Eh. One of out three or four isn't bad I guess. We are going to the Flying Squirrels baseball game tonight, to be followed by fireworks. We own three Toyotas, and although I like apple pie, it's not on the menu today. I don't remember the hot dog being part of that jingle but it seems to be in most of the images, so ¯ _(?)_/¯.

When I stepped out on the porch this AM I noticed that I did not see a single American flag flying. Granted my sample size is about 10 houses in view from the porch, so I probably should not make any sweeping generalizations, however I am the minority in this neighborhood and I certainly would not blame any minority for being less than proud of America these days. I'm certainly not feeling particularly proud.

I was actually composing a very different blog post this AM when I stumbled into this from Popehat. Go read that post. Now. I'm not kidding, it's important.

First, I was not aware that of that particular stain in America's history. We seem to have a lot of stains in our past when it comes to dealing with non-white people. it's almost like racism is as American as baseball, apple pie, and Chevrolet. Second, and more importantly, that post sapped my will to write the scathing declaration of independence* from Trumpistan that I had been mentally composing all morning. Fuck it, Trump and his merry band of racist fascists are not worth the effort. It will not change anything, and it probably won't even make me feel better.

The Founding Fathers were all here because their families had to leave England to make a better life for themselves. They did a lot wrong in founding this country, but they did a lot right too. We can still make a better life for all Americans by engaging in our communities and working to elect responsible leaders in November that will be the check and in our check and balance system.

The most patriotic thing you can do on this 4th of July is to commit to working to elect a Democratic majority to Congress in November. Get to it.

*Spelled independance if you are the USAF.

Listen to Representative Jeff Pyle speaking to the Pennsylvania's Judiciary Committee regarding new gun laws under consideration.

Patriot Mark Robinson addresses the Greensboro, NC City council.

Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin gives a perfect response to a thinly veiled allegation of hypocrisy from an "independent consultant."

Listen to this blast of truth from Virginia Delegate Nick Freitas regarding the lies and deceptions of the left.

My great-grandfather got on a boat in Ireland in 1905, and ended up in Boston, MA a few weeks later. He had $2.50 in his pocket, one suitcase, and a sister in Woburn, MA. From that humble beginning my family got established in the US, and fought for the US in every war from WWI through at least Vietnam. Unless you are Native American, your family has a similar story.

So what is the It in the title? It is inertia. It is the fear that keeps all of us from doing all those big things we are always going going to do. Things like:

• Start a company
• Through-hike the Appalachian Trail
• Take off an epic road trip
• Move to an island
• Retire young

I could go on but you should get the point. Almost all of us have an embarrassingly long list of big projects we were going to do, but never actually did.

Do you know who doesn't have that list?

Immigrants don't have that list. They did it. They picked up and moved to a foreign land where they may not speak the language, and may not know anybody. They may have even broken the law to do it. They uprooted everything they knew and left a county that was likely their family's home for generations, all on the chance that they can build a better life here in the US.

Immigrants have already done one of the things Americans claim is most important for success. They have shown initiative. They have taken a big chance. They have put it on the line. An American that risks everything to make a better life is a damn hero. But if the person is Hispanic it is a whole different story.

Immigrants founded over half of the billion dollar start ups in the US, but given the risk they take just to get here, that really shouldn't be surprising. By coming here they exhibit the very qualities we claim are critical for success. And that number only counted first generation immigrants. It doesn't count their kids, people like Steve Jobs, who grow up as citizens and go on to do great things.

Immigration is basically a filter for the people that get shit done. It's a filter for the people we need in this country. It's a filter for the people we want in this county. Put another way, if we took the 35% of people still supporting Donald Trump and traded then for an equal number of immigrants this county would be in much better shape.

Image Source

I've mentioned my post-match desire for range time previously. This week instead of wanting to hit the range to fix some errors made when shooting a match, I feel a need to hit the range to spend time emphasizing the things I did right. I felt I shot pretty well last weekend, and that makes the urge for range time even more intense.

Alas, my work schedule is full of meetings and out of town visitors this week, which leaves little opportunity for a lunch break away from the computer. Unfortunately, now that the clocks have been set back, the outdoor range closes at 4:00PM. As a result, after work shooting is not an option until the return of Daylight Saving Time next spring.

The gun that I enjoy shooting the most, the full size SIG P320 has been shipped off to the manufacturer for the trigger enhancements. If I do squeeze in a range trip, I'll select an alternative weapon or two to shoot. Now is not the time to slack off on the practice level. With the continuing leftward political shift in Virginia, I expect the violence and oppression of personal rights that accompanies leftist politics to grow in fervor. Keeping up the skill level is important.

See you at the range!

I’ve been trying to figure out what to say about 2016 for a couple of weeks now, and I’ve decided maybe it’s best if we just never speak of it again. So onward to 2017. It has to be better, right?

Right?

OK, maybe one last thought about 2016. Did you ever find yourself wondering how it felt to live through the decline of the Roman Empire, or maybe closer to home, how it would have felt to be an antebellum plantation owner in Virginia in early 1865? Hopefully 2017 won’t give us a chance to feel a kindred connection with citizens of previously fallen societies.

Seriously, looking ahead now…

Michelle’s last radiation treatment is January 12th. Then I guess we enter that weird phase where she doesn’t have cancer anymore, but we get to worry about it coming back. I wonder if it ever fades from being omnipresent in our consciousness, or if this is the new reality for us now? I guess we’ll find out.

Blocking every news source that shows up in my newsfeed on Facebook turned out to be a brilliant idea. My Facebook wall is now mostly pictures of kids, my friends’ travels, and my friends out drinking. Facebook is much better that way. So I fully expect FB to change something to stop me from blocking all news sources fairly soon.

I wrote 14 blog posts this year. Counting this one and one more planed post, I'll finish with 16. I’m certain that is the lowest number since this site became a blog in 2001. I’ve been thinking for months that I need to get back to writing here regularly. Writing on Facebook is not the same. However, I’ve been lacking inspiration. I’m sick of politics and current events, and I’m out of the homeschooling game. That was probably 75% of my content in my heyday. However, I do have some ideas about how to get back on the writing wagon though. We’ll see how that works out.

Anybody else with a neglected blog want to commit to bringing it back to life in 2017? Seriously, Facebook does not need any more free labor from us. Also, Facebook encourages consumption of more and more content so they can serve more and more ads. I’m convinced that this is not good for our mental health. If blogs ruled online communication in 2016 they way they did in 2006, Donald Trump would not be president. I’m convinced of this fact.

One more blog post coming this year, the annual happy birthday ODonnnellWeb post on 12/31. The site turns 21 this year. It may need to drink itself silly. Or maybe that is me I'm talking about there.