Weekly Mail August 4, 2019

Hello:


          Two mass shootings over the weekend have once again both rattled and divided our nation.

You wouldn't think it would divide us at all would you? That the overwhelming desire to stop these mass killings would win out over partisan politics and finger pointing.

Yet here we are....again.

Last week, I marveled over the notion that our country was able to accomplish such an amazing feat, the moon landing, 50 years ago, but seems unable to replicate that achievement today. I really believe this nation of ours can still achieve almost anything. I still believe in this country's greatness.

But the lack of progress in our space program baffles me.

As does our inability to stop these mass shootings.

As I've said before, I'm not sure stricter gun control is the be all and end all answer to this epidemic, but I also believe it would be a huge step forward. If the folks who are so pro 2nd amendment that they deem any sort of gun control a violation of their rights have any better ideas, let's hear them. From where I'm sitting, I don't hear a thing. Just empty words. (And this is coming from a man who prayed hard for the victims and their families at Mass today.... I went to a wedding in El Paso in 2007 and my wife is a University of Dayton alumnus so these two incidents hit home for us.)

Again, I wish I could sit here and come up with a solution for all this. But I can tell you this.. if I were in a position of power, like a congressman or a Senator, or higher, I would be pushing my colleagues hard to address this.

The price of doing nothing continues to go up.




I watched some of the second part of the Democratic Debate last week. I watched the one that had Vice President Biden, Kamala Harris, Cory Booker and the Dope from Park Slope, amongst them.

The parts I saw had Booker and Harris hammering away at Biden. I understand that everyone is in it to win, and all these egomaniacs believe they are the answer to the country's problems, but in hammering Biden, aren't they kind of hammering President Obama? And is that really a good thing?

Again, I can't really get too engrossed in this until some of the riff raff gets weeded out. I've heard many arguments against this approach, and I respect those who disagree with me. I know what the stakes are here. Maybe part of the problem is, I still have the words of the great Bob Schiffer of CBS News in my head, as he wondered aloud after one of the debates last time is this what we have become?

Maybe a part of me is nervous about the answer to that question.


BASEBALL: Trade Deadline thoughts...


If you read the papers and listen to any sport talk radio for even a few minutes, and didn't look at the standings, you would have a hard time believing that the New York Yankees are 30 games over .500, in first place by 7.5 games and 13 games ahead of the defending World Champions. Especially after they couldn't or wouldn't pull off any deals of the baseball trading deadline.

I realize that the reasoning for this panic is that their starting pitching isn't as good as the odds on favorite in the American League, the Houston Astros. But when you look at the injuries the Yanks have had, you can clearly see that this team is fully capable of overcoming obstacles. The outcry over not making any deals for a starting pitcher was something I found curious.

What I also found curious was that the Mets, who all the so-called experts were telling me were going to sell off everything but the kitchen sink, ended up actually trading FOR a pitcher that several contenders (including the Yankees) were interested in.  Maybe Brodie Van Wagenen needs his head examined, maybe he is still over estimating the talent he has. But three of my four teams are in some sort of rebuild, so if this nut wants to go for it, well I'm not going to knock him. Yes, that trade with Seattle looks worse every day, but lets see if these guys we traded turn out to be all stars like everyone is saying they will. The Mets were dead in the water coming into July, and now in August they are closing in on .500 and a shot at the Wild Card. I realize in the Pirates, White Sox and Marlins, they are playing the lower half of the standings, but again, they Mets were in the way lower half of the standings just 3 weeks ago. You have to start somewhere. Here's hoping they keep it up.


They actually played a freakin football game the other night in Canton, Ohio. Are we really up to football exhibition season already? Jeez!

That's all we got this week my friends.

Have a Great week.