Occupation of Independence

Microsoft sent me another fan letter, informing me of the imminent end of security updates for my Windows 7 laptop, purchased in 2011. Rather than get angry at being forced into buying a Windows 10 computer -- which I really don't want -- let me try to be a good sport: 8 years is a good long life for a $250 computer. 'It doesn't owe me any money,' as the saying goes. I was shocked at how bad the laptop choices were at places you'd think would be good: Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, New Egg, and Target.  Maybe it was the websites that were poor. They can't seem to categorize sensibly. For instance, if you ask for "Windows laptops", it gives you Chromebooks. If you ask for 11.6" displays, it gives you 14" and 15" displays. If you ask for the Windows 10 operating system, it makes you dig through the entire write-up before you learn that the computer uses Windows 10 "in S mode." S mode is Microsoft's devious plan to forc

You think it is easy to be a political strategist? Imagine the self-control required right now of Democratic leaders in Congress. What are they thinking? It is probably that they should give Trump enough rope to hang himself with. That is, he should get his and Netanyahu's way in starting a war with Iran, and make himself a one-term president. Of course the Democrats need to sound unsupportive of the War, while appearing to "Support the Troops." That's not easy. The rope that Trump hangs himself with is likely to prove successful -- at least more successful than the phony Russiagate scandal the Democrats (and their Media) tried to pull off. Then again, what if Trump is brighter than he sounds, and he limits the Iranian War to a few localized airstrikes? His real risk comes from sending ground troops. The American people won't get too upset about a video game in the skies over Iran. Heck, it will just be a form of Reality TV. Unless the price of oil re

Perhaps it shouldn't have surprised me. After all, this is multiple-use public land. I drove around a corner on a narrow dirt road, and saw about 75 black cows walking toward me. They certainly chose a good year. Look at all the greenery to munch on! This experience seemed amusing to me because I have been watching old "Rawhide" television shows on DVDs. From 1.bp.blogspot.com I stopped and shut the engine off. The cows plodded slowly around my vehicle. There were what appeared to be three generations of a ranching family. The youngest was a girl about 10 years old. Actually I really enjoyed seeing such an atavistic scene out of the "Old West." Somehow, the cowpersons seemed to sense my pleasure -- they gave me friendly waves and even talked a little to me. But of course, there was no camera handy!  It is funny how Hollywood made the cowboy life look glamorous and interesting. Whenever I have seen a cattle drive, the cowboys seemed hot and bore

I smirked and rolled my eyes this morning when I read about the attacks on the oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz.  Does the Netanyahu/Trump administration really have that low of an estimate of the intelligence of the American public? Then again, maybe I should cheer the Netanyahu/Trump administration on. A good spike in the price of oil might be all it takes to bring on a global recession. The means bye-bye for Trump. It might also slow down the tourist traffic in Colorado this summer. Recessions and low prices are beneficial to retirees, especially ones who are in the market for a new motor vehicle.  I don't watch cable news but they are probably parroting charges against the Iranians. Until any independent evidence shows up, here is my explanation for 'who dunnit.' Netanyahu finally convinced the Trump administration to bring on some sort of incident that Iran could be blamed for, and would achieve their long term dream of starting a multi-trillion dollar war