I know, I know. I keep hopping from platform to platform. But tools change rapidly these days we like trying out the new ones. I'm now "blogging" (sharing is probably a better word) on Google+. 

http://gplus.to/clydelear

I won't bother trying to describe what Google+ is, you can check that out with -- of course -- a Google search.  I look forward to adding you to my circles.

The reason for The London Riots has been suggested by Ms. Noonan, I think one of the finest observers of our global community. She wrote this opinion piece yesterday in the weekend Wall Street Journal. [You might hit the WSJ paywall]

The riots in Britain left some Americans shaken. In the affluence of the past 40 years, and with the rise of the jumbo jet, we became a nation of travelers. We have been to England, visited a lot of those neighborhoods. They were peaceful; now they're in flames. But something else raised our unease as we followed the story on TV and on the Net. I think there was a ping on the national radar. We saw something over there that in smaller ways we're starting to see over here.

Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma is one of the brightest men I have the pleasure of knowing. He is spot-on in his understanding of America's financial standing and how to improve it. Read this op-ed piece in the August 2nd Washington Post.

Click here to download:

Why_I_voted_against_the_debt_deal_-_Coburn.docx.pdf (116 KB)

(download)

Click here to download:

Why_I_voted_against_the_debt_deal_-_Coburn.docx.pdf (116 KB)

In fact, the recent “Washington turbulence” is proof our government isn’t broken. It is working exactly as our constitution-framers intended. I’m proud to be an American.

Anyone who watched NBC’s “Taking the Hill” last night would get the impression that our system of government was broken. I’ll need to re-watch it to count the number of times Brian Williams said just that. But I can’t stomach a second viewing. It was miserable enough the first time through. Just trust me that he had to say, “our government is broken” a dozen times anyway.

His reporting was terrible and cliché-filled as he walked the halls of the Capitol: “‘we flooded-the–zone;’ ‘we chronicled all the moving parts’…’warts and all.” Worse, viewers were left with the impression something horrible was wrong with our Constitution and the way government was working today as opposed to historically.

Not so, Brian. You may be frustrated. But I think most Americans believe our elected officials are working things out and are doing their damndest. Read your American history, Brian, and you’ll learn comparisons that will shock you. You’ve lost me as a viewer because of your increasingly shallow, audience-chasing reporting. I think its NBC News that is broken, not our constitution.

Friends, I thought you may like to view this excellent video used to introduce the Cup presentation last month in Orlando. [A mix up on the video. This post will now make SO much more sense]

Can you believe it? Really good sushi and sashimi in Jefferson City? It's true. Called "Love Sushi", even my coastal friends say its as good as they get at home. Was there today for lunch.

...are seen here on our patio last night. L-R: Ashley Byrd, SC; O. Kay Henderson, Radio Iowa; Brent Martin, Nebraska; Bob Hague, Wisconsin; and, Bob Priddy, Missouri. --clyde