Ralph's Site

Obama at the Bat

2012-02-10T14:34:00.000-07:00

This clever video is a takeoff from the poem "Casey at the Bat" by Ernest Thayer, often considered one of baseball's greatest writings. If you are a fan of baseball history, you'll like this one.

[My thanks to Jennie Montoya for forwarding this video]

Government Contitutional Violation

2012-02-07T15:23:00.000-07:00

This is a "must see" video of Judge Andrew Napolitano delivering a speech about freedom, our rights and Federal Government abuse of them. In it, the Judge explains the hard core truth about the Constitution and why we must fight to regain and retain our freedoms. Check it out.

[My thanks to Ralph Monte for forwarding this video]

Snowmobile Adventure

2012-01-05T09:59:00.000-07:00

Do you think you'd get a kick out of riding a snowmobile? Check out the wild ride these two guys experienced.

[My thanks to Rick Douglas for forwarding this video]

Holiday Humor '11: Beware of the Doghouse

2011-12-11T12:41:00.000-07:00

The holidays are upon us again, and we men are racking our brains to find the perfect gift for our special ladies. Unfortunately, with the best intentions, because we are men, we often give the worst possible gift. Once again, I am posting this hilarious JC Penney video for your amusement and enjoyment. It is one of my favorites.

Wishing all of you, my family, friends and readers, a joyous holiday season and a healthy and prosperous New Year. And thanks for following my blog!

--Ralph

Veterans Day Tribute 2011

2011-11-10T00:01:00.000-07:00

Once again it is time to remember the thousands of men and women of our armed forces who have dedicated and continue to dedicate their lives in the defense of our nation and our way of life.

This is an exciting and invigorating video showing members of all the branches of our military. Select "Full Screen" and turn your computer volume all the way up. You'll be on your feet!

The Making of an Airliner

2011-11-08T11:26:00.000-07:00

Did you ever wonder how a big airliner is manufactured? Check out this entertaining video of the manufacture of FLORIDA ONE, a new Boeing 737 for Southwest Airlines.

[My thanks to "Jersey" John Jezsik for forwarding this video]

Hangfire Mishap

2011-10-20T11:16:00.000-06:00

Whether for hunting, sport or self defense, thousands of Americans own and operate firearms. It is a right guaranteed to us by the Second Amendment of the Constitution. But every year people are injured and killed as a result of firearms mishaps.

Ammunition malfunctions (misfires and hangfires) are rare these days. But they do happen. Check out the video, below. This guy is very lucky. Always count to ten with your weapon pointed downrange if it doesn't fire.

[My thanks to Tom Nick for forwarding this video]

Real Pilots

2011-10-06T12:22:00.000-06:00

This is a video I posted in my blog several years ago. But it is so entertaining, I decided to post it again. It is a short movie (9 minutes) starring John Malkovich administering a dose of humility to today's commercial pilots, and it celebrates the attitude of early fighter pilots as compared to the pilots of today. The cavalier attitude the fighter pilot developed was a result of the dangers he had to face each time he left "terra firma" with a fighter aircraft "strapped to his butt", and it provided him the ability to face death each time he did.

My career as a fighter pilot preceded the computerization of the profession. In those days, fighter aircraft were marginally aerodynamically stable and could easily "depart controlled flight" with one wrong control input, resulting in a spin or other flight condition that would cause a crash or structural failure of the aircraft itself.

Don't get me wrong. I have the greatest respect for the fighter pilots of today. They have great skills that I never had. But many of the skills required in my day, the "stick and rudder" skills, are no longer as important as they were. And much of the old cavalier attitude we had, has disappeared due to a changing political climate.

So, kick back and enjoy this short video that romanticizes the men and the attitude of a bygone era. I suggest watching this in "full screen".

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[Again, my thanks to Paul DeSisto for forwarding this video]

Israel Solves Airport Security Privacy Issue

2011-09-23T10:00:00.000-06:00

I'm sure this is not true, but it is so clever I thought I'd post it for your entertainment.

The Israelis are developing an airport security device that eliminates the privacy concerns that come with full-body scanners at the airports. It's an armored booth you step into that will not X-ray you, but will detonate any explosive device you may have on your person. Israel sees this as a win-win situation for everyone, with none of this crap about racial profiling. It will also eliminate the costs of a long and expensive trial.

Imagine, you're in the airport terminal and you hear a muffled explosion. Shortly thereafter, an announcement: "Attention to all standby passengers, we now have a seat available on flight 670 to London. Shalom!"

[My thanks to Phil Upman for forwarding this]

Anti-Obama Song Gets Coach Fired

2011-09-12T15:38:00.010-06:00

A middle school football coach and the parent of one of his students wrote a lively country western song satirizing the President and posted it on YouTube. Afterward he was fired. I have included, below, the story which appeared in the Fox New Radio Blog and the YouTube video of the song. Check them out.

COACH FIRED OVER ANTI-OBAMA SONG?
by Todd Starns

A Tennessee middle school football coach said he got fired after he wrote a song that criticized President Obama.

Bryan Glover, an assistant coach at Grassland Middle School near Nashville, co-wrote the country music song, “When You’re Holding a Hammer, Everything Looks Like a Nail.”

It was co-written by a parent who has a child on the team. Glover, 26, said he emailed a copy of the song to friends, family members and player’s parents through his personal email account.

And that’s when all the trouble started for the self-described independent conservative.

“The coach called me and said parents were upset – that I was being politically incorrect and the song had racial overtones,” Glover told FOX News Radio. “An hour and a half later I was told I was being terminated.”

“I was informed that I was being let go because of the song,” he said, denying claims there were any racial overtones in the song.

Williamson County School Superintendent Mike Looney disputed Glover’s account and said his dismissal had nothing to do with the song.

“Absolutely not,” he told FOX News Radio. “That’s a false claim.”

Looney said he was not allowed to go into specifics but acknowledged he spoke with the school’s principal and was satisfied with their handling of the matter.

“They presented me with logical, legally defensible reasons for doing so,” Looney said. “As far as I’m concerned they’ve handled the matter appropriately.”

Glover said he’s angry over what happened and believes he lost his job because his song was critical of President Obama. And he’s not the only one.

“It was a disgrace and we have to stand up for the guy,” said Michael Katsaitis, who has a son on the football team. He said he met with the principal of the school after Glover’s firing and is convinced his dismissal was a result of the song.”

“The first thing she told me was that Bryan’s song was derogatory to our president,” he said. “He shouldn’t have fired over that song.”

Glover said he is seeking legal counsel and may consider a lawsuit against the school.

“First and foremost I’m a conservative,” he said. “I do support what the tea party movement is all about but I’m more Republican than Democrat. I’m an independent conservative who thinks the government tries to have their hand in way too many things.”

“I’m pretty heated,” he said. “I’m just a blue-collar guy, trying to make a living, trying to chase a dream.”

Check out this clever country western song below.

[My thanks to Jennie Montoya for forwarding this]

Remembering 9/11 & Flight 93

2011-09-09T11:12:00.002-06:00

Sunday marks 10 years since the horrific terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001. I want to take a few moments to remember the men, women and children who lost their lives on that day. The entire crew and passengers of four airliners, thousands of innocent men, women and children in the World Trade Center and Pentagon, as well as dozens of firemen, policemen and other first responders lost their lives that day. Additionally, those that rallied during the days and weeks after the attacks to help their fellow citizens continue to suffer from injuries and health issues they sustained. A huge memorial to the event is being constructed at Ground Zero and will be dedicated on Sunday.

In addition to the lives lost at the World Trade Center and Pentagon, lives were also lost that day at a field outside Shanksville, Pennsylvania. As we, now, know, heroes on that flight took destiny into their own hands when they prevented their aircraft from being used as a weapon on another national target, very likely the White House or the U.S. Capitol Building. The actions of these heroes led to their certain death as the aircraft they were on crashed in that field.

A memorial to honor the men, women and children of Flight 93 has been conceived and will be constructed on that hallowed ground near Shanksville. This memorial will be dedicated on Sunday, as well.

Unlike the memorial at Ground Zero, this memorial has not received the funds needed for its completion. The planners need an additional $10 million to complete the project. I am certain this shortfall is not because we Americans forgot about Flight 93, but because there is so much more funding available in the huge New York metropolitan area. I know that, once Americans are aware of this need, they will rise to the occasion and contribute the necessary funds. It won't take large donations if enough of us contribute. I have included a link, below, if you are interested in contributing.

Flight 93 National Memorial Ways to Give

We've Figured Him Out

2011-09-08T09:30:00.001-06:00

Ben Stein

Ben Stein is an American actor, writer, lawyer, and commentator on political and economic issues. A couple of years ago Mr. Stein wrote an article for The American Spectator exposing the "real" Barack Obama. As we approach the next presidential election which will determine whether or not Mr. Obama wins a second term in office, I believe it worth a few minutes to review Mr. Stein's words. I have included his article, below.

We've Figured Him Out
By Ben Stein on 7.24.09 @ 9:45AM

Why is President Barack Obama in such a hurry to get his socialized medicine bill passed?

Because he and his cunning circle realize some basic truths:

The American people in their unimaginable kindness and trust voted for a pig in a poke in 2008. They wanted so much to believe Barack Obama was somehow better and different from other ultra-leftists that they simply took him on faith.

They ignored his anti-white writings in his books. They ignored his quiet acceptance of hysterical anti-American diatribes by his minister, Jeremiah Wright.

They ignored his refusal to explain years at a time of his life as a student. They ignored his ultra-left record as a "community organizer," Illinois state legislator, and Senator.

The American people ignored his total zero of an academic record as a student and teacher, his complete lack of scholarship when he was being touted as a scholar.

Now, the American people are starting to wake up to the truth. Barack Obama is a super likeable super leftist, not a fan of this country, way, way too cozy with the terrorist leaders in the Middle East, way beyond naïveté, all the way into active destruction of our interests and our allies and our future.

The American people have already awakened to the truth that the stimulus bill -- a great idea in theory -- was really an immense bribe to Democrat interest groups, and in no way an effort to help all Americans.

Now, Americans are waking up to the truth that ObamaCare basically means that every time you are sick or injured, you will have a clerk from the Department of Motor Vehicles telling your doctor what he can and cannot do.

The American people already know that Mr. Obama's plan to lower health costs while expanding coverage and bureaucracy is a myth, a promise of something that never was and never will be -- a bureaucracy lowering costs in a free society. Either the costs go up or the free society goes away.

These are perilous times. Mrs. Hillary Clinton, our Secretary of State, has given Iran the go-ahead to have nuclear weapons, an unqualified betrayal of the nation. Now, we face a devastating loss of freedom at home in health care. It will be joined by controls on our lives to "protect us" from global warming, itself largely a fraud if believed to be caused by man.

Mr. Obama knows Americans are getting wise and will stop him if he delays at all in taking away our freedoms.

There is his urgency and our opportunity. Once freedom is lost, America is lost. Wake up, beloved America.

[My thanks to Bonnie Feldman for forwarding this article]

Moose In a Sprinkler

2011-08-24T12:17:00.003-06:00

I don't know where this took place. In it, a baby moose wanders into a lawn sprinkler. Shortly, its sibling and mother join in the fun. Do you remember running through a sprinkler when you were a child?

[My thanks to Jennie Montoya for forwarding this video]

USAFA Class of 2015 Acceptance Parade

2011-08-05T08:55:00.011-06:00

On Wednesday, August 3rd, after completing the demanding rigors of basic training, a proud Class of 2015 at the United States Air Force Academy was accepted into the Cadet Wing. To commemorate this occasion all 4,000 cadets participated in a parade at Stillman Field in which the new cadets marched to and joined their new squadrons. I was privileged to be one of 10 members of the class of '75 to present the top 10 basic training graduates with an award. Then, the entire class of 2015 took their "Honor Oath of Allegiance", marched to and joined their new squadrons as full-fledged Air Force Cadets!

I have included, below, some pictures of this event, followed by a video of Larry Fariss delivering the Acceptance speech to the basics on behalf of their "Legacy Class", the class of '75.

The Basics March On for Their Acceptance Parade

Basics March By as Members of their "Legacy Class" of '75 Look On

View of the Assembled Cadet Wing with Color Guard in the Center

Class of '75 Presents Awards to the Top 10 Basic Training Graduates

Basics Take Their "Honor Oath of Allegiance"

New Cadets March in "V" Formation to Join the Cadet Wing

The New Cadet Wing Passes in Review

Larry Farris, '75, Delivers Acceptance Speech to the Class of 2015

[My thanks to Loretta Montoya for the photos and "The Webguy" for the video]

USAFA Class of 2015 Swearing In Ceremony

2011-07-28T12:28:00.007-06:00

On June 23rd, the Class of 2015 entered the Air Force Academy for basic training. One of the first items on the agenda was a parade during which the new cadets were administered the Oath of Allegiance. Although the video, below, omitted the actual administering of the oath, it shows most of rest the event.

[My thanks to Maverick3825 of YouTube for posting this video]

Return to Jack's Valley

2011-07-13T10:59:00.002-06:00

Several weeks ago I was invited to participate in Honor lessons with the basics of the Class of 2015 at the Air Force Academy. The intent was to show these future cadets and officers that Academy grads feel the Cadet Honor Code is important enough for us to take the time to discuss it with them.

Yesterday, I taught my first lesson. Twenty of us (Air Force Academy grads of many different graduating classes) met at the B-52 static display and were bussed to Jack's Valley, the cadet field encampment area. This is where the basics spend the second half of their basic training, and it was the first time I'd been back to Jack's Valley since I was a basic in 1969. It was unbelievably nostalgic. Jack’s Valley, for me, was a good experience. I lived in a tent with my element of 10 fellow basics, qualified expert in the M-16 and the Air Force sidearm of the time (Smith & Wesson .38 cal Combat Masterpiece), learned survival techniques and land navigation, conquered the Bayonet Assault Course, the Group Reactions Course and more.

The lesson was very simple. I met with six basics in a relaxed, informal setting, sat down and discussed honor and integrity with them for an hour. I stressed the importance of honor and integrity at the Academy, in the Air Force and in their personal lives, and answered many questions. The last 20 minutes I answered questions on any subjects and told stories of my experiences in the Air Force and life. I believe it was a good lesson for the basics, and it was very rewarding for me. I’m looking forward to doing it again next Tuesday and Thursday.

I have included, below, some pics I took in Jack's Valley yesterday. (Click to view full size)

The Basics' Tents

Basics Marching to Training

More Marching

Inside the Compound

An Element of Basics Marching

Another Look at the Compound

I'm Alive Airshow

2011-07-06T00:32:00.002-06:00

This exhilarating video is a repost from my blog in 2009 and is most definitely worth another look. It not only has great flying scenes, but is synchronized to Celine Dion singing "I'm Alive". You will be treated to a breath taking experience definitely worth a few minutes of your time.

Take a break, turn up your speaker volume and enjoy it!

[Once again, my thanks to Phil Upman for forwarding this video]

Air Force Academy Class of 2015 Reports for Duty

2011-06-30T20:09:00.006-06:00

On Thursday, June 23rd, the Class of 2015 reported for duty at the United States Air Force Academy. After a short warm welcome, they received a very different welcome from the upperclassmen as they began their careers as Air Force cadets. This summer I am privileged to teach a class on the Honor Code to the basics in Jack's Valley, the cadet field encampment area. Check out the video below to see what the first day was like for the Class of 2015.

[My thanks to the USAFA Association of Graduates for this video]

Lightning Never Strikes Twice or Does It?

2011-06-29T12:22:00.004-06:00

The saying goes, "Lightning never strikes twice!" But can it? An amazing video has gone viral on YouTube. This security camera video shows lightning striking the same person twice! Is it real or fake? You decide. Check out this incredible video.

[My thanks to Tom Nick for forwarding this video]

10 Year Old Singer Wins America's Heart

2011-06-15T12:08:00.003-06:00

Once again, "America's Got Talent" hit a home run! Last summer, Jackie Evancho, a cute little 10 year old from Pittsburgh, appeared on the show and won the hearts of the nation with her beautiful, pure operatic voice. The audience watched as a petite, little ten year old girl walked onto the stage. But when she began to sing, they were treated to a voice that was pure and strong. It was not the voice of a 10 year old, but the voice of a talented, mature opera singer. Turn your computer volume all the way up and enjoy this video.

Humor: Martin Short's Farewell to Osama

2011-06-05T22:06:00.005-06:00

Recently, Martin Short appeared on the David Letterman show and sang a humorous farewell to Osama bin Laden that he composed from Elton John's "Candle In the Wind". Check it out.

[My thanks to Steve Clark for forwarding this video]

A Tribute to Dad

2011-06-01T00:01:00.042-06:00

This month marks 25 years since the passing of my father following a heart attack. It was one month prior to his 60th birthday. My father was smart, disciplined, principled, hard working, funny and kind. In my adult years we became best friends. To this day I miss his counsel, strength, humor, kindness, love and friendship. Below, is my video tribute to him. Be sure to turn up your computer volume as this tribute is not complete without the background music.

Memorial Day Tribute 2011

2011-05-18T10:30:00.001-06:00

Memorial Day is upon us once again. The last weekend of this month is much more than just another three day weekend. As you enjoy the tasty hot dogs and hamburgers from your barbecue, as you kick back in front of your high definition TV with friends and family to enjoy a ball game, take time to remember the thousands of brave men and women who, throughout our history, have sacrificed the things you are enjoying, today, to protect our freedom, our nation and to keep us safe. Thousands of them are serving in harm's way right now. We have so much to thank them for.

So, enjoy your Memorial Day weekend. Our brave men and women in uniform would want you to. That's why they serve. But, as you do, take a moment to view the video, below, and reflect.

The Team That Took Out Bin Laden

2011-05-02T13:22:00.004-06:00

Last night, President Obama revealed to the world that a highly trained, top secret military team had killed OSAMA BIN LADEN, mastermind of the attacks of 9/11 and other terrorist attacks including the USS Cole and an earlier bombing of the World Trade Center. Our country has come a long way since 9/11 in its ability to gather intelligence information, coordinate and execute missions in a timely manner. It will be quite some time, if ever, before all the facts and information about this daring and precision executed raid become available to the general public, as they are highly classified. Apparently, this mission was executed by a secret, highly mythologized unit known as "SEAL TEAM SIX". I find it quite ironic that this brilliant operation was EXECUTED BY THE NAVY SEALS, the same organization that executed the flawless rescue of the Maersk Alabama captain despite refusal by a newly elected President Obama because HE DIDN'T TRUST THE MILITARY.

Today, MARC AMBINDER of the NATIONAL JOURNAL published an informative article about this team and the mission that took out Osama bin Laden. I have included this article in its entirety for your review.

The Secret Team That Killed Bin Laden
By Marc Ambinder, National Journal, Mon May 2, 10:59 am ET

From Ghazi Air Base in Pakistan, the modified MH-60 helicopters made their way to the garrison suburb of Abbottabad, about 30 miles from the center of Islamabad. Aboard were Navy SEALs, flown across the border from Afghanistan, along with tactical signals, intelligence collectors, and navigators using highly classified hyperspectral imagers.

After bursts of fire over 40 minutes, 22 people were killed or captured. One of the dead was Osama bin Laden, done in by a double tap -- boom, boom -- to the left side of his face. His body was aboard the choppers that made the trip back. One had experienced mechanical failure and was destroyed by U.S. forces, military and White House officials tell National Journal.

Were it not for this high-value target, it might have been a routine mission for the specially trained and highly mythologized SEAL Team Six, officially called the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, but known even to the locals at their home base Dam Neck in Virginia as just DevGru.

This HVT was special, and the raids required practice, so they replicated the one-acre compound at Camp Alpha, a segregated section of Bagram Air Base. Trial runs were held in early April.

DevGru belongs to the Joint Special Operations Command, an extraordinary and unusual collection of classified standing task forces and special-missions units. They report to the president and operate worldwide based on the legal (or extra-legal) premises of classified presidential directives. Though the general public knows about the special SEALs and their brothers in Delta Force, most JSOC missions never leak. We only hear about JSOC when something goes bad (a British aid worker is accidentally killed) or when something really big happens (a merchant marine captain is rescued at sea), and even then, the military remains especially sensitive about their existence. Several dozen JSOC operatives have died in Pakistan over the past several years. Their names are released by the Defense Department in the usual manner, but with a cover story -- generally, they were killed in training accidents in eastern Afghanistan. That's the code.

How did the helicopters elude the Pakistani air defense network? Did they spoof transponder codes? Were they painted and tricked out with Pakistan Air Force equipment? If so -- and we may never know -- two other JSOC units, the Technical Application Programs Office and the Aviation Technology Evaluation Group, were responsible. These truly are the silent squirrels -- never getting public credit and not caring one whit. Since 9/11, the JSOC units and their task forces have become the U.S. government's most effective and lethal weapon against terrorists and their networks, drawing plenty of unwanted, and occasionally unflattering, attention to themselves in the process.

Bin Laden Compound Near Islamabad

JSOC costs the country more than $1 billion annually. The command has its critics, but it has escaped significant congressional scrutiny and has operated largely with impunity since 9/11. Some of its interrogators and operators were involved in torture and rendition, and the line between its intelligence-gathering activities and the CIA's has been blurred.

But Sunday's operation provides strong evidence that the CIA and JSOC work well together. Sometimes intelligence needs to be developed rapidly, to get inside the enemy's operational loop. And sometimes it needs to be cultivated, grown as if it were delicate bacteria in a petri dish.

In an interview at CIA headquarters two weeks ago, a senior intelligence official said the two proud groups of American secret warriors had been "deconflicted and basically integrated" -- finally -- 10 years after 9/11. Indeed, according to accounts given to journalists by five senior administration officials Sunday night, the CIA gathered the intelligence that led to bin Laden's location. A memo from CIA Director Leon Panetta sent Sunday night provides some hints of how the information was collected and analyzed. In it, he thanked the National Security Agency and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency for their help. NSA figured out, somehow, that there was no telephone or Internet service in the compound. How it did this without Pakistan's knowledge is a secret. The NGIA makes the military's maps but also develops their pattern recognition software -- no doubt used to help establish, by February of this year, that the CIA could say with "high probability" that bin Laden and his family were living there.

Recently, JSOC built a new Targeting and Analysis Center in Rosslyn, Va. Where the NationalCounterterrorism Center tends to focus on threats to the homeland, TAAC, whose existence was first disclosed by the Associated Press, focuses outward, on active "kinetic" -- or lethal -- counterterrorism-missions abroad. Its creation surprised the NCTC's director, Michael Leiter, who was suspicious about its intent until he visited.

That the center could be stood up under the nose of some of the nation's most senior intelligence officials without their full knowledge testifies to the power and reach of JSOC, whose size has tripled since 9/11. The command now includes more than 4,000 soldiers and civilians. It has its own intelligence division, which may or may not have been involved in last night's effort, and has gobbled up a number of free-floating Defense Department entities that allowed it to rapidly acquire, test, and field new technologies.

Under a variety of standing orders, JSOC is involved in more than 50 current operations spanning a dozen countries, and its units, supported by so-called "white," or acknowledged, special operations entities like Rangers, Special Forces battalions, SEAL teams, and Air Force special ops units from the larger Special Operations Command, are responsible for most of the "kinetic" action in Afghanistan.

Pentagon officials are conscious of the enormous stress that 10 years of war have placed on the command. JSOC resources are heavily taxed by the operational tempo in Afghanistan and Pakistan, officials have said. The current commander, Vice Adm. William McRaven, and Maj. Gen. Joseph Votel, McRaven's nominated replacement, have been pushing to add people and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance technology to areas outside the war theater where al-Qaida and its affiliates continue to thrive.

Earlier this year, it seemed that the elite units would face the same budget pressures that the entire military was experiencing. Not anymore. The military found a way, largely by reducing contracting staff and borrowing others from the Special Operations Command, to add 50 positions to JSOC. And Votel wants to add several squadrons to the "Tier One" units -- Delta and the SEALs.

When Gen. Stanley McChrystal became JSOC's commanding general in 2004, he and his intelligence chief, Maj. Gen. Michael Flynn, set about transforming the way the subordinate units analyze and act on intelligence. Insurgents in Iraq were exploiting the slow decision loop that coalition commanders used, and enhanced interrogation techniques were frowned upon after the Abu Ghraib scandal. But the hunger for actionable tactical intelligence on insurgents was palpable.

The way JSOC solved this problem remains a carefully guarded secret, but people familiar with the unit suggest that McChrystal and Flynn introduced hardened commandos to basic criminal forensic techniques and then used highly advanced and still-classified technology to transform bits of information into actionable intelligence. One way they did this was to create forward-deployed fusion cells, where JSOC units were paired with intelligence analysts from the NSA and the NGA. Such analysis helped the CIA to establish, with a high degree of probability, that Osama bin Laden and his family were hiding in that particular compound.

These technicians could "exploit and analyze" data obtained from the battlefield instantly, using their access to the government's various biometric, facial-recognition, and voice-print databases. These cells also used highly advanced surveillance technology and computer-based pattern analysis to layer predictive models of insurgent behavior onto real-time observations.

The military has begun to incorporate these techniques across the services. And Flynn will soon be promoted to a job within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, where he'll be tasked with transforming the way intelligence is gathered, analyzed, and utilized.

[My thanks to Steve Gillespie and Loretta Montoya for forwarding this article]

Texas Justice

2011-04-25T13:31:00.008-06:00

Although I didn't confirm the accuracy of the facts in this article, I think you'll find it quite interesting:

Three armed felons crossed the U.S. border and attempted to rob an off duty El Paso police officer dressed in civilian clothes while he stood in front of a bank. The plan was for two of them to grab his backpack and toss it to an accomplice on a stolen motorcycle. However, the well prepared police officer shot all of them, killing two immediately. The third was shot in both arms and bled to death before the ambulance arrived.

This is how much the U. S . Taxpayer would have had to pay to prosecute these thugs:

Arrest and detention for 1 night: $6,000
Transportation for deportation back to Mexico the next day: $1000
Air time for Obama to apologize in 30 min speech: $25,007,000

What it actually cost:

Four .40 caliber rounds: $1.00
Taxpayer savings: $25,013,999.00

They picked the wrong man to rob - Only in Texas!

The average response time for a 911 call is 4 minutes
The average response time for a .40 caliber S &W round is about 1225 feet per second

Note: As the police officer was Hispanic, no claims of racism were filed.

[My thanks to Leslie Pellegrino for forwarding this]

The Budget and National Debt: Objective Analysis

2011-04-15T15:08:00.004-06:00

Charles Krauthammer

Charles Krauthammer is an independent op-ed author, a contributor to the Washington Post and a Fox news contributor. He is well known for his objective, technical and nonpolitical analysis of wide ranging issues. As you are aware, it is very difficult to extract fact from political rhetoric and truth from falsehood on anything going on in Washington. The budget and National Debt debates are two of the most critical cases in point. Today, the Gazette Xtra of Janesville, WI posted an analysis by Mr. Krauthammer of Rep. Paul Ryan’s budget proposal and the criticisms of it leveled by the democratic Congress and the Obama Administration. Mr. Krathammer did a splendid job of stripping the political rhetoric and partisan hysteria from both sides that normally accompany these analyses. According to Mr. Krathammer, Rep. Ryan's proposal, along with tax reform, would be very effective in, not only, getting our spending under control, but in reducing our catastrophic National Debt. I include Mr. Krathammer's article in its entirety for your review.

The Grand Compromise
by Charles Krauthammer, Friday, April 15, 2011

WASHINGTON — The most serious charge against Rep. Paul Ryan’s budget is not the risible claim, made most prominently by President Obama in his George Washington University address, that it would “sacrifice the America we believe in.” The serious charge is that the Ryan plan fails by its own standards: Because it only cuts spending without raising taxes, it accumulates trillions of debt and doesn’t balance the budget until the 2030s.

If the debt is such a national emergency, they say, Ryan never really gets you there from here.

But the critics miss the point. You can’t get there from here without Ryan’s plan. It’s the essential element. Of course Ryan is not going to propose tax increases. You don’t need Republicans for that. That’s what Democrats do. The president’s speech was a prose poem to higher taxes—with every allusion to spending cuts guarded by a phalanx of impenetrable caveats.

Ryan reduces federal spending by $6 trillion over 10 years—from the current 24 percent of GDP to the historical post-World War II average of about 20 percent.

Now, the historical average for revenues over the last 40 years is between 18 percent and 19 percent of GDP. As we return to that level with the economic recovery (we’re now at about 15 percent), Ryan would still leave us with an annual deficit in 2021 of 1.6 percent of GDP.

The critics are right to focus on that gap. But it is bridgeable. And the mechanism for doing so is in plain sight: tax reform.

Real tax reform strips out exclusions, deductions, credits and the innumerable loopholes that have accumulated since the last tax reform of 1986. The Simpson-Bowles commission, for example, identifies $1.1 trillion of such revenue-robbers. In one scenario, it strips them all out and thus is able to lower rates for everyone to three brackets of 8 percent, 14 percent and 23 percent.

The commission does recommend that, on average, about $100 billion annually of that $1.1 trillion be kept by the Treasury (rather than going back to the taxpayer) to reduce the deficit. This is a slight deviation from revenue neutrality, but it still yields a major cut for the top rate from the current 35 percent to 23 percent. The overall result is so reasonable and multiply beneficial that it rightly gained the concurrence of even the impeccably conservative (commission member) Sen. Tom Coburn.

That’s the beauty of tax reform: It is both transparent and flexible. That flexibility and transparency can be applied to the Ryan plan. If you need a bit more deficit reduction to bridge the 1.6 percent GDP gap that remains after 10 years, you can get there by slightly raising the final rates.

Ryan’s tax reform envisions three brackets with a top rate of 25 percent. There’s nothing sacred about that number. In principle, you could raise all the rates slightly with the top rate going to, say, 28 percent—the top rate that came out of Ronald Reagan’s 1986 tax reform. You’re still much lower than the current 35 percent. And yet that final boost could bring you closer to a fully balanced federal budget at roughly 20 percent of GDP.

Nor would any great conservative principle be violated. The historical average of revenues—18 percent to 19 percent of GDP—could be raised one point or so on the perfectly reasonable grounds that we are a slightly older society, and that we wish to avail ourselves of the extraordinary but expensive medical technology that can increase both the quality and length of life.

This one concession would yield a fully balanced budget more quickly than Ryan’s plan and would reduce the debt/GDP ratio even more steeply (because GDP would be growing, while debt would not). The effect on America’s financial standing in the world would be dramatic: Restored confidence in U.S. fiscal health would reduce interest rates, which would lower the overall debt burden, which could allow lower taxes, which could stimulate yet more economic growth. A virtuous circle.

That’s the finish line. But it starts with spending cuts. Serious cuts, as Ryan suggests—not the smoke and mirrors the Obama speech shamelessly presented as a plan.

Given the Democrats’ instinctive resort to granny-in-the-snow demagoguery, the Republicans are right not to budge on taxes until serious spending cuts are in place. At which point, the grand compromise awaits. And grand it would be. Saving the welfare state from insolvency is no small achievement.

[My thanks to Tom Nick for forwarding this article]

Sparks Fly During Aerial Refueling

2011-03-25T13:28:00.013-06:00

It is rare to perform air refueling operations in the presence of St. Elmo's Fire. Below, is an exciting video of just that. During the refueling of an E-4 Boeing Advanced Airborne Command Post in the soup (aviation talk for "clouds") by a KC-135 Boeing Stratotanker, sparks stream from the refueling boom to the nose of the E-4! Check it out (I suggest selecting "Full Screen" for best viewing).

[My thanks to Air Force Academy '75 classmate, Ed Sienkiewicz, for forwarding this video]

Political Humor: Three New Navy Ships

2011-03-21T12:41:00.006-06:00

The three newest Navy ships named after US Presidents cast an interesting perspective on their namesakes. Check them out below.

USS Ronald Reagan

When the Bridge pipes 'Man the Rail' there is a lot of rail to man on this monster: shoulder to shoulder, around 4.5 acres. Her displacement is about 100,000 tons with full complement.

Capability - Top speed exceeds 30 knots, powered by two nuclear reactors that can operate for more than 20 years without refueling
1. Expected to operate in the fleet for about 50 years
2. Carries over 80 combat aircraft
3. Three arresting cables can stop a 28-ton aircraft going 150 miles per hour in less than 400 feet

Size
1. Towers 20 stories above the waterline
2. 1092 feet long; nearly as long as the Empire State Building is tall
3. Flight deck covers 4.5 acres
4. 4 bronze propellers, each 21 feet across, weighing 66,200 pounds
5. 2 rudders, each 29 by 22 feet and weighing 50 tons
6. 4 high speed aircraft elevators, each over 4,000 square feet

Capacity
1. Home to about 6,000 Navy personnel
2. Carries enough food and supplies to operate for 90 days
3. 18,150 meals served daily
4. Distillation plants provide 400,000 gallons of fresh water from sea water daily, enough for 2,000 homes
5. Nearly 30,000 light fixtures and 1,325 miles of cable and wiring 1,400 telephones
6. 14,000 pillowcases and 28,000 sheets

USS Bill Clinton

The ship is the first of its kind in the Navy and is a standing legacy to President Bill Clinton 'for his foresight in military budget cuts' and his conduct while holding the (formerly dignified) office of President.

The ship is constructed nearly entirely from recycled aluminum and is completely solar powered with a top speed of 5 knots. It boasts an arsenal comprised of one (unarmed) F14 Tomcat or one (unarmed) F18 Hornet aircraft which, although they cannot be launched on the 100 foot flight deck, form a very menacing presence.

As a standing order, there are no firearms allowed on board.

This crew, like the crew aboard the USS Jimmy Carter, is spec ially trained to avoid conflicts and appease any and all enemies of the United States at all costs.

An onboard Type One DNC Universal Translator can send out messages of apology in any language to anyone who may find America offensive. The number of apologies are limitless and though some may seem hollow and disingenuous, the Navy a dvises all apologies will sound very sincere.

In times of conflict, the USS Clinton has orders to seek refuge in Canada.

USS Barack Obama

Details are vague.

But don't you worry..........he has a plan.

[My thanks to Linda Kink for forwarding this]

NIA: Dollar Could Collapse Any Time

2011-03-11T11:30:00.003-07:00

Over the past year and a half I referenced an organization called the National Inflation Association (NIA) several times in my articles. NIA's mission is to prepare Americans for hyperinflation and help Americans to survive. During this time the accuracy of NIA's predictions has been uncanny, resulting in national renown for the organization. In it's most recent article, the NIA explains why they believe WE COULD BE ON THE BRINK OF THE COLLAPSE OF THE US DOLLAR. This is an ominous prediction. Our President and the Congress need to immediately stop the bickering and do something about it. I have included the NIA article in its entirety for your review. Read it and contact your elected officials. We are out of time to fix this!

U.S. Dollar Collapse Could Occur at Any Time
March 11, 2011

China this morning reported 4.9% price inflation for the month of February, exceeding analyst expectations of 4.8%. With China now mimicking the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and taking steps to artificially manipulate their consumer price index (CPI) numbers as low as possible, it is likely that real price inflation in China is now closer to 10%. China was at least smart enough to raise interest rates last month by 25 basis points to 6.06%, while the Federal Reserve continues to leave interest rates near zero with there being absolutely no talk of the Federal Reserve ever raising interest rates again. China will be successful at containing inflation, as U.S. inflation spirals out of control and becomes the greatest economic crisis in American history.

China this week reported a $7.3 billion trade deficit for the month of February, its largest trade deficit in seven years, which surprised many global economists. NIA believes China's trade deficit is temporary and that China will quickly return to having a trade surplus. The Federal Reserve's QE2 along with China's destructive monetary policies, which artificially devalue the yuan, have led to a massive rise in China's raw material costs this year. NIA believes that in the upcoming months, Chinese manufacturers will raise the prices of their products that get exported to the U.S., to counteract rising commodity prices. With most products used by Americans today having been manufactured in China, this will mean Americans will soon see massive price inflation in just about all consumer goods they use. NIA projects that by the end of 2011, we will begin to see the U.S. CPI increase by 4.9% or higher on a year-over-year basis, with real U.S. price inflation rising north of 10%.

The mainstream media is proclaiming that China's trade deficit will silence calls for the Chinese to allow their currency to strengthen against the U.S. dollar. The fact is, China's government has for long been making the major mistake of printing too many yuan in order to artificially prop up the U.S. dollar. Their fear was, if the U.S. dollar was allowed to decline too rapidly, prices of Chinese goods would rise in terms of U.S. dollars and Americans would no longer afford to import them.

The truth is, if China allowed the yuan to strengthen, the Chinese would have enjoyed a much higher standard of living. Sure, prices would rise in dollars and Americans would import less, but the Chinese would have the ability to consume more of their own products. Now, as a result of China expanding its own money supply in order to keep the yuan pegged to the U.S. dollar, Americans will be forced to pay a much higher price for Chinese goods anyway. The same higher prices Americans were going to pay as a result of exchange rate appreciation, Americans will now pay as a result of inflation. For the Chinese, the exchange rate appreciation route would have been a much better route to take than the inflation route, because now the Chinese will also be forced to pay higher prices. In the very short-term, China might actually suffer more than the U.S. because they lack the social safety nets that have been implemented here in America.

The U.S. government has been successful at temporarily paying off Americans into not rioting in the streets like in Arab nations. It was just announced a few days ago that the number of Americans on food stamps in the month of December of 2010 was a record 44,082,324, up 13.1% from one year earlier and 1.1% from one month earlier. That is more than 14% of the total U.S. population! Combined with President Obama extending unemployment benefits up to 99 weeks, American citizens are too busy and distracted playing with their iPad 2s and gossiping on Twitter about Charlie Sheen, to have any time to protest in Washington, DC.

NIA believes the U.S. government's entitlement spending is currently having the unintended consequence of making Americans dependent on government. It is like when you take wild animals into captivity and you feed them, teach them to do tricks and take care of them for a period of many years; if you just dump them one day back into the wild, it will be very difficult for them to survive. Americans who have become dependent on unemployment checks and food stamps will likely soon abruptly find out that they must begin to fend for themselves without any help from the government. The result will be many Americans turning into wild animals and becoming so desperate that they will have to rob and burglarize their fellow neighbors who were smart enough to prepare, or else they will risk starving to death.

As a result of QE2, the Federal Reserve is now buying 70% of U.S. treasuries, up from previously only buying 10% of treasury bonds. Foreign central banks are now buying just 30% of U.S. treasuries, compared to previously buying 50% of treasury bonds. The U.S. budget deficit in the month of February reached a record $222.5 billion or $2.67 trillion on an annualized basis. With the Federal Reserve now monetizing our debt in full swing, a complete and total loss of confidence in the U.S. dollar could be imminent.

Just like how nobody in the mainstream media was calling for the collapse of Egypt's government a few months ago, almost nobody in the media believes a collapse of the U.S. dollar could possibly take place anytime soon. NIA members are educated enough to see that the writing is on the wall. The Federal Reserve can deny all it wants that the U.S. is experiencing inflation, but with the cost to print a single U.S. dollar paper note rising by 50% since 2008, massive inflation is here right under Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's nose. Every day that goes by, China is quietly implementing more and more steps that expand the yuan's use in cross border trade, in order to position the yuan as the world's next reserve currency.

So few Americans are presently preparing for hyperinflation that if hyperinflation broke out today, approximately 90% of Americans won't have the means to put food on the table or put fuel in their automobiles. During the upcoming hyperinflationary crisis, food stamps will no longer have any value at all and all U.S. entitlement programs will come to a complete halt. Americans will take to the streets like the world has never seen before.

The biggest question NIA has today is, will the U.S. government resort to firing at its own citizens, if major riots take place in Washington, DC. On Thursday, police in Saudi Arabia shot and wounded three protesters. The price of oil rose by a few dollars per barrel as soon as this news hit the wire, which shows just how nervous the world's financial markets have become in recent weeks. The fact that the Dow Jones has declined significantly in recent days, in our opinion means that the odds of QE3 being launched as soon as QE2 is over, are now much higher than they were several weeks ago.

The other big question NIA has today is, if in the unlikely event there is no QE3, who will fill in for the artificial buying demand currently coming from the Federal Reserve. After all, with no QE3, the Federal Reserve will go from buying 70% of treasury bonds to being a seller of U.S. treasuries. NIA is 100% sure that foreign central banks aren't itching to jump back in to fill the hole. While in the past, the private sector may have picked up the slack, we believe individual investors will now be more reluctant to jump into government bonds, especially with bond king Bill Gross reducing the government bond holdings in his Pimco Total Return Fund down to zero. The bottom line is, no QE3 means interest rates will fly sky high and destroy the phony so-called "economic recovery".

From April to August of 2010, the last time the Federal Reserve allowed its balance sheet to shrink, the Dow Jones fell by over 1,000 points. If Bernanke doesn't soon begin to leak out the strong likelihood of QE3, we could see the stock market decline by 1,000 points or more, which will force Bernanke into launching QE3. If we see a major sell off in stocks, NIA doesn't necessarily think that precious metals prices will follow. In fact, we could see gold and silver rise along with the Dow Jones falling. NIA projects the Dow Jones to gold ratio to decline to 6.5 in 2011. This means even if the Dow Jones fell to below 11,000, we still believe gold is likely to rise to around $1,600 to $1,700 per ounce this year, with silver soaring to around $42 to $44 per ounce. NIA believes the worst decision any American can make is to sell their gold and silver and go long U.S. dollars, hoping to buy their precious metals back at a lower price in the future.

I have been deeply concerned with the DEVALUATION OF OUR DOLLAR which will lead to a TOTAL ECONOMIC COLLAPSE in our country. In fact, I have been posting articles in my blog since 2008 warning of this. To view my previous articles on the subject, click on the links below:

First Glimpse of an Obama Administration, Stop the Madness: No More Bailouts!, An Inconvenient Debt: Economic Apocalypse, Call to Action: Stop the Stimulus Package, The Dollar Bubble: Disaster in the Making, Meltup: Total Economic Collapse Scenario, Hyperinflation Is Guaranteed!

Cartoon: Teachers Union Explained

2011-03-11T10:36:00.003-07:00

I have posted below, for your entertainment, a cartoon satirizing the argument of the need for teachers unions. During my career as an airline pilot I was a member of the Airline Pilots Association, and I know that the power of unions can be critical to decent work conditions. But, over the years, many union officials have modified the mission in ways not in the best interest of their members and of the country. Check out this video and see what you think.

[My thanks to Tom Nick for forwarding this video]

Top 10 Low Pass Flybys

2011-01-27T15:32:00.004-07:00

I believe all my readers will enjoy this video, but my steely-eyed, gray haired former military pilot colleagues will especially appreciate it. The last flyby occurred over San Francisco Bay with a fighter pushing the Mach as evidenced by the pressure wave at the tail of the aircraft. I am told many windows were shattered on the boats and yachts during this flyby and that it brought great solace to the participating unit as payback for the city's nonsupport of the military. Take a three minute break, turn up your volume and enjoy this exciting video.

[My thanks to Shelley and Ira Steinberg for forwarding this video]

State of the Union Address Fact Check

2011-01-26T11:22:00.004-07:00

Last night PRESIDENT OBAMA delivered his second STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS. Though we were all hoping to hear specific programs he and his administration were planning to execute during the next year and for the remainder of his presidency, all we got was more PROPAGANDA. You may remember from your political science classes that one of the elements of Propaganda is "Glittering Generalities". There were ALMOST NO SPECIFICS. Rather, most of the speech was campaign-like POLITICAL RHETORIC DESIGNED TO PUMP UP THE MASSES AND APPEAL TO SPECIFIC GROUPS TO RALLY SUPPORT .

Worse yet, the facts the President did present ranged from INACCURATE TO OUT-IN-OUT FALSE! USA TODAY writers, RICHARD WOLF and GREGORY KORTE, published an article today, "STATE OF THE UNION: FACT-CHECKING OBAMA'S SPEECH". For those of us who were hoping the President got the message of the recent elections in November and that he would modify his reckless and arrogant agenda, this speech confirmed it will be BUSINESS AS USUAL IN THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION, and there will be NO MEANINGFUL CHANGES. I have included the article for your review, below.

State of the Union: Fact-checking Obama's speech
By Richard Wolf and Gregory Korte, USA TODAY

President Obama focused about 80% of his State of the Union Address on the economy, offering proposals designed to create jobs, make the United States more competitive with other developed nations and reduce future budget deficits. Those goals can conflict, however. Here's a look behind the rhetoric:

Statement:
"Cutting the deficit by gutting our investments in innovation and education is like lightening an overloaded airplane by removing its engine. It may make you feel like you're flying high at first, but it won't take long before you'll feel the impact."

•Reality check: This is the central thesis of Obama's speech — that the United States needs to invest in clean energy technology, a crumbling physical infrastructure and education in order to compete better with developing nations such as China and India.

The president says any investments should not increase the deficit, but he didn't say how to do that, other than by eliminating billions of dollars in tax breaks to oil companies. House Transportation Committee Chairman John Mica, R-Fla., has mentioned using money left over from the $814 billion stimulus law passed in 2009. Ed DeSeve, the White House point man on stimulus implementation, said in October that only $110 billion remained unspent, including $45 billion in tax cuts.

And the Highway Trust Fund — which also helps pay for mass transit — can't pay for current transportation needs without raising the gas tax, now 18.4 cents-a-gallon, the Congressional Budget Office says. At the current rate of spending and gas tax collections, CBO analyst Chad Shirley wrote last week, the highway account "would be unable to meet its obligations sometime during fiscal year 2012."

"Big-government advocates have a history of calling nearly all government spending 'investment,' because it sounds better," says Brian Riedl of the conservative Heritage Foundation. "It's very dangerous to claim these investments will pay for themselves."

Statement:
"Now that the worst of the recession is over, we have to confront the fact that our government spends more than it takes in. That is not sustainable."

•Reality check: Obama revised last year's proposal to freeze domestic spending, excluding Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, defense, homeland security and veterans programs. Now he wants five years, not three. But by exempting so much, the freeze would apply to only about $500 billion of a $3.8 trillion budget — "a fairly narrow part," White House economic adviser Gene Sperling admits.

The White House claims the freeze would save $400 billion over 10 years. It says the part of the budget to be frozen, measured as a share of the nation's economy, is lower than it's been in a half-century.

Republicans want to cut spending much more. House GOP leaders, led by Speaker John Boehner, want to cut $100 billion this year and about $1.5 trillion over 10 years by reverting to 2008 spending levels. Conservative Republicans led by Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio want to go further, saving $2.5 trillion over 10 years by reverting to 2006 spending levels.

Statement:
"Over the years, a parade of lobbyists has rigged the tax code to benefit particular companies and industries. … Those with accountants or lawyers to work the system can end up paying no taxes at all. But all the rest are hit with one of the highest corporate tax rates in the world. It makes no sense, and it has to change."

•Reality check: By focusing only on corporate taxes, the president is putting off a more sweeping overhaul of the tax code called for by his bipartisan fiscal commission and other panels.

He would eliminate or reduce many of the tax breaks inserted into the tax code for specific industries and use the money to lower the 35% corporate tax rate, which is the highest among 31 developed countries ranked by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Lower rates might be good for most corporations — but fewer than 6 million businesses, or 18% of the nation's total, file as corporations. More than 23 million, or 72%, are sole proprietorships, while 3 million more, or nearly 10%, are partnerships. "I am certain that they do not want to be left out of tax reform," says R. Bruce Josten, an executive vice president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Statement:
"Most of the cuts and savings I've proposed only address annual domestic spending, which represents a little more than 12% of our budget. To make further progress, we have to stop pretending that cutting this kind of spending alone will be enough. It won't."

•Reality check: Beyond his proposed domestic spending freeze, which comes with lots of exclusions, Obama didn't take the lead on broader deficit reduction. He spoke about the need to protect Social Security for future generations and to get further savings in health care beyond those envisioned in the overhaul signed last year, but there were no specifics.

Budget watchdogs had hoped Obama would embrace specific proposals from the bipartisan commission that last month voted 11-7 for major spending cuts, tax increases and changes to Social Security and Medicare. The federal budget deficit stands at $1.3 trillion, and the accumulated national debt is $14.1 trillion.

"A spending freeze is a step in the right direction, but it is only one element of the long-term fiscal plan we need," says Pete Peterson, chairman of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, a fiscal watchdog group. "We cannot become more of an investment economy if we don't have future resources to invest."

Statement:
"To help businesses sell more products abroad, we set a goal of doubling our exports by 2014 — because the more we export, the more jobs we create at home. Already, our exports are up."

•Reality check: Obama called for doubling U.S. exports in five years during last year's State of the Union address. He's on track so far: U.S. exports in the first 11 months of 2010 were up 17%, according to numbers released this month by the U.S. International Trade Administration.

The White House claims that recent export deals with China will "support" 235,000 jobs. It says the pending free trade agreement with South Korea will support another 70,000, and that business deals inked with India last fall will create 50,000.

Those figures are based on a Commerce Department formula that translates export dollars into jobs, according to John Murphy of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, who says the figures are conservative. The AFL-CIO says the figures for South Korea are inflated.

Statement:
"Because the American people deserve to know that special interests aren't larding up legislation with pet projects, both parties in Congress should know this: If a bill comes to my desk with earmarks inside, I will veto it."

•Reality check: Obama's stance on earmarks has evolved since he was first elected to the Senate. Obama has called for increased disclosure of earmarks, which he claimed as a senator, but the veto threat is his toughest stance yet.

"To me, it's the smart political play," says Steve Ellis of the budget watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense. With House Republicans already pledging an earmark moratorium, Obama's stance puts additional pressure on the Senate not to load up spending bills with pet projects.

Two points, one fiscal, one political: Earmarks represent only about $16 billion, or less than 0.5% of the $3.8 trillion budget, so eliminating them won't accomplish much. And Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., on Tuesday called wiping out earmarks "a lot of pretty talk, but it is only giving the president more power. He's got enough power already."

NIA Top Ten Predictions for 2011

2011-01-05T14:20:00.006-07:00

Over the past year I referenced an organization called the National Inflation Association (NIA) several times in my articles. NIA's mission is to prepare Americans for hyperinflation and help Americans to survive. During the past year the accuracy of NIA's predictions has been uncanny, resulting in national renown for the organization. Now, the NIA has released its top ten predictions for 2011. I found them to be very interesting. Take a few moments to view them.

NIA's Top Ten Predictions for 2011

1) The Dow/Gold and Gold/Silver ratios will continue to decline.
In NIA's top 10 predictions for 2010, we predicted major declines in the Dow/Gold and Gold/Silver ratios. The Dow/Gold ratio was 9.3 at the time and finished 2010 down 15% to 8.1. The Gold/Silver ratio was 64 at the time and finished 2010 down 28% to 46. We expect to see the Dow/Gold ratio decline to 6.5 and the Gold/Silver ratio decline to 38 in 2011. Later this decade, we expect to see the Dow/Gold ratio bottom at 1 and the Gold/Silver ratio decline to below 16 and possibly as low as 10.

2) Colleges will begin to go bankrupt and close their doors.
We have a college education bubble in America that was made possible by the U.S. government's willingness to give out cheap and easy student loans. With all of the technological advances that have been taking place worldwide, the cost for a college education in America should be getting cheaper. Instead, private four-year colleges have averaged 5.6% tuition inflation over the past six years.
College tuitions are the one thing in America that never declined in price during the panic of 2008. Despite collapsing stock market and Real Estate prices, college tuition costs surged to new highs as Americans instinctively sought to become better educated in order to better ride out and survive the economic crisis. Unfortunately, American students who overpaid for college educations are graduating and finding out that their degrees are worthless and no jobs are available for them. They would have been better off going straight into the work force and investing their money into gold and silver. That way, they would have real wealth today instead of debt and would already have valuable work place experience, which is much more important than any piece of paper.
Colleges and universities took on ambitious construction projects and built new libraries, gyms, and sporting venues, that added no value to the education of students. These projects were intended for the sole purpose of impressing students and their families. The administrators of these colleges knew that no matter how high tuitions rose, students would be able to simply borrow more from the government in order to pay them.
Americans today can purchase just about any type of good on Amazon.com, cheaper than they can find it in retail stores. This is because Amazon.com is a lot more efficient and doesn't have the overhead costs of brick and mortar retailers. NIA expects to see a new trend of Americans seeking to become educated cheaply over the Internet. There will be a huge drop off in demand for traditional college degrees. NIA expects to see many colleges default on their debts in 2011. These colleges will be forced to either downsize and educate students more cost effectively or close their doors for good.

3) U.S. retailers will report declines in profit margins and their stocks will decline.
Although most analysts on Wall Street believe retailers will report a major increase in holiday season sales over a year ago, NIA believes any top line growth retailers report will come at the expense of dismal bottom line profits. NIA expects many retailers to report large declines in their profit margins for the 4Q of 2010 and first half of 2011. Retailers have been selling goods at bargain basement prices in order to generate demand. Americans, being flush with newly printed dollars from the Federal Reserve, have been eager to buy up supplies of goods at artificially low prices. However, shareholders will likely sell off their retail stocks on this news. As share prices of retail stocks decline, retailers will begin to rapidly increase their prices by mid-2011.

4) The mainstream public will begin to buy gold.
Although the mainstream media continues to proclaim we have a gold bubble, it is impossible to have a gold bubble when mainstream America isn't buying gold. The average American is more likely to be a seller of gold through companies like Cash4Gold, in order to raise enough dollars to put food on their table. Most Americans today don't even know the price of gold. During the next 12 months, we expect to see a huge ramping up in the public's knowledge about gold. More Americans than ever will know the current price of gold and understand that it is real money. By the end of 2011, we expect the general public to begin looking at gold as an investment, just like they began looking at Real Estate as an investment in 2003. Sometime during the next six months, we believe you will overhear a stranger at a restaurant talking about investing into gold. We believe the price of gold could surge to as high as $2,000 per ounce in 2011.

5) We will see a huge surge in municipal debt defaults.
In the closing months of 2010, we saw yields on municipal bonds rise to their highest levels since early 2009. After 29 consecutive weeks of inflows into municipal bond funds, investors are now pulling money out of municipal bond funds by record amounts, with $9 billion exiting municipal bond funds in the five weeks leading up to Christmas. NIA believes there could be a small dip in municipal bond yields over the next couple of months as investors realize that municipal debt defaults might not be imminent, but we expect municipal bond yields to begin rising again by mid-2011 with a huge surge in municipal debt defaults coming in the second half of 2011. Although the Federal Government has a printing press that it uses in order to pay its debts, cities and municipalities do not.

6) We will see a large decline in the crude oil/natural gas ratio.
When we released our top 10 predictions for 2010, crude oil was $73 per barrel and we predicted that oil prices would rise to $100 per barrel in 2010. Crude oil ended up rising by 26% in 2010 to $92 per barrel, coming short of our outlook. However, it is possible our $100 per barrel oil forecast might be off by just a month or two. We wouldn't be surprised to see $100 per barrel oil within the first two months of 2011 and if so, we expect to see a huge movement in America this year towards natural gas.
The crude oil/natural gas ratio currently stands at 20. Historically, the crude oil/natural gas ratio has averaged 10 and based on an energy equivalent basis, crude oil and natural gas prices should have a 6 to 1 ratio. Brand new fracking technology has caused natural gas supplies in the U.S. to rise to record levels. Although our country might be flooded with natural gas, the natural gas fracking boom that is taking place across the U.S. today is causing ground water in the U.S. to become contaminated. Americans living near natural gas wells that use fracking, are finding that they can now light the water coming out of their faucets on fire. New government regulations are likely to crack down on natural gas fracking and this will come at the same time as American individuals and businesses begin to convert their automobiles and machinery to run off of natural gas. A large decline in the crude oil/natural gas ratio in 2011 is likely, possibly down to as low as 15.

7) The median U.S. home will decline sharply priced in silver.For the past couple of years, being able to make ones mortgage payment has been the primary concern for the average American. In an attempt to support housing prices and keep mortgage interest rates at artificially low levels, the Federal Reserve has been implementing massive quantitative easing and buying mortgage backed securities. NIA believes the Federal Reserve will be successful at putting a nominal floor under Real Estate prices. NIA also believes that the Federal Reserve's actions will cause a massive decline in the value of the U.S. dollar, which will allow Americans to more easily pay back their mortgages with depreciated U.S. dollars.

However, the Federal Reserve will not be successful at reinflating the Real Estate bubble. In fact, in terms of real money (gold and silver), NIA believes Real Estate prices will decline to record lows. The median U.S. home is currently priced at $170,600 or 5,500 ounces of silver. Priced in silver, the median U.S. home price is down 16% from one month ago and 45% from one year ago. After the inflationary crisis of the 1970s, silver rose to a high in 1980 of $49.45 per ounce. The median U.S. home price in 1980 was $47,200, which means the median U.S. home/silver ratio declined to a low of 954.
With the Federal Reserve printing money at an unprecedented rate and record amounts of new homes built during the recent Real Estate bubble, NIA believes it is inevitable that the median U.S. home will decline to a price of 1,000 ounces of silver this decade and possibly as low as 500 ounces of silver. In 2011, we believe a decline in the median U.S. home price to 4,000 ounces of silver is possible.

8) Food inflation will become America's top crisis.
Starting a few decades ago and accelerating in recent years, America has seen a boom in non-productive service jobs, mainly in the financial sector. Most of these jobs were made possible by inflation. Without inflation, which steals from the purchasing power of the incomes and savings of goods producing workers, the majority of the jobs on Wall Street would not exist today and our country would be in much better financial shape because of it.
With most Americans in recent decades seeking non-productive jobs in the financial services sector because that is where they could access the Fed's cheap and easy money, very few Americans sought jobs in the farming and agriculture sector. In the 1930s, approximately 28% of the population was employed in the agriculture sector, but today this number is less than 2%. Agriculture currently makes up only 1.2% of U.S. GDP, compared to the services sector, which makes up 76.9% of U.S. GDP.
There is currently a major shortage of farmers in the U.S. and a lot of land that was previously used for farming has now been developed with Real Estate. To make matters worse, agricultural products now trade on the international market and Americans must now compete against citizens of emerging nations like China and India for the purchasing of food.
Prices of goods and services do not rise equally when governments create monetary inflation. Inflation gravitates most towards the items that Americans need the most and there is nothing that Americans need more to survive than food and agriculture. As the U.S. government prints money, the first thing Americans will spend it on is food. Americans can cut back on energy use by moving into a smaller home and carpooling to work. They can cut back on entertainment, travel, and other discretionary spending. However, Americans can never stop spending money on food.
The days of cheap food in America are coming to an end. The recent unprecedented rise that we have seen in agricultural commodity prices is showing no signs of letting up. In the past few days, sugar futures reached a new 30-year high, coffee futures reached a new 13-year high, orange juice futures reached a new 3-year high, corn futures reached a new 29-month high, soybean futures reached a new 27-month high, and palm oil futures reached a new 33-month high.

We estimate that it takes as long as six months for rising agricultural commodity prices to be felt by U.S. consumers in their local supermarket. Even if food producers and retailers accept substantially lower profit margins in 2011, we are still guaranteed to see double-digit across the board U.S. food inflation in the first half of the year. That is correct, let us repeat, NIA guarantees that Americans will see double-digit food inflation in the first half of 2011.

Shockingly, except for Glenn Beck (who was kind enough to feature our food inflation report), absolutely nobody in the mainstream media is doing anything to warn Americans about the food inflation crisis that is ahead. In fact, left-wing groups like Media Matters (funded by George Soros) have been working tirelessly to try and discredit NIA's research while reassuring Americans that they need not worry about food inflation. The truth is, when Americans realize that they can no longer take food for granted, we will likely see the outbreak of an all out food price panic with everybody rushing to the supermarket to stock up on goods before prices rise even further. The end result will likely be government price controls and empty store shelves, but NIA doesn't project this to occur until later this decade.

9) QE2 will disappoint and the Federal Reserve will prepare QE3.
The Dow Jones is now back up to 11,670, which is where it was in mid-2008 before the crash. NIA believes that most of QE2 has already been priced into the market, before the Federal Reserve even prints the $600 billion. At some point, we expect it to become apparent to all that the U.S. economic recovery is phony and stock prices are rising solely due to inflation. In our opinion, we will see some sort of catalyst that causes the stock market to sell off at some point and the consensus on Wall Street will be that QE2 will not be enough to save the U.S. economy. By the end of 2011, we expect the Federal Reserve to begin planning QE3. QE3 might be the final dose of inflation that causes the U.S. economy to overdose into hyperinflation.

10) Sarah Palin will announce she is running for President as a Republican.
NIA believes that Sarah Palin has been setup perfectly to run for President in 2012 and that she will announce her candidacy for the Republican nomination with great fanfare from tea party supporters in 2011. We give Sarah Palin credit for recently speaking out against the Federal Reserve's QE2 and warning Americans about the food inflation crisis that is ahead. Unfortunately, we believe Sarah Palin is not a true independent and is being controlled by the Republican establishment, which is just as responsible as the Democrats are for the financial crisis we have today. As President, Palin would be unlikely to implement the measures that are necessary to prevent hyperinflation. In our opinion, we need to elect a true libertarian candidate as President who will cut government spending, balance the budget, and restore sound money. NIA intends to support Ron Paul, if he decides to run for President.

Remembering Our Troops This Holiday

2010-12-21T15:36:00.006-07:00

As we gather with family and friends to celebrate the holidays and the coming new year, it is important that we remember the members of our armed forces who are spending this holiday season far from home and in harm's way. These thousands of heroes have family and friends they wish they could spend the holidays with. But they gave that up to ensure we are safe to do these things. So, when you have your delicious holiday dinner, when you sit by your Christmas tree in your warm home, when you bring in the new year, take a moment to remember and thank the thousands of selfless Americans who cannot.

I have included, below, a video of the music group, Kiss, entertaining the troops in Iraq. Take a moment to view it and give thanks to these brave men and women.

[My thanks to Lois Garliech for forwarding this video]

Hyperinflation is Guaranteed!

2010-11-16T17:00:00.000-07:00

Over the past two years I posted numerous articles warning of HYPERINFLATION and, even, TOTAL ECONOMIC COLLAPSE if we continue down the path of UNCONTROLLED SPENDING enacted by the Obama administration. The resulting debt, I said, would destroy our economy. I spent many sleepless nights over my concern for the economic survival of our country. I hoped and prayed I was wrong. Unfortunately, I have been watching helplessly as my most fearful scenario continued to develop.

In May, I discovered an organization called the National Inflation Association. At that time it was relatively unknown. Its mission was to prepare Americans for hyperinflation and help Americans to survive. But it has been doing a superb job of raising a warning flag to the pending disaster for our economy and the actions required to save it. Since that time the NIA has gained national renown as its predictions have come to fruition. In its latest article, the organization warns that "hyperinflation is guaranteed if the US stays on its current path". The article goes into great detail explaining the mechanisms leading to this disaster. And we're not talking 20 years down the road. It's already started!

The American people intuitively have known that uncontrolled spending will lead to economic disaster. That is why the Congress was cleaned out and replaced in the recent election. That, however, is not enough! Even the members of Congress who acknowledge the problem are afraid to enact the extreme steps and cutbacks in entitlements that are essential to preventing total economic failure. We are so far over our heads in debt that to save our economy ALL AMERICANS WILL FEEL THE PAIN!

What we, the people, need to do, now, is contact our elected officials and ensure they know that we are aware of the crisis, that we are aware of the extreme and painful measures required to save our economy and, most importantly, that WE ARE NOT ONLY WILLING, BUT THAT WE DEMAND THEY TAKE THESE ACTIONS!

I include the latest National Inflation Association article, below, for your review.

Hyperinflation is Guaranteed if U.S. Stays on Current Path
by the National Inflation Association

The National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform released last week their 'CoChairs' Proposal' on how the U.S. can achieve $100.2 billion in domestic savings and $100.1 billion in defense savings in fiscal year 2015, for total discretionary spending savings of $200.3 billion. Combined with other steps designed to boost tax revenues, the commission's plan, if implemented, is expected to reduce the projected 2015 U.S. budget deficit by $400 billion to $372 billion. NIA believes it is very unlikely that our representatives in Washington will have the political backbone and courage to implement any of the commission's proposed spending cuts. The truth is, the U.S. is on a path towards exploding budget deficits in the years ahead, that could cause an outbreak of hyperinflation by the end of calendar year 2015.

Many people are asking us when exactly we expect our food price projections to be reached. We can pretty much guarantee you that all of our food price projections will be seen this decade. There is a very good chance of our projections being reached by the end of calendar year 2015 and a slight chance that they will be reached as soon as the 2012 elections. NIA's food price projections are very conservative. They are based on the current purchasing power of the U.S. dollar and do not factor in the likelihood of an outbreak of hyperinflation.

NIA believes that if the U.S. stays on its current path, we are guaranteed to see hyperinflation this decade. The only way it will be possible to prevent hyperinflation is if the U.S. government dramatically cuts spending across the board immediately and if the Federal Reserve raises interest rates from near zero percent (where they have been for nearly two years) to a level that is higher than the real rate of price inflation. Considering that the Federal Reserve still claims to fear deflation and just announced massive quantitative easing, we see very little chance of any major interest rate hikes taking place during the next six months.

Although the commission's proposal includes many large spending cuts including freezing federal salaries for three years (saving $15.1 billion), cutting the federal workforce by 10% (saving $13.2 billion), and eliminating 250,000 non-defense service and staff augmentee contractors (saving $18.4 billion); even if their proposal was implemented it would be too little too late. The commission's proposal calls for its cuts to be gradually implemented beginning in early 2012 and it includes absolutely no meaningful cuts to social security. The only proposed major changes to social security are raising the retirement age to 68 in year 2050 and 69 in year 2075. There is absolutely no chance of the U.S. dollar surviving past the year 2020 unless much more drastic spending cuts than the commission has proposed are implemented within the next twelve months.

The commission says that if we fail to implement their proposed spending cuts, we will likely see interest payments on our national debt reach $1 trillion by 2020. The reality is, NIA believes interest payments on our national debt are likely to reach $1 trillion in 2015. It is currently projected that our interest payments in 2015 will be $586 billion. However, this number is based on a projected 4.1% interest rate on our 91-day treasury bills and 5.3% interest rate on our 10-year treasury bills.

The yield on 10-year U.S. treasuries has risen in recent weeks by 41 basis points to 2.94%, up from 2.53% on November 4th. NIA believes it is likely the 10-year yield will rise back above 4% in the first half of 2011. By 2015, we expect the 10-year yield to be substantially higher then 5.3%. During the 1970s, the last time we had an inflationary crisis like the one we are rapidly approaching, yields on the 10-year bond exploded. When each of the agricultural commodities in our food inflation report reached their real all time highs in the 1970s, the average 10-year bond yield at the time of their highs was 7.47%. With the Federal Reserve likely to be forced to raise the Fed Funds Rate to around this same level, based on our projected public debt in 2015 of $14 trillion, our interest payments will likely rise to $1.046 trillion or 29% of projected tax receipts, and this is a very conservative estimate.

The Federal Reserve's monetary base currently stands at $1.9851 trillion and is projected to rise to $2.5851 trillion by mid-2011 due to the Fed's upcoming $600 billion in quantitative easing. The U.S. M2 money supply rose over the past week by $22.4 billion to $8.7862 trillion. This represents a $1.1648 trillion annualized increase, which would equal 13.25% monetary inflation over the next year. The M2 multiplier, or M2 divided by the monetary base, currently stands at 4.426, compared to a long-term average of 10. Based on a projected monetary base of $2.5851 trillion and a long-term average M2 multiplier of 10, the M2 money supply has a chance of rising as much as 194% to $25.851 trillion over the next few years.

In the short-term, if the M2 multiplier remains at 4.426, it is likely the M2 money supply could rise to $11.4416 trillion next year, up 30.22% from its current level. With the UBS Bloomberg CMCI Food Index currently up 30.5% from its low in August, it appears as though the market has already factored the upcoming 30.22% increase in the M2 money supply into agricultural commodity prices. Even if food manufacturing companies and retailers agree to accept 2/3 of these rising costs in the form of lower profit margins, Americans will still see about a 10% rise in retail food prices come early 2011.

The upcoming food inflation crisis and eventual hyperinflation will come as a direct result of our representatives in Washington trying to prevent a much needed recession by propping up Real Estate prices through bailouts, stimulus plans, tax rebates, and other wasteful programs. The only thing that our elected representatives care about is remaining in power. They only see our current problems and not the problems that will arrive next as a result of their actions. Their goal is to make the average American as dependent on them as possible through massive price inflation, so that the average American is forced to rely on entitlement programs just to survive.

To view my previous articles on this subject, click on the link(s):

Stop the Madness: No More Bailouts!, An Inconvenient Debt: Economic Apocalypse, Call to Action: Stop the Stimulus Package, The Dollar Bubble: Disaster in the Making, Meltup: Total Economic Collapse Scenario

A Final Flight Home Done Right

2010-11-15T15:29:00.002-07:00

Countless members of our military have made their final flight home after sacrificing their lives in the defense of their country, freedom and us. A friend just sent me an e-mail with a story written by an unknown airline captain from an unknown airline in his own words. In it he describes what happened when he was informed the remains of a fallen soldier were being transported in the cargo hold of his airplane. This is one instance where it was done right! My hat is off to the captain and his crew, the airline dispatcher and all members of this unknown airline at this unknown hub.

This story will leave you with appreciation as well as damp eyes. I include it, below, for your review.

A Final Flight Home

My lead flight attendant came to me and said, “We have H.R. on this flight.” (H.R. stands for human remains.)

“Are they military?” I asked.

"Yes", she said.

"Is there an escort?" I asked.

"Yes, I already assigned him a seat."

"Would you please tell him to come to the flight deck. You can board him early,” I said.

A short while later, a young army sergeant entered the flight deck. He was the image of the perfectly dressed soldier. He introduced himself and I asked him about his soldier. The escorts of these fallen soldiers talk about them as if they are still alive and still with us.

"My soldier is on his way back to Virginia," he said. He proceeded to answer my questions, but offered no words.

I asked him if there was anything I could do for him and he said no. I told him that he had the toughest job in the military and that I appreciated the work that he does for the families of our fallen soldiers. The first officer and I got up out of our seats to shake his hand. He left the flight deck to find his seat.

We completed our preflight checks, pushed back and performed an uneventful departure. About 30 minutes into our flight I received a call from the lead flight attendant in the cabin. "I just found out the family of the soldier we are carrying, is on board," she said. She then proceeded to tell me that the father, mother, wife and 2 year old daughter were escorting their son, husband, and father home. The family was upset because they were unable to see the container that the soldier was in before we left. We were on our way to a major hub at which the family was going to wait four hours for the connecting flight home to Virginia.

The father of the soldier told the flight attendant that knowing his son was below him in the cargo compartment and being unable to see him was too much for the family and him to bear. He had asked the flight attendant if there was anything that could be done to allow them to see him upon our arrival. The family wanted to be outside by the cargo door to watch their soldier being taken off the airplane. I could hear the desperation in the flight attendant's voice when she asked me if there was anything I could do. "I’m on it," I said. I told her that I would get back to her.

Airborne communication with my company normally occurs in the form of e-mail like messages. I decided to bypass this system and contact my flight dispatcher directly on a secondary radio. There is a radio operator in the operations control center who connects you to the telephone of the dispatcher. I was in direct contact with the dispatcher. I explained the situation I had on board with the family and what it was the family wanted. He said he understood and that he would get back to me.

Two hours went by and I had not heard from the dispatcher. We were going to get busy soon and I needed to know what to tell the family. I sent a text message asking for an update. I saved the return message from the dispatcher and the following is the text:

"Captain, sorry it has taken so long to get back to you. There is policy on this now and I had to check on a few things. Upon your arrival a dedicated escort team will meet the aircraft. The team will escort the family to the ramp and plane side. A van will be used to load the remains with a secondary van for the family. The family will be taken to their departure area and escorted into the terminal where the remains can be seen on the ramp. It is a private area for the family only. When the connecting aircraft arrives, the family will be escorted onto the ramp and plane side to watch the remains being loaded for the final leg home. Captain, most of us here in flight control are veterans. Please pass our condolences on to the family. Thanks."

I sent a message back telling flight control thanks for a good job. I printed out the message and gave it to the lead flight attendant to pass on to the father. The lead flight attendant was very thankful and told me, "You have no idea how much this will mean to them."

Things started getting busy for the descent, approach and landing. After landing, we cleared the runway and taxied to the ramp area. The ramp is huge with 15 gates on either side of the alleyway. It is always a busy area with aircraft maneuvering every which way to enter and exit. When we entered the ramp and checked in with the ramp controller, we were told that all traffic was being held for us.

"There is a team in place to meet the aircraft," we were told. It looked like it was all coming together, then I realized that once we turned the seat belt sign off, everyone would stand up at once and delay the family from getting off the airplane. As we approached our gate, I asked the copilot to tell the ramp controller we were going to stop short of the gate to make an announcement to the passengers. He did that and the ramp controller said, "Take your time."

I stopped the aircraft and set the parking brake. I pushed the public address button and said, "Ladies and gentleman, this is your Captain speaking I have stopped short of our gate to make a special announcement. We have a passenger on board who deserves our honor and respect. His Name is Private XXXXXX, a soldier who recently lost his life. Private XXXXXX is under your feet in the cargo hold. Escorting him today is Army Sergeant XXXXXXX. Also, on board are his father, mother, wife, and daughter. Your entire flight crew is asking for all passengers to remain in their seats to allow the family to exit the aircraft first. Thank you."

We continued the turn to the gate, came to a stop and started our shutdown procedures. A couple of minutes later I opened the cockpit door. I found the two forward flight attendants crying, something you just do not see. I was told that after we came to a stop, every passenger on the aircraft stayed in his seat, waiting for the family to exit the aircraft.

When the family got up and gathered their things, a passenger slowly started to clap his hands. Moments later more passengers joined in and soon the entire aircraft was clapping. Words of ‘God bless you’, 'I’m sorry', 'Thank you', 'Be proud', and other kind words were uttered to the family as they made their way down the aisle and out of the airplane. They were escorted down to the ramp to finally be with their loved one.

Many of the passengers disembarking thanked me for the announcement I had made. They were just words, I told them, I could say them over and over again, but nothing I say will bring back that brave soldier.

[My thanks to Phil Hunter for forwarding this story]

2010 Veterans Day Tribute

2010-11-11T11:03:00.001-07:00

Today is November 11th. Once again, it is time to remember and honor those who have served and who serve our nation today. The freedom we enjoy today was, and still is, bought and paid with the blood, sweat and the lives of countless patriots that put the warmth and safety of their homes and families behind. On this day, take a moment to thank our veterans who have served and those are in harm's way, today, defending our freedom and this great nation.

Sony BDV-E770W: Top Notch Home Theater System

2010-09-23T11:16:00.023-06:00

After extensive research I recently purchased a Sony BDV-E770W Home Theater System, and I am thrilled with it. I strongly recommend this system if you are considering the purchase of a "Home Theater In a Box".

"Home Theater In a Box" is a collection of components designed to work together that are often purchased separately at much greater expense. It includes surround sound, a Blu-ray, DVD and CD player (compatible with music and photo files) and an FM radio receiver. Newer systems include Internet streaming media such as Pandora Radio, YouTube and Netflix Movies. The latest improvements for these systems are wireless Internet connection so you can access Internet features wirelessly via your home network, wireless rear speakers so you don't have to snake wires from the unit (located with your TV in the front of the room) to their location at the rear of the room, and, most recently, 3D video capability.

The Sony BDV-E770W has all of this! The sound quality is phenomenal! And the DVD player up converts standard DVDs to 1080p HD. You can easily spend thousands of dollars for such a system. During my prepurchase research I received an estimate of $3500 from a professional installer for a similar system. The BDV-E770W lists for $600 on the Sony site. I purchased mine on an Internet site for under $450, delivered with no tax!

CNet gave the Sony BDV-E770W an "Excellent" rating, saying it is "one of the best Blu-ray home theater systems we've tested." Their review opens with the following (Check out the full CNet Review):

The Sony BDV-E770W is the company's flagship Blu-ray home theater for 2010 and it's outfitted with just about every feature you could think of. It can stream media for a ton of online sources (including Netflix, Amazon VOD, Pandora, and Slacker) and it comes with a USB Wi-Fi dongle so you don't need Ethernet in the living room. A wireless rear-speaker package is also included, which is a welcome plus now that many manufacturers don't include this even on high-end systems. You can connect an iPod directly to the BDV-E770W's USB port, and browse your music using the onscreen display. The built-in Blu-ray player is even 3D-compatible.

Netflix Interface: Click for Larger Image

I've had my BDV-E770W for a month, now, and I can't imagine any better performance from a $3500 custom system! You can view your photo slide shows and listen to radio and music CDs in fantastic high quality stereo. Watching TV shows and movies with Dolby 5.1 surround sound on your HD TV is like going to the movies in your own home! And, when you get your 3D capable TV sometime down the road, this Sony Home Theater System will be ready for that too! So, pop some popcorn, turn the lights down, and put on your favorite Blu-ray movie. You'll never need to go the movies again!

Important Note: Be sure the system you purchase contains a "W" in the model number. Sony sells a BDV-E770 which does not include wireless capabilities.

Traffic Pullover Life & Death Video

2010-09-15T15:13:00.006-06:00

Law enforcement is very risky. Our police officers never know what is in store when they pull a vehicle over. The police video, below, from Hamilton, MT shows how a routine traffic pullover can instantly and unexpectedly lead to a life or death scenario.

A coroner's jury ruled that Police Officer Ross Jessop was justified in killing a man during a late night traffic stop. It took a six woman jury an hour to rule that Officer Jessop justifiably shot and killed Raymond Thane Davis after Davis shot at him. The 5 hours of testimony included this chilling video recording of the shooting made by the police car dash camera. Davis first tried shooting Officer Jessop in the face from a few inches away. The click of Davis' revolver's hammer hitting a previously fired round was audible on the tape. Davis then shot again as Officer Jessop retreated and drew his own weapon. The outcome would have been much different if the first round in the cylinder had been a live one. Davis died of wounds received when Officer Jessup returned fire.

[My thanks to Tom Nick for this article and video]

Yosemite's "Fire Waterfall"

2010-07-31T16:14:00.006-06:00

At Yosemite National Park you can see and photograph a rare and beautiful natural phenomenon: a "firefall". But the conditions have to be just right. In the past, "firefalls" were waterfalls created with fire at Yosemite. A large fire was started atop Glacier Point and red-hot embers were pushed off a shear granite wall in the evening. It was Yosemite’s version of fireworks. Park officials learned it was a fire hazard in the 1960s and the practice was stopped.

For the real thing, the first ingredient you need, oddly enough, is sunlight. You can’t capture this effect throughout the year, and the setting sun is only in the right position during the last two weeks of February, when it can shine a golden spotlight down the center of Yosemite Valley. Wintertime can bring clouds and storms that block the sunlight, so timing and luck are everything.

The next ingredient you need for the firefall is water. The source of water comes from Horsetail Falls, a small waterfall atop El Capitan. The water basin that drains into Horsetail Falls is around 30 acres. The elevation at the top is 7569 feet. It is cold up there in February. It gets cold enough to freeze any snow or rain into a solid piece of ice. California also has dry years when waterfalls barely run. No water means no waterfall, and no firefall. So, again, timing and luck are everything, and this can be a rare sight.

The best location to view the firefall is slightly east of El Capitan near the base of the mountain. You need to be east of Horsetail Falls as the sun sets in the West. Sunlight shining through the waterfall creates the most brilliant colors. There is a small meadow that provides an opening in the forest at a perfect angle. The spot is in between Yosemite Lodge and El Capitan. Photographers gather in a large herd at the end of February. The easiest way to find that meadow is to look for a lot of cars parked along Northside Drive for no apparent reason. You have gone too far if you get to the large parking area directly in front of El Capitan.

Take a few moments and enjoy one of nature's rare and beautiful phenomena.

[My thanks to "B-Cause" of "The Free Republic" blog for this article]

July 27th: A Special Day for Me

2010-07-27T10:56:00.012-06:00

On July 27th, 1975, 35 years ago, I was awarded my Private Pilot License. One year later, on July 27th, 1976, I pinned on my Air Force Pilot Wings after completing Undergraduate Pilot Training at Vance Air Force Base in Oklahoma. These two occasions marked the achievement of my lifetime goal to become an Air Force pilot, and they marked the beginning of two tremendously exciting and rewarding careers as an Air Force fighter pilot and, later, an airline pilot.

July 27th is special to me in another way. It is the birthday of my late father who was born on July 27th, 1926. Years after the two events I described above, my father told me I was living his dream. I never knew his life dream was to fly. My father and I had a special relationship, and I am grateful I had the good fortune to be his son.

So, every year on this day, I get a little retrospective. I find it curious, to say the least, that these three events occurred on this day. But, most importantly, on this day, I reflect on what a lucky man I am.

Abbott & Costello's "Who's On First?"

2010-07-25T23:18:00.011-06:00

Bud Abbott & Lou Costello

This world-famous vaudeville routine was performed by comic team Abbott and Costello in the late 1930's. In it, Lou Costello asks his partner, Bud Abbott, to tell him the names of the players on the St. Louis baseball team. They have very unusual names, and the confusion they cause Lou Costello is truly hilarious. The routine is brilliant and, although extremely difficult to deliver, it was masterfully done by the team. It is, arguably, the best comedy routine of all time.

Some of you will remember this, as it was replayed on TV for many years. There is nothing like it anymore. For those seeing it for the first time, I guarantee it will have you rolling on the floor with laughter. Turn up your volume and enjoy!

Humor: Be Careful What You Wish For

2010-07-16T09:39:00.007-06:00

The '60s comedy show, starring British Comedian Benny Hill, was a smash success. Here's a short video from the show that illustrates why you should be careful what you wish for.

[My thanks to Tom Nick for forwarding this video]

America Rising: Upcoming Elections

2010-06-06T15:09:00.004-06:00

In November 2008, millions of Americans voted for Barack Obama based on his promise of "HOPE" and "CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN". They put their sacred trust in, not only the President, but the Congress as well. Little more than a year later, THE AMERICAN PEOPLE FEEL BETRAYED by an arrogant Administration and Congress hellbent on enacting their agenda, despite the thunderous outcries of the people. And the people are truly scared about our future. The video, below (author unknown), is a powerful review of the past year with President Obama and Congress and what lies ahead in the next election. This is a must view!

[My thanks to Edna Oeth for forwarding this video]

Memorial Day Thought 2010

2010-05-29T16:50:00.003-06:00

As we enjoy our three day weekend with family and friends, keep in mind what this holiday means. The purpose of Memorial Day is to remember those who have served, sacrificed and died to keep our country free. As we light our grills, enjoy our food and kick back, remember how much we owe these brave men and women, many who are in harm's way at this moment. Consider attending a nearby Memorial Day ceremony at a National Cemetery or some other place near you. Remember our heroes this Memorial Day...

Political Satire: Arizona Sing-Along

2010-05-28T09:25:00.009-06:00

As you know, Arizona recently passed a bill, SB1070, which tasks Arizona state and local law enforcement to crack down on illegal immigrants. The Arizona legislature felt compelled to write this law, which is merely a restricted version of the federal law, because the Federal Government has, thus far, refused to enforce their own law. The resulting swarm of illegal immigrants into Arizona has led to record crime, kidnapping and murder in the state.

The Obama administration, embarrassed and feeling its toes stepped on (65 percent of Americans support this bill), instantly began a public relations campaign to slander and denounce the bill, stating it will violate Constitutional protection from unreasonable search and seizure and lead to racial profiling. Of course, the bill will do nothing of the kind and has specific language to prevent such actions. It turns out Administration officials who were the most vocal in criticizing the bill (Attorney General Eric Holder, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and others) had never even read it!

Recently, the state of Arizona began its own public relations campaign to counter the negative campaigns being waged against it by the Federal Government and other agencies. The state created a short satirical video focusing on this issue. Check it out below.

Humor: Come to the USA

2010-05-25T10:16:00.005-06:00

It's time for a break from the problems of the day. The video, below, by singer and song writer Ray Stevens, pokes fun at the immigration situation. Take a three minute break from your day for a little chuckle.

[My thanks to Greg Thew for forwarding this video]

Response to Mexican President Calderon's Address to Congress

2010-05-23T00:35:00.006-06:00

On May 20, 2010, MEXICAN PRESIDENT FELIPE CALDERON addressed a joint session of the US Congress where he had the audacity to lecture us about our immigration laws, criticizing SB1070, Arizona's recently passed illegal immigration law. Afterward, HOUSE REPRESENTATIVE TOM McCLINTOCK (R-California) addressed the Congress, relaying his reaction to President Calderon's speech. In doing so, he eloquently spoke for thousands of Americans, including yours truly, who were enraged after hearing the Mexican president lecture US about OUR country's immigration laws. View it below.

[My thanks to Edna Oeth for forwarding this video]

Meltup: Total Economic Collapse Scenario

2010-05-17T21:09:00.010-06:00

The NATIONAL INFLATION ASSOCIATION just posted its latest video, MELTUP. In it, economists describe the causes and resulting scenario that will lead this nation to economic Armageddon. In its first four days on YouTube this video received 196,000 views. This is not an entertainment video. It is lengthy (54 minutes) and technical, but it is a MUST SEE. The only hope we have to avoid a catastrophic ECONOMIC COLLAPSE and the resulting CHAOS is to understand where we are as a nation, economically and politically, and to aggressively change our course. This is not a scenario our children will experience. Unless we wise up, WE ALL WILL EXPERIENCE IT, and soon!

Correct Way to Capture a Terrorist

2010-05-02T09:15:00.010-06:00

Instead of decorating them with medals, Navy commanders court-martialed our heroes that captured a hardened terrorist while at war in Iraq. The allegation was that they might have punched him during the capture. The Spanish have it right when it comes to catching and stopping terrorists. Recently, a terrorist in Spain (not at war), claiming to have a hand grenade, demanded a motorcycle to make his getaway. See how the Spanish authorities captured him. Our government and military officials could learn something from watching this video. SUPPORT OUR TROOPS!

[My thanks to Ralph Monte for forwarding this video]

Humor: iPad Versus oPad

2010-04-08T11:25:00.009-06:00

Apple recently released its new iPad. But the Federal Government has a competing product for you to consider. It's called the Obama Pad or oPad, for short. Check it out.

I Never Thought I'd Live to See the Day

2010-03-22T04:19:00.019-06:00

Last night, after a year of arm twisting, back room deals, out in out, bribery and against the overwhelming outcry of the American people, an arrogant House of Representatives approved the Obama Administration's Healthcare Reform bill. When history looks back on that night it will be remembered in infamy. I will not, in this article, review the countless reasons this bill is bad for America. That has already been done, and bemoaning the past does us no good. However, as a man who loves this country and spent his life supporting and defending it, I am sickened. I am witnessing the destruction of the country I love. I never thought I'd live to see this day. Our Constitution, the unique document that separates us from the rest of the world, defends our freedoms and that allowed us to become the greatest country in the history of the world, has been cast down and trampled by the Obama Administration and this Congress. They are transforming this country to Socialism while vilifying Capitalism, the very system that made this country great. At the same time they are bankrupting the nation's economy; not just the Federal Government's, but the States' as well. I fear for our future, our children's future and our children's children's future.

House Minority Leader, John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) delivered an impassioned speech on the floor of the House, last night, prior to the vote. It was one of the finest speeches I have ever heard. It summed up my feelings better than I could hope to. He admonished the Congress for what they have done to their honor, to our Constitution and to our country. Watch it, below.

Urgent: Healthcare Reform Final Push

2010-03-19T10:13:00.013-06:00

Congress is set to vote on the Healthcare Reform Bill on Sunday. Despite the strongest outcry of the American people I have seen in my lifetime, the President and the Congress continue to ram this bill through by every means available. They have used ARM TWISTING and out-in-out BRIBERY. When that did not work, they CHANGED THE RULES. First, they resorted to a procedure called RECONCILIATION in which the Senate would pass the bill with a SIMPLE MAJORITY instead of the required 2/3 MAJORITY. Now, as passage in the House of Representatives becomes questionable, they are considering another loophole called DEEMING. This process allows the House to vote on amendments WITHOUT FIRST PASSING THE ORIGINAL BILL. By doing so, the original bill is DEEMED to have passed WITHOUT THE HOUSE EVEN VOTING ON IT!

This bill was created behind closed doors. No one knows what it, actually, contains. Speaker Pelosi stated that we need to pass the bill AND THEN find out what is in it. The President, himself, told Bret Baier in a FOX news interview that AFTER THE BILL PASSES, THEN HE AND THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WILL KNOW WHAT IS IN IT. When the President took office a year ago, we were horrified to see him and the Congress pass bills that they had not read. Now they intend to pass a bill affecting ONE SIXTH of our economy and TOTALLY CHANGE HEALTHCARE in this country BEFORE IT HAS BEEN WRITTEN!

Throughout this process, the President and Speaker Pelosi have been using the Chicago-style politics of BACK ROOM ARM TWISTING, THREATS and BRIBERY to force members of Congress to vote for this bill. Estimates are that they are, now, within four votes of passing this legislation. The President canceled his trip to the Pacific to step up the pressure during these final days with more arm twisting and back room deals.

Most doctors and members of the medical profession believe this new plan will severely degrade the quality of our medical care. Massachusetts tried it, and it is bankrupting the state. They are, now, asking the Federal Government for money to take it out of the red. Statistically, the countries that have socialized medicine (Canada, Great Britain, etc.) have significantly worse survival rates and wait times for medical care. And, make no mistake, THIS PLAN WILL RESULT IN RATIONING. You, simply, cannot add 30 million people to the medical system without degradation. There are not enough resources (doctors, hospitals, equipment, etc). And, if that's not bad enough, hundreds of doctors say the new plan will put them out of business, thus reducing the number of doctors available to treat us. The Mayo Clinic and Walgreens drug chain have already acted on their lack of confidence announcing they will no longer take patients under Medicare and Medicaid. Doctors throughout the country are already refusing to accept new patients under Medicare. The Federal Government tested the water last November with regard to rationing. See my article, Healthcare Rationing Has Arrived. I don't know about you, but I don't want the Federal Government running my healthcare with their track record. Everything they run is corrupt, inefficient and goes bankrupt. Have you ever tried to make a claim with Social Security? How well is the Veterans Administration run? Social Security and Medicare are bankrupt. Even the US Postal Service (formerly run by the Federal Government) has never been financially solvent. It lost 4 billion dollars last year and expects to lose 8 billion dollars this year.

Equally important is that no one really knows what the cost and effect of this new plan will be. They claim they can add 3 million uninsured to the new plan, significantly reduce funding to the already bankrupt Social Security and Medicare plans, not adversely affect those plans and still be deficit neutral. How is that possible? Worse yet, the figures they have shown are based on a plan we begin paying for immediately that doesn't go into effect for four years! OUR COUNTRY IS ALREADY GOING BANKRUPT thanks to this Administration's runaway spending of the past year. They are already imposing new taxes and working on more in an impossible attempt to make ends meet. Moody's Investor Service warned, this week, that the U.S. is in danger of losing its AAA rating! The financial analysis of this bill is being done with "smoke and mirrors". Even the Congressional Budget Office finally succumbed to pressure from the White House. What do you think this will do to the economic recovery we are hoping for? The passage of this bill will put the final nail in the coffin of our economy and financial system. As surely as the financial systems of Iceland and Greece have failed, so will ours. It's simple math. We can't continue to spend more than we have, print more dollars and survive (see my previous articles, The Dollar Bubble: Disaster in the Making, An Inconvient Debt: Economic Apocalypse, and Stop the Madness: No More Bailouts ).

Finally, the American people have spoken loud and clear that they do not want Healthcare Reform in this package. Most agree that Healthcare does need to be reformed, but an overwhelming majority of Americans do not like this bill for the reasons I stated, above. They have risen up in a manner and degree I have never seen (Tea Parties, demonstrations, letters and phone calls to Congress) only to be ignored. They manifested their anger at being ignored in the recent gubernatorial elections in Virginia and New Jersey and the shocking election of Scott Brown in Massachusetts (see my article, The People's Seat). Still, we have been ignored.

Yesterday, Congress posted the 2700 page Healthcare Reform Bill, starting a 72 hour countdown for a vote in the House of Representatives. A vote could come as early as Sunday. It appears the Administration is within four votes of passing this bill. It is CRITICAL that our Congressmen hear from us. This may be our last chance to take our country back. It's High Noon! This is the final battle. Contact your Congressmen and tell them in no uncertain terms, if they vote for this bill, to pack their bags. WE WILL VOTE THEM OUT IN NOVEMBER.

I URGE YOU TO GO TO THE "WRITE TO CONGRESS" BLOCK IN THE UPPER RIGHT OF THIS PAGE, TYPE YOUR ZIP CODE AND ENTER TO SEND LETTERS TO YOUR CONGRESSMEN NOW. WE MAY NOT HAVE ANOTHER CHANCE TO SAVE OUR COUNTRY.

Robin Williams as the American Flag

2010-02-27T12:48:00.002-07:00

This great video stars Robin Williams portraying the American Flag as only he could. It's pure entertainment that will leave you just "feeling good".

[My thanks to Phil Hunter for forwarding this video]

State of the Union Arrogance

2010-01-28T14:42:00.011-07:00

Once again, the voice of the people has fallen on deaf ears! Last night, at his first State of the Union address, President Barack Obama made it clear he has no intention of changing the arrogant course set by him and his administration during his first year in office. Despite an overwhelming mandate by the citizens of this country, this Administration dismissed the TEA PARTY movement and the shocking GUBERNATORIAL ELECTION RESULTS in Virginia and New Jersey where angry citizens threw out incumbent liberal Democratic governors. With his State of the Union address last night, the President made it clear he is, also, ignoring the resounding message the people of Massachusetts sent when they handed a historic defeat to Democrat Martha Coakley in an election to fill the seat of the late Senator Ted Kennedy, ending a 38 year Democratic reign in that state.

These events have one thing in common. THE PEOPLE DO NOT LIKE THE DIRECTION THIS ADMINISTRATION IS TAKING THEIR COUNTRY, AND THEY ARE FED UP WITH BEING IGNORED! Scott Brown, who defeated Martha Coakley in Massachusetts, summed up the message. He was against the Healthcare bill, Cap and Trade, unbridled spending, Mirandizing terrorists and trying them in civil courts. Most importantly, he stated that members of Congress WORK FOR THE PEOPLE; that their election to office does not give them the right to ignore the people's will.

The President's speech, last night, was not a "State of the Union" address. It was another "campaign" speech; and an arrogant one at that. Throughout the hour and fifteen minute speech, I didn't, once, hear him mention the "state of the Union". If he did, it got lost in all the political rhetoric. He spent the majority of the speech drawing political lines and chiding groups that opposed his agenda. He arrogantly reinforced his intention to pass Healthcare, EVEN THOUGH THE PEOPLE WERE AGAINST IT! He did the same with CAP AND TRADE. His plan for a SPENDING FREEZE would not go into effect until 2011, would LOCK IN THE MAMMOTH SPENDING INCREASES OF 2009 AND 2010 and would be a "drop in the bucket" compared to the MULTI-TRILLION DOLLAR DEFICITS his programs will create. To think the American people would buy into this "sleight of hand" is an insult to their intelligence!

Rather than deliver a true "state of the Union", the President arrogantly LECTURED the Congress, Supreme Court and government agencies on how to do their jobs. At the same time, he widened the partisan gap between the parties by publicly embarrassing the Republicans, accusing them of opposing anything proposed by the Democrats. I have never seen this kind of admonishment in a State of the Union address, and it is undignified of a president to resort to this tactic. He continues to blame the ills of the country on former President George W. Bush. IT IS, NOW, THE BARACK OBAMA PRESIDENCY AND HAS BEEN FOR A YEAR! The people are tired of that worn out excuse.

During the speech, President Obama showed brazen disregard for the CONSTITUTIONAL SEPARATION OF POWER which created three EQUAL, INDEPENDENT branches of the Federal Government (Executive, Legislative and Judicial) to ensure no single entity acquired too much power. HE PUBLICLY HUMILIATED THE SUPREME COURT for their decision in a recent campaign funding case. He, even, had the audacity to reference the "Separation of Power" when he admonished them! In its unprecedented grab for power, the Obama Administration has continually ignored and violated our Constitution (see my article, The Oath of Office and Political Action). Once again, I have never seen that kind of admonishment in a State of the Union address.

In the end, the things said by the President during this State of the Union address ring hollow and meaningless. Talk is cheap. Actions count. This President made many promises during his campaign: Unprecedented transparency (CNet coverage of bill negotiations, posting all bills on the Internet for five days before signing), limits on lobbyists, earmark reform, and more. Unfortunately, he has reneged on all of them. And with all the rhetoric, the President made no mention of THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE. To the contrary, the defiant message was that he and his Administration were redoubling their efforts to enact the very legislation that the people said they do not want.

It's back to business as usual inside the beltway. But the people will have their turn. Elections are coming!

Fun Flying Fighter Style

2010-01-27T10:25:00.001-07:00

As you know, we have serious issues to deal with every day; some of the most serious issues of our lifetime. Tonight, the President will give his State of the Union address to the country. Occasionally, we need a break. Below, is a two minute video taken inside the cockpit of an F-18 fighter, accompanied by some some great music. It shows the pilot launching from an aircraft carrier and performing some great aerobatics. Take a few minutes to escape your day. This is a video everyone can enjoy. For my "gray haired " ex-fighter pilot colleagues, this will bring back some great memories. Turn your volume way up and enjoy!

[My thanks to Rick Douglas '75 for this video]

The People's Seat

2010-01-21T12:14:00.020-07:00

There IS hope for the future of our country! Tuesday, on behalf of all America, the people of Massachusetts spoke LOUD AND CLEAR and sent a strong message to the President and Congress. In the senatorial election to replace the late Ted Kennedy, a Democratic reign came to an end. For the first time in 38 years a Republican won a seat in the US Senate. A relatively unknown Scott Brown swept up the Independent vote, overwhelming the state's 30% registered Democrats to beat Democratic candidate, Martha Coakley. What was the message that led to this shocking turn of events?

Scott Brown eloquently voiced the deep concerns of millions of Americans that they have been arrogantly ignored by the President and the Congress since the election of 2008. He clearly stated that members of Congress WORK FOR THE PEOPLE; that their election to office does not give them the right to ignore the people's will. His response to a question posed to him during the senatorial debate by moderator, David Gergen, was one for the history books. It was this response that catapulted him into the national spotlight and swept him into office. In his question, Gergen referred to the Senate seat as "TEDDY KENNEDY'S SEAT". Mr. Brown's answer was one for the ages. He said, "WITH ALL DUE RESPECT, IT'S NOT THE KENNEDYS' SEAT, AND IT'S NOT THE DEMOCRATS' SEAT. IT'S THE PEOPLE'S SEAT." (View the video below)

During the campaign Brown clearly stated he would be the 41st vote against the Healthcare bill. He became the mouthpiece for millions of disenfranchised Americans who feel that Congress does not care what we, as Americans, want. Mr. Brown defined his belief in States' Rights and a reduced role for the Federal Government. He, further, stated he believed our tax revenue should be used TO ARM OUR MILITARY TO DEFEAT TERRORISM AND NOT TO FUND LAWYERS TO DEFEND TERRORISTS, referring to the Obama administration's decision to try 9/11 terrorists in civil rather than military courts. He voiced his intention to provide our military with whatever they need to win the War on Terror, and he promised to end Washington's unbridled spending spree that threatens the very survival of this country. His entire campaign gave voice to the issues that have been concerning and enraging the American people.

Until now, the President and the Democrats in Congress have arrogantly ignored the unprecedented concerns of the American people, continuing to enact their own agenda. Despite the stunning losses of the Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial races they insisted they were not a referendum on their policies. THIS EVENT THEY COULD NOT DENY! It sent the Democrats in Washington scurrying for the hills, putting as much distance as possible between them, Healthcare reform and other policies.

The sleeping giant has awakened. Often quiet and apathetic, the American people have been brought to life, and their voices have finally been heard in Washington. When the November elections arrive, we can do the same as Massachusetts and send the members of Congress that have failed to represent us packing. WE HAVE BEGUN TO TAKE OUR COUNTRY BACK!

The Dollar Bubble: Disaster in the Making

2010-01-09T22:16:00.029-07:00

During the past year and a half, I published several articles warning of DIRE CONSEQUENCES if our Federal Government passed the Bailout and Stimulus packages and reformed Healthcare without regard to the resulting budget deficit.

In my article, Stop the Madness: No More Bailouts!*, I said those dire consequences would be a WORTHLESS DOLLAR, RUNAWAY INFLATION and TOTAL ECONOMIC COLLAPSE! In a "60 Minutes" interview at that time, Barack Obama stated that the economic bailout would trump the budget deficit and that "...we shouldn't worry about the deficit next year or even the year after..." Well, since that time, President Obama has made good on those promises. He passed a TRILLION DOLLAR Stimulus Package, a MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR bailout for the auto companies and is, now, ramrodding a MULTI-TRILLION DOLLAR Healthcare Reform Package through the Congress, none of which this country can afford. All this has been done despite the most fervent outcries from the American people that I have seen in my lifetime!

In my article, Urgent Call to Action: Stop the Stimulus Package*, I restated my concerns and urged readers to contact their elected representatives and demand they vote down these bills. Millions did exactly that. And thousands more exercised their right to peaceful demonstration in the form of TEA PARTIES throughout the nation. But, as we all know, the will of the people was ignored. The TRILLION DOLLAR Stimulus Package containing BILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF PORK was passed. And the MULTI-TRILLION DOLLAR Healthcare Package, it's true cost misrepresented, is being RAILROADED through the Congress behind closed doors by means of ARM-TWISTING, HARASSMENT and, out in out, BRIBERY.

This President, Congress and the Federal Reserve are creating a DOLLAR BUBBLE similar to the credit and real estate bubble that led to the near economic crash in November of 2008. This time, however, the consequences will be exponentially worse. Our Dollar is about to fail. This will lead to the TOTAL ECONOMIC COLLAPSE of the United States! The resulting calamity will be unimaginable. Ten percent unemployment will be remembered as "the good old days"! People will starve. As happened in Germany, those that have money will need to fill wheelbarrows just to buy food (see picture on right)!

I know this seems impossible. The United States is the strongest country in the world; the last Superpower. We are "too big to fail", aren't we? No, we are not! Many countries have suffered TOTAL ECONOMIC COLLAPSE in the last 20 years. The results were disastrous. The country of Iceland experienced TOTAL ECONOMIC COLLAPSE in October of 2008. Already, other countries are turning their backs on the dollar in favor of other means for international trade. If we can't convince other countries like China to finance our future debt, the dollar will immediately fail. And there's already talk of that.

I believe we still have a chance to save the dollar, our economy and our country. But to do so, we MUST IMMEDIATELY convince the President, Congress and the Federal Reserve to reverse their course of unbridled spending, debt and printing of currency. Thus far, they have ignored us. Our protests must be larger and louder. I challenge each of you to do everything you can to voice your concern and demands of our Federal Government. At the very least, write your elected officials and demand they vote down the final Healthcare bill when it goes before Congress. Demand they stop spending the bailout and stimulus funds they still have and use them to pay off our debt. Don't even let them start on Stimulus II. They're already talking about it. Go to the "Let Your Voice Be Heard" section at the top right of this page and enter your zip code under the words "Write to Congress". You will be taken to the Congress.org website where you will be able to send letters directly to your elected officials. Time is running out!

Below, is a fascinating video produced by the NATIONAL INFLATION ASSOCIATION which explains the current DOLLAR BUBBLE in detail. It includes interviews from economists and members of Congress explaining how we got here, how the scenario will develop and what the consequences will be if we don't change our course. You may not sleep well after you view this video, but you owe it to yourself to view it.

BE AFRAID. BE VERY AFRAID!

*For further insight into the Dollar crisis, view my article, An Inconvenient Debt: Economic Apocalypse.

Humor: School Answering Machine

2010-01-06T09:15:00.002-07:00

This humorous video plays an alleged actual answering machine message at an Australian school after it instituted a policy that parents and students take responsibility for student failures. While this is quite funny, it is, also, sad because, in many cases, it is so true.

[My thanks to Ralph Monte for forwarding this]

Ralph's Site Reaches Milestone

2010-01-03T16:06:00.004-07:00

Today, my blog reached a milestone. It received it's 10,000th hit. I know that by blog standards this is no big deal. Many blogs get 10,000 hits and more in one day. But, to me, this is a great achievement. You see, I started my blog on December 6th, 2006, just over three years ago. I created it, at that time, to host a virtual tour of my late mother's home which I was trying to sell after her death. As often happens, out of bad comes good. I sold my mother's home and was left with this blog I had created. What should I do with it? Should I just delete it?

I decided to use it as a personal site where I would publish articles and thoughts of interest to me. I had no objective or goal other than it be an outlet for me. I began to e-mail my friends when I created new posts and found many enjoyed reading them. I, then, posted a link on my Air Force Academy alumni website where some of my colleagues began to read my articles. It became a great source of satisfaction to me that others were interested in my ideas, humor and entertainment.

So, you see, to me this is a surprise and thrilling achievement. Thank you for tuning into my humble blog these last three years. I hope you continue to find my articles, humor and ramblings a source of entertainment and interest.

Carol Burnett Show: Wrong Number

2009-12-29T08:52:00.002-07:00

The Carol Burnett Show was a television smash success for years. The video, below, is one of her many brilliantly hilarious skits. This one features Carol and Tim Conway interacting after Tim answers the phone only to find it was a wrong number. Check it out.

[My thanks to Edna Oeth for forwarding this]

United Airlines Messes With the Wrong Guy

2009-12-09T09:29:00.020-07:00

United Airlines did it again! This time their abysmal customer service department stonewalled a musician whose $3500 Taylor guitar was damaged by baggage handlers. This is just another of the countless incidents involving terrible customer service by the airline (see my previous articles, Flying the "Unfriendly Skies": A Despicable Story and Flying the "Unfriendly Skies": The Pilots Step Up). But this time, they messed with the wrong person. After being stonewalled by United customer service for OVER NINE MONTHS, singer and songwriter, Dave Carroll, wrote a song, created a video and posted it on You Tube. It was an instant success. As I write this, nearly 6.5 MILLION PEOPLE have viewed the video, leaving thousands of comments and personal horror stories on the site. After the huge success of Dave's video, United, allegedly, contacted him to offer a settlement if he would agree to remove his video. Dave refused. He has subsequently appeared on several major TV networks to tell the story in his own words. Check out his video, below.

You can view one of Dave's network TV interviews and his sequel video with the following links:

Dave Carroll's Early Show Interview
United Breaks Guitars Sequel

[My thanks to Rick Douglas for forwarding this]

Holiday Humor: Beware of the Doghouse

2009-12-01T09:36:00.018-07:00

This clever video clip shows what happens when a man gives his wife or girlfriend the wrong gift for the holidays. I posted this JC Penney video last holiday season. I enjoyed it so much, I thought I'd show it to you, again, this year.

Wishing you and yours a very happy holiday season and a healthy, prosperous New Year!

Ralph

Create Your Own Music Radio Stations

2009-11-23T09:28:00.026-07:00

This is better than Sirius and XM Radio! And it's free! I just discovered a remarkable Internet site. It is called Pandora Internet Radio. With it, you can create your own CD quality stereo MUSIC RADIO STATIONS personally tailored to your taste and any themes you choose. Getting started is very simple. Just select the artists and/or songs you want. The website will do the rest, creating a THEME RADIO STATION based on your selections. This is not like any other music site on the web. It is the product of the Music Genome Project in which 50 musical analysts with 4 year degrees in music theory, composition and performance have been analyzing all types of music since 2000 to develop a huge music database. It is phenomenally all inclusive. I assure you, you have not experienced a music website like this one. It's like it can read your mind and learn your innermost musical taste when you give it just one artist or song. And you can give it multiple criteria if you want. Below, is an excerpt from the Music Genome Project website.

Each song in the Music Genome Project is analyzed using up to 400 distinct musical characteristics by a trained music analyst. These attributes capture not only the musical identity of a song, but also the many significant qualities that are relevant to understanding the musical preferences of listeners. The typical music analyst working on the Music Genome Project has a four-year degree in music theory, composition or performance, has passed through a selective screening process and has completed intensive training in the Music Genome's rigorous and precise methodology. To qualify for the work, analysts must have a firm grounding in music theory, including familiarity with a wide range of styles and sounds. All analysis is done on location.

No matter what type of music you like (rock, rap, jazz, big band, classical, modern, oldies, etc), whether you want to listen to background music while working or blast out your favorite theme tunes at a party, I guarantee you will love this site! I'm not a big music listener, but this site won me over. Please note: The site will give you about a 15 minute tease after you set up your first "radio station". It will, then, ask you to become a member. Membership is free. My guess is, by that time you will be hooked, as I was. Click on the following link to get started:

Pandora Internet Radio

For more information, check out the following links:
About Pandora Music Genome Project

Healthcare Rationing Has Arrived!

2009-11-17T13:16:00.024-07:00

Remember the solemn promise by the President and the Democrats that healthcare reform would NOT result in rationing? Well, it appears the Whitehouse has taken the first step to do precisely that! A new government study concluded that women should NOT get mammograms as is currently recommended.

The American Cancer Society currently recommends, "Women age 40 and older should have a screening mammogram every year, and should continue to do so for as long as they are in good health." A study just released by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, however, stated that regular mammography screening need not be started before age 50, and, then, only once every two years, and it, further, stated that women should NOT perform self examinations. It reached these conclusions despite the fact that 17% of breast cancer deaths in 2006 were among women in their 40s, and many breast cancers have been discovered by women performing self examinations. So, why has the Federal Government published this study now?

Recommendations from the task force are used as the basis for insurance companies determining what procedures they will pay for. Adherence is not mandatory, but insurance companies can use the recommendation to reduce the number of mammograms they will pay for. If insurance companies decline payment for mammograms the result would be thousands less of these procedures performed each year. And if women cease to perform self examinations, there will be thousands less follow-up procedures.

With the huge pending cost of healthcare reform, the addition of thousands of new patients and the prospect of doctors leaving their practices, rationing is unavoidable. Despite promises from the President and the Democrats, it, not only, WILL happen, but, with the release of this study, they have begun laying the groundwork for it. And they didn't even wait until the reform package was passed!

If you don't want your healthcare rationed, you need to let your congressmen and senators know, NOW!* The House bill has already passed. If the bill in the Senate passes, there will be a vote on a final package, and healthcare reform will be law, along with the inevitable rationing the Federal Government promised would never happen.

*Enter your zip code in the "Write to Congress" box at the upper right of this page.

Veterans Day Tribute 2009

2009-11-11T06:12:00.030-07:00

This morning I rode my Harley to the Florida National Cemetery for the Annual Veterans Day Ceremony. A little girl approached me with her brother in tow and gave me a certificate of thanks that she made in school. It said, "Dear Veteran, I love you. Thank you for not killing nobody." Out of the mouths of babes! Still, it was very touching.

The experience left me thinking about all who served since the birth of our country. She and her brother are the reason we served: to keep them safe! At this moment thousands of brave Americans are far from their homes and families defending us, our country and our way of life. Millions throughout our history put their lives on the line to defend us. Many made the ultimate sacrifice. On this Veterans Day I would like to extend my warmest regards to my military colleagues and all who served.

Political Cartoons

2009-11-02T12:01:00.006-07:00

It appears the honeymoon is over between cartoonists and the Obama Administration. Take a few moments to enjoy the political cartoons below. If they are too small to read, click on individual cartoons to see them full size.

[My thanks to Greg Thew for forwarding these]

In the Company of Heroes

2009-10-21T15:38:00.010-06:00

Early this year I became aware of an Air Force program called the Retired Rated Officer Recall Program (RRORP) which would return retired rated officers to active duty. It appears there is, now, a shortage of pilots and navigators due to the requirements of the War On Terror. Additionally, the vast expansion of the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV's) in the war has and will create huge additional requirements for rated officers to support that mission. The program is available to retired rated officers under the age of 60 with the rank of Lt Col and below. Applicants would return to active duty to fill both flying and support roles for two to four years.

In February of this year, I began the process of applying for this program. I believe in the War On Terror. It is essential that we establish stable governments in, both, Iraq and Afghanistan to preclude Al Qaeda and other extremists from using those places as breeding grounds to export terrorism throughout the world, including the USA. You may remember, Afghanistan is where Al Qaeda planned and coordinated the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon on 9/11. Failure to secure those countries would result in horrific terrorist incidents equal to and greater than the events of 9/11 as well as incidents of daily terrorism like the nation of Israel endures. I have been beside myself trying to find a way that I could help in this effort. The RRORP was just what I was looking for. So, I applied.

During the application process I found myself at military installations for the first time since 9/11. My first encounter was at Buckley Air National Guard Base, CO, where I began the process of completing the required return to active duty medical. There, I found myself among otherwise regular civilians who had given up their careers and home lives to don Air Force uniforms and deploy to the Middle East.

Later in the process, I found myself at MacDill AFB, FL (CENTCOM Headquarters). While eating lunch at the food court at the Base Exchange (BX) complex, I looked around me. It was bustling like I had never before seen with dozens of military men and women from every service: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine, Coast Guard and foreign services. All were dressed in desert camouflage and flight suits, preparing to deploy to the Middle East. All these people were leaving their families and putting their lives on the line to keep the rest of us safe, many deploying for the second, third and fourth time. While the rest of us were going on with our lives unaware, this process was going on as it does every day, 365 days a year. I was surrounded by dozens and dozens of heroes. They were humble. They were not complaining. They were busily going about the business of preparing to go to war.

Later that day, my business took me to Flight Medicine where I encountered an Air Force Sergeant. She was preparing for her THIRD deployment to the Mideast. She was very matter-of-fact. She did not complain. I got chills. I was humbled to be in her presence, the same as I was at the food court a short time earlier and at Buckley ANG Base before that. SHE was a hero and didn't even know it. I told her so. She reacted the same way all heroes do. "I'm not a hero," she said. "I'm doing what anyone else would do."

That evening, I began to think about my Air Force colleagues, the ones I had served with. They would probably think I was nuts to go back on active duty at almost 58 years of age. Well, I couldn't have been more wrong. As I write this, well over 500 "retired" rated Air Force officers have returned to active duty in this program. And more apply for the program every day. I have learned that three of my classmates from the Air Force Academy Class of '75 have applied/been accepted to return to active duty. Greg Collier, US Airways Captain, has applied and is awaiting an assignment. Ben (Rini) Bosma, entrepeneur and small business owner, will be flying UAVs in Nevada. Don Lewis, my former Academy roommate, after serving 28 years on active duty, is leaving the comfort of his Texas ranch with an assignment to the 17th Air Force (Air Force component of AFRICOM) Operations Staff in Germany. I was assigned a staff position at Headquarters Air Combat Command in Virginia working Total Force Integration. I am sure there are many others of whom I am not aware.

Yesterday, I was informed I was medically disqualified for return to active duty. I will not go to my assignment at Air Combat Command Headquarters. Of course, I am sorely disappointed. But, I am honored that I have had the opportunity to know and work with heroes: My Air Force Academy classmates, Air Force colleagues and the countless military heroes, Active, Reserve and National Guard who I have had the privilege to work with and know, who gave, and continue to give, their time, sweat and lives to answer our country's call.

"I'm Alive" Slide Show

2009-10-16T14:21:00.015-06:00

This is pure entertainment. The slide show below, not only, has great aircraft pictures, but is synchronized to Celine Dion singing "I'm Alive". If you avoid the temptation to manually advance the slides (it is fast moving), you will be treated to an entertaining and uplifting experience definitely worth a few minutes of your time. You will need PowerPoint software to view this slide show.

Turn up your speaker volume and enjoy!

"I'm Alive" Slide Show

[My thanks to Phil Upman for forwarding this]

We Used to Know What Freedom Is

2009-09-22T08:53:00.023-06:00

In 1948 HARDING COLLEGE produced an animated cartoon heralding the principles of freedom that made this country great and defining the threats posed by excessive government to these same freedoms. The cartoon explained in a simple, entertaining way how FREE ENTERPRISE built this nation and transformed it into the envy of the world. It showed how EXCESSIVE GOVERNMENT can erode the freedoms we take for granted every day by REPLACING CAPITALISM WITH SOCIALISM and by RESTRICTING OUR FREEDOM OF SPEECH guaranteed by the First Amendment of our Constitution. It, further, showed how the INSTIGATION OF CLASS WARFARE could be used as a tool by those who would take away our freedoms. Sound familiar?

I FIND IT ASTONISHING HOW APPLICABLE THIS CARTOON IS TO OUR COUNTRY TODAY. The Federal government is attempting to gain control of our major institutions. It already CONTROLS THE BANKING AND AUTO INDUSTRIES. And it is attempting to GAIN CONTROL OF THE HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY. Among government officials, the press and Hollywood celebrities the word, CAPITALISM, IS CHARACTERIZED AS A CURSE WORD. They are pitting citizen against citizen with a CLASS WARFARE CAMPAIGN the likes of which I have not seen in my lifetime. They are TAKING HARD EARNED MONEY FROM SOME AND GIVING IT TO OTHERS who did not work for it. They are ATTACKING OUR FREEDOM OF SPEECH and DISMISSING THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE.

61 years ago, HARDING COLLEGE recognized these threats to our freedom. At that time, most citizens recognized and defeated them. View this video, below. You will be astounded to see how history is repeating itself. Last time, we recognized the threat and defeated it. Let's be sure we do the same this time. EVERYTHING IS AT STAKE!

[My thanks to Greg Thew for forwarding this video to me]

The Oath of Office & Political Action

2009-08-13T21:46:00.015-06:00

When I reported for basic training at the Air Force Academy I took the UNIFORMED MILITARY OATH OF OFFICE. I took that oath, again, when I was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Air Force. All servicemen and women take a similar oath, as do members of Congress. The words are nearly identical:

I, [name], do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.

As a military man, with that oath in mind, I put my efforts into defending my country from the enemies that sought to do us harm or destroy us. I spent my career focusing those efforts on the Soviet threat, the War on Terror and other enemies of the time. Members of the military were not supposed to be political. Although I kept track of politics, I was primarily interested in how it related to our national security and defense. I guess my philosophy was that I would protect my country from outside threats, and the people (civilians) would keep their eyes on the domestic scene and the politicians. I have been retired from the military for some time, now. Though I still keep my eyes on critical issues related to our national security and defense, domestic issues and politics have increasingly captured my attention and concern.

Our founders were very wary of too much power in the hands of the Federal Government, and they carefully crafted our Constitution to minimize the Federal Government’s interference in the daily lives of its citizens. After all, this country was born out of overtaxing and excessive interference by Great Britain. In fact, the 10th Amendment, part of the Bill of Rights, states “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” It appears, however, the Obama Administration has not honored this. With the financial crisis as justification, the Obama administration began to eliminate Free Enterprise. This country thrived and became the envy of the world through Free Enterprise. This principle harnessed and accelerated the entrepreneurial spirit of individuals by allowing them to reap the benefits and prosper as a result of their ideas and initiative WITH MINIMAL INTERFERENCE FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.

Despite public outcry, the Obama Administration interfered in the marketplace when it “bailed out” the financial industry. It, then, went on to bail out the auto industry. In the process, the Obama Administration effectively nationalized both industries! We, now, have a government that controls, both, the financial and auto industries. And it hasn’t stopped. Now, despite public outcry, the Obama Administration is trying to nationalize the nation’s healthcare system! And let’s not forget the Administration’s plan to redistribute wealth from the wealthy to those who don’t even pay taxes. Ladies and Gentlemen, that is SOCIALISM! And along the way the Obama Administration is bankrupting this country by increasing our National Debt by trillions of dollars.

What concerns me most is the way the Obama Administration is going about accomplishing its agenda. IT HAS THROWN OUT OUR CONSTITUTION! In the process, the Obama Administration has ignored the will of the people and given itself powers not enumerated in the Constitution, violating the 10th Amendment. Additionally, the Obama Administration, along with the liberal left, is attacking our First Amendment Freedom of Speech by intimidating, vilifying and threatening anyone who disagrees with their agenda. They are encouraging citizens to report fellow citizens who make statements contrary to their agenda. These kinds of STRONG ARM tactics were the tools of the most repressive, ruthless, totalitarian dictators in history, like Hitler, Stalin and Mussolini! And, at the same time, the Obama Administration is trying to take away our Second Amendment right to bear arms. So, in six short months since the Obama administration has been in office, it has attacked three items of our Bill of Rights! You are probably asking, “What does this have to do with the Oath of Office?”

Today, as I was eating lunch, the words of the oath I took many years ago came back to me. “I…do solemnly swear to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign AND DOMESTIC…” I have an obligation to defend my country from any enemies that would harm the Constitution! Of course, I’m not advocating violence or revolution. But I believe I have a solemn duty to involve myself in any way I can to stop those that would harm the Constitution. That includes the Obama Administration and anyone or any group that would do harm to the Constitution.

I know many of my blog readers are military and ex-military. I submit to you we need to involve ourselves in any way we can to honor the solemn oath we took to “support and defend the Constitution”. MAKE NO MISTAKE: WE ARE UNDER ATTACK! This enemy is “within”. But it is as surely an enemy as is Al Qaeda. It is a “domestic” enemy. Whether it is an op ed in a blog or a newspaper, writing an elected official or attending a meeting, we all have a solemn duty to involve ourselves. If you are not military, you have the same obligation. The Oath of Citizenship states the same words, “…I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic…”

So, if you are an American, I challenge you. Involve yourself. This is your call to action.

How to Avoid the Swine Flu

2009-08-11T11:53:00.011-06:00

Since hearing of the H1N1 or Swine Flu outbreak this summer I have been concerned that what we have seen, so far, has been just a preview and that the pandemic will return with a vengeance when the normal flu season returns this year. I believe the key to avoid being infected and to limit the spread of this pandemic is to know and take all possible precautions. Knowing what those precautions are is the first step.

Deborah Castelli, a dear friend and a 40 year RN, BSN, who has vast education and experience dealing with flu pandemics, sent me the perfect e-mail that lists the precautions we can take to prevent being infected with and spreading the Swine Flu this season. I have posted it, below, in its entirety, for your review. I urge you to follow the procedures it outlines and forward it to others. The more people that take these precautions, the less this pandemic will spread. You may well save your own life or the life of someone someone you love.

Hello Everyone -

As you know, I have spent over 40 years in the nursing profession. In the LAST SWINE FLU epidemic (in the mid '70's), I headed up an Swine Flu Immunization Team and personally immunized over 3,000 people at Maine East High School in Park Ridge, Illinois.

In the intervening years I have kept my "ear to the ground" listening, studying and trying to learn as much as I could about staying healthy in our ever increasingly crowded, polluted, unhealthy world. With a dangerous and potentially deadly flu season approaching I have decided to send everyone that I care about an email containing my best recommendations for staying healthy in an epidemic.

To begin:

A little background information.
FLU is a viral illness. While it is possible to have what experts call a bacterial overlay infection, this is not why you get the flu. You get the flu because a VIRUS has invaded your system and overpowered your immune system.

THIS MEANS THAT TAKING ANTIBIOTICS WILL NOT HELP YOU RECOVER FROM THE FLU and - pay attention here : Antibiotics may actually SLOW or PREVENT your recovery, especially in the early stages of your flu infection. This is because your body uses many "helpful" bacteria - many of which are involved in fighting foreign viruses and bacteria. Taking an antibiotic often (probably ALWAYS) kills as many helpful bacteria as bad bacteria.

On to prevention:

In a word: GET YOUR FLU SHOTS!
AND this year it is going to be at least 2 flu shots (one for the usual fall flu strains, and at least one - and possibly 2 - specifically for the Swine Flu).
No arguments. GET THE SHOTS. Even if you THINK that when you get the shot you always seem to get the flu - take the shot anyway. It is nearly impossible for you to get the flu FROM the shot - but even if you DO (please, not likely) it will be WAY WAY less severe than the potentially lethal flu that we could face this fall.

NEXT: WASH YOUR HANDS!! AND DO NOT TOUCH YOUR FACE, EYES, NOSE, LIPS EVER.

Viruses are hardy, tough to kill and survive for hours, days or even weeks on surfaces you may touch.
This includes but is not limited to:
sinks, toilets, doorknobs, steering wheels, pens, pencils, shopping carts, computers, bed linens, hands! ..... the list is endless and the lesson is clear:
Since you cannot go thru life with your hands in your pockets: YOU MUST KEEP YOUR HANDS CLEAN.

A little story here:
When Charlie - the friendly pilot who stands at the door of the United jet and shakes your hand - first got hired, he started - for the first time in his life - to get frequent colds and upper respiratory infections.
I told him: "Wash your hands 5 times a day - or every chance you get - and keep your hands off your face" - his colds and URI's stopped immediately.

WHEN YOU WASH YOUR HANDS USE SOAP AND WARM WATER AND SING "HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME" IN YOUR HEAD
- or out loud.... your choice! It takes at least that long to get the job done right.

There will be plenty of times when you cannot wash your hands. Hospitals and clinics have been using "instant hand sanitizers" for years. There are several that come in large pump bottles plus a small pocket sized refillable container. Buy it at WalMart, KMart, Target etc.
Ladies: for your purse: "Wet Ones" hand wipes come in purse sized packages.
These hand sanitizers & wipes are good in a pinch - but are not even CLOSE to as good as a good old hand wash. The instant hand sanitizers are most effective on bacteria and will remove some but not all viruses. With the wipes, you have a better chance to "wipe" them off.

Beyond Hand Washing:

Get ADEQUATE REST:
This may sound sort of stupid - but it is absolutely TRUE. Lack of sleep DAMAGES your immune system. If you are well rested your chance of not getting the flu or surviving it if you DO get the flu - are much, much improved.

Get MODERATE EXERCISE:
Same thing. Couch potatoes have weaker immune response when challenged by a virus.

EAT YOUR VEGGIES:
This is almost too big to cover here. But everything Mom used to tell you is good for you ACTUALLY IS! Especially during FLU season - reach for all the brightly colored veggies: tomatoes, carrots, broccoli, sweet potatoes, green peppers, red peppers, kale, spinach....

EAT FRESH FRUIT: same thing - bright colors contain the most antioxidant and protective immune building nutrients.

Okay, you say: I do ALL of THAT ALREADY!
Right, ME TOO

COVER YOUR MOUTH WHEN YOU COUGH
IF YOU ARE SICK - STAY HOME!

HERE IS WHAT ELSE YOU CAN DO:

WEAR A MASK WHEN OUT IN PUBLIC. This sounds odd right now, but if people don't stay home when they are sick and are sitting on buses, trains and in other public places COUGHING - a mask does offer a bit of protection, Not perfect, but better than nothing.
Here are 2 sites with mask info:
http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2009/04/28/f-flumasks.html
http://www.flupharmacy.com/nanomask.html

TAKE A PROBIOTIC:
Start NOW. Do not wait until September 20th and expect it to help protect you!
There are plenty of choices out there. Look for one containing L. casei immunitas. DanActiv Immunity is one that we use and like. These are 3 ounce probiotic dairy drinks. Any good grocery or health food store will have it, but I buy it at Sam's Club by the case and save a bunch of $$. Drink one daily.

If you don't like the drink, are traveling, or just want something more convenient: try Probiotic Pearls. These are tiny "pearl" shaped packets of active cultures packaged in convenient blister packs that you can tuck in your purse or briefcase. They are available in formulas designed to improve "irregularity", and other problems, but get one that contains cultures to improve your IMMUNE SYSTEM. The package will tell you which one it contains right on the label. While a grocery like Whole Foods is more likely to carry Probiotic Pearls, your local grocery is not. Look for these in your health food store.

Eat ACTIVE CULTURE YOGURT,
Read the label. Get one with Active Cultures. To get any benefit you have to eat yogurt daily. During flu season it becomes either our breakfast or desert after dinner. Our favorite is StoneyField Farms yogurt. (http://www.stonyfield.com/Wellness/Faqs.cfm)
It is a tiny bit more expensive but does not contain preservatives, is packaged in safe containers and is generally available. See http://www.stonyfield.com/Wellness/Faqs.cfm for all kinds of information! Because it has no preservative this one is the one I like to use to make my own yogurt, and it also makes great yogurt cheese by staining it.

SOOOooooo ....
You have done ALL of the above, and on your way home from work on the train, in the car, on the jet .... what ever: YOU GET THAT ACHEY-FEVERISH-SORE THROAT-COMING ON-FEELING that says : "OMG I am getting the FLU!!!

Don't panic! Reach into your __________(purse, briefcase, carry-on bag) and pull out your __________(bottle or blister pack) of
ECHINACEA. (pronounced: eck - in- ay' - see - a). This totally safe herbal has been used for CENTURIES all over the world. Charlie and I both carry a blister pack of Echinacea with us EVERYWHERE. Keep this ON YOUR PERSON Because: You need to take this at the VERY FIRST SIGN of the virus grabbing you.

That's right: you feel the achy or feverish sore throaty thing and IMMEDIATELY take your echinacea. Various studies have been done (the best were done in Germany over 10 years ago) and they found that as a daily "tonic" echinacea did not seem to much improve your chances of staying well during flu season.

BUT.....if you take 2 to 4 capsules at the VERY FIRST SIGN of your flu - most people feel the symptoms go away within just a few minutes (like 10 to 20 minutes). The effect seems to last for several hours - sometimes up to 24 hours and then the symptoms return. At that time - take another 2 - 4 capsules. Continue doing this - taking another dose when your symptoms return.... until you find that your symptoms DO NOT RETURN. Be ready tho: sometimes, within a week or so of the symptoms disappearing if I am tired or stressed in some way - I go thru the whole process all over again. It is almost as if the virus goes into hiding and reappears when my defenses are down. So if you DO have a "near miss" with the Flu - try to get extra rest and keep your echinacea handy!

Just in general: If you take the capsules IMMEDIATELY and do not wait until: the meeting is finished, I get home from work, the kids settle down for their nap, the laundry is folded...... Echinacea will stop your flu, cold, URI in it's tracks. This has worked VERY VERY well for Charlie and I .... and working in the ER I used to get the flu and colds CONSTANTLY!

And now, in closing this little missive:

The experts, and so far our experience has shown them to be right, are predicting that this fall the flu will attack and kill young people. A young healthy 20 year old man died today here in Florida. This is just exactly the pattern of the great Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918 - 1920. That Pandemic was ALSO a H1N1 virus, attacked young healthy people, spread worldwide and killed between 80 & 100 MILLION PEOPLE.

I am sending this to you because I LOVE you and want you to stay safe. I know that some will say "Oh, it probably won't be as bad as all that" and do nothing.

This list is not complete, I have done the best that I can and I want you to know:

WHAT IF THEY ARE RIGHT
ARE THESE FEW RECOMMENDATIONS REALLY TOO MUCH TO DO TO SAVE YOUR LIFE?
WOULD YOU PLEASE DO IT JUST FOR ME??

Stay safe!
Deborah

F-22 Acquisition: Urgent Call to Action

2009-07-21T04:44:00.020-06:00

The Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptor is a fifth-generation fighter aircraft that uses stealth technology. It was designed primarily as an air superiority fighter, but has additional capabilities that include ground attack, electronic warfare, and signals intelligence roles. It is an essential element for defending our country and supporting our troops in future wars.

After being harassed and brow beaten by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Air Force leaders reluctantly agreed to cut their minimum request for F-22 production from 243 aircraft to 187. Both Secretary of the Air Force, Michael B. Donley, and Air Force Chief of Staff, General Norton A. Schwartz, have been silenced from speaking their minds on this issue by a gag agreement with Secretary Gates. This is just one of seven critical Air Force programs Secretary Gates has slashed in recent months (see my previous article, Secretary of Defense Emasculates the Air Force). And evidence suggests Secretary Gates fired former Secretary of the Air Force, Michael Wynne, and Air Force Chief of Staff, General Michael Moseley, for pressing Congress for funds to maintain the future viability of the Air Force (see my previous article, Firing the SECAF and CSAF: More Than Meets the Eye).

Recently, countless generals (current and retired) and members of Congress have gone on record to decry the F-22 acquisition reduction as dangerous for our future national defense and to overturn Secretary Gates' decision to halt F-22 production. President Obama has threatened to veto any bill that increases F-22 production above the 187 aircraft limit imposed by Secretary Gates.

Our leaders need to hear from us on this issue. Once the production line is closed it can NEVER be reopened. If we decide, later, we need more F-22s it will be too late! Our troops will pay the ultimate price on the battlefield if we fail to produce the required number of F-22s they will need to protect them. Click on the link, Buy More F-22s, to send a letter to your elected officials to demand they fund the full 243 F-22 aircraft production. This link will take you to the official US Congress website where you can write one letter to be sent to the President, your Congressman and your Senators. I have included a copy of the letter I sent for your review. Feel free to use it to help you compose yours.

I am a retired Air Force fighter pilot, having served my country for 26 years, including Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. 187 F-22s will leave our country dangerously ill equipped to fight future wars. We need a MINIMUM of 243 F-22s as originally recommended by Air Force leaders before being leaned on by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. The Secretary proved he does not understand the need to prepare for future wars when he previously publicly accused military leaders of "preparing for the next war" as if it were a crime.

243 is the MINIMUM number of aircraft the Air Force will need to ensure it can accomplish its mission. It takes into consideration attrition due to peacetime incidents as well as wartime attrition which will be significantly higher. Keep in mind, once the production line is closed it cannot be reopened. If we realize at a later time we need more F-22’s, it will be too late. The Russians and Chinese are building their versions of the F-22, and their numbers will dwarf our 243, let alone 187!

Further, halting F-22 production at 187 is an extremely inefficient way to save money. Since the enormous costs of aircraft development are fixed and already spent, decreasing the number of aircraft produced will simply increase the F-22 unit cost from $143 million per aircraft to $350 million per aircraft.

In a time when we are spending trillions of dollars on any program Congress suggests, it is unconscionable to be cutting our future war fighting capability to this degree. For example, the $800 million you are considering to control wild mustang population could be used to purchase SIX F-22s! Which program do you think is more important?

I implore you to return F-22 production authorization to the 243 we need to defend our country in future wars. If you don’t, our troops will pay the ultimate price. Then it will be too late.

Buy More F-22s

Open Letter to Our Nation's Leadership

2009-06-17T16:37:00.025-06:00

Janet Contreras, a 53 year old private citizen, mother and grandmother, e-mailed a letter to Glenn Beck at Fox News. In her letter, Ms. Contreras quantified, better than I could ever have, all the current domestic issues that are causing me to lose sleep at night. Ms. Contreras is saying that the people (the silent majority) are fed up with the corruption in the Federal government. They are ignoring the will of the people and violating the Constitution to accomplish their own agenda. They are saddling our nation, our children and grandchildren with unsustainable, lethal debt. And they are killing Capitalism and Free Enterprise, the very principles our country was founded on.

In four short months, the Federal government has taken control of the banking industry and the auto industry, and they are maneuvering to take over the healthcare industry! They are transforming our country into a Fascist/Socialist state where the government controls everything (remember “Big Brother” and the book, 1984?). What’s insane is that our government is adopting the same form of government that failed miserably in Europe over the last century.

Our only hope to save our country is a grassroots movement by the people to take our country back. That’s what this letter is about. In my opinion, it is one of the most important letters of our time.

An Open Letter to Our Nation's Leadership
by Janet Contreras, 16 June 2009

I'm a home grown American citizen, 53, registered Democrat all my life. Before the last presidential election I registered as a Republican because I no longer felt the Democratic Party represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me. Now I no longer feel the Republican Party represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me. The fact is I no longer feel any political party or representative in Washington represents my views or works to pursue the issues important to me. There must be someone. Please tell me who you are. Please stand up and tell me that you are there and that you're willing to fight for our Constitution as it was written. Please stand up now. You might ask yourself what my views and issues are that I would horribly feel so disenfranchised by both major political parties. What kind of nut job am I? Will you please tell me?

Well, these are briefly my views and issues for which I seek representation:

1. Illegal immigration. I want you to stop coddling illegal immigrants and secure our borders. Close the underground tunnels. Stop the violence and the trafficking in drugs and people. No amnesty, not again. Been there, done that, no resolution. P.S., I'm not a racist. This isn't to be confused with legal immigration.

2. The TARP bill, I want it repealed and I want no further funding supplied to it. We told you no, but you did it anyway. I want the remaining unfunded 95% repealed. Freeze, repeal.

3. Czars, I want the circumvention of our checks and balances stopped immediately. Fire the czars. No more czars. Government officials answer to the process, not to the president. Stop trampling on our Constitution and honor it.

4. Cap and trade. The debate on global warming is not over. There is more to say.

5. Universal healthcare. I will not be rushed into another expensive decision. Don't you dare try to pass this in the middle of the night and then go on break. Slow down!

6. Growing government control. I want states rights and sovereignty fully restored. I want less government in my life, not more. Shrink it down. Mind your own business. You have enough to take care of with your real obligations. Why don't you start there.

7. ACORN. I do not want ACORN and its affiliates in charge of our 2010 census. I want them investigated. I also do not want mandatory escrow fees contributed to them every time on every real estate deal that closes. Stop the funding to ACORN and its affiliates pending impartial audits and investigations. I do not trust them with taking the census over with our taxpayer money. I don't trust them with our taxpayer money. Face up to the allegations against them and get it resolved before taxpayers get any more involved with them. If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, hello. Stop protecting your political buddies. You work for us, the people. Investigate.

8. Redistribution of wealth. No, no, no. I work for my money. It is mine. I have always worked for people with more money than I have because they gave me jobs. That is the only redistribution of wealth that I will support. I never got a job from a poor person. Why do you want me to hate my employers? Why ‑‑ what do you have against shareholders making a profit?

9. Charitable contributions. Although I never got a job from a poor person, I have helped many in need. Charity belongs in our local communities, where we know our needs best and can use our local talent and our local resources. Butt out, please. We want to do it ourselves.

10. Corporate bailouts. Knock it off. Sink or swim like the rest of us. If there are hard times ahead, we'll be better off just getting into it and letting the strong survive. Quick and painful. Have you ever ripped off a Band‑Aid? We will pull together. Great things happen in America under great hardship. Give us the chance to innovate. We cannot disappoint you more than you have disappointed us.

11. Transparency and accountability. How about it? No, really, how about it? Let's have it. Let's say we give the buzzwords a rest and have some straight honest talk. Please try ‑‑ please stop manipulating and trying to appease me with clever wording. I am not the idiot you obviously take me for. Stop sneaking around and meeting in back rooms making deals with your friends. It will only be a prelude to your criminal investigation. Stop hiding things from me.

12. Unprecedented quick spending. Stop it now.

Take a breath. Listen to the people. Let's just slow down and get some input from some nonpoliticians on the subject. Stop making everything an emergency. Stop speed reading our bills into law. I am not an activist. I am not a community organizer. Nor am I a terrorist, a militant or a violent person. I am a parent and a grandparent. I work. I'm busy. I'm busy. I am busy, and I am tired. I thought we elected competent people to take care of the business of government so that we could work, raise our families, pay our bills, have a little recreation, complain about taxes, endure our hardships, pursue our personal goals, cut our lawn, wash our cars on the weekends and be responsible contributing members of society and teach our children to be the same all while living in the home of the free and land of the brave.

I entrusted you with upholding the Constitution. I believed in the checks and balances to keep from getting far off course. What happened? You are very far off course. Do you really think I find humor in the hiring of a speed reader to unintelligently ramble all through a bill that you signed into law without knowing what it contained? I do not. It is a mockery of the responsibility I have entrusted to you. It is a slap in the face. I am not laughing at your arrogance. Why is it that I feel as if you would not trust me to make a single decision about my own life and how I would live it but you should expect that I should trust you with the debt that you have laid on all of us and our children. We did not want the TARP bill. We said no. We would repeal it if we could. I am sure that we still cannot. There is such urgency and recklessness in all of the recent spending.

From my perspective, it seems that all of you have gone insane. I also know that I am far from alone in these feelings. Do you honestly feel that your current pursuits have merit to patriotic Americans? We want it to stop. We want to put the brakes on everything that is being rushed by us and forced upon us. We want our voice back. You have forced us to put our lives on hold to straighten out the mess that you are making. We will have to give up our vacations, our time spent with our children, any relaxation time we may have had and money we cannot afford to spend on you to bring our concerns to Washington. Our president often knows all the right buzzword is unsustainable. Well, no kidding. How many tens of thousands of dollars did the focus group cost to come up with that word? We don't want your overpriced words. Stop treating us like we're morons.

We want all of you to stop focusing on your reelection and do the job we want done, not the job you want done or the job your party wants done. You work for us and at this rate I guarantee you not for long because we are coming. We will be heard and we will be represented. You think we're so busy with our lives that we will never come for you? We are the formerly silent majority, all of us who quietly work pay taxes, obey the law, vote, save money, keep our noses to the grindstone and we are now looking up at you. You have awakened us, the patriotic spirit so strong and so powerful that it had been sleeping too long. You have pushed us too far. Our numbers are great. They may surprise you. For every one of us who will be there, there will be hundreds more that could not come. Unlike you, we have their trust. We will represent them honestly, rest assured. They will be at the polls on voting day to usher you out of office. We have cancelled vacations. We will use our last few dollars saved. We will find the representation among us and a grassroots campaign will flourish. We didn't ask for this fight. But the gloves are coming off. We do not come in violence, but we are angry. You will represent us or you will be replaced with someone who will. There are candidates among us when he will rise like a Phoenix from the ashes that you have made of our constitution.

Democrat, Republican, independent, libertarian. Understand this. We don't care. Political parties are meaningless to us. Patriotic Americans are willing to do right by us and our Constitution and that is all that matters to us now. We are going to fire all of you who abuse power and seek more. It is not your power. It is ours and we want it back. We entrusted you with it and you abused it. You are dishonorable. You are dishonest. As Americans we are ashamed of you. You have brought shame to us. If you are not representing the wants and needs of your constituency loudly and consistently, in spite of the objections of your party, you will be fired. Did you hear? We no longer care about your political parties. You need to be loyal to us, not to them. Because we will get you fired and they will not save you. If you do or can represent me, my issues, my views, please stand up. Make your identity known. You need to make some noise about it. Speak up. I need to know who you are. If you do not speak up, you will be herded out with the rest of the sheep and we will replace the whole damn congress if need be one by one. We are coming. Are we coming for you? Who do you represent? What do you represent? Listen. Because we are coming. We the people are coming.

Humor: You May Be Taliban If...

2009-06-16T19:16:00.018-06:00

Here's a short, politically incorrect piece that may give you a chuckle.

YOU MAY BE TALIBAN IF...

1. You refine heroin for a living, but you have a moral objection to beer.

2. You own a $3,000 machine gun and $5,000 rocket launcher, but you can't afford shoes.

3. You have more wives than teeth.

4. You wipe your butt with your bare hand, but consider bacon "unclean."

5. You think vests come in two styles: bullet-proof and suicide.

6. You can't think of anyone you haven't declared Jihad against.

7. You consider television dangerous, but routinely carry explosives in your clothing.

8. You were amazed to discover that cell phones have uses other than setting off roadside bombs.

9. You have nothing against women and think every man should own at least one.

10. You've always had a crush on your neighbor's goat.

[My thanks to Rick Douglas for forwarding this]

On Movie Stars and What Matters

2009-06-02T21:15:00.010-06:00

Ben Stein is an American actor, writer, game show host, documentary filmmaker, conservative political and economic commentator, and attorney. He gained early success as a speechwriter for American presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. Later he entered the entertainment field and became an actor, comedian, and Emmy Award-winning game show host. He is famous for his monotonous yet humorous voice in acting. He has frequently written commentaries on economic, political, and social issues, along with financial advice to individual investors.

For many years Ben wrote a biweekly column called "Monday Night at Morton's" (Morton's is a steakhouse chain known for attracting movie stars and famous people from around the world). His final article, published on 20 December 2003, portrayed some heartfelt thoughts about fame and what's important in life. Take a few minutes and see if you agree with him. I sure do.

How Can Someone Who Lives in Insane Luxury Be a Star in Today's World?
by Ben Stein

As I begin to write this, I "slug" it, as we writers say, which means I put a heading on top of the document to identify it. This heading is "e-online FINAL," and it gives me a shiver to write it. I have been doing this column for so long that I cannot even recall when I started. I loved writing this column so much for so long I came to believe it would never end.

It worked well for a long time, but gradually, my changing as a person and the world's change have overtaken it. On a small scale, Morton's, while better than ever, no longer attracts as many stars as it used to. It still brings in the rich people in droves and definitely some stars. I saw Samuel L. Jackson there a few days ago, and we had a nice visit, and right before that, I saw and had a splendid talk with Warren Beatty in an elevator, in which we agreed that Splendor in the Grass was a super movie. But Morton's is not the star galaxy it once was, though it probably will be again.

Beyond that, a bigger change has happened. I no longer think Hollywood stars are terribly important. They are uniformly pleasant, friendly people, and they treat me better than I deserve to be treated. But a man or woman who makes a huge wage for memorizing lines and reciting them in front of a camera is no longer my idea of a shining star we should all look up to.

How can a man or woman who makes an eight-figure wage and lives in insane luxury really be a star in today's world, if by a "star" we mean someone bright and powerful and attractive as a role model? Real stars are not riding around in the backs of limousines or in Porsches or getting trained in yoga or Pilates and eating only raw fruit while they have Vietnamese girls do their nails.

They can be interesting, nice people, but they are not heroes to me any longer. A real star is the soldier of the 4th Infantry Division who poked his head into a hole on a farm near Tikrit, Iraq. He could have been met by a bomb or a hail of AK-47 bullets. Instead, he faced an abject Saddam Hussein and the gratitude of all of the decent people of the world.

A real star is the U.S. soldier who was sent to disarm a bomb next to a road north of Baghdad. He approached it, and the bomb went off and killed him.

A real star, the kind who haunts my memory night and day, is the U.S. soldier in Baghdad who saw a little girl playing with a piece of unexploded ordnance on a street near where he was guarding a station. He pushed her aside and threw himself on it just as it exploded. He left a family desolate in California and a little girl alive in Baghdad.

The stars who deserve media attention are not the ones who have lavish wedding's on TV but the ones who patrol the streets of Mosul even after two of their buddies were murdered and their bodies battered and stripped for the sin of trying to protect Iraqis from terrorists.

We put couples with incomes of $100 million a year on the covers of our magazines. The noncoms and officers who barely scrape by on military pay but stand on guard in Afghanistan and Iraq and on ships and in submarines and near the Arctic Circle are anonymous as they live and die.

I am no longer comfortable being a part of the system that has such poor values, and I do not want to perpetuate those values by pretending that who is eating at Morton's is a big subject.

There are plenty of other stars in the American firmament...the policemen and women who go off on patrol in South Central and have no idea if they will return alive; the orderlies and paramedics who bring in people who have been in terrible accidents and prepare them for surgery; the teachers and nurses who throw their whole spirits into caring for autistic children; the kind men and women who work in hospices and in cancer wards.

Think of each and every fireman who was running up the stairs at the World Trade Center as the towers began to collapse. Now you have my idea of a real hero.

I came to realize that life lived to help others is the only one that matters. This is my highest and best use as a human. I can put it another way. Years ago, I realized I could never be as great an actor as Olivier or as good a comic as Steve Martin...or Martin Mull or Fred Willard--or as good an economist as Samuelson or Friedman or as good a writer as Fitzgerald. Or even remotely close to any of them.

But I could be a devoted father to my son, husband to my wife and, above all, a good son to the parents who had done so much for me. This came to be my main task in life. I did it moderately well with my son, pretty well with my wife and well indeed with my parents (with my sister’s help). I cared for and paid attention to them in their declining years. I stayed with my father as he got sick, went into extremis and then into a coma and then entered immortality with my sister and me reading him the Psalms.

This was the only point at which my life touched the lives of the soldiers in Iraq or the firefighters in New York. I came to realize that life lived to help others is the only one that matters and that it is my duty, in return for the lavish life God has devolved upon me, to help others He has placed in my path. This is my highest and best use as a human.

[My thanks to George and Sharon Horetski for forwarding this article]

Maersk Alabama Piracy: The Whole Story

2009-04-22T18:21:00.035-06:00

The seizing and subsequent rescue of the Maersk Alabama and its crew is one of the most incredible and compelling stories of our time. Until now, the information has been sketchy at best. The article, below, is an insightful account that tells the full story from start to finish, including background information. It was written by a former naval officer who gathered his information from conversations with military colleagues close to the operation. I cannot validate the authenticity of this information. I submit it to you for your review. There were many heroes in this story. We've already hailed Captain Phillips and the Navy SEALS as heroes. But the crew of the Alabama were, also, heroes. As you'll see in the article, they had a plan they executed with precision and bravery when their ship was boarded by the pirates.

I find it noteworthy that our Commander-in-Chief, President Barack Obama, felt it necessary to "play politics" throughout the incident. Among other things, this resulted in two opportunities to take out the pirates being disapproved. Once again, our military did a fantastic job under the most difficult conditions and despite political interference from the highest levels of our government.

MV ALABAMA PIRACY: THE WHOLE STORY

BACKGROUND

In Africa from Djibouti at the southern end of the Red Sea eastward through the Gulf of Aden to round Cape Guardafui at the easternmost tip of Africa (also known as "The Horn of Africa") is about a 600 nm transit before you stand out into the Indian Ocean. That transit is comparable in distance to that from the mouth of the Mississippi at New Orleans to the tip of Florida at Key West-- except that 600 nm over there is infested with Somalia pirates.

Ships turning southward at the Horn of Africa transit the SLOC (Sea Lane of Commerce) along the east coast of Somalia because of the prevailing southerly currents there. It's about 1,500 nm on to Mombassa, which is just south of the equator in Kenya. Comparably, that's about the transit distance from Portland Maine down the east coast of the US to Miami Florida. In other words, the ocean area being patrolled by our naval forces off the coast of Somalia is comparable to that in the Gulf of Mexico from the Mississippi River east to Miami then up the eastern seaboard to Maine. Second, let me globally orient you from our Naval Operating Base in Norfolk, VA, east across the Atlantic to North Africa, thence across the Med to Suez in Egypt, thence southward down the Red Sea to Djibouti at the Gulf of Aden, thence eastward to round Cape Guardafui at the easternmost tip of Africa, and thence southerly some 300 miles down the east cost of Somali out into the high seas of the Indian Ocean to the position of MV [Maersk Vessel] ALABAMA is a little more than 7,000 nm, and plus-nine time-zones ahead of EST.

Hold that thought, in that, a C-17 transport averaging a little better than 400 kts takes the best part of 18 hours to make that trip. In the evening darkness late THURSDAY NIGHT, a team of Navy SEALs from NSWC (Naval Surface Warfare Center) Norfolk parachuted from such a C-17 into the black waters (no refraction of light) of the Indian Ocean-- close-aboard to our 40,000 ton amphibious assault ship, USS BOXER (LHD 4), the flagship of our ESG (Expeditionary Strike Group) in the AOR (Area Of Responsibility, the Gulf of Aden). They not only parachuted in with all of their "equipment," they had their own inflatable boats, RHIB's (Rigid Hull, Inflatable Boats) with them for over-water transport. They went into BOXER's landing dock, debarked, and staged for the rescue-- Thursday night.

And, let me comment on time-late: In that the SEAL's quick response-- departing ready-alert in less than 4 hours from Norfolk-- supposedly surprised POTUS's [President of the United States] staff, whereas President Obama was miffed not to get his "cops" there before the Navy. He reportedly questioned his staff, "Will 'my' FBI people get there before the Navy does?" It took the FBI almost 12 hours to put together a team and get them packed-up-- for an "at sea" rescue. The FBI was trying to tell him that they are not practiced to do this-- Navy SEALs are. But, BHO [?] wanted the FBI there "to help," that is, carry out the Attorney General's (his) orders to negotiate the release of Captain Phillips peacefully-- because apparently he doesn't trust GW's [George W. Bush's] military to carry out his "political guidance." The flight of the FBI's passenger jet took a little less than 14 hours at 500-some knots to get to Djibouti. BOXER'S helos picked them up and transported them out to the ship. The Navy SEALs were already there, staged, and ready to act by the time POTUS's FBI arrived on board later that evening. Notably, the first request by the OSC (On Scene Commander) that early Friday morning to take them out and save Captain Phillips was denied, to wit: "No, wait until 'my' FBI people get there." Third, please consider a candid assessment of ability that finds that the FBI snipers had never practiced shooting from a rolling, pitching, yawing, surging, swaying, heaving platform-- and, target-- such as a ship and a lifeboat on the high seas. Navies have been doing since Admiral Nelson who had trained "Marines" to shoot muskets from the ship's rigging-- ironically, he was killed at sea in HMS VICTORY at the Battle of Trafalgar by a French Marine rifleman that shot him from the rigging of the French ship that they were grappling alongside.

Notably, when I was first training at USNA in 1955, the Navy was doing it with a SATU, Small Arms Training Unit... Navy SEALs...do that training now, and hone their skills professionally-- daily. Shooting small arms from a ship is more of an accomplished "Art Form" than it is a practiced skill. When you are "in the bubble" and "in tune" with the harmonic motion you find, through practice, that you are "able to put three .308 slugs INSIDE THE HEAD OF A QUARTER AT 100 METERS, in day or night-- or, behind a camouflaged net or a thin enclosure, such as a superstructure bulkhead. Yes, we have the monocular scopes that can "see" heat-- and, draw a bead on it. SEALs are absolutely expert at it-- with the movie clips to prove it.

Okay, now try to imagine patrolling among the boats fishing everyday out on the Grand Banks off our New England coast, and then responding to a distress call from down around the waters between Florida and the Bahamas. Three points for you to consider here: (1) Time-Distance-Speed relationships for ships on the high seas, for instance, at a 25-knot SOA (Speed Of Advance) it takes 24 hours to make good 600 nm-- BAINBRIDGE did. (2) Fishermen work on the high seas, and (3) The best place to hide as a "fisherman" pirate is among other fishermen.

THE REAL STORY

Early Wednesday morning, 4/8/2009, MV ALABAMA is at sea in the IO [Indian Ocean] about 300 miles off the (east) coast of Somalia en route to Mombassa Kenya. Pirates in small boat start harassing her, and threatening her with weapons. MV ALABAMA's captain sent out the distress call by radio, and ordered his Engineer to shut down the engines as well as the ship-service electrical generators-- in our lingo, "Go dark and cold." He informed his crew by radio what was happening, and ordered them to go to an out-of-the-way compartment and lock themselves in it-- from the inside. He would stay in the pilot house to "negotiate" with the pirates.

The pirates boarded, captured the Captain, and ordered him to start the engines. He said he would order his Engineer to do so, and he called down to Engine Control on the internal communication system, but got no answer. The lead pirate ordered two of his four men to go down and find him and get the engines started.

Inside a ship without any lights is like the definition of dark. The advantage goes to the people who work and live there. They jumped the two pirates in a dark passageway. Both pirates lost their weapons, but one managed to scramble and get away. The other they tied up, put tape over his mouth and a knife at his throat.

Other members of the crew opened the drain cocks on the pirates boat and cast it adrift. It foundered and sunk. The scrambling pirate made it back to the pilot house and told of his demise. The pirates took the Captain at gun point, and told him to launch one of his rescue boats (not a life boat, per se). As he was lowering the boat for them, the crew appeared with the other pirate to negotiate a trade. The crew let their hostage go too soon, and the pirates kept the captain. But, he purposefully had lowered the boat so it would jam.

With the rescue boat jammed, the pirates jumped over to a lifeboat and released it as the captain jumped in the water. They fired at him, made him stop, and grabbed him out of the water. Now, as night falls in the vastness of the Indian Ocean, we have the classic "Mexican" standoff, to wit: A life-boat that is just that, a life-boat adrift without any means of propulsion except oars and paddles; and, a huge (by comparison) Motor Vessel Container Ship adrift with a crew that is not going to leave their captain behind. The pirates are enclosed under its shelter-covering, holding the captain as their hostage. The crew is hunkered down in their ship waiting for the "posse" to arrive.

After receiving MV ALABAMA'S distress call, USS BAINBRIDGE (DDG 96) was dispatched by the ESG commander to respond to ALABAMA's distress call. At best sustainable speed, she arrived on scene the day after-- that is, in the dark of that early Thursday morning. As BAINBRIDGE quietly and slowly, at darkened-ship without any lights to give her away, arrived on scene, please consider a recorded interview with the Chief Engineer of MV ALABAMA describing BAINBRIDGE's arrival. He said it was something else "... to see the Navy slide in there like a greyhound!" He then said as she slipped in closer he could see the "Stars and Stripes" flying from her masthead. He got choked up saying it was the "...proudest moment of my life."

Phew! Let that sink in.

Earlier in the day, one of the U.S. Navy's Maritime Patrol Aircraft, a fixed wing P3C, flew over to recon the scene. They dropped a buoy with a radio to the pirates so that the Navy's interpreter could talk with the pirates. When BAINBRIDGE arrived, the pirates thought the radio to be a beaconing device, and threw it overboard. They wanted a satellite telephone so that they could call home for help. Remember now, they are fishermen, not "Rocket Scientists," in that, they don't know that we can intercept the phone transmission also.

MV ALABAMA provided them with a satellite phone. They called home back to "somebody" in Eyl Somalia (so that we now know where you live) to come out and get them. The "somebody" in Eyl said they would be out right away with other hostages, like 54 of them from other countries, and that they would be coming out in two of their pirated ships. Right-- and, the tooth fairy will let you have sex with her. Yea, in paradise. The "somebody" in Eyl just chalked up four more expendables as overhead for "the cost of operation." Next page.

Anyway, ESG will continue to "watch" Eyl for any ships standing out.

The Navy SEAL team...briefed the OSC [On Scene Commander] (Commander Castellano, CO BAINBRIDGE) on how they could rescue the captain from the life boat with swimmers-- "Combat Swimmers," per se. That plan was denied by POTUS because it put the captain in danger-- and, involved killing the pirates.

The FBI negotiators arrived on scene, and talked the pirates into sending their wounded man over for treatment Saturday morning. Later that afternoon, the SEAL's sent over their RHIB with food and water to recon the life boat but the pirates shot at it. They could have taken them out then (from being fired upon) but were denied again being told that the captain was not in "imminent danger." The FBI negotiators calmed the situation by informing the pirates of threatening weather as they could see storm clouds closing from the horizon, and offered to tow the life boat. The pirates agreed, and BAINBRIDGE took them under tow in their wake at 30 meters-- exactly 30 meters, which is exactly the distance the SEALs practice their shooting skills.

With the lifeboat under tow, riding comfortably bow-down on BAINBRIDGE's wake-wave ("rooster tail"), had a 17-second period of harmonic motion, and at the end of every half-period (8.5 seconds) was steady on. The light-enhanced (infra-red heat) monocular scopes on the SEAL's .308 caliber Mark 11 Mod 0 H&K suppressor-fitted sniper rifles easily imaged their target very clearly. Pirates in a life boat at 30-meters could be compared to fish in a barrel. All that was necessary was to take out the plexiglass window so that it would not deflect the trajectory of the high velocity .308 round. So, a sniper (one of four) with a wad-cutter round (a flaxen sabot) would take out the window a split second before the kill-shot-- no change in sight-picture, just the window blowing out, clean.

Now, here's the part BHO's "whiz kids" knew as well as the Navy hierarchy, including CO BAINBRIDGE and CO SEAL TEAM. It's the law in Article 19 of Appendix L in the "Convention of the High Seas" that the Commanding Officer of a US Ship on the high seas is obligated to respond to distress signals from any flagged ship (US or otherwise), and protect the life and property thereof when deemed to be in IMMINENT DANGER. So, in the final analysis, it would be Captain Castellano's call as to "Imminent Danger," and that he alone was obligated (duty bound) to act accordingly.

Got the picture?

After medically attending to the wounded pirate, and feeding him, come first light (from the east) on Easter Sunday morning and the pirates saw they were being towed further out to sea (instead of westward toward land), the wounded pirate demanded to be returned to the lifeboat. There would BE NO more negotiations-- and, the four Navy SEAL snipers "in the bubble" went "Unlock." The pirate holding Captain Philips raised the gun to his head, and IMMINENT DANGER was so observed and noted in the Log as CO BAINBRIDGE gave the classic order: WEAPONS RELEASED! I can hear the echo in my earpiece now, "On my count (from 8.5 seconds), 3, 2, 1, !" POP, BANG! Out went the window, followed by three simultaneous shots. The scoreboard flashed: "GAME OVER, GAME OVER-- NAVY 3, PIRATES 0!"

I hope you found the above informative as best I know it-- and, please excuse me in that after more than 50 years the Navy is still in me. I submit that AMERICA is going to make a comeback, and more than likely it'll be on the back of our cherished youth serving with honor in Our military. So, let's

Look Up, Get Up-- and, Never Give Up!

God Bless Our Troops, and
GOD SAVE AMERICA!
Buddy Wellborn, USNA Class of 1959
Dickinson, Texas

High Flight: A Trip Down Memory Lane

2009-04-19T18:32:00.020-06:00

Do you remember when television stations did not broadcast 24 hours a day? If you stayed up very late back then, you may remember that, at the end of the broadcast day, they signed off with patriotic videos. These videos were, generally, scenes across America or tributes to the military with the STAR SPANGLED BANNER, AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL or TAPS in the background.

While they all were uplifting, I found one version very special to me. It moved me as a child, and it became even more special to me as I pursued my dream to become a pilot and during my subsequent career as a pilot. That sign off was the HIGH FLIGHT video. That video showed a jet flying while HIGH FLIGHT, the poem by Royal Canadian Air Force Pilot, J0hn Gillespie Magee, Jr, was recited. Several editions of the video were aired over the years. The first edition featured a Lockheed F-104, Starfighter, which was a favorite fighter of mine as a boy growing up. Later versions were produced featuring other aircraft. My favorite edition, by far, was the one that featured the Nortrop T-38, Talon.

The T-38 has been the Air Force's supersonic trainer for well over 40 years, now. Until recently, every Air Force officer that earned his pilot wings flew the T-38. With its pure white paint scheme and sleek design, I believe the T-38 was the most beautiful airplane ever built... and still is to this day! I remember getting chills watching it knife through the clear blue skies at Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma, where I attended Pilot Training as a young Lieutenant, hoping to earn my wings. Anyone who has been to my home has seen the T-38 painting by world renowned artist, Rick Broome, hanging prominently over the mantle of my fireplace.

When I watched the HIGH FLIGHT video with its breathtaking flying scenes, I, actually, relived the excitement and exhilaration I experienced each time I strapped myself into that jet. And combining those breathtaking flying scenes with the immortal words of John Gillespie Magee, Jr in his poem, HIGH FLIGHT, left me choked up.

Recently, I had the good fortune to find a copy of the T-38 HIGH FLIGHT video. You can experience the thrill and exhilaration of flight that I and a privileged few have. Turn up your computer volume, click on the link, below, and experience the wonder of flight. I suggest selecting "Full Screen".

High Flight Video

Note: You may need to download and install "Real Player" (free version) to view this video. Free Real Player Download

Never Judge a Book by Its Cover

2009-04-16T20:34:00.021-06:00

On 11 April 2009, a woman named Susan Boyle appeared on the show, BRITAIN'S GOT TALENT. She was a frumpy 47 year old woman from a small village in Scotland who claimed she'd never been married and never been kissed. Her dream was to be a professional singer. As the three judges interviewed her, everyone snickered. She was sure to embarrass herself. When the first bar of music left her mouth, every jaw in the place hit the floor. Turn your computer volume WAY up, click on the link, below, and watch one of the most uplifting videos I have ever seen. You may even notice a tear in your eye. Never give up on your dreams! This video is a MUST SEE!

Susan Boyle: I Dreamed a Dream

Solid State Drive: Replacing the Hard Drive?

2009-04-14T12:34:00.002-06:00

A new technology for computer drives, the Solid State Drive (SSD), may be replacing the Hard Drive in a computer near you. According to a fascinating article in SMART COMPUTING MAGAZINE, A Solid Future: SSDs Are Making Life Hard For Hard Drives, by Marty Sems, this new technology has significant benefits over the conventional Hard Drive, and is already available in some laptops. Some of its advantages include no moving parts, faster read capabilities and lower power usage. Drawbacks include higher cost and slower write speed. Below, Mr. Sems enumerates the SSD's advantages:

Because SSDs don’t have any moving parts, they’re silent, and they can survive more abuse than a hard drive without losing data or failing outright. Hard drives are especially vulnerable when they’re operating because their read/write heads are floating just a tiny fraction of an inch above their spinning disks. A good knock while a hard drive is running can cause the heads to slap the disks, scraping off parts of the magnetic data recording layers and destroying the data stored there. In comparison, SSDs are just as resistant to physical shocks when they’re turned on as when they’re powered down. That makes solid-state drives very attractive to notebook users, not to mention military and industrial users.

A side effect of an SSD’s solid-state nature is the fact that it takes less power to run one than it does to turn a hard drive’s motor and wave its read/write heads to and fro. This potentially translates into longer battery life for laptops, as well as markedly lower electricity bills for data centers and server farms. SSDs also emit less heat than most hard drives, saving laptops even more power on fan usage and data centers big bucks on air conditioning.

Another boon of the SSD boom is performance, at least in certain cases. You won’t notice a solid-state drive’s incredible random-access speed when you’re using an SSD-based laptop or desktop, although it can make things much faster for a large group of users all accessing a database or Web server at the same time. Still, a select few SSDs have read speeds twice as fast as the best hard drives. Flash’s weakness is its relatively slow write speeds, but even these can be competitive with laptop and sometimes desktop hard drives.

Hard drives have a limited range of temperatures in which they’re designed to work; this is another liability of their moving parts. What’s more, you’re not supposed to use a hard drive for an hour or more after bringing it into a warm room from the cold outdoors. The trouble is that the water vapor in the warm room’s air might condense on the frigid disks inside the drive. If the drive hasn’t dried out before it’s turned on, the droplets of water could spell disaster for the read/write heads. SSDs not only have a broader range of operating temperatures, but they also don’t care about sudden environmental changes, either.

There’s one more benefit to SSDs that might interest you: You don’t need to defragment them. A hard drive stores files in contiguous chunks when it can, but scatters pieces of files here and there when there isn’t a big stretch of free space to be found. This fragmentation slows down data throughput, as the drive must move its heads to locate every bit of a file while its disks spin around and around. In an SSD’s case, the drive reads scattered file fragments from unmoving memory chips at the same speed as it reads contiguously stored data.

According to Mr. Sems, the Hard Drive is not going away just yet. But we will, likely, be seeing more of the SSD as time goes on.

Check out the full article by clicking the link, below:

A Solid Future: SSDs Are Making Life Hard For Hard Drives

Secretary of Defense Emasculates the Air Force

2009-04-07T12:52:00.016-06:00

Yesterday, Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, released his budget proposal for 2010. At a time when the Federal Government has approved a multi-trillion dollar budget (the largest budget in history) for every sector of the Federal Government, Secretary Gates found it necessary to slash the Air Force budget, killing or radically reducing nearly all its pending force modernization programs. THIS MOVE WILL EMASCULATE OUR FUTURE AIR FORCE!

In an article I posted in June 2008, Firing the SECAF and CSAF: More Than Meets the Eye, I explained that Secretary Gates accused then Secretary of the Air Force, Michael Wynne, and Air Force Chief of Staff, General Michael Moseley, of "planning for the next war" as if that were a crime. He, obviously, did not want them around to testify before the Congress, so he fired them using the recent nuclear incidents as an excuse. Well, now, SECRETARY GATES HAS MADE GOOD ON HIS PHILOSOPHY TO NOT PLAN FOR THE NEXT WAR. Below, is a list of the programs that Secretary Gates' budget will kill or radically reduce:

- F-22 production: Terminated
- Follow-on Bomber: Terminated
- C-17 production: Terminated
- Combat Search and Rescue Helicopter–X: Terminated
- Transformational Satellite (TSAT): Terminated
- Missile Defense: Radically Cut
-- No increase of ground-based interceptors
-- Airborne Laser (ABL): Terminated
-- Multiple Kill Vehicle (MKV): Terminated
-- Missile Defense Agency budget: Reduced by $1.4B/year
- 250 aircraft: Retired
-- Equivalent of 3.5 wings: Retired
-- F-15s, F-16s, and A-10s will all leave the force with no replacements

Today, in a note to members, AFA President and CEO, Michael M. Dunn summed up the effect of Secretary Gates' Budget decisions:

This budget guarantees that the oldest Air Force in the history of our nation will get even older.
B-52s (built in the 1950s) will have to be kept on duty for a minimum of another 15-20 years …
At a time when the nation is spending literally trillions of dollars, we seem to not have enough money to fund an adequate defense
We are using tomorrow's dollars to solve today's problems.
The acquisition decisions recommended will lock in the range of national security options for decades into the future.
The decisions are not just programic nuance – but will impact core Air Force functions, to include Air Force ability to deter, to conduct an air campaign, and to rescue our downed Airmen.
The launch of an intercontinental missile by North Korea this weekend (and a similar launch by Iran 5 weeks ago) argues for a robust missile defense, not a reduced one – to include the ABL. The technology of ABL has the potential to revolutionize warfare in the future.
It is difficult to determine the strategy which this budget supports. This is especially important since a Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) is mandated by law … and will be conducted in the upcoming several months. It seems the budget (and hence the strategy) precedes the QDR.
This budget increases risk … in my view … beyond so-called "moderate."
AFA believes there are major impacts and consequences … for the full-up joint team. These budget recommendations may cost us lives and will reduce our strategic options in a very dangerous world.

If you are concerned, as I am, for the future viability of our Air Force, the future safety of our airmen and the future security of our nation, WRITE YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS AND TELL THEM NOT TO APPROVE THESE DEFENSE CUTS BY SECRETARY GATES. Click the following link to send a letter to Congress: http://www.congress.org/

For more information, read the following articles:
AFA President Note on Defense Budget
Secretary Gates' 2010 Defense Budget Announcement

Humor: Americans With No Abilities Act

2009-04-03T13:10:00.027-06:00

Take a break for some humor. The article, below, should bring you a chuckle.

AMERICANS WITH NO ABILITIES ACT

President Barack Obama and the Congress are considering sweeping legislation that will provide new benefits for many Americans. The AMERICANS WITH NO ABILITIES ACT is being hailed as a major legislative goal by advocates of the millions of Americans who lack any real skills or ambition.

"Roughly 50 percent of Americans do not possess the competence and drive necessary to carve out a meaningful role for themselves in society," said California Sen. Barbara Boxer. "We can no longer stand by and allow People of Inability (POI) to be ridiculed and passed over. With this legislation, employers will no longer be able to grant special favors to a small group of workers, simply because they have some idea of what they are doing."

In a Capitol Hill press conference, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid pointed to the success of the U.S. Postal Service, which has a long-standing policy of providing opportunity without regard to performance. Approximately 74 percent of postal employees lack any job skills, making this agency the single largest U.S. employer of Persons With No Ability. And let's not forget the Federal Government which holds the record with 94 percent of its members lacking any usable skills or common sense.

Private-sector industries with good records of non-discrimination against the inept include the financial industry (85 percent), the insurance industry (82 percent), and the news media (65 percent). At the state government level, the Department of Motor Vehicles has an excellent record of hiring Persons With No Ability (71 percent).

Under the Americans With No Abilities Act, more than 25 million mid-level positions will be created, with important-sounding titles but little real responsibility, thus providing an illusory sense of purpose and performance. Mandatory non-performance-based raises and promotions will be given so as to guarantee upward mobility for even the most unremarkable employees. The legislation provides substantial tax breaks to corporations that promote a significant number of Persons of Inability (POI) into middle-management positions, and gives a tax credit to small and medium-sized businesses that agree to hire one clueless worker for every two talented hires.

Finally, the Americans With No Abilities Act contains tough new measures to make it more difficult to discriminate against the non-abled, banning, for example, discriminatory interview questions such as, "Do you have any skills or experience that relate to this job?" "As a non-abled person, I can't be expected to keep up with people who have something going for them," said Mary Lou Gertz, who lost her position as a lug-nut twister at the GM plant in Flint, Michigan, due to her inability to remember the "righty tighty, lefty loosey" rule. "This new law should be real good for people like me." With the passage of this bill, Gertz and millions of other untalented citizens will finally see a light at the end of the tunnel.

Said Sen. Dick Durbin: "As a senator with no abilities, I believe the same privileges that elected officials enjoy ought to be extended to every American with no abilities. It is our duty as lawmakers to provide each and every American citizen, regardless of his or her inadequacy, with some sort of space to take up in this great nation and a good salary for doing so."

*My thanks to Greg Thew for this article (author unknown)
**Minor editing applied to enhance humor

The Conficker Virus: Protecting Your Computer

2009-04-01T09:41:00.018-06:00

If you read the newspapers or watch the news, you are aware of the CONFICKER COMPUTER WORM. It is a virus that threatens computers throughout the world. News like this puts fear into the hearts of most of us. Am I vulnerable? What can I do to protect myself? Knowledge is power, so here are a few simple answers.

1. Who is vulnerable? According to my research, any computer running a Windows operating system is vulnerable.

2. What can I do to protect my computer? In today's environment, all computers MUST be protected by a good SECURITY SUITE and a FIREWALL. If you purchased a suite from McAffee, Norton or other security software company, you probably have both. Many Internet service providers (ISPs) include a firewall with their service, and, more and more, ISPs also offer free security suites. Having a security suite and firewall is not enough, however. IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT YOU KEEP YOUR SYSTEMS UPDATED. Be sure you have the latest Windows security updates and the latest updates to your security suites. If you haven't recently done so, go to your computer's Windows Update prompt and run it. Then open your security suite and run its update to ensure your security software and virus definintions are updated to the latest versions.

3. What else can I do? Lastly, NEVER OPEN AN E-MAIL ATTACHMENT FROM SOMEONE YOU DO NOT KNOW AND TRUST. Opening e-mail attachments and unknown programs is the most common method of computer virus propagation. But, understand, just because you know and trust the sender of an e-mail attachment does not make it safe. That person's computer could be infected with a virus that sends e-mails with malicious attachments without the owner's knowledge, and that is why you need to complete the actions listed above.

According to my research, if your computer has the LATEST WINDOWS UPDATES and CURRENT VERSIONS of a SECURITY SOFTWARE and FIREWALL, you should be safe. For more information, read the Microsoft article about the Conficker virus at the website, below.

Protect Yourself from the Conficker Computer Worm

Barack Obama: President or Puppet

2009-03-21T10:23:00.025-06:00

We've had two months to watch our new President in action. During this short time, we watched helplessly as he nominated lobbyists to his cabinet, railroaded a record cost stimulus package and a record cost, earmark-plagued budget package through Congress, without allowing the Congress, let alone the American people, time to read and debate its contents. And he did this despite overwhelming outcries from the American people to the contrary. Why did this happen? Very simply, Barack Obama is not running the show inside the beltway.

You will remember, "Candidate" Obama promised not to appoint lobbyists into his cabinet, not to allow earmarks into legislation, to work with both parties and to give the American people FIVE DAYS to review and provide feedback on all legislation. Many are saying President Obama intentionally betrayed his campaign promises. As I stated in my article during the presidential campaign, Financial Meltdown: Which Party Is Responsible?, "You can't elect a president based on the promises made during a campaign. Those promises are made precisely to sway your vote. They are RARELY kept." But it is not that simple.

Do you not wonder why, with our economy teetering on depression, a newly elected President Obama left Washington, D.C. on a whirlwind campaign style tour making speeches to the American people and vacationing at Camp David and Chicago? Shouldn't he, as leader of our nation, have been in Washington with his sleeves rolled up providing leadership and input to the Congress in the drafting of these spending bills? Instead he left Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats on their own to draft highly partisan legislation while totally shutting out the very bipartisan input he had promised. Well, the answer is quite simple. Barack Obama was not calling the shots. Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic Congress were. And they did not want the President in the way.

This is why the Democratic Party chose an inexperienced Barack Obama to be their candidate for President during the last election. He, certainly, was not a leader. He did not pioneer any legislation. He didn't, even, have the courage to vote "Yes" or "No" on many issues before him during his short time in the Senate. You may remember his modus operandi was to vote "PRESENT". Barack Obama was the perfect candidate for the powerful left wing majority in the Congress. He was a fine orator and a "pretty face" who would sell their agenda to the American people. He would be the shiny new puppet, and the Democratic Congress would pull the strings.

It is critical that we recognize the situation in which we find our nation. Understanding the peril of too much power in the hands of too few, our Founding Fathers carefully crafted our Constitution with a separation of power among the three branches of government. At this time, we do not have that separation. The powerful Democratic majority in Congress is, now, running our country unchecked. We, therefore, must maintain EXTREME VIGILENCE over an UNBRIDLED CONGRESS to ensure the will of the people is not ignored.

Sack Lunches

2009-02-25T08:21:00.015-07:00

Below, is a heart warming article that made its way around the Internet some time ago. Its author is unknown, and its validity is undetermined by Snopes. I just received it, again, and it is definitely worth the read.

The Sack Lunches

I put my carry-on in the luggage compartment and sat down in my assigned seat. It was going to be a long flight. I'm glad I have a good book to read. Perhaps I will get a short nap, I thought. Just before take-off, a line of soldiers came down the aisle and filled all the vacant seats, totally surrounding me. I decided to start a conversation. 'Where are you headed?' I asked the soldier seated nearest to me. "Petawawa. We'll be there for two weeks for special training, and then we're being deployed to Afghanistan."

After flying for about an hour, an announcement was made that sack lunches were available for five dollars. It would be several hours before we reached the east, and I quickly decided a lunch would help pass the time. As I reached for my wallet, I overheard soldier ask his buddy if he planned to buy lunch. "No, that seems like a lot of money for just a sack lunch. Probably wouldn't be worth five bucks. I'll wait till we get to base." His friend agreed. I looked around at the other soldiers. None were buying lunch. I walked to the back of the plane and handed the flight attendant a fifty dollar bill. "'Take a lunch to all those soldiers." She grabbed my arms and squeezed tightly. Her eyes wet with tears, she thanked me. "My son was a soldier in Iraq ; it's almost like you are doing it for him." Picking up ten sacks, she headed up the aisle to where the soldiers were seated. She stopped at my seat and asked, "Which do you like best - beef or chicken?" "Chicken" I replied, wondering why she asked. She turned and went to the front of plane, returning a minute later with a dinner plate from first class. "This is your thanks."

After we finished eating, I went again to the back of the plane, heading for the rest room. A man stopped me. "I saw what you did. I want to be part of it. Here, take this." He handed me twenty-five dollars. Soon after I returned to my seat, I saw the Flight Captain coming down the aisle, looking at the aisle numbers as he walked, I hoped he was not looking for me, but noticed he was looking at the numbers only on my side of the plane. When he got to my row he stopped, smiled, held out his hand, and said, "I want to shake your hand." Quickly unfastening my seatbelt I stood and took the Captain's hand. With a booming voice he said, "I was a soldier and I was a military pilot. Once, someone bought me a lunch. It was an act of kindness I never forgot." I was embarrassed when applause was heard from all of the passengers. Later I walked to the front of the plane so I could stretch my legs. A man who was seated about six rows in front of me reached out his hand, wanting to shake mine. He left another twenty-five dollars in my palm. When we landed I gathered my belongings and started to deplane. Waiting just inside the airplane door was a man who stopped me, put something in my shirt pocket, turned, and walked away without saying a word. Another twenty-five dollars! Upon entering the terminal, I saw the soldiers gathering for their trip to the base. I walked over to them and handed them seventy-five dollars. "It will take you some time to reach the base. It will be about time for a sandwich. "God Bless You."

Ten young men left that flight feeling the love and respect of their fellow travelers. As I walked briskly to my car, I whispered a prayer for their safe return. These soldiers were giving their all for our country. I could only give them a couple of meals. It seemed so little... A veteran is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America" for an amount of "up to and including my life." That is Honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer understand it.

[My thanks to Bonnie Feldman for this article]

An Escape to Simpler Times

2009-02-08T17:10:00.018-07:00

I think it's safe to say we are going through difficult and stressful times. The men and women serving our nation in the military are in harm's way throughout the world, including Iraq and Afghanistan. We face complex decisions regarding those issues as well as issues regarding Iran, Russia, South America, Mexico and more. Economically we have serious issues with skyrocketing unemployment, bank failures, frozen credit markets, national debt, energy and what to do about them.

When life gets stressful it is therapeutic to, occasionally, take a break. Below are links to some videos that will take most of us back to simpler times. These videos will resonate best with the "over 50" crowd. However, if you are not there, yet, you may still find them interesting. Click on the links, below, for a little escape from today's problems. You may even find yourself smiling.

Popeye the Sailor: Man on the Flying Trapeze

Mickey Mouse Club

Call to Action: Stop the Stimulus Package

2009-02-03T22:54:00.044-07:00

Despite being voted down by every Republican and 11 Democrats, the House version of the ECONOMIC STIMULUS PACKAGE was passed last week. Its price tag was $825 BILLION. Worse yet, the Stimulus Package will do little to jump start our floundering economy. In fact, it will seriously damage it. Most of it would not be injected into the economy until 2010 or 2011. The majority of the bill contains pork legislation that will enormously grow government and go to special interest groups. It WILL NOT cure our deepening recession.

The Stimulus Package is, now, before the Senate, and its price tag is approaching ONE TRILLION DOLLARS! This is in addition to the $700 billion Bailout Package that Congress passed last year which is also approaching ONE TRILLION DOLLARS! To fund these programs the government will TRIPLE THE CURRENCY in circulation, resulting in a WORTHLESS DOLLAR and HYPERINFLATION! This will bankrupt the nation! See my previous articles, Stop the Madness: No More Bailouts and An Inconvenient Debt: Economic Apocalypse. We CANNOT let this happen. I know most Americans feel helpless to change the course of politics in Washington. But there is something we CAN do.

What can WE, THE PEOPLE, do, you ask. The greatest power that WE, THE PEOPLE, have is our vote. One fear that all the politicians in Washington share is the fear that they WILL NOT BE REELECTED. If our elected officials in Washington know we are overwhelmingly against the passage of this bill, they will NOT pass it for fear we will vote them out in the next election. Therefore, WE MUST LET OUR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND THE SENATE KNOW THAT WE ARE AGAINST THE PASSAGE OF THIS BILL.

Below, is a letter I drafted that can be sent to our elected representatives in Washington via the Web, instructing them to vote this bill down. There is no salutation or closing required if you use the website outlined below.

The Economic Stimulus Package you are debating will result in national disaster. It is not targeted to the areas of our economy that need the stimulus. Rather, it is a runaway spending free-for-all that will excessively grow government and subsidize projects not related to the problem at hand. The largest portion of this package will not enter the economy until after 2010, and its effects will not be felt until well after that. This will be too late to reverse the recessionary trends we are facing today.

Finally, the price of this Economic Stimulus Package is colossal. As I write this letter, the price tag is approaching ONE TRILLION DOLLARS! To fund this and last year's Bailout Package the government will TRIPLE the currency in circulation, resulting in a WORTHLESS DOLLAR and HYPERINFLATION! THIS WILL SURELY DESTROY OUR ECONOMY! Our children and grandchildren will inherit a debt so heavy we can't imagine the effect it will have.

I implore you to avoid calamity and VOTE DOWN THIS ECONOMIC STIMULUS PACKAGE. Then you can start from scratch to develop a targeted, timely and reasonably priced stimulus package that will not shackle future generations with unimaginable debt.

If you agree that this bill must be stopped, then you must tell your elected officials to VOTE THIS BILL DOWN. TIME IS CRITICAL! President Obama wants the package passed by February 16th. Do the following (you may want to print out these instructions):

Select and copy the letter above (no salutation or closing required; it is generated by the website)
Go to the Oppose the Senate Stimulus Plan Congressional web page
Enter your zip code in the box and click "Go"
On the next page, confirm all your elected officials are checked
Confirm the subject box states: "Oppose the Senate Stimulus Plan"
Scroll down to the text box and click inside it
In the top left of your browser click "Edit" then "Paste" in the drop down list (this will enter the letter you copied from above into the text box; you can edit as desired)
Complete the "Closing" and "Name" boxes
Scroll down and complete the remaining sections
Click the "Send Message" button below the last section

School Life: 1960's vs Today

2009-02-03T12:48:00.026-07:00

We have seen many changes in our lifetime; some good and some not good. The fictional scenarios, below, describe likely incidents at the schools we send our children to and how they would have been treated in the 1960's versus now. They make a strong statement about where we are going as a nation. They would be funny if they were not so true.

Scenario 1:
Jack goes quail hunting before school and then pulls into the school parking lot with his shotgun in his truck's gun rack.
1960's - Vice Principal comes over, looks at Jack's shotgun, goes to his car and gets his shotgun to show Jack.
Today - School goes into lock down, FBI called, Jack hauled off to jail and never sees his truck or gun again. Counselors called in for traumatized students and teachers.

Scenario 2:
Johnny and Mark get into a fist fight after school.
1960's - Crowd gathers. Mark wins. Johnny and Mark shake hands and end up buddies.
Today - Police called and SWAT team arrives. They arrest both Johnny and Mark. They are both charged with assault and both expelled even though Johnny started it.

Scenario 3:
Jeffrey will not be still in class, he disrupts other students.
1960's - Jeffrey sent to the Principal's office and given a good paddling by the Principal. He then returns to class, sits still and does not disrupt class again.
Today - Jeffrey is given huge doses of Ritalin. He becomes a zombie. He is then tested for ADD. The school gets extra money from the state because Jeffrey has a disability.

Scenario 4:
Billy hits a baseball through a neighbor's window, and his Dad gives him a whipping because he had been told not to play baseball there.
1960's - Billy listens to his Dad, is more careful, grows up normal, goes to college and becomes a successful businessman.
Today - Billy's dad is arrested for child abuse. Billy is removed to foster care and joins a gang. The state psychologist is told by Billy's sister that she remembers being abused, herself, and their dad goes to prison. Billy's mom has an affair with the psychologist.

Scenario 5:
Mark gets a headache and takes some aspirin to school.
1960's - Mark shares his aspirin with the Principal during recess who has a headache, too.
Today - The police are called and Mark is expelled from school for drug violations. His car is then searched for drugs and weapons.

Scenario 6:
Pedro fails high school English.
1960's - Pedro goes to summer school, passes English and goes to college.
Today - Pedro's cause is taken up by ACLU. Newspaper articles appear nationally explaining that teaching English as a requirement for graduation is racist. ACLU files class action lawsuit against the school system and Pedro's English teacher. English is then banned from core curriculum. Pedro graduates and ends up mowing lawns for a living because he cannot speak English.

Scenario 7:
Johnny takes apart leftover firecrackers from the Fourth of July, puts them in a model airplane paint bottle and blows up a red ant bed.
1960's - Ants die.
Today - ATF, Homeland Security and the FBI are all called. Johnny is charged with domestic terrorism. The FBI investigates his parents. All siblings are removed from their home and all computers are confiscated. Johnny's dad is placed on a terror watch list and is never allowed to fly on a commercial airliner again.

Scenario 8:
Johnny falls while running during recess and scrapes his knee. He is found crying by his teacher, Mary, who hugs him to comfort him.
1960's - In a short time, Johnny feels better and goes on playing.
Today - Mary is accused of being a sexual predator and loses her job. She faces 3 years in State Prison. Johnny undergoes 5 years of therapy.

[My thanks to Edna Oeth for forwarding me this article. I did apply some minor editing for applicability to my audience prior to posting. Original author is unknown.]

An Inconvenient Debt: Economic Apocalypse

2009-01-31T01:07:00.012-07:00

In a recent show on Fox News, Glenn Beck described in simple terms the looming disaster that will result from the Federal bailout program. His description further confirms the disastrous consequences I warned of in my recent article, Stop the Madness: No More Bailouts! The government will have to DOUBLE THE CURRENCY IN CIRCULATION to finance the programs already approved in October last year. This will be disastrous for our already wounded economy, resulting in HYPERINFLATION. His chart does not even include President Obama's additional one trillion dollar bailout plan that went to the Senate this week for approval. View the video showing Glenn Beck's graphic explanation of how the amount of US currency in circulation is SKYROCKETING as a result of the current bailout package and the effect it will have on us. Click the link, below.

An Inconvenient Debt

AF Academy's Extraordinary Dining Hall

2009-01-27T14:20:00.017-07:00

The dining facility at the United States Air Force Academy, Mitchell Hall, feeds nearly 5,000 hungry cadets and guests in 20 minutes every day. See how this MONUMENTAL feat is accomplished. The following article from Air Force Link (official website of the U.S. Air Force) explains how.

Dining Facility Feeds Leaders of Tomorrow

By Staff Sgt. Matthew Bates
Defense Media Activity-San Antonio

1/26/2009 - Colorado Springs, Colo.
(AFNS) - For most dining facilities, the thought of feeding an entire wing at one time is not a pleasant one. For the staff at Mitchell Hall, the cadet dining facility at the United States Air Force Academy, this is simply business as usual.

The dining facility, named after military aviation pioneer Brig. Gen. William "Billy" Mitchell, is the largest in the Air Force and one of the largest in the world. The facility is a $15 million, three and one-half story structure in which more than 4,700 people can be served at one time.

"We put a lot of food through here on any given day," said Frank Barfield, the dining facility's director. "For instance, to serve every cadet, we would need to cook more than 3,200 pounds of chicken fingers."

The yearly numbers are just as impressive. Mitchell Hall personnel serve more than three million meals and prepare more than 100,000 box meals for cadet programs and club activities each year. Cadets also consume more than 374,000 gallons of milk, 376,000 gallons of juices and punch, 103,000 pounds of chicken, 23,340 pounds of peanut butter, 251,000 pounds of fruits and vegetables and 14,500 pounds of oatmeal annually.

"Breakfast and lunch are mandatory meals," Mr. Barfield said. "So every cadet is present for these two meals."

Fitting the entire student body into the facility is a remarkable feat. But, at nearly two acres and holding 474 tables, the dining area is easily able to hold the nearly 5,000 cadets.

"There are 10 chairs at each table," said Veronica Vela, a member of the dining facility's staff. "If you do the math, that works out to a lot of places for people to sit."

Cadets march into Mitchell Hall nine abreast through doors on the east and west ends. After they take their seats, they are served family style and finish the meal in 20 minutes. To serve the meals quickly, all cold food items -- bread, salad, beverages, etc. -- are placed on tables, and hot carts are positioned by the tables before the cadets arrive. One waiter is assigned to 10 tables, and the cadets receive their hot food within two and one-half to three minutes after sitting down.

A first class cadet at each table is designated as the "Table Commandant." Fourth class cadets sit at the foot of the table, pour beverages and pass food. Even though they have these duties, the fourth class cadets have plenty of time for a good meal.

Feeding this horde isn't the only challenge, though.

"Some of the cadets have special diets due to religious considerations or personal preferences," Mr. Barfield said.

These cadets, such as vegetarians or those of the Muslim faith, are identified when they enroll at the academy and are then placed at a designated table in the dining facility.

Ensuring the student body gets proper nutrition is another challenge.

"A healthy mind is a strong mind," Ms. Vera said.

So, to make sure the academy's cadets are sound of both mind and body, the dining facility has two nutritionists on staff who plan the meals and confirm they provide a balanced diet each day.

"These cadets are college kids, after all," Mr. Barfield said. "If we let them, they'd probably eat cheese puffs and cheeseburgers every meal."

Mitchell Hall operates on an $8.8 million annual food budget that is based on a daily ration allowance provided to each cadet.

The dining facility is operated by nearly 200 civil service employees under the oversight of the 10th Services Division.

Click on the link, below, to view the video:

Mitchell Hall: An Extraordinary Facility

New Technology Improves Our Troops' Edge

2009-01-14T16:07:00.009-07:00

Advances in technology continually improve the edge our troops have over our enemies on the battlefield. Often, these improvements can quickly turn the tables on them. MORTAR SHELL TRACKING TECHNOLOGY can track the trajectory of hostile rounds and fire a retaliatory shot to precisely the spot from which the shells were fired. The technology requires two to three hostile rounds to be fired prior to retaliation. Below, a terrorist videoed his buddy while he was firing mortar shells at American troops. They both received a big surprise courtesy of Mortar Shell Tracking Technology. Click the play button on the lower left of the picture to view the video.

[My thanks to Greg Thew for forwarding this video]

Air Force in Top 100: Princeton Review

2009-01-13T09:08:00.006-07:00

Once again, the United States Air Force Academy has been recognized by the Princeton Review as one of the 100 best value colleges in the country. Air Force was rated in the top 50 best value public colleges. Among other honors, it has earned the distinction as the number one college for professor availability for the past four years. Check out the articles, below.

Air Force Academy Makes Top 100 in Princeton Review

USA Today Best College Values for 2009

There Are No Real Pilots Anymore

2008-12-20T10:27:00.019-07:00

This is pure entertainment! It's, actually, a short movie (9 minutes) that stars John Malkovich administering a dose of humility to today's commercial pilots (of which I am one). At the same time, it shows the essence of the fighter pilots of the past. Not only is it clever, but it has some great flying scenes. Click on the link, below, and zoom to "Full Screen" for some great entertainment!

Real Pilots

[My thanks to Paul DeSisto for sending me this video]

Men Beware: Avoid the Doghouse!

2008-12-10T11:59:00.014-07:00

The holiday season is upon us, and this is the time of year we buy gifts for our loved ones. Women are very good at this process. Men, however, are not. Since the beginning of time, men, with the best intentions, have been buying the wrong gifts for their significant others. We know, only too well, the prices we've paid for such transgressions. The video link, below, is a warning for men of all ages to beware as we choose our gifts this year. We don't want to end up in the DOGHOUSE!

Beware of the DOGHOUSE

[My thanks to Greg Thew for forwarding this warning]