been on the road and/or working late (tomorrow I'm working a swing shift). But I honestly don't buy candy and haven't for years. I'm not sure what I would give out: little bags of dark chocolate-covered nuts/cherries or protein bars? The only thing I know for sure is if Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump show up at my door, I am getting tricked, not a treat.
Christmas Arriving Earlier Every Year? (10/30/16)
I'm used to seeing Christmas merchandise and decorations break out earlier every year; I was in Sam's Club a couple of weeks back and already saw food gift tins and other seasonal merchandise out for sale, I've already got emails for early Black Friday preview sales. The last time I was at Walmart they already had holiday turkeys for sale--and it wasn't even Halloween yet!
No, I'm not going to give a lecture reminding people Jesus is the reason for the season. I don't mind stores using every gimmick they can to attract shoppers. Personally, I've never bought packaged food gifts; I've occasionally gotten them. For example, my brother Pete got me assorted jerky and other Buc-ees' packages last Christmas. (Buc-ees is a supersized Texas-based convenience store/gas station concept with literally dozens of gas pumps per location.) In fact, I passed by a Buc-ees on my recent drive through Texas on the way to Arizona. My brother's gift was actually a good choice because it was consistent with my low-carb food preferences, and I personally had never frequented the chain.
But usually if and when I look to buy gifts, I'm trying to do something creative and non-predictable, not something the person would normally buy, something off the shelf, e.g., there was one time I bought some homemade French-Canadian fudge (including maple-flavored) for my Dad. When I lived in Houston, there was this pie shop on Kirby, and I might buy a couple of novel varieties (e.g,, not apple, blueberry, pumpkin, etc., Mom might bake) home for Christmas. I became acquainted with Trader Joe's while living in California, and I might bring some hard-to-find food concepts. (No, most of my past gifts did not consist of food, but since I'm on a self-imposed diet, they quickly come to mind. I'm simply describing my approach to gift giving.)
But Hallmark has already launched its traditional year-end holiday entertainment season. These are more romantic comedies/dramas, some with an element of fantasy, vs. the largely pointless and boring Santa Claus movies. I saw one I hadn't previously viewed before, but for the most part, I'm not watching the marathon. It's like WWE's attempt to stretch its 2-hour Monday Raw program to 3 hours, probably an hour too long: too much filler. I would prefer a shorter television season with better selection, less repetition.
The Outrage Over the FBI's Resurrection of Clinton Emails Is Annoying (10/31/16)
Tom Woods in a recent public email pointed out that Anonymous was basically sniping at the Clinton campaign, waiting until the last minute to release the most damaging Clinton emails, putting the Clinton team on the defense with no time to fight back as the race tightens up heading into the final week of the campaign. There has been outrage over the timing of the renewed FBI probe as more Clinton emails surface; even Libertarian VP candidate Bill Weld, a former Republican governor who has spoken favorably about Clinton, has been sharply critical of what is seen as a politically-motivated anti-Clinton move. It should be noted, though, the probe is apparently something the Justice Department has been aware of and has been resisting. I think Comey
One of the things that has been extremely annoying in my encounters with Trump cultists is their insinuation that I've been a "liberal" who favors Clinton. Let's be clear: I think that Clinton and Trump are both anti-liberty Big Government types and neither of them favors long-overdue entitlement reform, serious spending cuts, a less obtrusive foreign policy, or liberalized trade and immigration. I do think Trump's lack of public sector experience and temperament are serious problems, over and beyond his ignorance on basic government policy. His populism is against party pro-liberty positions on the economy, and I shudder at the idea of a GOP Congress having to carry the water for a big-spending rogue President, like they had to do for Bush in the last decade. If nothing else, a President Clinton would unite vs. corrupt a GOP opposition. Trump, on the other hand, seemingly seems to spend almost as much time bashing and threatening his allies, notably Speaker Ryan, than his Democratic opponents.
I don't want Clinton as President. She is wrong on literally every issue. She is a failed leader. She is corrupt and a congenital, self-serving liar. I've had to slap back at Clinton partisans, e.g., a tweet today who listed 101 anti-Trump things and mocking her opponents' responses as "Clinton emails". Let's be clear: Clinton is acting as juvenile as Trump's boorish schoolboy bully behavior: she is trying to come up with all sorts of reasons for breaking laws. When she became Secretary of State, security of data over the Internet was a known, growing issue. There were stricter policies in place for people with less access than Clinton to the nation's secrets, there were federal records acts that Clinton knowingly sidestepped. Clinton is a trained lawyer; she knew exactly what she was doing. Complaining that Colin Powell had done something similar years earlier when hacking attacks were less frequent (and not matching the nature or extent of Clinton's activity, not to mention the prominent role of Clinton's unique vulnerable home server) is simply disingenuous. Clinton must be held accountable for her actions. Even giving her lawyers, without necessary security clearances, access to her emails violated the law. The government did not screen the emails which Clinton or her advisers destroyed; we just have their self-serving word on what they did. You could imagine the outrage if Nixon insisted on the right to edit the Watergate tapes before turning them over, but no outrage over "fox-in-charge-of-hen house" Clinton's decision on what we the people have a right to see?
If Clinton hoped to stonewall politically damaging emails and some hacker group reveals them: just deserts. Clinton would have been better served to get the facts out sooner than later. But the handling of Clinton emailgate was a violation of the rule of law and the overriding principles of our democracy. The good thing about next week's election is that either Clinton or Trump will lose, and the winner will have the lowest approval ratings in recent American history.
Did Comey violate the Hatch Act in disclosing a probe? No. What is clear is that the FBI come into possession of new Clinton emails. Comey would have been on the hot seat for looking the other way despite additional evidence, which violates the principle of the rule of law. I do question his earlier premature exoneration, which could also have been seen as a godsend to the vulnerable Clinton campaign and a violation of the Hatch Act. But it's highly unlikely that Comey's statement was done to help the Trump campaign at Clinton's expense. Clinton herself is responsible for her own emails.
