Wednesday, September 02, 2015

it could be worse

FROG HOSPITAL -- Sept. 2, 2015 -- unsubscribe anytime
It Could Be Worse
By Fred Owens
I support Hillary Clinton for President. She is competent if uninspiring. She'll do, as they say. She needs a nickname, so let's call her Old Bones. She needs a slogan, so we can say "It could be worse." She gets my vote if the election were held today.

Hillary is the safe, moderate, middle of the road choice. Who needs excitement? I can watch excitement on TV.

Naming Names
The symbols of the season are changing. First the confederate flag went down and the junior high school that was named after Robert E. Lee goes by Harriet Tubman now. Next, Mount McKinley becomes Denali, as many Alaskans prefer.
Andrew Jackson will not last long on the twenty dollar bill. If it has to be changed, I would pick Eleanor Roosevelt.

Thomas Jefferson authored the Declaration of Independence and negotiated the Louisiana Purchase, buying the territory from the Emperor Napolean without consulting the inhabitants. He will be criticized for that land grab, and apologies will be made. Jefferson's reputation will be downgraded a notch, but he will remain in the pantheon of American heroes.

The Washington Redskins are privately owned. The team will change it's name when it loses fan support and corporate revenue.

That leaves Columbus Day, a looming target. It gets personal here. Christopher Columbus is one of my heroes. Columbus is the Great Navigator, he is an inspiration to all who are lost. He discovered the New World, although the people who got discovered did not know who the hell he was. October 12, 1492 is one of the most important dates in human history. On that day the world changed and the human race became united. I celebrate that day, although many do not.
Few people care about Columbus anymore, so look for his holiday to disappear or change, under pressure from native American groups who are on a winning streak now.
Climate Change is a Business Opportunity. It's as simple as spreading mulch instead of planting grass if you are in the landscaping business. Or if you have a plant nursery, you discontinue azaleas and stock up on succulents.
If you're in the building trades and the prediction is for warmer winters and hot summers, then the heating-cooling systems need to be changed and there's money to be made doing this. Invest in air conditioning.
The prediction is for rising seas. If you're in real estate, invest in higher ground.

On a bigger scale, if the Arctic ice cap keeps receding, then you plan on new shipping routes on the Northern Way.
My advice to young men and women starting out in life is this -- every change in the weather creates new jobs. When the flood comes, sell hip boots.
Fat Tom.  In the next issue I will continue the story about the Murder on Highway 20. This happened July 28 of 2000 in Skagit County around midnight. Naval officer Scott Kinkele was returning from a day's hike on Mt. Rainier. Eben Berriault and his half-brother Seth Anderson were on a spree of reckless abandon, speeding down the highway, driving drunk and shooting at signs and other vehicles. They pulled up behind Kinkele's car. Eben leaned out the window and shot Kinkele in the back of the head, killing him instantly. Kinkele slumped over the wheel and his car lurched sickeningly across the grass median strip and came to a halt on the other side of the highway. Eben and Seth kept going, back to their home in Anacortes. It was a shocking crime.
The story for next week is about Fat Tom. He was Seth Anderson's father.  Fat Tom was a good man, in his way .... but ..... but you will hear about him next week.
Frog Hospital Grows. We received a $50 subscription from a good friend in Boston. That brings us to $400 for the year. Our goal is $4,000, so we have a long way to go. -- notice the editorial "we."  Actually it's just me. Frog Hospital is honest work. Your check or PayPal donation will be greatly appreciated.
Take the money you were going to send to PBS. I need it more than they do. Sure, you like Bernie Sanders. Give him $20 and give me $20. Hillary Clinton has millions, she should be sending me money, for
Pete's sake.
Who's Pete?

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Fred Owens
1105 Veronica Springs RD
Santa Barbara, CA 93105

--
Fred Owens
cell: 360-739-0214

My gardening blog is  Fred Owens
My writing blog is Frog Hospital



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