"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!