18 Comments

That Sam-I-Am! I do not like that Uncle Sam-I-Am!

I would not like them here and there.

I would not like them anywhere.

I do not like green eggs & SHAM.

I do not like them, Uncle Sam-I-Am.

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I have already been muting every appearance of Obama, Trump, and Biden on the big screen. Actually watching and listening to them at SOTU would be the ultimate act of intellectual sepuku.

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If you want the SOU to be a serious discussion about the government activities and policies then the republican party needs to nominate someone who is into policy and not nicknames.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_nicknames_used_by_Donald_Trump

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The SOTU is not silly or uncalled for as its requirement is in the constitution. I do agree that many of the anticks of the people behind the President can be silly but they give an idea of where that persons party is coming from.

What really annoys me is the rebuttal because most I have seen are a joke.

As I am a news hound and an amateur historian. I have been follow them since the Kennedy administration.

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Mar 11Liked by Bryan McGrath

The state of the union address is theater, it has no substance. The booing and the silly facial expressions made by the Speaker of the House are just painful to watch. Of course the tearing up the speech is simply childish. So, I haven't watched the speech in years. (One of the nice things about social media is you can watch short segments.) I sprnt 20 years in Hawaii afrer retiring from the Navy and while a silly state, they don't play around changing the clocks. Now I am in the high desert of Arizona and there is no daylight savings time nonsense. Makes things easy on this old hermit.

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Man, I could hardly agree more. The SOTU is a ridiculous and gross theatrical spectacle of monarchical fawning not befitting a constitutional republic of the stature of the United States of America.

Daylight Savings delenda est. Standard Time forever.

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Mar 11·edited Mar 11Liked by Bryan McGrath

I do not watch SOTU either--I find it embarrassing. As to household scheduling: My solution was to marry a fellow naval officer. She was a LCDR and I a Captain at the time (yes, 'twas legal). I have had a live in XO for 37 years. Or maybe I'm the XO. Anyway...

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Mar 11Liked by Bryan McGrath

A bit pessimistic don't you think. I agree with you a bit though. It has a bit of a Campaign feel for much of it. That said, I listen for the vision of the next year or so. It is one of a number of inputs needed to know where we are headed. I am a big watch what they do, against what they say guy. On the dog v. daylight savings. All in. The Viking War Dogs (2 Dachunds) have a consistent bladder alarm about 0430 standard time. Best.

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Mar 11Liked by Bryan McGrath

Nice reference to Black Rod!

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Mar 11Liked by Bryan McGrath

You hit the nail square on the head. I didn't watch the SOTU, nor have I watched since Reagan. I figured, no matter what happens in the world there's absolutely nothing I can do about it. I have one vote, one tiny voice in the sea of noise.

I went to school with one of the POTUS, knew him well, but never votedfor him. His personality away from politics was far different than when we sat drinking some good whiskey.

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I like the Indian meme about cutting a foot off the top of the blanket and seeing it to the bottom

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Mar 11Liked by Bryan McGrath

On too much planning: When we used to go on camping trips with friends I'd throw in tools and a few key spare car parts which led to friends saying I had enough to completely rebuild the engine. On one trip I was doing so much preparation the night before our drive home that one of the mothers said "why don't we strap the kids in their seats tonight so we can leave earlier in the morning." :-)

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Mar 11Liked by Bryan McGrath

CinC-House and I watched about 30 minutes of the speech before turning it off. He sounded unhinged and over-prepared — bombastic. As a senator he was a fool; he remains one as president.

As for scheduling, you need to sell that your approach doesn’t restrict flexibility, rather it provides visibility into options and when it is time to finalize decisions. (For example, if you were to wish to visit Yellowstone, it is best to lock down in-park lodging a year in advance; miss that and you may still visit the park, but you’ll end up spending a lot of time driving to distant locations outside the park for lodging.)

And if you can’t sell this concept, then just admit she’s right.

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Mar 11·edited Mar 11Liked by Bryan McGrath

Week 1 of DST wrecks my sleep, my thoughts, and my mood. It remains a singularly awful idea, particularly as it does not need to be light out until 9PM during the hottest part of the year.

If anyone needs me, be warned that my first inclination will be to throw a stapler at you. Check with me again after Easter.

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Hi Bryan,

Good morning to you. Enjoyed your reading your piece this morning. I share your sentiments on the State of the Union as well. I have stopped watching over the past few decades for the same reasons.

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