It’s happened again. The system has broken down and people have died and been severely injured as a result. Predictably, the first reaction is to cry out for more gun control, but the problems and solutions are much greater. One question should be at the very top of the list. Namely, have we become a nation of sheep, who meekly stand by while others are slaughtered, awaiting our turn? Where were the basic self preservative, defensive actions while this crazy bastard began shooting people in the head and then reloaded his weapon to shoot even more? Did no one think to jump the guy from behind, and try to wrestle the weapon out of his hand, particularly while he was reloading? Didn’t anyone understand that after the last round of that semi-automatic pistol was fired it was just a lump of metal until the empty magazine was ejected, a full one was inserted and a round was chambered? Even if it only took seconds, those were seconds when the madman could have been overpowered by the shocked bystanders. The simple answered is no, they didn’t understand. Most of them were probably afraid of firearms, and certainly hadn’t been trained to use them, or had any sort of self defense instruction. Why? First, because we ended the military draft years ago, and only a small portion of the population has had any military training, especially females.
Monthly Archives: January 2017
O.B.A.M.A.
Ok. As they say on the talk shows, “full disclosure”. I am a conservative. I have always voted Republican, although the majority of my family were Democrats. I believe that the American Constitution is the most perfectly crafted governing document ever created by mankind. I do not believe that it is an antiquated item, written by a bunch of white male slaveowners. If followed to the letter, it almost ALWAYS guides us in the right direction. Virtually every attempt to manipulate the Constitution, either by the legal amendment process after the first ten amendments (sometimes referred to as the “Bill of Rights”), or by questionable judicial “interpretation”, has resulted in what are referred to as “unintended consequences”. Whether it be the 14th amendment, to grant so-called “birthright citizenship” to the American born descendants of Africa slaves, the 16th amendment, allowing a federal income tax, the 17th amendment, allowing United States Senators to be elected by popular vote rather than be appointed by their various state legislators, or the 18th amendment (“Prohibition”), many of these attempts at political tampering have caused more problems than they solved.
When President Obama was elected in 2008, to due promises to “Fundamentally Transform America”, I and many others were extremely concerned. An example of that is the sign on the back of the pickup truck shown above. It says:
“One Big Ass Mistake America”
Maybe not the view of a majority of Americans at the time, but that feeling grew as we discovered what our new president was really all about. What I might point out however, is the fact that conservatives didn’t generally automatically go into the obstructionist mode even though it quickly became apparent that the Democrats were in a “My way or the highway” mood. There was no attempt whatsoever by the President or the Democratic majority leaders of the House and Senate to get along with the minority party. Although the Democrats liked to call the Republicans the “Party of NO!”, in reality, the minority party was quite amenable to allowing the President Elect to choose his cabinet and later to appoint Justices to the Supreme Court. It is apparent that President Elect Trump will not be afforded the same courtesy by Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi. We will continue to be lectured by the liberal elite as to how stupid we were to elect someone like Trump.
In closing, I can only say that I agree with the sentiments of the owner of that pickup truck. The last eight years truly have been a mistake, one that our children and grandchildren will have to pick up the tab for. But for now, I will just consider January 20, 2017 “The End Of An Error”!
Rotten to the Core!
Have you ever bought a few apples at the market and then left them in a bowl? They remain looking fresh for quite awhile, but if you wait too long, one day when you bite into one you find that it is black and mealy inside. It has become “rotten to the core”. If placed among fresh apples, it will spread the spoilage to the other fruit, becoming “the bad apple in the barrel”.
That metaphor can be applied to our society as a whole. We have allowed behavior which should be considered unacceptable to become all too commonplace, especially with regards to celebrities, and more ominously with politicians. The concept of honor and honorable behavior is viewed by many as outdated or obsolete. This a true crisis of culture.
Remember the old Question: “How do you know if a politician is lying to you”? Answer: “Their lips are moving”! Well that was brought to the forefront when then sitting President William Jefferson Clinton looked directly into the camera lens and said: “Let me make this perfectly clear. I did not have sex with that woman, Monica Lewinsky”. For lying about this and other matters under oath and before a Congressional Committee he was formally impeached by the House of Representatives, but not removed from office because his political party controlled the Senate. His penalty for these and other egregious acts? Nothing, nada, zip. In fact, he earned tens of millions of dollars from speaking engagements and book deals after leaving office.