For civility, common sense.

Today's Tids Issue 4,402

I get it; I understand:

Want to live like you’re back in gentler times? Turnoff the news.

The National Plagiarist Laureate (NPL) is at it again. Yes, Candidate Biden is doing today what candidate Biden did in 1988, appropriating words from others without proper citations. He apparently lifted word-for-word five paragraphs from other works for his big Climate Plan revealed yesterday. Take it from me Joe, you are much better off with typos than bootlegging others’ creations.

With Google and Wikipedia, do people actually consider plagiarism criminal any longer. Hey, everybody does it.

Yes, it is a little like politeness which some think is over the hill. The strongest people in the world don’t flaunt their strength, they exhibit their confidence though courtesy, by respecting others. And, thinking.

No, Mr. President, the “D” in D-Day does not stand for Donald. Thanks to Granlund for the inspiration.

Do you realize that almost all of the natural play areas I enjoyed, as a kid, and perhaps your favorites too, have been removed by the government for our safety, or restricted to avoid law suits, or to quell the fears of over protective parents?

The Question:

Name five of Ken Follett’s best books.

The Headlines:

--Britain’s Royal family, World Leaders Join US President In Honoring The Magnificent Heroes Of D-Day, 75 years Ago.

--Market Takes Off Earlier; Repeat Of Yesterdays’ big Runup?; Fed Watchdog Proclamation Has buoyed Spirits Of Investors; Concerns Over Tariff Fallout Still Remain High.

--Repub Senators Come Out Strong Against Trump’s Mexico Tariff Threat.

--Russia Releases Video Claimed To Be That Of Hypersonic Missile Launch.

--Sudan Military Rushes In To Quell Demonstration Calling For Civilian Inclusion In Interim Khartoum Government Now Held By Military Panel; 60 Killed, 300 Injured.

--Tom Brady Tweet Implying His Last Season Has New England Fans Looking For Straight Jackets.

--Winner Of $344 Million Power Ball Jackpot Used Fortune Cookie Numbers.

--Recent Death s To Tourists Have Travelers Rethinking Caribbean Trips; Dominican Republic Moves Up on US Warning list.

--Renault Delays Decision On Fiat Chrysler Merger; Renault Partner Nissan May be Asking More Questions.

A knowledgeable Israeli friend of mine was telling me yesterday of a guy named Ze’ev Jabotinsky. He was an early founding father, so to say, of the state of Israel. He was a typical liberal thinking European, author, poet, orator and soldier. Yet, he recognized that it was essential for the new Country in the midst of enemies to assume a strong nationalistic identify and create a powerful defense system. In fact, this liberal founded the conservative party of the country, now Likud. The point of this little tale is that common sense should override ideological agendas, prevail in all situations; that this man, a liberal by all internal inclinations could see the bigger picture that would require strong conservative values. Blending is the word. Resisting is the sin.

It’s like living in this state, which has almost more water than land. You have to be an environmentalist for the good of all. But, you don’t have to be nutty about it.

I like to keep my hands at arm’s length.

Do vegetarians really like vegetables or do they like all the additives that disguise the taste of the garden production.

I tried Tofu once. Somebody told me it took on flavors of the sauces and spices, and would be just like chicken. I thought it was stupid, Bland and entirely uninteresting. And, definitel not chicken.

And, monkfish is not lobster.

Sermon on Adultery: You can’t have your Kate and Edith too.

Alibaba is a terrific company, and finically is a better stock deal than Amazon. But it has one thing holding it back, it is a Chinese company, beholden to the whims of trade negotiators and a President for Life, even if that has no effect on their current biz operations. It is an enigma stock.

As a kid, I always preferred mercurochrome over Iodine. It didn’t sting as much. But then, a little stinging made you tougher.

Elizabeth Warren says she will create jobs. Presidents don’t create jobs.

I have to be honest with you. The kind of people I least wanted to emulate as I grew older were those like Donald Trump. So, this is part of bigtime dilemma for a lifelong ardent Repub like me. I don’t like the Dems, and even more so the intolerant left, running the country, and the President has done many good things with which I agree. It’s hard writing the Tids these days. It is this conflict between the right side of moderate, and the wrong side of civility and morality.

Re-correction: I really didn’t correct anything yesterday when I said it wasn’t Venice but Genoa where the cruise liner hit the dock. It was Venice. There was never anything about Genoa ever mentioned except, obviously, by me. I guess I have protecting Columbus Day on my mind.  I hope I don’t have to write this again tomorrow.

The Answer:

My personal a favorite book of Ken Follett is “Pillars of the Earth”, actually one of my favorite books of all time.  There also was the sequel to that, “World Without End”, and now his epic current war series – “Fall of Giants”, “Winter of the World” and “Edge of Eternity”. I first got sucked onto Follett with “Eye of the Needle”. Next, for some reason, I remember “Triple”. Others are “the Man form Saint Petersburg”, “A Dangerous Fortune”, “Key to Rebecca”, “The Third Twin”, “Whiteout”, “On Wings of Eagles”, “The Modigliani Scandal” and “Code to Zero.”

Achieving an elementary societal environment based on Common Sense should be a rather unencumbered objective for humanity. That is, until people get in the way.