At this point it’s cogent to define the difference between a democracy - something the moronic D's constantly scream about - and a constitutuional republic:
A democracy focuses on who holds power (the citizens) and how that's expressed through counting votes. In a direct democracy, a simple majority can pass any law (no matter how unjust).
A constitutional republic focuses on the rule of law and structural limits - defined in the constitution - on power.
Even if a majority of citizens want a certain law, it cannot be passed if it breaks the rule of law as defined in the constitution.
That being said, I never gave much thought to Franklin's qualifier ("if you can keep it") in his answer about our new form of government.
Just sorta figured since:
A) they defined our government to be a constitutional republic, and
B) the Constitution is the law of our land, therefore
C) we are now and always will be a constitutional republic.
But in a speech Benjamin Franklin gave at this convention, he also said this:
“In these sentiments, Sir, I agree to this Constitution, with all its faults, if they are such;
"because I think a General Government necessary for us, and there is no form of government, but what may be a blessing to the people if well administered;
"and believe further, that this is likely to be well administered for a course of years, and can only end in despotism, as other forms have done before it, when the people shall become so corrupted as to need despotic government.”
There's a lot there, and it's couched in the formal style orators employed in that time...but did you catch his gist?
He agreed with the constitution they had created, even if it wasn't perfect, because:
1) people need a Government, and
2) any form of government can be a blessing to the people if it's administered well.
But the big kicker here is what he ended with:
3) He believed this constitutional republic would be administered well for a "course of years", but ultimately would devolve into despotism - as other forms of government have - when people became so corrupt they needed to be ruled by a <despot>!
And the founding fathers were well aware of what it meant to be ruled by such; they were brave men of faith who pledged their <lives, fortunes and sacred honor> to fight for and win our independence from the tyrannical rule of England.
Sadly, considering the recent spate of commie candidates occupying the corrupt D's "big tent", it's possible Franklin's dire prediction of our future is now coming to fruition.
Avowed communists like Milat Kiros, Abdul Al Sayed and Francesca Hong - far left loons who deny Israel's right to exist and want to defund the police, abolish the senate, the presidency and the supreme court - are fast becoming the face of their party.
But all may not be lost; there are some notable members of the D's - mostly relics from a bygone era who remember when lunacy was not the coin of their realm - who disavow their party's headlong descent into the insanity of communism:
"The Democrats have gone off the deep end.
"I think the lunatics are in charge of the asylum.
"There is no room in the tent for people that want to destroy our Constitution...that want to align themselves with radical Islam...(and)...with antisemitism.
"And there's no room for people who have no interest in building for the next generation but only want to redistribute what others have created and want to tear down the free market that has been the most effective anti-poverty liberation machine that human beings have ever invented."
Who said that?
Well known democrat Julian Epstein, lead counsel for democrats during the Clinton impeachment and who worked on Hilary's campaign in 2016.
The man's a republican, he just hasn't figured it out yet.
Not sure how to do a half-HGU, but I'm gonna try:
I split this past week with a 6-3 win on Monday and a 5-4 loss on Thursday:
That's Thursday at 7 am just before I teed off...and that fog (not wildfire smoke, thankfully) got thicker for the first 3 holes, then started dissipating by #4.
My main takeaway this week has less to do with swinging my hickories and more with the mental game.
Golf is often called "a game of failure" - the perfect shot - where the result of your swing is exactly what you were trying to accomplish - is a true rarity, even at the professional level.
Case in point - below is where a pro's wedge shot from 140 yards out landed:
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| see it there on the fringe of the green? |
And this is the pro's reaction to his shot:
That's Justin Thomas berating himself for not landing his shot closer to the pin.
In my world I'd be trying not to burst into a spontaneous happy dance of celebration; but for him, that's a failure.
And so golf can't be about achieving perfection -
- but rather about managing mistakes to produce our best result.
Pro golfer Bryson DeChambeau said this:
"Failing is when you give up. You quit, or do something stupid that gives you no chance."
He didn't say it's making a mistake - it's not slicing a drive, missing a putt or hitting one fat - it's giving up and quitting after you've done one of those inevitable things.
Hall of Fame golfer Walter Hagen...
Good advice; now let's see if I can follow it.
Hey diddle diddle, our cats hiss and spittle,
What the heck, let's 23 Skidoo -
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| typical - the bucks are out for a fun time with the boys... |
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| ...while mom is busy with the kids... |
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| ...trying to keep them fed...and alive |
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| these strawberry vanilla hydrangeas are def crossing over to stawberry now |
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| a recent trip down memory lane... |
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| ...yielded some fruits of the vine... |
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| ...and a couple of happy campers |
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| watching a little golf on a sunday afternoon (the upper and lower shadows aren't really there when watching my 1959 GE TV - just something with how my cell phone captures the pic) |
Dont' look now but it's already August 9th; might be time to press the panic button.
Back on June 21 (the summer solstice) we had 15 hours and 23 minutes of daylight; now we're down to 14 hours and 13 minutes.
By August 31 we'll have lost another hour; and don't even ask what happens in September. (another hour and 22 *poof* gone!)
Used to be you could hit me with a hammer between the eyes and I wouldn't cry just out of spite.
Now I'm ready to weep like a jilted lover over our disappearing summer.
But no point in that nonsense...time to hitch up your britches and get after what's left of our summer weather!
What does that mean for you?
For us it's a lot of outside time in the gardens, in the pool, in our shaded sitting area...
...mowing the lawn, visiting <Bowerman Blueberries> (their blueberry hand pies are to die for), sipping wine at <Tanglewood>, hickory golf, and, uh, yeah whatever else we can think of so we won't be kicking ourselves for not doing it...
...once Ol' Man Winter arrives.
⁸ Yet the LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night His song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life.
- Psalms 42:8
later, mcm fans...
