Valid Criticism

Since you claim to be a conservative, how about writing some posts on the great republican congressmen that are now serving. How about a comment on the great speech President Bush gave our nation last night. How about a post about the great conservative candidates running for President. How about trying to be less divisive and more positive by posting about conservative values. Your posts are the kind of partisan stuff that is tearing our country apart

This note was from anonymous in response to my Obama/Kennedy piece, and I thank this person for pointing out something that I will try to remember in the future. I'm not sure if the person was a conservative asking for representation, or a liberal who was being facetious, but in any case I find their criticism has some validity.

Having accepted and acknowledged this observation on my writings, let me say that I will probably never be able to completely stop poking fun at liberals. In addition to more sanguine observations, using humor to make a point is such an integral part of my personality that it just naturally flows over into my writing.

The Clinton/Obama piece was meant primarily as political observation, not humor. I have not decided who will get my vote in November, but I can assure you it will probably not be a Democrat. Just because I probably won't vote for a Democrat doesn't mean I can't make observations on their activities.

I honestly believe that Senator Kennedy's endorsement means next to nothing for Senator Obama, and was intended as a slap in the face to the Clintons. As Democratic strategist Bob Beckel has noted, Senator Kennedy's endorsement has served to split the Democrat Party in half. Loyal Democrat's need not fear however, because once the nominee is chosen, the party will again unite.

My prediction for the Dem slate: President Hillary Clinton / Vice President Barack Obama. Improbable? Jack Kennedy couldn't stand Lyndon Johnson, and vice versa, and Ronald Reagan was not very fond of George the first either. FDR thought so little of Harry Truman that Truman had no idea that an atomic bomb was under construction until he became President. I understand the need for security, but you'd think a President would let his Vice-President know what's going on wouldn't you?

On the Republican side, if you're like me, you're not at all thrilled with your choice of candidates and you don't really know who offers the best chance of success in November. It is between McCain and Romney, all the others are ancient history even if they don't know it yet.

So where does that leave us?

John McCain is an honest-to-God American hero, and if he were a true conservative there would be no doubt as to who would win the nomination. Mitt Romney has business acumen, he did a great job with the Olympics, but he got elected as the Governor of Massachusetts, and you don't get that job without pulling in a lot of Democrat votes. He got those votes because he has demonstrated an ability to be on both sides of an issue.

Both McCain and Romney have shown an ability to work with the opposition and deliver things such as campaign finance reform and health care in Massachusetts. My deepest concern: McCain's apparent willingness to concede key conservative points just to get a deal. I won't even get into how bad a piece of legislation campaign finance was, but its the kind of legislation you end up with when you're willing to abandon your principles.

So there you have it - an honest evaluation of both sides from the perspective of an upstate New York conservative. You may recall that I did a piece sometime ago after my son had asked me who I would vote for if I had to vote for a Democrat. My answer at that time was Hillary Clinton, and it still is for one very simple reason:

Hillary Clinton, as divisive as she is, will protect this country with an aggressiveness normally associated with a mother bear and her cubs. I trust very little else about her, but I would trust her to protect the country. I'm not being facetious - she disgusts me in many ways, but my primary concern is the safety of this country, and there I have no doubt that she would be a pit bull.

Anonymous: I will try to focus more on conservative values and principles - it's sometimes hard to remember that you can't change someones mind by denigrating their point of view (regardless of how much fun you have doing it), you need to provide the information and let them reach their own conclusions. Thanks for your insight.

One final note regarding the media. The photo showing Obama looking away as Clinton reaches to shake Kennedy's hand is being used to try and create a story where none exists. Leave it to our stalwart journalists to focus on the inane - and that includes Fox News.

Teddy - Thanks, But No Thanks

I know that most Hillary supporters are disappointed by Senator Kennedy's endorsement of Senator Obama, but I think you should take heart in the fact that he didn't endorse the world's smartest woman.

What's even more entertaining is the absolute slap in the face that the Massachusetts Methuselah gave to President Clinton. It had everything to do with politics, but it had nothing to do with Senator Obama.

The grandfather of the Kennedy political dynasty is taking great delight in giving his last drop of energy to make sure there is never a Clinton political dynasty - at least not any more than what we've already seen.

President Kennedy was of a mold of Democrat that now appears to be banished to sit at the back table with Joe Liberman. Even if his brother fell prey to the moveon.org's of the world, he'll still protect the family name and his brother's place in history.

His endorsement meant something once upon a time, even after Chappaquidick.

But it has been so long since Ted Kennedy has been anything other than a parody of a senator, I think the Clinton camp should acknowledge the endorsement with the briefest of statements and not allow the press to make anything more of it than what it is - the closing chapters in a life that once held so much promise.

Perhaps a lot in life shared by many younger brothers who have to try and walk in the shadow of their famous siblings.

No Child Left Inside???

"Attention all citizens - you are fat - your government knows it and we're going to do something about it because you're too damn lazy to do it yourself. Since you are either incapable or ambivalent about the girth of your progeny, we must take your parenting rights away for the welfare of the country. Remember how we banned smoking in your homes and cars for your own welfare, and how we banned all spanking of children to protect their butts and your hands? Just consider this the next, necessary step in the evolution of our great United Socialist States of America."




The positioning of the picture would lead one to think that Bill Clinton uttered those words.

He did not, never has, and never will - but more about Bill later.

Does that sound rather Orwellian? Impossible?

Down in New Mexico, home of Bill Richardson, Democratic lawmakers are preparing their "No Child Left Inside" legislation that will tax TV's and video games and use the money for education.

Right.

This initiative is also backed by the Sierra Club; I guess they figure that if the taxes are high enough, parents will stop buying TV's and video games and the kids will flock to the great outdoors and become environmentalists.

Now before my progressive friends go apoplectic on me, I consider myself to be an environmentalist. I live in the forest, I love the forest and everything that nature has to offer - I'm just not at the SS Stormtrooper level of some so-called environmentalist. I don't belong to the NRA or the Sierra Club - guess I'm just not a "club" kind of guy.

Better living through progressive legislation!

That's a motto that, even if unheard in public, is the driving force behind socialism. The politicians in New Mexico are not evil people, they're not doing this for political purposes as far as I can tell, other than the play on the name. They are well intentioned and just as incredibly wrong as any human being can be.

The taxes will go for education - that's always the grabber. Taxes, taxes and more taxes. It was actually refreshing to see the morons in Washington get together and try to do something productive last week, but just like FDR who started this whole entitlement society, government once again thinks it knows best and is buying us off with 30 pieces of silver.

To be perfectly honest - I'm not really sure if their actions this week with regards to the economy are right or wrong - all I do know is that when government starts throwing money at you, you want to start shining the flashlight in the corner to see where the smell is coming from.

I'm sorry if that offends my conservative and/or progressive friends, but I believe that a healthy distrust of your government is a necessity if we're to maintain our freedoms. Politicians are people that mean well, but power and prestige effect different people in different ways.

Take Bill Clinton for instance. Instead of displaying the dignity of a former President as most of his predecessors (excluding Peanut-Brain of course) have done, he has chosen once again to use his digital dexterity to excoriate the press (no problem there) and look directly into the eyes of the American people and play loose with the truth.

You think its just me? From South Carolina black congressmen to the editorial page of the The Dallas Morning News, many eyebrows are being raised at the manner in which the former President has been conducting himself.

It is my sincerest hope that Hillary does become the nominee of the Democrat Party. Even is she wins, after two years of her in office, the conservative movement will have a rebirth amongst those who consider themselves "middle-of-the-road", and we'll hopefully be able to get back to a government that balances their check book and lives within their means.

We have to do it - why shouldn't they?

At the age of 56 I could stand to lose 10-15 pounds, but I am not "fat" as far as my doctor is concerned and thankfully I no longer have to attract young women - or women of any age honey - thought I'd better throw that in there as my wife does read the blog occasionally. She says she listens to enough of my sh** and doesn't have to go online to read it.

The point being, we are responsible for ourselves and our children. Scientists are now examining certain chemicals, or lack there of, that may be a key factor in obesity and may actually be the cause of obesity in many people.

How do we legislate against that?

Even if you are well-intentioned you can still be very, very wrong.

That last line was a soft-ball for all of the progressive/liberals out there who are just dying to take a shot at me - have fun!

Check out the "Editors" Comments

Incredible as it may seem, my piece on Dr. Martin Luther King, Ghandi and the Middle East has drawn the ire of the "Adirondack Editor". It's the first post from this bastion of liberalism on my blog, and I encourage you to take the time to read it, after you've read my piece first of course.

I'm not sure where all of the anger and hatred comes from, but the Editor seems to think that not only am I geographically and historically challenged, but I guess I'm also xenophobic.

Although I did my best not to not reply in kind and be sarcastic, I did slip once, maybe twice - ah, who's counting.

The main reason I'm writing this is because his reply surprised the heck out of me. I did not expect the virulent outburst against America, white men, Christians, Jews, and yours truly - though in all fairness verbal attacks on yourself are part of the price you pay if you wish to blog.

In case you hadn't noticed of late, I have been staying away from politics and trying to focus elsewhere - a simple matter of self-preservation. When you're dealing with clinical depression, politics is last place you want to focus!

One of the hardest things to learn and accept in this life is that not everyone is going to like you - no matter how hard you try, no matter what you might say or do; there will always be someone who thinks you're a jerk.

I will continue to write as my conscience and my heart dictate, to do otherwise is intellectual suicide. If you like what I have to say, that's fine, if you don't, that's fine too.

If you don't like what I have to say, just remember 2 things:

1.) I'm a practicing Catholic - the operative word be "practicing". Though I try to keep my responses to the point, I'm just as capable of sarcasm as anyone else.

2.) It's my blog and I will have the last word.

Is There An Arab Dr. King Anywhere?

"Civil disobedience is not only the natural right of a people, especially when they have no effective voice in their own Government, but that it is also a substitute for violence or armed rebellion."

Mahatma Ghandi

If there was any lesson that Dr. King may have taken from Ghandi, it was the effectiveness of civil disobedience to address social wrongs and set them right. Is there anyone who today would doubt the effectiveness of the message these two men brought to the world?

Apparently there are a fair number of people who have failed to learn the lessons of civil disobedience; specifically, Palestinians and other Arabs. Their reliance upon suicide bombers and their indiscriminate killing of men, women and children has become the focus of the world, not the issues that they themselves wish to have addressed.

Until such a leader emerges in the Arab world, even when there is legitimacy in the wrongs enumerated, the world will continue to focus on the psychotic actions of the zealots instead of the issues that have an everyday impact on the lives of millions of Arabs.

Remember President Nixon's "Silent Majority"? His supposition was that more Americans supported the Vietnam War than opposed it, but those that supported it were silent in their support - they didn't take to the streets like those opposed to the war. Many pundits and political observers seem to want apply this mantel of passive support to the Muslims around the world who never seem to protest the atrocities their brothers in Islam commit. We are assured that Islam is not a religion of violence and that the vast majority of Muslims are peace loving people.

If the rest of the world is ever to believe that, then a proponent of civil disobedience must arise in the Arab world and replace Bin Laden's message of hatred and killing. If the Arabs ever hope to swing world opinion and address the grievances they have suffered, the violence must end and a leader of uncommon fortitude and perseverance will be needed to achieve the peace that has eluded the region for the past two thousand years or so.

Give Me The Highway

After seeing my brother's response regarding God's sense of humor and my golf game, I noted again that he had honored me by choosing "Give Me The Highway" as his blog name. Of all the songs that I have authored, this is also one of my Dad's favorites. You're only going to get the lyrics - for now:

Give Me The Highway

I've hitch-hiked the miles of a hobo

Who's love is the open road

I know of the pain and the hunger

That time can't erase

I've seen the tar bubbles

That blister like feet driven too many miles

The lines of the road

You can see clearly etched on my face

In all of my travels

I've met a few women whose love I returned

Falling in love was as easy

As learning to breathe

The warmth of their arms

Beat the hell out of highways

On cold, lonely nights

But not enough

To let them put chains around me

Give me the highway - Don't let my feet settle down

I tried it a long time ago

But it didn't work out

I'm just a daydreamer, hoping that dreams never end

They never will just as long as I'm traveling about

Life on the blacktop

The world as your backdrop

The curtain comes up with the sun

Each day brings memories of good times we've had

Night brings the promise of good times to come

But sometimes late at night on the road

Can't help feeling all alone

Second thoughts come

As I dream of a life that might be

But then I see bright lights

A new town where I've never been before

Lord there is joy in a man

Who is footloose and free

Give me the highway - Don't let my feet settle down

I tried it a long time ago

But it didn't work out

I'm just a daydreamer, hoping that dreams never end

They never will just as long as I'm traveling about

How appropriate that I ended up in marketing - on the road to the tune of over 50,000 miles every year. Now it often seems difficult to remember what life was like without a laptop, a cell phone, blueberry, blacktooth, vice versa - whatever.

The big boys in Michigan are promising us cars that drive themselves within ten years - just think of all the work you can get done!

I'll be retiring, thank you very much.

God's Sense of Humor

It has occurred to me of late that for the most part, those of us who believe in God tend to view Him with reverence; we fear His retribution (with a tip of the hat to Garrison Keillor & Prairie Home Companion - gotta love those Minnesota Lutherans); we ask for His guidance; we offer up prayer in supplication - but we never seem to give Him credit for His sense of humor.

Though I am adamant about maintaining an open forum here, I must request that for the effort upon which we are about to embark that all atheists refrain from comment. You don't believe in Him, so it almost goes without saying that assigning a sense of humor to someone you don't believe exists is a rather fruitless exercise for you.

I encourage those of you who read this to share your thoughts on God's sense of humor.

Personally, I'd have to start with Mel Brooks. He may not believe in Jesus Christ, and his takeoff on the Inquisition is scandalous (funnier than hell though), but if God didn't have a sense of humor, would He let the Jews have Mel Brooks and give us CarrotTop?

Baldness - now that's funny. Only because I still have most of my hair and my brother Joe doesn't. It doesn't make up for the fact that he whoops my butt every time we hit a golf course, and it is only a matter of genetics - but it should remain a viable source of irritation for him until I progress further down Hairless Lane.

Pugs.

Being the proud owner of said species of canine, I can attest to the fact that they are indeed ugly, and to make matters worse, the damn things snore - at least ours does. The joke is that He made people that actually love these things. I am one of those people, but I want it known that I was dragged there, kicking and screaming all the way. We just got an Australian Cattle Dog a few weeks ago, a puppy, and she makes #4 - I'll let you know how that works out after she learns about outside latrine duty and I get the dog crap out from between my toes.

So to recap, my first three selections that prove God has a sense of humor:

1.) Mel Brooks
2.) Baldness
3.) Pugs

I hope you'll take a few minutes and share your thoughts, as I'm sure there are as many ways to show God's sense of humor as there are stars in the heavens.

Amazing Grace

As I write this, I'm preparing to leave for another funeral in about an hour. I'll be singing two songs at the funeral, one of which is "Amazing Grace". It is a song that I have been singing at funerals for family all too often of late.

My 36 year old cousin was killed in a snowmobile accident last Saturday morning, leaving behind a wife, a brother, sisters, and two parents who have just joined the club that none of us ever wanted to be a member of: Parents Who Bury Their Children. As members of that club, my wife and I can only offer what everyone offered us during our time: our love, our prayers, and our support.

One of the gifts that God gave to me was the ability to play music. I have put that gift aside for some time now because I could find no joy in playing. I realize now that just because God gives us a gift, it doesn't necessarily mean that the gift has to always bring joy to us. I dread standing up in front of all of those people this afternoon, but they are my family, so no matter what happens, they will continue to love me. Having that thought pop into my head just takes the worry away.

When I write songs, the lyrics always come first, or almost always. Since my job includes long hours behind the wheel of my car, I often write lyrics as I drive. That's what I did yesterday.

Instead of focusing on the negative aspects of death, I decided to be just a bit cavalier about the whole thing, thus the lyrics below to a song I've titled "That's All She Wrote". Not to make things too complicated, and with apologies to Carl Perkins and Chuck Berry, as you read the words, imagine a variation of "Blue Suede Shoes":

THAT'S ALL SHE WROTE

IT’S ONE – YOU’RE BORN, TWO – YOU DIE
WE ONLY COUNT TO THREE SO YOU CAN SAY BYE-BYE
THAT’S ALL SHE WROTE
THAT’S ALL SHE WROTE
YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN YOU’LL PLAY YOUR FINAL NOTE
AND THAT’S ALL SHE WROTE

GOD SAID TO NOAH “BEST BUILD YOURSELF A BOAT”
NOAH SAID “GOD! WHAT IF THE BOAT DON’T FLOAT”
WELL THAT’S ALL SHE WROTE
THAT’S ALL SHE WROTE
BETTER BUILD IT WATERTIGHT AND YOU’D BETTER DO IT RIGHT
OR THAT’S ALL SHE WROTE

A KING IN HIS CASTLE, THE MAN ON THE STREET
BOTH TAKE NOTHIN’ WITH THEM WHEN IT’S TIME TO LEAVE
‘CAUSE THAT’S ALL SHE WROTE
THAT’S ALL SHE WROTE
YOU CAN SAVE IT IF YOU LIKE, BUT I’D RATHER DIE BROKE
‘CAUSE THAT’S ALL SHE WROTE

And that, my friends, is all she wrote for today - if you love someone - tell them!

Blessings!

Poetry

In my never ending effort to bring something a little different to the blog, I recently received this beautiful poem about winter from my friend Heather G. I hope you find it as succinct and appropriate as I did:

Winter

A Poem by Abigail Elizabeth McIntyre

Shit - it's cold!

Okay, its not all that cold today and its supposed to be in the 50's by Tuesday, but this is Northern New York, so don't put away the longjohns just yet.

Now this next item is not poetry, unless you happen to be on the receiving end of unattended children, in which case it not only qualifies as poetry, it should also be considered as an ammendment to the constitution:

I'd be willing to throw in a kitty with litter box as well.

...And We're Off...

In an effort to make sure that our grandson enjoyed a New Year celebration, my wife and I, along with our 21 year old son, agreed to play a game of "Family Guy" Monopoly. We all wore appropriate "Family Guy" clothing and we had a rousing game in progress until a little after 10pm.

My son decided to admit defeat and said he was going to his room for a little while. He was sound asleep within 30 minutes.

Part of my recovery from depression has been the ability to finally get a good nights sleep on a consistent basis. This has only been achieved through the miracle of modern science, a miracle I decided to forgo in order to be awake at midnight to celebrate with my wife and grandson. I did take the medication around 11:30, which was shortly before both my grandson and my wife were asleep - in that order.

So who was the only person awake to celebrate the New Year? Who was the only person awake at 1:30 am?

I would normally consider this an inauspicious beginning but for the fact that I'm so glad that 2007 is finally over with.

I have had new year celebrations in the past where the next day I felt anything but new. Just imagine yourself in the shape you need to be in to feel that way. Now imagine that you're at the party the night before at the house of a friend. Well on your way to alcohol bliss, you walk into your friends bathroom, not having been forewarned that the floor was repainted:

I don't know about you, but this point I would have emptied my stomach of its contents in a rather dramatic fashion.

The start of the new year signals hope, even when you're digging out of snow, so I pray that the hope of the new year infuses your soul throughout the year.

Now on to Iowa.