#8 Observations

Various observations from life over the recent time.

Ever wonder what school the sign painters for DOT attended? Well I still don't know, but I know they either don't teach spelling there or how to use a spell checker. Two new road signs in Elberton point to Bowmen (should be Bowman) and to Rukersville (Ruckersville).

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Clinton apologizes for inappropriate behavior with Monica, but after hearing his lawyers (which he authorized to fight any way possible) I am wondering what the inappropriate behavior was. They claim he did not do a sexual act because he did not touch her sexual parts. Now that makes me wonder…It seems like what I understand that most of the women do in the red light district is the act Clinton did, and they charge for it. But yet Clinton's lawyers claim it was not sex for him. Seems like by Clinton standards the red light district is backwards. The women should pay the men for what the women do to them. Hum.

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Sign at the local Circle K convenience store diesel pump. "Truckers For saftey reasons do not leave truck". What is a saftey reason and don't they want to be paid for the diesel fuel? This sign has been up over a year. Do Circle K sign makers and DOT sign painters train together?

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The White House has been hollering about the release of the Grand Jury transcripts and tapes. Claims they are top secret. Strange but what I remember is that grand jury testimony is secret during the session, but then the grand jury releases their information to the prosecutors to use against the defendant when the grand jury determines there is enough evidence to go to trial. Appears to me the grand jury gave 11 reasons to have a trial and turned the information over to the prosecutors (House Judiciary Committee) to use. Now as they are preparing to use the information they are releasing it to the public that I hear lots of people yelling are the ones to decide if Clinton goes or stays.

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The White House is complaining, and others also, about the descriptions of the sex in the conversations. The question for Congress is did Clinton lie under oath about his relationship or not to the Jones jury. If he did it could have had an impact in judge dropping it for not sufficient evidence. Since Clinton's lawyers are arguing it was not sex, and Starr says it was sex, then the only way for Starr to prove his point is tell exactly what Bill and Monica said occurred. To bad Clinton did not, but still could, take the high road and state what did happen or admit it was sex, and then we don't need the details.

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Personally I think Starr should have forced Monica to give up all royalties on future books, movies etc. about this case for the immunity. For a female to keep a dress from when she met the President is fine, but not to clean it when he left a stain on it inclines me to think she had full intentions of capitalizing on this one way or another. Two quick possibilities: 1. Write book after he left office, or 2. To black mail him for something.

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In relation to Monica possibly blackmailing the president, I'll bet the Chinese feel stupid right now. They spent all that money illegally on the 1996 elections apparently trying to influence it, (why or who we are still not sure), and if it was the president they wanted all they had to do was put a decent looking unpaid intern in the White House to make a pass at the president.

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If Hillary knew about this relationship in January or February, then she is not as smart of a lawyer as many of us thought. I personally don't think she knew because she would have never made the comments on national TV that if a president had done such a thing he had truly violated the trust of the American people.

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For those that claim Starr spent $40 million to only uncover consensual sex, they need to realize that he sent several people to prison for Whitewater, determined that Foster really did commit suicide, and has several cases still in progress. I am awaiting his final report.

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Reminders to those who claim Nixon's crimes were so most worse. First Nixon won reelection with well over 50% of the vote (a landslide), Clinton has not won 50% in either election, Nixon had high approval ratings, Nixon did not do the Watergate break-in, what brought Nixon down was not the break-in, but the cover-up of the crime, Clinton is being charged with lying under oath and trying to cover up the crime, and what probably was the biggest thing that turned the people on Nixon was when he said "I am not a crook" and what is haunting Clinton is when he claimed " I did not touch that woman".

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Scary thought for us investors. The Dow Jones broke 1000 during Watergate and then took years to get back to 1000. Now the Dow has broken 9000 during Monicagate and fallen back. Wonder how long it will take to get back to 9000?

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Campaign finance. Why is it that we have evidence that campaign finance laws were broken in 1996, but all anybody seems to think can be done is write new laws? Before we write new laws why don't we enforce the laws we have?

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Why is it when the Democrats or Republicans get caught with illegal contributions all they have to do is refund them and the issue is dropped? If I robbed you and got caught, would everything be ok if I just gave you back what I stole? I doubt it.

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When will the pollsters learn that the American people may have more complicated opinions than saying they approve of the direction country has gone economically in last few years is different than saying they approve of Clinton overall? I may not approve of Clinton's personal actions, but I can approve of his view on other matters or where his leadership in other areas has led us, or vice versa. However I doubt anyone would say they 100% agree with him or against him. I remember as Nixon left office and even today, that people did not like his tactics to stay in office, but felt he was one of the best on foreign affairs.

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Hopefully we can get a settlement on this lying and obstruction charges and campaign finance charges settle quickly so when 2000 election gets under way our concern can be to pick the person who will guide us to the future that we want and that we remember to choose them on multiple issues as when they get there they will decide more than one issue. And I hope they are willing to take stands on issues and not continuously look to see what opinion polls say. It is their job to determine the right position and to convince us why.

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I also hope our congressmen and senators remember as this crisis passes through that we are a republic and not a democracy. Accordingly they need to decide with input from us what the right thing to do is and do that, even if different than opinion polls say. If they are only going to go by what polls say, then we would never cross milestones in history. Lincoln should have ended the Civil War in 1864 because polls and riots and in big cities said settle it. Don't worry about slavery, states rights, the union, etc. Likewise if polls had been purely followed much of the civil rights activity would have never succeeded. FDR would not have prepared us some for WWII as the polls say stay away from Europe. Wilson would have never given his life trying to get the League of Nations that might have prevented WWII. Truman would have never have done the much praised Marshall plan as polls would have shown support for let's really punish the Germans. And these are just a few. For some other cases likewise see Kennedy's book "Profiles in Courage", and that is what I asking our political leaders to do to use a little courage.

Dwight

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