The Missile Silo

Shanika, Stoupini, and Kadizzle made the long trip to Cooperstown ND.  We inspected the launch facilities for the nuclear missiles.  The woman conducting the tour had a terrible squeaky voice combined with a laugh that made you glad she was not your wife.  What a job.  Being in the Air Force as a missile launcher had to be the most boring monotonous job on Earth.  Sitting underground in a large cement egg for 24 hours did not seem like fun.  There was one bed so one person could sleep.  The silliest thing in the launch set up was the key that activated the missile.  One the key it was printed " Do Not Duplicate".   Imagine someone going to a hardware store with a key to start a nuclear war and asking the clerk to make a couple.

Everything about the launch site screamed 1950's technology, and decor.  The Russian facilities could not have been much worse.  According to our host the Russians have taken the tour at Cooperstown. Insanity is all you can think when you inspect.  With hundreds of these missiles still in operation in North Dakota it is reassuring to know we have an insane president that could easily get us into a nuclear meltdown.  The poor guys in the bunker have a very strange escape route after the war ends.  They get to emerge from a tunnel into a landscape that will be toasted.  To get up the tunnel they first have to open it. One major problem the tunnel is filled with sand.  So after the war when the food and water in the launch site are used up and leaving is the last option the fellows below have a special way to open a trap door.  When opened a lot of their living space will fill with sand from the tunnel.  Out they will scramble with most of the world's population dead or radioactive.  Emerging one might say to another " Gee I wish I had not voted for Trump".

How Appropriate.

Even though Trump just started beating his war drum yesterday Shanika had been planning for the Crazy Club to have an outing to a missile silo.  North Dakota has always hurt for tourism, so over in the Eastern part of the state they made a missile silo into a tourist attraction. That is where we will go today. Missiles grow like sunflowers in North Dakota.  When old Kadizzle first moved to North Dakota he remembers driving out in the middle of nowhere and seeing missile silos.  Thankya Jeesus no missile ever popped up out of one.

Now Kadizzle might get to see his first launch.  The old crazy Trumpster is going after North Korea.  North Dakota has more missiles than any country on Earth.  Most of them are north of the lake about fifteen miles from here, but as flat as the prairie is here it will look like the fourth of July if Trump pushes the button.  Sometimes killing a fly with a sledgehammer gets the job done, and if there is ever a guy for that task it is Trump.  When Trump tells a lie he uses a big lie, even though a little lie might work.  His first big lie was Obama was born in Kenya.  The dolts that love him licked it up.  One good thing about Trump and his lies is he never comes through.  No wall, no destruction of Obama care, maybe the guy in North Korea knows the Trumpster is all bluster.

As the coffee goes down Kadizzle sits here in a world endangered by two crazy men.  One was not elected and the other one was just what we needed.  So let the day begin.

Drawn Up to the Lord

Dave got drawn up to the Lord.  Old Dave Smith finally took off for Heaven.  Long ago and far away Kadizzle had a coal mining career.  Kadizzle mined it under the ground, and on the ground.  Back at the Glenharold Mine Kadizzle met Dave Smith.  Smith was a big man then, his recent bad health shrunk him to half his size.  Dave was an inventive guy.  For a long time Dave was the oiler on the loading shovel.  The oiler had a lot of time on his hand, and you probably did not even really need and oiler.  There was not much an oiler could do when the shovel was working loading trucks, so Dave made do dads and invented things with the crap laying around on the shovel. Dave was mechanically inclined although he did not have much education.  Dave came up with a lot of clever stuff.

Dave had a special way of seeing the world.  Somewhere he always came up with jokes you had not heard before.  A story Kadizzle has told about Dave many times is how Dave got his foot under the 150 ton shovel.  One day Kadizzle was parked near the 190 loading shovel.  It was time to move the shovel closer to the coal so the loading could continue.  A job of the oiler was to move the large electric cable for the shovel as it moved.  By hand Dave acted as a human mule and grabbed the big electrical cable.  As Dave pulled on the cable Ron Hummel moved the shovel forward.   The steel tracks on the shovel were as tall as Dave.  Dave was not paying attention, but looking at Hummel for directions.  When the shovel crept forward it ran over Dave's foot.  Fortunately for Dave he was wearing the required steel toed shoes.  The 150 ton shovel track pushed Dave's foot into the mud.  Dave was trapped under the shovel with his foot.  He was unhurt, but was unable to extract his foot.  Hummel had to back the shovel up so Dave could get his foot out.  Kadizzle always told the story at safety meetings to explain why people needed to wear steel toed shoes.

Dave had to retire early because of a heart problem.  A heart implant kept him alive.  Almost on a daily basis Kadizzle would ride by Dave's garage.  Dave would be out there tinkering with the old hot rod he loved.  His ability to invent things never ceased to amaze Kadizzle.  Dave could take one thing and make it into another.  Kadizzle would stop and exchange insults, pleasantries, and just plain bullshit with Dave.   Dave was on the daily ramidigus route.   Dave was known locally as a character.  Dave was never the man you would suspect to be an artist, but he did take some art classes from Shiny.  Dave belonged to Rita's Crazy club.   Recently Kadizzle told Rita she needed to recruit.  Rita is very low on hard core crazy people.  With Dave gone to Heaven, and Crazy Bill out of town she has no hard core crazy people.  Somehow crazy people are like magnets they attract each other.   Rita and her gang will draw in some more crazy people.   Trump is great at attracting other crazy people like himself.  Hopefully Trump will invite all the crazy clubs to Washington for a convention.

Sex with a Peacock

I took my dad to the mall once to get him new shoes (he is 66).  We decided to grab a bite at the food court.

I noticed he was watching a teenager sitting next to him… the teenager had spiked hair in all different rainbow colors — blue, red, green and orange.  My dad kept staring at her.  The teenager would keep looking and my dad would be staring every time.

When the teenager had had enough, she sarcastically asked,  “What’s the matter old man, never done anything wild in your life?”

Knowing my dad, I quickly swallowed my food so I wouldn’t choke on his response — I knew he would have a good one.

In classic style he responded without batting an eyelid: “Got stoned once and fucked a peacock.   Just wondering if you were my daughter.”

Manhaven

For no known Earthly reason there has been a tradition among some old Hazenites to hike to Manhaven every year.  Manhaven is a town that used to exist below the dam.  Parking as close as we could with the group we embarked.  Stoupini and the women decided to go along the river.  Kadizzle thought poorly of this idea.  Brush and weeds were dense along the river, but up and away from the river it was almost open prairie.  Mrs. Kadizzle did have the good sense to go with Pat on a different higher route.  The prairie group made good time, but the stumblebums along the river proceeded very slowly.

Kadizzle was making very good time until he came to a very steep sided ravine.  With a little delicate climbing in and out he made it across.  The prairie group got to the town site long before the jungle trekkers.  Manhaven was an old town started in 1906 where grain was loaded onto the steamboats.  800 people may have lived there at one time.  Farmers brought the grain down to the river and the grain bins held the grain until the ship arrived.  Up on a high bank the grain was stored until it could be slid by gravity down to the boats.  One or two houses still survive in rickety condition.  A few features can still be discerned from the old buildings.

After a good workout walking, a drink at Little's Bar, and a ride home Lauren served a wonderful meal. Laughter and BS flowed.  Such is life on the prairie.

Three Old Men

Three motorcycles blasted west toward the Pacific.  Shanika, Carlos Stoupini, and Kadizzle headed to the land south of Zap. The idea was to find some good rugged roads to test our skills.  It never happened all we did was ride 76 miles on gravel and asphalt.  However, there was a lot of wonderful scenery.  Kadizzle was amazed by how few people are out there in the North Dakota outback.  Arizona has such amazing roads to explore compared to the tame roads of North Dakota.  This winter the old farts can get together in AZ to do it right.

Once home Shanika and Mrs. Kadizzle cooked up a very nice meal.  The conversation was good the wine and hooch flowed freely, and right after the meal the gravity increased to the point a nap was in order.  In other words Kadizzle drank too much and went to bed.

Yesterday Kadizzle got a good start and took the torn sail to Rita's for repair.  Rita and Diana fixed the sail with Kadizzle's help. Rita and Diana both have a good sense of humor and we had a great  time laughing as we put 135 feet of stitching in the sail.  Perhaps today the sail will go back on the good ship.  Once again the sun has risen and the adventures of the day will begin.  Mrs. Kadizzle is in the back of the house by the engine room getting up to date. Kadizzle has lubed her with coffee and water. Rain will fall and wind will blow, deer will die in the winter snow.

Report from the Crazy Club

Recent donations enabled the Crazy club to stock a nice supply of cookies.  The meeting was well attended.  Shanika was present with Stroupini.  Stroupini came in on the train and gave a niced report on sailing in Port Townsend.  Shanika says he has a new job lined up, but refuses to disclose what it is.  Mrs Kadizzle decided to attend the meeting.  After a variety of subjects were addressed the owner of the Club house showed up.  Recently he had attended Folk Fest in Winnipeg.  A report was given on the various performers.  Kadizzle feeling magnanimous with the recent Trump Bump in the stock market took the members to lunch at the Bison Bar and Grill in Hazen.  At the bar the Crazies were served by a young woman aspiring to be Miss North Dakota.   All the old goats gave the young woman advice and made a big donation in the form of a tip to her clothing budget. Miss Rodeo Mandan said it takes some snazzy clothes to win.

So here old Kadizzle sits with the Sonos going, and the coffee dripping.  What lies will Trump tell today.  More than likely someone will call him and tell him how great he is.  That has been the current trend.  What a wonderful country we live in.   A man clearly mentally ill, and a pathological liar is our leader, yet we keep chugging along unstopped by his childish insanity.  Get er done.  Americans don't let one monkey spoil the whole damn show.  With that in mind Kadizzle could use a good monkey.  Someone has to go up the sailboat mast and do some repair.  Stoupini volunteered for the job.  Stroupini is a lot lighter than old Kadizzle, so he may  get the job.   The next big task is to to take down the head sail and repair it.  Rita at the the other Crazy club said she would give it a try.

The rattle battle.

This is a photo from the rattlesnake mating we recently witnessed on the week long sail.  Mr. and Mrs rattler should expect some spunky little rattlers next spring.  Rattlesnake children get rattles soon after birth.  The site of these guys has changed Kadizzle's perspective on hiking in the Badlands.  Not sure what could happen swimming, but prior to their appearance Kadizzle was swimming nearby when he installed the boat tie downs on shore.  This was perfect snake country. 

Rant

When you think Trump can get no worse, he does.  Kadizzle is sitting here listening to NPR.  NPR just did a story on Trump suggesting to police officers they bang peoples head on the police car as they put them in the back seat.  The idiot we have for a president is unprecedented.  Whenever Trump gets caught in one of his insane statement he always claims it was a joke.  When you control nuclear weapons it is best not to confuse people about when you are joking.  Anyone who pays any attention to the national news knows police brutality is a hot topic.  Police shootings have been a real problem. Now, the president suggest a little bump on the head might be in order.  What if a person is innocent? What if before the entire facts are known the person arrested gets a nice head slam, and then it turns out the person was arrested by mistake?  In our country we commonly believe we do not torture people, and the police treat you as innocent until proven guilty.

The ability of Trump supporters to deny what they see and hear is amazing.  The incredible thing about the Trump gang is the support network.  You have Fox News caught in blatant lie, after lie, yet the Trump supporters watch Hannity cover up for the Trumpster every day.  In North Dakota there is a subculture of dolts that feed on KFYR right wing radio, Fox, and Rob Port.  Rob Port is an amature liar who works from his mother's basement.  This is not a made up item.  Check it out.  Port works from mom's home.  In North Dakota the newspapers will not pay a decent wage for real reporting.  The result is discount news.  A bunch of wanna bees make up stories, and the North Dakota news media prints it.

Our society has reached a new low.  Truth is what you want it to be, you can get someone to back you on any silly fantasy you have.  Now you get your news from the organization that tells you what you want to hear.  When you were a kid your parents read to you.  They read you made up stories you liked. Now we have Fox News, and Rush doing the same thing.  The theme is always the same.  A bunch of welfare cheats are trying to rob the rich.  Mexicans are invading, and liberals are brainwashing the young with real science.   The ultimate insanity of all this brain dead information age are the fundamentalist.  The people who love Jeeesus voted Trump into office.  The Jesus gang stands by the most vulgar man ever elected, the grabber.  How does this work?  How does the Jesus gand support a man obsessed with himself, and greed?  Is this really happening?

The Miracles of Jesus Under Trumpcare

The Rattlesnake fight

The week long sail is over.  People roasted by the sun have returned home.  The highlight of the trip was the rattlesnake fight.  Now no one is sure if it was a fight of a mating process.  Do rattlesnakes fight for proof of who is the dominant male? More research is needed, but this is what we saw.  After a slow sail down the Little Missouri to our usual spot near Quinn's crack the sailboats tied to shore.  The location is unique because the boats go about a half mile up a creek to tie off to the shore.  The little inlet is very narrow and the boats are on one side with an embankment on the other.  As the sailors sat on their boats doing what sailors do, drinking, eating, and telling lies, someone notices two rattlesnakes on the bank across from the boats.  These were big snakes.  The snakes were involved in what seemed like a strange mating ritual. The snakes would intertwine and do all sorts of snake gymnastics. In and out of the water they tumbled.  After an interlude they went back up the bank to the den.  Shortly they were back fighting or mating or doing whatever weird thing they were up to.  Quite a bit of commentary ensued of a sexual nature as various people tried to put words to what they thought was going through the snakes minds.  Some suggested they would have a cigarette after the mating ritual and we would see a puff of smoke.  As the fleet sailed homeward someone checked the internet to see exactly what the snakes were up to.  This is what led to the speculation it was two males fighting.

Of course a couple people had to get close to the snakes for pictures and videos of the action.  A small inflatable craft was launched for this purpose.  Now all the sailors which had been hiking and casually carrying on were concerned about the rattlesnake threat.  One boat put up their version of Trump's wall on the back of their boat to keep the snakes out at night.  It worked they were not attacked by rattlesnakes that night.  Kadizzle must admit these were the largest rattlesnakes he has ever seen.  Walk, hike, and enjoy North Dakota, but be prudent, look for these creatures.  They will run if you give them a chance, but it does not pay to surprize them.

The Week Long Sail begins.

One by one the ships will leave the harbor.  Old friends will do once more what some of us have done for over thirty years.  The sailboats will head west to explore and enjoy Lake Sakakawea.  It seems to take one week to get ready to do one week on the lake.  Ice, ice, and ice must be made.  Food, lots of food.  Drink of every sort, rum, vodka, gin, beer, and wine.  Goodies, that women pirates appear with on deck.  There will be swimming, snoring, flies, maybe a rattlesnake, and storms.  There will be days with too much wind, too little wind, wind from the wrong direction.  That is sailing.  There will be people sitting around the campfire.  There will be Doc mixing mojitos.  There will be people hiking Quinn's Crack, the famous route to the top in the Badlands.

Lots of old hands will be making the trip, and a few newer explorers.  It is a time to get to know the nooks and crannies of the lake.  With the lake high the fleet will be able to go way back into the best places.  When the big storm comes and the boats are all tied together in a huddle back in a bay it may be a Chinese fire drill or it may be a case of good planning that means merely going below and sitting it out.

So if you are near the lake in the next week and you see about a dozen boats working their way west it is the hard core sailors who have been looking fruitlessly for a Northwest Passage for 30 years.  Lewis and Clark led the way on the exact same route.  If we only read their journal we would know mountains block the way, but sailing around in a state of confusion is pleasant and who really cares?

Now if the wifi works and Kadizzle gets inspired he may fire off a report from the trip. With modern technology you are never really gone.

Matt Andersen - Coal Mining Blues

Far away and long ago Kadizzle used to crawl  in and out of an underground coal mine.  Well, not really crawl, we walked or rode on some conveyance.  However, this song touches my heart because it reminds me so much of those days.  You will never get more dirty than spending a shift in a coal mine.  Listen to the song it will explain it.  After you come out of the mine and try to wash in the bath house, you can never get all the coal dust off you.  The worst place is around your eyes.  When you see a coal miner in a bar he looks like a racoon because of the coal dust around his eyes. Give the song a listen.

Jack be nimble

Jack be nimble, Jack be quick, pedal across the country on your riding stick.  Usually Kadizzle is the one who brings home stragglers, but Mrs Kadizzle announced when she came in the door that she had a straggler coming.  For years the Kadizzles have always picked up wayside travelers.  People doing the Lewis and Clark trail by bicycle often come through the little town of Hazen.  When you see someone pedelaning cross country you know two things, they need a shower, and a place to sleep.  You start a conversation and invite them over to stay the night.  After her encounter Jack, 76 years old pedaled into our driveway.  This was not Jack's first rodeo.  Jack had pedaled across country several times.

On the lake Kadizzle has often had the same experience with those making the Lewis and Clark journey by kayak or small boat.  Years ago Kadizzle met David Miller.  Dave was making the cross country jaunt doing research on Lewis and Clark by kayak.  Dave mentioned Kadizzle in the book he wrote about the trip.  Now, when Kadizzle picks up someone on the lake the conversation goes like this.  My name is Mike Quinn.  Are you the Mike Quinn in the book? Yes.  Every person coming down the Missouri by small boat somehow finds Dave's book.  It has become the manual for navigating the river.

Last night we sat in the living room and listened to Jack play his Indian flute.  If Kadizzle gets motivated he will post a short video on this site later.  It is 5:43 A. M. and the mind is just not ready for that task now.  So check back later.

Why not take care of strangers?  We live in a world swamped with Christians.  The Christian ethic is to help the stranger, but strangely the Christians seem to be the last to be of any real help.  A couple of these bike riders stayed with us a year or two ago.  From Hazen the went to Washburn.  At Washburn somehow they made arrangements to stay in the church basement.  This man and woman were supposedly doing missionary work as they biked across the country.  Interviewing them in Washburn after they spent the night Kadizzle asked where they slept.  On the basement cement floor of the church. Did the pastor give them dinner?  Nope.  Now of all people you would think the pastor would offer them a few accommodations, but hell no they were just a nuisance.  Many times Kadizzle has discussed the road orphans we take in with someone.  Often their reaction is " I would be afraid to do that".   Afraid of what?   How many people miss so much because they have unfounded fears?  We have probably taken in from ten to fifteen travelers passing through.  None of them robbed us, killed us or abused us in any way.  We were enriched by their stories and friendship.  We met real people.  We did not read about people in a book.  We did not read about other people's adventures we got to hear their book from their mouth.  So many people are poor because they chose to be poor.  They are poor in the experiences of life, because they are afraid to live.

Starving in the Grocery Store.

We live in a strange world.  There is plenty of everything. There is enough for everyone.  Yet Kadizzle was saddened yesterday when he read about how many people are scheduled to starve to death.  The other morning old Kadizzle happened to watch a program on how a Rolls Royce was built.  For some rich guy people are spending days building the custom made front for the radio.  Hours and hours are spent to make sure the rich guy has something no one else has.  All this while people are starving.  Now we have the good Republican Christians who say this gives people jobs building castles.  Remember when the slave owners said how much they improved the lives of Africans?  You can get your Rolls Royce in 44,000 different colors, but the guy who is going to starve cannot even get his choice of something to eat.  Ah yes, greed, it is so essential.  I must have more. I must have a bigger better one.  The guy with the biggest fastest is the best human.  Jimmy Carter the old president is going around building houses for poor people, he is a loser.  Trump the conniving, lying scoundrel is our hero.

We need schools, hospitals, drug treatment centers, jobs, and on the list goes, but what will we build first?  A wall, yup a wall.  The wall will keep Mexicans from coming to our country and putting up sheet rock, putting shingles on or roof and fixing us some good tacos.  We are drunk on greed, selfishness, paranoia, and ignorance.  How did we get this way?  Someone realized you can sell fear, fantasy, and entertainment.  Fox news showed the way, Rush chipped in.  

Now all this is not new.  Religion has been scaring the hell out of people for a long time.  Religion is was and probably will always be the mother of all cons.  You scare people that God is going to be pissed and fry them.  Next you tell people the best protection is to give the church a few bucks.  The church invented the idea of sit down, shut up, pay up, and die with a smile.  You just don’t question the church.  Nor do you question Fox, Pope Trump, or Rush.   Why would Jesus, Rush, or Hannity lie to you?  Well somehow they all got your money.

Don’t worry about any of this.  Go over to the gas station and get your lottery ticket.  You are bound to win.  Once you win, you can order that Rolls Royce and ignore all those people starving.  You can buy such a big flat screen TV that you will see Hannity life size.  Now, since you are reeking with cash you will need tax breaks.  Donate to the Republican party.  Go down to the coffee shop and let everyone know the welfare cheats are after the lottery money you won.  Life is great, it all makes sense.  You have to feel sorry not for those people starving, but for the dumbasses that never went to the gas station to get their lottery ticket.

Funeral Music

One thing Kadizzle wants at his demise is some good music.  So often listening to music Kadizzle thinks how nice the music would be for passing to the next world.  So give this one a listen, and play it as Kadizzle exits.

They just did not notice

Our wonderful friends the pharmaceutical companies.  You know the ones that have a pill to give you an erection.  Those same wonderful people just did not notice that in Kadizzle's home state of West Virginia they sold nine million Oxycontin pills.  What they did not notice was that only three million people live in West Virginia.  So every man woman and child got three pills.  Hmm?  If you came home and looked in your liquor cabinet and found that every bottle was empty would you notice?  Nope, fairies, and elfs got the hooch.  My favorite congressman Kevin Cramer tells me Mexico is where the drug problem comes from.  Wait congressmen, Mexico is not selling each person in West Virginia three Oxycontin.  The same wonderful drug companies are making sure Americans pay more for drugs than any other country in the world.  Get cancer, they make money.  Get addicted to pain killers they make money.  Would Cramer do anything about the real drug dealers that wear suits?  Hell no.  The drug dealers in suits give Cramer and his buddies big bucks.  The drug dealers in suits know that the best way to sell drugs is with the help of congress.  Why go through all that smuggling nonsense when you can buy a congressman for next to nothing?  So Kadizzle knows two young guys who have been made worthless, not by good old weed, but by the guys in suits.  Now we have the modern drug bust.  You don't go to a crack house, you go to a doctor's office where people are in line to get prescription pain pills.  Everyone wants to build a wall, but no one wants to put the doctors in jail.  When you have a serious problem and you are confronted with it always point the finger at someone else.  Nope, it is not me selling kids the drugs, it is those Mexicans.  What Mexicans?  Those Mexicans over there on the roof putting shingles down.  I thought they were roofers, nope they snuck across the border and are sell drugs.  OK, I got it now.  The truth is not what you think it is, the truth is not obvious, the truth is what Fox, Trump and Kevin Cramer tell you.

Leonard Cohen - You Got Me Singing - Lyrics You better watch and listen to this Read the lyrics.

The Remeadigus

Kadizzle took off on the Remeadigus yesterday.  What is a Remeadigus? Well it is a trip you take to talk to people. It is like a paper route, you talk to the same people.  The people on the trip are interesting to talk to and they all have unique and interesting views on life.  On the Remeadigus you exchange ideas, knowledge, and include a good dose of gossip, and political bullshit.

A couple people on the Remeadigus are car buff's.  They like nothing better than to tinker with an old car. Take it apart put it together and start all over.  Hazen is plagued with old car people. Their life goal is to go back in time by restoring a car and reliving their teenage years.  The first stop on the Remeadigus was a long chat with a piston head.  Now this guy is sort of self educated man of the garage. Kadizzle got into a long right wing, left wing debate with Piston head and his wife.  The mystery was where did they get their ideas.  They confessed to Fox News, but you could feel a lot of Rush coming through.

Always the Remeadigus includes the library.  At the library Kadizzle told a story.  Judy was not there and the new girl that just started does not seem to have much fire. After the library Kadizzle tried to check on Ezra.  Ezra is a liberal in a world of right wing farmers. Ezra works for the cooperative that sells the farm fertilizer.  Ezra was tied up so Kadizzle could not get his spin.

Mrs Kadizzle came home and said The Old Wood Chopper was depressed.  The poor Old Wood Chopper lost his wife a few years back and has had a hard time getting over it. The Wood Chopper comes to our house and does any chain saw or stump work we need.  The Wood Chopper comes at Christmas and cuts the wood for Festivus.  Every day the Wood Chopper sits in his garage and smokes, and drinks an occasional beer.  For all practical purposes he has moved into the garage.  People like Kadizzle stop by and visit him.  Wood Chopper's salvation has been his dog, and his son's dogs.  Wood Chopper and the dog watch television all day in the garage.  Kadizzle did what he could to cheer up Wood Chopper then went on.

Usually Kadizzle does not make the long treck into the country to check on the country Remedigus people, but the warm winds inspired Kadizzle to see the hermit. The hermit reads, and then reads someone. The hermit is extremely well read like his father.   In fact the hermit's father was a hermit.  Besides reading the hermit is a tinkerer.  Tinkering with guns, motorcycles, old cars, tractors, and once in awhile farm animals.  The hermit is a good liberal, so the conversation has an entirely different spin when you have a beer on the porch with the hermit.

Down the road from the hermit live an even more genuine hermit.  Kadizzle considered visiting that guy, but he is about as crazy as you can be and run around loose.  Let's call him Pharmaceutical.  Pharmaceutical has burnt out his brain cells to the extreme.  On the last visit to Pharmaceutical Kadizzle got a tour of his artifacts.  Pharmaceutical took Kadizzle to the grain bin that had been converted to a sauna.  There Kadizzle was shown what appeared to be ordinary rocks ( and they were), but Pharmaceutical convinced himself they were right handed and left handed Indian stones.  Kadizzle has seen a lot of artifacts, and these were nothing but stones picked from the creek, but Mr. Pharmacy was sure each rock had some special use.

The day finally came to an end of visiting and Kadizzle got a good cross section of humanity.  As some song writer said " It takes all kinds to make the world go around, but it only takes one to shoot you down".    And that is the way it is.

The Storm

With Mrs Kadizzle crippled by her arm injury Bob and Kadizzle had to man the ship.  The crew of three sailed west towards Heaven Bay.  Winds were decent but a storm was brewing in the area west of Beulah.  It seemed like a repeat of past incidents in the same area.  The storm seemed to be in two pieces.  To the north looked like the part that would hit us.  The northern storm came with a bit of furry but we got through it pretty quickly with only some soaked clothes.

It seemed like we would pass the other half of the storm on the north, but this was not the case.  We furled the sail down to a postage stamp size and the storm hit.  Bob and Mrs Kadizzle went below to stay dry. Kadizzle kept to the helm.  The storm seemed like he had winds in excess of fifty miles per hour.  Even with so little sail the boat made 4.5 knots.  Then the hail came.  At first it was just a pleasant diversion, but then the hail stones got bigger and Kadizzle got a good sting on the back so he went below with the rest of the crew. Rain was falling at such a rate there was no visibility.  Everything would be fine if the Sovereign had room to drift before hitting land.  With some stumbling the electronice finally came alive and our position was known. Things looked fine.  The main mean part of the storm passed and the wind simply and strongly came from the east.  More of the headsail had popped out during the storm so Kadizzle decided to just let the whole sail have at it.  Bob reported from below that the boat was moving at 8.2 knots.  This is faster than the Sovereign is supposed to go.  With following seas however it is possible. Slowly the wind died down and we made the safe harbor of Heaven Bay. The sun came out and a little swim was a good finale.  Wet clothes started to dry and drinks were served.

Someone adopted my child

Xanadu was the first decent sailboat Kadizzle owned.  Last night a fellow called and said he now owned the good old ship.  Kadizzle always had a fondness for that boat.  Our kids grew up sailing on Xanadu, or as Bob called it Carumba.  Storms of the worst sort were endured in the hull of that good ship. The children learned to be calm no matter what.  The family learned that by cooperating we could get through anchors coming loose, unintended jibes, groundings, and you name it.  A fond memory on the Xanadu was a calm evening sailing down the lake.  Megan was five and at the helm.  Erin, mom, and dad were below at the table.  Megan at age five was an ace steering by the compass.  You could tell Megan a heading and she kept the ship on course.  Suddenly out of nowhere a strong gust hit us.  Erin panicked and screamed " Megan is steering".  The boat got knocked down.  Megan with a stern look on her face did not panic.  Megan did what a good sailor should, she pointed the Xanadu into the wind until the gust died.   As soon as the normal wind returned Megan like a little five year old professional put the boat right back on course.  Seeing Megan at age five so confident and doing such a great job is a picture that will always be in Kadizzle's mind.  That confidence has been a trademark of Megan's to this very day. Our two girls learned a lot as crew on Xanadu.  So knowing someone has bought the boat and is going to give it some of the care it needs is great.

The Sun Came up again

Over there towards Washburn the sun came up one more time.  Yesterday Shanika came to the crazy club meeting, which was poorly attended.  A conference call was made to Stroupini. Stroupini is on the West coast for a wedding.  Shanika and Kadizzle took the sailboat out for a stretcher.

Ticklepinch is recovering from her North Dakota vacation with here new decorator cast.  The big news is Smiley McGumphley is eating from a spoon.  Smiley will soon find out there are many things better than mushed carrots. Unfortunately Kadizzle has discovered the endless tongue ticklers one can put in the mouth, such as ice cream and a nice margarita.

So the bumbling goes on. Trump and his cast of clowns continue to shoot their feet off. The whole thing is fun to watch.  The government is at a standstill, but that must be good.  The stock market continues to rise. Kadizzle always thought you could succeed by doing nothing.  Trump has proven him correct.

Today will be a cut the grass day. With the drought there is little grass to cut.  The farmers are whining as usual. They want some good old government welfare.  Of course when they get welfare it is always called help. Republican hate welfare, but seem to like help. It is not the farmers fault that there is not rain, but it is the fault of the poor kid who is born into a poor family with only a mom who works two jobs.  So if you give some money to a farmer it is help, but if you give it to that mom trying to raise a kit, it is welfare, and she is a welfare cheat.  Of course you took her birth control away because you love babies in the womb, but those little bastards are pesky once they pop out and start eating free school lunches.

This explains it all

Republican view of Jesus

A man was arrested by authorities, sent to trial, and sentenced to death—his name was Jesus. Many claim he’s an innocent man, but the facts speak for themselves:

Jesus was a thug, a homeless wanderer prone to substance abuse (he had a prior record of producing wine). Jesus caused riots wherever he went. He was a gangbanger with a long history of crime, but that’s not surprising considering his upbringing.

Jesus was inherently violent and a danger to society.  Even though he spoke eloquently, given his status, how could anybody take his message seriously as long as he continued to protest and use disruptive methods like overturning tables and disturbing the peace?

Besides, people like Jesus are naturally lazy. Don’t they have better things to do, like get a job and work? I wish I had time to rest, “pray,” and hang out in gardens. If only they worked harder, then they could succeed. Talk of oppression and injustice is just an excuse for bad behavior. I personally know of many Jewish people, like Jesus, but who are successful. In fact, one of my best friends is Jewish, and he agrees that race and systemic oppression aren’t issues.

All that talk of oppression? People need to stop living in the past and come to grips with reality. You can’t use history as an excuse for everything, forever. There is such a thing as personal responsibility. Everyone’s family lineage has a history of pain, suffering and loss; the rest of the world overcame these obstacles, so why can’t you?

I wish I had time to rest, “pray,” and hang out in gardens.

The Romans raised taxes on me last year, so I know what it’s like living under authoritarian rule. But you don’t see me going around and instigating fights, complaining, and demanding that people worship someone other than Caesar, do you?

I’m being racist? I’m not racist. How could I be? I have many friends who are minorities, and I would never judge people by their race, ethnicity, or skin color. It doesn’t matter that Jesus was Jewish, because I see all humans as the same and treat everyone equally. I hate it when people pull out the race card. Why does it always have to be about race? Can’t people just admit that Jesus broke the law and did something wrong? The authorities were following protocol. They didn’t do anything illegal, and despite the liberal agenda being pushed by the media, political radicals, and religious fanatics, the soldiers did everything by the book.

If Jesus had done what the soldiers asked instead of trying to resist, perhaps things would have ended better for him. Most Roman soldiers are good people, and although there are a few “bad apples,” they do a decent job of keeping the peace. They have stressful responsibilities, constantly serving our communities, and putting their lives in danger, so why does Jesus think he can just do whatever he wants and not obey their commands? Roman soldiers’ lives matter, too!

We live in a post-oppression era, blessed to have the best justice system in the entire world, and our society is the most civilized in existence. I wish people would stop complaining about the authorities—we may not be perfect, but ours is the most democratic of any empire. And if you don’t like it you can go live with the Barbarians.

Also, if you’re in the Garden of Gethsemane during that hour of the day, you’re obviously up to no good. Jesus was practically a terrorist. He was caught with an armed party that would like nothing more than to commit crimes and kill innocent people.

So those claiming Jesus was innocent didn’t see all of the evidence. Were they there? Did they attend the trial? No? Exactly. Let’s give the law the benefit of the doubt instead of buying into these rumors and conspiracy theories being spread by Jesus’ friends.

I know it’s hard for some people to admit, but the Romans did the right thing. Jesus was guilty and deserved to die. The way I see it, justice was served.

Stephen Mattson is a graduate of Moody Bible Institute and is currently on staff at the University of Northwestern, St. Paul. You can follow him on Twitter @mikta.

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How does prayer work?

Up early Kadizzle discovered on the Facebook there is or was a fire in Beulah, the next town down the line.  It came to Kadizzles attention because someone wanted people to fire out some prayers for Beulah.  Praying just makes no sense.  It seems to be based on the idea that you can ask god for a favor. You have a friend dying from cancer so you pray for them.  God please don't kill my friend.  Now this brings up the obvious question. Why did god want to kill your friend in the first place?  Well maybe he did not, or she did not if god is a woman.  OK, maybe god did not know your friend had cancer and you just wanted to let him know.  Now if you are asking god to do something to prevent suffering it clearly implies god can prevent suffering.  If someone was beating a dog you should not have to ask them to quit. If they were a good person they would not be beating the dog.  So this is the problem either god can stop things or he cannot. Why do you have to ask god to stop evil if he can do it without you asking?  Makes absolutely no sense.  No if it is just a matter of bringing something to god's attention then it should work every time.  Maybe god has a plan that includes burning down Beulah, and you just know about the plan.  So you are asking god to change his plan.  This must mean god is not a very good planner.  None of this makes a bit of sense.  When you think about god things get strange.  God apparently likes statues, large crosses, and best of all huge churches.  God seems a lot like a Republican that can never get enough.  The Mormons always try to build a better temple for god.  The radio preachers always say god needs more money.  Football teams pray.  Apparently god is a football fan and you can get him to help your team.  God surely has his reasons for doing things. Maybe he gets pissed off and lets us elect Donald Trump.  Of course there is the old saying be careful what you pray for you may get it.  Kadizzle does not do much praying.  Seems to Kadizzle god knows what he wants to do and he ain't going to listen to Kadizzle.  Maybe god likes Kadizzle because he is not always bugging him.  God has not been too bad to Kadizzle, so Kadizzle will just keep on letting god do his god stuff, and Kadizzle will keep on being a sinner.  Now the one nice thing god did come up with was the forgiveness thing.  It is like a lifetime warranty.  You can be the meanest nastiest person that ever lived and if at the last moment you repent you get a free ride.  Now that is a deal.  What car company would say you could be the hell out of your car, and they would replace it free?  So the world is a strange place.  God is up there at the switchboard answering calls.  Most of them he ignores.  Sometimes god must get pissed and let us elect a Trump or a Kevin Cramer.  On the other hand God might say" I have had enough of Kadizzle.  There is Kadizzle out on his sailboat,  here Kadizzle try a little lightening".  Puff, fried Kadizzle, no more blasphemy.

Wind power destroyed our sailing trip.

Mrs Kadizzle and Old Kadizzle took off down the lake for the weekend.  On Friday there was little or no wind.  Now why was this the case.  The answer is simple.  The wind towers are draining the wind supply.  Someone must have shut down the towers and the wind was up and down as we sailed toward Butcher Bay.  Then on Sunday there was a pretty good wind most of the day and we had a nice sail back.  Obviously the kite industry is in peril if North Dakota continues to build wind towers.  North of Hazen a large wind farm is planned.  Now what is a wind farm?  It implies you grow wind, but experience has clearly shown these so called farms actually suck the wind out of the air.  So here we sit with a drought and people wonder why. Wind is what moves the clouds.  With no wind the clouds cannot move the rain.  So we have no rain.  Who is behind the destruction of the wind? We all know it is the liberals and their environmental nonsense.

The same liberals are promoting solar power.  Of course this is a scheme to suck up the sunshine. Once the liberals have their way and solar panels are everywhere the days will become bleak without sunshine.  These panels will draw the power from the sun.  What happens when you draw on a battery too much?  You deplete it.  Given enough solar power the sun will more than likely dim.  No more tan, no more nice blue skies, a duller moon.

How did Kadizzle figure all this out?  First Kadizzle was home schooled and learned real science with a good dose of creationism mixed in.  Kadizzle avoided college.  This helped keep him from getting confused by the ideas liberals spread at colleges.  Freed from traditional learning and public schools Kadizzle has been free to explore the real science of the Bible.  The Bible clearly has a different science where virgins can give birth, people can rise from the dead, and even walk on water.  Good education must embrace biblical science.   Liberals don't want us to know they are stealing the wind and the sun, so they fight god all the time and try to keep him out of the school system.  It is all very simple if you watch Fox and listen to Rush you will understand what is being said.

Kadizzle weighs 23 slugs

Weight and mass are not the same thing.  Kadizzle has been trying to learn the difference. The easiest way to get it into his thick head is to go to the moon.  On the moon Kadizzle would have the same mass, but weigh one sixth what he weighs on Earth.  In the course of getting smarter about this Kadizzle came to learn that in the English weight and measurement system the mass is measured in slugs.  So the mass of Kadizzle is 23 slugs. That explains why life seems so sluggish, especially in the morning.

Often one sees words differently when you find out some of the different meanings.  Slug must have something to do with slog.  A favorite word of Kadizzle is lickspittle.  In our current political climate the word lickspittle is so apt.  No one ever created so many lickspittles as Trump.  A good definition of lickspittle is " a fawning toadie".   Everyone has come across a lickspittle.  The old teacher's pet is a classic example.  In North Dakota we have Congressman Kevin Cramer.  No matter what idiotic thing the old Trumpster does Cramer tries to glorify it.  Each lickspittle has their own lickspittles behind them. Cramer has KFYR radio, and Rob Port.  KFYR and Port are so enamoured with Cramer because he knows how to use them.  They act like personal friends, and have Cramer on their media every day.

Organizations run on the lickspittle concept are doomed.  There is no creativity in the lickspittle world.  When the supreme leader says something is a good ideal, there is no challange. The lickspittles just sing the same song the fearless leader does.

Some people love the role of lickspittle.  Being a fan, a follower, or a lackey gives the lickspittle some kid of joy.  I am no body, but I know somebody who is somebody.  Wow, what a life.

Fat man rides to lake, Who reads this nonsense?

There it is the sun.  Like so many days it came up again. Kadizzle returned yesterday from a solo sail to Moose Bay. It was relaxing and the wind God's cooperated both ways.  Realizing he is a tub of lard Kadizzle plans to ride up to the lake once more today on the pedal machine.  Simple minded dinger will go by in cars.  The simple minded ones will refuse to move over and give Kadizzle some breathing room. There are people who think the lines in the middle of the road are a brick wall they cannot cross. So the dinger miss you by inches and someday Kadizzle will get killed or smacked by a rear view mirror because of a dinger.

Every once in a while Kadizzle is surprised to find out who is reading this nonsense.  A woman in Florida reads this sometimes.  I think her name might be Nancy.   A guy out in the country here in Hazen is a follower.  Glad to have you aboard.  This blog is like Seinfeld.  It is about nothing.  Random thoughts come into the attic on this body.  With little thought they go out.  Now keep in mind this elucidation is written quickly and with no plan.  Coffee serving number two is beside men and the only time this old mind even half functions is early in the morning and at three in the middle of the night.  Last night like so many nights Kadizzle awoke at three A.M.   Perhaps Mrs. Kadizzle kicked him. At any rate the mind became so active Kadizzle struggled to go back to sleep.  He should have stayed awake he ran a truck over a cliff in the dream.  At three in the morning the mind wants to contemplate the nature of the universe.

So now the decrepit body is awake.  Like every morning Kadizzle get up to date.   On the update list is always The New York Times.  Republicans hate the New York Times and that is why every thinking person should read it.  Paul Krugman is a columnist.  Mr Krugman cuts through the right wing economic lies with a sharp knife.  Unlike so many news outlets the New York Times hires the best writers and actually spends money for research.  If you want to experience realty The New York Times and NPR are your best bets.  On the other hand if you like the world of fog and fantasy give Fox News a try.  Fox will support any right wing goofy idea you might want to grow.  As they say the truth has a liberal bias.

Well if Kadizzle can get his ass in gear the lake adventure will start.  If you hear about a man smacked by a car and getting the socialist crap knocked out of him that will be Kadizzle.  You will see a greasy spot on the road caused by the slippery ideas that got squeezed from his head by a guy that just could not move over.

A different world

Kadizzle needed sailboat crew yesterday.  Kadizzle recruited a young guy to go with him.  The young guy fits the profile of a lot of typical people in the age group from 20 to 28.  My first mate had his fling with drugs.  Kadizzle asked him how he got into the drug scene.  It seemed adults had a lot to do with it. First mate reeled off the names of several parents and the pain killer drugs they had. It appeared the parents were providing the drugs for teens.

This all leads to an interesting story first mate related.  Apparently he was seriously addicted to prescription drugs.  Someone or somebody got him onto a plane headed to Las Vegas and an addiction treatment center.  To calm him down on the plane trip they gave him some sort of drug that made him sleep.  So in a complete stupor the drug addicted fellow gets from point A to Las Vegas semi conscious.  When he comes out of his stupor he finds himself in a luxurious surrounding with green grass and palm trees.  Beside him is a nice looking girl.  Suddenly it appears to him that drugs have indeed fulfilled all his needs.  Gradually he realizes he is in a new very expensive facility to treat addicts. According to first mate it is a very expensive facility with hotel like rooms and the best of everything. The cost is $1,000 per day.  In no time at all he gets kicked out for drinking.  Currently he is in a much cheaper addiction treatment program.

Our country is in a crises of drugs.  Strangely it is not Mexico or Mexicans that are the problem.  It is American drug companies, and doctors.  The absolute worst drug dealers in the United States are the pharmaceutical companies.  In Kadizzles home state of West Virginia 9 million Oxycontin pills were sold.  Only three million people live there.  Surely big pharma must have noticed that they sold enough pills in West Virginia to give every one three.  No problem.

So the other day when Kadizzle had his little chat with Congressman Cramer.  The most worthless lickspittle one could elect.  Cramer said we needed to build a 21 billion dollar wall to protect us from Mexican drugs.  Kadizzle said what about the American drug companies.  Good old mister Trump junior just brush that off like no problem.  After all the drug companies are big donors to the Republicans.   So our kids are being poisoned by prescription drugs with the help of doctors.  This is the for profit American health care at it's worst.  So let us just live in the dream world of Donald Trump and Fox News and forget about the unpleasantness of reality.

If you are so smart why aren't you rich?

Americans love to equate rich with smart, but it doesn't always work out that way.  Albert Einstein was far from rich.  Donald Trump claims he is rich, but it is obvious he is mentally ill. People can accidently get rich in a variety of ways.  A lot of idiots inherited money. The only smart thing they did was recognize they were idiots and let someone else manage the money.  A lot of people happened to have a daddy that homesteaded over a pool of oil.  Of course there are those who hit the lottery.  Then there is another entire group that was immoral or dishonest.  One of the surest ways to get rich is fooling the ignorant.  Stump preachers have made vast fortunes selling god to dolts. Pat Robertson made millions bilking old ladies.  The number of pyramid schemes operating in our country shows the endless pool of idiots.  How about good old Bernie Madoff?  This man bilked all the so called smart rich people out of billions. The moral of the story is don't confuse rich with intelligent.

The Donald has put himself on display to show people you can be rich and dumb as a brick.  Still people insist that The Donald can lead us to prosperity. The Donald is the most famous con man of our time.  As an unabashed liar he has deluded the gullible his entire life. The Donald knows how to appeal to white trash, and those who want a simple answer to complex questions.  This will get all your clothes white.  That is what people want, a simple product that can do everything. That is what they see in The Donald. Remember The Donald said he would defeat ISIS in 30 days.  There should have been a money back guarantee. Well after the dolts paid shipping and handling the stain of ISIS is still here.  The Donald said he would destroy Obama Care.  It is still here.  Like all the phony advertisements on TV they guy selling the non stick pan makes the money and the dolts lose.  What does it take to give up on the con man? The hard core will never admit they got taken.  They will swear the cloths are clean except for that one stain, and you cannot expect everything to work 100%.  So now we have a con man with mental problems holding our lives in peril because the con man we elected has his fingers on the nuclear button.  After all this there are those who still firmly believe that rich and smart are the same thing.  Those people need to remember you can be rich and dead.

Addle Brained

An old Republican friend called me addle brained.  The poor fellow does not consider Kadizzle his friend, but Kadizzle never gives up on people just because they have succumbed to mental illness, drunkenness, or a variety of conditions they cannot control.  Kadizzle cannot get the thought out of the empty space between his ears.  Here is an adult male in his seventies who did everything in his power to bring about George Bush, and now Trump, and this man has the audacity to call his Lordship Kadizzle addle brained. Now, don't get old Kadizzle wrong.  Kadizzle has done many, many, stupid things, and has engaged in his favorite sport Dare to be Stupid on far too many occasions.  But when the dust settles how do you decide who is addle brained and who is not. Several criteria might be used. Are you living under a bridge?  Are you happy living under a bridge.

All of this leads Kadizzle to recall an incident when he took a temporary job as the safety director on a concrete construction site.  One of the carpenters who built concrete forms on the job was lacking in social skill, and just plain good sense. To top it off the man refused to obey some of the basic safety requirements. One day old Kadizzle was wandering about the construction site looking for potential hazards.  Kadizzle happened to walk by a deep hole full of mud.  Down in the hole was his arch nemesis the carpenter who disliked Kadizzle.  The carpenter yelled up at Kadizzle " Your a fucking idiot".  Kadizzle paused and replied to the carpenter " Lets figure this out".  " You Mr. Carpenter, are down in a hole up to your ass in mud.  I am up here clean dry and doing nothing.  I am up here being paid $40 per hour, you are down there in misery being paid $25 an hour.  Now who is the fucking idiot?"

Back to the fellow who called Kadizzle addle brained.  That poor fellow is in a hole.  The man is in his late seventies and the hole he is in is his basement. The man in his seventies has to run his business out of his basement because he failed to save, he failed to stay sober, and he failed to plan for his life.  Now, he is living under the administration of the worst president in history which he worked his entire life to elect and the basement dweller calls me addle brained.  

Gathering of the entire tribe

Trickling in from the far corners of the universe are the offspring and their offspring. Snoocher Bear and Ticklepinch showed up first from Denver.  Next Sam and Cheech came in from Philadelphia. Fran will be her late tonight.  Kadizzle just finished trying to teach Sam how to ride the Yamaha steed. Sam was catching on pretty well but seems a bit intimidated.

If the weather would ever cooperate we could get the whole gang on the good ship.  Sylvie, Kadizzle and Stoupini went out for a sail and Stroupini insisted on singing the Cheetos song with Sylvie. Sylvie was brave enough to get in the cool water behind the ship.

So here we sit in the little kingdom waiting for Trump to blast out his next tweet.  When you think the president can be no more mentally ill he out does himself.

Why did you yell at that man?

Kadizzle's granddaughter Sylvie is visiting.  When we get together we have to make a bumble bar.  A bumble bar is a swing you can do tricks from.  It conssist of some rope or what ever you have and something you can scrounge up.  Out in the backyard the process was underway to put the bumble bar in place. Kadizzle was on the ladder trying to get the rope over the tree.

Sylvie out of the clear blue asked Grandpa " Why did you yell at that man?".  Puzzled Kadizzle finally figured it out.  Sylvie was asking why Grandpa yelled at the congressman.  Now how do you explain such a thing to an eight year old?  Grandpa explained that a woman had a baby.  The baby was born with many serious problems.  Crying the woman asked the congressman what he would do to make sure her baby was taken care of during the life of her baby.  This congressman did not care about the woman.  He did not care about the baby.  What the congressman cared about was pleasing the people who get him elected.  The poor woman was so distraught that she could hardly stop crying long enough to speak. The congressman gave the crying young mother a silly Republican answer.  Kadizzle knew what this congressman really wanted to do. The congressman wanted to destroy healthcare for poor people.  Destroying healthcare and taking away protection for the poor woman's baby wouuld mean rich people could have an 800 billion dollar tax break.  Kadizzle explained to Sylvie that it angered him so much that the congressman would lie about his motives.  The congressman said it was not a tax break he was giving to the rich. The congressman said the rich had the money before they were forced to help the poor, so it was simply putting the rich back to where they were before they helped the poor.  Such an absurd argument angered Kadizzle and that is why he yelled at the congressman.

Sylvie said " So it was like Robinhood?".   Well it was just the opposite of Robinhood Kadizzle explained to Sylvie.  The congressman is trying to rob the poor to give money to the rich.

How does religion work?

You go to church on Sunday and get all psyched up about Jesus. Then on Monday you and your buddies have coffee and talk about how great Trump is. Trump and the Republicans try to pound the poor into oblivion.  Republicans do everything in their power to shovel tax breaks to the rich and screw the damn welfare cheats.  Sure doesn't sound like Jesus does it?  Old Jesus was all about those who have the goodies sharing them with those who do not.  The question is how can you go to church for years and not get the message?  Now the amazing part is who put Trump and his greedy buddies into office.  Strangely it was the most hard core followers of Jesus. Exactly who gets hurt when the Jesus gang attacks the "welfare cheats"?  What so many cannot get into their heads is that welfare cheats have children.  Welfare cheats are young mothers with no man to support them.

 Now the next thing to examine might be are they really cheats.  The people who get help are the people who are doing menial jobs at Walmart, McDonnells, and perhaps doing your lawn.  When you check the reality of how many people are actually doing nothing and getting paid you are talking about a very small number.

Now here is the bomb.  All the so called welfare cheats at best make up about 20% of our society.  If you want to call the bottom 20% welfare cheats, which Republicans do, then that is who you are talking about.  That group of people only use or get 2% of everything there is to use or get.  That is what the actual figures show.  So in reality the welfare cheats take very little from society.

Now there is another group of welfare cheats that should be looked at. What about the people who never really do anything to contribute to society?  What about the people who inherit millions, and never work in their entire life?  Of course that is fine with the Republicans.  If you get your welfare check because uncle Willy left you ten million, then you are not a welfare cheat, but a fine upstanding citizen.  The so called welfare cheat did not do a damn thing to get his check, neither did the guy who inherited from uncle Willy.  However, the guy who inherited from uncle Willy has three houses, a yacht, and a jet.  The rich welfare cheat takes way more from society than the poor welfare cheat.  Republican say the nephew of Uncle Willy creates jobs.  Sadly that just does not hold up in reality.

Now back to Jesus and religion.  Republican think it is fine for Uncle Willie's nephew to waste and despoil the planet, but the new Jesus doesn't give a damn about the poor kid who is the victim of the system.  The new Republican Jesus loves uncle Willie's nephew, but could care less about the single mother or the kid of the single mother struggling with two jobs to make life work.

So we end up with two people old Kadizzle knows.  Each goes to church and soaks up the joy of Jesus, and each voted for Donald Trump.  The Donald has broken every commandment of the bible so many times you cannot remember all his lies and wives. How do they do it?  How do they listen for twenty years to someone talking about the virtues of Christianity and totally miss the point?

Wind on the prarie

Darch with his two bears is headed west. Something possessed Darch to buy two bears down at the thrift store. He named them Mike and Beatrice.  So with the bears in the front seat beside him for company Darch is headed to Crows Nest where we have a mutual travelling friend.  If all works out Darch has invited the Kadizzles to sail with him in the Northwest around Vancouver.  The Kadizzle will try their best to join a fellow sailor there.

The damn wind blew so hard we gave up on trying to sail yesterday. Three boats apparently fought it out and made it to Moose Bay.  Mrs Kadizzle has a broken wrist so old Kadizzle needs crew to get the ship under sail.  The Snoocher Bear is on her way with Sylvie from Denver, and Cheech will be bringing her bumpkin on Thursday so the game is on. Both of our grandchildren with the the grandparents will be united.

The pockets book is empty but the bathroom is done.  Mrs. Kadizzle focuses on imperfections, but old Kadizzle just says praise Jesus the project is finished.

Summer is plowing on and will be over in a flash. The southwest is burning to the ground and no one can believe we are cooking the planet.  Waking up this morning it seemed hard to believe that we are now led by Trump.  Our population has actually elected this insane greedy man.  Time Magazine had a big article on how Trump is scamming the game.  Trump's hotel in Washington is raking in the cash by allowing people to basically bribe Trump by simply staying at his hotel and paying insane prices for everything. Trump has set the mark for a crooked president that will be hard to believe.  Just amazed when someone confesses they voted for him.

Since Kadizzle has delved into politics a review might be in order.  As many know Kadizzle had a kerfuffle with Congressman Kevin Cramer.  It has been an amazing experience to see how the media, or fake news as Donald says treats things.  Ken called Kadizzle very excited to tell Kadizzle the Drudge Report was featuring his so called attack on Cramer.  Reading the report Kadizzle could not believe someone has now added the element to the story that Kadizzle shoved "Fake Money" down the shirt of the lickspittle.  Now who came up with that?  Apparently Kadizzle must carry a wad of "Fake Money" around.  Why would someone just make that up and add it to the story.  The implication in the story is a vast conspiracy of left wing insane guys is around just waiting to shove fake money at Trumps minions.  Of course people like Ken eat the right wing spin up like pancakes.

Shack Rousting called off.

The door came open as if the wind had managed to loosen it, but much to my surprise it was Darch. I thought he was down the basement sleeping, but the old fart had been out running for an hour at six in the morning.  So here we sit. Darch never heard of John Prine, so he is getting the full nine yards.

Darch also is fascinated with shack rousting.  As one reading this might know we have had problems with getting Jeff the tile man to come to work. Twice Kadizzle has gone to Jeff's house early in the morning to shack roust him.  Now things have changed. It turns out Jeff has a brother serving life in prison for two murders.  One of the people killed by Jeff's brother was a policeman.  So if Jeff even has a small genetic component of murder in his system we have decided not to take a chance.  Jeff did show up and do a little work yesterday.

Review

Life goes on, the sun came up again today.  Yesterday Jeff called to warn Kadizzle there would be no more shack rousting.  Kadizzle had to shack roust Jeff two days in a row.  Jeff is the guy who cannot seem to get to work two days in a row. Jeff is doing the tile work in our new bathroom and just cannot seem to get the work done. What is shack rousting?  Shack rousting is what you do when someone will not get out of bed and go to work.  You take a ball bat and go to their house.  They will not answer the door so you beat on their house until they get up.  Kadizzle had to pull his car into Jeff's yard and honk the horn.  Jeffs wife finally came out in a rage saying she did not know where Jeff was.  Apparently she was unaware what the man's name was that was in bed beside her .  So Jeff said in about thirty minutes he will be here.  It would be just as likely Jesus might show up.  Shack rousting was a mean system employed in coal camps and other harsh labor environments mostly in the south.  In the old days Kadizzle used to have to shack roust his children.  Usually if the kids would not get up it just took some good tickling.  Tickling Jeff in the morning does not seem practical.

Yesterday Darch went on the Remedigus with Kadizzle.  That is the bike ride around town to get up to date on local insanity.  Darch attended the morning meeting at the Crazy Club and we had a good time.  Darch got to see the new hospital, the library, the Hazen Star, and even the music at the pocket park. It was a full day that included searching for artifacts at the Indian Village in Stanton.

So now we have Thursday laid out before us.

Flaring

Mrs Kadizzle has a habit of awaking and immediately getting up to date on her iphone.  The light from the phone is all it takes to wake up Kadizzle.  So before five the game was on.  Kadizzle of course may as well do his update.  An article caught his attention.  Flaring waste enough gas to heat five million homes.  Yup we are just burning senselessly enough natural gas to heat five million homes.  Imagine the waste. Only about 700,000 people live in North Dakota, so enough gas is being burnt in waste to heat at least five North Dakotas.  Wow, imagine the waste.  This is all done because of greed.  Imagine people so greedy they would waste such a valuable resource.  Who are these people?

These people are called Republicans. They do not believe in climate change even though the southwest is melting. They do not believe in anything but a good life for those on top. The same Republicans are about to destroy healthcare for the poor.  The same Republicans just destroyed the improving relations with Cuba. The Same Republican voted for the totally insane idiot now president of our country.  Me, me, me, is the Republican motto.  Nothing has been learned from history.  History has taught those willing to read it that  when you have unbridled greed you have collapse.  The French Revolution was all about the people on the bottom taking back from the people on top. Again in Russia, China, and even our country those who were oppressed said the hell with a few taking everything with total disregard for everyone.  Now we have the me, me, me Republicans seeking tax breaks for the rich. A pig and a man with no morality is leading the country.  The greedy salivate at the prospect he will give them the tax breaks they yearn for.  They never have enough.

Darch Called in

Thankya Jesus Darch called from Devil's Pass which he is just about to cross with his bike and gear. Darch is finding out the Maah Daah Hey Trail is much more than he thought.  His three day trip will easily turn to five.  Next Darch can relax and sail with us. For an athlete one has to admire Darch.  Setting off with sixty pounds of gear Darch is a brave man to take on that trail.

North Dakota off the list

Al somehow found me on the internet and asked my help for his mission. Al wants to sail in every state in the United States. Thursday we headed toward Mallard Island to enabler Al to knock off North Dakota.  At breakfast this morning Kadizzle told Al he admired people who have the guts just to ask. So much can be accomplished by simply asking.  Al has asked sailors in every state to give him a sail, and they have complied.  How many people go through life too shy or with too much fear to simply ask?

When you are outgoing things happen. Years ago we met Darch in a campground in Arizona. Darch is the most active 72 year old you will find. Darch can ride a mountain bike on trails most twenty year olds would not brave.  So today we helped Darch get going on the Ma Da Hey trail.  That trail in the North Dakota Badlands is a rugged and tough trail. Years ago Kadizzle took a writer for the New York times and a couple of his buddies out there to ride the trail. They thought they could do it in a straight 24 hour period.  Well only one made it, and one ended up in the hospital.  Old Darch has probably settled in for the night. He is doing it alone, which Kadizzle frankly thinks is unwise.  In a few day we will know how Darch did when he comes out of the wilderness. Hopefully Darch will be in shape to take a restful sail on the good ship.

How am I going to protect myself

Sitting on the back porch with some right wingers the topic briefly turned to guns.  The woman chasing seventy said " How am I going to protect myself?".   Old Kadizzle is sixty eight.  As we look at life it would seem we would come to understand things.  At sixty eight I have never been hit by a meteor. Never even had one hit nearby.  So it seem like not much of a problem.  All the gun insanity in this country somehow fails to figure the reality that you will need a gun to save yourself.  Most policemen have guns, yet a lot of them get shot and killed.  So even if you have a gun it assures you of nothing. Now remember that the actual statistics show that when someone does kill someone with a gun, it is usually someone in the family or someone they know.  If someone knows you they know when to kill you. That means you need a gun in the shower.  Of course you need a gun by your bed.  As any good hit man knows it is simple to just walk up behind someone and blow them away.   So even if you are armed to the teeth, the gun does not guarantee you will stay alive when the shooter comes, but remember you are approaching seventy and the shooter never has come.  On the other hand you drive your car every day.  Your chances of getting killed driving are hundreds of times higher than getting shot.  So if you are bound and determined to live, then walk.  The notion of living a life of fear based on news reports is a bit insane.  Terrorist are behind every tree, and shooters are everywhere. People get killed by snake bites, but it is rare.  We do not quit walking in snake country because we know it is very unlikely to happen.  However, if the news media pumped up the idea be assured a lot of people would start wearing snake protection and stay home.  Fear sells.  Watch little kids, they love to be scared. The brain likes stimulation. Once we were primitive people, are brains are still primitive.  Fear used to be our friend, it kept us alert.  The sabre toothed tiger could pounce on us at any time, so we lived in fear. Our brains are geared to feed on fear.  Fear is like candy to those addicted to Fox News, and Rush Limbaugh. Someone or something is out to get you or your money.  Be on guard.

The problem with fear is it puts you in a prison.  You are afraid to climb a mountain, you are afraid to go in a boat, planes make you nervous.  What do you do? Nothing.   You stay home and watch all the people getting shot and killed on TV.  Now your fear is even worse.  You convince yourself the world is a dangerous place. You walk through life thinking everyone is a potential robber, or killer.  You have imprisoned yourself with fear.  People play on your fear.  They sell you guns, security equipment, gated communities, attack dogs, pepper spray, and on it goes.  Fear sells.  Someone is going to come get your gun, I will protect you and your gun send me ten bucks.  By the way do you need ammunition.  How about some emergency food for the revolution?

Now when we are a psyched up over fear, and don't want to go out and exercise because we will get raped by Mexicans we sit home and eat a few cookies.  As the fat accumulates the real killer obesity works on a slow death for us.  Maybe a few puffs of tobacco will calm our fears about being shot and mugged.  So we end up dead.  Not from the guy who was going to break into our house and murder us, but from the anxiety induced heart attack that blew our fat body to shreds.  So what should we worry about today?