A Texas Police Chief speaks up

I have struggled for over 3 years with the extreme hatred shown by Democrats for our duly elected President Donald J. Trump. Never before have I seen a political party so intent on the removal of a duly elected President. And to top it off the cries for impeachment began immediately after he was elected.

Seems that I remember the Clinton supporters pounding candidate Trump before he was elected on the possibility that he would not accept the validity of a Clinton victory. My how the tables have turned.

First, Crooked Hillary lost the election by a significant margin and second it was Crooked Hillary and her supporters that for over 3 agonizing years have refused to accept the outcome of the 2016 election.

The calls for doing away with the Electoral College process itself speak volumes about the unreasonableness of the far left. If you can't win under existing rules, simply change the rules. The Left might want to consider the rule change that Harry Reed shoved through the Senate to eliminate the 60 vote rule required for confirmation of appointed officials like Supreme Court Justices. The "nuclear option" instituted by Democrats allowed them some immediate Democratic victories, but led to President Trump being able to get Justices Gorsuch and Kavanaugh confirmed to the Supreme Court. How did that work out Harry ?

Our Country has seen non stop attempts by the Dems to remove President Trump from office since his inauguration. Allegations have varied from Russia collusion to being a Russian agent to bribery to treason and on and on and on. All have been debunked.

The Left has no rules of civility. They have attacked the First Lady at every turn and even the minor child of the President and First Lady.

And now they have gone beyond the pale to bring forth Articles of Impeachment against President Trump. Never mind that these allegations do NOT include claims of a crime. Never mind that President Trump voluntarily released a transcript of the phone call between the Ukrainian President and the President of the US. Never mind that The President of the Ukraine has repeatedly stated he felt he was NOT pressured by President Trump. Never mind the promise of bipartisanship made by Nancy Pelosi has now been abandoned. Never mind that the IG report released this week clearly identifies wrong doing by members of our Federal Intelligence and Law Enforcement entities. And most puzzling for me, is that conviction by the Senate is required on the Articles of Impeachment for the President to be removed from office. That requires a super majority of 67 of the 100 Senators to vote FOR impeachment.

That means 20 of the Republican Senators would have to vote FOR impeachment in the Senate. Call me crazy, but I see the chances of that happening somewhere between slim and none. In fact, the chances are NONE and NONE.

So why are the Democrats so adamant about chasing this dream of impeaching Trump and having him removed from office ?

We all know that the Dems think removing President Trump from office is the only way they can hope to win the election in 2020. How would you like to be hanging all your hopes on Joe Biden, or Pocahontas, or Comrade Sanders, or the current Mayor of South Bend, Indiana. That explains why many on the Left are calling for Crooked Hillary to jump into the race.

We all know that the Left wants President Trump impeached and removed from office so the Dems can win the election in 2020.

But last night a startling thought hit me out of the clear blue. You see, I am retired after serving 35 years in Law Enforcement. I was fortunate enough to move up the ranks and eventually served for a decade as Police Chief in my home town.

It's been almost 50 years, but I still recall police vernacular used in the early 70's for a less than honorable police practice: "You can beat the rap but you can't beat the ride".

This referred to a suspect being arrested and charged when the facts likely would NOT support a conviction. Fortunately Law Enforcement abandoned that despicable action decades ago.

Unfortunately it would appear that the Democrats have adopted that same practice in their attempts to impeach and remove President Donald J. Trump from the Office of President of the United States.

Yep Mr. President, the Democrats know they can't win this impeachment malarkey. But in their desires to win the 2020 election by any means necessary, they are resorting to adopting the concept of "you may beat the rap, but you can't beat the ride".

Well, rest assured Mr. President, I and millions like me have your back. You will beat the rap. You will take the ride, but will come out stronger on the other side. Here's hoping President Trump is reelected in 2020, the Senate remains Republican, and the House is returned to Republican control .

God Bless the USA.  Charles E Shaffer

Trump/Pence will win by a historic landslide

"Thank goodness we finally have a patriot in the White House trying to right all the wrongs caused by the Democrats."  Thank you, Mr. Martin. The saddest thing about the Democratic Party is they have no candidate, no platform, and no chance of beating Trump with votes... All they have is a slander campaign on the President with hopes they can dupe the Blue voters, as they always have. It won’t work this time, as Trump will win by a historic margin. Why? Because people are working all they can get and feeding their kids.

I love the deregulation and reversal of Obama's strangling actions which compromised everything the founding fathers set in motion. That loud squealing noise we are hearing and will continue to hear for the next 5 years is akin to a screaming and kicking brat kid who didn’t get their way in a candy store (it has always worked in the past, right?).

DT is the President of the United States and Trump/Pence WILL be reelected by openly denying Democratic voters, as they embrace the new prosperity his policies have brought their families. After he wins reelection, they will come out and openly admit they voted for the great man.

 I suspect the local curmudgeons will also sheepishly punch the Republican vote card and then cry and moan, but buried in their black hearts they will admit they are doing the right thing. Everyone loves a winner, right? The reason they spew so much anti-Trump rhetoric is they are perpetually angry people, blinded by the Kool-Aid they get from CNN and Huff Post, which basically means they are ignorant (read: uneducated) of the actual facts. Listening to those bias outlets is like driving past the fast food window and eating out of the dumpster. Quote is by a letter writer to the Baytown Sun.

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Current Impeachment nonsense

I don’t swallow anything as fact, especially if it comes out of the mouth of ANY liberal (not just the ones who spew vomit as words). The bully liberal public has no case, no platform, and no candidate. The reason they are clouding every issue is they know this and hope that they can pull in the blind public so they can continue to ruin American politics and choke the life out of the economy.

 Professor Karlan is what is known as a ringer. She is one-sided, pro-Liberal extremist politics, and needs to be revealed as such. In short, she basically hates men, so she is a perfect witness for the kangaroo court proceedings and unlike some other town criers, I only speak for myself.

The Democrats have so many slimy rats in charge of their party (and some are Republican too) that they protect each other or once their crimes are uncovered, they will be like a balloon with the air released, screaming foul and be guilty as Hades. It’s is their modus operandi  going back before that witch Jane Fonda committed treason and got away with it (unless you are a Vietnam Veteran). Pelosi represents SF, Schiff represents Hollywood and Los Angeles, and Nadler NYC, so how in anyone’s name can these 3 represent anything I do in Baytown, Texas? I have nothing in common with them other than we both live in the US.

The elephant in the room that no one wants to discuss is Hunter Biden and his dad, grinning Joe and Burisma. Talk about special interests and quid pro quo and no one will touch it? There are too many rats in that pile of wood evidently – maybe on both sides.

I believe President Trump when he claims that when the ugly truth comes out about these corrupt politicians, heads are going to roll and it may go back through Obama and Clinton’s years in the Oval Office. I hope so

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I want LESS government and less restrictive regulations that put the US at a disadvantage over other countries (Obama's plan). I want jobs and prosperity here first and if it comes at a price that third world despots don't get a free slice of money pie, so much the better. They hate us anyway, but love our money. Sound familiar? Our country borrows money and gives it away? How does that work?

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Democrat leadership, show us the Beef!

Pelosi and the rest know they have no platform and no candidate to beat Trump. They will lose the next election in a horrible route, considering they have been in charge of US politics going back before FDR. So they plan to confuse the confusable and hope against hope they don't get indicted for their own crimes in this witch hunt atmosphere.

They would do much better to have a group huddle and pick someone right now. Then go on the offensive with a true platform package 51% of the voters like. Voters elected Trump to stop this childish nonsense the Democrats are slinging, but it is obvious they didn't get the message. The polls show minority Democratic voters are jumping ship because for once, they can feed their families. There is work aplenty and overtime.
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A White Man can no longer represnt America.

BB's take: Using the oft-stated premise that a “White” man can’t represent all the people of this country is like saying a black male, or a woman of any color, or a gay person can’t represent this country and the citizens. Color or sex has nothing to do whether a person is both qualified and prepared to be President.

We citizens need to quit listening to the news and look around. Every grocery store, restaurant, business, and entertainment venue is packed with people spending the money they are making RIGHT now.

Forget the polls, forget the partisan politics. Of course there are exceptions, especially if your company is affected by tariff changes that will balance eventually or be replaced with something else. Examine your own life and then make a decision if living in the USA is for you or not, cause I'm prospering.

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The 5 stages of a geocacher

The 5 stages of a geocacher
 A geocaching primer by BaytownBert (Bert Marshall)

I love geocaching. I love planning my next string of unique geocaches and usually start compiling my list the day before – or earlier. I read the page for clues and seeing I am rapidly becoming a fossil, I use GSAK and load a pocket query into my Garmin Oregon 750. I didn’t start out that way and I also use my Android. Let me explain the 5 stages a geocacher goes through if they play the game any length of time. I’m thinking 5-10 years, but you may be a quick learner. Me? Not so quick on the upload, if you know what I mean. Murphy’s Law is my middle name.

(1) In the initial stage of geocaching, the newbie is so overwhelmed with the possibilities (and swag!) that they go to the dollar store and buy $23 worth of precious loot to spread all across the geocaching universe! Never mind that they only find Micros and nanos and are soon disillusioned and wonder if they messed up... but if they survive, they move into the next wonderful stage.

(2) It’s all about the numbers in this 2nd stage. It doesn’t matter what the D/T rating is as long as they get a bunch of them. Trackables? Are you kidding? AR0213  They bought $200 worth off of Ebay the 1st month (Note: A Jedi-geocacher may move up and down in the 5 rules over the years).  Cacher is in true form and sets person record by logging 144 LPC’s in 7 hours. Cacher calls in sick the next day.

(3)  Now we come into the Navy SEALS of geocaching and we all know who they are. These amazing folks have more hormones than Arnold and only tackle the highest D/T grid caches and are known to swoop into an unfamiliar area and wipe out the resistance. Kudos to those who can do this, but I am not that gifted.

(4)  The next stage is also an elitist bunch that have entirely specific needs, desire, wants, and aspirations in this game. They take geocaching to a level akin to a NASA moon launch. They are the puzzle makers/solvers and to be honest, I wouldn’t trust them to look in my cellphone. I love them, but know I will never join them. My brain would either melt or explode.

(5)  Finally, we are at what I like to call the black banana geocaching community. We are seasoned geocaching veterans, right? We have scars, bruises, and tales...tails? However, on any given day, we may act like a newbie and arise only to find that we can possibly zip in and literally steal FTF rights from one of our geocaching peeps! Never mind that we had to pee before we left! Damn the torpedoes, full steam ahead!

Or, we may team up with 4 other cachers and hit a power trail, regretting it as the miles wear us down. You get the picture that being a well-rounded cacher is more than a stat – it’s a life style.
This has been an attempt at humor, but let’s talk grown-up geocaching and it ain’t all fun and games. The game has changed and to me, it is not entirely a good thing. I think Groundspeak in their attempt to boost the already bloated game, thought that Adventure Labs would be a great addition... In my opinion it is nothing more than inflationary fluff that detracts from the original nature of the game.

Let me backtrack for a little personal history. I helped my city set up a Geotour and it is everything it is supposed to be and I have no qualms with that particular area of this game or my city. The Geotour has boosted tourism. Now that I’ve established this fact, the Geotour and cachers need to get the coin and swag severely dampened how many of my caches people looked for. I noted this in an earlier article. In other words, cachers only look for the Geotour and leave the area.

This spring I was invited to start a 5 cache Adventure Lab and I was a bit hesitant, but wanting to see the inner workings of it, I accepted. I wish I wouldn’t have.

Forget that the 7 pages of instructions were tedious and getting everything working was difficult. I consulted the grand designers a bit and possibly this has improved since I did mine in the spring. The problem is the AL info goes straight to Groundspeak and I get an excel file if I take the time to find out who played it. There is no communication between me and the players.

Last and this is a big one. Between the city Geotour (30+ caches) and the 2 Adventure Lab’s (15 caches total), no one looks for anything else in this town. Folks zip in and walk right past large caches with TB’s inside and do not bother to look for them. Take this into account when you invite this Adventure Lab/Trojan horse into your town.

In my opinion, Groundspeak would improve the game by restricting new geocache hides for newbies until they found 50 caches.

Ordered into the war, 1972

 

Sgt. Bert Marshall, Takhli RTFB, Thailand 1973

Journal entry, April 1972: Danang, Vietnam orders cancelled at the last moment and about 3 weeks later, I was at Takhli RTAFB working my hind end off. It happened so fast. I out-processed immediately, went on leave. I was 19 years old and visiting my family in Houston with no idea I was about to experience 651 days living a National Geographic wartime documentary that would mold my future.

 A call from the Air Force cut my leave short and there I was. Flying via orders to Travis AFB, California, I took a flight to Alaska. Boarding a long low and crowded Flying Tigers turbo-prop, we flew across the ocean to Yakota AFB, Japan. Being a lowly E-3 Airman 1^st class, I believe I had the lowest rank of the many troops on the plane. The reason I say this is I got the only seat on the full plane that did not recline and for over 20 hours, our plane traveled across the ocean.

We left Japan and headed for the now long-gone Clark AFB, in the Philippines.  It was full-blown monsoon and the area was under about 2 feet of water. We had an 11 hour layover and we told to not leave the base under orders. I met a black Airman at the layover in Japan and he told me he had connections at Clark, so off the base we rode... in a 1957 Chevy sedan! The water was above the floorboard as we cruised down into the red-light district. However, I was warned that I would be dealing with pros and I kept to myself, enjoying the adventure.

Back at Clark AFB with time to spare, I realized I was the lone human cargo to fly across Vietnam into Central Thailand to a primitive base just reopening called Takhli. It had closed when the F-105’s Thunderchiefs left and was going to take on the F-4’s leaving Danang, Vietnam... and that is why me, a supply clerk was sent ahead. I was assigned to the Avionics warehouse inside the Supply compound.

Wow, the smell when the door opened on the C-130.
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