The intent of this blog is to promote human equality, human progress, human peace and justice, and optimism. To accomplish this, to encourage the discussion of ideas after identifying and discovering problems, and then creating positive solutions for "we the people," in order to provide for the "general welfare" and "domestic tranquility" of America now and its "posterity" into the future. To encourage an emphasis on separation of religion and state for all, no matter if this is for those "of faith" in a Maker / Creator (Deists, God-loving people, Christians, various people of spirituality) and atheists or agnostics.

Archive for May, 2021

DAMNATION ON MICROSOFT: No more allowing me to do what I want to do and CUT AND PASTE cells in Excel – DAMNATION TO MICROSOFT

No longer can I cut and paste a cell in Microsoft Excel. Why? Why do they employ young programmers who program this in the manner to which it is working and removes MY control over my spreadsheets when a good buddy from my college had created a better computer program and operating system in the 1980s and he died. Some way that Americans treat one another. Shame on American business so being so bad, as lazy fat cats at the top make big salaries and bonuses and screw their employees out of benefits and pensions in the process. Meanwhile, screw these lazy fat cat bastards for blaming the American worker as being lazy. What should they expect when those bastard fat cats and pigs take all the money and want trickle down to the hard working American. It is disgusting and it makes it disgusting living in such a lousy America with lousy fat cats at the top. The demand side of the market gets screwed, as does the hard-working American trying to feed and house a family and live for retirement security and healthcare.

THREE-PENNY OP-ED: The Stupidity & Perversions of Americans Who Bloviate False Information About the 2nd Amendment

On a bumper sticker, it states that “freedom would not have been accomplished without the 2nd Amendment.” Really? There was no 2nd Amendment when America declared its independence in 1776 and raised arms with muskets against the Redcoats of Britain. Muskets. It takes several minutes between shots in order to reload them, compared to automatic weapons today. Repeat. Muskets, not automatic weapons.

The bumper sticker contained a lie with no facts or evidence. I say, “just the facts, ma’am, just the facts.” In order to protect the institution of enslavement of Africans, to kill off indigenous of North America, or even to mow down a line of Filipinos in the Spanish-American war, in the form of genocide, were guns important. In each case, guns were used against people with colored skins, not white people.

Gaetz and others are perverted and disgusting people to suggest that the 2nd Amendment “supports insurrection.” I hate to use the following word. But perverted ones like Gaetz are assholes. Shall I call them jackasses? They divide America and get coverage by the media when there should be no right to express words of hatred to support someone’s opinion. The courts in America need to put a stop to this.

To Trumpicans and the Gaetz idiocracy, I ask this. What if you assholes had to accept guns used by the Black Panthers? After all, there are those who claim those people mounted an insurrection. You are saying that should be legally accepted, right? I don’t believe it is. In fact, I know too many white people who were just as horrified about what the Black Panthers did as they are regarding the insurrection on Jan. 6 at the U.S. Capitol building which was implemented primarily by white people. Americans, including someone from the Capitol police, were killed. A dumb idiocracy person from QAnon was killed as she festered, like a fool, with the false words and conspiracy theories being perpetrated by perverted assholes like Gaetz and others of the idiocracy.

You assholes of the Trumpicans idiocracy, go to h-e-double-hockey-sticks. You insult those of us who want a democracy and wish to correct the imperfections of government. We are disgusted with hearing words from the Jan. 6 thugs, such as: “it has just begun with a repeat of 1776. Repeat. There was no 2nd Amendment in 1776. In fact, one of the first insurrections against this new government and under General and ultimate first president, George Washington, was the Whiskey Rebellion of western Pennsylvania. President Washington set a precedence in NOT defending that insurrection with the 2nd Amendment.

Forty-five defends an insurrection and then perverts like Gaetz makes a claim that the 2nd Amendment defends such insurrections. Bullshit on Gaetz. Vomit on Gaetz. Throwing shit at him or to vomit on him or throw a cream pie in his face is not using guns. I don’t advocate using guns against Gaetz, as much as he probably advocates using guns against those of us who disagree with him. My opposition is found in the following words, not guns and is based on facts. I don’t like the wealthy Saudi head-hopping bastard pigs, with their oil, but I wish to wean America of oil and move away from such evil people with money; I advocate keeping oil in reserve as a savings account for the future, not go and kill the Saudi royal family. Oh, that’s right. It was Neil Bush and the Republicans who worked to destroy the federal savings and loan associations in America, by sabotage. Such perverts don’t like savings but try to bolster big banks with the authority to control with credit cards. Another thing. Gaetz probably wishes to take guns against those of us who attempt to lower our “carbon footprint;” or guns against those of us wish to be out of the closet as gay people and not segregated away like a bunch of freaks; or to use guns against those of us who support the non-segregation of people of color; or take up guns against those of us who refuse to allow anti-Semitism in America.

Insurrectionists like the Black Panthers, white Proud Boys, white QAnon group are wrong in grabbing at the use of guns. For much of the accomplishments for freeing black people is the the use of Martin Luther King’s ideas of non-violence. To mock MLK and his non-violent followers, the white bastards chose to use a gun to shoot him down.

The freedom for women to vote was not gained by the use of guns, but by the use of non-violent protests. The freedom for gay people to live their lives out of the closet was gained by throwing cream pies in the face of those who were in opposition. Yes, there was a riot in New York City which was violent, but there were never guns used in that riot, and the results of that riot were to advance freedom for gay people. After George Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis, Martin Luther King’s daughter appealed for non-violent protest. Sad that that the ones who instigated too much violence were the white bastards from Proud Boys and sometimes even from police forces who are inundated with a “norm” that “black people are bad.”

Those white Europeans (Irish and Italian, for instance) came here as indentured servants. They were white. They won their freedom without the use of guns, but to free the black folks, we had to use guns and fight a civil war, after Barbara Bush’s ancestor and several other jackass presidents before Lincoln, ruined the stalwart of democracy, the compromise. Ms. Bush’s ancestor, President Franklin Pierce DESTROYED the Compromise of 1850 in the same way as McConnell and the perverted Republicans in the U.S. Senate just destroyed an investigation of the Jan. 6 events and enabled Gaetz to say what he did, A LIE —– I repeat – liar Gaetz with a lie – that the 2nd Amendment was designed to “defend insurrection.” To which I repeat. History shows otherwise. Like those who enable a spouse or friend to continue with alcoholism, McConnell enabled Gaetz to bloviate with a lie. Sad thing. That big bad media, as portrayed by Trump, did nothing to really challenge and put the word out against what Gaetz. An apparent lack of confidence in using historical facts, sad to say, when there are books and writings galore which explain the wrongness of what Gaetz said and use FACTS AND EVIDENCE in the process. Lawyers, too, say nothing. Remain silent, as they work to grab their money from ambulance-chasing creation of jobs for lawyers. That is a very sad commentary about America.

There is a never-ending circle going on, unless we work together to stop it. Police forces hold up a banner of “blue lives matter” when we all should be holding up banners of “ALL LIVES MATTER” or “ALL HUMAN LIVES MATTER.” The choke-holding police officer is likely never to lose his life, either. But many black people HAVE lost their lives and the catch-22 is that they feel they want vengeance and thus it all snowballs. Mr. CHOKE HOLDER was not right to defend his fear of being shot at by black people, by putting a chokehold on a person. It was as much nonsense as the teacher in the 1970s who, in an all-white school, was encouraged to “establish one’s rule,” as in the 19th Century practices where teachers had to act like police and put a chokehold on kids. This was to let the kids know “who is boss.” That was bullshit and not necessary, should teachers learn how to “establish who is boss” with other non-violent means, such as the means of Jesus Christ who was the greatest teacher on earth.

Perversion is not nudity. Perversion is not visual views of sex. Perversion IS the lack of self-control in sex which leads to the possibility of people like Gaetz having sex with young girls. Perversion is “anything goes,” like a Libertarian or anarchist. Perversion is violence and use of guns to attack those of non-white races, use stand your ground rules (like Florida) or lynching to attack non-white people, use false information and false convictions to put down non-white people.

With this last thing being said, let us take a look at the manipulation of sabotaging the reputations of black people, in a historical perspective. After the American Civil War, black folks looked for homes in rural areas such as where I live in upstate New York. To drive them out, the white folks here dreamed up visions of false accusations against a black man here, when the man never did commit a murder. He was falsely accused of murder and executed by the local government here. It was a Yankee government, unlike the vigilante groups like the KKK in the South who took execution upon their own and the sheriff looked the other way. Never heard of such a thing on Murder, She Wrote, in the fictional town of Cabot Cove, ME, did we? I bet it happened at one time or another.

In 1921, there was the genocide with weapons in Tulsa, OK, where no white people were convicted and justice ever done for those black folks who lived on “Black Wall Street” in the Greenwood section of Tulsa. Why did this happen? As with Emmett Till in 1955, a false claim regarding a black and white person.

This brings to mind an event of the 17th Century in the areas now known as the Bronx and Westchester County. According to a history of Westchester County, the Dutch Governor Kieft, falsely accused an indigenous man of murder. There was no evidence. White bastards LOVE using false crap like a Trumpicrap person does. In this 17th Century situation, the indigenous people rose up in revolt and massacred households in the area, including that of Anne Hutchinson and her family who had emigrated there from Rhode Island. For some reason, people of my own family lineage who were with Anne Hutchinson, were spared, but moved elsewhere. Mr. Throckmorton, for which the Throggs Neck Bridge is named, was spared, but he ultimately moved to New Jersey. My family had an area there named after it: Cornell Neck because one of the family members did remain in New Amsterdam (now New York City) and married a member of the Willett family in the Dutch Reformed Church on Manhattan, which is likely the church of the Trump family, called the Marble Collegiate Church.

It was another woman in my lineage who gave the land for that church, in the 17th Century when women were SUPPOSED to be property of men. Each your heart out, narcissistic Trump.

Have I said enough? What holes will be shot through what I am saying? Go ahead. Take aim at me rather than consider the truth and facts I offer. I am not full of shit. Those who live in silence are full of shit because they fear being contentious. We know that people like Gaetz are those who are assholes who never empty out their shit. I hate to say things this way because they are vulgar. But how much of what I am saying has been taken seriously and spread around? Or are you fearful that you become a manure spreader, should you use your voice? The manure spreader along the state road here and just to the south had a Trump sign in it. The ones spreading the manure are Trump, Gaetz, and the others in the destructive forces of the Trumpicans who wish to destroy our democracy and put in place an autocracy which dictates what white supremacists want and everyone of color just bows down to them like a bunch of “Uncle Toms” who cannot appreciate the fact that guns were drawn against the guns of those who wanted to preserve the institution of slavery.

GODDAMN WORDPRESS FOR BLOCKING ME SENDING MY BLOG MESSAGES TO MY EMAIL – WHAT IS THE INTENTION? ONE OF MOCKERY AND PATRONIZING ME?

Go to h-e-double-hockey-sticks WordPress for blocking my blog posts from being sent to my Google email. What do you bastards hope to accomplish?

I just tried sending a blog to my gmail at least two dozen times and never once did it send it. Instead, it gives me these stupid “captcha” images asking me to identify motorcycles or tractors in such tiny images that someone who is visually impaired and zooms the pictures to see them and it is difficult to view. Must be no one enforces the ADA, as we were supposed to do when I was doing websites, web pages, and wikis. Go to h-e-double-hockey-sticks, you younger generation who are the crux of this matter. OK. I apologize if I ever offended someone at a younger age who was visually impaired. Maybe you want to rub my fingers in broken glass.

Ameri3an tycoons with their autocracy, go to hell, pound salt, suck eggs, and eat shit. You are disgusting people.

I hope a dog pisses on your captcha fire hydrants and destroys them. You push me into a corner and take away my control over my own computer and blog that you make me angry. If I bury the anger than it leads to depression and you bet I won’t do that. Go to hell.

Frustration: I Want Control of my Own Technology

I feel as if someone else controls my computer and Internet access in the America I live in today. Why?

Best Buy wants me to put their virus-controlling software solely on my computer but is unable to remove the MalWareBytes which still controls my computer with reiterative popups and the slowing of my computer. I don’t want the GD MalWareBytes reports. I want them to end. So what do I do? How do I gain control of my own computer and “fatally execute” the MalwareBytes program?It’s a bummer to try this or that or this or that. It’s a bummer to realize Best Buy left the damn software on my computer the last time they did the technical support for which I pay an annual fee. What gives here?

Seems to me I am always in a war and having to be contentious. Most of the time it is with big corporate American companies, from Best Buy to Gannett to Verizon to Spectrum. Why should we, as Americans, always be pitting one against the other? I point out that, rather than getting extensive tort reform, we see lawyers as politicians and with businesses to advertise and encourage Americans against Americans, rather than push for something which would stop the extensive costs thrust upon all in the Middle Class by personal injury lawsuits and workman’s comp crap.

What are lawyers about? Being a bunch of cowards and chickens, afraid of challenging this lousy attitude to pit Americans against Americans? In the process, we now have Proud Boys and others who wish to pit against a government, as if the government “is the problem,” as Reagan once said. I am insulted that there are those who wish to act like “they” with whom they are opposed are the government, as imperfect as such an institution is. Yet, these damn Proud Boys never take on big corporate America which is ripping off the American people in the Middle Class. The Trumpicans rip off American Middle Class so that many of us in the Middle Class no longer have tax deductions or credits for charitable contributions, property tax payments, sales tax payments, mortgage interest or credit card interest. Yet, the corporate social welfare group at the top, with all the money, get tax credits by Trump and his goons. Go ahead, you GD Proud Boys and QAnon, stick with your bloody false conspiracies and all the rest, while lawyers continue with their push for pitting Americans against Americans with frivolous lawsuits, claiming they are doing the American Middle Class a favor, just as the Trumpicans figure they are doing the Middle Class a favor with tax credits for the wealthy. Bullshit on that idea.

There was a very good lawyer who died while ending his term as governor of Florida and never being able to run against George W. Bush for president in 2000. His name was Lawton Chiles. He worked with several other states to gain money back from big tobacco, not for individuals, in order to help pay the high healthcare costs for the state having to deal with lung cancer, as a result of cigarettes. He was hated by the crowd and cowards of Trumpicans of that day. Hated so much that the “south rising again,” moved big tobacco company production to another area where they wish “the white south will rise again.” Namely, South Africa.

As for this lousy technological business in America. Rather than write instructions for installation of a door knob, in layman’s terms, it uses words foreign to most people who don’t work in carpentry and construction. The “rose” around the handle, for instance. What the hell is that supposed to mean?

I have been through dozens of remote keyboards and mouse and found they all suck, whether from Microsoft or Logitech. Once again, I have those which I feel like picking up and, as a celebrity said about the lack of reliable smart phone service, throw it against the wall or out the window. American products have become just like what Americans thought were low quality Japanese products after World War II. American products were always superior. Love of money freaking fat cats with the largest amount of stock, the ones who have corporate welfare due to the tax breaks given by the Trumpicans, have ruined American business. Biden is trying to include this correction in an infrastructure bill which is being blocked by Republicans. I have to ask. Who does Trump, Giuliani, McConnell, Scott, DeSantis work for? The Communist Chinese or Putin of Russia or who exactly? The sabotage they impose, in the name of stifling the Congress. Shall I spend time going over the details for which I am outlining here? Probably not because most of my readers may not read all the details anyway, especially if they view everything from the low-life scum perspective of Trump and the Trumpicans.

Everything I type on these damn keyboards and I am sabotaged in my typing. The word “pro” becomes a “pr0o.” I am FORCED to make a correction. The word, “basic” is done like “bosic.” “A” and “O” are on opposite ends of the keyboard, so how does that happen? The shift key is rarely released in time for the second letter after a capital letter is typed. “Time” is “TIme.” And so forth. Perhaps I need to become angry and use all caps? I was hired to do typing in college while using a Smith Corona or IBM typewriter. I never had so many mistakes as I do on these GD computer keyboards we have today. Why? A “rose” on a door handle is a “rose” so by any other name it would be nonsense, right?

THis is terrible and scummmy in American products taday, along with the lousy instructions provided for equipment and supplies in this wonderful DIY world which is suposed to save us so damn much money. CSich a world of products and instructions, reated by who and where?

Reply to Daily Kos / Labor Article: “Las Vegas restaurant manager shows exactly why he might be having trouble hiring workers”

My reply on Daily Kos article, “Las Vegas restaurant manager shows exactly why he might be having trouble hiring workers”:

Someone replies with, “We often seem to forget that these are localized phenomena, as is the notion of a living wage.” Agreed. This statement describes part of a complex problem. I believe minimum wage and unemployment numbers need to be set at a more local level. I must say that when one is searching for a job, they should inquire as to the rate of pay. What is the sense otherwise? With benefits being trashed and other really bad treatment of employees, what gives incentive to work? I don’t think it is the amount in an unemployment check. With that being said, I can also explain what local management in Florida did when we, in a union, tried to ask for a salary comparable with the higher cost of living. In an area in Florida, just to the north of us, the workers were getting a higher salary with a lower cost of living. If cooks find this to be happening, then I say they should go for it. But they are not lazy in doing so. As a company man in a corporation, I was loyal to the company. Then Republican lovers of money came in to take over the corporation in order to merge it with others and create a monopoly. Employees may have been loyal to the company, but these Republican jerks could have cared less about loyalty, as in the days of Thomas J. Watson at IBM and other corporations. In the case of our union in Florida, we lost employees to this other area with a lower cost of living. Also, there was a different union representing the employees there. This opens up other methods to fix the problem. Change the union or move to where the union is negotiating something better. In today’s world, if there are plenty of jobs, then capitalist supply and demand dictates the process. Or else the union which is being trashed with lower salaries than what is affordable with a higher cost of living is fortunate enough to negotiate a better price. But if the management then turns and uses denial about the cost of living (denial is a word which frequently describes many Republicans in management today), and refuse to negotiate, like McConnell in the U.S. Senate, then what can be done? A management which tries to use the cost of living overall in the southeastern United States rather than the cost of living in the Miami metropolitan area are absurd nutso people. But they dig in their heels and refuse to listen and compromise. This is why I say this is a very complex issue which requires people ON BOTH SIDES to hold to their principles, but compromise on the actions taken. Also to not be in denial about what the cost of living really is. And I have other examples. Such as a county in upstate New York where one end of the county pays a higher teacher salary than at the other end of the county, due to which union represents the group and the cost of living in each area of the county.In this case, unlike the dismal experience with a south Florida bunch of idiots in management where it ended up the area with a lower cost of living received a higher wage, in this upstate NY county, back in the 1970s, the salaries better matched the cost of living in each part of the county. This is where I say minimum wage should be determined at a more localized and/or state level. The Scandinavian countries are socialist democracies. Yet, they have no minimum wage because the cost of living is somewhat closer across the board in those nations. What if the European Union decided to impose a minimum wage across all of Europe? Do they do this? I doubt it, but correct me if I am wrong. At any rate, such an event, if true, would likely not set well in the socialist democratic nations of Scandinavia where, in Denmark, the people have been surveyed, along with all around the world, and the Danes come up as the happiest people on earth. How does that compare with a survey which combines all people in the European Union? The last survey like this one and the USA ranked down about 26th. I began this reply agreeing with the statement: ““We often seem to forget that these are localized phenomena, as is the notion of a living wage.” My experiences and observations validate this as being a rational thought.

Short & To the Point: Being Gay and Dealing with Lousy Preachers who Claim to Follow Christ

This past week, there was a controversy regarding a performance by an openly gay artist named Lil Nas X on Saturday Night Live. He often grabbed his crotch while singing on the show. I viewed a video of this performance. Apparently, Lil Nas X was accused of having a “split in his pants,” to which the singer denies that happening in a tweet to address this slap-happy accusation. I have to think that had he had a split, would not the shoddy puritanical Americans be grateful that he tried to cover up something from being shown? But no. He is attacked instead. And to think of the number of times there is violence on the screens of American television, with blood and guts, so people get upset at someone grabbing at a crotch, but not at the damnable violence? Give me a break. Lil Nas X, you have one gay person who is behind you 100% on this. And this gay person also read an article in The Christian Century (5 May 2021) which featured the blasts from puritanical people who claim to be Christians. My thanks to The Christian Century for pointing out what Lil Nas X has perpetrated in his life, with ire directed at him by lousy people who call themselves Christian preachers (not teachers, but preachers preaching their autocratic ways). Many gay people can relate to what was said about the purported “satanic imagery” which has been blasted at Lil Nas X. It was pointed out that the purported satanic imagery in a Lil Nas X video where Satan is killed, is NOT satanic imagery but actually a wish by many that Satan is eventually killed, as some make the claim will happen by God, based on what is written in the Bible. These damn puritanical crappy people who call themselves Christians would rather see violence on television and see other humans killed than that of Satan or his evil ways. They are more perverted than anyone who holds his crotch in a performance. As q writer’s reaction to the video, attributed to an article in Harper’s Bazaar: “[it] isn’t the satanic imagery. ‘It’s the preaching that made [Lil Nas X] feel less than beautiful, sacred, and beloved.” I’ll drink to that assessment! Oh my goodness! Did I say something crass to the puritanical out there who don’t even accept drinking in moderation and thus drive people to drink? Those who don’t accept choices in life, such as reproductive rights, which sometimes require necessity (i.e., in the case of rape, etc.) while rejecting the help necessary for those born in this world who are born into poverty? I wish to remind those who claim to be Christians that Jesus Christ was a teacher, not a preacher. Thank you, writers and editors of The Christian Century. Oh my goodness! I must go and renew my subscription to The Christian Century.

Living & Learning Moment: Ambiguous Attitudes

Returning to my home today, I had radio station Cool 106.7 (WCDW) on my car radio. I like the tunes from the 1970s and 1980s best, but wonder why we no longer have 1940s, 1950s, or 1960s music? Golden oldies? What are we who like all that music dead now and there is “no one to listen?” Today, I heard a song I had never heard before and don’t know what era it was from. My bet is that it was 1980s or newer. The lyrics included, “don’t back down… stand your ground.”

I thought about such lyrics. Are such lyrics considered ambiguous because of the perspective of the person who listens or is there a common ground for such lyrics? These lyrics about “don’t back down” and “stand your ground,” to me, represent something for me personally. When I am trying to accomplish something I figure these lyrics represent being persistent in accomplishing a goal that has been set. I have been successful in being persistent and then being successful. The results were good for many people, not just for me. In fact, in one instance, my persistence in presenting to my home town school board an idea for hiring a vocal music teacher in the local high school after the separation of buildings created a rift in providing such a position. From the late 1950s until the 1970s, the school had gone from one school for grades K-12 to four different buildings, yet for the arts and culture, there were cutbacks in the education. Made no sense to me, as I would speak with those who had been in the one K-12 building and had more choices for education why there were so many cutbacks. Years later, I learned why. With four buildings it cost more to pay for staff to maintain the buildings so there was not enough money around to hire teachers for the education programs which were necessary. My grandfather, who taught languages in the K-12 building, caught the brunt of that as they curtailed his program. There was no tenure in those days to protect him. In effect, my persistence and working to “not back down” and “stand my ground” helped me in working to get education to advance in the arts, as well as to stop using the brand new vocal music room in a new school building as a “detention center.”

Was there a mathematics teacher or someone in another area who did not like me taking this stand? You bet. I was like an early 19th-Century New York State leader who recognized that building commerce in New York meant taking advantage of the flatlands from the Hudson to Lake Erie and building the Erie Canal. HE was scoffed at and his canal was deemed, “Clinton’s ditch.” Who was the one who proved it was correct to build an infrastructure in order to make New York the Empire State with, ultimately, one of the largest commercial centers in the world in New York City?

As a professor, I always advocated that education we call STEM should also include an “A” in the word and it should be education we call STEAM. STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics. STEAM is Science, Engineering, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics. Perhaps the school district with one building for K-12 figured they needed to adjust to the embarassment about the Soviet Union sending Sputnik into the sky before America had a chance to do it? Thus, STEM is still more important than STEAM? Good grace, Gracie!

After living through the hell and chaos of Florida which was caused by a law pushed by Jeb Bush and the RPOF (Republican Party of Florida) which was called the “Stand your Ground Law,” I have to look at these lyrics in a different perspective. This law has become one in which white people of Florida embrace in order to murder black people. How gross can you get? Is this a return to the lynching parties of Jim Crow? Yeah, it turned out to be quite close. Was the white man who did not like the sound of rap music correct in “standing his ground” by using a gun to shoot a black man who was listening in his car to rap music on the radio? Was the idiocratic man in the movie theatre justified in shooting people who were talking to loud in the theatre? Were these justifications for the words of the song I heard today with lyrics of “don’t back down” and “stand your ground?”

I know how I think about such hatred. I know what I think about these aspects of the words. What do you think about such hatred? What is your perspective on all this? Is there something you can learn in my “teachable moment?” I hope so. America needs to begin learning again. Can I help out?

Three-penny Op-ed: Replacing a Door Handle in America

Here I am, one more time, commenting about the lousy, lazy big fat cats and their big corporations which have worked to destroy small business in America by proclaiming “they can do it in a more cheap manner.” Cheap all right. The only ones who benefit are the big fat cats at the top, the 1%, who own most of the resources of America and continue to hoard the money at the expense of the Middle and lower classes.

Ever noticed how instructions are written today for DIY purposes? It’s a matter of saving money for the consumer, don’t you know? DIY that is. Somehow my Schlage door handle broke. I went to a local business and purchased a new one, but this time it was a KwikSet door handle. I had to settle for a slightly different “color” of door handle, but this was not of concern to the other person in the household, so I figured it would work. It’s a great new handle, for sure. But the old one, somehow, had one screw loose (LOL!) and the brace with the other screw still intact had a great deal of pressure put on it because of being connected as the only screw. So the door handle broke. Understanding this? I hope so.

I decided I have replaced door handles before, so this should be no problem. I worked on an expansion to a home in Florida, many years ago, so I felt brave that door handles would be a piece of cake, right? OK. Following instructions, I had to remove a piece of paper in order to separate the “rose” from the handle (“rose”? what the hell is that?). So I tried. We both tried. Separation not accomplished. I had an idea about using a flat screwdriver to do it, but there was fear as to whether or not this would damage the door handle. What to do?

Finally, I called the 800 support phone number provided in the instructions. I must say. KwikSet provided a much better method of getting to a person with whom I could speak than most American businesses today! Kudos and a ranking of 10 for GREAT to KwikSet, on this point alone!

I spoke with a person there who was very helpful and friendly. They told me to use a flat-head screwdriver to separate it. Now I felt confirmation about doing what I thought I should do. But you are reading a story from a very non-mechanical guy who does not have confidence in this area. Even when doing my expansion and remodeling of a home in St. Petersburg, FL, I had a contractor to whom I could go for direction. I must admit that Wally was a great help in this endeavor because I need someone like that. Besides he could file all the documentation and arrange for the inspections and that really helped me out. It was like me doing volunteer work for the contractor so as to save money from the contractor hiring more people and me paying more. Nice arrangement. Nevertheless, the flat-head screwdriver worked.

Next thing I know, I was trying to put this new door handle into open hole on the door. It would not fit. At this point, I had spent so much time on the thing and then called for help, I figured I should hand this over to someone who knew more about these types of things, as I did to the contractor in Florida when remodeling. This guy comes and within a half hour, had the entire thing installed for me! HALLELUJAH! It would have taken me several hours to read instructions and perhaps having to call for help. Help which was good, as I said, but takes time.

Which brings me to the question about why instructions are so difficult to understand and definitely not tailored to the non-mechanical lay person that I am? Because the final fix, according to the guy who did it, would be “explained in the instructions.” And this is not the first time I have tried to follow directions for many products purchased in America. What is the problem here?

I speculate two things. (1) save money for the big fat cats at the top of a corporation by providing very low quality writing of instructions tailored to the professional, not the lay person or (2) instructions are written by foreigners (Chinese, for example) who don’t understand the English language and are not able to write the instructions fluently enough for the lay person to understand. Is there another possibility? Right now, that is it.

Again. I have good things to say about the person at KwikSet who provided support by answering an 800 number. But what I am talking about here is something regarding instructions which are a common thread to so many products. For example, a Cuisinart 3.5 HP blender which is great, but try to follow the instructions to “pulse” the food in the blender. I am still scratching my head about that. Thus, my conclusions about this are about the lousy herd mentality for love of money which is put as a priority in America today and influences us all so very badly. Make no mistake. I recognize that “love of money” has been with us for many years. I also need to clarify that I am not saying money is the root of all evil, but am saying, “love of money” is the root of evil. People misinterpret me on this. Love of money has been with us for centuries and is described in one of the epistles in the Bible (a letter from St. Paul to Timothy).

Love of money being the root of evil was the REASON I opposed Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020, not due to political ideology or anything else. As president, the vain egotistical bastard and SOB demonstrated his love of money, but it was present before he became an autocratic government leader with love of money. He refused to pay his debts. He refused to pay taxes. He refused to pay employees. Furthermore, he is a white racist who expects black people (and gay people, too), to answer him with, “yes mass’r” or “no mass’r.” Otherwise one gets heavily criticized with lousy tweets and retributions. It is also the reason for my strong opposition to bastards like Jeb Bush, Rick “Darth Vader” Scott, and Ron “DUH-Satan” DeSantis, plus others.

Recently, an article about Daniel Patrick Moynihan revealed to me that the former U.S. senator was NOT bent on ideological political spectrum, but what was best to bring Americans together and solve problems. Sounds like words of Frank Sinatra. Sounds like words from President Joe Biden, too. I have NEVER heard any of the Republicans who stand in opposition to President Biden EVER say these words. NEVER. Yet, these bastards proclaim they are trying to be “bipartisan.” Baloney because they are not bipartisan. These belligerent Trumpican bullies force the hands of those who are ATTEMPTING to be bipartisan with ideas that if you don’t do it the Trumpican way, then you are a lousy person. These Trumpicans are like the snotty bullying kid in the sandbox, as they say: “I am going to kick sand in your face and knock your block off with my guns.”

Read the instructions? Sure. But thank you to the professionals who don’t have to read the instructions from the perspective of a lay person who is very un-mechanical. I must say. My father had a very mechanical mind, but somehow it passed me by. I am not ashamed of that because I recognize who I am, have dignity about who I am, and have a legacy of accomplishments I made in life, even if I lack a more mechanical mind.

Update: Gannett Lousy Delivery of Press & Sun-Bulletin (May 24, 2021)

My war with Gannett continues. We received our Press & Sun-Bulletin today by 10 AM. At least we received it in the morning, not the afternoon. Promised delivery time is 8 AM and Gannett is not holding up to its bargain of customer service. I have never experienced such lousy service.

I am happy to say that two representatives of the company have been in touch with me and are promising an improvement. That is a step in the right direction. Hopefully there will be success.

The complaints I hear from the autocratic idiocracy of fat cats and Trumpicans is that the problems stem from unemployment checks which mean nobody wants to work. That is a lie. But what does one expect from Trumpicans? First of all, the stimulus package under the Trumpicans, last year, provided a great deal of money to the autocratic idiocracy of fat cats, rather than to hire more people. Who CAUSED the high unemployment and what were the increases of the fat cats and stockholders with the most money? The statistics are pretty clear about this ripoff of the people. So to blame the workers for being lazy, I have to say the ones to bear the blame are the fat cats and Trumpicans. The Democrats have done nothing but try to alleviate a bad situation when the wrong people at the top received a large increase, sometimes estimates are for more than 100% increases to the big bastard fat cats at the top. Yet the Democrats get blamed? Go to h-e-double-hockey-sticks.

Also, how can Gannett blame the COVID-19 virus for this? They closed their local offices in the Southern Tier BEFORE COVID-19 struck. They were the ones who left a hole in service by disconnecting the local people, perhaps causing UNEMPLOYMENT locally before COVID-19 even struck.

The ones to blame are the sucky wealthy ones at the top. The problem then is in the management. So the workers are to blame? I refuse to accept that explanation.

Newspaper Delivery Problems or a Management Problem? (Part 2)

According to an article in the Press & Sun-Bulletin this morning (May 23, 2021), there is a problem finding delivery people in order to get newspapers delivered. I suppose we are supposed to feel sorry for management, right? Let’s see. Management closed down all the offices of Gannett here in the Southern Tier. No local management, only management from above. Secondly, what would have happened if, as an employee of a corporation, I used an excuse that there is “a problem and I can’t solve it?” I would have been out on my ass in a minute. With the lack of local people to discuss this issue (my letter to the “executive editor” at the Press & Sun-Bulletin was returned as “undeliverable”), I have written to the guy at the top of Gannett, Bob Dickey. Am I supposed to feel sorry for him? Who was it that closed the local New York State offices of Gannett? I’m sorry, but I cannot give a benefit of the doubt on this one. Instead, I feel insulted that a newspaper would close down its local offices here, so that guy at the top can continue to receive huge increases in salaries and then the “lack of workers” being blamed on the Trumpican idiocracy ideas that “unemployment checks” are to blame. As with Trump, perhaps some of these jackasses need to look in the mirror for the problems, not blame others. I am not going to stop on this, even if you call it a rampage. It is insulting in America, today, to put up with this crap.

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