"Surrounded!"

Do any of you remember the date of June 25, 1876? Do any of you remember the name George Armstrong Custer? Do any of you remember the name Sitting Bull? These names engaged in a memorable battle quite a while ago, with an outcome that has been revisited in countless movies and television shows.

George Armstrong Custer finished last in his class at West Point, was a difficult student and a headstrong commander during battles. He was given the rank of brigadier general during the Civil War due to an error in the Union Command, but did help in some turning point battles because of his willingness to pursue victory at all cost.

At the time of the ”Little Big Horn”, Custer was a colonel and commander of the Seventh Cavalry, and was best known for his flowing blond hair and buckskin jacket. He was also famous for his arrogance in his decisions during battle situations. His command consisted of about 600 troops, all battle hardened Indian fighters. His assignment was to find an Indian encampment and engage hostiles. Custer decided to split his forces in three sections of about 200 men each. Custer decided against bringing a Gatling gun, the most impressive weapon of the day, capable of firing between 400 and 1200 rounds per minute. Custer believed this weapon was too cumbersome to haul for his mission.

Custer wasn’t expecting more than about 50 to 75 warriors when he entered the valley of “Little Big Horn”. What the colonel didn’t know was surrounding him, was a force of approximately 2,000 warriors from the Lakota, Cheyenne and Arapaho nations led by the highly skillful Chief Sitting Bull.

Seeing he was surrounded, Custer made the fateful decision to dismount his troops and make a stand from a small rise; he and all of his men were massacred in short order. Why Custer dismounted was never found out, as it gave all chance of escape impossible, and that Gatling gun could have given them a distinct advantage, had it been there. Custer’s arrogance was responsible for the defeat and deaths of all his men; not the “hero” depicted on television or in the movies we have seen. Custer underestimated his opponents and his arrogance led him to disaster.

Over the last few months, we have seen our President, Barack Hussein Obama, try to soft peddle the Benghazi terrorist attack, but more and more it looks like it has been a huge cover-up from the Obama Administration; one scandal.

Over the last few weeks, we have seen the IRS revealed as a political attack dog for the Obama Administration to pursue conservative organizations and individuals in an effort to dissuade them from “making waves” for Barack Obama and his agenda; scandal number two.

We have now seen that AP, New York Times and FOX NEWS are under investigation by the Eric Holder Justice Department; e-mails and phone taps with questionable evidence of any wrongdoing by any of the parties being harassed. Holder stated he knew nothing about these investigations but he was the man who signed off on all of them; a little suspicious, to say the least; scandal number three.

It seems that the American people are finally waking up to the “Colonel Custer” we now have sitting in the White House, and his arrogance in leadership. It appears that Obama believes his “surprise” of these events is none of his responsibility and he has made noises of concern about these abuses of power. Do you believe him? This is the same man who preached “punishment” during the election by voting for him to send a message to conservatives.

The Obama Administration is now surrounded by “Lakota, Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes” and he doesn’t have that Gatling gun to help him. It must be awfully lonely standing on that hill; I wonder if “Colonel Obama” will send up a white flag?

"Improper Questions"

As I am now officially a senior citizen, I now find I make more frequent visits to my doctor. I have a nice young man for a doctor and he seems to be very thorough in his work. I had to get a new doctor because we changed our health insurance and my old doctor wasn’t in the plan; too bad, I liked him too.

Over the last year I had some health concerns so I gave in and made an appointment to go for an exam. I received a letter telling me to arrive early because all of the records were now going to be computerized and I would have to fill out all new paperwork.

I arrived 30 minutes early as requested and filled out copious amounts of paperwork; I love filling out forms. When that was completed, I sat down and waited to be called into the examination room. I was finally called and went with the nurse to be weighed and have my blood pressure taken; I then waited for the doctor in the tiny exam room. After a few minutes, another nurse came in and said she needed to ask me some questions so she could enter information into the new computer system. I thought “Why does she need to ask questions after all that paper work?” Most of the questions were general health questions about family history and what types of medications and treatments I’ve had, but out of nowhere, she asked me “Do you have guns in your house?” I thought “This was an odd request” but answered “Yes”. She went on to ask “Are your guns locked up?” This seemed very odd to me and I responded “Some are and some aren’t”; then we went on to finish the questions and she left.

After thinking about it, I was sorry I answered that question; my firearms are nobody’s business but my own and definitely have nothing to do with my health records. What had actually happened was my records were now on file with those folks connected with Obamacare; you know those people who are now working with the IRS. Now those people know I have weapons in my home and I’m concerned about that, after all, the IRS seems to be way too interested in people’s private business these days.

I am wondering what other questions we may be asked in the future if these government agencies continue to get more and more intrusive? We have all seen what Mayor Bloomberg has done in New York City in his attempts to regulate everything New Yorkers do, from drinking large sodas to trans-fats in their diets. I have a strong belief that Bloomberg isn’t the only Democrat who wants to control the lives and rights of American citizens. We have seen children lose their lunches from schools because they weren’t up to “government standards”, even though their mothers thought they were fine.

This new breed of Democrat thinks government should have the final word on just about everything we do in our lives. I believe they would also like to regulate what we say, as they seem to be happy infringing on personal phone calls and confidential e-mails from news sources. Who will be next in this government intrusion of privacy? Will the government soon decide what proper speech is by American people and what texts we will be allowed to read?

I remember a short German guy who was kind of particular about what his people said, how many had guns and what books they read and most of you know what happened there. I believe Joe Stalin was the same way, along with Chairman Mao! Where does this put the Obama Administration?

I’m sorry I answered that gun question, and I will be much more careful answering questions in the future! I advise all of my American readers to do the same; you never know who will kick in your door!!

"Inappropriate Behavior"

I remember when I was in school and if the teacher caught you with gum in your mouth, she would sometimes have you place that gum on the end of your nose as an object lesson. There were times when poor behavior meant a trip to the principal’s office for a “talking to”. If one had a severe infraction, it was possible to have your parents called in for the dreaded “conference”. If more inappropriate behavior continued, you could suffer a suspension from school.

These actions were all meant to help us to understand that we live in a society of laws and rules which must be followed to maintain a civilized world. We have a Constitution which gives us a blueprint of our rights under the laws of the land. Our Founding Fathers gave us those first ten amendments as the most important rights we have as American citizens; those rights that are sacrosanct and should never be abridged. Tampering with those rights is much more than “inappropriate behavior” when a person or organization purposely uses their position to manipulate or punish any American citizen for any reason.

We have a government that was constructed to be a servant to all citizens, regardless of race, creed or political philosophy. We have rules and regulations that have been installed for our benefit and protection, not for punishment or intimidation. We should be able to trust any government agency or person holding a position of public trust, and we should not have to fear any action from those agencies or persons of power.

This week, we have seen two situations where our government seems to have failed American citizens in the exercise of some offices of power.

It appears that the Justice Department has been monitoring confidential communications of the Associated Press trying to find information that was held as protected speech under the first amendment. This type of “Big Brother” action certainly seems like “inappropriate behavior” and should call for a trip to the “principal’s office” or perhaps a Congressional Hearing, don’t you think? Once again, the Holder Justice Department is involved in a scandal of great magnitude!

We have found out this week that the Internal Revenue Service is under scrutiny for using its power to audit conservative groups with “added vigor”, while not giving quite so much examination to those similar groups on the left. If there is any organization that strikes fear into the average citizen, it is the IRS. No government can get more invasive to anyone in America than the IRS. This agency can make every person examined as uncomfortable as a colonoscopy with a steel glove, and anyone who has been audited will attest to the truth of that analogy.

As this IRS onion is being peeled back, it seems it is going to lead out of the agency and, perhaps, to the floor of the Senate and the names of several prominent Senate Democrats. President Obama said this is going to be thoroughly investigated and this is very “inappropriate behavior”.

I wonder if this investigation will be as thorough as the one we have seen over Benghazi, which Mr. Obama feels is a political attack from the Republicans. I wonder if any person involved will claim “executive privilege” as was done over documents in the “Fast and Furious” scandal.

What will all of us regular citizens expect from the government now? I may be a little jaded, but I’m pretty sure we will only see more “inappropriate behavior” from an “Inappropriate Administration”!!

"Thanks Mom"

I WANT MY MOMMY!!!!  Have any of you ever uttered these words while growing up? Whenever one became afraid or suffered a minor injury during childhood, the call for mother was always the first thing that came from one’s mouth. Moms all over America are looked to by their children as the comforter and healer whenever things get bad.

A pat on the head or a tight hug can be more healing than a shot of penicillin, and no one can do that better than a Mom does.

As an older brother, it was my duty to tease my younger brothers until they cried for Mom, who in turn, sent my Dad to remedy the situation. Dad was Mom’s “security force” in most situations that required somebody scary to get the point across to teasers; it always worked!

Mom was the cook, nurse and shoulder to cry on. Dad was the fun guy who still ruled with an “iron hand” and didn’t allow any disrespect, but still managed to make us all laugh at the dinner table every night.

Mom was the smartest person I ever knew, and that included all of my teachers, coaches and professors. She was a reader and artist who taught me the value of the written word; for this I am forever thankful. She was always the voice of reason when I was a confused young boy, and a role model for choosing a wife to a young man.

My mom would spend hours doing crossword puzzles, a habit she passed on to me, but I’m not nearly as good at them as she was.

My mom gave me a love for art, and she was an accomplished painter and sketch artist; I have one of her paintings in my living room.

Once a year we pay tribute to all the mothers in America, lauding their contribution to our lives. The rest of the year Moms do laundry, drive kids to school, prepare countless breakfasts, lunches and dinners, help with homework and patch up various injuries and illnesses. Every holiday Moms cook gigantic meals of turkey, ham, roasts and other special treats to throngs of hungry relatives, while maintaining a smile and happy attitude the entire time.

Three hundred sixty four days a year, Moms do their jobs with little complaint and tons of dedication. All the Moms ever want is to see that their families are happy and well taken care of. We all owe our Moms a great debt and one day a year hardly seems like enough time to say thank you, and I love you.

To all of the Moms, Aunts, Sisters and Cousins out there I wish to extend the very best wishes for the upcoming “Mother’s Day”. We owe all of you so much, one day of breakfast in bed or brunch at a local restaurant just doesn’t seem like enough. Please try to remember that all of us think about you every day, with love and great thanks; have a great day Moms!!!

"Freudian Slips"

Have you ever heard the term “Freudian Slip”? It means saying something out loud that you meant to keep to yourself. Sometimes our tongues betray our thoughts. If you see someone with a really bad hairpiece, these words sometimes play in your head; “Is that a dead cat on your head?” or “Isn’t it a little hot for a fur hat?” Of course, we try not to say those things out loud because it would be socially unacceptable. One never answers the question “Do I look fat in this dress?” That answer would be like asking for an enema with hot lead! It’s like they say in the Mafia, “Always keep your mouth shut!” I hope none of you ever have to say “OOPS, did I say that out loud?”

Last week our President, Barack Hussein Obama, was having a press conference and things weren’t going quite the way he wanted them too. There have been more and more facts coming out about the Boston Marathon bombing and that our security system seems to have missed a number of “red flags” in regards to the two terrorists who have been alleged to commit this crime.

Mr. Obama said “He felt like packing his bags and heading home.” I don’t think Mr. Obama meant to say those words, but they did come out in spite of his “giant brain”.

Could it be that the job of President is taking a toll on “America’s Fourth best President” (his own admission). I don’t recall JFK, LBJ, either of the Bush presidents or Ronald Reagan ever saying they felt like “packing it in” and leaving town. Even Jimmy Carter never talked about going back to his peanut farm (although I wish he had).

Mr. Obama’s recent defeat in gun control and the mistakes of the Boston Marathon have left a bad taste in our Chief Executive’s mouth and he isn’t too good at hiding his feelings. There are even some Congressional Democrats that are criticizing Obamacare as a bigger problem than it was first anticipated to be and they may be onboard with a repeal effort.

When a man with an ego as big as Barack Hussein Obama suffers any type of defeat or criticism of his performance on the job, he doesn’t handle it very well at all.

It is strange that the highly criticized George W. Bush never behaved in any way that seemed petulant or angry when he was confronted by the media. Mr. Obama could certainly learn something about being Presidential from our former Chief Executive.

Richard Nixon was famous for having all of the conversations in the Oval Office taped, and this ultimately led to his downfall. There were plenty of “Freudian Slips” back in the Nixon Whitehouse, and they were all on the tapes.

I don’t suppose there are any tape-recorders running in the Obama Oval Office or we could hold some hope on what actually happened in Benghazi and what the President really knew on September 11, 2012.

If I could grant Mr. Obama one wish, it would be that “He could pack his bags and go home” as soon as possible, and that is no “FREUDIAN SLIP”!!!!!!