"lets talk about ducks"

One of the original lines of the original version of Greater Tuna. I do not know how the two actors/writers have managed to keep this going, yet they have and have done well.

If you haven’t seen the play, but have seen the Big Bang Theory, you can get a glimpse of the origins if you pay attention to the occasional reference to Sheldon’s childhood in East Texas. Strange and true, but if Sheldon’s character was in the play it would work to an extent just because East Texas is that unique and the play is that good.


The way we try to solve problems in this country is ridden with the solution being set up to fail. We tend to try and find out who is the bad guy, blame the bad guy, and punish the bad guy. And then once we have done this we think we have solved the problem.

An example of this is what MADD has accomplished.
First of all, I agree that people shouldn’t drink and drive. There is a cost and unfortunately sometimes that cost is someone’s life. And I don’t have anything against MADD, my Mom was a member for many years of her life, it is just making people criminals for something our society shoves down our throats (literally) has not solved the problem. People still drink and drive.
I usually don’t like bringing up a complaint or issue without trying to offer a solution, but I don’t have one for this scenario. I just think it is time we completely reviewed what we are doing. Too many people have a criminal record for something that our society encourages day in and day out. It is not just the commercials on TV, but it is so much of our daily lives. And for many years, especially in sprawling metro areas there wasn’t much of a public transportation system to offer an alternative to driving. Dallas Fort Worth for example barely had any public transportation till the last ten years at best. Sure we had a bus system, but that was around only during business hours and never ran at night. People were stuck paying for a cab that could be seriously cost prohibitive in an area where 20-30 mile trips to a party are not uncommon. So instead of common sense being used (remember we are drinking) people gamble on not being caught instead of paying excessive price to get home. And yes yes there is a bigger cost if you get caught. The issue is, we spend billions to encourage people to break the law and offer no alternative.
And I am not against MADD, but this is an example of how we, as a society, address problems. We blame somebody and we feel like we have accomplished something, yet with a deeper look we have only made the problem worse. Sometimes there are no bad guys, but bad decisions. We need to find a better answer to this problem and a better answer to how we solve problems overall.

And if you are wondering, did I get popped recently, no, there is an aspect of my job where I see how bad this problem has become because I see many people with a criminal record for one DUI or DWI. And I do mean many people unfortunately. And again people still drink and drive.

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Praise the Lord and fill up the tank. Yep the cost of gasoline is going down and all our problems are solved.
Folks, please put on your thinking and memory caps. This is probably one of the worst things (okay we all need a break with our budgets) that could have happened. We still need to move off of oil for so many reasons it is not funny. Yes it is wonderful to pay less, but this is creating a false sense of security in our country. And it still hasn’t changed the fact gasoline is poison to the human body. And we breathe it, we breathe it’s residue, it leaks into our drinking water etc… but it is inherently one of the worst creations by man that has such a daily negative affect on our health and we still think we need to continue with gasoline as our primary source of mobility. The lowering of the price only postpones what is or should be inevitable and that is finding new ways to power our lives.
And it still poses huge geopolitical risks for us as a nation. Yes we have our fracking etc…that is supposed to save us from the rest of the world. Sorry long term that isn’t going to work and the current price play by the Saudis etc is fool’s gold. The Saudis can ride out the market and put everyone else out of business and don’t be naïve about or surprised by this statement. I think most people wouldn’t be, but if you read all the comments on the stories about lower gas prices you have to wonder.
We have to find the leadership and where with all to continue to develop alternative sources of energy and make them part of our daily lives. And I have said this before, it will take us about two generations to significantly reduce our use of gasoline so the change from one industry to another can be done in a positive way to not affect employment and business overall.


It has been awhile since I have made myself make time for writing, both on my blog and on my stories so I had some catching up to do. Unfortunately my Cowboys are no longer playing. After the Detroit game I really wanted to write about the NFL needs to find a way to get things right. The dispute about the catch only exasperated the fans even more. Instant reply was supposed to help the NFL get it right, yet…….. How does the NFL make the fans feel comfortable about what may happen this weekend or for the “big game”?
And speaking of getting it right, please do not shop at a store called Papaya. In my younger days I worked for many years in retail and retail management, so I have a pretty good idea of doing what is right for a customer. I understand companies have policies, but at some point the policy can be in the wrong. My youngest daughter has a part time job and used some of her money to go shopping for herself and being a teen age girl she was excited about shopping with her own money. I won’t go into the details, but this company really did her wrong. So with so many companies out there I am asking you to shop elsewhere and if they keep up their business practices I may be doing you a favor anyway.
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I agree with Pope Francis that it is disrespectful to defame other people’s religions/cultures etc…, however, violence is not any kind of answer for anything. Terrorism is a direct product of certain religious leaders (and certain rulers of countries) keeping their people ignorant and poor to prop up their power. Respect is something we should offer as a society, but we have a right to be critical of others, shoot even Jesus was critical of the religious leaders of his time. Okay granted he had a bit more going for him than a satirical publication, yet people have a right to criticize etc… in some ways this helps all of us become better people. No one though has a right to take another person’s life. And this is especially true if you purport to believe in God. And in a satirical tone, DAESH is doing more to bring about the Crusades than any Pope ever did.
And speaking of respect….. I did not vote for Obama, nor support most of his policies etc.., but it sure looks bad when members of Congress resort to kindergarten name calling when trying to change his policies. Either come up with a better policy or keep your mouth shut. It is really sad when people who are supposed to represent the best of our nation are behaving like spoiled brats.
The word respect does carry great importance Monday. I hope you have a wonderful and reflective holiday on Monday.


Well the Mavs need to beat a quality Western conference team soon and hopefully they get the job done against Memphis on Monday.

Have a great rest of your weekend.