QUICKIES…

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The earth continues to warm. We have set a GLOBAL HEAT RECORD as of January, 2024 for the 9th month in succession. El Nino is a big part of the impact in the US but that doesn’t explain why the rest of the planet is experiencing heat growth. We’re not climatologists here at anothersview, but weather patterns are clearly apparent even to the unscientific mind. It is widely held that fossil fuel omissions combined with the loss of polar ice shelves will continue the trend toward higher temps. Trillions of tons of ice field reflectors are melted away each year and the amount of heat retained by the revealed water and land is having a serious impact. Water temps are rising and that changes the migration habits of fish which changes the fishing industry results. Fewer fish or greater difficulty finding fish adds to the cost. Coral reefs are dying at a furious clip impacting the ecological composition of the oceans and the sea life that builds the reef and lives from its bounty. If each of us did something to minimize the daily impact–like trying to become more environmentally aware–we might be able to slow down the changes. But until industrialized countries can agree to really effect change–we see no progress. With all the current international upheavals it is highly doubtful that the time for cooperation is now.

Last week the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced its 2024 class of inductees. While many fans may have a gripe about their favorite player being snubbed, one player has consistently endured as having better on-field stats than almost all of the other same-position inductees. Ken Anderson, who quarterbacked the Cincinnati Bengals for many years has been totally ignored by the HOF committee. So we wanted to present our stats case to you and let you decide. We compared Ken Anderson to 10 other HOF quarterbacks on offensive accomplishments. The categories were passer rating, games played, pass completion percentage, total passing yards, passing yards per attempt, number of touchdowns and interceptions (a negative). In each category Ken had better stats than 6 or 7 of the QB’s we viewed. If you consider the total stat sheet, 7 categories for 10 players equal 70 values. Ken Anderson surpassed those 10 players 61.4% of the time. Now we’re not saying he’s the best of the bunch but not to be seriously considered when the other HOF competition is far short of his work resume is a major snub–any way you slice it. Maybe next time he’ll make it as a “old timer”.

One message that is clear from this political scene is that–regardless of factual info–people tend to vote their biases. Whether we know it or whether it’s subconscious we tend to vote more AGAINST A CANDIDATE than FOR A CANDIDATE. Example: if you choose to believe that Joe Biden is too old to be president, he could literally walk on water and accomplish world peace–AND YOU WOULDN’T VOTE FOR HIM. Or, if Donald Trump killed the Pope in front of hundreds of witnesses but you believed that the 2020 election was stolen–you’d still vote for him. Our conclusion: facts seem to make little or no difference when voters vote. Reality as presented by overwhelming evidence seems to have less and less relevance in today’s world. Said another way, WE BELIEVE WHAT WE WANT TO BELIEVE. A good example of this was the COVID interviewer who asked his subject “do you think this is a serious issue?” the answer was “No, it’s just a hoax”. When the reporter factually cited that nearly a million people had died, the interviewee said “That’s just what they want you to think”. Case closed.

If you watched the Super Bowl and paid attention to the commercials for new movies you probably noticed a common theme. Almost every advertised movie was driven by special effects or animation. Now we all know that all movies are just stories brought to life by celebrities. But when the only movies are heavily (90%) fireworks-type on-screen displays and very little plot or purely animation it says something about the movie industry. What it says is “the public is shallow and likes to see fantastic special effects regardless of the story line”. Said another way, quality acting performances by established Hollywood actors is secondary. We’re not saying that the animation movies are not entertaining but, again, they don’t need or employ solid acting credentials to be successful. This trend reflects a public consumption appetite for little more than a 4th of July fireworks display. Probably the average age of moviegoers is a factor. But robbing the public of being able to watch a well-acted plot unfold is a sad commentary on the state of the art. But then again–we don’t think rap is any more than Gregorian chant hummed by monks in the middle ages….you had to be there.

Put this one in your “why did that happen?” file. There is no question that Donald Trump took 300 boxes of classified docs and tried to hide them in the bathrooms, hallways, stages, storage rooms and elsewhere at Mar-A-Lago. So WHY–if the theft occurred when he walked of the White House in Washington DC–is the venue for the trial in Florida. If a person commits a crime in New York City and is caught in California, he is shipped back to New York City to face trial under the laws of the State of New York. The Florida venue for this trial is especially troubling when the previously biased judge and the “red state” jury pool is considered. Did Jack Smith make a tactical and legal error? Maybe Mr. Smith considers that the overwhelming evidence (your own eyes) will prevail. But the timing and legal wrangling to-date are beginning to weigh heavily on success. Remember, justice delayed is justice denied–unless you know you’re guilty.

Nebraska has become the 18th “red State” to decline the free food for kids program money from the Federal Government. They were offered $18 million to provide food to kids during the summer. But they said “no thanks”. There is so much wrong with this scene…but the biggest mortal sin here is holding the welfare of low income family children hostage to GOP election prospects. Republicans in all 18 states are worried that–by accepting the Biden Administration money to benefit the kids–they might lose votes. Isn’t that pathetic? The irony compounding this outrageous attitude is that all these states criminalize abortion and so more children will be born and those newborns may not have enough food to survive. THIS IS YOUR 2024 REPUBLICAN PARTY…SHOULD ANYONE BE PROUD OF IT?

The list of GOP transgressions continues with the latest bill in the Iowa legislature. The so-called “Election Integrity ” bill would allow convicted felons to run for and win election in Iowa assemblies. Is it ironic that the term “integrity” is tied to a bill that would allow convicted felons to represent you in making decisions about the laws you must follow. Obviously the felon didn’t follow the law. Or is this just to head off the possibility that Trump may be a convicted felon by early November and they want to pave the way for a criminal to regain the presidency? Either way, Iowa, your warped perspective is consistent with your GOP counterparts. The good news is that there are more than enough rational voters to trash your kind of rule-making.

And last but not least…a prediction. After Nikki Haley loses the South Carolina primary by a lot she will fold her tent and go away quietly. The money tree will die and so will her efforts to add some degree of sanity to the GOP. She never has said what she considers her “platform” because she spends all her time telling us how terrible Trump is. And then she says she’d vote for him if he’s the nominee. That’s the perfect example of putting Party over Country as your priority. And that’s what you get with the GOP.