Be Grateful for Losers

On Sunday, after I spent most of the morning with my kids at the Science Museum, followed by a trip to Cosetta's to get the hot beef sandwich, I got home, laid down for an hour and realized the Minnesota Vikings had played a game.  I opened up my sports app on my phone, saw they lost, closed it and went about my day.

Seriously, that's all I cared about; what was the score, and done.  At no point leading up to the game did I jump on social media and taunt any other team's fan base.  The Vikings had played the Chicago Bears, but Bears fans are not very vocal in my life.  I know there are some Bears fans around Minnesota, but none crossed my path after their team won.  My wife had an uncle who lived on the south side who was occasionally a pain in the ass, but he would only poke during, and right after, a game, and ONLY when the Vikings and Bears played each other.

I knew what was coming.  Even though the Vikings did not play them, the Green Bay Packers, a team whose fan base (by their own comments) seems to have some seriously deep rooted personal problems, started insulting and berating me, unprovoked.  These people do this EVERY weekend, regardless of whether or not the Packers and Vikings played each other.

"You see we won and you lost?  That's because Aaron Rodgers is the greatest quarterback to ever play the game, and your team should be disbanded.  No one can deny how great the Green Bay franchise is, and how great the fans are.  We are seriously the best fans ever!  We never quit! We always stand by our team! WE HAVE SUPER BOWL TITLES AND YOU GUYS HAVE NEVER WON ANYTHING!"

The Green Bay Packers have had a remarkable run.  Buoyed by two of the better quarterbacks to ever play (but neither the best ever) they've had a multiple decades run which has brought Wisconsin a lot of pride, and some Super Bowls.  The Green Bay Packers fill a major hole in Wisconsinites lives because, and I'm not joking, they don't seem to have ANYTHING else.

Now let me get this out of the way.  There are quite a few crazed Vikings fans too.  Undeniably, but what I'm about to describe in regards to how the Packers fans behave is probably something you can relate to.

My wife has a lot of Wisconsin relatives, so beginning in the mid-90's I started spending time in Wisconsin.  I'll never forget the first time I went and hung out with them.  We arrived on Friday night, where I spent three hours getting ripped because I was a lowly Vikings fan, and they were the fans of the greatest team who ever walked the earth.  Then, on Saturday no conversation was more than three sentences away from a Packers comment or anti-Vikings comment.  The entire weekend, no matter who I talked with; it was relentless.  Then on Sunday, we went to church and then immediately walked from church into the local bar to watch the Packers play someone.  Every play which was great was "a testament to the franchise." Every play that wasn't was greeted with jeers and cat calls about how the referees were always robbing their team.  On that Sunday, the testaments beat out the outrages and the Packers won, which was followed by FOUR HOURS of everyone reliving every play of the game.  We left around 7 PM, but not before I got a fresh round of "your team sucks."

THIS WAS THE FIRST WEEKEND I WAS MEETING HER FAMILY!  To be fair, there was one person who did not partake in this insanity, my wife's grandmother, who could care less about sports. I liked visiting her.

Year after year after year after year.  This family, or this other family, or a friend, or at a reunion.  It didn't matter.  No matter the occasion, no matter the time of year, Packers, Packers, Packers!  I was told repeatedly I was not a "good fan," something I still have no idea what that means.  Even at my grandmother-in-laws funeral, they couldn't help themselves, stumbling back to Packers talk until I told them to stop.  They said "It's not our fault your team sucks," to which I replied "we're at a funeral you asses.  Give it a rest!"  They actually had to think about it before realizing they'd be best to shut up.

I've visited friends across the state of Minnesota. I've stayed with rabid Minnesota Vikings, Twins, Wild, T-wolves, Golden Gopher and even UMD fans.  I've NEVER had anything close to that happen in Minnesota, let alone every single time I went to visit.  I've been to other parts of the country and stayed with fans of other sports teams.  Even Yankees fans hang up the fandom eventually.  Not the Packers fans.

I don't visit Wisconsin anymore.  It's just too sad.

"How is your family?" "You just don't want to talk about how great the Packers are!"

"How's work going?" "Not as good as the Packers are doing, but I have a shot at the company tickets next month!"

"How are your kids doing?" "They're great because they're Packers fans...well, actually they're struggling in school and don't have a lot of focus, but they sure seem to focus on Sundays when the Packers play!"

I've tried to start off conversations with "yep, the Packers are a great franchise, FAR more storied than the Vikings.  You have a lot to be proud of."  Instead of defusing the rantings, they almost tear up and talk even louder about their team, with a pride like they've converted me to their religion.

I have a great life.  I have great kids, a great wife, a great house, and a great job.  I live in an AMAZING city with great restaurants, great museums, great concerts and great attractions.  Am I fan of the local sports teams?  Sure, but they're exactly what they should be to me, parsley on the plate of life.  I'll pay a little closer attention if the team is doing better, but I don't have Vikings purple on the house.  I will not be buried in a Vikings casket.  I will not allow every conversation I have to be tethered to the daily worshipping of a freaking sports team.  Only pathetic losers do that.

The Packers are a storied franchise.  Sure, prior to Farve becoming their QB there were A LOT of empty seats in the stadium.  After the team drops back to the rest of the field there will be empty seats again.  I'm concerned about what happens to these fans when that does happen because this seems to be all these people have to be proud of.  The Green Bay Packers are the only brightness in most of these people's lives.

A toast, to the Minnesota Vikings.  Don't ever change.  Continue to play slightly above average.  I'd sure hate to see this city devolve if they, or any of the other local sports franchises, ever did start to consistently win.

Christmas is Over?

The other day I had bad news.  The Christmas lights adorning my house appeared to have died.  They'd been glowing brightly only a few minutes before, but now they were out.  I ran a checklist to narrow down the problem, concluding the line itself wasn't working.  I was not happy.

This wasn't a string of new 'cheap' lights which have become the 'go to' for most families; mass produced from overseas, LED, good for maybe a year or two before they needed to be replaced.  These were old school lights, or as they're called today, vintage.  These lights looked like the ones which used to dance down Nicollet Mall during the Hollidazzle Parade.  This was a strand of lights my father had hung on his house when I was a kid, and they'd lasted at least 50 years.  My mother thought they were purchased in the late 1960's.

When my father gave me the lights back around 2008, you could tell they were different.  As opposed to a flimsy modern strand, these had sturdiness and reliability.  They were made with an electrical line similar to my extension cords and the plugs were heartier than some of the light fixtures in my house.  I swear there were bulbs on the line which were either original or were first generation replacements. The cord even had a fuse box on it.  When they were lit, it was prime Christmas beauty; American made!

But now they were not working.  

It did not help this was on the 26th.  Christmas from certain angles, a holiday we'd been hearing about for the last 2 months, did what it has done for the last 10 years, almost immediately beginning to disappear the minute we get passed noon on Christmas Day.  When I was a kid, the real Christmas season began in earnest on the 10th or so of December.  Sure there was Black Friday shopping, but there was always a gap between the end of Thanksgiving weekend and the real beginning of Christmas.  Christmas as a holiday itself began on Christmas Eve and went past New Years.  Christmas Day was at the beginning of the holiday, not the last gasp.  

The washing of our hands of Christmas on Christmas Day is not hard to understand.  Some people had been listening to Christmas music since November 1st.  It's not a surprise the radio stations who switch to all Christmas in November are back to regular programming by the end of the day on the 25th.  Not that long ago, Christmas music seemed to get played on radio stations well into the New Year's week.

When I was a kid, I remember many Christmas movies airing on TV in the days AFTER Christmas.  Today, no one seems to want to watch a holiday movie after Santa's visit.  Many of the stores and malls are quickly removing their decorations and displays on the 25th as they know people are burned out after two months of non-stop marketing.

And even some of my neighbors are on a calendar which has far less to do with the Christian faith and far more to do with consumer cycles.  They have their Christmas trees out on the curb early in the morning on the 26th, an unwanted carcass waiting to be scrapped.

Now my reliable strand of lights burning out seemed to be sending me a sign, telling me it was time to jettison the holiday; my standards of a Christmas lasting longer than the 25th unmaintainable in this day and age.

That Christmas strand of lights represented far more than just the season for me.  It was a reminder of how we used to make products in America, built to last!  Today, corporate executives, many of them who eagerly shipped their manufacturing overseas, are more concerned over trimming costs as opposed to making a reliable product.  

The lights also remind me of my father, who passed away earlier this year.  I was hoping to keep his family tradition going for a few more years.  Those lights represented my youth, the splendor and joy I had as a kid, excited for Christmas to come.  It represented my father's smile as he watched my face light up.

Many of my neighbors have already turned off their Christmas lights.  Two took advantage of the warmer temperatures to get them down completely.  Was Christmas really over?  Not for me.  I'm not ready for Christmas to end quite yet.  Since I hold off on Christmas music until mid December, I still enjoy the sounds of the season in the days after Christmas.  Our inside tree will be up until after the new year has been welcomed.  I'll still watch holiday movies, and I'll take a few more peeks the Christmas cards we received. 

The only hope for the light strand was the fuses.  I got up on a ladder, pried open the fuse case on the male plug, and pulled them out.  They were ancient themselves, from a day and age before big box hardware stores.  They were from a time where some guy named Earl would look at your fuse, then go over to a wall of shelves which looked un-navigable, and find exactly what you needed in two seconds.  I went to the smallest hardware store I could find, locally owned.  The 'child' working started sweating when I said I needed to find a fuse.  Thankfully he called a more experienced clerk who eventually figured out there was a match for my fuses in the automotive section. 

With a lot of trepidation, I climbed the ladder and carefully inserted the new fuses into the line.  I held my breath as I plugged the line back in...

I smiled.  Christmas is still going strong in my corner of Minnesota.

The Friday Link for 12/27/19

Howdy all!  I'm on vacation!  I hope you are having a nice holiday week!

This week enjoy four individual videos from Friday Link regulars.  Warning, some of these videos have rough language and adult descriptions!  ***YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!!!***

First up the non swear-y video.  I had to include this because not only does Bon Appétit's Chris Morocco have an incredible ability to break down the ingredients of something by merely tasting it (he figured out rutabaga?  WOW!) but he's doing so with one of my favorite foods to eat, pasties!



Next up, ZeFrank has his latest nature video, Mudskippers!  (The language starts going downhill from here).



Next up is the return of Epic Rap Battles of History and the matchup you never thought you needed, Thanos (yes, that Thanos) vs. J. Robert Oppenheimer (yes, that Oppenheimer). Adult content, you've been warned again!



Finally, SantaCon gets the takedown it has deserved for years.  Seriously, this is a B-A-D BAD idea, but yet every year we get more of them.  Last Week Tonight, has this web exclusive take down from John Oliver.



Happy New Year everyone and remember to get registered to vote in 2020.  2020 is EVERYTHING!

A Christmas Miracle

Over the holidays there are certain holiday movies/TV shows which my family watches. Only one is not a Christmas move, Sound of Music, a movie where you need a four hour window to catch it all.  Most of the rest of the movies are pure classics!  It's a Wonderful Life, Scrooge (the 1970 movie musical with Albert Finney), Polar Express, the Rankin/Bass Rudolph the Red Nosed Render and Santa Claus is Comin' to Town, and of course Merry Christmas Charlie Brown.

This year, after three years of Trump in office, I couldn't help but get some holiday cheer from the fact most of these movies have a plot where my personal political opinions were in line with the moral of the story.  As a matter of fact, these ideals being displayed over the years in these films highlights how the masses have always been treated poorly by the upper class, something we seem to only acknowledge during this time of the year.

Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol' was published in 1843, a ghost story wrapped in Christmas spirit.  A wealthy upper class person not only hoards all his money, but he goes out of his way to torment the people unfortunate enough to be within his sightline.  It's only after being visited by four spirits, being taken on a tour of his life, where he faces his own personal failures which have driven him to be so awful, he realizes and accepts the pain he's currently dishing out to those around him, and, after he sees how everyone will cheer his eventual demise (along with his eventual destination in the afterlife), he decides to change who he is, intending to treat his fellow humans better.

One hundred and seventy six years after the book was published, and after numerous film, TV and book adaptions, we still see the horrific behavior of Scrooge in our modern society.  Not only is Scrooge's evil persona far more present today, I'd even point out the Republican Right mantra from the 80's (greed is good) is a validation of Scrooges pre-ghost mentality.  Let's face it, Scrooge today would be bankrolling Republican politicians to ensure he gets even more money, while he gleefully rips away Bob Cratchit's health care, evicting him from his home.  He'd then scream at the Cratchits they're lazy moochers.  Most wealthy Republicans today seem to bank upon the question 'What Would Pre-ghost Scrooge Do?'

I wish we had more Democrats who were willing to stand up to the ugly power elite like George Bailey does in It's a Wonderful Life from 1946.  The speech he gives to the Building and Loan board after his father's death is the stuff of legends.  I've written before of how the political Right in this country has railed against the film over the decades, insisting it's anti-American to not make the greedy banker trying to own the entire town the hero.  I think one of the reasons this movie resonates today is because this 'have and have not' struggle in Bedford Falls is one that exists today in all communities.  Unfortunately, for most of us, there aren't a throng of friendly neighbors waiting outside the door to help us with our plights.  In today's America, the Building and Loan would've been long killed off by the wealthy, threatened by their mere existence, done in with the assistance of bought and paid for politicians.

Our modern political and class struggles are featured in many of the holiday specials.  Merry Christmas Charlie Brown from 1966 (and many of the Peanut's specials) has Charlie Brown fighting against commercialism and consumerism.  Judging by the way Christmas season is begun seconds after Halloween with demands of 'BUY, BUY, BUY,' we come to realize this is a fight Charlie Brown has lost, badly.  It's like Charlie Brown got hit by a line drive on the pitchers mound.

Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer features Rudolph and Hermey, two individuals being deemed misfits by their own, forced out of the community.  They stumble upon a man who's foolishly looking for wealth (Yukon Cornelius), and eventually end up in a magical place where all the misfits are welcome.  They then head back to prove they were right to be different all along.  Today, Rudolph and Hermey would still be mocked, but as opposed to heading off on their own, the confines of modern society, namely a lack of affordable options and available funds, would limit the distance they could put between themselves and their inhospitable lives.  They'd be forced to conform to the status quo.  If they did somehow make it out, and did find a community where they were welcome, would they ever go back?  And Yukon would be blamed for not working hard enough if he died poor (to be fair, his mining method of licking the pick axe might not be the soundest).

Name the holiday movie:  Elf (fighting against corporations and pre-conceived negative impressions), The Grinch (The evil guy whose house looks down upon all the minions in Who-ville, like a wealthy person in the 1880's, deciding to go and take away the joy and happiness from the good people below) Santa Clause is Comin' to Town (Powerful entities cracking down on anyone trying to have joy and happiness in their lives while bellyaching about their 'difficult responsibility'), National Lampoons Christmas Vacation (Clark just wants to get his holiday bonus check he desperately needs).

Heck even Die Hard (which some people consider a Christmas movie) is built upon the ludicrous idea that a single guy can take on an army of terrorists armed to the gills, managing to save the day.  John would've likely died in one of the many scenes where he's running unscathed through a hail of bullets, and he'd also get the living daylights sued out of him by EVERYONE by the end of that film.

For the record, Sound of Music does stand up to the Nazis...(insert your own modern Trump politics parallel here).

There are two movies which buck this trend, to a point.  Home Alone is pure John Hughes, a story built around wealthy white people in the suburbs (mostly Chicago) and Hughes' attempts to make these people relatable (watching that movie I asked how much it must've cost the McCallister family to have someone put up all those lights in 1990).  Not only does the movie iron over upper class horrific parenting, it makes it seem like the wealthy white 7 year old is the smartest guy in the film.  Now before anyone accuses me of bashing too hard, the movie is fun, especially the Loony Tunes violence he hands down on the burglars, but it's the other scenes, where he fast talks the people at the pharmacy (before stealing the toothbrush) and the grocery store, or when he offers worldly advice to his elderly neighbor which seem like 'thank God the wealthy white folk are here!'.  And the mother clearly talks down to the airline personnel and John Candy's polka band character as they help her try to get home (were airline employees EVER as nice?).  The message here, beyond the importance of family, seems to be 'what can't wealthy white people do!  Even their kids are brilliant!' Once again, I think the movie is fine, but it's not one I watch every year.

But Polar Express might be the only neutral holiday movie released in the last 40 years. It's about believing in the spirit of Christmas, and the message is delivered to both wealthier and poorer kids without too much animosity.  There's one wealthier kid who's taught the importance of humility and patience, a kid who seems to have forced his way onto the trip, but the other characters are all treated the same.  They do point out the one kid comes from the poorer side of town and doesn't usually have a great holiday, but those plot points seem to be there to remind us the train is there for all people, with no differences on account of your parents monetary status.

Every holiday season we watch these film and feel good.  Then we forget, silently reentering the bleakness, trudging back into the world where Scrooge is evil, Potter owns the town, commercialism rules us all, the misfits are shunned, your job owns you, and if you dare get out of line you will pay the price!  For 11 months, we all have to deal with this massive pile of crap, building up resentment, building up anger, building up sadness, until it's time for us to watch these movies again.  Until it's time for us to look for hope and ask the question 'is it worth it?'  If you're Bob Cratchit, George Bailey, Charlie Brown or any of the other holiday heroes, yes, but not for most of us.

Maybe we should take the lessons of these films and transfer them to the real world.  Should we tolerate cruelness for cruelness sake?  Should we allow a handful of individuals unbridled power?  Should we allow people who are different to be shunned and mistreated?  Should we allow workers to be abused for the pleasure of their bosses?  Should we allow the powerful to threaten us?  Should we allow consumerism and commercialism to be the only things available to fill our empty hearts?  Do we allow Natakomi Plaza to be robbed by Hans?  HECK NO!!!  We should have the Christmas miracle of inspiration, compassion, warmth and happiness all year long.

Maybe someday we can all live in a Polar Express world, where we call can get on the train, regardless of who we are, and we all get to go see Santa.  That would be nice.

The Friday Link for 12/20/19

Spreading some holiday cheer for you on a Friday night.

One little plug for the radio show.  We have recorded 7 never heard shows which will air over the holidays.  Not 'best of,' not fill ins, but brand new shows.  The Brand New To You Holiday shows start on Tuesday, 12/24!

For a Holiday themed Friday Link, how about a funny and twisted version of a Christmas classic, Once Upon An Impeachment, from The Late Show with Stephen Colbert!



And two music ones for you.  A reposting of the classic from the Muppets.



And finally a wonderful Christmas song from the great Paul Metsa! Christmas at Molly's:


Have a wonderful weekend and if you are taking off for the holidays, travel safe!

Proud Democrats Win!

In the history of awkward campaign answers, NOTHING comes close to the catastrophic answer Kentucky US Senate Candidate Alison Grimes gave in 2014 to an easy lay up of a question.  Grimes, who looked like she might take out the Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnel, fumbled and stumbled her way to defeat in one interview with the editorial board of the Louisville Journal-Courier.  The 'gotcha' question which killed her campaign?  "Did you vote for Barack Obama?"

Four times the board asked her to answer what should have been an easy answer; "yes as a Democrat I voted for Barack Obama twice.  Although I don't agree with him on everything, I feel a Democrat being in power in this country would be a thousand times better than a Republican."  Because Grimes couldn't get close to the correct answer, out of a delusional fear Kentucky people would be shocked to hear the Democratic candidate for Senate voted for a Democrat for President, she turned her plucky campaign into road kill in one interview.

In 2006, 2008, 2012 and 2018, Democrats won because of a simple formula which shockingly seems to be elusive to some Democratic candidates:  If you're a Democrat, be proud of being a Democrat!

I'm not going to pull any punches here.  The fact I have two tell idiot Democrats to be proud of being a Democrat is embarrassing.  The reason Democrats have fallen into this trap constantly is they follow the advice of the moderate Democrats, who are convinced of two falsehoods.

1) The rest of the Democratic Party can be ignored and taken for granted in an election, because who else are they going to vote for.  This is flawed for a simple reason.  The majority of the middle and left of the Democratic Party will either vote for a different candidate or will not vote if they feel the Democrat is ignoring and dismissing them.

2) The most import people you need to convince to vote for you are not Democrats and Independent voters, rather moderate Republicans who might think of voting for a Democrat as long as the Democrat sounds just like a Republican.  This strategy has been repeatedly proven to be wrong!  Would a Republican rather vote for a Republican, or for a Republican Lite candidate who is trying to convince you they're Republican (but not really).  Not only that, but this lack of Democratic integrity drives away Independent as well as Democrats.

In case you are missing my point, outside of extremely unique situations, the quickest way for a Democrat to lose a campaign is to pretend to be a Republican.

Unlike some Democrats today, I'm proud of my vote for Hillary Clinton.  She would've been a far better President than Trump.  She WON the general election by 3 million votes, and only lost the office due to the precision attack the Republicans and /or Russians laid upon the Electoral college system.

Or in other terms: "Yes as a Democrat I voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016!  Although I don't agree with her on everything, I felt a Democrat being in power in this country would be a thousand times better than Trump."  If you're afraid to answer that question the way I wrote above, then don't run for office.

Democrats this week are going to face a huge question, a question the Republican Party will attempt to amplify ten fold over the next 11 months.  Do you support the Impeaching of Trump?

Yes.  Yes you do!!!

This is not about undoing an election.  This is about holding a corrupt President accountable.  At any other point in our history, Trump's removal from office would be a foregone conclusion.  Considering that fact, wear your vote with pride, Democrats.

Most people agree with Impeachment, but popularity of issues seems to evade some Democrats, especially moderates.  For many years, people have wanted common sense gun control measures, but only when the numbers started getting into the 70 - 80% range did moderate Democrats finally get on board with the popular opinion.  Health care is not only a popular issue, but one which gets voters to the polls on election day, yet moderate Democrats seemed reluctant to campaign on that issue until 2018.  When they finally did embrace healthcare, they found a winning formula.

Democrats, repeat after me:

"Yes as a Democrat, damn right I voted to Impeach Trump.  He tried to use foreign aid as a tool to get political dirt to help him personally.  He then obstructed Congress at EVERY turn.  In the past, these charges would've been enough to remove ANY President from the White House, so why does Trump deserve a pass?  I stand by my vote and would vote the same way again tomorrow!"

If Democrats don't show integrity, voters, in a vacuum, can get brainwashed into thinking the Republican's blind zealotry is integrity.  It's not, but the only way to show that, AND TO WIN, is for Democratic candidates to show they have a spine.

The Friday Link for 12/13/19

Sorry no posts outside of the Friday Links this week.  I'm running around a ton with the holidays.  I do have all my cards and photos sent out.  Alas the blog suffers...

For this Friday, a few clips about current events.  First, the excellent skit about Trump being mocked at the NATO summit by the other world leaders, from Saturday Night Live.



Second up this week is the clip of Rep. Eric Swalwell's questioning at the Judiciary Committee hearings.  If there is anyone you know who thinks the Impeachment charges are a joke, have them watch this highly informative 4:39 clip.



Now, for an interpretation of the Republicans on the committee trying to prevent everyone from hearing anything about what Trump did, courtesy of Colbert.



Off to do some Christmas shopping.  Have a great weekend everyone!

The Friday Link for 12/6/19

Two simple ones for you today.  These made me laugh.

First, the rescue patrol has to save a man from the top of a mountain in the animated short "Hors Piste!" (From French. Translated, it means 'to ski off the course')



The link isn't working so click here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r488msgIr_M)

Then a fun cut from 2010 of the horrified Telemundo announcers trying to understand why anyone participates in the Winter Olympics.



Nice.  Have a great weekend everyone.

Alternate Reality

On Tuesday, November 26th, Danielle Stella, a woman running to be the Minnesota GOP candidate to take on the GOP's 'Enemy #1,' Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, was banned from Twitter.  What did she do to get thrown off one of the biggest social media sites on the planet?  She called for the hanging/lynching of Omar.

Here is the tweet from (note!) 10:50 AM on Tuesday:

She followed it up later in the day with a less subtle call for hanging:

Now I've already gone around a few times with 'delusional Republican guy who thinks he can get a date.'  Their defense of Stella is either "she never said 'lynch,' just 'hanged'" or "she was only saying if guilty of treason she should be hung."  Hanging or lynching, Stella is calling for a sitting Congresswoman to be executed under HER criteria.  And as far as the 'treason' excuse, you're predicating a lynching on a delusional conspiracy theory which all but presumes Omar is guilty.  It'd be like if I said "If it's proven a certain Minnesota Republican was sexually violating livestock, as reported by Antifa News Network, then that politician should be strung up by their neck."  I can do it too!

But what happened on Tuesday is not really the point of this blog post.  Most people probably had no idea what Stella tweeted, until national news outlet Huffington Post first covered the story Thanksgiving evening, followed locally by Fox 9 and WCCO on Friday morning.  A candidate for Federal office implies a sitting Congresswoman should be executed and the local Twin Cities news media says nothing for three days, until a national media outlet covers it.  By Friday evening, November 29th, pretty much all news outlets in town had a story on it, with the shockingly incompetent Star Tribune finally catching up to HuffPo on local Minnesota political news

Yes it was Thanksgiving week, but Tuesday and Wednesday were normal work days for most news outlets.  They just didn't care.  Well, let me rephrase that; it seems they just didn't care because it was Ilhan Omar getting threatened.

The news media in this town, whether intentionally or ignorantly, have become pawns for the Republican Party.  An embarrassing story breaks about a Democrat, and within hours the news media is in a frenzy, running stories of outrage.  If a Republican does something wrong, there seems to be an attempt to bury the story, implying it wasn't really news.  Once again, in this case a person called for the death of a sitting Congresswoman, and the Twin Cities news media, for three days(???), didn't deem it newsworthy.  But when a DFL operative uses the term 'murder-boat,' outrage abounds! 

This double standard is easiest to see in the crowd size reporting discrepancy.  A GOP rally protest is held, and it gets front page coverage, even if it's 15 or fewer people.  But if thousands of Democrats show up to march or rally against an issue, the news media (IF they cover it) bury the one sentence summary back by the Jumble. 

Let's take a trip into an alternate reality, and reverse the political parties in this story to see how the news media would've likely covered this.

Now, considering how much the news media would salivate at Ilhan Omar calling for someone to be executed, let's not even include her.  Let's say this is a white, male, Christian Democrat running to be the nominee for the MN-06 race against Tom Emmer.  And let's say this fictitious nominee tweeted that Emmer should be jailed if he had prior knowledge of Trump's Ukraine quid pro quo.

If this tweet would've been sent at 10AM on Tuesday, by 4 PM on Tuesday the news media would be running with it.  Headlines like "Democrat demands Emmer be Jailed Without a Trial" would be blaring out of TV sets, and in big bold fonts on the front page; above the fold for both local papers.  The MNGOP would have every person in front of a microphone or camera, screaming how the Democrats want to start rounding people up without charges or evidence, how Progressives think Republicans shouldn't be given a fair trial, and how this story embodies the downfall of the Democrats ("so much for the tolerant Left...").  

By Wednesday morning, Minnesota news media would be jamming their microphones and reporters notebooks into the face of every top DFL'er in the state demanding to know if they condemned the reckless comments of the Democrat in the MN-06.  "Should the Democrat in the MN-06 resign immediately?"  "Is this new 'jail all Republicans' policy directly from the DFL leadership?" "Besides Emmer, who else in the MNGOP is on the DFL's arrest list?"  "When will the DFL offer an apology to Emmer and his family, for the pain and suffering they've put them through?" 

The hypothetical DFL candidate would've been out of the MN-06 race by the time turkey was being carved on Thursday with the DFL releasing a formal apology, and, in the aftermath, the DFL would likely conceded the MN-06 as a district too toxic to even waste resources on.

I'm sure some news media reading this will be outraged.  If you've watched Minnesota news from an unbiased position, you'd see how they cover politics from a right leaning lop-sided paradigm (especially ANYTHING with Rep. Omar).  You'd have to acknowledge the point this post makes is legit.  Then again, it's always easier to kill the messenger as opposed to admit a THREE DAY LAPSE in coverage of a MNGOP candidate for the MN-05 seat calling for Congresswoman Ilhan Omar to be lynched (under certain 'parameters') is pretty inexcusable.  I stand by this post.  

Thank God I get my local political news from...Huffington Post.

The Friday Link for 11/29/19

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  It's not over for some of us, as most of my friends have at least one meal celebration they're headed to this weekend.  If you're in the same boat, enjoy!

This week, I'm going to post more historical cooking from Townsends.  This is a look back at their 5th season when they did an entire series on a traditional holiday meal.  If you have an 18th century kitchen, and you like to make things old school, enjoy!

In the three videos, you'll first get a turkey recipe, then stuffing, and then a pumpkin pie.  The entire set of videos are great.







Have a great weekend everyone!  Drive safe!  Go Gophers!

Terry's Thanksgiving Recipes 2019

Here are the two recipes Terry and I talked about on Monday's show!

Apple Cider Brine

Ingredients:

1 fresh or thawed turkey

2 oranges, sliced

8 cups apple cider
2/3 cups kosher salt
2/3 cup sugar

8 slices fresh ginger root
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrots
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon black peppercorns

2 teaspoons allspice berries, crushed
4 cups cold water

1.     Combine the cider, salt, sugar, ginger, onion, carrots, bay leaves, peppercorns and crushed allspice berries in a large stockpot. Bring to a boil over medium high heat and cook for about five minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the sugar and salt dissolve. Remove from the heat, add the cold water, and cool to room temperature. 

2.     Have ready a pot large enough to hold the turkey and the brine. Place a plastic oven bag inside another to create a double-thickness.  Rest in the bags in a pot or roasting pan to collect any possible leaks and to make moving the turkey easier. Wash the turkey inside and out and remove the giblets and neck and reserve for gravy or stuffing if desired. 

3.     Place the turkey inside the double-thickness bag and stand it upright. Place orange slices in the main cavity. Cover the turkey completely with the brine. 

4.     Cover or tightly close the bag and refrigerate for 12-24 hours. Turn the turkey 3 or 4 times during the brining. 

5.     Before roasting, remove the turkey from the brine and rinse with cold water. Pat dry with paper towels before roasting. 

Roasted Stuffed Onions

Serves 4

Ingredients:

½ pound mushrooms, stems removed and sliced

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Salt and Pepper

4 medium yellow onions, peeled

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 ½ cup drinking quality dry white wine

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

¾ cup plain breadcrumbs

¾ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated

¼ pound bacon, cooked and chopped

3 tablespoons heavy cream,

2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, chopped

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1.     Melt the in a large saucepan until bubbling. Add the mushrooms and stir to coat with butter. Allow the mushrooms to cook, unturned and allow them to brown on one side. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside. 

2.     Preheat oven to 425°F. Slice the top one quarter off the top of each onion and cut     

just enough off the bottom of each onion to allow it to sit flat in the roasting dish.

3.     Heat the olive oil in an oven proof skillet. Place the onions cut side down and sauté 

until golden brown. Remove the pan from the heat and invert the onions cut side up. 

4.     Pour the wine over the onions and season with salt, pepper and thyme. 

5.     Bake, uncovered, until just tender or about 1 hour.

6.     Remove the onions from the skillet leaving the cooking liquid in the pan. Scoop out 

the inside of each onion, leaving a ½ inch “shell”.  Chop enough of the scooped out 

onion to make about ½ cup.

7.     In a mixing bowl, combine the ½ cup onion, breadcrumbs, Parmigiano-Reggiano, 

cooked bacon, cream and parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

8.     Divide the filling between the onion “shells” and place the filled onions back into the 

skillet with the cooking liquid. Roast for an additional 20 minutes, or until hot. 

9.     Serve the roasted onions with some of the pan juices. 

The Friday Link for 11/22/19

First up, with next Thursday being Thanksgiving, how about a nice Thanksgiving tribute featuring Scooter and Lew Zealand and his Flying Fish Act, from the Muppets.



Now, for something with more pageantry!  But first:

SWEET LORD DOES THIS HAVE A LOT OF BAD LANGUAGE!!!  I'M NOT JOKING!!!  IF YOU'RE A SENSITIVE SORT, OR JUST PREFER NOT TO HAVE A LOT OF SWEARING AND ADULT THEMES, REWATCH THE MUPPET VIDEO!!!  YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!!!

The minute I saw the Bob Murray Revisited/SLAPP Lawsuits episode of Last Week Tonight, there was no way I couldn't post this as a Friday Link.  This episode could end with one of the top ten greatest comedy bits of all time.  Seriously, the musical number to finish this off is perfect, and so damn raunchy.  The lawyer segment is brutal, but hilarious.

Enjoy!



Have a great weekend everyone!

The Easy Task of Raising Kids!

I'm a very proud dad.  I have three kids, a son who is 18, and two daughters, 15 and 12.  I used to think I was meant to be a radio personality in a major city, but then my son was born and I realized I was meant to be a dad.  I've been very happy.

My kids are all successful (so far) and my wife and I've made helping them succeed a priority.  There are a lot of ways to raise kids; no one individual way is the correct way to do it.  I've had my struggles and tribulations, I've sworn and cried, I've been exhausted and exalted, I've been happy and proud; but the path we took is only one of many.  I have friends who've raised amazing kids, but in the complete opposite way we approached it.  My first bit of advice:  find a good partner, and talk about how you want to raise your kids before you have them.  

On occasion, I've been asked for some advice on how to raise kids, and I currently have four friends who are getting ready to have their first kid.  I don't want to overstep my bounds, so let me share with you the things which I feel have been our most successful endeavors when it comes to raising our kids.

1) Read to them!  This is by far the best thing you can do.  My wife read to every one of our kids at night starting when they were about 3 months old.  Every night, one of us read to them.  Not only did it give them quality parent time everyday, it started them on a path of reading and imagination, two traits which have definitively helped them socially and academically, two traits which are incredibly hard to ignite within a child later in life.

2) Talk to your kids, but don't talk down to your kids. Whenever my kids would ask a question like "Daddy, why is the sky blue," I'd try to answer it.  Even if they were 5 years old, I'd tell them 'light refracts off of water and the color that comes through the strongest is blue, hence why the sky is blue.'  If I didn't know the answer, I would tell them, "I don't know, but maybe we can find out together."  I'm not saying I treated them like adults at a young age, but rather I didn't dismiss them or talk down to them because I didn't think they'd understand the answer, or as cover when I didn't know the answer myself.  When they asked me a question, I'd answer it like when an adult asked me.  They wanted to talk, and I encouraged them to have a conversation.

3) Dedicate family time.  Everyday have a moment where you're together as a family.  I know that can be tough with kid's schedules, but make it a priority whenever you can.  If you as parents promote the idea of family, they'll respect the family too.  Meals are always an easy option for this, especially on weekends.

4) Try your best to limit screen time, but not to a point where your kid is a pariah. Our kid's generation is a screen based generation.  They just are.  The greatest challenge for any parent today is to teach your kid how to limit the amount of screen time they use, so when they go off on their own they don't become a self induced technology hermit.  Find a formula of screen time which works for you, and when your kid whines, put a book in front of them not a screen.  Limit the kids times around glowing rectangles, but don't forbid them completely.  Your kids will need to be able to navigate their friend groups, so make sure your kids get some screen time.  That way they don't come across as mini druids.

5) Be early.  Teach your kids to be wherever they need to be 10 to 15 minute early.  This is a good habit to instill, and one which will pay dividends as your kids get older.

6) Get them moving.  It's so important to get you kids up and moving.  There are a lot of kids who come home on a Friday, and sit watching screens for the entire weekend.  Not only are there health concerns, but kids need to get outside and interact with the world.  It doesn't have to be a sports league or a gym membership.  They can simply walk around their neighborhoods.  If the parents go along with them, it encourages them to eventually do it on their own.  Also, a dog helps.

7) Teach them manners.  This is not only about displaying an element of respect, it actually is becoming a trait which will pay off for them in the future.  As more people interact with screens, there seems to be a deficit of politeness.  Do you want your kid holding open the door and saying 'please' and 'thank you,' or do you want a kid so terrified by human interaction they let the door slam in someone's face and find it impossible to say 'thanks?'

8) Do not pigeon hole them.  As your kids get older, there will be pressure on them to do only one sport, or one art, or one activity.  If you pigeon hole your kids into a sole activity, they not only will narrow their social circles, they immediately forfeit the ability of finding out if there's a sport, or an activity they can enjoy as a hobby.  All three of my kids play a sport, play in band, go to church, and have other activity groups.  I have determined eclectic lifestyles deliver dynamic kids.

9) Let them walk away from things they no longer like, even if they're good at them.  My oldest daughter, at age 8, was a phenom softball player.  She was a prodigy, not only destined to play high school softball, but beyond.  For her, she only played two more years.  It was two years because after the first season ending tournament, when she said "Dad, I really don't want to play softball anymore," I made one of the biggest mistakes I've made in parenting.  I told her to stick with it.  I was not only placing her ability ahead of her wishes, I was thinking about her future without taking her input into consideration.  She played another season, but after the next year end tournament, she broke down in tears, talking about how the coaches and parents were all bad sports.  She never wanted to play again.  Thank God I heard her that time.  She (happily and with no regrets) never played softball again.  No matter the activity, and no matter what talent level your kid is at, if they no longer want to do that activity, don't make them.  Allow them to walk away.

10)  Teach them the value of success and failure.  Success and failure are natural for everyone, so embrace them both.  When your kids are successful, talk with about why it worked.  When your kids fail, help them get back up.  Don't shy away from the valuable lessons you can learn from picking up the pieces.  And just because a failure is painful, don't allow your kids to avoid figuring out what went wrong.

11)  Make time for your kids.  I'm going to get a little preachy here.  Undoubtedly, me putting aside my lesser personal activities has helped my kids.  I couldn't, on a Saturday, throw my kids aside for five hours while I went and did some personal activity without them.  I look for the windows of time we are all together and plan fun activities.  Hikes, museums, swimming, even yard work; there are a lot of things you can do with your kids.  Just make sure your kids are there too.  If you're a golfer, and you want to take your kids, that's great, but if your kids says they don't like it, ask if golf is important enough to take  you away from your kids for 25 to 30 Saturday's per year?  This isn't bashing certain activities (golf, hunting, fishing, ect.) more pointing out the main thing you're kids want is to spend time with you.  I used to fish all the time.  Loved it, and still do, but my kids never caught the fishing bug, so I put the poles away and decided going to art museums, parks, zoos, and swimming with my kids was an easy compromise.  If your personal agenda pushes them away, ask yourself if it's really worth it.  And for God's sake, never put your social media pages ahead of your kids.  That's just sad.


There you go.  I know some people will look at this and feel as if I'm 'high and mighty.'  Like I said you have to raise your own kids.  Make decisions you're happy with, ones which have your kids interests in mind.  You don't have to do a dang thing I've suggested (although the reading to them is gold!).  As long as you're there, there's a good chance your kids will turn out fine.

One final bit of advice.  I love my kids.  I'm proud of them.  You should tell your kids both of those things every single day.

The Vikings, Trump and Perspective

In case you missed it, the last two weeks of Minnesota Vikings football have been exciting.  Two weeks ago, after critics of the team and the team's quarterback, Kirk Cousins, complained about their inability to win a road game against a winning opponent, they won a nationally televised game at Dallas.  The next week, after being criticized for their inability to come from behind and win, they did just that, scoring on EVERY 2nd half possession to tally 27 points, and steal a win from Denver at home.

Many of the same people (both locally and nationally) who complained about Cousins ability didn't admit they were wrong in regards to the two victories.  Instead they criticized both wins as weak, claiming since both the games were on the line until the last play it showed another major fault.  It was no longer Cousins' inability to win against a good team on the road, or lead the Vikings to a comeback victory, it was 'Cousins is a failure because he didn't win both games by 50 points.'

Many of the same critics would have a VERY different interpretation of those two wins if Green Bay Packer Quarterback Aaron Rodgers had pulled them off.  They'd be gushing about how you have to admire Rodger's tenacity, and his ability to steal victories from the jaws of defeat. It's perspective.  Rodgers is a great quarterback (not top 25 of all time, but good, and he does have a Super Bowl ring he pretty much won himself, nearly ten years ago).  The love affair certain members of the media have with him allow them to over inflate everything he does, while many of the same media who dislike Cousins dismiss his victories even when they contradict the narrative they themselves have pushed.

Perspective drives the narrative of how an individual wants to see the world, and happens everywhere.  That being said, it doesn't make it any less obnoxious when the media does it to our faces.

In September of 2016, then Democratic Candidate Hillary Clinton had pneumonia.  She was undeniably weakened, but because much of our politics is based on appearances, she trudged through the campaign season.  On one occasion, she stumbled heading to her car after a 9/11 commemoration, and the media in this country went nuts!  They called her out for being seriously ill, having to be carried from event to event, accused of having a much more serious illness, and even accused of having extensive brain damage.  All from one stumble after an event.

Meanwhile Donald Trump, the man who inhabits the White House, had to be rushed to Walter Reed Medical Center under mysterious circumstances over the weekend. The White House has a full medial facility, top notch, staffed and ready to go, so for a President, on the weekend, unannounced, to have to be rushed to Walter Reed is a bit of a concern.

The White House said this was scheduled, but it never appeared on Trump's itinerary, an itinerary which was immediately scrapped, unexpectedly, when Trump was rushed to the hospital.  The White House is floating the story that Trump had a day off with nothing on the agenda (???) and decided to get a head start on 2020's annual physical.  That's not how annual physicals work.

None of that makes any sense, but the same media who constantly barraged Hillary with questions about her health is relegating their desire for truth to the back burner and acting as if all of this is normal.  It's not, and Trump should inform the American people if he, a 70+ year old man who hardly exercises, watches TV religiously, avoids vegetables and eats fast food constantly, is having a health problem.

(via The Onion)

I want Trump out of the White House, but not due to a serious health problem.  There's a responsibility by the media to at least demand the answer of what is going on.  They don't have to be as tenacious as they were with Hillary, but I would think "is the President healthy" is a basic question the news media shouldn't shrug their shoulders at.

The Friday Link for 11/15/19

I've become addicted to Bon Appétit's YouTube Channel.  I've watched probably 10 hours of it, and for me to watch 10 hours of anything in a single week is a rarity.  That's Doctor Who, Mystery Science Theater 3000 territory for me (NERD!!!).

In particular, I've LOVED Gourmet Makes.  In this series, Pastry Chef Claire Saffitz takes a common, gas station food (for lack of a better term) and tries to make a gourmet version of it.

The appeal of this series is all on Claire.  Her chef talent is in rarefied air.  The ability she has to taste something and almost immediately come up with the science behind the food, and in turn figure out a gourmet version of said item is amazing.  You get emotionally tied up in her triumphs and failures; Claire herself the perfect symbol of a modern hard work and professionalism.  She takes it seriously, and in turn you get addicted.  Plus, she is kind of adorable!

And these things she tackles are not easy to make!  One fun element of the show is the realization that something like Pringles, with its unique shape, is almost impossible to replicate in a home kitchen.  Could you make a Skittle?  I sure as heck couldn't.

And all this while giving you a view in what might be the coolest work environment on the planet.  Seriously, you'll dream of having coworkers and a workspace as cool as these people (Bon Appétit, please hire me!).  By the way, these videos get big viewing numbers, so I'm not alone in my love.

Three episodes this week (they're long!) but you'll love them.  Hot Pockets, Starbursts and Sour Patch Kids!  Enjoy!







Have a great weekend everyone!

One More Time, With Spirit! For the Veterans...

I've said before: the thing conservatives challenge me on most has nothing to do with politics.  They challenge me on my military service.  I was in the US Army from 1988 to 1992...

That is indeed a young pre-bridge troll version of me, your front line of defense!  I'm very proud of my military service, and the lessons I learned during my four year tour have helped make me a better father, husband and radio broadcaster.

But the idea of me, a Democrat, being a proud veteran triggers a lot of conservatives.  I've been challenged numerous times in the last ten years; some snarky jackass thinks he'll score alt-right points by exposing me as a fraud.  The Republican challenges always have the same feel, their counterpoint hung loosely on some very fragile argument like 'that wasn't the BDU's soldiers wore at that time in my buddies unit,' or 'I never heard of that training and I've read EVERY manual ever released by the military.' Nothing I can do or say will change their mind.

The challenger (almost always) didn't serve in the US Armed Forces themselves.

I usually end up bringing in my friends I served with, veterans who are scattered across the country who'll always come to my defense if some jerk decides to question my military service, just as I would defend them.  The Righto will then start stumbling, insisting they never said I wasn't in the military, just pointing out an inconsistency they assure me NOW has been settled.  They then run away like cowards.

At no point do these 'patriotic Americans' apologize for smearing my military service.  NOT ONCE has a Righto admitted they were wrong and said "I'm sorry.'

It's Veterans Day again, and it's time for me to reset the four things I feel the US Government should do for Veterans and their families.  But before I get there, let me make a comment about what it means to support the troops.

Throughout the weekend, when I watched TV or went out shopping, I was inundated with military salutes, directed at the current military, those who had served, those who we've lost, and the families of these brave men and women.  That's great!  Thanks, but there's a problem with these displays.  It makes people feel like they've done something to help the soldiers when they really haven't done that much.

There's a difference between acknowledging the troops and supporting the troops.

Don't get me wrong, it's always nice to have people say thanks.  Some places have specialized parking spots reserved for Veterans and some stores offer military discounts for those who've served.  Many businesses have a special fund where they offer a certain military family plane tickets and a nice vacation.  That's also great, and appreciated, but let me try to explain a few points.

It's nice to save 3 cents on a pack of light bulbs, but for many veterans, active duty and military families, it's doesn't really fill the voids which every veteran, soldier and military family member deal with every day.  But because it's a benefit some people can't get, it's perceived by many as doing far more than it actually does.  It's like the parking spot.  Sure its great to be able to park five spots closer to the door, but the next Veteran in after me doesn't get that benefit.  And did my day really became better for the 20 feet I didn't have to walk?  Meanwhile the store feels like they've covered a major failure in the gaps of military care today by allowing a veteran to park a few spots closer.

Let's not disguise a primary benefactor for these token gestures, the people/businesses who promote them.  This weekend, those organizations would be the NFL and major sports leagues, the sports broadcast networks who use the military as props in their broadcasts, the beer and alcohol companies who drape their cans/labels with the American flag, and many retailers with their Veteran's Day ads, especially the major home repairs and appliance box stores who gets to paint themselves as super patriotic because they give that 3 cent discount on light bulbs.  Don't ignore the self-serving benefits for the businesses who use Veterans to promote themselves.

Even the special funds/groups who give you those tear-jerker moments (the young kids are surprised by mom or dad returning from a deployment overseas, with TV cameras to capture the raw emotion of the reunion) are getting an unspoken benefit.  It's nice they reunite these families, but they also get the benefits of the ratings/social media gold a made for TV event like that generates, pulling at the heart strings for an emotional moment, a reunion which could've just as easily taken place in private, followed by an introduction of the family afterward.  The reunification is a prop used by TV shows, sports teams and businesses to pat themselves on the back.  It's a very nice gesture, but it's still a prop, captured on video and broadcast on every platform possible, a prop which makes people feel like they have actually done something to 'support the troops' by 'liking' a video clip on Instagram.

And even when those military first groups do send a military family on a nice vacation, or get a soldier plane tickets home, that's only a small portion of military families who could use a vacation, and a small portion of the soldiers who can't afford the flight home.

This isn't saying there isn't a nice element to this.  Of course there is, but it's a very limited benefit, mostly for a handful of soldiers/veterans.  And it hides the true needs of soldiers and veterans in this day and age.  There is A LOT more we can actually do!

If you REALLY want to make a difference, then call your political representation and ask for them to sponsor ALL 4 of the following pro-veteran initiatives:

1. Any soldier/veteran/military family member can get 'US Government paid for' medical treatment at ANY medical facility in the country.  Make it part of the medical licensing process.  That way soldiers and veterans are not forced to have to travel 9 hours for medical care they could EASILY receive a mile from their home.  Make sure full psychological and dental coverage are included.  It it the LEAST we can do!
2. Any soldier/veteran can go to a pubic university in the United States and get a college degree for free.  I'm not saying this would cover room and board, but the GI Bill would allow them to pay for those expenses.  The soldier would still have to qualify for college, but this would be a free college education for soldiers and veterans who served in combat or pulled a four year tour.  It is the LEAST we can do!
3. Free job placement for any soldier/veteran when they return from active duty.  And (with no disrespect to certain jobs) I'm not talking flipping burgers, working delivery, or sweeping floors.  I'm talking job placement into good jobs which have a minimum 40K starting salary.  It is the Least we can do!
4. If a soldier comes back from their service time wounded, or if a combat veteran is aging, or if the family of a soldier who died in combat needs the Government benefits THEY HAVE EARNED WITH THEIR OWN BLOOD, they by God make that happen!  Do not make them jump through hoops, or make them have to deal with copious red tape.  They've earned those benefits, so let's make sure they get them.  IT IS THE LEAST WE CAN DO!!!

To those who immediately scream 'that will cost a lot of money,' yes it will, but this is what we should do.  We had enough money to give millionaires and billionaires a MASSIVE tax cut two years ago.  Either spend more money on the Veterans, or cancel the wealthy's tax breaks.  Whatever is easiest.

And to all those people who say 'thank you Veteran's,' thanks.  It is appreciated, but if you really want to show how much you support the troops, call every political representative you've got and ask for the above policy changes.  Trust me, if you did that for the returning soldiers, veterans, and military family members, you wouldn't need to give a veteran a 3 cent discount on light bulbs ever again.  They'd appreciate the discount, but their outlook would be a lot brighter without them.