Today's Tids Issue 2,930
Opening Stuff:
It's starting... A  local media website that touts local weekend activities had as it's Poll of the Day, "Should the Pledge of the Allegiance eliminate you-know-what? The good news is that 81.1% of the voters said "No", Keep "Under God". The bad news is that the internet publication thought to ask this question in the first place. The drum beat will start slowly. It always does. In a couple of years it will be in the Suprme Court and late night comedians will be ridiculing "Under God".

If you ever lose faith about the marvels of creation, check out a dew covered spider web shimmering in the morning sun.

The media will blast the Congress as the roadblock because of their latest effort defunding ObamaCare. I say they are doing what they are supposed to do -- representing the people; checking and balancing. The people are clearly saying in increasing numbers they don't want the new health care system, clearly foisted upon them by the former Congress that didn't know what was in the bill they voted in.

Afghanistan has released form prison a key Taliban leader as part of their peace plan. Yeah, that'll work...real well.

The Question:
Name Ten things commonly thought to be part of the Constitution that aren't.

The Headlines:
--Markets Await Congress Decisions On Shut Down.
--Merkel In; Merkel's Conservatives Appear Strongest; Will Her Coalition Partners Include Lefty Rivals? Stock Markets Happy.
--Eurozone Growing Faster Than Thought.
--Three Americans Among Attackers Of Kenyan Mall.
--Giant Typhoon Hits Hong Kong.
--Hillary Continues To Tease.

The Emmy's lost me at the confusing sleepy opening. HBO won the most Emmy's with 7 followed by Showtime with 4 and then NBC, ABC Comedy Cnetral and AMC wuth 2 each. CBS? How viewing has changed.

Do you ever get sucked into reading the stories behind the headlines that pop up on your Home Page. I do. And, 99% of the time it's a "That's it?" reaction. Anything can be news these days as these web operatives consume info faster than a fire consumes dry pine trees in the west.

Where have all the heroes gone? Who can I root for now? I tired to backHenrick Stenson the dour Swede said by fellow pros to have a dry and pleasant sense of humor. He also has a bit of a temper. And not a pleasant one of that. Aaron Hernandez had a bit of a temper too. Fortunately it wasn't people in the way of Heinrick's temper, only a locker and locker room at Chicago's        Country Club which he crushed; kicked and smashed everything that stood in his way. You want  to elevate these entertainment heroes so you can root for more than their talent, but they are, afterall, flawed humans, just like me.

Chicago has the Black Disciples, Imperial Gangsters, Black P-Stones and Latin Pachucos. Iraq has the Sunnis and Shiites. Other than names of the groups, there is no difference. They both kill themselves and innocent citizens for no rational reason.

Why would anybody want to watch college football games like Saturday when Ohio State beat FAMU 76-0, Louisville beat FIU 72-0, Baylor beat ULM 70-7 and Miami beat SAV 77-7. And that's just a sampling of the Made for TV slaughters. Hey there are plenty of real student body games like yesterday on ESPN SN where Lehigh U came back in the final seconds to beat Princeton 28-21. The fact is that there are incredibly skillful football players in the schools the less than powerhouse schools that can pass, block, catch, tackle and run.and keep fans tense in their seats and cheering great plays.

The hubbub around insider DC, I've been told, is that the new moniker for Potus is "Putin's Poodle". Maybe we should call "Beltway" the "Dog Collar".

Several Republicans dismissed themselves from the Congressional committees on immigration. The reason: They don't trust the President to carry out his duties and properly enforce any bill they would enact. .

I'll be watching "Blacklist" starring James Spader tonight at 10:00 on NBC. "The Critics Are saying it's the best new drama of the year." We'll see about that.

Scalpel and a Publicist, Department:
Are 65+ yo. entertainers with facial reconstruction actually real people?.. Honestly, are they?

The Conscience: Chapter 28:
It was a long day and a half. A time where I knew I should be doing something, but there was nothing obvious to be done. I walked the yard and tried to learn more about the bombers. The guard gave me a complete description of two guys, who he said looked pretty ordinary. Jason's security people said it was pretty much a dead end. "Two pros.," they said. "it was obvious. Everything about them was fake. They were very good and efficient." At least I know what they look like in case I'm in a dark alley some night.
  I called Angelica, and of course Evvy several times. They bith made me feel good for different reasons. Angelica tried to be her usual confident self, but I could tell she was scared. She called me more than I called her. I was, strange as it may seem, the only person she could really trust.
 So basically I just kept  on going over the facts I actually knew, waiting for the Visit from Smith and Washington -- Hmmm, nice name for a steak house. And now was that moment when perhaps we move further inside this affair.
    I could hear cursory laughter as I neared the giant double doors. Pushing open with a fair amount of confidence, I patted the nips in my breast pocket and entered. Fortunately, lately for some unexplained reason I was doing more patting than drinking. I figured that was good. It was quite a sight. Wu and Jason on one side of the desk and two black men on the other, Jason smiling and appearing to enjoy the stranger's company, very unlike the old Jace I remember.  Washington was his usual slick self, the ever assured man I met in Genoa. But, it was if a spotlight had picked out James Smith. He was dressed more casually, yet he looked more elegant, smarter, the man most definitely in charge. You can tell those things..
   They all turned to the door as I stepped in. James Smith's eyes locked on mine. I felt my throat go dry. I didn't know why. Power has a way of reducing me to a gin soaked olive.

The Answer:
Many common beliefs that are attributed to the Constitution, are not there at all, but perhaps in the Declaration of Independence -- like "No Taxation without Representation" or "Persuit of Happiness". Others like "Separation of Church and State" are no where to be found in the document, but are in non-legal binding words of commentary by various Founding Fathers. Others Thought to be in the Constituion but are not is the Mention of "God" (Zero times), The Right to Vote, Unrestricted Freedom of Speech, Innocence until Proven Guilty, Jury of your Peers, Marriage and Paper Money. Implied in the Constitution is that people are reasonably intelligent and will have the ability to reach rational meeting's of the minds. Not!

The Smell of home made Chicken soup cooking on the stove has always been one of my favorite aromas. Maybe that's why I like pasta dishes that use a sauce base made of rich Chix broth, a little white wine, maybe butter with the olive oil, and Parmesan cheese.

Happy Fall, everybody!

Now I have to go rescue the Tids NFL game pickers from jumping off the Newport Bridge! God, what a weekend.