"Merry CHRISTmas!"

Next week is the beginning of the Christmas Season all across America; trees and lights will be permeating virtually every neighborhood in our nation. Stores have been touting sales of every kind since Thanksgiving Day and people have been planning holiday feasts for several weeks.

This season also brings out some other folks; I hate Christmas folks, those who are somehow offended by this most wonderful time of the year. Some stores refrain from using the word Christmas, substituting “Happy Holidays” or “Season’s Greetings” or taking Christ out of the word using an X in His place; what is X-MAS??

Chicago has an annual Christmas Market which displays many of the traditional Christmas decorations and some “manger displays”. I remember Chanukah and Kwanza also being represented in this same venue; no Christians complained.

This year at this celebration there will be a new display; a giant “A” will be lit up for all of the atheists and agnostics who are against the celebration of the Christmas holiday. I don’t believe anybody is forced to believe in Jesus or the Christmas Holiday; I do. Those who wish not to believe in God are perfectly protected in our country. I have never seen anybody dragged into a church or prayer meeting by anyone. Nobody is forced to sing Christmas Carols or send cards if they don’t wish to do so.

We who believe in Jesus would be the first to defend anyone’s right to disbelieve; we would feel sad and sorry for them, yet we would never try to force them to accept Jesus without their free will acceptance.

A question I always ask myself at this time of the year is “Why are some people so threatened by a being they profess doesn’t exist?” This is nonsensical to a logical mind; why fear anything that you don’t believe is real?

I believe in Heaven and a spiritual existence and I believe Jesus is the only way to achieve that goal of an eternity in His presence. I believe Jesus was the sacrifice for all of man’s sin; nobody else could do it but Him. I believe this season is joyful as the birth of the Messiah is the provision of the Father to redeem us from our iniquities. I will gladly share this with anyone who is interested, and if after hearing this, they wish to walk away, I will have fulfilled my joy and my duty to share His Gospel; there is no force, only concern for every man’s immortal soul.

Has any atheist or agnostic ever been “beat up” by a Christian in a “Gospel Riot”?

Billions of people around the world celebrate Christmas as an occasion for hope and joy, an occasion for forgiveness and renewal. I am sorry for those who choose to destroy a belief that has lasted for over 2,000 years and generations of believers.

Answer this question; “Why are people more generous, kinder, more loving and more joyful during this season, more than Thanksgiving, more than New Year’s Day, more than the Fourth of July; more than any other holiday celebrated anywhere on this planet?” Could it be that this day has been touched by God and reached a place in every human heart that loves Him?

I wish all of my readers and friends the most joyful of Christmas’s and the happiest of New Year’s. Be blessed by our Savior, see you all in January!

 

(Last blog for this year, have a great Christmas!)

""Want Fries?"

When I was 16 years old, I worked my first regular job; it was a summer job from June to Labor Day in September. I worked a six day work week with Mondays off. I got up at 5:30 AM to get to the bus stop and be at work by 7:00 AM, I was a common laborer at an amusement park called “Riverview Park”, a place that is now considered one of Chicago’s happiest places to be in the 1950s and 1960s. The “Park” closed down in 1967 and that property now houses a police station and some land development.

My job was “grunt work”; sweeping streets, cleaning buildings and any type of heavy lifting that was needed. I came home dirty, sweaty and smelling bad; my days at “Chicago’s Greatest Amusement Park” weren’t much fun for me, but it gave me the salary I needed to pay for my auto insurance and gasoline (24 cents per gallon).

I was paid $1.22 per hour and cleared $67.00 a week, for a 48 hour week! This job taught me a valuable lesson; I didn’t want to spend my life at a job like this one!!

I had friends who worked at a place called “Henry’s Hamburgers”, home of the 15 cent burger, and they made less than I did with the same long hours and distasteful duties; they weren’t planning a career at “Henry’s” either!

Those jobs provided us with spending money, and they also taught us that those jobs were something you did to gain experience in the working world, not a lifetime occupation. None of us needed any special skill to do those jobs, and they could be filled by almost anybody who could walk and chew gum at the same time. Nobody I met at my job was planning to be there for 20 years; that job was just a “rite of passage” in growing up.

Over the last few week,s we have seen people demonstrating in front of some “fast food” restaurants for the cause of raising the minimum wage to $15.00 per hour. I know everybody needs a job, especially in the “Barack Obama Economy”, but this idea won’t help America at all.

McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s and KFC can’t operate at a profit by paying that rate to their store employees and maintain the prices they need to remain attractive to the American consumer.

I’m quite sure all of the above companies pay their production workers and delivery drivers quite a bit more than minimum wage, as those jobs require special skills or special training and are meant to be positions to be filled for several years by those skilled employees.

In order for Americans to continue to enjoy the convenience and low cost of “fast food”, the store workers cannot be paid the same as “skilled workers” or their next hamburger will cost them $10.00 and the French Fries will be $6.00. How many of you will continue to frequent those businesses at those prices?

Many of those companies offer educational benefits to employees who wish to better themselves, and some employees take advantage of those programs, but those who don’t, shouldn’t think the company should raise their salary for being stagnant in their jobs.

If you think driving McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s and KFC out of business is a good idea, then you should support the $15.00 per hour minimum wage, because it won’t take long for all of those discontented workers to be part of America’s unemployed workers, and there won’t be any raises for anybody.

If you want to get ahead, you have to MOVE UP in your job, not cry about something you are unwilling to change. Nobody should be saying “Do you want fries with that” when they are 55 years old!!

"Look Into My Eyes"

Do any of you recognize the name Svengali? No, my friends, he’s not the host of a “horror movie program”; he is a fictional character created by George du Maurier who had “mystical power” over men’s minds and could control their thoughts and actions. There have been two or three movies about Svengali and they were all pretty creepy.

How many of you remember the name Grigori Rasputin? He has been called “The Mad Monk”, yet he had no religious education or degree. Rasputin held some power in Russia over the Romanov family as he used the “power of hypnosis” to cure hemophilia in the royal family. When the royal family was executed, so was Rasputin; but his legend lived well past his death.

Dr. Franz Anton Mesmer is known as the father of modern hypnosis, as he developed this treatment in the curing of some physical and mental disorders.

People have been fascinated with the practice of hypnosis since its inception so long ago. There are night club acts done by hypnotists all over the world. I remember seeing people act like dogs, chickens and Martians on stage while under the influence of hypnosis. The shows are always funny and entertaining, and when they are finished with their volunteers, the hypnotist always “releases them” from his control.

The hypnotist uses his voice and concentration to obtain power over his subjects. I find that power just a little disturbing, so I never stand up when they look for volunteers. Mind control scares the heck out of me.

President Barack Hussein Obama is, once again, on the road trying to promote the virtues of “Obamacare” to America, even though it has been a program that has seen little success thus far. The millions of Americans that have tried to sign up for this program are unable to access the web-site and only a small percentage of people have gotten through successfully.

I have said in previous articles millions of Americans are having their health-care plans eliminated and lost access to their doctors who don’t qualify because of Obamacare’s regulations.

This week, Mr. Obama has stated this program is “working well” and will be a success. Judging from past performance, this program’s success is dismal at best and can hardly be called “working well” by any stretch of the imagination.

I believe Mr. Obama thinks if he “concentrates” and uses the “power of his voice”, he will be able to “hypnotize” the American people. This President has used his gift for public speaking to great advantage in the past, but now, Americans from all walks of life are feeling the effects of this ill-conceived program and they are not the “willing subjects” he requires to do his “mystic act”.

Sorry Mr. Obama, not Mesmer, Rasputin or Svengali can make this program work. I know you have ultimate faith in your “charisma” to pull this off; but “personality and B.S.” will only carry you so far; facts are a bitch and you can’t get around that Mr. President, even if you think you’re SVENGALI!!

"Dinner With The Wampanoags"

Next week America will be celebrating “Thanksgiving Day” in virtually every home in our nation. I am preparing a sumptuous feast of a 20 pound turkey, sweet potato casserole, stuffing filled with bacon, onions, celery and spices; hot fresh dinner rolls, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, fresh green salad, olives, pickles and a bucket of turkey gravy. After dinner and some rest, we will all have pie, cake, ice cream and hot coffee. A few hours later, there will be turkey sandwiches and immobile conversation.

I’m sure the above described meal will be repeated all over America in millions of homes filled with happy families, all stuffed to capacity! I wonder how many of us take the time to say what we are thankful for on this special occasion. Obviously, we are thankful for the wonderful food that has satiated our hunger, but isn’t the food just a symbol for what America means to us?

We have a wonderful Constitution that is designed to offer every American the chance to succeed if he or she is willing to put forth effort in the seeking of their dreams.

In 1620, when the Mayflower left England, there was no America, only a new unexplored land that offered those pilgrims a chance to practice their faith without encumbrance from the Crown of England; that was all they wanted and were willing to do the rest of the work on their own. In 1621, those pilgrims landed in North America and established the village of Plymouth in what was later to be Massachusetts. After their harvest, at a time when they felt most blessed, they shared a feast with the Wampanoag Indian tribe; the “First Thanksgiving” in our infant nation. I’m assuming the turkeys they ate were wild, and the corn was grown by them, and the Indians were welcome guests, even if they didn’t understand the ways of these new residents in their “New World”.

I’m sure their meal started out with a prayer of thanksgiving to God, for His provision and mercy which He had shown to them in their new home. I’m sure this prayer was from every heart in the new settlement, people who were strangers in a strange land and trusted in God for every instance of their lives.

Today, we all share laughter and tell stories and get ready for the “big game” on television, yet I wonder how many of us really take stock of our blessings in this great nation, in the same way those brave and faithful pilgrims did so many years ago.

On Thursday, we should all enjoy a terrific dinner with all the trimmings; all those smells coming from our respective kitchens which make our mouths water. The smell of turkey and sweet potatoes are wonderful, but the aroma we all should enjoy the most is the “smell of individual freedom” that we have in America, the sweetest smell in the world!

I hope all of you have a most wonderful and DELICIOUS “Thanksgiving Day” holiday; and I hope all of you give thanks for our American blessing!!

 

(I am taking Thanksgiving week off, enjoy yourselves!!)

"Pants on Fire"

I’m sure most of us have memories of fights with our siblings where much yelling and name-calling took place. I remember my poor Mom acting as referee in these encounters. When she took control of the situation, we would stand across from each other and were made to apologize to one another, “Brothers and sisters should never fight, now say you’re sorry!” We would look at each other and grudgingly apologize, never meaning it, but doing it to stay out of trouble and an intervention from our Dad. After my Mom left the room there was often quiet names called and tongues stuck out in defiance; we didn’t really apologize.

I used to watch COURT TV before it changed, and I remember scenes of defendants making statements before the judge and injured families saying how much they regret the actions they committed and sought mercy from the judge in his sentencing for their crimes. Most of the time, I didn’t believe those apologies, as they were self-serving and sounded rehearsed rather than heartfelt; just a ploy for the judge.

Most criminals are compulsive liars and I’m sure any experienced judge can see right through the phony apologies they hear on a daily basis. Some criminals are so well schooled in untruth it is difficult for the average person to detect the lies of these experts.

Compulsive liars can lie and sound contrite, smile and walk away, and be sure they have fooled just about everybody they have spoken too!

Abraham Lincoln said, “You can fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time; but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time!” Old Abe was a pretty sharp guy when it came to knowing people, especially the American people. We can all be fooled on occasion, but we don’t often get fooled by the same liar more than once.

Over four years ago we began hearing about Obamacare from the President, Barack Hussein Obama, in endless speeches about the merits of his program, of how it would be a wonderful benefit for all Americans and would remedy the healthcare shortcomings of our current system; and to top it off, he said it would cost you less than your current insurance and if you didn’t like it, you could retain your current insurance and your current doctor; he never stated any proviso about you coverage having to comply with the Obamacare standards, NEVER SAID THAT!

Today President Barack Obama is on a mission to try to recant the thousands of “untruths” he spoke in regards to his health care initiative.

Today, hundreds of thousands of Americans are looking for new doctors, new insurance policies and in some cases new jobs because of the high cost of Obamacare. America has been thrown into a cesspool of government ineptitude in the handling of Obamacare, and Barack Obama is at the epicenter of all of it.

No matter how much Mr. Obama tries to distance himself from this disaster, it all belongs to him, and he is trying to twist the truth to wiggle out of his purposeful deceptions about Obamacare.

I remember a saying when I was a boy, “Liar, liar, pants on fire, nose as long as a telephone wire!” I believe Mr. Obama’s nose is growing and there is a fire in his shorts; what do you think?

"Brothers, Sisters, Uncles, Etc."

I remember the spring of 1969; that’s when I had my first look at Fort Benning in beautiful Columbus, Georgia. This garden paradise was where I had my first encounter with the U.S. Army after enlisting. The air was heavy and humid, a cool 87 degrees at midnight, just the place to vacation in early June. I was surrounded by fellow trainees who were just as happy with the facilities as I was.

Our first morning was a delightful experience as the Drill Sergeant clanged on an empty garbage can while flipping on the lights; I knew my Mom would never do this, but he didn’t seem to care. After a five minute shower and shave, we dressed and double timed to the mess hall and I had my first introduction to powdered milk and “creamed chipped beef on toast” or as it is commonly known “S.O.S.”; if you want to know what that stands for, ask any veteran and I guarantee he will tell you. After our gourmet breakfast, we were marched to the quarter master and drew our uniforms and boots; then we went for HAIRCUTS! In 1969 many of the young men were sporting long hair, and beards and moustaches; all that was about to change in an instant. Mutton chop sideburns and Afro hair-do’s vanished in less than a minute, and before you knew it, we all looked pretty much alike.

In less than 10 weeks we were certified soldiers and went off to advance training at different forts across America.

After another 10 weeks, I was a certified infantry soldier and then the real Army started for me and many others. Over the course of time I found myself with three stripes on my collar and a squad to run, later followed by another stripe and a platoon.

I often think about those days back in my youth, sometimes with humor, and sometimes with sorrow. I have names that I carry with me that I knew then and I have seen them on a “Wall” one time while with my wife at my side. A few letters carved on a black wall is all that is left of faces that smiled and friends once treasured.

On November 11^th, we will celebrate “Veterans’ Day” across America, some schools will close, some will not. People may get a day off and sleep in without a single thought about why they are home instead of working.

There are memorials for WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam and the Unknown Soldier in Washington to commemorate the service to our country of all of those people (sorry they were closed for a while).

If you happen to have a Dad, Brother, Sister, Uncle, Grandfather or Cousin who has given his or her time to serve America, you may want to say thank you to them on November 11^th; they will appreciate it, even if they act a little funny about it ; you see, they never looked for any thanks to begin with, only the honor of service to their country.

Remember them because they never forgot you!

"All Tricks, No Treats!"

This week is Halloween week, and I look forward to seeing my kids at my crossing guard corner on Thursday. I get my share of ghosts, ghouls, zombies, werewolves, cowboys, princesses, witches and monsters of all types; each with a smile and a bag ready for free candy. I enjoy doing my part in filling their bags as they cross my street, each says thank you and continue on their way to collect more bounty from friendly contributors.

There are no real monsters walking down my street this week, but there are monsters lurking out there, intent on draining America’s greatness until America is a lifeless corpse.

Dracula was a creature who sucked the blood out of his victims until they died, or turned into a blood sucking vampire. Zombies feed on the living, totally consuming them until no living thing is left.

American taxpayers are directly being affected by some “blood sucking vampires” and “flesh eating zombies” that are holding power in our government or hold influence over our government.

Between 49 and 60% of the American people are now receiving some type of government entitlement; more than half of our population is getting a check from Uncle Sam on a regular basis. My tax dollars, your tax dollars are being used to support many (not all) people who are “working the system” rather than work for a living, and our Democrat controlled White House is underwriting this whole swindle.

Count Dracula, better known as Barack Hussein Obama, has stated he has NO INTENTION to trim public entitlements and will continue to support the SUCKING of our tax money until our veins are dry to feed the “zombies” of our society.

The “Count” has many fellow vampires working for him in Washington who tout extra benefits for illegal aliens which will be funded by the innocent American taxpayer. One of the “Count’s” blood suckers, Harry “fangs” Reid, has even said Americans don’t mind paying more taxes.

Last week I wrote about the top moneymakers in America, and explained even if we took all of their revenue for twenty years, we could still not resolve our debt crisis. Do you think that further taxing of those who are just getting by will actually provide enough funds for additional government handouts?

We cannot continue to “feed the zombies” or let more “zombies” in to feed at the government trough. “Count Dracula” and Harry “fangs” Reid think America is a candy store with endless “trick or treats” to give away, but the store is running out of candy at record rates.

America has been the victim of infinite “tricks” since the “Count” moved his coffin into the Oval Office, and we have received no “treats” at all. The “treat” of his healthcare is turning into another “trick” right before our eyes, and will only be a “treat” for the “zombies” who will receive it as a benefit for sneaking into our country.

It is time for America to “drive a stake” into the heart of the “Count” by telling him and his miscreant followers we have had enough and will throw his followers out next November. If we don’t do this, we may as well get into a “coffin” of our own, because America will be DEAD!

 

 

 

"Numbers Game"

Most of you know I’m a fan of the Chicago White Sox, and have been for many years. This year, my beloved Sox lost 99 games in a 162 game season, the worst in the American League: DEAD LAST! When the season finished, the Sox were about 25 games back in the race, an impossible deficit to close; even in a miraculous season these numbers were just too much. If the Sox could have filled their roster with all “Hall of Famers”, it was still a task that was impossible to reach.

The business world has some “Hall of Famers” who achieved great success in the market place.

I will now name the top eight money makers’ worth and the numbers are astonishing!

1. APPLE 183 billion dollars

2. I.B.M. 116 billion dollars

 

3. Google 108 billion dollars

 

4. McDonalds 95 billion dollars

 

5. Microsoft 77 billion dollars

 

6. Coca-Cola 74 billion dollars

 

7. Marlboro 73 billion dollars

 

8.  A.T.& T. 69 billion dollars

 

When added up, all of these figures total $795 billion, a very nice “chunk of change”. This total is 205 billion dollars short of one trillion dollars: that is more than the top company on the list is worth.

Our national debt now approaches 17 trillion dollars, and it is not approaching it slowly. Let’s look at what 17 trillion actually looks like: 17,000,000,000,000- TWELVE ZEROS.

Each trillion is one thousand billions- each billion is one thousand millions.

If we could liquidate all of the assets of all of the listed corporations each year to pay the national debt, it would take 20 years to come up even!!! THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE!!

We are continuing to raise our debt limit like alcoholics on a drinking binge with little thought about the consequences. Democrats and Republicans alike are continuing to shove this debt down the road, pretending it will somehow just get better on its own or disappear.

Barack Obama doesn’t exercise any concern over this impending disaster, feeling that he can tax the business class to the point of being able to remedy this situation. Figures don’t lie! You all can see the numbers in the above list, and there is NO WAY that the business world or the entire wealth class in America can resolve this crisis in any kind of timely manner without a total financial collapse.

America gives away too much money! America is turning into a welfare state that will not be able to sustain itself with continued entitlements to every person who is afraid to work! America can’t give billions of dollars to foreign governments while its citizens continue a downward spiral in their incomes due to these failed policies. America cannot continue to fund 22% of the expenses of the United Nations, an organization that has proved its lack of worth on numerous occasions.

America seems destined to “finish in the basement” of the “AMERICAN LEAGUE” as the numbers show a total lack of responsible management from those in the “front office”.

All of you can see our “team of Hall of Famers” can’t bail us out of this tremendous hole we have allowed to be dug by thoughtless ideologues. If this trend continues, our “team” may be taken over by a “new owner” from “out of town”; and this dream that was conceived by our Founding Fathers will be gone forever!

Fans, it’s up to us to make a change, or our “team” will be destroyed!! Next year, we have Congressional Elections and we need to make a complete change in our “front office” or all of us will suffer the consequences!

"Broken Down Gambler"

I used to be a dedicated viewer of “The Sopranos” on HBO when it was first aired. I enjoyed the character portrayals and the action; it was very well written and accurately reflected life in an organized crime family. It portrayed the amoral values that Mafia members had about their business when it came to committing crimes and acts of violence; conscience was never an issue in any situation.

I remember a certain episode when a high school friend of Tony’s wanted to get into a high stakes poker game, and Tony knew that his friend had a problem with gambling. While Tony was napping during the game, one of his men allowed his friend into the game.

Upon awakening, Tony was upset and told his friend to get out of the game, but his friend protested to the point that Tony told him there would be no special treatment because he knew Tony. The friend said “fine” and then proceeded to lose over $50,000 in bad debt.

The game had gone on for several days before it finally broke up, and Tony told his friend he should go home and get some sleep and he would be over in two days to pick up his money.

Two days went by and Tony went to his friend’s place of business to collect, but was met with an excuse rather than his money and the Tony Soprano who was a mob boss took the place of Tony Soprano the friend. After a mild beating, he informed his friend he would be back on Friday for a payment of at least $25,000 and NO EXCUSES.

In the end, Tony’s “friend” lost his business, divorced his wife and had to leave town because he didn’t understand with whom he was dealing! He thought he had a “friend”; big surprise, his friend was a thug!

The United States is in a debt crisis regardless of the outcome of the Congressional debt agreements. It will probably be a deal which will push the debt problems down the road for a short time, but actually solve nothing.

Red China, our chief lender, is watching all of this with great interest; they hold quite a bit of our “bad paper”, actually billions of dollars which we would be unable to pay if China called in our debt. I believe they want us to increase our “debt ceiling” as it will further weaken the American economy and increase the influence of the Red Chinese throughout the world.

Russia is also watching in the wings as this economic bubble is continuing to inflate and our President will, in all probability, look to military cuts to alleviate the ever growing debt while leaving entitlements in place. I’m sure Mr. Putin is happy American funds are going to be spent on “cell phones and food stamps” rather than national defense.

President Obama has stated that the raising of the debt ceiling is no big deal, like that “broken down gambler” writing I.O.U.’s he knows he can’t pay.

Actually, he doesn’t have to pay those mountains of I.O.U. chits, he is leaving them for our children and grandchildren to pay; they aren’t his problem.

Barack Obama has set America down in a “poker game” with the world’s most dangerous “mobsters” and he’s overplayed his hand. How much more money will we throw away on this “BROKEN DOWN GAMBLER”; soon we will all go broke. “Tony Soprano is at America’s door”, what happens next?

"This Might Hurt"

I have to go to my dentist this week for a teeth cleaning. I like my dentist, he is pleasant and personable; he is a baseball fan and he is PAINLESS when he has to do any procedure. I have recommended him to other people because of his skill and amiability.

I used to have a dentist in Chicago named Dr. Freeman, and when we moved away, I felt like I was losing a dear friend as well as a great dentist. He treated my whole family and we all looked forward to our visits with Dr. Freeman.

Dr. Freeman did everything possible to make all of our dental work as comfortable as possible, and he did a great job. His wall was covered with pictures of the children he had treated over the years; all of them were full of smiles, including my daughter. If I could have brought Dr. Freeman with us when we moved, I would have done so, although I like my present dentist. I would gladly go back to Dr. Freeman, a fine dentist who always tried to make his work PAINLESS.

We are now in the midst of the government shutdown, and several things have happened; government agencies and installations have been shutdown or their services have been trimmed back to “bare bones” operations, and the general public has had to adjust to these recent changes.

Last week, a group of WWII veterans were told that they couldn’t go into the WWII memorial in Washington D.C. because of the government shutdown. The efforts of some attending Congressmen stepped in and physically moved the barriers to the memorial allowing the aged veterans inside, regardless of the government forced closure. The idea of keeping these brave soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines out was abhorrent to all real Americans across the nation.

Several other national monuments were closed; the Lincoln Memorial, and the Washington Monument are numbered among the scheduled closures. National parks and campgrounds have all been closed for the duration of this current situation and many American families have been “inconvenienced” by these actions. The House Republicans have tried to relieve these closures and restore funding for these facilities, with little cooperation from their Democrat counterparts.

It seems that the closures have been directed to programs and facilities that would inflict the most pain on the average American citizen, and the blame has been cast toward the Republican House by the Obama White House and the Harry Reid Senate.

The House of Representatives have already offered several accommodations to the Senate Democrats and President Obama without receiving a cooperative effort from either party. Delight in the painful effect on the American public seems to be what the Washington Democrat elitists seem to be enjoying at this time, even though there are other areas that could be trimmed with much less effect on Mr. and Mrs. America. It appears to me that this administration wants to exercise a sadistic policy on the public and then, once again, place the blame on the Republicans who are trying to alleviate this severe situation without compromising their principles.

America is now sitting in its own version of the “dentist visit” and it looks like we have, at least one dentist, who is enjoying the pain, while another want to be PAINLESS.

Watch out America, especially when Barack Obama says “OPEN WIDE”, IT COULD BE VERY PAINFUL!!!

"Spender-in-Chief"

I usually start my blogs with a short story that I relate to the subject I intend to address. Today, I am just going to jump directly into the mess with both feet.

As anyone who has a radio, television or newspaper knows we are now involved in a Federal Government shutdown due to Congress’s failure to make a deal on raising the debt ceiling.

The Republican House has sent propositions to the Senate which were disregarded by the Harry Reid partisans without even a glance, as those proposals all included provisions to delay or alter Obamacare.

The Republicans have dug in their heels and seem ready to let the “chips fall where they may”. The name calling and blame assignment is in full force on both sides of the aisle as each vilifies the other.

President Barack Hussein Obama is getting ready to go visit some foreign countries in a few days, oddly distancing himself from the snowballing crisis. He has already said publicly that any compromise in this bill will not be considered if it has an impact on the implementation of Obamacare, and if it reaches his desk, he will veto the bill.

As it now appears, Obamacare is already having effects on the American economy. Many companies have already begun moves on eliminating health insurance to thousands of employees; Walgreens is only the first major corporation to do so; others will follow in short order. Several companies have announced the cutting of full time hours in order to avoid the extra costs of Obamacare, and thrusting the cost of health insurance onto those employees who will now have even less money to use for its purchase.

Hobby Lobby has said they may close all of their stores rather than yield to the imposed policies written into Obamacare, throwing thousands of workers into the predicament of unemployment.

Obama is about to leave the country again, to make speeches and drone on about how we can “lead from behind” to nations that laugh at him behind his back.

Where do the priorities of Mr. Obama lie? Should Mr. Obama be addressing people outside the United States when hundreds of thousands, perhaps even millions, of Americans are now facing financial disaster due to the Affordable Care Act altering their income to the point of spending money they don’t have, or losing their employment altogether?

Maybe Mr. Obama could address all of the folks who will lose their jobs at Hobby Lobby; telling them it is all for the “greater good”, so health insurance can be supplied to illegal aliens at little to no cost. Perhaps Mr. Obama can explain to all of the small businesses that will lose the trade from those folks who lost their jobs for “the greater good”, and the part-time workers they employ who will likely lose their jobs.

We have been driving headlong into fiscal disaster ever since Barack Obama sat down in the Oval Office and it’s about time someone stood up to this arrogant administration. I laud those brave men in the House should stand firm and not knuckle under to the “Spender-in-Chief”.

"The Blob"

I’m pretty old, and I went to quite a few horror movies when I was a kid. Virtually, every Saturday afternoon of my young life was spent watching werewolves, vampires, space creatures and various members of the Frankenstein family on the “silver screen”. I watched Godzilla decimate Tokyo and Saucer-men destroy Washington D.C. while I was eating Milk Duds and box after box of hot buttered popcorn.

I remember a film called “The Blob”.  The Blob was a formless glob of outer space mucous that came out of a meteorite that landed near a small town and, over the course of the movie, absorbed countless innocent citizens as it devoured everything in its path. The more the Blob absorbed, the larger it became, and if left unchecked, it would devour the entire world! When the Blob was first seen, it was only the size of a softball; before its destruction, it was absorbing entire buildings filled with people. The Blob kind of reminds me of the way a cancer metastasizes when left unchecked; exponential growth that eventually destroys and consumes its host.

Horror movies are fun and a way to face danger without any real threat to our well-being. The Blob wasn’t real, Godzilla wasn’t really destroying Tokyo and the Saucer-men weren’t really attacking Washington; it was all make believe!

This week, in Washington D.C., America is getting its first real look at Obamacare, or as it is written “The Affordable Care Act”. The bill that had to be passed before we could find out what was in it, is now showing its face to Mr. and Mrs. America and it hasn’t been pretty.

Several companies have announced that they were going to eliminate their healthcare benefits or cut hours of thousands of hourly employees in order to cope with all of the government mandates they face under Obamacare.

Businesses aren’t the only ones who are facing these extra expenses and mandates. Just two days ago, a gentleman on FOX NEWS said in an interview that the cost of his self-paid health insurance went from $300 per month to $900 per month; a huge increase for a family to deal with.

Oddly, when Mr. Obama was touting his healthcare plan, he said healthcare premiums would go down, yet they are rising in an exponential way. Obamacare is beginning to metastasize before the eyes of every American, growing at a rate we cannot keep up with.

The crippling costs of this program threatens the very existence of America’s economic stability, yet the President, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi continue to endorse this “Blob” that is beginning to devour America.

In an effort to restore economic stability and sanity to our fiscal state, the Republican House has offered a bill to the Senate to extend the debt ceiling with the proviso that Obamacare is defunded, thus giving America a chance to recover some economic stability in these most trying times.

Senator Ted Cruz has filibustered in the Senate in an effort to reach those who will recognize the debacle that Obamacare will inflict on the American people.

Obamacare cannot be allowed to metastasize to the point of “destroying its host”, the United States of America, or we are all going to be “absorbed”!!

"Blamer-in-Chief"

It was 50 degrees this morning when I went out to do my crossing guard job today. The cool temperature reminded me that autumn is only a few weeks away and certain preparations will soon have to be made. Air conditioners will be removed from my windows, furnace will be checked, deck will be cleared, lawn mower will go into my shed and the snow thrower will come out along with my shovels.

Each season brings change that must be dealt with, and those seasons come every year; winter, spring, summer and fall are never a surprise to any of us. The routines we each go through are repetitive and necessary to prepare for each season’s differences. I have never had a year without a winter, summer, spring or fall; have you?

Were any of you surprised to see cold temperatures in January, or heat in August; I think not. We know those things will happen and we address them accordingly.

Every year our government faces the obligation of designing a budget; this is a mandate that is supposed to be followed under certain precepts in our Constitution. Strangely, our Congress has been very lax in its obligation to fulfill this duty. We are once again being asked to extend the “Debt Ceiling” so the government can continue to function, and once again, it seems the Congress is not fulfilling its obligation to confirm a budget.

In the last 5 ½ years we have not had a budget passed by our Congress! This is ludicrous and irresponsible action from our elected representatives.

The United States has been operating on very shaky fiscal ground due to excessive entitlements, pork spending and a health care initiative that threatens to bankrupt the entire economy.

Since the last mid-term election, the Republican controlled House of Representatives have submitted budgets to the Democrat controlled Senate. Every budget proposal from the House of Representatives have been dismissed without regard by the Harry Reid controlled Senate, along with the budgets submitted by the Obama White House; although the Obama budgets didn’t receive even one vote in favor of acceptance.

President Obama made a statement last week accusing the Republicans of obstructionist action in regards to a new Federal Budget. Once again, Mr. Obama is suffering from a loss of memory when it comes to who is actually responsible for the lack of a Federal Budget; or he is once again resorting to political name calling to deflect the blame away from his Democrat controlled Senate.

This situation, like all situations that cause the Obama Administration to look poorly, is being blamed on someone or something other than the failures of Barack Obama and his inept leadership in the face of every crisis. The failure of a budget rests solely in the lap of the Democrats and Barack Hussein Obama, and nowhere else; recent history PROVES this.

Since his first day in office, Barack Obama has yet to accept responsibility for any actions that have gone awry; he blames and that is all he does.

The real question is this; “When will Barack Obama behave like a President?”

"Sorry About That, Mr. Putin!"

Do you know anyone who tries to be something that they aren’t? I have known people who pretend to be wealthy, but don’t have enough money in the bank to finance the purchase of a candy bar. I know some people who think they are wonderful singers, yet they couldn’t carry a tune in a basket.

I used to watch a television show called “Get Smart” starring Don Adams. The show was a satire of the “Super Spy” genre; you remember, James Bond, Matt Helm and the Avengers, all of which were fearless and able to confront any villain in their paths.

The hero of “Get Smart” was Maxwell Smart, an agent who tripped through every assignment with the aplomb of an oaf. When Max confronted an opponent, he would tout his heroic prowess with great vigor. When his villain was a large, dangerous figure, he would say something like, “I can destroy a gorilla like you with one deadly judo chop”; then Max would strike the giant several times, never making a dent in the formidable hulk. Max would then say something like this as he put his arm around the undaunted monster, “I hope you weren’t offended by that gorilla remark”, knowing he was about to get thrown across the room. Max was always pretending to be fearless, when in reality, he knew he was in over his head in a bad situation.

John Wayne always played the hero, and he looked the part at 6’ 4” and well over 220 lbs., a formidable figure to confront. My Dad knew a man who had dealings with “Duke” Wayne and he told my father that “The guy on the screen was the same as the guy that you meet on the street; a real tough guy!” John Wayne could handle himself with no help; he was never trying to be something he wasn’t.

The United States is now in a serious situation in the Middle-East as our president, Barack Hussein Obama, is contemplating military involvement in Syria. Presently, he is trying to find allies to support his efforts to interfere in the Syrian civil war and he has not been too successful in his efforts. England has already refused to back Obama, and Russia has already warned him that they would be supporting the standing government of Syria and told Obama there would be severe consequences if Obama decides to intervene in the conflict.

The only “military victory” Obama can actually tout is the killing of Osama bin Laden and really nothing else.

In the past, Obama has done quite a bit of “sabre rattling” about Iran and Korea, but has never followed through on anything, showing a lack of nerve and resolve to the rest of the world.

Now Mr. Obama wants to play “tough guy”, but his reputation doesn’t back his new persona. Vladimir Putin knows Obama’s track record and he feels he can stand “toe to toe” with Obama and the President will “fold up like a $2.00 lawn chair” if he is pressured. I believe Putin is correct about our President; he is much more “Maxwell Smart” than he is “Duke Wayne”.

America is a “war weary nation” and Congress is not in huge support of Obama’s “red-line” policy toward Syria, yet Obama has intimated he would proceed without Congressional support, but he now seems to be wavering in his resolve.

Perhaps his next statement will be “I hope you weren’t offended by my threat to bomb your nation, I was only kidding!!”

No blog for two weeks, taking a little time off. Enjoy Labor Day!!

"Remember"

I have been married for over 35 years. I have never forgotten my wedding anniversary. I have never forgotten my wife’s birthday, and I have never forgotten the anniversary of our first date. All of those dates are very important, both to me, and to my wife. Some dates need to be remembered, lest we forget what they mean to us. 

On December 7^th 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Just this week, I ran into a WWII veteran while I was having lunch, and he served in the Pacific; he certainly remembers this date with very high emotion.

I had a friend in the Marines who served at Khe Sahn and he vividly remembers the days of that infamous siege. 

I remember November 22^nd. 1963; I remember being in my high school cafeteria when we all heard the news of the murder of President Kennedy. I’m sure millions of Americans still remember that day with great emotion.

Have you ever had someone say to you “Get over it!” when something bad happened to you? Sometimes you do have to get over bad experiences, and leave them behind you. Skinned knees, bruises and scrapes have happened to all of us, and we did get over them without too much trauma. I have a couple of scars to remind me of things from my past, but for the most part, I’ve tried to forget most of my bad experiences.

All Americans remember September 11^th with great emotion and we continue to have ceremonies in remembrance of all of those innocent Americans who lost their lives in that cowardly attack by militant Muslims. 

Those of you who watch FOX NEWS know the name Bob Beckel; he is a liberal contributor to the FOX NEWS team. Recently, Mr. Beckel has said “We need to move on” in regards to 9/11. I’m trying to figure out what Mr. Beckel meant by that remark. It sounds like Bob wants us to forget this heinous attack like a “skinned knee” or a “bloody nose” that had healed.

I wonder if Mr. Beckel is endorsing the “Million Muslim March” that has been proposed on 9/11 this year as a way of putting this behind us? I don’t believe this proposed march is anything but a way to reinforce those radicals that perpetrated this crime to begin with.

After several years of listening to Bob Beckel’s twisted logic and leftist clap-trap, I believe this may be the most asinine statement he has ever made. When do we forget over 3,000 dead Americans? Why should we forget 3,000 dead Americans? I wonder what goes on in the head of Bob Beckel.

If Mr. Beckel was alive in 1941, perhaps he would have endorsed a “wait and see attitude” in regards to the unprovoked attack on Pearl Harbor. He may even have proposed a “Japanese Pride Day” to be politically correct. Maybe we should have forgotten about those planes trying to sink our Pacific Fleet. This sounds ludicrous as it should; this is the logic of those on the left.

We must never “move on” from this remembrance, it must be forever burned into our American memory, lest it be repeated by those who still wish to murder the innocent and destroy our American way of life.

"Blink"

I used to wrestle in high school; it taught me self-discipline and to be prepared for any opponent. Wrestling also gave me an insight into “reading people”, to recognize trepidation of fear in an adversary. Some opponents would look down to avoid eye contact, some would look upward, probably to get some help from “above”. I saw wrestlers who didn’t want to “lock-up” and skirted the mat to delay the contact and this showed me a fearful challenger. When you sense fear in any opponent, you acquire a psychological edge that can be invaluable during a match. 

In the year 1962, our President, John F. Kennedy, was confronted with a huge decision when it was revealed that there were ballistic missiles deployed on the island nation of Cuba, and they were put there by the communist Soviet Union. It is only about 90 miles from Cuba to the coast of the United States and these missiles were well within their range of capability to attack most American cities. The distance was so close that response to any attack would be very difficult and it was almost certain that millions of American lives would be lost if such an attack was launched. 

For thirteen days, the possibility of a nuclear war hung over the United States as Kennedy and his Cabinet worked tirelessly trying to find a solution. 

JFK finally responded with a naval blockade of the Cuban mainland and warned Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, that “any attack from the island of Cuba against any nation in the western hemisphere would be considered a direct attack on the United States by the Soviet Union and would be met with a full military retaliatory response against the Soviet Union.”  

It didn’t take very long after Kennedy’s statement for Khrushchev to “rethink” the policy of missile bases in Cuba, and a nuclear war was avoided. Jack Kennedy didn’t “look down” or “gaze at the ceiling” for strength, he stared into the eyes of conflict and his opponent “blinked” because he believed Kennedy meant what he said!!

Recently, our President, Barack Hussein Obama, canceled his scheduled meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The cancellation was in response to the granting of political asylum to “whistle-blower” Edward Snowden after the Obama Administration had asked that Mr. Snowden be extradited back to the United States to face criminal indictments.

In the past, Mr. Putin has “out-foxed” Mr. Obama, and he has seen our President do quite a bit of “hand-wringing” and “letter-writing” when confronted with a problem, but very little else during a crisis. Mr. Putin has seen his opponent “blink” on many occasions and he has a handle on his opponent’s weaknesses. He is taking this occasion to show the rest of the world how ineffectual Mr. Obama really is when he is challenged, and regardless of Mr. Obama’s supporters, our President appears, once again, a weak leader.

I don’t believe Mr. Putin actually gives a damn about Edward Snowden and he is just using him as a political tool to point at the weak American President who has tried to “laugh off” this political snub. There are many who are now criticizing Putin for his action, but behind closed doors, I’m sure there are many who are “nodding their heads” in agreement with the Russian President.

My fellow Americans, we don’t have a JFK or a Ronald Reagan in the Oval Office at this time. If we are confronted with a real crisis, he will “blink” and the United States of America will be in real trouble. This is the price we will pay for reelecting Barack Hussein Obama; a man who will “blink” when things get tough!!

"Colorless Constitution"

When you were a kid, did you ever join a club; you know, the secret kind that only you and a few friends belonged to and nobody else? I remember the “Little Rascals” had the “He-man Woman Haters Society” that wouldn’t allow the pretty little Darla Hood to join. The boys later relented and disbanded their club because Alfalfa was enamored with the lovely Darla. 

We have Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Campfire Girls and Cub Scouts which each have rules that only allow certain people to join. We have athletic teams, debating clubs, chess clubs and foreign language clubs in almost every high school in America; each of them have requirements that may exclude some students from joining them. Adults have Elks, Moose, Friars, Mensa, VFW and the American Legion, all of which have rules and bylaws which can exclude some people from joining them. These are all pretty good organizations to belong to; I even belong to one myself. Churches are also a bit exclusive, as they have doctrines the members must accept to participate in their services. 

I will now give you a “short” list to read, and you can guess what each name has in common.

Johns Hopkins

Indiana University
Towson University
University of Kansas
Harvard
Loyola University
Northern Illinois University
Eastern Illinois University
University of Alabama
Cabrini College
Brown University
University of Kentucky
Brigham Young University
Amherst

This list is only partial. I don’t have enough space to print every name that has the same thing all of these organizations have in common.

Now for what you have been waiting for; what do they all have in common with one another? Each of these “institutions of higher learning” has a Black Student Union on their campuses. There are literally hundreds of colleges and universities all across America that have Black Student Unions where black students can congregate and discuss issues of interest to one another. They form committees and organize demonstrations on a regular basis with little interference or controversy. I live in one of these university towns and I don’t recall anybody complaining about the activities of the Black Student Union. The citizens respect the right of black students to have an organization like this one; it is covered under our Constitution’s 1^st. Amendment. 

Recently, a young man named Patrick Sharp from Georgia State University wanted to start a club called “The White Student Union” and has been met with a barrage of criticism from some black organizations and left-leaning groups. The young man has stated this is not a racist organization; it’s not the “KKK”, yet some alarmist liberals wish to deny this young man the same rights they endorse for the “New Black Panthers” or “La Raza”; both of which have a racist agenda. 

The Black Student Union Conference is set for November 15-17, 2013 in Illinois at the Lincolnshire Marriot Resort Hotel. The organization has quite a bit of money and money brings power and influence. This young boy has neither power nor influence; he just wanted to start a club on campus and has been attacked for his beliefs. Let’s act like the Americans we’re supposed to be and give him the same rights we give to the “New Black Panthers”, Louis Farakhan or “La Raza”; it’s all one Constitution; we need to follow its precepts, no matter what color we are!

"Phony Wizard"

Do any of you remember candy cigarettes; some of them were sugar, and some of them were chocolate? I even remember a toy cigarette that was filled with powder to simulate smoke. As kids, we all wanted to act like grown-ups as we puffed on our imaginary smokes; they were fake, or phony. Magicians cut people in half, or disappear; those things really don’t happen, they are illusions and may be considered fake or phony or unreal.

 

If you order something online that has a lifetime warranty, you sometimes find out that the agreement isn’t quite all you expected it to be, it turns out to be spurious, fake, unreal or phony and we become upset because we were taken in by lies.

 

Lies are terrible things as they betray the trust we may hold with someone we respect, someone who may hold a position of power or authority. A teacher, coach or even a spouse could lie to you, and the consequences of that lie could affect you forever, so it is important to be genuine in all dealings; not fake or phony.

 

Four Americans died in the Benghazi attack, this is a fact. The Obama Administration told the people that the attack was prompted by a You-Tube video; this was an untruth which the Administration clung to for quite a long while, even though they knew it wasn’t true from the beginning; this Administration endorsed a phony story. The Americans were REALLY DEAD!

 

A law enforcement officer was murdered because of the “Fast and Furious” debacle of the Justice Department; this is a fact. The Justice Department continues to dodge the issues of “Fast and Furious” and the responsibility for this DEAD AMERICAN. This is truth, not a phony story.

 

The I.R.S. has been targeting conservative organizations for auditing, as they applied for tax exempt status, and the practice is pointing toward involvement of high Washington officials; this is fact; it is real, not phony.

 

The NSA has been reading e-mails and phone calls of private citizens with abandon with little to no probable cause; this is fact, it is real not phony.

 

Recently our President, Barack Hussein Obama, has said Americans have been flooded by the media with stories of “phony scandals” and they should pay no attention to them. I don’t know about anyone else, but these scandals seem all too real to me and the President’s statements seem to be quite PHONY!

 

The President reminds me of the “Wizard” from OZ who said “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain” when it was discovered that the “Wizard” was just a liar who wasn’t really a wizard at all, he was a PHONY!

 

The more Barack Hussein Obama speaks, the more he reveals his true character as a manipulator and a confidence man who trades in lies and deception to further his agenda. The man who sits in the Oval Office today is the “man behind the curtain”, not the larger than life “Wizard” who claims knowledge of all things.

 

Americans need to see who is the real “Phony” in America now; we have been deceived too long (not all of us) by smooth talk and falsehoods; it is Barack Hussein Obama who is the real “snake oil salesman” and we should stop listening to his “pitch”: it’s PHONY!!!

"Gang Control = Gun Control"

ASIAN:

Asian Boys

Jackson Street Boys
Menace of Destruction
Triad
Yakuza

 

BIKERS:

Bandidos

The Breed
Brother Speed
Chosen Few
Devil’s Disciples
Diablos
Hell’s Angels
Mongols
Outlaws
Pagans
Warlocks
 

BLACK:

Almighty Black P-Stone Nation

Almighty Vice Lords
Gangster Disciples
Black Disciples
Black Guerilla Family
Black Spades
Bloods
Piru Street Boys
Sex, Money, Murda
United Blood Nation
Crips
D.C. Blacks
Four Corner Hustlers
Philadelphia Black Mafia

 

IRISH:

Irish Mob

Westies
Winter Hill Gang
K&A Gang

 

HISPANIC:

18^th.Street

Association Neta
Barrio Azteca
Fresno Bulldogs
Ghetto Brothers
La Raza Nation
Latin Kings
Los Zetas
Maniac Latin Disciples
Mexican Mafia
MS-13
Nortenos
Spanish Gangster Disciples
Surenos
 

WHITE & OTHER:

Almighty Saints

Aryan Nation
Chicago Gaylords
Nazi Lowriders
South-Side Popes

 

Over the last two weeks, we have seen the reactions of the George Zimmerman verdict. There have been demonstrations and divisive racial rhetoric from many on the left. President Obama said if he had a son, he would look like Trayvon Martin. Race Baiter, Al Sharpton has erupted with racist rhetoric to fan the flames of discord all across America. Now our President, Barack Hussein Obama, is once again making more noises about gun control in America. Like his advisors once said “Never let a good crisis go to waste”, it can be a useful political tool to further his political agenda.

The lists at the head of this blog are the names of active street gangs all across America; this is only a partial list. All of those gangs listed are armed and dangerous, and all are using ILLEGAL WEAPONS!

 

None of the thugs, murderers, rapists and drug dealers listed above use traceable, legally owned weapons to commit their atrocities in America. The above gangs take solace in the fact that there is an administration in power dedicated to keeping their potential victims unarmed and easy prey for their foul deeds.

 

Americans need to ask this question ”Why the Obama Administration isn’t trying to crack down on the ILLEGAL weapons which are used in countless crimes on American streets on a daily basis?”

 

Chicago, a bastion of gun control, is rampant with violent street crime involving ILLEGAL weapons, yet the mayor continues to want to limit the availability of weapons to honest, law abiding citizens, who now live in fear from street gangs who basically run their neighborhoods.

Barack Obama would better serve America by trying to eliminate those ILLEGAL weapons that are in the hands of all those street gangs, and he should understand that those street gangs would think long and hard about attacking an armed populace who only wish to defend themselves from those who have no regard for the law.

 

I’m sorry Trayvon is dead; I’m glad George Zimmerman isn’t; this wasn’t racial, it was self- defense; all the evidence supports the verdict. This has zero business in a Civil Rights lawsuit!

 

If Mr. Obama wants to get street murder to “go away”, he ought to pay more attention to those who are actually committing those murders and leave honest Americans alone.

 

I am an armed American, and I will protect myself from intruders and those who threaten me or my family; my weapons are LEGAL!!