We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.
I avoid podcasts mostly, but Scott Adams' daily podcasts are a hoot.
He is not a Conservative, more of a free-thinker (claims to be a Bernie guy) who does the news and loves to think outside the box. Engaging fellow, smarter than me, and relentlessly happy. Here's today's. He might become a daily habit for me because he lights up my brain with cleverness and humor. Can find humor in anything, which is a good attitude.
Too bad he's on California time, because he'd be good with my morning coffees.
Politics is not my beat, but on a rare perusal of The New York Times today (dental office), I could not help but be struck by how the winds blow down there at their headquarters. If Trump is for it, they're against it from the news slants to the opinion (today, Trump is an existential threat to the Republic)..
Even when Dems were for something just a few years ago in Obama times. Suddenly, the NYT and the Dems have pivoted towards hawkish in the Middle East. Suddenly, illegal immigration is desirable. Israel is now evil. Our energy independence is bad. And so on. You can fill in further examples in our comments. Here's the guiding principle, as best as I can tell:
"[S]ingling out Trump for the turmoil engulfing the country is possible only if you disregard the No. 1 contributor: the refusal of Democrats and most of the media to accept the results of the 2016 election...."
My discomfort in the last few years, first with Russiagate and now with Ukrainegate and impeachment, stems from the belief that the people pushing hardest for Trump’s early removal are more dangerous than Trump. Many Americans don’t see this because they’re not used to waking up in a country where you’re not sure who the president will be by nightfall. They don’t understand that this predicament is worse than having a bad president.
The Trump presidency is the first to reveal a full-blown schism between the intelligence community and the White House. Senior figures in the CIA, NSA, FBI and other agencies made an open break from their would-be boss before Trump’s inauguration, commencing a public war of leaks that has not stopped...
We helped the Kurds fight their ISIS enemies. No way we will help them fight the Turks who are NATO allies. As Scott says, this was an adult decision. People would die either way
18 years in Afghanistan? What? I blame the neo-cons (who no longer exist) and Bush.
There is No Middle Ground with Today’s Democrats or the Deep State - If you’re wondering how all of this stops, how we return to normal, I will tell you what a friend told me: “There is no normal. There is only Clausewitz.”
We had just 50 troops there, and Turkey is a NATO ally. Remember, Kurds and Turks have been at war for 400 years...The ME is insane, quagmire. No US interests there, and Israel is self-sufficient.
If the general mood of the public is that opponents of President Trump never granted him the the full respect for the office that he was due, and set out to destroy his presidency from day one, they will quickly tire of the spectacle of members of Congress in even higher dudgeon than usual. But the public could also conclude that the Trump administration simply ignores laws they find inconvenient, and defies lawful requests for documents and testimony from elected officials they don’t like. This might be exactly the sort of contrast that the Democratic nominee wants as a backdrop to the 2020 election.
Horror Films
Scientists 'may have crossed ethical line
Photo: Lobby floral displays this week at the Met Museum. Some rich lady endowed their flowers, years ago and they are always worth atthention. 
What Columbus Day Really Means - 
The Private Life of Lord Byron by Antony Peattie review – 
FAREWELL,