So You all Will Know El Gringo Viejo when he was El Gringo Nuevo

     So that all will know.....this is El Gringo Viejo when he was still "nuevo".  He is the squirt at the far left on the first row (all boys kneeling).  I cannot remember my middle name, but I can name every person in the picture, including the dumbo teacher, Mr. Eugene Tuthill who was a zero during the best of times.

   We were pretty much self and parent, and in my case, by eldest brother educated.   And, yes, Virginia, the girls all wore dresses or blouse & skirt "go-together" outfits.....and they looked, how should one say......?   Oh, yes....HUMAN!!!

     This picture was taken on the south side of the north-most wing of David Crockett School....at that time the northernmost primary in McAllen.   Four of these squirts had farm background.   The rest were all children of professionals or business people.   This class scored 11.4 grade level on whatever aptitude test was given at that time at the end of primary.  This was a tie for the Republic of Texas for public schools....with three other schools.  All four of those schools exceed all private and religious schools at that time.  (Good gossip because my Godmother was president of the school board)

     The boy to El Gringo Viejo's left...the viewer's right...was my number two bud throughout school years in McAllen....probably El Zorro's number three or four....we were pretty tight.   This is the Thomas Dale Traylor who died during by-pass surgery recently.

More about all of this later.

El Gringo Viejo

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We are not alone.

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    Take faith.  We are not alone.  Let us gird our loins and strike forth and continue the good fight.   Below please consider another voice in the wilderness.  This is a friend of our spies in Extreme Central Texas.   You all will notice that our cobweb is becoming increasingly, and pleasantly, congested.  We can also notice that the message is pleasantly brief, offers a slightly different angle that complements our understanding and reassures our assumption that our path is the correct and virtuous one.   It is a part of a running conversation about the lunacy known as The Waltz of Obama and the Persians.  To wit:

Ron, Bruce and all,

I couldn’t disagree more. That puts me (and many others) at odds with these experts, but surely this letter was solicited by the administration from friendly academia. Like climate change, both sides have no difficulty lining up ‘expert’ endorsements.

More to the point, this matter has little to do with scientific expertise - it resolves down to common sense. We give away economic pressure, our only means of influencing Iran’s behavior - once that’s gone, it matters not at all what we find, or suspect, about their progress toward in-place nuclear weaponry, because there’s nothing we can do about it. Iran has made it completely clear that they could care less about world opinion. The ‘snapback’ assertions are obviously nonsense - there is no way on earth we can unbaked this cake. Chances that Iran will give back $150B, that they and other nations will courteously cancel multi-billion business deals?

This is roughly like un-handcuffing the mugger in the back alley and then telling him ‘don’t pick up that gun! You promised! I’m watching you!’ 

The very sad news is that we’re already way down the track in giving up our leverage, thanks to the administration premature - and surely intentional - release of the ‘framework’ to the UN. The P5+1 is effectively unraveled. There is no way that should have happened without approval of our US government (not just Obama). That’s a weak argument for going ahead - too late, damage is already done - but no reason in my view not to throw good money after bad and to legitimize Iran’s path.

Final point - if you read Feinstein and others supporting statements, they are loaded with caveats like ‘if this deal does what President Obama and Secretary Kerry say…’  - lots of cya here.

Best regards,

Jack

jcdevine@me.com

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     Jack Devine is a freelance opinion writer who blogs and is published in local and regional outlets in places removed from the Republic of Texas.  In this case, the coverage is in the Southeastern part of the United States.

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Shopping information

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This submission comes from our favorite Eye, Ear, Nose, and Throat man who just happens to despise latter day Bolsheviks and  Crony Capitalists.

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Hello, WalMart!!!  So-long, COSTCO!!!!!!!!! Americans Can Now Determine Where To Shop And Spend Their Money Election Cycle political donations, as reported by the Center for Responsive Politics. Shopping à        Price Club/  Costco     donated $225K,   99% went to Democrats à        Rite Aid donated $517K,   60% went to Democrats à        Magla Products (Stanley tools, Mr. Clean) donated $22K,   100% went to Democrats à        Warnaco (undergarments) donated $55K,   73% went to Democrats à        Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia donated $153K,   99% went to Democrats à        Estee Lauder donated $448K,   95% went to Democrats à        Guess, Inc. Donated $145K,   98% went to Democrats à        Calvin Klein donated $78K,   100% went to Democrats à        Liz Claiborne, Inc. Donated $34K,   97% went to Democrats à        Levi Straus donated $26K,   97% went to Democrats à        Olan Mills donated $175K,   99% went to Democrats à        WalMart donated $467K,   97% went to Republicans à        K-Mart donated $524K,   86% went to Republicans à        Home Depot donated $298K,   89% went to Republicans à        Target donated $226K,   70% went to Republicans à        Circuit City Stores donated $261K,   95% went to Republicans à       3M Co. Donated  $281K,   87% went to Republicans à        Hallmark Cards donated $319K,   92% went to Republicans à        Amway donated $391K,   100% Republicans à        Kohler Co. (plumbing fixtures) donated $283K,   100% Republicans à        B.F. Goodrich (tires) donated $215K,   97% went to Republicans à        Proctor & Gamble donated $243K,   79% went to Republicans Spirits à        Southern Wine and Spirits donated $213K,   73% went to Democrats à        Joseph E. Seagrams and Sons (incl. Beverage Business and considerable media interests) donated $2M+, 67% went          to Democrats à        Gallo Winery donated $337K,   95% went to Democrats à        Coors and Budweiser donated $174K,   92% went to Republicans à        Brown-Forman Corp. (Southern Comfort, Jack Daniels, Bushmills,Korbel Wines, Lenox China, Dansk and Gorham Silver) donated $644 K --   80% went to Republicans Hungry    ? à        Sonic Corporation donated $83K,   98% went to Democrats à        Triarc Companies (Arby's, T.J. Cinnamon's, Pasta Connections) donated $112K,   96% went to Democrats à        Pilgrim's Pride Corp. (chicken) donated $366K,   100% went to Republicans à        Outback Steakhouse donated $641K,   95% went to Republicans à        Tricon Global Restaurants (KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell) donated $133K,   87% went to Republicans à        Brinker International (Maggiano's, Brinker Cafe, Chili's, On the Border, Macaroni Grill, Crazymel's, Corner    Baker, EatZis) donated $242K,   83% went to Republicans à        Waffle House donated $279K,   100% went to Republicans à        McDonald's Corp. Donated $197K,   86% went to Republicans à        Darden Restaurants (Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Smokey Bones,Bahama Breeze) donated $121K, 89% went to Republicans à       Heinz   Republicans $64,000   Democrats $21,300!        John Kerry's wife's company!!! Hello, WalMart!!!  So-long, COSTCO!!!!!!!!! Travel and Dining à        Hyatt Corporation donated $187K of which   80% went to Democrats à        Marriott International $323K,   81% went to Republicans à        Holiday Inns donated $38K,   71% went to Republicans ______________________________________________________________________________ Please forward to your conservative friends.

Thinking too much, about too much!! - El Zorro weighs in

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Thinking too much about too much:

   For my money, there are two sane people in the contest for leader of the free world… Ted Cruz and Dr. Ben Carson.  There are a couple of others that I could stomach without holding my nose but realistically the only ones who really are capable of original thought are the two mentioned above but not necessarily in that order.

    There is some pleasure to be had watching Chris and Rand stumbling all over each other like two of the three stooges coming through the door of a mob card game.  The third stooge, Jebster is knocking himself off (also tied with Lindsey Graham who thinks he is somebody).  Unfortunately there are other clear thinkers who should be, but are not, really in the contest.  Those would be Bobby Jindal and Rick Santorum.

   There are too many more with something in mind to take time with here but get mention because they come to mind e.g. Marco Rubio, George Pataki, Scott Walker, John Kasich, Megan Kelly (Oh wait, she hasn’t declared yet), Carly Fiorina, et al.  I did not mention Donald Trump or Mike Huckabee but I guess I am now.  There is one in the pack I don’t know but heard him once, Jim Gilmore.  He sounded kind of smart but I don’t think anybody knows him.  Bringing up the rear would be Rick “I Don’t Know When to Quit” Perry.

   But the bottom line would be anybody, of those with name recognition, but Rand Paul, Chris Christi, Lindsey Graham or the Democrats.  

    I am okay with Trump for now but should he get the nomination, things could get ugly.  For now he is keeping the pack pointed in the right direction but as President,
no mas no!!!

 I agree with El Gringo.

                    El Zorro

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Weather defeats Climate, Climate defeats Anchor Babies, and Anchor Babies defeat Only Black Lives Matter.

T

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   We were entertained with the lamentations of some of the Obsolete Media that the current cataclysmic hurricane that was going to destroy the Caribbean Cultural Catchment Area fizzled and made the Climate Change - Global Warming - Global Cooling crowds begin to turn on one another.   We are presented with a picture of the hand and torch of Miss Liberty sticking up out of the Hudson while people are ice-skating around the torch in August.

    In any regard, we are now ending the month of August with no comment-worthy weather disasters.....again.  The biggest environmental ("ecological" for the stupid and Ivy League elite) disasters were brought to us by the central government of the United States of America.   Some river in the middle of nowhere Colorado was inundated with heavy metal sludge, brought to America by the EPA....the guardian of American healthy-alternative-bilge  think.    The other great success was the Department of the Interior spending millions of manhours lecturing the staff about how to accommodate the necessities of a buffalo who is  grieving because the he missed a re-run of the Kardashians.    This is almost not a joke.

     Firemen are burned and killed fighting fires that were accommodated by the  policy to allow bramble and scrub to dominate forest zones.   Imagine the snippiest jerk of a Barney Fife with an Official Smokey Bear Hat and dressed in an Official National Park Ranger Uniform declaring to a crowd of 3rd graders that ".....we do not kill some plants and trees to save others...."

       And that is the source of the two great "ecological" (the study of ecoes?) disasters were brought to us by Father Obamaham and all the Father Obamahams before him.  Central Government demagoguery....y punto!

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     Now comes the Heroic King Donald I.  He advises the unwashed that he will strive to send 11,000,000 people back to Mexico, no matter from whence they came, and to "build a fence" with money from the Mexican Government and then to stand up to foreign businesses and governments and tell them that Crazy Uncle Donald is going to establish tariffs on imports to the United States.  Got it?  Problems solved.  And while we are at it, we are going to take the oil fields in Iraq.....

      And the Perotdolts cheer.....although nothing that has been said that makes any sense.  There is no clarity of approach.   The penumbric areas where the Tea Party, the Conservatives, and the "Reasonable Republicans"  (aka - RINOs),  have some or any concurrence with the undefinable positions of King Donald I seem to shimmer in the heat waves of the Mojave Desert.
         "He hates the same people I hate!!!"  seems to be the cry of the people outside the walls of the castle.   They shake their scythes and pitchforks and torches and surge forward as the doors of the castle fall to their insistence.   Robespierre and Voltaire and dancing with joy and wheeling out the guillotines.

     Why don't the Republicans just go ahead and join up with the 7th Regiment and ride out in front of the largest assembly of the finest light cavalry ever composed upon North American Continent....and just get it over with.   Romney managed to lose the last election by not blustering and being aggressive.   Perhaps we can lose this one by nominating nothing but bluster and faux aggressiveness.   Yes, we are talking about The Little Big Horn.

     One supports the candidacy of Donald Trump at his / her own jeopardy.   If Trump were to  win, we would have four years more of Obama-style high-handedness, big government intervention and manipulation, and "Grand Openning" hype about this or that new initiative to conquer Bad Things.   "I'm in favour of a flat tax as long as it's progressive on the upper-income group."  

     Beyond being ridiculous and contradictive and counter-productive, such bilge is fundamental, Big Government, punish-those-who-"have more", socialist bilge. and it is Trump's position.    It is like O'Reilly being in favour of an obscene profits tax against the big oil companies, which is...whether anyone likes that fact or not.....always counterproductive and the purist form of National Socialism.   Welcome to Trumpland.

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More later,

El Gringo Viejo

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God Bless the Grass That Grows Through Concrete.....

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This is so true.  Just look around you anytime you are out in public.  Ever notice in a public restaurant  a young couple who should be looking into each others eyes; they are gazing into their respective phones?

The Death of Conversation:

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 This was sent in by our spies in Extreme Central Texas.   They seem to have a jaundiced view of the popular culture's interfacing with the human condition.  I mean...."What difference does it make at this point?'....if our great grandchildren will have evolved into two slightly connected thumbs clicking at a microscopic typewriter, asking questions like, "Why is everything so boring all the time?" 

     Some...a few...OROGs have asked, "Where in Extreme Central Texas precisely is this nest of reactionary, counter-revolutionary practitioners of fascist intolerance?"   Recognising immediately that this was probably a somewhat left-of-centre originated inquiry, El Gringo Viejo sent a copy of the wire to El Zorro and then traced the URL tracking number.   At times it went straight to a place called "El Museo Nacional de Fidel, Che, y la Grandiosa Victoria de La Revolucion Cubana".....and at other times it went straight into a place called "The White House:   Attn- Valerie Jarrett".

     So that all will know, this nest of spies lives less than 350 miles north of McAllen, and less than 400 miles south of Dallas / Fort Worth.  They can be found less than 500 miles east of El Paso, and  400 miles west of Beaumont, Texas.   Who am I?   Excuse me....Where am I?  Any correct answer within 10 miles will be disregarded.

More later...the time has come to strap on my armour and prepare for the next battle.  The sound of the cannons never ceases.

El Gringo Viejo

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