Category Archives: All Rights Reserved

GOP Disease: Say It, Then Apologize

23 Friday Mar 2018

Posted by in Aging, All Rights Reserved, Assault Weapons, Communication, Discrimination, Donald Trump, Ethics, Generational, Government, Gun control, Gun Extremists, habits, Honor, Information Technology, Mass Shootings, Mental Health, Nevada, Politicians, Politics, Pride, Public Image, racism, Respect, Russian influence, Second Amendment, Social Media Relations, United States, US History, Violence in the Workplace, Voting

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Republicans have a consistent problem. They first say what they are thinking…and then they apologize for it. It’s the GOP disease. In incident after incident a Republican office holder, or a Republican candidate will say something that is completely inappropriate and then smirk. They are proud of it. Then when it becomes national news, they suddenly grow a conscience and apologize for the remark…some of the time.

Former CIA Turned GOP Candidate Jokes About Killing Opponent 

The most recent incident to make national news is when a Republican candidate for Kentucky’s Secretary of State, Carl B. Nett, office suggested in a tweet that he could use an anti-NRA pin for a target if his opponent would move the pin closer to the center of his body.

The tweet itself is disturbing. What is more disturbing is that Nett is a former CIA and Secret Service agent. He was one of the people that our country entrusted with the use of deadly force because he supposedly was trained to control his impulses. As a former agent, the expectation is that he knows that killing someone is not a joking matter.

Nett has caused the world to question the training and discipline of our country’s CIA and Secret Service agents. He has made all of them look like cowboys out for a party with little or no self-control.

Trump As A Model

Donald Trump has been the model for Republicans in breaching intellectual and civil boundaries of behavior with his practice of saying anything that comes to his mind. Trump reveals his inner thoughts and expresses them in a diarrhea-type flow of violent, subhuman, and racist comments.

Unfortunately, Trumpsters love Trump because he says what they are thinking. That, in itself, is also disturbing.

Qualifications To Be a Public Servant

When someone says what they think, that is honesty. Honesty is good; however, when honesty reveals that the person is of a vile nature, they are not qualified to be a citizen of this country, let alone elected to public office. An apology is not the measure of a person. The person is measured by hu’s* actions.

Nett’s apology was a self-serving statement that he’s just a normal human:

Nett is not a normal human. Hu is representative of the nature and character of the Republican party. Hu’s values are Putin-like values that belong to a society of corruption and terror. We don’t need the excuses of people who can’t respect the ideals our country. We need people of character. Republicans are not those people. Carl B. Nett is a case in point.

[*Hu’s: a gender-neutral pronoun for his/her. Hu: a gender-neutral pronoun for he/she.]

Ten Reasons There is Life on Earth

21 Wednesday Mar 2018

Posted by in All Rights Reserved, Astronomy, Exploration, Global warming, Green, History, Life, NASA, Nevada, Reno, Science, Space, US Space Program, Water, Weather

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As scientists are finding more planets orbiting other stars it is becoming more of a reality that we are not alone in the universe. We may never be able to contact or observe life on other planets, but no one can deny the possibility that life might take root these islands in space. Still, it is important to remember that life on Earth is due to special circumstances.

Ten Factors Required For Life On Earth

A planet orbiting a star does not necessarily result in the development of life. On our planet, we have at least ten factors that allowed life to develop.

1. Not Too Close to Other Stars (Location, location, location)

If our solar system was located near the center of the Milky Way Galaxy, life probably would not have been able to develop on Earth. Stars are dangerous. They do bad things including spitting out radiation that destroys the basic structures of complex life. A planet in a solar system with other stars in the neighborhood is asking for trouble.

2. Our Sun is Special

Life on any planet requires a star, but not just any star will do. Size matters in the development of life. So do the qualities of the star. Our Sun is bigger than most, but still it is a relatively small, stable star and it’s been that way for over four and a half billion years. It will be stable for about another 5 billion years. It also has a treasure of heavy elements that are necessary for planet formation. Without planets, there is no life.

Life around stars of different sizes are possible, but our Sun seems to be about the perfect size for the development of life. In addition, our Sun is 85% brighter than the rest of the stars in the Milky Way, which has been vital in ‘powering’ our planet.

3. A Star’s Habitable Zone

Planet hunters and the media have made a major issue out of the concept of the ‘Goldilocks Zone.’ This is the area around a Sun where a planet is not too close, nor too far away. It is an important aspect of the potential for development of life on a planet, but it is only one factor of many. For Earth, we are resting in the orbit that is just right.

4. Moon

It’s hard to overstate the importance of the Moon for the development of life on Earth. First, the Moon was likely formed in a collision when a small planet-sized object hit Earth and tilted our axis (more on this later.) In addition, the Moon has slowed the Earth’s rotation down (more on this later,) and helped enhance the tidal movement of the Earth’s oceans. The Moon has played an important role in human activity, but just as an important role for all our planet’s species.

5. Size of the Planet

Again, size matters. If a planet is too big and the gravity will inhibit the formation of larger, more complex molecular organic structures. Too small and there can be no atmosphere. Earth is in the zone.

6. Axial Tilt

If Earth’s axis was perpendicular to the plane of the solar system the Sun would heat up the equator creating a zone too hot for most life forms. The poles would have minimal solar heating and would be extremely cold. In between would be the combat zone between hot and cold. Constant violent storms and wind would batter the mid-latitudes.

The tilt of the Earth causes solar heating to warm one hemisphere and allows the other to cool down. Every six months the warm/cool cycle swaps hemispheres. This creates storm systems in both hemispheres, but they act to distribute the warmth more evenly. The tilt of Earth’s axis is almost perfect for nurturing life.

7. Length of Day (spin)

We take the 24 hour day for granted. We shouldn’t. Last year Takanori Sasaki, a planetary scientist with Kyoto University, pointed out that the Earth originally spun so fast that its ‘day’ was only four hours long. Multicellular life didn’t develop on Earth until the day was 23 hours long. It’s is not clear at what point a planet’s rotation makes it habitable, but it seems obvious that a planet’s spin is a factor in the possibility of life formation.

8. Atmosphere

It may be obvious that an atmosphere is required for the development of life, but there are qualities to an atmosphere that are also required. The atmosphere cannot be too thick or too thin. It has to consist of an oxidizer, such as oxygen, to promote chemical reactions in cell structures. There is more to Earth’s air than just air.

9. Liquid Water

Water is necessary for all life that we are aware of, even though it is more important to some species than others. Liquid water is even more important to life than water vapor or ice. It is not an accident that the development of life happened on a planet where 71% of the surface is covered with liquid water.

10. Continent to Ocean Ratio

It’s not obvious, but life on Earth has been helped by the ratio of land to ocean. Land tends to have more temperature variance than the oceans between summer and winter. Land that is not covered in ice or vegetation absorbs much more heat in the summer. If most of our planet consisted of continents, the temperature change from summer to winter would be more dramatic, and less friendly to life.

Earth is Unique, Not Rare

Life on Earth was not an accident, nor is it divine. The conditions that led to the development of life here must exist on millions of planets, but there are an estimated 100 billion planets in the Milky Way Galaxy alone. We are unique, but we cannot be alone. Give life an opportunity and it will seize it.

First Day of Spring is Fake News

20 Tuesday Mar 2018

Posted by in About Reno, All Rights Reserved, Astronomy, Global warming, Journalism, Lessons of Life, Nevada, Print Media, Reno, Science, Spring, Traditional Media, United States, Weather

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Today at 9:15 am Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) the Sun will be directly over the equator. For this reason, the news media will relentlessly remind us that Spring is here. They will tell us it is the return of warm weather! Yea! But, don’t be fooled by their fake news.

Springtime in the Northern Hemisphere. Bah!

You Call This Spring? 

The Vernal equinox may be the date that the Sun comes back over to our side of the equator, but let’s be real, warm weather doesn’t rush back the northern hemisphere. At least not to those over 35° north latitude. Some of us will be lucky to see our shadow on the first day of Spring. Forget about the stupid groundhog that never, ever is correct.

The northern hemisphere will continue to be smothered in cold air masses and bring snow down across much of the lower 48 states. (Don’t get smug Hawai’i. You can have snowstorms after the Vernal equinox, too. You just have to climb a really tall volcano to get to it.) The media calls them ‘Spring snowstorms’ as if that is supposed to make us feel better about them. News flash: It doesn’t.

And don’t get me started on those people who like to slip down a snow-covered slope while trying to stand on bent slats of fiberglass. They are all smiles when a new storm dumps more solid water in the mountains. After the third week in March, skiing and snowboarding should be done on ice and melting snow, as God intended. None of this ‘fresh powder’ crap.

Spring Reality Check

For the next three months, the axis tilt of the Earth will increasingly favor the Sun in the northern hemisphere. For those of us that are done with cold weather, we have to remember that warm and cold are like new lovers can’t get enough of each other.

As the lower latitudes of the northern hemisphere heat up, the cold air in the higher latitudes rushes down to embrace the warmth. Tornados in northern Florida are an indication that the Sun is heating up the northern hemisphere and the winter cold is rushing down to meet it. As we move from March to April to May to June, tornados will show up farther and farther north.

The Script

News media will still try to convince us that the weather significantly changes on 20 March. I’ve stolen an advance copy of the script that is to be used by local television weather people across the northern United States:

Weatherperson:

(Try to sound homey) Well, it looks like Spring is here, but we still have some Spring snowstorms hanging around for the next few days, weeks, or possibly months. These storms are Spring storms so the temperature will be one half a degree warmer than during the Winter. We should see only a trace of snow, up to two meters if your house is located within the area of snowfall. It will quickly melt off in May, so get out there and enjoy the Spring weather!

Why Are There 360 Degrees in a Circle?

19 Monday Mar 2018

Posted by in All Rights Reserved, Astronomy, Eclipse, History, Photography, Science, solar, Space

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Everyone knows there are 360 degrees in a circle. Why? A circle could have a 1,000° which would make a half circle equal 500° and a quarter circle 250°. Who chose the number 360? Was there a vote? Who do we blame? Inquiring minds want to know!

Two circles getting in each other's way

2017 Total Solar Eclipse from Canyon City, OR

As it turns out there are at least two reasons we use 360° as the number to define a complete circle. One reason has to do with astronomy and the other with mathematics.

360 Degrees? Blame the Babylonians

The Greeks are partly responsible for defining the numerical value for a circle, but really it was the Babylonians. It may even be farther back than the Babylonians, but someone erased their hard drive and now we will never know.

Apparently, the Babylonians loved the number ’60.’ They created a number system using Base 60 (we use Base 10.) The number 60 is amazing because it can be divided into so many factors. 60 can be divided evenly by 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 12, 15, 20, 30, and 60. Since the Babylonians loved 60, the fact that a circle can be divided into six equilateral triangles made 360 the best option for defining the numerical value of a circle.

We don’t actually know if it was the Babylonians, but we do know that several prominent Greek mathematicians used 360° as the numerical value for a circle. It is written…in Greek of course.

Star Gazers In a 360 Days

But long before the Babylonians, it was obvious to anyone who looked up at the sky at night that the stars followed a circular pattern through the year. If one noted the position of a star or constellation on a particular night and time, next year that star would be in the same place on the same day and time.

The elapsed number of nights for a full circle? About 360. Anyone who tracked the stars would have noted that the circular pattern of the stars resumed after about 360 days.

The reason we have 360° is most likely because of the speed at which the Earth rotates, (once every 24 hours,) and there are approximately 360 rotations (days) in a year.

Metric Circles?

Believe it or not, there were attempts to make circles metric. It didn’t take. There are some uses for it, but the 360° value is more accepted ‘around’ (that’s a joke) the world.

Three Steps For Solving the Assault-Type Weapons Problem

16 Friday Mar 2018

Posted by in Aging, All Rights Reserved, Assault Weapons, Crime, Ethics, Generational, Government, Government Regulation, Gun control, Gun Extremists, Mass Shootings, Mental Health, Nevada, Politicians, Politics, Reno, Second Amendment, The Tipping Point, United States, US History, Violence in the Workplace

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Some people are saying that assault-type weapons genie is out of the box. Their belief is that the ban on assault-type rifles can never be reinstated. They fear that collection of assault weapons may involve violent confrontations with gun extremists. There is a way out of this mess caused by letting the assault weapons ban expire. It involves three steps.

Designed to Kill Without Aiming – Semi-automatic Mossberg-MMR

STEP ONE:  Reinstate the ban on assault-type rifles

All future sale, trade, and/or gifting an assault-type rifle, including all rifles with an automatic and/or semiautomatic firing function, would be banned in the United States of America. These weapons would not be allowed to be imported, nor purchased outside the United States and brought into the country.

STEP TWO:  Voluntary Surrender of Assault-type Rifles

Any current owner of an assault-type rifle would have the option of surrendering hu’s* weapon to local law enforcement. Those guns would need to be secured or destroyed.

STEP THREE:  Conditions of Ownership of Assault-type Rifles

Condition One:  Registration

Anyone with peaceful intent should be willing to comply with the registration of all assault-type weapons. Those that fail to register their automatic and semi-automatic weapons shall be considered to have a violent intent. They will face stiff fines and possibly prison. Registration will also consist of a background check, regardless of whether one was done when the owner purchased it.

Assault-type weapons cannot be sold to anyone else without approval from the local law enforcement agency. That agency will be required to perform a background check.

CONDITION TWO:  Insurance

Anyone owning a weapon in question must obtain and maintain a one million dollar liability insurance policy. This is similar to the liability policy required to own a car. Failure to do so will require forfeiture of the gun and a significant fine and possibly prison.

CONDITION THREE:  Compliance With the Second Amendment

Per the Second Amendment, an owner of an assault-type rifle must join a State National Guard and submit to regular training and duty as long as they own the weapon. Use of the weapon shall be regulated by that State’s National Guard, including the determination of mental and physical qualifications of use of such weapon.

(*’Hu’s’ is a pronoun meaning ‘his’ and/or ‘hers.’)

The Ides of March is Really About the Moon

15 Thursday Mar 2018

Posted by in All Rights Reserved, Astronomy, Donald Trump, Government, History, Politicians, Politics, Science, Space, Travel

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Thanks to William Shakespeare, the Ides of March is associated with the assassination of Julius Caesar (15 March 44 B.C.) Most people know the Ides of March to be on the 15th. The Ides of a month is often referred to as the middle of the month, which is true, but there is more. The Ides of March is about the Moon, not Caesar.

The Greek and early Roman calendar:  New Moon began each month (kalends) and the Full Moon was the middle (ides)

The Growing Pains of the Months and Years Concept

The concept of a month and a year was in a transitional phase during the rule of the Romans. Early calendars simply followed the phases of the Moon. A New Moon started each month and the Full Moon was the middle. This meant that the cycle of the seasons and the months were not in synch.

Each month included three reference points associated with the phases of the Moon. They were the  kalends (New Moon), nones (first half Moon,) and ides (Full Moon.) Every other day of the month was a number based on how long before the next named phase of the Moon (March 12 would be ‘3 days before ides.’)

However, there were only ten months in a year so they added Winter as an unnamed time period between the years to match the Spring, Summer, and Autumn. The New Moon prior to the Vernal Equinox would begin the new year. March was the first month of a new year and celebrations were held between the kalends and ides of March. For example, in 2018 the New Year (kalends of March) would be 17 March so the ides of March would be 31 March.

Back to J.C. …Julius Caesar

Cavete Idibus Martiis

Beware the Ides of March (in Latin)

The situation of Caesar’s death is interesting considering the current political environment of the United States. Caesar had won the support of the lower Roman classes and was named dictator for life. His assassination threatened the rise of a civil war led by the lower class. Antony used this threat in an attempt to take Julius Caesar’s place, but Caesar had named his 18-year-old son, Octavius, as his successor. In the end, the conspirators in the Senate were all killed and Octavius ruled Rome.

NRA is Not a Gun Safety Organization

14 Wednesday Mar 2018

Posted by in About Reno, Aging, All Rights Reserved, Crime, Education, Ethics, Generational, Government, Government Regulation, Gun control, Gun Extremists, Health, History, Mass Shootings, Mental Health, Nevada, Politicians, Politics, Recreation, Reno, United States, US History, Violence in the Workplace, Wildlife, Women

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I obtained a National Rifle Association (NRA) card in 1967 (updated in 1975.) Actually, it was a hunter’s safety card. It was a new requirement for a Colorado Department of Natural Resources hunting license for anyone born after 1949. I earned it by attending a hunter’s safety course sponsored by the NRA. I was nine years old, and as I recall, I was among the first children to go through the course. That was when gun safety was important to gun owners and to the NRA.

Today’s NRA:  Put Guns In the Reach of Children

Now the NRA is a nonprofit group with a focus on increasing the profits of weapons manufacturers. Safety is in conflict with its primary mission. Now its goal is to propagandize weapon ownership and instill fear in the mind of the public. The concept of promoting safe use of firearms has been replaced with promoting unsafe firearm practices. Protecting the sale of assault-type weapons and putting a gun in a room of children, for example.

In 1967 good gun ownership included making sure guns were unloaded when coming back into town. Guns and people are never a good combination. In 2018 the NRA philosophy is driven by one concept…How can gun manufacturers sell more guns? The new philosophy can be seen in every aspect of NRA activity. Guns in schools, guns at home, assault rifle for everyone, no background checks, etc.

… the NRA is a powerful political organization that lobbies for gun rights and opposes the restriction on firearms by gun laws … the National Rifle Association has become one of the most powerful organizations that has great influence at the political level.

The National Rifle Association website

Voice of Common Sense

Today at 10 am, students around the country will remember last month’s mass school shooting that killed 17 people. Gun extremists are quick to focus on the minor transgression of students walking out of class and ignore the murder of children by a man with a gun that no one should own. If this protest was for the NRA, gun extremists would be voicing the right of Free Speech, but only a fool would protest for the NRA.

Voices of common sense about gun ownership are always seen as a threat to gun extremists. I once spent over an hour discussion common sense gun ownership with two gun extremists who were on a campus seeking to recruit more gun extremists. My debate with them became pointless. It was the same NRA indoctrination over and over. They have to defend themselves against an imaginary enemy. When I asked them what allows them to be judge, jury, and executioner, their retort was, “I have a right to defend myself.”

Assault-type Rifles Are To Kill People 

One of the demands of today’s student protests is to reinstate the ban on assault-type rifles. Anyone who has hunted knows that an assault-type rifle is not compatible with shooting game animals. The first step in discharging any firearm is to aim at your target, and be sure there is nothing in front or behind that might be hit by the bullet. Once fired, a gun will jerk and require it to be aimed again. An assault-type rifle is designed to spray bullets in rapid fire, and if configured with a ‘bump’ stock, or illegally retrofit to be an automatic rifle, aiming is not possible.

The comments I have heard from owners of assault-type rifles is that they are ‘fun to fire.’ This leads me to believe that the man who committed the 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas was on a ‘thrill kill’ that was triggered by having so many weapons of mass murder available. He simply wanted to use them for their intended purpose.

The NRA’s position is that assault-type rifles should be available for anyone who can afford one. Their reason is simple; more weapons instills fear in others, which in turn sells more weapons. There is no downside to mass shootings in regard to the NRA’s goals.

Am I Safe?

After finding my Hunter’s Safety Card I contacted one of the Colorado Wildlife offices and asked if my card from 1967 or 1975 was still valid. They are, but that doesn’t make me a safe gun owner. A card doesn’t make you a safe gun owner. Nor does a gun make you a safe gun owner.

Why Are Conservatives Anti-Society?

13 Tuesday Mar 2018

Posted by in Aging, All Rights Reserved, Business, Conservatives, Discrimination, Donald Trump, Economy, Education, Ethics, Gender Issues, Generational, Government, Government Regulation, Gun control, Gun Extremists, Higher Education, History, Housing, labor, Nevada, Politicians, Politics, racism, Religion, Reno, Respect, Second Amendment, Taxes, United States, US History, Voting, Women

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The conservative agenda is not society friendly. It is designed to benefit few and ignore the rest. The ideology of conservatism is based on an idea of keeping what is perceived to be good and avoiding risk-taking in the future. It assumes that there will be winners and losers so life is about making sure they are the winners.

Fear and Hate are the Entrees for Conservatives

Religions As Safe Harbor For Conservatives

Religions are typically conservative because most religions are built on a paradigm of preserving past traditions. Even the Christian religion is filled with rules and rituals that preserve the thinking of the past and are resistant to change. This is why so many Christians identify themselves with conservative thinking.

The idea that everyone is worthy and equal is usually rhetoric in religions mixed with a condescending effort to help those less fortunate. Often religions and conservatives blame the less fortunate for their own problems. They are the losers and a conservative often consoles hu’s* conscience by making offerings or volunteering to help the less fortunate.

A Liberal Perspective is in Direct Conflict with a Conservative

A conservative, by definition, is focused on preserving what they believe with the assumption that any other belief is irrelevant. It is easy to understand why anyone who has a liberal perspective is worthy of ridicule to a conservative because liberals tend to have a less cynical view of humanity.

Conservatives are driven by fear and self-preservation, while liberals are driven by hope. Conservatives need to believe that they are under threat. Examples of conservative thought consumed by selfishness and fear are:

Taxes

All efforts in a society should be of direct benefit to the person paying taxes. Any money spent for the welfare of others is a target to conservatives and considered a waste of money. Conservatives often use rare examples of waste to ridicule spending for the benefit of less fortunate.

Gun Ownership

Conservatives use their fear of humanity to base a belief that a system of laws and impartial judgment are not effective. Conservatives believe that they should have the right to judge the actions of another person and execute them without trial. To the conservative, the term ‘defense’ justifies the instant execution of an unarmed person based on hu’s fear of that person.

Immigrants

Conservatives typically interchange hu’s racists beliefs with issues that target a particular race. Even though there is no significant immigration problem in the United States, conservatives manufacture a fear that immigrants are a threat. Immigration enforcement targets non-Caucasian races and typically ignore Caucasians.

Women

Historically women have endured a subservient role in society. Conservatives want to preserve that subservient role and consciously and unconsciously act as if women are a lesser gender. In religion, a fear of women has pushed them into a role of service to men and the church.

Conservatives Anti-Society

The problem with conservative ideology is that the fear and hate of non-conservatives places them as the adversary of society. It divides the population, often along the lines of race and power. In their mind, everything is an ‘us-versus-them’ battle regardless of a lack of evidence.

This attitude impacts the effectiveness of our society as the concept of a few winners is at the expense of the rest of the population. 

(*’Hu’s’ is a pronoun meaning ‘his’ and/or ‘hers.’)

Time To Stop Changing Time? Why We Need Daylight Saving Time All Year

11 Sunday Mar 2018

Posted by in About Reno, Aging, All Rights Reserved, Astronomy, Daylight Saving Time, Economy, Generational, Government, habits, Health, History, Lessons of Life, Mental Health, Recreation, Reno, Science, solar, Space, Technology, Travel, United States, US History

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Many people dislike the two days of the year we go to or revert from Daylight Saving Time (DST.) It requires changing the clocks and adjusting to the new rhythm of our activity related to the rise and set of the Sun. It is annoying and, as a species, annoyance is a prompt for finding a solution. Perhaps it is time to stop changing time.

A Problem of Degrees

We should recognize that the length of day is only an issue for those living between 30° and 70° latitude. The length of day within 30° of the equator doesn’t radically change from summer to winter. Above 70° latitude, the Sun sets for weeks or months during the winter and there are not many people living that close to the poles.

For those living between 30° and 70° latitude, there is an undeniable problem. Reno, Nevada, USA is at 39° north latitude. At the summer solstice, the day is almost 15 hours long and sunrise is at 5:30 am under Daylight Saving Time. If we did not have DST, the sun would rise at 4:30 am.

A Diurnal Vespertine-Adapted Species

In an agrarian economy, working in the field is easier during daylight hours. In that situation, time is relative to a solar schedule; however, in an interactive urban economy, working in shops and offices is more suitable for a common clock schedule.

After artificial electric light became the standard, and after the population moved into cities, we became a diurnal, vespertine-adapted species. Most of our country’s population works during the daylight hours and participates in non-work activities in the evenings. Today, most people are not active before six in the morning, but they remain active until 10 pm or later.

Sunrise before 6 am disturbs the typical sleep patterns of humans, and light later into the evening is more suitable for evening activities. Daylight Saving Time creates a favorable environment for a later sunrise and more sun in the evening. 

Daylight Saving Time Year Round

Standard Time was traditionally based on the position of the Sun at High Noon. That approximately divided the daylight into Morning and Afternoon. We no longer use High Noon as the foundation of Standard Time; however, it is an artifact of a primarily agrarian economy. Daylight Saving Time was used to adapt the clock to human behavior as we moved from the farms to more urban living.

Time is a human invention. It should serve the needs of humans. It would seem it is time to stop punishing humans with Standard Time and remain on Daylight Savings Time for the entire year.

Three Myths That Gun Extremist Believe

09 Friday Mar 2018

Posted by in All Rights Reserved, Crime, Donald Trump, Ethics, Generational, Government, Government Regulation, Gun control, Gun Extremists, Health, History, Mass Shootings, Mental Health, Nevada, Politicians, Politics, racism, Reno, Russian influence, Second Amendment, United States, US History, Violence in the Workplace

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Gun Extremists have been fed a steady diet of misinformation by the NRA. Decades of crafting a lie have resulted in gun owners being one of the most misinformed groups in the history of the United States. When you talk with an NRA gun extremist you hear the following statements:

1.  Gun Extremist’s Myth versus FACT: 

The Second Amendment gives me a constitutional right to own an assault rifle and the government can’t take away my guns.

False. The Second Amendment begins with “A well regulated militia…” That is the focus of the amendment. Everything that is stated afterward is subject to the topic of a well regulated militia. Well regulated clearly means that the government is expected to regulate gun ownership. 

Guns are not trophies

2.  Gun Extremist’s Myth versus FACT: 

The Supreme Court ruled that the government can’t take our assault rifles away.

False. The Supreme Court ruled in The District of Columbia v. Heller that the government can’t ban handguns in the home, providing the person meets the qualifications required to own a gun. The Supreme Court specifically stated that more dangerous weapons could be banned from public use.

In fact, a ban on assault rifles existed from 1994 until 2004 when Congress failed to renew the ban. The ban was constitutionally legal.

3.  Gun Extremist’s Myth versus FACT:

I have a right to defend myself with a gun.

False. If you use a gun to injure or kill someone it must be proven that it was in defense. It is true, that in many states if someone enters your home it is considered allowable for a homeowner to shoot that person even if they are unarmed. The law does not give a person the right to be judge, jury, and executioner.

However, it is rare that a gun death is a legitimate ‘defensive’ act. In 2013, of 33,636 deaths due to “injury by firearms,” 21,175 (63%) were suicides and 11,208 (33%) were homicides, 505 (1.5%) were deaths due to accidental or negligent use of a gun. We are the most well-armed nation in the world and over 97% of all gun deaths were not because someone killed the bad guy.

Leadership Madness: Time To Check Trump’s Urine Color

08 Thursday Mar 2018

Posted by in Aging, All Rights Reserved, Crisis Management, Economy, Ethics, Generational, Government, Government Regulation, Health, History, Lessons of Life, Management Practices, Mental Health, Politicians, Politics, Public Image, racism, Republic, Russian influence, Taxes, The Tipping Point, United States, US History

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King George III was an odd man in his later years. Sometimes talking without stopping for hours. He had a vengeful hate for the United States and hoped to war with our country incessantly until our spirit was destroyed. King George had episodes of odd behavior and his urine was allegedly blue. He was the focus of the American colonies desire to gain independence, and he was considered ‘mad.’ Maybe it’s time to check Donald Trump’s urine.

Enablers Surround Donald Trump

Destroyer of Nations:  Diarrhea of a Leaders Thoughts

The final analysis of King George III’s reign is that he didn’t have the disease (porphyria) that turns urine purplish but rather had a bipolar disorder possibly caused by arsenic poison. His behavior towards the American colonies was a major factor in the cause of the American Revolution and his need to express himself verbally and in written words inflamed the situation.

A sentence containing 400 words and eight verbs was not unusual. George III, when ill, often repeated himself…

Historically, when a leader of a country becomes aggressive and vengeful, it often creates the devastation of that nation. Hitler, Mussolini, and even the Emperor of Japan took an aggressive stand that destroyed their countries. Aggressive and vengeful political leadership is a dangerous sign in for the well-being of its citizens.

Donald Trump is out of control, much like King George III. He is randomly lashing out and leaving his closest supporters desperately trying to explain his actions. We have never had a leader of the United States so out of balance in his words and deeds. He is a man who believes that he is unstoppable.

Leadership Madness:  Raiding the Vault In the Chaos

The problem is that the Republicans in Congress are using this as an opportunity to take outrageous steps motivated by greed and ideology. They have no motivation to intercede and bring back stability. Our government was designed to have checks and balances but we are in a situation where that concept has become impotent.

Civility is a delicate balance of a conscious effort by a society. When that balance is destroyed there is no easy way to restore it. It is a crime for which everyone is punished.

Trump’s Trade Deficit Talk Proves Lack of Knowledge

07 Wednesday Mar 2018

Posted by in All Rights Reserved, Business, Donald Trump, Economy, Education, Ethics, Generational, Government, Government Regulation, History, jobs, labor, Management Practices, Nevada, Politicians, Politics, Public Image, racism, Relationships, Russian influence, selling, Stock Market, Taxes, Technology, Trade deficit, United States, US History

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Trade deficits are bad. Everyone knows a trade deficit is bad. So when a person goes to a store and buys a product they have a trade deficit with that store. That’s bad, correct? They have the product that has value but they don’t have the money. The person has less money and the store has more. That is a trade deficit. So why don’t we build, mine, and/or grow everything so we don’t have a trade deficit?

Tariffs and Trade Wars Kill an Economy

Kai Ryssdal of American Public Media’s (APM) Marketplace had Ryan Kailath explain this on Tuesday using a sandwich shop. The point he made with his report was that we don’t ‘lose’ money in a trade deficit. It’s a point that Mr. “Art of the Deal” Donald Trump should understand, but his words and actions indicate he that he doesn’t understand the basics of international trade.

Trade Deficit:  It’s Not Just About Jobs

Many people focus on jobs when discussing the trade deficit. When other countries make stuff that we buy they create jobs for people in their country. It’s easy to argue that when they have the jobs, we don’t. That’s not necessarily true, nor relevant.

We are the 362.874 kg gorilla in the room when it comes to buying goods. We don’t need menial jobs that pay low wages in this country. We have spent a lot of money to educate people so they don’t have to work menial jobs for low wages. We need jobs that challenge workers and the pay living wages.

Buying inexpensive materials and goods from other countries we put those types of jobs there and have the products to use and raw materials for final manufacturing at a lower cost than if we did the work in this country. We save money and resell those products at a profit, but lower cost.

We create jobs in the secondary outcome of trading with other countries. That system may create a trade deficit, but that is a good thing. Trade deficits mean that a country is saving money because let’s face it, why would a company pay for a product that they could build here for less cost?

Managing a Trade Deficit

Protectionists believe that the United States is the center of the universe. They want to create a trade war with other countries because they believe our country doesn’t need them. It is driven by a racist point of view. Protectionists believe that our economy would be perfect if we didn’t interact with any other country. It is a childish mentality that is fatal in an adult world.

A trade war using taxes and tariffs to prevent trade doesn’t create jobs in the United States. A trade war makes businesses import products at a higher cost and makes other countries angry. A trade war is akin to telling your local grocer that you are going to charge them to allow you to buy food.

Trump is about to ignite a fuse that will blow our country up. The “Art of the Deal” guy isn’t artistic, and he’s giving our country a bad deal.

Could David Brooks Be Correct About Being Wrong?

05 Monday Mar 2018

Posted by in Aging, All Rights Reserved, Communication, Crime, Ethics, Generational, Government, Government Regulation, Gun control, History, Journalism, Mass Shootings, Mental Health, parenting, Politicians, Politics, Print Media, racism, Religion, Respect, Second Amendment, Traditional Media, United States, US History, Violence in the Workplace

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Damn him! Just when David Brooks seems to be defending a position on gun control that blames liberals for not being warm and fuzzy with gun extremists, he turns around and reconsiders his position. This is unacceptable! How can we establish a clear line in the sand when he says, “Maybe I’m wrong.” THE NERVE of that man!

David Brooks on Gun Control:  Let Red Be Red 

David Brooks has at least twice indicated that gun users should have a significant role in determining the parameters of gun ownership. Most recently he suggested that liberals should let the gun owners lead the discussion.

So if you want to stop school shootings it’s not enough to just vent and march. You have to let Red America lead the way, and to show respect to gun owners at every point. 

David Brooks – 19 February

His position was to let gun extremists continue to do what they’ve been doing and maybe…maybe, someday they will let common sense return. For me, that position is a nonstarter. I know these gun extremists. They are from small towns like where I grew up. For at least 40 years they’ve been on a steady diet of “When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns.” (I saw that bumper sticker on a truck in the 1970’s.)

Gun extremists have not been rational for decades. The constant statements that “they’re coming to git your guns” is oxygen to gun extremists. These are not gun owners, they are gun cultists. They have no business being part of a discussion about guns, let alone lead it.

He Said What??

But last Thursday David Brooks took a different perspective on the issue. He said:

Continued school shootings could be just the thing that persuades the mainstream that conservatism is vulgar and socially illegitimate, somewhere between smoking and segregationism.

David Brooks – 1 March

This is an understatement. Slaughtering seven-year-old children with an assault rifle should never be compared to smoking or segregationism.

However, his realization is something that our country hasn’t heard from conservatives in a long time. It is not likely to be shared by many gun extremists, but if it were, we would have the assault weapon ban reinstated in a matter of days.

The rest of the country is watching the trainwreck of conservatism. The lead engineers of Donald Trump, Mitch McConnel, and Paul Ryan are putting more power to the engine even as it falls off the trestle. The Trumpsters onboard are laughing and whooping with joy.

Conservatives have used a desperate tactic of building a coalition with racists, religious extremists, gun extremists, and corrupt people of wealth. An idea is growing among people of common sense. The question is not just asking how do we stop the madness. The question is how do make sure it never happens again. The answer to that question should have Trumpsters soiling their underwear. There is a cost to arrogance, and arrogance is only temporary.

My Diagnosis of David Brooks

I believe I know why David Brooks is able to consider different points of view on issues as divisive as gun control. First, he was born in Canada. (I’ll take a moment while most of you slap your forehead and say, “Of course!”)

Second, I believe that David Brooks has used,…please, hear me out,…I believe he has used LSD at some point in his life. Recently I read about a study where subjects were tested after they were given LSD and the results indicated that they were more open-minded.

So, my theory is that the combination of being born in Canada and taking LSD at some point can cause a conservative to consider issues from multiple viewpoints. Unfortunately, it is unlikely that our country has many conservative Canadians who have taken LSD.

Nobody said this would be easy.

(NOTE:  David Brooks comments are published in the New York Times. Because this source uses a paywall to prevent sharing I have not linked to his full article per normal.)

Fortnight: Chapter 4 – The Devil in the Details

04 Sunday Apr 2010

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CHAPTER 4
The Devil in the Details


Friday, May 15, 2020 3:27 PM MDT
In the few hours that past, Gwen had done a week’s worth of work.  She was a person that could focus intently on one task, but could also stop and take care of another detail and then return to the original task without missing a beat.  The pressure of a P1 case only made her focus on the murder scene more intense.  Gwen was efficient, but thorough.  Every detail, picture, and fact had been referenced and entered on her tablet screen she carried with her.  The tablet never left her hand, or if she needed both hands she could attach it to her arm.  It was roughly the size and thickness of small yellow note pad of her grandfathers.’  He had a bunch of them in a filing cabinet in their garage when she was a child but she hadn’t seen a real yellow pad for years.

All the data Gwen entered was transmitted immediately to her personal server and to two backup servers.  She could access the case file anywhere in the world.  As a matter of protocol, Tommy, the ISPO, assigned the encryption key code in the flash form that he sent her to authorize her to be the LCI on this case, however, no one but Gwen’s team would be authorized to access the case file unless she was removed from the case.

After walking around the building several times, both inside and out, she had an exact knowledge of the layout of the murder scene.  In her mind she had worked out the possible scenarios of how the killer had entered the building and how the victim was executed.  In all scenarios the victim must have voluntarily come to the building, entered it, and kneeled on the floor.  Perhaps it was all done at gunpoint, but based on the lack of marks on the body and no evidence of a struggle at any of the entrances; the victim did not fight back at any point.  That allowed Gwen to rule out almost all ‘kidnapping/murder’ situations.

Gwen couldn’t be positive, but Elizabeth McKay must have known the murderer and likely came to the warehouse unaware of his or her intent.  That was the only scenario that made sense.  If that was the case then the murderer had been able to convince McKay trust him or her.  That gave Gwen some hope.  A person can gain the trust of a few people who will be gullible enough to walk into a murder, but it is nearly impossible to get 14 people to do it.  It was likely that McKay was the closest person to the murderer; therefore it was unlikely the other 13 potential victims would be as trusting.  In addition, McKay likely knew some or all of the other potential victims and they knew her.

At about noon Gwen decided to leak the information and victim’s name to the media.  She knew that it would increase the chances of identifying the murderer and make the potential victims on the alert for any strange requests from people they knew.  Gwen figured she had at least five or six days and maybe a month before the murderer would try to kill someone else.  This murder probably took a month or more to plan and execute, so Gwen would have time to assemble a team and train them in her style of investigation before they would have to deal with another body.

As the LCI on the scene she had to oversee the handling of the scene including and the removal of the body. She had dismissed the paramedics soon after arriving. She knew the body would have to lay there for several hours and she respected the time of others. All of the police administrators left within an hour of her arrival this morning. They knew hanging around would be inappropriate, as their job was to hand off murder cases, not investigate. One patrol unit stayed according to the policy that was established back in 2016 when a murderer came back, or perhaps had hidden out at the crime scene, and killed the LCI and the CSI team.  After that it was determined that at least two patrol officers must stay on scene until everyone leaves.

The CSI team had finished up an hour ago and left. A recovery unit picked up the body and was now driving out of the parking lot.  Gwen had been in contact with the landlord and a representative had stopped by and given Gwen the run down on the property…who leased it last, who had access, who looked at the warehouse in the past year, etc.  The building rep transmitted the details to Gwen as they talked.

The most of the doors were the old style key locked doors, but two were card/keycode locks.  The bad news was that the locks had not been changed in at least six years.  The rep told Gwen that the building had been rented by five businesses and one church in the past six years so the number of people who might have had access to a key was impossible to determine.  Either the murderer was smart or lucky, or both.

By now Gwen had over 150 flashes regarding this case in her IN box. Technology was great, but it was overwhelming and unforgiving. Every document she received, every response she gave, or didn’t give would be a part of the case and subject to being presented in court. Attorneys would pour over her flash traffic looking for things they could turn against her and the case the DA would make in court. If the DA couldn’t get a conviction then police administrators would be even less forgiving than the attorneys.

As Gwen walked out of the shadow of the building she squinted in the bright sunlight.  The sun still felt strong and warm.  Gwen looked down along the side of the building and saw her new car.  She had almost forgotten that she had it.  Her old car was a used 2014 model that didn’t have all the new communication and data technology.  Gwen could work out of the passenger seat in the new car and have access to more office functions than were available in most brick and mortar office buildings.  She headed to the passenger side of the car and then realized she should leave the area.  If Gwen stayed to work it would mean the patrol unit would have to stay and guard her. She opted to go get coffee somewhere and sort through the ever-growing digital file of messages.

She wasn’t familiar with this warehouse area so she tapped the tablet screen and it lit up.  She touched the button on the touch screen that said, “Find Me”.  Instantly she had a live view of her location from a satellite in orbit. It showed her car, the parking lot, the building. She touched the reverse zoom icon and the image pulled up and showed about a ten block area. She had coffee shops on auto label and a coffee cup appeared on the image just a few blocks east of her current location. She closed the car door and said “Start” and the car began to hum.

Her tablet rang as she walked into the Starbucks. She grimaced. She hated talking on her phone in places where people were socializing. She turned around and went back outside. Before she answered she looked at the number. It was one of the LCI’s she had contacted to join her on this case.

Jake was older. He used to handle murder cases and had been very successful, but four years ago he decided to only handle large theft cases. Gwen had worked with him a few times as an intern and after she got her license she asked him about his decision to change. He told her that one day after a murder-suicide case he was paid $10,000 for proving the obvious…the husband killed his wife and child before killing himself. Jake then wondered if the husband realized that someone was going to make $10,000 off of his deranged act of cold-blooded murder. Jake decided he wasn’t to take any more money because someone’s violent act. Gwen knew this case would be a tough sell, but she wanted Jake on this case and she wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

“How’s it going Jake,” she began.  “Gwen, I know that tone,” he replied.  Gwen reminded herself that you don’t get to be a good LCI without being able to read the prosody in the voice.  “I need to contract you,” Gwen said.  He paused for a moment and then said, “You lose something?”  Gwen took a short breath and then said, “I’m the lead on a P1.”

For a moment Jake felt a little burst of pride that Gwen was selected for the most important case an LCI could be assigned after only a few years on the job, but he knew exactly what this meant and why she was calling him.  “So you’ve lost your mind…I don’t do those….no value,” he said.  Gwen was not going to let him brush her off.  She said, “Look, it’s big and I need your help in finding two more LCI’s to help us.  You can stay in the office and keep us on track.  I need you on this case.”  Gwen voice didn’t noticeably change when she said ‘I need you’ but Jake could tell that Gwen was being absolutely sincere.

Gwen had natural abilities, but she had correctly identified her weakness…the lack of long-term experience.  Jake saw that her plan to have him to run the inside of the case was the perfect solution.  In his career he had never been the lead on a P1 case, but he had been on a P1 team five times and he saw lead LCI’s succeed and fail.  This late in his career he had no desire for the pressure of being the lead, but a P1 case was just too good of an opportunity to thumb his nose at and he could be a valuable mentor for Gwen and the rest of the team.  Still, he didn’t want to look too easy.  He said, “Let’s get together and talk it through…but I’m not saying ‘yes’, understood?”  “Understood,” she replied.  She smiled.  He just said ‘yes.’

Gwen gave Jake the information to access the case file and made plans to meet Jake at 7 PM and then went back inside.  She could leave Jake to pick the other two LCI’s and he could task both of them out throughout the course of the investigation.  Using him as a resource and task master would free her up to follow the investigation in the field.

She was feeling very pleased with herself until she saw a red light flash on her tablet.  It was a new flash and in the description it said, “FBI – URGENT.  This was not good.  Were they taking over the case?  She had hoped that since they didn’t show up at the crime scene that they were uninterested in her case….that’s right, she reminded herself, it was her case.  She opened the flash and saw that it was a request for operational progress briefs every 48 hours.  It would have been better if the FBI would not be involved at all, but this wasn’t as bad as she feared.  She would just put two daily reports for the DA together and submit them to the FBI.

The rest of the backed up flash traffic were mostly predictable.  She was pleasantly surprised that $300,000 was already deposited in her investigation fund and that four credit cards were waiting for her at Denver C & C Center.  Unfortunately, she had to pick them up by 5 PM or wait until Monday.  She headed out to the car.  It would look bad if police administration had expedited her credit cards only to have them sit on someone’s desk all weekend.  This is one of those issues that would haunt her even though she wouldn’t have anyone to give the credit cards to until Monday at the earliest.

Gwen’s was clearly irritated.  She was the lead LCI on a P1 case and her priority right now was an errand.  She knew she needed to get her team on board quickly so she didn’t get caught up in little details like picking up plastic late on Friday afternoon.

The Earlier Fortnight Chapters

Chapter One & Two

Chapter Three

Fortnight: Chapter 3

14 Sunday Mar 2010

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CHAPTER 3
Beware the Ides of March

Sunday, March 15, 2020 1:08 PM MDT
It was a cold day in March in the Denver Women’s Rehabilitation Center. Most of the visitor tables were occupied with a prisoner and friend or relative, but one table had an elderly man sitting alone…waiting.

A large Hispanic prison guard escorted a woman in the adjacent hallway outside the visitor room along a Plexiglas window that ran almost the length of the room.  The guard stopped the woman and pointed to the waiting man.  She shrugged her shoulders and they continued to the door.  The woman turned her shoulders to walk past the guard holding open the door for her and crossed towards the table.

Liza McKay was a 23 year-old woman.  If you looked closely you might be able to see that at one time she was much more attractive than she appeared today.  Her face looked tired and worn as if she was beaten down, unworthy of even oxygen she breathed.  Her dirty blonde hair was carelessly brushed as if she made a half-hearted effort to groom herself.  Even the most casual observer could see that the light had gone out of her life.

As she approached the lone man at the table she wondered why she had agreed to meet with him.  He had contacted by email and told her that he wanted to meet with her before she was released from prison.  He only said that they had something in common and they could help each other.  He made it clear that his intentions were not romantic.  In the end she decided that she was not in a position to ignore someone who expressed an interest in her and who didn’t want to kill her.  Still, she was wondering why she was going through with this.

Liza was convicted of manslaughter on the death of her two children when she drove her car into Chatfield Reservoir.  The prosecution had built their case that she had intended a murder/suicide and that once the car hit the water her survival instinct took over and she swam to safety leaving her children to drown.  Unfortunately, there was no evidence to confirm the prosecution’s theory.  They had no suicide note and no witnesses.  They managed to bluff her into thinking that their offer of manslaughter was a gift and her court assigned lawyer neglected to tell her that if it went to court it was likely all charges would be dismissed.

She was serving a twelve-year sentence; however, after three years the Colorado Corrections Service had been ordered by the court to release ten percent of the female inmates because of overcrowding.  Elizabeth was selected for release because she was judged to be a low risk threat to society.  Her last evaluation suggested that if released she would likely not reintegrate back into society and would kill herself within six months.  As part of the conditions of her release she was ordered that she couldn’t have children for at least ten years, nor work in a job that cared for children.  Now she would be released sometime in the next two weeks and this man was her only contact she had with the outside in the last two years.

“Miss McKay,” the man said as he stood and held out his hand.  “Yes…Robert Pritchard?” she asked.  “Would you mind explaining what this is about,” she continued.  The man hesitated for a moment.  He knew that she was at a flash point and he needed an opportunity to be heard.  “As I said in note, we have something in common, Miss McKay.”  “And what would that be,” she said cynically.  Robert ignored the tone and continued, “I am an outcast that never was.”  Liza looked confused.  He continued, “It would be easier if they would cast you out…send you away…but they don’t.  They make you live, surrounded by your shame, never allowed to forget.”

Robert had gotten her attention.  Liza’s worst fears of life after prison had been validated.  She suspected that she would never have a normal life again and this man was confirming it.  He saw that she was really listening now.  He kept going, “I have done some bad things in my life and most people probably wish I was dead.  For a while I wished I was dead…but I don’t anymore.  I want to live and I want to help others like me….that’s why I’m here.”

Liza was still wary but some part of her wanted to believe there might be hope that her life might recover after prison.  “I don’t want to join a cult,” she warned him.  He smiled and said, “It’s not a cult.  We get together, …sometimes at a coffee shop, sometimes for a beer,…we talk, get our frustrations out, support each other, make suggestions, and we protect each other.”  She had almost stopped listening.  He noticed that her eyes lost focus and he waited for her to come back.  Still in almost a trance she said, “God, I miss Chai tea.”  He smiled and said, “We can put that at the top of the list.”  She smiled and then Liza’s mood changed, “I’m supposed to be making my release plans…I don’t know…,” her words stopped.  Robert knew what she needed.  “We can help with that.  I’ll check with the group and we’ll give you a couple of options of where to go after you’re released…you choose….and we’ll set it all up and make the arrangements for your transportation.”  This was the first person who had been nice to her in years and she didn’t know how to respond.  “Mr…I forgot your name, I’m so sorry!”  He again smiled and said, “Robert, Robert Pritchard, but please call me Robert.”  Before she could continue he said, “We also have a small fund for your living expenses when you get out.  It will help until you get a job.  Our group will also start looking for job possibilities for you.”

He had done what he came to do and now it was time to listen.  He waited.

Liza began to softly cry.  It was a foreign emotion to her.  She had protected herself from the endless punches of hate and anger around her and now someone was being compassionate and she didn’t understand why.  She had been afraid to go back to the real world for fear of the unexpected and now someone was helping her establish her life again.  She didn’t know what to say, but finally she said, “What do you get out of this?”  He responded, “Your support.  That’s what we do.  We support each other.  Eventually, maybe you won’t need our group, but until then we’ll take care of each other.”

“Please understand, before today I didn’t know what I was going to do and now you show up and give me the best future I could hope for..and I’ve learned to be suspicious.”  He looked her in the eye and said, “Keep that suspicious nature.  It may save your life.  Our group will work with you and your probation officer.  If at any point you or your probation officer feel we are not acting in your best interest we will walk away.”  She thought for a moment and said, “What do I do next?  He replied, “The group will meet this afternoon and will start working out the details.  Let the Warden’s office know that we’ll be contacting them on your behalf.  Then we go step by step.”

“Thank you…,” she wanted to say more, but didn’t know what to say.  They both stood and they shook hands.  Then it suddenly hit her, “Wait, what is the group’s name?”  He got a funny look on his face and then said, “Well, most of us call it F Squared, but our founder calls it Final Forgiveness.

Fortnight: Chapters 1 & 2

08 Monday Mar 2010

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FORTNIGHT
by Paul Kiser

CHAPTER 1
Number One

Thursday, 14 May 2020 11:48 PM MDT
She was on her knees on the cold concrete clutching her arms to her chest. Frozen by fear and guilt, her mind could not focus on anything long enough to decide what to do next.  She could not control her sobbing, which was the only sound that could be heard in the darkness. From behind her she heard him say, “I absolve you of your sins.” Suddenly she felt a sense of calm come over her.  It all became crystal clear.  This was his plan all the time.  Her mind stopped racing.

She didn’t hear the gunshot as the bullet entered the back of her head before the sound reached her ears.  She felt a shock, but she was dead before her face hit the warehouse floor.  Her arms went limp as her body had launched forward from the impact.  The echo of the shot filled the large, empty building and then silence.  The blood oozed from around the back of her head and found the easiest route to the concrete.  The smell of gunpowder now filled the air.

“That’s one” he said.

CHAPTER 2
P1

Friday, May 15, 2020 10:11 AM MDT
“So this is what it feels like to be rich,” she thought to herself. Gwen Ortiz hadn’t owned a new car since high school and now she was driving a brand new chrome with blue accents, class three, triple hybrid heading north on the I-25 just past the Boulder Turnpike.  Fifty years ago this part of the north Denver suburbs was just being developed, but 2020 she was barely out of the downtown area.  The week had started out cold and stormy, but today it was nice enough to open up her sunroof. She hoped it would be a quiet day because she just wanted to enjoy some bonding time with her new wheels.

Gwen was not a startling attractive young woman, but she certainly not unattractive. She was the type of woman that would cause an admiring look from a male observer, but in a business environment her demeanor was all business.  Her shoulder-length brunette hair was not in fashion, but it gave her a look of ageless sensibility.  Today’s style of short cropped hair was not something that appealed to Gwen, nor were the tailored shirts with ties.  She didn’t like pandering to a male look in order to gain respect and she found times when her female charm could be useful in a career dominated by older ex-cops.  Despite Gwen’s opinion, the majority of professional women had adopted a look of their male counterparts. With the exception of prostitution, dresses were unheard of in the professional world.  Even Gwen wore slacks as it would have sent the wrong message to wear a dress on the job, but she liked dresses and skirts and hoped they would come back into favor someday soon.

She was thinking that maybe she should swing by home, change into a skirt and top and take a drive up into the mountains.  It would help her disengage from work and she deserved a break.  She decided to head back home to change.  Gwen guided the new car down the next off ramp and turned left under the freeway and turned left again onto the on ramp heading south.  Then her car and cell phone began to sing. She glanced at the number in display on the dash, hesitated, then finally touched the screen.  Then sunroof began closing.  Gwen thought maybe she had done something wrong, but then realized that it must be a built-in function of the car programming.

“What’s up?” she said, barely disguising her impatience. She knew the voice on the phone.  Of all the policemen on the force, this was the one she trusted.  “Where are you?” the familiar male voice asked.  “I was thinking about leaving town,” she answered half jokingly, “I’m on the I-25, what’s up?”  “We’ve got a new one, and you’re gonna want this one.” the caller told her.  Gwen had thought about turning down a new contract and continuing with her plan, but when Tommy said that she was going to want it, she knew that it was either a high profile case, or a lucrative case.  Tommy was doing Gwen a favor and both of them knew it.  “Anyone I know?” Gwen asked tentatively.  “Not personally, but you remember a mom that drove her car into Chatfield with her two kids, then left them to die?”  Tommy didn’t wait for her response and continued, “Her name was Elizabeth McKay”.  “Wasn’t there something about her on the web recently,” Gwen asked.  “Yeah, the LCI couldn’t prove it was murder, but they got her on manslaughter and she served three years and just got out early.  A lot of people were unhappy about the short sentence,” Tommy said.  Gwen could see why Tommy called her.  The police force and the public would like to see this woman back in prison and she is suspected of doing something illegal.  Her job would be to prove she should be back behind bars. “What did she do now?” Gwen asked.  “She got herself killed….somebody executed her last night.” said Tommy.

Gwen’s mind quickly changed gears.  She didn’t need Tommy to describe the wounds.  She knew that she must have been shot in the back of the head, or possibly in the middle of the forehead with two shots to the heart.  “The DA is nervous about this one,” Tommy added.   “M1 or 2?” Gwen asked.  “Neither, it’s a P1 contract,” said Tommy.  Gwen needed a moment to let ‘P1’ set in.  Tommy let her think for a moment before he continued,

“You can hire up to three other LCI’s, and assistant and an Admin, but any travel out of the area or expenses over $100,000 will need to be approved by the District Attorney.  You will have an Assistant DA at your disposal.  The DA wants daily reports and a written report at the end of each week.  In the end you’ll need to file your normal summary report and expenses, but the Admin should do that.  I have a suggestion for the Admin.  He worked on the Bennett case.  I’ll send you his name and everything else you need to know in an email.  The scene is at 4780 Geneva in a warehouse.  Enter from the east side. Don’t screw it up.”

Gwen hit END on the steering wheel.  She had never worked on a P1 case before and Tommy couldn’t have given her the case if the DA hadn’t personally approved her as the lead LCI.  An M1 case would have meant $15,000 to $40,000 net for her, but a P1 case has an unlimited budget plus staff.  This was not just murder and it was more than an execution.  There was something more that the DA and Tommy weren’t telling her, but Gwen wasn’t going to question their motives.  She had a new car to pay for and this one would do that and more.  This case could set her up for life.

Ten years ago Gwen’s business didn’t exist.  Back then a police force had detectives to investigate everything from theft, to rape, to murder. Now a city police force consisted of patrol officers and administration. Everything else was contracted out.  The police did keep pornography and vice in their investigative services, but that was mainly because those crimes are easy picking for cops.  Even if a person were innocent they would plea bargain to keep their name out of the papers, so the conviction statistics were near 99% What muni-government would cut funding to keep ‘perverts’ off the streets?

But theft, rape, and murder were too messy.  Too many hours of investigation with little or no results.  Muni-governments quickly learned that by contracting out investigations to Licensed Contract Investigators, or LCI’s, they could make a budget for investigations and control the costs.  An LCI would have to do their work for a set price and if they didn’t get results, they didn’t get more work.  Everyone wins…at least that was the line of the politicians.  But privatization of social functions has a way of overlooking the negatives.  Negatives like the cases left uninvestigated because the expense and time would likely exceed that payout.  Negatives like the LCI who cuts corners on an investigation to reduce expenses on case where the defendant is too poor to challenge the shoddy investigation.  Still, taxes hadn’t been increased in ten years and nobody wanted to touch that issue.

Gwen had been licensed for three and a half years now. Mostly small cases, but she was given two murders in the past eight months and had done well on both.  Tommy was a Senior Investigative Services Procurement Officer (ISPO) and he like Gwen’s attitude and ethic. Gwen didn’t give excuses, she just worked harder and for that she towered over her fellow LCI’s.  Tommy wouldn’t take a risk on a P1 case.  He knew Gwen would be the person to get the job done, and get it done quickly.  The last P1 case involved the killing of three Democratic candidates, including one running for Governor.  It took eight months, cost over six million dollars and in the end the person the LCI had accused turned out to be in Los Angles on the day of the murder.  The case was so badly handled that the DA asked the judge to dismiss the case.  A lot of people had to find new careers after that one.

The type of case determines the budget for the LCI.  Theft cases are almost always under $1,000 and the theft loss has to be at least 200% of the investigative budget…unless the victim wants to pay for the LCI’s time.  Rape and sexual assault cases have budgets from $2,000 to $5,000, again, unless the victim and/or family want to pay more. Murder cases begin at $5,000, but the ISPO, like Tommy can authorize budgets up to $100,000.  The DA can authorize anything higher, including dipping into a federally mandated emergency fund.  A P1 case, or Priority One case has no limit on the budget, but it does require oversight by a Senior ISPO and the DA.  P1 cases assume that the general public is in danger and that there is a risk of additional murders.

Gwen was mulling over why this case would justify P1 status as she took the Havana Street exit.  A P1 case typically involved terrorism or a serial killer, but someone killing a killer hardly seemed worthy of an unlimited budget.  Maybe this was not the first vigilante type killing and they saw a pattern, but even still, calling a P1 case would mean committing money that would bring the attention of state and federal authorities.  There was a real danger that the feds would step in and take the case away from her.  Gwen suddenly felt a heavy feeling in her stomach.  This case could set her up for life, or end her short career.

The warehouse was your typical industrial type building.  A large building that covered almost a block running north/south, and a half a block running east/west.  It was probably two stories high, but with no windows, you couldn’t really tell.  It was probably built more than twenty years ago, but the outside had been painted sometime in the last five years. Three police cars were in the parking lot, plus an ambulance, and a few other official looking unmarked cars.  He saw an officer standing by a door and figured that was the entrance point. The officer was a typical patrol type.  He looked to be about 250 lbs. with a shirt that was stretched over his bulging muscles.  Steroids may have no place in sports, but in law enforcement they are an unwritten requirement.

She nodded at the officer, flashed her LCI license and badge, and the man opened the door for her.  She had been an LCI for less than a year before she learned that there is no purpose served in making conversation with a patrol officer.  They can’t do anything for you but open the door, tape off a crime scene, and bust heads.  Beyond that they stick to themselves in their own cult.  Asking them a question will generally result in a condescending look and a shrug of the shoulders. Gwen noted that this one must be new to the force.  Experienced officers make the rookies guard the door, and this officer almost smiled. Real patrol officers have a stone face that never changes. Police officers usually don’t like LCI types. Probably because they think LCI’s are overpaid private detectives that get to do the easy work.

As she walked in from the bright light of the morning sun her eyes adjusted to the dimness of the warehouse.  The lights were on, but it wasn’t very well lit.  She walked a few steps straight in and then saw a group gathered to her left.  One man broke away from the group and came to meet her.  “That didn’t take you long,” said Tommy.  “I was just north of the Turnpike,” replied Gwen.  “Has CSI been called?” she asked.  “Not yet,” Tommy nodded.  “I prefer Reese’s group,” Gwen said. “You make the call…you’re the P1 Lead Investigator,” Tommy reminded her.  Gwen dialed her cell phone as they walked toward the group.  She hesitated as the Rocky Mountain CSI dispatch answered.  She gave them the needed information, ended the call, and then continued to head toward the group of men.

As they met the group Tommy made the introductions.  There were four patrol officers, three other police administrators, two paramedics, and one other person who was described as an aide of the DA.  Gwen knew two of the police administrators and had interviewed one of the patrol officers as the first on the scene her first murder case.  She didn’t know the others.  After a few pleasantries she quickly turned her attention to the crime scene.

The body was of a young woman, maybe 30, lying on her stomach. Gwen could only see the right side of her face and the arms were along her sides.  The pool of blood was mostly near her head and upper body but the floor must have been sloped because it had slowly flowed away from her head and to the left.  It was a single shot to the back of the head.  Likely she was on her knees, but the autopsy would determine the bullet angle.

“Who found her?” Gwen asked.  “Officer Rodriguez was first on scene, but we had received an email,” said Tommy.  He handed her a folded page from his pocket.  She opened it up and read it.  It was addressed to the Denver District Attorney:

My first kill was to atone for the sins of the mother.  She killed, and kills, but maybe her greatest sin was in not killing.  You will find her body at 4780 Geneva St.  There will be 13 more.
14

Now Gwen understood the P1 status. A serial killer had made his first kill.

(Note: All rights reserved. All characters are fictitious and any resemblance to a real person(s) is coincidental)