Today’s blog post is a hodge-podge of short blurbs, most of which are fully deserving of a full-blown essay, but none of which do I feel so inclined to write today. The sun is shining, the trees are finally beginning to bud, and it is almost warm enough to venture out in short sleeves, so I do not wish to ruin the springtime mood by spending an hour or two getting my dander worked up writing about things that … well, get my dander up. So I will post a few minis and flesh them into full-blown thoughts later on this week when the predicted rain makes its appearance.  (I would do well to remember the saying that “April showers bring May flowers”, yes?)

• On Israel: Many times in the past few weeks I have seen social media posts and read articles in the print media about standing with our friend and ally, the State of Israel. Yes, yes, I get that and I am basically in agreement BUT … that does not mean that we must always agree with Mr. Netanyahu and his policies. We are currently engaged in negotiations with Iran in an attempt to accomplish the goal of defusing the nuclear threat from Iran in a peaceable manner, one that enables Iran to save face. Mr. Netanyahu desires our full support should he decide that it would be better to bomb Iran and destroy its nuclear facilities, a move which would undoubtedly lead to all-out war in the Middle East. A war, I might add, that the U.S. would necessarily be drawn into, despite what the isolationists might decry. A war that cannot possibly have a winner, only losers. To put it another way, if my friend has made an enemy of another individual, am I likely to go along with my friend to murder that individual in cold blood, or am I more likely to try to help the friend find some common ground as a basis on which they can live in relative peace and harmony? Since I have no desire to spend the rest of my life in prison, especially for a fight that was never mine to begin with, I think the answer is pretty clear. Note that I am not one to back down from a fight to protect others, but I always prefer a peaceable outcome whenever possible. The entire situation is far too complex to address here, but that is my point. Those who would simplify it into a single-sentence blurb on Facebook would do well to study both past and present and consider future ramifications before making a blanket statement.

• On RFRA: For those of you who are not familiar with this term, it stands for Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which is an oxymoron in and of itself, since the law does not restore any type of freedom to anyone, but is certain to take away the privileges and immunities of many. Privileges and immunities that have been hard won over the course of this nation’s history. It is a sad day in the United States of America when we pass laws that set our progress in terms of Civil Rights back fifty or more years with a few slashes of a pen. (Predictably, I will be posting a more in-depth analysis of this topic soon, so I hope you’ll stay tuned.)

• On Pee-Proof Walls: Yes, you read that right. According to a March 12, 2015 article in the Washington Post, apparently there has been a problem recently in the northern German city of Hamburg where people in the “nightclub district” have been using the outside walls of various business establishments to relieve themselves of all the beer they consumed. So the city, borrowing technology from automaker Nissan, has begun using what is called a “hydrophobic” paint that causes the recycled beer to bounce right back on the unrinator. I have to chuckle at the thought of some guy who is a bit dim-witted from the effects of the beer anyway, finding himself soaked in urine, scratching his head and asking himself “WTF???”, only in German which, I believe, would be “WDDS???”

• On “daesh”: Another term many of you may be unfamiliar with, but one that I really wish would catch on. It is the proper way to refer to the group of terrorists who call themselves Islamic State of Iran and Syria, or ISIS for short. This is a misnomer because it contains the word “State”, and this group does not form a state, nor are they recognized in any arena as such. They are a terrorist group. Plain and simple. Nothing more, nothing less. No government on this globe, nor any official organization such as the United Nations have recognized this group as a state. To call them ISIS is to afford them a measure of recognition as something more than they are. It is to give them a measure of respect that they do NOT deserve and can never earn. Again, they are a bunch of terrorists whose only goal is to gain attention by wreaking havoc, murder and destruction. Their name is daesh.

By the way … today just happens to be April Fool’s Day, and I’m sorry to say that I haven’t come up with a single April Fool’s joke yet today. Well, enough said. Enough time spent pounding on the keys of this contrary machine. Tomorrow it will rain, but for today, the sunshine is beckoning. So I bid you adieu until next time, dear readers.