JERKWATER TRAIN

Waldo writes on Fate "And though nothing is more disgusting than the crowing about liberty by slaves, as most men are, and the flippant mistaking for freedom of some paper preamble like a " Declaration of Independence," or the statute right to vote, by those who have never dared to think or to act ..." Trump or Hillary, Sanders or Cruz, like it or not, are us in the mirror. Trump is a symptom of our sick society, riding high on anger and disappointments and illusions, however misplaced.

On the Spirit of the Times. I bet Waldo Emerson is turning in his grave. "But the mind, once prepared for the reign of principles, will easily find modes of expressing its will. There is the highest fitness in the place and time in which this enterprise is begun. Not in an obscure corner, not in a feudal Europe, not in an antiquated appanage where no onward step can be taken without rebellion, is this seed of benevolence laid in the furrow, with tears of hope; but in this broad America of God and man, where the forest is only now falling, or yet to fall, and the green earth opened to the inundation of emigrant men from all quarters of oppression and guilt; here, where not a family, not a few men, but mankind, shall say what shall be; here, we ask, Shall it be War, or shall it be Peace?" He had high hopes for our nation. What a disappointment we have been. Since WWII we have been at war. Only one president never fired a missile or drop a bomb, he went on to become a great hum

Some sobering facts about Yemen: GDP per capita In 2014 per day = $2. Literacy rate 40% for females and 77% for females. And that's before this genocidal war even began. The rich, gluttonous, good for nothing but excrement and offal Gulf Arabs - with our high-tech weapons and cluster bombs and support - have been bombing the poorest Arabs. Can you imagine living on that WITHOUT bombs, proudly made by uncle Sam and the UK , being dropped on your head for 10 months?. These prople are so poor, on the brink of starvation, so let's drop bombs on them and we'll call it mercy. Alleluia, praise the lord. How can our government particpate in such atrocities, in our names? Who is profiteering from these perpetual wars? ... Since WWII we have been at war. Only one president never fired a missile or drop a bomb, he went on to become a great humanitarian with a cultivated soul that inspires the world. Jimmy Carter is not just a good man, but a great human being! Jimmy Carter did not

"The cause of peace is not the cause of cowardice. If peace is sought to be defended or preserved for the safety of the luxurious and the timid, it is a sham, and the peace will be base. War is better, and the peace will be broken. If peace is to be maintained, it must be by brave men, who have come up to the same height as the hero, namely, the will to carry their life in their hand, and stake it at any instant for their principle, but who have gone one step beyond the hero, and will not seek another man's life;—men who have, by their intellectual insight, or else by their moral elevation, attained such a perception of their own intrinsic worth, that they do not think property or their own body a sufficient good to be saved by such dereliction of principle as treating a man like a sheep." Waldo Emerson I have been reading his essay on war. Since WWII we have been at war. Only one president never fired a missile or drop a bomb, he went on to become a great humanitarian

We say things that make one wonder how it all began. For instance, bite the bullet: the bullet is too hard to bite into, and who in the right mind would want to bite the bullet? Suppose I am crazy and I bite the bullet and I bite too hard and the bullet explodes in my mouth? ... here is another one: shoot: shoot who? You? Me? The dog? Makes no sense at all to shoot anyone or anything. And why? ... a million ways to skin the cat: which cat? Mine or yours? I don't like to skin cats. We don't eat cats to skin them. Do you kill the cat first, and then you skin it? Or do you skin it alive? No matter how you dice it (wait ... dice what, the tomatoes? ) It sounds cruel to me. Or, this one, she's a ham. Wait a minute, I thought she was a person not a meat cut.

Zachary Khalil Khelah is one of the kindest human beings I know. He has a heart of gold! And he's is a fine actor. Hit the links below to see for yourself! http://current.mnsun.com/2012/06/06/eden-prairie-high-school-students-win-fine-arts-awards/ http://www.swnewsmedia.com/eden_prairie_news/news/slide-show-eden-prairie-high-school-winter-theater/article_b5cfa78b-a7d3-566b-b454-88cdb7568d99.html http://www.swnewsmedia.com/eden_prairie_news/news/education/ephs-students-given-drama-awards/article_5802b1f6-b3db-5e72-b027-e6ff028042e1.html https://about.me/zacharykhalilkhelah

It's reported that Eden Prairie Police applied tazer to an innocent man who was essentially minding his own business. More on this disturbing story coming soon ... Eden Prairie Police committed a crime on suspicions only

Article II, Section 2: “[The President] shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint…Judges of the Supreme Court, EXCEPT when serving his last year in office." What's the fuss all about? The constitution is crystal clear. I learned something new about our conversation. ... Honesty in politics is an oxymoron; it would throw the whole thing out; can you imagine? The whole system would collapse.

Honesty in politics is an oxymoron; it would throw the whole thing out; can you imagine? The whole system would collapse. And I don't believe the masses would like that. Hence, the folly of life.

People often, very often, think they look much better than they actually look. Why? So they build up this image in their head and expect themselves to look that way, fiction. But when they look in the mirror, they're looking at two images, the real one in the mirror and the fictional one in their head. Disappointed. But I think women and men should be kind to themselves and love the person they see in the mirror. Because it's them. The blemish and the wrinkle and the loose belly and the sagging butt tell a story about who we are, what we've been through, and that you're beautiful and fine the way you are! Just be kind to yourself and love the person you see in the mirror.

Legend has it that Caribou once lived there, and there were sightings in the 1980s. I stand corrected however, there are none today. But again, this is a humble attempt to capture the majesty of this special place that's dear to my heart.

Black history month: potato chips. Love that crispy snack? Legend has it that potato chips were invented by George Crum, an African American who ran a restaurant in Saratoga, NY. And the story went something like this. A fickle unhappy customer complained to George that his potatoes were too thick and not salty enough. George, a bit irritated, went back to his kitchen and sliced some fresh potatoes thinly and added some more salt and fried them. The customer still complained that they still were not thin enough and not salty enough. By now George became angry, and went back and sliced them so thinly and dumbed so much salt on the crispy potatoes, and thought ... that would teach that annoying  customer a lesson, there! To his surprise, the customer loved them. George Crum started then serving Saratoga chips with every meal at his restaurant. He never patented his invention however, but still retired a wealthy man. ... (George was smart on more than one account. Apparently he didn't

Art, in all its forms, make us wholesome. Art is the epitome of civilization. I keep looking at this painting ... I see hope I see despair, I see beauty I see anxiety, I see confidence I see bewilderment, I see peace I see the storm, and I see the inherent complexity of being human. And I see the impermanence of things: that that sweet face shall one day fade away.