Once more, we fly the missing man formation

Word has reached me that Apollo astronaut and last American to stand on the lunar surface, Eugene "Gene" Cernan, has died. The former test pilot flew in both the Gemini and Apollo programs Astronaut was the second man to "spacewalk" on a tether in orbit, and to land on the moon as commander of Apollo 17. Gene was known for his sense of humor, contributing to the celebrity roast of Comedian Don Rickles. Eugene A Cernan left this life January 16 2016. I offer my condolences to his family and friends.

Goodbye Gene.

-- DLC

MLK Day 2017

Today we celebrate the life and times of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. :

Dr. King was one of the leaders of the Civil Rights movement of the late 50s and on into the 1960s. His words were of monumental importance to the United States, and his deeds back up his words. 

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Wikipedia Entry.

While I too remember the life and death of Dr Martin Luther King Jr. , I ask please that people not turn this into "Dr King would have agreed with ___________" Day. Remember that while Dr. King was a peaceful man, he was not a coward or one to hide his light under a bushel. He also wasn't just asking for a bit of freedom please massa, he was demanding justice and equality under the law. Not the false equality of "Separate but Equal" but full integrated equality. Dr. King also wanted everyone to live together peacefully, not in a procrustean-bed sense but in the true sense of many cultures come together for common purposes. Remember these things as we go forth together into the unknown.
And take time to remember those who marched with him, Particularly Representative John Lewis, whose head was cracked by police for daring to take a stand. Remember the many people who sacrificed their lives, their bodies and their dignity in the name of Equality and Justice. Two of the big things this country is supposed to espouse.

Another story fragment.

This is a piece of fiction I started and then stopped. 

It's more or less complete unless I feel like going back and filling in all the details.

Have a read and let me know what you think in the comments -- DLC.

                 Marcie was tired. Although bruised and broken by the beating the thralls had given her, she dragged herself to her feet, nearly screaming as one broken rib jammed into a lung. She didn't care.

 The alien overlord was here, and she needed to be on her feet. For just a few minutes more. The being spoke through its favored thrall. "You are the one called Scanlon. Why do you come here to die? You cannot beat us... you cannot win" 

So, it's 2017. . .

It's 2017. Nasty, Ugly and Brutish 2016 is gone. I sat and watched it die.
So now we're in 2017. I'm about to find out what the cardiologist found. Not looking forward to it.
After that, comes the Trump inaugural. Yes, we did not wake up to find that it was all a mistake. It's really going to happen, barring any giant space object impacts.
So we will now have a President who doesn't use computers but claims he knows a lot about hacking, who won't have press conferences but tweets out attempts at policy, who claimed to be cleaning out the swamp but has indulged in the worst possible crony capitalism politics -- hiring 4 former Goldman Sachs officers for his cabinet. He will be commander in chief of the military, chief law enforcement officer of the United States, in charge of running a government with a budget of more than 1 trillion dollars annually. He will be  President of the United States and in full control of a multinational sole proprietorship with interests in nations around the world -- interests which will become tempting targets for foreign powers, who will see them as leverage against the President, and thus the United States. This is the man who creates his own reality -- oftentimes making it up as he goes along. The man whom all Vladamir Putin needs to do is flatter a bit and he melts.  The soon-to-be President hangs out with known members of the mob, with fight promoter and convicted killer Don King, and with people who love to chant Sieg Heil¹ at every opportunity.
So, this man will be occupying the Oval Office. His party, the Republican Party, have control of the House of Representatives and the Senate. They will also use their carefully hoarded vacancy in the United States Supreme Court to select a Justice to their liking. So, they will have a barely controllable, opaque demagogue who is a narcissist, injury collector with revenge fantasies, but they will also have complete control of all three branches of government, and all anyone can do is complain. They will use their control to do as much destruction as they can in the time they are given, and all we can really do is hope that the President decides he's not going to go along with parts of it and throw down some vetoes, or that we manage to overturn the majority in the House or Senate or both in 2018 -- a tall order considering that the DNC hates local politics.