Notes from Home

I’m happy to report no hospitalizations over the past month. I so missed the freedom to get up at will and visit the bathroom that now I get up three times a night whether I need to or not.

I’ve changed my mind on two of Trump’s nominations – Pete Hegseth (SecDef) and Tulsi Gabbard (DNI). Gabbard should be SecDef and Hegseth should be Secretary of the Army. Keith Kellog should be DNI.

Origin of the chronically homeless issue: The first wave of closures took place in the 1960s. Those were the "warehouses" used to place the mentally ill or, in some cases, the elderly for whom no one was willing to assume responsibilities, and only through manumission from the evil of warehousing could their rights be protected. Prompted by the liberal bent for compassion, rights of these residents were being denied. I find that a defensible position, although I am not necessarily in agreement with it.

The consequence was that the cure was worse than the disease. Approximately 600,000 people were ordered freed from the warehouses. Many had no life skills to cope with the outside world; unlike the warehouses, there were no free sources of medical care, nor of food and shelter. These people formed the core of a mass of chronically homeless; that core continues to exist today.

We will be lucky to avoid World War III before January 20, 2025.

Daniel Penny had the top count of his indictment dismissed by the Judge. The jury found him not guilty of the lesser included charge. He’ll be back in court to face a civil suit for wrongful death. Jesus Christ. Leave the man alone. I pity the people who cannot see beyond skin color.

I believe President Trump should consider Jeh Johnson, Obama’s Secretary of Homeland Security, for the same position. Johnson appears to have been one of the few occupants of the position with his head screwed on straight.

I strongly urge Trump to establish a standing appointment for a working lunch for himself and the top Democrat and Republican in each Chamber of Congress. The Speaker and the Minority Leader of the House hold a joint press conference afterwards.

Trump is undercutting himself with raiding Republican members of the House. Johnson is down to a one-vote majority.

Trump has stated that unless the hostages are released by Hamas before he takes office he’s going to open a can of whuppass on them. He certainly doesn’t want to endanger the hostages. He’ll want to reposition an LHA-6 class Amphibious Assault Ship to the Arabian Gulf to invade and occupy Qatr with the stated objective of opening discussions with the Hamas leadership, who are hosted in luxury there. Simultaneously send a squadron of C-130s to North Yemen and drop a full complement of MOAB (Massive Ordnance Air Blast) which should put the Houthis’ rocket launchers about ten meters below sea level.