I just noticed this story about an interview of Justice Ruth Ginsborg Ginsburg did with NPR’s Nina Totenberg where she explained why she stayed on the Supreme Court for as long as she has. Justice Ginsburg’s answer to Nina Totenburg is just exceptional:
“It has been suggested by more than one commentator, including some law professors, that I should’ve stepped down during President Obama’s second term. When that suggestion is made I ask the question: Who do you think the president could nominate that could get through the Republican Senate that you would prefer to have on the court than me?”
So, it was nothing but politics and she probably thought that President Trump never had a chance of winning. Justices Sotamayor and Kagan got a few Republican (nine and five respectively) Senators to support their confirmation so I believe that she could have easily retired a few years before the 2016 election. Perhaps she thought that she was “on the right side of history” and didn’t have to expect to cling on to the bench until at least 2020 (or the likelihood of 2024 after slow Joe Biden gaffes up the next election).
In another gem from this interview Justice Ginsburg states that the Supreme Court being in session helps her physical troubles go away:
“This latest has been my fourth cancer bout,” she said. “And I found each time that when I’m active, I’m much better than if I’m just lying about and feeling sorry for myself. It’s necessary — a necessity — to get up and go. It’s stimulating. And somehow, in all of these appearances I’ve had since the end of August, whatever my temporary disability is, it stops, and I’m OK for the time of the event.”
The Democrats and the media routinely mock President Trump’s fitness for office and faculties but I’m fairly certain that a man who can campaign and be as active as he is probably has a lot fewer health ailments than Justice Ginsburg. He also hasn’t had four bouts of cancer…
I will literally give 3 ribs to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg if she needs them, along with whichever other body parts she requires until 2020. #ThursdayThoughts#RBGhttps://t.co/bm1E27Plh3
Cedar Creek Road is a trail of easy difficulty that a 2WD truck with some ground clearance should easily pass through in dry conditions. There are no hard obstacles on this trail, just wonderful views of the canyon and an easy-going drive that is close to San Diego with little risk of vehicle damage. There are also numerous hiking trails in the area for when you just need a nice, long walk outside. This trail is very picture heavy so be sure to enjoy all of the photos here on the dedicated page!
A funny and depressing story that has been making it’s way around the world concerns a vegan woman, Cilla Carden, in Australia who felt the need to sue her neighbors for cooking meat and having some kids that play basketball. Where is there to go with this story? Where to even start? How does this woman deal with life? What does she do when passing some crows eating roadkill? On the upside at least the Supreme Court of Western Australia threw out her room temperature IQ lawsuit. To quote Ms. Carden: “It’s been devastating, it’s been turmoil, it’s been unrest, I haven’t been able to sleep,” Well, it looks as though she’ll just have to deal with it.
It seems that some people that still have their sense of humor intact came up with a Fakebook group called “Community BBQ for Cilla Carden” with the following mission statement: “Cilla Carden has a problem with her neighbors cooking meat on their BBQ, because she’s a vegan. Recently taking them to the Supreme Court!” and “Don’t let Cilla destroy a good old Aussie tradition, join us for a community BBQ in protest of her actions, and help Cilla Carden GET SOME PORK ON HER FORK.” I tried searching for the Fakebook group page but was unable to access it though it is still the top search result. Thousands of people responded to the nascent plan and since Ms. Carden couldn’t take being the butt of a joke pulled out the lawyer card again. In the words of Mr. Hammond (who I’m certain is ecstatic about his litigious client): “Any person who seeks to attend Ms Carden’s property on Saturday October 19, 2019 or at any other time in relation to this event or matter will be referred to the WA Police on the ground of trespass,”
I actually didn’t realize how many exceptional stories there are about the exceptional behaviors of these “animal rights activists” types and I may have to type up a few more blog posts about this later. For now I’ll leave you some story links and a few of the more interesting comments.
White Mountain is a trail of moderate difficulty that a 4×4 truck with decent tires should be able to navigate. No obstacle is terribly difficult but there are lots of tough rocks of which a few demand careful tire placement. For much of the trail the brush is very tight or there is a steep cliff to one (or both sides) which may make it very fun to deal with opposing traffic. It would be wise to stop your vehicle at an open spot when you get a chance and take a quick look to see if any other trucks are heading your way. For this trip I was a passenger (for once) and just got to enjoy the scenery a little more than I usually do. I also had a great chance to take more photos than normal, enjoy the rest of the photos and videos here on the complete page!
Another day passes and another tragedy happens. In the case of a tanker explosion in Tanzania though the deaths of at least 62 people were easily avoidable. Here’s a tidbit from the Fox News story:
“Witnesses told the Associated Press that a crowd had gathered around the fuel tanker after it was involved in an accident early Saturday. People then rushed to try to siphon fuel, but the tanker burst into flames.”
Another insightful piece of the article:
“People getting killed in explosions while stealing fuel from incapacitated tankers are fairly frequent in East Africa, though the Saturday explosion is among the deadliest in Tanzania. Those stealing the fuel usually sell it to motorists for cheap.”
Apparently the explosion happened in a rather busy part of the town of Morogoro which may explain why there were so many injured however the first thought in my mind when I think of a gasoline tanker leaking near me is to get away. I wonder what’s going through the mind of someone standing next to a geyser of fuel to collect some and make a few bucks?
I saw this story out of Tanzania and it reminded me of a similar case out of Mexico that involved a pipeline explosion. In January of this year at least 96 people were killed near Tlahuelilpan, Mexico as they were trying to collect gas from an illegally tapped pipeline. I’ll be quoting a few bits from the Los Angeles Times story below, starting with a concerned father:
“‘I came here in the night looking for my son, walking through charred bodies lying on the ground,’ said Martin Francisco Trejo Hernandez, 55. ‘Some people were still alive, screaming in pain, screaming for help. I never imagined I would see such a sight.’”
It seems that shortly after the pipeline failed it was swarmed by hundreds of people with jerry cans, buckets, and barrels:
“Soon, as many as 800 people had converged on the site to gather gasoline, which gushed like a geyser from the ruptured pipeline more than 20 feet into the air, Luis Cresencio Sandoval, Mexico’s defense secretary, told reporters Saturday.”
“Videos taken before the blast showed soldiers standing around the scene who did not appear to make efforts to disperse the mob.
Cresencio, the defense secretary, sought to justify the military’s actions, saying the small number of soldiers had been unable to deter a sometimes “aggressive” crowd.”
I’m glad that I’m not so desperate as one who is willing to be drenched in gasoline to sell to people who actually have cars. Even if I was destitute, I believe that I might try a few other things first. I’m glad that I’m an American and pray that my country never turns into a Mexico or Tanzania…
I’ll embed a few notable comments from the Fox News article before signing off for the night:
The Coxey Trail (3N14) is a trail of easy difficulty north of Big Bear Lake that any truck with some ground clearance would easily drive through. This trail starts high near Big Bear Lake and gently descends down the San Bernardino Mountains into the vast expanse of the Mojave Desert. The southern end of the trail starts in Fawnskin along CA-38 at the Rim of the World Drive. The northern end of the trail is at the junction of Bowen Ranch Road and Coxey Road. This is a fun, relaxing trail run that will be well worth your time. The rest of the photos and videos may be found here on the dedicated page. Enjoy!
I’m putting both of these trails on the same page due to how they intertwine with each other. I suppose you could just drive along Skyline Drive on its own but only completing Clark’s Grade would require a U-turn as soon as you reached the top. A 4×4 truck with decent ground clearance and tires will easily pass through this road under dry conditions. The path to Clark’s Summit is a narrow shelf road in which encountering opposing traffic is rather miserable. I’ve generally completed this route from the southern end starting at Seven Oaks Road just north of CA-38.
Upon reaching Clark’s Summit Skyline Drive goes off both east and west and snakes its way north towards a few different spots in Big Bear Lake. The views the entire way are amazing and well worth your time! There are many hiking and biking trails that pass through Skyline Drive so be sure to watch out for pedestrians. There are multiple methods of reaching both of these trails and I will have to pass through more of them in the future. Be sure to look on the dedicated page to find all of the photos and videos and enjoy!
Good evening everybody, this post is simply to showcase another video about driving on the fine roads in San Diego and the drivers contained therein. From wrong way motorists, to Interstate crashes, and illegal U-turns my dash camera has recorded all sorts of highway hijinks for you to be amazed by. Enjoy!
