Secretary of Nothing

Just read that Hillary will officially be nominated for the position of Secretary of State on Monday, December 1. My response to this is, "so what". Being named SoS is all a part of the good ol' boy network. If the job is so damned important name for me three of them. Hurry up and do it. I have to go to the bathroom.
I'm willing to go out on a limb and suggest that 5% of Americans might be able to tell us who the Secretary of State is at this exact moment in history and, quite possibly, not even that many.
Hillary Clinton's experience in this area was as First Lady. She traveled a lot, especially with daughter, Chelsea. I remember her riding atop an elephant while in India. That, in itself, is a conflict of interest. She should have been on a jackass but that's a political thing. Oh, and Hill told us she was shot at while trying to land in Bosnia. This qualifies her for some kind of soldier pay, I think.
Here's another one who brought the office to a higher standing. Her name is Madeline Albright. Just hearing her name in conjunction with this post might make some want to rise and sing the National Anthem while wiping away a tear. The North Koreans were wiping away tears while she was SoS except they were tears from laughing so hard at her gullibility.
Just so you know, on this subject, I'm balanced. The current holder of the office is Condi Rice, a smart lady, but I'm not up on too many of her accomplishments while she's been next to the President. What we really need is someone whose name has some pizazz. Someone like John Foster Dulles. He was a long time ago but the name sounds good even though no one remembers much about him.
See, being the Secretary of State is no big deal. In Hillary's case it allows Obama to keep a close eye on her. The real winner in this is Bill. He can continue to shack up with whomever without fear of having to stay home in Chappaqua while the wife is nearby. The old ball and chain will be gallivanting around the world while he takes his daily dose of Viagra.
What a country!

Worst Economy Since?

Yep, I'd say that the American people have been bombarded with comments from news people and politicians since early October that this is the worst economy since dinosauers roamed the earth.
It's going to take some in-depth research on my part to come up with the number of businesses that have failed since we were all informed about this "October Surprise" which happened to take place just prior to the-----election. I try to take notice of how bad or good things are by being observant. I try to see what people are or are not purchasing. Where they are or are not going, other than church. This Black Friday thing is quite interesting. Maybe I've been in a coma but is "Black Friday" a relatively new term? Yes, I know that the day after Thanksgiving has always been the number one shopping day for businesses. But, in your earlier life, did you ever read any articles or see videos of shoppers lining up at 4 am to get all the bargains that just couldn't wait until 9 am? Geesh, I'm talking a lot of shoppers in this supposed really bad economy. There was even a Wal-Mart guy in New York, trampled to death, when he was crushed by Black Friday shoppers who forced down the doors at four in the morning. Truth be told, consumer sales on this years Black Friday exceeded those in 2007 by 3% and that's a fact.
As I write, it's a Saturday afternoon. While watching TV I have flipped back and forth through four college football games, one college basketball game and one high school state championship football game. College football stadiums on a big time level seat around 70,000 to 80,000 plus. If you happen to be Tennessee, Michigan or Ohio State over 100,000 can get crammed into those butt restricted seats. This is only an educated guess but I have to think that a ticket at most big time college games goes for around $50. Since I live in the heart of Ohio State Buckeyeland their end tics can bring $80 or higher.
I watched a few minutes of the the Ohio State vs. Samford basketball game. Ticket prices range from $20 and up. I ask you: in this time of the world's worst economy, would you go see Samford play basketball? If you were a trillionaire, would you go see Samford play basketball? I've got a better question? Where the heck is Samford? And people still go watch them play. See, times aren't all that bad.
Seems to me if fans can shell out $100 for ducats, gas, food and beverage to a football game we need to reasses this poor economy thing. I didn't factor in the high school game. Parents have to go to those things. It's in their kiddie contract.
The point to be made regarding all of these games is, there wasn't an empty seat in the house at any event I watched today and that includes Samford. One would be hard pressed to attend a professional football, basketball, hockey and major college football game and not find a sellout crowd.
Restaurants are another indicator. They're packed. You don't suppose we're headed for a class warfare civil war do you among eaters; KFC takes on Morton's Steak House in a rump kicking contest. If so, I'm putting my money on the KFC guys. I actually don't know if fast food is suffering but I do know that the big-time, richie richie steak joints have full parking lots.
I've heard a lot about car dealerships closing. Maybe this is a good thing; sort of like culling a herd of deer. Of course, we know the big auto/union bailout is going to be determining the impact of this and real soon.
Maybe some of my readers can come up with other illustrations for this supposed horrid economy. I'd hate to think we can all be talked into a bad economy but I bet we can.

Ignorant Electorate

Seems there has been a lot in the news lately about how ill informed the American electorate was in the last election. 60% of Obama supporters cannot name one of his policies. Another poll was done by John Zogby illustrating how little his own supporters knew about him. The point in this poll was not to say that Obama supporters were stupid but to show how the media played such a significant role in determining public knowledge of issues. Example, Most thought that Sarah Palin wanted to ban books from the library or that she said she could see Russia from her front yard. People are force fed from the MSM but accept it as gospel.
One of my used to be favorite writers, Kathleen Parker, went over to the Dark Side prior to the election. She led a wave of anti-Palin writings against the governor of Alaska that would put a five yer old child to shame. Anyway, Ms. Parker wrote a piece on the ignorant electorate in America. It isn't a Republican, Democrat, Liberterian or Communist thing. It's an article on what the American people don't know about basic civics. This is no surprise to me. fWhen I was teaching high school, on the first day of class, I would give my junior history students a fifty question survey on what they should know. A typical question would be: What is the significance of July 4, 1776 or name the Vice-President of the United States. You get the picture.
A score of 50% would usually be grounds for throwing a party with lemonade, ice cream and cake.
Well, Mrs. Parker, in her column, told us that there is published a basic civics test for voters. It's a 33 question test. There were 2500 quiz-takers, including college students, elected officials, college professors and people selected at random. Nearly 1,800 flunked the test. Elected officials scored slightly less than the general public with an average score of 44% compared to 49%. Only 0.8% scored an A. If you would like to take the quiz you may go to http://www.aceofspadeshq.com/ then scroll down almost to the bottom of the page. It'll be a posting at 5:22pm. I think you might be able to retrieve it at http://www.nationalreviewonline.com/, too. I took the test. If you want to know how I did you'll have to ask. Furthermore, number one son scored 100% . He was given his mom's genes.

Adios To All

My son and I were talking about blogs the other day. He used to have one and did what I tried to do only he did it much better. He gave it up; says it's a platform for narcissism. I agree so I'm giving this up. If, however, you need a Mike-fix send scads of money to change my mind. I can be bought.

caloric intake and old goats

I happened to catch Dr. Isadore what's his name on Fox TV this Sunday morning. He gives sage advice on health and living longer for older people. Today he talked about fiber; something about peas, I think. I didn't realize peas were high fiber but the Dr. said we should eat more. I thought high fiber food might be shredded wheat, popcorn and hay but certainly not peas. He also said we need to exercise. That's pretty much common sense. We all exercise but only to varying degrees. Sometimes, my exercise regimen is walking to the mailbox which is all the way across the street. It's possible to live to be one hundred-twenty five or longer if we exercise properly and eat the right things, he said. The guy even profiled a lady who was 94 years old. She was lifting 3 lb. weights and riding a stationary bike.
Better yet, she had a "boy toy;" a younger kid who was only 90. They said something about Viagara but I plugged my ears; I just didn't want to go down that road, or maybe it was a case of jealousy.
The story ended up mentioning calories and how we should restrict them. Doc Isadore made a big deal out of cutting down calories. That's a hoot. He's big boy; might have to buy his suits at a tent and awning store.The fewer the calories one consumes he says, the longer we live. Somewhere I read, and I hope I'm right on this, an average sized man should have a daily intake of 2,300 calories.
I have one of those bodies that is "horizontally directional. It goes in and out without impediment. When I get really heavy I have a chest that would make Dolly Parton jealous. Check my closet and you'll know what I mean. I have pants with waistbands that read size 32 to 40. Saving size 34 makes me a positive thinker. Keeping size 32 slacks makes me a nut job. Since 1988 my weight has ranged from 188 lbs. to 261 lbs. It's interesting about being "fat". That person doesn't know it until they lose it. Then after you've shed the pounds your better half screws up the courage to tell you, "Wow, you were really fat". Once, when I was at my biggest, greatest, largest; I happened to be in Florida and stopped into a Burger King. I ordered a cup of coffee and as soon as I did one of the female order takers handed over a five dollar bill to her female co-worker. I saw the exchange and asked what that was all about. Her response was: "we saw you come in, made a bet and I lost. I had you for two Whoppers, two fries and a large shake". I think I started laughing but I might have been crying. Eventually, thanks to my good friend, Jenny Craig, I returned to near normalcy. Why was this narrative necessary? Well Dr. Isadore said that older adults should restrict themselves to 1,200 calories a day! Is he nuts? A plate of toe nails is more than 1,200 calories a day! Actually, 1200 calories would be equivalent to nine bowls of oatmeal. I can handle that. I like oatmeal.
I hope you appreciate my PSA. That's why I'm here.

Dr. Curt-Humility Redux

My wife and I recently had the opportunity to have dinner out with our dear friends, Dr. Curt and his beautiful and lovely wife, Amy. Curt has been a friend for nine years; first met him, where else, on the golf course.
In a very recent posting I wrote about humility and what it takes to achieve it. As a reminder, I had written that I felt self-confidence was the home base of humility. It's when a person is comfortable in their own skin.
I always know what's going to happen when we get together with the good doctor. He never alters his game plan. He grabs the check.
Those who have seen me belly up to the kitchen table know I can down a large meal in five minutes. I can eat an entire Longhorn steer in five minutes, hooves included. With Curt and Amy we sat, ate, talked and laughed for three hours and fifteen minutes. This is always a good sign. It means we're having an enjoyable evening. At the conclusion of our meal and when it was time to leave, The Man, predictably, picked up the check. I asked for a dutch" bill but he wouldn't allow it. It wasn't as though we were at Taco Bell or Arby's, either. It'd take the price of a down payment on a Cadillac Escalade to pay for this feast, tip not included. This wasn't humility on Curt's part but it surely was generosity. When we got to the front door and Curt needed to pay a one dollar bill to retrieve his wife's coat from the coat check lady he asked me if he could 'borrow' a dollar; seems his wallet was empty of cash. Let me remind you; the Pope doesn't have enough money to cover our dinner bill and this guy's asking to borrow a dollar. It gets better still. Both of our vehicles were in valet parking so I needed to give a tip for both cars. I'm virtually clueless about valet tips so I handed the kid eight bucks. What was Dr. Curt's response to my tip? "Mike, You an extremely generous man."
That statement, ladies and gentlemen, is humility.

Out of the Mainstream: Me?

Time to update an aspect of the November election. Initial numbers had shown that John McCain had defeated Barry Obama with the Catholic vote by 2%. This is a mistake on my part as the numbers have been updated. The President elect won the Catholic vote 54% to 45% McCain. I'll give some Catholics the benefit of the doubt on this. Is it possible that some were not even aware of his stance? After all, he did say that he wanted to reduce the number of abortions. Of course, every pro-abortion candidate candidate says this. Bill Clinton said this. Enough said. It could be that some members of my sect did not know of Obama's three votes allowing babies of botched abortions to die unattended. Maybe it wasn't talked about enough by the media. It wasn't. Maybe McCain only gave this aspect lip service. He did by not being specific.
It's one thing to say, I'm pro-life. It's quite another to give the graphic details of his opponent's stance but the Arizona guy didn't do it.
For me, there is no wiggle room on this subject. Period. There is no room for discussion. Period. There is no room for trying to find common ground. Period.
My son, a fine Catholic man, says we have to change hearts and minds first. Well, I don't have the time. I'm closing in on the 'check out' generation.
There are any number of types of Catholics; Cafeteria Catholics come to mind. They like to pick and choose what fits their lifestyle. Some Catholics are Cradle Catholics who lose interest and just don't go anymore. Some Catholics are C&E Catholics. They attend to Mass twice a year. The Church says they're out if they don't attend on Christmas and Easter so they just need to do the minimun to cover their you know what's. Personally, I don't care how Catholics practice their faith. I don't care if they attend church. Some of the most Christian people I know don't attend any church. Lord, knows I have enough trouble taking care of myself. In the big picture, though, don't tell me you're a Catholic then turn around and vote for someone who supports infanticide and in the process come up with every lame excuse to do so. One can't call themselves Catholic unless they practice the laws of the Church.
As I wrote in an earlier essay and will continue to write: pray for the unborn. Theirs is going to be a gruesome death. I wouldn't be so upset about this subject except I just found out Obama got 54% of the Catholic vote to McCain's 45%.

My Presidential Secret

As the sun sets on the George W. Bush administration: after the attack on The World Trade Center, Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania, did anyone think we could go this long without being attacked again? Be honest. You didn't?
I'm about to divulge something so embarrassing most won't believe what I'm about to write. My fingers are near arthritic just thinking about having to do this. There was a time in my life,(please, God, let me get through this ordeal) when my children were in their pre-teen years, I voted for President based on a specific detail. I decided that if a President had served his first term and had kept us out of a nuclear war I was willing to give him a second opportunity. I took the job of the executive office literally: to protect us from foreign invaders. You might now understand what I'm getting at. In the wake of 20% interest rates, automobile gas lines, lowered thermostats and American hostages, I voted for arguably one of the three worst Presidents of the 20th century. Yes, my philosophy has evolved and I now know that the party of surrender and retreat will continue be this way. The aftermath of Viet Nam, Laos and Cambodia should have convinced me but at the time, I just didn't think it through. Millions of slaughtered southeast Asians abandoned by Democrats should have been my wake up call.
I have never voted for President based on the economy and, hopefully, never will. Any normal high school grad should understand something called econ 101; recessions, depressions, recovery, prosperity. They are an integral part of the capitalistic system. If you can't live with it try totalitarianism.
Only my wife knew this story and to her credit she has kept her silence these thirty three years.

Egg on my Face?

My wife, Lizzie, and I are residents of Minnesota where we enjoy our time at the lake--for six months out of the year. When the leaves have fallen and the daytime temperature drops to the 40's, sometime around the end of September, we make a hiatus to Ohio. Since we were gone from our home for the November 4 election I had an absentee ballot sent to our winter home. As a newly registered Minnesotan I wasn't familiar with many candidates on the ballot but I did know the guys running for the US Senate. I'm referring to Norm Coleman and Al Franken. I'm not a big Coleman fan but the alternative; I don't think so. I filled out my ballot and mailed it in but on election day, my ballot came back to Ohio. It seems I had filled out all the required information but neglected to do something more than necessary-- sign the ballot. Holy Moses! As of today the recount shows Coleman up on Franken by 136 votes. You don't suppose, do you?

Dems, Autos and Failures

Yesterday, I happened to watch Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi and Barney Frank bluster on about the auto bailout and conditions that had to be met before the $25 billion dollars went their way. I howled out loud. I actually laughed b/c it was so hilarious. Granted, Big 3 management has more than their share of the blame as does the power of the unions but these Democrats in Washington need to consider their culpability in the failure(s) of the auto industry. They are trying to be tough on the industry when they are greatly responsible for maintaining the problem:
(1) CAFE(corporate average fuel economy) standards set by the government restrict free enterprise and limit vehicle choices; (2) the government's corporate tax rate, after Japan, is the second highest in the world. It's now at 35% or close to it. Ireland has the lowest in the world at 10% and industry is thriving. How do I know? It's a haven for foreign companies, that's how. It's no wonder these people want to go to The Emerald Isle. It's called profit. High corporate tax rates restrict competitiveness by the US on the world stage resulting in loss of sales then loss of jobs. It's a world economy, folks. (3) petroleum restrictions on domestic drilling. Automobiles use fossil fuels. It's a natural resource and we, in the United States have billions and billions of potential barrels to tap. Democrats want to move to a re-tooling of the industry and go green. I think they're talking about electric cars. I'm not a fan of plug ins and with the amount of domestic oil available why not utilize it while we can. In the meantime look into alternatives. Some of our congressmen have said, "why drill, it's going to take ten years to reap the results. In the same vein, "why continue to research cures for cancer. It might take up to ten years. Here's something else to consider about oil corporations. Prior to the last election I heard a constant drumbeat about Exxon, etc. and their excessive corporate profits. Well, Americans, who do you think does all the exploration to meet our daily needs? The oil companies spend billions to make our lives better. Correct me if I'm wrong but I think the oil companies make an eight cent profit on every gallon of gas. The Federal government makes anywhere from twenty cents to thirty cents a gallon for doing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. Just as with your tax burden the Federal government takes what they want without your input. (4) the most important part of the bailout, according to Barney Frank, is to save the unions. He has said in the last few days his priority in the bailout is to save the jobs of the blue collar worker. The $25 billion is only a drop in the bucket, according to Frank. He further stated they(blue collar workers) will need up to $100 billion to survive. I'm suggesting the Democrats demand the UAW think about re-tooling their own contracts first.
In the final analysis, our Democrat congress lays down the law to the auto industry but they are the biggest part of the problem, not the solution.

Peace of Mind

Wish I had been the author of what's printed below. I have a copy in my wallet. It can be of great help when one is going through internal turmoil. I wish I knew the author but I don't. My friend, Keith, sent it to me.

There comes a point in your life when you realize
who matters,
who never did,
who won't anymore...
and who always will.
So, don't worry about people from your past,
there's a reason why they didn't make it to your future.
Give this heart to everyone you don't want to lose.
'Be kinder than necessary
because everyone you meet is fighting
some kind of battle'.

The Vetted Monster

I had written a few days ago about detestable words; those that should be kicked out of the dictionary. One of them was this years political winner; 'vetted'. Being a former resident of Davenport, Iowa, I check out the local newspaper daily. Remember? I have to satisfy my obituary curiosity, too. Regardless, I saw a news blurb about a "vettfest". "Wow", I thought. There's going to be a get together of of vettophites; people who hate the word vetted or, God forbid, love it. I imagined 'vettophiles dancing around a huge fire offering chants to the Vettgods. What a relief! They were a group of Corvette lovers. This was a simple and gratifying explanation and a large load off my mind. It also reminded me of what my buddy, Craig, said to me when I told him my sister was going to marry a vet(t). He wondered how anyone could fall in love with a car.

California Dreamin'

Seems to me when there is a state vote on a constitutional amendment the majority vote should rule. I don't recall the conservative side losing a vote, then rioting in the streets, vandalizing churches inside and out and physically attacking those who disagree with them. This includes old ladies carrying crucifixes. But it does occur on the left. It's been happening every day, all across the United States, since the election took place. When this type of intimidation doesn't work to their satisfaction they take their case to the State Supreme Court. The hope is that they can secure a sympathy vote to overturn the election of the people by having the judiciary make, rather than interpret, the law. I, of course, refer to Proposition 8 outlawing gay marriage in California. It isn't up to me to say whether it's right or wrong. Actually, I'm lying. Homosexual marriage is wrong. Some of you might ask, "how can you say that"? Well, kissing another man and doing all the other stuff that goes with it just seems, well, icky. I'm not ready to offer an opinion on lesbian marriage because----I'm a man. I'm only kidding. It's wrong, too. Seriously, folks, civil unions: no problem. Marriage: I don't think so. What's next? Some guy falls in love with a shetland pony or his pooch and wants to make it permanent. When we dismiss the concept of A MAN and A WOMAN we've neutered everyone and everything. Whew! the legalities of this boggle the mind. The point in my original premise is this: the lefties who pride themselves on acceptance, diversity and tolerance and who support a big tent are a big hoax. Have you ever seen a conservative speaker get a pie thrown in their face by some cutesy college student? How many times has a liberal disrupted a speech given by a conservative while trying to make a point? I have the answer in a word; hundreds. It's a part of their culture. I will wager there is not on record a conservative group, college or otherwise, that has disrupted a liberal group or speaker from the other side let alone put a smack down on their face and body. I'll give you an example. Just the other day Bill Ayers, known radical terrorist, was invited to give a speech at Georgetown University(a Jesuit school). He was not harassed. In actuality, he was applauded by the attendees. How many think if Ann Coulter had given a speech in the same setting she would have been given the same treatment? Raise your hands. C'mon. There has to be someone out there. See. It wouldn't happen and the last I knew Ms. Coulter hadn't bombed any buildings.
This is the reason conservatives are more tolerant. I know I am. Why, just today a lady came to our house to install new drapes. She was an Obama supporter. I wanted to say, "how could you be so stupid", but I didn't. I didn't rap her upside the head, either. I am one tolerant kind of guy.

Helloooooo Minnesota-election 2008

"It's not who votes. It's who counts the votes."
Nikita Khrushchev

Word Games

Words in everyday use are like colds. Some attach themselves to our daily lives and we just cannot get rid of them. I read an article that came out of England awhile back that told about words that should be stricken from our down dead! They had a top 10 list. Some words we just beat to death. Initially, they remind us of a song we feel is on a par with something that came out of Mozart's head. After listening to it for a thousand times or so you hope it disappears forever. Does the Chipmunk Song or One Eyed One Horned Flying Purple People Eater, ring a bell?
For us folks over sixty or even you youngsters over fifty was there anything more irritating than "groovy". Any type of food was groovy. Church was groovy. Even toilet paper was groovy. For me, never hearing the word again would be groovy. I suspect every generation has their word or word phrases. It establishes their identity. Go back and check out the 'Roaring Twenties". The decade was a menagerie of catch words and phrases. Newspeople have given us two words I want to throw into a pot of boiling oil. How did the word 'gravitas' come to be so special? Dick Cheney had 'gravitas' but George Bush didn't.
Anybody familiar with 'vetted' before this last political go round please contact me. If vetted was torture it would be water boarding.
Right now, today, if I never hear the words awesome and amazing it'll be much too soon. I think these came out of Hollywood. My guess is it was Pamela Sue Anderson who uttered awesome first, as in, "PETA is just awesome" or "If I could act it would be awesome". The words awesome and amazing are interchangeable.
Another word series I cringed over came out of Gulf War I. Journalists and Ted Kennedy constantly reminded us that this war was going to be a quagmire for the United States. Saddam Hussein's Elite Guard had the ability to 'hunker down' and outlast the US Forces. Please be reminded that the United States had defeated Germany, Japan and Italy in the greatest conflagration of the twentieth century. Yeah, they hunkered down alright. Then they threw up their arms faster than the French did in WWI and WWII combined.
Everyone has their own wordophobia. Feel free to add to my list the ones that cause you a bad case of shingles.

Reading Obituaries

When reading newspapers I go through a specific sequence. Up to the age of thirty it was the sports page only. Since then it's letters to the editor followed by the national news section. After that it's on to the local news, weather and, recently, I've added obituaries.
People who read obits, I suspect, do it for the same reasons: (1) to find out if we know the recently departed; (2) to see how many are younger than us. It can be a bitter sweet experience. You feel sad for them and their family due to their youth. Still, it's a victory of sorts because we're still breathing. I recall a student of mine giving me a good natured verbal blast on my thirty-fourth and I irreverently responded; "Well, I beat Jesus, didn't I"? (3) some look for interesting obits. I read an obituary two years ago that took up the entire length of the page. The deceased had more experiences than Hugh Hefner. It was as though he had climbed Mt. Everest and written children's books.. Whoever wrote about him liked that person a lot. I hope they got over their grief.
I've also noticed that when pictures are included with the obit they are of two types. If the person who dies is over the age of eighty and they are men the picture is current unless he was in the Armed Forces. Then we get the uniform picture. If it's a woman over eighty somebody sticks in a picture of when she was twenty-five. It's easy to tell how old she was since the photo looks like it was taken just prior to her making a mad dash to a Benny Goodman concert.
Reading obits is directly proportional to one's age. My kids don't. I do it every day.
Obituaries also remind me of an early teaching experience and it took place in 1974 . Education was unusual in the 70's; seems we were inundated with weirdo curiculum. The English department in the new school I was hired to coach basketball and teach was offering scrabble, crossword puzzle and the most popular subject, comic book reading. Go figure! The History department was not far behind. Since I was the "newbie" I was assigned a new subject, Thanatology-the study of death and dying. Come to find out, I was the first high school instructor in the nation to do this. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross had published the first Death and Dying text so I borrowed greatly from her. It seemed students were crawling out of the woodwork to take my class. I thought my excellent teaching credentials had preceded me but then the truth was revealed. "New teacher-basketball coach-easy class-easy A".
In the final analysis the class turned out to be rather successful. We did the trips to the funeral home, studies of world traditions, visits to cemeteries and even a pet cemetery. How can I ever forget the grave stone that read: "Hear lies Fluffy-struck down by a truck".
One requirement was to have my students write their own obituary. It was a reality thing and I didn't expect much. At seventeen what can a person write; played Little League, ate an ice cream cone, kissed Mary Lou, went to the prom.
Obituaries are fun to read. Ben Franklin had a good one. Try it yourself and see if you do it honestly. It can be quite humbling.

Workings Of A Busy Mind

My body is in need of many workouts so I found myself on the treadmill at the local rec center this morning. With no television to distract I was forced to do my thing while looking out the window at trees and grass. It's amazing what goes through the mind when your subconscious takes over. I had thoughts on a variety of subjects in no particular sequence. My brain was a buzz of activity. It has to be this way for everyone. Here are some observations I made:
*I have five very best friends in the world. I'd be safe in wagering they're more my best friends than I am theirs but here's the gist; They make me feel a whole lot better about myself after I've left them that when we first got together. What a wonderful quality they have.
*My friend, Steve Hinkley, should be a stand up comic. He is that funny.
I don't mind being his personal pin cushion, either.
* Vermont and Minnesota are communist states. New York and California aren't since they think they're mainstream.
*I love being a native Iowan. If you haven't spent time there you should.
*Why is it when the Iowa Hawkeyes are on TV the networks show a picture of corn, cows and a barn? I lived there from birth to age 42 and except for having a farm girl girlfriend for a brief time in high school, never got close to the farm.
*Government bailouts are hand outs, not hand ups. I predict if the bailout of $25 billion goes to the auto industry earmarks will jump it to $100 billion.
*I wonder how many congressional democrats send their kids to DC public schools.
*My children have never done anything to disappoint their mother or myself.
*I am a very fortunate man.
*The most important quality a person can have is humility. It's a trait that bothers me because I have to constantly think about putting others ahead of myself. I don't know for certain but I think it's something that has to be instilled as a young person. It's that ability to suppress an ego and stay out of the limelight. These people have the power to be comfortable in their own skin. Self-confidence is the home base of humility.
*If you are going to be hired by a company check out the humility of your superior. If he's humble, take the job.
*We have a swan in the pond behind our new condo. I think that's nice.
*While doing some weightlifting I noticed I was in a room with blue haired ladies and quite a few bald men sporting hearing aids. This might make me OLD.
*How did I get so old so fast?
*Is it okay to look at pretty woman and hot babes when you're in your 80"s? I hope so.
*I have met some very interesting people in my life; celebrities and regular Joe's
*Golf is the best game invented. What I wouldn't give to be really good at the game. As I've gotten older I realize it's not the course you play but the people you play with.
*The two most interesting God made things I've seen are The Grand Canyon and The Redwood National Forest. Until I visited St. Peter's Basilica I thought The Palace of Versailles was the most impressive man made structure I'd seen. The very best and most scenic golf course I have played is Old Head at Kinsale on a peninsula in southwest Ireland.
*In my last job that lasted twenty years and from which I retired I can say the following: there isn't one bad thing I can say about my boss, every employee and the company in general. I wonder how many can say that.
That's it for my rec center brain scan for today. I can hardly wait for tomorrow.

Why Computers Crash

This won't come as a big surprise to anyone who knows me but when it comes to the inner workings of a computer my IQ is comparable to a lichen. I turn 'em on and shut 'em off. That's my expertise. I'm not computer savvy, okay! I've been a computer user for ten years. The first eight was company forced. The last two has been because it's become an addiction. I'm not especially proud of this but I can remember days when I've been lying on the couch watching TV, with a computer on my lap, and eleven hours later it's bedtime.
Three days ago my computer caught one of these things called a virus. It was anti-virus 2009. From what I understand it's the real bad one. I took my computer to a fixit store and was told it would cost $200.00. Ouch! Being sort of a cheapskate I called Dell and they put me in touch with Microsoft based out of the Phillipines. Voila! Three hours later the computer is cleaned and up and running at no charge! Being computer stupid does have it's privileges. While talking with my Filipino friend I convinced him I was really, really stupid; more stupid than stupid could be. I actually overdid my computer ignorance in this area but what eventually happens is that my expert friend asks if I can just turn over the computer to him. "No problem", say I. From then on I retire to the TV room with the phone next to my ear while he does all the work. Every so often he'll ask a question and I respond with, "Uh-huh". When he's done I say, "thank you" and I'm back to being my normal ignorant self.
Care to guess the number 2 cause for a computer virus. It's YouTube. That's how I picked it up. Long story short: I was reading about a New England Patriot's cheerleader who was kicked off the squad because she had racial and pro-nazi slogans on her Facebook page. I have two comments on this: (1) what in the world was she thinking? (2) Since she's a big-time cheerleader I figure she had to be pretty good looking so I wanted to check her out. As soon as I clicked on the video the computer crashed. Now you know what not to do.
Another question: Can you guess what web site(s) are the number one carriers of viruses? Easy one, wasn't it?

ACORN And The Catholic Church: Hang Onto Your Wallets

How would you like to save some cash? I thought so. Sunday, November 23 is scheduled to be a day set aside at Catholic Churches across the US to collect donations for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. In essence, the cause is good. Money is collected to provide help for the needy. However, the CCHD is an arm of ACORN. Unless you haven't yet fallen from the Christmas tree, ACORN was significantly involved in voter fraud in the past election. Also, the brother of the founder of ACORN, Dale Rathke, has been accused of embezzling nearly $1 million from the organization. The CCHD has donated $7.3 million to ACORN in the last decade. Because of this controversy discussion took place at a meeting of Catholic bishops in Baltimore last week according to CNN news. A news release was issued by the auxilliary bishop of New Orleans, Roger Marin stating: "the Catholic Church is cutting all ties to the CCHD and ACORN".
Now is when it gets interesting. Last week I confirmed this edict with a representative of the Diocese of Columbus, Ohio and, yes, according to a spokesman from the Diocese all donations were to cease immediately. At today's Mass in Dublin, Ohio there was a blurb in the Church bulletin encouraging parishioners to give to the CCHD next Sunday. I e-mailed the monsignor about this and his response was that he had not received any directives from the Diocese but would call tomorrow(11/17) to confirm. This does not surprise me that there is a lack of communication between the Parish and the Bishop. Sometimes the locals absolutely ignore what comes from the top. I'm not saying this is the case here but clarification would make life for parishioners a lot easier. I have a number of priest friends. Believe me, politics runs deep within the Church. Priests are men of God but they are also men, period. Please, let me state again: the collection for CCHD is to take place across the nation on the 23rd of November. I'm betting a lot of folks are going to be duped ----AGAIN.

Change You Can't Believe In

Shazam!! As of today(11/14) there have been 47 staffers hired by the newly formed Obama administration. Of these, 31 are former Clinton employees. There may(will) be more to come. News sources say that Queen Hillary is on the short list to be Secretary of State.
In addition, this is what we've learned in the last twenty-four hours: according to communist Bill Ayers, he and The Messiah have been friends for a long time. This sounds somewhat different from "he was someone who lived in the neighborhood who I barely knew, blah-blah-blah". In an interview given by O in 2004 to a Chicago journalist he stated that he, Michelle and the children were weekly worshippers at Rev. Wright's church. Remember when Obama threw Wright under the bus by saying if he had known about his radical beliefs he would have left the church sooner? The news reporter stated she did not want to come forward earlier due to a fear of influencing the election. Guess what? She did. Lies, lies and more lies from Bubba II.
And for you suckers who voted for this Marxist you can reach over and KYA goodbye, along with your 401k.

UAW Workers-I Want Their Job

Are you thinking we need a bailout for the Big Three auto workers? Maybe you'll change your mind after reading the following. There are 15,000 UAW workers who are paid $81.00 an hour for doing nothing related to the manufacturing of automobiles. In their plants there isn't a demand for autos so there is no work for them. The closest plant to Columbus, Ohio that practices this unique form of manufacturing is a GM plant located on the southwest corner of Ft. Wayne, Indiana. At this facility any number of guys clock in, then head to the cafeteria where they perform such tasks as playing video games, cards and watching television. In between they eat lunch or dinner. After these daily 'jobs' are completed they have to remember to clock out. The cost for these 15,000 comes to $1.4 billion dollars per year. Their contract expires in 2009 so look for more of the same. By the way, whenever the minimum wage increases, base pay and benefits increase proportionately for the UAW.

Abortion-The darn thing just won't go away

Abortion is just one of those things people try to put out of their minds as if it doesn't exist; sort of like the bludgeoned baby seals in Canada. I guess it's here to stay, "oh, and by the way, don't talk to me about saline solutions and scissors in the skull". That's normally the attitude, isn't it?
I read an article in our Columbus Dispatch on Tuesday, Nov. 11 with banner headlines. It was supposed to be a feel good article: "Abortions Greatly Reduced In Ohio In '07." My interest was piqued. Abortions were down that year by 6%. There were ONLY 38,000 plus( I think the plus was around 800) performed.(Is "performed" the right word?) I was shocked. A pro-life group felt that they were making progress with this report. I was still in a state of shock. Of these one third came from the black community. I continued to be shocked; thought there would be more. This has to be one of the largest industries in Ohio; 38,000 plus babies killed every year. What's the going rate for an abortion at Planned Parenthood? I'm thinking $400. That adds up to a lot of cash for someone. I'm hoping the providers have the decency to take off for Easter and Christmas. The irony of this might be too much to comprehend except that Planned Parenthood in '07 encouraged giving an abortion at Christmastime as a gift. Along this same vein, I was listening to one of my fantasy girls on radio this morning. I absolutely love Laura Ingraham who is one of the very best on talk radio. She is a convert to Catholicism and a breast cancer survivor. She is sincere and devout in her faith which I find is typical of converts and she isn't afraid to talk about it on the radio. I recall when she covered the arrival of Pope Benedict to the United States last year. She was absolutely giddy being in his presence. I could hear it in her voice. On her show this morning was Raymond Arroyo, the host of The World Over program on Catholic radio station EWTN. In our recent election, stated Arroyo, Catholics supported Obama by 54% over McCain's 45%. Evangelicals voted McCain 80%-20%. "Listen up, Catholics. Grow up and stop being so selfish." Obama has consistently stated that when elected he will immediately put into place the Freedom of Choice Act(FOCA). Abortions will begin on all American bases and federal property around the world without question. There will be as few restrictions placed on abortion in this country as is allowed. Partial Birth abortions will be legalized. In essence, there will be no restrictions placed on abortion. I absolutely cringe when I see the names of "Catholics" in Congress who sponsored this bill. Federal funds will be denied to those hospitals who do not follow all dictates of FOCA. Stop and consider the number of Catholic hospitals in the US that are associated with health care providers and that keep their doors open through federal funding. The Catholic hospitals are not going to give into this deliberate criminalization by the government calling for mass murder. Did I mention there are 49 other states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and all other US protectorates that will come under the auspices of FOCA? So for you who voted Obama because of the economy you just might be helping put thousands of health care providers out of business and cause a great number of hospitals to be shut down. Don't worry your consciences though. As long as we can put to death 38,000 plus a day in Ohio one of our core industries will survive.

Veteran's Day/thank you

I never had the opportunity to be in the Armed Forces. They wouldn't take me. Many of my friends served in Viet Nam and they have my sincere gratitude. Admiration for those who were in all of our conflicts and wore the uniform should be in all of us. It's probably the reason for my appreciation of American History. Veterans sacrifices were many and we honor them. Sadly, on this Veteran's Day, it has to be noted that the Washington Post and New York Times made no mention of their national holiday.

H. Norman Schwarzkopf--YES

Slap my forehead and call me stupid. Why not H. Norman Schwarzkopf as our standard bearer in 2012? He's got my respect. The only drawback would be his age of 78. The media would make a big deal out of it but who cares about them. The guy is tougher than tough. Think about it! This man would do some serious butt kicking. He has the best attributes of Vince Lombardi, Teddy Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan. How about this for order number One: "Take no prisoners, boys. Now drop down, give me fifty and suck gravel while you're doin' it". "YES, SIR. Mr. President".

The Draft of 2009

In a recent blog JB Williams was referenced as a patriot and, if you happen to be a liberal, a charter member of the Vast Right-Wing conspiracy. Please read his latest work. You will have to google: JB Williams: Obama to re-instate the draft, posted Nov. 10, 2008. The article is going to be a part of my permanent file and will be re-read over and over just to see the result. If you love the Messiah you'll scoff but if you have doubts about our future direction, well, God help us. Not trying to be an I told you so, one of my earlier blogs referenced a speech made by O on July 2 of '08 referencing what he wants to do with a civilian military and it isn't pretty.

Joe Boozer

A very humorous exchange took place on the Charley Rose TV Show on Friday, October 29 just prior to the election. In a conversation with Tom Brokaw the question was asked as to where Joe Biden had been the last week of the campaign. It was Brokaw who said the democrats had most likely locked him in a bar. In a not so funny conversation both said that America doesn't know anything about Obama. We don't know anything about his China policy and, really, the only thing we do know about him is what is written in his books. Helloooo! Where were these clowns when it counted? The rats are coming out of the woodwork, too. An ombudsman for the Washington Post, Deborah Howell, today said that yes, indeed, the WaPo was biased for the Messiah during the campaign.

my favorite web sites

Wishing doesn't make it so, as in, I wish my mind was so fertile I could write creatively without help. Therefore, ideas come to me through a variety of sources. Mostly, I am a supplier of information and hope that my readers find intriguing stories to tell friends and family. If you are interested in a wide variety of news sources and subject matter give lucianne.com a try. The site is the brainstorm of Lucianne Goldberg who gained fame as a friend and confidante of Linda Tripp; responsible for exposing Monica Lewinsky for the mess that she was and who nearly brought down the perverted administration of Bubba Boy. In case you forgot, Ms. Tripp was vilified by the press, liberals in general and the Clinton administration because she refused to lie to a grand jury when requested to do so by Lewinsky. Mrs. Goldberg is also the mother of Jonah Goldberg, the award winning conservative author and journalist. The site is a compilation of news articles from around the world but mostly the US. It is a scroll down page and is updated around the clock. Lucianne.com is my daily breakfast, lunch and dinner. It's dessert and a midnight snack. Drudge is good, too, since there are such a wide variety of subjects and personalities. In addition, the liberal side is available just to irritate the sane. One of my truly enjoyable pages is canadafreepress.com and it comes out of Toronto. The editor is Judi McLeod whose Canadian roots have grown into a very sincere love and appreciation of the United States. Judi is very accessible as we have exchanged a number of e-mails. She is a treasure as are the inspirational contributors who make for such thoughtful reading. One of my heroes, because of his love of this country, is JB Williams, a real American patriot. National Review Online is fabulous as is the American Spectator. Investors Business Daily keeps me grounded with it's common sense editorials. For variety try Townhall.com and Human Events. Wednesday is Christmas Day for me at Human Events. That's when Ann Coulter's column appears. As a political satirist there is none better. In the vernacular of today, "She Rocks".
I think you will find that my conservative sites, overall, are far different from the liberal ones; Daily Kos and Huffington Post quickly come to mind. In ours one will never be subjected to postings that hope and pray for the death of Christians, presidents and pro-lifers. I have had thoughts of the death of liberalism but then what fun would we on the right have? Is there anyone more hilarious than Barney Frank? Throw in Dennis Kucinich and you've got a carnival.
Just so you know that politics doesn't completely dominate my life, you should check out http://www.sportsillustrated.com/. This is by far the absolute very best sports site created. It's updated constantly. All professional, collegiate and high sports are covered. For normal males the SI swimsuit issue is there, too. Enjoy.

Go Hawks

What a pleasant surprise: Iowa 24- Penn State 23. I admit I gave up on the Hawks when they had a 3rd and long from their own 35 yard line with a minute to play. My wife(Elizabeth Bennett--remember?)and I were going out so I was more than happy to shut off the television. If it appears my team is going to be defeated off goes the tube. Then I can honestly say I have never seen my favorite team lose. I've been doing this for years. This is why it's so easy to be a Cubs fan. Lizzie had to pick up a birthday card for a party we were going to attend so I was in the parking lot of a Walgreens pharmacy, listening on the radio, when the deciding field goal went through the uprights with one second left on the game clock. I imagine I looked and sounded pretty silly while cheering and jumping around in the front seat of my van. I'm kicking the door in on 63 years but sometimes it's fun to be a kid all over again.

Homework lesson for my readers

My fingers are tired today so I'm asking my readers to do some research. I'm under the impression that intelligent and learned scholars of world affairs are aware of George Soros. He's more than a left-wing radical. He's a multi-millionaire, maybe a billionaire, who's cash has greatly influenced presidential and congressional elections for over a decade. His ability to money peddle has been greatly enhanced because of the passage of the McCain-Feingold Act. His best friend is Peter B. Lewis. I'm betting most Americans haven't heard of him because he keeps such a low profile. Mr. Lewis is the retired CEO of Progressive Insurance. He is now on the Board of Directors of the company and living in Florida. Your assignment, should you choose to accept it(my apology to Mission Impossible) is to determine how much money Mr. Lewis has donated to Americans Coming Together(ACT), ACORN, MoveOn.org, Media Matters and The Center for American Progress; all Marxist/socialist front organizations begun by Soros with seed money. The point is, if you are buying Progressive insurance in any form, you might want to reconsider.
Hopefully, you will give some serious thought to your next insurance provider.
It almost slipped my mind: Warren Buffett owns GEICO.

I FEEL BETTER. HOW ABOUT YOU?

"This is our time"
"I will change the world."
"Believe."
"Change."
"Hope."
"We are what we've been waiting for."
"We live in the greatest country in the world. Watch as we change it."
"Change we can believe in."
"Yes we can."
I feel better. How about you?

THIS IS AMAZING: I CAN UNDERSTAND SWAHILI!

What a revelation! I have been in contact with a relative from the Homeland; i.e. Germany. The big problem was that he would send me a message and since I haven't used my German since 1969 I would pour over his note trying to make out the meaning of every dich, der and das. My cousin, Paul Loehrer,(pronounced "lair") who lives in Wisconsin(Wisconsin, if you didn't know, is a suburb of Germany), is responsible for doing the legwork on this new found relative and wrote to me that there is a web site that allows me to translate my written letter from English to German. It works! Not only that, the writer can have his letter translated into any number of languages in a matter of seconds. The web site is: http://www.translate.google.com/. The process also works in reverse. My German relative can send the letter in his language then I click on the English box and it automatically becomes English. Yes, I know, many of you will say, "Loehrer, what a maroon. I knew this years ago". Well, I didn't but I do now. I still have to learn how to edit and paste but that's why I have a wife, children and grandchildren.

New blog character

Attention to all: A certain person who resides in our household would like to remain anonymous in my blogs. I will facilitate her wishes by giving her the nom de plume of Elizabeth Bennett or Lizzie, her favorite character from her favorite movie: The Pride and The Prejudice. I, however, refuse to become Mr. Darcy.

Hockey

I've become a fan of the Columbus Blue Jackets. That's our professional hockey team in the National Hockey League. That, America, is the big time. It took awhile to learn the rules but it's a lot like basketball in that three players fill the lanes and try to slam the puck into the net which is sort of like a basket. There are penalties(fouls) and an occasional fight. I think each team has an agreement before the game to have X number of fights just to keep the crowd into things. There are position designations but I'm too lazy to memorize them. My wife likes going to games because she's a people watcher. I'd say that's the number one reason wives attend. Single girls, however, most likely attend for other reasons. I hope the Jackets are good this year since 20,000 seats need to be filled. I think there are four thousand teams in the NHL, give or take a couple of hundred, but the Jackets are the only team that has never made the playoffs. My favorite player is Rick Nash. He has to be. I can't pronounce the names of the players from Quebec.

The Great Depression of 2008

Once again our elected government officials are fear mongering the economy as if we were all just around the corner from bread and soup lines. Yes, the markets are down but since the inception of the Dow Jones on Wall Street(1882) there has never been a 7 year period when the market didn't make money.(google: Dow Jones history data-1900 thru 2008- for a visual) Wailing and gnashing of teeth can be heard by some since they won't be able to vacation in Florida this year. When some are questioned about their livelihood we're told that they're not doing badly but the guy up the street is in danger of losing his home, etc. I've not met that guy but I'm certain there are some. With 300 million people there has to be. With 300 million people some will have a terminal disease and some will have a cold. The point is, sometimes we have more money in our pockets than at other times. Spend accordingly. I don't go to Starbucks nearly as often as I used to. I find that when I scramble two eggs and put a muffin in the toaster I have more cash in my wallet than if I had gone to Bob Evans. Imagine that! Too often we let politicians get us bogged down with a mind set and at this time they tell us we have a national crisis. We don't have a national crisis. We have a downturn in the economy. Granted, it was brought on by ridiculous government spending and easy loans by the democrats to potential home owners who didn't have a chance in hell of making payments. Attention! Stop spending and save. It's going to be okay unless we let the spenders stampede us into doing more foolish things; as in bailouts.
Our unemployment rate, nationally, is 6.5%. I've had supposedly knowledgeable businessmen tell me how devastating this is. People, full employment is considered to be 5% and this is due to the fact that these 5% do not want to or cannot work. The unemployment rate at the height of the real Great Depression was 25%. Now that's unemployment!

election 2012

Not Already! Yes, folks, the web sites are up and the candidates for 2012 are in the gear up mode. It's common knowledge that the Romney campaign committee is already undercutting Governor Palin. It's a sad state of affairs that the McCain group has thrown Sarah P. off the cliff. Look in the mirror, ladies and gentleman. You ran a horrible campaign with a bad candidate. I was never an enthusiastic supporter of McCain but the alternative----a do nothing, know nothing, say anything Chicago Marxist? If Ms. Palin was as bad as the press and some Repubs claim why are they still in the attack mode? Don't be surprised to see her take over for Sen. Ted Stevens after he goes to the big house for corrupting activities.(My wife suggested this to me and I think she's correct) Four years is a long time so don't place your bets on a candidate yet. I picked George Allen of Virginia to be "the man" for '08 but by uttering one ridiculous word, "Macacca", the media effectively took him out of the race. What we will see is a movement to the right based on the Reagan Principles. My son's hero is Bobby Jindal, the governor from Louisiana and I must admit he has the potential and leadership skills necessary. Mike Pence, representative from of Indiana isn't a stiff, either.
There's an old coaching story that is apropo in light of our recent electoral defeat.
The head football coach calls a time out and talks to his charges: "Men, we're behind 20-0, we have the ball on our own three yard line and there's only two minutes to play. We've got 'em right where we want em". I like that never give up attitude. Charge: onward and upward!

packing box peanuts

My wife and I moved into a condo a month ago. Everything went smoothly except that it took those four weeks to find our everyday silverware and heirloom silverware from Ireland that has been in my wife's family for generations. The experience of looking for it was as frustrating as when I misplace my wallet which is every other week. The silverware was eventually found and as is usually the case it was in a place we had looked two hundred times-minimum. It's called a garage! I think the absolute worst thing about moving is the use of packing peanuts. Getting rid of them is not an easy thing to do and if you try doing the task by yourself it's best to just dump them on the floor and use a broom and dust pan to pick them up. Me, being the competitor that I am, have to make a game out of everything. I tried dumping them into a large, black plastic garbage bag straight from the box, all the while knowing that every one of those styrofoam peanuts was going on the ground. Except you don't know this until you put down the box, see the mess, and say "dammit". I should've just throw them on the floor and used a broom and dust pan.

automotive boondoggle

Representatives of the Big 3 automotive makers out of Michigan met with Speaker Pelosi yesterday begging her(Congress) to bail them out with $25 billion of our money so they can stay afloat. All of the US auto makers lost billions last year and need a bailout. How could this happen? Well, for starters, and for the most part, they make crap cars for an excessive amount of money. If you make a good product people will buy it. This is why Toyota is the number one seller in the country and Nissan and Honda are not far behind. And, guess what? Their management pays them a good, living wage with top of the line benefits. According to journalist Cal Thomas who did the research Union members of The Big 3 average $80.00 an hour including benefits. These are non-skilled hourly workers. And every time the minimum wage increases it's built into union contracts that their wages automatically increase. What a joke! I had the misfortune of working in a Ford plant in Wixom, Michigan about ten years ago. It was my first time in an auto plant and it was an eye opener. I had sold them a bearing protection seal and was in the process of installing it on a building roof. I had to have a union representative watch me put in our seal. It was fast approaching sundown and I was having trouble seeing the work to be done. I was within ten minutes of completing the project when the light bulb above our heads burned out. There was a box of five more bulbs not more than ten feet from us but the union worker, Randy C., would not screw in the bulb because he didn't have a union signed work order. I had to get a motel and come back the next morning to finish the job.
Nash, Studebaker, Oldsmobile. Remember them? They don't exist any more because people didn't buy them. If the auto industry makes a competitive product they'll survive but it isn't our responsibility to bail out their sorry butts if they can't compete in a competitive world. Sadly, the bailout will happen because the Dems will lose the blue collar vote and politics is more important to them than what's good for the country.

What's in a name?

I was golfing with one of my buddies yesterday and he said he didn't think he could ever get used to having a President named Hussein Obama. I can't recall a white man, in my lifetime, with the name of Washington, Jefferson or Lincoln.

A very ashamed Catholic

Poll results from Pennsylvania show that Roman Catholics supported John McCain by only 2% and that Catholics made up one third of the state's population. Sadly, I'm sure this trend will be a familiar one throughout the nation. All that's left to be said is, pray for the souls of the unborn because theirs is going to be a gruesome death.

Many Questions

It's quite possible we may elect to the presidency of the United States a person about whom we know absolutely nothing. Not just a little, not a lot, but nothing.

the end of journalism

Journalists and journalism died in 2008. To coin a phrase initiated by the Clintons': journalists succeeded in effectively using the politics of personal destruction against McCain/Palin. All stories published about Obama were 70% positive. For McCain it was 30%. Never in my life have I seen so much tilted information slanted against one group to push a common cause. To further illustrate, the Washington DC press was polled as to their political preference. 85% selected Obama. Someday I'll write about Keith Olbermann.

Coach Hensler: A real coach

One of my very dear friends is probably going to retire from coaching after next Saturday. I say probably because he's been threatening to do this for the last four years. But as the grass starts to get brown and that certain smell that hangs in the air that only coaches recognize Keith Hensler decides to give it one more year.
I first met Keith in 1977 when I did my one year stint as a teacher at Mukwonago, Wisconsin High School. Keith came out of Morrisson, Illinois and had his first job in Irwin, Iowa. I believe he took an assistants job at Mukwonago in '76. Kiki(that's every one's pet name for him) became the head coach around 1980 and stayed in that position until 2005. Between those years he won a slew of games and I got to go to that beautiful part of southeast Wisconsin at least once year to watch his teams do their magic. Keith's team won the large school state championship in 2004. What a thrill for him and for me, too, as I watched the clock tick down at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison. Did I mention that he was elected to the Wisconsin Coaches Hall of Fame? After the 2005 season Coach Hensler retired from Mukwonago but a few months later was brought out of retirement to be an assistant at Ripon College. Ripon ends their season next week and Keith told me this is "probably" going to be it for him.
Keith is truly unique. Since I was in the profession for twenty years I feel more than qualified to write on this subject. I have never met a coach who didn't have an ego. To one degree or another they range from small to bigger than huge. With all of his successes, honors and accolades Keith's remains in the small category and that's what makes him such a gentleman. I've always marveled at what makes him so contented. To him, a great time is going to a minor league baseball game and having a beer and a brat. I've heard him say that the thing he looks most forward to when he goes to the county fair is to have a corn dog. Good Lord, how wonderful and Midwest is that? One of his favorite sayings when he's happiest is, "it warms the cockles of me heart". Now, in his mid-sixties, the really important things in his life are his wife, Mary, two children and four grandchildren. That's the way it should be. Keith is one of my all time favorite golf buddies: As both a partner or an adversary because in both cases I have more fun than anyone should be allowed to have.


I have never, not once, heard Coach Hensler say one bad word about anyone. I have never heard anyone say a bad word about Keith.
I'm more than happy that Coach Hensler is my friend and those young men who had him for their coach feel the same way, too. He'll be embarrassed when he reads this but I just felt it's something that needed to be out there.

charitable giving; what a joke

This is rich. Mr.. and Mrs. Joseph Biden made a combined total of $320,000.00 in earnings for 2007. They gave to charity a sum of $995.00 or 0.3% of their income. This was signifiantly higher than the previous nine years when they gave between$120.00 and $380.00. But they want our money to give away to those who don't work. Remember what Biden told us: "it's unpatriotic not to pay taxes". The story is the same for the Obama's except when he decided to run for the big time and got rid of 1% of their income to charity in '07. Oh, they want your money, too. For Obama, Biden and all the other socialists it's okay to give away money as long as it's yours and not theirs. Here's something to consider. Red States give away far more money to charitable causes than do Blue States. You can look it up if you'd like.

insignias and militia

I need help. Does anyone remember a presidential candidate having his own coat of arms? I, of course, refer to Obama and his large O with red, white and blue rays of sunshine coming forth. The Anointed One gave a speech in Colorado Springs, Colorado on July 2, 2008 and I quote: "we cannot continue to rely on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we've set. We've got to have a National Security Force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well funded" Ladies and gentleman, our Department of Defense budget is $500 billion dollars per. Times two this is one trillion dollars. Questions to be asked; who will make up this army? In comments to the media Obama has stated that the major bulk of this army will come from inner city young people. Egad!!! Federalized young people in uniforms. Sounds like SS stuff to me.

the Almighty

I've heard McCain and Palin invoke the name of God on the campaign trail a number of times. I have never heard Obama or Biden mention the name once. Maybe there's a reason for this

global warming

The biggest hoax since the Cardiff Giant or, as P. T. Barnum said, well, you know what he said.

Iowa football teams

Sad day for the two major football teams in Iowa yesterday. The Cyclones just got hammered by Okie State but that was expected. The Hawkeyes came back to tie Illinois in the waning seconds but lost on a field goal. I think that's four Hawkeye losses this year by a total of maybe 10 points. My perspective is different from those in the state in which I live. Iowa is still bowl eligible. All they have to do is win one more to get to a total of six. That's doable.
In Ohio, the Buckeyes have lost two games total this year. I've heard of Buckeye fans slitting wrists over such a thing.(Not really. This is an exaggeration) I've always said: If an airplane goes down at the Columbus International airport on a Thursday night and 200 people perish the lead story on the local news would be: "Who's going to start at quarterback for the Buckeyes on Saturday"?. I do hate to see them lose because it's doom and gloom for a week. I'd rather go 6-6 with limited expectations for success than live in misery after every loss.

a lesson in US History

I've had two careers in my life. In the first, I was a high school teacher of United States History. One aspect of teaching this subject was that I got to teach the US Constitution. I consider myself an expert on this since possibly none of you reading this did. Regardless, I believe that the Constitution is the greatest man made document ever written. Since the Bible is the Word of God then it is way above the Constitution. I believe the Founding Father's were placed on this earth at this time by God for the express purpose of establishing the greatest country in the history of mankind. Before I get to my main point I need to give you readers a short history lesson. When the Founding Fathers were assembled the most profound question to be settled was how would representation be achieved. Edmund Randolph of Virginia argued for representation based on the number of people in a state. For those of you who don't know, Virginia was very large in area. Around eighty years later West Virginia would be formed from that state. Other framers thought this was unfair because they didn't have nearly as many people. William Paterson of New Jersey fought for representation based equally. After a long, thought out process a compromise took place called The Great Compromise which established two legislative bodies: The Senate with equal representation(New Jersey Plan) and The House of Representatives with representation based on the number of people in a state(Virginia Plan).
Now let's get to the good stuff. The democrats(notice I NEVER write Democratic Party since there's nothing democratic about them) have run a 2008 campaign based on running against the policies of George W. Bush(pay close attention to this because in a later blog I'm going to tell why GW43 is going to go down in history as one of our better presidents).
There are three branches of government in this country:
The Legislative branch(Senate & House) that MAKES the laws.
The Judicial branch(Supreme Court & other courts that "are supposed" to interpret the laws.
The Executive branch(President) who enforces the laws enacted(passed) by the Legislative body. This would be the legislative body of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid
If you people would take the time to check out the economic situation of the US of A when the Democrats took over the Congress from the Republicans after the election of 2006 one might ask themselves, "what the hell is going on in this country"? Look it up on the net. It's everywhere.
Finally, think about this: When the Founding Father's were in Philly crossing the t's and dotting the i's can you imagine the laughter, hoots and hollers if Barney Frank, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid had been there.
Oh, and by the way, Nancy is still third in line to be President of the United States.
Note: Three days ago was the 10th anniversary of an executive order signed by Bill Clinton calling for regime change in Iraq. Get it? Bill Clinton called for the US to go into Iraq and throw the bum out. George Bush did it and has been pilloried by the loser party since he took the oath of office.

my special day

From 3:30 until 7:30 today:
I dove in a pile of leaves; I watched airplanes fly overhead for a long time; I kicked a ball; I took a stick into some high weeds and pretended to see elephants, tigers and lions; I walked around a block v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y; I threw those seed type things that when they come down look like helicopters; I played Hungry Hippo; I ate spaghettio's. Is there anything better than being with your grandchildren? Thanks Oscar and Genevieve. I had a wonderful day.

obama endosement?

The Indianapolis Star today endorsed Barack Obama for office. No big deal because the editor of the Star, T. Garrett Benjamin, is a long time liberal and supporter of R.F. Kennedy. That goes back to '68 for you youngsters. A counter letter to the editor was written by J. Wesley Hertel, a divinity school classmate of Benjamin who had supported Obama in the Indiana primaries but has now changed his mind and is supporting McCain for three reasons. I found his thinking quite compelling in it's simplicity: (1) Values-On the issue of abortion Obama had mentioned that the concept of when life begins was above his pay grade. Hertel takes grave offense at this by saying, "it is a federal offense in the United States to destroy the egg from a Bald Eagle. If the egg of a human is not valued as much as a bird then what is? Jamming scissors into the back of the skull of a nearly exposed baby is more than horrible it's just plain cold; (2) Judgement- the associatons of Obama over the years speak for itself: (3) Vision-If what Obama is promoting is not socialism then the word has lost it's meaning.

Obama health insurance

Sometimes it takes me awhile to ferret out information. I always used the excuse that I'm a PE Major. As in, I can't wash the dishes, or take out the garbage or do any of the common everyday tasks that requires some type of skill or thinking because "I'm a PE Major". Anyway, a few days ago I was listening to someone on the radio talking about health insurance for all. It's taken for granted that there are 47 million uninsured in the US. This is because the democrats tell us so. Actually, of the 47 million, there might be around 18 million young people who opt out just because they are just that; young and healthy. They would rather spend their money on Friday night. I was one of these guys until I got married, had children and realized I had responsibilities other than myself. There are another 8 million who could have health care benefits but they just don't know about them because they either don't ask or don't read. I'm thinking there might be another 10 million illegals in this category, too, but don't hold me to it. I'll give the dems another 10 million or so who are legit just to be humane. If Obama is elected the dems want to cover all Americans. Here's where I get into trouble being a PE Major. If we automatically add 47 million to the rolls someone is going to have to pay for this. Guess who? I'm suspecting that the number of doctors will stay the same so this leads me to suspect that we might have to see RATIONING of health care. Since it is a government run operation(scary thought) they will be able to tell me who is going to treat me. This is not good because I've been going to Dr. Leonard for twenty years. He knows me and I know him. I'm also thinking that with RATIONING, if you have an older member in your family, you had better say your good-byes real soon. No more treatment for the serious things; just give them a pill and send them home. Oh yeah, under Obama's plans, illegals will qualify for treatment, so Grandma gets to go to the end of the line behind them. Are you aware that in Ireland where they have Universal Health care there is a concerted effort to reduce the waiting time for major surgery down from six months to one month?????????? Read that again and ask yourself if this isn't just a little bit screwy. If I need major surgery I don't want it in six months or one month. I want it tomorrow and if my insurer doesn't provide it for me then I'd be looking for another company and pronto. My sister's husband, Duane, died of multiple myeloma a year ago last March. He was an outstanding man, very brilliant. He fought this cancer for six years before succumbing. He, my sister, their two children and five grandchildren had each other for an extended period of time to build lasting memories. He could have given up quite early in the game but allowed himself to go through all kinds of experimental treatment in order to find a cure for this insidious type of cancer. Had we had government health care poor Duane would have been given one type of treatment from his government sponsored doctor: go home and get your affairs in order. Just something to think about.

young asserting their vote

As of Nov. 1 published reports indicate that the youth vote is swinging toward McCain. Could it be that some of our newest taxpayers aren't ready to resume a national welfare program or maybe they've been reading about Johnson's Great Society?