The Ugly Season of Politics

I doubt if there are many people who haven't embellished an old story when trying to impress a crowd or a group of friends. Most of us have done it at one time or another, but most of us don't have the vultures representing the fourth estate to deal with. Nor do we have to deal with video footage of what actually transpired.

I'm pretty sure that most of us would remember quite vividly if we had been shot at. We'd also know the kind of man our pastor is after twenty-some years of regular church attendance.

I don't know too many people who call themselves conservatives/traditionalists who are ready to embrace a "League of Democracies" so we can make Europe love us again either.

The kowtowing, promises, butt-kissing and lies that these candidates are willing to endure are truly incredible, but certainly not unique in the history of American politics. What is unique is the state of communications and our seeming inability to focus on what is important.

I certainly find Hillary's lie to be just that, not a slip of the tongue. I don't believe that Senator Obama had no idea of the type of racism and lunacy his minister spouted, and I think Senator McCain is out of his cotton-picking-mind proposing a "League of Democracies". We have enough problems with our own judges without having some European court decide what we can or can't do. When you're the big dog, act like it - not just militarily, but in bringing aid and comfort anywhere in the world that it's needed. This is a great country, capable of doing a lot of good in the world, and it behooves us to meet the challenge.

In order for those who enjoy leaving a comment, which have never been edited to this point (thank you), here are the issues that most concern me - this should give you ample opportunity to tell me how whacked I am:

1.) SECURITY: For that segment that believes we are NOT at war, this should set you off immediately. However, if our borders are not secured and a program designed to help those here illegally find a path to citizenship, all of our other problems could easily disappear in the flash and electromagnetic discharge of a nuclear weapon. Lest you fear I'm "fear mongering", there are a lot of other catastrophes they can rain down upon us as well, the implications of which we can only guess at - especially with the current fragile state of the economy.

2.) ECONOMY: In a speech yesterday, Hillary told the crowd that those awful oil companies, insurance companies, drug companies, bankers and their ilk will be sadly disappointed when she's President, because she's going to represent the people. I wonder just who she thinks are the backbone of all these evil corporations? There will always be the Ken Lay's of the world, but I can attest from my years dealing with people all over this state that the vast majority of us always try to do what's right. Let's stop this class warfare garbage, stick the envy and jealousy aside, and start working towards Oil Independence! If we attacked our oil dependence as if it were a sworn enemy, maybe we keep Al Gore and his fantasy off of the world stage for a while.

3.) OUR CHILDREN: That covers a wide range of issues, but education is at the forefront of my thoughts. We have been graduating functional illiterates incapable of writing a lucid paragraph. We seem to want to stuff them full of useless information, instead of preparing them for the world that they have to face. As a product of the Baby Boom, education at that time did much the same as far as stuffing you full of facts, but you were expected to write legibly and coherently, and we weren't faced with the myriad of distractions that kids have now. As our math and science scores continue to drop compared to the rest of the world, maybe it's time to instill a little more discipline and direction - which should always start at home. Making a college education accessible and affordable for any citizen who wants it should be a priority.

The top three should offer sufficient fodder for all of you who would like to chime in - everyone is welcome.

Happy Easter!

For those of us who count ourselves as Christians, the celebration of Easter is on a par with Christmas because it recalls Christ's victory over death and the gift of eternal life for those that try and follow the precepts He gave us. You'll note the operative word: "try". For even the most devout are still human and subject to the whimsy of fate; tests in life that can be met with acceptance or rejection of God, assuming of course that you believe He exists.

It is difficult for me to understand how people go through life with no expectation of an "after life", but I know there are many people who feel that way. Regardless of how we view eternity, most people still try and follow basic rules of community, compassion and civility, much to the betterment of our society.

This Easter has been very special for us. Many of you are aware of my struggles with depression after the death of our daughter Bethany. This Easter is special because my wife has now officially joined the ranks of the Catholic Church. Some months after Beth died, our young grandson asked "Mima" why she wasn't Catholic like Aunt Beth was. After a dismissive reply, my wife started to consider the fact that all of her encouragement to the children regarding faith would have more of an impact if she herself began an investigation of her own.

Throughout the past year, as her sponsor, we meet on a regular basis with four wonderful women who work with people looking to convert to Catholicism. The beauty of joining my wife on her journey has been the reawakening of my own faith, which in turn has made our marriage of almost thirty years stronger than it has ever been. It has also served to refine my focus on life from what seems to be important to what really is important - God, family and reaching out to those who are in need.

This focus prompted an action this week that will alter the course of my life. I notified my employer that I intend to retire as of 10-31-08 after 25 years with the company. The main reason for my retirement is my desire to be home with my family, not out on the road 3 or 4 nights every week. There is no way I'll find anything that pays me like this job does, and I have no prospects whatsoever, and I couldn't be happier.

Sounds kind of crazy doesn't it. It's been a long time since I've to prepare a resume, and I don't know how many people are looking for a 56 year old who's looking to start a new career, but I have no doubt that the Lord will provide as long as I don't sit around on my butt waiting for Him to do everything.

Easter represents a new beginning; a springtime for the soul. I wish each and every one of you the joy and freedom of faith, what ever your guiding principles are, and I hope you and your families draw closer together than you ever have been this Easter.

It's Okay To Be Proud

I am unabashedly American with no desire to become a citizen of the world - at least not at this point in history. We are still the country that more people want to live in than any other in the world, and our Constitution is one of the main reasons they come; even if they don't know it.

Our freedom of speech is second to none. Some of our citizens took to the streets in Washington D.C. today. Some of them got arrested, but outside of a civil fine, that will probably be the extent of their punishment. Imagine someone trying to do that in Tianamen Square during the upcoming Olympics. With the world watching they have a slightly better chance of living, but past history has shown how freedom of speech is treated in China and elsewhere around the world.


Just as some of my fellow countrymen expressed their displeasure today, I too will take advantage of my right to free speech to say that I am still a proud supporter of our mission in Iraq. Like any other war, things go wrong, mistakes are made and the mission changes. The success of the surge is undeniable, at least to some of us, and I look forward to the draw down of our troops this summer.


Make no mistake, we still have thousands of troops in South Korea, in Japan, in Germany and elsewhere around the world. The missions those troops undertook were worth price we had to pay - from the boys of "The Greatest Generation" up to the present. The men and women who served in Vietnam were of the same make. They did not lose a war, their government and their fellow citizens did.


I am proud of our efforts to bring peace, stability, and the freedom for the Iraqi people to choose how they will be governed. A precipitous pullout of Iraq would give us another Vietnam, and the killing fields that sprung up in Cambodia after our bugout would have a good chance of blossoming in the Middle East.


I know many of my fellow citizens will find my opinion most distasteful, but I believe there are a lot more out there who feel like I do. Whatever your opinion, it's still okay to be proud that you are an American.

Thank You Mr. Spitzer

Let me first state that everyone of us is a hypocrite. At some point in time we have all acted in a manner that has caused us shame. As you may have heard before, you can tell a person's real character but what they do when they think no one is looking. I am of the conviction that people are basically good, regardless of whether they profess a religious belief or not, but we're all capable of being human - imagine that.

I'd like to thank Mr. Spitzer for doing the honorable thing. When you build your career on prosecuting a particular crime at the same time you're partaking in it, it doesn't lend itself to political stature. Mr. Spitzer, regardless of what you think of his politics, is a man that is now in need of prayer.

I can only speak for myself, but true remorse should be met with love and compassion. Reconciliation for the family is his primary focus in life right now, and I hope the love that his family has shared for many years will sustain them.

We all can be redeemed.

Winter Fun

It's Sunday morning, the clocks are forwarded, and the power has at last been restored - for now. Mother Nature decided to have fun with some of us here in Lewis County: rain, freezing rain, thunder and lightning, snow - then the trees and branches paid homage to Sir Isaac Newton, eliminating power on and off for most of Saturday, and then conking out for good around 8pm last night.

So while the power lasts (never any guarantees out here in the boondocks), I thought I'd share some of our Saturday evening with you. My son is home on a college break, daughter #3 was here, and we had two grandsons over for the evening. When the power went out, candles were lit, heat was no problem (until very early Sunday morning - by then the house had cooled considerably), so I went upstairs and grabbed my guitar. For the next hour or so, we sat in the living room singing songs.

I'm afraid I was unable to cover many of the requests from my grandsons, because I had never heard of any of the artists they wanted me to play. When they wanted a Beatles song I had them covered, but we decided that since the world already has Kid Rock, I might as well be Geezer Rock.

Just one evening without power, and you get somewhat of an idea of how our ancestors lived without power. With power, everyone had their own little world: me on my laptop, my wife on the PC, the boys on PS3 (that's Playstation 3 for those of you who don't have kids around), my daughter watching TV in her room. Without power, everyone joined together and we had a great time spending time with each other.

We humans tend not to see the downside of things that make life easier. In this case, the advent of microchips and satellites have enabled us to do things we never dreamt of 20 years ago. As we sail along on this sea of new inventions that give us a lot more free time, I guess its not such a bad idea to take a step back in time every now and then and see some of the good things that were lost as we "progress".

Earlier in the evening we had played "Family Feud" on the PS3 with the boys, but they just lost interest because none of the questions related to an 8 or a 9 year old boy. By reconnecting and remembering the benefits of spending time together as a family, maybe I'll just have to arrange for our own power outages on a more regular basis.

The Clinton Comeback & Limbaugh Lunacy

Kudos to Hillary Clinton for her dramatic wins in Texas and Ohio. Why the pundits ever count her out is beyond me. After two years of seeking the office, eight years in the office, a successful senatorial campaign - why would anyone ever doubt the Clinton Machine? The expertise of their machinations is only a piece of the picture, as Senator Obama's lack of experience will continue to plague him throughout this battle for the nomination.

If more fellow conservatives start to come down with Limbaugh Lunacy, then the Democrats would be foolish not to nominate her.

Rush may say that he wants you to vote for Hillary because she's more conservative than Senator McCain. That's absolute rubbish of course, but he couldn't tell you the real reason why he wants you to vote for Hillary, but I will.

You see, if Hillary is elected, he's counting on at least four years of accomplishing nothing, even with Democrat majorities in both houses. He's counting on the same kind of hatred that has been hurled at President Bush for the past eight years to rise again into the "Hatred of all things Clinton" that we endured in the 90's. I'm not talking about their policies or actions, I'm talking about the mindless hatred that many people still feel for Bill, but even more so for Hillary. The depth of the haters knowledge is the shallow end of the pool in most cases, regardless of who it is you hate.

If John McCain is elected President, then Rush's greatest fears come true. A Republican who is willing to work together with the opposition for the betterment of the country. Rush would much rather have gridlock than have the door of true bi-partisanship unlocked.

I disagree with Senator McCain on a number of issues, but I respect him as a man, and I would trust him to do what he thinks is right, even if I don't always agree. Leadership does not require that one to be a politician; it only requires honor, honesty and dignity.

Benito Jr. Rattles His Tanks

My favorite South American dictator is at it again. He's sent 10 tank battalions to Colombia's border, and his buddy in Ecuador has sent some of his tanks too. It seems that Colombia got carried away and killed a Marxist rebel leader of the group FARC and sixteen of his men. El Dufus has named Colombia the "Israel of South America" because they did not seek permission from the government of Ecuador before launching the attack.

Friends of the Little Latin Loupee will of course ask"What do you think the United States would do if another country bombed it's territory to kill terrorists?"

We'd ruffle our feathers and do a little squawking, and behind the scenes thank them for the help. Chances of that happening are remote of course, as I don't think Canada plans to attack anytime soon, and Mexico has chosen a different path to reconquer the lands it lost in The Mexican War.

I don't think that Hugo Chavez is quite ready to take on the United States militarily just yet, but when you're dealing with a nut case like Benito Jr. you can never take anything for granted. With the comfortable relationships he's established with Russia, Iran and Cuba, he'll most likely bide his time instead of attacking Colombia now. If Colombia makes the same mistake and attacks in Venezuela without notice, all bets are off.

I guess the thing that still amazes me the most is the fact that hardly anyone seems to care. CITGO gas stations blemish the countryside and we continue to put more money into this lunatics pockets everyday; enough money to buy submarines, helicopters, artillery, weapons, ammunition and anything else that becomes available on the black market.

Whether it's apathy or just the desire to save a few pennies per gallon is beside the point. Americans have been known to ignore threats before only to wake up to a Pearl Harbor or 9-11. That's probably the same way most Americans will be introduced to Mr. Chavez, or if we're lucky, he'll just cut off all the oil he supplies to us.

Maybe then the folks in Washington will have to come up with an alternative energy plan that literally attacks the problem as if it were a life threatening enemy - which it is.