Happy Monday boys and girls, welcome to the Watercooler where one is free to rant and rave about what ever has struck your fancy or ire in the last few days.

Sticks and Stones Will Break My Bones and words will get you expelled from school.  This is what some high school girls are learning in AZ.  The not so smart young ladies girls thought it would be cute to spell out the “N” word on t-shirts and post it on Snap-Chat.  From the article it sounds like this was a spur of the moment thing during a school sponsored event where students were already wearing shirts with letters on them for a school pride event.  This was a bad idea, but expulsion… really.  Local protesters are demanding that the girls need to be expelled and that the principle needs to be fired for not expelling them.  What a crock.  There are plenty of appropriate punishments for this kind of distasteful behavior but I cant imagine what the world would be like today if all of our futures were permanently shaped by one word we may have said when we were 16 years old.

Gov. Chris Christie is being criticized for depriving citizens their second amendment rights.  Now as with most stories there are two sides, and as a former prosecutor it does not surprise me where he falls on this.  Gov. Christie and President Obama both do not have a problem doing an end around on your rights to due process.  They both want to strip folks of their rights without being convicted of a crime in the name of all of our safety.  I like being safe… I really do but the slippery slope of eroding rights scares me almost as much as terrorism does.

Donald Trump Can Not Be Bought.  This is the statement so many have hung their hat upon and is used to justify why one may want to vote for a foul mouthed, casino mogul, reality TV star for President.  But is it true?  Is Trump really a threat to the establishment or does the establishment see right through his game?  According to more than a few folks whose business is influencing D.C., Donald is not their biggest fear.

“We can live with Trump.” said Richard F. Hohlt, a veteran lobbyist, reflecting the sentiment of his colleagues at last week’s meeting of the Republican National Committee in Charleston, S.C. “Do they all love Trump? No. But there’s a feeling that he is not going to layer over the party or install his own person. Whereas Cruz will have his own people there.”…

If Mr. Cruz were the party’s nominee, said Charles R. Black Jr., a lobbyist who has worked on numerous Republican presidential campaigns, “what would happen is a lot of the elected leaders and party elders would try to sit down and try to help Cruz run a better campaign, but he may not listen. Trump is another matter. You can coach Donald. If he got nominated he’d be scared to death. That’s the point he would call people in the party and say, ‘I just want to talk to you.’”

Mr. Trump is also a recognizable type in the political world. A wealthy businessman, he has given money to donation-hungry candidates for decades, often welcoming the supplicants to his Manhattan office. He has also employed a small stable of lobbyists in Washington, such as Mr. Black, and in state capitals to promote his real estate and casino empire. He has had large law and lobbying firms, like Greenberg Traurig, on retainer.

“The Most Qualified Person Since George Washington”  Who could Sen. Cory Booker be referring to with this outlandish endorsement? Who could possibly fit the bill of a candidate who led our military into victory against the greatest empire in the world?  Who could fill the shoes of the man who never could tell a lie?  Who is this rock star of modern American politics who will unite our nation and usher in a new era of American greatness…  Hillary Clinton.  If that doesn’t make you chuckle just a little bit then you are dead inside.

Can’t wait to hear what has caught all of your attentions over the weekend.  As always keep it classy Red State.