To The Start of a New Year at The Other Shoe

                                                                              Daniel Hanning

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Welcome back, My Dear Shoevians, to another year of; ‘Lost in Space’, ‘News from Around the World’, ‘The Mars Report’, and so much more! Just today I have renewed my hosting for this blog. Until this past week I had feared that I would be unable to continue this journey with you My Dear Shoevians.

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This doubt had helped to silence my online voice, however now that I have met this challenge, and prevailed, I feel confident enough to write and publish again. I know that it will take time, to rebuild the, once huge, traffic to this blog. I know that and determine to meet this challenge head-on.

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There will be many changes, over the coming months, to this blog. As I have aged, I have changed and so will this blog. I will be sharing more and more videos of game play from such venerable PC titles as; World of Warcraft, Rift, The Elder Scrolls Online, Diablo 3, and Star Wars the Old Republic. As well I will be following, very closely, the investigation into collusion by members of the Trump for President 2016 campaign and Russia. Just this week, The Other Shoe dropped proving that Donald Trump, Jr. willing took a meeting with members of Russian intelligence with the sole purpose of coordinating assistance from the Russian government.

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Let me not get too far ahead of the game, and my publishing. It is good to be back. It is good to know that, for at least the next six months, this blog location is still mine! I will warn you, My Dear Shoevians, that at first… the articles will be few. I will not jump right back into publishing five to seven articles per week. However, I am committed to writing and publishing just as much and as often as my health and pain will allow.

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I, genuinely, look forward to the coming months and our continuing journey here at The Other Shoe!

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Take Care

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Adieu!

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Daniel Hanning- Writer, Research Staff, Editor and Publisher of The Other Shoe

© 2010 – 2017 Hanning Web Wurx and The Other Shoe

 

Danny and Trina Hanning Wishing you ALL Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!

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Danny and Trina Hanning Wishing all of YOU Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!

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.                   Welcome back, My Dear Shoevians, to The Other Shoe and a short video of Trina Hanning. This is Trina’s premier video and she is with me to wish you ALL Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year! 

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© 2010 – 2016 Hanning Web Wurx and The Other Shoe

Danny and Angous Express Holiday Wishes!

Danny & Angous Hanning Wishing you ALL a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a very Happy New Year!

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Welcome back, My Dear Shoevians, to The Other Shoe and my seasonal video (and video introduction of Angous Hanning) wishing you ALL Happy Holidays!

The Death of a Titan – Edward Albee

Edward Albee – 2015

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This September 16^th, 2016 (a week past, last Friday) Edward Francis Albee slipped the surly bonds of earth. My Dear Shoevians I know that with the title, above, this article was lost to too many. That really is a terrible shame, for in learning of Mr. Albee, is to learn a great deal about me (Daniel Hanning) at an early age. However, before I unpack that little sentence, let me show this titan of stage and screen his due.

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Edward Francis Albee was born March 12^th, 1928 and immediately put up for adoption by his mother. However, as if to signal the great fortune (and luck) that was to be an undercurrent throughout his life, two weeks later Edward was adopted by the son of a wealthy vaudeville magnate Edward Franklin Albee II[1] of Larchmont in Westchester County, New York.

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In an interview, included in this article further down the page, Edward recalled that he was very fortunate to end up in the Albee family because “they gave me an extraordinary education”[2]. Edward never felt as thought he belonged in the Larchmont family, for one reason they were complete social opposites.

 

“They ere ‘Right Wing’ to the point… to the right of Gangues Khan somewhat I think… and they were bigots, I thought. Anti-black, anti… anti… anti-Semitic.”[3]

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In these schools (Lawrenceville School, Valley Forge Academy, Choate and Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut) Edward felt that the teachers knew that he would “do something great in the creative arts… and kept pushing me in that direction…”[4] These teachers were so very correct! Below, is a listing of the works of Edward Albee:

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Works written or adapted by Albee:

The Zoo Story (1959) The Death of Bessie Smith (1960) The Sandbox (1960) Fam and Yam (1960) The American Dream (1961) Bartleby (adapted from the short story by Herman Melville (1961) Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1962) The Ballad of the Sad Café (1963) (adapted from the novella by Carson McCullers) Tiny Alice (1964) Malcolm (1966) (adapted from the novel by James Purdy) A Delicate Balance (1966) Breakfast at Tiffany’s (adapted from the novel by Truman Capote) (1966) Everything in the Garden (adapted from the play by Giles Cooper) (1967) Box and Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-Tung (1968) All Over (1971) Seascape (1975) Listening (1976)

Counting the Ways (1976) The Lady from Dubuque (1980) Lolita (adapted from the novel by Vladimir Nabokov) (1981) The Man Who Had Three Arms (1982) Finding the Sun (1983) Walking (1984) Envy (1985) Marriage Play (1987) Three Tall Women (1991) The Lorca Play (1992) Fragments (1993) The Play About the Baby (1998) The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? (2000) Occupant (2001) Knock! Knock! Who’s There!? (2003) Peter & Jerry, retitled in 2009 to At Home at the Zoo (Act One: Homelife. Act Two: The Zoo Story) (2004) Me Myself and I (2007)[5]

Awards Won by Edward Albee:

 

• 1960: Drama Desk Award Vernon Rice Award: The Zoo Story
• 1963: Tony Award for Best Play: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
• 1967: Pulitzer Prize for Drama: A Delicate Balance
• 1975: Pulitzer Prize for Drama: Seascape
• 1994: Pulitzer Prize for Drama: Three Tall Women
• 1995: St. Louis Literary Award from the Saint Louis University Library Associates^[23]
• 1996: National Medal of Arts
• 2002: Drama Desk Award Outstanding New Play: The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?
• 2002: Tony Award for Best Play: The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?
• 2005: Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement
• 2005: Academy of Achievement‘s Golden Plate Award
• 2008: Drama Desk Award Special Award
• 2011: Edward MacDowell Medal for Lifetime Achievement
• 2011: Pioneer Award for Lifetime Achievement, Lambda Literary Foundation
• 2015: America Award in Literature[6]

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Edward’s works spanned two generations, more than fifty years, and in all that time he never failed to shock his audiences or shake the very foundations of literary art. I must tell you, My Dear Shoevians, that I had a very early introduction to Mr. Albee’s works. It was 1975 when my, then, acting director (Mr. Truman Dunahoo) introduced me to the works of Mr. Albee. The very fist work, of his, I read was to be (unbeknownst to me) the very first of this works I (later) preformed!

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Edward Albee 1995

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That is correct My Dear Shoevians, I had the honor and distinct pleasure to perform one of Mr. Albee’s works, ‘The Zoo Story’. It was my freshman year of college at a little community college in Brazoria County, Texas – Alvin Community College. Now, My Dear Shoevians let me set up the background of that time in Texas… and that of the play. ‘The Zoo Story’ is the story of a gay man’s chance (?) meeting with a stranger in Central Park, New York in the early 60’s. The lead role, the one I portrayed, was that of an aging gay man… set out to take his own life… with the hands of a stranger.

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It is a One Act Play that takes about an hour to play out. During that hour, the lead actor, portraying ‘Jerry’, tells a tale – ‘The Story of Jerry and the Dog’. What ‘Jerry’ really is telling is a tale of his own battle with himself… with his sexual identity. Today, in 2016, that may not seem a turgid tale. However, in the early 60’s ‘Deep in the Heart of Texas’, well… that is another matter entirely! People in Texas, at that time, did not talk of such things! Gay men were, frequently, beaten and/or killed for ‘showing’ who they were in public. It was 1977, when I portrayed this role, and things had changed little in the backwaters of Texas. My Dear Shoevians, this role was especially poignant, for me, because I had yet to come to grips with my own sexuality. So, here is a closeted gay man… on a small stage deep in the heart of Texas… portraying a gay man… committing suicide on stage!

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From everything I have ever read about Mr. Albee… from all the interviews I have watched… One factor is CLEAR! Mr. Albee wanted his audiences to feel discomfort. In that, he wanted to draw his viewers out of their social comfort zones. He wanted to challenge how they viewed their world, how they judged others, and he wanted the viewers of his plays to leave changed. I knew this going into my portrayal of Jerry in ‘The Zoo Story’. However, I was a very young actor, only 21 years old. It wasn’t until many years later, that I learned I had achieved my goal.

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In 1978 Alvin Community College had a very small theater, that was off campus. The theater was in a renovated single building church. The largest area, where the theater was located, was the same area where services were once held. Matter of fact? The stage, itself, was built directly on top of the old pulpit and baptistery once stood. Each and every night… I would drive a stage knife, into my chest, were (but a handful of years ago) dozens of people had been baptized.

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I would like to tell you, My Dear Shoevians, two short stories. These stories, I feel, display just how my performances of Jerry in ‘The Zoo Story’ ‘Hit the Mark’ as far as making Mr. Albee’s desire to make audiences uncomfortable during his plays. As you can see, in the image below, my hair was curly and a little long. However, at this time in my life I had very long and curly hair. I do not have any pictures from the exact time of this play. However, I can tell you that my dark curly hair reached my shoulders, at the time of this play. The theater was very old, and did not have central air conditioning, there were just a handful of window air conditioners, and none of them pointed on to the stage. That meant, that during performances, some actors (mostly those with the most lines, and movement… like me portraying ‘Jerry’) could get very very hot! My long curly hair would hold a large amount of sweat, during a performance. Now, My Dear Shoevians, this story was told to me many years after the performances by my high school drama teacher and director, Truman Dunahoo.

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                             Danny Hanning 1976 – Upper Right Corner

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Seems, that when I would get excited on stage… I would turn quickly from one side of the stage to the other. Well, Truman told me, that on several occasions, when I would whip from left to right or right to left, sweat would fly off my brow and hair… and strike the audience! Truman explained it to me, like this: “You would whip around, on stage, and when you did sweat from your hair would rain across the audience. When that would happen, the audience would jump and their breath would catch. You see, Daniel, when the sweat struck us… for that moment… the ‘Forth Wall’ would COLAPSE! When that happened, for just and moment… we would leave the theater… and be in that park with that crazed Jerry!”

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For the few of you that are not theater savvy, “The Forth Wall’ is the invisible wall that separates the actors for the audience. It exists along the curtain of the stage (the edge in front of the curtain) from stage left to stage right. It is the invisible wall that audiences look through to see into the world the actors live! So, your see, My Dear Shoevians… each and every time I would quickly turn, from right to left or left to right, my sweat would strike the audience! It startled them… greatly! It was as though something left the imaginary world of the performance and broke through to strike the audience. Truman told me… THAT was the only time (in all his years of directing and attending theater shows) he had ever witnessed the forth wall BROKEN! He also told me, that each and every time it happened, the audience flinched! As if they had been struck! Truman told me it made the play more realistic than any play he had ever attended, and that the fact I was unaware of it happening… just made it more real! He said, the first time it happened, it really scared him! That, for a moment, he was in THAT park WITH that CRAZED man! Truly Albee’esk!

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My final story, from my experience with ‘The Zoo Story’… well, as always, I have saved the best for last! At the ending of the play, ‘Jerry’ pulls out a knife. The knife ends up in the hand of the bystander, sitting on a bench, in the park. ‘Jerry’ grabs the man’s hands, with the knife still clinched, and shoves the knife into his chest! We used a nice stage knife that would stay stuck in my chest after the bystander let go. I had blood packs, under my shirt, near the base of the holder for the stage knife. When I shoved the knife into my chest, I would break the blood packs and get the stage blood all over my hands.

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I would, then, throw my arms back with the knife in my chest… and SCREAM! Falling to my knees, I would deliver the last lines of the play. It was exciting… to say the least! However, as exciting as it was (every night… three times on Sunday) there was ONE NIGHT… that stood out from ALL the rest… and one that I REALLY WISH Edward Albee COULD HAVE BEEN THERE… FOR! It was a hot night, as most of the performances were. I was sweating, just like every other night. However, that night… well, things were… different. The whole play had taken on a surreal quality, for me, it was almost as though… well, it was really happening… TO ME! The audience was on the edge of their seats, and I could feel it all the way down into my toes!

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The final moments of the play had arrived, and the air was so thick (with anticipation and heat) you could cut it with a knife! I pulled my knife… there was the struggle where I let the bystander take the knife from me… he is holding the knife out from his body as defensive… I turn quickly and grab his arms… I thrust the knife into my chest… I stagger… I whip around to face the audience… I SCREAM… and BAM! That is all anyone heard… BAM! Right in front of me… not INCHES from the stage! An older women, easily in the 80’s to 90’s… HAD BLACKED OUT AND FALLEN FLAT ON HER FACE!!!

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I stood there, motionless… the ushers came running from the wings… they picked her up and took her outside, where it was cooler. I fell to my knees, and finished my lines and the play. But, the audience WAS HORRIFIED! NEVER… EVER!!! Never had anything like this had EVER happened before in Alvin, Texas!!!  That’s right, My Dear Shoevians, at the end of “The Zoo Story’ an elderly woman was so terrified (by my performance?) that she BLACKED OUT AND FELL ON HER FACE! … … … I only wish that Mr. Edward Albee had been there for that performance!

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It is a One Act Play that takes about an hour to play out. During that hour, the lead actor, portraying ‘Jerry’, tells a tale – ‘The Story of Jerry and the Dog’. What ‘Jerry’ really is telling is a tale of his own battle with himself… with his sexual identity. Today, in 2016, that may not seem a turgid tale. However, in the early 60’s ‘Deep in the Heart of Texas’, well… that is another matter entirely! People in Texas, at that time, did not talk of such things! Gay men were, frequently, beaten and/or killed for ‘showing’ who they were in public. It was 1977, when I portrayed this role, and things had changed little in the backwaters of Texas. My Dear Shoevians, this role was especially poignant, for me, because I had yet to come to grips with my own sexuality. So, here is a closeted gay man… on a small stage deep in the heart of Texas… portraying a gay man… committing suicide on stage!

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https://static01.nyt.com/video/players/offsite/index.html?videoId=1247463606959

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My Dear Readers that was my experience with Mr. Albee’s work. Later, my sophomore year at A.C.C., I wrote a paper on ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf’. That is a tale of an aging power couple at a small university. If you have not seen the film, with Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, you SHOULD!

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Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf – Burton & Taylor on Set

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Through out Edward Albee’s life he worked to make his audiences “uncomfortable” while watching his work. He felt that theater “Should make audiences uncomfortable” because there was already a medium that wrote and performed works to make people comfortable in their lives and it was called television.

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Mr. Albee’s works challenged my view of; myself, the people I grew up with, the people of our country. Without his work… my life would have been quite bereft of any understanding or self-awareness. For that, I am forever in your debt, Mr. Albee!

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Adieu!

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Thank you!

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Daniel Hanning- Writer, Research Staff, Editor and Publisher of The Other Shoe

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© 2010 – 2016 Hanning Web Wurx and The Other Shoe

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[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Franklin_Albee_II

[2] http://www.nytimes.com/video/multimedia/1247463606959/the-last-word-edward-albee.html?smid=pl-share

 

[3] ibid

[4] http://www.nytimes.com/video/multimedia/1247463606959/the-last-word-edward-albee.html?smid=pl-share

[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Albee

[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Albee

My Journey to LA – August 9th, 2016

                                                                                                  Danny at Disneyland August 9th, 2016

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                               Welcome, My Dear Shoevians, to ‘Journey to LA –August 9^th, 2106’ right here at ‘The Other Shoe’! It is great to be back here writing and publishing on my blog. The Democratic Primary is now over so I can feel free to write and post what I really feel with (less) fear of recriminations. Secretary Hillary Clinton is the ‘Democratic Party Nominee for President’ and (at this moment in time) she is walloping the (dubious and nefarious) Donald ‘Thieving’ Trump by double digits in most polls. However, that is not the thrust of today’s article.

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Today I am here to relay the events, and videos, of my most recent trip form (my home in) Orange County all the way into Rolling Hills Estates/Rancho Palos Verdes of Los Angeles. It is a long and, often, arduous journey for myself and Allen (my caregiver/roommate).  For your viewing enjoyment, today, I have several ALL NEW pictures. These images were taken at Disneyland and in Rancho Palos Verdes during my journey. As well, there will be four All New Videos for your viewing pleasure. I hope that all of you, My Dear Shoevians, enjoy reading this article and viewing these videos and images as much as I did providing them to you!

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The video, above, was taken in the parking lot of the building I live in just prior to the OCTA Access bus arrived to transport me to Disneyland. For those of you, My Dear Shoevians, those are new to this site (and my ‘Journey to LA’ series? Once each, and every three months, I make a very long (and tiresome… often upsetting) journey from here in Orange County (Huntington Beach to be exact) all the way (past Long Beach and San Pedro) into Los Angeles. My final destination is the Promenade on the Peninsula. In the image, below, you can get a good idea of the journey I make… via Public Transportation (for the Disabled). I start from the right side of the image where you see ‘Westminster’ and travel all the way to the left side of the image to the red marked above ‘Dr. Gorlick’ in Rolling Hills Estates.

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Promenade on the Peninsula

(Map of Southern California Showing Start & Finish)

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Now some of you, My Dear Shoevians, might (reasonably) wondering “Why?” do I make this long and tiring journey every three months, and with good reason. Dr. Gorlick is my doctor. I started under his care back in 2005, when I was approved for Medicare (finally) and was able to pick my own doctor. Since I have been under his care I have; undergone surgery (Cervical Fusion) on my neck, fell victim to a TIA (Transient Ischemic Attack) (a type of mini-stroke), developed ‘Left Foot Drop’, become confined to a power chair, been diagnosed with Non Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, undergone chemotherapy, and (most recently) been diagnosed with (now) “Severe Degenerative Disc Disease” “Severe Spinal Stenosis” “Multiple Herniated Discs” and (now) the discovery that the degenerative disc disease is now in my lumber spine, too.

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Through it all Dr. Gorlick has ‘had my back’! When I come to him needing a power chair, he helps me get all sorts of paperwork to a prosthetics doctor (even though that… nut case REFUSED to SUBMIT the paperwork) Dr. Gorlick HELPED! When I discovered a lump under my chin, he examined it and referred me to a doctor that helped diagnose my cancer. When I was diagnosed with cancer Dr. Gorlick (again) gave me the name of an Oncologist that he personally knew!   When I come to him and I am unable to bear the level of pain, he helps by increasing my pain medications… time and time again!

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Danny @ Disneyland with Matterhorn in Background

(Danny @ Disneyland with Matterhorn in Background)

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THAT is “Why?” I make this (often arduous) journey ever three months! I am very fortunate to have found a doctor as experienced… as knowledgeable… as compassionate… as caring and considerate as Dr. Gorlick that accepts Medicare! I was lucky to have found him, some eleven years ago, and I am fortunate that he continues my care. Now back to the journey, itself. My Dear Shoevians, I have to be honest (as I am in all things) and tell you that this journey? Well, this journey was one of the most uneventful… quickest and most enjoyable journeys of all that I have made to Rolling Hills Estates in the past five years!

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(Danny at Dr. Gorlick’s Office August 9th, 2016)

(Danny at Dr. Gorlick’s Office August 9^th, 2016)

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For five years I have sat at Disneyland, dropped off by OCTA Access, to be picked up my LA Access. Every single time we have made, at least one, stop during our journey into L.A. However, not this time! This time the driver was a Trainee and there was a supervisor in the back with Allen. There were no pickups. There were no drop-offs! We traveled, quickly, from Disneyland to Rolling Hills Estates and made it there in about an hour! That gave Allen, and myself, time to pick up a little lunch at the Subway in the mall next to where Dr. Gorlick’s office is located.

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As well, on the ride back there was only one person to drop off, and then it was a quick ride into Orange County. This time I even convinced the driver to use the Carpool Lane (I know… you would think that they all would want to use the carpool lane!!… Not so!) The drive home was quick and uneventful and that left us (Allen and I) the time to make the Final Video that you see above! My Dear Shoevians, that video was one of the very best I (feel) I have ever made! It was fun! It was spontaneous! And, I enjoyed making the video.

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With that, My Dear Shoevians, I will bring this edition of ‘Journey to LA’ to a close. Oh, yeah, Dr. Gorlick improved my pain medications! So, YES! YES, I will be working towards writing and publishing on a regular basis, again.

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I would like to express my deep appreciation to you, My Dear Shoevians, for your interest in my blog(s), my writing, my stories and hope that you drop by often and SHARE my blog and articles (via your social media) so that others can enjoy, too!

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THANK YOU!

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Adieu!

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© 2010 – 2016 Hanning Web Wurx and The Other Shoe

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Daniel Hanning- Writer, Research Staff, Editor and Publisher of The Other Shoe

(Daniel Hanning- Writer, Research Staff, Editor and Publisher of The Other Shoe)

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Is Sen. Bernie Sanders a D.I.N.O.?

             Angry Sanders – THE Sanders the Democratic Party DOES NOT Need!

                                  IS Senator Bernie Sanders a Democrat In Name Only (D.I.N.O.)? Welcome back My Dear Shoevians to The Other Shoe. I cast my very first vote, as a Democrat, in the 1976 Presidential Election. That day I went into the tall metal box (with a cloth curtain covering the back) and ‘Pulled a Straight Democratic Ticket’. Since that day in 1976, I have voted as, and been registered as, a ‘Card Carrying’ member of the Democratic Party! Forty years I have held a voter registration card indicating that I am a Democrat, a member of the Eldest political party in America.

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Conversely, Senator Sanders just joined the Democratic Party, in 2015, simply to take advantage of the National Democratic Party. Having been a member of the Democratic Party, for less than a year, Senator Sanders has taken it upon himself to ‘Reinvent the Wheel’ by way of demanding changes in his newly adopted party. Let’s make one thing perfectly clear. Senator Sanders has no great love for either party. He has caucused with Republicans whenever it furthered his own personal political ambitions.

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Gun Laws (PARTY Legislation)

Case In point:

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• The 1992 ‘Brady Bill’ (Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act[1] – A bill, started in the House of Representatives, as a legislative response to the shooting of President Reagan and his Press Secretary James Brady by John Hinckley Jr. The bill carried provisions for:
  • Mandated Background Checks for all purchases of firearms
  • Prohibits certain persons from shipping or transporting any firearm in interstate or foreign commerce, or receiving any firearm which has been shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce, or possessing any firearm in or affecting commerce.
  • STOPS guns sales to:
  • Has been convicted in any court of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year;
  • Is a fugitive from justice;
  • Is an unlawful user of or addicted to any controlled substance;
  • Has been adjudicated as a mental defective or committed to a mental institution;
  • Is an alien illegally or unlawfully in the United States;
  • Has been discharged from the Armed Forces under dishonorable conditions;
  • Having been a citizen of the United States, has renounced S. citizenship;
  • Is subject to a court order that restrains the person from harassing, stalking, or threatening an intimate partner or child of such intimate partner, or;
  • Has been convicted in any court of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.

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The Brady Bill passed the House by a vote of 238 to 187, along party lines. Senator Bernie Sanders voted with Republicans!

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There is no greater issue that unites the Democratic Party, in America, than strengthening gun laws and stopping the senseless death of American citizens by guns. Yet, Senator Sanders has voted (time and again) to reinforce the rights of; gun makers, gun owners, and even the questionable practice of ‘Gun Shows’. This is my ‘Reason Number One’ for my stated opinion that Senator Bernie Sanders is a Democrat In Name Only!  

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Spoiled Child Syndrome

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Most of us, My Dear Shoevians, have; started a new job, moved to a new company in the same field, or moved into a new field to further our careers. If you have, then you (most likely) have heard this adage:

“Learn how OUR system WORKS, before you go reinventing the wheel.”

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It is age advice, and is given to a new employee in hopes that they learn how things are done (at their new job, or new field) prior to working to change a job or company where you are a freshman member. Senator Sanders would do well to heed these words, for he is inciting violence among his supporters, all in the vain attempt to change the Democratic Party WITHOUT learning how it works… FIRST!

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Further, I can make a very good analogy that most (if not all) parents can (or should) relate to:

You are holding a Birthday party for your… let’s say ten year old son or daughter. You have invited the ‘New Kid’ on the block, to your child’s birthday party. They are new to the neighborhood, but you want to be inclusive of the children your child shares and neighborhood with, and goes to school with, it is just being a ‘Good Neighbor’.

However, when it comes time for your son or daughter to open their birthday presents? The ‘new kid’ jumps up from his seat and declares:

“This party is unfair! I think that each time your son or daughter gets a birthday present, I TOO should get a present! It’s not fair to ME!”

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Now, without having worked to be a part of your neighborhood, without taking the time and effort to learn the rules governing ‘Birthday Parties’ this ‘new kid’/interloper begins making unreasonable demands of a system that was in place well before they arrived!

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Now, let’s apply this same example to… well, how about…

SUPERDELEGATES

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Superdelegates: Superdelegates have been a part of the nomination process since 1980. Nearly the entire time that I have been a voting member of the Democratic Party.

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First, what are Superdelegates?

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“For Democrats, superdelegates fall into three categories based on other positions they hold, and are formally described (in Rule 9.A) as “unpledged party leader and elected official delegates”^[3] (unpledged PLEO delegates) consisting of:

• elected members of the Democratic National Committee
• distinguished party leaders, consisting of current and former presidents, vice presidents, congressional leaders, and DNC chairs
• sitting Democratic governors and members of Congress.

For Republicans, there are three delegates in each state, consisting of the state chairman and two RNC committee members, who are automatic delegates to the national convention. However, according to the RNC communications director Sean Spicer, convention rules obligate these RNC members to vote according to the result of primary elections held in their states, if the state holds a primary.[2]

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Next, how did Superdelegates come into play in the Democratic Party Nomination Process?

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“Following a series of meetings held from August 1981 to February 1982, the Hunt Commission issued a report which recommended the set aside of unelected and unpledged delegate slots for Democratic members of Congress and for state party chairs and vice chairs (so-called “superdelegates”).^[8] While the original Hunt plan, superdelegates were to represent 30% of all delegates to the national convention, but when it was finally implemented by the Democratic National Committee for the 1984 election, the number of superdelegates was set 14%. Over time this percentage has gradually increased, until by 2008 the percentage stands at approximately 20% of total delegates to the Democratic Party nominating convention.”[3]

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The creation of Superdelegates was two-fold. One, the National Democratic Party wanted “more electable candiadtes’. To that end, they handed more power to Democrats that ALREADY held office! This is common sense, if you want more electable candidates for your party, have members of your party that have WON elections have a lager voice! This process helped a little known Governor of Arkansas become the first Two Term Democratic Party President since President John Kennedy.

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Second, the Superdelegates were to act ‘Gate-Keepers’ for the National Democratic Party. In essence, these ‘Gate-Keepers’ are meant to keep interlopers from coming into our party and high-jacking the most revered and highest office a party member can obtain! THAT is THE reason that Senator Sanders is railing against Superdelegates! Senator Sanders IS that interloper!

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Finally, and I am wrapping this up at this point merely out of pain blinding me right now, let us discuss:

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Party Unity

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Secretary Clinton is already pledging 1% of ALL campaign funds she receives to go to ‘Down Ticket Races’. That means new Congressmen/Senators hoping to get elected, returning Congressmen/Senators hoping for reelection and state offices (like Governors), too. Sec. Clinton has already made appearances for some down ticket races, as has Bill Clinton. Conversely, Senator Sanders has opted to hold hostage any involvement in down ticket races “we’ll see…”[4] how the party treats Bernie Sanders, BEFORE he commits to assisting with any down ticket races.

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These are the actions of a man with only one person/campaign/agenda/future in mind, his own! This is not, what I have come to know, as a genuine Democratic Party Member. To withhold support, to withhold monies, to withhold being a genuine party member until after his ‘Coronation’ is the ultimate in hubris and lacks the real party unity the Democratic Party NEEDS to; take back the Senate, hold on to the White House, GET our SCOTUS judges confirmed, PROTECT the reproductive rights of WOMEN, rein IN the ORGY of gun violence, and further Equality!

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Senator Sanders, if elected, simply cannot further his progressive agenda solo! This man has come into the Democratic Party at the Eleventh Hour then demands that we ‘Change how the party works’ to fit with ‘Independents’? What about all of us lifetime members of the Democratic Party? What about the people who have stood with are party through thick and thin?

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This is why I have decided to decry Senator Bernie Sanders as a Democrat In Name ONLY! (D.I.N.O.) From where I am sitting it is obvious that Sen. Sanders is willing to nuke our Democratic Party if we don’t give him a birthday present, TOO! I deeply tire of reading the comments, on Facebook, of people who have LEFT our party. Gone ‘Independent’ then, when it looks bleak if the Republican nominee gets elected? They invade our party and make unrealistic demands!

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The rules, of this election, were decided LAST YEAR! Where were these ‘Independents’ when the time came for the HARD WORK of; Rules Committees, Convention Site Committees, Delegate Committees, and on and on and on? Where were they, then?

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Were they supporting Sen. Sanders while he supporter Gun Manufactures Rights? Where were they, when we Life-Long Democrats were doing the hard work? Now, when it is time for cake and balloons and the elevation of a Nominee for President of our party.. then they show up making demands? As well, where will they BE when the time comes to make the rules for the 2020 election? Where will they be when the time comes to vote for or against Superdelegates, then? Will they return to be ‘Independents’ or will they stay with the Democratic Party though thick and thin?

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Many of Bernie’s supporters are already threatening that ‘if Bernie is not the nominee, then we will not vote for Hillary…’! Where is the Party Unity? This is what distrubs me most about this election, this 2016 Presidential Election. It really feels more like “Voting for Dances with the Stars’ than any Presidential Election I have ever taken part over the past forty years.

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Now, the ball is in your court… Bernie supporters? What will you do?

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Adieu!

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Thank you!

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Be good to one another!

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    Danny Hanning Writer, Editor, Research Staff and Publisher at The Other Shoe

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© 2010 – 2016 Hanning Web Wurx and The Other Shoe

 

 Place YOUR order for the only cleaning product you will feel ‘GOOD’ about using, everyday!

Green Way Laboratory’s flagship Product MastiClean!

_____________________________________________________________________

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brady_Handgun_Violence_Prevention_Act

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superdelegate

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superdelegate

[4] http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/bernie-sanders-fundraise-down-ballot-democrats-maddow

The Mars Report – April 22nd, 2016

                                      Curiosity Self-Portrait at Martian Sand Dune

(Full-Circle Panorama Beside ‘Namib Dune’ on Mars)[1]

 

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Welcome back to The Other Shoe, My Dear Shoevians! I have decided to take a step away from all things ‘politics’ and ‘political’ heading into this weekend. With that in mind I am happy to bring you the very first edition of ‘The Mars Report’ in many months. Honestly, if feels good to put my head back into subject matter that has always made me smile… and think. Since I was a small boy of seven or eight, I dreamed of walking on the surface of another planetary body. I read the works of Clark, Asimov, and Heinlein while, in my head, turning their words into foreign lands.

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This is, as I have said, the very first edition of ‘The Mars Report’ in many months. Having said, I am a bit out of ‘shape’ when it comes to writing this genera of works, this will end up being a bit of an abbreviated edition. I have four different images to share, and most of them are from months ago. Right now Curiosity is in a dormant mode. Hibernating through the Martian Winter where it is currently located. Below is a map showing the journey of Curiosity since it first landed at ‘Bradbury Landing’ back on August 22^nd, 2012. Funny, that, My Dear Shoevians… I have covered the adventures and discoveries of Curiosity since it landed. I am glad that I made this project a priority for my writing and my blog(s).

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                           Curiosity Rover’s Traverse, First 1,163 Sols on Mars

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(Curiosity Rover’s Traverse, First 1,163 Sols on Mars)[2]

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The map shown above highlights the route of the Curiosity rover. As it makes it way slowly from the beginning (at the top of the image, just to the left of ‘Yellowknife Bay’, to where it is halted just below ‘Marias Pass’. Curiosity is now located in the “Bagnold Dunes” dune field. The rover is making its way to higher elevations of Mount Sharp. The image, below, is of Curiosity at its stop in the ‘Bagnold Dunes in front of “Namib Dune”.

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Curiosity Self-Portrait at Martian Sand Dune

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(Curiosity Self-Portrait at Martian Sand Dune)[3]

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This ‘Self Portrait’ is a combination of 57 images taken on Jan. 19, 2016, during the 1,228th Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity’s work on Mars. All of the 57 images were taken by the (not pictured) Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) at the end of the rover’s robotic arm. Rather interesting, My Dear Shoevians, but as I was just writing this explanation of the image, above, I found a much better and far more recent map of Curiosity’s journey. I am including it, below.

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                                       Curiosity’s Traverse Map Through Sol 1221

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(Curiosity’s Traverse Map Through Sol 1221)[4]

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Now, My Dear Shoevians, you should be able to just left click on this image and you will be taken to the full sized rending. In the larger image you will be able to read all of the different locations Curiosity has visited in its more than 1,000 day adventure, so far. At the bottom right corner, of this image, you will see the blue overlay. In this overlay you can see the ‘Namib Dune’ location, where self portrait (show above) was taken. It is marked, in the overlay, with a yellow diamond. That was the current location for the Curiosity rover of Sol 1221 (or the 1,221^st day on the Martian Surface).

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                          Full-Circle Panorama Beside ‘Namib Dune’ on Mars

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(Full-Circle Panorama Beside ‘Namib Dune’ on Mars)[5]

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The image, above, appeared at the top of this article. However, I decided to include it in the body, too. This is the ‘360 Full Circle’ version of the ‘Self Portrait’ captioned three images above. Now, My Dear Shoevians, as I have mentioned before you can left-click on any of these images and it will transfer your browser to another page that is just the full sized version of any given image. As well, there are footnotes at the bottom of the article. The number at the end of the caption, of any/all, images corresponds to the link at the bottom of the page. Click on a link to go to the credited page for each and every image. There you can, if you wish, download the High Definition version of any/all of the images included in my articles.

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These high definition images make for great desktop wallpapers, or for any other image needs you may have, like sharing on Facebook or any of the other social media that you enjoy. Having said, I would like to ask all of you, My Dear Shoevians, to SHARE my articles (that you enjoy) via any/all the social media outlets that you enjoy. I am sure that all your; family, friends, and co-workers would enjoy seeing these images and learning of all our (hard earned) tax dollars at work!

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                                                             ‘Garden City’ Site

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(‘Garden City’ Site)[6]

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That brings us to the image, above, our final image of this edition of “The Mars Report’ for April 22^nd, 2016. This image was taken back in March of 2015 and shows a ridge at the bottom of Mount Sharp. The site’s name is ‘Garden City’ as shows a prominent network of mineral veins below a cap rock ridge. This rock ridge is located in the Pahrump section of the Lower Murray Formation of Mount Sharp. The mineral veins, pictured in this image are formed where fluids move through fractured rocks, depositing minerals in the fractures and affecting chemistry of the surrounding rock. In this case, the veins have been more resistant to erosion than the surrounding host rock.

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The images that make up this mosaic view were taken by the left-eye camera of Mastcam (Mast Camera) on March 27, 2015, during the 938th Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity’s work on Mars. The image has been improved with white balancing so that the formation is seen as it would appear in natural light here on earth. Further image enhancement was accomplished by using Curiosity’s laser-firing Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) instrument. It was used to record the spectra of sparks generated by zapping 17 Garden City targets with the laser. Prior to taking this mosaic  the ChemCam team had completed the most extensive upgrade to the data-analysis toolkit (which the ChemCam is part) since Curiosity reached Mars in August 2012. The cap rock scarp, pictured here, is about three feet in height.

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That brings us to the end of this edition of ‘The Mars Report’ for April 22^nd, 2016. I would like to take a moment to “Thank you!” all., My Dear Shoevians, for dropping by and reading this newest edition of ‘The Mars Report’. As I mentioned earlier in this article, I hope to have another edition of this series later next week. I have already located the images I would like to showcase, and many of them are very striking! They have been taken by the Mars Orbiting Observatory and display the harsh nature of a Martian winter.

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Until then, I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. In closing, I would like to ask your indulgence. We all use social media of many types; Facebook, Pintrest, Tumblr, Twitter and Instagram just to name a few. Now that you have read and (hopefully) enjoyed this article, today? Don’t you think that others (family, friends, co-workers) would enjoy it, too? Why not be the one that shares an informative article filled with eye-candy? I think that most people would be grateful to find enjoyable content on the web that isn’t all about politics and all things political. Be that person and share this article, and all my works, and bask in the light of their thanks.

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Thank you!

&

Be Good To One Another!

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 Danny Hanning Writer, Editor, Research Staff and Publisher at The Other Shoe

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© 2010 – 2016 Hanning Web Wurx and The Other Shoe

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                             Green Way Laboratory’s flagship Product MastiClean!

 Place YOUR order for the only cleaning product you will feel ‘GOOD’ about using, everyday!

Green Way Laboratory’s flagship Product MastiClean!

 

 

 ___________________________________________________________________________________

[1] http://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/jpl/full-circle-panorama-beside-namib-dune-on-mars

[2] http://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/jpl/curiosity-rovers-traverse-first-1163-sols-on-mars

[3] http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/pia20316-main_take6dune.jpg

[4] http://mars.nasa.gov/msl/multimedia/images/?ImageID=7640

[5] http://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/jpl/full-circle-panorama-beside-namib-dune-on-mars

[6] http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/pia19921-main_blaney1_sol-0938_ml.jpg

 

The Problem with Political Zombies

           Angry Sanders – THE Sanders the Democratic Party DOES NOT Need!

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                    Welcome back to The Other Shoe, My Dear Shoevians!  I have been rousted, from my health related hiatus, to stand in defense of my political party. For the past fifty-three years I have been an active and informed member of the Democrat Party! I have actively supported; President Carter, President Clinton, and President Obama at the Presidential level. I have worked with Congressional and Gubernatorial campaigns, both here in California and in Colorado. However, I did vote for Gov. Reagan, in his first election for President. Not a fact I freely admit, but one that I thought I should share with all of you, My Dear Shoevians.

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Now, over the past fifty-three years I have engaged myself (sometimes deeply) in more than a six Presidential elections. I have watched them, closely, and (over the past five years) I have written about them, too. Today, I am writing about a recent change in the Democrat Presidential nomination campaigns (Primaries). Today is April 7, 2016, and it was yesterday when I noticed a level of negativity and hyper partisanship never before witnessed in all my years of watching Presidential elections.

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However, My Dear Shoevians, in order for all of you to understand just how we arrived at this situation… and for all of My Dear Shoevians that are not Americans… let me back track just a bit. On April 1^st, 2016 Senator Bernie Sanders met with the New York Daily News Editorial Board for an interview… and, not advertised as such,.. BUT to evaluate Senator Sanders for their endorsement. This is common practice, by newspapers and media outlets, and there was nothing unusual about the meeting or of the questions asked of Senator Sanders. Now, if the story had ended there (and it could have… if only Senator Sanders had properly prepared…) I feel that these campaigns might not be engaged in the negative dynamics I am writing about, here today.

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Here is the single most well written article about the Sanders’ interview with the New York Daily News Editorial Board:

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9 things Bernie Sanders should’ve known about but didn’t in that Daily News interview[1]

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This was a common thread among the many media outlets that chose to weigh in on Senator Sanders’ interview. It wasn’t ‘The End of the World’, nor was it an interview to be dismissed out of hand… not even close! So, My Dear Shoevians, what is Senator Sanders’ single biggest claim for change as he runs for the Democratic nomination?

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U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders speaks at the Communication Workers of America (CWA) office in Washington December 17, 2015. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

                                                               “These huge banks must be broken up!”[2]

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Ok! That is a big ticket item for Senator Sanders’ campaign, right? So, then My Dear Shoevians, why is it that when the editorial board for the New York Daily News asked Senator Sanders:

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1. Breaking up the banks

Daily News: Okay. Well, let’s assume that you’re correct on that point. How do you go about doing [breaking up the banks]?

Sanders: How you go about doing it is having legislation passed, or giving the authority to the secretary of treasury to determine, under Dodd-Frank, that these banks are a danger to the economy over the problem of too-big-to-fail.

Daily News: But do you think that the Fed, now, has that authority?

Sanders: Well, I don’t know if the Fed has it. But I think the administration can have it.

Daily News: How? How does a President turn to JPMorgan Chase, or have the Treasury turn to any of those banks and say, “Now you must do X, Y and Z?”

Sanders: Well, you do have authority under the Dodd-Frank legislation to do that, make that determination.

Daily News: You do, just by Federal Reserve fiat, you do?

Sanders: Yeah. Well, I believe you do.[3]

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One would think that… well, IF you are going to make ‘breaking up the big banks’ like your theme for your campaign? One would think that he would have a ready and well researched and disciplined answer, correct? Aye, there’s the rub!

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Because this is the real motivation behind Sec. Clinton’s remark:

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“”I think he hadn’t done his homework and he’d been talking for more than a year about doing things that he obviously hadn’t really studied or understood,” Clinton said, “and that does raise a lot of questions.”[4]

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So, My Dear Shoevians, let’s be honest… about two things:

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1. Hillary did not say “Bernie Sanders is not qualified to be President” anywhere in her interview with ‘Morning Joe’
2. Somehow Senator Sanders got the idea in his head that Sec. Clinton did say “Bernie Sanders is not qualified to be President”… or, at least, that is what we all are now being lead to believe.

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Right there that is where the two campaigns for Democratic nominee for President of the United States went sideways. Up to that point the campaigns had, for the most part (however, My Dear Shoevians, I have seen the supporters for Bernie become much more militant… but more about that at the end of the article) remained civil and professional. The personal attacks had been kept to a minimum, and most of the negativity and harsh insults and barbs had come from supporters much more than from the candidates themselves. However, My Dear Shoevians, with that little misunderstanding these campaigns spent several news cycles playing ‘Rock’em Sock’em Robots’[5]!

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As of today, April 8^th, 2016 the negative dynamics have quieted… somewhat… for both campaigns. However, My Dear Shoevians, I have yet to hear and apology from Senator Sanders for his unbridled rhetorical attacks on Sec., Clinton based on nothing more that what he thought Sec. Clinton had said… for what one of his staffers had told Senator Sanders that was what the Secretary of State had said. Either way? It is my humble opinion that a simple apology, on the part of Senator Sanders, would go a long way to soothing harsh feelings between the two campaigns… AND it would signal to the supporters that this was not the type of campaign Senator Sanders wishes to run.

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That segways, nicely, into my next topic for this article; Zombie Politics, Zombie Candidates and Facebook Zombies. First, Zombie Politics.

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Zombie politics is the act of a campaign, or its supporters, going off on a tangent without the leadership of the candidate! It is one thing for an informed candidate to steer a campaign into socially murky waters. The whole world has born witness to both the Trump Campaign and the Cruz Campaign steer themselves and their followers into socially murky waters. Comments about; one’s genitalia, the appearance of one’s wife, lusting after one’s daughter, and “Vienna Sausage fingers”. THAT, My Dear Shoevians, IS ‘Zombie Politics’. Where the campaign takes on a life of its own, and it is a sick and disgusting life.

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America deserves BETTER than ‘Zombie Politics’, and (so far) one party has made it the hallmark of their 2016 Presidential Campaign, so far. Now for ‘Zombie Candidates’. This is a much simpler monster, and much easier to explain and identify. Let me, My Dear Shoevians, give you a prime example of a Zombie Candidate right here in this year’s primary season; Donald J Trump. “Why is Trump a ‘Zombie Candidate’?” you ask. For one reason and one reason only. Donald Trump’s unfavorable numbers are the worst of any Presidential campaign in history. But, don’t take my word for it, here are a couple of articles that outline the support for my statement.

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“Trump is extraordinarily unpopular with independent voters and Democrats. Gallup polling conducted over the past six weeks found Trump with a -27-percentage-point net favorability rating among independent voters, and a -70-point net rating among Democrats; both marks are easily the worst in the GOP field. (Trump also has less-than-spectacular favorable ratings among his fellow Republicans.)”[6] Quoted from “Donald Trump Is Really Unpopular With General Election Voters”

And

“But Trump, despite having assembled a devoted and enthusiastic group of supporters, doesn’t do as well within the GOP community. His favorability rating among Republicans is 59 percent, according to a January poll. A Bloomberg poll in late January had Trump ahead in the GOP field but with looming problems unifying the party: 42 percent of Republicans who did not support Trump said they could not be convinced to support him.”[7] Quoted from “The Most Hated Candidate”[8]

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As well, the numbers do not lie. According to most non-partisan polling, Donald J Trump has unfavorable numbers among;

Hispanics = “Today, 8 in 10 Hispanic voters have an unfavorable view of Trump. That includes more than 7 in 10 who have a “very unfavorable” impression of him, which is more than double the percentage of any other major candidate.”[9]

AND within his OWN party;

                                                                           Trump’s Unfavorable Numbers

“As Allahpundit notes, Trump is (-42) on the honesty metric, nearly twice as bad as Hillary Rodham Clinton.”[10]

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So, My Dear Shoevians, a ‘Zombie Candidate’ is a candidate for a political party that is the ‘Frontrunner’ for the nomination, but has no chance whatsoever of being elected. Bingo! That is a ‘Zombie Candidate’!

Now, My Dear Shoevians, you may be asking yourself “Why are you bringing up Trump when explaining the ‘Zombie Candidate’?” Good question. Because, the Sander’s campaign is in a very difficult and untenable position, and they might not even know it, yet. Unlike the Clinton Campaign the Sanders’ Campaign has acquired (through no fault of their own??? I am not so sure… considering the attack he unleashed that was, he found out later, unfounded) ‘Facebook Zombies’! (perish the thought!)

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What is a ‘Facebook Zombie’?  A Facebook Zombie (aka Troll) is a certain ilk of Facebook member that uses their (or an) account for the sole purpose of attacking people that are not of a like mind. We all know them, we all have seen them, and some of us have fought them… to no avail (more about that at the end of this article). Often, these ‘Facebook Zombies’ (when you look at their profiles) have NO; pictures of family or friends (when you look at their pics you just seem meme after meme after meme), no ‘personal’ posts (only political posts, slams at other Facebook users that are not of a like mind, and hate speech), and hate speech. The later, there, is a hallmark of their ilk.

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When they come on to a thread, suddenly all reasoned conversation or debate goes out the window. Suddenly, people you know and respect, are being labeled; libtard, stupid, kool-aid drinkers, Obama-clones, and the like. There is no middle-ground of these Facebook Zombies it is either their way or the highway! They can take a leisurely Sunday conversation and turn it into a living hell of insult and propaganda. Their posts are marked with insults on our sitting President on everything from his birthplace, to the color of his skin. You can spend a whole weekend posting links to completely reputable sites (like NASA, the World Health Organization, World Wildlife Foundation, and non-partisan news media outlets like PBS). They will not be shaken from their parroted position. THESE ARE ‘Facebook Zombies’!

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As I started stating, above, the Sanders’ campaign has drawn this anti-social breed of Facebooker to him. I fear… it is not by accident, and that it has happened is not without reason. The incident, I explained at the beginning of this article, is just the type of character flaw that these Facebook Zombies are drawn to , like moths to a flame. As well, if you look back into Senator Sanders’ video taped history… you will find more than one occasion where he has acted… well… in an unprofessional and even politically inept fashion. Again, these social media monsters are drawn to these actions… and the people that enact them.

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However, I do believe that they do NOT reflect the true nature of Senator Sander’s campaign, or that of Senator Sanders. Let me be clear, I do NOT think that this is what Senator Sanders wants. I do not think he has done anything untoward to draw them to him. They just seek certain attributes out.

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Now, let me come to the ‘Near Close’ of this article… so I can get it published today. First! BOTH candidates for the Democratic Party nomination need to work harder at keeping OUR nomination process above reproach! BOTH CAMPAINGS! Neither is perfect. Neither is guilty. BOTH CAN BE USED! Next, WE DEMOCRATS need to help keep the narrative (on Facebook and all social media); adult, professional, honest, sincere and GENUINE. It is only then that we will draw the disenfranchised and independents to our party and our eventual nominee. THAT should be the REAL and eventual goal of BOTH Secretary Clinton’s and Senator Sanders’ campaigns!

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Next, we (the real Democrats) need to be on the look-out for ‘Facebook Zombies’!!!! Now, when you see one (and believe me you will!) DO NOT ENGAGE!!!! That is how they spread!!! Steer clear of all ‘Facebook Zombies’!!! Do not be afraid of; Blocking them, unfriending them, and reporting the worst offenders! By doing so? You not only protect yourself, you help to protect others! Remember ‘Steer Clear of Facebook Zombies’!!!!

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In conclusion, as I mentioned in passing above, I would like to take the final moment of this article to make a little personal confession. In my personal life (right now) I find myself engaged in many… battles. My battle with cancer. My battle with a degenerative neurological disease that is (slowly but surely) nibbling away at my personal freedoms, mobility and strengths. Unfortunately, this ‘take arms against a sea of troubles… and by opposing end them’ mentality I take with those personal battles sometimes seeps into my social life. For that, I would like to express my deep and heartfelt apologies.

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I have done my level best to, now, recognize and negate this negative and hurtful aspect of my mentality. I find, with each and every passing day, that I am getting better and better at being the man I want and not being the battle. My Dear Shoevians, I do seldom (if ever) do this on my blogs. However, if you know me on Facebook… that is where I have fallen. I just want it known that I have faced this monster, and am winning this battle, one posting at a time.

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Adieu!

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Thank you!

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    Danny Hanning Writer, Editor, Research Staff and Publisher at The Other Shoe

© 2010 – 2016 Hanning Web Wurx and The Other Shoe

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                                H.B. Computerz Huntington Beach, CA

 

 

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[1] https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2016/04/05/9-things-bernie-sanders-shouldve-known-about-but-didnt-in-that-daily-news-interview/

[2] http://www.betterworld.net/quotes/bernie.htm

[3] https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2016/04/05/9-things-bernie-sanders-shouldve-known-about-but-didnt-in-that-daily-news-interview/

[4] http://www.businessinsider.com/hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders-wall-street-interview-2016-4

[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_%27Em_Sock_%27Em_Robots

[6] http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/donald-trump-is-really-unpopular-with-general-election-voters/

[7] http://www.usnews.com/news/the-report/articles/2016-02-26/the-most-hated-candidate

[8] http://www.usnews.com/news/the-report/articles/2016-02-26/the-most-hated-candidate

[9] https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2016/02/25/poll-trumps-negatives-among-hispanics-rise-worst-in-gop-field/

[10] http://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2016/03/08/unelectable-trumps-unfavorable-rating-spikes-to-67-percent-nationally-n2130349

Status Update – March 17th, 2016

                                                    Danny February 2016 – Leaving for L.A.

Welcome back, My Dear Shoevians, to The Other Shoe. I am dropping by, today, just to keep all of you, My Dear Shoevians, up to date on the status of my; writing, blog and publishing. Today, at about 1PM, I dropped off my ‘Writing Computer’ (the computer that I have all my writing, publishing, and animation software… on) at HB Computerz for the replacement of the motherboard. I am holding my breath… keeping my fingers crossed… and thankful that (prior) to dropping it off I backed-up all my documents and pictures.

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This is a very tense and trying time, my Dear Shoevians, for this budding writer/publisher. This is THE computer that I wrote; ALL 675+ articles that are The Other Shoe, every page of ‘The Horror in Smithville’ (my teen-preteen scare novel), and every single line of ‘The Adventures of Princess Nadia’ (including the creation of Rattopia back in 2009). This computer holds a very special place in my writing zeitgeist and I am hoping beyond hope that it is returned to me working and ready for another ten years of writing.

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Well, that is the end of this Status Update and I am hoping that I get the computer back, soon, so that I can continue my writing. I am very happy that, at this point, I have written and published THREE articles, this week. I am going to try to write… with my tablet… or a ‘barrowed’ computer, over the weekend. If not, just as soon as I have my computer back, I will push to get off another status update, and return to my regular writing schedule.

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Thank you, all, for your; kindness, understanding, and support while I am working to reestablish my blog… and my writing and publishing endeavors.

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Thank you!

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  Danny Hanning Writer, Editor, Research Staff and Publisher at The Other Shoe

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                                                 H.B. Computerz Business Card

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© 2010 – 2016 Hanning Web Wurx and The Other Shoe

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Republican SCoTUS Debacle

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                Welcome back, My Dear Shoevians, to The Other Shoe. Today I am going to take the opportunity to point out one of the failings of America’s Democracy. Hang on, let me be clear ‘America’s CURRENT Democracy’ because, as you will learn from this article the level of intransigence, by Senate Republicans, is a new and disturbing wrinkle in our democratic process. If you are on of my American readers, you are completely aware of the publicized intransigence of our Republican Senators. Violating the Constitution, Senate Republicans abdicated there right/responsibility of “advice and consent” of a Presidential nomination of a replacement for a open seat on the highest court of our land, the Supreme Court of the United States.

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Now, for those Shoevians that did not take civics in high school, here is the salient paragraph of the U.S Constitution:

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“He shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by Law: but the Congress may by Law vest the Appointment of such inferior Officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the Courts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments.”[1]

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A simple read, even for all my readers that are not U.S. citizens, yes? According to Article 2 Section 2 Paragraph 2 the sitting U.S. President has the right/responsibility/honor/DUTY to “nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the Supreme Court…” Now, AmericanRepublicans are always harping on; “follow the Constitution…”, “honor the Constitution…” “STICK TO the Constitution…” Unless/Until doing so puts their interests are jeopardy. Right?

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MORE for my International Shoevians – America is embroiled in an era of hyper partisanship that we have not see since the Civil War[2]. I am not proud of this fact, in fact I have often written about this symptom of a social disease, and will continue to point out that it is (primarily) one party that had brought the division and intransigence to our government and our nation’s governance. This maladystarted with the (artificial) creation of the ‘Tea Party’. (A misnomer and disingenuous on its face because there never was a political party by that name) Now, the intransigence that has earned the House of Representatives the moniker “The Least Productive Congress in History”. Now, this social disease has infected the Republican leaders of our elder body (of our Congress) the Senate.

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According to the U.S. Constitution clearly states that a sitting President shall (for every day of his term) shall appoint nominees for vacancies on the highest court of our land, the Supreme Court of the United States. Nowhere in our defining document of our democracy does it; state, hint, imply or define that a President, in his last year of elected office shall not exercise his Constitutional responsibility and neither shall the Senate do exercise their Constitutional responsibilities. This is an unusual, but not ever rare, occurrence. So, My Dear Shoevians, there is history for us to look at. I have barrowed the research, below, to minimize my level of pain… writing and publishing this article, today.

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History of Final Year Nominations of Supreme Court Vacancies:

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• 1968: President Lyndon Johnson — who announced he would not run for re-election — nominated Associate Justice Abe Fortas as Chief Justice and Homer Thornberry to fill Fortas’ vacancy. Fortas’ nomination failed, Thornberry withdrew his nomination and Chief Justice Earl Warren remained on the bench, delaying his retirement.

• 1932, President Herbert Hoover nominated Benjamin Cardozo. Hoover lost to Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

• 1912: President William Taft successfully nominated Mahlon Pitney to the Supreme Court. Taft lost to Woodrow Wilson.

Three other presidents made successful Supreme Court nominations while running for re-election, but unlike Taft and Hoover, they won another term:  

• 1956: Dwight Eisenhower made a recess appointment of William Brennan.

• 1940: Franklin Delano Roosevelt nominated Frank Murphy.

• 1916: Woodrow Wilson nominated John Clarke and Louis Brandeis [3]

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There we have it, My Dear Shoevians. Whereas this does not happen often (a sitting Supreme Court Justice passing/retiring) it doeshappen enough for us to have a recorded history to review. One cannot dictate when any given person will pass away (die), and I am sure that if someone could have asked Justice Antonin Scalia, prior to his death, he would have not wanted to pass away while there was a sitting President that was/is a Democrat. However, the fact remains that Justice Antonin Scalia did pass away while there was a Democrat in office.

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Finally, for my international Shoevians, there is a hard reason for the intransigence of our Senate Republicans. The current make-up of our Supreme Court is 5/4. There are five conservative/conservative leaning Justices sitting on that bench and there are fourLiberal/Liberal Leaning justices. This appointment can/will change that mix… and change it in favor of a ‘Liberal Bench’. These things happen, Americans. Maybe it is some Galactic Intervention because of rulings like; ‘Citizen’s United’[4] FYI that was a ruling, here in America, that gave corporations the same rights (as far as political contributions and influence) as a PERSON! Yes, that is completely absurd… bordering on insanity… and the why I think that reality is doing this shuffle on the bench.

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Now, as all political followers know, there is brinkmanship in all types of self-governance. Be it a Republic or other type of Representative Government there is… discord and brinksmanship, but this is different, for America. I looked and looked and found one quote that helps me define how this is different.   

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Senator James Inhofe, R-OK

Sen. Jim Inhofe (Ok.) “…we will not accept any nomination from President Obama.”

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Does that sound like it is not personal? Be sure, this is personal and it is against our TWICE elected sitting President of the United States – President Barrack Obama. Yes, Republicans are fearful that if ‘Citizens United’ is brought before a new Supreme Court of the United States that has a more left-leaning court? It will be overturned. That is there fear and that is there motivation of not ever giving a hearing to the man President Obama just nominated for the open seat on the Supreme Court of the United States.

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My Dear Shoevians, this is March of the final year of his Presidency. It is not like it is November and the American people have gone to the polls and elected the Republican nominee. This is much different. Historically, Presidents get hearing for nominations for thewhole time they are elected to office!

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America’s Republicans are making the American democracy appear broken! This is very very bad, and reflects poorly on our entire nation. Not just on Senate Republicans. Not just on Republicans. It reflects poorly on our entire nation… our Republic… our Democracy!America has the longest surviving democracy in the history of mankind. That is not just an honor. That is a responsibility! A responsibility to execute the responsibilities of your elected office every/all days your have been elected to serve. A handful of Senators, belonging to one party, cannot be allowed to besmirch the (long earned) reputation of this democracy. This is historically bad!

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My Dear Shoevians, I am experiencing a lot of pain… at this point. So, I am going to cut this article short… here. I will be back to publish about this debacle… soon. I appreciate everyone that has come by to read and learn. Have a great Hump-Day and I will be back here, soon!

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Adieu!

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Thank you!

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  Danny Hanning Writer, Editor, Research Staff and Publisher at The Other Shoe

© 2010 – 2016 Hanning Web Wurx and The Other Shoe

 

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[1] http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_transcript.html

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Civil_War

[3] http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2016/feb/14/marco-rubio/do-presidents-stop-nominating-judges-final-year/

[4] https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2014/01/21/how-citizens-united-changed-politics-in-6-charts/