Who Is Alex Barton?

The answer to the question: Alex Barton is a 5 year old boy who suffers from Asperger's Syndrome, which is a relatively high-functioning form of autism. He hums a lot and likes to eat his homework (the dog gets a pass on this one). He is not violent; he doesn't try to hurt others; he's just different.

Now imagine a teacher, who is aware of the illness, bringing the boy up to the front of the class where she asks each student to tell Alex what they don't like about him, and then has a class vote to kick Alex out of the class.

The name of the teacher Wendy Portillo, and this happened in the Port St. Lucie school district in Florida. Ms. Portillo has been assigned to administrative duties and continues to receive full pay. According to the teacher's union, she was simply having a bad day and should be allowed to return to teaching.

This woman should never be allowed in a classroom ever again.

An argument could be made that because of his autism, maybe this won't have any long term impact on Alex - no harm, no foul. But what about the lesson of intolerance that she taught the rest of the class? What about the lesson that it's okay to demean and disparage another human being just because they're different?

As disgusting as her actions were, the actions of the teacher's union were totally predictable. One of their own is threatened by their lack of common sense and decency, so circle the wagons, wait until the dust settles, and then bring the offender back into a classroom where her warped judgement can yet again have a deleterious effect on the minds of other 5 year olds.

Therein lies the real problem - teacher's unions. Let me state that I have nothing but the greatest respect for most teachers. One of my high school teacher's was Godfather to my first daughter, and he took me to Oswego before I started college there so he could introduce me to some people in the community. Other teacher's have given me a love for music, reading, and a desire to learn - their contributions to my education were essential.

The problem, at least from my perspective, is that the bad apples are protected just as avidly as the good apples. Ms. Portillo should never set foot in another classroom, but if the union gets their way, she'll be back teaching next fall. How can anyone with a shred of decency support this woman going back into the classroom?

Everyone makes mistakes and has bad days; granted, but when your mistake is as egregious as Ms. Portillo's, union loyalty and concern should be directed at the students they are charged to educate, not the occasional teacher who, for whatever reason, is unfit to teach our children.

Senator Harkin Demeans McCain & Military

“It’s one thing to have been drafted and served, but another thing when you come from generations of military people and that’s just how you’re steeped, how you’ve learned, how you’ve grown up.”

“I think he’s trapped in that. Everything is looked at from his life experiences, from always having been in the military, and I think that can be pretty dangerous.”

Senator Tom Harkin on Senator John McCain

In case you were unaware, Senator Harkin also served in the military. During his run for the Democrat Presidential nomination in 2004, he was forced to admit that he did not fly combat air patrols or photo reconnaissance as he said he had. He ferried damaged planes between Japan and the Philippines and then did test flights on them after they were repaired. I guess it's a good thing he wasn't in Bosnia with Hillary during all that sniper fire.

Democrat strategists will have a difficult enough time convincing the American people that Senator Obama has any concept of geo-politics without Senator Harkin's foolish observations. Since Senator Obama says he's ready to sit right down and negotiate with terrorists just as soon as he's sworn in, and immediately start withdrawing troops from Iraq, I hope he asks Senator Harkins to be his running mate.

I guess thinking that politics should be set aside for Memorial Day was foolish on my part, but thankfully the vast majority of us aren't consumed by political aspirations.

Senator Harkin should apologize for his slander. If he fails to do so, it will only help Senator McCain, and the results in November could very well place Senator Obama alongside George McGovern and Michael Dukakis inside "The Hall of Hapless Wanna-Be's" where liberal Democrats reign supreme.

Senator Harkin - you should be ashamed of yourself.

Memorial Day Weekend

"Before God, there is neither Greek nor barbarian, neither rich nor poor, and the slave is as good as his master, for by birth all people are free; they are citizens of the universal commonwealth which embraces all the world, brethren of one family, and children of God."

Lord Acton

Memorial Day Weekend comes again, and for some it only marks the beginning of the summer season. You couldn't prove it was summer here by the temperature, but that won't stop many of us from heading to our vacation homes. I'm lucky because I live at my vacation home year round, as do most of us in Lewis County. We may not have the highest per capita income in the state, but you'll never find nicer people anywhere.

I decided to write my Memorial Day thank you early because grandchildren will be occupying much of my time over the weekend. Dominic just turned 3, so my wife and I chugged a bottle of Geritol each for breakfast this morning. Do they still make that stuff? Well, most of you understand what I'm talking about anyway.

There will also be many people throughout this county who will mark the special reason for this Memorial Day, as will millions of others across this great land. This is a special time that has no room for politics. It bears repeating that the only thing you'll see on the grave of a soldier is a cross or a Star of David. The thousands of graves that overlook the beaches of Normandy give no indication of political affiliation. I guess Lord Acton could have added: "Before God, there is neither Republican or Democrat" - at least those who believe in God.

Our current situation is different from the Vietnam period in that most Americans appreciate and respect our men and women of the Armed Forces. Back then you never would have had a photograph of a plane full of silent people who respectfully wait to deplane after the coffin of a soldier is removed. You were more likely to see returning soldiers being treated in a manner unbecoming anyone's claim to humanity. Thankfully most Americans were not like that, and even many of those that were have taken the lesson to heart.

We should be capable of waiting a few days before resuming the debate over what to do in Iraq - we owe it not only to those who are still there, or have died there, but also to the generations of Americans who have heard the call of duty and answered. If you know a veteran, thank them. In not that many years we'll start the countdown to the last surviving veteran from WWII, so there's no time like the present to say "thank you".

To my Dad, who served as a Marine in WWII and was called back up for Korea, and to my father-in-law who also served in WWII, to 3 of my Uncles - thank you for serving in WWII, and many thanks to all the men and women who gave their lives so we could live as we do today.

The Sky Is Falling

The earth has shown us once again that regardless of what we do, she will have her way. Spewing ash some 20 miles into the atmosphere, the Chaiten volcano will have quite an effect on weather patterns for some time to come. When you consider the fact that the past April was the coldest in 114 years, the global warming crowd is scrambling to explain how this fits in with their dire predictions.

If you click on the title of this piece you'll be taken to a link which will talk about this day in history. On May 11, 1934 the East Coast of America was subjected to a blizzard - but instead of snow, it was the dust from the Great Plains. One of the interesting lines in the video explains how when the storm finally hit Washington D.C., our beloved government finally became concerned about the Dust Bowl.

Let's take that event forward in time to today. Can you imagine the maniacal outburst from Al Gore-bees everywhere around the world? Global warming would be the cause and the Chicken Little's of the world would be dizzier than Al himself from running around in circles and screaming that the sky was falling.

Instead of adopting the pretentious belief that we can actually control the climate of the earth, I would suggest that the Gore-bees change their tactics and focus on alternative energy sources because it's a matter of national defense and independence from the whims of the Iran's and Venezuala's of the world.

I'm all for greening-up by planting trees and flowers. I'm all for alternative fuel sources that eliminate the need for noxious gasoline. But the Gore-bees of the world only make me want to go out and buy a Hummer just to keep them agitated.

The sky is not falling and the global warming hoax is just one more example of lunatic liberals working more off of emotion that substantiated scientific facts. When we can control tornadoes and hurricanes, when we can harness lightning to provide our energy needs, then come and talk to me about global warming and I might start to believe you.

Problems & Mother's Day

The problem with problems is that they grow up so fast.

Unalike a child, if left unattended, they mature rapidly into a "nagging problem". Speaking on behalf of the male species around the globe, we all know definitions of the following words:

Nag
Nagging
Constantly Nagging
Bitching & Nagging
How to Tune Out Nagging Without Losing Consciousness

There's no need to explain how we know - we just do.

If the "nagging problem" is addressed half-heartedly or ignored, it soon becomes a new species: an "Issue".

Bless you.

Woe to the man who lets the issue receive scant attention, for Issue soon runs off to the nearest military academy and becomes a "Major Issue".

Bless you.

There's only one more stage left after that. From the seed of a problem; blessed with ignorance and/or apathy, the "Major Issue" explodes into whatever you chose to call it depending upon the particulars of the situation.

Whatever the impending doom, it's usually because we let the little old problem grow up.

What's the best thing for a little problem? Talking.

My teenage years had their share of problems, but I had the best ear and the most sympathetic shoulder any child ever needs - my Mother. I still recall late nights when we would sit up talking about things. Though there were problems, even issues that we talked about, everything somehow seemed more manageable after talking to Mom.

The oldest of six children, I marvel today at how she managed to retain her sanity, while taking care of all of us and the laundry, dishes, dinner...the list goes on forever.

She was the peacemaker - one way or another.

It will be ten years this June since my Mother passed away, and though I miss her dearly; she is never far away from my heart.

I'd like to share with you the first verse and chorus of a song I wrote called "On The Wind":

I grew up surrounded by music in the air
My mother taught me my first song: Jimmy Crackcorn And I Don't Care
She's long since left this mortal world for music more sublime
But if I listen hard enough, I hear her from time to time

You may hear her voice, sometimes when I sing
You may hear her style when I play these strings
She lives on in me, though she may be gone
She lives on the wind, and she lives in this song

I love you Mom - Happy Mother's Day!

Addendum & Stuff

Lest anyone get the impression from "My Inaugural Address" that I'm ready to pull all the troops out of Iraq, let me be very specific: There's not a military commander with any sense that would advocate any immediate withdrawal of troops. There's been too much progress made to cut and run now.

For those of you who find this war, or any war, immoral, I can understand your position - I used to feel that way. The real question now is this: Do we stand by the Iraqi's until they're ready to stand on their own, or do we prepare the script for Vietnam II?

If you'll click on the title of this piece you'll be taken to an op-ed piece from the Wall Street Journal of May 1, 2008. I couldn't have said it any better myself.

STUFF

My thanks to Dave for the link, and also for all of the following. Let's just say that Dave and I have known each other for a long time and share similar philosophies - plus he's as cracked as I am, as you will see:

There are less than eight months until the general election, an election that will decide the next President of the United States. The person elected will be the president of all Americans, not just the Democrats or the Republicans. To show our solidarity as Americans, let's all get together and show each other our support for the candidate of our choice.

It's time that we all came together, Democrats and Republicans alike.

If you support the policies and character of John McCain, please drive with your headlights on during the day.

If you support Obama or Hillary, please drive with your headlights off at night.

MORE STUFF

In my never ending quest to promote civilized dialogue (heh-heh-heh), here's a picture that is perfectly capable of offending both sides of the aisle (This one's not Dave's fault):
















..and that's the way it is, Monday, May 5th, 2008...Blessings & Miracles to all.

Do You Love Your Job?

Life has kept me busy and away from blogging, much to the satisfaction of liberals everywhere. My job will have me on the road week after week over the next six months, and then retirement. I've often heard it said that if you don't love your job, you're working at the wrong job. I have no idea what my next job will be, but you can bet it will be one that I enjoy.

Enjoyment, like any attitude in life, is usually mandated by the cranial capacity of the individual, but there are times when kismet just has to pop in and say howdy.

The story below was sent to me by my wife, and I cannot attest with 100% certainty that it is true, but even if it isn't, the point is valid:

I LOVE MY JOB

Next time you have a bad day at work think of this guy.

Rob is a commercial saturation diver for Global Divers in Louisiana.

He performs underwater repairs on offshore drilling rigs.

Below is an E-mail he sent to his sister. She then sent it to radio station 103.2 on FM dial in Ft. Wayne , Indiana, who was sponsoring a worst job experience contest. Needless to say, she won.

Hi Sue,

Just another note from your bottom-dwelling Brother.

Last week I had a bad day at the office. I know you've been feeling down lately at work, so I thought I would share my dilemma with you to make you realize it's not so bad after all.

Before I can tell you what happened to me, I first must bore you with a few technicalities of my job. As you know, my office lies at the bottom of the sea. I wear a suit to the office. It's a wet suit. This time of year the water is quite cool. So what we do to keep warm is this: We have a diesel powered industrial water heater. This $20,000 piece of equipment sucks the water out of the sea. It heats it to a delightful temperature. It then pumps it down to the diver through a garden hose, which is taped to the air hose.

Now this sounds like a darn good plan, and I've used it several times with no complaints. What I do, when I get to the bottom and start working, is take the hose and stuff it down the back of my wet suit. This floods my whole suit with warm water. It's like working in a Jacuzzi.

Everything was going well until all of a sudden, my butt started to itch. So, of course, I scratched it. This only made things worse. Within a few seconds my butt started to burn. I pulled the hose out from my back, but the damage was done. In agony I realized what had happened.

The hot water machine had sucked up a jellyfish and pumped it into my suit. Now, since I don't have any hair on my back, the jellyfish couldn't stick to it. However, the crack of my butt was not as fortunate.

When I scratched what I thought was an itch, I was actually grinding the jellyfish into the crack of my butt. I informed the dive supervisor of my dilemma over the communicator. His instructions were unclear due to the fact that he, along with five other divers, were all laughing hysterically. Needless to say I aborted the dive. I was instructed to make three agonizing in-water decompression stops totaling thirty-five minutes before I could reach the surface to begin my chamber dry decompression.

When I arrived at the surface, I was wearing nothing but my brass helmet. As I climbed out of the water, the medic, with tears of laughter running down his face, handed me a tube of cream and told me to rub it on my butt as soon as I got in the chamber. The cream put the fire out, but I couldn't poop for two days because my butt was swollen shut.

So, next time you're having a bad day at work, think about how much worse it would be if you had a Jellyfish shoved up your butt. Now repeat to yourself, 'I love my job, I love my job, I love my job.' Now whenever you have a bad day, ask yourself, is this a Jellyfish bad day?

My friends, may you NEVER have a jellyfish bad day, unless your name is Patrick and you live in Bikini Bottom. If you don't have kids, you have no idea what the hell I'm talking about, so set aside some time to become familiar with SpongeBob SquarePants - I swear he's descended from Bugs somehow.