Thursday, January 5, 2017

A day in Auckland..

It took me nine hours of sleep to get over the forever flight from LAX to Auckland, New Zealand. Today, I had a very productive day of picking up supplies for two months of Kiwi-style hiking and sightseeing. After my chores were done, I strolled around.

First off, Auckland is not only the largest city in NZ, it's also the most cosmopolitan. There's people from everywhere here. I overheard many strange tongues including the Kiwi version of English. I had meal choices from all over the globe, even Botswana! The locals are friendly and everyone seems to get along quite splendidly.

This two-island Nation has a total population of 4.7 million. Tomorrow, I'll be happily leaving one third of those Kiwis behind. I'm ready to see some seriously Southern natural places. After spending two months in Scottsdale, I want out of the city scene.

New Zealand! Show me the scenery!

G'Day!
Jeff




Sunday, January 1, 2017

So Long ...

 Scottsdale!

I'm worn out from being a lonely Blue Jew in an overwhelming Sea of Red.
Next stop, New Zealand. Those British White Folks sought peace with the native Maoris instead of war. See? It's possible to get along. 


I'm looking forward to meeting my first Hobbit. 

Happy New Year in an uncertain World,
Jeff

PS. To be honest, this is what I'm escaping from. I'm in Fight or Flight mode from President-Elect SB Tweets. See below. Enemies? Aren't we all mostly tax paying Americans? 

Happy New Year to all, including to my many enemies and those who have fought me and lost so badly they just don’t know what to do. Love!”




Saturday, December 31, 2016

Here's a virtual toast...

to the dawning of the new Dark Ages.

WARNING: This post is Rated R for Rant and Strong Language.

After Black Tuesday, (Election Day), I "sat Shiva." 

For those of you who aren't of the Jewish persuasion, here is the definition from Wikipedia: 

"Shiva is the week long period of mourning following a loved one's death The word “shiva” means seven, signifying the seven day mourning period in which mourners are supposed to sit low to the ground." 

My deep grief was over the death of the Country I once loved so much. A Nation forged on the noble notion that "all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness." (Declaration of Independence. 1776). 

Lady Liberty was murdered late Election night by President-Elect Scumbag. But just before he slid the knife across her exposed jugular, he reached down and "grabbed her p---y"

Faster than one can say Electoral College, America the Beautiful morphed into America the Badass. (Merriam-Webster Dictionary: : likely to cause trouble : tough and dangerous)

The finality of Death was the only way I could deal with this. 

How could so many Americans go Helen Keller (both deaf and blind) to all the vitriol The Tax Evader was spewing?

How was it possible to ignore the Never-Worked-A-Real-Job  Billionare taunting a handicapped person, his claims that Latinos immigrants were "criminals and rapists," the insane idea of registering Muslims, his threats to throw his opponent in jail or worse, suggesting her Secret Service officers "disarm, let's see what happens to her." 

If your child exhibited behavior as the above mentioned; would you tolerate it?

How about the strange bedfellows his campaign attracted? More endorsements from White Supremacist hate groups than major newspapers or former Presidents. The chants of "Sieg Heil" and "Jews suck a--" at his more vocal rallies. 

Oh yeah, let's not forget the unfurling of the multitude of Confederate flags. The cloth symbol that's it OK for one race to subjugate another race under the pretext of State's Rights. 

Lastly, the infamous "P---y grabbing" comment captured on video in 2005. A zebra can't change his stripes. That's the man who will be the "FaceTime" representative of the US for four long years.

As CNN contributor Van Jones expressed it "You can't polish this turd."

I could go on and on, but I made my point.

Here's my predictions of what might happen. I'm not saying I will bat 1000 on this, but I will get on base more than I'll strike out. Please remove those Ray Ban sunglasses, the future isn't bright. 

This will not be the "Compassionate Conservatism" preached by President George W. Bush. Federally funded Social Welfare programs will be discarded like a half empty glass of Bud Lite with a cigarette butt floating inside. Ironically, many of President Game Show Host's supporters will find their economic life raft torpedoed beneath them. America will truly become a sink or swim society. 

More Americans will fall below the poverty line. There were 43.1 million unfortunates in 2015. This figure will go up. If you think there's a lot of homeless folks out there, wait until 2020. There will be heaps more. 

There will be an increase in Hate Crimes. No need to elaborate on this. It'll happen. Candidate Demagogue unleashed the hate mongers. (Hitler never directly murdered anyone, but his rants were responsible for 11 million victims perishing in Germany's concentration camps.) 

America's influence on the International scene will be marginalized. Our"unpredictable" foreign policy will alienate our present-day allies and create new adversaries. The US will be the schoolyard bully whom all the kids fear, but none want to play with. 

The new Administration will ignore the "Climate Change" issue, even though we rank second in the World for carbon footprint impact. 

There will be no new "reasonable" gun control legislation. The few constraints on procuring firearms will be shot down. Purchasing a weapon of mini-mass death and destruction will be as easy as "Coffee, Tea or Glock?" There will be an uptick in the number of mass murder incidents. http://jeffsambur.blogspot.com/2016/07/freedom-is-not-free.html

This Administration will be one of the most corrupt and scandal ridden in our Nation's history. It'll be so impressive in this regard, Banana Republic dictators will stand up and take notice. 

There will zero to minimum net gain in acreage of Federal Wilderness Areas, National Parks or Monuments. A few western states will attempt a State Rights Land Grab to gather Federally owned property. Some states will be successful. Roadless area conservation will once again come under fire. The "Varoom! Varoom!" motor driven crowds will win new areas of public lands to trample. All in all, Federally owned land will be managed for the short term. I.E: "Drill, baby drill!" will be the new law of the land. 

The promises of manufacturing jobs materializing out of Mount Everest thin air isn't a reality. Automation and robotics have replaced the need for flesh and blood in many workplaces. Without a revival of "Luddites," those jobs aren't coming back. Big Business doesn't give a poop about creating jobs.It's all about the Bottom Line. 

Economically, look forward to a return of stagflation. 
From Investopedia: "A condition of slow economic growth and relatively high unemployment – economic stagnation – accompanied by rising prices, or inflation, or inflation and a decline in Gross Domestic Product (GDP). " 
This last prediction came from a "Reliable Source."

For the Commoners, taxes will stay about the same. Health insurance premiums will continue to spiral, with a reduction in benefits. In other words=no change. 

Under President Bravado, the World will be closer to a nuclear holocaust. An impulsive, "my way or the highway" macho man will have his finger on the trigger of the ultimate Pop Gun. 

Lastly, President Scumbag will sashay out of the Oval Office the richest "Bad Hombre" in the World. 

That's it!

In November 2020, Americans will wake up, blink a few times, look around and notice America isn't any greater. In fact, it'll be a lot worse. Many of you will look at the bottle of snake oil you purchased from the Billionaire Con Man, and read the fine print. 
"These four years of Bad Government are non-refundable." 

But there's always HOPE!

By the time 2020 rolls around, I believe most good-hearted Americans will be ready for a Second Renaissance. 

Which is what my candidacy is all about. (There's still an opening for the First Lady spot)


"Let's Make America Civil Again!" 

(I know I wasn't a nice Jewish Boy to President-Elect Scumbag, but even a 5'4", 138 pound, 62 year-old Pacifist feels the need to stand up to a Bully) 
From the Cambridge Dictionary: Scumbag-"a very unpleasant person who has done something dishonest or unacceptable") 

I'm Jeff Sambur and I'll make a better President than the spoiled rich kid who doesn't understand the simple concept of "No! Means No!"

Finally, I'll leave you with my Campaign song. Sure, it's a bit dated but the ideas are needed now more than ever.

"Get Together" by the Youngbloods (1967)
Love is but a song to sing
Fear's the way we die
You can make the mountains ring
Or make the angels cry
Though the bird is on the wing
And you may not know why
Come on people now
Smile on your brother
Everybody get together
Try to love one another
Right now
Some may come and some may go
We shall surely pass
When the one that left us here
Returns for us at last
We are but a moment's sunlight
Fading in the grass
Come on people now
Smile on your brother
Everybody get together
Try to love one another
Right now
If you hear the song I sing
You will understand (listen!)
You hold the key to love and fear
All in your trembling hand
Just one key unlocks them both
It's there at your command
Come on people now
Smile on your brother
Everybody get together
Try to love one another
Right now
Right now
Right now
If you've made it this far in my post, have a Happy and healthy New Year. I'll be in New Zealand, practicing IPA diplomacy. 
Someone has to tear down the walls this Ugly American Administration will be building.
My future posts will be more upbeat. I'll be doing what I love once again. Visiting beautiful places, taking photos and writing about it. 
Be well. 
DTCP in 20