Vic Stroetzel

In response to Don Kuehn and all other golfers. First of all, congrats to Don for his victory in Tenn.

 If anyone feels like playing a Donaald Ross golf course in N. Carolina and maybe spend a couple of days in the western Carolina area, please contact me. My telephone number is 828-692-7593. The course is The Hendersonville Country Club. Please look it up for all the particulars. If you are a good golfer I'll try to set you up with someone at your level since I suck. I'm in the 90's right now. We have other golfers in the seniors group which would make for a better group for people like Don. The airfare from Chicago to Ashville is somewhere around $250. I can pick you up and drop you off. We have 3 bedrooms.

Just a thought.

Vic Stroetzel

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

DK, why two trophies?  

DK & Vic, what percentage of golfers break 100? 

Stewart Myrent

Steve, this post is from Ivan, (make that Vlad), posting to apologize for missing your call AGAIN on Sat. night.  I was working that night (delivering borscht pizzas), here in Stalingrad & I usually leave my cell phone in the car (that would be my late model Volga - that's right - no cheapass Lada for me).  Because it's almost June, it was a balmy 38 degrees on Sat. night, but who really cares when you get as much borscht pizza, as you can possibly eat.  I'm not sure which Cubs game you went to, but considering their last homestand was relatively disgusting, I hope you at least got to see a victory.  Well, you finally figured out that this whole personna of Stewart Myrent, was a grand conspiracy to fool you gullible Americans.  Hey, it worked in 2016, so we figured you simpletons will fall for anything.  I don't know when you are heading back to Thailand (perhaps you are already heading west), but have a safe trip back & hope if you return to Chgo at any future point, you will let me know.

Donald Henry Kuehn

The larger trophy is the permanent championship trophy with the names of all previous winners in the division engraved on it. The smaller one goes home with the winner. Since both were at the table when our division finished, the Director of Golf at The Honors Course decided to use both in the pics.

DK

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

“Bob Mueller brought a ‘book’ to a twitter fight.”

Justin Amash read the book - and thankfully brings courage and clarity to Mueller’s investigation -

and (I believe)(after 40 days) prompted Robert Mueller to break his silence with a “farewell address” on his resignation  

(and let loose the galloping horse of history) -

Mueller said, “There were multiple, systematic efforts to interfere in our election, and that allegation deserves the attention of every American.”

The assault on our elections need to be investigated and stopped. That was among the reasons for the special counsel’s investigation.

Mueller said if his team had confidence Trump did not commit a crime, they would have said so -

(he disputed Barr’s claim that Mueller had not made a determination there was a crime:

“Due to DOJ policy, charging Trump with a crime was not an option we could consider”).

Mueller said the (investigative) report speaks for itself.

Read the report and go forward.  This is not a hoax.

Mueller referred the report to Congress (many of whom have not read the report) and our Constitutional process which requires Congress to “accuse a sitting president of wrongdoing.”  

If Donald Trump cannot be impeached for all he’s done, what kind of conduct would warrant impeachment of a president?  (The “I” word is in the footnotes.)

Day 860 of the Trump presidency.

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

QUESTION: "If Donald Trump cannot be impeached for all he's done, what kind of conduct would warrant impeachment of a president?"

Both former Rep Tom Coleman (R-MO) and Professor Allan Lichtman believe unless the Democrats impeach Donald Trump they will be handing him re election.

There are serious Americans who know nothing about the truth of the Mueller Report - they listen to conservative news and all they've heard is Trump's and Barr's pronouncements of "total exoneration".

We need gavel to gavel television coverage of impeachment hearings and trial to educate the public about Trump’s wrongdoing.

As Justin Amash tweeted: "The ball is in our court, Congress."

AG Barr lied to us.  We should have heard from Special Counsel Robert Mueller weeks ago if not at a press conference when he completed his report.  This is not a hoax.

FOX journalists recognize Barr has misrepresented Mueller's work product - FOX News opinion makers continue with fake news.

Read the report.

Justin Amash serves Grand Rapids, MI - a Trump district.  His constituents gave him two standing ovations for revealing the truth of the Mueller Report.

Stewart Myrent

Steve, thank you for the message in my native Russian, but we don't need no stinkin' Google translate to understand.  Hope you had a great time during your recent visit to Chicago (don't know if you saw a win during the recent homestand), but I'm sure you were very happy just to be at Wrigley Field.  I was very happy to see they avoided the sweep in Houston yesterday & they are still in first place.  Just returned a book to the library, "The Depression and New Deal: A History in Documents", by Robert S. McElwaine & published by Oxford University Press.  We are all too young to remember the Great Depression personally (which is why I picked up the book), but we all should be very thankful that we missed that part of Americana.  As you all probably know, the unemployment rate in the U.S. was 25% during the depression.  It is because of FDR that I receive a monthly payment from our gov't, without which it would be very difficult for me to get by.  Our parents' generation is known as "the greatest generation" & I have no problem with them having that designation.  I'm just really glad we missed out on being part of that generation.  But, I'm guessing that each generation has their own issues & problems to deal with.  So, how are we going to deal with our current problems?

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

Are we willing to endure all the wrongdoing Mueller laid out in his investigative report?

More than 1,000 former federal prosecutors (both Democrats & Republicans) signed a letter stating:

“We all strongly believe that there is more than enough evidence to indict President Trump for multiple felony counts of obstruction of justice.  If he weren’t in the White House, President Trump would be charged with serious crimes.  This isn’t even a close case.  If you or I did what President Trump did, we’d be facing prison.”  

The presidential campaign is in its very early stages -

the first Democratic debate will take place over two nights:

Wednesday, June 26th & Thursday, June 27th  

It’s possible the current polls bear little resemblance to the eventual primary results.  If you’re frustrated or disappointed the candidates you favor aren’t doing better, hang in there - at this stage, the right approach for voters is to figure out who you would want to win.

(We are NOT pundits - do NOT think who is likely to win or seems most electable.  

(At various points in their primary campaigns, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, Bill Clinton, and Ronald Reagan were all dismissed as unelectable.)

In contemporary politics nominating the “electable” candidate has not resulted in candidates who are elected president.

Day 862 of the Trump presidency.

Stewart Myrent

Roger, I wanted to let you know that I picked up "Commander In Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump", by Rick Reilly, a couple of days ago.  It's a very easy read & I am over halfway through it.  Apparently, the library has only one copy of this book & it was available, when I returned the book on the Depression.  I'm fairly sure that the appeal of golf to Trump, is that it is probably the only sport that relies on self-reporting on rules violations, which is fine, if you are dealing with honest & honorable individuals.  People have lost tournament titles & have dropped several places in tournaments (and the $ that comes with the higher finish), as a result of self-reporting on rules violations (even very minor ones).  As a former regular golfer, I understand that the game depends on the integrity of everyone playing.  What's kind of shocking, is that Trump violates all these rules of integrity, pretty much out in the open.  According to the book, he regularly declares any putt of his (that's less than 6 feet) to be a "gimme".  What's weird about that, is that you don't declare your own put a "gimme"; the "gimme" has to be awarded by your opponent.  "Gimmes" are not even allowed in tournament play.  The other thing that's totally weird, is that not only does he regularly improve his own lies (or has his caddy do it), but also, messes with his opponents' good shots.  One tale in the book recounts how someone else put a beautiful tee shot right on the green, bur when they got closer to the green, the opponent's ball was sitting in the sand trap.  How do you think that ball got there?  Supposedly, he's a fairly decent golfer, most people crediting him with being a 8-10 handicap (not bad at all), despite the fact that he claims to be a 3 handicap.  The book says he's a very decent driver, but the weakness in his game is his 'short' game around the green.  I think it's the perfect game, for someone who, during his entire life, has always found ways to get around the rules, because the rules (laws) don't apply to him.  Sad!

Roger C. Kaage

Glad you're enjoying it, Stuart.  As you get further into the book, you see how his personality defects are revealed in how he wields/sees his presidential powers.  It's hard to finish that book without feeling complete contempt for the man.  

Also, further reading will reveal why my scotch of choice changed from  Macallan to Glenfiddich!

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

(Yesterday was) “the darkest hour in the history of Virginia Beach.”        -- Mayor Robert M. Dyer

There have been more than 150 mass shootings in America in 2019;

the shooting in Virginia Beach the most deadly.

We must act to stop the epidemic in America.

It is not acceptable for America to be the only developed country where gun violence is routine.  

Our country is framed by the NRA -

the days of an NRA controlled Congress writing our gun laws must end: 

more people with guns is not the answer.

Love for our country manifests in justice.  

Somehow - guns blazing (with sound suppressors and extended magazines) - the GOP is rolling back voting rights, LGBTQ rights, women’s reproductive rights...  

The House has passed background checks, Mitch McConnell refuses to put the bill forward.  

Gun violence is a public health problem in the US.  

Living in the U.S. we cross bridges at our own peril and know not when/where we will face gunfire.

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

Congress has a constitutional decision to make.  

We all want the right thing to happen - problem is we don’t agree on what the right thing is.  

Sound bites sound definitive in contrast to a 448 page report.

Trump and Barr ignore the national security issue Mueller documented - we were attacked by Russia.

Why not give Trump a nickname? - “Unindicted Donald” - compliments of Barney Frank.

Mueller made the mistake of trusting Barr.

He also did not interview Trump or other targets.

Stewart Myrent

Just saw a story this AM, that the city of El Paso billed the Trump & Beto O'Rourke campaigns for city services provided to both campaigns for competing rallies this past February.  O'Rourke's campaign paid up, just before the deadline (approx. $28,000).  Can you guess if the Trump campaign has yet paid one penny to El Paso?  Guess what, you're right.  The deadline has passed & Trump's campaign has paid $0 to El Paso, complaining that they were overcharged (almost 1/2 million dollars).  Sound familiar?  Trump is doing what he has always done, stiffing virtually anyone who has provided him with services, always complaining that he was over-charged, ripped off.  Some of these unfortunate businessmen/businesswomen wound up losing their businesses, because they couldn't afford to stay in business, absorbing the Trump losses.  I doubt that this will happen to El Paso, but I did read that the amount Trump owes them, represents approx. 2/3 of their total annual emergency/contigency fund, that wound up paying for public services that resulted from the competing rallies.  I am somewhat mystified as to why the O'Rourke campaign was billed $28,000, as opposed to 1/2 million for the Trump campaign, but I do think that 1/2 million seems like a lot for a political campaign/rally.  However, I am not at all surprised that Trump's rally wound up costing 1/2 million dollars, as I'm pretty sure that Trump's campaign never had any intention of paying ANYTHING to the city of El Paso, as this man has been stiffing people his entire life.  So, what else is new? 

Marvin Irving Blusteln

If there were term limits on congress, I don't believe there would be any doubt congress would protect our democracy.  They are all to busy worrying about relection strategy.

Stewart Myrent

Roger, since my last post, I have finished "Commander in Cheat", and I loved the book.  It is my new favorite Trump book, of the (now) 4 I have read.  There are nuggets in every chapter, too numerous to recount here, but I feel compelled to mention four items.  The past few years, I have been taking notice of the dedications in books.  Usually, they are dedicated to someone I don't know, but the dedication in Reilly's book is: "This book is dedicated to the truth. It's still a thing."  I loved that, and Chapter 1, "The Big Lie", has an epigraph, a quote from P.G. Wodehouse, "To find a man's character, play golf with him."  In the penultimate Chapter 15 "Little Ball, Big Ball", "...But you can't kick and throw and foozle your way through a presidency.  You can't cheat and fudge and fake running the world, for one good reason: You don't own the course."  And, finally, from the final Chapter 16, " You might be thinking, 'What does golf have to do with being president?  What does it matter that he cheats at it?  What's it got to do with leading the country?'  Everything.  If you'll cheat to win at golf, is it that much further to cheat to win an election?  To turn a Congressional vote?  To stop an investigation?  If you'll lie about every aspect of the game, is it that much further to lie about your taxes, your relationship with Russians, your groping of women?  If you're adamant that the poor don't deserve golf, is it that much further to think they don't deserve health care, clean air, safe schools?  I'm glad my dad didn't live to see a Commander in Cheat like Trump.  It would've turned his stomach.  Somebody who wins club championships from the next state is not a gentleman.  Somebody who makes his caddies cheat for him to earn their tip is not a gentleman.  Somebody who bullies and manipulates and yells that his courses are the best in the world when that world absolutely knows otherwise is not a gentleman."  I, however, in a perverse way, am glad I lived long enough to see a Commander in Cheat, because, otherwise, I probably wouldn't have believed it.

Stewart Myrent

Just picked up a new book today, "The Problem of Democracy: The Presidents Adams Confront the Cult of Personality", by Nancy Isenberg & Andrew Burstein.  I have read (I believe) 2 biographies of John Adams, not least, the one by David McCullough.  It was great & really highlighted the warm & supportive relationship between John & Abigail Adams.  I have also read 1 biography of John Quincy Adams, which was also great.  John Quincy was, I'm pretty sure, the only ex-president to return, not to the U.S. Senate, but the U.S. House of Representatives, after his presidential term.  He was pretty much the coolest cat, in the history of our democracy.  They were both ardent abolitionists (although the major thrust for early abolitionists was returning the slaves to Africa - as opposed to true equal rights for the African-Americans - this was pretty much true through the time of Lincoln).  I had assumed that the "cult of personality" was going to be related to George Washington, but found from the liner notes that, in the case of John Q., it also related to Andrew Jackson.  Which reminds me, I have been somewhat astounded that more parallels have not been drawn between Trump & Andy Jackson.  They are very much alike, but Trump owns more property. 

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

Natasha here - munching on borscht pizza, looking ahead to Cardinals’ return to Wrigley Field this weekend.  

GO CUBSKIES GO! ! !  

Steve Hirschtick and Ace and Orawan were featured on MLB special about Cubs-Cardinals rivalry that aired last night on Fox Sports 1.

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

Marvin, I am thinking about term limits... it's not a simple issue.

I totally agree Congress members put re election strategy ahead of protecting our democracy to maneuver their way to re election.

From what I hear - in private, some Republican Congress members are in a totally different place than they are in front of the cameras.  They know Trump is undermining the rule of law but somehow rationalize that protecting their seat takes priority over what they know is right for our country -

Justin Amash is a hero - he has the courage of his convictions.

Mitch McConnell is treacherous - he has convictions but he lacks conscience - he has no respect for the rule of law and continues to damage our government.

I don't know how long (how many terms) for representatives and senators to get up to speed? (Some have served as staffers prior to running for office.)

There's no doubt though, that we benefit from the background, experience, stability returning Congress members bring to public service - which is preferable to unelected, unconfirmed bureaucrats pushing the levers of government.

Incumbents have a tremendous advantage -

term limits empower the minority and frustrate the majority...

It's a lot of work but each election voters have the opportunity to impose term limits.

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

D-Day soldiers are in Normandy 75 years

after the boldest military invasion in history -

to stop Hitler and give us a “second chance.”

Think how petrified the young soldiers must have been...

75 years later three 90 something vets parachuted (in tandem jumps) into Normandy -

this time to cheers and applause.

D-Day -

a solemn day of remembrance and gratitude,

a day to honor our American heroes (Macron did too)

and pay tribute to our allies.

Donald Henry Kuehn

Writing about the D-Day invasion:

“They were not a perfect generation, the tendency to romanticize them notwithstanding. But they knew, better than their children, better than their children’s children, how to be a country — what it took, what it meant, and why it mattered. They pulled together and believed in something more important to them than their own lives. And so, they were bound to one another in ways unachievable by social media. It is something you and I might find difficult to imagine.

But we owe it to our country to try.”

Leonard Pitts Jr.         The Miami Herald

Thanks, Dad.  

DK

Stewart Myrent

Don, thank you for the Leonard Pitt, Jr. quote.  It does make you think.  I am slogging through "The Problem of Democracy", about both Adams presidents.  I am slogging through, mainly because of not just the difference in speech patterns, from their time 'till now, but also the writing of that time, was quite a bit more erudite & proper, compared to today.  Both John Adams & JQA (abbreviation of John Quincy), were lifelong bibliophiles & spent much of their time during their endless European diplomacy missions, buying older (classic) books, to build their respective libraries.  They both also kept extensive diaries, for decades.  The other reason it's taking so long to get through this book, is the constant references to classic philosophers, going all the way back to Cicero & Tacitus, and many others that followed.  Both of these guys would read these clasical texts in the original Latin or Greek (they were their own translators).  I have to mention that Abigail Adams sent a letter to husband John in March of 1776 (which somehow has become very well known), "...urging the Continental Congress to 'Remember the ladies' is followed by the graver warning, 'Remember that all Men would be tyrants if they could.'"  Her entreaty, of course, fell on deaf ears (including her husband's), because, of course, the Continental Congress did absolutely nothing for the ladies, despite her epistolary talents.  In fact, it would be another 140+ years before women got suffrage.  (Nice work, ladies.)  But I do feel that "Remember the ladies" would be a great clarion call for this upcoming 2020 election.  "Remember the ladies" has a very nice ring to it & I think it's a very special way to memorialize Abigail Adams, who, until Barbara Bush came along, was the only woman to be married to a president & mother to another.  She was almost too cool, and remember, she grew up at a time when educational choices for women were few & far between.  "Remember the ladies"

Alan A. Alop

Nancy Doyle (Sudlow)

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

There's no place like home -

Cubs sweep Cardinals at Wrigley,

Cardinals sweep Cubs at Busch,

Cubs sweep Cardinals at Wrigley,

Cubs-Cardinal rivalry goes on!

According to astronomers it is yet spring,  

though meteorologists say it’s summer.

Cubs and Cardinals next meet

July 30th, 31st, &  August 1st 

at Busch Stadium

in the dog days of summer -

named not for poor pooches

forever seeking shade in the heat

but for the nighttime sky -

in the summer months Sirius,

the Dog Star, brightest star in the sky,

rises and sets with the Sun...

Ancient Greeks noticed,  

took note and theorized

it was the bright, glowing Dog Star

that was adding extra heat.

GO CUBS GO! ! !

Stewart Myrent

Janis, I was very pleased with the results of this past weekend's result from the Cubs/Cardinals series.  I would have settled for a 2-1 series win for the Cubs, but a sweep is that much sweeter, as the Cubs were swept by the Cards in the last series in StL.  So far this season, the home team has won EVERY game in each series.  I'm pretty sure the pennant race is going to come down to the final week of the season.  We'll see.  Alan, I would say that I cannot believe the bullshit that comes out of the Trump administration on a daily basis, but I guess I'm getting used to it, as it is constant & unrelenting, and never has a shred of honesty or truthfulness to it.  I am still extremely worried that Trump will get us engaged in a war, either with North Korea or Iran (I'm betting on Iran), to increase his chances of being re-elected to the presidency in 2020, as opposed to doing it for any benefit to America.  I mean, what's more important?  The future of America, or Trump getting what he wants personally?  Care to make a guess?