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.