Outlander-A Review

I have watched the TV version of Outlander. I have not read the books.

( At least the first 2 seasons)

Nor, do I plan to read the books.

Sorry, like TV version of a Harlequin Romance Bodice Buster type set of books, and say what you want, that's what it is.

That said the two professors( history teachers Frank and Roger) did dress like history teachers are supposed to dress.  I would have worn tweed all the time, but alas, this retired History Department Chair was predestined to dwell  in South Texas, in which it is the "flames of hell hot" from April until October most time. ( I have a wedding on Saturday to perform, and I will be wearing a "Charleston Tuxedo." Navy jacket with seersucker slacks, bowtie... I'd wear seersucker jacket, but just a bit too informal for an "officiant.")

The history was pretty dead-on. The battles, the arrogance of the French, the peremptory Bonnie Prince Charles Stuart.

The one major problem I had with the people who supported the Jacobites.

Most of the supporters were from the Northeast of Scotland, and many were not Highlanders as the show presumed.

Yes, there were Highlanders, but it made it seem like all of them, and the others were Roman Catholic.

In truth, there were fewer 

In truth, many were Highlanders and others were supporters of the Scottish Episcopal Church. ( Like the American Episcopal Church, Church of England.)

They believed that Bonnie Prince Charles would help rid Scotland of those darn Presbyterians. Thus, why many lowland Scots, who were the majority of the Scottish population and Presbyterians didn't join the Jacobites in 1745....( Seems like I know a guy who wrote a 20 page paper over the event....And early Scottish Episcopalianism. ) The crushing of the rebellion by the English just was an excuse to get rid of the clan system, the tartan. A few screw up, all suffer.

Here is my problem.

I can't stand Claire.

Has nothing to do with being a strong woman. Trust me, I am married to one. Yes, she's a nerd, but she changed the oil/filter on the tractor like a pro a couple of weeks ago...and can turn around and do academic stuff you can only dream of doing...

 I find Claire unbelievably irritating.... She's such a petulant baby from the get go. For such a seemingly intelligent woman it never occurs to her to lie low and scope out her situation as a woman in a misogynistic world. Jaime would never be acting like he would in 18th Century Scotland.

 The astoundingly self-centered grievances she comes up with: "Don't you understand what I've been going through? " Bored out of her gourd, she goes to go meddle at the hospital, taste urine, endanger our unborn child because what has Jaime been doing to entertain me?

And all of this working to ensure that Frank exists has nothing to do with poor Frank....If Frank had not married and taken her to Scotland on a second honeymoon, this little adventure, the 'second' marriage to Jaime would have never happened.

She cares nothing about Frank, she has made a choice and her choice was Jaime, not poor old Frank. He's already been tossed out like an old shoe.

Claire for the most part is like a teenager, she lives for the moment.

Like, common sense might dictate that if you find yourself transported through time to what appears to be an 18th-century Scottish castle, you don't brag-up your own mysterious healing powers,( You could get burned at the stake for witchcraft) take an acute interest in the shoulder health of the low-ranking stable boy, or debate rape culture with the Scottish Laird who has the power to take you prisoner.( If you are wanting to know about the rank of a Laird, it is close to being equal to an English Esquire. Above a Gentleman and below a Knight.....Today Laird is just an honorary title.....) 

Time and time again, she gets into trouble, and has to be bailed out.

It reminds me of the old " Peril's of Pauline."

I understand to some of you Claire is a hero, but I hate her. Sorry, I just do....

I Wanted One Years Ago

In Louisiana you can have them, but not in this state......But as of Sept 1, 2019, you can now own them legally in the state of Texas.

Kitty Keychains, clubs, and brass knuckles.

I am not for sure at this point why I would need brass knuckles. With my arthritis, I don't think I can swing hard enough to to any good, but, those kitty keychains, I may get me a set. Pointy cat's ears? I could see a use for those one night trying to get into my Honda.

But I needed those brass knuckles years ago....

Get Mattison Witt, Jake Arredondo, Bunky Askew's attention?

Trouble is, whacking them on the head, I'd ruin a perfectly good set of brass knuckles. 

This is for "All of You."

I thought they were kidding. I thought they were being cute. But apparently, they have lived a sheltered life and do not know euphemisms.

I had someone who did not know what " Rub One Out" was.....

And they seriously sent a PM wanting me to explain what I meant.

And I thought they were kidding....

They were not.....

You should not be reading the blog....

You cannot make this stuff up.....

This is for Men Ages 35 to 85

Or even older. And sometimes younger. It depends.

Guys, you got to stop it. You're not that important. You're not that "sexy." I don't care what your 45 year old wife/girlfriend may tell you.

No, what I am talking about are guy who flirt with the girls at the Sonic, or the DQ or whatever restaurant.

The girls are being nice to your dumb ass because......

It's their job. And they are hoping for a tip.

And I have noticed more and more of the Sonic girls wearing wedding bands. I am not sure if they are actually married( Could be, I generally go during school hours to Sonic) or they are wearing the rings to avoid being 'hit on.'

These girls don't want to fuck you. Sorry, they do not.

Look at yourself.

You're driving a 19 year old GMC truck you've not washed in those 19 years, haven't shaved in a week, and it wouldn't hurt for you to lose a pound or two......or a 100 hundred pounds.

You want to fuck someone?

Go talk to your wife or girlfriend.....

Or even better, go into the bathroom and " rub one out."

Everyone will be happier then.....

Sine Damn Die...Or Sine F*cking Die

Sine Die as someone once said in Esperanto means....." please scatter and go back from whence you came." ( It really means  " without day" in Latin, it is a term used at an adjournment.)

The Texas Legislature ends today. " Praise God from whom all blessing flow." Your life, liberty, and property is no longer in jeopardy....

Let's look this morning at some of the idiocy that went during this session.

And some were actually good ideas-

-A Representative from Laredo proposed a bill in which all beer sold on the Fourth of July would be ' sales tax free.' 

Trouble is, over 5 years, the no beer sales tax on July 4th would cost Texas $36.2 million in sales tax.

It died and never reached committee.


- A Representative from Spring wanted to eliminate the need to use a turn signal in a tuning lane....It seems he proposed the bill after a former elected official got a ticket for not using his signal in the turn lane....

The bill died in the Texas Transportation Committee.

- A Representative from Irving want all schools to offer vegan choices for lunches at all schools. " Including nut based milks choices( almond milk, cashew milk) for both breakfast and lunches."

Could you imagine small schools like Buna having to offer vegan meals? Maybe one-two kids might eat it.....

Could you see the cost of doing this?

The bill died in committee.

- A Representative from Plano wanted to deregulate barber and cosmetology shoppes in Texas, never mind the Plano rep shaves his own head bald....Himself...

It died in committee

- Then, there was the bill to let high school valedictorians into any Texas state university they applied. Presently, the top 7% is allowed that privilege.  Trouble is, some high schools only have 10 or less grads. That means, only a fraction of a kid would be admitted. And the Fayetteville, TX( class of 10 seniors) valedictorian was rejected by UT-Austin. Not an entire 7% according to UT. Only a fraction. ( She was accepted and now attends A&M)....

This bill was passed and heads to the governor's desk for him to sign.

- Then there was the Representative from Austin that proposed that tacos be the " Official Texas State Food."

Texas has Official State Pie( Pecan)....Tortilla chips and salsa the state snack.....Chili the official state 'dish.'

The Representatives from the barbecue towns killed the proposal.

-Finally, the Texas Legislature  passed SB 12 and SB 500 and sent it to Gov. Abbott's desk for his signature.

This gives retired teachers some hope as it  "shores-up" teacher retirement and gives retired teachers a COLA( Cost of living check)...We've not received one since 2011.

I've always said if they used money teachers paid into teacher retirement for decent investments instead of 'borrowing" money from our fund to pay for stuff like Formula 1 racetracks in Austin,  we might be in better shape....

Sine die.



  

-

Mr. Anton Taucer

I have kept this under my hat for quite a while. I knew it was coming.

You know when you are done.

You just get tired.

You just feel like you can't do this anymore.

People not in the school teaching business do not understand.

You just get so mentally tired. 

Mr. Taucer retired today from the Buna ISD.

Anton was one hell of a science teacher, and I doubt Buna will find anyone near his level to teach.

He taught extra classes, giving up his conference period so there would be enough science teachers during the school year.

He was involved in everything from NHS, to the prom, to department chair, to giving up summers to teach, and then attend conferences.......He gave up summers to helping the design of the science wing at the old high school.

His science, math teams were regular victors at the UIL District competition. 

His students always scored in the 90+ percentile on the  state mandated exams. Look and see, other schools don't score that high.

So, if you see my friend uptown, you may want to shake his hand and thank him for his service.

Good luck my good friend. You earned it.....

Say " Tater" and Wave Bye-Bye

Yes sir, it is "Tater and Wave Bye-Bye" today in most of the area, well, most that really matter anyway.

As the old joke about Buna ISD was, to graduate from the Buna High all you had to be able to do was " Say Tater and Wave Bye-Bye."

I hope some of us over the years changed that culture.

That said, today is the greatest day on the calendar.

Screw Christmas.

Screw your birthday.

Screw anniversary of anything.

Today, kids, and especially teachers are dancing in the streets.

The "Last Day of School"

It still makes my heart flutter. 

For the seniors, your life will change FOREVER. You won't understand for a few weeks yet, and then it will hit you.....

Have a good summer folks.....

Counterfeit $10? $5? $1?

Counterfeit $10's? $5's? $1's?

Really? Is this what we are coming to in this country?

I say this in the light of purchasing a product from a "National Chain" this afternoon, the clerk ran a dry mark counterfeit pen over the $5 and $10 bill over the notes I had presented to purchase my item.

I had to ask the clerk to which he said, " We were informed by corporate headquarters to check every bill $5, $10, $20....and we are no longer to accept $50 or $100 bills. "

He even added they were looking for them to "include the lowly $1 in the near future, " to which I replied, " You're kidding?" To which he replied " No."

This is after I bought a cup of coffee from a National fast Food Chain and paid for it with a $5, and it was checked with a Counterfeit pen. There was also a sign in the establishment that said, " We no longer accept $50's or $100's.

Who is making counterfeit $5's? Or $1's?

Are Xerox machines getting this good, and even if they were, couldn't you tell if the note was real from the paper alone? Or are the clerks getting that lazy?...Or stupid?.....Or both?

Am I seeing some sort of a conspiracy theory here?

Are we about to go cashless in our society? I know I use it less and less. And I know in Europe, some nations are in the process of eliminating cash altogether....

In China, about 80% of everything is paid using their cell phones through an app on "Wechat." 

I don't, I still like the option of having a little cash money.  You never know when you may need it...

Ashamed of Your Name

Ashamed of your name.....I am sorry that you are ashamed of of your name. At least you don't have a unisex name like the writer of this blog.....And until I went to Ireland last year, I really did not care for it. ( In truth I still do not like it.)

No, these churches that are ashamed apparently that they are Baptist, or Assemblies of God, or Pentecostal, or now, the Methodists, Presbyterians and Cumberland Presbyterians are doing it....

We know there is a huge growth in non-denominational churches, but you know, in this area, in truth, they are Baptist or Pentecostal in their piety.

You know, if you are a visitor, it is almost, " buyer beware."

I wonder if there is so much stigma in certain denominations now, they steer themselves away from tell people outside the church what they actually believe or do until you go inside....

Say what you will about the Mormons( The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints), the Lutherans, the Episcopalians, most of the time the PCUSA Presbyterians, and the Catholics always have a virgin sitting out front....These churches let you know what they are....They are not ashamed...

No, I don't know when I visit, and rarely when I do, should I expect some sort of Neo-Calvinism that would make John Calvin spin in grave, or if Calvin was still alive, burn his theological rivals at the stake. ( Who needs Jesus when we have Calvin seems to be the Neo-Cals mantra.)

Or, midway through the church service you being handed a big fat angry Water Moccasin.

No, if I do not know, I like a church to let me know who they are and what they are associated.

Just Proud SE Texas, You're Going International, Including Fight Videos

You need to be proud of yourselves SE Texas, you are now making the front page of the British newspapers.

That's right, 'Go Topless' at Crystal Beach

Here is the link, included are fights on Crystal Beach...

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7057347/Anarchy-Topless-beach-party-Texas-arrested-mass-brawls-break-out.html

Bad Ending

I know some of you are all upset by the Game of Thrones ending.

If you'd asked me, I would have told you St. George actually slew the dragons before this time period portrayed on GOT and then Alfred the Great would have saved what is now the English speaking world.....

But most TV shows end with a whimper.

When we were kids, shows just "ended."

No big send off. No big finally episode.

And when they did try to end with a "special episode" it was a flop.

 MASH's last episode left much to be desired.

Seinfeld was the biggest mess ever.....

Dexter ended and I went, " What the hell happened?" 

So, you are shocked GOT ended like a steaming pile of crap.....

The only show that ended almost decent was Big Bang the other night, but even there, it left all sorts of questions.

It's TV folks. Enjoy the show. It's fiction......Like in real life, stuff doesn't always end with a "neat package."

Happy Birthday!

I just wanted to wish my wonderful wife a Happy 29th Birthday!

I'm not sure about how the math was determined on this, because our child turns 31 years old next month....And she's known me for 40 years....

Some of that Common Core math?

Stupid? Or Just a Bigot? Or Both? More Idiocracy

This goes to show that Idiocracy is just around the corner.....Or, you didn't learn a damn thing in school....weren't taught......Or just didn't pay attention....

A survey asked if the Arabic numbers should be taught in American school?

Most Americans say "No." 

56% said "No."

29% said, " Yes."

15% said "They did not know..."

Trouble is....0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9....are Arabic numbers........Those are the numbers we use every day....

Which again asked the question......How many of  you are bigots?

Or just dumb as a bag of hammers?

What do you propose we use instead?

Roman numerals?

Your addition would look like this....

CCCLXVIV + DCCCXLV=?

What the fuck is wrong with you people?

Sunday Morning Special

I was asked to do this, and I seriously don't know if I need to be or not, but what the heck, a devotional for us 'Nones' and 'Dones.'

For years and years, especially in Southern Baptist, other Evangelical denominations.

It is the idea of " Intercessory Prayers."

The term has changed in recent times to " Prayer Warriors."

And I believe in praying for others, and I actually have a list I keep. And there are permanent members and there is a constant rotation going on...

I also believe strongly in what Christ said in Matthew 6:5-6.....
⁵ “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. ⁶ But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. "

That's why when I am asked to pray in public, it is quick. 

I don't want to be like those deacons who pray for 15 minutes at the benediction. 

That said, while God answers all prayers, sometimes the answer is "No." 



 

Aw Hell, Kirbyville Schools

You know, I could write on South Jasper County every single day, you never know what is going to happen.....And I had originally planned to write/post this story Friday afternoon, but we lost lights in Lemonville for almost 6 hours. Gulf States( Entergy's old name) kept our power on in one the worst thunderstorms in a while last week.....But the sun shines and is pretty, Lemonville's electrical grid fails

I was speaking to a friend who is still in the education field this past Thursday when they informed me that " Kirbyville is talking with their Superintendent about a retirement package."

What the hell is a "retirement package? " Why didn't the Buna ISD offer me one?

When you retire from a school, you just go, you generally are not offered a package when you go....Oh, I was given a clock that no matter what I do, stays behind 5 minutes, even when I set it ahead....

And then, the media was talking about the Superintendent "being allowed to retire." 

That's not how any of this works......If you have your points in with TRS( Teacher Retirement) you are allowed to retire from the school 'bidness.' ( Points are a combo of years working in schools, with your age.) You pay into TRS. Schools can't tell you, " You can't retire."

I wonder if the retirement has to do with the lawsuit being brought about by Dennis Reeves' family?

I wonder if the "retirement package" is the KCISD just paying off the the remainder of the Superintendent's contract?

The taxpayers  in KCISD deserve answers. In the end, they are paying for all of this....

I'm Sorry Your Kids are a Bunch of P*ss*es.

There I said it, you got school age children, most of you are raising a bunch of pussies. ( Not all of you, but a considerable number.)

A local school district had a bus driver "turn off the a/c and not let the kids put the windows down." The kids were noisy. You know it must have sounded like a riot inside of that bus, and yes, no windows down was a bit much.....When the hell did school buses get a/c?

That said, in the early 70s, my regular bus broke down towards the end of school and we had to ride on a 1949 GMC bus. It smoked like a cigarette fiend into the bus, was short about 10 of the normal seats , all the windows were rusted shut, and it sounded like a 747 on takeoff going down the road.....

It was hot, smelly, we sat 4 to a seat and the damn VISD Transportation had us on that bus for 3 weeks. We rode that 'yellow dog' until the last day that year....

You know, if your kids sat down and behaved themselves, they would have had the a/c on....

And I read the comments......I'd want to " whip that bus driver." " Or get them fired." ( Trouble is, who wants to do that job? )

I still know people in the school 'bidness' that have not retired as of yet, and I spoke to one yesterday about this same, parents protecting their kids over every little thing.....

And I came to the conclusion.

I could not teach today.

I could not be " Mr. Thomas" and " Ride in like Satan on a red horse" the first day of school.

I could not put above my classroom door the saying to Dante's Inferno like I had. ( According to Dante, it's on the gates of Hell.)

Abandon all Hope
Ye who Enter Here - 

I could not walk into that one Freshman class I would be saddled with from time to time and bellow on day one....

"I HATE FRESHMAN!"

One of my greatest moments, in life, was I yelled that at a class of Freshmen and 2/3rds of the class changed their schedule. I had about 8 kids left. ( You know who figured me out the first day as a Fishman? Deanna Brabham.....she wound up taking me for 3 classes including two Honors/AP classes...She knew I had a weakness for church history......and chocolate chip cookies.....)

You know why they are called "Fishmen? Half the boys have not figured they need to take a bath on a regular basis, and smell like dead fish.....Don't laugh, Suckmores are just second year Fishmen....

Nope, I couldn't do it anymore....

Abortion

This has been around since time. Sorry, it just has. Just making it illegal won't stop it. The wealthy will go to places where their children can have one.

I am personally not in favor.

Perhaps because I've behaved/protected myself in that situation most of my life and have caused exactly one pregnancy, and they are now well, 31 yrs old.

I am not going to debate the abortion....Any debate/comments outside the discussion below will be deleted.

That said, I really wonder what the hell some of these politicians are thinking when they ban abortions abnormal fetuses that won't survive outside the womb.....Rape......Incest.....

I personally was involved with a combination rape/incest situation with a student.

Dad was raping his daughter on a regular basis. 

These were not white trash, people, but upstanding members of the community.....Fairly well off.....

The daughter was gorgeous. High School cheerleader.

When she became pregnant she told her mom who told her she would take it to term. ( She did not believe it was the husband's.....it was)

In an act of desperation the daughter took an overdose of pills. 

She didn't die at once, but when though a slow process, brain, kidneys, kidneys, liver....This occurred over a ten day period. The fetus of course died too.....All while in ICU....

I literally never heard a school quieter in my life....

Dad finally went to jail over a several month investigation.

Guess who wound up being in a "group counseling session" over the next 3 months for her friends? ( They had a couple of really good psychiatrists and psychologists volunteer  to come in.....)

My second situation involved a relative of mine who discovered that their child would be born without a "brain."

Being religious, they were convinced by the "pastor" ( I don't think you understand what distrust, dislike I have of most people who call themselves a full-time minister.) He told them they would commit a sin aborting the fetus. So, months they went through waiting and when it did, the "baby" was born, and lived 3 minutes.

The event ruined both of them, they eventually divorced, and one of them has been on the verge of lunacy for years now.

Both say they wouldn't have listen to someone who really didn't know what they were going through....

I'm sorry folks, I know you want it to be, but it ain't all cut and dried, most stuff isn't.

You're Sexy?

Well, it depends on who is reading this blog, I guess.....I know, well, I certainly am not.....Nor do I try to be....

No, there is a survey that says that the " Sexiest accent is a Texas one."

No, that's not you.

You have a hardcore East Texas accent.

Sadly it's a mixture of a Mississippi, Appalachia accent.

Trust me, when I travel they always think we are from everyplace but Texas......East Texas Hillbillies with college degrees, and all sorts of letters and certificates behind our names.....

No, the Texas accent they are speaking of is west of the I-45 corridor.

The old San Antonio, Dallas, Ft. Worth,  areas.....At least the people still with the accent.

In the urban areas, the accent is gone. Or going quickly. My child has lost his.....As a matter of fact when we met a couple of his "Yankee" girlfriends in the past, one was shocked at the way we sounded, and the other thought we sounded " quaint." ( Being nice for an ignorant redneck)

Sorry, it is not your accent.

Maybe it's just me, but I don't get a "stiffy" listening to it...

Hillbilly Jesus

I have to be ugly to Baptists, well, more and more....I don't know, perhaps it is because I grew up in the denomination and well, it "Just ain't going anyplace."

I had to tell someone this morning that heaven, whatever it entails, is pretty much like being Baptist....And I assume they meant Southern Baptist....

I had to correct them and ask them....

What you going to do when there are Catholics, Presbyterians, Methodists, etc up there?

What you going to do when there are Black, Brown, Yellow folks up there? ( Gotta quit saying yellow, my daughter in law is whiter than me)

What you going to do when the place is being run by a guy dressing and acting like a " First Century Jew?"

Jesus ain't up there setting up a WMU, RA basketball, Sunday night casserole supper, wearing bib-overalls and dipping Copenhagen.....

Sorry Baptists, but in the Christian world, being Southern Baptist, any type Baptist in a very minor denomination in Christianity.  There are are 14-15 times more Orthodox Christians in the world than Southern Baptists...and how many Orthodox Christians do you know? One? Two? None? And that is just one denomination.....and outside the Southern U.S., it's hard to find a Southern Baptist, heck a Baptist.....

The world doesn't revolved around your beliefs.....or denomination....

Man, Buna I F*cked Up

You'll get to this point ladies and gentlemen...At least I hope you do in your life.

I do know that the STAAR Tests are this week.

I don't know why, but I thought the Buna ISD was done at the end of this week.

For so much of my life, it revolved around the school calendar that, I have made myself stop looking at the BISD school calendar.

But I already started an end of school, "blog."

And told a couple of people I was, with one looking at me " sorta funny."

You know, the farther away I get, the more I don't know....Nor care.

I hope you get here someday.

Save those pennies ladies and gentlemen. You really don't need a $90,000 dollar European vehicle. It'll be worn out in a few years.

Put every nickel you can in a 401K or an IRA or your company's pension plan if you have one. Invest in real estate. ( I keep thinking with the industrial expansion in the area, it will take off here, so we can either sell and move, or sell and downsize considerably, perhaps both. )

Anyway, I am working on an ugly/happy "end of year" BISD blog, don't care if it, "harelip the governor " as they used to say in the non-PC days.

Anyway, sorry, I fucked up and gave some people a brief glimmer of hope.

I Guess it Shouldn't Shock Me......

But it did......I started to say something, but I didn't. Maybe I should have.

I might needed to tell them, $200 in my mailbox every third Tuesday...Or even better two First-Class tickets to London....But that's not me...Not my style.

I might have needed to tell someone on this internet. But in truth, it ain't none of my business.

When you "step-out" on your spouse, you may need to go a little farther than Orange establishments.....

Especially if you know people you know live in the area....

I was a little taken aback. 

You're going to get caught, you know this don't you?

But then, maybe that's your plan?

So, This YouTube is Amazing

I blame Corey McMullen for this one. He posted his Buna band from 2002. So, I went in search of the " Band of Bands, the Mighty Pirate Marching Band" circa 1974, my senior year.

And I found it. We were marching about 275. The first tune is not "Slavonic " But rather another version called " Russian Christmas Music." Never say C.R. Smith didn't have us play Eastern European music on the field. Other tunes include William Paris Chambers " Boys of the Old Brigade"  and "Procession of the Nobels." ( By Rimsky-Korsakov)

Idiocracy...Right Here in Texas

Idiocracy....I don't know if you've seen the movie or not. It was on Netflix( was), and it is worth a watch....

You can see us going there......Quickly in this state...If not country.

There is a State Rep from Ft. Worth Johnathan Strickland who has come out as the "darling' of the anti-Vaxxer crowd.

He is quoted as saying that 'Vaccines are sorcery." 

And even has gone after the one of the top Texas vaccination scientists on Twitter saying that he was "You are bought and paid for by the biggest special interest in politics. Do our state a favor and mind your own business "

To which Dr Peter Hotez ( the scientist)replied. "  I don't take a dime from the vaccine industry. I develop neglected disease vaccines for the world's poorest people. And as a Texas pediatrician-scientist it is most certainly my business." (Dr Hotez is a professor at Baylor College of Medicine)

Strickland has become a member of the Texas House who votes against almost everything...Even when he is the only member of the Texas House to do so. 

▪ School finance. After his vote against HB3 he tweeted that schools in his district didn’t receive their “fair share” and that the so-called Robin Hood plan “was not permanently addressed.”

▪ Letting active duty military defer property tax payments for 60 days, HB1883.

▪ Helping shore up the retired teachers pension fund,  SB12 “I refuse to act like it’s more than a one time fix,” Stickland tweeted. “Retired teachers deserve a permanent fix to their retirement, not another band-aid. They aren’t political pawns.” ( Yet he has no answer to fix it.....never mind the Texas Legislature took money from the retired teacher fund to pay for a Formula1 Racetrack in Austin)

▪ Requiring school counselors to let students know about college credit available for military service members,  HB 114. 

▪ Extending the life of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission — and allowing beer and wine sales on Sunday mornings and beer-to-go sales from craft breweries,  HB1545. 

▪ Letting Texans vote, through a constitutional amendment, on whether to earmark all sporting goods taxes to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Texas Historical Commission.( Senate resolution 24) In recent decades, less than half of the money collected by this tax actually was used for these parks.

I am wondering about these anti-Vaxx people. Is it okay by them that they or their kids spread illnesses? Are they okay that polio is going to come back....Are they okay if their kid gets polio? Measles is already back. And trust me, it isn't pretty. I had it at age 10 years.

And the comments on Twitter by the people who support not vaccinating their kids....It is like an attack on science. 

Is it because they believe that science is going to effect their religious beliefs that they are now anti-science? If so, what century are we in? The 1500s? 1600s? In Pope Paul V now a historical hero of the Evangelical Christians for his treatment of Galileo? 

Then, there were people who decided to go after the doctor because.....he had gone to college.....

Now, I don't expect everyone to go to college. Not everyone should go to college, but it should be an option, if one wants to go. ( the cost is another matter. I am wondering if there is something sinister behind the college cost/ debts?) 

But what is going on in this country? Why are we now so anti-intellectual? Why is there is movement to make any education something to be avoided? And it is growing.....

Maybe Idiocracy is not fiction?

Perhaps it is going to become the truth? 

So, It Looks Like More STAAR Tests

Yes, the state of Texas is trying to increase the number of tests your kids will be required to take.

It will be 21 tests, including 5 end-of-course exams for your child to graduate. 

You wonder why I was a surly-ass motherfucker most of the time I taught school? It's bullshit like this.

And all of this bullshit is tied to school funding.

I am telling you, if you are in a rural public school, funding will get cut one way or another. Never mind they have already found that the tests are already 2 grade levels above grade reading level.

I'm telling you, if you live in a rural area you'll have two choices.

A poorly funded school, spending most of their money on bullshit like extracurricular. Or a Jesus school every church will try and establish with teacher with maybe degrees, some of the degrees from diploma mills, or no degrees, teaching that the only literature they need is the Bible......The Confederacy won the Civil War( There was a teacher in Mid-County who didn't know any better)....and dinosaur bones are the work of the devil because everyone knows the earth is flat and only 6,000 years old....

Smoke, Smoke, Smoke, Them Cigarettes

Smoke, Smoke, Smoke, Them Cigarettes.....
Tell St Peter at the Golden Gate
That you hate to make him wait
But you just gotta have another cigarette......

Number One hit for the late Tex Williams in...August, 1947.....

So, it seems WalMart is going to increase the age of people buying tobacco from them from 18 to 21 years of age....

Like that is going to make any difference.

Most people when every they start until 21 or old are buying their tobacco someplace else. Generally at the corner store, with it being sold to them by someone who doesn't give a damn how old they are....

Hell, maybe they still do, I remember Lamar Bookstore sold tobacco products, including for some of the European trained professors and really " cool" philosophic type kids, French made Gitanes and Gauloises, including the yellow Gitanes made from corn paper.

I know, back when I was dipping, I had bought snuff in the Lamar Setzer Center.

But keeping kids from buying tobacco?

For 50 years they've tried to keep teenage kids from buying alcohol.

How well has that worked out?

It's a dog and pony show. We're looking like we are doing something.  But there's too much profit to stop selling them altogether....

You Can See This Happening in Jasper, Newton, Orange Counties

I keep hearing a song by Stevie Wonder coming up when I read this story. Don't get upset because of the usage of the line....From " Living for the City."

" Because where he lives they don't use colored people." 

A town north of Atlanta has gotten notice in the news because they have decided to not include a potential city manger candidate as a finalist because they are "Black." 

And according the mayor, "The city isn't ready for a Black employee."

Now, if you know anything about Atlanta, 50 miles North of town is now the suburbs, where the city is in question, and it seems the city is having subdivisions spring up within the city limits.

And the mayor was backed up by a member of the city council, who said the following. “I’m a Christian and my Christian beliefs are you don’t do interracial marriage. That’s the way I was brought up and that’s the way I believe,”

Now, I have gone through this interracial marriage business. It is why I had a massive FB purge about 18 months ago.  It is why I have family I no longer speak to....

I couldn't find anything about interracial marriage being banned in the Bible....Look at Moses's wife, Zipporah, a Cushite from Ethiopia.....And the New Testament says nothing it......And Act 28: 17 talks about all people being " one blood."

But this said, couldn't you see the same thing happening around here?

Pretty Specialized Blog- Sort of Serious

I don't know how to say this or explain this or whatever. So I am going to just be honest with you.

If you are wanting me to officiate at your wedding this Summer, you may want to contact me fairly soon. The weekend time slots are starting to fill.

I am not available for September. I will be in Europe. 

Thanks for reading-

Oh Man, Bless Her Heart

You have to feel sorry for some folks. Or in truth, perhaps we don't really care, because it happens to us....

Poor Diana Ross, she got patted down at the airport in New Orleans. Including her "crotch" getting touched....

Boo-Fucking-Hoo....

Every time I fly I get patted down.

Every time, at least once.

I was patted down so long long in Munich, Germany that I expected dinner afterwards.

In Kunming, Yunnan, China,  Charlie Chan rubbed by nuts so long I was wondering what he was looking for.

It's one of the curses literally of being a living Neanderthal. I have hair everyplace except where I need it. And at Houston IAH in those scanners, they can't figure out what it is, and here comes the pat down...

Diana, sorry you felt violated....Welcome to the real world....

36 Million Americans

When you put it this way, it makes you really think about people.

That is the number of Americans who have never left their home state.....Then again, I taught people who had never been to Beaumont....Much less Houston...

176 million Americans have never been in more than 10 states in the United States.

Now, if you lived in a larger one out west, or lived in say Alaska or Hawaii, it really brings it home, but that is most of the American population.

133 million Americans have never been outside of America.

33 million people in America have no desire to go anyplace. 

The latest survey was paid for by a luggage company. 

The survey says that 3/4ths of American want to go someplace, but many can't afford to do so....I wonder if they have really looked at travel prices? Or they have so many notes to pay on $70,000 vehicles, boats, 4-wheelers, a house that is too expensive that you bought anyway? 

I wonder, I really do....I worked with a man who was the World Geography teacher who had never left the state. And all he wanted to talk about in his class was baseball and football teams he coached. He had no desire to travel, and didn't know the capitals of places like Russia, Britain, France.....( Thankfully, he moved to Crosby ISD to teach.)

I worry about this country...

I Have Got to Purge Some of You Today

I am so disappointed, mad, aggravated, whatever.

I am so tired of the B.S. people are putting on Facebook without any way to back it up.

Bad history, bad current events, bad economics, bad polls, bad whatever.

You see some meme and you just go with it. You are too damn lazy to take 2-5 minutes of your time to see if it is true or false or just whatever.

It's the old "Urban Legend" with a new twist. But in the old days, you couldn't confirm it without going to a library to look it up, but now, you have resources at your finger tips.

I had to give a Latin lesson this morning.

And some of you think people should be able to teach the 4 major subjects without a college degree? I cringe at what B.S. you'll will tell kids in a history class.( I know a local kid, graduated from a "Jesus High School" didn't know who JFK was. Didn't know who America fought for its Independence. Didn't know who America fought in WW2.)

Or what you'll be teaching for literature. ( Reading the labels on condom wrappers. )

Or what kind of science you'll be teaching...They'll have folks telling you Adam and Eve rode dinosaurs in the Garden of Eden.

If you think you are going to be purged and want to comment why you should stay, be careful, I may tell you why you should go.....And have several different reasons why......

This Starts Again.....

I don't know. I really do not. And I guess now days the the kids know, but at some point....

I write this as an add for birth control that you can insert in a person' arm. ( Don't get me wrong, I am all in favor of birth control, but do we really need ads for it when kids are getting home from school? I don't know, on second thought,  perhaps we do?)

No, birth control is not what this blog is about.

But close.

Viagra, Cialis, are now eligible to be written as generic prescriptions.

When the ads for them end on TV, I wondered why? And now I know.

We now hear ads on the radio for the generic pills.

And they have it hooked up now where you do not even need to see the doctor to get your "hard-on" pills.

They now have online doctors that can prescribe these generic "hard-on" pill without even checking your heart, or even knowing any other underlying illnesses you may have.

What kind of doctors might these be anyway? They are relegated to selling "boner" pills on the internet? Makes you wonder what medical practice that they sucked at and have to do this?

And are guys too afraid to ask their regular doctor for "Pecker" pills? ( Perhaps if you lived in a small town and sat on the same row with your doctor at church, but even then, is it even his business? Then again, he might be suspecting you're bending your secretary over her desk and "going to town?" )

Everyone knows about these pills. And to be honest, most know about birth control. ( I don't know about the later, maybe we need the BC ads. Sex ed in this nation is somewhat lacking. )

But does 98 yr old grandpa really need pecker pills? ( Maybe he does? Grease grandma up or Mrs. O'Conner in the nursing home and go to town.)

Pissed Off......And Sex????? And Some of Y'all are Spooky Smart....

What the heck, I am sure some of you will click on this to just see what kind of lunacy Thomas is going to discuss this afternoon.

Three things of interest today.

1. Burger King is countering McDonald's with a new line of " Unhappy Meals"....Pissed Meal, Blue Meal, Salty Meal...Etc. 

This was done for Mental Health Month, which is May.

The meal is nothing fancy, a whopper, fries and a drink. The box is what people are after.

No, don't get excited. The only area close to us offering the meal is Austin Area BK's.

2. Some of you are super bright and attentive. You know exactly who the blog yesterday was about....I must have been a topic of conversation. One person found it "disturbing" and not in a way I expected.

3. It seems that people who have sex on the first date seem to have a serious relationship and"stay together longer" than others. 

I read a survey 2 weeks ago that women are growing in number that they want to "have sex" after a fancy dinner, date as a way to say "thank you." ( On first date) Even if they don't expect to see the guy again....Or want to...

Perhaps it's just me, but I find that wrong on several levels. 

I do not know. We waited. And we dated for 2 1/2 years.

Apparently it didn't work for us. We celebrate anniversary Number 38 in August. 

Lake Charles Teacher

I shouldn't be shocked now by female teaching having sex with their student by now. It seems to be an every day thing now.....

But this teacher at a Charter School in Lake Charles " takes the cake."

It seems she has been allegedly having sexual intercourse with one of her 10 year old students. 

Yes, that is right....10 year old boy.

What on earth was she thinking?????

What is going on in this country?

Can't Quite Pull It Off

Well, you're trying, but you can't try quite pull it off....Well, actually, can't pull it off period....

In my experience.

So, Amazon is trying to change some of their Prime deliveries to one day. And I have notice " free" one day deliveries on my last 4 items I have ordered..

So, far, none of the four have made to the Compound in One-Day.

Including me trying it this past Sunday.....The package did not arrive until Tuesday, this is with Amazon sending me a message saying, in a nutshell, "Well it didn't make it to your place in one day."

To be honest, I did not expect the Sunday order to make it in a day....Even though the order was coming from the Houston area. ( Humble)

Maybe, you are having a better experience, especially if you live in a more urban area, or a larger city....Larger than Beaumont-Pt. Arthur.

But, they'll probably get it worked out.....This is especially true if they get their "Delivery by Drone" up and working correctly. Trouble is, what kind of a mess is hundreds of drones flying everyplace going to cause? You know other businesses will do the same...

We do live in interesting times....

While I'm Mad at Folks

While I remain out of the " State of Grace" right now according to Joseph Arminius. ( I'm hoping my one Presbyterian reading this will send me a note and tell me, I'll be alright...or not.....She doesn't realize and I don't want to admit in my heart that I am actually closer to her in my theological doctrine than I care to admit...)

But I digress.

I got a person I can't figure out what the world they are doing????

It is like they are looking all over Facebook for my comments.

I mean just obscure stuff. 

And they've gotten all over me when I tell another female they look " cute." ( Sorry, can't help if they look good, and I couldn't say anything for years due to my  teaching position.)

We went through this before.

I am wonder what their intentions are?

One thing doing a radio show showed me, some folks are just not right. Oh, they seem normal in every day life, able to keep a job, seem normal there, normal in church or the grocery store, but somehow, it's like there is a hidden secret.

And stuff like this blog, radio shows, etc., brings out people like this...

It's because I got rid of the old Facebook.

It's because we now have Thegovteach Part Deaux.

I do not know, but it like I missed something when I started " fresh."

Do not be shocked if I run some sort of massive purge here.

And this is not for comments, it will only be posted in the Facebook group.( They're not a member, and I may be glad about this...)