Octogenarian Screwed by AARP

The last organization I expected to be screwed by was AARP. A few weeks ago AARP was right on the ball and notified me that my membership was expiring in October and it was to my advantage to renew it without delay so I could take advantage of all the money saving benefits and services AARP offered seniors. After some soul searching about the value of an AARP membership, I decided to be supportive and  renew for another three years (at my age, this could very well be a lifetime membership). Off went my check for $43 which AARP efficiently processed. Today I received another reminder pleading for renewal of my membership with a disclaimer that my renewal and this reminder may have crossed in the mail. Fine, except this last reminder also contained a monetary incentive to renew my membership. Yes sir-ee, If I renewed, it would cost me $36 instead of $43. WOW, if I had procrastinated a couple of more weeks I could have saved $7 which I would have gladly contributed to their Foundation. Just proves that the early bird does not always get the worm.

I love Westerns, but not guns

This is a post about guns. No, I'm not going to rant about the latest gun massacre on the national scene. I'm passing on the Washington, D.C. Naval Yard gun violence. I'll probably pass on the next massacre and the one after that and the one.........enough already. That's not what I want to write about. I've already done it 47 times and realize I'm beating a dead horse.

My issue with guns in this post is a passion of mine. I love Westerns. I'll turn off a baseball game

with the Indians at bat in the bottom of the ninth, the bases loaded and no outs, in order to catch a movie about the Wild West. The Wild West equates with guns. Lots of guns and lots of mayhem. I'll stay glued to the TV set fascinated by the fastest gun in the west. It's been this way since I was a child. I recall my cousin and I replaying every Western we just saw at the neighborhood theater. My favorite role was playing Tom Mix (not because his horse was named Tony).

 Even in the midst of a depression, gun sales (toy guns that is) were brisk. They came in all forms. I loved the ones that fired caps. My cousin opted for a bee-bee gun. My father emphatically let me know that anything more deadly than a cap gun was taboo for me.

The point is, I'm having a difficult time rationalizing my passion for Westerns with my passion for more effective control of guns in our modern society. I never traded in my toy gun for the real McCoy. I feel fortunate that I have never wanted to settle a dispute in the manner of those quick draw artists of the past. With my temper, this has been a blessing. Still, I don't feel like a hypocrite while I'm watching a Western. As the song goes, "that's entertainment".

 This country, whether we like it or not, was put together by gun violence but it does not follow that gun violence must continue to be at the forefront today. Had to get that last piece of preaching or "botta" into this post. Now it's time to bring it to an end. It's almost time for "Gunfight at the OK Corral".

USE AT YOUR OWN RISK!

Just when I was getting comfortable with online banking and putting my files in the cloud, NSA comes along and breaks down the encryption codes designed to make the Internet secure. As I recall, NSA refers to the National Security Agency. That's strange. A government agency which is supposed to make me feel more secure has now made my Internet activities less secure. I'm told it is their way of catching the bad guys. That may be so, but if the price for security is to give up security, then we may be heading down the wrong path. It is comparable to throwing out the concept that "Its better that 10 guilty men go free than one innocent man is wrongfully convicted". I think that in the future any secure Internet web site should be required to publish the  disclaimer, "USE AT YOUR OWN RISK!"

Who's in the hot seat?

Britain's House of Commons voted not to approve a military strike against Syria. The debate took a few days. Now we have the spectacle of our Congress starting a debate on the same subject. Judging by today's hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Syria's Assad should have no fear of a military strike by the United States in the very near future. By the time Congress has exhausted its hearings in the Senate, hearings in the House, a debate on the floor of the Senate and a debate on the floor of the House, members will be too exhausted to vote.

Unless the United States has been attacked, Congressional approval of military action is not an efficient process. Obama must have known this before he asked for Congress to approve his taking action against the government of Assad. What's he trying to prove? I hope it is not his way of obliterating that red line he hastily drew.

 I'm not sure who is in the hot seat, Obama or Congress. One thing for sure, the American people waiting out  the outcome of all the hot air and posturing are feeling the heat.

Labor Day In Danger

Corporations have been known to announce large layoffs just before Christmas. Bank of America has chosen to layoff 1000 employees in Beachwood, Ohio just before Labor Day. Maybe its time for Obama to declare that one more large layoff before Labor Day and corporations will have crossed the red line. Retaliatory action could go as far as abolishing Labor Day ( with Congressional approval of course).

In a more sober vein, if something isn't done to create more jobs in this country for those who are not rocket scientists, Labor Day as a day to celebrate the efforts of all hardworking Americans will die a natural death. Maybe China or India will pick up the slack.