Middle America

The Rise and Fall of Donald J. Trump "The magnetism and charisma of this man was phenomenal.  The enthusiasm and facial expressions of the the attendants of his election rallies was clearly proof of that.  And this magnetism was probably largely responsible for the electoral outcome.  He was an outstanding and dangerous populist and demagogue,who clearly voiced what most voters wanted to hear."--B.R. Teicher, For all it was worth, commenting on Adolph Hitler's rise to power in Nazi Germany. During my educational years and since, I, like you, have heard the term fascist and fascism, but never really gave it much thought other than to consider it in the context of Hitler, Mussolini, Franco and all the other early 20th century European leaders that formed the Axis in WWII.  What I have come to realize is, these guys all asked the same question.  How can I become bigger than myself?   This of course was cloaked in rhetoric about the plight of the worki...

It is a sad day in America this morning.  I awoke to news stories about the President of the United States of America, having police and security forces teargas demonstrators so that he could walk safely from the White House to St. Johns church across Lafayette Park.  In his mind, I believe, that it was a show of strength and power.  Power, yes.  Strength, no. It has been posited, that this was done because on Friday night he spent an hour in the protective bunker in the basement of the White House.  The media roundly criticized his being in there when the streets of Washington D.C. were being vandalized and torched.  His fragile ego couldn't take being called frightened or scared.  Even as he was safe and secure in the bunker, he continued to tweet words of division and anger.  It is sad, that a 73-year old man still doesn't understand the difference between power and strength.  He sees them as one in the same.  It has become extrem...

Monday April 20, 2020 I was informed by my son this weekend that an acquaintance had passed away from the novel corona virus this past week.  Our lives intersected during the raising of our children when you make friends with the other adults for the amount of time you are involved with that activity.  In this case it was scouting. As I recall, he and his wife were good parents, a loving couple and community minded.  We both had attended weekend camping trips with our son's troop and enjoyed the comradeship, teaching the boys to become self-reliant and a few bawdy jokes around the campfire.  It is such a waste that someone so solidly in the middle of America had to succumb to this virus. The more I contemplate this event, the angrier I become. The gentleman who passed, did so at home.  He apparently contracted the virus from his wife, whom he had been taking care of as she recovered from the illness.  I don't know more than that about the circumstance...

Hi, My name is Lee and I am a hobbyist woodworker.  This is my first post and I hope you'll be kind.  I have noticed on Pinterest that quite a few people are looking to build a farm table for their homes and one of prevailing methods is to use lumber from your local home center.  I'd like to share my experience in building one. As I said I am a hobbyist.  Basically, my wife Linda says "Honey? I think I'd like a ........"  and then I go build it.  Many times it requires a fair amount of research on the techniques and then the practical application.  What I like to build, when I'm not on the home projects is electric guitars.  But they are a discussion for another day. I'd like to break this down into the basic operations that go into making a table and maybe I can even impart some creative details that can inspire you to make something other than four straight legs with a top.  I'll try keep the lessons short and try to publish a new one...