Lyle Northey (Silent/Boomer)

  The Supreme Court is really getting its day in the Sun. They have proven themselves to be anything but honest, voting to end abortion even after swearing that they would not go down that path. They have written an ethics bill for themselves that pretty much gives them immunity for life if they take bribes and do other deeds that honorable individuals would find offensive.

  They are to hear cases in reference to former president Trump and it is unknown if they will uphold the Constitution or side with a treasonous ego maniac that feels he has the right to do as he pleases whenever he feels like it.

  The states of Florida and Texas have gone to great lengths to get people of color to not vote. They have passed laws that make it possible for the state to put people in prison for voting if they happen to have a  fine or judgment on the books that they do not know about. The need to dominate others is so important that the political waters of these states are poisonous to all that attempt to exercise their rights.

  The DC appellate court found that Presidential Immunity is not absolute and that Trump will have to face the charges. The way the court wrote the findings makes it unlikely that the Supreme Court will be able to change anything to give Trump what he wants.

  The belligerent actions of Republican Governors toward the federal government is very disturbing and unnecessary. Many of the State officials are attempting to be little empire builders in their own right and unfortunately most do not seem to possess the brain power to get it done. Strong men are supposed to get things done and all these clowns seem to do is make life more difficult for themselves and everyone else in their states. The hope of putting Trump back in the WH is just not acceptable. His intent is to become a dictator and since he has proven that he cannot manage a fruit stand let alone a country we can do without his brand of bull shit.

  The comments made about Trump “telling it like it is” and he is “our voice” are so far from the truth that it is enough to make you sick. He is telling it the way you want to hear it and he is using first person as his target. By that I mean you all say how unfair you are being treated and how you would do it this way or that, typical armchair quarterback crap, and he is repeating you and that reinforces your rather pity me attitude. You believe he is going to do great things for you if elected, and the only entity he is looking out for is himself. 

  Read that many people are pessimistic at present. This is not a shocking outlook, the 1% feel that they are so privileged that anything they ask for they should have, to include who they want as President. With so many hoping to get Trump, a man with no morals, no spine, and no brains, so that they are able to get all restrictions removed from the way they want to run things, all profit and no consequences. We are getting closer to becoming cynical, not just pessimistic. If you are not sure what the terms mean then  let’s define it. Optimism is when someone says please pass the cream, pessimism is when that person says please pass the milk, and the cynic says please pass the pitcher, he is not sure if there is anything in it but he wishes to check for himself. 

Any a all comments, concerns, rebuttals are welcomed.

There’s a mysterious object from ancient Rome archaeologists still can’t figure out. 

ARTS & CULTURE 

Ancient Rome is one of the most well-studied civilizations on Earth, but there are some aspects of the culture that still puzzle researchers today. Among the oddest mysteries the Romans left behind are small, hollow dodecahedra— 12-sided objects — with no apparent purpose. These dodecahedra are usually about the size of a human fist or a baseball, although the ones that have been found by archaeologists range from1.5 inches to 4.5 inches tall. Each pane typically contains a differently sized hole between .2 and 1.5 inches wide, and each corner is marked by a spherical stud. The first one was unearthed in 1739, and more than 100 have been discovered since then, mostly around ancient Britain, Gaul, and Roman Germany.

Despite having nearly 300 years to figure it out, archaeologists still aren’t even close to sure what the Gallo-Roman dodecahedra are for, but they do have some wildly disparate ideas. The objects could have been used for a game that’s disappeared from the historical record, for detecting counterfeit coins (some of them were even discovered in coin hoards), or as surveying tools. Names for the zodiac were found on one dodecahedron, leading some to believe that they could be used in astrology. Other ideas include a musical instrument, candle holder, child’s toy, calendar, or a gauge for water pipes.

Original photo by Joseph Sohm/ ShutterstockAlaska’s flag was created by a 13-year-old.Every flag has a story, but few are as endearing as Alaska’s. One of the rare places to have a flag before it was actually a state, the Last Frontier held a contest to design its territorial standard in 1926-27 — and a 13-year-old won. (The contest was only open to Alaskan children in the seventh to 12th grades, but still.) Benny Benson lived in an orphanage known as the Jesse Lee Home in Seward, Alaska, when he came up with the winning design, which included a descriptionhe wrote himself: “The blue field is for the Alaska sky and the forget-me-not, an Alaska flower. The North Star is for the future of the state of Alaska, the most northerly in the Union. The dipper is for the Great Bear – symbolizing strength.” His design also featured “1867” in commemoration of the year the United States bought Alaska from Russia, although the numbers didn’t make the final cut.

In addition to being hailed as a local hero, Benson won a watch with his design on it and a $1,000 scholarship. He eventually used that money to attend Hemphill Diesel Engineering School after moving to Seattle in 1936. He was 45 when Alaska became a state in 1959, fulfilling the hopeful description of his design. Alaska kept its flag rather than adopt a new one, and Benson’s work lives on today.

In Massachusetts, It’s Illegal to Scare a Pigeon

Since 1848, it has been illegal in the state of Massachusetts to not only kill a pigeon but also to purposefully frighten one from “beds which have been made for the purpose of taking them in nets.” Offenders face up to a month in prison as well as a $20 fine, and they’re also liable “for the actual damages to the owner or occupant of such beds.” According to Massachusetts Historical Society librarian Peter Drummey, the law was a sign of the times — in the 19th century, pigeons were both a food source for residents and used in target shooting, so the law was meant to protect hunters’ rights (rather than those of pigeons). While now outdated, the law, like many others in Massachusetts, has remained on the books.