Michael. (Mike) Markham

The comments above are why we are in this situation. There is no gray, everything is black or white. We need to work TOGETHER to keep this country great. Our political electies need to stop acting children on the playground. 

Michael. (Mike) Markham

My family is great. No missionary’s, they are all highly educated and have great jobs. There is no drug or alcohol issues. We get together pretty much every Sunday for a for a family dinner. We have taken many vavation as a family. Life is good. Thanks for asking.

Dan Brown

GRAMMER POLICE.  I made an error in my meme.  Did anyone catch it?

Holly Williams (Schelin)

Dan don't worry about my commas and I won't call you on the misspelling of "THIS" in your meme!
 

holly

Michael. (Mike) Markham

no Dan, tell us

Michael. (Mike) Markham

Dan,  memo

Peggy Scott (Youngs)

Who. Dan, the answer is who. Speaking of who, who else is tired of reading this stream of discourse?  Do you not have personal acquaintances to discusss this stuff with?  I feel this forum should stay away from politics and religion. 
What ya'll doing for Christmas?  Me, I'm going to help feed the homeless at a church that I don't even belong to. Not one word of politics will be uttered; we should all be united in this cause  

Dave Seiler

We just got back from a nice birthday party for a grand daughter in Portland. We also had a chance to spend time with our son's birth mother that came back into his life this summer. A good time had by all. Have a lot to be Thankful for😊

Sydney Richards (Tanner)

Steve Snyder ~ I miss you!!  Where ARE you and what are you doing???!! Much love!! ~ Sydney
And Dave Seiler, I love seeing your photo on the Message Board and am very happy for you and your family ❤️

Dan Brown

Sharps the eye and quick the wit of both Holly and Peggy.

Pandora Miller (Touart)

I am finding it encouraging that there is some “conversation” about the state of our country and politics in this forum;  without discussion, research and thought about the issues how can any of us be well informed or make decisions that may be far reaching, even impacting our children or grandchildren?

I haven’t done this before and likely won’t again: I am not a D or an R but vote for what I believe is best for the only country I have. I have never been as concerned for democracy and for this country as I am now.  Extreme polarization is great for winning elections but disastrous for a country.

 The lack of knowledge about civics, public vote vs. electoral college, government structure and responsibilities is frightening.

Ideally this is not principally about personalities but about qualifications, skills, leadership, and governance ability.  This executive fails on all counts.

Consider: Are the greatest number of achievements detailed? Or, taken at someone’s word?

These are the public record, not alt-facts: there is not room here or stomach to list them all:

• Opening 160 million acres of public land to use again a known carcinogen that kills bees: the main pollinator of our food supply already dying off in record numbers?
• Weakening the pollution requirements for clean air and water: something we all need to survive and not get sick?
• Separating 3,000 babies and children from their parents without record keeping? Really?
• Repealing internet neutrality so we can all pay more with less access?
• Reducing mileage goals and emission rollbacks for vehicles to undercut reduced energy use while hundreds of weather records are now broken nearly weekly and costing us more?
• Creating a record setting turnover of high officials and cabinet members-how is that good for institutional memory or continuity of policy or good government. (Reagan thru the current administration)?

Oh, and let’s limit the access of seniors to the national parks too. Now that’s a fiscal threat!

This is not reality TV, government is not a personality cult, this is not the Roman games:

this is the government of the United States of America up to now a leader in the free world.

I am unsure if the damage done by crass, gross, self-serving language to/about our institutions, our media, women, and our national view of ourselves can be repaired. Hate and ignorance are skyrocketing in our country. This is not about sex with an intern: this is about our future.

Twain said: Patriotism is supporting your country all the time and your government when it deserves it.

We deserve it but we are the only ones who can make it happen.

Michael. (Mike) Markham

Pandora,  Thank You,  

I think your assment of what is going on in our country is exactly what I believe Kate and myself was looking for. FACTS NOTHING BUT FACTS. Don’t point fingers unless you have the FACTS. Let’s keep some open dialogue going. How many East High grads viewers are reading this? What are we leaving to our kids, grandkids and in many cases greatgrand kids.

Mary Turley (Lyons)

Jim McCullough

We are agents of entropy, in that there is disorder and lack of predictability in our lives which will continue to expand and we are entropic contributors.  If we are agents, consider the order of magnitude increase in entropy our kids have contributed.  One step further, the order of magnitude increases geometrically from our grandkids.  This increase in entropy is an example of the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics.  (I can't help myself, I'm a Mechanical Engineer).

The Zeroth Law of Thermodynamics (not kiddng, there is a Zeroth Law) maintains that if two bodies are in thermal equilibrium with a third body then they are all in thermal equilibrium.  Said in a simplified equation, if A=B and B=C then A=C.  

Now for the 1st Law of Thermodynamics, there is a proportional relationship in the increase in temperature of a body to the work done on that body.  So, if a body's temperature is to rise, then work must be done on that body.  This is intuitively obvious.  

So, if we all want to be the same temperature, work must be done on each of us to make this happen.  Not sure what this looks like to make us all the same temperature, but I like my temperature.  Guessing we all like our temperatures.  Matching temperatures takes too much energy (heat or work).  

It was remarkable to mingle with each of you thermodynamic bodies!  I gained and lost temperature when I got close to or moved away from you.  The reunion was predictably unpredictable, increasing in entropy.  Jim McC aka Hawkeye   

Holly Williams (Schelin)

Jim...HUH???i didn't think I was too dumb to follow stuff like that but...duh!! Too old to translate that... fun to work with you last year!  Happy holidays to you and Natalie🎄

Dan Brown

Jim, I'm no scientist but if we all wanted to be the same temperature, all we would have to do is die.  Tell me where I am wrong.  (Now this is a topic worthy of discussion!)

Jim McCullough

Or be cremated.  I'd rather keep my own temperature

Marv Curtis

Jim, I have no idea what you're talking about, but I'm sure there must be a pony in there somewhere.

I have two questions. At Peterson's, what was your favorite mixed soda drink? And what was your favorite jukebox tune?

Kate Whitney (Neilson)

first - to respond to Dan's comment on 'same temp. if we all want the same temperature we'd all have to 'die' - my understanding of what our life will be like after death is we'll be too busy to even worry about the temperature.

In responce to Pandora's comments: I agree with her understanding of what is happening in our counrty.  We all need to actively become aware of what is going on in our country and do what we can to keep our rights and freedoms.

last, in responce to Mr. McCullough's comments, I wish you could responed in a manner that the 'commoners' in this forum can understand your comments. But, thank you for commenting.

I hope you all have been following the 'House Representatives' inquiry into the impeachment of the president.  It has been very interesting and informative.  I noticed how the Republic investigators used a lot of defence attorney tactics to confuse and mislead the TRUTH.  This is very sad to me.

STAND FOR THE RIGHT!

Chris Proctor

I always thought that the words "conversation", or "discussion" imply something more than merely dumping political opinions into a forum or into print- it implies a willingness to engage, listen, and perhaps even change one's mind based on what has been discussed. What I'm seeing on our recent spate of forum messages seem to just be juvenile "broadcasting," with the broadcaster having no listening intent at all. What if we stick to topics that allow for us to do a little bit of sharing and listening, and what if we save the boilerplate political or religious rhetoric for living rooms full of likeminded friends and tamily?

Holly Williams (Schelin)

I totally agree Chris👊🏻

Dan Brown

Before we all got to East there was a local rock group named The Daniels, some of who's members went to East.  They recorded "My Girl".  This is the only song on the juke box at Petes that I remember.

I did not have a favorite soda but whatever Clyde was nipping on while he was at the grill I would have enjoyed.

Mary Anne Armstrong (Jensen)

Thank you Chris

Michael. (Mike) Markham

Well with everything said, I would like to wish everyone a great Thanksgiving Holliday and a Marry Christmas. Let’s all count our many blessing. We all need to thank this great country we live in for all the freedoms we have.

Dave Mortensen

Our oldest grandson just returned from a mission in Argentina and one of his younger brothers just finished a half-marathon down in Big Bear, California. The older son of our second daughter turns out to be an amazing guitarist - wish I had been that talented at the age of 14; the very old Fender I have passed down to him is in better hands.

If you waste your life energy on slavishly paying attention to the media industry's fixation with what is going on in the DC swamp, you're probably going to miss out on a lot of what's really important in the 20-or-so years we all may have left on this earth. Life's a lot shorter now. Make the most of it.