The Real UFO Question

Let me start by saying that I do not believe aliens from other planets visit earth, at least certainly not regularly. I will not say for fact that we have never been observed by aliens. After all, we can look at planets capable of having life today, what will we be able to see in another 200 years? What I want to do is present a hypothetical, a question.

As long as man has been able to write history, he has discussed strange objects in the sky. We have cave drawings of mysterious things in the sky. Some, it is believed, were nova's, some were comets and meteorites. Others are claimed to be wheels or spheres. There are paintings of saucers in the sky during the middle ages.

About 15 years ago I was going to work in a 12 person vanpool. At about 5:30 in the morning a green fireball crossed in front of us in the sky. We were not the only to see it, it was seen by tens of thousands of people from Los Angeles to San Francisco. Thousands of the people who saw it were in aerospace, pilots, builders, aerospace engineers, people who had worked on Apollo and Gemini, people who worked at Skunk Works. I have been watching space launches since Kennedy created the program. I lived where they built our super secret planes. I dated a girl who worked doing quality assurance in aerospace for secret projects. Whatever we saw made no noise and there was no sonic boom. The media reported it, skipped the part about the green and said it was a meteorite that crashed into the ocean off San Francisco. I thought no more about it; but, one of our passengers did get excited and exclaimed, "That's not a UFO", more as a statement than a question. I don't think she was from the area originally.

A couple of days ago a rocket launched from Vandenberg. It was a Space X unannounced flight. A friend of mine and his wife saw it as they were driving and called me to tell about the rocket they had seen. They were from here. LOL. Once again the media reported that the southern California people were freaking out thinking it was a UFO. The call from my friend telling me about the rocket was the only call I got from people in the area. He just thought I would like to see it. He talked about the big gas trail and how it lit up. I didn't rush outside, I have seen them before. By the time I got outside, it could not be seen. I went back in. Every time something happens in the sky, the media panics and makes fun of the thought that it could be extraterrestrial flying saucers. Why?

I shall take you back to the event called the Phoenix Lights. Everyone in Phoenix saw them, it was filmed as it happened. The governor of the state came out to talk about their investigation and brought the culprit, a man dressed like an alien. He made a joke of it. Years later he apologized and said that he had seen it too. This is the part I want you to really think about.

We are presented with two questions. What would the government do if they knew and knew for a certainty that aliens were going to visit this planet publicly? That's not one of the questions. The questions are, would they tell all of us or try and keep the information limited to the establishment? I guess the way I worded it, it was two questions including the first about what the government would do. It is a two part, chain question.

The government funded research on UFOs called Project Bluebook. They had funded other research; but, Bluebook is the one people talk about the most. In 1947 an air force general issued a press release saying a flying saucer had been recovered in Roswell, New Mexico. Two days later, the government said they had found a weather balloon. 20 or 30 years later, they said they had lied and that it was a super secret high altitude balloon to listen to soviet nuclear testing. That was a lie to and that I can prove. If one of my readers would like me to debunk the Project Mogul balloon explanation, I will do that; but, I have done it before on this blog. I just don't know how to find the post. A few days ago film was released of a UFO captured by a F18 Hornet by a military pilot that was witnessed by another military pilot and radar. It turned out that the government had lied to us again and was continuing to have a group dedicated to researching flying saucers. LOL. I see a pattern.

Two events required the government to investigate UFOs. Firstly, the attack over Los Angeles during world war II. It was witnessed by hundreds of thousands who were looking for Japanese planes; but, it was no Japanese plane and could not be shot down. The second event was when UFOs buzzed Washington DC in 1952. They were picked up on radar and jets were scrambled for a number of nights. They could not catch them.

Consider this. Within days after the shoe bomber, the United States began installing full body scanners at airports. Why had they already built the scanners? It is called contingency planning. They wanted to increase security at airports; but, they needed a reason. You buy it and wait for the excuse. You don't have to create the excuse. FEMA has hundreds of thousands of plastic mass body caskets sitting on some farm in storage. Does it matter what event will require them? Shouldn't they have them ready? These are the same people that tell you to have three gallons of water in case of an earthquake. Don't you think they have food and water sacked away somewhere?

What do you think scares the establishment and the government the most about the possibility of aliens landing and interacting with people in public? They are afraid of the public's response. If we are being viewed by aliens, the aliens have more respect for the average person than our governments or establishment. The governments biggest fear is not that the aliens will enslave us all. The governments biggest fear is that we will shake off our current enslavement and reject and establishment which allows people to go without food or shelter.

It is a fact and can be found online, that the smartest people in the world in all areas of life were asked by the government what the effect of aliens landing on earth and interacting with us would be. The answer was not that people would freak out, it was that it might mess with religious people. My readers know I am a Christian and was a preacher. I would say they needed to prove they were not demons. That would not go over big with many. In either case, I would accept that they were here and we could not understand for sure where they came from or what they were. We would find ourselves like the Aztecs. Our first thought to the supernatural ability of their craft used to be that they were gods. Aliens is now our first choice. How could we know the difference?

Let me take this further. What if these supposed aliens could talk to you without using their voice?What if they appeared telepathic. How would people handle that? It would still not be proof they were alien. Consider algorithms and how much we can predict human action and thoughts. Couldn't aliens be better at it? Couldn't they make you hear things in your head. We have been working on that tech for years.

The government has a plan for what happens if UFOs ever land publicly that involves how they will deal with society at large. What makes you think the business think tanks haven't asked this question and given the same answer to the oligarchy that owns everything? They have talked about it in the open.

That was a lot of set up to get to what I really want to talk about. If the establishment believed there were aliens visiting here, they would want to show that the people who are not cared for deserved all the blame for their situation and that our oligarchs were blameless. They would fear the aliens making them distribute to all what they need. They would fear the people supporting that, the people that they allow to starve to death, go without shelter and healthcare. The establishments biggest fear is that a greater power will come and make life better for the rest of us and they will lose control. That is why the media laughs nervously when discussing UFOs.

A Christmas Wish

Well, it is Christmas in 3 minutes and I wish you all a very merry Christmas. I have already received my present, I was reunited with a family member I had not seen in a while. I don't think of Christmas as a religious holiday. We don't know when Jesus was born. For me Christmas is about children and spreading joy, giving them something to hope for in a material world.

Let me explain what I do feel. I have not cared much about receiving presents for years. The presents I prefer are ones that are made for me or were specially chosen that I would not have bought for myself. Christmas means different things to us as we grow older and make life changes. When we are young, it is about the surprise and excitement of the possibility of getting things we really want. When we have children ourselves, it is about giving them that same surprise and enjoyment. A special day, a day with a great feast and family, a day of peace. When our children are grown it morphs into a time of family and reflection.

As I write this, people are shooting off fire works and 12:00 has come. Whatever anger you hold against others, forget it today. Take the spirit of the time and feel love within your heart for all God's children. We are imperfect, we all do wrong, we all make mistakes and we must accept that this is true of others. Forgive others their faults and in the same way, you will be forgiven by God, the one that created you. Anger and hate only harm the one who feels them, free yourself of that pain and burden. That is my Christmas wish for all my readers and everyone, whether you believe in God or Santa or nothing, believe in the power of love and forgiveness.

Merry Christmas to all and to  all a good night.

Pimpernel.

Class Warfare

No links, no cut and pastes, haven't figured out what has been done to my computer by the upgrade yet. Just me yapping.

When I was in junior high, a teacher had us do a mock trial. The trial was against Marie Antoinette. As I recall, I was the only one who offered to be her defense attorney. I figured I would lose because all the kiddies knew she had been killed. I pointed out that she was but a child and had committed no crimes and made no laws. She was married to the king; but, had no influence over what he did. She had been told to marry him by her parents.

The class voted to not kill her. It stunned everyone, including the teacher. Mob mentality is an ugly thing and we are being told to become mobish. The media and the establishment believe the average person is only waiting to be irrational and become a mob. The corporate left pays people to be violent, the corporate right tells people that they are coming for their guns and freedom. Look at the news, they want to incite both sides to irrationality and violence; but, it does not come as expected. Most Americans on the left and right are not violent nor extremists. Most people are not. Most people just want to do their job, take care of their family and relax.

When people really believe that nothing matters anymore, they begin by killing the people they see in control and benefitting from what is going on. True revolutions only happen when the establishment refuses to share during hard times for everyone else. We are not there yet and thankfully so. The mistake the media is making is in trying to get us there. The establishment is pushing for racial, religious, ethnic or any other war; but, if a revolution comes, it will be class warfare. That is just history.

Quick Stuff

CBS SanFranBay - California Considers Placing A Mileage Tax On Drivers
You really need to watch the video. 

Well this sucks. My windows 10 program upgraded tonight and has messed up my fonts and Blogger program. So, lets focus on content. I told you years ago that we are going to charge your driving taxes based on mileage. This is nothing new, just them letting you know you are gonna be charged for everything, including breathing, that is called a carbon tax.

A Prediction

To start with, I don't live in Alabama and don't which corporatist, the Democrat or Republican was going to win. While some may see this as a win for the Democratic corporatists, I don't. LOL. Lets ask what happens next.

The establishment had planned to use Roy Moore (the Republican corporatist) as a test case for getting rid of someone based on allegations alone. If he had won, he would have been brought up on charges in congress, that doesn't happen now. He is not going to congress. He is contesting the election and Democrats must face their own hypocrisy over contesting the presidential election. These things are but amusements. What happens next?

Well, next year they hold another election and Moore will not be the Republican candidate. They guy Trump supported against Moore will be and he will win. The Democratic winner couldn't even get 50% of the vote against someone accused of being a child molester. Take a moment and think about that. The guy Trump supported against Moore will end up the senator for will be there for six years.

If I am still alive next year for that election, you can call me on this. Moore was not beaten because of his policies, he was beaten because he is accused of being a child molester. Do you really believe every Republican in 2018 will lose because they are a child molester?

Cleaning out my saved articles.

The Seattle Times - This City Hall, brought to you by Amazon.  Yes we live in a fascist country. One that is willing to take income tax from people to pay their employers. I thought pay to play was illegal. Fresno has offered Amazon the ability to determine where the taxes and fees it pays are spent. That my friends is unconstitutional and exactly what I would expect from the corporate sell outs that are supposed to represent us. Even the charming tech giants hate democracy. The people in power always hate democracy.

Daily Star - Brain implants to 'change moods controlled by AI' begin HUMAN TESTS. I don't really know this paper, I think it is English. Interesting article if true.

FOX - San Francisco may adopt Uber-style surge pricing for parking meters. The only case that legalizes parking meters having a charge is the first case. It stated that cities could not charge for using the public right of way; but, that they could regulate the usages and time could be regulated. The legal point was that the charge of the meter was to pay only for the cost of parking enforcement and that the machines were just clocks to verify that you did not violate the time requirements. There is not 1 in 10,000 attorneys that understand that decision or even know about it. FYI, it doesn't apply to state highways usually as highways do not have a "Right of Way" protection, what they have is the ownership by the state of the land itself. Just like owning a zoo, they can charge for using highways. The fees charged are theoretically for the maintenance or construction costs.

YouTube - Why The US Military Made GPS Free-To-Use.  I wrote years ago about how the military created and owns all GPS. Watch the video.

Bloomberg - Moody's Warns Cities to Address Climate Risks or Face Downgrades. I want you to understand, Moody's is a company and they want to tell government what to do and are threatening them with having their credit ratings downgraded. Companies telling government what they can and cannot do, that is anti-democratic and fascist. 

The New York Times - Why a CVS-Aetna Merger Could Benefit Consumers.  How can you trust the media that says monopolies are good for you?

MSN - USA Today - Forget Paris: U.S. mayors sign their own pact after Trump ditches climate accord. I want you to think about this. People on the left are crying over the Logan Act (it says only the president can talk policy with foreign governments, it is also unconstitutional) and want to use it to impeach Trump because Flynn talked to a Russian Ambassador after the election and prior to the inauguration. Every mayor who makes an agreement with a foreign country regarding policy, is in violation of the Logan Act. 

Al Franken Post

Yesterday I wrote about Franken's resignation. I was dead on. Franken today said he would resign in the next few weeks. Well, lets see if he does leave; but, don't bet on it. What the media is doing with his proposed resignation is to call for Trump and Moore to resign.

Why Al Franken Should Not Resign

The media is abuzz with claims that Al Franken will resign tomorrow. The Washington Post actually wrote an article on why Franken has to resign and Moore doesn't. They claim it is because Republicans are more accepting of such misdeeds. It is garbage as usual coming from them any more. They used to be a real newspaper; but, they gave that up.

I don't care much for Al Franken, he is one more elitist who thinks he is better, smarter and more deserving than everyone else. He thinks he understands more than you; but, he is just another partisan hack in my humble opinion. Having said that, he has not been accused of a crime, he has not been charged with anything and nobody that I am aware of has actually filed civil suit against him. He is accused of being sleazy, that is not a reason for overturning a democratically elected representative.

One must ask why the Democrats have so quickly turned on Franken that they now call for his resignation. It has nothing to do with Franken. Back in 1985 another famous Democrat, Barney Frank, was accused of improprieties. In fact, his male prostitute friend was running a male prostitution ring out of his house. He was not removed from office and was universally supported by his party. We all know how President Clinton used Monica Lewinsky, a young intern, to dip his cigar inside her private parts inside the oval office and ejaculate on her dress. He was also supported by his party. Why should Franken have to quit? His voters have a right to kick him out, to not vote for him again. They have a right to call for a special election; but, they have not. As long as he is not proven guilty of a crime, he should not be removed.

Anything short of removing someone from elected office for the conviction of a serious crime must be denied. If we allow unproven accusations to be grounds for violating our democracy, we shall cease having a democracy in any form. Let us be clear, there has not even been an official investigation into Franken's actions, it has been the lynch mob of the corporate media seeking political advantage against Moore and Trump. What you say. This is not about Franken, it is about justifying keeping Moore out if he is elected and about removing Trump, not for criminal collusion with Russia; but, for vague, non proven allegations of being a bad person. Today we saw 58 Democrats in congress vote to allow articles of impeachment to go forward against Trump on the ground that he is a bad person. No crime was charged, the constitution was not considered important. Democracy is not about who you like, it is about accepting the will of the voters. It is about majority rule, it is that simple.

If we get no say in government and only the wealthy and powerful get to choose the law, we live a totalitarian oligarchy. If we have no taxation without representation we need not respect nor follow the laws. That is what the founding fathers said. I know many of my readers are conservative and disagree with my more socialist ideas; but, they know I am honest and consistent. If we lose any semblance of democracy, whether it be representative or not, then no laws bind us together and even killing the wealthy would be valid. If we do not get to have a say in the laws then there is no law, that is the essence of the social contract. When it was violated sufficiently in France, bad things happened and a true populist dictator was born. Napoleon.

The wealthy and powerful are scared of democracy, they were scared of the Tea Party, they were scared of the Occupy Movement, they are even more scared of Sanders and Trump as they view it as an effective use of majority rule (democracy) against their elitist control.

Thursday Franken is supposed to talk to the media. The media has been claiming that it is to announce his resignation; but, his staff says that is not what it is about. Tonight, Wednesday, Franken is being approached by a myriad of forces and moneyed interests telling him to resign, promising him the world in exchange for his reputation. That is how these things work.

The public discussion is always a trick, it is always a pre determined narrative to lead you to a conclusion. Always choose democracy and free discussion or you have neither.

Fake News Jubilation

For those of us old enough to remember when Watergate was the top story and Richard Nixon had to resign from office, we remember it as a sad time.

If you go to 2:07:32 into the video, you will see the initial reaction to Nixon's resignation. They did not show any joy or jubilation. Dan Rather said, "There is no joy in this for anyone. No decent thinking American can take any joy out of this."

I want to contrast this with the disgusting display

They later addressed their mistake.

The spin they put on their corrections starts with saying that they discussed in a meeting not calling it "Fake News". Go to about 2:20 in for that statement.

The fact is that it was fake news and everybody knows that. The definition of the word fake is something that is not true or genuine. Intent is irrelevant. Lies require intent, fake does not. My long time readers and those who know me, know that I am a Socialist. I do not support the Democratic or Republican corporate parties. We have a dishonest media and that is truly saddening.

Sexual Harrassment and the Media Hypocrisy

Matt Lauer of NBC got fired today. He was fired for sexual harassment. The women working at NBC were heart broken and talked about how he was their friend. The network has also claimed that this is the first time they heard of it and that they had never heard any complaints in 20 years. At the same time, they said that they are under new management that wasn't there when it was going on. Hmmm, then how can they say there were no complaints if they were not there?

Watch the video, watch how they talk about what a wonderful man he was. Watch how they talk about how they talk about forgiveness. Watch the love and concern for him and his family. Now go and look at how they described Moore and Trump's mere talking about pXXXy.  Hypocrites. Not because they are on the left, no far from it. Because they believe they are better than the rest of us. Look at how they have discussed Trump's voters.

I was watching a guy today named Tim Black. I get tired of his putting things into race; but, he makes some good points sometimes. YouTube - Tim Black - Matt Lauer, Trump = Money, Bernie vs Cruz, Conyers' Demise #CWTB.  Go to 21:56 in.  He eventually discusses how all the people being accused of sexual harassment are rich and powerful, that you don't see it as much in the working class or even business class anymore. You don't. If you are just a working person, they would have fired you. Most businesses are so super fixated on a fear of being sued for sexual harassment that they put a stop to it in the 1990s. I know, I was working then and each year had to take a class on sexual harassment even though I also gave the classes over the years. If you live from paycheck to paycheck you cannot afford to get fired for this stuff.

I have stated before that I have only been with one woman in my life. During my career I probably supervised more women than men. Actually, I am sure I did. I have promoted many women, more than I remember. Even after my divorce I never made sexual advances on the women I worked with. I think someone tried to accuse me of being a misogynist once; but, they got laughed at by the women who worked with me. After the divorce, when I was dating, I only dated women that had nothing to do with my industry. I actually met a woman at work who was very attracted to me and I found intriguing; but, I ran away. She was not in my industry but regularly dealt with other departments.

The "in crowd", the media, government and business elites that socialize with themselves look down on you. They believe you are crass, stupid, afraid of new things and bigoted in everyway possible. They see themselves as better, smarter and more caring than the average person. They believe that if not for them telling you to help people, you would not. They do not understand that most charity comes from the poor and middle class.

Fox News - Anti-Trump MSNBC host Joy Reid thinks rural Americans are 'core threat' to democracy.

If you don't understand that you are in the middle of a class war, then you are just not paying attention. It is not left versus right, it is not black versus white, it IS rich versus poor. When Joy Reid talk about rural America, do you think she didn't know that a large percentage of blacks live in rural areas? Do you believe she is unaware of all the Mexicans working on farms in rural America? She included them in her claim, if you are rural, you are bad.

UPDATE:

I have to add something to this. You know, the people that die fighting for this country are not the New Yorkers or coastal elites. It is the middle and working class that die in our wars, that fight our wars and live with those memories. When people like Joy Reid or Hillary or W or Colbert or the others that believe the middle class and working class are xenophobes, homophobes, racist and sexist, do you think any of them volunteer to fight for this country. As they support wars in Iraq, Libya, Syria, Afghanistan and all the other countries our people fight and die in. Do you think any of them would even consider jointing the military. How bout Miley Cyrus, think she is going to join?

Watch the media and how they talk about Trump and North Korea. They call him war monger for talking about attacking North Korea. I would be happier if we had attacked North Korea than our having attacked Iraq over weapons it did not have when we know what North Korea does to it's own people. Libya and Iraq stopped exporting terrorism decades ago while North Korea lobs missiles over Japan.

A bit of history. Rome fell because nobody would fight for it. The well to do, wouldn't fight because they lack any character and are opportunists. The middle class and the poor wouldn't fight because they did not share in the success and were despised by their leaders. This is just history. As George Carlin said, "There is a big club and you and I aren't in it". A good shepherd loves the sheep, a bad shepherd sees them as a commodity only.

Newer Stuff

The Atlantic - What America Is Losing as Its Small Towns Struggle.

Reuters - London introduces vehicle pollution levy in new blow to diesel. Let's just start by limiting where you can take your gas vehicle.

GreenCarReports - Pollution Perspective: One Giant Cargo Ship Emits As Much As 50 MILLION Cars.

The Mercury News - Trump tightens H-1B visa rules: What you need to know.  The believe the horrible thing is that Silicon Valley might have to hire Americans.

MSN - Newsweek - The Universe Should Not Actually Exist, Scientists Say. Does believing that the universe is real therefore make you a science denier?

Happy Rambling Thanksgiving

I made an amazing lasagna for thanksgiving. I used parts of different recipes from all kinds of really good chefs, including the Bolognese that Gordon Ramsey makes with only minor differences. After assembling, I put it in the fridge and started watching some shows on the computer. I also watched some things on YouTube. I came across a channel called, "Cheap Charlie Chronicles' about a guy who lives in Thailand. He seems preoccupied with finding a Thai girlfriend.

In the early 1980s I went to college and had a friend from Thailand, a wealthy friend. He lived in a luxury condo in Boston and was known to blow over $10,000 in a day in Vegas. I was living on a couple of dollars a day. One break he said I should come with him to Thailand. I told him I couldn't afford it. I don't remember the exact dollar amount and this would have been in about 1981; but, he said for maybe $5 a day, I could get a room that came with a woman who would cook, clean and have sex with me. The minimum wage in 1981 was about $3 an hour in the United States and I made more than minimum wage when I was working. Heck, in 1978 I made $8 an hour doing woodworking and I was only 18. I did not go to Thailand and never even really took it seriously.

I started watching more videos to see what it was like in Thailand today. Today you can live in Thailand for $1,000 a month. I don't know what the woman and her making the food would cost. Prostitutes, even live in ones are cheap in Thailand. Thailand used to be and may still be where Japanese men go for sex tours. It is a popular destination for Europeans and Americans because it is inexpensive and you can get anything you want; but, jail for drugs is long and harrowing.

While I watched the videos of Thailand, I was amazed at how little things had changed. I'm thankful I was born here.

Rumors and Unverified Claims

The Pimpernel is cautious about what he writes. I have been given names over the years of people accused of being involved in the murder of Pastor Carol Daniels, I don't publish accusations. I have approached on more than one occasion by people who have wanted speculation regarding specific people, I don't give them. I do not post on Facebook or Twitter. I also do not make a penny from this blog, nor do I advertise it or ask anyone else to. People are free to link to anything I post and they are free to comment anonymously; but, if they accuse someone of a crime that the person has not been charged with, I will not post their comment. I do not wish to be accused of defamation.

The internet is a wonderful thing in many ways and problematical in others. The internet is still young. The issue of what the internet will become is an important one as speech on the internet is not protected in the same way that mail is, nothing you say on the internet ever leaves, it is all recorded and kept. At the same time, anyone can express their beliefs using this tool.

The internet has allowed people in repressive countries to revolt, to band together to call out tyranny. It has also been used to post naked pictures of people's exes without their permission. It can be used to make false claims against enemies. It can be used to publicly publish the most vile lies against others, anonymously. I allow people to publish anonymously comments; but, I do not allow them to publish unverifiable accusations of crime.

What limits should there be on what you can use the internet to accuse people of? I would say none, I don't believe in "prior restraint", I don't believe in stopping free speech. I am however okay with using existing law, like libel and slander or criminal conspiracy against people even if it was done over the internet.

I would ask others to be cautious of what they post, don't say people are guilty of crimes until convicted. It is okay to ask if what they did is a crime; but, it is for judges and juries to determine guilt and innocence. It is okay for the President to say something should be investigated, it is not okay for him to say someone is guilty prior to them being found so in a court of law. It is okay to say the President should be investigated, it is not okay to say he sexually harassed without it being found so. It is okay to repeat what others have said about themselves; but, one must be careful. It is okay to say that someone accused someone else of a crime; but, it is not okay to say they are guilty and take sides. I do not assume that someone is guilty of sex crimes until convicted.

We have reached a point where everyone is being accused of sex crimes. I don't know who is guilty; but, I can comment on what they have said about it. I can post the picture of Al Franken putting his hands on a sleeping woman's breasts. Res ipsa loquitur (the thing speaks for itself).

Why do I bother writing all this. It is a warning to my readers to think about what they post on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and any other social site. The internet provides the opportunity to slander people and cost them their jobs, this will not last long, don't be guilty of it.

A Little Drive - Chapter 7 and some thoughts.

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5, Part 1
Chapter 5, Part 2
Chapter 6

Chapter 7 - Ciudad De Los Angeles.

As Charles left Monterey he debated visiting Judy at the coffee shop to say goodbye and decided against it. He thought that if he had meant anything to her, she would have said something to him that morning. He had hoped for a moment, the night before, that she might have even come along with him; but, that seemed silly now. Just because you have make love to someone doesn't mean they will love you and just because you spend a moment with someone doesn't mean they will drop everything and go on a trip with you. Charles thought about these things and past few days as he drove towards Los Angeles down the glittery Pacific Coast Highway. He drove through the beautiful hills and passed the serene beaches and thought about these things and missed all that was around him. He did become of aware of the scenery hours later, as he drove through Santa Barbara. He became aware of it just in time to come to a screeching halt at a red light.

At first he couldn't figure out how he got where he was. He thought perhaps while daydreaming he had meandered down an off ramp; but, then decided that there was in fact a streetlight in the freeway. The light changed and he continued down the road. A little while later he decided to get some gas and pulled off in a town called Thousand Oaks. 

After filling his car with gas he asked the attendant how far it was to Los Angeles. The attendant responded that it was just over a couple of hills.

"Great," thought Charles. "Los Angeles, Hollywood and Disneyland. Now this trip should get exciting."

He drove his car further and further, past the hills and then he was in Los Angeles County. He drove along looking at all the lights thinking how pretty the city was, like a million stars. Not far down the road he pulled off and into a hotel in Van Nuys which was not too expensive.

When he checked in with the clerk he asked where the downtown area was and the clerk told him that it was about 25 miles away down the Ventura Freeway. Charles was a little surprised as he had not expected the city to be so spread out and big.

Because of the lateness of the hour, Charles decided to get dinner and turn in early so that he could explore Los Angeles all the next day. He had a hamburger at McDonalds and picked up some beer, returning to his hotel. At the hotel the television was not working well so he just had the beers and smoked some cigarettes.

Sitting alone in the hotel room alone he thought about what Aunt Terri had said to him when left Monterey and he asked himself what things he was discarding. He thought about Judy and decided that it was he who left her and not she who had left him. He thought about the job and apaertment he had left just for a chance to see other apartments and people doing the same jobs that did in Sacramento. Then he began to think about his brother and sister in law and remembered the book that Dee Dee had given him. He went to his luggage and took it out.

______________________________________________

PIMPERNEL COMMENT:

That my friends is all I have. It is about one third of this particular story. After writing the rest of this story, I wrote a second about a girl and in the end I put the two characters together. My concept was two different stories, one about Charlie and one about a female peer, how their illusions about what is possible (he believing everything is possible and she believing nothing is possible) end up together. Charlie's experience is one of naïve hope continually dashed by reality.

As I typed this for you my dear readers, I was pained by my writing style 35 years ago. I do hope my writing is better now. I don't believe I am particularly suited to writing novels. I feel my plots are okay; but, I think my writing lacks emotional indicators for others.

Somewhere I have the other couple hundred pages that I wrote. I just don't know where. I have an old floppy disk that I put the stories on; but, I don't know if I can find it, if I have it or if it still works if I could find a computer with a floppy to read it. I gave you what I had and while I may be embarrassed by it, I hope you found it of interest. Take care.

Charles Manson is Dead

Charles Manson is dead. The words seem strange. His people killed Sharon Tate when I was about 9. He used to travel the same area that I lived in. His people would sneak into houses in the area and rearrange the furniture while the families slept. After he was convicted and it came out, my mother was freaked out knowing that they had been operating where we lived. It effected her sense of security. I had no such illusions. My father's job ensured that.

I remember the trial, what a circus it was. Every day in front of the courthouse, three young ladies would sit on the sidewalk protesting. When Charlie carved a swastika in his forehead, they did to. There are moments in this world where you cannot turn away, where we all look at the same train wreck at once. Watergate and OJ come to mind. The prurient, voyeuristic, knee jerk fascination with the slightest disgusting detail being discussed for days. Manson provided that level of entertainment.

Let me start by saying that I am glad that Charlie never got out of jail. There is a slight problem, he didn't go to jail for killing anyone. He went to jail for murders that others committed. He did not kill Sharon Tate or the La Biancas. Many murderers have spent less time in jail than he did. What made hi special?

Charlie grew up in the system, he grew up in jail, he grew up being abused and he got used to it. He used to say that we created him and to a degree we did; but, he failed to take responsibility for his choices. In the end, Charlie was jailed for the evil in his heart and not the evil that he did (and he did plenty). Charlie's greatest challenge to our beliefs was his accusation that we let evil happen to him as a child. On that issue, he was correct. We can argue over the options he had, our responsibility to take care of one another and our ability to have protected him; but, in the end, he saw us as those who allowed him to be abused as a child. He saw us as the evil ones, he never killed anyone and yet he saw us killing hundreds of thousands in Vietnam and he was the one that went to jail.

Who shall pray for his soul, who shall give forgiveness? God will, his challenge will be accepting it, accepting that he had no excuse, that he is responsible for his actions to himself. That can only be bought by forgiving others. Charlie did not make those young girls leave their homes, they left them on their own and he found them. He took them in and made them feel loved. He told them that they were the family after their own families had turned a cold heart to them.

A community is a type of family. If we reject the pain of others, a time will come and is coming when we create a society of Charlie's. I read that one of Tate's relatives said a prayer for him. I think she might just get what I am talking about and I am quite sure God will credit her forgiveness as righteousness.

UPDATE:

By the way, the idiots at the Washington Post referred to his as a serial killer. He was not. He is believed to have committed two murders with purpose, not thrill kills. He did not kill Tate or the La Biancas personally. He does not fit the profile of a serial killer. Son of Sam was a serial killer, Zodiac was a serial killer, BTK was a serial killer, Manson was a sociopath who influenced others into believing it was okay for them to kill people.

A Little Drive - Chapter 6

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5, Part 1
Chapter 5, Part 2

Chapter 6 - Judy

Charles woke up the next day at 9:30 a.m., more or less. He showered, dressed and had another soggy bologna sandwich and then headed to the hotel office.

"Hello Mr. Leed. Are you checking out? asked the clerk.

"No, I may be here one more day. Listen, can you tell me how to get to Hooper Street?" asked Charles.

The clerk told him how to get to get to the bank and Charles left. Two hours later he reached the bank and after some slight difficulty managed to receive his new traveler's check. He cashed on in and took a taxi over to the restaurant that Judy worked at. He sat down at the counter and Judy came up.

"How you doing today?" she asked.

"Oh, better than yesterday. The police found my car in Prunedale and I managed to get some replacement traveler's checks." he explained.

"Hey, that's really nice. What can I get you?" she asked.

"A coke and a burger will be fine please and could you tell me if there are any buses around here that go to Prunedale? Charles asked her.

"Not that I know of. You may have to go to San Francisco and take one from there", she said.

"Damn", he said, "I've got to get there by five or wait until tomorrow."

"I'd give you a ride after work but I've got to go to my mom's for dinner." she said. "Let me see if anyone here is headed up there".

Ten minutes later Charles was all set. He had a ride on an eighteen-wheeler headed for San Francisco.

After getting to San Francisco and taking a bus to Prunedale he got to the garage where his car was. They took him to see his car, or whatever was left of it. The left side of the car looked as it had been made from leftover pieces of a ship wreck. The metal was bent and twisted. Fortunately the doors opened and only the back window was broken. The interior was unchanged except for a couple of rips on the drivers seat. Charles was happy to see the radio was still intact. He loofed for the key but couldn't find them. After asking at the office he was told that the keys had not been found in the ignition. He then asked to borrow a crowbar so he could open his trunk.

The pain he felt as he pried open his trunk and busted the lock was not as great as the joy he felt upon seeing not just all of his possessions; but, also his spare key was still safely tucked away in his tool box.

After leaving the garage he picked up a lock and chain to secure his trunk which after meeting witht he crow bar no longer worked the same. He filled his car with gas and headed back to the hotel stopping along the way for dinner. After eating he went to another store and picked up plexiglass, an exacto blade and some wide duct tape. After picking up everything, he returned to the hotel and proceeded to fashion himself a new window for his car out of the plexicglass, tracing the shape of the window with a large piece of paper over the hole where the window used to be. He inserted the plexiglass window into the space and taped it firmly in place with the duct tape, both on the inside and outside.

As Charles was feeling better, and running out of money quicker than he had anticipated, he decided to leave for Los Angeles the next day. Before going to bed he repacked of his things and set them next to the door and then he went to sleep.

The next morning he filled his car up and refilled his ice chest with ice from the hotel cooler. After getting everything ready he went to the office to pay for his room.

"Let's see Mr. Leed, you've been here for three days at $105 a night, with taxes and charges that comes to $350.Will that be cash, check or charge?" the clerk asked.

Charles could feel the blood drain out of his face he mumbled the word "Cash". As he left he thought about how much he had spent since leaving his home and was shocked that the had spent much more than he had ever anticipated and had only travelled 225 miles. He decided that once he had spent half his money he would head back home regardless of where he ended up.

Charles drove over to Judy's coffee shop for one last breakfast in Monteray and to say good bye. Sitting down at the counter he was once again greeted by Judy's smiling face.

"Hi Charlie. I see you got your car back", she said.

Yeah, it's a little worse for the wear but still drives fine. I'm leaving for Los Angeles today and just wanted to thank you for all your help and get some breakfast in me before I go". Charles said.

"Too bad your leaving because I was thinking you might take me out for a drink after work, if you were going to be here for another day". Judy told him with a smile.

Charles ears perked up and as Judy left to serve another customer, he began to weight the pluses and minuses of sticking around a little longer. When she returned he told her that there was nothing pressing him to go and that he would enjoy the opportunity to take her out after she got off. It was decided that he would pick her up at three in the afternoon. After eating she told him that rather than waiting for her, he should look around and see more of Monterey.

He took her advice and visited Cannery Row, stopping goff at the many galleries and going into the Wax Museum. The best part of his tour he thought was the slide show on old Monterey at the Wax Museum. He was interested in knowing that the oldest government building in California was in Monterey.

When he returned to the restaurant he found Judy outside. He was not sure if it was her at first because she had changed into her street clothes and out of the saucy little dress uniform that she wore for work. It wasn't that she looked more or less pretty; but, that in jeans and a tee shirt she seemed somewhat different and perhaps for this reason he started feeling slightly more awkward around her.

They left to go to a local bar which was not too expensive; but nicer than the ones he was used to in Sacramento. As they sat sipping their drinks (she had a Margarita and he had a beer), he began to ask her about herself for the first time.

She explained that she had been born in Modesto, that her father was a truck driver and that after her parents divorced her mother had moved them to Monterey where an aunt lived. Judy mentioned that she had spent a year at college in San Francisco and had gotten discouraged and left, although she admitted that money had also been a factor. "I'm still paying off the loan I took out to go there", she explained.

While Judy was talking Charles began wondering what he should do next. He hadn't dated much and wasn't sure that if he had he would now what to do anyways. He wasn't sure if he should take her home or go on his way or if he should offer to take hor out somewhere, perhaps a movie. As he debated, she solved his problem by asking him over to her house for dinner.

He followed her in his car to a very nice house. It was not a mansion; but, was of fair size and looked as if it belonged in one of those old movies that takes place in New England.

As they walked up to the house, Judy began to explain that it was her aunt's home, that her aunt was nice; but, had some strange ideas about manners and etiquette. Judy also told him that her mother wouldn't be home for another hour because she was out with some friends bowling.

When they got inside, Judy yelled out for her aunt and as she did a woman of about 50 came down the stairs explaining as she walked that it was not necessary to yell. When the lady reached the bottom of the stairs Judy told her, "Aunt Terry, I want to introduce you to Charlie Leed, he's the young man whose car was stolen.

"I'm happy to meet you. I hope you have since recovered your car", she said to him.

"Thank you. I got it back yesterday" he informed her.

"Has Judy invited you for dinner? she asked.

"Yes, thank you. I do hope it won't be too much of an imposition." he asked.

"No, not at all. We love to have guests by for dinner. Please come sit down int eh parlor and have some tea, or do you prefer coffee?'

Charles said tea would be fine and then they all went into the living room. The room was large, bright and airy with flowered, lacey furniture like he had seen in a television show about English country homes. When Judy's aunt returned from the kitchen she poured Charles and her a cup of tea and gave a cup of coffee to Judy. She also offered him some odd looking cookies which tasted rather nice.

"Judy tells us you are on vacation. May I ask you what you do when you are working?, asked Judy's aunt.

The woman introduced herself as Terri and began to ask him another question; but, as she did a woman her early 40s. She was tow or three inches taller than Judy with red hair. She had a deep tan and heavy perfume. Her clothes were modern; but, not too flashy.

"Hi Terri, Hi Judy. Is this your friend with the missing car? she asked in one breath. As Judy said "yes" and was about to make introductions, the woman continued on. "I was so sorry to hear about that. I remember once when I was living in Modesto some guy tried to break into my husband's truck. Well, he sure got himself a surprise because my husband was sleeping in it at the time because of this fight we had. He just kicked that man's ass all over our front yard."

As the woman talked on he was able to learn that she was Judy's mother, Jane. He also learned that she had bowled a 150 and enjoyed drinking Vodka martinis. While she talked, Aunt Terri went into the kitchen and began to serve the dinner. A few minutes later, Terri returned and instructed everyone to go into the dining room.

Dinner was pleasant and one of the best meals Charles had ever eaten. The meal consisted of soup, salad, potatoes in some sort of cheese sauce, spicy green beans and Chicken Kiev. The conversation at the table was fairly light as Aunt Terri told Charles about Monetery's history. Jane talked about when she had gone to Las Vegas last and Judy talked about how she wished she were going across the country.

After dinner, Judy took Charles up to her room. "I'm sorry for making you go through that", Judy told him, "I love them both but I know that they can be hard to bear sometimes."

"No, not at all. I liked them both. As much as I'd like to stay, I think I had better get going if I'm going to get to Los Angeles tonight". Charles said.

"If I were you I would wait until the morning because the view of the coast is really beautiful during the day". she said.

"I would but I gave up my hotel room and it was over $100 a night and I'm just not sure I can afford to stay there again, I had planned on staying at places in the $50 range." Charles explained.

"You could stay here for the night and leave in the morning?"

As she said it Charels couldn't quite believe his own ears. "You don't think your mother or aunt would mind?" he asked.

"No, I have people stay over all the time. It's okay. Why don't you let me get changed and we can go out to a movie or something?"

Charles accepted her offer to stay the night and then started to leave the room; but, she stopped him saying, "You don't have to leave, just turn around".

Charles could feel his heart beat faster inside him as he heard her clothes hit the floor and only with the greatest effort in control could he stop himself from turning around to watch.

"Okay, you can look now." she said. When he did he found himself confronted by her obvious charms and sensuality. "Let me just tell them that we're going", she said.

The movie they went to see was a comedy about some guy who had died and came back to life as a parrot. His ex-wife buys the parrot and the parrot proceeds to interrupt her life by upsetting her lovers. In the end she ends up dying and is reincarnated as a cat and eventually eats the parrot. They both enjoyed the movie immensely. When the movie was over they went out to the car to go home.

"You know Charlie, you're one of the politest men I have ever met and I think you're attractive too." As she said this she continued to move closer to him. His eyes were filled with her and he could feel his body as it began to get more and more flushed. He decided to try to kiss her and moved to do so. The first kiss was slightly awkward and Charles was sure she would not want another; but, when she kissed him he was happily surprised. After a few more kisses, Judy said, "Don't make wait, take me home now".

Charles started the car unable to focus and drove off. At first he felt great thinking that he and Judy might enjoy each others company that night; but, as he drove along he began to think that perhaps Judy had only planned on going back to her house. He wondered if maybe she had hurried to get home because she didn't want the two of them to get carried away any further. He decided that he was right the first time when she reached over to touch him.

Once they had returned to the house, Judy led Charles up to her room. When they got inside the room, she lit two candles and began to kiss him. He kissed her back and caressed her back. It seemed so fantastic to him as she sat on her bed and then undressed in front of him.

Afterwards, while he lay in bed, she went downstairs to make herself a sandwich and watch "The Tonight Show". When he woke up the next day, she had already left for work. There was a note on top of his clothes telling him how she had enjoyed meeting him and how she wished him luck on his trip. As he read the note, he had the feeling that he was being discarded, a disposable person used once and then thrown away. The ended with her signature, address and phone number and the words, "If you ever come back here, look me up."

Charles got showered and dressed and went downstairs where he was greeted by Aunt Terri. "Hello Charles. I see you're awake. Would you like some breakfast before you go?" she politely asked. Charles was unsure of what to say and felt funny about how nice she was being. He was confused as he somehow still thought of himself as a teenager and as such had a problem with trying to understand why she was not upset about his sleeping in Judy's room with her.

Charles agreed to the meal and sat down at the table in the kitchen. Aunt Terri served him some pancakes and orange juice and then sat down across from him with a cup of tea.

"You shouldn't feel uneasy Charles", began Aunt Terri. Judy has had gentlemen stay the night in our house before. Where exactly do you plan on going for your trip, if I may ask?"

"I was hoping to go to Los Angeles and then to Texas, New Orleans, Florida and then up to Boston; but, I'm not sure now since I don't have as much money as I had expected any more."

"Do you plan on coming back to California", she asked.

"Yes, I do ma'am. I have a brother in Sacramento and will probably go back there when I'm done." he replied.

"When I was married", she said, "I lived in St. Louis and one year we decided to take a trip to California. As we were driving to San Francisco, we stopped in Monterey. At first, we thought what a wonderful place it was and it is, and we were so enchanted with it that we decided to stay. As the years went on, the newness and difference wore off and I discovered little difference between it and where I came from, except that we are closer to the ocean. It seems to me that one place is very much like another. People are the same as far as their relationships with one another and also as the community goes. The one thing that moving does is remove you from your friends and family, those you love, everything else is the same. Even the scenery is the same once you stop paying attention to it. And most of us stop noticing it once we have lived in a place for a bit. Think about that if you ever find a place that you love away from your home.

"I will. Thank you. Thank you for your hospitality too, also." After a pause Charles made his farewells and left.

I Just Have to Say This

When I point out on other sites online that the media is lying about Trump or that Hillary did fix the primaries, people sometimes assume I am a conservative or alt-right. My readers know, I am as far from the right as I can be. I am a socialist who believes in universal healthcare and actively supported the Occupy Movement, going so far as renaming this blog, "Occupy the Truth is Inside You". I supported Bernie Sanders on this blog up until he became co-opted by the Democratic Party. I am still for breaking up the big banks and the media as they have become anti-competitive and oligarchical. I was a preacher to gay illegal aliens. Online I have been accused of being a Russian bot, an alt righter and whatever else you can imagine, including a racist. Oddly enough, they never directly respond to my questions and my readers know, I have questions and I will ask them. I have some very serious questions about Trump; but, I also don't make statements I cannot back up, those questions will come later; but, for now are only raised in private and in person with my friends who are Trump supporters.

I just read an article in The Boston Globe which is attempting to claim that Trump is responsible for someone becoming a neo-Nazi, that the person felt emboldened (embiggened for the Simpsons viewers) by Trump saying whatever. Their intent is to say that Trump has been responsible for Nazis in the United States. This is incredibly unfair and outrageous. Do you remember when President Obama's Homeland Security organized the takedown of the Occupy Movement in contravention of federal law? I wrote about it at the time.

Lets take a quick review of what the Nazi's believed in. They believed that some races and sexes were inferior to others. Hmmm. Now people claiming to be on the left (they are not truly on the left if they don't believe in regulating industry for the benefit of the nation or if they believe it is okay to have monopolies) are against free speech, pro war, against freedom of assembly, pro-monitoring opponents and against your being able to pick a President they don't like (to the point of denying the requirement of charging "high crimes and misdemeanors" for impeachment.

Totalitarianism is the problem and it doesn't matter if it comes from the left or right. If you create a repressive society, eventually it only benefits the rich and powerful. The neo liberals call for regulating speech on the internet and protest violently against free speech rallies calling people who believe in free speech fascists. I may not agree with someone but I would still defend their right to say what they believe with my life.

I was typing up the next chapter from my story and my fingers got tired (arthritis hits when it hits); but, I saw this article in the globe and it just ticked me off. Well, I also had to take a moment away from reading my 35 year old story as sometimes it makes me cringe to see my writing from that far back.

Here is my point. If you are truly for freedom and against tyranny, you will not promote denying free speech, you will support whoever is elected constitutionally as a valid representative of those who voted and you will not shout down those you disagree with. I tell you now, if you promote restricting rights, you will be the victim of those restrictions. Imagine getting the right to free speech limited online and then having someone like Trump not impeached and able to use that limitation on those who fight him. Take a moment and ask yourself what rights you would be willing to give up today to defeat Trump if he is then allowed to use those same limits on rights. Well that is the question and if you truly believe he is a Nazi, why would give anyone that power over you?

Let me make it even clearer to the left and right. Bush got the Patriot Act passed which does away with Habeas Corpus and it was used by Obama and Bush. Do you really want to see Trump use it? Every law that you support can be used against you as the winds change from east to west regularly.

MSN - The Boston Globe - When the pizza delivery guy is also ‘Nazi Bob’.

Ask yourself, why can't someone fire an employee for being gay or black; but, you can fire them for their political beliefs even if not expressed at work? We have been seeing a lot of that lately. Not just on the left, we have seen it on the right too. Here is a question. Remember the bakery that refused to bake a cake for a gay wedding? What if they had refused to bake a cake with a Nazi on top saluting Hitler, would you still say they had to?

Kiddies, if you think my questions are going to get easier in the future, you are far from correct. As the hypocrisy of the establishment and the media is further exposed, our own hypocrisy should be addressed by ourselves. I'm not that nice.

Just Messin With You

A Little Drive - Chapter 5 - Part 2

When Charles awoke he found himself being in the throes of the flu. "Damn" he said to himself and the rooms green walls. "I guess I'm going to be stuck in this hotel for longer than I thought." He ached all over and felt as if his skin was being rubbed with ice and then being set on fire. His head felt as if it were full of soup busily sloshing around and sometimes spilling out of his nose. The one part of him that wasn't sick was his stomach and that was calling out for nourishment. He decided to call for room service and hoped that the hotel had it as he had neglected to ask when he registered the night before. The number of the office was written on the phone so he called the front desk clerk.

"Hi, this is Charles Leed in room 16," he said, "I was wondering if I could get some food delivered to my room."

The clerk told him that the hotel was not equipped with a restaurant. Charles considered which was the worse fate, to starve to death or crawl to the nearest restaurant.

"By the way, Mr. Leed, will you be checking out today? If so, remember that checkout is at eleven-thirty", said the clerk.

"No, I think I'll stay at least another night. Could you tell me if there are any restaurants that deliver around here?" asked Charles.

After a short pause, the clerk said, "There is a pizza parlor that delivers here; but, they don't deliver until after five."

Charles said goodbye and then left to find a restaurant and a store. He found a coffee shop that looked good for breakfast about five miles from the hotel. He parked his car, went in and sat down at the counter.

A pretty young brunette of about 25 approached him and after saying her name was Judy and that she would be his waitress she asked if he wanted a menu. She stood about five feet six with lightly tanned skin. As she handed him his menu, he noticed that her eyes were not quite right. One seemed to pay little attention to where the other was looking, a result of which was it's wandering around ever so slightly while she was talking to him.

"Thanks," said Charles through stuffed nasal passages. "I just want a large glass of orange juice, some bacon, scrambled eggs and a cup of coffee".

"That's our wayfarer special and it comes with toast, an English Muffin or hash browns" she replied.

"I'll have the English muffin", Charles replied.

"Would you like jelly, jam or marmalade?" she continued.

"Just butter, please," said Charles, "and some extra napkins." Then he blew his nose in the one napkin that he did have.

When the meal arrived he put some ketchup on his eggs and began to eat. After every other bite he would blow his nose or cough in one of the napkins. When he had finished his eggs he noticed that the other patrons were looking at him. He could feel his ears getting hot and began to imagine that people were laughing at him and began to eat quicker so that he could leave sooner. During one of his coughing fits the waitress came over to refill his cup (though it was only half empty and he preferred to usually finish his cup before getting a refill).

"You don't look to good, you should be at home," said the waitress.

"I would be; but, I gave up my apartment and am driving across the country," said Charles.

"No kidding. Damn. I always wanted to do that." said Judy. "Problem is it takes a lot of money. A lot more than I can afford and I have never been able to save enough up, something else always seems to come up. Anyway, I don't think I could ever really find the time", she said.

"Sure you could, I only have a couple grand and I'm doing it." Charles explained.

Judy seemed to think about it for about a tenth of a second and then said, "I don't know, I just don't think I could. Oops, I'd better get to the other customers."

After finishing his breakfast and paying the bill, Charles got up to leave. Judy wished him good luck on his trip and waved goodbye.

When Charles got outside a young man in jeans and a tee sheirt with a denim jacket came running up to him. "Hey, are you headed south and if so can you give me a lift to Cannery Row?" they young man asked.

"I'm sorry, I'm not from here and don't know where it is", said Charles.

"That's okay, it just right down the street and I know where it is", said the young man.

"II'm sorry", said Charles, "But I'm really just about to go looking for a store to pick up some things."

"Great, look there's one on the way to the Row", answered the boy, "come on, be a friend, it's just a couple of blocks."

"Alright, hop in", Charles said. When they were both in the car Charles asked him where to go.

"Just down the road about a mile and then make a left", said the boy.

Charles started the car and they drove away as he had been directed. Hoping to make some conversation, Charles said, "You lived her long"?

"Shut up faggot and give me your money", was the young mans reply.

"Huh?" was all Charles managed to say.

"Give me your money mother fucker or I'll blow your fucking nuts off asshole". was the next response from the young man who proceeded to pull out a gun and point it in Charles' direction.

Charles took out his wallet and the young man grabbed it and removed all the cash that it held.

"Where's the rest of it, this is only $400 and I heard you tell the waitress you had a couple grand." said the man.

"The rest is in traveler's checks," Charles explained.

"Give them to me too." he was told.

Charles turned over the checks and was told to pull over to the side of the road. Once he had he was told to get out of the car.

As Charles watched his car pull away he cursed everything he had ever heard of  with every curse that he had ever known. Then he blew his nose on his hand and coughed.

Charles looked around not quite sure what had just happened and tried to decide what to do next. He chose to walk back to his hotel then decided to go to the restaurant instead and call the police as it was closer. As he began walking back he noticed the sky for the first time that day and it was turning grey looking as if it might let loose some rain.

"Damn", he thought, "I don't even have my jacket."

He walked down the road and actually noticed where he was for the first time since arriving. He thought about how beautiful Monterey was and hoped that he would once again have the chance to enjoy it from the privacy of his own car. As upset as he was over losing his money and his car, he was thankful that he had left the receipts for the traveler's checks in his suitcase at the hotel. He tried to get a ride by sticking his thumb out but after being passed for a good half hour he decided that he wouldn't pick up someone who looked like him either and gave up.

An hour later he was within sight of the restaurant. While heading for it a police car came up behind him and stopped him.

"Boy, am I glad to see you. Some asshole just stole my car and my money," he said to the approaching officer.


"Would you put your hand on my car?" asked the large man dressed in blue.

The officer patted him down and then turned him around;;but, not quite face to face. The policeman eyed him suspiciously then less so as Charles explained what had happened. The officer told him to wait where he was and then called in the report of the stolen car and ran a check on Charels' license.

When the policeman returned he was slightly more pleasant. He asked Charles where he could be reached and Charels told him the name of the hotel he was staying at and some other information. The officer then returned to his car and drove off.

"Shit!" Charles thought, "I should have asked for a ride back to the hotel." Charels walked into the restaurant and sat back down at the counter.

"Back so soon? Did you forget something?" Judy asked him.

"Yeah, I forgot to never give rides to hitchhikers."

"What happened?" she asked.

Charles told her the story and then didn't now what else to say. "I was coming here to call the cops; but, they stopped me on the road and I already told them. I'm not quite sure what to do now."

"Would you like a cup of coffee?" she asked.

"Don't have any money left and won't till I call the traveler's check people and I can't do that till I get back to my hotel." Charles explained.

"No problem. It's on me." she said.

As Charles drank his coffee and had a cigarette he found the need to continue to blow his nose on the napkins. He heard Judy telling one of the other waitresses about what had happened to him. Judy returned and asked what he was going to do.

"I guess I'll go back to my hotel, try and get new travelers checks and watch T.V." he replied.

"Where are you staying?" she asked.

He told her and she said that he couldn't walk the five miles back as sick as he was.

"Listen," she said, "I get off in three hours and I'll give you a ride there. It will take you about that long just to walk there anyways in your condition. Looks like I have a new customer, I'll be back in a minute.

Forty minutes later the lunch crowd came in and Judy was too busy to talk to Charles. He watched the people come in and out and began to think about how all the coffee shops were the same no matter what the tables looked like.

When Judy got off work, she drove him over to his hotel. "Thanks a lot for the coffee, the ride and everything", he told her as she stopped the car. "I would ask you to come in but I don't have anything to offer you and I'm pretty tired."

"That's okay, Maybe I'll see you before you go. What do you think you are going to do, go home?"

"I don't know, I'll have to see if I get my car back tonight or not."

After Judy left, Charles went into his room to look for his travelers check receipts. He called the 800 number of the check company and was told he could not get new ones issued until the next morning as the banks that took that checks were closed in Monterey on Sundays.

Charels got undressed and watched T.V. from the bed. While watching some documentary on the life and death of the Mammoth butterfly and eating a soggy sandwich that he had made from his soggy supplies that he had kept in the cooler the phone rang.

"Hello, Is this Mr. Charles Leed?" a voice asked.

"Yes sir".

"This is officer Garr, Monterey Police. We have found your car."

"Great! Thanks, where is it."

It's being held by the Prunedale police. It can be picked up tomorrow between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. at the Harrison Garage on Twelfth in Prunedale. There is a charge of $50 for garaging the car.

"Thanks, thanks a lot. I'll pick it up tomorrow." was Charles response.

After hanging up, Charles began to try to figure out where Prunedale was on the map and then he tried to figure out how he would get there. He decided that he could take a bus there after he got her new travelers checks. "Well", he thought to himself as he went to bed, "by this time tomorrow, I'll be back on the road."

Impeachment calls by Democrats are not about Trump, they detest Demcoracy

Breitbart - HuffPo’s Grim: 54 Private Jets at Meeting to Stop Trump.  The meeting happened in March of 2016 before Trump even won the primaries and while the media was claiming he never would.

Fortune - Conservatives Grasp For a Plan to Stop Trump.  Another article from March of 2016. The article outlines a plan that if it looked like Trump would win the parties nomination, the party establishment would run a third party against Trump with the intent of having Congress pick the President rather than the people.

New York Daily News - Here’s how the Electoral College could prevent a Donald Trump presidency, even if he wins the popular vote.  Even before the Presidential election, the establishment was calling for voiding the election if Trump won.

New York Post - The one scenario that could still get Hillary into the White House.  Immediately after the election last year, there were calls to ignore the votes and have the Electoral College decide who would be President and give it to Hillary.

AOL - How Hillary Clinton could still get in the White House.

The establishment of the left and right want Trump out. Impeachment calls were made in the media even before Trump got elected. Nothing has changed.

YouTube - A Group Of Democrats Just Officially Moved To Impeach Donald Trump As President | TIME.  Now, we have six Democrats calling for Trump's impeachment, partly based on their claim that he denigrated the Court and the Media. Scratch your head on that one. If allowed, it would mean that you cannot vote for someone who does not respect the media or the courts. Congress does not get to create the requirements for being President, the Constitution did that already.

While the corporate media wants you to believe that denying your right to choose your President is about Trump, it is not, they would have done the same with Bernie Sanders. The difference is that the Democratic primaries were so rigged that Sanders never had a chance.

You have to ask why the establishment is so afraid of Trump. They are not, they are afraid that the public is waking up and will no longer support them. The Occupy Movement and the Tea Party scared the establishment to the core; but, Trump and Sanders could not be eliminated as easily. The establishment fears the people taking control of our democracy back. They deride "populism" (democracy) and the voters as stupid and uninformed. They do understand what is going on, the people are fed up and are tired of seeing a system where all the benefits go to a few and the rest continually lose out.

Lets say they could prove that Trump paid hackers to hack the DNC server, guess what, even his supporters would be okay with him being impeached for that. If he were impeached for insulting the media, expect to see dead politicians that voted for that impeachment. You cannot expect to deny people the right to choose their President and have it go well, that is insanity and desperation.

The problem with the trade agreements and the climate accords is that they gave away power to other countries to decide our laws. Those agreements deny nations their right to self determination and people know it. An establishment that will not share decision making with the governed is not long for this world.

UPDATE:

MSN - The Hill - Clinton: DOJ investigating me would be 'abuse of power'.  Hillary believes that the Justice Department investigating her over Uranium One would be an abuse of power even though her foundation took $140 million from people involved in the deal. Still, she had no problem with President Obama telling these same people to investigated Trump after he won the election based upon a bogus dossier that she commissioned and paid for that was compiled by foreign agents and Kremlin officials. She really does believe she is above the law.

A Day or Two

I had to do a little physical labor today and it really took it out of me. My legs are still killing me. Fortunately a friend of mine did the heavy lifting. As a consequence it is going to be a day or two before I get back to retyping the story. I will finish typing what I have.

A Little Drive - Chapter 5, Part 1

A Little Drive - Chapter 1

A Little Drive - Chapter 2

Chapter 5: Time to Go

When Charles awoke he could smell the coffee and bacon being prepared in the kitchen by Dee Dee. He walked out to the kitchen and said hello. "Good morning Charlie", Dee Dee said as she handed him a warm cup of coffee fixed just the way he liked it. "Looks like today is the big day", she said.

Charles coughed a couple of times and then thanked her. "I must of have a beer too many last night and a few too many cigarettes cause my throats a little sore and so is my head". Charels finished his coffee and then took a shower and dressed. After getting dressed he went out to the kitchen and finished his breakfast with Dee Dee and Stuart.

"Hey Chuck", said Stuart, "How much money you got left?"

Charles said, "Well after getting my checks I figure I had a little over six grand, spent about $400 on parts and things so I got about $5,500 left."

Stuart frowned, "Did you think about how much need when you get back? Your going to need first and last months rent, deposit for utilities and money to tide you over while you find a new job. You gotta be looking at $1,500 when you get back".

"How much of your money are you bringing with you in cash?" asked Stuart.

"All of it". said Charles.

"What? Are you crazy?" asked Stuart. "Listen, you'd better get some traveler's checks. What if you get mugged or something? When you go down to the bank to cash your check, see if you can get two grand or so in traveler's checks and keep the rest in cash for the places that won't take the checks>

Charles stood up and said, "Well, I packed everything last night and I think it is time to go." Charles said. He kissed Francine and Dee Dee goodbye and they all headed out to the car. After kissing Dee Dee one last time and hugging Stuart he drove off to the bank and then to San Francisco.

As Charles drove down the freeway he began to feel sad about leaving his family. For a few seconds he even thought as if he might cry. These thoughts eventually passed as he began to thing about what lay ahead. He thought about the places he would be seeing and the people he would meet. As he drove through Vacaville he could smell the onions that grew there and swore that he would try to avoid driving there ever again.

He pulled into San Francisco around four o'clock and, after driving over the Bay Bridge he headed for the Golden Gate Bridge. He drove over the Golden Gate and then immediately turned around and drove back. He went over it just so he could say he did.

By five-thirty he had managed to find Fisherman's Wharf, so he parked his car and took a short walk to look at the different sites. Charles was amazed by the mime he saw and by how colorful and lively the city seemed.

Charles at dinner at one of the fancier restaurants, spending nearly $60 for his meal. He had a steak and lobster and while he ate it he looked at the others in the restaurant. He thought the restaurant was incredible and was surprised that nobody in the restaurant noticed how nice it was or to be in the slightest bit impressed by the service or food. It was like they took it for granted. The otherse seemed as comfortable as if they were in a Denny's.

When he left the restaurant it was already dark. He headed to the Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum and then over to the Guinness Book of World Records Museum. As the he left the Guiness Museum he was considering staying the night; but, he was interrupted by a man in a nice suit who asked him if he would like some company. Charles was a little taken aback by the man and decided to head further south before deciding on a place to stay for the night.

Getting in his car, Charles was still trying to decide where to stay for the night. He thought he could drive all the way to Los Angeles but wanted to enjoy the drive and stay in at least San Louis Obispo, which was a couple miles down the road. He drove further south and as he was leaving San Francisco he found that he needed to stop at a gas station to get some throat lozenges as his throat was sorer. He also picked up some aspirin and face tissue.

Drivng down the freeway while sneezing and coughing he was listening to one of the local jazz stations. A tune called "Groove Yard" was being played and Charles began to imagine himself as a modern day Jack Kerouac. Still, as he drove, he could not seem to settle into the drive and was beginning to feel more chilly.

By the time he got to Monterey he was too sick to continue and ended up pulling into some small motel along the way and checked in for the night. Somehow he managed to get all of his possessions into the motel and after settling in he went right to sleep.

________________________________________________________

PIMPERNEL COMMENT:

I have to be honest. I haven't read this in well over a decade. I wrote it in about 1985 and updated in around 93 or 94. I wrote it before the internet existed. The original car in the story was a Rambler with a cassette tape. Most people wouldn't know what I was talking about today. There were no cell phones when I wrote this story. There were but nobody had them, people used pagers and that was just for a few businessmen.

So much has changed since I wrote this. In the end the story is about disappointment. It is about the difference between aspirational images of the world and the reality of it. I had graduated from graduate school, got married and got injured. I couldn't work or walk well for a year. My ex got a job for that year and I took care of my step daughter and learned to cook and clean. I found myself having lived in multiple states, graduating law school and having to move back to the same apartment buildings I had lived in when I was very young.

You can do all the things they tell you that you should to succeed and still fail. That was what I was trying to convey at that time. Yes, I did do very well later and still have many options open to me; but, in the end I learned you can lose it all in a second. I have asked this before. On 9-11 there was a guy sitting on a toilet in the Twin Towers. He was complaining about the stock market or his wife or his car or welfare or whatever and a plane flew into his rear-end and he died not knowing what had just occurred.

This story was about how we fool ourselves into believing that anything is possible for everyone. Take a moment with that. It is hard for me to retype this, not just because of my arthritis. I want to rewrite the whole thing, every sentence. I would word it and write it so much better today; but, I don't want to rewrite the story. It spoke for a time in my life and a point I wanted to make. I wrote this 32 years ago. I was in my 20s. LOL. I wrote it long hand and only transcribed it almost 10 years later.

I am going to force myself to post the rest of it. I don't know how much I will need to rewrite to avoid losing my mind. I just don't want to rewrite it all. I want to get back to writing my story about vampires and the rat pack. If my scanner worked, I would scan the story and not worry about all the mistakes; but, it does not.

Likely or Unimaginable?

11 days ago I wrote that the Podesta's would be charged by Mueller. Now, it is coming out.

New York Times - Russia Scandal Befalls Two Brothers: John and Tony Podesta.

Here is a telling line for the article. "Tony Podesta stepped down from his firm hours after it was obliquely referenced in the indictments of Mr. Manafort and Mr. Gates, though he had been in talks about leaving for months." It is a lie; but, telling and is exactly what I said was going on in my post prior.

The New York Times attempt to protect the Podesta's will fail miserably. Things are quickly unravelling. According to the article John Podesta met with Fusion GPS founder to share notes on Russian interference; however, even after that meeting he told congressional investigators that he didn't know about payments to Fusion GPS for the dossier.

I will explain it again, Mueller is not charged with finding dirt on Trump. He is looking for crimes that can be prosecuted having to do with foreign influence in our election. The article says that the Podesta group has told people that in two weeks they may not get paychecks. They are expecting to be indicted. Will people call for Trump to pardon Podesta? Good luck with that unless he is willing to turn state evidence against Hillary. Will he offer to give up Hillary? I think he is already cutting the deal or he would have been indicted already along with Manafort.

You have to ask yourself why Hillary went on television and said that it had been known for a year that the DNC paid for the Trump dossier. The fact that is not true and I have written about it for a year since it came out and linked to the actual document when it was published. If Obama knew it was opposition research and did not tell the FBI or Trump that during the briefing the FBI gave Trump back in January of THIS year, that would be a problem. If I were interviewing Trump I would ask him if they told him it was DNC paid for opposition research. If I were interviewing Comey I would ask when he discovered it was DNC paid for opposition research.

I don't know which parties the people who read me are members of. I have made it clear I detest the Bushes and Clintons and see them as political whores selling themselves to the highest bidder. I do not belong to either party. Politics is an industry and the Clintons made it more profitable by using their foundation to receive money from foreign governments and big business. They turned their political influence into a corporation. That corporation continued to get paid by foreign governments and big business while Hillary was Secretary of State. Let's be clear, foreign money was going regularly to the Clinton Foundation. In the Podesta e-mails it came out that they were getting millions from a Saudi prince.

Recently a whole bunch of Saudi royal family members were arrested for, wait for it, CORRUPTION. Some of them gave millions to the Clinton Foundation. If Mueller indicts Clinton, it is going to blow people's minds. Democrats who now say it would be impeachable if Trump fires Mueller will immediately flip and call for Trump to fire Mueller. It will be a replay of the Comey situation, except, Trump will not fire Mueller and say that he cannot pardon Hillary or Podesta.

People on the right will cheer Hillary's indictment and any court case will be watched like the OJ case was. Thing of it is, if Hillary gets indicted, Bill might be to. Can you imagine a former President being indicted for bribery and working for foreign governments? It is unravelling and quickly. Before this is over, people will turn on Hillary and eventually if there is an indictment, some will end up in the witness protection program. That happened during Watergate also. For Trump to pardon Hillary it would appear as obstruction of justice. He would have no choice; but, to wait for the trial to end. I don't know that unless found guilty, Hillary would even accept a pardon.

One might ask why Hillary does not simply shut up and go away. She cannot. Right now she is creating a Super PAC. People think it is to get her elected in 3 years, it is not. It is a way to get money and keep influence as a commodity, to keep the family business alive. The Clinton's NEVER admit wrongdoing unless there is absolute proof, like Bill's ejaculation on Lewinsky's dress. As my mother used to say, "lie and deny", that was how she described liars. That is how the Clinton's handle attacks and always have. They also blame others for doing what they are guilty of, always have.

UPDATE:

So after I wrote this post I did a search for Podesta indictment and Clinton. I saw more baloney that I could shake a stick at. As far as I know, neither Podesta has been arrested or charged with anything as of this moment. I cannot believe that people are saying they have. I have read things saying Hillary has been indicted. What utter nonsense.

Anyone who expects anything to happen quickly is fooling themselves. Enjoy the show. I don't do rumors. I do facts and analysis. It is a fact that Hillary said everybody knew for the past year that the DNC and her campaign paid to create the Trump dossier. I could post a link to the Daily Show with Trevor Noah where she said it last week. The whole episode is online. If what she said is true then President Obama knew that when he called for the investigation and a report prior to his leaving office. If he did not know it then that raises other questions equally disturbing. That is not a rumor, that is a fact. This stuff is going to go on for awhile and it will be the best show in town.

UPDATE 2:

So I woke up today and scanned the news finding the following two stories.

CNN - Podesta Group on the verge of shuttering amid ties to Mueller probe.

Snopes - Has Tony Podesta Been Arrested in the Mueller Investigation?  Not surprisingly they gave the same answer as I did. Tony Podesta has NOT been arrested; but, is under investigation.

I say again to my readers, please, do not pass on rumors. It is okay to ask what may happen next based on facts that we can verify; but, it is not okay to pass on every rumor you read or hear. If you pass on rumors as facts, you risk your credibility. False stories are intentionally placed on the internet for just that purpose. It is a fact that Mueller is investigating the Podestas for representing a foreign government without declaring it. The Podestas themselves have admitted it by filing as such; but, it took them years to do it (same as Manafort). It is a fact that the Podesta group is failing and coming apart as reported by CBS, CNN and the New York Times. We can assume that the Podestas (at least one of them) will be indicted; but, that does not mean it has happened yet. Lets not get ahead of ourselves and do anticipate that things will take time to unfold.