Spent last week in Destin, Florida.  The water was as beautiful as ever.  It was like a swimming pool with dolphin and yes, one large shark that emptied the water of humans as he cruised along the shore.  Temps were in the mid-70′s, breezy, dreamy.

Went on a day-long fishing trip with a childhood friend (since the age of 5) and about eight other manly-men in the Chesapeake Bay.  Another great day, but we only caught about 10 rockfish.  But they were big, about thiiiiiiiiiiiis long!  They were in our plates that same night.

Television is undergoing an ugly transition.  The number of eyeballs watching traditional TV is dwindling fast, yet the on-line (or wi-fi) experience is fledgling and not clearly defined yet.  Where do you prefer watching TV?  The big set? your desktop or laptop computer, or your smart phone?  How about the same choices on all of them?

Speaking of TV, have you noticed all reality shows (the competition ones) all look the same?  Contestants scrambling around to prove their talents, 3 or 4 “celebrity” judges lined up behind a desk with “expert” assessments, then sound bites from the competitors about how well they think they did.  “The Voice” looks no different than “Top Chef.”  Hollywood has no idea what to give the people in this evolving TV age, so they just copy each other ad nauseum.  If cable companies would let us pick channels purely a la carte they might survive longer.

I wish people would return their shopping carts to the parking lot rack, or take them back inside.  Look at it as good exercise by walking a little bit.  Why leave it in a parking spot that is suddenly made useless?

I found out “Downton Abby” returns on January 5 on PBS.  Great television and no commercial interruptions.

I love standing outside, just under some cover, as rain approaches and begins falling.  That smell is so invigorating.

The Obama administration seems way out to lunch.  There are a lot of people to blame in Washington for its dysfunction.  But leadership starts from the top.  And what’s the deal about not knowing anything that’s going on in the administration?  Shouldn’t the president be getting information from his own people instead of reading about the IRS fiasco in the paper?  Our government seems very disconnected.  Actually, “disconnected” is a dramatic understatement.  It’s in the intensive care unit.

The Virginia Republican party just had their convention to choose their Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Attorney General candidates.  Conventions don’t represent the people or the party nearly as well as a primary would.  So expect very hard right campaigns.

My son wants to drive up from Nashville for a visit this week and maybe go to a Nationals baseball game.  Damn I hate the idea of driving into DC.  I can’t wait for personal helicopters.  Maybe one day.

Weekend mornings on a beautiful spring day are great for meandering around your local farmers’ market.  My wife is an awesome cook who insists on using fresh herbs, so we hunted down several of those little seedlings.  We spent the rest of the afternoon planting.  Can’t wait for that thai basil to be ready.  Farmers markets or grocery stores with great fresh produce should be near every neighborhood.  Many poor folks don’t have access, especially those with limited transportation.  Communities should address this.

Watched “Les Miserables” with Hugh Jackman (who was incredibly powerful), Ann Hathaway (who made that role her own and her performance of “I Dreamed a Dream”, sung live on camera in one continuous take, with leave you speechless), and Russell Crowe (who is a great actor, but singing is definitely not one of his strengths.)  The story was depressing as hell, just like early 19th century France was around the time of their 1830′s revolution.   And as then, there may soon be more rising revolutions around the world.  People will revolt when their freedoms are stolen and trampled upon.  Can it happen in America again?  Interesting thought.

The White House Correspondents Dinner is a bad image for serious reporters and the people they are supposed to cover.  The money raised goes to a good cause, but it just doesn’t say the right thing.

Tim Tebow got cut by the New York Jets.  Anyone else surprised his star only shone for a very short time?

Congress is not concerned about it’s 13 percent favorable rating.  Fixing the FAA’s air traffic controller shortage just in time for the members and their staffs to fly out of DC for a week’s vacation proves the sequester is a game and they do not expect to be the ones to lose.  The losers are us, the people, as usual.

Will the Boston Bombing have an affect on immigration reform?  You bet it will.  It will be used by both sides for the advance of their selfish agendas.

This from Reuters: Tens of millions of U.S. dollars in cash were delivered by the CIA in suitcases, backpacks and plastic shopping bags to the office of Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai for more than a decade, the New York Times says, citing current and former advisers to the Afghan leader.

The so-called “ghost money” was meant to buy influence for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) but instead fuelled corruption and empowered warlords, undermining Washington’s exit strategy from Afghanistan, the newspaper quoted U.S. officials as saying.

“The biggest source of corruption in Afghanistan”, one American official said, “was the United States.”

Nation building doesn’t always work.

John Kerry has a very difficult job.  What, by the way, is the Obama Doctrine that he follows?  Anyone?

John McCain and Lindsey Graham sure like keeping the military busy.

And finally, the Senate and House passed the FAA bill at a breakneck pace late last week. President Obama had planned to immediately sign it into law, but administration officials tell ABC News he’s not expected to sign it until Tuesday — after a spelling error in the legislation is fixed.

The culprit, apparently, is a missing ‘S’ in the bill.  Okay, so can’t we find one good thing government can do?

Despite abhorring politics as I do, I came to a point about five years ago where I concluded I was part of the problem because I was ignorant to what was really going on.  I immersed myself in everything I could read to find out how our government works, what our policies on issues were and how we are inter-related with the other nations around the world.  What I discovered really opened my eyes.

It was clear we are letting our children and grandchildren — and mostly ourselves — down.  We have seriously big problems that are only getting worse by government inaction and failure.  This will create huge burdens for several generations.  They will suffer because we have let our government run amok for way too long.  I do believe we need government, but it needs to be smaller and it needs be made up of the real America, not the America that manipulates government for special advantages that you and I do not get.

During my period of re-education I decided to take a look back at our history and look for answers.  My school textbooks must have glossed over “The American Idea,” because it never stuck in my mind.  Yet it is the blueprint for this nation.  This “idea” was founded on the principle that if you have virtuous, moral, and educated people, they can govern themselves.  If we move away from that idea, then I believe we also move away from what America is.  That separation seems to already be under way.

After wrestling with the idea of possibly running for office, I decided that before making that decision I needed to come up with what I might be able to offer.  A politician who runs on clichés and talking points provided by handlers is but a puppet.  He or she toes the party line and is manipulated by their respective Democratic or Republican party puppet masters.  What grand vision has either of those two parties presented?  A Democrat or a Republican has caused every problem we have.  If they are going to be the exclusive parties of America, then they must accept the blame for the problems that plague us.  Yet, I don’t disparage any citizen of either party.  Most of my closest friends consider themselves one or the other.  But the domination of those two parties has created a paralysis of government.  Because those two parties run Washington, they are interconnected so tightly with their client groups and their demands, they cannot focus on what “The American Idea” was, is, or will be.

It became clear during my research that my principles lean libertarian more than anything else.  And it seems to me, that most everybody I know is libertarian, maybe a little or a lot; even if they are a Democrat or Republican.  What can be wrong with a political philosophy that simply demands our natural rights to life, liberty and property; limited government, fairness and the right to pursue happiness however we want as long as we don’t infringe on or harm anyone else?  It is a compassionate belief in helping those who can’t help themselves.  It is a belief in a secure, safe country; but one that doesn’t go out looking to change the world, nor interferes without an invitation.