So Here We Are

It was surreal watching the State of the Union (SOTU) address last evening. 

The divided nature of our government was obvious. 

The Speaker of the House was clearly more interested in making a statement of her own rather than listening to the President.

CNN has published a piece titled 
5 key takeaways from Donald Trump's State of the Union speech. 

I have to admit that at the beginning of the speech, I was encouraged by the bipartisan call, but by the end of the speech it was clear that any bipartisan action would have to be made on the President's terms.

The President began by saying:

The agenda I will lay out this evening is not a Republican agenda or Democrat agenda, it is the agenda of the American people. Many of us have campaigned on the same core promises, to defend American jobs and demand fair trade for American workers, to rebuild and revitalize our nation’s infrastructure, to reduce the price of health care and prescription drugs, to create an immigration system that is safe, lawful, modern and secure, and to pursue a foreign policy that puts America’s interests first.

It was interesting to read the Fact Checker of the President's address. He takes credit for many things that began before he took office. The good note is that the good trends have continued, the bad is that he is taking whole credit for them and not recognizing that efforts of Presidents who preceded him.

State of the Union fact check: What's true and false in Trump's address - NBC News

One continual Trump claim that the NBC article focuses on is border security. I extracted the beginning of the item here:

CLAIM: TRUMP SAYS THE STATE OF THE SOUTHERN BORDER IS 'LAWLESS,' THREATENING THE SECURITY OF ALL AMERICANS

America's immigration system is broken — that's something experts, advocates and politicians across the spectrum can agree on — but there's little evidence the southern border is experiencing a new state of emergency. Violence isn't spilling over the border, and terrorists aren't being caught in droves trying to cross it. Illegal drugs largely come through legal ports of entry, not unguarded parts of the border, according to border authorities.

In the Democratic response to the SOTU, Stacy Abrams made a statement that really struck a chord with me:

My father has battled prostate cancer for years. To help cover the costs, I found myself sinking deeper into debt -- because while you can defer some payments, you can’t defer cancer treatment. In this great nation, Americans are skipping blood pressure pills, forced to choose between buying medicine or paying rent. Maternal mortality rates show that mothers, especially black mothers, risk death to give birth. And in 14 states, including my home state where a majority want it, our leaders refuse to expand Medicaid, which could save rural hospitals, economies, and lives.

I have read about people dying because they have been forced to choose between insulin injections and eating. This is wrong. This is not my vision for the America that I have served for my entire adult life. 

It was an interesting, if not scary evening as the gulf between the parties was on display. 

As a country and a society we need to do better. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

It has been a Week

Jupiter Lighthouse
January 28, 2019

It is hard to comprehend that it has been a week since I returned from South Florida. The weather here has ranged from bitter cold to unseasonably warm. I hope that we are on a warming trend, but I am a realist and know that it is only early February and Winter is just half over.

Chris and Finn on the Beach
January 28, 2019

I am reflecting fondly on the 10 days away from the cold. Although the weather in Florida was not idyllic, it was a very enjoyable trip nonetheless. Chris and I are looking forward to a return trip during the first days of Springtime. And, there should be many more visits to Florida in our future. 

I am, however, amazed at how quickly a week has passed since we departed Florida. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - February 4, 2019

1. It is the first Monday in February, the second month of the year. Where did January go?

2. The Super Bowl wasn't really super. It was a hard fought defensive struggle. As expected the Patriots won. The score was a lot lower than I predicted and set the record for the lowest scoring Super Bowl. People who had 3's and 0's in the office pools did really well!

3. It hit 50 degrees yesterday. Maybe it was an early Spring thaw?

4. Spring is closer with each passing day!

5. Isn't it amazing how myopic we become as a nation when the Super Bowl is being played. Who knows what happened around the world?

6. It was nice to be home this weekend. I was able to go to my favorite store, Lowe's, and get supplies for a small home improvement project, which I was also able to complete. However, that project started another painting project! No good deed goes unpunished!

7. I was amazed at how many drones authorities confiscated during the run-up to the Super Bowl. Drone flyers have got to get smarter and not do dumb things in order to protect our access to the skies. 

8. With the Super Bowl complete it is almost time for baseball season. Pitchers and catchers report for some teams in seven days! Play ball!

9. Pool opening day is tentatively scheduled for May 4, 2019. that is 89 days away!

10. Today in History. On February 4, 1974, Patty Hearst, the 19-year-old daughter of newspaper publisher Randolph Hearst, is kidnapped from her apartment in Berkeley, California, by two black men and a white woman, all three of whom are armed. Her fiance, Stephen Weed, was beaten and tied up along with a neighbor who tried to help. Witnesses reported seeing a struggling Hearst being carried away blindfolded, and she was put in the trunk of a car. Neighbors who came out into the street were forced to take cover after the kidnappers fired their guns to cover their escape.



Headlines

How Boring Was the Super Bowl? The Punts Got Exciting - The New York Times

How a ‘Monster’ Texas Oil Field Made the U.S. a Star in the World Market - The New York Times

Trump embraces a new nuclear arms race - The Washington Post

French fighter jets back Chadian forces after incursion from Libya - Reuters

Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week



“Freedom is the right to question and change the established way of doing things. It is the continuing revolution of the marketplace. It is the understanding that allows us to recognize shortcomings and seek solutions. It is the right to put forth an idea, scoffed at by the experts, and watch it catch fire among the people. It is the right to dream — to follow your dream or stick to your conscience, even if you’re the only one in a sea of doubters. Freedom is the recognition that no single person, no single authority or government has a monopoly on the truth, but that every individual life is infinitely precious, that every one of us put on this world has been put there for a reason and has something to offer.”

-- Bob Doan Elkridge, MD

Super Sunday

I had hoped that the snow would melt with the warmer temperatures yesterday, but sadly that did not happen.

The snow remains covering much of the ground.

But at least we are in the midst of a heat wave! It was 21 degrees this morning as I awoke with the promise of possibly seeing 46 degrees!

Today is the special Sunday that arrives but once per year. Of the 52 Sundays that comprise a year, this day has been designated as Super Sunday because of the Super Bowl! It is the crowning of the NFL Champion after a grueling season the 32 teams have been whittled down to 2 contenders to be crowned Champions! 

Many other American professional sports, for instance basketball, hockey, baseball; play a best of seven series to determine the league champion and so there is not the hype and drama that is associated with football's one game winner-take-all format. We do not have to wait out a grueling series to determine the eventual champion. Tonight the Lombardi Trophy signifying the NFL champion will be awarded to the final survivor.

So, here is my prediction for the big game: Patriots 35 to Rams 31.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Warming Up - Groundhog Day

Driveway
February 2, 2019

Happy Groundhog Day!

Amazingly, it is going to get up to 40 degrees today. 

I am thinking that I will get outside and cut some more wood for the fireplace. We still have a lot of wood laying on the ground to cut up and burn but the wet weather which preceded the cold weather has pretty much kept me from getting it prepared for burning.

Finnegan on the Beach
January 21, 2019

I believe 40 degrees will feel very warm! Hard to believe but after such frigid weather warming up over 30 degrees will be a welcome relief. 

It will not be as warm as it was in Florida two weeks ago, but it will feel much better than the 12 degrees that greeted me as I went to work yesterday. 

AND THIS JUST IN

Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow and predicted an early Spring! 

Spring cannot arrive soon enough!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

State of the Union

The State of the Union address, mandated by the Constitution, is finally scheduled for next Tuesday. The address will take place during what is apparently going to be a brief reopening of the government.

The Congress and the President are still at odds and there is no forward movement on keeping the government open.

What is the state of our union?

Here's Bob's opinion.

Divided! I have never seen the country so polarized and divided. The invectives being used daily by both parties are divisive and not conducive to a progressive government devoted to protecting civil liberties and providing for the common defense.

The "Wall" is a red herring. Almost everyone wants border security. It is just that the "Wall" has become a rallying cry.

I was encouraged yesterday when Customs and Border Security displayed the biggest drug bust in history. Did it come over where the wall would have been? No! It was at a known border crossing. 

My take? We need to tone down the rhetoric, infighting, and invectives and get to work restoring our country as the shining beacon for the world.  

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

How Cold is it?

Too cold!

I awoke this morning to a thermometer reading 4 degrees. Last least we are on the positive side of the scale.

I am almost afraid to go outside, except that I already had the dogs out to do their business. 

I checked some temperatures around the country this morning via the magic of Alexa and discovered where the heart of the polar vortex is positioned.

Chicago, IL: -17
Fargo, ND: -24
Pittsburgh, PA: -5
Ithaca, NY: -7
Houston, TX: 52
Jupiter, FL: 63

I wonder where I'd rather be? Yes, Florida!

We will survive the cold and the upside is that it should help to reduce the insect population for next summer!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

And it is Over

I crawled onto a Southwest flight in West Palm Beach yesterday afternoon with Chris and Finnegan and returned to Maryland.

Blue Skies Over the Condo in Tequesta
January 29, 2019

We boarded the jet under crystal blue skies with temperatures near the 70's and a warm sun invigorating the world and my mood. It was the best weather day of the entire vacation--truly. We are missing really good weather by one week it seems. The rain and cold of the past week is transforming into 70's and 80's and sun for the week ahead in the Palm Beach area or, as it is called by the locals, the Treasure Coast.

I was greeted by snow, ice, and cold upon arrival in Baltimore. Ugh. It is 15 degrees this morning. Back to the cold, hard reality of life.

A View from Tequesta, Florida
Radio Flyer
January 29, 2019

The time away was awesome and Fran and Mary were great hosts. Chris and I played three rounds of golf! That was fantastic. Even though the weather was not beach-worthy, it was golf-worthy. Sadly, my short game still sucks. So does my putting and my driving, lol. I am glad that golf clubs fly free on Southwest.

It was a great trip, all in all, it is always good to get away and now that Chris is retired, we are free to move about the country when school is in session. On the down side, it is only January and I have already consumed six of my precious leave days for the year! Hmmmm. The image I took from above the place where we were staying in Tequesta of Jupiter Island in the distance with the ocean on the horizon  will remind me of the beautiful weather until Chris and I return. Sooner than later, I hope.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Angry Ocean

Atlantic Ocean crashing on Jupiter Island
from Radio Flyer
January 28, 2019

For those of you wondering whether I had moved to Florida on a permanent basis, do not fear. Today is a travel day and Chris, Finnegan, and I are returning to the frozen northland.

Birdseye View of the Ocean Crashing on the Rocks
Jupiter Island
from Radio Flyer
January 29, 2019

And the weather apparently is preparing for our return as well  by providing record setting cold and snow. Thanks! 

Yesterday the weather cleared and I was able to get Radio Flyer, my trusty drone, into the skies to get some images of the angry Atlantic Ocean as it crashed onto the rocks that adorn the beach of Jupiter Island. i made three flights off the beach and attempted to capture the power of the waves as they crashed on the rocks. Given the amount of sea foam, however, the white of the waves in the rocks gets lost, sadly.  

I put together a compilation of the short videos that I shot yesterday of the ocean from Radio Flyer.

In looking at the weather report for the next week in Florida, it is clear that Chris and I chose the wrong week to be here. The weather next week is going to be fantastic! Well, for February!

Well--here's hoping for on-time flights and a good travel day.

-- Bob Doan, writing from Tequesta, Florida

Monday Musings - January 28, 2019

1. Amazingly, the last Monday of January is upon us and the first month of the year will soon be in the books. 

Picture of Magazine in a Rack

2. It has been great being in Florida, the weather has not been idyllic, but is warm and not snowing--for which I am grateful. I am not excited about returning to winter in Baltimore.

Flamingo Room
Stuart, Florida

3. There are some weird magazines out there. The one about Gardens and Gun seems really extreme.

4. We went shopping in Stuart, Florida at some boutiques and ran across a very interesting room. I can definitely say, I would consider a toned down version of a Flamingo room for our house.

5. Despite the less than optimal weather, it has been a great time away with friends in Florida.   Hopefully, today we will be able to get outside again and enjoy not being in the middle of winter in the north.

6. The government has reopened! Yay! The Congress and the President should strive to keep it open and functioning.

7. I have witnessed some really crazy driving while I have been enjoying Florida. And I though Maryland drivers were bad.

8. Next Sunday is the Super Bowl! I'm not sure how much of it I will watch,

9. The fate of winter will be decided on Saturday as Punxsutawney Phil provides his Ground Hog day prediction for the arrival of Spring.

Challenger Tragedy
January 28, 1986

10. Today in History. At 11:38 a.m. EST, on January 28, 1986, the space shuttle Challenger lifts off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and Christa McAuliffe is on her way to becoming the first ordinary U.S. civilian to travel into space. McAuliffe, a 37-year-old high school social studies teacher from New Hampshire, won a competition that earned her a place among the seven-member crew of the Challenger. She underwent months of shuttle training but then, beginning January 23, was forced to wait six long days as the Challenger‘s launch countdown was repeatedly delayed because of weather and technical problems. Finally, on January 28, the shuttle lifted off.

Seventy-three seconds later, hundreds on the ground, including Christa’s family, stared in disbelief as the shuttle broke up in a forking plume of smoke and fire. Millions more watched the wrenching tragedy unfold on live television. There were no survivors.

Headlines

Your 2019 Tax Refund Might Be Higher, Lower or Later Than Usual - The New York Times

‘It feels like we are still hostages’: Federal contractors who lost health insurance during shutdown remain in limbo - The Washington Post

As West turns on him, Venezuela's Maduro flexes military muscle - Reuters

Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week 

“If you analyze it I believe the very heart and soul of conservatism is libertarianism. I think conservatism is really a misnomer just as liberalism is a misnomer for the liberals — if we were back in the days of the Revolution, so-called conservatives today would be the Liberals and the liberals would be the Tories. The basis of conservatism is a desire for less government interference or less centralized authority or more individual freedom and this is a pretty general description also of what libertarianism is.”


-- Bob Doan, writing from Tequesta, Florida