Folks,

Reposting this little gem from Blackfive.net...I couldn't have said it better. Originally done in 2008, I believe, and reposted in light of the Pied Piper not, (as Uncle J says) manning up. I'm just helping to get the word out.

From B5's Jim Hanson

The brother and father of a Marine fighting the war in Afghanistan have some solid advice for our politically-challenged Commander in Chief.

"As family members of a Marine deployed in Afghanistan, we know the importance of timely decisions in the heat of battle--indecision in the field puts troops at risk and leads to casualties. Likewise, the president's indecision about the next steps in Afghanistan is placing the overall mission and the troops on the ground at risk.

Announcing his counter-insurgency strategy for Afghanistan this past March, President Obama said, "If the Afghan government falls to the Taliban or allows al-Qaeda to go unchallenged, that country will again be a base for terrorists who want to kill as many of our people as they possibly can." This commitment was clearly re-affirmed by the president in an August speech before the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Yet, the president and his advisers are now engaged in a prolonged process of re-thinking America's Afghanistan strategy. What has changed?

According to the White House, it would be irresponsible to act until a credible resolution to the presidential elections in Afghanistan emerges. But we fear, as many have reported, that the real reason for delay is anxiety amongst civilian White House aides that an escalation in Afghanistan will derail the president's domestic agenda. On the latter, let us be clear--considerations of political expediency have no place in the president's war room."

Man up Sir.

I think the rant I did just after he took office is particularly apt right now."

Watch the video and remember this from Chuck Z over at From My Position:

-if you lack the WILL to use overwhelming force and ferocity to retaliate against your enemies and those who support them, you will never stop them from attacking you.  Policies which the soldier perceives as inhibiting his ability to do his mission, do inhibit his ability to do his mission.  Perception being truth applies here, because if the soldier feels hamstrung by ROE, then he begins to doubt if his leaders, and their leaders, care more about him than they care about the perception of the public and his enemy.

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Who is the best advocate for your health care? Is it you, the individual, in combination with the physician you choose?  Or, are you willing to take what the government is giving out? Is it your choice, your money, your voice, or, your money, no choice, no voice? (I think that would make a great t-shirt, incidentally!)

Some “facts” that were repeated to me in the discussions on health care I have participated in and which I must, debunk, follow.

*The US is 37th in the world for healthcare.
*Canada’s NHS is thriving.
*European countries are ahead of US in innovation, technology, etc…
*People are denied health care because they cannot pay.
*Social Security and Medicare


*Let’s see. The World Health Organization puts the U.S. 37th when it comes to health care. Does anyone question that? Yes, the U.S. does spend more money on health care than any other nation. But the WHO is not comparing like systems, number one. It compares free market or privatized systems to socialistic ones. While it is not a deal breaker, consider that we are ranked 37th because of health care distribution and cost, not quality of care!!  They are judging what they deem too be fair "distribution" of health care! At the very least, it’s subjective.  Population deviances are not considered.  We have 308 million people to serve in the United States. The population of Canada is 33.2 million, Germany, 82.3 million, UK is 60 million and let’s not forget Sweden, Norway respectively at 9 and 4.7 million. All of those populations are considerably smaller and apparently have trouble with quality of care and access.

*Those that believe the Canadian system or even the UK’s National health care are a boon, have not been paying attention. In both places, access is pitiful, as is quality of care. Ask yourself why people come here for surgeries or treatments if where they live has such a wunderbar system?  Canada made it impossible for private practice outside of the social system. It drove docs to other countries, but of late it has changed. Now, the best doctors practice privately making them accessible to those who can afford the cost, the rich. The government care is left with the remainder and by it’s own emission on the brink of failure. Daniel Castonguay, the original architect of Canada’s system has himself said, ” "We thought we could resolve the system's problems by RATIONING SERVICES or INJECTING MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF MONEY into it. We are proposing to give a greater role to the private sector so that people can exercise freedom of choice."


*What drives developments in technology, medicine, or research? It’s true that Euorpe is on the forefront of many new surgical techniques and drug innovation, and vaccines. But so is the U.S., right? What drives it? Capitalism? YES!! Primarily, U.S. capitalism. Without our capitalistic market, the risk for investing in these items would be too high (i.e. not enough potential profit to incur the risk associated with the investment of the needed capital).  In essence, the world's investors make choices with their capital.  If the potential profit is not in medicine they will shift their investment capital elsewhere, say food, energy, construction, transportation, etc.

If the profit motive is taken out of the medical sector, due to its socialization by the government, the ability to make a profit in the medical sector will be determined by the government.  Even if the government decided to leave in a profit margin equal to that currently in place, future profit margins would respond to government forces as opposed to free market forces.  

This factor alone would increase the risk of capital investment in the medical sector.  In fact, investors would demand higher initial profit margins to make the same investment that they make today because of this added government risk. What happens? Prices would essentially go up in the sector and not down.  If government reduced the profit in the medical sector through caps and payment regulation, the risk to investors would also go up.  Again, what happens? In this case, the investors would leave the sector and move their capital to another more profitable one.  The result would be reduced innovation in medical technology, vaccines and drugs.  Furthermore, the intellectual capital held by physicians, scientists, etc. would choose sectors more profitable than that offered in the medical one.  It is even more possible that this intellectual capital would move to another more favorable country.
And what would happen in an even bigger picture? Try to insure all 308 million people and compromise that intellectual capital and voila, get reduced access. With the flight of physicians and no potential replacements (who would study that long, and work for less than what they are worth?), the quality of care would also decline.  

*EMTALA is the law enacted in 1985 that says no person regardless of ability to pay or legal status will be denied medical care in U.S. emergency rooms. It is nothing more than a safety net for the uninsured and illegal immigrants to receive routine medical care in ER’s. This was the fix because an illegal immigrant crossed the border and sought to deliver her baby in an American ER. They refused to treat her and she died.  It was a tragedy that has led us to where we are now.  Why?

This law created a safety net for the illegals and Americans who are uninsured to be able to get routine care in the ER’s across the country. In turn, the unpaid bills began to drive up the prices of services. Private insurance companies were forced to raise rates which the fell to the taxpayers that HAVE insurance.  As a result of this law, and  20 years, 84 hospitals in Commie, er California have closed. And more are pending. Illegals are getting kidney dialysis for God’s sake on the backs of US taxpayers!! What, I ask you, is right about that?

*The government is not efficient in many of its endeavors.  The subsidies afforded to Amtrak to keep it running are staggering. And it’s still running a deficit even with gov’t cash dumps. The USPS revenues keep dropping and according to the GAO, 80% of the costs are because of compensation and benefits.  Yeah, there were some years of profit, if only sporadic. The USPS is currently asking for 25 billion in financial relief over 8 years!!

And, finally, we get to Social security, and medicare. How is it funded? Uh, it’s that thing called FICA that you pay and see annotated on your pay stub. SS has a budget that is independent from the Federal Government. By law, any “surplus” collected must be loaned to the Gov’t!! This means that the gov’t backs the loans with interest and will pay it back. Excuse me, while I LMAO. If assets equal liabilities and equity, how will the government pay back that money? It borrows from itself for crying out loud. Those IOU’s are going to be worthless. Maybe you need a picture. If I say I am going to save money each month for a car, but one month, I’m short and I give myself an IOU, and eventually that ‘s all I have are IOU’s, what car dealership will take those IOU’s and give me a car? I’m still laughing. The Social Security site coats it pretty and talks about the “options” being discussed to save the fund BEFORE it goes bankrupt!! 

I am just stunned. Yesterday, some interesting news from the Treasury Dept. and the CBO. The Treasury Department has reported that America faces a $43 trillion unfunded obligation in Social Security and Medicare benefits with 77 million retiring baby boomers and rising health care costs.
According to the CBO, paying for the promised benefits will eventually force Congress to impose a 63% income tax on the middle class and an 88% tax on the “wealthy.”
Yet, even as we try to figure out how to meet our current obligations, the President wants to create an additional health care entitlement and further increase spending elsewhere in the budget.
The Social Security trust fund will be exhausted by 2037, and the Medicare hospital trust fund will become insolvent by 2017 according to a report by the trustees of the two programs.  In fact, next year – 2010 – Social Security’s costs will exceed it’s income.
Medicare has an unfunded liability of $36 trillion over the next 75 years, or about $317,000 per U.S. household, and in just the next 5 years, by 2013, Medicare’s unfunded liability is projected to grow by 33 percent, to $48 trillion – or about $412,402 per household.
When Social Security and Medicare are taken together, the total unfunded liability is $40 trillion, or about $353,000 per household. By 2013, that total will grow to $54 trillion, or $474,077 per household.

Okay, folks. It is time for a rant.  I am so disgusted when I hear this on the news---" America is fighting two wars..."
No. That is a lie perpetuated by the media.We are not fighting two wars!!!  We are fighting in “two theaters”, not “two wars” and it is the War on Terror not an "Overseas Contingency Operation FFS!!!  Do we have that right, now? It’s one war, two theaters and we are fighting terrorists not conducting some lame contingency operation!!!
Funny that we had the Pacific and European theaters in WW2, but nobody seems to get it,  this time.

Let’s move on. For all the ignoramuses in the world out there who do not know anyone in the military, have never served -let’s get another thing straight.  When an individual volunteers to serve OUR country, he does it without saying who is the President, who will be my commander–in-chief?  No, contrary to popular belief, he doesn’t give a rat’s behind what party affiliation the C-I-C has. I know the idiots are surprised and asking, “Why? Why would they do that?”
The answer is that it’s about serving and achieving for something bigger! Amazing, isn’t it, that a young man or woman would do something so selfless? Give their parents some kudos, too. The sooner the idiots of the world get that, ahem!! 

And please, idiots, stop screaming about who got us into war based on false information, blah, blah, blah, okay? Congress voted with what info we had, period. There were weapons of mass destruction.  Yeah, yeah, I know, this is a real bone of contention, isn’t it? Some reading this know what a WMD is. Some think they know, but they don’t-- or they choose to try and make it fit the lies that the media has played out time and again as truth.

Ask yourself what a WMD is? It is chemical, biological or radioactive material that can destroy places, things and kill people. Check that, Chemical, Biological, and radioactive materials!!  In the Army, learning about that we called it NBC training, N signifying nuclear, as we did have nukes just  a short distance from Landstuhl and we were still engaged in the Cold War.
Nuclear attacks come by way of what? Well, let’s see what I remember…um, Thermal and Nuclear Radiation blasts… and there is one more- which I think is secondary to the initial attack to do with power.  You get the picture.
As for Chemical weapons, well this is easy.  There are nerve, blister and choking agents.
 Nerve agents are: GA – Tabun ,GB – Sarin, GD – Soman, GF – Cyclosarin,      VX - Methylphosphonothioic Acid
The blister agents are: HD - Sulfur Mustard (Yperite), HN - Nitrogen Mustard, L – Lewisite,  CX - Phosgene Oximine
Choking agents: CG – Phosgene, DP – Diphosgene, Cl – Chlorine, PS - Chloropicrin

Biological agents are, of course microorganisms that can cause cause death and disease in humans, livestock and can contaminate the food supply. The most common organisms used in bioterror are Anthrax, and botulinum toxins. Ricin is another.
One cannot just pick and choose, to fit the story you wish it were. These are all WMD and any combination of them can be used to maim, kill and destroy.
We found tons of WMD, but unfortunately, the media has downplayed it. Sarin, and chorine were used in the current war and found stockpiled. I heard people say, well, if Bush had found them there would have been a parade to tout it. Wrong. You cannot tell people what they do not want to hear, and the media was never on this side of right. Now, if the Pied Piper President had found these caches, well, you know what would happen… When did we find them? All over, and intermittently, but the biggest cache was June 2006.

And like the energizer bunny, I’m still going. I want to say to those who do not agree with the war or like to spew things about not being asked to sacrifice: is this about the troops, our Country or who is President?  It is about the troops and our Country. It is not about whether or not you like the man elected to serve. Stop acting like children having tantrums. The troops need us to man up. Ask their parents whether the life of their kid hinges on that R/D behind the President’s name? Or if it hinges on the tantrum throwers who think they are getting back at the President by not standing up for them?  And that sacrifice thing? Well, shame on you, if you have not gotten off your sorry butt to DO something to help. Talk about lame excuses like “I didn’t know what to do.” I didn't vote for that guy...Really?  Shame on you for telling me how verklempt the trip to Normandy made you and that you wish more people paid attention, today!! Shame on you for not doing, or showing any appreciation at all, yet bitching about sacrifice!! In the beginning of the war, I sent an air conditioner, I donated collectibles to auctions for troops to be able to get voice technology computers, I sent school supplies and coffee galore. But mostly,  I gave my time to stand up and show them they and the sacrifice was appreciated. Is it that hard to put aside differences in ideology to do any of that?

 And a positive, yet somber noteworthy item:
On October 3rd, COB Keating, in Afghanistan came under attack.  Not only did they lose eight men, but 56 soldiers had only the clothes on their backs when all was said and done.  One of my friends, Leta Carruth I would say, singlehandedly led the charge to get these men everything they needed to be able to continue move forward and defend. It was through her dedication and perseverance that these guys were outfitted again in 36 hours once she put out the call. To my knowledge this led to the American Legion putting up a link for donations through their awesome new website, The BurnPit, and, get this…they raised $45,000.00 from 565 donors!! Needless to say, it doesn’t get any better than this. I just wanted to give kudos to all of those who donated.  Over at the BurnPit, you can still send things or donate. Any surplus will be moved forward again, to other units who are in need. There are some very cool photos on one of the posts from people in Texas…It shows donors with signs that say, “I give a shi**!”  
All I can say to that is “Amen!!” Rant finished.

What can one say? There were 1.5 million people in Washington, DC. And it was completely under-reported by the media and newspapers. Sickening.

But here’s the good news. WE WERE PART OF HISTORY!! WE WERE PART OF 1.5 MILLION AMERICANS STANDING TALL FOR OUR COUNTRY. FOR AMERICA!! AGAINST SOCIALISM, AGAINST COMMUNISM.

We arrived at 1400 hours in Friday.  We made our way to the Air and Space Museum for the kids. We were going to Walter Reed and the Freep in support of the wounded troops. You wouldn’t believe how many people were there, how many flags were flying. This was the third time. It was also the largest group to assemble at the Gates.
Anyone who knows me, knows I cannot resist standing up to the scum known as Code Pink, et al. As we walked through, I had my Flag. They had their signs that said bring the troops home. Heh. Perfect. “Peace through  Victory!!” I shouted, “Isn’t Freedom of Speech wonderful?”  I did the same thing as we left. I was told to shut my yap. My husband asked if they had thanked a troop today…of course, they hadn’t.
It was absolutely awesome. There was a lady walking around handing out little trinkets to veterans to recognize our service and say thank you. It was great!
I saw old friends, eagles and made new friends.  We were all headed for the great Taxpayer March in the morning. The excitement in the air was palpable.  The hotels had shuttles to and from the March… Other organizations that were sponsors of the whole shebang like ResistNet, Americans for Prosperity, and Tea Party Patriots had meet and greets and such on Friday as well. The Resistnet folks have a new acronym for change….It’s called “FLIP this HOUSE” and I’ll post a photo of a sticker, but I will have to find what the acronym stands for….Let’s get to the newest history lesson created by 1.5 million Americans.

We were going to be rallied at the Freedom Plaza to march down Pennsylvania Ave. to the Capital Building. The Washington, DC marathon was underway as we made our way from the hotel to the Plaza. We could hear a booming voice on a microphone, but we could not hear every word. The streets were jammed with people carrying signs, flags and wearing great t-shirts. There were families, vets, handicapped people who were said they would not have missed this come hell or high water.  We never met a stranger.

It wasn’t even 0830 and the crowd was huge!! We were getting in the way of the marathoners…and the park police were doing their best. We had volunteer security people all along the route if anyone needed help. They wore neon green t-shirts and were hard to miss. They were polite and helpful. The first time we heard the chants of ‘U-S-A, U-S-A!!” I wanted to cry. There is nothing comparable to hearing all those people standing together, and the noise we were making. As we stood cheering the speakers and each other, the crowd kept getting larger and larger. We shook hands with other veterans and said thank you. We gave kudos to people with great signs.
And we talked about how concerned we were and what needed to happen. We were supposed to line up by state…but the crowd was too darn big!! (Woo-Hoo!!)

We started marching at roughly 10:30am. It was so electric, you just cannot imagine. We chanted, we sang God Bless America. A man wearing a fife and drum uniform played his piccolo and we sang some more.  There were people on the sidewalks with signs waving and moving with those in the streets.

 In the rumor mills of the day, we heard that CNN had reported a crowd of 20,000, and that we were shouting Nazi-isms that we were nasty. Let me tell you, that IS nothing more than lame stream media propaganda.

We were actually shouting, “Vote Them Out!” or “Read The Bill!” or “Hands off my health care!!” When we passed the Newseum, which has the First Amendment chiseled into the wall, we recited it, then chanted “Whoop, There it is!!”

We found a spot on the grass to watch the rest of the folks coming. Across from where we planted, was the Capital reflecting pool. At first, you could still see green grass all the way over to the Garden Conservatory or what ever that was….But the people just kept coming. You could look from the Capital Building and all the way down Pennsylvania Avenue to the Washington Monument and see that this was our Country!!!  All I could think of was, “It’s a great Day to be an American!”

At 1330, people were still coming. Near us, on the grass, a woman held a “liberty” bell and rang it continuously.  (yeah, I had goosebumps)! We had conversations with people from everywhere. I counted how many states were represented by the Tea Party Patriots on the website.  It was 43.  But I met people from Hawaii, Texas, Alabama, Arizona, NC, Colorado, Utah, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Illinois, Maryland, Connecticut, New Jersey, Tennessee, Ohio, Mississippi, and yes, Cali-forn-i-a! It was just unbelievable.  

And, really, though I tried to catch up with Townhall Bloggers, it was pretty darn hard. I tried to live blog and I could not get on to save my life. There were so many people that even if I had made my way earlier than planned, the park police started us sooner on the March.

My youngest son kept saying how awesome it was! And he climbed a tree to take a shot of the way people kept filling up the spaces.  Good little capitalist that he is, he bellowed,” Live tree shot videos and photos for five bucks.” He had already taken lots of pix for people, so he had no takers.  He learned quick.  “Pictures and videos now half –price! $2.50!!” He also placed a Flag in the tree, which was still there. And in 2 weeks when I run the Army Ten Miler, I am gonna check for it.

Eventually, even though we had no permits for the National Mall, the park police had no choice but to let us be there. The funniest thing was that there was a “Black Family Reunion” event going on and we dwarfed it. I am sure that is why we didn’t get permits for that area.  

I will try to see if what I have posts...got a new business to run...and I am in a hurry...damn it! :) More updates after COB.

UPDATE: Yay! It posted..Thanks, Sarge!! My other half said I didn't need to get to the office...so I will finish this post. (Yesss!!) Let me just say that those who think 1% of the population showing up in DC is nothing can frankly, KMYA. "You" are the people who don't believe in standing for anything and the first to bit*ch when falling. This was much more important to get done for history's sake and for Chris to post!!

Some tidbits:

*The sheer irony of the fact that Gadsden Flag I purchased was sold to me by an ACORN person made me mad at first!! That is, until I realized that they must resort to the very mechanism they hate: capitalism. It is still against my principles to support fraud and misuse of taxpayer money. They're going down, thank God. The third video is out...

*Unlike the leftists when they show support for their causes and leave everything a mess- We left the place cleaner than we found it, without a doubt. Our family made sure not even gumwrappers were left behind. It was amazing to see how clean it was. Even if it didn't fit in the cans, we centralized it and made it neat. And by 9pm that night, you couldn't tell by the garbage that 1 milion people stood together to denounce the government's intrusion in our lives. Next year...

*I spoke with many people...Two Russians who held up the sign Jews against socialism. I asked them did they feel that the Pied Piper was a marxist? They both shook their heads yes, emphatically.

*There were also many Latinas. Why do I mention it? At least twice, I saw the sign;"This 'wise' latina says no to socialized medicine"! Another couple from Pittsburgh who were conservatives, but because no Republicans have been in opposition of late, they have resorted to voting as democrats to have a say. Pretty sad, but also, they want their say and found a way.... *I saw families and asked the kids if they understood what was going on. The younger kids, say 5-10, knew it wasn't right to take other people's money. Some were very knowledgeable. Not all understood the word communism. Why would they? It simply is not taught. I asked if any knew what the KGB was...they didn't. They did not know the meaning of the word Czar. There IS something really wrong with that! Yes, I informed them.

*I would venture to say that all of the signs were hand-made or crafted from home in some way, shape or form. The t-shirts were equally impressive. One of my favorites: Restore the Republic, Ramp the Revolution. On the back was a great quote from Lincoln:"We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution." Can you say it? The Pied Piper is guilty!!

*My husband met some people in the ESPN Zone. It was a day for all rivals to be friends, but also to smack down the less-informed. He was asked to engage in discussion with a liberal. The kid(28-ish), wanted to know what the Tea Party thing was about. So, he was informed. The kid boasted about having a law degree, etc...and was saying that The P2's plan was to save the economy. ( Have I ever told my friends who read that I have always loved the way you can trap a liberal with subtlety?) And with great subtlety, my hubby said, 'Well, what are the three factors of production?" The kid couldn't answer. (Land, Labor, Capital) And then the hubby asked how printing bogus money would help those three things in producing or creating jobs...The kid spewed: " What kind of Econ book did you use?" As if....well you know what happened...changed the subject, swore...Game, set, match. We cannot describe how great it was to make history. Don't believe anyone who tells you there weren't a million people in the District on 9/12. I may have another post on that, if only to document the sheer stupidity of those who discount freedom of speech. I will also attempt to post some links to photos that were better than what I have. Lastly...some photos of the day after. As we made our way up Pennsylvania Ave. to view the emptiness in comparison, we saw a single sign, left behind. It had been posted the day before as a warning. We being good citizens, picked it up, and took a photo. Be sure to stop by Blackfive, This Ain't Hell, DaveCat's, and JackPine's for a taste of their adventures in DC!!

Last night I attended an Americans For Prosperity Townhall meeting at the NC State Fairgrounds. It was headed up by Dallas Woodhouse, NC director of AFP.
He also had former Mayor of Charlotte, Pat McCrory there to speak. The have been traveling the state all week.

When we got there, we re-registered to vote and chatted with people. Saw some neighbors…and even offered rides if they were interested in going to the big Tea Party in DC.  There were 1000+ people there. There was no unruliness whatsoever.

I noted that a large segment were elderly. You know, walking with canes, in wheelchairs, hooked up to oxygen.  There was quite a small population of Obamacare supporters, too. Two!! And they looked completely uncomfortable.  Woodhouse made a reference to them, and then they were surrounded with the  “Hands Off My Healthcare” people instantaneously.  They were not touching the women, they were not yelling at them, they were just trying to hide the signs. I saw one of them mouth the words “Don’t push me, “ and take several steps back. It was completely unwarranted. I was 3 feet away. She was not threatened in any way.

But, let’s talk about her sign. It said, “Who would Jesus deny healthcare to?”  Honestly.  Someone forgot to let her know that The Pied Piper is not God!! Her friend had a sign that said, ”Obama is not a socialist, fascist.” Heh. She hasn’t stopped drinking the kool-aid, either. Oh and the flip side was “US is (not)#1 in healthcare, #37 according to the WHO.” I wonder if she stopped to consider what statistics are used to calculate that number? Like the US morbidity and mortality rates count all births where other countries exclude that, we have tougher stringencies used to put us on the map.


In Other signs:
I would have died in 2001 If I lived in Canada
Kill the Bill,
Next time VOTE AMERICA
Don’t tread on Me
Obama!! Hands off my Life, You are not GOD!!

We were there to listen to the President’s speech on the big screen. Both Woodhouse and McCrory wanted to show their respect for the office of President.  Each discussed that there were three things they wanted to hear the President address. The people did cheer and boo and call the President a liar. It was the truth. But the three items were:

1. Tort Reform.  We got a snippet of that, along with the blame going to the insurance companies for profit…over and over.  I was probably considered a heckler for being loud and talking back like the rest of the people in the building who were asking what about the Lawyers and big pharma? What about the UAW who are getting billions through the back door IN the healthcare bill through one avenue or another?

2.Will we be able to go across state lines for competitive rates? (In NC, it’s an all or nothing thing. Perhaps this is why the younger population opts out?)

3. How will this be paid for?  This was the biggest laugher. Of course, savings from all of the waste is what the Pied Piper said would be used. Really? Has he identified all the waste already? No. But I am sure if he really “listened to the people” we could tell him what we know.  The money wasted in Cash for Clunkers, perhaps? How about the fact that they are going to hire 3000 more people to attend to this wasteful program?
How about the 787 billion porkulus bill that was signed and not read that helped nobody up to this point?  Unemployment has gone past the President’s benchmark…”not above 8%” said the Pied Piper. But alas, the real number is 16.7 % or thereabout. He’s claiming a number of 9%, but we know he’s being selective. Jobs are still being lost. But gee-freaking whiz, that 787 billion dollars would have been a start, hmmm? And we would be no worse off. But, folks, you already know that the Pied Piper is lying to you when he says that where the savings  will come from still needs to be “ironed out.”  You already know that the deficit is caused by medicare and medicaid according to the speech last night!!! And, you know that there is no way on God’s green earth that this 9 trillion will not affect the deficit, right? Someone needs to give Barry a refresher in Econ 101. (Fletch, my man, where for art thou?)

In four years time what we will get is that public option. What we will see is Physicians fleeing the profession. What we will see is that employers will not be able to offer its employees healthcare cheaper than the government. The saying is SSDD, isn’t it? We heard nothing new. We heard the Pied Piper offering the chicken in every pot for all.  No ceilings on lifetime coverage limits, No denial for pre-existing conditions, and the rich will still be taxed to pay for the less economically sound people.

I personally like not denying for pre-existing conditions. There are ways to handle such things with cost effectiveness and no need to ration. For example: A person with diabetes.  Some people take great care of themselves. Some do not. You can give a person a plan that meets their needs and cost basis to stay on track. However, if a person constantly ignores or abuses what must be done, you simply make the risk theirs by charging more for care, no denial needed.  This is a form of rationing but it’s not denial of care.  You are giving someone the choice to treat the body better. It’s safe to say that when people must pay with their own money, then they become more careful, right? No matter what, you will still not be able to legislate that people take care of themselves because they believe it to be free. They have to know that there will be consequences.  Do you ever hear a smoker complain when they pay out the wazoo for life insurance, or higher  health premiums because of their habits? No. My mother certainly does not. She knows that actions equal consequence.

Or we can use cars to show personal responsibility and cost consequences. When I was filing up the car with gas for my oldest kid, to her she got it “free. “ When we required her to pay after getting a used car, as the primary driver, she became more frugal giving all of her friends rides. She had to drive my car the first few days of school until we got NC plates, and I drove hers with temps. She had the nerve to ask me how many miles I went and wanted to go tit for tat. I asked her how much gas she paid for during her first year driving? See what I mean?

Bottom line is that the President told us more of the same. And contrary to his belief that he WILL be the last President to address and “fix” health care in this country…

Well, sir. With all due respect, over my dead body, thank you very much.

We are going to DC.

We ARE going to continue the debate you think is over.  Maybe, just maybe, you’ll get it.

YOU. WORK for WE THE PEOPLE!!

Okay.   So the health care bill has gotten me thinking. It has others thinking, too. How many of you actually read that thing? It is unbelievable!!
This is not a bill about insuring for the health of America. This bill is a catastrophic move towards socialism and tyranny.  This is about the lack of responsibility of our elected representatives to research and read the bill in favor of the power grab for themselves. This is about eroding the freedom of equal opportunity in favor of an omnipotent government.

It is complete disengagement from the constituents they were elected to serve.

Have anyone wondered why no physicians have been asked to participate in the construction of this wonderful bill, HR3200?  OR why certain groups have supported it…the AMA, AARP and then they claim no political ties? Really?  If my Grandma were here, she’ d ask them all to stick out their tongues to check for liars.

Are you sick and tired of the memes that “you” do not care for your fellow man if you expect them to own their own health care bills? That it’s criminal to want children to go without healthcare?  Are you tired of hearing how smart the COWboy President is and we should all be grateful?  Frankly, me too.

All the “disruption’ at TH type meetings is being blamed on conservative people. Suddenly, our dissent is no longer as patriotic as their dissent when calling Bush a liar,a Nazi was the norm!! IF that isn’t the pot calling the kettle black…Indeed, I have witnessed many unhinged left-minded thinkers spewing their garbage about Bush, the war, the troops and this Country.  I have even been on the receiving end of this “thuggery”.  Lucky for me, I had the Guns to hold me back and remind me that this is what we served for. So others could exercise the ability exchange thoughts and disagree freely and without repercussion.

The COWboy President (aka the Pied Piper) has resorted to trying to quash free speech by issuing a directive for concerned citizens to flag those who are being “misinformed and lied to” about the current HR3200.  He called it “fishy!”

To that I say, “Honestly, Mr. President?”  Is it not true that according to the US Census Bureau, the actual number of uninsured people who CANNOT afford health insurance is much lower? It seems that the statistics show the actual number of uninsured is 46.5 million.  Included in that number are 12 million illegal immigrants, aka I-2’s. Let’s subtract those I-2’s from the real total, and now you have 34 million Americans who are potentially uninsured.
But wait!! We’re not done. How many times has The Pied Piper or elected representative said that there are actually a significant number of people who make more than the median income who elect not to pay for insurance??? I believe that answer is zero.  It’s a lie of omission, naturally. They want people to fall prey to the fear of being uninsured, and potentially financially ruined. (Last I checked, the Country and all the broken promises of the current administration have us going there anyway…The number of people who CHOOSE not to buy health care….Drum roll….18 million people!!!  That leaves 16 million that for income reasons or other  do not have health insurance.  Not quite the problem that the Pied Piper would have you believe in a country of 305 million people.

Here is something to think about.  Low-income people can get medicare or Medicaid, just like people with disability can get help from the government if they apply.  How many of the 16 million people are too lazy to go and do what is necessary to enroll.  You have to know that anything to do with government paperwork is completely daunting and they do not get penalized if they seek care. Did you know that in HR3200, if the government deems your private plan unacceptable you will be taxed? Or, did you know that if they find you don’t have insurance, you will be mandated to accept theirs, and then be forced to pay via electronic transfer from YOUR bank.   WTH? Since when was it okay for Uncle to tell me how to take care of me??

The reality is we do not have a perfect system. Uncle has ruined social security, the Postal Service, Amtrak. Medicare, medicaid are as bad as the NHS in Canada or Britain.
Consider the red-tape in the case of a US physician who needed to treat an indigent patient enrolled in Medicaid. The patient could go blind if not treated immediately with an expensive drug.  They have to wait ten days for approval and by then the patient would be blind. The doctor then treats the patient at his expense.  This type of problem will only increase with more government regulation. Left minded thinkers try and tell us there is no “death panel” but unless one is guaranteed treatment deemed emergent by a physician instead of a “health care rationer”, the logical conclusion, whether intended or not will be impairment or potentially, death.
Even now, physicians are using government protocols that do not necessarily fall in line with the way physicians actually treat patients. But if the goverment says so and they don’t, they can be sued. (Tort Reform, anyone?) If a neurosurgeon trains for 14 years and then develops a great new procedure and he accepts medicare patients, did you know that he cannot charge a private paying entity more than medicare will allow for the same procedure even though it’s private insurance? Seriously, WTF??? What happens, then? The doctor will stop accepting medicare because it cuts his ability to earn.

Solutions….I have a few. And I leave them open to debate.

What would happen if we took that burden from employers and let the consumer find what works for him or her? And then allow the employer to reimburse up to an agreed upon amount for health care and give the employer the deduction?

What if we took away that pre-existing clause and as long as a patient was being cautionary and as preventive as possible and then should use discretionary plans to meet the needs of the patient?

What would happen if we had a fee for service schedule for every possible procedure known and were truly able to let the patient/payor make the crucial choices in their care?  (Interjecting… that if a person has the responsibility with their money to pay or not, they may be much more careful and involved. One would hope it would not be taken lightly)

The bottom line is this: Do Americans really want to let the government handle everything, no thinking involved? Because I guarandamntee that   liberals wearing the RCG’s will wake up to find that they are not immune from oppression, taxation and that their Utopia Uncle IS running the show- they’ll wish they used the brains God gave them and which they deny. The Truth will really hurt when the freedoms they enjoyed and took for granted are slaughtered. No one spared.

Normally, I post pre-Memorial Day. However, yesterday, my eldest kids were part of a parade for Memorial Day.
It was quite small. Our local American Legion Post #80 followed the fire engines. People got on their feet and were clapping…as it should have been. The ladies auxiliary also marched. And, we had the local scouts, baseball teams and the band. Two Blocks to be exact.

No matter. The important stuff followed the parade as the crowd fell in behind the parade procession to the park where a Memorial Day Ceremony was led by the Legion. (I’ve got video and pictures if I can figure it out). As I shot video while the National Anthem was played by the band, I got choked up and the camera was shaking…no tripod. Several Legion members made a fallen soldier memorial as a tribute. An Inspection of Arms, presentation of dog tags, helmet, boots, and folded flags and salutes. Quite sobering if you have never seen it, more over, if you have, It stings.

There were prayers, recognition of local soldiers from WW1- to now, by name. And there were crosses bearing the dates of wars from 1776 on. At each cross was laid a wreath. We had a representative for WW2 , Korean , Vietnam, Desert Storm and OIF/Afghanistan who were met with applause for their service as they presented the wreaths.

The Honor Guard and riflemen were posted. A half-right face command was given. Ready! Aim! Fire! Three volleys, seven shots. The Eagle Scout stepped forward with his bugle. “Present Arms!” Taps is played as the tears fall and the goosebumps form. I will always cry if Taps is played. “Or-der Arms! Port Arms! Half-left face! Forward, March!”

It is then that any living veteran attending the service is asked to step forward when they hear the band play their service song. I waved my recognition as I was deep in the crowd. But, I gotta hand it to the Marines who stepped up. They stood at full attention and saluted the flag until their song was over. Guns, man you'd been proud of your fellow dogs!! It gave me goosebumps. They were certainly the few, the proud. They were Marines. I had to hand it to them. It was awesome. Truly.

We closed with a reading of Flanders Fields and a prayer. The American Legion, Post 80, getting it right. It was the best ceremony I have seen short of being in DC.

Dave, I’ll miss you, but I will always remember you. 1964-2009. May the road rise up to meet you…until we meet again. To all those I know who have served and continue to serve, thank you.
For the fallen and their sacrifices of their future for our todays…Thank you will never be enough, but I won’t forget and I honor it, today and every day.
To all my fellow vets here on TH, I hope your day was as great.

Updated again: I received a great article from the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Go here: http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/journals/afp/preprint/combat-h1n1.html

As of today, there are 662 confirmed cases of the "Novel H1N1 Swine origin Influenza Virus" (aka SOIV). there is more and more talk about having "swine flu parties" jsut like the Chicken pox one I had for my kids...Natural selection and immunity and all that jazz. Why not? You gotta find someone who has it, first!!

Updated: From a comment I read, and put simpler than I could have, here is why I did not even think bioterror.

"The H1N1 influenza was an avian strain that happend upon the right combination of proteins in what is called the "Hemagglutinin spike" to be able to attach to human cells. Normally, the swine or avian variants don't infect humans well because their versions of hemagglutinin stick better to the cells of the animals they usually infect, the scientific word is "trophic", they are trophic for, or adapted for, pigs and birds. Only a few people ever got the H5N1 "avian flu" that had people worried a couple of years ago, mainly because the H5N1 virus isn't well-adapted for humans and you have be around massive amounts of infected bird poop to be the index case in humans.

The copying mechanism for RNA viruses like influenza is pretty loose, meaning there will be errors and the "message" in the genetic material is garbled. This keeps animal and human immune systems a little behind the power curve in the arms race between viruses and animal and human antibodies. In the case of the original H1N1, a bird or pig was suffering through its own private hell of influenza, there was a chance mutation that produced a virus that stuck to human cells like duct tape, and some unlucky farmer happened to inhale at the wrong time. From such accidents are viral epidemics often born.

Not only that, but it's possible to be infected with more than one influenza strain at the same time, pigs are able to pull off this trick and two viral strains in one cell can exchange genetic information, combining avian and swine elements, or swine and human elements. The fact that this is a "frankenvirus" with elements from human, swine and avian influenza shouldn't be surprising at all, it's just another aspect of how well-adapted influenza is to survive and propagate.

The fact that this virus is an H1N1 does not mean it is THE H1N1 from 1918. H1 and N1 simply refer to the variants of the proteins hemaggultinin and neuranimidase, even within H1N1 viruses there is variability. The original H1N1 was copied several years ago from frozen corpses buried during the 1918 influenza in the arctic, and the whole genome (the recipie) for the virus published in a scientific journal. Theoretically, you could take this information, run it through a sequencer and spit out RNA from H1N1 as it was in 1918. Inject that into cells, and several hours later you'll have gazillion H1N1 1918 viruses in your petri dish, all as dangerous to humans as they were in 1918, and in fact deadly to monkeys in the same way it was to humans back in the day, according to another article.

This is definitely not that H1N1 version, though. That H1N1 infected half the world's population when the fastest form of transport was a steamship or railroad, had a monstrous kill ratio for influenza (2% of the world's population died from influenza), and a unique signature in that the highest casualties were in the 20-40 age group. Because of the unique nature of that influenza virus, the stronger your immune system the worse off you were, it was your own immune system that killed you in a blue-on-blue "cytokine storm". If we were seeing much more rapid spread and higher death numbers I would be worried. As it is, this is so far just another influenza. If someone designed this one to be pathogenic, they're a crappy genetic engineer. Natural selection is a much better explanation at this point than human creation."


SARS, Bird Flu, and Swine Flu…all  were responsible for the potential to reach epidemic proportions.  But, they didn’t.
SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) caused quite a panic. In reality, worldwide there were 774 cases that resulted in death. Most of those were in Hong Kong and southern China. In the US, 8 cases were diagnosed, none fatal.
(http://www.forbes.com/2009/04/27/swine-flu-mexico-sars-business-healthcare-flu-hysteria.html)

Bird Flu…Well, in the US, there has been documentation since 1997, but most cases have been found in Asian populations. The virus that causes this is the H5N1.

And then we have Swine Flu. What is completely irritating as a person who loves epidemiology and lab research is  this is the same virus that causes Influenza A, H1N1.

Granted, there may be mutations, but it is my opinion that calling it a pandemic or epidemic is unwarranted. The actual flu season is not over until May’s end. And so far with all the hype, 160 cases have been officially diagnosed with one fatality according to the CDC I find it interesting to note that the highest incidents are in CA, SC, NY, TX, MA and DE.  
In most states, as with NY, CA the outbreaks were related to being in Mexico where the number of cases and deaths are highest. Maany of the states are the southern borders to Mexico.

The CDC uses regions to identify the strains of flu and in one review charted them. It's interesting to note that of the nine regions, the regions east of Texas that the more common strain found was type B. In regions north and west of Texas, the common strain was Type A. Summarily speaking, type A(H1N1) strain is the most dominant of the three strains reported and sub-typed.

The testing for the flu seems to increase by about 100,000 per year,  but roughly 40,000 of those tested are actually positive. I suspect that increased testing happens because several years have passed since a method of treatment was developed. Thus the regard for the effectiveness of the two drugs available for treatment, aka, Tamiflu or Relenza, has increased and it does seem make people recover more quickly.

Simple facts will keep people from going out and buying up the local supplies of surgical masks. These rules apply when it comes to prevention and spread of most viruses.
•    Wash your hands with soap and water. If you indeed use hand sanitizers that contain alcohol, rub them until the residue is completely dry on your hands.
•    Cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing and remember to wash your hands if you do.
•    For children who have a tendency not to cover their mouths, one might try teaching them to cough into their bent elbows. As children tend to be touchy with hands to hands, the germs are less likely to spread.
•    Viruses can live on inanimate objects, but for very short time periods. Just be cautious if someone has sneezed without covering mouths or noses not to touch the surface area and wash hands!!
•    As of April 11th, this year, the cumulative statistics indicate that  178,393 patients have been tested for the flu. 25,407 of those were positively identified for type A and sub-yping for the H1N1, H3N2, and type B.
•    For type H1N1, or NKA the Swine Flu, thee were 6,151 cases.
•    Finally, Eat PORK!! It does not cause the flu!!!!

I can go back several years and find similar statistics from the CDC. People just need to use their heads. Obama cannot stop this process, nor can he save anybody.  The idea that a potential pandemic or epidemic, is happening is crazy. 
You see, every year the CDC has to create a new vaccine, and every year the vaccine has several strains in it, similar to the one before it.  So for those of you who didn't get a flu shot, and opt to beat the epidemic with a shot now, you will probably receive the same exact shot people got back in September. It will take two weeks for your body to produc the antibodies to fight the flu, but there are no guarantees. Unless this really does become more than just a prolonged flu season, the new vaccine won't be available with this "new" strain of H1N1 until next year, if at all.

If I were to tell you that I am a cynic, would you believe I think this was merely a diversion created by Obama as a way to apy back the crony pharma comapnies who donated to his campaign? He received $450,000 in pharma company donations.  What a great way to pay them back!! Create mass hysteria for an epidemic that has NOT occurred and then get the drug companies to bust hump producing more vaccine than they would on a normal basis, right? Yes, I AM a cynic. Any questions?

It has come to my attention that a friend of mine needs some help. There is a Victory-Iraq celebration being planned. Some of you may know this friend. A selfless guy, he devotes much of his free time to supporting the troops. He has given countless hours of his time and with all the driving I know he does, gas, mileage, money. He lives south of Richmond, but thinks nothing of driving two hours for me, to the NC border to pick up a present that I had for a wounded marine's baby shower.

You may have seen him at GOE events, Freeps at Walter Reed and even some events welcoming troops home.  He needs a 100 grand. If there is one thing we can say, it’s that we know what is important and we know that it takes work and effort to get there. Bob is working tirelessly, and now he has reached a stalemate.

Help make this day happen. Our troops deserve this! Go to Bob’s site and donate. I am unemployed at the moment and I have given 50 bucks. Can we do it? I believe we NEED to. It’s not about us, it’s about what the troops continually give willingly. The protection of our way of life, our freedoms, and our safety. Ante up!

http://unitedconservatives.blogspot.com/2009/04/this-will-be-my-last-appeal-for-help.html

Updated: Go here for the whole shebang of info...
http://www.protroopevents.com/
And then read this from a troop named Sarah. (Emphasis, mine)

“A few nights ago, I walked a quiet mile with hundreds of other service members. It was a clear night in Bagram, Afghanistan. Although it was late, the birds were singing, perhaps roused by the unusual occurrence of people walking under their trees at the late hour. Soft voices broke the solemnity, but no words were discernible. Suddenly, as if on cue, soldiers, airmen, seamen, marines, broke off the sidewalk and lined the road, spacing themselves regularly and assuming a position of silent watchfulness. The honor cordon had formed.

Heads began to turn right as flashing blue lights appeared far down the road. As the vehicles neared, one by one, service members assumed the position of attention and rendered the hand salute. In the back of an open truck sat eight military members, and between them, at their feet, was a flag draped casket.

As I rendered my salute, I thought about the fallen soldier. I did not know his name, his unit or his home. I never saw his face or spoke to his family. I did not know why he volunteered for the Army or what he was doing when he was killed. But there was much I did know. I knew he had fought and died in an honorable cause, a cause that had little to do with our policy on Afghanistan. This soldier had volunteered to put his very life on the line in service to his nation and his brothers-in-arms. I see no more honorable cause that that.

In a column, Mr. Putney has again raised the debate about the sacrifice of America’s “sons and daughters” in uniform. Some have argued that we must continue the fight to honor their memory “so that they have not died in vain.” Others argue we must stop the wars to save soldiers from this fate. I think an essential understanding of what motivates those of us in uniform is missing in this debate.

We are not your sons and daughters, whom you must protect and defend. We are your sword and your shield. We are men and women who volunteer to place our lives on the line so you do not have to. We do not decide when or where we will be sent. We go. You are our advocates, not our parents.

We trust you to care for our families, to hold our jobs, pay for our equipment, salary and medical care and yes, to honor our sacrifice. We trust you to vote for good political leadership, to speak out against bad policy decisions and to demand public accountability. However, we do not count on you to explain the honorable character of our service. We are ennobled by the very fact we serve.

Our “high moral cause” is one of service to a nation whose principles we believe in. We miss the point of political debate when we distill it down to numbers of service member deaths. Debate should be about the policy that leads us in or pulls us out of war. I, as a soldier, am personally insulted when debate about war becomes not about policy, but about deaths, because it implies that my service is at best uninformed or ill-conceived, and at worst valueless.

I know my life is in the hands of others because I choose for it to be that way. I am not your daughter, a child who must be guided. I have made my choice and pledge my honor to it. I will thank you to remember that because we serve our nation, none of us dies in vain, regardless of the cause; end of debate.

Every day a new Marine enlists or an airman puts on her uniform is a reminder that our defenders come from people who still believe in our nation and the values it aspires to, as flawed as we sometimes are. War does not make our sacrifice honorable, death does not make our service honorable; service itself is our honor.

We, your American service members, do not see the cause for which we may give our last full measure of devotion, as our nation’s goals in Iraq or Afghanistan, and perhaps that is the difference. Our cause is our nation, in all her beautiful, imperfect glory.

So on a dark night in Afghanistan we stood under a velvet sky of a million stars to honor one man who lay under 50. We never doubted what he died for. Pfc. Patrick A. Devoe II died for you, the United States of America. That, Mr. Putney, is no goof.

Sarah Albrycht is a Bennington native serving in the Army in Afghanistan.

It wasn't me, I didn't do it. Nope...Y'all remember 'dat, ya hee-ah?

What Can I say? Tea Party Day was a great success! I was at some continuing education classes this week so I missed the actual downtown Chicago Tea Party…I tried to “live blog” it, but instead I “Nee-twittered” and was there at the Four Points Sheraton with my sign at lunch.

On my end, I saw the patrons and some workers at the hotel trying to read my signs. So, I paused and let them read the one that stated:

“Right Wing Extremists Wanted…Supports The Constitution, Supports Limited Gov’t, Supports 2^nd Amendment…. Barack Obama Need Not Apply”

I also had a sign with the Reagan quote: “The scariest words in the English language are ‘I’m from the government and I am here to help.’

During a CME class, one of the Docs mentioned that his passion was a certain medical condition and that he had read a recent study  that was 400 pages long. He said he'd read it multiple times, so I quipped out loud, “Don’t you want to run for office?” The smart people in the room laughed, ahem…

My husband and son were completely psyched to get downtown and made some new signs. By now, everyone has seen that blind, stupid reporter Susan Roesgen from CNN and her foible. Turns out my guys were right there when it happened and the crowd was p.o.ed. They chanted, “CNN go home!”

Ironically, that reporter has the same last name as the male who interviewed me on FOX. (Another tidbit- My uncle said that that the clip of me from the first party was shown on some Geraldo piece two weeks ago.) I have no clue if these two people are related. Susan Roesgen is a tool for Obama, wearing the bias on her sleeve.

There is footage taken by the “Founding Bloggers” here:

(http://www.foundingbloggers.com/wordpress/2009/04/founding-bloggers-exclusive-our-footage-of-the-cnn-chicago-tea-party-throwdown/)

It shows the crowd taking on Ms. Roesgen and she still missed the entire point of what the people were there for.

And, now a Nee Rant.

Who the hell cares what David “I pay astroturfers” Axlerod thinks!! He is out there suggesting that this tea party stuff is not good for the Country…after all, Obama did give 95% of Americans a “tax cut”!! Welfare people need money too, and it took yours, mine and ours to do it. Don’t forget it’s not a tax cut in the end, no matter what rhetoric that COW supporters want to believe! 

Can I say I am sick to death of the “Sore Winner Syndrome?” Damn liberals. They pist and moaned when they convinced themselves that Bush was a Nazi, a Dictator, and the sole cause of the economy tanking. Now they have what they voted for and SOB!! if they are still not spewing the drivel that the “collective” we are only attending Tea Parties because we are mad that Republicans are not in office and we hate Obama. In case they weren’t paying attention- there were no conservatives running in this election. (Hooah to the SCDS’ers.)

I am also tired of the meme that big corporations have fronted the dough for these events and complain that it was a partisan thing. I suppose they forgot about Georgie Boy and friends electing Obama? I don’t suppose anyone noticed in all of the tea party pics you can find that every sign was made with effort and brainpower, not mass produced, and paid for by the "We the People" Corporation!!! Fancy that we spent our own money and took the day off in the middle of the work week!! Stand for something or fall for anything as the saying goes...and when does a liberal ever really stand for anything amongst themselves? They'll only get thrown under the bus when the truth comes out. 

Neal Boortz’s fair tax signs were the only mass produced items I saw- somewhere in GA, where he lives.

What really matters about the tea parties?

What matters is that roughly a million Americans have assembled at hundreds of rallies and parties since Rick Santelli’s rant, on CNN, no less, to show that they are paying attention and they are demanding accountability.

This is who pays the bills and it appears we are not going to be silent by proxy anymore. I will support and defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic. I will never participate in group think. It takes energy and effort to be a Free Country where others come to live and not vice-versa. Let’s keep it up, folks! We’re still the envy of the world despite what Barack Obama the A2 President would have others believe.

Okay, now, again, I totally bite at the linkage thing. We have a video up on YouTube. My Sugar Daddy created it. The singing of the Nat’l Anthem is not a tape, but the playing of Lee Greenwood is heard in the background. Watch it until the end and turn it up. That Atlas is Shrugging sign was made by son number one, who is 15 and asking when the next tea party is. He’s been bitten!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPXz8sLNtFo

Bob’s My Uncle (http://backyardgrillblog.blogtownhall.com/) has a cartoon on his blog and I was so taken by the similarity of the times in relationship to today that I went and further investigated the creator, Carey Orr. On Bob’s site the comic shows that it was published in the Chicago Tribune, 1934.  

Syracuse University has a collection of  Orr’s work and provides descriptions of comic panes but no illustrations. There were a scant few, but none that “got”.  I have to admit, that after reading through the descriptions, I did not “get” all of it. Perhaps it is my lousy recall of history or that I never learned all there was to learn.

In the 1920’s prohibition was huge as was the mafia type crime and who paid off whom. There were several references to Chicago politics and many in regard to Europe’s debt to the US and their “hate” and “jealousy.” Was it truly that, or more propaganda by the democrats to make the US the bad guy as we are continually painted today?  It seems that time has not changed the way that the right versus left thinks or acts. I was also intrigued by the references made to what I call the third party…ie, the split of the Republican party.  I am guessing that instead of the use of the term “radical Republican” that today we would call it the Libertarian party.

Immigration issues were also a dominant theme. This surprised me because of how most early immigrants did in fact come here, and were legally documented. I guess I figured that it was good for the US and most people were agreeable to it.  Do you suppose if there were an Ellis Island on the left coast and at the southern most borders this would be as big a problem as it is now? I think back then it was containable and now we are just screwed.  And The COW is gonna add to the burden. It has been very interesting to review and it leads me to want to learn more in relation to politics today.

We all know that things are quite serious with the way the current admin is waging war against the taxpayers and producers by taxing and then spending unearned wealth and reneging on campaigned issues. It is eerie that I am reading as far back as 1923 and such things apply now.  I had fun doing this and learned a few things.

The old saying that “Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it” rings in my ears. You’ll have to use your imagination as you read these.

•    1923 - Uncle Sam stands on the shore of the "U.S.A." hammering in a sign "No Dumping on these premises!" The hammer is labeled "Immigration Legislation." Coming across the ocean is a large barrel labeled "Europe's surplus population." The words "Foreignism!" and "Trouble" come out of the city on the distant shore of the U.S.

•    1923 - Uncle Sam has the head and body of a large sack of money with a dollar sign on his side and the words "Debt to U.S." He leans his body down with his hand to his chin to "France" who is dressed in a miliary uniform. Uncle Sam says to "France," "Don't you know me? I'm the fellow who saved your life awhile back!"

•    The ghost of the goose that laid the golden eggs. 1923 - Uncle Sam with a hat labeled "Income Tax" stands at a chopping block with a large axe labeled "High sur-Taxes." He has just chopped the head off the goose, "Taxable securities." The ghost of the goose, "Tax Free Securities," runs from the body of the dead goose. In the background is a large basket filled golden eggs and the basket is labeled "Income Tax."

•    Prompt as usual. 1925 - A mailman Uncle Sam is labeled "Our Government." His mailbag is labeled "War Bills" with papers inside labeled "Unpaid Foreign loans." He has walked down the street past the home of "Belgian Taxpayer, "Italian Taxpayer," and "French Taxpayer," and has stopped at the home of the "U.S. Tax payer." There he has dropped off a large letter that reads "Due Mar 15th,INCOME TAX, Please remit."

•    What the howling is all about. 1925 - Cartoon in two panels: 1. A dog labeled "Radical republicans," carries a large bone labeled "Republicanism" over footbridge. The water below is labeled "Third party." 2. The dog is howling as it had fallen in the water where it lost the bone.

Well, I had to take the Volvo in for service today. Knew it was coming and tried to avoid it. Groan. The Volvo is not cheap to repair. Solid car, not cheap. I was expecting the bill to be 2500.00. Lucky for me, heh, it will only cost me 1700.00. Not an easy pill to swallow since I must have enough in savings for at least nine months,you know, in case my sugar Daddy is left hanging without a job. Imagine what that mechanic thought when I laughed and said, "Whew!" It can always be worse is a familiar motto.