FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

(No partner ads this post.  This is my opinion and mine only.  It will be back to the fishing next post but I have a few things to say about the system.  So please for the love of God if your little sensibilities can not tolerate anything other than you own opinion please skip this one.)

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As Alaska looms in a week I have been having a hard time getting going.  Visions of big rainbows, salmon, brown bears and more occupy my thoughts and even now my dreams.  I can honestly say this is the most excited about a trip I  have ever been, I feel like a kid waiting for Christmas.  But if you think about it, a big time fishing trip in Alaska is Christmas for big kids.

This morning I musing over heading to Keller Bay for a couple of hours but ended up not going.  When the Boss was on her way to work she sent me a text – “Big Texan up a dime to $4.49 a gallon.”  It just took the fight out of me.  The truck and boat both need filling and it would probably run over $150, are you kidding me?  Hard to justify a quick trip for that kind of money.  As I slowly wind down the blog the cost of fishing, along with maintaining the blog itself is starting to get “real.”   But that is a discussion for later, or sooner but there is a thing or two to do until then.

I said in my last post that of course I am going to comment on the shooting in Uvalde so here it is.  If you only come here for the fishing then go ahead and leave, I understand.  But I can not in good conscious not say something, this is f’d up.

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First to the brave Border Patrol officers, thank you for sending that piece of shit straight to hell, you did us proud.  Your bravery and honor in ending the massacre is a testament to each of you as a law enforcement officer and as people.  Too bad you were not in charge when it started, they were innocent children.  We can discuss the social and personal issues until we are blue in the face but there is only one immediate response – kill shooters without mercy.

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First up is the almost too stupid to even believe comment on the shooting that came out of anyone’s mouth.

God Help Us

“what about getting a department that can look at young men that’s looking at women, that’s looking at their social media? What about doing that, looking into things like that, and we can stop that that way?”

“What I like to do is see it and everything and stuff.”

Herschel Walker

The only thing that would have made it better was if he ended with “Know what I’m sayin?” This is the inane response to school shootings by a candidate for the United States Senate.  I do not know the answer to any of this but I do know this, he is freaking incompetent.  The thought that this is his “level” of critical thinking and could end up in the US Senate is frightening.  We may not all agree on anything anymore, but that statement is incomprehensible.  Oh how far we have fallen.

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Misled?

When Governor Abbot used the term “misled”  he was talking about why he ended up telling flat out lies in the first press conference after the Uvalde mass murder.  (His words.) Think about it –  the Governor of the State of Texas was “misled’ “to his face” by law enforcement.  (Again his words not mine.)  Misled is not the correct term – it is lied to!  (There are 12 specific documented out right lies told to all of us in the first couple of days and the list is growing.)   If a law enforcement officer will lie to the governor’s face he will lie to anyone. How have we gotten to the place where a law enforcement officer lies as easily as ordering a big Mac?

There needs to be a full accounting of what happened from beginning to end by an independent agency, and to figure out who lied to whom.  The whole thing stinks to high heaven.  (The independent agency should conduct all interviews under oath and we will find out who the liars are.)  Now they have even quit talking, now wonder folks think there is a cover up.  And one last word, if you lie about anything to do with the murder and deaths of innocent babies you are the lowest life form on the face of this planet.

Sorry I get worked up but if you have seen murdered children, folks head shot off, skull scattered all over, your shoes filled with blood as you try to save a life or got to tell the family their loved one is gone, you might have some strong feelings.  I am a gun owner and believe in the 2cnd amendment but support of the 2cnd does not give anyone an excuse to lie.  It only breeds mistrust.

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There are tons of reasons why this is happening but there is one thing that is fairly obvious to me in many cases, no father in the home.  I have a relative who when I mentioned that lack of father in the home in the past poo Poo’d me.  This spoiled #*%^ is a convicted felon who permanently maimed a woman in a DWI, has a child out of wedlock who lives in another state, and did not go to the big house because his family had the big bucks to keep him out, where they would have chewed him up and spit him out.  Guess his time in county jail, and continued drinking, qualifies him as an expert.  Trust me folks, if you take out all the cases I did with no father in the picture, either out of wedlock or divorced, it would have significantly reduced my case load.  Kids need a “father” in their life, end of story.

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This is one of those comments that might get some folks panties in a wad, well tough shit.  Ted Cruz is bought and paid for by the NRA, unless you do not think that taking $700,000 from anyone does not make you beholden.  Sure…….  OK start whining, but wait before you implode.  From Cruz to Pelosi, from McConnel to AOC, they all need to start disclosing every time they directly comment on a political issue who has bought and paid for them.  (The all take special interest money.)  I could give a shit which party.  I have heard a great suggestion – Time for all of them to wear fishing jerseys like the bass guys do.  On it should be the patches of who they are beholden to.  So now that you know that I am not just picking on lying Ted (Trumps words not mine.) you can calm down.  We are not getting exactly what we pay for, but what a bunch of lobbyists paid for.  It is a dirty business and we continue to let all of them off the hook.  It is time for term limits.

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And my last comment is on the issue of mental health being thrown around.  I did dozens of court appointed involuntary mental commitment hearings, to go along with that I represented tons of criminal defendants who were crazy as a loon, or worse.  Let me tell you the punch line.  If the system decided you need to be committed involuntarily you are headed in for a few days.  But if you are a criminal defendant no matter how crazy you are you are found responsible and off to the pen you go.  Then you stay a while and out on the street you go.  My favorite example:  One of the attorneys in our office who had a client who fled an out of state lockdown where he was on an involuntary commitment.  So basically he escaped from the looney bin, fled the state and then cured himself in time to commit another felony.  At least according to the judge he was competent.  Same with the guy I represented who kept calling me because the air conditioner was talking to him who was ruled competent.  So as soon as their sentences are over they will be out on the street doing God knows what.  So when any state tells me they are serious about mental health I can only shake my head.

Now I know some of you do not let facts get in the way but here are a couple.  Fact:  Trump cut $400 million from the mental health budget.  Fact: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott cut close to $2o million from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, which oversees mental health services. So do not give me the old it is a mental health issue.  If that is true then why in the hell do you keep cutting the budget?  Simple question which for some reason no one will answer.  All you have to do is check out about half the street corners on Austin and then come and tell me you give a shit about mental health.

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As far as the rest of this discussion I have my own personal opinion on what should be done, but that is my business.  But when authorities start moving their lips the lies start flowing.  So here is my guess, nothing will happen and people will continue to get their faces blown off, and kids will keep on dying.  There is NOT one answer. The Left – gun bans, The Right – more guns.  That is not going to work no matter what side of the discussion you are on when folks take a no concession approach.  It has to be a multi-system approach.  It reminds  me of the immigration discussion in this country;  The Left – let them all stay.  The Right – deport them all.  Like either one of these things are going to happen.  This approach on both these issues is stupid and accomplishes nothing.  What these kinds of issues ignore – those of us in the middle who want anything/something done.  This country has divided itself on every issue and we are now getting what we deserve.

But to the family of those beautiful children – I am so sorry for your loss.  I am sorry the system has failed you.  You have been lied to and your questions have been pushed to the side so that both sides can spout their talking points while you and your family suffer beyond anything most folks will ever know.  It is a sad comment on where we are and I can only say that I am glad I am old, things are going to get a whole lot worse before they get better.

God Bless America and the families.