Vote – Hamp's Corner of America

…Down is up, up is down and sideways is running around in circles

We are approaching or in a brand-new year. Yet we are still dragging along a bunch of crap from the old year. Stuff that hasn’t been worked out or a federal investigation that hasn’t reached a conclusion. Everybody knows the Russians interfered in our elections except the President of our country. My guess is he knows but just doesn’t want most Americans to delegitimize the December 2016, Electoral College declaration of the November 8 official winner. If you are not careful, you will become dizzy from the twist and turns of the daily behavior from the current occupants of the White House.
Words like conspiracy and obstruction of justice are flying around Washington DC like a noose tightening around the Grand Marshall of the KKK’s neck. The current administration is ducking, dogging while trying to counter punch as if boxing was in their DNA. No one knows where the real buck is going to land or if an indictment is just around the corner. Yes, these are tense times at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Stay tuned for more fallout reported daily by the very institutions designated by the president as Fake News Outlets.
Stay tuned for more sexual harassments charges from men who can’t seem to keep it in their pants when it comes to business associates or woman they casually meet at some affair or another. For that matter, I bet you some relationship that we never dreamed would occur is about to come to light in 2018. But then…yes…women have found their voice and its about time.
Look out for more saber-rattling from North Korea and the like. They all know now that as America continues to isolate itself against the rest of the world. That provides cover for their inhuman acts. Our allies now trust us less as they don’t know if their discussions with the US will be in the next tweet from the Donald. Senate and House Republicans will continue to act as if they don’t know why they were sent to Washington in the first place.
Look for Democrats to pin a lot of hopes in the 2018 elections. The problem is they better put in the work, or the November-December headlines will be how the Democrats blew it.
All that is just a distraction from how we as individuals can make it an outstanding New Year. First loose as many pounds as you can, which is my goal. You will note I didn’t say how many. That guarantees I will be successful in that venture. Do something you and your main squeeze like to do at least twice a month in 2018. Do something that may be costly during the year but save for it. Or you can still do something that is not pricey. Realize it doesn’t cost anything to be helpful to one another. Or for that matter to people, you meet during your daily rounds.
Take an interest in your children’s world, including play and school. Ensure that they know the values of life and not just the commercial entities. Make an example of yourself by reading books, magazines, or computer blogs. But let them know that your family is a reader of words from many different but trusted sources. Along with your religious preference which should be practiced on a daily schedule. Another fascinating subject that I believe should be discussed within the family is the theory of Maslow Hierarchy of Needs. In short, it’s Abraham Maslow’s psychology theory dating back to his 1943 paper entitled “A Theory of Human Motivation.” It is the ideal vehicle in which to show others why we crave specific needs. Look it up on the internet for details. Having taken the subject of Psychology in school. I found it to be a roadmap for life’s achievements.
Take steps in planning for your independence from your job one day. Whether that is in retirement, resigning or being downsized. Be aware of your peak earning timeframe and always plan on moving on to something else. It will keep you financially stable and able to pivot to another direction. Don’t ever think you are going to work until you are old and gray in any employment.
Finally, as you know, this is a time when we take note of where we are at, going, and how to get there. Some of us select the person we want to ride with us to wherever we’re headed. Nevertheless, it is a time for reflection. If it isn’t, then make it such a time as it should be for your own best interest. Happy New Year from my little corner of the world and enjoy the coming seasons. As you know time moves on with or without you so hang on and enjoy the ride.
If you are thinking of what’s next in Washington DC, don’t get confused or buy into the rhetoric. Heed the words of my Grandma Gracie, “One monkey don’t stop the show.” She may have not been grammatically correct, but you get the point.
Peace & Blessings…stay vigilant for our American rights. Make it a 2018 day in which Jesus Christ would be proud of you,

Codis Hampton II
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Who’s not running for president may be the better question?

Why such a long title, because there is a large number of Republicans running for their party’s nomination for president. When John Kasich of Ohio jumped in, followed by the Virginia guy, I believe this concluded the complete list of those individuals who the press thought might run. Wait until the debate starts, you talk about a seventeen ring circus. The one thing they all can agree on is that President Obama is the Anti-Christ. It’s fun listening to their rhetoric and squabbles. Jeb Bush has already stated his words were taken out of context two, three, four times? I’m sorry, I’ve lost count. Yeah, it’s funny all right until you start remembering the 2008 presidential campaign with John McCain and Sarah Palin race against the Chicago Community Organizer and his VP nominee. Remember the Republican gun-toting darling who could see Russian from her back yard or was it the front. One of her famous lines was “you can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig.” One may start to get chills running up your spine when you think what kind of country would this be had those two gems won. That’s when you realize that the crowd of 2015 is not so funny. They all have the same MO, dangerous rhetoric and idiotic plans for this country. No sense in listing them here, you heard the same things from that party since 2008.

My guess is they think they see Hillary Clinton’s blood in the water. The latest, more troubling news about classified information mixed in with private emails. They can almost taste the negative advertising dollars backers will be willing to contribute to their campaigns. I would agree, it has not been as good as kickoff as she envisioned the last few months, according to the polls. But never fear, barring an out and out monumental failure, she will be the Democratic Nominee. Then folks you can hold on to your hats. In fact, you may want to turn them upside down where you may be able to catch some of the millions of dollars that are going to be spent on the 2016 presidential election. As for the Republicans and their supporters, they are not through trying to buy this country. And the Democrats? Once again that is going to be interesting. How will they defend themselves, and Barack Obama record? And we the public where we vote or not (and you should), we are going to curse the day that the Supreme Court opened up the PAC money spigots. Just as we did during the last Presidential Election in 2012. We got tired of those commercials, robocalls, newscast, and a mailbox full of political ads.

This is so tragic, unreal and solvable.

How many more people have to die before police departments around the country realize the game has changed? What looked like a Hunting Season on people of color is no longer an untrained or psychotic law enforcer’s playground. Perpetrators should be charged, tried and sentenced just like the criminals they are.

There should be a timeline placed on the days a local PD (Police Dept.) has to report the early findings of these type deaths to the Attorney General’s office. All witnesses names, the tapes, and footage should be included in the package. In other words there need to be strict guidelines for forwarding info on these type cases.

We also need to be proactive about the role and conduct of Police Officers on the street. First the Federal Government should develop a Recurring Training Course for all Police Personnel, including county and state troopers, etc. I know you can’t eradicate racism during a few hours or fourteen days to a four-week course. However, you can develop a course that teaches policeman how to do their job on a day to day basis in almost any kind of situation. A stress test and psychological exam should also be a part of that course curriculum. Finally, it should be mandatory to any Police Department in the US of A who want assistance from the Federal Government. That would be access to any federal funds, armory, or technical assistance. Some wouldn’t sign up, but that same kind of information, as noted previously, could be demanded by the Attorney General on a case by case basis.

With that assistant federal inducement, you would be surprised at how many Local PD’s would sign up. No, I am not advocating outfitting a small Army similar to the armory Ferguson, MO and others have. Certain kind of armor should be reserved for the Natural Guard.

My uneducated guess is that 95.5% of all policemen want to finish their shift and return home to love ones. It’s just a job and a career and if they can help people while doing their job, they are better policemen and people for it. They are not all racist or burnt out from street duty. “To Protect and Serve” should be a national motto where all American citizens know that they are talking about them too.

No Child left behind Overhaul?

Let’s see, wasn’t that a G Dubya (Geo. Bush) program patterned after some module in Texas? Did you really expect it to work? Remember we had educators from across the country along with other experts in the field warning us that it was not going to work. Some went as far as calling it a sham and reuse. Most just felt it was a disservice to our youth. The only result would be the have local educational boards set up curriculums that would be geared toward passing the standardize high school test. And that is exactly what happened.

How do they plan on correcting or overhauling it? Is it more smoke and mirrors? The Senate version of the bill leaves it up to the States to select which schools are failing and what if anything should be done about it. Civil Rights groups fear a return to the local districts ignoring the needs of schools that are predominantly attended by children of color. Five Democratic senators offered an amendment that would have corrected this flaw. The amendment failed to pass. The GOP House bill is even worse. I think we all can agree that this time we better get it right. American children of all colors are falling behind the international norm every day.

NBA Players doing the right thing

Much respect to the Players Awards Show on BET. It was so nice for its Producers/Directors to point out NBA Players who head or are associated with specific charity foundations give back to their community. If you noticed during the season and playoffs, short videos were shown pointing out various players doing just that. One should immediately realize they don’t really have to do that.

Michael Jordan, one of the greatest basketball players of all time stayed away from political issues as it was the plague. Being involved with his people concerns of poverty, lack of education, etc. was considered political issues during that time. In fact today, they are still used as code words by many white businessmen. Not sure where it came from but somebody in Mike’s camp felt it would jeopardize his marketability. They were overly cautious to a fault.

Stay tuned political observers

By the way, can anybody name a Republican Politician that actually gives back to a disadvantaged community? We are not talking about giving to your church, Mitt Romney backers. Yet they have no problem in telling poor people to stand on their own two feet and get a job. All while voting to snatch programs that assist people to do just that. Nor do they want to fund an infrastructure jobs bill as proposed by President Obama. It makes you wonder how long the majority of the American voting public is going to tolerate politicians who actually work and vote against American concerns on behalf of lobbyist. We may find out during our National Election of 2016. Will it be more of the same or a vision and a political platform that actually serves everyone in the American Public?

NFL Season has officially begun

I never thought I would agree with Commissioner Rodger Goodell on this Tom Brady-Patriots issue of deflated footballs. You have to admit, no matter which side you fall on, he knew or didn’t know; much less order the deflation of the game footballs, Goodell got this one right. Despite, the appearance of a buyout by owner Bob Kraft by submitting to the fine and loss of draft choices and their close friendship, Goodell made the call for the entire league. Can you believe they even floated the idea that one should not make Brady mad? This upholding of the suspension was right in line with the Commissioner previous behavior when his authority is challenged. His actions toward this and other matters involving protecting the NFL Shield has always been, I am commissioner and you (Bob Kraft-Tom Brady) are not. Next time maybe, the arrogant Brady will give the league’s investigators his cell phone, and anything else they want. I was almost certain that Goodell would reduce if not downright eliminate the punishment. Not because of any evidence supporting the QB’s innocence, but because the commissioner and Bob Kraft, the owner was tight.

And for the record, especially for the Bay Area sportswriters, every time there is a game on the 49ers schedule, I am positive the team will show up and play the game. And…they will play to win. Whether or not they win hasn’t been decided and will not be until the end of the games. Sportswriters, retired players, and analyst shut the hell up and let them play the games. Some players and coaches of last year’s team are no longer there. New coach, new team, new season, let’s all wait and see how it turns out. For me, if they look better at playing the game than they did last year, they might be on to something. Go Niners’.

Peace, make it a day in which Jesus Christ would be proud of you,

Codis Hampton II Follow Hamp at https://twitter.com/#!/HampTwo

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Tag: Vote

Here’s 2018, or…

The Political Landscape for August… or This, That, and the Other.