Politics As Game Show

Posted on February 6, 2026 by mfna

I HAVE COME UP WITH AN ANALOGY that I think makes sense of the whole political scene. There’s a circle of events and behaviors that when put together, paint a picture. A surreal picture for sure, but perhaps because it’s so seemingly far-fetched, maybe there’s something to it.

If we look at politics as if it were a game show, some of the fuzziness clears almost immediately. Let’s start with the candidates: They are the contestants. Like a game show, there can be only one winner. At the primary level, contestants are virtually chosen at random. In politics, this is called throwing one’s hat into the ring. The successful ones make it to the stage and compete against one another to win the big prize. The prize winner moves on to elective office. But that isn’t the real prize.

No, the real prize winning is the wealth, luxury and power that comes with the office. For those unaware of how the game is played, the fabulous wealth that accrues is due in large part to two sources: taxpayer money and large donors.

Massive fraud now coming to light indicates how the taxpayer money is funneled to politicians. Reports have surfaced that House members like Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) have increased their personal wealth in exponentially massive ways that simply don’t pass the sniff test of “investing” and the like. This too, is part of the game.

The figure $9 billion is being floated as the amount of fraud perpetrated by the Somalis in Minneapolis. That’s a lot of money! Too much money to go unnoticed by the organizations and agencies responsible for overseeing commercial enterprises. When daycare is at issue, multiple regulatory agencies must inspect, certify, validate and approve operations. There is the question of attendance; health checks, curricula and more. Investigation reveals that no children have been in evidence, yet billings for government subsidies are in the tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars. So, why haven’t any of these organizations thrown a flag?

Because it’s part of the game. The “daycare” operators grease the palms of the officials. Maybe they don’t hand out cash directly (but maybe sometimes they do) but there are other ways of greasing the skids. Call them “donations.”

On a recent podcast, Cenk Uygur, a leftist political activist, stated that only 33 members of the current Congress have not accepted donations from pro-Israel groups. Which raises the question, why do pro-Israel lobbyists donate to nearly every member of Congress, regardless of party? The answer is “leverage.” Uygur said that if a member of Congress who has been “paid” votes against bills favoring Israel, that money is then withdrawn. However a member of Congress spends money, whether it’s on re-election campaigning or “official travel” (the term used instead of “junket”), losing income can cost a politician his office, and thus his gravy train.

Reportedly Larry Ellison, founder and CEO of Oracle Corporation (and a rival with Elon Musk as the world’s richest man), donated $5million to Israel, and then later found it was easier and more discreet to donate $16.6m to the non-profit Friends of the Israel Defense Forces. This is not an anti-Israel screed, but merely a way to point out how intertwined and deep the money game goes. Ellison can’t be named and thus be held responsible for the way FIDF spends money. Pontius Pilate was the first in recorded history to “wash his hands” of spilled blood (Matthew 27:24).

“Money laundering” is the term that is used to describe how money from illegal or suspicious sources is passed through seemingly legitimate businesses and banked as actual income. Restaurants, laundries, and perhaps even child care centers can be set up as money laundering “nodes.” A restaurant that serves only 100 customers a week, can deposit the equivalent of 1,000 customer checks. The unraveling of the childcare fiasco in Minnesota and elsewhere is an example. No children seen at these centers, but billing (for remuneration by the government) amasses in the tens of thousands of dollars. This strongly suggests that government officials are taking a “cut of the action” as no irregularities are ever reported. And thus the cycle continues.

When President Trump tasked Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) the result was the ending of the USAID program, which it turns out, had been spending money on frivolous (and quite likely fraudulent programs) programs, which very likely served merely as money laundering operations, which fed money into politicians’ pockets.

In short:

TAXPAYER MONEY –> GOVERNMENT “PROGRAMS” –> KICKBACKS TO POLITICIANS

WEALTHY DONORS –> NON-PROFITS/LOBBYISTS –> POLITICIANS

“Plain” folks like you and me aren’t invited to the party. George Carlin said, “It’s a big club, and you ain’t in it. You and I are not in the big club.” There are only two things one can do about this: Ignore the clamor and distraction and focus on making the best life possible, or strive to rise above it, and get invited to the party. Choose the latter, and welcome to the game show!

At What Point Do They Change?

Posted on December 14, 2025 by mfna

EVERYONE WHO SEEKS PUBLIC OFFICE PURPORTS TO DO SO seeking the “public good.” Whether they wish to right an injustice, Improve the lot of the poor, hungry and homeless, or stand up to oppression, they take to the stage with pronouncements of good intent.

Sure, there are some who simply want the trappings of power and control, but not all politicians start that way. But they all wind up that way. Why? How? When?

Lord Acton once observed

“Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority; still more when you superadd the tendency of the certainty of corruption by authority.”

This explains the “why,” and perhaps the “how,” but not the when. Are some politicians more corruptible than others? Reversing the question, are there some politicians who are less corruptible? Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), is known to vote against nearly every form of government spending. This draws the ire of many from both sides of the aisle, but he stands resolute. On his website, he shows the Nation Debt “clock” in real time, a stark reminder that with every passing second, the nation’s debt climbs astronomically. Paul’s resistance to spending is based on his wish to not add more to the debt. Is he incorruptible? He may be the only one.

Or perhaps he hasn’t yet reached the “when” stage. Newer members of Congress have displayed almost no resistance to the siren call of power and corruption. The latest darling of the Democrats is Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) who has quickly transformed herself from a middle-class educated attorney to a trash-talking guttersnipe. Buoyed by her constituents’ acclaim, she has now chosen to turn her attention from the House of Representatives (whose district was gerrymandered out of existence) to the Senate. Crockett has tasted the ambrosia of power and the wealth that comes with being a member of Congress, and has thus succumbed to its blandishments early in her career.

Once the domain of higher elected office, the trickle-down effect has now reached local levels, most notably at the school board levels. Making national headlines seemingly on a weekly basis, the Loudoun County, Virginia, school board has inserted itself into local affairs encompassing transgenderism, Title IX, and at times the misappropriation of funds. Housed in an impressive building with modern electronics, wood paneling, and a host of advanced features, one might understand why someone might want to run for school board.

The LCPS Administration building at 21000 Education Ct, Ashburn, VA 20148

Completed in 2005 at an estimated cost of $26 million, the 200,000 square foot building was partially renovated in 2023 at an additional cost of $4.12 million. Taxpayer money, let’s not forget! So, is the attraction the position on the board, or the building in where one holds court? Er, office? And while the average school board member earns only about $20k per year for a part-time job, the superintendent makes about $425k a year, plus a $20k yearly bonus.

A new breed of office-seekers has arisen mostly due to the rise of the Internet and social media: The “attention whores.” The same Jasmine Crockett mentioned above, has been seen as wanting the attention public office brings more than the responsibility. Podcaster Matt Walsh has opined that if she were given a choice between two buttons, the first being “President of the United States” and the second of having 50 million followers on Instagram, she’d opt for the second button without hesitation. Given that when some elected officials open their mouths they reveal their room temperature IQs, that they continue to do so rather than slink away suggests they enjoy the publicity more than the public embarrassment.

It may be too early to tell, but even Donald J. Trump may not be immune. A billionaire, Trump does not need the salary of the president (which is less than the Superintendent of Loudoun County’s School Board!) and in fact, donates it to veterans causes. A CEO several times over, one might assume he doesn’t lust for power. However, being in command of the world’s greatest military and having world leaders look to him for advice and guidance (as well as support), could be swinging the pendulum. In the sense of this discussion, Trump is a cypher.

Cigar smoking, painted-on-mustache comedian, Groucho Marx

Groucho Marx once said he didn’t care to belong to any club that would have him as a member. It’s no wonder he never ran for office.

The More We Know, The More We Know

Posted on December 3, 2025 by mfna

WHATEVER YOUR OPINION OF TUCKER CARLSON, HIS INTERVIEW WITH JOHN RICH BEARS WATCHING. In fact, whatever your opinion of John Rich, the same holds true.

Neither should need introducing, but Tucker has been a presence–some may say an irritant–in the public eye since he was a Fox News host. He has since become an independent podcaster and still roils the waters. John Rich is a successful songwriter, former bassist for the band Lonestar, half of the super-duo Big & Rich, and a solo artist and podcaster.

John Rich. Photo courtesy johnrich.com

The title of Tucker’s interview show is, “John Rich on Diddy, Demons, the Antichrist, How to Hear God, and His War on Child Predators.” Raised a Christian, Rich only recently became outspoken about his faith, and in the interview sometimes even comes across as a bit of a preacher. Given that his father was a pastor and his second album was titled “Son of a Preacher Man,” this should come as no surprise.

What fascinated me about the interview was Rich’s insistence that evil exists, and effectively demon-possesses many people. The struggle between evil and good is real, and his way of identifying it is clear, stark and startling. People often overlook, ignore or pretend that this struggle does not exist, but Rich won’t let the viewer off the hook. It’s real, and he wants us to know it.

The headlines on a nearly daily basis underscore Rich’s point. Reports of pedophilia abound–globally, not just in the U. S.–and Rich cites Jesus in the Bible, ““If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.” (Matthew 18:6 NIV). Stumble. Not stray, not fall, not wander away. Rich plainly says Jesus thinks anyone who even causes a child to stumble in his faith, should die. And here we are: The stories of Jeffrey Epstein and his alleged child-trafficking and the elite clientele he served are only one example of the deprivation that has befallen America.

The cases of corruption uncovered by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) reveal billions of dollars missing, misdirected or squandered through USAID. Unfettered immigration policies have resulted in Somali criminals absconding with billions through welfare fraud and schemes and Afghan murderers. Election fraud, insider trading, the granting of commercial drivers licenses through phony schools to illegal immigrants. Without understanding the language or the rules of the road, fatal accidents involving them are on the rise.

Often, people will want to point the finger of blame at people like George Soros and his son, Alex. The fawning media like to portray “the man who broke the bank of England” as a philanthropist, but to many he is a naked globalist, pursuing his “Open Society” initiative. Doing so runs contrary to the Constitution of the United States, which is why there is so much animosity aimed at him. But Soros isn’t the actual problem. The evil which has taken over him is to blame. Proverbs 4:16 warns that the wicked “cannot sleep unless they do evil” and “are deprived of slumber until they make someone fall.”

How and when did this come to be? That’s actually not the right question. The question, as echoed by John RIch, and by one of my Christian brothers, is found in 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (NIV). The evil one has managed to get people to turn away from God. The only solution is to turn back again, as the verse above proclaims.

That Voice

Posted on July 10, 2025 by mfna

This is not about the TV spectacle that features singers competing for money and prizes. Or maybe just money. I don’t know; I’ve never watched it. To its credit, it’s been on the air for 27 seasons (number 28 is due this Fall). That’s a pretty good career for anyone associated with it, so kudos to them.

No, this is about something much more mundane. It’s also pretty shallow, if I say so myself. But this is my site, so I can be as pedantic, snarky or narcissistic as I wish. You don’t pay for my opinions, and as the site’s subhead states, everyone is entitled to it. That doesn’t mean you have to agree, or even read further.

Now, three paragraphs in (have you noticed how many articles on the web don’t get to the point right away? What’s with that?) I’ll lay the groundwork.

In my college years, and even some years before, radio was the “source medium” of the day. It was how we got our news, weather and sports reports. Then television began shoving radio aside, and today both are ancient technologies due to the Internet. But they persist.

Several times during those years I was told, “You should be in radio.” Maybe it was because people thought I had a face for radio (rimshot!) or they honestly thought I had a voice that was suited for it.

A Face For Radio

It was fairly common knowledge at the time that there were schools for people wishing to enter the field. The Columbia School of Broadcasting {link unavailable} was perhaps the best known. I should note that the Columbian School of Broadcasting is not affiliated with Columbia University, which has its own school of journalism and broadcasting. In addition, there is a Connecticut organization with the same name. I’m not going down that rabbit hole.

Broadcasting schools were there to train and educate those interested in a career in broadcasting (duh). Among the courses offered were voice lessons, which covered topics such as diction, pacing, tone and presentation. Successful completion of a course might lead one to a position in the broadcast industry, and the cream of the crop would find themselves in front of a microphone.

My father was an avid listener to the Harden & Weaver program, broadcast weekday mornings on WMAL Radio, which at the time was on the AM band at 630 (it is still Washington, D. C.’s most popular talk radio station, now broadcasting on the FM band at 105.9). Full of humor, topical news and personalities that wouldn’t quit, Frank Harden and Jackson Weaver both had voices made for radio (there is a book about them here).

A “radio voice” is not necessarily stentorian, but the schools would train them to be resonant, well modulated, clear and articulate, warm and inviting. Harden & Weaver epitomized these characteristics. Don Ameche (1908–1993) was not only a golden voice, but an Oscar-winning actor. As was James Earl Jones, without whose voice Darth Vader might have been little more than a cartoon character rather than the menacing evil who made the Star Wars franchise famous.

The original Star Wars movie poster (no credit to Jones, although the Vader image prevails)

Rush Limbaugh is another voice that typifies the attributes listed above. Whether you agreed with his politics or not, his voice was a commanding presence on the airwaves for more than 30 years.

There are an awful lot of radio personalities now that fail my personal “broadcaster test.” Not to detract from some very successful on-air personalities like Wolfman Jack and Mark Levin, both of whom have pedigrees longer than my arm (the Wolfman actually graduated from the National Academy of Broadcasting in Washington, D.C.) but I have a tolerance level for voices that growl, scratch, croak, squeak or scream. Sorry to say, Mark Levin’s voice alone is the main reason I don’t listen to him. That he’s intelligent, well-read and loves dogs is a given. But his voice is the broadcast equivalent of scraped chalk on a blackboard (or, if that’s too old of a reference, how about a fork scraping a plate?), especially when he gets excited. I’d wager Levin is not a broadcast school graduate! I am a fan, although not a rabid one, of local sports teams, but the radio outlet here hosts a number of on-air types who may know every stat, number, play and player, but whose voices are so unlistenable that I refuse to tune to their station. Thirty seconds of mumble, screech and what-have-you are all I can take before switching stations.

I really do enjoy listening to radio voices that entertain me, don’t speak down to me, don’t pander, and most of all, don’t offend my ears. If I can’t find a radio program I like, I turn on some music. Problem solved!

Hail To The… Commanders?!!

Posted on January 5, 2025 by mfna

Not since 1991, when the team was still known as the Washington Redskins*, has the professional football team now called the Commanders had a 12-win season. That team went on to win Super Bowl XXVI.

Washington’s Football Team Logos, past-to-present

Not since Jack Kent Cooke (under who the team won three Super Bowls) sold the team to Daniel Snyder has the energy in Washington, D. C. toward its team been this high. Snyder’s legacy will likely have him listed among the worst owners in NFL franchise history due to his management mistakes and choices. Forced by other team owners to sell the team, Snyder eventually sold the team to a group headed by Josh Harris in 2023. Members of that group include Basketball great Earvin “Magic” Johnson.

The Harris era has begun. The last season under the Snyder-led organization yielded a pitiful 4-13 record allowing the most points and having the worst point differential in the league. The upside is that such a dismal record allowed the team to pick second in the 2024 NFL Draft. With that pick, they chose 2023 Heisman Trophy winner, LSU’s quarterback, Jayden Daniels (the first pick, going to the Chicago Bears was the 2022 Heisman winner, Caleb Williams).

The Redskins/Commanders are now headed into the playoffs. Their 12-5 record equals that of AFC North leaders the Baltimore Ravens, and surpasses those of the Houston Texans (10-7, AFC South division leaders), the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-7, NFC South leaders) and the Los Angeles Rams (10-7, NFC West leaders). Yet, they are only a wildcard team because division leading Philadelphia Eagles own a better record (14-3).

But no one in Washington could have dreamed the first year under the Harris regime would produce the results it has. It’s unrealistic to think that the team — whatever you want to call them — could reach, much less win the Super Bowl (only two teams have done so under first-year coaches). And ultimately, it doesn’t matter. From having dreadful teams for three decades, just having a twelve-win season is satisfying enough for this fan!

∗ The team name change and the commensurate whitewashing of history came about due to Dan Synder’s bowing to the “woke” trend that permeated the times around the COVID pandemic, despite his statement he would never do so. The name Redskins has been an issue for a number of years, even before then. It’s been said Josh Harris considered bringing back the name, but then he publicly closed the door on the possibility. Sigh.

Still, I can’t for the life of me see using “Hail to the Redskins” as the team fight song, even with lyric changes.

Donald Trump’s Youth Movement

Posted on November 14, 2024 by mfna

It’s just a little more than a week removed from the victory that saw Donald Trump become only the second person to win the presidency, in non-consecutive terms, and the accompanying “red wave” that resulted in a trifecta for Republicans, winning the presidency and both houses of Congress. Not content to savor these victories, Trump immediately began naming the people he hopes to surround himself in “Trump 2.0.”

The left and the media (but I repeat myself) have become apoplectic with the announcements. Their incapacity for self-reflection have yielded hair-on-fire denouements and “Scream 2.0” exhibitions that would embarrass a pre-teen TikToker.

It’s reasonable to think (for those of us who are both reasonable and thinkers) that a president would want as his closest advisors and confidants people who agree with his platform and agenda. That Donald Trump has named several well-known people to key appointments is causing tremors among the Establishment. The nomination of Pete Hegseth to be Secretary of Defense was immediately greeted with cries from the antis that he was “too inexperienced” and the unspoken opinion that he wasn’t part of the Elite.

Exactly.

Other names are raising eyebrows for much the same reason. Kristi Noem, Tulsi Gabbard, Matt Gaetz, Lee Zeldin, John Ratcliffe, and a growing list. The announcements come at a pace that has raised anxiety levels among Trump’s foes, which makes it difficult for them to formulate a cogent argument against them.

One thing that hasn’t been mentioned widely in the snooze media that I think far outweighs the obvious conservative mindset of these appointments is the age factor.

Legally, discrimination based on age is illegal. Politically, however, the past few decades have been a period of gerontocracy (a Greek word meaning “rule by the eldest”). The senior leaders in the highest ranks of government have all been in their upper 70s or 80s. Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) is 90! The president is 81. The president-elect is 78. The general rule has been that one must “grow into the job.” Often, seniority outweighs capability.

Despite his vigor, Trump knows he is not a young man. But he’s carefully crafting the future of the Republican Party by naming people mostly in the 40-45 year-old range. The list is not complete, so the number might change, but it appears that the oldest person named to serve in his administration is Trump’s choice for Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, who is 69. His Chief of Staff, Susie Wiles is 65.

Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., left, Stephen Miller, middle, and former Immigration and Customs Enforcement Acting Director Tom Homan, right. (AP Photos)

From left: Pete Hegseth, Kristi Noem and John Ratcliffe. (AP Photos)

Trump’s re-emergence in the halls of power is having a similar effect beyond his immediate ability to control. The Senate has just elected 63 year-old John Thune (R-SD) as Senate Majority Leader, replacing 82 year-old Mitch McConnell, who led the Republicans in the Senate for 18 years. Thune may not be Trump’s choice (he favored Rick Scott) but the message is clear: Old is out, young is in.

Trump’s choices from this point on suggest his legacy will be the youth movement he’s bringing to government. A much-needed refresh, based on recent history.

Remarkable

Posted on July 20, 2024 by mfna

These are remarkable times we live in.

It’s unknown how many assassination attempts against a sitting or former president have been foiled, but we have just witnessed the first known attempt in over forty years. In 1981, John Hinckley, Jr. shot president Ronald Reagan outside the Washington Hilton hotel in Washington, D. C. Reagan survived, but the attempt was a close call. A police officer was killed and Press Secretary James Brady was also severely wounded.

On Saturday, July 13, 2024, just moments into a campaign speech in Butler, Pennsylvania, former president Donald Trump and candidate for the office again, was providentially spared as a rifle shot took a chunk out of his right ear. Two others were not so fortunate; one was killed and two others were wounded. A moment earlier, the shot would have struck him right in the head, but he uncharacteristically moved to point to a chart, and the bullet narrowly avoided killing him. Trump appeared two days later at the Republican National Convention sporting a bandage on his ear, but seemed otherwise unharmed. Remarkable.

At the same time, despite remarkable efforts to conceal the fact, the incumbent president is revealed to be suffering from some form of mental incapacitation. Observers of the political arena such as myself have noticed this ever since his 2020 election campaign was one of invisibility; under the cover of the COVID pandemic, Joe Biden huddled in his basement, rarely coming up and out for public appearances. When he did, he exhibited many signs of encroaching senility. One of those signs I’ve witnessed is a relaxing of inhibitions relating to self-restraint when it comes to expressing opinions. From my witness stand, I’ve seen Joe Biden as a lifelong racist and inveterate liar, but most of the public doesn’t see that. They only see what the image-makers have concocted, and so have believed Joe was a typical “everyman.” Remarkable.

In my youth, the Democrat Party portrayed itself as the party of the working class. It catered to unions, minorities and the “workers.” The Republicans on the other hand, were depicted as being the party of the rich, of Wall Street, and international elites. Today, the Democrats are seen as “limousine liberals” and “Gulfstream Guevaras.” The Republicans are led by a successful businessman who entered politics late in life. The businessman, Donald Trump, mingles with construction workers, professional wrestlers, country music artists, and flag-waving Americans who show up en masse at rallies to show that the American Dream isn’t dead. Yet. Remarkable.

At this writing, the Democrat Party is maneuvering to remove Biden from the ticket. Despite a series of non-democratic moves to ensure his place as the nominee, the Democrats are now using undemocratic means to remove the man they pledge will “preserve democracy” in the country. Remarkable.

By the same token, the Democrats have used a number of non-democratic means to remove any challenges to their party’s candidate; they worked tirelessly to keep Democrat-turned-Independent Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. off the ballot wherever possible. And the extent to which they leveraged the power of the government using “lawfare” (a term coined to describe persecuting the opposition through the courts) to remove and imprison Donald Trump is nothing short of remarkable.

The legal procedures that Donald Trump is undergoing have all been designed to keep him off the campaign trail. A law that was enacted but never used was the basis for convicting him of 34 charges. For paperwork errors. At the same time, a special counsel investigating Joe Biden’s possession of classified documents found him effectively guilty of a felony, but excused him from prosecution due to his status as aged with a poor memory. The wags would say that this election pits a convicted felon against an un-convicted felon.

The inflammatory rhetoric from the Democrats accusing the Republicans of being like Nazis, and a “threat to democracy,” among other aspersions likely resulted in motivating a young, 20 year-old to attempt to take the life of the threat. Twenty years after the last assassination attempt on a president’s life. Remarkable.

Every election year, the media and observers anticipate an “October surprise.” This whole 2024 election process has been nothing short of remarkable surprises.

I only wish everyone would take notice of the current state of affairs. They are remarkable.

What’s In A Symbol? ™

Posted on June 7, 2024 by mfna

I am an avid radio listener. Oh, not to the schlock that passes for music these days, that shipped has sailed. But I like to stay current, and radio news is an easy way to stay up to date. Plus, it’s easy to check multiple sources — even easier than clicking links! — to get a sense of what’s true and what’s hyperbole. And boy, is there a lot of hyperbole, fantasy, and just plain incorrect “news” out there.

Every once in a while, I’ll hear an advertisement whose claims and statements drive me up a wall. Case in point: A current ad on my local FM news-talk station, WMAL, never fails to make my eyes roll. I won’t mention the advertiser, but the announcer states there are three reasons to use this company’s service. The first point is, “It’s TRADEMARKED.”

The U. S. Government’s Patent & Trademark Office (PTO) is the agency responsible for granting, managing and filing, you guessed it, patents and trademarks. So what is a trademark? In short, there are three forms of use. Each is represented by a symbol denoting its use.

First, there is the Registered Trademark. A product or service having a registered trademark can be identified by the ® symbol affixed to its name. This is, as the name indicates, a product or service that has been registered with the PTO. The PTO makes sure there are no legal conflicts or prior registrations, so this is the highest level of assurance that the product’s name has an ower.

Did you read that closely? The word “name” appears twice in the above paragraph. A trademark applies to the name of a product or service. It does not protect the trademark owner from competitors making similar products, it just prevents them from using the same NAME. Some trademarked items have become general common-use nouns, such as Xerox and Kleenex. This doesn’t mean other companies can’t make copiers or facial tissue, it just means they can’t use the name “Xerox” or “Kleenex” in their product.

There is also the common-usage ™ (for goods) and SM for services. No one is required to register these marks; they are meant to inform competitors that the name is in use and cannot be copied. It’s just a warning, however. The Bose Corporation, for example, once had a trademark court case over alleged trademark fraud. This is the primary reason to use a trademark.

So, why does the radio ad rankle me? Because the way it’s presented, the ad infers that because their product/service (I consider it a service, but that’s for another article) is trademarked, it’s somehow unique. Wrong. Only the name cannot be used by any competitor. A PATENT is granted by the PTO to protect the technology, manufacturing or operation of (usually) a product. The company I worked for when I retired had been granted four patents by the PTO. This protected the company from competitors using the same technology to achieve the same end. In other words, the patents protect four different techniques or technologies all found in a single product. The name of the product can be trademarked, but the patents protect the technology.

Thus, the ad claiming (in a breathy, excited voice) that the product/service being promoted is trademarked is a ploy to make the listener believe there is a technical uniqueness to it, when all that is really being said is that the advertiser is claiming a unique name for it. And THAT is what I dislike about misleading ads.

It Can’t Happen Here

Posted on February 17, 2024 by mfna

In 1966 Frank Zappa released his seminal double-LP, Freak Out! by the Mothers of Invention.

Album cover for Freak Out!

While the album was a sardonic and often critical statement on the state of the 1960s, it’s amazing how much the content remains relevant today, in 2024, 58 years later!

I still own the album on vinyl. And more often these days, I’m reminded of some of the song titles and lyrics: Who Are The Brain Police? Trouble Every Day, and the song that inspired this post, It Can’t Happen Here. Why?

Only a few years after the release of Freak Out!, I found myself the dependent son of an American diplomat posted behind the Iron Curtain, a term coined by Winston Churchill in 1946 to depict the divide between the Soviet Union and Western Europe. This was at the height of the Cold War, when Americans were viewed by communist regimes as “the enemy.” As a long-haired college kid at the time, I found the experience educational and informative. Better still, I had the luxury of leaving any time I wished (college was in what was then known as West Germany) so I had enormous advantages that the everyday citizens of the country did not. I drove an American car with diplomatic license plates when citizens had to save up and wait for years to obtain a terrible Trabant, Wartburg or similar examples of soviet “expertise.”

A Trabant (defunct) from East Germany, circa 1966 - 1985

A Trabant P 601

I knew I had privilege. I was able to go places, buy things and enjoy myself at leisure. I also knew (and had been apprised of this by embassy personnel) that I was under constant surveillance. It’s likely my bedroom was bugged, our house staff would certinaly report anything that might compromise my family’s position, and that everywhere I went I was followed by the secret police. In fact, I enjoyed spotting my “tails” and would sometimes lead them around on wild goose chases as I navigated the cities and countryside. Despite my youth and privileged status, it was clear to me there was an “us-versus-them” air about my time there.

When the Berlin Wall came down on November 9, 1989, it signaled the end of the Cold War. At least as we knew it (my father had a photograph of him chipping away a piece of it, and enclosed the fragment in a block of lucite). What followed was a period of détente, where if we weren’t “pals” with the Russians, we at least agreed to trade, and generally cooperate.

So, now back to the topic at hand: It can’t happen here.

For decades, Americans have been schooled on the “evils of communism.” Until they weren’t! At some undetermined point, but likely in 1991, when the Soviet Union dissolved, the Soviet threat seemed to have lifted. But that didn’t end communism; it just took on a new face. For a few years, Russia struggled internally, and then in 1999 Vladimir Putin climbed the steps of power, becoming the country’s president in 2012, where he continues to this day (having rewritten the Russian constitution to allow him to do so, and by eliminating his political opponents — permanently).

America’s relationship with communism and Russia has been and up-and-down affair for years. During President Obama’s time in office, then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made famous the “RESET” attempt.

Spelling error – “Reset” translated to “overcharge” on embarrassing attempt to mend US-Russian relations.

When Vladimir Putin assumed the Russian presidency in 2012, the wily former KGB officer began to put his lock on the Russian political scene. At the same time, the values and practices of the soviets had been hard at work in the U. S. The educational system was infested with leftist ideologues, and graduates from colleges and universities that had become indoctrination centers began to take up residence in schools, media, law centers and offices of government (local, state and federal). The quote by former Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev rings out:

Gullible Americans according to Nikita Krushchev

Krushchev quote on Americans accepting socialism and communism.

So, when Frank Zappa sang, “It can’t happen here,” he was not only satirizing mainstream middle America, but was also foretelling the direction the country would take when the “Hungry Freaks, Daddy” became mainstream (check the lyrics at the link). Today, the halls of government, academia, healthcare and technology have upended the Constitution and turned the USA into a mirror of the soviet state.

We have a two-tiered justice system (“laws for thee but not for me”). where you are protected if you’re a member of the privileged class, but jailed or ruined if you’re not. The U.S. has become a surveillance state, as former CIA director James Clapper admitted to Congress. There is a secret court (FISC) with unnamed judges conducting investigations into private American citizens’ lives. Profligate spending to send purported hush-money (and the anticipated kickbacks) has run the country to the brink of ruin, while the borders have become open doors to the world’s underclass. As Donald Trump once said (and was pilloried for saying it), ““When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re not sending you. They’re not sending you.” Few of the migrants breaking U. S. immigration law are likely rocket scientists, computer programmers, or brain surgeons.

Russian author Elena Gorokhova wrote in her book, A Mountain of Crumbs, “They lie to us, we know they’re lying, they know we know they’re lying but they keep lying anyway, and we keep pretending to believe them.” That pretty much describes the current status of USA.

As Walt Kelly’s Pogo once observed, “We have me the enemy and he is us.”

It can’t happen here. Right?

Where Has “The Science” Gone?

Posted on July 19, 2022 by mfna

A thought occurred to me today while I was out running (yes, I’ve started back; it’s a long way to go, but the benefits call to me…), the old saying, “Boys will be boys.”

This line was often used to excuse obstreperous, reckless, sometimes unruly behavior, because after all, boys will be boys. The typical reaction to an overly-rambunctious boy was a “time-out,” sometimes accompanied by sitting in a corner.

Somewhere along the line, “scientists” decided that boys were afflicted with some made-up affliction they termed Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and invented drugs to counteract this behavior. In other words, don’t let boys be boys, but turn them into malleable zombies.

Today, it’s gotten worse. No longer do the “scientists” want boys to be boys, they want boys to be girls! Yes, as the “woke” pandemic propagates, it now seems that every little boy is a mistake, and “science” determines that they should indeed, be girls.

THEN: Boys will be boys

NOW: Boys will be girls

Except that this entire trend lacks any true science behind it. Now, I’m not a scientist. I don’t even play one on television. But I have achieved that rare quality: An education.

Thus, despite the claim of “scientists,” boys are born boys and girls are born girls, and no amount of makeup, surgery, and/or indoctrination can change that. How can I say this? Science.

Research has determined that human DNA contains 23 pair of chromosomes. Female humans have two “X” chromosomes and male humans have one “X” and one “Y.” DNA exists in every cell of the human body. It is beyond the reach of science to alter a human’s DNA to add, remove or change a chromosome. Thus, males are born male and will forever remain such, as females will always be female. Science.

“Fake science” seems to have overtaken “fake news.”

Take “climate change,” for example. Doomsayers are claiming that anthropogenic (man-caused) climate change will destroy the planet. They even say that the year 2030 is the deadline to enact programs designed to prevent this catastrophe.

But where is the science behind this? Proponents of “green” technologies and “new deals” point to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a “scientific” group established by the United Nations (let’s dispense with any commentary on the uselessness of the U. N. for now, shall we?) that issues dire reports on the state of the earth’s climate. On what does the IPCC base its science? A simple answer: Political science.

The upcoming sixth report from the IPCC, in a leaked documents, says, “Life on Earth can recover from a drastic climate shift by evolving into new species and creating new ecosystems,” the draft reportedly says. “Humans cannot.” No, humans cannot. And in fact, NO SPECIES HAS EVER BEEN PROVED TO EVOLVE INTO A NEW SPECIES.” Science?

Geologists (and now the astrophysicists behind the Hubble and Webb telescopes) are constantly proving the origins of the universe, the earth and of mankind. Once again, the amateur scientist, through my reading, listening and observation, understands that the universe is some 13.7 billion years old and is constantly expanding. As it ages, old stars and planets die and new ones are born. Earth was formed approximately 4.6 billion years ago, and as our sun ripened, cooled a bit, and continental shift occurred as the seas receded (a through reading on earth’s geological history may be found at the very scholarly Encyclopedia Brittanica) and an environment suitable for life was created.

Ah, science. Much of our understanding of earth’s history comes from the fossil record. Let me state what has been known and is known: The fossil record never shows evolution. Particularly of man. Those who claim man descended from apes are “science deniers.”

Speaking of fossils, where does the idea that petroleum is derived from dead and decaying dinosaurs? A few data, mostly buried and forgotten, reveal this to be possibly false (a brief article and interview on this topic can be found here: Oil As A Fossil Fuel Is Fake Science). Two important takeaways:

Oil is frequently found at, and drilled at, levels far below that at which fossils are found
At the 1892 Geneva Convention, John D. Rockefeller lobbied to have petroleum listed in the definition of organic materials, hoping to increase its value as a “scarce” resource.

The debate over oil being biotic (formed through the decay of organic material) or abiotic, which Richard Heinberg states, “[H]olds that there must therefore be nearly limitless pools of liquid primordial hydrocarbons at great depths on Earth, pools that slowly replenish the reservoirs that conventional oil drillers tap.”

Governments seeking power and businessmen seeking riches have always been the driving force in moving man’s “progress” forward. They don’t always use science.

One final note: I have read (and am re-reading) a book that addresses many of these topics in detail and scientifically. Its title is Why The Universe Is The Way It Is, by Hugh Ross. Spoiler alert: Ross states, and then goes on to demonstrate scientifically, that the Bible, written in antiquity, reveals more about the universe than most “science” these days.

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