Thanks for the day

 

This day in November is the day we are to give thanks, following the tradition of the Puritans who invaded this country and under their religious delusions feasted with the folks who were already living here on their abundance before they decided to drive them off.

This one day in November is the day the banks shut down and the government offices close and families gather to travel far and wide to sit around a table and gorge with football in the background and plenty of libations. The conversations at the dining table might be catching up on lost connections with photos on phones or battles over opposing preferences.

With addition to the menu and hosting family members and their offspring’s, there is the time and space to house these people after the dining is over. There is Uncle Jack, who by the time the Macy’s parade has started, is already hitting the bourbon on the sofa. There are the rug rats running amok around the table knocking things down and causing a furry until they fascinate on their electronic devices. The kitchen is full of chefs and one wonders should be have a health inspector to check these dishes before devouring them? The tradition of having the ladies crowd the cooking while the gentlemen lounge out of the way involved in sports banter and alcohol until called to the table.

I don’t attend family gatherings for festive food and loud conversations or venture to a dining establishment where some smuck is working in the kitchen when he wants to be home with family but is preparing the dining experience on this special day under a screen showing the football game and expected a large time for the cold meal of prepared food under a heat lamp. 

 

On this day, my mind wanders to the formal dinners. Long tables with place settings and assigned seating at an RSVP. These dinners had proper attire and time schedules for seating and delivery of the meal by servers in white gloves with constant attendance to refilling drinks and removing plates. No one would move until the head of the table announced the meal, perhaps blessed the food, and indicated we were to begin dining. We all paused to use the correct utensil for the appetizer while trying to make polite conversation with the people close enough to hear your voice. These dinners were not to feed the guest, but to mingle strangers. Most portions were small and the plate removed as your purpose was to converse rather than dine. When the coffee arrived, the meal was over and everyone moved onto the next course.

The gentlemen would move to the library for cigars and brandy while the ladies would move to the study for some cognac and chatting while the attendance cleared the table, guided the children into a separate room and prepared the space for entertainment.

The wealthy would provide live music to get the men/women back together for conversion or perhaps a physical activity as a dance.

At the end of the evening, with a cordial passing knowing the response must be matched or succeeded by another event. Other endings may provide financial connection or possible romantic conclusion.

Today, I give thanks for waking up. That is always a plus. I give thanks for not being in pain. I give thanks for getting enough grub and libations to get through the day without having to ride in the rain. I give thanks for not having to follow football and give thanks for stretch pants. I give thanks that the politics are over and…. what? who won? Never mind.

Sidewalks

 

I’m an urban boy. I grew up in suburbia with rows of single-family houses that all look alike. Each were on a paved street with curbs with overhead lights. Between the street and the well-groomed lawns is a sidewalk.

A walkway is any type of defined space or pathway for use by a person traveling by foot or using a wheelchair. These may be pedestrian walkways, shared use paths, sidewalks, or roadway shoulders.

The sidewalk was to deliver the pedestrian to a post office, dry good store, mercantile merchant or tavern avoiding the mess made from the horse drawn carriages in the street.

Before anyone had access to an automobile, we walked. For long distance, we took public transportation, but schools and churches and groceries were close enough to walk to and back without total exhaustion.

My friends were within walking distance. Our favorite hang-outs were within walking distance. Before I could ride my bike in the street, I circled the block on the sidewalk.

Though the sidewalk technically belonged to the city, people took pride in sweeping the leaves and shoveling the snow to clear the pathway. Kids could use the sidewalk to play marbles or as a pallet for chalk masterpieces until the rain came.

Could always tell the boundaries of the city for that was where the sidewalk ended. Instead of a flat secure walking surface, there were hills of tall grass and gullies to hike through to get to friends in the county. The only other option was to walk in the street dodging motor vehicles.

When relatives would come into town from the country, there was a pride of having a sidewalk in front of our house for easy access.

I sit on my porch as the sunsets and have brief conversations with neighbors walking by on the sidewalk. They bring their dogs or roll their children but are close enough to recognize faces and make a brief connection moving east or west. Joggers use the street, for it is wider and in this neck of the woods have fewer delivery trucks to avoid.

DIRE

 

Reporters and broadcasters have been using ‘dire’ to describe some of the war descriptions and one wonders?

Dire refers to situations or events that cause great fear and worry. A dire calamity causes much suffering. If a family is in dire need, they need immediate help. Dire predictions or warnings tell us that a disaster may happen in the future.

Dire and fury share a history in Roman mythology, as each of these words is connected to the Erinyes, the avenging and terrifying deities of ancient myth who tormented criminals. The Romans referred to these goddesses as either the Dirae or the Furiae. The former is from the Latin word dirus, from which dire is descended, and the latter comes from furere, from where we get fury.

The word dire is often found in conjunction with straits; in dire straits is used of a situation that is very bad or difficult. Our records indicate that this phrase began to be used in English at the end of the 18th century, when it appeared in Francis Fawkes’s The Argonautics of Apollonius Rhodius: “When now the heroes through the vast profound, Reach the dire straits with rocks encompass’d round.”

There are terms of disaster, catastrophe, calamity, cataclysm, tragedy, act of God, holocaust, accident, mishap, misadventure, mischance, setback, reversal, reverse of fortune, contretemps, stroke of ill luck, problem, difficulty, heavy blow, shock, buffet, adversity, trouble, misfortune, ruin, ruination, tribulation, woe, distress, casualty, bale, mishanter but calling a situation and calling it ‘dire’ seems there is no way out.

George Custer knew things were ‘dire’ at the Little Big Horn. The folks in the Twin Towers on 9/11 were pretty much in a ‘dire’ situation.

I’ve been in some unsavory or tight spots, but somehow always found a way.

Besides those of us who are on the other side of the world, dining on the veranda in Italy or climbing the trails in the Alps to watch the sunrise, will have some sympathy or empathy for the daily reports of people being blown up with no place to run to and then check the phone for some senseless influencer’s opinion or the latest must-have gadget. Stay tuned for the video.

It’s the time of the season for shopping...

Or should I say, “It is the time of the year to balance the GDP and make it/break it retail?”

Not one to put up seasonal decorations and at an age when there is no one else I buy presents for, December 25 is only the one day a year when the Tummy Temple is closed.

The walking downtown to the department stores to find my mother some fragrance she can store with her collection at her make-up stand or some gloves or scarves but never anything personal. Dad would get a tie or a bottle of Old Spice and usually a jigsaw puzzle for my brother and I’m done.

Christmas was the special time of year for my dad. He would fill the living room with loot to unwrap, then stack to show his appreciation for the family. I carried the tradition, even though there were no children to enjoy Santa, it was a futile procedure for entertainment and storage. Live trees were the norm, but with more animal’s pine trees in the living room were not optimum.

Today instead of window shopping or wandering the malls in search of a way to waste your money on that will either be a cherished memory or regifted next year.

What will be on your shopping list? Now that we stare at screens all day, all those little pop-ups are now converted into ‘fake news’ enticing a rabbit hole to take your money. Would you buy this kitchen appliance because it was endorsed by a pot smoking felon? Nothing says loving like another appliance for the kitchen or a replacement oven. Clothing goes out of style or wears out; jewelry goes out of fashion and timely items just fill up the closet.

We shop when we need something necessary. We shop for food or we will die. We shop for transportation or take the bus. We shop for affordable shelter that is large enough to fit all your stuff in hopefully in an area where you can tolerate your neighbors.

Then we shop for schools and churches and employment so as to afford more stuff we don’t need but spur of the moment purchases due to advertising (which filled my career convincing you that if you bought something, it paid my salary). Marketing and promotion are only feeding our dopamine and greed.

This year it seems mini-chainsaws, cordless vacuum cleaners and weighted blankets seem the trend this year. You can shop for drugs but you can’t buy wellness. You can shop for gym wear, but you know no one is going to the gym after age 25. You can shop for entertaining electronics that will take 6-months to learn how to us the upgrade, but you can’t buy happiness. You can shop for intimate items, but you can’t buy love.

The experience of shopping is just spending time together and that is priceless.

When you are ’76?

 

Another trip around the sun and still standing (though a bit wobbly). Wake up from the groggy naps and multiple trips down the hall and watch the sun come up, so I got another day. Even my birthday.

So, a bell doesn’t go off and there is no deadline to get dressed or comb my hair and brush my teeth, but it is now my birthday so I got to get up and move. Creak and crack but everything still work.

Bit chilly this morning, so it was time to wander upstairs and replace the floor fan with some hoodies. The sun ain’t shining on my birthday, but I’ll make do.

Once outside and taking a taste of the yard I get into my daily routine and the next thing I know I’m at the Tummy Temple. Mo’ folks are out on bikes and everyone is smiling (with their kids). Best part is I didn’t get run over (yet).

Still no zip carts, so I grab a BIG plastic cart to drive down the aisles. Today seems to be the ‘confused shoppers’ day’ so I have patience and stop and watch. It is entertaining and don’t cost nothing.

Since it is ‘birthday’ time, I gots to get a cake and ice cream, but the cheeze cake was hard to find and coffee ice cream seemed popular.

A new blue apron approved my beer purchase with a “Happy Birthday” after looking at my ID. Good enough for me.

Made it home with no muss or fuss, turned on the heater, cracked open a Corona and open a bag of buttered popcorn and I’m set for the day.

The evening will probably require some rocking on the porch to watch the sunset without noise. Peace and quiet and maybe a nap or two.

Life is still good. 

 

Coherent

 

Been recording conversations. Why, you ask?

There are fewer gatherings for conversations and fewer people to talk with that are the same age and have similar life experiences.

Those who pass my way in life that I do have brief chats with contain fascinating subjects of ‘weather’, ‘sports’ or if some wandering hobo comes up to tell me their life story, I quickly walk away. Nothing notable enough to remember or pass on to someone else.

The porch sessions can be relaxing and reveling, but many who have participated have left this world. Unfortunately for some, embarrassing for others and probably offensive in prying into another’s thoughts or history, I like the psychology of how people, who I’ve known, have progressed through the years. Whether they remember or want to answer personal questions, time will tell?

With the time passing, it is also interesting to hear how memories have morphed into the history approved by the speaker. Comparing notes don’t always match, but each creates their own legacy.

So here is a porch full of geezer guys sitting around telling tales while drinking beer and eating cheeze comfortable in the fall warmth. Listening to a playlist that isn’t blasting as past times, swapping present thoughts and opinions without offending one another. Mostly stories of family and illnesses and purchases.

What is fun (for me) is to listen how people express themselves. Some want to talk over others, some listening quietly with brief comments to let the others know they are still participating. No one is nodding off in the middle of the day, but the conversations are not confrontational, just memories.

Like any formal dinner party or sales convention, each wants to find their spot to chime in to enhance the conversation. Some will wave their hands to emphasize the meaning while others will sit quietly seeming bored and distracted to other topics. If a point is to be made, the conversation will constantly return until the speaker has made the point. You don’t stop a song in the middle.

With the constant flood of social media versions of what people should be following and not with a good vocabulary of the King’s English, some of the comments that are made by those we should expect to be knowledgeable enough to complete sentences become baffling to follow.

With a replay of yesterday’s words is an interesting reflection of where we are now. What hair that’s left is much lighter than before days. Now and then, some of the energy is there to create interest but we all have our own tales to tell and most are not formattable to the discussion.

The reason for a gathering is to prevail accomplishments, astound options or relish in each other’s stories. Today’s congregation of ole geezers sitting on a porch drinking beer and telling lies was a pleasant reminder of why we socialize.

As age progresses (as you may remember with your parents) the content of a conversation will become clouded with confusion that is tolerated with emotional interpretations. There will be a time when speaking to relate feelings or desires will fade as will movement or the desire to wake in the morning.

I’m proud to say that most of the conversations were coherent, though maybe scattered or self-centered. Repeats of lyrics or versus that some will remember while others watch in wonder of the mystical connection a few still share.

Do we think about what we are to say when we open our mouth? Our ability to speak to one another, in whatever configuration called language, is a special feature of our species. Other species communicate but not with written words. We can inform, move and possibility persuade others through verbal writings or music or poetry.

Is there anything better than a rocking chair on the porch on a warm summer’s day with a cool drink in hand to converse with another sharing the same experience?

Miss Information

 

Isn’t she lovely? She has won our hearts and minds and we are happy to listen to her. She is a siren of truth or fiction that we believe whatever she says because it fits our prejudices.

What was accepted as dedicated investigated journalism presented by trained reported and editors are now someone’s opinion mounted on a video podcast using whatever sources they provide to backup their announcement theory.

Public education is supposed to teach you how to read, write and calculate logical answers to problems. The church is supposed to teach to morals of right and wrong. The family is supposed to teach you common sense to not touch a hot stove or look both ways before you cross the street.

Then you find friends who have different points of views, who were raised in different environments or cultures, with ideas that are different than anything you’ve heard before. What do you decide?

Fact or fiction?

We enjoy getting lost in fantasy as entertainment to what we know doesn’t exist, but we buy the merch and will continue to follow the fiction in graphic comics, novels, movies, television to the point where reality and sci-fi blur.

Fact, supposedly backed up by research and scientistic data, is the truth until new study results arrives to question the previous established proclamations from experts in their fields.

Is wine good or bad for your health? Depends on who you listen to. The use of fermented fruit has been with us since time was recorded. Even the animal liked it. We make toast at formal affairs with a glass of grape and celebrate the winning of a football game like a bunch of intoxicated animals ravaging the neighborhood under the accepted influence of alcohol.

Tomorrow, unless you mailed in your ballot, we will line up, show our ID, get a piece of paper, make our mark and get a sticker that shows we participated in the democratic process.

Hopefully the $10b (that is with a B) spent on mailers and electronic firehose of questionable information about the election will be over. Was that money well spent?

Unfortunately, Miss Information will still be filling the airwaves with denials and possible violence, for the losers don’t go quietly. If it feeds our frustration or if it becomes late night comedy, time will tell.

Waiting for the call from Heaven

 

When you get to the end of the movie and have done everything you are supposed to do from the time you arrived, you wait for that phone call.

Not sure who decides the number or who makes the call, but your time will come when it rings. Whether you answer or not is up to you. Unfortunately, they don’t leave a voice mail or call back.

Some will say this is the call is to come home. Some is to say that this call is inevitable. Sometimes the call is early and sometimes you just sit and wait for the call.

The call might come from a long-departed family member or Saint Peter himself? Maybe heaven has a phone bank, due to the numbers they call during wars? If they put you on hold, what music do they play?

The call might come at any time. It could be when you are sleeping? It could be in the middle of a disaster?  The call might come while running a marathon or lying in a coma surrounded by family? What happens if someone else answers the phone?

I expect the call is giving directions on where to pick up your wings and what is on the evening meal’s menu but it may need verification that the call connected with the correct person.

If the call comes in on the ‘red phone’ can you say, “Wrong number”?

The President’s Cabinet

 

Before you go into the voting booth and draw the curtain and make you selection for the next CEO of our nation, think about the people around him/her

.

The President is only one person who is surrounded by influencers and handlers and advisors who are running the country when he/she is going to the loo. These are the people closest to the President to give timely information and data and persuade decisions that will be how the country is ruled.

These are the candidates favorite chosen ones who will be rewarded by powerful, influential and wealthy positions in the government. Do you know any of their names?

The Cabinet is an advisory body made up of the heads of the 15 executive departments. Appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, the members of the Cabinet are often the President's closest confidants.

          

The tradition of the Cabinet arose out of the debates at the 1787 Constitutional Convention regarding whether the president would exercise executive authority solely or collaboratively with a cabinet of ministers or a privy council.

As a result of the debates, the Constitution (Article II, Section 1, Clause 1) vests "the executive power" in the president singly, and authorizes—but does not compel—the president (Article II, Section 2, Clause 1) to "require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices". The Constitution does not specify what the executive departments will be, how many there will be, or what their duties will be.

The cabinets are headed by a ‘secretary’.

Secretaries work behind the scenes in an office, performing essential duties such as drafting correspondence, organizing documents, managing office supplies, scheduling appointments and answering inquiries from visitors and callers. Sometimes call ‘Administrated Assistance’ or ‘Office Manager’ but are also associated in having the coffee ready for the boss.

The President’s Cabinet is:

The Department of Agriculture

The United States secretary of agriculture is the head of the United States Department of Agriculture. The position carries similar responsibilities to those of agriculture ministers in other governments

The department includes several organizations. The 297,000 mi2 (770,000 km2) of national forests and grasslands are managed by the United States Forest Service. The safety of food produced and sold in the United States is ensured by the United States Food Safety and Inspection Service. The Food Stamp Program works with the states to provide food to low-income people.

    

The Department of Commerce

The United States secretary of commerce (SecCom) is the head of the United States Department of Commerce. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all matters relating to commerce. The secretary reports directly to the president and is a statutory member of Cabinet of the United States. The secretary is appointed by the president, with the advice and consent of the United States Senate. The secretary of commerce is concerned with promoting American businesses and industries; the department states its mission to be "to foster, promote, and develop the foreign and domestic commerce".

Until 1913, there was one secretary of commerce and labor, uniting this department with the United States Department of Labor, which is now headed by a separate United States secretary of labor.

     

The Department of Defense

The secretary of defense, appointed by the president with the advice and consent of the Senate, is by federal law (10 U.S.C. § 113) the head of the Department of Defense, "the principal assistant to the President in all matters relating to Department of Defense", and has "authority, direction and control over the Department of Defense". Because the Constitution vests all military authority in Congress and the president, the statutory authority of the secretary of defense is derived from their constitutional authorities. Since it is impractical for either Congress or the president to participate in every piece of Department of Defense affairs, the secretary of defense and the secretary's subordinate officials generally exercise military authority.

As the head of DoD, all officials, employees and service members are "under" the secretary of defense. Some of those high-ranking officials, civil and military (outside of OSD and the Joint Staff) are: the secretary of the Army, secretary of the Navy, and secretary of the Air Force, Army chief of staff, commandant of the Marine Corps, chief of naval operations, Air Force chief of staff, chief of space operations, and chief of the National Guard Bureau and the combatant commanders of the Combatant Commands. All these high-ranking positions, civil and military, require Senate confirmation.

     

The Department of Education

The United States secretary of education is the head of the United States Department of Education. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States, and the federal government, on policies, programs, and activities related to all education in the United States.

The United States secretary of education is a member of the president's Cabinet and is the fifteenth in the United States presidential line of succession.

The secretary is advised by the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity, an advisory committee, on "matters related to accreditation and to the eligibility and certification process for institutions of higher education."

    

 The Department of Energy

The United States secretary of energy is the head of the United States Department of Energy, a member of the Cabinet of the United States, and fifteenth in the presidential line of succession. The position was created on October 1, 1977, when President Jimmy Carter signed the Department of Energy Organization Act, establishing the department. The energy secretary and the department originally focused on energy production and regulation. The emphasis soon shifted to developing technology for better and more efficient energy sources, as well as energy education. After the end of the Cold War, the department's attention also turned toward radioactive waste disposal and the maintenance of environmental quality..

 

The Department of Health and Human Services

The duties of the secretary revolve around human conditions and concerns in the United States. This includes advising the president on matters of health, welfare, and income security programs. The secretary strives to administer the Department of Health and Human Services to carry out approved programs and make the public aware of the objectives of the department.

The Department of Health, Education and Welfare (HEW) was reorganized into a Department of Education and a Department of Health and Human Services (US DHHS).

The Department of Health and Human Services oversees 11 agencies including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

     

The Department of Homeland Security

The United States secretary of homeland security is the head of the United States Department of Homeland Security, the federal department tasked with ensuring public safety in the United States. The secretary is a member of the Cabinet of the United States. The position was created by the Homeland Security Act following the attacks of September 11, 2001.

The new department consisted primarily of components transferred from other Cabinet departments because of their role in homeland security, such as the Coast Guard, the Federal Protective Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (which includes the United States Border Patrol), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (which includes Homeland Security Investigations), the United States Secret Service and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. It does not, however, include the Federal Bureau of Investigation or the U.S. Marshals Service. They continue to operate under U.S. Department of Justice.

     

The Department of Housing and Urban Development

The United States secretary of housing and urban development (or HUD secretary) is the head of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, a member of the president's Cabinet, and thirteenth in the presidential line of succession. The post was created with the formation of the Department of Housing and Urban Development on September 9, 1965, by President Lyndon B. Johnson's signing of (Pub. L. 89–174: The Department of Housing and Urban Development Act) into law. The department's mission is "to increase homeownership, support community development and increase access to affordable housing free from discrimination."

 

     The Department of Interior

The United States secretary of the interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior. The secretary and the Department of the Interior are responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land along with natural resources, leading such agencies as the Bureau of Land Management, the United States Geological Survey, Bureau of Indian Affairs and the National Park Service. The secretary also serves on and appoints the private citizens on the National Park Foundation Board. The secretary is a member of the United States Cabinet and reports to the president of the United States. The function of the U.S. Department of the Interior is different from that of the interior minister designated in many other countries.

As the policies and activities of the Department of the Interior and many of its agencies have a substantial impact in the Western United States, the secretary of the interior has typically come from a western state.

     

The Department of Labor

The United States secretary of labor is a member of the Cabinet of the United States, and as the head of the United States Department of Labor, controls the department, and enforces and suggests laws involving unions, the workplace, and all other issues involving any form of business-person controversies.

Formerly, there was a Department of Commerce and Labor. That department split into two in 1913. The Department of Commerce is headed by the secretary of commerce.

     

The Department of State

The stated duties of the secretary of state are to supervise the United States foreign service and immigration policy and administer the Department of State. The secretary must also advise the president on U.S. foreign matters such as the appointment of diplomats and ambassadors, advising the president of the dismissal and recall of these people. The secretary of state can conduct negotiations, interpret, and terminate treaties relating to foreign policy. The secretary also can participate in international conferences, organizations, and agencies as a representative of the United States. The secretary communicates issues relating to the U.S. foreign policy to Congress and citizens. The secretary also provides services to U.S. citizens living or traveling abroad such as providing credentials in the form of passports. Doing this, the secretary also ensures the protection of citizens, their property, and interests in foreign countries.

Secretaries of state also have domestic responsibilities. Most of the historical domestic functions of the Department of State were gradually transferred to other agencies by the late 19th century as part of various administrative reforms and restructurings. Those that remain include storage and use of the Great Seal, performance of protocol functions for the White House, and the drafting of certain proclamations. The secretary also negotiates with the individual states over the extradition of fugitives to foreign countries. Under federal law, the resignation of a president or of a vice president is valid only if declared in writing, in an instrument delivered to the office of the secretary of state.

    

The Department of Transportation

The United States Secretary of Transportation is the head of the United States Department of Transportation. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all matters relating to transportation. The secretary is a statutory member of the Cabinet of the United States, and is fourteenth in the presidential line of succession.

The secretary of transportation oversees the U.S. Department of Transportation, which has over 55,000 employees and thirteen agencies, including the Federal Aviation Administration, the Federal Highway Administration, the Federal Railroad Administration, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

     

The Department of Treasury

The Secretary is responsible for formulating and recommending domestic and international financial, economic, and tax policy, participating in the formulation of broad fiscal policies that have general significance for the economy, and managing the public debt. The Secretary oversees the activities of the Department in carrying out its major law enforcement responsibilities; in serving as the financial agent for the United States Government; and in manufacturing coins and currency. The Chief Financial Officer of the government, the Secretary serves as Chairman Pro Tempore of the President's Economic Policy Council, Chairman of the Boards and Managing Trustee of the Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds, and as U.S. Governor of the International Monetary Fund, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

 

The Department of Veterans Affairs

The United States secretary of veteran’s affairs is the head of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, the department concerned with veterans' benefits, health care, and national veterans' memorials and cemeteries. The secretary is a member of the Cabinet and second to last at sixteenth in the line of succession to the presidency (the position was last until the addition of the United States Department of Homeland Security in 2006).

When the post of secretary is vacant, the deputy secretary or any other person designated by the president serves as acting secretary until the president nominates and the United States Senate confirms a new secretary.

     

     and the Attorney General

The United States attorney general (AG) is the head of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) and is the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government of the United States. The attorney general serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all legal matters. The attorney general is a statutory member of the Cabinet of the United States.

Under the Appointments Clause of the United States Constitution, the officeholder is nominated by the president of the United States, then appointed with the advice and consent of the United States Senate. The attorney general is supported by the Office of the Attorney General, which includes executive staff and several deputies.

    

And others who are not department heads but still working at the President’s pleasure. The phrase "at the pleasure of the president" is used to describe a position in the United States federal government that serves at the discretion of the president. This means that the president has the power to appoint or dismiss individuals from such positions without needing to provide a reason.

 

 the White House Chief of Staff

The White House chief of staff is the head of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, a cabinet position in the federal government of the United States.

The chief of staff is a political appointee of the president of the United States who does not require Senate confirmation, and who serves at the pleasure of the President. While not a legally required role, all presidents since Harry S. Truman have appointed a chief of staff.

The position is widely recognized as one of great power and influence, owing to daily contact with the president of the United States and control of the Executive Office of the President of the United States.

    

the US Ambassador to the United Nations

The United States ambassador to the United Nations is the leader of the U.S. delegation, the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. The position is formally known as the permanent representative of the United States of America to the United Nations, with the rank and status of ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary, and representative of the United States of America in the United Nations Security Council.

The deputy ambassador assumes the duties of the ambassador in his or her absence. As with all United States ambassadors, the ambassador to the UN and the deputy ambassador are nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. The ambassador serves at the pleasure of the President. The ambassador may be assisted by one or more appointed delegates, often appointed for a specific purpose or issue.

The U.S. permanent representative is charged with representing the United States on the UN Security Council, and during all plenary meetings of the General Assembly, except when a more senior officer of the United States (such as the secretary of state or the president of the United States) is in attendance.

Despite his or her title head of external mission, the United States ambassador to the United Nations is also responsible for importing United Nations policies and motions voted in the main organs of the United Nations onto the national territory.

    

the Director of National Intelligence

The director of national intelligence (DNI) is a senior cabinet-level United States government official, required by the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 to serve as executive head of the United States Intelligence Community (IC) and to direct and oversee the National Intelligence Program (NIP). All IC agencies report directly to the DNI. The DNI also serves, upon invitation, as an advisor to the president of the United States, the National Security Council, and the Homeland Security Council on all intelligence matters. The DNI, supported by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), produces the President's Daily Brief (PDB), a classified document including intelligence from all IC agencies, handed each morning to the president of the United States.

President George W. Bush strengthened the role of the DNI on July 30, 2008, with Executive Order 13470, which, among other things, solidified the DNI's authority to set goals for intelligence gathering and analysis and to set policy for intelligence sharing with foreign agencies and for the hiring and firing of senior intelligence officials. The DNI was given further responsibility for the entire IC's whistleblowing and source protection by President Obama via Presidential Policy Directive 19 on October 10, 2012.

Under 50 U.S.C. § 3026, "under ordinary circumstances, it is desirable" that either the director or the principal deputy director of national intelligence be an active-duty commissioned officer in the armed forces or have training or experience in military intelligence activities and requirements. Only one of the two positions can be held by a military officer at any given time. The statute does not specify what rank the commissioned officer will hold during their tenure in either position. The DNI, who is appointed by the president of the United States and is subject to confirmation by the United States Senate, serves at the pleasure of the president.

The position was elevated to a Cabinet-level role during the presidency of Donald Trump, a status it has retained under Joe Biden. Currently, the DNI attends all Cabinet meetings and liaises with the Executive Office of the President of the United States and other Cabinet secretaries in the execution of their duties.

    

and the US Trade Representative

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is an agency of the United States federal government responsible for developing and promoting United States foreign trade policies. Part of the Executive Office of the President, it is headed by the U.S. Trade Representative, a Cabinet-level position that serves as the United States president's primary advisor, negotiator, and spokesperson on trade matters. USTR has more than two hundred employees, with offices in Geneva, Switzerland, and Brussels, Belgium.

USTR was established as the Office of the Special Trade Representative (STR) by the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, leads trade negotiations at bilateral and multilateral levels, and coordinates trade policy with other government agencies through the Trade Policy Committee (TPC), Trade Policy Committee Review Group (TPCRG), and Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC). Its areas of expertise include foreign direct investment, commodity agreements, trade-related intellectual property protection, and trade disputes before the World Trade Organization. Based in Washington, D.C., Katherine Tai is the current United States Trade Representative.

    

as well as the heads of the Environmental Protection Agency

The administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency is the head of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and is thus responsible for enforcing the nation's Clean Air and Clean Water Acts, as well as numerous other environmental statutes. The administrator is nominated by the president of the United States and must be confirmed by a vote of the Senate.

 

Office of Management and Budget

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is the largest office[a] within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP). OMB's most prominent function is to produce the president's budget, but it also examines agency programs, policies, and procedures to see whether they comply with the president's policies and coordinates inter-agency policy initiatives.

 

Council of Economic Advisers

The Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) is a United States agency within the Executive Office of the President established in 1946, which advises the president of the United States on economic policy. The CEA provides much of the empirical research for the White House and prepares the publicly-available annual Economic Report of the President.  The council is made up of its chairperson and generally two to three additional member economists. Its chairperson requires appointment and Senate confirmation, and its other members are appointed by the President.

 

Office of Science and Technology Policy

The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) is a department of the United States government, part of the Executive Office of the President (EOP), established by United States Congress on May 11, 1976, with a broad mandate to advise the President on the effects of science and technology on domestic and international affairs.

The director of this office is traditionally colloquially known as the Science Advisor to the President. 

   

And the Small Business Administration

The administrator of the Small Business Administration is the head of the Small Business Administration of the United States. The administrator is responsible for managing and the day-to-day operations of the agency. The administrator is nominated by the president of the United States and must be confirmed by a vote of the Senate.

 

Don’t remember their names?

Antony Blinken, Janet Yellen, Lloyd Austin, Merrick Garland, Deb Haaland, Tom Vilsack, Gina Raimondo, Marty Walsh, Julie Su, Xavier Becerra, Marcia Fudge, Adrianne Todman, Pete Buttigieg, Jennifer Granholm, Miguel Cardona, Denis McDonough, Alejandro Mayorkas, Michael S. Regan, Shalanda Young, Avril Haines, William J. Burns, Katherine Tai, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Cecilia Rouse, Jared Bernstein, Isabel Guzman, Eric Lander, Arati Prabhakar, Ron Klain, and Jeff Zient   

These are the people who are protecting us from space alien invasion or the enemy from within, protecting our water and air, promoting our GDP, making sure there are clean camp grounds at our parks, make requirements so the food we eat won’t kill us, extend our roads and rails so our delivery trucks can arrive on time and our kids are smart enough to create new video games.

Don’t memorize the names. They might not be there in a few more weeks.

Artificially Intelligent

 

There is lots of talk today about ‘Aye Eye’ and it seems to have everyone worried. From what I’ve read, this artificial intelligence is a computer asked to perform a duty request and it searches, not only what the application can find, but the entire Intranet to get as much information possible and assemble it coherent form to accomplish the request in the briefest of time. Sounds like what we invented computers for?

In the beginning, we made a machine that could type a letter or resume or menu and print it to be passed on as a memo or mailed. We created a machine that could calculate numbers and follow formulars to replace the slide rule and calculator. This new machine could even do basic graphics of lines and boxes as long as there was enough RAM on the floppy disc.

Then the best thing since the telephone, we linked all our digital machines to form an Intranet. Files could be sent anywhere in the world, photos could be shared for all to comment on, books could be downloaded, meals ordered for delivery and even finding a date for the prom. Except for the sites that had paywalls that needed a subscription for a password, it was all FREE.

We created browsers that would list the answers to a request in an instant, but then we had to scroll through and view each to see it these answered our curiosity.

Now this AI is supposed to read our mind and only tell us what we need to know. What we NEED to know according to the computer’s intelligence.

When you attend a speech, the presentation an opinion or a thought is made by an expert in the field on the subject. They have titles and diplomas to prove their intelligence. You expect the same from your office visit to the doctor and look at all the diplomas on the wall as proof they are allowed to prescribe pills or cut you open.

To drive a car, you have to get a license. To buy a gun, you have to get a license. If you want to go fishing, you better have a license. To get married, you have to have a license, but when you die you get a certificate.

I attended the public educational system and only had to repeat one year to get a piece of paper that declared I’d accomplished the requirements to graduate. I went on to higher learning (to avoid the draft) and gathered enough numbers in four years to get another piece of paper that stated I was smart. Somehow they knew I wasn’t married so I got a Bachelor’s Degree.

Intelligence can be defined as the ability to solve complex problems or make decisions with outcomes benefiting the actor, and has evolved in lifeforms to adapt to diverse environments for their survival and reproduction.

Artificial means something is not natural or real, or is made to seem like something natural. It is bogus, counterfeit, ersatz, fabricated, factitious, faked, false, hyped-up, manufactured, mock, phony, plastic, sham, simulated, specious, spurious, substitute, synthetic, unnatural.

In these days of lies and misnomers, how much paperwork do you need to show to prove you are ‘smart’?

I’ve known well-read people who can repeat authors phrase and lyrics but cannot tie their shoes. Others who have no declarations on the wall but can figure out how to start an engine or paint a landscape without instructions.

There are classes to graduate lawyers and doctors and even mechanics, but there are no presidential colleges. Should there be?

Should the people who ask us to vote for them to make them the CEO of the country have to attend a college that teaches them the ins-and-outs of running a country? Let’s see if those who are accepted can pass classes in economics, military strategy, civics, social science, world history, public speaking and probably take a health screening before graduation. Then, maybe, these people will be qualified to become president?