Monday Musings - December 18, 2017

1. The final two weeks of 2017 have arrived. Christmas is next week. Hopefully, all of your shopping is complete and next up is the dreaded holiday travel. Thankfully, I'm not traveling too far this Christmas.

2. It is going to be much warmer this week. We need a break from the frigid cold.

3. "From Atlantic to Pacific, Gee the traffic is terrific," goes the phrase in a popular Christmas song. What does "the traffic is terrific," mean? Horrific I could understand, but what is terrific traffic?

4. Winners and Losers. Winners: Ravens, Cowboys, Redskins, Penguins. Losers: Steelers (on the worst officiating call of the century unaided by a totally inept video review and incorrect interpretation of the rules).

5. I'm feeling the need to play some golf! Tuesday is looking like a possibility.

6. Another potential government shutdown is looming. It could be a long Christmas holiday for many of us and The Congress fails to perform one of its Constitutionally-directed duties yet again.

7. Is it me, or are people becoming more passionate about insignificant things?

8. Star Wars: The Last Jedi was a great movie and I was entertained and caught up on the story again. 

Headlines

GOP faces 5-day scramble to pass tax bill, avoid government shutdown - The Washington Post

Power Failure at Atlanta Airport Snarls Air Traffic Nationwide - The New York Times

‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ Has Second-Biggest Opening Ever - The New York Times

Fire crews take advantage of calm winds, but 'we’ll always be in the ‘ready, set, go’ mode' - The LA Times

Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week

"The United States, as the most powerful of the free nations, is looked to for leadership by those who live in freedom and as a mighty source of hope to those who languish under tyranny. This is a weighty responsibility that no American, especially a President, can take lightly."

Remarks at a White House Briefing for Human Rights Supporters, December 3, 1987

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD