There is no police protocol for causing the death of a person under arrest.

There is nothing in the newly released George Floyd videos of the police body-cams that changes the fact he was murdered by police. As a matter of fact, it provides even more insight into the poor police work of four officers.

There is absolutely no justification for his death. He was in custody and he died.

Where were the tasers to assist in putting him in the police car? Where was a taser when he fell to the ground? The legal reasons for his death do not exist.

There were violations of the Geneva Conventions in Portland, Oregon.

I don't want to hear complaints about the dates of the regulations. They are current and quite frankly there is no difference in the human body since 1864 that would require changes to modern-day human beings.

Geneva Convention (1864) (click here)

Article 2 of the 1864 Geneva Convention provides:

Hospital and ambulance personnel, including the quarter-master’s staff, the medical, administrative and transport services … shall have the benefit of the same neutrality [as military hospitals and ambulances] when on duty, and while there remain any wounded to be brought in or assisted.

Geneva Convention (1906)

Article 9 of the 1906 Geneva Convention provides:

The personnel charged exclusively with the removal, transportation, and treatment of the sick and wounded, as well as with the administration of sanitary formations and establishments … shall be respected and protected under all circumstances. If they fall into the hands of the enemy they shall not be considered as prisoners of war...

August 4, 2020

By Jonathan Levinson

A team of experts with Physicians for Human Rights, (click here) a New York-based group that documents rights violations, spent seven days in Portland investigating the use of crowd control weapons against protesters and law enforcement violence directed at volunteer medical staff.

That team released its findings Tuesday ahead of a Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing in Washington, D.C.

“PHR has concluded that the response by federal agents that it documented in Portland was disproportionate, excessive, and indiscriminate, and deployed in ways that caused severe injury to innocent civilians, including medics,” the report states.

Dr. Michele Heisler, PHR’s medical director, led the team visiting Portland. Heisler said they didn’t see any official EMTs or paramedics at the protests and that medical care was left to volunteers and civil society.

The report cites numerous instances where law enforcement deliberately targeted volunteer medics and their supplies.

“There was the case of OHSU, their tent was destroyed,” Heisler said. “There was one day where the police actually took their supplies.”...                            

Large numbers of mail-in/absentee ballots have been counted before.

August 4, 2020

...The 1.59 million absentee ballots (click here) received as of Tuesday morning significantly outstrips the roughly 484,000 absentee ballots received in the August 2016 primary and surpasses the record 1.27 million absentee ballots received in the November 2016 presidential election. 

Donald John Trump took the presidency in 2016. There are more mail-in/absentee ballots this election, however, it is not an astronomical difference. In 2020 there are 320,000 more ballots compared to 2016. All this is very easy to accommodate. There should be no problem in counting ballots in the presidential election.

The November 2016 presidential election set a record, too. All the ballots were counted and became a record popular vote then, too. Election results are forthcoming and in the Republican primary, the winner is already known and is Peter Meijer.

There were no problems in 2016 and there are no problems in 2020.

"By all accounts, today’s elections were a great success," Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said after the close of polls Tuesday. "All of these (voting) options — making sure they’re available and voters are aware of them — are key to our success in November and were key to our success today.”...

Gee whiz, I guess the folks responsible for counting the ballots might actually have to count them.

Vote by mail/absentee ballots are much easier to use than learning the polling location has been moved. 

August 4, 2020

By Neal Rubin

Stan Edwards (click here) thought hard about not running a polling place this year. A lot of other people did more than think.

They didn't show up, assuring that what promised to be the most peculiar election in memory was every bit as odd as expected — and a bit stranger still for some Detroiters who didn't find out until Monday that their poll locations had moved.

Realistically, oddness was almost running unopposed. Amid a pandemic that prompted a relative trickle of people earning "I Voted" stickers but a record 1.53 million returned absentee ballots as of Tuesday morning, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has predicted that results might not be available until Thursday....

Same election, different journalist. It looks like mail-in/absentee ballots are trending as the best method to vote. Americans love the odd and a challenge besides. There won't be any problem in November that can't easily be overcome.

August 4, 2020

By Beth LaBlanc

Polls have now closed (click here) for all of Michigan on the most unusual election in recent history.

Coronavirus precautions added to the usual election day issues at polling places. But the most notable difference was the amount of voters turning to absentee ballots. 

Just before the close of polls Tuesday, clerks across the state had received nearly 1.6 million absentee ballots back after issuing more than 2 million, representing a roughly 77% return rate statewide....

The concussion force as seen in the film loop shown in this program is considerable.

The concussive force is noted in the white air coming at the person with the camera. That person became alarmed by the concussion wave coming at her/him and hide from it's arrival.

Do NOT send the children to school. There is an old adage, "Better to be safe than sorry."

I thank the New York Times for this article. Ya know, it only takes one small virus to enter the school and all of a sudden there is exposure a society believed was impossible. The numbers while some might be improving is not low enough to even consider exposing the American children to the risk.

This isn't about a child missing a year of school. There are very good online options. This is about keeping them well and ensuring their future is not marred by COVID-19 maiming. They have to be protected. Their families have to be protected.

Don't be in a hurry. Time is on our side.

August 4, 2020

By Isabel Kershner and Pam Belluck

Jerusalem - As the United States (click here) and other countries anxiously consider how to reopen schools, Israel, one of the first countries to do so, illustrates the dangers of moving too precipitously.

Confident it had beaten the coronavirus and desperate to reboot a devastated economy, the Israeli government invited the entire student body back in late May.

Within days, infections were reported at a Jerusalem high school, which quickly mushroomed into the largest outbreak in a single school in Israel, possibly the world.

The virus rippled out to the students’ homes and then to other schools and neighborhoods, ultimately infecting hundreds of students, teachers and relatives...

Beirut are in out thoughts.

Ammonium nitrate. At least it isn't violence. Tragic. So many dead and injured. There was an explosion similar some time ago in Texas. The chemicals are mismanaged.

I am so used to hearing violence come out of that part of the world, it is relief to know that is not the issue here. I guess Lebanon has many problems of modern society as well.

My sincerest concern and sympathy for Beirut and the people. This is a sincere tragedy that can be prevented. 

The USA should respond in concern for the people.

Where is Hezbollah and Nasrallah?

I am not accusing anyone with anything, but, they will know more about the city than others. They may have a clear picture of what happened in Beirut.

The cloud is very troubling and there should be a call for a mass exodus of the city. There will have to be refugee camps set up to allow them to find a place to live for now. There will be a need for medical HOSPITALS.

The smoke has many characteristics, but, the environmental assessment of the area is needed IF the radiation level is acceptable for scientists going into the area. The doctors are going to need to know what they are looking at to adequately treat the people.

August 4, 2020

By Gahda Alsharif and Euan Wardl 

Two large explosions (click here) rocked Beirut port Tuesday afternoon, killing at least 70 and injuring over 3,000, according to Lebanese authorities, with Lebanon's Prime Minister calling the incident a "catastrophe."

My first thought is Daesh. Hezbollah would not do this to their own people. Nasrallah would have ideas of what caused this disaster.

August 4, 2020

Cairo - Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry (click here) said on Tuesday that it is following with great concern the consequences of Beirut's port explosion, according to the state news agency.4

The statement also affirmed the kingdom's full support and solidarity with the Lebanese people.

The death toll from a massive explosion in Beirut on Tuesday has risen to more than 50 killed and over 2,700 injured, Lebanon's health minister said in televised remarks.

August 28, 2017

By Rod Nordland

Beirut, Lebanon — Lebanon began transporting (click here) an estimated 400 armed Islamic State fighters and family members from its northern border to the militants’ stronghold in eastern Syria on Monday, according to official sources in Lebanon and Syria.

The militants were transferred as part of a deal between the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, and its Syrian and Lebanese enemies. Under the agreement, the bodies of eight people believed to be Lebanese soldiers were to be returned, while Islamic State militants were to receive 17 air-conditioned buses, 11 ambulances and a free pass through territory held by the Syrian government.

Hezbollah, the Shiite-dominated group whose militia was among the parties to the deal, announced through its War Media Center that the transfer of the Islamic State fighters had begun on Monday morning. First to go were 25 wounded fighters in ambulances, followed by busloads of fighters and others.

The Syrian state news agency, SANA, also confirmed, that the transfer of fighters was underway....

I have to agree simply the idea of storing such explosive material in the center of the city is ridiculous. I don't imagine the government was aware of this and I have to wonder if the CIA has any surveillance about this area and the city.

The black smoke could be as simple as tires or oil based products but can also include asbestos, aldehydes, acid gases, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, benzene, toluene, styrene, metals and dioxins. A lot of these chemicals are highly explosive and cause toxic air.

August 4, 2020

Cairo - A UNIFIL maritime task force ship (click here) that was docked in Beirut port was damaged and some UNIFIL naval peacekeepers were injured, some of them seriously, in a huge explosion in the Lebanese capital, the United Nations interim Force in Lebanon said in a statement on Tuesday.

“UNIFIL is transporting the injured peacekeepers to the nearest hospitals for medical treatment,” the statement said.

UNIFIL is currently assessing the situation, including the scale of the impact on UNIFIL personnel, and stands ready to provide assistance and support to the Lebanese government, the statement added.

The Department of Agriculture and the FDA aren't doing a good job notifying the dangers of vaping.

The product most often used since so many died of lung-related deaths caused by vaping has a base of Propylene glycol, vegetable glycol, and artificial flavors. If it weren't for the State of California most purchasers of these products would never know there are dangers and risks for cancer.

The by-products that cause cancer are acetaldehyde and formaldehyde. Both these chemicals are highly dangerous carcinogens.

The manufacturers have gotten clever, too. It used to be these vap products all contained some degree of nicotine. NOW, the products contain no nicotine, but, it is offered as a side product that can be added to the plant-based vap JUICE.

These products appeared in the market place as an alternative to smoking tobacco. There are many different manufacturers of these products and they really have gotten away with murder quite frankly. Now, it is more danger being introduced through vaping products in the way of very dangerous carcinogens.

Vaping needs to stop. It is an unsafe practice for many reasons. But, if it weren't for California no one would know the ingredients and by-products that can cause cancer. When tobacco was labeled as dangerous and can cause cancer, warnings to that fact were required to be put on the label. It came through a federal decision and every state in the country MUST only sell cigarettes with labels stating the dangers of smoking or chewing tobacco.

Now, there are vaping products that will cause cancer with repeated use over a period of time. There is no guesswork here. These two products are PROVEN to by highly dangerous carcinogens. For the USDA and the FDA to allow these products in the market place is neglect and endangerment of human life.

Congress needs to pass legislation requiring EVERY PRODUCT FOR SALE to label the products with their ingredients that are too dangerous to be consumed and of all places the lungs. The highly vascular lungs that can provide immediate delivery to a person's bloodstream of anything that enters those two organs only to be carried to the brain for an altered reality.

Nicotine is highly addictive HENCE sending products and resultant by-products that cause cancer into the body. The psychological and social addiction and the actual physical addition of the products are human rights violations simply because they are KNOWN CARCINOGENS. 

The US Congress has to ban these chemicals from entering the body today and permanently into the future. 

If people want to vape a plant-based JUICE they can take it out of the refrigerator and use it. Those carcinogens are preservatives. The vaping industry needs to remove all carcinogens and toxic materials to the lungs FROM THEIR VAPING PRODUCTS NOW!

Shame on Sonny Purdue and the FDA. It is a horrible time in the USA and the lack of expertise and CARING by this administration is only adding to the existing horrors.

I am certain Dr. Fauci would recommend wearing a mask to vote!

August 2, 2020

By David Smile

As Florida struggles (click here) with one of the worst coronavirus outbreaks in the country, elections supervisors will welcome voters back to the polls Monday, kicking off a two-week run-up to the Aug. 18 Florida primary.

Nearly two dozen early voting centers will open at 7 a.m. in Miami-Dade County, and dozens more in Monroe and Palm Beach counties. Early voting doesn’t begin in Broward County until Aug. 8.

The election is Florida’s second since the coronavirus pandemic began to spread. Close to 3 million people voted statewide in the March 17 Florida presidential preferences primary,, 650,000 of whom voted during Florida’s two-week early voting period....

The Church is neglecting their own.

I saw with my 85-year-old mother how the local Roman Catholic Church took excellent care of their parishioners. However, when it comes to taking care of their own dedicated women/nuns it is losing the battle if addressing it at all.

August 3, 2020

By Frank Witsil

When Lisa Zervos heard 13 religious sisters (click here) living together in a Livonia convent died of coronavirus, she felt heartbroken.

She sent the Catholic order a donation, brought flowers to the sisters' graves at Holy Sepulcher Cemetery in Southfield and kneeled down to pray for the repose of their souls.

"I was so sorry they suffered, and I know there are some sisters are still ill," Zervos, 52, of Northville, said. "Their whole lives were devoted not to themselves but others. It helps — when you think about what they did with their lives — to be a better person yourself."

Religious sisters who dedicated their lives to the care of others are now in need of support, and Michiganders like Zervos, and many from as far away as Norway, are offering sympathy notes and donations....

Teargas bans must go forward.

There are dangers to citizens and medical reasons to ban these "crowd control" methods. The First Amendment to the USA Constitution preempts the use of crowd control. This is NOT insurrection. This is messaging to the society that something is very wrong and must stop. The demonstrators are not interested in overthrowing their government regardless of undertones otherwise. If the VERY HARSH methods of crowd control end and legislators pass laws that eliminate the threat to BLACK LIVES, there will be no protesting. Isn't that what democracy is about?

The damage being done to the human lungs by the harsh chemicals in tear gas is more than can be tolerated in an environment as dangerous as the one with SARS-CoV-2. The tear gas cause behaviors that result in RISK. They remove their masks and cough spewing potential contaminants into the air. The police in their use of these measures are spreading the virus. Enough. Stop.

July 24, 2020

By Dick Vanderheart

Law enforcement officers in Oregon (click here) would be banned from using tear gas, constrained in how they could use other crowd-control weapons, and required to prominently display their names and ID numbers, under bills that might be considered in a forthcoming special session.

Those proposals are included in concepts released in recent days by the legislative committee convened to take up police reforms in the state. They come as police use of force in Portland has become a national focal point, with federal law enforcement officers freely deploying tear gas and other munitions against demonstrators night after night. Many of the same crowd-control tactics have been employed by Portland police in protests that are now stretching into their ninth week....

Fighting the good fight.

July 28, 2020

By Rebecca Ellis

Attorneys for the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon (click here) have asked a judge to hold federal law enforcement in contempt for allegedly violating an order that protected legal observers and journalists covering nightly protests against racism and police violence in Portland.

In a Tuesday filing, attorneys with the ACLU also asked a judge to order Chad Wolf, acting secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, and Ken Cuccinelli, acting deputy secretary, to appear before the court and explain why the federal officers deployed by the agency should not be sanctioned for violating the temporary restraining order.

Last Thursday, U.S. District Judge Michael H. Simon issued a temporary restraining order on officers from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Marshals Service sent to Portland to guard federal buildings.

The new restrictions barred federal officers from arresting, threatening to arrest or using physical force against someone who they should “reasonably know” is a journalist or a legal observer unless they have probable cause to believe that person has committed a crime. Under the order, journalists and observers were not required to follow orders to disperse nor could a federal officer tell them to stop documenting the protest....

To address the observations from the weekend.

In regard to flooding along the coast of the Great Lakes, there could be pure negligence. Canada is a better gauge of that then trying to figure out if Trump is being stupidly ambitious in relation to a westward canal. It will be impossible to scale the Rocky Mountains with a canal for large ships. A more likely scenario is that Trump is eliminating personnel that run the apparatus of the St. Lawrence Seaway. Not the lock operators, although he might throw that expense completely to Canada, the administration that receives information about the impact of the locks on the shoreline. I would first eliminate the possibility that a heap of complaint letters is sitting on an empty desk. I still think the courts are a better mechanism at this point to end the shoreline erosion that will result in catastrophic damage to lakeshore towns. Canada's administrators will be seeing problems too, that might provide insight to NEGLIGENCE by the Trump Administration to the problems along the lake shores.

The trucks:

I think the semis/tractor-trailers are running from Sunday night to Friday night. There has been a movement in the country over the past three years by drivers that are demanding to be home on the weekends. That would explain the absence of the semis on the weekend. I sincerely believe that is what has occurred.

There are more interesting dynamics that go along with that. The drivers are still probably clocking long hours during the week and on the road 24 hours a day. Not one driver for 24 hours a day, each driver working his max hours in 5 days and not 7 days. That provides a fresh set of hours to drive as of a return to work on Sunday evening or Monday morning. 

So, therefore, what about the freight? More or less?

That dynamic is better determined by consumer sales and amount of diesel fuel sold to trucks. The amount of diesel fuel sold will determine the number of miles clocked by the drivers. If the amount of gross diesel fuel sold is less then the miles are down and the amount of freight being moved is down. If the inverse is true then the freight being offloaded to warehouses has increased. 

Consumer sales will state a couple of things. It can state that items are moving off the shelves quickly and are selling at moderate prices. If the sales dollars are down then the cost is consistent and the number of items sold is less. However, we know that capitalism requires items to be more costly if the number available is down. So, if the consumer sales are down when reported in dollars, that means there is less merchandise for whatever reason that is the case. Considering there are Wall Street brick and mortar stores declaring bankruptcy that indicates sales are down and inventory is down.

It may be that this entire paradigm shift may indicate a permanent shift in the way consumers are spending. They are focused on their homes. A quick glance at mortgages and the chance they are being paid down or paid off to prevent such threat in the future is a real possibility. The homes are also receiving facelifts and improvements to increase their value. I think consumer spending is more fixed on the home than items. The children have been home for school as well so that means some dedicated space to conduct class in the home and study afterward in preparation for the next school day.

Now about what I found in Traverse City:

PEOPLE ARE FOLLOWING THE RULES. Americans are definitely concerned about the spread of SARS-CoV-2. Most Americans. The nut cases running around spreading the virus need to be arrested as a public nuisance and put in jail. Trump's mixed messaging also is disrupting the well being of the people. The Democrats and the Lincoln Project folks need to have a counter-message about public safety and how that is achieved by sheltering at home when not engaged in work, demanding a work environment that is safe, wearing masks as a mandate until the country is free of the virus, being patient about a vaccine that works, protecting children by schooling at home, postponing school athletic events until the virus is under control and continue to social distance.

GOOD RULES WILL RESULT IN GOOD OUTCOMES.

What I saw in Traverse City were people enjoying their lives, exercising caution, understanding the danger, AVOIDING POTENTIAL HARM, and BELIEVING THEIR GOVERNMENT TO DIRECT THEIR ACTIVITY.

Wearing facemasks was a requirement by the local government. It was a good rule. The people in Traverse City were obeying the law and were grateful for clear and concise directions about their social activity. They didn't mind the masks. No one was complaining or demonstrating against their freedom. They were having fun and enjoying their lives because they were wearing masks and not being stupid about it.

The fact no one was on the roads after the bars and restaurants were closed means the people were in Traverse City for at the very least the entire weekend. But, more likely the entire week. They weren't there for the day. They weren't there for the moment. They were there after making plans, securing reservations (quite possibly reservations made a year earlier), and fulfilling their expectations for a vacation.

The fact there were a wide variety of vehicles carrying passengers, pulling boat trailers, four wheel motorcycles (Quads), ski-doos, and some with camping equipment mounted on the roof and BICYCLES galore means theamy were being cautious about their movement. The people were literally moving in herds of predictable activity within the American definition of a vacation. They were doing what each other was doing and enjoying their lives. Again, they were following the rules their government told them was the best and safest way.

There were also motorcycles traveling in packs. The motorcyclists were not wearing masks on the road, they had face shields with helmets. THERE NEEDS TO BE A RULE ABOUT THAT TO ENFORCE CONFORMITY BY EVERY CYCLIST. This is necessary so when they stop for fuel and go into convenient mini-marts others are protected. So, the motorcyclists need to conform to social protections by either wearing masks when not riding or leaving their helmet and face shield in place when mingling with the public.

Along with car movement was the very occasional bus. Buses need to require masks while on the bus and at any stop along the way. 

I think that does it. The moral of the story is that Americans are counting on their government to be as good as they expect it to be to protect their lives. When the government "OPENS UP" the social realm it is believed to be completely opened UNLESS there are rules they have to conform to within the social venues as there was in Traverse City. The people are trusting their government to protect them. Parents are expecting their government to make absolutely sure their children are safe.

CHILDREN ARE NOT RELIABLE MASK WEARERS.

The government at all levels needs to be making good rules. The people want and will conform to good rules and be happy within those rules. No one wants anarchy. 

The recovery by the USA will occur when there are good rules that are PROVEN to work and bring about complete and absolute elimination of SARS-CoV-2. I feel really bad for the nonconformists screaming about freedom. They are wasting their time and ranting about nothing anyone wants to hear about.

An Op-Ed I read...

...or it could have been an editorial, but, no matter. The topic was to watch Putin as he will "try something" before the election.

My best guess is Israel.

Why would expansionist Russia put up with Israel's plans for expansion?

Governor Whitmer will know how the restrictions on movement has worked in two to three weeks.

Last week I embarked on a trip to find out what is occurring in the real world and try and understand why the country isn't doing better. When I left I stated the truck traffic was heavy while the car traffic was far less on these roads I have traveled before. I thought that was good news. The truck traffic clearly indicated there was a good amount of freight moving interstate. The lack of cars could have been due to people clearly understanding there was a danger that was not yet resolved. My trip placed me in southern Michigan where 80 percent of my extended family lives. I am one of forty cousins and three of the sisters are still living and doing well. 

On Friday I left southern Michigan for northern Michigan. The mayor and council of Traverse City was anticipating the reopening of their economy and did a lot of work to provide a safer city when it comes to SARS-CoV-2. I really wanted to see this new arrangement. The city closed off blocks of shops and restaurants to create open space for dining and shopping. Then they rerouted one-way streets into two-way streets to allow traffic to continue to move along. There was also a mandated mask-wearing when in public. That ordinance was everywhere in town.

When I was traveling on the highway to Traverse City the traffic was rather light. There weren't as many trucks on the road, but, the car pattern was about the same. Needless to say I expected little to no real activity in Traverse City upon arrival. The festivals had been canceled. So, with light traffic why expect anything else. The road to Traverse City from I-75 was not heavily traveled either. It was a Friday afternoon so any business commuting hadn't begun. Schools were out of course.

When I arrived at Traverse City the reality I expected was nowhere close to the reality I found. Hotel after hotel had a sign by the road stating "No Vacancy." There were parking lots full of cars. These hotels are resort hotels. "Turtle Creek" which is the hotel before arriving to Traverse City is a casino. It had some cars in the parking lot but not the usual. But, the city of Traverse City was packed. The city was jumping.

So, the absence of cars on the road doesn't' mean that people are home if there is a chance for a vacation. What I found was a city thriving with activity regardless of canceled festivals and closed theaters throughout the city. There were no festivals or concerts at Interlochen either.

I made my way to the bay which I have watched with interest for years for a variety of reasons, mostly based in climate observations. When I got to the beach the water was very high. Far higher than it was when I last saw it. I went to the marina and the water was very high there as well. The boat launch was nearly completely underwater. None of the pleadings of mayor or governor brought relief. HOWEVER, the tourists marveled at the flooded area, took pictures (of which I have many) and put their boats in the water. The marina was full as well. There were sailboats, kyacks, pontoon boats, jet skis, motorboats, and fishing boats. Those are the boats in the water. The boats in the marine were elegant.

Did I mention that the hotels in town during their busy season get $300 to $500 per night and hotels such as "Indigo" receive more than that for their accommodations. But, the tourists were not exclusively wealthy people because the campgrounds, especially the private ones, were full.

The delightful aspect of all this is the fact people and their children were really enjoying themselves. Probably for the first time in a long time. It was delightful to see. The hotels cater to families as well as couples and singles.

So after observing Saturday Night in town I took a ride. For all the activity in Traverse City, there was none anywhere else except a smattering of folks at Turtle Creek. The drive to Grayling was silent and lonesome.

When I left Grayling to get on I-75 it was about 1:30 AM. I drove about 90 minutes south, took a quick bathroom break, and then drove back to Grayling. The town is named after an extinct fish by the way. It wasn't extinct when it was named though. Grayling, the town and not the fish, even today has a proud fisherman heritage and is a sponsor to many tournaments. But, as to my travel. There was no one on the highway. I-75 was vacant. Not a soul was about except for me. That as well surprised me. That has not been my experience at all with northern Michigan. There are usually trucks no matter the weather in small numbers anytime I've traveled there. Not this time.

While in Traverse City there was the usual activity of the EMS service. Nothing extraordinary. The COVID-19 population has mostly been small and the local authorities were extremely successful in contact tracing to end the spread.

Now I am into Sunday and about 12 hours later from my nighttime drive I left Grayling.

Just a word about the flooding at Grand Traverse Bay. See if this sounds right. A mayor and governor make pleadings for assistance with lowering the lake levels through the ability of the Saint Lawrence Seaway, but, none is allowed. Not only do the levels continue to fluctuate a great deal day to day, but, the high watermark is increasing. There is mud deposits in the parking lot from the previous higher flooding episode. The police monitor the activity at the boat launch every few hours.

There is now permanent flooding into the marine parking lot. With this trend, the city will be receiving floodwaters after next Spring. It will not be contained only in the marina.

There has been no exceptional precipitation lately and flooding south of this area where the dam broke is now completely dry. There is no dam to maintain any pond levels so when the water receded it left the once pond and river completely, absolutely dry. There is no force of nature working on Grand Traverse Bay or any other bay or waterfront on any other Great Lakes beach. This is all manmade tragedy.

Now I could simply say Trump is trying to punish Michigan, but, I think it is far more than that. Why would anyone allow such flooding and fluctuations of beaches, now eroded and tourist economies? Doesn't make sense.

UNLESS.

There is a bigger picture that does not include beaches and tourism. The Saint Lawrence Seaway does not provide passage for Panamax ships, like the big huge container ships from China. But, to create a Saint Lawrence Seaway for Panamax ships is silly. The ships would come through the Panama Canal and meet up with all kinds of well-established ports on the USA seaboard that can accommodate them. Why go through all the trouble of increasing the capacity of the lakes for such behemoths? 

UNLESS.

Those behemoths aren't coming up the eastern USA shipping channels but from the Pacific. I strongly believe in that warped sense of wealthy playground is Trump's desire to build a seaway from the Atlantic through the USA to the Pacific allowing places in Washington and Oregon to become the western entry of the Saint Lawrence Seaway. Knowing Trump's maniacal imagination regarding wealth, I think that is exactly what is going on and it is time for the Great Lake States to begin lawsuits against the USA and Canada to better manage the lake levels.

But, as to my travel on Sunday.

Driving to Grayling there was some traffic, but, I can't honestly say it was any more than usual during vacation time. When I left Grayling and started down I-75 the interstate highway that was completely absent of traffic 12 hours ago was now full of vehicles, none were trucks. Not one single semi was on the road, but, the entire highway was full of SUVs, pick-up trucks, RVs (the big ones), and cars. See, the reason the traffic was light wasn't that citizens of conscience were toughing it out at home, it was because they were frolicking in Traverse City with some of the best eateries in the country. They arrived last Sunday and were checking out today.

As minutes went by and then hours there was no change in traffic patterns. There were some cars heading north, but, they were beginning their vacations. The heavy traffic heading south all reluctantly left Traverse City about the same time. I have some pictures, but, I have to get them off the phone. It is simply hard to believe without seeing it. There was a bottleneck at one point where ongoing construction slowed things down to three lanes rather than four, but, except for that, the volume of cars was consistent the entire time until Route 23 bifurcates off I-75. During all that time and over all that distance, I saw five semis. Only five. Three northbound, one on an on-ramp, and one on an off-ramp of I-69.

I suppose this little composition has many issues, but, the real one is the title of it. In the next two to three weeks Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula need to pay attention to any outbreaks of COVID-19. Traverse City mayor and council did all they could to make it happen correctly and minimize and end the spread. There really isn't much more to ask of citizens. Everyone in public wore masks. From what I can tell they stayed mostly in family groups and didn't commune with others a great deal.

I am dearly hoping the folks that came north from southern Michigan enjoyed their vacation. I sincerely do hope all plans and precautions worked well for them. However, I have this knot in my stomach that perhaps this weekend was the beginning of an uptick in Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula. The reason for the knot in my stomach about this disaster of a virus is that last week while the Republicans were stating all sorts of horrible things about the Governor, she stated her staff was seeing a minor increase in their numbers. 

I think the Governor's concern about increasing numbers may very well be correct. Not all the people vacationing in Traverse City came from southern Michigan, but, many were. It is hard for me to believe there wasn't some distribution of SARS-CoV-2 into that northern region of Michigan. There were a lot of people on the roads and that didn't start at Grayling. The flow was well established by the time I entered I-75 which is north. Michigan is a fishing haven. The vacationing wasn't consolidated in Traverse City.

We will have to continue to be vigilant for a few more weeks and hopefully, all the precautions that were at work in northern Michigan will stem any increase in numbers.

Until later.

BUT, if the numbers increase the idea of opening the economy before the virus is eradicated is fool hearty.

Okay it is Saturday night in the USA and it is soon to be Sunday.

I am observing people walking about town where there is a relatively low incidence of COVID-19. Where else would I go to observe? Honestly. 

So, everyone actually are wearing masks. However, it is downtown on a Saturday night and many people are not walking well. Why one might ask? Because they have been drinking alcohol.

Interesting that they get this “mask-thing” but honestly social distancing is a tough one. No I am not drinking alcohol. People are drinking, not really walking well and somehow “eyeing” six feet is a challenge. 

Now I ask you, why would a state open up social venues while in the same breath they say, wear your mask and practice social distancing? There is something wrong with this picture.

Government leaders don’t know that? They don’t understand human nature? Then don’t be in government where people are counting on them to protect them. Opening social venues doesn’t mean they are going to the church Bingo to drink tea.

I never thought I would see the day...

...in the USA when civil rights means absolutely nothing. And where would that begin? With patients that are ill and the elderly. People that cannot stand up for themselves.

The State of Michigan Republicans passed a bill Governor Whitmer vetoed. The bill allows for the transfer of COVID-19 patients without consent, doctors’ approval or notification of the family.  

The Republicans want to override the veto. The Republican bill would be defeated in the courts.

There is also no funding proposed for these new facilities or regulations as to how they would be staffed. There won’t be professionals running to work in a COVID-19 only facility.

Governor Whitmer has a task force due to finish their report soon. It is suppose to help decide the best path forward for Michigan. The Republicans plan isn’t a plan. It only provides for “that feel good feeling.” To be completely honest the basis of the Republican plan is fear of the other rather than measured approaches that work.

Every nursing home in the country has to have plans in place to handle diagnosed COVID-19 patients. There must be methods in place by the nursing home administrators to isolate patients with highly contagious diseases.

The reason the virus spread like wildfire through nursing homes is because there was no warning such an illness was making the rounds until Oregon began seeing deaths in nursing homes. The death rate is more than 100 times that of the flu with seniors for which they always receive vaccines. 

I think specialty facilities are a wonderful idea so long as they are well established and regulated to insure patients actually do better. My understanding is that the Republican bill is more imagineering than actual plans.

The Republican bill puts the cart before the horse. Show the public the buildings around the state now at the ready for a bill needed to allow transfers of patients to isolation facilities. There aren’t even buildings and staff at the ready to begin this work. It is like saying, “Build it and they will come.” 

I am sure the Governor’s Task Force is extremely concerned and is preparing a plan that will be timely and effective. 

I wish the politics of fear would stop and bipartisan solutions found. This virus flourishes in chaos.

Trump's hate mongering drives his base to the polls.

The dynamic of heavy surveillance was allowed when terrorist cells were believed to exist everywhere after September 11, 2001. There were all sorts of change including the Patriot Act and preemption.

Now, when Trump wants to build a basis to undermine the entire Democratic Party to benefit his overthrow of the USA government there is intense creative writing in Portland, Oregon. Trump is worse than anything we have seen before.

November 13, 2019

By Niall McCarthy

The data shows (click here) that the majority of the reported hate crimes were motivated by race, ethnicity or ancestry bias (59.6 percent). Other motivating factors include religion (18.7 percent), sexual orientation (16.7 percent), gender identity (2.2 percent), disability (2.1 percent), and gender (0.7 percent). The statistics are a compilation of bias-motivated incidents sumitted to the FBI by 16,039 law enforcement agencies....

This trend was addressed early on under President Obama's administration. White Supremacists were known to become angry enough to attempt an assault against the government. We were winning the war against hate without heavy surveillance and false reporting. Under Trump in his first year hate crimes rose by 25 percent in his first year from the best year in 2014 under Obama.

...The president had shared a video (click here) on Twitter that included a Trump supporter shouting “white power” at counterprotesters during a demonstration at the Villages, a retirement community in central Florida, and had called his supporters there “great people.”...

The tweeting wasn't creating the profound unrest he was looking for to end democratic elections, so he was turning to an underground campaign at Homeland Security.

People will do and say anything...

...to find a foothold for political power. That is what happened when the Koch brothers brought the Tea Parties to the Republican Party. That is the origins of this entire mess with Trump.

Germany was fine. It had conquered the virus and then Bannon decided it was time to kill Germans and start a hooligans’ German Tea Party. The rates are going up. It isn’t good enough to be alive and safe from a deadly and maiming virus, to have the children okay and the future safe. No it wasn’t enough so Russia and Bannon went to town harnessing frustration and declared the march for anarchy was a far better core value.

The Bannon illness in Germany sounds EXACTLY like the Republican mess in the USA. Now, how is it that an entire country goes from sane to radical overnight?

There are far to many intelligence officers and contractors in the USA government.

“I don't want to live in a world where everything I say, (click here) everything I do, everyone I talk to, every expression of creativity and love or friendship is recorded.”

Earth should not be spinning without investigative journalism. (click here) 

August 1, 2020

By Shane Harris

A senior Department of Homeland Security official (click here) whose office compiled “intelligence reports” about journalists and protesters in Portland, Ore., has been removed from his job, according to three people familiar with the matter.

Brian Murphy, the acting undersecretary for intelligence and analysis, was reassigned to a new position elsewhere in the department, the people said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss a personnel matter.

Acting homeland security secretary Chad Wolf made the decision on Friday, one person said.

Murphy’s removal follows revelations in The Washington Post that the Intelligence & Analysis Office (I & A) at DHS compiled Open Source Intelligence Reports about the work of two journalists who had published leaked department documents. In a separate intelligence report, the office also analyzed the communications of protesters in Portland....

I have no doubt this is all on Trump's insistence although he would never take responsibility for it.

It seems as though we are still spinning our wheels about how many intelligence officers we have in how many private agencies and the full accounting as to what work they are conducting and on what authority.

There was a report by the Washington Post some time ago that outlined the ridiculousness occurring in regard to private contractors. It seems to me this new abuse of power by the Trump administration is simply more of the same abuse the USA people have witnessed over and over again.

February 14, 2014

By Brian Fung

...In the wake of last year's NSA revelations, (click here) many agencies have been reviewing their contracting policies. But few people have a good grasp on just how many contractors the government employs. What's worse, the country's eight civilian intelligence agencies often can't sufficiently explain what they use those contractors for, according to a Government Accountability Office report.

Every year, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence is supposed to count how many contractors serve the intelligence community (IC). Due to differences in the way intelligence agencies define and assess their workers, however, the data are inconsistent and in some places incomplete. Out of hundreds of agency records, for example, GAO found that almost a fifth lacked enough paperwork to prove how much a contractor was paid. Another fifth of the records were found to have either over-reported or under-reported the actual cost of the contract work.

But the GAO reserves its harshest judgment for the agencies that couldn't fully explain why they resorted to contractors in the first place.

"In preparing their inventory submissions, IC elements can select one of eight options for why they needed to use contract personnel, including the need to provide surge support for a particular IC mission area, insufficient staffing resources, or to provide unique technical, professional, managerial, or intellectual expertise to the IC element that is not otherwise available," the report says.

Out of 102 records that were filed under "unique expertise," 81 failed to convince investigators that an ordinary civil servant couldn't have handled the job.

"Overall," the report went on, "the civilian IC elements could not provide documentation for 40 percent of the 287 records we reviewed."...