The Writer's Life 3/14 - Ramblin'

I read or heard somewhere that despite all the firings and the daily battles against the negativism of the mainstream media, President Trump has managed to enact 60% of his agenda. Meanwhile, heads roll. Is the axing of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson an indication of chaos? Maybe, but he behaved more like an Obama appointee in terms of policy. And am I being blindly supportive in saying that it's refreshing to see accountability in government? Now Mike Pompeo moves from head of the CIA to State, and Gina Haspel, who has been with the CIA since 1985 and seems eminently qualified, moves to the top spot there. According to pundits, her appointment will be vigorously opposed by Dems, who will cite her support of torture post 9/11. I'd prefer someone like that to lead in protecting the nation. Also, it's good to see the president lay the blame on Russia for the London attack of nerve gas that has put a former Russian spy and his daughter at death's door. He is not critical enough of Putin, who's our mortal enemy.

Although the special election in Pennsylvania is extremely close, it looks like the Dems have another victory. They outspent Republicans 500-1. In this case they ran someone who is to the right of, or at least pretends to be, of President Trump. It would be very surprising if he ever votes contrary to the swamp's wishes, but one can always hope.

NYC has speed cameras in many places. Politicians say they encourage safe driving. Detractors claim they are merely another way of financing the profligate spending that gets incumbents re-elected. Now, according to an article at Fox News, a small Midwestern town is in a dog fight that threatens this practice. A federal court has ruled that New Miami, Ohio, population 2321, must pay back more than $3 million in automated speeding tickets. It will almost certainly go bankrupt if the state Supreme Court doesn’t reverse the ruling and spare it from refunding tens of thousands of tickets at $180 apiece plus interest. Of course, this may encourage lawsuits in other areas of the country, but I doubt any would occur in the socialist Big Apple. Seven states are currently considering legislation amid concerns of abuse. A study has found that the number of red light cameras in the U.S. dropped to 467 in 2015 from its peak of 553 in 2012. I've always believed it to be a Big Brother-like intrusion on citizens. Supporters cite studies that show a significant decrease in accidents and fatalities as proof they are necessary.

The Loyola-Chicago men’s basketball team will be making its first NCAA tournament appearance in 33 years this week. Its biggest fan is 98-year-old nun Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt. And here she is:

With the wind howling at my usual book nook, I took the show to an alternate site and got lucky. My thanks to Bay 37th alum Lorraine, who bought The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks, and to the young woman who purchased a book in Russian. Special thanks to young Morad, who is of Egyptian descent, and who, when he asked which I think is my best book, took a chance on Killing.

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