Cooking the NYTimes and Other Assorted Retirement Activities

  subtitled what I wish I had the presence of mind to say instead of what I didn't   My previous automobile proudly displayed a number of bumper stickers and decals, including one identifying Amy Klobuchar as my US Senator.  In Minnesota, no problem.  I was, then, a little taken aback when a couple different people in the complex where we were wintering in Florida kinda sidled up to me and asked, sotto voce, "Is that car with the Minnesota plates yours?" I claimed it as such, and they then said, to a person, "You've got to be careful who you talk to about politics here.  I'm an Amy Klobuchar fan, but not everybody is." Duly noted. In polite conversation, I chose to wait to see which way the wind was blowing as opposed to blasting in with the hurricane of my beliefs.  Some were clear that talking politics was a non-starter and that was respected.  Others spewed MAGA and/or DeSantis dismantling of freedoms and for the main, I steered clear of those chats...

This week, following the 130th mass shooting of the year (https://www.wbay.com/2023/03/29/us-surpasses-125-mass-shootings-2023-heres-every-event-mapped/)  , this meme showed up on more than a few Facebook and Instagram pages: Thoughts and Prayers Actions and Policies   To which, Rep. Tim Burchett (R, TN) said,   "We're not going to fix it. Criminals are gonna be criminals...   My daddy, who fought in the Second World War, fought in the Pacific, fought the Japanese, and he told me, 'Buddy,' he said, 'If somebody wants to take you out and doesn't mind losing their life, there's not a whole heck of a lot you can do about it.'"   Burchett, a self-described gun owner who has sponsored bills to expand gun rights, was asked in the hours after the shooting whether there was “any role for Congress to play in reaction to this tragedy.” He said there wasn’t. Does that make you want to throw up?  Read on. Steve Scalise (R, LA), House Majority Leader: " Th...