Category: Uncategorized

In my July 21 article I asked “Are you a racist?” Of course I’m sure you are not.

I’ll tell you what a “determined racist” is: a white guy who drives 6 hours to a town where he thinks everyone is Mexican so he can shoot a bunch of ‘em in a Wal-Mart. He is alive to tell about it only because of the bravery of the El Paso police and his own cowardice.  The trial to find him guilty and define him as a “domestic terrorist” may cost a million. But perhaps we’ll get a hint as to why individuals lose all respect for human life and go on a killing rampage.

Meanwhile, in Dayton, Ohio, another young guy drove to a popular night spot with his sister and started shooting. He killed nine, including his sister! Police killed the shooter. Apparently there were many early “signs” that he was obsessed with killing.

The country is outraged by these and other mass murders in the last twenty years. Congress will pass another law banning certain weapons and ammunition. The President will sign it and everyone will celebrate the end of gun violence.

Until the next mass murder. I’m pretty sure we have a law against robbing a bank. But people still rob banks.

Is there a solution? Have you noticed that since Osama bin Laden killed 3000 on Sept.11, 2001, we have not had a major attack here by Islamic or other foreign terrorists? That’s because our FBI and other agencies track down prospective terrorists and stop them. Can we assign the same manpower against domestic terrorists as we do against foreign terrorism?

Another key: in almost every case, one or more people had to know, or suspect, the eventual killer. If it’s a head guy of a “Supremacist” group or website, throw them in jail also. I doubt if any of the mass murderers simply woke up one morning, looked in the mirror, and said, “I think this is a good day to kill fifty people.”

I know this is a sensitive issue, with strong opinions on both sides. One side says, “Ban all guns.” The other says, “The Second Amendment is sacred.”  And, kinda similar to the immigration issue, we have schemers who flout the law or the intent of the law, no matter how sensible the law is.

Historic quote by Will Rogers:

“(Contrasted to the Wild West days) the young man simply walks up with no mask, just an Automatic, which a baby can shot as well as Billy the Kid could. There is no possible way you can miss any part of anyone in the building. If there be one thing that has increased crime it’s been the Automatic Pistol. Give any young Egotist two shots of dope and an Automatic and he will hold up the Government Mint… Murder is about the same routine (as robbery), course it’s a little more expensive on account of having to use a little ammunition… Oh, we are living in progress. All of our boasted inventions, like the automobile, and the Automatic (pistol), and our increased ‘Dope’ output, terrible liquor, lost confidence in our Justice, Graft from top to bottom, all these have made it possible to commit anything you can think of.” WA #441, June 7, 1931 [Note: automatic weapons have been banned since 1986.]

Even if you are not a racist, you have probably been called one by folks in Washington or on television.

In politics these days if you want to degrade someone you call him a racist. If you are really mad, you say he’s a racist, then you add a few more big words with 4 or 5 syllables. Usually the poor guy has to look ‘em up in the dictionary to know what he’s been accused of.

If you’re called a racist you should know what it means. Here’s the main definition in the dictionary: Racism is the belief in the superiority of one race over another.

Racism has been part of this country since 1492 when Columbus landed somewhere in the Western Hemisphere. The Civil War and the Civil Rights Act were major “improvements.” Of course we still have a few racists (plus a few who believe the Earth is flat and we never landed on the moon). But nowhere near the 200 million racists that folks on TV and in Washington imply.

I’m not here to spout history, but rather to share how Will Rogers commented on race. You will note that he never said, ‘Go back where you came from’ but had his own humorous way of making that point, in the last line of the last quote below.

Will Rogers was 5/16 Cherokee and proud of it. He said, “My ancestors never came over on the Mayflower, but they were there to meet the boat.”

Historic quotes by Will Rogers:

“The sporting pages were where the news was this Sunday morning… A Mr. [Jesse] Owens, a colored lad of 21 years from Ohio State University broke practically all the world records there is, with the possible exception of horseshoe pitching and flagpole sitting.” DT #2747, May 26, 1935   [Note: this was the Big Ten track championships where he broke 4 world records. The next year he set new records at the Olympics in Berlin, infuriating Hitler.]

“I certainly was glad to read Mr. Henry Ford’s statement [apology] this morning in the papers in regard to the Jewish people. It was a fine thing for a big man to do. It takes big men to admit a fault publicly, and it has been a lesson to me.

From now on I am going to lay off the Republicans. I have never had anything against them as a race. I realize that, out of office, they are just as honest as any other class and they have a place in the community that would have to be taken by somebody. So I want to apologize for all that I have said about them and henceforth will have only a good word to say of them.” DT #300, July 8, 1927

“The Supreme Court says negroes in Texas have the right to vote at Democratic primaries. Certainly will seem funny to see the negroes and the whites voting the same ticket. First thing you know they will be allowing a white Republican to associate with a white Democrat in the South.  Yours for quality in politics regardless of quantity and color.” DT #191, March 8, 1927

“Before  I  forget  it,  this  week  the  Women’s  Federation  of  Clubs  is meeting in Detroit, and I wrote a thing the other day about a Cherokee Indian lady [Roberta Campbell Lawson] from my home who is running, and she’s the first vice president of the club.   But there’s some objection to her because she’s an Indian.  She should rightfully be made president of all the Federated Clubs….  And this lady, as I said, is wonderful. I hate to see her kicked out because she’s an Indian, because she’s a wonderful woman.  And so, any of you women who are going to Detroit next week don’t you vote my Indian out, or I’ll be on you from now on, I’m telling you.  Say, listen, don’t get our intolerance reaching as far down as the Indian, ’cause you monkey around with her, – I’m Cherokee, too – so she and I, we’ll just get together and run you all out of this country and take it back over again.” Radio, June 2, 1935  [Note: yes, she was elected president]

I wrote last time about the divide in this country over immigration. We all hoped that over the July 4^th holiday break that Congress would decide on a reasonable process to relieve the problem at the border. But, no, they just made the divide wider.

Given the current conditions in this country, I doubt I will sway anyone to change their opinion.  Let me give you an example, a contrast in fact.

Suppose you have a problem with ants in your kitchen. Every night, late, you turn on the light and you see ants scrambling all over the kitchen counter. So you buy a few little containers of ant bait and place them at the back of the counter. But each night there are more ants than the night before. That bait is attracting ‘em!

Finally, someone suggests you get a different kind of bait, to be used outside, along the walls of the house. Wow! In a few days, no more ants in the kitchen.

As I said, this is a contrast. We’re not killing ants; we want to save people. Save them the expense, agony, humiliation (and worse) of getting to our border to find that only about a fourth qualify to enter.

A few of the three-fourths who do not have legal status are being deported. Certainly not all of them, but the ones who have had a judge order them to leave the country. They did not leave, so ICE will deport them. Several are gang members, drug dealers, or other criminals.

One news story you can bet on; for every thousand “criminals” arrested for deportation, one person who has committed no crime here will be accidently picked up. It will probably be a single mom with two kids, and most of the TV news media will focus on that one arrest. Don’t blame just the news media. Politicians in many cities are protecting those here illegally, forbidding their police officers to assist ICE.

Now hold on a minute. I’m not against immigrants. We welcome about a million legally every year. And we need a lot of farm workers. Many of those are seasonal to pick vegetables and fruit, but more are needed in permanent jobs, for example, in dairies and meat processing plants. Engineers are working constantly to come up with machines and gadgets to eliminate these jobs. And making it harder to hire immigrant labor will speed up mechanization. Did you know a robot can milk 80 cows a day? You would be amazed how many dairies “employ” robot milkers.

Congress is drooling at the opportunity to interview Robert Mueller. He does not want to appear at all, but has reluctantly agreed to be grilled for 2 hours. If every Congressman who wants 5 minutes of TV time to ask a question got it, Mueller would be tied up till September. Actually what they want is to give a 4-minute speech, and maybe then ask a question if they think of one.  My solution is easy: have each member submit his or her questions ahead in writing. By combining duplicates and eliminating questions Mueller answered clearly in  his report, he could be out of there in half an hour.

Historic quotes by Will Rogers:

“”I am sure that it was only the extreme generosity of the Indians that allowed the Pilgrims to land. Suppose we reversed the case. Do you reckon the Pilgrims would have ever let the Indians land? Not a chance. Not a chance. The Pilgrims wouldn’t even allow the Indians to live after the Indians went to the trouble of letting ‘em land.”  Radio broadcast, April 14, 1935

“If we could just send the same bunch of men [and women] to Washington for the good of the nation, and not for political reasons, we could have the most perfect government in the world.” WA #78, June 8, 1924

American farmers are hurting. Rain and flooding have affected farm land across at least 17 states. Millions of acres that would usually have corn and soybeans planted in April and May are bare, except for weeds. Millions more acres have late-planted crops that may not mature unless a killing frost comes later than usual.

Will you notice any difference at the grocery store? A few items may cost a little more. But nobody is going hungry.

The Mexican border is dividing, not just Mexico from the United States, but American citizens from American citizens. Is this as divisive as the slavery debate in the 1850s? Of course this current situation is nowhere close to the reality of slavery. But the arguments, on both sides, seem equally intense. Nobody will give an inch.

One side sees only desperate families seeking a better life. Let them all in, and provide free medical care, free education… pretty much anything they need.

The other side says we can’t handle 3 or 4 million random immigrants every year. We already accept 1 million immigrants through a legal process. Even that needs to be adjusted to assure these immigrants have the talents and skills to fit in and contribute to our economy.

The debates of the Democratic candidates for President highlighted the division. On the second night all ten agreed that, if elected, all “undocumented immigrants” will have free health care. (I think a couple of them announced it in Spanish. They did not want the message to be lost in the translation.) In other words, get up here, cross our border, and get free medical care for life. And then many candidates would add in free college and guaranteed jobs at a livable wage. Wow, who could resist that temptation?

So the country, and Congress, is at an impasse. Republicans want to allow in only those who have received asylum status. Democrats want more funds for more federal employees to speed up the screening process so they can all come in and not spend any time in “cages” or other detention facility.

The 2020 election will be decided on this “immigration” issue, government run health care, appointment of federal judges, and income tax policy.

The Fourth of July is Thursday. Celebrate Independence Day, but be safe doing it. We celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and some of us have even more reasons to celebrate.

Historic quotes by Will Rogers:

“America is the land of opportunity and don’t ever forget it.” DT #1541, July 1, 1931

“That liberty that we got 159 years ago Thursday was a great thing, but they ought to pass a law that we could only celebrate it every 100 years, for at the rate of accidents yesterday we won’t have enough people to celebrate it every year. And the speeches. Did you read them? Never was as much politics indulged in under the guise of ‘freedom and liberty.’ They was 5 percent what George Washington did, and 95 percent what the speaker intended to do.” DT #2782, July 5, 1935

This is Father’s Day. Will Rogers commented on this day at the end of a loving tribute to Mothers on Mother’s Day (on radio) in 1935, “Father had a day, but you can’t find anybody who remembers when it was. It’s been so confused with April the First.”

Speaking of confusion, half of Americans are convinced that Russia coordinated with the Trump campaign to win the 2016 election. That’s after Robert Mueller spent thirty million taxpayer dollars on a two-year investigation and concluded there was no coordination between Trump and Russia. None. Oh, Russia tried. About 13 times. And, according to Mueller’s report two months ago, the Trump folks turned ‘em down every time.

So why do only 50 percent believe the Trump campaign is “innocent” and the other 50 percent blame Russia for Clinton’s defeat. And a lot of those want Trump impeached and thrown in prison. If you can figure out why half of American voters are fooled, I wish you would write a letter to our big newspapers and television networks and explain it to ‘em.

Our winter sports wrapped up in the middle of June. It was a peculiar, confusing ending. Our National Basketball championship was won by Canada (the Toronto Raptors). And for the national sport of Canada (Hockey), the Stanley Cup wound up in St. Louis. But this is great news. Those cities won a championship in those sports for the first time.

Historic quote by Will Rogers:

“Some of our big papers have so much in there about the subject till it gets you confused. These fellows [at small newspapers] pick out the main facts and hand it to you in concentrated form, but they get in all the main things.” WA #664 (written ~August 10, 1935; published Sept. 8)

President Trump returned from Europe and found that Mexico is more willing to deal than Congress. Now, there’s no guarantee Mexico will do everything they promised. Here at home a lot of folks still in Congress reneged on their votes a few years ago to tackle the onslaught of illegal immigration.

Folks are wondering where Mexico will get the money to hire the immigrants they have agreed to hang on to. Well, I heard a nub of an idea a few days ago and I think it’s a good one: pay those folks to build the Wall. Yes, and to do it at a bargain price, build in on Mexico’s side of the border. This only applies to the Wall along the Rio Grande River. See, our Texas ranchers and others depend on that river and don’t want to be cut off from it. And acquiring a right-of-way in Mexico would be way cheaper than in Texas.

I heard that Speaker Pelosi said she wanted to see Trump in prison rather than be impeached. Maybe she was joking. But if she is serious, what would she charge him with? Let’s see: destruction of evidence, endangering top secret documents, receiving millions of dollars from Russia. No, wait. That was Clinton.

Really, I think she would send Trump to prison for lying. He lies to his lawyers, lies about his golf score, lies to his wives; according to some counts, he has lied over 10,000 times since announcing his candidacy. For a man who brags that he is not a politician, he is getting close to the best of ‘em.

Joe Biden is the latest to announce his plan to eliminate fossil fuels and stop global warming. He plans to do it by 2050. That’s convenient because he would be 108.

You know, instead of the Presidential debates with 25 candidates taking shots at each other, here’s what I would pay to see: a debate on government policies on fossil fuels and climate change with Biden, O’Rourke, Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez… in China. Do it in Beijing, or Shanghai, or on the Great Wall.

Historic quotes by Will Rogers:
“If you ever injected truth into politics you would have no politics.” WA #31, July 15, 1923

“We cuss our elected officials and we joke about ‘em but they are all good fellows at heart and if they wasn’t in politics, why, they would be doing something else against us that might be worse.” May 18, 1926

My offer of sacrificing myself to serve as a VP candidate with a Democrat Presidential candidate has fallen flat. No emails. No phone calls. A handful of the 25 candidates have no need for a VP at this stage. The other 20 are not interested because their name recognition pales in comparison to Will Rogers. A person seeing the two of us together would ask, ‘Who is that stranger standing there beside Will Rogers?’ One said, “I think I’ve seen her, is it Gina Lollabrigida?” No, it’s Gillabrand. Of course it could be DeLaney or DeBlasio or DeNiro.

President Trump threatened Mexico with a 5% tariff on all their exports to the US.  We don’t like tariffs and all the discussion on television is about how bad the tariffs will be for us. Has anyone considered that Mexico might take actions to solve our border crisis? Any migrant that goes into Mexico expecting direct passage to and across our border will be stopped! Stay in Mexico, or go back where they came from. Is it ironic that the President has to negotiate with Mexico on our border problem because the Democrats in Congress refuse to act?

The President is in England meeting with Queen Elizabeth and other British leaders. On Thursday they will celebrate of the 75^th anniversary of D-Day, June 6, 1944. Oddly, a few Brits, including the London mayor, are protesting the presence of America’s leaders. Yes, protesting our presence. Let that sink in. Maybe they should talk with their parents or grandparents or read a history book. Back in 1944 a million Americans were “present.” To save England’s hide.

Our farmers who raise corn and soybeans are facing a severe weather crisis. Most of our grain-growing states are being hammered by rain, too much and too often. Even if fields are not flooded, before soil gets dry enough to plant, it rains again. More than half the fields that should have a crop growing are bare.

We’ve had record-breaking rainfall, but farmers have faced drastic conditions before. Here are two comments by Will Rogers: “What has the poor farmer done against the Almighty and the Republican administration that he should deserve all this?” (DT #`1258, Aug. 6, 1930) and, “If your crop is a failure and you don’t raise anything, why you are fortunate. Because it costs you more to raise anything than you can sell it for, so the less you raise the less you lose, and if you don’t raise anything you are ahead.” (WA #235, June 12, 1927)

Robert Mueller raised a ruckus in Washington when he went on television and said aloud what he had written in his 400-page report on Russia and Trump. Concerning obstruction by Trump while investigating possible collusion that did not happen, he said, “We did not have confidence that the president did not commit a crime. No way, no how.” While Republican lawyers said this totally clears Trump, Democrat lawyers interpreted this statement as proof that Trump committed a crime and must be impeached. (read the quote below)

Historic quote by Will Rogers:

“If (a report) is plain and understandable only one way, it was written by a non-lawyer. Every time a lawyer writes something, he is not writing for posterity, he is writing so that endless others of his craft can make a living out of trying to figure out what he said.” WA #657, July 28, 1935

Have you noticed how our political parties learn from each other? The Republicans had 17 candidates for President four years ago, so the Democrats said, We can top that!

And they have. They’ve got 24 or 25 candidates, and by the time you read this it may be up around 30.

They all want to be President. No one is running for Vice President. Not even the man with 8 years’ experience as VP. A few are vehemently opposed to even being mentioned for the No. 2 slot. For them it’s No. 1, or nothing.

The women candidates hate the idea of playing second fiddle. They saw how the Alaska Governor, Sarah Palin, got treated. Why, she was accused of being closer to Russia in 2008 than Trump in 2016.

So, at great personal sacrifice, I (Will Rogers) pledge my support as the running mate for the “winner” out of the 25 or 30 (or 40) candidates. Unlike Joe Biden, I have no actual experience as VP. But in 1924, almost a hundred years ago, I offered to be the sacrificial lamb, so to speak, with the nominee. I don’t recall exactly how many Democrats were in the race, but it was slightly less than this year.

With that large number running in 1924, guess how many ballots it took to pick the nominee? You’ll never get close. The convention stretched to 16 days because it took 102 ballots.

Historic quotes by Will Rogers: (for VP)

“In the entire three years of preparation by the Democratic Party to groom some man for this present crisis there has never been a mention of a man to run for Vice President. It’s  bad  enough  to  be  nominated  on  that  ticket  for  President,  much  less  Vice President.

Somebody has got to be sacrificed for the sake of party harmony. I hereby and hereon put myself in nomination. So I, Will Rogers, of Claremore, Oklahoma; Hollywood, California, and 42nd St. and Broadway, New York, do hereby step right out and declare myself, not only as a receptive but an anxious candidate for (Vice President).

On first hearing this it may sound like a joke, but when I relate to you some of the qualifications which I possess, why, I think any fair-minded man will give me serious consideration.

In the first place, they have got to nominate a farmer [Midwesterner] who understands the farmers’ condition.   Well, I got two farms in Oklahoma, both mortgaged, so no man knows their condition better than I do. I am just progressive enough to suit the dissatisfied. And lazy enough to be a Stand Patter. I never worked for a big corporation.

When the President can’t go anywhere, why, the Vice President has to go and speak or eat for him. Now, I could take in all the dinners, for I am a fair eater. I could say, ‘I am sorry the President can’t come, but he had pressing business.’ Of course, I wouldn’t tell the reason why he didn’t come, so I am just good enough a liar to be a good Vice President.

Of course I have no dress suit (tuxedo).  The Government would have to furnish me a dress suit.  If I went to a dinner in a rented one, they would mistake me for a Congressman.

I know I can hear a lot of you all say, ‘Yes, Will, you would make a good Vice President, but suppose something happened to the President?’ Well, I would do just like Mr. Coolidge. I would go in there and keep still and say nothing.  He is the first President to discover that what the American people want is to be let alone.

P.S.  I was born in a Log Cabin.” New York Times, June 26, 1924

Last week I asked a few questions, with possible answers thrown in for fun.

This week, in honor of Mother’s Day, let’s ask a few more. Every son and daughter knows that Mothers are persistent at asking questions until they get the honest answer.

Impeachment has been a hot topic lately. Senator Elizabeth Warren says she wants to impeach President Trump. Meanwhile House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a proud mother and grandmother, hesitates to start impeachment proceedings. Here is her question to Sen. Warren: “Can you get the signatures of 67 of your fellow Senators committed to vote for impeachment? If you do that, Maxine Watters and I will zip through impeachment hearings in the House by mid-June, the Senate will agree, and Trump will be out of office before he can have his fancy July 4^th celebration.” Sen. Warren’s response: “Well, honestly, I’m campaigning on impeachment, but there is zero chance of getting 20 Republican Senators to agree with us Democrats on impeachment.”

Have you heard we have a Constitutional crisis? Has it affected you? Would you recognize a Constitutional crisis if you saw one? When southern states essentially declared war on the Union in 1861, yes that was a Constitutional crisis. States that refused to desegregate schools in the 1950s created a crisis. If Nixon had refused to leave the White House that would have been a crisis.  But, honestly, is an argument between the Speaker of the House and the President really a Constitutional crisis? With luck, maybe they can deescalate the crisis before any shots are fired.

Historic quote by Will Rogers:
“You see, the old founders of the Constitution made it so it didn’t matter who was in office, things would drag along about the same.” Oct. 29, 1927

Is there any organization as slow and lacking in common sense as Congress? I don’t mean every member in there, but as a whole. Robert Mueller finished his investigation of Russia in March and handed his report to Attorney General Barr. After Barr blacked out about five percent of it because of top secret material, he published it. Weeks later, Congress is still arguing about it.

Last week Barr was called on to explain what’s in the Mueller report to both the Senate and the House.  But after Barr answered questions from Senators, the Chairman of the Judicial Committee in the House decided they needed to bring in an expert lawyer to interrogate him, thereby admitting the members weren’t smart enough to question him alone. Next they want to question the source himself, Mr. Mueller, in late May.

Here’s my question: why drag this out over two or three months? See, right after they read the 400-page report, why didn’t a few of the top leaders in Congress have a sit down meeting with Barr and Mueller? Mr. Mueller spent two years preparing the report, so he probably has a pretty good idea what is in it.  Mr. Barr would have had a couple of weeks to get familiar with it, but couldn’t be expected to know all the background details.

I would suggest starting with these questions:
“Mr. Mueller, in how many instances did Russia try to conspire with the Trump campaign?” Answer: “13.”
“In how many of these attempts was Russia successful?”  “None.”
“So there was no collusion, no conspiracy. When did you reach that conclusion?” “About a year ago, confirmed for sure in February 2018.”
“Is that when you began Part 2 of your investigation, obstruction of justice?” “Yes.”
“If there was no conspiracy, why did you suspect obstruction of justice?” “Well, President Trump kept insisting, vehemently, there was no collusion so we felt like he was trying to hide something and obstruct us from finding it.”
“Did you find any obstruction?” “Well, (long pause) we spent another year investigating, and another ten million dollars, and my longtime acquaintance, Bill Barr, had just been named Attorney General so I wanted to give him the opportunity to make at least one decision, based on our evidence.”
“Let me switch to Mr. Barr. What is your decision on obstruction of justice?” “Since there was no conspiracy, no crime, then it’s hard to find obstruction. And keep in mind that you can talk about it, even discuss it with colleagues, but if there is no action taken to obstruct, then no judge or jury would convict you of obstruction.”

Of course, this informative meeting never took place in late March, although it could have. Do you like the questions? I can’t vouch for the answers, but they seem reasonable.

We’ll have to wait another month or two for these Congressional investigations to finish. Several folks in Congress seem to want the questions to continue for many more months, maybe even to October 2020.

Historic quotes by Will Rogers:

“It looks like you don’t make a good witness or committee member in a Washington investigation unless you call each other a liar or insult the President of the United States.” DT #2787, July 11, 1935

“Mr. Roosevelt gets back tomorrow and his fishing trip will be followed by an investigation. The Democrats claim he caught some fish and the Republicans are equally insistent that he didn’t. It’s like all investigations. It’s going to have a big bearing on the future of this country. If there is men in this country that claim they caught fish when they didn’t catch one, it should be known by the people of this country.” DT #2400, Apr. 12, 1934