Snarky Tom's Rants, Raves and Ruminations

Two days ago, Queen Elizabeth II had her 94th birthday. It got me thinking: She has always been queen since I've been alive. There are a minority of Brits who are living that can say they remember life when her father, King George VI, ruled. She's been monarch, Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms, since 1952. For those mathematically challenged that's a buttload of years (68). Queen Victoria ruled about 64 years (1837-1901). Vicki held the record until 4 years ago when Queen Lizzie II past her and every other monarch that ever lived. Very impressive. See what tons of money can do for you. Give you long life and good health. Of course, her mother, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, lived to 101, passing in 2002. Longevity may be in her DNA or in her bones. Good for her. With any luck, she'll be the only British monarch in my lifetime. Yes. That means she'll outlive me. I don't doubt that that could happen. She is the longest-serving femal...

Where we left off on the impeachment of President Trump, we found that the Senate voted not guilty without ever having witnesses or evidence ever presented at his trial. Now let me throw this out there and see if it sticks. As a nation, we, the people, the taxpayers, the actual people who created this country through our hard work and dedication toward the attainment of the American Dream, should be the ones that decide if our government leaders are fit to lead and have the top job in the U.S. Government. If the clowns in the House and Senate can't get the job done, we should be able to vote the President out of office and not have to wait until 2020. If there was enough evidence to sustain a conviction of a private citizen, then it should be enough to have an immediate general election with one question on the ballot. Should the President be removed from office? Then you would pull the Yes or No lever and it would be decided. Let the chips fall. If the majority of the v...

Hi-ho! It's been over a year since I last posted anything. I've been busy!! However, I have a desire to make an observation and give an opinion concerning the Impeachment of the President. There are a lot of memes out there these days. I wanted to give a shout-out to this young lady. I remember reading a tweet from Trump taking potshots at her. A 70 year-old rich white man picking on a 16 year-old Swedish student. How mature and responsible??? Let's frame up my mindset, I never liked the man. Ever. Long before he was a reality show icon and now the rich guy who basically bought and/or stole an election and has disgraced the office, I saw the man in commercials hawking burgers and other TV stuff. I think he always wanted to be famous for TV or movies or something. I read about his terrible business management skills. I concluded he was not concentrating on being a giant in industry. He's consistently half-assed and failed at the majority of his businesses. I just ...

The USA was born in war. We've spent more time fighting other nations and peoples than we've had time to enjoy the freedoms we fought for in our first war. Let's look at our timeline. 1776-83 - USA is born and we've been fighting the British and their supporters since 1775. 1776-95 - Chicamunga War with the Cherokee in the Old Southwest that today are the states of Missouri, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, and parts of Tennessee, Kentucky and Florida. 1785-93 - Northwest Indian War where the Brits were mucking about again. This time in what is now Ohio, Indiana and Michigan, basically the lands around the Ohio River. The Brits lost...again. 1786-87 - Shay's Rebellion. Basically an armed anti-government uprising by a bunch of unhappy schmucks in Massachusetts. They lost too. 1791-94 - Whiskey Rebellion. Western Pennsylvania. A group of angry (most likely drunk) anti-tax rebels. A protest that got violent for several years over the disagreement of ...

Today is the fifteenth anniversary of the terrorist attack on the United States. It is signified by a national day by presidential proclamation, Patriot Day observed as National Day of Service and Remembrance. It was designated in memory of the people killed on September 11, 2001 by the cowardly terrorist attacks in New York City, Washington, D.C. and in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. I took this photo when I visited Ground Zero on 10/12/2015. There are four original Federal holidays: New Year's Day Independence Day Thanksgiving Day Christmas Day In 1968, the Monday Holiday Act of 1968 shifted several holidays to always fall on a Monday and saw the establishment of Columbus Day. In 1983, the Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. became the nation's most recently established holiday. [Wikipedia] As of this date, there are eleven Federal holidays. The other three Federal holidays not listed in this list or the list below are: Inauguration Day (every four years), Wash...

U.S. Secret Service The United States Secret Service  has been a government agency formed as a apart of the Treasury in July, 1865, 3 months after Lincoln's assassination. (If only Abe had a few of these guys guarding his theater box, he would have seen through the Reconstruction better than his successor did.) I have to point out that their successes may be too numerous to list. In 1894, President Cleveland received part-time protection. By 1901, after the McKinley assassination they were tasked to protect the President full time. Over the next century, their responsibilities grew to protect President-elect, Vice President, former Presidents and their immediately families and visiting dignitaries or people as deemed by the President. It didn't become a federal crime to attempt to assassinate the President until 1965. Bizarre. Just like the President never having security protection before McKinley. Unfathomable. However, since the Secret Service have been assigned protecti...

There is something about a number or a set of numbers that defy understanding. For instance, an era that began with 60 and ended with 69 historically have been decades of turmoil. My opinion. However, after looking through U.S. history tell me that I don't have a valid theory. During the 1760s the seeds of revolution and independence started to bloom.  The British government imposed a series of new taxes while rejecting the American argument that any new taxes had to be approved by the people. 1764 – The Sugar Act intended to raise revenues, and the Currency Act prohibiting the colonies from issuing paper money, are passed by Parliament. These Acts, coming during the economic slump that followed the French and Indian War, are resented by the colonists and lead to protests. (Wikipedia) 1765 - The Stamp Act (repealed in 1766) was issued to help defray the costs for keeping troops in the colonies. The crown, also, enacted the Quartering Act, which required American hou...