They say that mirrors can't lie. Lucky for me they can't laugh either.

Good Tuesday morning on this November 7, 2017, where I am thankful to send out a greeting along with a prayer for you and yours. There is some fairly incomprehensible stuff out there these days. Think about this one. A commentator on CNN climbed all over President Trump for calling for the death penalty for the NY City bomber, but, according to this fellow, the President didn't do the same for the Las Vegas shooter. Of course, we all know the Vegas shooter was dead already. Typically, no one calls for the death penalty to be imposed on someone who is already dead. I also read where the highly recognized legal analyst for a major network has a continuous flow of criticism for the newly appointed Supreme Court Justice, Neil Gorsuch. His crime? According to her, he too often refers to the Constitution as a starting point and he is often found attempting to weigh the facts of a case against that standard. Many believe her real fear is that he, (and others), might begin to look at decisions based on this antiquated method which could spell trouble for those who use contemporaneous liberal based means to make their determinations. Just so you know, here is the oath from the swearing-in of Judge Gorsuch, "I, Neil Gorsuch, do solemnly swear that I will administer justice without respect to persons, and do equal right to the poor and to the rich, and that I will faithfully and impartially discharge and perform all the duties incumbent upon me as Supreme Court Associate Justice under the Constitution and laws of the United States; and that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God."

I read an interesting article in the Washington Post concerning how difficult it has been for them and other major news sources in attempting to combat the 'fake news' tag that has been fashioned for them by the President. According to them, one year into the new administration, when they try to defend themselves using what they believe to be a factual presentation of what the President said versus the truth, well, they used a metaphor to describe the response. The article said their attempts were like using an air rifle only to be met by machine gun counter fire. It's hard to feel sorry for them, however, I am aware that when we go beyond truth to build a picture, from either side, there can be damage to the information delivery process needed for a free society to function. While they claim this to be the President's fault in tearing down the institution of a free and open press, I happen to think that for most of them, they have no one to blame but themselves. They claim to be objective reporters of the facts. Time and time again that claim has been proven to be false as they have openly pursued through their stories and the placement of their stories their own, typically liberal, agenda. Having an agenda is not being an objective reporter of the facts. Let me remind us all, that I, from the get-go, during my time here in this blogging venture, have said time and time again that people will always have their own slant because this is how people function, all people, by nature, because they are biased based on their own way of thinking. If you hire everyone with great journalistic skills but they all come from left-leaning liberal educational institutions, is it any wonder that people see that same bias in every so-called news story? I am worried about this because our system does depend on accountability and transparency. Losing that could be a self-inflicted casualty of the 'all-of-the-above' we see dominating today.

I didn't wake up with current events that pertain to our functioning as free citizens this morning. Just sharing. Nothing more than that. I will say this about our little trip last week. I don't think we have ever been anywhere where we were recognized as Christmas icons as much as we were last week. Dozens upon dozens of folks were able to connect with us, receive one of our photo cards, and so many of them were overjoyed by the exchange. One more time: We do look at our role as helping to participate in the joy delivery business. We saw this happen time and time again. When we can help someone to smile and have a better day, well, that is a rewarding experience. For sure. Santa is also recognized across all cultures and ethnic backgrounds. I told the wife about reading how polls indicate how much more optimistic people are for the upcoming holiday season. That may have something to do with how often I am recognized as a potential candidate for the Jolly Old Elf. It added to the enjoyment of our visit to Florida and now we continue our countdown. I've already done a couple of brief Santa stints in the photography studio, but, in two weeks we get down to business. Santa and Mrs. Claus will be doing photos for a couple of days. It's always different in a similar sort of way. Thanks for showing up today for our little visit. And, thanks to the Community Coffee Company for hanging in there with me throughout my day. Take care and may God continue to bless us all is my prayer. Amen. ....More later.