It's Good to be The King

One day so many years ago Tampajeff and I traveled to Versailles, France to see The Palace. We walked around the grounds with some friends and looked in utter awe at this fabulous structure and gardens. Our punch line for the day was "It's good to be the king," which comes from Mel Brooks' "History of the World, Part I." Jeff and I kept repeating the line until our friend Tracy Marker (now Reeber) told us to stop it. Jeff's observation about the Hall of Mirrors: "No wonder they revolted, look at this place!"

It may be fairly said that of all the cathedrals and castles Jeff and I visited during our time in Europe, none was more decadent than was the Palace at Versailles. Three King Louis's were "livin' large." All of this was built and maintained on the back of a starving feudal kingdom. Part of France's economic problem was the cost of their support of our Glorious Revolution. In those days France and England were bitter enemies, and the "Frogs" were an integral part of the forces arrayed against George III. Most of us remember Marquis de Lafayette. He was French royalty. My son goes to college in West Lafayette, IN.

These days I'm reading Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities" in order to break-in my Kindle which is a birthday present from my wife. When I see our President golfing most every weekend at our expense, taking multiple vacations and "livin' it up" at our expense, allowing his wife to travel from the Costa Del Sol to Cape Town at our expense, throwing lavish parties at the White House featuring $100 Kobe beef at our expense, and then threaten to not pay the troops in the field because he can't convince the Republicans to allow the Government to borrow even more money, one wonders how long the good citizens of the United States will allow this "kingly" behavior.

Dickens blamed the French Revolution on the royalty's extravagant living contrasted with the hungry peasantry. Both the royalty and the clergy were arrogant to a fault. After several years of a bad economy and poor grain harvests but plentiful wine production, the hungry peasants had had enough. They rebelled and created one of the darkest periods of human history. Tens of thousands of Frenchmen died at the whim of the revolutionaries, which led to millions of deaths during the Napoleonic era that followed.

Propaganda aside, America is far from hungry. Our economy is another matter. It is at best "flat," or no growth. We are involved in three wars. The leadership of both parties are arrogant and continues to spend wildly on the backs of the people. When I hear that Michelle Obama's trip to South Africa cost the taxpayers $800,000 for one week and then hear her husband blame the Republicans for not allowing the Government to raise the debt ceiling, one can only say ENOUGH!

I do not begrudge the President "livin' large." I have no problem with Air Force One and a fleet of choppers at his disposal. After all, he still has the nuclear "football" and is entitled to some perks. But good grief, enough is enough. You cannot tell me that the Government can't cut expenses somewhere without borrowing more capital, inflating the currency, and raising taxes.

America is not yet 1789 France, but I wonder what the next powder keg is and when it will explode. I also wonder if there is a Madame Defarge knitting in the corner and her bloodthirsty friend The Vengeance, who killed with an axe and then ran home to sharpen it.

I Want to Barf

This guy really is Father Oprah.

The former South Florida Roman Catholic Priest caught locking lips with his lover on the beach and then left the church to marry her spoken candidly about his story and his new TV show.Father Alberto Cutie announced Tuesday he will host the talk show “Father Albert” on FOX Television stations. “It’ll be everything from sex to salvation,” Father Alberto told The Hollywood Reporter Tuesday in Miami during the NATPE TV trade show.

 But here is the money graph:

“There’s no difference in the job description in the Episcopal church,” said Father Cutie. “It’s just a different place and a different geography. Our congregations are smaller but I do the same work I always did. The governance is different. There’s a little more democracy in our church.”

As a non-Catholic I may be speaking out of turn, but it looks like this guy left the Catholic Church before he left the Catholic Church.  He saw himself as a social worker and not a priest.  Maybe his fame caused him to have issues with humility before his issues with celibacy.  "There's a little more democracy in our church."  I'm sure there is, with gay NJ governors and women priests, the Episcopalians will ordain anything with a heartbeat.  Democracy? This church is the DNC with holidays.

The State Republican Party of New York..

..voted itself into extinction last night.

The Other McCain explains how.

House Votes For And Against Obama

Leave it to our intrepid Congressmen and women to vote against giving Obama authority in Libya and then vote for the money. This sounds like the "I was for it before I was against it" act that John Kerry used in the 2004 election.

tampajeff:  Sorry for jumping in on your post, but I still haven't figured out how to comment.  Congress and the Pres have been playing chicken with the constitutionality of the War Powers Act since day one.  The pres is CINC, but Congress has the power to declare war.  I was hoping Congress would find its huevos and get this question before the Supremes to be resolved once and for all.

Still No Respect

Click the picture in order to read it.

A Tree-d Cougar

From Coach Hugh Wyatt of Washington State, the inventor of the "Wildcat" offense. This BIG kitty was found in a tree near Ocean Shores, WA:

Considering how many deer roam the Ocean Shores peninsula, and how much cover there is for them - and other wildlife - and considering that cougar sightings are becoming common throughout rural Washington... Sergeant Dave McManus of the Ocean Shores Police Department shot this photo last week after a "medium-sized dog" treed the cougar about a half-mile from the center of town. The police contacted the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, which told them just to clear the area. They did so, and when they returned a little later, the cat was gone. (Talk about a lucky medium-sized dog.)

That dog must have had some bark!

Afghanistan

Our President announced the withdrawal of about 30,000 troops from Afghanistan. This is a good thing, at least on the surface.

It is said, "Truth is the first casualty of war." This statement is undoubtedly true. If truth is the first casualty, surely war plans are the second casualty. No war has gone "according to plan." It's not called "The Fog of War" for nothing.

I am old enough to remember Vietnam. My USAF training instructor told us that Vietnam failed because "We didn't have a mission," that is, a clear purpose. A war plan must have a primary purpose.

This begs the question, "What is our purpose in Afghanistan?" The Navy SEALS accomplished the GOAL of our mission by assassinating one Osama Bin Laden (known in our household as "Bin Boy"). The purpose is still unclear.

A lady who works at WalMart in Lafayette IN has a son who endured three tours in Iraq. He now has 21 documented health problems. This man is a prime example of how the War on Terror has worn out the military.

This retired Technical Sergeant sees Afghanistan this way. What is the purpose? Why are we there? If the purpose was to capture or kill Bin Laden, we've accomplished it. Don't stop at 30,000, bring them all home.

If our purpose is "nation building," then Congress has a job to do. Rebuilding Afghanistan is an oxymoron, a contradiction in terms. Afghanistan is a collection of feudal tribes. There is no nation to rebuild.

Congress should ask the hard question, "Is the primary mission complete?" If so, then Congress should "cut the funds" and force the President to bring our troops home. One wag puts it, "The purpose of the military is to kill people and break things." It is not the purpose of the military to "keep the world safe for democracy and fit for heroes to live in" (Woodrow Wilson).

Of course, the same thing may be said for Iraq, but that's another story.

Hiring and Firing Christian School Teachers

This could be a very interesting ruling. Cheryl Perich, a Michigan Lutheran school teacher, took an extended leave-of-absence because of narcolepsy, "an excessive urge to sleep at inopportune times." She tried to return to the classroom but the school fired her instead. What was the reason? Her school expects teachers to display exemplary character. Perich is considered a "ministerial" employee because she teaches in a Lutheran school that is attached to a church. This case was accepted for review by the US Supreme Court. I will keep an eye out on this case.


Did she just sleep it off?

Do the Job Right

When I first met Jeff Bowers he had this picture in his office. This Flying Tigers 747-249 had an improperly-secured load that shifted when the pilot powered-up the aircraft. The shifting load caused severe damage to the tail section. An emergency crew from Boeing flew in from the States and replaced the aft third of the aircraft. The Rhein-Main Load Planning Section kept this picture to remind them of their responsibilites: Do the Job Right because people's lives are at stake.

Comment by tampajeff: If I remember correctly, these planes were side loaded near the front and they had a tail stand to keep the plane from doing this while the cargo was being pushed back.  Still haven't been able to use the comments yet, but since I am king of the blog I don't have to.

45 Minutes of My Life I'll Never Get Back

On Wednesday I was able to leave late for work, so I took the opportunity to do something I haven't done in 15 years, maybe 20, and that is watch a morning network news show.  For this exercise I picked Good Morning America on ABC.
I would like to save I was critical of their biased news reporting except that they didn't report anything that was news.  They led with how Maria Schriver found out about Ahnold's love child.  Then a story about sunscreen ratings.  Then some rich woman bought a mansion somewhere.  Then Nancy Grace came on to talk about the OJ - whoops, I mean the Casey Anthony trial.  She kept referring to the defendant as "totmom".  Real professional journalism there, Nancy.

They did have the newsreader on for 90 seconds.  (Are we bombing Yemen?).  But here are some things that ABC News didn't think was newsworthy.  The ATF is being investigated over a program in which they sold automatic weapons to Mexican gangs in order to track the guns.  One of those weapons was used to kill a Border  Patrol agent.  The president and Congress are about to clash over the War Powers Act in Libya.  And Sarah Palin's emails revealed that she is a Satan-worshipper.  (Okay, I made the last one up.)

I would have expected the tabloid stuff to run in their 8 AM hour.  I know that George Stephanopolous spent half his adult life as Bill Clinton's manservant, But if the plan is to go TMZ if there is no good news for Obama, then the profession is in worse shape than I thought.

Useful Idiots

h/t Big Government

D-Day +1

The House of Representatives is primarily a law-making institution. It also provides accountability to the Executive Branch (read "The President"), or as they like to call it, "oversight."

The Obama Administration is apparently content to not cooperate with the Republican-led House of Representatives concerning the War Powers Act as it applies to Libya. This, of course, could take years to resolve in court. Conversely, the House has the power of subpoena and refusal to cooperate earns the Contempt of Congress, which is a crime. Lying to Congress under oath is perjury and carries the same legal ramification as lying under oath in court.

Congressman Buck McKeon of California is the Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. Congressman, subpoena the top lawyers of the Office of Legal Counsel. Make them defend the indefensible under oath. "Kick it up a notch."



http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/18/world/africa/18powers.html?_r=1

D-Day

Today is "D-Day." Is it a war or not? The Obama Administration has until close of business today to ask for Congressional approval concerning the action in Libya. Interestingly, Obama and Boehner are scheduled to play golf together this weekend. Hopefully the Obama lawyers will file the necessary paperwork with Congress. If not, the President will likely cancel the golf outing, "citing national security matters," and then travel to Camp David for the weekend. The chairmen of the House Armed Services and Budget Committees should schedule hearings for this Tuesday, just to make sure that the White House gets the message: The President is the Commander-in-Chief, but Congress declares wars.

In the Grand Scheme of Things...

The Big Ten Network has a series of programs called "Big Ten Icons" that feature the greatest athletes in the history of the Conference. There have been some great ones. The Top 5 are Tom Harmon of Michigan (5), Archie Griffin of Ohio State (4), Jesse Owens of Ohio State (3), Earvin "Magic" Johnson of Michigan State (2), and Red Grange of Illinois (1). They are the best of the best and there has never been a greater collection of athletic talent than these five men. But rating them is subjective, and I think Jesse Owens should have been Number 1. He set or tied four world records in 42 minutes at the 1935 Big Ten Track and Field Championships. A year later Owens won four gold medals in Berlin and personally defeated Hitler. Jesse Owens is the greatest athlete America has ever produced. "In the grand scheme of things" it's only a TV show, but Owens deserved the gold.

Why he won't resign...

...because this is all he knows.  He has no other marketable skill, not even a law degree, on which to fall back.

The congressman was an aide to Chuck Schumer right out of college, then a NYC councilman and then took Schumer's seat in the house.  THIS MAN HAS NEVER WORKED A DAY IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR!  He has never pulled a constructuon permit, or made a payroll, or paid corporate taxes, or applied for a business license, or the many other things that I help my boss do every day. 

Charlie Crist was like this.  He was a lawyer for minor league baseball thirty years ago, then spend his whole life in politics with no other income until he ran out the string last year and now has found his true calling, working for the biggest ambulance chaser in Florida.

How many people in government are like this, who pass laws with no knowledge of how the real world works.

And Speaking of Resignations...

Anthony Weiner is holding on to his seat. He is "not representing his district" because he is "seeking treatment." He has not resigned as of 1700 hrs. local of this date.

This may sound cruel, but where are the complaints about Gabrielle Giffords not representing the 8th District of the State of Arizona? Indeed, there is talk about Giffords running against John McCain in next year's election.

Some will surely say that I'm "out of turn," "sexist," "cold," "heartless," and "brutal" for even suggesting such a thing. Of course, I am NOT suggesting that Giffords resign from the House. It's very simple: Gabrielle Giffords is noble and makes the House Democrats look good, while Anthony Weiner is a perverted scumbag whose case should be investigated by a grand jury as well as the House Ethics Committee.

However, many of the same people in Congress supported Bill Clinton in his hour of need. "It's just about sex," they cried. "Everybody lies," said some others. "His personal life and his professional life are separate."

Politics indeed makes strange bedfellows.


Addendum: Yahoo News posted this story about Congressworman Gabrielle Giffords Sunday, June 12th. Good for her! Let's pray for her full and complete recovery.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110612/ap_on_re_us/us_congresswoman_shot_photo

You know it's time to resign...

When you lose Hitler.

h/t to Ed Driscoll.

Four is Enough

There is evidence that President Obama has authorized "drone" strikes against Yemen. Iraq and Afghanistan are Congressionally-authorized wars, but Libya is not. Airstrikes against Yemen is the fourth different conflict of President Obama. When will the House Armed Services Committee call hearings concerning Libya, Yemen and the War Powers Act?

Don't hold your breath.

The First Amendment

What is all this noise about Anthony Weiner? Yes, his name is a bad pun, but that's not his fault. He could avoid the double entandre by prouncing his name as "vine-er" or "whiner," though "whiner" presents other problems. Too bad the poor man's ancestors were from Vienna.

All this aside, a lot of Democrats have self-inflicted wedgies. The Weinergate episode is quite instructive of the current state of political discourse.

Never forget that the Number One Rule of Journalism is "Sex Sells." Period.

The Number Two Rule of Journalism is "The cover-up is worse than the crime." The Watergate scandal immortalized the position of investigative reporter. Their names are Legion: Dan Rather, Mike Wallace, Evans and Novak, Woodward and Bernstein, John Stossel, et. al. If a news-gathering organization smells a cover up, it will instinctively assign all available resources to the story. Why? It has something to do with a man named Pulitzer.

Trouble is, the Internet changed journalism forever. Because of the Internet Jeff and I have what is in effect a two-man editorial page. There is a prominent one-man newspaper on the Internet named The Drudge Report. Matt Drudge nearly toppled a sitting President. Success breeds imitation, so now there are other Drudges. One of the most prominent of these "agent provocateurs" is Andrew Breitbart. Breitbart may well cause the removal of Anthony Weiner from Congress.

The First Amendment ensures the freedom of the press. When the Governement becomes corrupt or immoral, a free press alerts the citizens to its transgressions. This keeps the Government from becoming a dictatorship. But what happens when the Free Press itself becomes corrupt? The Internet springs up and enables the Matt Drudges and Andrew Breitbarts to do the job that the Washington Post and Newsweek used to do.

That's the good news about Anthony Weiner. The First Amendment still works.

First Post II

Thank you, Tampajeff, for inviting me to participate in this weblog. My primary contributions will concern national security. This is because both Tampajeff and I are retired US Air Force members.

George Washington warned the fledgling United States, "Beware of foreign entanglements." In other words, don't make treaties, especially with European countries. Woodrow Wilson threw that advice out this window with our entrance into World War I, though Congress passed a resolution for war. Similarly, the United States tied its foreign policy to the United Nations at the end of World War II. This entanglement cost the United States 54,000 dead in the Korean War.

Since Korea the Government fought an undeclared war in Vietnam (58,000 dead), two Congressionally-authorized wars in Iraq, and an authorized war in Afghanistan. However, the Obama Administration is using military force in Libya without Congressional authorization. This is quite curious considering Senator Obama's position against the use of force by a Republican President.

It is time to review ALL treaties that require the use of the Armed Forces. No treaty should be spared study. This action could begin with the formation of a "Blue Ribbon" commission of retired military members (not just generals and admirals, put a retired Chief or Sergeant Major in there as well!) and retired diplomats, as well as legal experts such as retired Judge Advocates. Study them all, especially the United Nations and Atlantic Charter, and then make wise recommendations. My guess is there are many retired military men and women and a few good diplomats who would welcome the challenge and a chance to serve the country again.

The NAGs are coming to Tampa...

....in three weeks!

The theme is "Daring to Dream: Building a Feminist Future." The theme centers on "advancing the principles that have been steering feminism all along: equality, fairness, opportunity, non-violence and empowerment," a NOW news release said.
"This is a very important conference for us, as conservatives continue waging their war on women," NOW President Terry O'Neill said in the release. "We will join together to strategize and get ready for the many challenges ahead of us. … We will also soon be faced with the 2012 elections, which will be critical to women."

 I am sure few women are aware that eeeevil conservatives are waging a war against them.  Well, when the thousands of NAG delegates come from all over the country descend on Tampa three weeks from now...wait, there are not thousands - only 600?  You've got to be kidding me!  That's less than half the people in the Dallas Bull on a Saturday night!  There are churches in Tampa that draw ten times that number!  Is this all the NAGs have got?

Thank God for Bill Clinton, for he single-handedly destroyed the feminist movement in this country.  Back in the 1990's their big issue was sexual harassment in the workplace.  Poor, hard-working women were being victimized by their rich Republican employers who were only interested in one thing.

Then Bill met Monica and that all went down the memory hole.  It was then that I learned that the NAGs have only one issue.  I learned that a politician can abuse women all he wants, he can even get liquored up and drive a woman off a bridge but as long as he pushes for the murder of the unborn he will never leave the good graces of the NAGs. 



My First Post

I am starting a blog for two reasons.  Facebook is too limiting for some of the stuff I want to say, and to show some mercy on my Facebook friends who did not sign up for some of my rants.  Be forwarned - I restrained myself on FB.  Here I will not.