THE NEW AMERICAN IDOL

I wanted to switch my Major in college from Business to Psychology in my sophomore year.  That was overturned by my parents.  I always felt like I had a certain sense about sociocentrisities. You are right. That's not a word. It should be. To me, it means psychological tendencies by a certain group of people. That is the underlying basis of this blog today.

I think we can all agree that certain groups of humans have an innate tendency to follow a person or persons according to their beliefs.  And we also have seen that type of following get so strong that nearly nothing can shake those humans from their idolatry or blind admiration. Love, security, comfort, several natural emotions can easily lead to the creation of an idol. Idolatry can range from innocuous emotions toward an actor all the way to drinking Jim Jones' cool-aid. It's the cool-aid that I'm worried about.

I was not a regular follower of American Idol but I pretty much got the idea.  Find one person that was so talented as a singer that they would become an "idol" to a vast population of Americans.  It was such an excellent idea that it smashed all records for a successful TV show.  What most of us don't realize or consider very much is that there is another "American Idol" contest put on every four years in our country; the presidential elections. It has been a true reality show for over 200 years. However. with the onset of TV and now the onslaught of our social media world, I fear that the whole idolatry issue as it pertains to a selection for a president is running amok.

Here's a shocker for those who know me.  I actually worked on Jimmy Carter's campaign for president.  Now, pick yourself up off the floor because there is more to the story. I worked in a recording studio and we did his campaign voice overs. However, I actually got roped into helping stuff envelopes one day.  The experience introduced me to my first reality with idol worship.  Those people who were active in his campaign spoke of Carter as if he were the second coming of Jesus Christ.  It was only a week or so before I divorced myself from that job.

Some of you may remember that at Carter's nomination speech he got up to the podium and said "My name is Jimmy Carter and I'm running for President of the United States". That was brilliant. He immediately created an idol worship that more than doubled after that and he won the election.

Ronald Reagan had his idols going all the way back to his movies from the 40's and  50's.  Bill Clinton lied about sex in the White House, lied under oath and was disbarred in Arkansas.  But his idols stuck with him . Barack Obama had nearly no credentials to run for president.  But, he's black, he has a nearly perfect speech delivery and um . . .did I mention, he's black?

So, now that brings us to today.  Hillary certainly has her idols.  It has often been said that if she were convicted of murder, she would still get a strong showing in the polls.  But my point of all this is the amazing Donald Trump enigma.  Everyone asks, "How can he be so far ahead in the polls?"  Idolatry. It's clearly a national trend towards someone who is not the dirty word - a politician!  It is certainly understandable but I fear it is neither rational nor logical; according to Mr. Spock.

We all need to get a grip, step back a few paces and consider that maybe, just maybe, this is idol worship and not necessarily what's best for the country. Idol worship got us Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.  Let's listen to the other candidates too in the upcoming debates and turn down any offers of a nice sugary cup of cherry cool-aid.

A LONG TIME COMING

In an earlier post I mentioned that, while in college, I became more aware of political issues and even signed up for a minor in Political Science.  My parents were Republicans.  I found myself, for the most part, agreeing with their outlook on politics as I was growing up.  But, as most college age kids do, I began getting more curious about my world and whether there was only one correct side to every issue.  As a freshman in the late sixties, I began to venture out of my safe zone and spend many evenings attending rallies.  I wasn't choosy. If there was an issue to be discussed, I wanted to go and see what it was all about. On one of those ventures, I went to see Paul Newman stand up in the back of a convertable and proclaim that "What we have here is a failure to communicate".  I also had a brush with history after watching Bobby Kennedy give a campaign speech and, waiting to shake his hand, the crowd was shocked to find out that Martin Luther King was just shot in Memphis. I actually heard the news at the same moment Kennedy did.

I mention all this to explain the context of why I decided to go to a rally for something I had never heard of until I read it in our college newspaper.  It was a new group called Students For a Democratic Society. The name conjured up thoughts of people like myself who were  becoming more driven toward getting involved in helping to make things better in our country. So off I went to the rally.

The gathering was in a lecture hall that probably seated about 100 students. There were only about 30 of us which I liked because I thought I might be able to get more involved in the discussion. Two men and a woman, all looking to be in their 30's and very well dressed, were milling around talking to some students before they began the meeting. I nosed my way down to the front to listen in. They seemed very intelligent, poised and professional.  That was unusual.  Most of the anti-war rallies were tie-dye and cut-off style gatherings. So when it was time to listen, I was all ears.

They handed out their literature first.  It was a lot of info so I put it aside.  I cannot remember the people's names but I do remember they were from Chicago. I admit I was full of anticipation to hear what they had to say.  But the whole set-up seemed a little creepy.

They began by explaining that they were well aware that "we", todays college students, were fed up with our current form of government but that we were going about trying to change things in all the wrong ways. OK - that sounded reasonable. So, this is what their plan was. (now please understand that I could have never remembered precisely what they said that night nor do I still have their hand-outs. However, through the miracle of Google, I have re-established myself with their talking points in order to share a few with you.) In fact, it's been over 45 years since I attended this rally and, while reading about them again, it still gives me chills.

They began by harping on the idiocy of the federal government and the careless way that our old "rulers" were too authoritarian and must be stopped.  They continually repeated that our Constitution was out-dated and it was time to fundamentally change America.

Here are a few steps explaining how this change would be accomplished:

 - In the beginning, do not force anything on the people.  Slowly get them to think that the changes being made are a normal part of the evolution of society and for the better in the long run.

- Take as much power as possible away from the state and local governments.  There shall be one, central government that will regulate all human activity.

- Discredit you enemies.  Attack them through irrelevant arguments.

- Break down the civility of our system of government.

- The ends justify the means. Break all of the Ten Commandments if need be to exact control on the enemies of the "New State".

. . . and so on.

Well, that was it for me. I remember walking back to my dorm with a guy I had met at the rally. We were both joking about how ridiculous those people were. Did they actually think they were going to find anyone who would go along with that nonsense?  He told me that night that they were Communists.  I didn't tell him then but I was pretty sure he didn't know what he was talking about.

The SDS  faded away over the next few years but the concept took root and continued to fester.  We are now facing a point in time where those rules (Rules For Radicals) have nearly all been adopted in one form or another by the executive branch of the federal government and radical politicians throughout the country.

This time, I have no suggestions, no attempt at words of wisdom or even a catchy closing phrase.  I only have this short story about my little brush with an event in history that started a sad chapter in our wonderful country when a sickness infested our political psyche and has now nearly killed the patient.

UNIVERSAL APPRECIATION

This was in one of my first essays but came up missing. Curious. So this is a reprise.

I grew up in a perfectly sized, mid-western town. It was called a city but I thought of it as a town. No one was ever certain if there were 40 or 50 thousand people in the town but it never seemed to matter.  It was a good town. I say was because I have not lived there for over 30 years and I know things change. There are two rivers running through the heart of the town. One of them was perfect for swimming and boating. I was fortunate that my family’s home was located on the banks of that river and I took full advantage of it.

Due to the very nature of my surroundings; the beauty of the spring flowers along the river, the amazing array of fish we could catch nearly year ‘round, the adorable teenage girls that would sunbathe on the piers in the summer months, often gave me pause to think. What’s this all about? As a young teen I pretty much understood why I appreciated the sunbathers. But, why do I appreciate tulips? My dog couldn’t care less about the delicate beauty of a tulip. The ability to perceive of and appreciate so much of our world, our universe, is purely human. But why? Why us? Why us God?

My childhood and church going was a constant battle of wills. Go fishing? Go to church. Go fishing? Go to church. Go fishing. My parents were Presbyterians. I was a Communicant’s Class dropout. By the time I hit high school age, the act of attending church was far from my mind. Did I believe in God? Honestly, I don’t remember. When I went on to college though, and realized that I know everything, I began to think back on my early years as a kid asking why. But I added another query into the mix. Where? Where is God?  Not who or what, but where. So I set out in my mind to answer the question. I knew I could find the answer because college-age students are the smartest people in the world. After very little biblical or philosophical research, I had it. God is everywhere! Oh, I know, you hear that all the time. But this was different.

God is everywhere because he is us.  Yup. It was us who wrote the Bible, right? It is the collective minds of mankind that conceive of religions and develop them into something that is supposed to help teach us right from wrong. So instead of saying that God is everywhere in our lives helping us get through the tough times, why can’t we just accept that he is us? You and me and your jerky neighbor who just painted his house mauve; we are God. So when we pray, are we praying to some bearded fellow sitting on a throne beyond the universe? Or are we simply helping to put our hopes and wishes into our minds to direct us to some positive end? It seems okay to presume so, if we know that our own minds are a fractional piece of God’s mind. There, problem solved. I figured it out when I was in college. . . . . . . . Then I graduated.

College smugness seems to quickly disappear when a person goes out into the real world. Like most of my friends, marriage and family happened to me over the next 20 or so years. Before my daughter was born, I really didn’t take much time for spirituality and the old questions that I so easily answered years back. But then something happened to me that changed everything.

On the day of the birth of my daughter, the center of my universe shifted. It shifted from me to her. I realized that day that if someone said that I must die so that this little bundle may live . . . no problem. With the universe no longer about me, I began to ask questions again. But this time I had lots of questions. I read books; Cosmology and Philosophy books. Maybe I should call them “scientific theory” and “thought theory” books. I was impressed that so many of the truly brainy scientists had such strong faiths. God seemed to always be an integral part of their scientific psyche. I have often been disheartened to witness the fact that organized, mostly Christian, religions tend to denounce scientific theory and discovery while scientists seem to embrace religion and God. Can’t we all just get along?

After my divorce and my daughter reaching her late teens, my universe shifted once again. This time it began to center around God. As I read more Big Bang Theory and  Black Hole Theory and as our telescopes reached further back in time to the very  beginning of the universe, I began to realize that I never had the answers. I wasn't even close. But it didn't matter much. Now I wasn't only perceiving of and appreciating that tulip on the riverbank, I was becoming completely rapt in the total package. I remember a line from Thornton Wilder’s play “Our Town” in which a lovesick Emily Webb blurts out “Oh World, You’re too wonderful for anyone to realize you.” Profound? Yes. True? Also yes. I’ll never know all the answers. But, perceiving of and appreciating as much of our universe as possible, is to me, a noble quest. It is my humble opinion that God cracks a little smile as we continue to inch closer to the answers.

Many of the greatest minds today are churning up scientific evidence that lends itself perfectly to the possibility that the gap between science and theology is rapidly closing.  Cosmology is the study of the physical universe from the very big to the very small. String Theory is a result of cosmologists, through mathematical models, coming up with really difficult stuff to understand that tends to reveal the possibility that God is among us. The really brainy people working on this are pretty convinced that there are many more dimensions than just three in our world. The reason we cannot see into these other dimensions is because all matter and light are stuck in only three dimensions. Some cosmologists have concluded that there are as many as 11 dimensions.

OK . . . work with me on this. If we can accept that our universe around us has a lot of stuff going on that we cannot see or perceive of, does it not make sense to presume then that God could have a very comfortable spot to hang out in like maybe the eighth dimension, eating popcorn and watching us create all sorts of entertaining quandaries for his, and our amusement? Then, when we really screw up, he can project through those dimensions and touch our lives in ways that we cannot feel in our limited world but we just know He had something to do with fixing the problem.

No matter how many dimensions there are, the three we've got have lent themselves pretty well to giving me the ability to appreciate the universe. To remember springtime, sitting on that riverbank watching the meandering water flow by while perfectly formed teenage girls seem to tan right before my eyes stretched out on the docks and tulips open themselves to an amazingly blue sky. That was my universe. It still is. Thank you God.

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Uniquely Us

Most of my friends know that I tend to look up every evening after dark as I walk outside or step out of a car.  I just feel that, since we are the only living creatures on earth that can perceive of and appreciate the wonder and beauty of our surroundings, we should take full advantage of it every chance we have.

Astronomers, cosmologists, even pseudo philosophers go out of their way to remind us that we used to think we were unique in the universe. But now that we can look all the way back to just a few billion years before the beginning, (I don’t like to call it “The Big Bang” ‘cause there probably was no bang) we see billions upon billions of galaxies and trillions upon trillions of stars and we realize that we are nothing special. They are certain that there are other intelligent beings scattered throughout the cosmos. I do too. In fact, I have no doubt that we are being visited by entities other than ourselves all the time. But I tend to bristle just a bit when these learned intellectuals continually try to remind us that WE are not special in the universe.

I can’t imagine how much more special we could be!  In fact, since we are talking big numbers, billions of things had to occur in order for us to exist at all.  Then, for US to have developed into a walking, talking, intelligent entity in our own right, certainly gives us the undeniable justification to announce that “We Are Unique!” and “We Are Special!”  Our human brain is the most complex, sophisticated biological organ in at least 25,689,593,615,256 miles. (I rounded to the nearest mile). That’s pretty special is it not?

Our universe is special too. Did you know that if the rate of expansion of the universe had been 1 millionth of a degree slower, it would have imploded upon itself and . . . OK - you know the rest.

To take this specialness to the next level, we are not just special because we live “on” the earth, but because we participate “with” the earth.  We, and every living plant and animal are an integral part of the earth’s formation and its beauty and the special, wonderful balance that makes it all work.

I’ve never seen a UFO.  But when I do, I’ll feel pretty smug knowing they are looking at us with awe and reverence because we are a very special part of our wonderful universe.

But, as usual . . . I’m just sayin’

DOING MY PART

I will begin this by saying, I don't know what I'm talking about. That is to say, I can't be certain of anything regarding global warming or the new disaster, climate change. But it seems I'm in good company. Apparently, nobody knows. In any point/counterpoint debate, both sides make excellent arguments. I have been watching the new Cosmos series regularly and did not miss last week's thorough discussion about how the earth is going to evaporate if we don't stop mowing our lawns. OK . . .that wasn't in there. But that is how I felt. I am practically single handedly at fault for what will soon be a rise in the oceans so devastatingly bad that the Daytona 500 will soon be a boat race.

So here's my problem. To this point, it still appears that either side could be right. Knowing that however, naturally leads to the argument that if the world is warming up, humans must drastically change their lives to keep it from happening. “We just can't take the chance that we are wrong”, they say. I understand that too. What has me a bit skeptical about this entire issue is the fact that the topic's point and counterpoint fall strictly down political lines. Liberals urge the need to control human behavior and conservatives say, “Not so fast”.

In the late 1990's I attended a talk by Mikhail Gorbachev at the University of Georgia that disturbed me just a bit. Throughout his career, he was pretty good at disturbing people. He discussed the fact that he had founded an organization called Green Cross International in 1993, just 2 years after the fall of the U.S.S.R. He eluded to the idea that GCI's purpose was to infiltrate environmentalist organizations and, with the right propaganda and phony climate fraud, environmentalists would be easy targets as unwitting minions. He said that with an issue like Global Warming, the only way it could be solved, if it even could, assuming it were real, would be by a global government dictating and rationing the worlds resources. Being somewhat amazed by what I heard, I though maybe the translator was mixing up words and that Gorbachev hadn't said it exactly that way. But as time went on, that is exactly how it played out. The “Green Movement” became a liberal base from which governments could control human behavior. And Mikhail Gorbachev was one of their leaders.

Jumping up to today, most of how it all got started has been replaced by a general acceptance that Grandma is a scumbag if she doesn't get rid of her Cadillac Escalade and buy a Smart Car.

So, I'll end this where I began. I don't know. It does seem though, that there is a rush to judgment that is driven by political motives rather than humanistic concerns. Maybe a political compromise should be considered. Here is mine. Someone please tell Barack Obama that if he would OK the Keystone XL Pipeline Project, I'll stop mowing the lawn.  

IT'S A MATTER OF BALANCE

Ever since apes were artificially inseminated by ancient aliens and modern humans got brains, there has been a proliferation of new weapons to claim territory or just kick ass for no good reason. So our ancestors all had to take sides. Usually there was a good side where those humans wanted to live in peaceful coexistence and a rather bad side where those humans just wanted to kill other humans for whatever reason. From that point forward, weapons were introduced to keep the peace or break the peace.

So enough of the history lesson. You get the point.  Rocks, sharp rocks, knives, bow and arrows, flint-locks, revolvers, semi-automatics and automatics; someone was always coming up with something that turned the balance of power on to their side until someone else topped that and the balance would go the other way. As long as there are good guys and bad guys, it will always be that way.  It is a balance that has kept bad guys in check for, well, forever. If you take it further to nuclear weapons, at least to this point, we are not speaking Japanese or German because the good guys got the bomb first.  This is a logic that I would dare say a 5th grader can easily understand. Balance of power.

OK - Now, here is the problem. We now have a very large group of humans in our country and throughout the world who simply don’t think that maintaining that balance really makes a difference in the scheme of things. They simply do not like guns and they especially do not like humans to have guns.  So they want to deprive all humans except their governments from having guns. Now, of course, 5th grade logic will tell you that it is only possible to take away guns from one side of the good guy/bad guy equation.  Problem is, it’s the good guy side. “No matter”, they say. Take their guns anyway.  Well . . . where’s the balance in that?  Without the balance, the power shifts entirely onto the bad side and those humans who were keeping the peaceful coexistence as peaceful as possible, are rendered impotent.  I’m sure you get my drift.  This is what we call Liberal Logic.  

Consider though, the fact that a balance has always been obtained after, of course, many humans died and one side or the other accomplished the shift back in their favor.  I have no doubt that we will see that here in America again.  Gun-grabbing will not be a healthy thing for Liberals to do over the next few years.  We already see gun sales at an all-time high.  Many shooting ranges boast more woman signing up for lessons than men.  In other words, the ill-fated logic of taking away guns from law-abiding citizens has created a nation growing in unprecedented gun ownership.

And there you have it.  The natural balance of power shifting once again.  No doubt there will soon come a time when you will not hear much from the gun-grabbers because they will have become the impotent ones.  

God Bless America!

CHANCES ARE

There is so much bad press from the mainstream media, liberal mudslingers and even old-time conservatives about the Tea Party that I began to wonder.  What would happen, based on their core beliefs, if a Tea Party candidate were sworn in January 2009 instead of  . . . well, you know.

If a Tea Party Conservative were elected President in 2008 and he had a cooperative Congress, chances are this is where we would be today:

There would be no Edward Snowden spilling espionage secrets to our enemies because there would be no invasion of privacy of innocent Americans.

Our boarders would be shut tight and any illegal aliens would be treated fairly but legally in decisions whether they must return to their own country or not.

Gun ownership would be considered a sacred honor and a Constitutional right and there would be no need for the government to fear its own citizens.

The enormous size of our federal government would be drastically reduced.

Personal income taxes along with all other taxes would be slashed.

Deficit spending would end.

Our military would be fundamentally strengthened to deter and deny any emboldened countries and religious terrorists from attacking us at home or abroad.

All government agencies from Federal down to Local would be put on notice that any voting irregularities will be met with swift investigations and prosecutions.

The Constitution of the United States would be followed to the letter as interpreted only by the Judicial Branch of the United States Government.

Private health insurance would be available to everyone at greatly lowered premiums and to those who still cannot afford it, through the use of private pools.  Premiums would drop like a rock due to the lifting of government regulations and tort reform.                             

Corporations would have the freedoms they are afforded in the Rule of Law and would not be bullied by the federal government to adhere to vote-garnering demands and undue taxation. Also, when those undue corporate taxes drop, the cost of goods and services would drop significantly right along with it.

A fair and equitable income tax would be in place that does not favor one political group over another.

The IRS and other Federal Agencies would NEVER have the ability or the directive from the Executive Branch to illegally punish Americans by denying tax exemptions set forth by our laws.

NO American, whether a government worker or regular citizen would ever be left behind to die in a foreign land without all possible efforts to save them being deployed.

These are the things I can think of that are pretty much “no-brainers” but I’m sure there’s more.  If you think of one put it in the comments below.

Now, I know what some will say. “How do you know that is what would happened if a Tea Party candidate had won the election?” After pondering on that for at least 2.5 seconds, I have an answer, “I Don’t!!”  I merely said “Chances Are”.  Even if only 50% of those things happened in the past 6 years, what a better country this would be.

. . . and as you well know by now,  I’m Just Sayin’

THE PALM SUNDAY TORNADOES

Today marks the 49^th anniversary since, what became known as the Palm Sunday Tornadoes, occurred in my home town.  I rarely talk about this but my local hometown newspaper has asked that people who experienced the tornadoes share some memories. The following is my account of that day.

It was a beautifully warm day.  I had dared to put on shorts that early in spring in Northern Indiana.  I was still outside late in the afternoon playing some basketball with friends as we did nearly every chance we had from the time we could walk.  I was sixteen, happy, carefree and ready for whatever life had to offer.

Our neighbor came to the fence and told us to go inside because he saw on TV that strong storms were on the way.  It seemed odd since there was not a cloud in the sky.  But, we all went our separate ways to go home and watch TV.  My dad and I had just settled down on the couch to check the weather when, once again, our neighbor came over.  He was out of breath and seemed oddly excited.  He had just heard on his police radio that a tornado had gone through a section of town just south of the city.  He said they needed station wagons to help transport people to the hospital.  I know how odd that sounds but that was a different time.

We had a large station wagon and my dad and I were ready to go.  Looking back, I know for sure that we never considered the drama we were so ready to involve ourselves in.  He wanted me to drive.  I was surprised since I had only gotten my license six months before.  But off we went.  We drove East and then South toward the area we thought would take us close. But about halfway there the weather turned into an angry, raging torrent. It was pitch black with frighteningly loud rain.  I could see nothing so I pulled off on the side of the road and waited.  Shortly, it became eerily calm.  We assumed it was just another storm.  So off we went to see if we could locate where that tornado came through.  As we drove a little further, we came up on an area of unspeakable devastation.  There were no ambulances, no police cars and no fire trucks.  Nothing.  Only silence.  I pulled off the road and glanced up a slowly rising hill to view nothing but wood planks everywhere.  Dad jumped out of the car and ran over to a man he saw sitting on the ground with his arms wrapped around a telephone pole.  I walked over to him too and he was gasping for air.  We realized that he was so covered in mud that his skin could not breathe.  We brushed heaps of wet muck off him.  That seemed to help.  I could hear some faint voices up the hill.  They were calls for help and children crying. That’s when I realized that we were the first people to arrive in the area.  I told dad that there must have been a second tornado because this had just happened.  Emergency vehicles began arriving and dad stayed with the man we had helped when they took him to an ambulance.  I was asked by a young fireman to help him search for victims.  We searched house-to-house which were nothing but rubble.  We were looking, listening and pulling out people from their hiding places. Suffice to say, the next couple of hours were terrifying, gratifying and life altering for me.  I would climb down into basements open to the sky but so strewn with lumber and furniture that you would never think anyone could be down there . . . and alive.  But they were.  Most of my time walking up the street with the fireman, climbing over the rubble and training flashlights through the slightest cracks were fruitless ventures.  But then we would find someone.  Tears would well up in our eyes as we screamed for emergency people and threw lumber out of the way.  

My dad found me later sitting on a stump, no longer able to help.  My brain just shut down.  I couldn't look for or look at any more people, dead or alive. We put our arms around each other and walked slowly back to the car. We just got in our car and drove home in a peaceful quietness that we both needed badly.

As it turned out, we had driven up on the secondary access road to what is called The Sunnyside Edition. A massive “double” category 4 tornado had passed directly over that
area.  Apparently when I had to pull off the road and wait for the storm, the big one hit.  So, all-in-all, the same general area of my hometown was hit by four tornadoes that night.  I would guess we arrived no more than 5 minutes after it had passed. 

So . . .that’s it.  For a few days after, I had trouble sleeping.  But as a teenager, I was pretty resilient. However, I carry many visions with me of that night that are mine and mine alone.  The stories that came out of the Palm Sunday Tornadoes have been told through the years in my hometown.  Now you know my story. 

This famous picture shows the two tornadoes forming out of one massive cloud.  

This is an aerial view of the Sunnyside Subdivision where I was involved in search and rescue. 

This is typical of what they found when the sun came up the next morning.

Here is a link to information on The Palm Sunday Tornadoes: http://www.elkharttruth.com/living/Community-Blogs/Elkhart-County-History/2014/04/11/This-Day-In-History-The-Palm-Sunday-Tornadoes.html

Well . . .excuse me!!

To steal a phrase from Rod Serling, “Imagine if you will” about 35 years ago, when liberals in America were having a tough time being heard, a bunch of neo-progressives were trying to come up with a cause that they could foist on Americans that would make us feel so bad about ourselves that we would start voting for big government and big taxes once again.  Hmmm . . .what could that be?. . . Eureka!!  We've got it!  Climate Change!  Of course it was called Global Warming up until the warming stopped and changed back to cooling. Now we are supposed to feel bad about ourselves and vote for Democrats because, if we don’t, the climate will continue to change. That certainly is an inconvenient truth.

Scads of lists in favor of controlling the behavior of humans because they are the culprits directly effecting changes in the weather pop up on Facebook, Twitter and blogs every day. Aside from the fact that virtually anyone who claims to be a researcher in order to prove that Americans are scumbags if they drive any car that gets less than 30 mpg, will be awarded a hefty grant and a private tour of the White House, I am going to make my own list. There will be no government hand out of grant money for me. I suppose also that after the NSA reads my blog, my food stamps will also disappear.

1. Climate has always changed.  It will always be changing.  If the climate didn't change, we wouldn't need curvy weather girls to tell us about it.

2.  It is simply not true that all scientists agree that Global Warming is an issue. In fact all scientists can't even agree that all scientists are scientists.

3.  Ecosystems adapt. Always have; always will.  And if a certain animal can't adapt to the current climate change, we can kill it and eat it. 

4.  If cow flatulence contributes to greenhouse gasses, how come the earth didn't have greenhouse gas problems during the Jurassic Era?  I mean those guys were big enough to blow down an oak tree with their farts and there was an Ice Age going on then!

That just about does it.  Thanks to my brief, but profound list, you now have all the ammunition you need to debate the issues of climate change.  On the other hand, you might want to consider switching to the dark side and applying for a government grant to study why there are less Canadians moving to Florida in the winter than there used to be. 

The truth is, without climate change, I wouldn't be outside in my lounger with shorts on and a margarita typing this up.  

Oops . . .I just contributed to the greenhouse gas issue. Sorry.

1.     

 And So It Goes . . .

Dr. Jack Wheeler was a West Point graduate, a Vietnam veteran, and the man who was the driving force behind financing the construction of the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial.  He fought long and hard for the dignity and honor of the fallen Vietnam War soldiers.  He served three presidents as an aide and advisor - Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, and he served as a special assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force and a military consultant.

Here is an article written by Dr. Wheeler that you may have never heard of due to it’s immediate suppression by those . . . well, those who wanted it suppressed. 

"All of us need to raise our glasses the highest to the Navy SEALS who popped those three Somali pirates. And I'm sure you want to hear the real story of what happened especially because there is a revoltingly opportunistic and cowardly side to it.

Why, for example, did it take SEAL Team Six (aka DEVGRU, Navy Special Warfare Development Group) over 36 hours to get to the scene? Because President Obama refused to authorize the SEAL deployment for those 36 hours, during which the OSC, the on-scene commander, Cmdr. Frank Castellano of the USS Bainbridge, repeatedly requested them. Cmdr. Castellano is a very mature and experienced commanding officer and is rock solid in his decisions.

Once the SEALS arrived, parachuting from a C-17 into the ocean near the ship, Obama then imposed Rules of Engagement (ROE) specifying the SEALS could not do anything unless the life of the hostage, Captain Richard Phillips, was in "imminent" danger. Thus, when Capt. Phillips attempted to escape by jumping off the lifeboat into the ocean, the SEAL snipers had all four pirates sighted in and could have taken them out then and there. But they couldn't fire due to Obama’s ROE restrictions.

When the SEALS approached the lifeboat in a RIB (rigid-hull inflatable boat) carrying supplies for Capt. Phillips and the pirates, the pirates fired on them. Not only was no fire returned due to Obama’s ROE, but as the pirates were shooting at the RIB, SEAL snipers on the Bainbridge had them all dialed in. Again, no triggers were pulled due to the ROE.

Two specific rescue plans were developed by Cmdr. Castellano and the SEAL teams. Obama personally refused to authorize them. After the second refusal and days of dithering, Cmdr. Castellano decided he had the Operational Area and OSC authority to "solely determine risk to hostage" and did not require any further approval by the president. He took unilateral action on Sunday, April 12, 2009.

Four hours later, the White House is informed that three pirates are dead and Capt. Phillips has been rescued unharmed. A White House press release was immediately issued, giving credit to the president for his "daring and decisive" behavior that resulted in such success.

Barack Obama has absolutely no military knowledge or experience whatsoever. He demanded his personal control over the entire hostage drama to the last detail. All actions required his personal approval. He dithered like a coward while the world laughed at our warships flummoxed by four illiterate teenagers with worn-out AKs in a lifeboat.

Only when the Navy Commander decided to ignore his Pantywaist-in Chief and take action and responsibility himself, were the incredible skills of the SEALS put into play. That Obama could cynically and opportunistically claim that his "bold, calm and tough" leadership was responsible should remind everyone that not a single action, not a single word of this man can be trusted. He is bereft of honesty and moral character. He is a complete Zero."

Dr. Jack Wheeler

Shortly after writing this article, Dr. Jack Wheeler was found murdered in a dumpster near his home in Newark, Delaware.

Stupid Sarah

You may have heard by now that Sarah Palin, the most vilified human in history by The Left, said that if Barack Obama became President, Russia would eventually invade the Ukraine. At the time, she was running for Vice President of the United States and I thought it was a bold statement considering that Liberals were calling her everything from a whore to simply stupid.  What could she possibly know about Russia?  She’s nothing more than a Republican – and a woman!  How crazy is that??

It is a natural trait of the Liberal psyche that minorities (namely Women, Blacks, Latinos, Undocumented Workers and the Unborn) are lower than dog shit unless they totally toe the line politically with their left-wing, socialist religion.  So, it must be frustrating to hear that Sarah, the stupid female lover of the Constitution, was right.  She was just lucky.  She’s just not that smart.

Really?  I’m not so sure about that.  She doesn't mince words and she rarely panders to the masses in her speeches.  But what she has to say is usually spot on.  Much like Harry Truman, she’s Americana.  She says what she means and means what she says and if you don’t like it, you can go suck a moose.  No thanks.  But I find her home-spun way of looking at the world, and our country to be more specific, very refreshing.  It worked for Harry Truman. So why can’t it work for Sarah Palin?

Why?  Because she’s a woman and a Conservative.  You would be hard-pressed to find one Liberal in this entire country who would break the bonds of their religion and vote for a Conservative (if she’s a woman).  It’s just not done.

It is for that reason, and my only reason, that I would not want to see her on the ballot in 2016.  I think she would make a terrific leader of the free world. But Republican woman and/or Conservative Blacks simply are not allowed to be considered as legitimate candidates for the highest office in the land.

I often marvel when I listen to Liberals rail on about the hypocrisy of the Right.  I consider those statements alone to be a hypocritical proclamation considering that their religious dogma excludes minorities from any discussion of serving in politics unless their politics meet the strict demands of the proletariat.

But, as always, I’m Just Saying.

Is There Anything Good About Facebook?

Over the past few years, we have been bombarded by a technology that seems to be speeding up at a break-neck pace. Cell phones and smart phones, Andriods and IPhones, Apps and Social Media; our heads seem about to explode. Those of us who are getting up there in years are beginning to worry about the looming techno age and its effect on the younger set. We enjoy looking back to the simpler times with memory joggers on Twitter and Facebook that make us take just a moment to slow down and sigh.

I want to share something that has happened over the past several years that most people are unaware of. On the face of it, I am going to say something good about Facebook. In my hometown an enterprising young lady and maybe a friend or two came up with a Facebook page that gives anyone who grew up in our town an opportunity to journey down memory lane with friends, acquaintances and simply others who grew up in and around the city. If you are not from that part of the world, there is no need to look it up. That’s not my point. But consider this. The population of our town is about 50,000 and to date, we have 10,000 members on the Facebook site. There must be thousands of photos too ranging from scenes of 1950's downtown shots to 3rd grade class pictures. Lot’s of posts begin with “Who remembers . . .” or “Does anyone know what happened to . . .?” We reminisce, we remember, we laugh and we even argue sometimes. The site is so popular that it’s hard for a dog to run away too long before someone sees it on our site and alerts the owners. But all in all, it is simply a wonderful way to spend a rainy (or snowy) Saturday afternoon.

My point is this. I would encourage other Americans who miss their hometown or maybe still live there and would like to do something positive for their city and friends to start a site of their own. The craziness of today’s speedy technology just might have a few benefits that no one ever imagined just a few years back.

So, instead of clogging up Facebook and Twitter with politics, personal drama and whatever food you had last night, why not do something positive for your town, your friends and yourself? Start an “Our Town” site.

BTW – I know, I can already hear the laughter about clogging up Facebook with politics. I’m probably one of the biggest offenders. Is there a 12 step program for Facebook hooligans? 

JUSTIFIED

President Obama has made a calculated decision to shirk his oath of office by blatantly defying our laws, Constitutionally mandated by Congress.  I can't believe I can even make that statement.  But I can because, not only Fox News, but nearly all of the news agencies have reported just that.  It is a fact.  Where the reporting differs is in their approval or disapproval of his actions. Democrats seem to think it is perfectly OK to unilaterally usurp the letter of the Constitution to push forward Obama's political agendas.

It gets worse.  Last week, while speaking to the Democratic "Center for American Progress", New York Governor, Chuck Schumer said Obama should bypass Congress and use the IRS to diminish all Tea Party activity.  The surprise here is not that Chuck Schumer would say such a thing, but that he does say it and no one finds that statement to be outlandish and so out of bounds that he should be censured by the once Great State of New York.

Last week, I wrote about the blatant lawbreaking perpetrated by Democratic election officials across America that, no doubt now that the facts are in, put Obama back in office for a second term.

As you probably already know, or may make this statement yourself, any outward discussion about liberals breaking the law, lying and cheating and subverting their Oath of Office in a no-holds-barred push to assure that their agendas succeed, is usually met with an "Oh, they all do it!".

My answer to that is "Well, maybe. But Liberals are so good at it!!

WE'RE DYING HERE

When this country was forming and for a hundred years after, people from all over the world immigrated past our shores looking for the opportunity to join in and become a part of the greatest country in history. They believed that, with new found freedom, came responsibility to make something of themselves. And they had the best chance of accomplishing that here. Because here was opportunity in a country that embraced the individual rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

That was then.

Today, we have become dangerously focused on the idea of image; an idea which permeates a large part of our society. It’s about being politically correct and only catering to people who have the right race, gender, or sexual orientation. People are no longer being looked at as individuals. Groups and clusters have taken over the voting block. We have come to think that all women want the same thing, that all Hispanics want the same candidate.

Former Colorado Governor Richard Lamm gave a lesson on how to destroy America not long ago. He says, “If you believe, as many do, that America is too smug, too white bread, too self-satisfied and too rich, let’s destroy America”. He wrote it as a warning. Here’s his plan:

1. We must first make America a bilingual, bi-cultural country. History shows that no nation can survive the tension, conflict and antagonism of two competing languages and cultures.

2. Invent "multiculturalism" and encourage immigrants to maintain their own culture.
3. Celebrate diversity rather than unity.
4. Keep the fastest-growing demographic poor, the least educated and blatantly antagonistic to the population.
5. Get government foundations and big business to give their front groups lots of money.
6. Establish the cult of victimology.
7. And finally, place these subjects off-limits to discussion. Make it taboo to talk about.

According to Lamm, "Diversity is a wonderfully seductive word. It stresses differences rather than commonalities. Diverse people worldwide are mostly engaged in hating each other."

I’m not naming names here - OK, I am. But it is not just the leftist dogma that is the only contribution to the problem. Congress, including a vast majority of members who call themselves Republicans have decided to follow the path of mutually assured destruction of our great Nation and what it stood for just a couple of decades ago.

We are now on a suicide watch. I only hope our country takes the time for much-needed reflection and listens to it’s conscience before it’s too late.

HOW DID WE GET HERE?

It's been yet another year of economic woes, foreign policy blunders and abysmal job reports. Yet, I doubt that too many Americans are surprised. After four straight years of failed policies from the Obama administration, what else could we expect? America's chance to make it right has come and past. How did that happen? Considering that Mitt Romney had throngs of standing-room-only rallies wherever he spoke and Obama could not fill a high school gym for his campaign speeches, logic was telling us that it's over for Obama. America voted - and he won anyway. As Wednesday, November 7, 2012 came, everyone (Republicans and Democrats) were in shock. Whether in celebration or in mourning, we were all equally surprised. Somehow, some way, Obama pulled it off.

More and more, the answer is becoming clear. Fraud. Leaving nothing to chance, The Obama campaign, including supporters across the country pulled an all out assault on the sanctity of the vote in America. Realizing they did not have to defraud the vote in every State in The Union, they simply centered on the key States he had to win to stay in office. In short, electoral criminality put Obama over the top.

Here's what we now know as fact. The son of Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va who was a Democratic Field Director was caught on tape training an undercover reporter on how they fraudulently cast ballots in the name of registered voters by forging utility bills and then using a list of Democrat lawyers to verify the votes. Court appointed Republican poll watchers were illegally expelled from 13 Philadelphia polling places in wards that then went 99 percent for Obama. That, by the way, is statistically impossible. Throughout Philly and The State of Pennsylvania, Democrats were recorded bragging that they were able to vote more than once. In fact, in many districts, Romney did not get one vote. The final tally was Obama 19,605 - Romney 0. Seems to me that at least one Democrat out of 19,000 would have accidentally voted for Romney.

In Ohio, it was determined that at least one out of five people who voted in the election were actually illegal voters. If you find that hard to believe, cut that number in half, Obama still wins Ohio. In two Democratic counties in Ohio, the number of votes were higher than the number of registered voters. It has also been determined that Democrats were able to "flip" that state in favor of Obama by illegally activating over 6 percent of the 1.6 million "inactive" voters to create a vote for Obama. An inactive voter is one who has moved out of the state or died.

And then there is Florida. It's difficult to write a piece on fraud, deception and deceit without including Eric Holder in the mix. So here's my contribution. Early in 2012, Florida realized that they had a huge number of ineligible, non-citizen voters on the rolls that could have been used illegally on election day. They were in the process of cleaning up that mess when Holder successfully sued Florida making it impossible for them to purge those illegal voters from the rolls.

Enough? Get the picture? We can't turn back the clock but we can look ahead. Republicans must toughen up! They need to get proactive ASAP and begin relentlessly exposing and suing districts, counties and States that commit voter fraud. At this point, Democrats are so unafraid of committing these atrocities that they were actually recorded bragging about it in the last election. This is third-world politics in America folks. Seems to me, the least we as citizens can ask for is a fair fight on election day.

ON BEING A SNOB

I am not a snob.  Nor do I play one on TV.  I will admit though, that I have known many in my life and even called them friends at times. I graduated from college with snobs, played golf with snobs and certainly had several experiences with business associates who, for whatever purpose, had their head so far up their ass . . . . . . no, I won't go there.

So here is my pet peeve when it comes to my friends, the snobs. They seem to have a problem with the use of proper English.  If anyone should keep up appearances by using "The King's English" with befitting aplomb, seems to me it would be snobs. I'll keep this brief with only two examples.  However, both of these examples may surprise you.  Especially if you are not a snob and simply want to continue reading to find out how you might catch your next snob in an English usage faux pas.

Beginning with my college buddies.  It is ironic to me to listen to a person with a PhD announce that they graduated college in 1972. A person simply cannot "graduate college".  Graduate is NOT a verb. One can graduate from college.  But if the snob says "I graduated college", that person is implying that they did something to the college.  I did many things to my college during my tenure there. However, I did not graduate college.

Most of the snobs I've known through life were golfers.  I played golf for nearly 5 decades and never really mastered the game. But one thing I did not do is "Golf".  Once again, golf is not a verb.  It is a noun.  You can play golf, hate golf, watch golf and suck at golf, but you cannot "golf".  No one baseballs or have you ever seen a person tennis?  I don't think so.

English was always my best subject in school and I loved writing things down to express thoughts or just piss people off.  But, even when I write notes to myself, I try to punctuate and spell things correctly.  That's why I tend to snicker inside when I hear one of my friends, the snob, sound more like the kid from the wrong side of the tracks when expressing their latest snobby ventures.  And yet, I have no problem justifying that snicker. Because as you now know, I am not a snob.

MELISSA AND THE NEWS

Melissa Harris-Perry, is a news commentator who has been given her own show at the bastion of deep thought called MSNBC.   Ms. Perry is a continuing line of snarky, liberal hosts there that feel there are no rules when it comes to ripping Conservatives a new one on the air.  Her latest is the strangely uncouth manner in which she and her guests laughed at a picture of the Romney family where Mitt Romney was holding his infant, adopted grandchild who happened to be black. She has since apologized on the air.  Apologies have been a regular part of their broadcast segments for several years now.  Apparently “no matter how vile we are, an apology always saves our dignity”.

So, let’s examine Melissa Harris-Perry’s dignity a little further.  As a professor of Political Science at Tulane University, we can understand and sympathize a bit that the profession alone qualifies her to be a Liberal hack. But it might be better to take a look at a couple of other instances where she has shown that she will likely have a warm, comfortable home on MSNBC.

Last July, Ms. Harris-Perry donned a pair of tampon earrings on her show to show support for abortion rights in this country.  She shared the fact that her producer had made them for her the week before.  I can just imagine the fun and hilarity that must take place at that network every day as a replacement for human rights and dignity.

Ready for another one?  Brace yourself.  Ms. Harris or Perry or . . .I’ll just call her Melissa, says that life begins when the parents say it does and that can be weeks or months or even years after they are born. That being the case, it’s up to the parents whether or not to let their child live even after they are born.  I have a question for Melissa.  At what point do we stop calling it abortion and call it murder?  Or do we need a new liberal catch phrase to identify that period of time between birth and when the parents decide to let their children live?  I’m just asking.

We all know that MSNBC is not a “news” organization.  But, I truly feel that they also do not represent the Liberal base in America today.  They have the lowest viewership on a regular basis of all cable news outlets.  My problem with them is not that they are radical Liberals.  It’s just that they are so over the top that they tend to damage any good that could come from Liberals that continue to strive hard to bring honesty and dignity to the Democratic Party.

Wow . . . I just included the words honesty, dignity and Liberals in the same sentence. Anything is possible.

Just a note: I am constantly asked why I capitalize the word Liberals sometimes and sometimes not. When referring to Liberals (the people) I capitalize and when I am referring to the word liberal as a dogma, I do not. And since I always capitalize the word Conservative, it’s the least I can do for our misguided brethren. 

STICKS AND STONES

One of the earliest sayings my mother taught me, along with The Golden Rule and also something about glass houses was “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.” Even at an early age, I knew to continue that phrase with, “unless I let them”.

The world of liberal, political correctness began a slippery slope of rules by edict which included letting words become a harmful thing that must be stopped (if they do not adhere to “our” way of thinking). PC police have been around long enough now that whole generations of Americans have never adhered to the notion that there is an inalienable right to free speech. Yes, they know it’s in the Constitution but apparently the Constitution is wrong when people say things that piss off the progressive base or anyone that simply does not like what he/she said.

It all seems to be coming home to roost this past week with the “words” conveyed by the patriarch of the “Duck Dynasty” family. Plenty has already been said by hundreds of talking heads on every news organization on TV. I’m not going there. I’ll simply say he was naive to say those things in today’s PC world and he certainly does not interpret The Bible the same way I do. And, A & E can do whatever their contract gives them the right to do.  I don’t watch the show, not for any particular reason except I am not a fan of reality TV.

But . . . the root problem in the controversy is not what was contained in his sentences, it’s in another sentence that we have heard all week. And it usually starts with these words, “He should not be allowed. . .” or the other strange statement “He does not have the right . . .”.  Ironically, I heard a Fox News analyst last night say the following, “The Constitution protects the right of free speech, they just should not be allowed to hurt other’s feelings in the process”. What?? Who is THEY?  The government? Is he saying that we need a constitutional amendment to add a codicil to the First Amendment saying American’s do not have the right to hurt someone else’s feelings?

The simple fact is the First Amendment was not written to protect Americans when they say things other Americans like to hear. It was written to protect all Americans from illegal reprisals when another American says something they DO NOT like to hear. Another way of putting it is that the government does not have “the right” to make laws governing whether or not what you say is illegal.

Amazingly, in today’s America, we have even gone past that and made it illegal to even think things that may be hurtful to others. “Thought policing” is everywhere and a very dangerous slope in itself. But I better not go there now and wrap this up.

I only hope that we American’s begin to come to our senses soon before the old saying is changed to something like “I’ll break your bones with sticks and stones if your words begin to hurt me”.