Stray thoughts by William Lee

Change of Address

2012-02-24T09:13:00.001-08:00

For better or worse.

Due to circumstances beyond our control we have changed our carrier. We could't get this site to accept our change of address therefore we were forced to create a new blog . The new address is "anewbeginning.blogspot.com". We clicked this address then #1 favorite and then View Blog. You probably know a better way if you want to see it at all. It will be a few days before we really get started. Thanks to all. - William.

Facts and Predictions

2011-08-13T07:55:00.000-07:00

Based on facts.

We had intended to make our 130th posting our last, basically because no one else appeared to even care. We, the two of us here on the hill, have passed our 75th and 80ieth anniversaries of our birthdates and, even though that isn't old, being ignored tends to be depressing. We were, and still are, concerned for the future of the country we have defended, in one way or another, for so many years

Before we shut down our computer and go back to our reading, puzzles and working in the flowers there are a few points we wish to restate.
Our politicans, all sides, are no longer just blowing smoke but are now consciously attempting to deceive us all.

(1)-One of the most frequent statements heard on television, by politicians and parroted by newscasters is that; "You can't balance the budget without doing something about entitlements" meaning Social Security and Medicare. Another is; "Entitlements are the biggest drivers of our National Debt". Both are wrong because of a law, passed in 1990, which states that Social Security and Medicare are not to be counted as part of the budget submitted by the President but was to be paid out of the Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds which are funded by the FICA (payroll) taxes.Surplus money from the payroll tax is invested in Special Government Securities which can be redeemed as needed to pay retiree benefits. That time has come and therein lies the problem. How do they tell the American people that they have used their hard earned savings as, what amounts to, a high stakes slush fund. (More on that later).

(2)-Let's see if we have this right. After months of gridlock and infighting in Washington, D.C. our upright and outstanding Government took us to the brink -- no, not default on our debts -- of a partial shutdown of services, with the implied threat of the withholding of Social Security checks, military pay and Medicare benefits before they finally agreed on a bill raising the Government's debt ceiling along with a minimal cut in Congressional spending.
With the, so called, budget cuts being, as they say, backloaded in order to delay the majority until after the 2016 election there will be no real savings. Even if, when it is finally all over, that Super Committee of Congressmen agrees to a 2.5 trillion dollar cut in spending over the next 10 years and it is passed into law, the Treasury Department will have to borrow about the same amount in the same 10 years in order to redeem the IOUs in the Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds. That is the excess funds payed into the Trust Funds by FICA over the years. Now, partly because of the 2 percentage points cut from the payroll tax last December, asked for by President Obama, while extending the Bush era tax cuts, the time has come to begin redeeming those IOUs which means that there will be no cut in our deficit or National debt. If we stay this course our National debt will rise from near 15 trillion dollars to over 20 trillion dollars - nearer 25 trillion dollars. Do we want that for our children and grand children?

(3)- This country, our United States of America, has reached or are fast approaching the point written about by the Frenchman "Alex de Toqueville" in his book published about 1840 as a study of the American People and their Political Institutions.He wrote; "America will be a great country until the people learn that they can vote themselves money from the Public Treasury, after that it will be a war of all against all with each person striving to get the greatest amount of free money possible." (Previously posted Feb. 27, 2011) Are we there yet or how long have we been there?

Unless something changes our minds this will be our last posting. With that in mind, thanks for your time and input. - William

Why Bother

2011-08-08T19:01:00.000-07:00

Nobody else cares?

We began trying to write in this blog about nineteen months ago and this will be our one hundred and thirtieth posting. During that same period we have written about that many or more letters and e-mails to our congress persons and various news outlets which includes newspapers and television with very little results with either. Several times we have talked about quitting because it appears that, with one exception, nobody else cares. This posting will probably consist of dates, titles and brief discription of earlier postings.

May 15, 2010 - "What Is This World Coming To (Will History Repeat itself)" This posting concerns the destruction of the Twin Towers of The World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 by terrorist, later identified as Moslems (Islamic) and members of Al Qaeda and the bloody beginning of Islam about fourteen hundred years ago.

Nov. 24,2010 - "Wake Up America (And smell the Manure)" Was about how elected and unelected officials in Washington have spent all the Social Security and Medicare Trust Fund money and are now desperately trying to divert our attention away from their little secrets. There is nothing left in those funds except IOUs.

Jan. 16, 2011 - "Wrong Tax Cut (It adds to the deficit.)" We tried to point out how the cutting of two percentage points off the FICA (payroll) taxes would only further weaken Social Security and Medicare. That means they reach the break even point much sooner and will have to redeem more of the IOUs sooner thereby adding to the National debt.

Jan. 30, 2011 - "The Golden Horn of Plenty (Now running dry)" This was our way of explainig how the money from the payroll taxes came into the Social Security and Medicare Trust Fund but there was a hole in it leading directly to the United States Treasury where it was exchanged for those IOUs and the money (we believe illegally) was spent as part of the budget.

Mar. 3, 2011 - "The Budget (Where to Cut.) Is our feeble attempt to set down a guideline as to where to start trying to balance the budget with part of it being the changing of our tax codes so as to get rid of the IRS.

June 5, 2011 - "Misrepresentation Thru Misinformation (More of the same)" We used this column to try explaining the Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds and how many people, politicians and newspeople, use misinformation to convince the general public that we, retirees, are at fault for our debt problems.

June 15,2011 - "Reforming Social Security (And especially Medicare)" We agree that Social Security and Medicare should be reformed in order for them to survive for future generations and the quicker, the better. Last December, during the debate on extending the Bush era tax cuts President Obama asked for, and got, a two percentage point cut in the FICA (payroll) tax. That will cause Social Security and Medicare to begin redeeming the IOUs in the Trust Fund much sooner in order to pay current benefits.

July 21,2011 - "The Saga Continues (As the Ditch returns)" This column started as a letter to one of our local newspapers shortly after the election in 2006 and was updated after the 2008 election by adding "and the debacle of 2008". It is a critical look at our political system.

During the first few days of this month (August) we have already sent out several e-mails to various newspapers and televisions newspeople but with little response. We can't understand why there was so much surprise expressed when the credit rating agency "Standard and Poor's" downgraded the United States Credit from AAA to AA+. The whole world was warned that it probably would happen if the President and Congress didn't reach a deal to cut our spending much more than they actually agreed on. The following e-mail touches on that subject;

Friday August 5, 2011,
"Neil,

For sure we need a Balanced Budget Amendment. Although Social Security and Medicare are not a part of the budget you, and most politicians, insist that it is. If Congress eventually passes a $2.5 trillion cut in spending over the next ten years, it will only cover the amount Treasury will have to borrow to redeem the IOUs in The Social Security/Medicare Trust Fund in order to pay retiree benefits. I believe that adds up to a fat zero as far as cutting the deficit goes. Thanks,"

This same e-mail was forwarded August 7,2011 to;

Gerri,

This e-mail was sent to Neil Cavuto before our credit rating was cut but he didn't seem to care. Maybe you can understand it better. Thanks,

Not having anything else to do we sent this e-mail, a few hours ago, to Gerri Willis on Fox Business News;

"Gerri,

A few minutes ago you were on Shepard Smith's program and proved that you are intelligent enough to understand why the budget wasn't cut enough to keep Standard and Poor's from downgrading our credit rating. With the reduction of the FICA (payroll) tax by two percentage points there is less money flowing into the Social Security/Medicare Trust Funds, with less money going in, Treasury will have to borrow more to redeem IOUs in the trust funds so as to pay current retiree benefits. The amount of borrowing to supplement those trust funds will be more than is scheduled to be cut from the budget this year leading to more deficit and higher National debt. Over the next ten years Treasury will have to borrow as much or more to buy back those IOUs than will be cut in other spending resulting in higher and higher National debt. In ten years our debt will be well over twenty trillion dollars. If you can prove me wrong, have at it but if not, admit it."

We are now waiting to see if there will be any response from any of the e-mails but not holding our breath. From here on our hill, thanks for your time and input. Stay tuned,- William

Whatever Happened

2011-08-02T04:02:00.000-07:00

To Our Debt Ceiling?

The Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds probably would have shown a small surplus, or at least broken even, this year but for the two percentage points reduction in the FICA (payroll)tax which was tacked on to the bill extending the President Bush era tax cuts at the request of President Obama. It is the FICA tax money which funds the Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds which, in turn, pays the retiree benefits. Now, beginning this year, our Treasury Department will be forced to borrow more and more money to redeem more and more IOUs from the Trust Funds in order to pay those benefits over the next ten years. That borrowing will amount to approximately $2.5 trillion. Does that sound familiar? That is almost exactly what the Debt Ceiling Bill proposes to cut from our budget (spending) over the same period of time. It appears that their intention is to cut other spending enough to cover the extra borrowing needed to redeem those IOUs representing the money (borrowed?) already spent from the Social Security/Medicare Trust Funds. (Check earlier postings on that subject) To us, not being economist, that adds up to a flat zero on all counts. Otherwise worthless.

And now to all the talk about taxes, especially on big Corporations and some millionaires and billionairs. Who could possibly feel sorry for those, so called, "fat cats" and not want their taxes raised? We have never been fans of highly paid athletes and Corporation CEOs etc., but the taking of their income by raising taxes will hurt the very poorest people the most. It has been proven, remember the "Stimulus Package", that the private sector can create jobs at a fraction of the cost to our Federal Government. For ever four jobs lost by the private sector because of higher taxes the public sector (Governments) can probably create about one job and most likely that would be in the government. Aside from that, major Corporations are not privately owned but have millions of stockholders. Every dollar lost to higher taxes will be passed on to those stockholders, which includes not only individuals but Retirement Fund of all kinds, from some of the smaller companies all the way up through the Federal Government. Individuals who collect dividends, many of them retired, from stock in big companies such as General Electric, big oil companies etc., probably will be subject to the paying of income taxes on those dividends. Revenue lost to the higher taxes on "Big Business" will result in lower income and less taxes paid by stockholders. Who can best handle the money? If you believe that President Obama and Congress can spend your money better than you can then you should let your choice be known or if you believe you can do better you should also let your views be known.
As for General Electric and probably others, not paying any income taxes in this country, raising the income tax rates probably won't change that. It will take a major overhaul of our taxing system to close the loopholes that allow special breaks to certain Corporations. We should scrap the income tax and Internal Revenue System and replace them with a fairer and simpler tax. What do you think?

To us,the most puzzling part of the budget cut proposal is the ten or twelve member panel which will attempt to come up with further cuts in spending. If they can't agree on a plan or if both Houses of Congress doesn't vote for their plan then there is to be an automatic trigger which will force across the board cuts but will do more cutting in defense and medicare. What kind of democracy allows twelve people to decide what programs will be cut and by how much?
Thanks for your time and input. Stay tuned. - William

Debt Ceiling

2011-07-31T19:50:00.000-07:00

Bill or no Bill?

We wrote in an earlier posting that we were not economist, didn't even play ecomomist on television, so no matter how we look at this bill which will raise the debt ceiling we can not understand how adding $3 trillion to our borrowing limit while cutting the budget by only $1 trillion over the next ten years will do anything except raise our National debt to over $17 trillion. That $1 trillion cut over the next ten years will not even cover the borrowing of money needed to redeem a portion of the IOUs in the Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds in order to pay current retiree's benefits. Again we ask, Are all politicians born that way or do they go to a special school to learn deception?

As to the actual cutting of the budget, nobody talks about what will actually be cut but if history repeats itself all the cuts will be to needed programs while completely ignoring waste and fraud. Will they leave duplicate and overlapping programs while closing libraries and much used National Parks? Will they cut back on Federal employees even by not replacing retiring employees? Will they cut out the Cost Of Living Adjustments (COLAs) for all Federal employees as they have for Social Security recipients or will they cap all Federal salaries at current levels? If you think the President or Congress has done anything but lead us to the brink of default then we have a bridge for sale. Maybe the promise of a vote on a bill to balance the budget will be worth something. At least, if they vote, we will know who is against a balanced budget. That could be something to use in the next election.

We'll be waiting to see how things work out before we say much more but we, at this time, have our doubts. Thanks for your time and input. Stay tuned. - William

Default

2011-07-30T10:08:00.000-07:00

Or Whose Fault?

Saturday morning late.
It has been a very interesting two days with most of the news having to do with the raising, or not, of the National Debt Ceiling and the consequences of not raising it. First it was the threat of withholding Social Security checks from 40 odd million retirees even though they are not, by a law passed in 1990, paid out of the general revenue but from the "Social Security Trust Fund" which in turn is funded by the FICA (payroll) taxes. No President has the authority to withhold those checks therefore it is most likely that they will go out as scheduled. Then there is the threat that our Triple A credit rating will be downgraded by at least one of the rating groups. There is talk about how our rating may be dropped from a Triple A to a Two A or Two A plus which might, but not necessaily, raise interest rates, not only at the Federal level, but for everyone who owes or borrows money.

This morning, on television, we saw and heard Senator Harry Reid bemoaning the fact, as he saw it, that the Republicans wouldn't allow his debt ceiling bill to have an up or down vote only a few hours after he had tabled the second debt ceiling bill sent over by the Republican controlled House of Representatives. It appears that it is okay, in his mind, to disallow votes in the Senate on all Republican passed House bills but it shouldn't be that way on his bill. Is that because he is so much more superior to the lowly Republicans? We, being Independents, believe we have the right to criticize either or both sides.

At this time, we here on the hill, believe the best plan which has been laid out and voted on is the "Cut, Cap, Balance" bill (which was one of the House passed bills that was tabled by Senator Reid) but with a few changes. One of those changes could be the deferring of the "Balanced Budget Amendment" and replacing it with a guarantee (written and published) to bring it up for a vote, not a vote requiring 60 votes to bring it to a vote, but a real up or down vote within 60 or 90 days. That way we could see who was against a balanced budget. Since, we believe, that is why Reid won't allow a vote on those House passed bills it is not likely he would allow a vote on this version either.

Having said all of that, there is still one way to get a debt ceiling bill passed before August 2, 2011 or a few days later. If Senator Reid and his Democrat cohorts will, as they say, tweek his bill enough to pick up 7 or 8 Republican votes (Brown, Collins, Snow, McCain etc.) then send it over to the house as a bi-partisan bill with the full backing of the Democratic Party there should be enough Republican support to pass it without the Tea Party. Or would that be too simple? Yesterday we sent the following e-mail to a few, so called, news anchors on television;

"There is still a way out for the Tea Party Republicans in the House. If Senator Reid will tweek his bill enough to get support from 7 or 8 Republican Senators and that bi-partisan bill is sent to the House it should have enough Republican support so as to let the Tea Partiers vote no. Simple or too simple?" (Of course no one mentioned such a thing)

Meanwhile, here on the hill, it is still hot and mostly dry but our outside work is still being done by getting out early. The blueberries are about finished for the year, our early pears have been gathered, the peas and beans aren't making anything so that just leaves the grass and weeds but that's enough. Thanks for your time and input. Stay tuned. - William

Egotistics Again

2011-07-27T03:07:00.000-07:00

Really Short Memories.

A few days ago we republished a posting which began life as a letter "To the Editor" of one of our local newspapers shortly after the 2006 elections. In that letter/posting we equated the Pharasees, of the Bible, to our modern day Republican Party (with many Democrats thrown in). We wondered, at that time, if they could find their way out of the very deep ditch they hads fallen into and it appeared for a while they were making some progress but in the last two days that progress has stalled and the entire party appear to be on the brink of falling back into that ditch. They have allowed their egos to become large and shiny so as to blind them to reality again. Have they not learned anything in the last four years?

In the March 3, 2011, the posting in this blog was titled "The Budget" and contained a few of our ideas on the balancing of our Federal budget. The first step called for a freeze on all new hiring by the Federal Government except in emergency situations (to be approved by congress) along with the capping of the pay for Federal employees at the current levels. Next we need to consolidate and eliminate the numerous (overlapping) federal programs, explore the possibility of replacing the IRS with some other form of taxation. Then we could move on to Obamacare and dismantle it by passing "Tort Reform, no money for abortions or the promotion of abortions, Insurance sold across state lines and the covering of pre-existing conditions and, if needed regulations on insurance companies to force them to justify any raise in rates."

We won't say much about Social Security and Medicare because we have already written about it many, many times with no results. We will say that we support reforming Social Security and Medicare so it will be there for future generations and we have offered to take a cut of up to five percent (to go back into the trust fund) if the federal employees will take the same percentage cut to be used to pay down the National debt but neither one to go back into the Treasury to be wasted again. No takers on that either.

We, here on the hill, are still keeping our heads above water by trying to get any outside work done before noon and spending the rest of the time inside with the air conditioner going. We still have blueberries to pick and the grass, along with the weeds, keeps growing. The hot, dry weather doesn't seem to bother them at all. The squash and cucumbers are about all gone, the okra is putting on a few pods but our beans and butterpeas aren't making anything. Oh well, that saves us gathering time. We got several pears off of our tree this year to can and to make pear jam.
Since all the news, especially out of Washington, seems to be bad we hate to even turn the television on but if we don't we may miss some small ray of hope. Thanks for your time and input. Stay tuned. - William

Back to Old News

2011-07-24T03:20:00.000-07:00

Sixty-one Years ago.

Nineteen and Fifty must have been a pretty good year. I graduated from High School and ten days later enlisted in the United States Army for three years eventually ending up as a paratrooper. A few months before I entered into my military service our United States Senate was debating a Health Care Bill. A portion of that debate was posted in this blog on February 6, 2010 under the Title "Old News". A part of that portion is re-published below.

"According to an article in our newspaper dated January 27, 1950, United States Representative Tom Murry (D. Tenn.) said in a speech that; - I presume that President Truman again will recommend to Congress the enactment of compulsory health insurance, or socialized medicine. The more I think about the question, the more I am opposed to it. It is unthinkable to me that our country should follow in the footsteps of England and adopt socialized medicine. We have the finest medical system in the world and we should encourage voluntary health insurance programs such as Blue Cross and Blue Shield instead of talking about socialized medicine. The cost of free medical treatment to our people would run into billions of dollars.
In voting, members of congress must realize our government does not create or make a single dollar - but that all of the money for expendures must come from the taxpayers."

That, as stated above, is old news but could have just as easily been written today. It's not that there isn't anything wrong with our present system but the massive bill as written by this congress won't fix the problems. One of our biggest problems is that we no longer have independent thinkers like Representative Tom Murry. He was, at that time, my Representative and I was a Democrat. My, how times have changed.

It is still our belief, here on the hill, that any changes in our health care should start with, "Tort Reform", the limiting of medical liability so as to prevent frivolous lawsuits which forces the doctors to practic defensive medicine, "Insurance" sold across state lines which should increase competition and lower rates, "Abortion" no income tax money going to any entity which performs or advocates the performing of abortions and "Regulations", if needed, to force insurance companies to account for any rate increases. We can, and must, hold doctors accountable but with limits set on judgements and penalties on meritless suits we could save billions of dollars in healthcare cost. That might not cure all the ailments but it would be a good starting point.

Many years ago we wrote a letter, which was published in a Sunday edition of the Commercial Appeal, condemning the use of taxpayer money to fund abortions. At that time we were still working (since retired) and paying income taxes. We still support that position and in a previous posting stated that we didn't believe the President's "Executative Order" concerning abortion and public funds was worth the paper it was written on which appears to have been proven true in the last few weeks.

Is there still doubt in anyone's mind about the financial straits of Social Security and Medicare and the need for those two programs to be reformed? If Medicare is in so much trouble financially then how can you justify the taking of about 500 billion dollars from that program to be used to finance a Medicaid like program under "Obamacare" or the cutting of two percentage points off the FICA (payroll) tax which goes into the Social Security Trust Fund which in turn pays for Social Security and Medicare? That lost Trust Fund money has to be made up to pay current retiree benefits and the only way that can be done is by borrowing and adding more to the National Debt. That's just one of many wrong-headed ideas coming out of Washington during this administration, Democrats and Republicans alike. We have been accused of favoring only the Republican viewpoint but if you check back through these blog postings you will find that it simply isn't true. We are equal opportunity writers and have outlined in great detail our encounters with our elected Representative and both of our Senators. Check it out. We welcome your comments either here or by e-mail.

As for us, here on the hill, most things are going better than we have any right to expect. It is, like most places, still hot and dry which keeps us inside with the air conditioner most of the time but we're sure that too will pass. Thanks for your time and input. Stay tuned. - William

The Saga Continues

2011-07-21T03:26:00.000-07:00

As the ditch returns

Or was it ever gone? On Sunday June 13, 2010 a posting in this blog was titled "The Ditch". It was first written as a letter to one of our newspapers shortly after the election in 2006 and updated by adding these words "and the debacle of 2008" when it was posted in our blog. We thought, after the election of 2010, that there was a slim chance a change was coming to Washington. There was, but has it been the right kind of change? That letter - blog posting is re-printed below.

"The Ditch

There are some who think it all began in 1994, the mid point of President Clinton's first term in office, when the Republican Party won control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate. This majority continued through the remainder of the Clinton Presidency and the first six years of President Bush's tenure, being a total of twelve years.

Let's, at this time, go back in history (as if there was any other way) to the Maccabean period (135 to 105 BC), to the beginning of the Pharisee party as opposed to the Sadduces. The Pharasees, meaning "The seperated ones" could properly be spoken of as seperating themselves from the King, the Sadduces, all sorts of impurities and the people of the land. They believed in the Messiah, the Resurection, Angels, Demons and so forth. This, because of its affiliation with the much malined Religious Right, sounds somewhat like our modern day Republican Party.

Even after the loss, by the Republicans, in 2006 of both Houses of Congress and the debacle in 2008, there are many who seem to have no idea what the problem was or how to right it which brings to mind a verse in the Bible where the Disciples came to Jesus and said, "Know Thou that the Pharisees were offended by this saying" and Jesus answered and said, "Let them alone, they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall in the ditch".
Can anyone disagree with the premise that, at least, the National Republican Party has fallen into a very deep ditch. Too long in power, so it seems, had transformed very large egos into bright and shiny objects which appears to have blinded some to reality. Can it be overcome? For some, maybe, but for others who have been there for decades it is doubtful.

Lest anyone should foolishly believe that the Democrat Party has been immune to the allure of this malady, there is more than enough evidence to convict many of them of that same egotistical mind-set. The concept that we, as voters, can vote for and elect politicians solely on the promise of being rewarded from the public treasury is slowly but surely rearing its ugly head.

This monster, being a blight on civilization, must be exterminated down to and including its roots. How can we, as a civilized and orderly people, attack this growing malignancy which threatens the very heart and soul of our United States of America?
How can we get off this slippery slope which is surely taking us closer and closer to our own destruction? One way would be an attempt to impose term limits of no more than two terms for any member of the House of Representatives or the Senate, be it in Washington or our own State Catitols. But if we plan to wait for our elected officials to enact such laws then we had better not hold our breath.
Another way might be for the Electorate to refuse to vote for anyone running for a third term. Again, don't hold your breath. I'm sure you've heard it said, "you can vote out your rascal but I want to keep mine". That's exactly the kind of thinking that our elected officials are counting on.

Do you remember the story in the book of Daniel, where he read the handwriting on the wall? It was: Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin and this is the interpretation of the thing: Mene; God hath numbered thy kingdom and finished it, Tekel; Thou art weighed in the balance and found wanting. Peres; Thy kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians. In that night was Belshazzar the King of the Chaldeans slain".

Do you see the handwriting on the wall? More importantly, is there a Daniel in the house? Please think about it. Thanks, William"

That letter was written more than four years ago about what we, here on the hill, thought was a bad situation at that time. We don't believe things have changed for the better. Do you? Thanks for your time and input, stay tuned. - William

Sanderstead Re-visited

2011-07-10T11:12:00.000-07:00

For what it's worth

The posting in this blog dated FEbruary 23, 2011 and titled "Knights Templar" contained this paragraph: "In the book "Generations, A Thousand Year Family History" written by Ralph Sanders with his sisters , Carol Sanders and Peggy sanders Van Der Heide, there is a chapter championing the life and times of Sir Leonard de Sanderstead. These lines are taken from that book: "Who then was Sir Leonard de Sandewrstead? Although our knowledge of him stems from a single record, the record itself is particularly fertile. We find references to Sir Leonard in a seventeenth-century document called "Advente de Carmathenshire" [They came to Carmathenshire], indicating that Sir Leonard once held land in that County of South Wales. The record further indicates that he had at some point acquired knighthood and bore a Coat of Arms ---." These records also stated that Sir Leonard had, at least one son, Richard who sold land at Sanderstead in 1234. Thus the time line Ralph Sanders used to set Sir Leonard's birth date at about 1175 but I believe it probably was closer to 1150 and he was a contemporary of King Richard the Lionheart who led the Third Crusade. He probably was either a knight in King Richard's army or a member of the Knights' Templar. Was he one of my ancestors? I don't know for sure but according to Ralph Sanders' book he probably was. About 25 or 26 generations ago."

A few days ago we received an e-mail from Ralph Sanders, the author of the "Generations" book enquiring as to what information we were basing that time line on. Our answer had to be, like many genealogies, speculation. According to history, Richard the First, called Couer de Lion, or the Lion-Hearted, 1157 - 1199, was born in Oxford, England , the son of Henry the Second and Eleanoir of Aquitaine. Richard succeded his father as King in 1189 and immediately began raising money for a Crusade. Later that same year he led an army of 8,000 men and a fleet of 300 ships, embarking on the Third Crusade. He captured Cyprus and Acre in 1191, other wins followed but the winning of the battle of Arsuf (and probably Acre) was more from the efforts of the Knights' Templar than that of the Crusaders. King Richard died from a wound he received in battle in 1199 because of lack of medical attention. According to history, he wouldn't listen to his aide who urged him to have it seen to. During his 10 years as King he was in England only a few months, his brother, Prince John, (remember Robin Hood) ruled in his stead.

Because of the nearness of the time lines of King Richard and Sir Leonard de Sanderstead, I would, by speculation only, make them contemporaries. To the point, that was all I had except the book written by the Ralph Sanders family on which to base my opinions about the time line of Sir Leonard. If anyone reading this posting, or any other part of this blog, should wish to make comment they can make it here or contact me at williamlee100@netzero.com. Thanks for your time and input. - William

Independence Day

2011-07-08T03:46:00.000-07:00

Freedom or not.

Monday night - late.
Today, the Fourth of July, is commemorated or celebrated as the anniversary of our Independence from England. Too many people observe it as just another holiday with an excuse to overeat, drink beer and shoot off fireworks. What does that have to do with anything?

I guess you could say that, here on the hill, we had a very good day. First we got up. We started it off a few minutes after 5:30 a.m. by picking part of our blueberries then walked more than a half mile to pick one and one half gallons of blackberries. When we got back to the house we ate a few bites of breakfast, then went back to picking blueberries. After we got those blueberries ready to freeze and the blackberries canned we ate lunch and rested a while. This afternoon it became cloudy (no rain) so we went back and picked more blueberries. Those will wait until tomorrow to be put in the freezer. I guess we had an extra-ordinary day. Should we celebrate?

Tuesday evening late.
Our day started off shortly before 6:00 a.m. picking blueberries then kept a 9:00 a.m. doctor's appointment, ate a late breakfast at Selmer, canned a canner of berries and fixed others to be frozen then ended the day back picking blueberries. The weather has been dry but so hot that we can't get out too much from 12:00 noon until 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. We'll probably be back at it again tomorrow.

Thursday night, again late.
Wednesday was just about the same as Tuesday except no doctor's appointment. We got up early this morning and walked the half mile to pick blackberries for about two hours then back home, showered and went out to eat breakfast. When we got home we picked a few blueberries, then canned a cooker of blackberries. The blueberreies were fixed for the freezer and even though it rained a shower we picked another gallon of blueberries late this afternoon.

Friday morning early.
I got up at 5:00 a.m. (over slept) prepared to go back to picking blueberries but it is raining. We need the rain more than we need the berries and also the berries will still be there this afternoon or tomorrow. We will probably go on over to Huddle House for breakfast and then get our shopping done this morning instead of waiting till afternoon.
All in all, it has been a very, very good year here on the hill. Of course we are both older and slower but we are thankful for what we have and the fact that we can still, with God's help, take care of ourselves. Thanks for your time and input. Stay tuned. - William

Gathering Time Again

2011-07-03T10:47:00.000-07:00

Too much work.

Just a typical summer here on the hill, hot and dry with high humidity thrown in every now and then. The heavy dews make it uncomfortable, to say the least, when getting out early to gather fruits and vegetables but it gets too hot later in the day. We try to get started by the time it is light enough to see what we are doing so we can be back inside with the air-conditioner going before noon.

Our pole beans, planted on Good Friday, made enough vine, bloomed quite a bit but didn't put on any beans. May have been because of a lack of insects needed for pollination. We hardly ever see any honey bees any more. The squash and cucumbers are still doing fairly well but need watering every few days. We need to pick a few blueberries almost every day so as not to get behind in the harvest. Yesterday we picked enough blackberries to can seven quarts and put one quart in the freezer. We would love to get a few more.

Our butter peas seem to be loading up with pods but may not make any seeds in them and the tomato plants have good sized tomatoes on them but only a few salad tomatoes have ripened yet (too many tomatoes in that). A few of our late potatoes are up and growing but we don't really think that we will have many come up. Oh well, we tried.

We had spent much of June working in the flowers, taking up, dividing, cropping and re-setting iris but that job has been put on hold for a few days while we get all the picking, canning and freezing done. We started a few weeks early in the iris because we knew we couldn't keep up all the work when it really got hot as it always does in the summer time, especially here on the hill.

Speaking of the hill, all of us here are doing as well as could be expected , probably better, but we don't get out much in the afternoons. It feels so much better inside with the air-conditioner going. But that's still better than freezing. Thanks for your time and input. Stay tuned. - William

No Child Left Behind

2011-06-26T10:07:00.000-07:00

Has it Worked?

That seems to be the new "hot topic" for the last few days. I don't know whether it has worked, or is still working, or not but I do know that of our four grandchildren two have already graduated from college and the other two are scheduled to graduate in December of this year. I suspect it is about as much up to the students as it is the teachers. It probably is a given that we have some less than competent teachers but for the most part you get out of anything about what you put into it. The two boys, who grew up here on the hill, were raised on the work ethics and both knew what they wanted to make of their lives well before they entered high school. They both put in a lot of time preparing themselves for their chosen fields. Is that not still the "American Way"?

What's the incentive? Too many in our current school age, or recent graduates (or dropouts), have been, or are being, raised in an environment where almost half of our citizens pays no federal income taxes and many of those who pay no taxes receive a refund check for money they didn't pay in. Why study in school, get a good job, work hard trying to get ahead and make a lot of money only to have it taken away and given to someone who doesn't even want to work? America, if not already there, is fast becoming a nation of people waiting for a handout.

We, here on the hill, have worked hard most of our lives, paid our taxes, never getting anything we didn't pay for, mostly paid for our two sons' education (both engineering) and still ask for no help (free) from any mortal. Someday, perhaps, that may change but God willing ----.
It is still hot and humid here, so much so that we can't get out and work very much. Our pole beans are still blooming some but no beans, we have a few tomatoes but none ripe yet, the squash and cucumbers are doing fairly well but we water them most days. The okra is the best of all our garden, blooming and putting on some pods. We picked about a quart of blueberries Thursday and about a half gallon Saturday. They are looking good so far. The next few weeks will probably be devoted mostly to the blueberries especially if it stays hot and muggy.
Thanks for your time and input. Stay tuned.- William

Sunday Morning

2011-06-19T10:21:00.000-07:00

On the Hill.

A few minutes after five O'clock on another fine Sunday morning, here on the Hill, and we haven't really given much thought to writing anything to post here. We have been busy most of the week outside, except for Friday when we got a ground soaking rain, working in the iris and other yard and garden work. It has been warmer than normal for the last month and that makes it harder for us to get all the outside work done but we do what we can.
Our pole beans, planted on Good Friday, are looking good and blooming but not putting on any beans. Maybe it has been too hot and dry. We should know if the rain helped, or not, in a few days. We dug our Irish Potatoes last week and replanted the same three short rows just before the rain. Maybe they will come up. Also planted late cucumbers and tomatoes. Our earlier tomatoes and pepper are looking better. We have tomatoes that should be getting ripe before long but the pepper hasn't started blooming yet. Our cucumbers are about normal, whatever that is, but our squash, which was supposed to be yellow crook neck but turned out to be Zucchini, are doing fairly well.
In another week or two, our Blueberries should begin ripening. As we stated before, that will keep us busy for a few weeks. Right now it looks as though they will be better than usual. All in all, it has been a good first half of 2011. Healthwise, we are gettinbg older and that brings on more complaints, mostly minor, but, again, that is normal.

You may have noticed that, up to this point, we haven't mentioned anything about politics. We know that is what dominates the news but we haven't watched as much television lately and when we do it is more likely to be some of the older programs. We could use more of those.
Thanks for your time and input. Stay tuned. - William

Reforming Social Security

2011-06-15T08:27:00.000-07:00

And especially Medicare.

We have been writing e-mails, letters and blog postings for many years protesting or offering advice on various subjects facing the world. During the last three years we have limited our writing to a few subjects with the "Social Security-Medicare"delimma and "Obama Care" being high on the list. A few days ago, the news and the heat both being oppressive, we sent the following e-mail to several news anchors, mostly on Fox News, but there has been no indication that they were delivered.

"Reforming Social Security and Medicare is absolutely 'A MUST' if they are to be extended into the distant future for our younger generations. In the near future (next ten to fifteen years) there is nothing that can be done, short of cutting benefits for current retirees (run that up the flag pole and see who salutes) , that will affect the budget or our National Debt. It is already set in stone. The United States Treasury will have to borrow money to redeem those IOUs, in the Social Security Trust Fund, in order to pay current benefits which will add to the National debt but, by law passed in 1990, Social Security and Medicare are not a part of the budget as submitted by the President and they do not affect that budget in any way. You can take them out of your pie chart. Medicaid, Food Stamps and other unfunded government welfare programs are running wild and should be reined in but that is not a Social Security-Medicare problem.
Last December, during the negotiations pertaining to the Bush era tax cuts, President Obama asked for, and got, a two percentage points cut in the FICA (payroll) tax which is paid by each employee. It has been said on television (Fox News) that that cut amounted to nearly one hundred and fifty billion dollars. Again I heard on television (Fox News again) that the president is asking (could be just a trial balloon) for another cut in the FICA tax which finances Social Security and Medicare. How can anyone reconcile cutting the payroll tax or declaring a tax holiday with the fact that Social Security and Medicare are already depending on money from redeeming some of the IOUs in their Trust Fund to pay current benefits? The Trust Fund will be bankrupted much quicker if that is the course we follow. I believe the news media, especially Fox News, should do more to inform all voters what is happening in Washington. Try it, you might like it."

Neither our Senators nor our Representative will even attempt to address our concerns about the status of Social Security and Medicare and those contacted in the news media also ignore the subject. Our Senators only want to re-assure us that they won't allow our benefits to be cut and the media, for the most part, will only parrot the political line, i.e., "Social Security and Medicare are the biggest drivers of our budget deficits and National debt" and "In a few more years Social Security and Medicare will be consuming ninety percent of our disposable income."
At the very, very best that is a mis-statement and at the worst it is a lie. I believe it to be the latter.

In previous postings I wrote; I don't know if they (Washington politicians) are brain-washed, don't have a brain to be washed or are trying to brain-wash us. I still don't know the answer but I suspect it to be a combination of all three. Meanwhile, here on the hill, it is still hot and what little rain we got has dried up but there is more in the forecast. Blueberries should be getting ripe soon. That will keep us busy for several days. My working days start early (daylight) and end before noon, with time out for breakfast, but I sure can't complain about that. Thanks for your time and input. Stay tuned. - William

Unusual Weather

2011-06-12T08:29:00.000-07:00

All over the world.

Friday evening;
Our last measurable rainfall, here on the hill, was during the day on Sunday May 22nd with thunderstorms forecast for Monday night. We got the thunder but the rain mostly missed us, maybe like a big dew. There may have been one other night that we got a light sprinkle, not enough to even dampen the ground. Now, three weeks later it is getting really dry.
Since I have come to the realization that I had already passed my prime, as far as gardening is concerned, I started working in our Iris a few weeks early this year in an attempt to beat some of the worst heat. Now it looks like I picked a bad time. Last Thursday I was using my tiller in an attempt to re-work and re-set a few Iris but the ground was so hard and the dust so bad that I had to quit. Maybe it will rain soon.

After all that having been said and done, we have no legitimate reason to complain. With all the flooding through the Mississippi Valley, the tornadoes across the mid-west,south and even in some of our northern states, a little hot dry weather doesn't sound so bad. If we think about it, it could be much worse.

Sunday morning, fairly early;
There wasn't much chance in the forecast (20%) for rain last night but it paid off. We had a lot of thunder and a slow rain. It wasn't all that much, probably less than half an inch, but when it had been hot and dry for about three weeks it was a help. We didn't have to water squash and cucumbers this morning and the tomato plants we set out late yesterday afternoon are looking good this morning. Maybe that hot, dry weather pattern has been broken for a while.

Still, all in all, we haven't had it so bad and we should be counting our blessings instead of complaining about our weather. Others have had it so much worse without the complaints. Thanks for your time and input. Stay tuned. - William

Heat Wave or Just Summer

2011-06-09T18:26:00.000-07:00

With no rain in sight.

Although we missed most of the really bad weather, the tornadoes, flooding, etc., we did get enough rain to keep the ground too wet to work right up to or past the middle of May. Then we got a couple of showers which did little more than wet the top of the ground. Now, after more than two week without any rain and the temperature hovering over the mid and upper nineties, we are getting dusty dry here on the hill. We have been watering the cucumbers and squash for several days but even that doesn't do much good with the sun being so hot. The tomatoes and peppers are faring a little better but not growing as they should. Even the grass and weeds are not as healthy as usual. We haven't started yet but it looks as though we will need to start sprinkling our front lawn, not to make it grow but to keep it alive.

To refresh my memory and to put everything into perspective I re-read the Book of Jonah. I'm sure most people remember what God told Jonah in Chapter 1, verses 1 - 4; "Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come before me. But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. But the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken."

Jonah apparently thought that he could hide from the Lord but it didn't work out that way. What happened? Chapter 1, verse 15 & 17; "So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging. Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights." Then Chapter 2, verse 10; "And the Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land."

Chapter 3, verse 1-5; "And the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time, saying, Arise, go into Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee. So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days' journey. And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown. So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them." Apparently that was just what Jonah didn't want to happen. Nineveh was the enemy so why should he be sent to preach repentance to them?

Chapter 3, verse 10; And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that He had said that He would do unto them; and He did it not." Chapter 4, verses 1-2; "But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry. And he prayed unto the Lord, and said, I pray thee, O Lord, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil." Jonah said; I knew that was what would happen, that's why I didn't want to go.

Chapter 4, verses 5-11; "So Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a booth, and sat under it in the shadow, till he might see what would become of the city. And the Lord God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head , to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd. But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered. And it came to pass, when the sun did rise, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live. And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, even unto death. Then said the Lord, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night: And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle."

Moral of the story; Jonah apparently cared more about the gourd, which he neither planted nor tended, than he did about other human beings and expected God to be the same way even though God made both. Isn't that the way most of us are? We sometimes care more about something we have planted in the ground than we do for our neighbors down the road. Like Jonah, many times we get our priorities bent out of shape and, again like Jonah, complain about things which we have nothing to do with. At least, that is the way it is here on the hill.

Meanwhile, here on the hill, it is still hot and dry but life goes on as usual. Thanks for your time and input. Stay tuned. - William

Misrepresentation Thru Misinformation

2011-06-05T07:17:00.000-07:00

More of the Same.

"Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
Understanding the Social Security Trust Funds.
By Paul N. Van de Water, October 5, 2010

In years when Social Security collects more in payroll taxes and other income than it pays in benefits and other expenses - as it has each year since 1984 - the Treasury invests the surplus in interest - bearing Treasury Bonds and other Treasury Securities. Social Security can redeem these bonds whenever needed to pay benefits. The balance in the Trust Funds thus provide legal authority to pay Social Security benefits when the Social Security Program's current income is insufficient by itself.

Debt held by Social Security by contrast, provides information about the adequacy of the program's dedicated financing. Debt held by trust funds does not have the same broader economic significance as debt held by the public. Since it does not need to be financed in private credit markets, it cannot lead to a refinancing crisis. As legal authority to spend money in the future, it is essentially similar to legal authority to meet spending commitments for other entitlement programs that are not financed through Trust Funds and are not included in measures of Federal debt. In addition, an increase in Trust Fund balances that provide authority for higher Social Security expenditures in some distant year is not equivalent to issueing more publicly held debt to finance additional spending today. If additional spending authority leads to more Federal borrowing at sometime in the future, that borrowing will add to debt held by the public when that spending occurs. (note; will add to National debt --- when that spending occurs).

Debt held by the public is a measure of the Federal Government's overall financal health. It represents money that must be borrowed and periodically refinanced in private credit markets; Interest payments on that debt represent a current drain on Government resources. If the specter of excessive debt led investors to lose confidence in United States Government securities, Federal interest cost could increase substantially, with potentially troubling implications for United States and world economies."

Even Representative Paul Ryan misrepresents the part Social Security and Medicare plays in our budget deficit by stating that they are the biggest drivers of our National debt and in a few more years these two, so-called, entitlements, if not reformed, will be consuming almost all of the budget. If, by a law passed in 1990, they are not a part of the budget as proposed by the president or by congress then how can they consume it? The only way they can become a part of the general budget and our National debt is when the Treasury begins borrowing money to buy back those Government Securities (IOUs) that are in the Social Security Trust Fund so as to pay benefits to retirees and disabled.

I can only speculate as to what their political motives are for filling the airways with such propaganda but one could very well be an attempt to cover up their own, at the least, incompetence. How will they explain away all that extra borrowing? If they can convince enough people that it is all the fault of a bad system initiated by President Roosevelt in 1935 and then made worse in 1965 by the adding of Medicare by President Johnson they may still have a chance of coming out of another crisis smelling like a rose. Right now it still smells like a barnyard to me. Can you not smell it?

We, here on the hill, are having to stay in most of the day on account of the heat. We try to get what little work it takes, to keep it looking like someone lives here, done very early in the morning then stay in under the air conditioner. The garden and flowers still look fairly well but there is no rain in sight. That may not be good for us here. Thanks for your time and input. stay tuned. - William

When One Plus One

2011-06-02T03:21:00.000-07:00

Is still one.

Just over 16 months ago I stumbled into this blog and now, after falling several times, I am still feeling my way. When I first began writing I knew nothing about what it took to keep going in the right direction and haven't learned too much in all those months. I was using a computer which belonged to someone else (I had a Hotmail address) and I was checking other blogs when I noticed the invitation to "create blog". I clicked on it and, as they say, the rest is history. One day, with nothing else to do, I attempted to become "a follower" of the blog I was checking but never did get it right. What I ended up with is becoming a follower of myself and didn't, at least at that time, know how to delete it. I just gave up and left it there. Imagine my surprise when, a few days ago, I found a real follower on my blog postings. I have had a few comments posted (good and not so good) and an e-mail or two but nobody else has had the nerve or where-with-all (like myself) to become a follower.

That is my explanation as to why one plus one is still one and I'm sticking by it. As for us, here on the hill, everything is as well as could be expected. It's too hot to get out and work much so we try to start early, then come in and hunker down under the air-conditioner for the rest of the day. Everthing in the garden is still growing slowly and the blueberries are, to this point, better than usual. They should be getting ripe in the next couple of weeks. The grass and weeds seem to like this kind of weather but the beans, pepper, tomatoes, squash and cucumbers aren't doing as well.

I welcome any comment, good or bad or even indifferent, so let me hear from you. Thanks for your time and input. Stay tuned. - William

Flag Waving

2011-06-01T08:20:00.000-07:00

Not My Style

In the days leading up to and during May 30, 2011, I saw a lot of flags. The same thing takes place on various other holidays, July 4th and November 11th especially. I have no problem with flag waving. In fact, I have no problem with whatever a person does with the flag if it was bought and paid for by that person but I would have somewhat different feelings if I, in any way, had money or blood invested in it.

To all of those who would or will say that too much blood has been invested in our United States Flag to allow it to be dis-respected in any way, I respectfuly disagree. Many of my ancestors were in the colonies long before the idea of the stars and stripes, as a flag, was even conceived. As for my Native American Heritage, I no longer long to see the white man's blood spilled on the field of battle and it has been years since I've had the urge to take a scalp.

On November 1, 1951 I, along with my comrads-in-arms from the 11th Airborne Division, walked in the desert at Yucca Flats, Nevada within two hours of the Atomic Bomb test known as "Buster-Jangle". We were less than seven miles from ground zero at the time the bomb was detonated. (See posting dated February 27, 2010). There is no doubt in my mind that we were delibertly exposed to the radiation generated by that explosion in order to study the effect atomic warfare would have on troops if encountered in future wars. For about fifty years we lived under the threat of being tried for treason if we talked, even amoung ourselves, about that experience.

I served my time during the Korean Conflict - Police Action which wasn't a war. All my time was spent here in the States, helping to reactivate the 11th Airborne Division, but if I had been in combat I would have been fighting for my Country because my family helped build it. I would have been fighting for our Constitution (even though I might not fully agree with parts of it) because it is what keeps us free. It is more important now than ever before. I wouldn't have been fighting for a flag or for any of our elected officials. I have no confidence in any official, including my own Senators and Representative, who say one thing and does another or in most cases - nothing.

In a statement recognizing July 16, 2002 as a "National Atomic Veterans Day of Remembrance", President George W. Bush compared the Atomic Veteran's exposure to a nuclear radiation, as being as grave as any war veteran who was wounded in action, in both instances, standing in harm's way while doing his duty, and protecting The United States of America.
That was almost nine years ago. It is up to Congress to act on this lack of recognition but there is no hurry. Almost all of us human guinea pigs are already dead. A few more years and it can be completely forgotten.

By this time you probably suspect that I'm not a flag waver but, on the other hand, I don't support any action which could normally be viewed as desecration of anything which represents this Country.

I know this posting has been somewhat rambling but; "If you don't really want to know / then don't ask. / If you detect a note of bitterness / just let it pass. / My country right or wrong / I must love it. / For only God and family / goes above it."
Here on the hill, everything is about as usual, just getting hotter and drier. Thanks for your time and input. Stay tuned. - William

Prophesy, End of the World

2011-05-24T19:27:00.000-07:00

Having come and gone.

As I begin this writing on May 22, 2011, with no deadline as to the publishing, it has been less than 24 hours since, according to Pastor Harold Camping, the world would end. Obviously that didn't happen. In a posting dated May 21, 2011 I wrote: "Another point is that no one knows when the end of time will come." I stand corrected. I have been told that there is one who knows all and, I too, believe that God is more than capable of seeing and knowing all things including the future but I don't, at this time, think He spends a lot of time contemplating the life you or I will be living years from now. If he dwelt on the future very much He would probably turn to Jesus and say; "Go bring them home Son, go bring Our Children home" but even God has been recorded as changing His mind about some punishment He was on the verge of meting out to His chosen people. As a case in point I turn to the Bible and the Book of Amos.

The Book of Amos is said to be the oldest written Hebrew Prophesy which has been preserved. Amos was a native of Tokoa, a village about twelve miles south of Jerusalem. His Prophecies were delivered during the reign of King Jeroboam, probably about 760 - 750 b.c.. Amos, as stated by himself, "I was no Prophet, neither was I a Prophet's son but I was a herdsman and a gatherer of Sycomore fruit" but God called him to go and prophesy to the Northern Kingdom which was Israel.

Amos Chapter 1, verse 1
"The word of Amos, who was among the herdmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake."

I dont know what the significance the words "two years before the earthquake" hold, whether it was the first or the strongest to be recorded but it must have been an event from which others were dated. Was it a part of God's judgement?

Amos Chapter 1, verse 2
"And he said, The Lord will roar from Zion, and utter His voice from Jerusalem; and the habitations of the shepherds shall mourn, and the top of Carmel shall wither."

Maybe that was the earthquake from verse one and there were two years before the prophesy took place.

Amos Chapter 7, verses 1 through 9
"Thus hath the Lord God shewed unto me; and, behold, He formed grasshoppers in the beginning of the shooting up of the latter growth; and, lo, it was the latter growth after the king's mowings.
And it came to pass, that when they had made an end of eating the grass of the land, then I said,O Lord God, forgive, I beseech thee; by whom shall Jacob arise? For he is small.
The Lord repented for this; It shall not be, saith the Lord.
Thus hath the Lord God shewed unto me: and, behold, the Lord God called to contend by fire, and it devoured the great deep, and did eat up a part.
Then said I, O Lord God cease, I beseech thee: by whom shall Jacob arise? For he is small.
The Lord repented for this: This also shall not be, saith the Lord God.
Thus he shewed me: and, behold, the Lord stood upon a wall made by a plumbline, with a plumbline in his hand.
And the Lord said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A plumbline. Then said the Lord, Behold, I will set a plumbline in the midst of my people Israel: I will not again pass by them anymore;
And the high places of Isaac shall be desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste; and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword."

Twice God showed Amos the means by which he intended to punish His people, Israel and twice Amos begged him not to be so harsh. Both times The Lord repented and said that it shall not be but the third time He said; "I will not pass by them again."

Amos Chapter 9, verses 8 and 9
"Behold the eyes of the Lord God are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth; saving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith the Lord.
For, lo, I, will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth."

These prophesies took place over a number of years probably spanning the period between 755 and 735 b.c.. Israel was taken by the Asserians in 722 b.c. and Judah was conquered by Babylon about 135 years later in 587 b.c.. Probably the punishment promised by God through Amos years before. Does anyone know where the remnants of the Northern Kingdom of Israel ended up or where they are today?

I began this posting by writing about how God had been recorded as changing His mind about punishing His chosen people, the Israelites but I want to end it with His promise about their future. Some say that the last two verses of the Book of Amos are pointing toward the coming of the Messiah but I believe that it is more about present day Israel. In 1948 what was left of the Israelites were granted the right to move back to, what should already have been, their homeland. Now, as it was in the time of Amos, they are surrounded by their enemies.

Amos Chapter 9, verses 14 and 15
And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them.
And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the Lord thy God.

That, to me , sounds like a promise to the present day Israelites that they would never lose their homeland again. What do you think?

Meanwhile, here on the hill, all is as well as could be expected. The garden and the blueberries are growing along with the grass and weeds. All in all, it keeps us fairly busy. Thanks for your time and input. Stay tuned. _ William

No Excuses

2011-05-21T19:06:00.000-07:00

This time anyway.

A Beautiful Sound

I looked up in the sky and thought I saw Jesus
descending with His Angels gathered round
Gabriel was blowing on that golden trumpet
and Lord it was a beautiful sound.
That's how it's going to be sometime in the future
when Jesus comes to claim His rightful throne
and all of us poor sinners who have made the right decision
will rejoice to see our Savior coming home.

This could be the last day and for some of us it is
to repent and give our soul to Him
so that when He comes followed by His Angels
we'll be taken up to forever be with them.
Livinng in Heaven's glory with our friends and loved ones
praising Him who was Master all along
helping with the celebration for each new arrival
and knowing all the words to ever song.

I looked up in the sky and thought I saw Jesus
descending with His Angels gathered round
Gabriel was blowing on that golden trumpet
and Lord that was a beautiful sound
and Lord that was a beautiful sound

Thanks for your time and input. Stay tuned, - William

The End of the World

2011-05-20T19:18:00.000-07:00

According to who?

It has happened again - whatever it was. I had no intention of writing a blog posting this week or maybe forever but several times in the past ten days I have heard mentions as to how a television preacher (I can't recall his name) had done the math and arrived at the conclusion that the world would end on May 21, 2011. There has been so much talk about it that I decided it might be my last chance but probably not really.
When I first heard the preacher's explanation as to how he arrived at his conclusion that the world would end that particular day, I thought he was using the wrong numbers and if you begin with the wrong numbers it won't matter how accurate the multipliers are the answer will always be wrong.

Herod the Great was born about 74 b.c. and died about 4 b.c.. He became King of Judea in 40 b.c. and it was in the last year of his life that he ordered the "Massacre of the Innocents" in and around Bethlhem which was an attempt to kill Jesus because he (Herod) believed Him (Jesus) to be a threat to his Kingship. Therefore Jesus would have probably been born in 5 or 6 b.c., not in 1 a.d. as most people suppose.
When He was about 30 years old, Jesus began His teaching in towns around Galilee. That would have been about 25 a.d. and His crucifixion probably took place in late 28 or early 29 a.d.. I don't believe that is the dates that television preacher started with and besides that, there is no way to be sure how many years (or days) have passed since that day on Golgotha - " a crowd had gathered on the hill / to watch the valiant struggle / of a man carrying a heavy cross / along a busy highway // Thru tears and jeers it's moved along / upon the back of Simon / to the hill known as the skull / where men before had died / there they nailed Him to the cross / for all the world to see / Jesus who came to redeem our sins / that day was crucified." (From the poem "Jesus - Crucified") Another point is that no one knows when the end of time will come.

Here, on the hill, everything is going fairly well. Beans, squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, weeds and grass all beginning to grow. Some more than others but that's life. Speaking of life, tomorrow probably won't be the end of the world and if it is it won't be because some human predicted it. To be ready for that time we should all live our lives as though it was the last day. As for me, I feel as though I am somewhat short of that goal. Thanks for your time and input. Stay tuned - William

Quotes & More

2011-05-15T07:18:00.000-07:00

On Television

Quote - On Television May 11, 2011
"Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are the biggest drivers of our budget deficits" or "Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid take up almost half of our budget." We have never had anything to do with Medicaid (don't know much about it) so we are leaving it out of this discussion.
The Social Security Trust Fund is the means by which the Federal Government accounts for excess money paid in contributions, from workers and employers alike through the FICA (payroll) tax, into the Social Security system which is not needed to fund current benefit payments to retirees, survivors and the disabled or to pay Administrative expenses. These surpluses are invested in "Special United States Government Securities". The Trust Fund is "Off Budget" and treated seperately from other Federal spending. From the United States Code; "Exclusion of Social Security from all budgets, Pub. L, 101-508, Title X111, Sec. 13301(a), Nov. 5, 1990, 104 Stat: 1388-623, provided that notwithstanding any other provision of law, the receipts and disbursement of the Federal Old Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund and the Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund shall not be counted as new budget authority, outlays, receipts, or deficit or surpluses for purposes of (1) the budget of the United States as submitted by the President, (2) the congressional budget or (3) The Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control act of 1985. (From posting dated February 14, 2011)

The claims, mostly by politicians but repeated by many in the news media, that Social Security and Medicare are driving the budget deficits by taking half or more of the tax money are only smoke and mirrors at best and outright falsehoods at the worst. Although it could be that some just don't know any better. Social Security and Medicare are paid out of the Social Security Trust Fund which in turn is funded by the FICA (payroll) tax which is paid by employee and employer equally. The Social Security Trust Fund has a surplus of over two and a half trillion dollars at this time which has been borrowed by the feds and replaced by "Special Government Securities" (IOUs) which will have to be redeemed to pay future benefits to retirees and the disabled and that will add to the National debt and deficit. Social Security and Medicare can be reformed today so as to shore it up for future generations but nothing short of drastically cutting benefits to current retirees and the disabled will have any effect on out budget and national debt. All other claims are only, the already mentioned, smoke and mirrors by people trying to confuse the issue or by the mis-informed. Again, Social Security and Medicare are self financed through the FICA (payroll) tax and does not come out of the general fund (income taxes, etc.) but it should be reformed today.

Quote on Television
"Report; bin Laden was still the driving force behind planned attacks on America and American interest abroad." This report was based on information leaked by our White House as to how Osama bin Laden kept journals filled with notes outlining attacks upon Americans. Does those notes confirm that he was still the leader of Al Qaida?
We, here on the hill, have written hundreds of letters and e-mails detailing our ideas on how to solve our country's pressing problems. We have also written more than a hundred postings on this blog, many of them being on the same subjects. Would the mere writing of those letters, e-mails and blog postings make us leaders of the United States? We hardly think so due to the fact that we have been mostly ignored. Maybe we are in the wrong business.

Quote on Television
"Osama bin Laden wasn't Moslim, he highjacked the Islamic religion." According to our copy of the book "Outline of History" published in 1929 by Funk and Wagnalls, the Islamic religion was founded in 611 A.D. by Mohammed. Quoting from that book; "In Medina a vision came from God to Mohammed, at a convenient hour, informing him that if his countrymen will not be persuaded by fair words then the sword must be the instrument of their salvation. Then began the era of bloody evangelism ---. Soon after Mohammed's death the Moslims began their holy war against the pagans and more particularly against the infidels, meaning the Hebrews and the Christians." Convert by the sword or die by the sword. Doesn't that sound familiar? (From posting dated May 15, 2010) This war on Christians and Jews started long before America came into being with no end in sight. We don't believe bin Laden highjacked the Moslim religion, he just reverted back to the time of Mohammed.

Meanwhile we are still working some in the yard and garden when it's not raining but those 90 degree days were a little too much. Squash and cucumbers are blooming, the beans are running and the blueberries are looking good. We will probably have enough work to keep us busy, maybe too much so. For now, thanks for your time and input. Stay tuned. - William

Mother's Day

2011-05-08T07:04:00.000-07:00

To One and All.

Every year there is a day
Set aside in a special way
Dedicated to the memory of another,

She's the one who gave us life
Comforts us in times of strife
When the world has passed us by
There's always Mother.

Dedicate it, celebrate it and remember it.

That's all for today, thanks for your time and input. Stay tuned, I may be back later. - William

Osama bin Laden is Dead

2011-05-04T10:58:00.000-07:00

But his house didn't burn down.

"His house" is not in reference to that million dollar compound in Pakistan where he was killed last Sunday night but rather to the loosely-knit network of terrorist known as al Qaida which he had been assembling since the Soviet Union gave up their attempt to take over Afghanistan and withdrew in 1989. In 1979 bin Laden was recruited, by our Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), to help form a group which would become known as the "Mujahadeen" (freedom fighters). (See posting dated October 3, 2010 and titled "Afghanistan War - Part Two.)
After the withdrawal of the Soviet Union from Afghanistan bin Laden had no war to fight so decided to create his own war of terrorism. For many years bin Laden had not been the field leader of that organization but was only a spiritual or inspirational leader. Maybe something like a high priest.
I'm sure he has inspired many young Muslims to follow in his footsteps and continue his "Mujahadeen" movement. Too many of them are willing to give up their lives in order to murder innocent people. I think it was Yogi Berra who said, "It ain't over till it's over"

Here on the hill it is to be a nice day with better days to follow. We should dry out enough to work some outside. Our beans are up and growing, the squash will soon be blooming and the cucumbers are starting to put out runners. Our tomatoes are still doing okay but not growing much yet - too cool and wet. The grass and weeds seem to like this kind of weather, as they say, growing like weeds. There is much work that needs to be done but some of it will have to wait. We must admit, we're not as young as we used to be and not getting any younger. We just came in from checking out the garder and it looks like it may be dry enough to begin work tomorrow.

I didn't really intend to put out a posting today but then the bin Laden thing came along and I just couldn't pass it up since that is all you hear on television. Thanks for your time and input. Stay tuned - William

One More Time

2011-05-01T09:36:00.000-07:00

Or maybe two.

Last Wednesday night we sent the following e-mail to several, so called, news anchors (Fox News) with very little hope that it would even be acknowledged. So far, we were right.

E-mail;
"For the last several months, aided by the news media, there has been an attempt to perpetrate a giganic hoax on the American voters. All politicians and most of the media blame Social Securitry and Medicare for being, as they say, "the biggest drivers of our massive debt and deficits" which is completely false.
Granted, the borrowing of money to redeem those "Special Government Securities" (IOUs) from the "Social Security Trust Fund" in order to pay future benefits to retirees will cause more deficits and add over two and a half trillion dollars to the National debt but that is not the fault of either Social Security or Medicare. Our government took it upon themselves to manage the Trust Fund but it is their mis-management which is causing the problems. In the next ten to fifteen years all of those IOUs will be needed to pay retiree benefits. Even Representative Paul Ryan's proposed budget (without knowing what cuts would be made) does not go far enough. In my opinion, at the end of ten years the National debt will be over twenty trillion dollars. I have, several times, offered to return up to five percent of my Social Security check to the Trust Fund to be used to shore it up for future generations IF highly paid Federal workers will give back the same percentage of their salaries to pay down the National debt. Anyone would be welcome to join in. Please do some research on this subject or for more information go to - (williamlee100.blogspot.com)."

Thursday afternoon (April 28) We got a phone call from someone in Senator Alexander's office in response to our last e-mail, the one threatening to sit out the next election. After getting the trivia out of the way we had a very productive talk. We believe that we (us and him) agreed more than we disagreed. Basically, we explained our views on the status of Social Security and how it and Medicare were not the biggest drivers of our National debt and budget deficits and he agreed. (See e-mail above) Our main concern with getting the call is that it makes us wonder,why use the telephone when he could have returned our e-mail. Did he not want to leave a paper trail?

After the last two weeks of stormy weather all around us, we here on the hill have had several days of fairly nice weather. It is beginning to dry out enough to think about getting back to work. After seeing on television all the destruction and hearing about all the deaths associated with the tornadoes which swept through at least seven states here in the south then headed north to do more damage there, we wonder why it wasn't that bad here but at the same time we are thankful to have been spared. The weather forcasters say there is more on the way. We'll pray that it won't be as bad the next times. Meanwhile thanks for your time and input. Stay tuned. - William

Alpha - (The Beginning)

2011-04-24T08:39:00.000-07:00

Omega - (The End)

"And if the blind leads the blind, both shall fall in the ditch."

Almost fifteen months ago we, here on the hill, embarked upon a journey into that great unknown (at least to us) world of the computer or to be more exact into web logs better known as "blogs". To us, not being computer literate, entering that vast unknown lurking somewhere out there in space, was somewhat like stumbling around in unfamiliar territory in total darkness, without a light.

In the beginning the sole purpose of this blog was to supply a format to jot down, as the title indicates, stray thoughts which we felt the need to record as something like a chronicle of our beliefs to be left as our views of an imperfect world. We have never deliberately set out to trash talk anyone or anything but to, whenever possible, point out the flaws to either or both sides of any given argument. Sometimes, we're sure, our bias shows through but it has been said that to err is human.

During the past fifteen months we have touched on many subjects, too many of them political, and after a slow start it has evolved into a twice a week chore. It's not that there isn't any controversial subjects lying around just waiting to be put down on paper but it is becoming increasingly harder to write about politics without getting depressed. Both, or all, sides in the debates appear to be losing sight of the prize, "Bi-partisanship", and are focusing on "What will this do for me". Please read, or re-read, the posting dated June 13, 2010 and titled "The Ditch". It was first written as a letter to a newspaper shortly after the 2006 election and updated at the time of posting by adding these words -"and the debacle of 2008". Is there a Daniel in the house?

During the last twenty-five to thirty years dozens of letter were written to various local and regional newspapers covering many of the subjects found in these postings. We have, at times, felt rather naive afterwards and have been called delusional for expressing some of our views. That could be true but after all that is someone else's view. We believe that our first published letters were in the Memphis papers but we soon moved up to our local and semi-local papers.

The title of this posting, "Alpha - (The Beginning)" and "Omega _ (The End)" may be more of a reality than was first thought because the subject of closing this blog down has been discussed here on the hill but there may be a few subjects out there in the future that we would want to address. We'll wait and see. We just came in from a walk around through the flowers and other greenery, admiring God's handiwork on a beautiful Easter morning. At this time, we pray for peace on earth and good will to all men. If we all join together it could happen. Meanwhile, thanks for your time and input. Stay tuned. - William

Weather and Politics

2011-04-20T07:39:00.000-07:00

Not much difference

We talked to folks in North Carolina Saturday afternoon and it wasn't so bad around Charlotte but when we turned on the television Sunday morning we learned it got worse later. Over 20 people killed in North Carolina alone. More bad weather predicted for later in the week with a pattern forming that will carry it into early summer. About the same thing can be said for Washington politics. At least the Senators and Representatives will be out of Washington for the next two weeks. Maybe things will calm down there for a while. The biggest difference between the weather and Washington politics is that politicians don't usually kill anyone except when they agree to a war, mostly they're just a bunch of hot air.

About 9:00 PM Sunday night I sent e-mails to both of our United States Senators in response to their non-response to my earlier letters and e-mails (See earlier postings). In those e-mails I wrote - "Ignore me or not, that's your choice. Read my blog or not, that's your choice. Vote for you or not, that's my choice."
Monday morning at about 5:15 AM I turned my computer on to check my e-mails and a few blogs. I found this e-mail from Senator Corker's office; "Thank you for taking the time to e-mail me to share your thoughts and concerns.
I want you to know that we read every single letter and e-mail that is sent to us in order to best understand the issues that are important to you. It is our commitment to respond to your input as thoughtfully and efficiently as possible. I meet with my staff regularly to discuss the issues raised in correspondence like yours and will be back in touch with a more thorough response soon. Thank you again for your e-mail. I hope you will continue to share your thoughts with me." Any other correspondence from either of our Senators or Representative will be included in future postings.

Why, oh why, did it come down to President Obama agreeing with me about the status of Social Security when I couldn't get anyone else to listen to me? You know that I don't agree with Obama about anything. Yesterday on "Your World With Neil Cavuto" he (Neil) played a clip of President Obama, at a Town Hall Meeting, saying that Social Security was not the biggest driver of our budget deficits and National debt. Of course, Neil and his guest adamantly denied that statemen even though I had been writing, in e-mails and this blog, the exact same thing for many months. Short of drastically cutting Social Security benefits for current retirees or raising the payroll tax, there is no way to keep Social Security from adding to the budget deficit and National Debt because the U.S. Treasury will have to borrow money to redeem those "Special Government Securities" (IOUs) as needed to pay future Social Security and Medicare benefits. (See previous postings).

I worked some in the garden Monday afternoon even though it was still a little wet. It looks like everything is doing okay, not growing all that fast but still living.
Worked a couple of hours Tuesday getting the bean rows ready to plant Friday if it doesn't rain too much but at this time, Wednesday morning, it rained for much of last night and predicted to continue off and on into tomorrow.
Whenever it gets dry enough, we will try to be ready to plant. Meanwhile, thanks for your time and input. Stay tuned, - William

Bewildered, Bemused

2011-04-17T06:45:00.000-07:00

Or Depressed

I have delayed the writing of this post for several weeks in the hope that one or more of our senators or representative would break their silence and answer our questions which we sent to them several weeks ago. In my posting dated March 23, 2011 I wrote about the letters and e-mails which we sent to our Senators (Alexander and Corker) and our Representative (Blackburn). Two of those e-mails to Alexander were answered with form letters which didn't even address our concerns. The third e-mail to Alexander, sent about the first of March, has gone unanswered. The letters to Corker and Blackburn which were sent in early February (same questions) have not, at this time, been answered. I invited all three to check out this blog spot but I have no way of knowing whether they did or not.
I know, from all they have accomplished there in Washington, they are extremely busy but surely they could spare a highly paid aide for a few hours a day to answer the questions posed by their constituents who might be searching for a way to justify their continued support. Or not.
We are not, at this time, prepared to emphatically state that we will vote against them in their next elections but we are thinking about sitting out our first election since Eisenhower's second term. I guess what it boils down to is "who else is running". Tea party, maybe?

In the April 10, 2011 posting I wrote these lines; "In my opinion the best thing to come out of that 11th hour compromise on the Continuing Resolution for the 2011 budget was not the almost forty billion dollars cut from that budget, as proposed by President Obama, but the promise extracted from Senator Harry Reid. Almost all the way up to that 11th hour Senator Reid had always said outright that a vote on the de-funding of "Obamacare" and "Planned Parenthood" would never be brought to the floor of the Senate but it has been reported that he agreed to such a vote".
Thursday afternoon it was announced on television that the bill(s) to de-fund "Obamacare" and "Planned Parenthood" were brought to the floor and voted down. Nothing was said about who or how many senators voted for the bill(s). If that is all the attention that vote gets in the media then it will mean nothing in the 2012 election and will only go toward strenghtening my belief that all politicians, Republican, Democrats and Independents, are the same. All have the "Me First Syndrome". It is so depressing, I feel as though I have aged years in the last few months.

So many of the commercials (infomercials) on television are by lawyers solicitating clients with these words; "If you have been injured - in a car wreck, by this medicine, blah blah blah - you may be entitled to compensation. Call the law office of so and so. Has this whole world become lawsuit crazy?

We had thunderstorms again Thursday but Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama and the Carolinas had tornadoes with at least 25 killed (as of Sunday morning) so, again, we here on the hill came out pretty good.
It was damp and cold yesterday and overnight and I didn't feel up to getting outside very much. Hopefully it will be better next week and we can do a little more work in yard and garden. The Iris are beginning to bloom but they don't look as good as they have in the past, probably because they haven't been taken care of the way they should have been.

It is cooler this morning than was predicted. We covered up our tomatoes, cucumbers and squash last night but we'll have to wait a while to see if they made it. I believe they should have but if not we can replant.
Thanks for your time and input. Stay tuned. - William

The Truth About Medicare

2011-04-13T10:45:00.000-07:00

And My Part In It.

Monday Morning - Early
Medicare was enacted in 1965, as an amendment to the already existing Social Security Administration, by President Johnson as part of his "Great Society" agenda. What, at that time, was thought to be an adequate tax was added to the FICA (payroll) tax to be paid into what would later become the "Social Security Trust Fund" and would be available to pay future Medicare benefits. What went wrong with that plan in the ensuing 45 years? Do you remember the Frenchman who in 1835 wrote, in his book about America and its Government, that "America will be a great country until the people learn that they can vote themselves money from the public treasury, after that it will be a war of all against all with each person striving to get the greatest amount of free money possible"? Are we there yet? Or to be more accurate, how long have we been there?

Monday Night - Late
I am past 80 years of age (old) and I have been on Medicare for the last 15 years. After it was enacted I paid into the "Fund" for almost 30 years before I retired and, along with most other retirees, have paid a premium every month for the last 15 years. Since I have been on Medicare it has not paid as much in benefits as I have paid into the system through that monthly premium and that is not counting the first, almost 30 years, of payroll taxes. In the three years, 2007 - 2009, I received very little more than the cost of a flu shot from Medicare and about what it cost for the deductables (doctors) from my Medicare Supplemental Insurance which, at this time cost me over 250 dollars a month. I can't believe that I am the only person left in America who is not out to milk the system for every dime I can get out of it. Doctors practicing defensive, or rather protective, medicine is the cause of many of the problems. Tort reform, limiting legal actions, would go a long way in cutting cost. On more than one occasion we could have filed a suit against a doctor or hospital but we didn't. That doesn't fit into our beliefs.

Tuesday Morning - Early
Representative Ryan's cure for Medicare sounds a lot like the Medicare Advantage Plans which "Obamacare" has taken away. How is it different?
Monday afternoon I heard a Democrat from South Carolina say that Representative Ryan's plan to save Medicare would force seniors to go out into the world of private insurance companies. Maybe I am naive but I thought the buying of Medicare Supplemental Insurance (Medi-gap) had already included us in that catagory. Is there some way, legally and morally, to not buy supplemental insurance?
Each month, after the $96.50 deduction for Medicare, the Social Security Administration deposits $766.00 into my bank account. Out of that I pay, right off the top, $254.00 for my Medi-gap insurance. Am I not paying my own way?

Tuesday Night - Late
Meanwhile, back at the farm. After a windy and rainy day Monday that kept me inside for most of the day I was glad to get back outside for a light workout. I mowed over half of the front yard then worked out the cabbage, onions and one row of the potatoes. We also have squash, cucumbers and tomatoes growing in the ground and more tomatoes and peppers in individual pots waiting to be set out. It may be too early and we may have weather cold enough to kill what is out but if so we will try to replant. We plan to plant pole beans and butterpeas in two to three weeks, depending on the weather. That, along with the blueberries, should keep us busy for a while.

Wednesday Morning - Fairly Early
According to the weather forcast we will have a fairly nice day to work outside again. Allergies are bad at this time of year and we, here on the hill, have had our share. Some more good warm weather might help out.
Thanks for your time and input. Stay tuned. - William

Breaking News

2011-04-10T10:01:00.000-07:00

Bits and Pieces.

Thursday Night - Late.
Today I saw a news item on Fox News about a mother being charged with attempted murder for not following the doctor's directions about giving her son his medication. All the details were not presented in that breaking news but what few facts that were given indicated that her son was having adverse reactions, health-wise, from the medication and she had lied, by telling the doctor that she was still giving it to him. I didn't know it was against the law to lie to a doctor. I guess I'd better be careful. If a parent or parents can be charged with attempted murder in a case such as this, can we be far from that "Big Brother" state as was written about by George Orwell in his book titled "1984"?
I have known parents who, from all appearances, loved their children but bought, or allowed them to buy, every known fat food product that was asked for. If those children developed a life threatening disease could the parents be charged with attempted murder? How far should we allow the government to go in dictating our actions? What is legal anymore?

Friday Late, 7:00 pm
After working (piddling) in the yard and garden most of the day, with breaks quite often to keep up with what has been taking place in Washington, I have come to the conclusion that there will be an 11th hour compromise to keep the government open. At least that is what I have been telling everyone I have talked to today. Like that will make any difference in the outcome. Most everyone on television keeps trying to tell us how bad it will be if the government does shut down for even a few days but I can't think of even one thing that would affect me in any way except our military personnel not getting their pay on time. They are just being used as pawns in this, for lack of a better word, squabble. Congress (and President) get real, you were elected to take care of all the people in the United States, not to stoke your own egoes. By tomorrow morning we should know what has come out of all this name-calling.

Saturday Morning, Fairly Early
I got up and turned the television on at 5:00 a.m. so as to find out if we still had a functioning government. Whether you consider it to be good or bad, we do. I still don't know what the main details are but maybe we all will by the end of today, that is, if we really want to know.

Saturday Night, Fairly Late
Someone on television said that Representative Paul Ryan's 2012 budget proposal may be looked at as a marker to be used in the upcoming election campaigns for not only the Presidency but also the House and Senate races. I suppose that it can be looked at as true but it is not the only thing that will affect those elections.
In my opinion the best thing to come out of that 11th hour compromise on the "Continueing Resolution", which funds the government for a few more days, was not the almost 40 billion dollars cut from the budget, as proposed by the President, but the promise that was extracted from Senator Harry Reid (if it is true). Almost all the way up to that 11th hour compromise, Senator Reid had always refused to even consider allowing a vote on the defunding of either "Obamacare" or "Planned Parenthood" but it has been reported that he agreed to allow those votes to take place as stand alone bills. No, they won't pass but if they come to a vote every Senator will have to vote either yes or no and their votes will become the most prominent marker in the 2012 elections. More about that later.
We spent most of another day doing odd jobs that needed to be done, nothing really important but needful. We did get some of our squash, tomatoes and cucumbers set out in the ground, watered and shaded. The sun was really hot about noon.

Sunday Morning, Not Too Early
Ryan's 2012 budget proposals have been talked about a lot, especially his plan to fix Medicare and Medicaid. That may not be the next big fight but it won't be far behind. This morning the news has only been a re-hash of the last three day. Who needs that?
The temperature here is in the upper sixties, starting off very warm, and will probably push ninety before the day is gone. That's hot for this time of year. Thanks for your time and input. Stay tuned. - William

Another Day Older

2011-04-06T08:15:00.000-07:00

We're All Deeper in Debt.

We, here on the hill, seem to be recovering from our bout with what, I guess, was some kind of allergies. After going to the clinic, on to the drug store to pick up about a half bushel of medicine and a week at home we are mostly just left with a hacking cough. Mabe when the weather gets warmer we can shake it off. We have squash plants ready to transplant into the garden soon and cucumbers not far behind. Our peppers and tomatoes aren't growing as fast, they will probably be ready by the first part of May. Early enough.

The stormy weather last Monday did some damage here but not much, a few trees blown down on the next hill to the west of us. It did rain a lot, sometimes really hard, and will be too wet to do much in the yard or garden for a few days. It now appears that most of our flowers and fruit trees survived the light frost we had last week and again yesterday morning. The blueberries are now in full bloom with butterflies and other insects really swarming.

The news, our allergies or the weather (or all three combined) has been enough to cause us, especially me, to be somewhat depressed (cabin fever, maybe) for a couple of weeks now but we are hopeful that some warm dry weather will cure that.
After waiting weeks for Representative Paul Ryan to disclose the Republican version of our 2012 Federal budget, I haven't heard anything (yesterday or this morning) to be happy about. Their claim to cut 6 trillion dollars from the budget over the next 10 years will not even balance it. What that means is that in 10 years the National debt will have grown from 14 trillion dollars to over 20 trillion dollars or more when interest rates go up. I don't believe the final budget numbers will be anywhere close to the 2009 budget that President Obama inherited from the Bush Administration. Even that budget was running too much of a deficit. Doesn't that make a bright future to look forward to?
Maybe I just don't understand what is going on but according to various commentators on television today the cuts proposed by Representative Ryan are not even to the non-existant budget for 2011 but the 2012 budget as put forward by President Obama which carries a deficit of about 1.6 trillion dollar. If Ryan's proposals are passed we would still have a deficit of about 1 trillion dollars a year. Apparently Representative Ryan's budget cuts are not in real money but to projected budget deficits as put forth by the President. Smoke and mirrors?

I haven't, to this point, heard anything about cutting out the oil or ethanol subsidies. I can see helping the oil companies when oil is selling for 35 dollars a barrel or less but now that it is over one hundred dollars a barrel it is not at all called for and the subsidies on ethanol causes grain shortages which drives up prices on almost everything we eat. It is my understanding that ethanol can be imported from South America by paying a high import tax. If that is true then both the subsidsies and import taxes should be repealed.

When the news is mostly depressing there is not much point in dwelling on the subject so unless something more important comes up in the next few hours I intend to post this and try to forget about it. Thanks for your time and input. Stay tuned. - William

Crystal Ball

2011-04-03T07:15:00.000-07:00

Or Tea Leaves

What does it take to know what a politician will do when the going gets tough? Whoever said; "When the going gets tough, the tough gets going" surely wasn't thinking about the crowds hanging around Washington and many of our state capitals. I had already planned out my post for today but at the last minute I decided to delay it for a few more days and try an approach from a different direction.
Sometime next week, Tuesday or Wednesday I think, Representative Paul Ryan plans to lay out the Republican Budget for the year 2012 which begins in October of this year. Much has been said about the cutting of programs such as Medicare and Medicaid but I don't know how they can cut Medicaid, which is not part of the Social Security Trust Fund, after it is to be greatly expanded under "Obamacare". Social Security and Medicare can be fixed by raising the retirement age for those retiring in 15 to 20 years from now, along with some other small tweeks such as a means test for full benefits at the same time. Nothing would change for current retirees or those retiring in that 15 to 20 year period. Some politicians will try to use scare tactics to stir up opposition for even the smallest changes.

In earlier postings, I wrote that I would give up between 1 and 5 percent of my Social Security check to be returned to the Social Security Trust Fund in order to extend it for future generations IF our federal workers would agree to the same percentage cut to be deposited in a fund to help pay down the National debt. Any takers?

As for cutting the budget, the best place to start would be the size of government which could be changed by simply enacting a freeze on all government hiring (when a worker retires his position would be filled from within) and the placing of a cap on all salaries at their current levels for at least one year. Cutting or consolidating overlapping Federal programs should also be a part of that legislation but I don't believe either part will be in the new budget. I'm sure there is enough waste and fraud, as in any government program, in the Department of Defense for substantial savings.

I am in favor of cutting all funding to Planned Parenthood until they can prove that no taxpayer money goes for abortions and probably the only way they can do that is to quit performing abortions.

If, as stated on television, there was over two hundred thousand new government workers hired since Obama became President, with more waiting in the wings to be hired in the next year or two, there should be ample room to cut or at least trim but I am doubting that it will even be mentioned in the Republican budget.

On March 11, 2011 my posting was named "Eminent Domain" and was partly about the case of Susette Kelo and her "Little Pink House". Last night there was an article on Fox News updating that case. At this time, nothing has been built on those acres which were taken and bulldozed. Coincident? They have my blog address.

When it comes down to the "Brass Tacks, When the Pen Hits the Paper or When the Rubber Meets the Road", I don't have any confidence in either side. We'll know in a few days. I pray that I am wrong. Thanks for your time and input, stay tuned. - William

More of the Same

2011-03-30T07:16:00.000-07:00

Just over and over.

I had barely finisded writing last Sunday's posting before the news started changing. An earlier report indicated that the Nuclear Reactors were beginning to stalilize but a few hours later they were trying to go critical again. As of last night things were not much better but you can't always depend on the news being right. Only time will tell the true story.

My favorite anchor on Fox Business News network is Gerri Willis and even though she has read several of my e-mails on her program, I still don't think she fully understands exactly what Washington politicians (all parties) mean when they say; "We can't balance the budget until or without doing something with entitlements" (meaning Social Security and Medicare). They produce data like; "Entitlements take up fifty-seven percent of all Federal spending or Social Security is the single largest Federal spending program and then say; Most people just don't understand the problems created for the Federal Budget by Social Security and Medicare." I have written about this several times and more than once promised that time would be the last but for some reason I just can't let it go. One more time I will point out the wrongness of their reasoning while admitting that there must be reforms made in the program for Social Security to even survive. CAPITALS USED FOR EMPHASIS.

IN NINETEEN HUNDRED AND NINETY, CONGRESS PASSED A LAW SETTING DOWN GUIDELINES AS TO HOW THE SURPLUS MONEY COLLECTED THROUGH THE FICA (PAYROLL) TAX WAS TO BE MANAGED. THE SOCIAL SECURITY TRUST FUND WAS CREATED TO BE USED AS A DEPOSITORY FOR ALL PAYROLL TAX MONIES. THIS TAX MONEY, IN THIS TRUST FUND, WOULD BE USED TO PAY ALL BENEFITS TO ALL SOCIAL SECURITY RETIREES AND ALL MEDICARE BENEFITS. SURPLUS MONEY IN THAT TRUST FUND COULD BE BORROWED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND REPLACED WITH "SPECIAL GOVERNMENT SECURITIES" (IOUs). AT THE END OF TWO THOUSAND AND TEN THERE WAS A SURPLUS OF OVER TWO AND A HALF TRILLION DOLLARS IN THAT TRUST FUND IN IOUs. (ALL OF THAT SURPLUS MONEY CAME FROM THE PAYROLL TAX NOT INCOME TAXES). AT THIS TIME, THE PAYROLL TAX STILL FUNDS ALL OF SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE BENEFITS. THE CUTTING OF TWO PERCENTAGE POINTS OFF THE PAYROLL TAX, EACH EMPLOYEE, FOR ONE YEAR WILL FORCE THE TREASURY TO BORROW MONEY TO BUY BACK SOME OF THOSE IOUs IN ORDER TO PAY FULL SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE BENEFITS. THE MONEY IN THOSE IOUs HAS ALREADY BEEN SPENT AND NOT COUNTED AS PART OF OUR NATIONAL DEBT. THAT BUY BACK, BY NECESSITY, WILL CONTINUE INTO THE FUTURE UNTIL ALL IOUs HAVE BEEN REDEEMED. IF THERE HASN'T BEEN SOME KIND OF SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE REFORM BY THEN THERE WILL, AGAIN BY NECESSITY, EITHER BE A DRASTIC CUT IN BENEFITS OR THE BENEFITS WILL BE PAID PARTIALLY OUT OF THE TREASURY (INCOME TAX MONEY). NOTHING SHORT OF CUTTING SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE BENEFITS (TRY THAT OUT FOR SIZE) WILL CHANGE ANYTHING ABOUT THE BUDGET DEFICIT OR THE NATIONAL DEBT. TO ARGUE OTHERWISE WOULD BE, AT THE BEST, FUZZY MATH AND AT THE WORST (JUST SHORT OF LYING) SMOKE AND MIRRORS.
IF WASHINGTON CAN BLAME ALL OR MOST OF THE DEFICITS ON SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE THEN THEY CAN CONFUSE THE ISSUES ENOUGH TO GET REFORM PASSED. THAT MAY BE GOOD STRATAGY BUT IT IS STILL DISHONEST AND AN ATTEMPT TO HIDE THEIR OWN INEPTNESS. IS THAT THE KIND OF GOVERNMENT WE WANT? REMEMBER THE FIVE HUNDRED BILLION DOLLARS THAT IS TO BE CUT OUT OF MEDICARE (WASTE AND FRAUD AND PAYMENTS TO DOCTORS AND HOSPITALS) THEN USING THAT MONEY TO HELP FUND OBAMACARE? THAT MONEY, IF IT EVER EXISTED, COULD BE USED TO KEEP MEDICARE SOLVENT A WHILE LONGER.

Maybe that will be simple enough for even Washington to understand. Last night I checked some of the fruit trees and they seemed to have weathered the cold snap okay. If it just don't get any worse we may have some fruit this year. Thanks for your time and input. Stay tuned. - William

Spring Fever

2011-03-27T08:51:00.000-07:00

Or Hay Fever?

We, here on the hill, have been feeling puny all week with my symptoms beginning early Monday morning which developed into a nice case of springtime alergy by Wednesday night. Started taking Claritin Friday and I am some better but still somewhat woozy from the medication. My posting, this week, will probably be shorter and maybe a little more rambling, if that be possible. I am trying to write from memory, right off the top of my head, and most of you know there is not much left there either inside or outside but that's another subject better left until later.

As an update to my letter and e-mail writings to my Senators and Representative, I still have recieved no reply worthy of consideration from any of them. At this point, I am not promising to vote against them but I may just sit out my first election since the first Eisenhower race. I am even more certain now that none of our elected officials really care what we think or want.

There is still not much on television except bad news, the Japanese neuclear reactor problem seems to be stabilizing but the war (or whatever it's called) is still raging in Libya and things are heating up all around the Mid-east. Algeria may be on the verge of exploding so it seems to be just beginning instead of getting better.
After more than three hundred years of French Colonial rule Algeria gained its independence in 1962. After six years of ever increasing protest the French just packed up and went home. I believe their government now is, more or less, a dictatorship run by, or at least strongly influenced by, the military. This seems to have been the prevailing form of government in the Middle East for the past, in some cases,hundreds of years but one which is fast falling out of favor at this time. Since that area is already heavily Islamic there is not much doubt as to the outcome of these revolutions, if successful, and the subsequent elections. Will their governments be radical or moderate, friend or foe? That is the question.

We seem to have been added to one of those FWD., FWD., Fwd. e-mail networks and now and then we get one which we think may be worthy of repeating. We don't have many e-mail friends and don't want to risk that friendship by involving them in those networks so we never forward what we receive but I will include one in this posting. "Billy Graham was returning to Charlotte, N.C. from a speaking engagement and when he got off the plane his limousine and driver were waiting for him. As he prepared to get in he hesitated and spoke to the driver. 'You know' he said 'I am 87 years old and have never driven a limousine,. Would you mind if I took the wheel for a while?' The driver said 'No problem. Have at it.' So Billy gets into the driver's seat and starts off down the highway. A short distance away sat a rookie trooper operating his first speed-trap. The long black limo went by doing 70 mph in a 55 mph zone. The trooper pulled out and easily caught up and pulled the limo over, got out of his patrol car, walked up to the driver's door. When the glass rolled down he was surprised to see who was driving. He immediately excused himself, went back to his car and called his supervisor and said, 'I know we are supposed to enforce the law---- but I also know that important people are given certain courtesies, I need to know what I should do because I think I just stopped a very important person.' The supervisor asked, 'Is it the governor?' The young trooper said, 'No, he's more important that that.' The supervisor said, 'Oh, so it's the President.' The young trooper said, 'No he's even more important than the president.' The supervisor finally asked, 'Well then, who is it?' The young trooper said, 'I THINK IT'S JESUS BECAUSE HE'S GOT BILLY GRAHAM FOR A CHAUFFEUR!'"

This being very early on a Sunday morning B.C. (before coffee) my thinking is not at its best so without adding any more to that (you can do your own) I will thank you for your time and input. Stay tuned. - William

The Truth

2011-03-23T07:16:00.000-07:00

Revisited

After this posting, my intention is not to write anything else about Social Security and Medicare until Representative Paul Ryan unveils the Republican plan to reforn both of those programs to keep them solvant for our future generations. At that time I will probably question how the reforms will balance the budget and help cut our National debt during the next twenty years. It is my belief that nothing short of cutting benefits to current Social Security retirees, which no one will even talk about, will do anything except raise the budget deficit and the National debt because of the forced borrowing by our Federal Treasury to redeem those Special Government Securities (IOUs) in the Social Security Trust Fund as needed to pay current retiree benefits. It is still my contention that those Government Securities, which represents the surplus Social Security and Medicare Trust Fund money that has been borrowed and spent by our Government, are not counted as part of our debt and if the need arises for the Treasury to buy back all of those IOUs our total National debt would go up to about seventeen trillion dollars. That need to buy back those IOUs begins this year because of the two percentage points cut in the payroll tax which was passed as part of the Bush era tax cut extension. Nice, isn't it?

In the last two months we have written both of our Senators and our Representative asking for the truth about the condition of the Trust Fund but, at this time, we have been ignored by one Senator and our Representative and after receiving two form letters, which didn't even address our concerns, from the second Senator he, too, has ignored our third e-mail. Is there a conspiracy in Washington to cover up their, and past governmental, misdeeds? Does this come natural to all politicians or do they have to go to special schools to learn double-speak and skating around the edges?

Do you remember the years, 1977 through 1979? I'll give you a few hints about 1977; Jimmy Carter was President, Ahmad Reza Pahlavi was the Shah of Iran and Ayatollah Khomeini was in exile. In October of 1977 opposition to the Shah had built to the point of hugh protest which sometimes ended in riots or violence by both sides. After just over a year of those protest, on January 16, 1979 the Shah left Iran, leaving the Prime Minister Shapour Bakhtiar (a long time opposition leader himself) to rule in his stead. Bakhtiar immediately freed all political prisoners and allowed exiles to return to Iran. He ask the, just returned, Ayatollah Khomeini to create a Vatican-like state in Quom, promised free elections, proposed a "National Unity" government including Khomeini's followers but Khomeini rejected Bakhtiar's demands and appointed his own government. Ayatollah Khomeini is no longer ruling Iran but followers rule with the same iron hand. Do you remember the 1979-80 "Hostage Crisis" which probably did more than any other one thing to get President Carter defeated even though he had several other strikes against him such as allowing the Moslems (Islam) to gain control at all. It does appear that our Government has a history of backing the wrong side. Is that what is happening now? Will all the "Middle East", as I suggested in an earlier posting, end up being another Iran?

Do you remember Algeria and what happened there in 1956 through 1962? After more than three hundred years of French Colonial rule there was an uprising and a change of governments. Now there may be another but that will be left for another time, meanwhile thanks for your time and input. Stay tuned, - William

Japanese Tsunami

2011-03-20T04:35:00.000-07:00

Then Back on the Hill.

Even though it means repeating myself I want to stress the problems facing the Japanese, especially the low income, the elderly and the disabled, as they go about trying to dig out of the natural disaster which devastated their country just a few days over a week ago. In my opinion, as stated before, the news media has and are still spending, too much time focusing on what might happen to the nuclear reactors "if this or if that" takes place. Of course, it was news worthy and should have been reported and should continue to be reported but---. The biggest threats to the people in Japan, at this time and the near future, are the lack of food, water, warm clothing and housing. The Red Cross and other Charities can take care of most of those needs (threats) if given the money and opportunity. That is what should be stressed at this time.

Our yard and garden work continues to make some progress even though it is slower than it once was. Some spots are still a little wet and the weather isn't quite warm enough to do everything that needs to be done but we can do a little at a time and eventually get it done. Our Irish Potatoes are starting to break out of the ground (what few we planted) and our cucumbers, squash and tomatoes that were planted in individual cups are starting to come up but the peppers are a little slower. We had thought about not even trying to plant a garden this year but I guess there is just something about spring that makes us want to get out and work (play) in the dirt and we really needed something to do. Too much "Sitting at home with nothing to do" is not good for a person's health and at our age we need all the help we can get.

One of the best words to describe our working and the one we use most often is "piddling" as in "dawdle" which, in turn, means "to waste time" but we don't think of it in that sense. In a commercial on television, I believe it is for Celebrex, the announcer tells us that; "A body in motion tends to stay in motion" and that is what we want - "To stay in motion". We may not get as much done but at least we are still moving.

Most of our fruit trees and other flowering shrubs, except for the apples and blueberries, have either already bloomed or are starting to bloom now. I hope that we don't have weather cold enough to kill them. The plum blooms have already turned brown and are falling off but the peaches and pears are just now in full bloom.

I thought maybe we could get by for a few days without having any more bad news but yesterday's news was mostly all about Libya and the United Nations passed Resolution setting up a "No Fly Zone" (over Libya), along with authority to use any force necessary to defend the Libyans from their own Dictator "Qaddafi", which is to be led by European and a few Arab Countries with the help of Canada and the United States. Late yesterday afternoon the coalition began launching missiles at Libyan Military Bases. I don't know where it will stop but hopefully it will be successful.

Next week is to be (according to weather reports) almost summer time with temperature getting up near eighty degrees or slightly above with no rain until next Wednesday. Should be good weather to work outside. It makes a person want to start planting but we'll try to put it off for a while yet. Thanks for your time and input. Stay tuned, - William

Earthquake and Tsunami

2011-03-16T04:03:00.000-07:00

Nuclear Power in limbo.

Today, five days after one of the worst earthquakes in recorded history and the ensuing tsunami,Japan is still reeling with the future of its economy and its nuclear power very much in doubt but knowing the history of Japanese industriousness gives hope that their future, though not very bright at this moment in time, will eventually return to some semblance of normality. That being as it is and with no intention of taking anything away from the seriousness of the calamity in Japan and the long road which is to be traveled, not only by the Japanese but by all the industrialized world, before we can look back and say; "A job well done" but it is my opinion that too much of the news today is stressing the dangers associated with the generation of nuclear power, not only in Japan but even here in the United State.

I make no claim as to being an expert on nuclear power plants but I have had some experience with Atomic [nuclear] Bombs after having witnessed the detonation of such a device from a distance of about seven miles and walked in the dust, created by that explosion, of Yucca Flats, Nevada less than two hours later. That walk took us up to a point a few hundred yards from ground zero where we inspected heavy equipment [tanks, trucks and so forth] for damage even to the point of climbing on top of tanks with no thought of radiation. In fact, we were not even told anything about radiation and at that time, 1951, few people outside of hospitals, or Los Alamos, New Mexico, even knew what it was and especially not twenty year old soldiers.

I very well remember that we were told to sit down facing away from ground zero for even with dark glasses we could not have looked at the fireball created by the detonation without getting eye damage and the force of that blast could have knocked a person down if standing and not expecting it. After several seconds we were allowed to turn around, still wearing dark glasses, so we could view the mushroom shaped cloud rising slowly into the atmosphere with the fireball glowing brightly. This group of soldiers were from the 188th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 11th Airborne Division, which was stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky and was used as atomic guinea pigs as the first humans to participate in an atomic bomb test.The purpose, as stated by the Department of Defense, was to find out what effects, both physical and physiological, atomic warfare would have on our soldiers in combat. That test was the first of several years of such testing and I am fairly certain that every person involved in those test was warned not to talk about their experience under the threat of being tried for treason if they did.

Most of the soldiers involved in those first tests are no longer living with many of them dying from cancer or cancer-like diseases. In my opinion, many diseases can be caused or made much worse by being exposed to excess radiation and even though our government has and never will admit that those test had any adverse effects on us guinea pigs, I am sure that too many have died much too young for their deaths not to have been helped along by that excess exposure to atomic radiation.

Whatever the future, for all of this world, holds it can be enhanced by our participation in the forming of events which will follow, as in any near disaster, and at this time it appears that help being given and offered, will probably bring Japan back into that future. Let us all hope and pray that it will continue. Thanks for your time and input. Stay tuned. - William

Eminent Domaine

2011-03-13T03:32:00.000-07:00

To have and to hold?

What does Harvey Davis of Winston-Salem, North Carolina and Susette Kelo of New London, Connecticut have in common? Eminent Domain.

In 1997, Susette Kelo, a forty year old nurse had saved enough money to buy her own home, an older cottage, in a blue collar area known as Fort Trumbull, in New London, Connecticut overlooking the seacoast. The house needed a lot of repairs, painting and so forth, but she didn't care. She painted it pink [see "Little Pink House" by Jeff Benedict] and moved in. Several months later the New London Developement Corporation [NLDC] sought to buy her, along with her neighbor's, property in an effort to locate the new global research and developement headquarters of Pfizer, Inc., the world's largest pharmaceutical company, in that area. Susette and some of her neighbors refused to sell and on the day before Thanksgiving they found condemnation papers affixed to their front doors [Eminent Domain] and they had ninety days to move out.
Susette and her friends fought back and after losing all appeals in the City of New London and with the help of the "Institute for Justice" in Washington, D.C. they filed a suit against the NLDC, a case that would eventually end up being decided by the Justices of the United States Supreme Court.
On June 23, 2005, about eight years after she bought her house and painted it pink, Susette Kelo and her neighbors lost their last appeal by a vote of five to four in the Supreme Court but even though her case was lost she was awarded a more adequate settlement which included the moving of that little pink house to another location to be used as a museum. It was torn down, board by board, and re-assembled on another lot. As for Susette Kelo, she bought a house on the other side of the river, situated on a small hill overlooking the area where her former home once stood. In 2008, when the book was written, nothing had been built on any of those vacant lots. Pfiser, Inc. had located their headquarters elsewhere.

In 1975 Harvey Davis bought an abandoned train depot from the railroad and established his family owned automotive repair shop. He has been there ever since. In anticipation of the time when he would be forced to move he bought, in 2006, land a few miles away but now finds himself facing neighbohood opposition. They don't want the property rezoned for commercial use. The City of Winston-Salem has offered to pay Mr. Davis almost seven hundred thousand dollars plus moving expense but he doesn't think that is a fair value for his property and unless he can get his other property rezoned he has no place to go.
According to Fox News, City Officials of Winston-Salem claim they need the property in order to secure federal funding for a high speed rail project. NEWS FLASH! Presaident Obama has doggedly insisted on giving away more taxpayer money under the guise of building a high speed rail line while AMTRACK has yet to turn a profit. After being turned down by several states, it appears that he has found a taker in Winston-Salem, N.C..
Late last year the officials of Winston-Salem, having reached no compromise with Mr. Davis, filed for Eminent Domain. This is an on-going case and in many ways the Davis case is completely different from Kelo's Supreme Court battle but both appear to be the taking of private property for public use without adequate compensation. If it, too, goes to the Supreme Court it will probably be years before any decision will become final. Just as Kelo was, is it any wonder that Harvey Davis feel that he is being railroaded by the city.

The big news for the past few days has been, and will continue for a long time, the earthquake off the coast of Japan with the resulting Tsunami. That brought on non-stop coverage on television almost as though the rest of the world was standing still. Hopefully everything will be getting back to normal, if that will ever be possible, in a few weeks. Thanks for your time and input. Stay tuned, - William

Here on the Hill

2011-03-09T03:49:00.000-08:00

Has Spring Sprung?

{Up to this time I have written nothing about the problems in Wisconsin between the union and the state government which is controlled by the Republicans while the Democrats are Absent With Out Leave (AWOL). Tuesday afternoon I heard that Governor Mark Walker (R--Wi.) was thinking about offering the Democrats a compromise which prompted me to offer both sides a solution. Governor Walker and the Republicans could offer to take Collective Bargaining off the table if the unions would agree to split campaign donations evenly between the two major parties or allow each member to keep the part that was to be donated [to campaigns] and decide where they want their money to go. If they are looking for a compromise check this out.]

For the last two weeks we have had typical spring-like weather with some days feeling more like early summer, then a cold front comes through and we go back into late winter. We have also had our share of rain with a few thunderstorms. Here on the hill we have been doing some work outside, raking leaves, pulling weeds and transplanting flowers [general clean up], tilling for new flower beds and getting the garden ready for potatoes [just a few] cabbage [eight plants] and a pound of onion sets. We set up a table in the sun room and planted tomatoes, peppers, squash and cucumber seeds. It may have been the wrong time but we transplanted a row of garlic even though we hardly ever use it in any way.

I guess it was thirty or more years ago that I put pen to paper and attempted to write, what I had hoped to be, the lyrics for a song but the fact that it has never been recorded must mean that, if not a complete failure, it was not a notable success. It, too, was included in the book "Expedition to Nowhere" which was published and copyrighted in 1986. I feel like this is a good time to include it here.

"Make a Glass Eye Cry"

"I was sitting at the table playing a game of solitaire / when this slightly drunken gentleman said, can I pull up a chair / I said go right ahead my friend for I can use some company / but later on I couldn't believe the things he said to me.
Now you talk about your sad songs, I thought I'd heard them all / beginning with Hank Williams and later Tom T. Hall / when they sang about their troubles and the loves they had to die / but the stories he was telling Lord, would make a glass eye cry.

He sat there for about an hour talking about his woes / said trouble is my middle name, I know just how it goes / whatever it takes to break a heart I know what it's about / for when they passed out misery it wasn't me that got left out.
Now you talk about your sad songs, I thought I'd heard them all / beginning with Hank Williams and later Tom T. Hall / when they sang about their troubles and the loves they had to die / but the stories he was telling Lord, would make a glass eye cry."

Time, as they say, may be our greatest ally but in this case we're having a spell of stormy weather, most of the night and on into the morning but it is to be better for the next few days. Thanks for your time and input. Stay tuned. - William

P.S. Dear Seeker;

Are you the one who is the last of those immortal warriors who dedicated their lives to fighting the forces of the dark [darkness - evil]. If so I want to thank you for taking the time out of what must be an extremely busy schedule to comment on my last blog posting [March 3,]. Until now, I wasn't really sure anyone else was reading it. It is only my opinion and always subject to critical review. Anything expressed as an honest opinion or a fact [as to the Fair Tax] is welcomed. Thanks again for your comment. - William

P.P.S. On the other hand if that band of warriors was immortal then why was only one left? - William

The Budget

2011-03-03T03:38:00.000-08:00

Where to cut?

I'm not an economist, don't even play one on television, and can barely keep up with my own cash flow as some business owners like to say, but I believe I have learned enough in my lifetime to do better tham most of the, not only the present but most of the past, Presidental Administrations and their congresses.
My first step would be to freeze all new hiring by the Federal Government except in emergency situations [to be approved by Congress] along with capping Federal Employee's pay at the present level for at least one year. States could also benefit from this approach to balancing their own budgets. I'm sure this would need to be done as an act of Congress because our President probably wouldn't have the nerve to even mention it.

The next step could be the consolidation and elimination of the numerous Federal Government [overlapping] programs charged to overseeing part or all of the same programs. That should result in the saving of several billion dollars. That won't balance the budget but every little bit helps. Again, Congress would probably have to cut budgets and then the affected agencies would probably start by cutting high profile entities, as they usaually do, like libraries and parks in an effort to get public opinion on their side.

Then I would think about eliminating the Internal Revenue Service by changing the income tax, as we know it, to one of the simpler forms of taxation such as either the much touted Fair Tax, the Flat Tax or the Value Added Tax [VAT] although, at this time, I will admit that I don't know enough about either one of them to say how they would affect low income families but, in my opinion, anything would be better than what we have now.

Many people will say; "That's not enough to balance the budget. We'll have to raise the taxes on the super rich" but I don't think that is the answer either. Although I am not a fan of multi-million dollar athletes [I don't have to support them] or business executives who get their multi-millions in bonuses, it is those highly paid money people who, in one way or another, help create most of the jobs. What would we do without them? [I think I heard someone say that it cost almost two hundred and fifty thousand dollars for the Federal Government to create one job.] If the rich were taxed more, then they would have less money to create more jobs and if that money was paid into the Federal Treasury it, like ours, would be wasted. Again someone will say; "Not true, small business owners create most of the jobs, not rich people". That's true but they depend on loans to establish and run their businesses and those loans are funded by the investment or bank deposits made by those richer people. I don't believe I could make many loans to help someone start their own business. Could you?

Why do we need to fund agencies such as "ACORN" and "Planned Parenthood"? ACORN was, and still appears to be, a purely partisan political arm of the Democrat Party whose sole purpose in life it to further voting in that Democratic party and regardless of what some people claim, Planned Parenthood still uses taxpayer money to pay for abortions.
I know that's not enough to balance the budget but it would be a very good start and I'm sure I [and you also] can think of a lot more as we progress on down the road of life. Surely if the budget was raised over a trillion dollars in the last two years we can cut that much without losing anything we had in 2008. Can't we?
Now, when it all boils down, will our Congressional Republicans, led by the Tea Party, actually cut the budger in any meaningful way or will all sides continue to play the blame game? My belief is that they won't really do anything, they have it all set up, by all the talk [smoke screens] about having to cut Social Security and Medicare, so as to do nothing about balancing the budget and blame their inaction on polls showing that voters don't want them to cut those programs. It will be politics as usual.

I started this posting with these words; "I'm not an economist" so please tell me how you can raise taxes on the people who create the jobs and at the same time encourage them to create more jobs? I must be dense. Thanks for your time and input. Stay tuned - William

Stupid Is

2011-03-02T07:19:00.000-08:00

As stupid does

During the last few weeks I have been thinking about instituting a stupidity index but I haven't decided just how to go about it. One of my favorite columnist, in a paper I read several times a week, believes that most people are either uninformed or misinformed but isn't that caused by the smoke screen thrown up by the politicians (collectively) which is swallowed, hook, line and sinker, by the majority of the news readers (as opposed by news people). Where, then, to start. As for me, I know I do many stupid things, some out of ignorance (just not knowing any better) but others are from not really thinking through whatever I am doing or saying.
In that latter category I would list most of the politicians seen on television. As a group, most of them don't want to talk about the important issues, they just want to talk around them. I'm sure most of you have heard at least one version of this old adage; "It is better to keep your mouth shut and let people think you are stupid than to open it and erase all doubt". So, why do so many politicians love the cameras?

Several weeks ago we wrote to our Representative and one of our Senators about Social Security and how it relates to the budget but, as yet, we have received no reply. In the last two weeks we have e-mailed our other Senator three time about the same subject and received two form letters in reply which did not even attempt to address our concerns about Social Security. We have, at this writing, received no answer to that third e-mail. Our questions were quite simple; "Why do most politicians and newspeople claim that Social Security and Medicare must be cut because those two, so called, entitlements are taking up the largest part of the budget even though they are not even part of the budget". [See earlier posting] Social Security and Medicare are still being paid out of the "Social Security Trust Fund" which, in turn, is still funded by the FICA (payroll) taxes. Is that just the way they (politicians) are or do they have to go to school to learn how to answer a question with a question or non-answer?

If I remember correctly I wrote in an earlier posting that most people in Washington and New York appeared to be either brain washed, didn't have a brain to be washed or were trying to brain wash the rest of us. I didn't claim to know which one it was then and I still don't but I suspect it to be the last of the three. At this time the "Tea Partiers" are talking a good fight but will that translate into action when the going gets tough (rough) - and it will?

Even Rand Paul, "The Tea Party's Tea Partier", on Fox News Sunday (2-27-11) told Chris Wallace that Social Security must be changed, raise retirement age for future retirees under 55 years of age at this time, or in four or five years it would be consuming most of the budget with nothing left for other programs. Basically that is not true. You can change the retirement age today to 70 years of age for everyone under 55 years of age and it would not change the budget in any way. It would shore up Social Security and Medicare for future generations, and that would be great, but the (so-called) problem with Social Security and the budget is that the two and a half trillion dollars in IOUs in the "Social Security Trust Fund" will have to be borrowed, as needed, to pay benefits to retirees and for Medicare claims. Borrowing money to buy back those IOUs is what will affect the National debt but that still won't add to the budget simply because Social Security is not (by Law) part of the budget. Blowing smoke again. That borrowing more money to pay back Payroll tax money already spent is what the politicians don't want us to know. Just bame all the problems on us old fogies, never taking any blame upon themselves. We have very few courses of redress when even the news media believes their double-speak.

What I am asking is that you don't let their smoke screen blind you to what they are doing in Washington with the help of the media. I still haven't decided how to institute that stupidity index, maybe next time. Thanks for your time and input. Stay tuned. - William

A Tea Party

2011-02-27T03:03:00.000-08:00

Black, Green or Orange Pekoe

Long before there was any talk of a "Tea Party" and even before "Glenn Beck" got his daily hour in the spotlight there had already been dozens of letters and e-mails sent to Senators, Representatives, newspapers and other newspersons in what has, so far, turned out to be an exercise in futility. Shortly after the 2006 election a letter was written to one of the larger newspapers in this area, then updated after the 2008 election when it was posted in this blog on June 13, 2010 and titled "The Ditch." Part of that letter and subsequent posting is as follows.

"Even after the loss, by the Republicans, in 2006 of both Houses of Congress and the debacle of 2008, there are many who seem to have no idea what the problem was or how to right it which brings to mind a verse in the Bible where the Disciples came to Jesus and said, "Know Thou that the Parisees were offended by this saying" and Jesus answered and said, "Let them alone, they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall in the ditch".
Can anyone disagree with the premise that, at least, the National Republican Party has fallen into a very deep ditch? Too long in power, so it seems, has transformed very large egos into bright and shiny objects which appears to have blinded some to reality. Lest anyone should foolishly believe that the Democrat Party has been immune to the allure of this malady, there is more than enough evidence to convict many of them of that same egotistical mind-set."

More than twenty years ago we wrote and had published in a Memphis newspaper, a letter laying out our beliefs as to how abortion is murder and our standing by, saying and doing nothing, and allowing our tax money to pay for abortions on demand was making us a party to that murder. More than twenty years later we are still protesting the use of that money. Times haven't changed much.

On December 20, 2007 an article titled "Will History Repeat Itself" was published as a Guest Column in one of our larger daily newspapers. It is, in part, copied below.
"I don't believe that this war on terrorism (Al Qaeda) will ever be over, at least not in most of our lifetimes. It may become dormant and remain that way for years but just like a cancer in remission, it is still there and can erupt at any time. We must recognize it for what it is, an attempt to destroy our way of living and to rule the world, or we will be leaving ourselves open to that possibility." That column was posted on this blog on May 15, 2010 with followups on August 4, and August 8, 2010 and mentioned in others.

In a letter to one of our weekly newspapers in October of 2008 (before the election) we wrote; "Alex de Toqueville was born in France and came to America in 1831 when he was 25 years old. In 1835 he wrote Volume One of "Democracy in America" and Volume Two in 1840. The two Volumes were a study of the American people and their Political Institutions. The following is a direct quote from one of those books. "America will be a great country until the people learn that they can vote themselves money from the public Treasury, after that it will be a war of all against all with each person striving to get the greatest amount of free money possible." Have we passed the [point of no return] and fast approaching melt down?

Over the years there have been many other letters and e-mails sent out, some published, others not, most with no apparent signs of success but we tried. Thanks for your time and input. Stay tuned. - William

Knights Templar

2011-02-23T08:04:00.000-08:00

Of the Temple

Templars, the military religious "Order of the Poor Knights of Christ", founded in 1119, at the time of the crusades by Hugues de Payen and Godfrey de Saint Adhemar, with seven other Knights, taking on themselves the solomn vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience, and undertaking the defense of pilgrims to the Holy Places from the attacks of the Saracins. [Saracens was a term used by ancient Romans to refer to the Aramaic speaking people who inhabited the deserts near the Roman Province of Syria. Thus by the beginning of the crusades, a Saracen had become synonymous with "Muslim".]

Baldwin the Second, King of Jerusalem granted them quarters in his palace, built on the site of the Temple; hence the name of the order - "Knights Templar".
The active history of the Templars is the history of the crusades. At first none but Nobles or Knights were admitted but subordinate members were allowed for the menial work as the order grew great and wealthy. To them rather than to the miscellaneous hordes that periodically swarmed from Europe was due the long stay given to the infidel. [Note; From "The American Peoples Encyclopedia"] Twenty thousand Templars perished in the attempt to hold the Holy Place of the Christian Religion for Christendom and most of their Grand Masters died on the field of honor or from wounds recieved in battle. They helped Richard Coeur de Lion (King Richard 1 the Lionhearted of England) to win the great victory at Arsuf (and probably Acre) in 1191, and from him they bought the island of Cyprus.

Then in 1307 Philip, King of France, being in an impoverished condition, cast greedy eyes on the treasures possessed by the Templars and directed Pope Clement V to summon the Grand Master to appear before him. The Grand Master, Jaques De Molay, answered the summons and on October 16, 1307, he and 140 Templars were seized and thrown into prison. Torture was freely used to establish evidence. Many Templars were burned to death and their property was conficated. By 1314, after the execution of Molay, the order came to an end. It has been said that some of the bloodiest wars in history were fought in the name of religion. [Note; I have, for many years, believed that history, if ignored, would tend to repeat itself which leads me to think it is in the process of doing just that at this time.]

In the book "Generations, A Thousand Year Family History" written by Ralph Sanders with his sisters, Carole Sanders and Peggy Sanders Van Der Heide, there is a chapter championing the life and times of Sir Leonard de Sanderstead. These lines are taken from that book; "Who then was Sir Leonard de Sanderstead? Although our knowledge of him stems from a single record, the record itself is particularly fertile. We find reference to Sir Leonard in a seventeenth-century document called "Advenie de Carmathenshire" [They came to Carmarthenshire], indicating that Sir Leonard once held land in that County of South Wales. The record further indicates that he had at some point acquired knighthood and bore a Coat of Arms ---." These records also stated that Sir Leonard had, at least one son, Richard who sold land at Sanderstead in 1234. Thus the time line Ralph Sanders used to set Sir Leonard's birth date at about 1175 but I believe it probably was closer to 1150 and he was a contemporary of King Richard the Lionheart who led the Third Crusade. He probably was either a knight in King Richard's army or a member of the Knights Templar. Was he one of my ancestors? I don't know for sure but according to Ralph Sanders' book he probably was. About 25 or 26 generations ago.

I won't go any farther into geneology today but I guess it is natural for some people to dig into their past looking for a famous ancestor or two. Thanks for your time and input. Stay tuned. - William

Wars and Rumors of Wars

2011-02-20T10:06:00.000-08:00

But the time is not yet?

It is really disheartening, except for the war in Afganistan,riots and protests in Egypt, Tunisia, Bahrain, Lybia and Iran, the insurrection in Wisconsin, the fighting over cuts (including "Planned Parenthood")in the budgets for the rest of this year and the one for 2012 and other sundry happenings that most people tend to ignore there just isn't very much to write about. Is that what some writers call "Writer's Block?" Not being a writer, I wouldn't know.

On page 108 of volume 1, "Outline of History" from the "Pocket Library of the World's Essential Knowledge" written by Albert Sheppard and John Seybold Morris, published and copyrighted in 1929 by Funk and Wagnalls Company, is the following passage concerning King Alexander of Macedonia (Greece) and his intention of uniting the East and the West for the first time since the Tower of Babel.
"While these projects were going forward, they were nevertheless but minor parts of a larger plan. Arabia must be added as a Jewel to Alexander's Crown; and distant, thriving Phenician Carthage, on the North African shore of the Mediterranean, must perforce give up its isolation and take its place within this Empire. [Man proposes, but oftentime another power over which he has no control disposes.] Alexander's life at thirty-three had had more packed into it than ordinarily falls to the lot of the most adventurous life privileged to live its normal span of three-score years and ten". (On the eleventh of June, 323 B.C., while not yet thirty-three years of age he passed away.)

[Note] [That is probably where the phrase, used in conjunction with the budget (The President proposes and Congress disposes) comes from.]

Skipping ahead and beginning on page 219 we find these words: "Yet again in our story of civilization do we see West and East come into armed conflict. The Moslems had gained possession of the sacred places in and around Jerusalem. In its effort to rescue these places from the infidel, Europe almost tore itself from its foundations. Christendom hurled its power against the moslems.
By the close of the tenth century the Seljuk Turks were in possession of Palestine and Syria, and the holy places were in their hands. Pilgrims returned with stories of harrowing experiences at the hands of the Turks; some were robbed, others were brutally ill-treated, others were killed. Europe had cause to fear the brutal force of these Turks; Christians everywhere looked upon them as emissaries of Satan himself." [Note] Then came the crusades.
"For two hundred years -- with ebb and flo -- the tramp of Crusaders marching to the East resounded through Europe. The suffering and torture they endured no pen could describe. Motives were mixed and varied as they naturally would be. --- Prince, Noble and Knight thrilled to the great adventure; while many dreamed of large kingdoms carved out of fair Eastern Lands. But all in vain; the main objectives were never permenently realized; the Near East still lies under the rule of Islam." [Note] With some changes those fair Eastern Lands are still under the control of those Moslems (Islam).

Another chapter of this story belongs to the Knights Templar but that is for another time. Thanks for your time and input. Stay tuned. --William

Too Many Lies

2011-02-16T03:28:00.000-08:00

And other misdemeanors.

Monday - February 14, 2011
A few weeks ago I heard a Democrat Representative from Tennessee say that if you tell a lie often enough many people will believe it. That surely must be what is going on in Washington by both Democrats and Republicans with the news people throwing in their two cents worth. I thought I had already included the law passed by a bi-partisan congress in 1990 which outlined how surplus money in the Social Security Trust Fund (FICA tax) is to be used but a quick scan of earlier postings failed to turn it up. I am including it here.

The Social Security Trust Fund is the means by which the Federal Government accounts for excess paid in contributions from workers and employers to the Social Securitry System that are not required to fund current benefit payments to retirees, survivors and the disabled or to pay Administrative expenses. These surpluses are invested in "Special United States Government Securities". The Trust Fund is "Off Budget" and treated seperately from other Federal spending. From the United States Code; Exclusion of Social Security from all budgets, Pub.L 101-508, Title X111, Sec. 13301 (a), Nov 5, 1990, 104 Stat: 1388-623, provided that notwithstanding any other provision of law, the receipts and disbursement of the Federal Old Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund and the Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund shall not be counted as new budget authority, outlays, receipts, or deficit or surpluses for purposes of (1) the budget of the United States as submitted by the President, (2) the congressional budget or (3) The Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985.

There it is. You decide who is telling the truth.

Tuesday - February 15, 2011
A few days ago I sent the following e-mail to one of my United States Senators. "In the last few weeks I have contacted both [one of my Senators] and [my Representative] to no avail. I would very much like to know why Social Security and Medicare gets all the blame for the budget deficits. From everyone on television I hear statements like - We can't balance the budget without cutting Social Security and Medicare or - The entitlement programs make up 40 percent of the budget. By all means, reform Social Security and Medicare to ensure that it will be there for future generations but you know, as well as I do, that except for Treasury borrowing money to buy back some of the IOUs in the "Social Security Trust Fund" to pay future benefits it has nothing what-so-ever to do with the budget or deficits. Anyone who says that we have to cut Social Security and Medicare to balance the budget or even lower the deficit is just blowing smoke and you, being from Tennessee, know[what] I am talking about". (Brackets [ ] are where edited to exclude names)

Yesterday I got this response from that Senator but I don't think it addressed my concerns. " Thank you for getting in touch with me and letting me know what's on your mind regarding Social Security.
I will not support any proposal that reduces the guaranteed Social Security benefits on which our nation's seniors depend. Seniors rely on their monthly Social Security check. Long-term projections warning that Social Security expenses will eventually exceed the program's income have prompted Congress to discuss ways in which the system can be reformed so that it will continue to provide the benefits guaranteed to present beneficiaries while remaining strong enough to provide benefits to the next generation of retirees. As long as we do not undermine these guaranteed benefits, I'm open to considering pilot programs that allow workers to manage their own retirement funds, create individual security accounts, and fund individual retirement accounts that individuals control themselves."

Wednesday - February 16, 2011
It is my belief that the above e-mail is a form letter sent to anyone who happens to inquire about Social Security. Maybe all that talk about cutting Social Security and Medicare really is a smoke screen designed to get the general public numbed down to the point that we won't realize what is happening so when they let America go bankrupt they can say; But we didn't cut Social Security or Medicare, and get away with it. Is it working?
A final word to the powers that be. At this time there is two and a half trillion dollars worth of IOUs sitting quietly in the Social Security Trust Fund that over the next several years will need to be redeemed to pay Social Security and Medicare benefits. When that becomes necessary it will raise the National debt even higher than it is now. Is that what you are afraid to admit?
Thanks for your time and input. Stay tuned - William

Mubarak and Snow

2011-02-13T04:38:00.000-08:00

When will they go?

Thursday - February 10, 2011
First a note about my last post (yesterday). I accidentally clicked publish when I finished Tuesday and it dated it at that time. I had to go in and save it as a draft so I could add Wednesday's to it but I couldn't change the day and date. I'll try not to do that again.
About 2:00 yesterday afternoon it began to snow, lightly at first but by 2:30 it was really coming down.Since the ground was already frozen I'm sure none of it melted. By 6:00 it was all over, with about 2 inches on the ground. Today is the day we usually go to Corinth to shop and visit family but we decided to pospone the trip until next week (Monday maybe). Most of the snow will be gone by night, just leaving slush. It is warming up some here and for a while we thought it was cooling off in Egypt but as the day wears on we're not so sure. About 3:00 this afternoon President Mubarak of Egypt announced that he would not be stepping down, citing outside pressure from foreign governments. Like me, he doesn't appreciate someone else telling him he has to go and go NOW. Here, at 4:00 on this Thursday afternoon,in my opinion, the best solution to the problem in Egypt might be for the Egyptian Army to arrest President Mubarak and hold him somewhere out of sight until after elections are held. That way no one could accuse him of caving in to another country.

Friday - February 11, 2011
I was really hoping that when I turned the television on this morning the news would be that the Egyptian Army had already arrested President Mubarak and was holding him in an undisclosed location but, alas, that was not to be. (At least most of the snow is gone).
At about 10:00 I was sitting in the doctor's office when someone turned the television on to breaking news out of Egypt. Sure enough, President Mubarak had just announced that he was stepping down and turning the country over to the Army and the Vice-president. It isn't exactly what I was hoping for but if the Army exerts enough control so as to keep the Muslim Brotherhood in check things may have a chance to work themselves out to the good. Let's hope and pray that they will.

Saturday - February 12, 2011
Still warming up here and now appears to be cooling off in Egypt. Maybe things will turn out like they expected them to but for some reason I have my doubts. I guess we'll find out soon enough but I still just can't trust that Moslim Brotherhood.
They have been holding a big (pep) rally in Washington with all the prospective "Republican Presidential Candidates" making speeches, each one trying to outdo the others. I don't believe there is much difference in any of them.
I hadn't made any plans as to planting a garden this year but the way prices on everything keeps going up and with the price of gasoline predicted to be near four dollars a gallon I might better rethink the situation out here on the hill. Maybe I can grow a few tomatoes, some peppers and a few beans or peas. Anything would be a help, I guess.

Sunday - February 13, 2011
Several weeks ago our electricity went off during the night and we didn't, at that time, have a flashlight (but we do now) so I found our matches, I knew where I could find a candle but while stumbling around in the dark I caught a toenail on a table leg and almost lost it. That's about how I am with a computer, stumbling around in the dark. I had been thinking I was seeing a little daylight but now I don't really know. Thank you all for your time and input. Stay tuned. - William

Winter Blues

2011-02-08T19:47:00.000-08:00

And other news.

Monday - February 7, 2011
A new beginning. For the next few days I intend to write brief articles on some subject which is pertinent at the time. For us, here on the hill, it has already been a long, hard winter with several more weeks to go regardless of what that "Groundhog", who didn't see his shadow, said. The most of the news over the weekend either had to do with Egypt, O'Reilley's interview with the President or the Super Bowl. I don't know which one was most exciting, I didn't watch much of either one. I did read an article in the newspaper about how gasoline mixed with ethanol was really bad for lawn mowers and weed trimmers. It appears that ethanol and gasoline will "seperate in moist enough conditions -- leaving fuel tanks and carburetor bodies on mowers and weed trimmers susceptible to corrosion due to typical, sparing usage. Most people don't leave a car sitting a month or two months before they run it. That's why they are getting away with it in automobiles." (Daily Corinthian, January 6, 2011) I guess you could say that we have had a fairly damp winter so far. It snowed again this morning but it was too damp for any accumulation. Maybe Wednesday.

Tuesday - February 8, 2011
On Wednesday November 24, 2010, in my blog posting titled "Wake up America (and smell the manure)" I wrote about the "Social Security Trust Fund" and the way it is being maligned by both politicians and news people alike which, to me, was beginning to cause a bad smell to waft out of Washington and New York. Today that stench is growing even stronger. Bill O'Reilly, in his much bally-hooed interview of President Obama during the Super Bowl game kept silent and let Obama get away with telling the world that our Federal Budget deficit could not be reduced without cutting Social Security and Medicare. Never mind that those programs are paid out of the "Social Security Trust Fund" which, in turn, is funded by the FICA (payroll) tax and by a law passed, by a government completely controlled by democrats, in 1990 are, emphatically, not to be counted as part of the United States Budget, neither surplus nor deficit. Up until this time the payroll tax had fully funded, with money left over to go into IOUs to go into the Social Security Trust Fund. After President Obama asked for and received a two percentage points cut in the payroll tax for this year, there probably won't be enough to pay all benefits therefore the Treasury will have to borrow more money to buy back some of those IOUs. Isn't that really what Washington is worried about? Like the saying goes, "You can fool all the people some of the time and some of the people all of the time but you can't fool all of the people all of the time. Come on America, WAKE UP.

Wednesday - February 9, 2011
I guess you could say that the latest fad in Washington, i.e., the Federal Government, is the bailing out of states for one reason or another. It doesn't seem to make much difference what it is. Today it just happens to be for money already owed to the Federal Government by some states to cover their share of the unemployment checks already sent out or soon will be. It appears that those states will have to raise taxes on businesses to cover their shortfall if the Feds don't act quickly. I have heard two different stories as to how this bailout would work and everyone knows that we need, at least, three or more versions before we can make an informed decision on the merits of the case. I heard that the President wanted money included in the budget to bail out certain states but another story claims he is only asking that payment on money owed be deferred until a more convenient time. My opinion is, why not give the states an extension on the deadline for repayment? Maybe we'll know more in a few days.

I'll try this format for a while and see how it works out. This way I don't have to work on the computer so long at one time. Thanks for your time and input. Stay tuned.- William

Egypt Today

2011-02-06T08:06:00.000-08:00

But gone tomorrow?

The news for the past two weeks has been dominated by the bad news out of Egypt. I have opinions about how some of the situations have been handled but I'm not a diplomat and I'm not applying for a job. I know from my own experience that when someone tells me I can't - I usually do and when they say I've got to - I usually don't. Needless to say, I would not have gone on television and condemned President Mubarak of Egypt, a man who some call a dictator but one who had been a friend to the United States for over thirty years and was a stabilizing force in the Middle East. He is also (or was) a friend to Israel but it is unclear what the outcome of all those protest will be. Does anyone remember what happened when we misplayed the situation in Iran while Jimmy Carter was President in 1979? If the "Muslim Brotherhood" gains control over Egypt it could spread throughout the entire area. Another Iran perhaps?

Have you read or, more importantly, do you remember the history of "Mohammedanism" (Islam), when Mohammed burst upon the scene in 611 A.D.? This passage was taken from The "Pocket Library of the World's Essential Knowledge" published in 1929. "In Medina a vision came from God to Mohammad, at a convenient hour, informing him that if his countrymen will not be persuaded by fair words then the sword must be the instrument of their salvation. Then began the era of bloody evangelism ---. Soon after Mohammad's death the Muslims began their Holy war against the pagens and more particularly against the infidels, meaning the Hebrews and Christians." By 750 A.D.they controlled everything from Spain to Persia including what was then called Palestine (Israel).

In 691 A.D. the Caliph ABD El-Malik built the "Dome of the Rock" Mosque on the Holiest of the Jewish Holy Sites where Solomon built the first Temple and Ezra and Nehemiah later rebuilt. The Crusades (Knights Templar) dominated the years from 1099 A.D. until 1291 A.D.. These were especially bloody wars but if not for them the Muslims would have probably owned the world by now. We may need to call the Templar out of retirement.

We will be watching and listening to the news for the next few days or weeks to see how things work out. Until then, thanks for your time and input. Stay tuned, - William

Extra, Extra

2011-02-02T19:29:00.000-08:00

Read some more

"Fools rush in where Angels fear to tread." That may be my fate today but I believe I should expand on the part of yesterday's posting which had to do with abortion. I said and I quote; "absolutely no tax money going for abortion except in certain cases." On the surface the issue of abortion appears to be divided into at least three parts and maybe a fourth which would be, "don't care one way or the other."

The three main divisions are pro-abortion, pro-choice and pro-life with the easiest of these for me to defend would naturally be pro-life. My belief is that no abortion should be performed except in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother. Because I believe that life begins at conception then, to me, an abortion would be murder. The United States Supreme Court ruled in the case of "Roe Versus Wade" that an abortion was constitutional and whether we agree with them or not that is still the law of the land.

Pro-choicers believe that regardless of constitution or law they have the right to an abortion if they so choose and they are right as long as "Roe V. Wade" remains the law of the land. The only way this law can be changed is by the Supreme Court and I can't see that happening in the near future or even in the mid-distant future. That case is probably closed.

As for pro-abortioners, I don't believe that takes a lot of explaining so I won't try very hard. A person who has been labeled as pro-abortion is not that much different from other divisions. The pro-abortion person tends to lean one way, the pro-lifer leans the other way and pro-choicer can lean in any direction with the don't care group just going on their own way. Of course the pro-abortion and pro-life groups have the law on their side.

The citizens of the United States are very widely split on the matter of abortion and even if you don't agree with the Supreme Court decision it is still, at this time, the law. There is nothing we can do to change this law except protest. The Constitution of the United States guarantees us the right of "Redress" (the right to express our grievances) but all those protest and the expressing of grievances should and must be done peacefully and with full regard to the rights of others.That is all that is expected of us.

The opinions expressed all all mine and I do so realizing that everyone else has the right to their own opinions. Thanks for your time and input. Stay tuned. - William

Extra, Extra, Extra

2011-02-01T03:26:00.000-08:00

Read all about it

About 2:00 pm Central Standard time on Monday January 31, 2011, a United States District Judge, Roger Vinson, in Florida ruled that the "Individual Mandate" (the forcing of individuals to buy insurance) was unconstitutional and could not be severed from the rest of "Obamacare" which resulted in the entire Health Care Law being struck down. While, in my opinion, that was good news the fight is far from over. The Administration, within hours of the Judge's decision, announced that it had been appealed and whatever decision the Appeal Court makes will be appealed to the United States Supreme Court. The final decision is probaly a long way off. The only likely way it can be kept out of the Supreme Court is if this decision coupled with the earlier decision in Virginia gives the Administration the incentive to seek a compromise in order to save some of the most popular parts of the health care law which is now in limbo. I am in favor of some kind of law dealing with pre-existing conditions and could agree with children staying on parents insurance until age 26. That would have helped us when ours were that age. Of course you already know that I favor tort reform (medical liability), insurance sold over state lines, absolutely no tax money going for abortions except in certain cases and since the states don't seem to be doing their job we may need some kind of Federal oversight to keep insurance companies in line.

On the same day it was announced that former representative Newt Gingrich came out in favor of a law mandating that all cars be capable of running on a mixture of gasoline and ethanol. Even though I already buy that mixture I'm not really happy with it because I get at least 1 mile less per gallon of gas on it and ethanol being subsidized is not helping with our debt. Also the using of grain to make ethanol is causing a shortage of corn and wheat which drives up the prices of many of our necessities. If we are to mandate the use of ethanol in our gasoline then we should go one step farther and think about lifting the embargo on the importation of it from South America. I'm sure we can work out some kind of deal with our southern neighbors. It's something to think about.

This, being an Extra and as it should be, turned out to be shorter but if you have nothing else to say then you should just shut up. Right? Thanks for your time and input. Stay tuned. -William

The Golden Horn of Plenty

2011-01-30T04:00:00.000-08:00

Now Running Dry.

Almost seventy-five years ago President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked for, Congress passed and he signed into law the Social Security Act, officially called the "Federal old Age and Survivors Insurance Act". This program was financed by a small FICA (payroll) tax on employees and employers alike which was paid into a special fund within the Federal Treasury to be used exclusively to pay benefits to the elderly, disabled and in some cases their survivors. Being quite young at the time, I don't know exactly what controls were put into place to ensure that this money would be there when needed but I'm sure there must have been a plan.

Not knowing what that plan was caused me to try to envision, how it might have worked then and why it is so maligned today. If you will bear with me now and picture in your mind a large Golden Horn of plenty, large enough to hold many years of deposits from that payroll tax, with an overflow pipe connected directly to the Federal Treasury Department.

In 1965, as part of President Lyndon Johnson's "Great Society" program a bi-partisan Congress passed and he signed the Medicare bill as an amendment to the "Social Security Legislation" and raised the FICA (Payroll) tax to 7.68 percent on employers and employees alike with 1.45 percent going to Medicare and the balance to Social Security. By this time the Horn of plenty was beginning to fill up and may have been near the point of overflowing. By 1990 the surpluses were overflowing into the Treasury Department with no real plan as to how to handle it so Congress created the "Social Security Trust Fund" as a depository into which the Treasury Department can deposit the "Special Government Securities" (IOUs) which represent the surplus or overflow money from the Golden Horn of Plenty. Now that Horn only holds operating capital, just what it takes to pay Social Security and Medicare benefits along with a part of Medicaid with the other two and a half trillion dollars being in the Trust Fund in the form of securities or IOUs.

A few years ago the Social Security Trust Fund was due to reach the break even point, when the income would equal the outgo in benefits, about 2012 but in December of 2010 in the process of extending the President Bush era tax cuts for all taxpayers a compromise was reached which included the cutting of two percentage points from the payroll tax, which would amount to about 143 billion dollars. Now that break even point will probably be reached this year. It is my opinion that the reaching of that break even point is causing most of the fear mongering today. Social Security and Medicare are not, at this time, taking any money, other than payroll tax money, from the Federal Treasury and does not contribute to the budget deficit or the balooning of our national debt. Whenever the time comes that Social Security needs more money to pay benefits than is coming in from the payroll tax then the Treasury will be forced to borrow money to buy back some of those IOUs. That will add to the National debt.

To sum it all up, just picture this; A giant Golden Horn of Plenty with money flowing in from all directions. It can not hold it all and is overflowing into a pipe which carries it directly into the Federal Treasury Department where it is exchanged for IOUs. These IOUs are deposited into the Social Security Trust Fund where they will remain until the amount of money needed to pay all Social Security and Medicare benefits passes the amount coming in from payroll taxes. At that time Treasury will have to borrow money to buy back some of those IOUs and someone will have to explain where and why that money was spent with nothing to show for it. Well, that time has come and many politicians and some news people don't know how to explain it so they just blame us old people for living so long. I'm sorry but I just don't think it is my fault

Thanks for your time and input. Stay tuned, - William

Unfathomable

2011-01-26T04:01:00.000-08:00

Or just plain Stupid

AAH YES! The State of the Union Address. Did you watch it? Did you Listen to it? Did you hear anything new? If so, did you believe it? I neither watched nor listened because I knew I could hear anything worthwhile (or otherwise) today (many times).

I thought about not even writing anything today after finding the post written months ago, saved but never published until yesterday but I had nothing else to do so here I am plinking away on my keyboard.

Even though I don't have all those fancy degrees after my name and I have never traveled very far out of my home state, I have never before considered myself to be stupid. But now, after dozens of attempts to explain the fallacy of the contentions, of most politicians, that Social Security and Medicare are, in their own words "The biggest drain on our national Budget", and with no visible results, either way, (in other words, being ignored) I am almost to the point of believing that I am. I have promised myself, several times, that I would give up the fight and let someone else do it but I have children and grandchildren who will be harmed immensely if this once great nation is allowed to continue to travel on the road to destruction.

One more time; If Social Security and Medicare could be restructured in such a way as to be revenue neutral, that is bringing in from the payroll tax the exact amount it takes to pay all benefits, stretching into infinity so that the two and a half trillion dollars in IOUs held by the Social Security Trust Fund would never need to be cashed in, the politicians wouldn't have to explain why they stood by and watched, at the least, the Trust Fund money being used as a high stakes slush fund.

I don't want to get bogged down again in long, drawn out explanations of the differences in viewpoints of most politicians and the, so called, comman man so that's it for today. Thanks for your time and input. Stay tuned, -William

Executive Order

2011-01-25T18:51:00.000-08:00

No money for abortions.

The Executive Order signed by President Obama on May 24, 2010, two days after he signed "Obamacare" into law is copied, in part, below.

"The act establishes a new Community Health Service (CHS) fund within Health and Human Services (HHS) which provides additional Federal Funds for the Community Health Center Program. Existing law prohibits these Centers from using Federal Funds to provide abortion services (except in the case of rape or incest or when the life of the woman would be endangered), as a result of both the Hyde Amendment and long standing regulations containing the Hyde language. Under the act, the Hyde language shall apply to the authorization and appreopriation of funds for Community Health Centers under Section 10503 and all other revelent provisions. I hereby direct the Secretary of HHS to ensure that program administrators and recipients of Federal funds are aware of and comply with the limitations on abortion services imposed on CHS by existing law. Such actions should include, but are not limited to, updating grant policy statements that accompany CHS grants and issueing new interpretive rules."

In my opinion, the key words in the above Executive Order are; "Limitations on abortion services imposed on CHS by existing law" and "Updating grant policy statements that accompany CHS and issueing new interpretive rules". Since the Order was signed two days after the Health Care Bill became law then "Obamacare" was the existing law. Interpretive rules can change a law into whatever they want it to be.

I believe that the Executive Order which Representative Bart Stupak got in exchange for his vote on "Obamacare" is worthless. We probably won't know for sure until after the election in 2012. If President Obama is re-elected, I predict that Federal tax money will be used to pay for abortions unless new laws are passed or "Obamacare" is repealed. Thanks for your time. Stay tuned - William

I knew I had written this article not long after the fact but couldn't find it on the blog. while looking through my previous postings I found that it had been saved but never posted. Now it has been. Thanks, William

A Brick Wall

2011-01-23T09:48:00.000-08:00

Without a Door.

First an announcement, as of January 19, 2011 WildBlue Satellite has been dis-installed. We will, for the time being, be using NetZero dial-up service which will be slower but more reliable.

Sometime around Thanksgiving of 2009 I began a one man campaign against "Obamacare" by e-mailing my Senators, most everyone on Fox News, (as much as I hate to admit that I watch Fox News that much), newspapers and talking to anyone who would listen. I wanted someone (the more the better) to help me protest the twice use of money saved in the Medicare program by cutting payments to doctors and hospitals and / or cutting waste and fraud in Medicare (which probably wouldn't or couldn't be done), then using that phantom money to both shore up the Social Security Trust Fund for future generations and used a second time to help fund "Obamacare". The Administration claims they can save a half trillion dollars over ten years from those cuts (that probably would never happen) to be used to make "Obamacare" appear to save money. David Copperfield would be proud of a trick like that.

Some of my e-mails were also in defense of Social Security and Medicare against the claims that those two programs are the biggest drain on our National Budget and must be cut before we can lower the budget deficit and by extension the National Debt. Now I fear that the time has come to just throw up my hands, turn off my computer and try to forget it all but, just for fun, I'll make one more short presentation of facts or as near as can be ascertained. At the end of 2009 "The Social Security Trust Fund", which pays all Social Security and Medicare benefits, had a surplus of two and a half trillion dollars. The year 2010 added about another 77 billion dollars to that surplus. This money all came from the FICA or what most of us call "payroll" taxes. Yes, I know, that the Trust Fund money was invested in "Special Government Securities" and then that money was used by our Government to pay for other programs which were not backed by trust funds. Those Government Securities are backed by the full force of our Government and are due and payable upon demand.

Within the next few years that trust fund will reach the breakeven point (income will equal outgo) and that point will get here even earlier now that the President and Congress cut two percentage points off the payroll tax for the next year. Until we reach that break even point, Social Security and Medicare will still be fully self-funded (pay as you go) and will have nothing to do with the deficit. There just won't be as much surplus coming in, from the payroll tax, to be used for other un-funded programs. The biggest problem for the politicians is that when the Trust Fund needs more of its money to pay Social Security and Medicare benefits the Treasury will have to borrow the money to buy back some of those Government Securities and that will add to the deficit and the National debt. Some people are going to great lengths to make it appear that Social Security and Medicare are the culprits in the huge deficits being run up today but that simply isn't true.

Yes, again I know, Social Security and Medicare will be on the brink in a few years and needs to be reformed - the sooner the better. I have already suggested one way to shore up the Social Security Trust Fund and pay down the National debt but have had no takers at this time. I am willing to forfeit between one and five percent of my almost eight hundred dollars a month Social Security check to be returned to the Trust Fund to help keep it solvent for future generations IF all Federal and State employees (and other highly paid workers) will agree to give up the same percentage to help pay down the National and State debts. I will also agree that the retirement age should be raised, especially for full benefits. If we started with the present retirement age and raised it one year every five to ten years it should work out okay. With IRAs and 401Ks most people should have better retirement opportunities in the future.

I won't hold my breath until someone else agrees with me on these propsals but don't blame me for the bankrupting of America. My time is up for today. Thanks for your time and input, stay tuned - William

Pre-existing Conditions

2011-01-19T03:12:00.000-08:00

And other trivia.

Whether you are an occasional reader or a regular, I urge you to check out the posting titled "California Dreamin'" at , tomallen3.blogspot.com .

What, exactly, is going on in Washington? What is so important about the "Pre-existing Conditions" segment in the Health Care Law that was passed in 2010 but doesn't take effect until 2014? One claim against the repeal of "Obamacare" is that anyone with pre-existing conditions could not buy insurance. What makes that different from what it is now? Last month I attempted to change my Medicare Supplemental Insurance from my present carrier to a competitor with lower rates but was turned down because of a pre-existing condition. This was during "Open Enrollment", whatever that means. My condition is not life threatening or one likely to cause excessive doctor's treatment. In fact, my appointments are to see a Technician twice a year and my Doctor once a year. I suppose that is too much.

A Mexican family, with the help of an American attorney, filed a 25 million dollar lawsuit against the United States on behalf of their 15 year old son who was killed by a Border Patrol Agent. It has been alleged that the attack on the Agents was part of a human smuggling operation. It is also alleged that the 15 year old, along with others, was throwing rocks at the officer who fired the fatal shot. I don't know what the situation was but in the tape shown on television there appeared to be several rocks (or objects) flying through the air toward the agents. My question is; did that Mexican family come into the United States, look in the Yellow Pages, pick a lawyer at random, go to that address and hire him / her or did that lawyer go to Mexico and hire a client to front a multi-million dollar lawsuit? You be the judge in this case.

Various commentators on television have referred to Islam as "One of the world's great religions." If they were referring to sheer volume that might be true but if it is a claim of virtue then, in my opinion, someone should go back to their history books and study the birth and avowed purpose of Islam. In this blog, at least four postings (May 15th, August 1st, August 4th, and August 8th), were written in part or in whole about what I consider to be a direct threat to Christianity. Islam may be one of the world's great religions but at the same time it is, again in my opinion, one of the greatest enemys of almost all other religions. Convert by the sword or die by the sword, if not their motto was and may still be their philosephy.

The snow from last week is almost all gone but the weatherman has been telling us to be prepared for more about Thursday (tomorrow) afternoon. I don't think I need any more. Thanks for your time and input, stay tuned. - William

Wrong Tax Cut

2011-01-16T02:18:00.000-08:00

It Adds to the Deficit.

I know I watch too much television. There, I admit it but what can I do about it? At this time the temperature is in the thirty to forty degree range outside (a little warmer inside) and large parts of the ground are still covered with the snow that fell almost a week ago.

Yesterday morning I heard a newsreader say that the two percent payroll (FICA) tax cut was now in effect and would mean that workers would save (what I understand to be) about 143 billion dollars a year. I heard nothing about what that would mean to Social Security and Medicare or the budget deficit. This year the money payed into the Social Security Trust Fund through the payroll tax (before the two percent cut) would have been about what will be paid out in Social Security and Medicare benefits but after that cut the Federal Treasury will have to borrow that much (143 billion dollars) more money to buy back some of those "Special Government Securities" (in the Trust Fund Lockbox) (ha-ha) in order to keep Social Security afloat. Then that will be blamed on us seniors who are retired.

All that talk about cutting the deficit by a hundred billion dollars has been rendered null and void by the misguided vote of congress and a few strokes of the President's pen. How ironic.

A few days ago e-mails were sent out to seven would-be newspeople using the same text which is copied below.

"In a posting on williamlee100.blogspot.com titled "Wake up America" and dated Nov. 24, 2010 you can find in the first paragraph these words; "That money has been, and probably still is, been used as what amounts to a high stake slush fund."

At about 5:30 pm central time on Brett Baier's "Special Report", Jim Angle when referring to the problems with Social Security and what had happened to the more than $2.5 trillion in the Social Security Trust Fund made this remark; "Some people call it a slush fund."

Could there be a connection or is Fox News just now catching up?"

Needless to say, there has been no comment in response to those e-mails but on the otherhand, I wasn't expecting any. I think I will send a copy of this posting to my U.S. Representative along with my thanks for her good work. Meanwhile thanks for your time and input, stay tuned - William

Politics as Usual

2011-01-13T03:28:00.000-08:00

Jump right in

Never mind waiting, even a few hours, for the facts (in any given situation) to be brought out. There are too many narrow-minded people ready to jump right in and start agitating, within hours of that tragedy in Tucson the blame game had already started. The alleged shooter, Jared Loughner, was accused of many different agendas but after the evidence began to come in it appears that his main problem is mental. When a person, as alleged, hears voices in his own head he probably isn't listening to the outside world. In today's society, how do you handle such a problem?

The rush to get on the air with their own agenda was, in my opinion, a rush to justice by individuals and parties anxious to exploit the situation by blaming everything on the gun lobby, conservatives in general and people like Sarah Palin in particular but regretfully not much blame as to their own party's involvement. If there is to be blame placed on political rhetorics it probably should be bi-partisan.

As I sit here at my computer, I've been thinking about a way of life that I can't understand. I am not a typist and am barely computer literate. The average 10 year old knows more about all those electronic gadgets you can find on the market today. I don't regret growing up when I did but I can't help reflect on the changes that have taken place even in the last fifty years. For people like us, our children and grandchildren are the NOW generations and we pray that they will be up to the challenge, will step up to the plate and made this world even better than it is now. Believe me, that will be a challenge and they will need all of our prayers.

If you listen to the news, at all, you know that there are too many acts of violence taking place in our towns and cities in the United States of America and all around the world. Pray for change. That's the kind of change we need. "He said you've got to pray for your fellow man so this time, this one is just for you." Thanks for your time and input, stay tuned. - William

Tragedy in Tucson

2011-01-10T02:39:00.000-08:00

Many prayers are needed

For whatever reason, we didn't have our television on yesterday morning and when I turned it on about one o'clock pm the tragedy in Tucson was already in progress. Naturally, my first thoughts and prayers were that no one was seriously injured. As you already know, that's not the way it turned out but everyone involved, in any way, still need all our prayers. I can't even imagine what a person is thinking when they commit such an act but, as hard as it might be, we should all pray for the shooter too.

I have only seen Representative Giffords on television but from her coverage by the newsmedia she has almost become a household name and if I might be so bold I would like to send this out to her.

"To Gabby"

Last week I heard a man on the radio / preaching about the things we need to do / he said, you've got to pray for your fellow man / so this time, this one is just for you / Lord, may her next twenty years be as happy as the last / don't let the sparkle in her eyes fade away / may she never have a reason to doubt that You are with her / and send her an extra blessing today / never let her troubles be more than she can bear / then help her through the darkness before the dawn / and if the time should come when she thinks that You're not with her / Lord give her the strength to carry on / I've heard a lot of prayers in my lifetime / and through the years I've said more than a few / to help me through these troubled times we're living / but this time, this one is just for you."

The last twenty plus hours has been almost non-stop coverage of that shooting and if we can judge by the past it will go on for several more days yet. Early this morning I saw on the Fox News ticker a note that one policeman was killed and another wounded when they responded to a fight at a Baltimore, Md. nightclub and even though I haven't heard anything on the news about it yet I suppose it is true. Again I'll say, "What is this world coming too?" There's way too much anger on both sides, or all three, about the state of affairs in Washington but the place to take that anger is to the ballot box. If we don't like the way things are being done we can vote the rascals out but too many time it's the other party's rascal we want voted out.

Just a note on the Health Care Law which is usually called "Obamacare" that had been scheduled for a repeal vote next Wednesday the 12th of January. Because of the shooting in Tucson the House of Representatives, now controlled by Republicans, has deferred that vote indefinitely. That, in my opinion, was the right thing to do. We all know that it can't be repealed at this time and the Republicans should take this extra time to lay out, at least, an outline of a proposed bill to replace "Obamacare." That bill should include; Tort reform, Insurance across state lines, No pre-existing conditions, Children on parent's healthcare to 26, Help with donut hole, Absolutely no tax money for abortions or agencys that promote abortion, Federal oversight of insurance companies since the states don't seem to be doing their jobs and other points to be agreed on. Would that be too simple?

There is nothing I can add to the news coverage of that horrible event in Tucson so I'll let you get back to the television. Thanks for your time and input. Stay tuned, - William

The People's House

2011-01-05T11:37:00.001-08:00

But for how long?

Today is one of the biggest days in Washington, D.C., the changing of the guard in a way, when the newly elected Representatives and Senators of the 112th Congress will be sworn in. How long will it be before they will be sworn at??

The posting of June 13, 2010 and titled "The Ditch" was first written, as a letter to one of our local newspapers, shortly after the election in 2006 and updated by adding the words "and the debacle of 2008" when it was published in this blog. Please read or re-read it so you will know that there is a danger of the same thing happening again. When the Democrats came into power in 2006-7 and then were re-enforced in 2008-9 they seemed to think that they had been ordained to carry out a political cleansing. Now that the roles are reversed again, will the Republicans fall back into that ditch??

The following is an open letter to all politicans, newspeople, government workers or any other concerned citizens.

For months, I have listened to most everyone on television rant about how we (as they see us) spongers on Social Security and Medicare are causing most of the problems with the run-away Federal Budget. I want to, for the about the fourth time, make a proposal. I am willing to (put my money where my mouth is, as they say) forfeit between one and five percent of my, less than eight hundred dollar Social Securith Check, to be retained in the "Social Security Trust Fund" and used to shore up that fund for future generations IF each one of you who reads this will agree to deposit or have deposited the same percentage of your paycheck into an account within the U.S. Treasury Department which would be designated to pay down our National Debt. If that is not agreeable to you or you do not wish to promote such an agreement, then you should not continue to blame us for the bankrupting of America.

For many years I have been laboring under the impression that I was a conservative and had been writing to newspapers, politicans and others about the way they were blaming Social Security and Medicare for all our budget problems but then, yesterday, I saw Eric Kingson (a liberal) on the Neil Cavuto show. Mr. Kingson absolutely refuted Mr. Cavuto's contention that Social Security was broke and was causing the budget problems. I couldn't have made the argument any better myself so I guess that makes me a liberal. Sorry about that. - The problem is that all the Social Security Trust Fund's money has been spent and nobody wants to admit that if it was replaced tomorrow the treasury would have to borrow the money and our debt would then be almost seventeen trillion dollars. Think about it, that's a lot of money.

I've had computer trouble all day, sometimes I wonder if it was even meant for me to get this posting done. Thanks for your input and for sticking with me. Stay tuned,- William

Bi-partisanship

2011-01-02T10:29:00.000-08:00

Or compromise

In a few more days our 112th Congress will convene in Washington to take up where the 111th left off just before Christmas but it will have a very different makeup. In the November election the Republicans gained enough seats to give them a majority in the House and closed the gap in the Senate. It now appears that the repeal of "Obamacare" is at the top of the Republican agenda while the Democrats, who shunned all appearances of bi-partisanship for the last two years, are now talking about compromise. Odd what an election can do, isn't it?

In my opinion there is no way "Obamacare" can be repealed. If it, somehow, gets enough votes in the Senate to pass the President would veto it and there would not be enough votes to over ride a veto but there might be enough support to repeal and replace. That's where bi-partisanship and compromise comes into play.

I would suggest that our Congressional leaders get together and do a little old fashioned "horse trading". They could start with the Republicans taking "Tort Reform" - this could drastically lower malpractic insurance - and the Democrats could take "Insurance for Pre-existing Conditions" - from Obamacare -. Next the Republicans could take "Insurance Across State Lines" - also to help lower insurance cost - while the Democrats could have "Children to Stay on Parents Insurance to Age 26 (also on Obamacare). Next the Republicans could take "Absolutely no Tax Money Going for Abortion" - or to agencys which advocate abortions - and the Democrats could have "Federal Oversight Over Insurance Rates". Any other points could be agreed upon. Would that be too simple?

I believe, without going back to check, that a few weeks ago I noted that I had written an e-mail (via web page) to one of my U. S. Senators requesting information as to why so many politicians and, so-called, news people insist on blaming Social Security and Medicare for most of our budget problems despite the fact that Social Security and Medicare are paid out of the "Social Security Trust Fund" which at the end of 2010 had a surplus of two point five trillion dollars and growing. Also mentioned was that I got a call from a young man in that Senator's office. He tried to explain it to me but I don't think he did very well because I didn't know any more when he hung up than I did before his call.

Maybe that is the reason I'm not as optimistic, that anyone will ever listen, as I was in the beginning. As one last attempt (maybe) to get my point across I am sending a copy of this blog posting to that Senator. I will let you know if anything comes of it. Thanks for your time and input, stay tuned. - William

P.S.
I have tried to list all material used in this blog as to their source and all poems not credited to others are from the copyrighted book "Expedition to Nowhere". Today I am listing my e-mail address (subject to change at any time). Thank you williamlee100@netzero.com - William

SOME DAY ---

2010-12-29T07:58:00.000-08:00

Just down the road or around the corner.

Some day my life's journey will be ended but it's up to my Lord when that will be. Faith in Him will make the traveling easier, till He lifts up my burdens and sets me free.

Maybe all the news lately hasn't been bad but it seems to me that too much of it has been. Record snowfall in the northeast, crops freezing in Florida and flooding in the west. Of course it has all been blamed on global warming. I don't know how long they have been keeping records on global temperatures but I can remember when our temperature here in Tennessee would be over a hundred degrees on several days every year. Remember 1980 when it was almost 110 degrees for over a week? According to some (experts), whatever happens now is caused by "Global Warming".

Then, because of global warming, we are having below normal temperatures which, in turn, is causing our heating bills to sky rocket and oil prices to rise. Some, so called, experts are now predicting gasoline prices to go over $4.00 a gallon in 2011 and near $5.00 by the end of 2012.

I just don't know how much more of this global warming I can stand. I guess we just didn't save enough of our money when we were working at little more than minimum wages and paying for educating two sons.

The trouble is, as bad as that sounds, it is just the tip of the iceberg. Our National Debt is now threatening to destroy, if nor our country, then certainly our way of living. It has been said, again on television, that every person's share of the national debt grew more than ten thousand dollars this year and is still growing.

A few days ago Congress passed a bill that was to provide healthcare for the volunteers who rushed into the aftermath of the collapse of the Twin Towers, which was about 9 years after the fact. Better late than never but being late is what usually defines the actions of our Federal Government in such situations.

More than sixty years ago that same Government (different players) began experiments to determinme the effects of radiation from atomic (nuclear) bombs on humans. These experiments, using mostly military service members as human guinea pigs, began shortly after World War Two and extended through the most of the Nineteen - sixties. At this time very little has been done to help those guinea pigs through their sicknesses (cancer, etc.) and early deaths. Maybe a simple "Thank You" would have been a help but even that hasn't happened.

If you don't really want to know, then don't ask and if you detect a note of bitterness, just let it pass. My country right or wrong, I must love it for only God and family goes above it.

On that note I will end this before too much disappointment shows through. Thanks for your time and input. Stay tuned - William

Christmas Passed

2010-12-26T08:36:00.000-08:00

Just in time too

Christmas Time

When it's all over and everyone's gone but me / and there's not one single thing left under the Christmas Tree / I sit down and think it over and now Lord I'm asking Thee / is Christmas Time the Holy Time that it was meant to be.

From neccessity, this will be a shorter post than usual. Come to think of it, my postings have been getting shorter each week, running out of things to say, I guess. Christmas was yesterday and we didn't see anyone buy talked to most of the family by phone. North Carolina is expecting snow but not for Christmas. As the ex Governor of Arkansaw, Mike Huckabee, said I probably didn't get as much as I wanted but more than I deserved. I probably got enough books to last me through the winter.

There is still a lot in the news about Wal-Mart wanting to build in New York City and create thousands of good paying jobs. If they can do that why haven't they done it in Small Town, U.S.A. instead of bringing in cheap (inferior) merchandise from China and forcing our small businesses out? When they no longer have competiition they raise their prices. But, on the other hand, maybe New York deserves them.

It's still too close to Christmas to get too riled up so I'll let it go for today and get back on it later. I don't know when that will be but until then, thanks for listeninhg and your input. Stay tuned - William

Christmas in Tennessee

2010-12-22T08:15:00.000-08:00

About 1937 - 1940

Having been born during the Herbert Hoover Presidency and growing up in what is known as the "Great Depression" I now know that we were poor but at that time everyone we knew must have been poor too. There was no "trying to keep up with the Joneses" because they didn't have much either. My earliest memories of Christmas are expressed in the following poem and, I dare say, many others about my age can relate to it.

"Our Christmas Tree

It was a scrawny little thing that Papa brought in to us / but it was the very best that he could find / we didn't have the money to buy them like the rich folks / in fact we were broke most of the time / so we set it in the corner and we put some things upon it / mostly they were all the homemade kind / we knew that when we'd finished it wouldn't look much better / but how the tree would look wasn't what was on our mind .

We used some strings of popcorn and tinsel covered gumballs / with little bits of ribbon to give it a different hue / how we hurried to get finished for we had so much to do / and in a few more hours old Santa would be due / on the top we put an Angel that was made of cardboard / and colored with a water color set / we knew it wasn't much but when you don't have any money / you learn to get along on whatever you can get.

Yet when we had finished it was still a little scrawny / and bare spots showed through despite our loving care / Yes, I still remember as though it was only yesterday / how love was the only thing that we had to share / but I still have fond memories of the days of my youth / and still in my mind I can see / my Father and my Mother with my sisters and my brothers / as we all gathered around that scrawny little tree."

It's almost Christmas time so I'll quit with that. Thanks for your time and input. Stay tuned, - William

Did Someone Blink?

2010-12-19T10:17:00.000-08:00

Or was the heat turned up?

Did Harry Reid blink, could he not stand the heat so he got out of the kitchen? I'll admit that I was wrong this time. I really thought that Reid and the Democratic Party cared so little about the opinion of the majority of voters that they would force a vote on the "Omnibus Spending Bill" (substitute budget) so that if it failed they could cause a government shut down, as was done in 1995, and blame it on the Republicans again.

The extending of the Bush era tax cuts has also been in the news lately with practically everyone saying it will mean borrowing almost a trillion dollars to cover revenue lost by extending them. Again, I think that New York and Washington crowd is unusually stupid or think the rest of us are. Except for the cut in the payroll tax, which is okay if they will stop blaming Social Security and Medicare for all the budget problems, there will be no less money collected by the IRS unless the recession worsens. In fact, there will be more money collected in Estate Taxes and if, as some predict, the extension of the Bush tax cuts strenghtens the economy and creates more jobs there will be an increase in taxes collected.

What too many people fail to see or don't want to see is that the bill that was passed, extending the Bush era tax cuts, is not a cut in taxes for the rich. The rich, whoever they are, will pay as much or more to the IRS next year as they will this year. Any extra money borrowed by our national treasury next year will be for extra spending, not from the loss of revenue caused by, what some want to call, a tax cut for the super rich. To me, this borders on President Obama's call for the redistribution of wealth. Are we ready for socialism?

A few days ago there was a discussion, by a group of people, on television centering around Wal-Mart and their negotiation with the construction unions to build stores in New York City but the argument almost always came back to praising the Waltons for providing all of us with an outlet for Chinese goods as opposed to United States made. It is my opinion, apparently mine alone, that Wal-Mart has done more to cause the exportation of Americn jobs than any other single entity. When Sam Walton was alive he bought local made merchandise whenever possible but now his super rich descendants have turned his beloved "Wal-Mart" into a waystation for China and other Asian countries. I still don't believe in boycotts but why can't we all make a New Year's resolution to buy at least a few things labeled "American Made"? Just try it - you might like it.

Have you noticed that I havent mentioned "Wildblue Satelitte" today? That's because I try not to think about it. It's still not working. Maybe next time but for now thanks for listening. Stay tuned, - William

Back to Earth

2010-12-15T07:31:00.000-08:00

Back to Netzero

That Wildblue Internet hookup (from last posting) lasted about two hours, then it was gone again. Worked good while it lasted though, maybe it will wake up and let me back on line again in a few days or weeks but meantime I'll plug along on Netzero, which is slower but surer.

Most of the news on television and in the papers has to do with extending the tax cuts put into place by ex-president Bush, the passing of a budget, two months or more late, and the Virginia judge ruling that parts of the Obamacare law is not constitutional. Our Democrat Congress, (Senate and House), in their infinite wisdom, spent so much time behind closed doors while using every trick in their book (of trickery) so as to pass a healthcare law that the majority of us didn't want, that they didnt have time for regular business such as passing a budget.

In my blog posting dated November 21, 2010 and titled "Better Times Ahead" I wrote; "Remember when a Republican Congress passed a budget which didn't contain everything President Clinton wanted, he vetoed it, they passed a continuing resolution, he vetoed it, shut the government down, blamed the Republicans and they caved in, gave him what he wanted even though they had already been branded as the villans? Watch out it may happen again." Keep watching, it is getting closer.

I wish I had a dollar for every time I have heard the words entrepreneur or entrepreneurship in conjunction with small bussiness owners when explaining how their taxes would be raised if the, so-called, Bush era tax cuts were allowed to lapse on January 1, 2011. My dictionary defines an entrepreneur as; "One who organizes a business undertaking, assuming the risk for the sake of profit." Wouldn't that mean that an entrepreneur would probably be a small business owner?

It is being forcast that the world economy, which is now controlled by the United States, Europe and Japan will continue to shift to China and India and by 2050 those two countries will control, at least, fifty percent of it. It should have been apparent to anyone, who cared enough to take a good hard look, that we have been on that road for years when we allow stores, like Wal-Mart, to buy most everything from China or other Asian countries and then go to those stores and buy, buy, buy. I am not now, nor have I ever, advocated a boycott of those stores but I will suggest that we hold our future in our own hands. We might try making our New Year's Resolution to buy everything we can that is made in America. That would be a small first step to taking back our economy by creating more jobs here. We can never have a strong economy here if we won't buy our own products even when imports are a few cents cheaper. We can not rely solely on exporting out merchandise to countries which have a much lower standard of living, that is, having less money to live on. Think about it, start small and work up to the point that can and will bring jobs back to America.

Thanks for taking time out of yor busy schedule to read this and give your opinion. I may take a few days off after Christmas but until then, thanks and stay tuned. -William

Right Priorities

2010-12-12T10:25:00.000-08:00

Or the right to be wrong

On a previous posting I mentioned the song which contained the line "Some days are diamonds and some days are stones" and how it related to my journey, at least, trying to use this world wide web. I haven't seen many diamonds lately but the stones keep piling up. But on the other hand, I read an article in the paper yesterday as to how a major league baseball pitcher had been offered over $i40 million to sign a seven year contract with the New York Yankees. I know times are bad but I didn't know it had gotten that bad. How can any self-respecting ball player accept such a paltry sum of money? What are their priorities?

On various occasions over the past several months, I have, seen on television or read in the newspapers, stories about a person or an organization instituting programs to benefit our wounded warriors from either one of our current wars. Being a veteran of the "Korean Conflict" era, knowing what it was like for veterans at that time and how it got really bad during the war in Virtnam, it certainly surprises me, to the point of amazement, how so many organizations have taken it upon themselves to make sure our disabled veterans are taken care of. In my opinion, the men and women in our armed forces deserve a lot more than they are getting. After all, they are risking their lives for us.

I guess the real question today is whether or not principles and priorities can co-exist? At this time, I can't see much evidence that it is happening. Could it be that our principles have been sacrificed on the altar of success, that success becoming the priorities? It is far past time for us all to re-evaluate both our principles and our priorities. The first thing, in my opinion, we should do is go back to following the "Golden Rule" and do unto others as we would have them do unto us. You know, that just might work.

It is very cold here today (about 14 degrees at 7:00 AM) so I'll leave you with this short jingle, "Come Spring".

"Sometimes there doesn't seem to be enough love to go around / when winter is approaching and the leaves are turning brown / but then the snow is melting and the sun will warm the ground / and life will go on as usual or it does in my home town".

I started this posting on my laptop computer and now am finishing it up on wildblue. It wouldn't work when I started and hasn't worked in about 16 days but apparently decided it was about to become obselete and had better get back to work. Must have been on vacation. Thanks for your time, stay tuned. - William

Another Day With NetZero

2010-12-08T09:47:00.000-08:00

Down on the Farm

I'm sure many people who have Wildblue satellite internet service must be satisfied with it and that must mean that they get better service than we do or rather we did here. For us, it was great when it was working the way it should have but as the weeks passed that time became less and less frequent. We would still, very much, like to keep using Wildblue and there is no doubt that we will continue to pay for it over the next eight months but it has become so undependable that today it is virtually useless.

At this point in time, after struggling to get on line and stay there, I have given up and resigned myself to the use of a dial-up internet service. The only real drawback is the tying up the telephone while on line but I don't sleep much and I can do what I need to do early in the morning or late at night. As the old saying goes, "there's no need to cry over spilt milk" (or something like that) so we'll just have to get over it and get used to it.

The last sixteen months has been a journey, in and of itself, and I wish I could truthfully say that I have enjoyed it but I can't because I didn't. There is an old song with lines something like this; "Some days are diamonds and some days are stones, some days the bad times won't leave me alone." That just about describes my relationship with Wildblue over those months.

I don't really know how to go from today's subject to the following story so I'll just jump right into it. The title is "The Sound of Distant Thunder".

"I can feel my heart beating in my chest / and I sit in silent wonder / as lightening lights up this old sinful world / there's the sound of distant thunder.

The moon was rushing to get behind the clouds / the stars were running too / lightening was flashing off in the northwest / a storm was beginning to brew / I sat at my window which faced to the west / and listened as the thunder rolled / and wondered could it be what I've often heard / the sound God makes when He bowls.

It often sounds violent and that worries me some / could God be angry with us all / as the pins in His ally come crashing down / could this world be the next one to fall.

Now I can feel my heart beating in my chest / and I sit in silent wonder / as lightening lights up this old sinful world / there's the sound of distant thunder / the sound of distant thunder."

If you've got this far, thanks for your time and input, stay tuned. - William

On Line Choices

2010-12-05T09:33:00.000-08:00

Wildblue or NetZero

On January 28th of this year I began my journey as a web surfer, the attempt at creating a blogspot and writing short postings on subjects which I may or may not know anything about. At that time I was using a computer (not mine) which was connected to a satellite on-line service called "Wildblue". Today I embark on another phase of that journey by changing my on-line service to "NetZro which is dial-up, as opposed to satellite.

It took about five minutes to get to the point of actually starting writing this posting which to some would be an eternity but when compared to the problems encountered with Wildblue it was like a walk in the park. On a good day Wildblue satellite service would be much faster but it has been several days since I have been able to even get it on line. Even that wouldn't have been as bad if we could get anykind of help with the problems but the best answer we could get was that they would come out and check it for a ninety-five dollar service charge. We thought that was excessive since it is their equiptment. They will still be taking more than fifty dollars a month for service we don't get.

Several years ago I knew a man who loved to hunt and fish. He thought nothing about missing dinner for a chance at either one. This could be the story of his life and is titled "Catfish Fishing Man."

"I work every day, make a living all right / then I head for the river on Friday night / I'd rather go fishing than to run around / so I'll be on that river before the sun goes down / for I'm a Tennessee River, catfish fishing man / yeah, I'm a Tennessee River catfish fishing man.

I can hardly wait for Friday, time passes so slow / I've got everything packed and ready to go / I break all the laws when I go through town / but the cops all know I'm river bound / for I'm a Tennessee River, catfish fishing man / yeah, I'm a Tennessee River catfish fishing man.

I don't have much time to get my fishing done / if I'm going to catch any fish then I've got to run / I don't use that artificial minnow with a treble hook / and what I know about fishing didn't come from a book / for I'm a Tennessee River, catfish fishing man / yeah, I'm a Tennessee River catfish fishing man.

Now I've fished that river from line to line / and I've never seen a no fishing sign / I don't know what I'll do when the summer is through / I can't sit at home with nothing to do / for I'm a Tennessee River, catfish fishing man / yeah, I'm a Tennessee River catfish fishing man."

But, of course, everyone who knew him also knew that he wouldn't be sitting around doing nothing in the winter time. There was always deer hunting,'coon hunting and rabbit hunting. That was enough to keep anyone busy after work. Thanks for your time and imput, stay tuned. - William

Cyber Monday

2010-12-01T07:16:00.000-08:00

Record Sales.

Extra, extra, extra, read all about it! Today it was announced on television that sales on "Cyber Monday" were much larger than they ever have been before. They may not have been stupendous but probably helped the Chinese economy grow by a point or two. Our own economy, or lack there-of, dominates the news today just as it has for about a year but nobody seems to know what to do about it. In my opinion, for whatever it is worth, there are too many different opinions and while that is not necessarily a bad thing it does tend to slow thing down a bit.

Because everything that needs to be said about Black Friday and Cyber Monday has already been said, this posting will probably be shorter than usual. With unemployment so high and the economy so low it is amazing how much money was spent in the last four or five days. Too many people seems to have lost their way. Much of what was bought will probably turn out to be useless.

Speaking of something being useless reminds me of those little books of paper matches, used for advertising, that back in my younger days were called "Gofer Matches" because, when it was windy, you would strike one and go fer (for) another. Thus the title of this story is "Gofer Matches".

"I was all alone in the middle of the night / with not a single star in sight / and the wind was howling through the blackberry patches / and all I had to find my way / Lord I'll never forget that day / was my own two eyes and a book of gofer matches / well I'd strike one and try to look around / It'd go out and I'd throw it down / and start right in to cuss the day that it was made / now you may think that it's not right / to stand there cussing in the middle of the night / but I was taught to call a spade a spade.

Now you know gofer matches are a useless thing / just like a sponge out in the rain / neither one will do the job that it was meant to do / did you ever walk through briers at night / even when you had a light / and could see those thorns before they got to you / for those thorns are roughy I'm here to say / I've got the scars unto this day / to prove that I was out the whole night long / and when that sun came up on me / I was down upon my knees / prayin that those thorns would be gone.

Now you know gofer matches are a useless thing / just like a sponge out in the rain / neither one will do the job that it was meant to do ------."

With that I'll close these thought for the day. Thanks again for your time and imput. Stay tuned - William

Shoppers "Black Friday"

2010-11-28T10:10:00.000-08:00

Not "Stock Market Crash"

I very much dislike belaboring a point even though some of our elected officials, if not already there, are fast approaching the point of no return when the subject turns to the financial state of Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid, therefore my intention is to turn this posting to a less controversial topic if that be possible.

Thanksgiving has passed and Christmas will be here before we, at least most adults, are really ready for it. The day after Thanksgiving is known as "Black Friday because it is thought to be the biggest shopping day of the year and probably dictates whether or not a business will make a profit or suffer a loss for the year. Thus black ink as opposed to red. But in this age of computers and shopping on line, some believe that tomorrow, "Cyber Monday" will be even larger.

Our philosophy, for about the past fifty years, has been to stay as far away from places such as Wal-Mart as possible. If we are forced, by circumstances beyond our control, to go to those establishments we always go as early as possible and stay no longer than necessary. According to what few reports that I have heard or read this year's "Black Friday" was somewhat of a success. Spending was up some but not as much as some businesses had anticipated or hoped for. If you look on the bright side, if that is the right choice of words, anything is better than nothing. I don't know what that says about the state of our economy especially after reading that almost twenty percent of people polled still had credit card debt from last Christmas' shopping. Maybe it means that "if China makes it America will buy it."

The following story probably isn't altogether true but does, in my opinion, reflect on the state of affairs in this hi-tech world today. It is titled "Joker's Wild",

"Off down the road a mile or two / in a run down shack that the wind blows through / once lived a man that we all knew as Joker / he lived alone with his dog and cat / wore patched overalls and an old straw hat / with a rag tied around his neck like a choker / well living alone must have affected his brain / or maybe it was the feel of the snow and rain / that came in through the holes he never mended / for he took to the woods with his old hound dog / built them a nest in a hollow log / and left his run down shack there untended / now Joker's gone, Joker's gone / he left his shack and he ain't coming back / and now Joker's gone - old Joker's gone.

He was taking his living from the land / roots and berries all gathered by hand / and it seemed that Mother Nature was singing his tune / for he's lived out there more than a year / and if you listened at night you could hear / him calling to his dog that was howling at the moon / but then last week in the dead of night / with the North Star shining cold and bright / old Joker started acting kind of strange / I ask him twice what had gone wrong / why Mother Nature had changed her song / but both times he was already out of range / now Joker's wild, Joker's wild / he lived alone, made the woods his home / and now Joker's wild - old Joker's wild."

For me, it is getting harder and harder to make sense out of today's state of affairs. I guess that is the way it is meant to be. Thanks for you time and imput, stay tuned. - William

Wake Up America

2010-11-24T08:23:00.000-08:00

And smell the manure

On my hill here in Tennessee, the stench has become almost unbearable. Through a truly bi-partisan effort the Washington crowd, elected and non-elected - going back twenty years or more - has hi-jacked our Social Security Trust Fund and spent the money which was paid in by hard working Americans through the FICA (payroll tax) in an effort to insure themselves help in their retirement years. That money has been, and probably still is, used in what amounts to a high stakes slush fund. A law passed in 1990 plainly states that any surplus payroll tax money was to be invested in Special Government Bonds and kept seperate from income tax (Etc). money and was not to be counted as part of our National Debt.

According to the "Social Security Trust Fund's Annual Report for 2010" which was signed by the trustees of the Trust Fund - Secretary of the Treasury, Timothy Geitner; Secretary of Labor, Hilda L. Solis; Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius and Commissioner Michael J. Astrue - The payroll tax showed a surplus of seventy-seven billion dollars in 2010 which would be added on to the almost three trillion dollars surplus at the end of 2009 and the trust fund surplus would grow to about four trillion, two hundred billion dollars by the end of 2024. The break even point (when the income from the payroll tax and the out-go in the form of Social Security checks and payments for Medicare and Medicaid) will be about that time. After that happens the Federal Government will have to borrow more and more money, to replace the hi-jacked and spent Social Security funds, leading to higher and higher deficits. I don't know if the powers that be are brain washed, don't have a brain to be washed or are trying to brain wash us but as long as they are allowed to blame Social Security for all the budget problems the smell will only get worse.

In an attempt to cover up what has been going on in Washington for too many years, most of the politicians and many in the news media are desperately trying to divert attention, confuse the issues and place all the blame on the most vulnerable American Citizens, the seniors who are still living and get Social Security and Medicare. Their only power is at the ballot box.

Make no mistakes, there are problems to be solved, the long-term financial challenges facing Social Security and those that remain for Medicare and Medicaid should be addressed soon. If action is taken sooner rather than later, more options will be available and more time will be available to phase in changes so that those affected have adequate time to prepare.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day and my prayers are that most people are truly thankful for what we have here in America and will find the courage to defend it. Remember, if you're not old enough to get Social Security now you may be someday if we don't let it be destroyed. I will close this posting with a poem about "Thanksgiving Days;"

"Time, as they say, may be my greatest ally / Hundreds of years have passed since my birth / Answering a call that was born in freedom / Now nothing can ever take away from my worth / Keeping the faith of our founding fathers /Some may say that it's not worth it all / Groping for a better way to be thankful / If into every life a little rain must fall / Vows are sometimes made before the feasting / In as much as that's what it's all about / None of which can be recalled on the morrow / Gorged upon the turkey there's no doubt.

Do we know what it is to be thankful / Are we just happy it's another holiday / Yielding to the pleasures of the moment / Surely we can find a better way."

If you made it this far you have surely guessed that I am not happy with any politicians of either party. We'll find out what the newcomers from the Tea Party can or will do but I won't hold my breath. Thanks for listening, stay tuned. - William

Better Times Ahead

2010-11-21T10:06:00.000-08:00

Or maybe not

A treaty signed, last April, by President Obama and the President of Russia, calling for the reduction in the number of nuclear weapons which each country could hold in their arsenal, suddenly became top priority seven months later. The Democrats, with huge majorities in both Houses of Congress, apparently made no effort to bring that treaty up for ratification until the eleventh hour and now are pushing the Republicans to get it done. Who knows what is in that treaty? Is it like the Health Care Bill, about which Nancy Pelosi said, "We'll have to pass the bill before you will know what is in it?" After all the fallout from that bill can we really take a chance on rushing that nuclear treaty through without debating the issues? That could be extremely dangerous especially when we are dealing with Russia. I say, "take your time, try to get it right."

On January 4, 2011 the Republicans will not only take back control of the House of Representatives but will have made significant gains in the Senate. What will that mean for the next two years? It will probably mean that nothing of any importance will be passed. After all, the budget for this year hasn't been passed yet, only a continuing resolution which will need to be done again by December so as to provide authority to pay the bills. I guess passing a budget bill wasn't as important as the Health Care Bill, the bail outs, and the so-called "Cap and Trade Bill" which, it is claimed, would reduce our carbon emissions (footprint) along with raising our fuel cost to a level never before seen.

Do you remember when a Republican Congress passed a budget which appropriated less money than President Clinton ask for, he vetoed it, they passed a continuing resolution, he vetoed that too, shut the Government down, blamed it all on the Republicans, they caved in and gave him what he wanted even though they had already been branded as the villans? Watch out, it may happen again.

What about all this ado about full body scanners said to be equal to a strip search and the enhanced pat downs which some are referring to as professional "Groping" and/or examining your private parts before you can board an airplane here in the United States. I haven't even been on a plane in more than twenty-five years and I don't intend to ever be on one again so why should I care what they do in airports now? I probably wouldn't except that it makes me wonder what will be next. We should all worry even if it doesn't affect us directly.

In 1949 George Orwell wrote a novel titled "Nineteen Eighty-four" (sometimes written as "1984") which was about "Life in the Oceanian Province of Airstrip One in a world of perpetual war, pervasive government survellance and incessant mind control. The individual is always subordinated to the state, and it is in part this philosophy which allows the party to manipulate and control humanity. (Wikipedia) Could it be that we are on that path to the establishment of a "Big Brother" society?

Some who claim to be Constitutional experts say that the use of the full body scanners and enhanced pat downs are dis-allowed by the constitution but in my opinion it isn't. Think about it, you don't have to fly and that is the same arguement used to force us to buy licenses for automobiles (and so forth) and to stop smoking in public places. You aren't forced to use those places and things. Thanks for listening, stay tuned - William

Ear Marks

2010-11-17T07:32:00.000-08:00

Pork or Beef

The big stir in the Washington, if not national, news has to do with the "Tea Party" and their push to ban ear marks, the attaching of money for pet projects to "must pass" legislation without any kind of hearings or debate. Undoubtedly, some of those projects are worthy of funding but many are frivolous and can not withstand the light of day

At first some of the Republican establishment opposed the ban (later called a moratorium) on the grounds that it wouldn't save any money and since the money was already in the budget to be allocated by themselves or some un-elected Washington bureaucrat not under their control, they should be the ones to do it. The question is, why is that money in the budget at all? Leave it out and save several billion dollars. We've got to start somewhere.

In the earlier centuries of this country, even before and certainly after the Revolutionary War, landowners, operating under the Free Range Laws , cut a series of notches in the ears of their hogs, for identifing purposes, and let them forage for themselves from spring until fall. Then they were brought in and pent or penned up for the winter.

Now compare that with the way our present day Congress operates. The Reigning Monarch of each House of Congress allows their subordinates to affix a request for money to fund some project in their home district or state to one of those must pass bills in exchange for an ear mark. Then when the really controversial bills come up for a vote those Reigning Monarchs will call in those ear marks and force their subordinates to vote for something they might not want. Like selling your soul for a bowl of pottage,but us minions are the ones who, in one way or another, will pay the bill.

But then, on the other hand, things could be worse or that's what I've heard. A man I once knew very well for more than twenty years was fond of saying that "a poor man has no more business with his head above ground than a mole" and maybe he was right. For "A man I knew up where I worked wore a fancy cowboy shirt and borrowed money so that he could go. Once when he was down on his luck, I let him have a buck. Why a hundred years from now I'll never know." That's just life.

When it has all been said and done, we at that point may realize that no matter what we try to do, the past we can't revise. Sometime in the distant past Mary A. Ford wrote a poem titled "A Hundred Years From Now." The first verse of that poem should be a lesson taken seriously. It is;

The surging sea of human life forever onward rolls, / and bears to the eternal shore its daily freight of souls; / though bravely sails our bark today, pale death sits at the prow, / and few shall know we ever lived a hundred years from now."

Remember the commercial where the elderly lady said (loudly) "where's the beef"? Sorry folks, there ain't none, except as in complaining. Thanks for listening, stay tuned. William

The Budget

2010-11-14T10:14:00.000-08:00

One way to balance it

The commission, appointed by President Obama, to come up with ways to balance the budget and lower the National Debt announced, this past week, parts of their recommenditions as to how it could be done. In my opinion, to much stress was placed upon what to do about the, so-called, entitlements which include Social Security and Medicare, never mind the fact that they are paid out of the Social Security Trust Fund which in turn is financed by the "FICA or payroll tax." At this time the Social Security Trust Fund has a surplus of several trillion dollars and is still paying its own way so that no money comes out of the National Treasury to pay Social Security checks or Medicare but Medicaid is partly financed by income tax money. By law, that Trust Fund money is not to be used for funding other programs or paying down the national debt.

Even though the money payed in through the payroll tax is invested in "Special Government Securities", which go into the lockbox, that money has already been spent in order to reduce our deficits but not counted as part of that debt. That, in turn, raises our real national debt several trillion dollars. The pols are not telling us the whole truth. Do you know, even one, who will admit that this is true or have facts to dispute it?

Yesterday I sent an e-mail to a number of differen people who hang around the news rooms in New York and Washington, outlining a proposal which, I believe, could both shore up the Social Security Trust Fund and drastically reduce our national debt but it would take a courageous bi-partisan effort to persuade the majority of voters that it would be in their best interest.

Most of the politicians and some news people on televison are trying to figure out how to balance the budget and reduce our debt and they seem to blame us seniors on Social Security and Medicare for the bulk of the problem. Our e-mail, in part, is below.

"My wife and I have a combined income from Social Security of almost $1500.00 each month after the $96.50 (each) deduction for Medicare. Out of that we pay about $500.00 for Medicare Supplemental Insurance and one drug card. The rest we can use to party all month. We also get about $300.00 a month in retirement benefits from our factory work which we use to pay other bills.

Our plan to cut the national debt and save Social Security and Medicare is to cut Social Security checks by 1 to 5 percent with the money saved to stay in the Social Security Trust Fund for the benefit of future generations "IF" all federal employees (should include state workers too) will (or can be forced to) take a pay cut of the same percentage which would go into the treasury to pay down the national debt, and not to be used for any other spending. No doubt, many of our politicans would try to hi-jack those funds to be used for their own agenda therefore laws would have to be passed designating their use.

Of course, we don't think anyone in New York or Washington will have the courage to push such a proposal but we can say that, at least, we tried. No, we are not members of the Tea Party. In fact we were tea party before tea party was cool."

As I sit here in my home I've been thinking / about a way of life I can't understand / it's so hard to stand up for what I believe in / but if I don't then I'm much less a man. Thanks for listening, stay tuned. - William

Of Elections Past

2010-11-10T02:19:00.000-08:00

And the Aftermath

A week ago today the results of the election began to soak in at the Whitehouse. Up until the polls closed in most of the states it appeared that many of the Democrats were still in denial. Some were still predicting that they would win both Houses of Congress and that their agenda would proceed as planned. They were almost half right, They held the senate by a narrow margin.

But here it is, one short week later, and the Republicans are already fighting over the spoils. It sure makes me glad that I am an Independent and not bound to vote for any of them in the next election - if I should live that long.

Surprise, surprise, a few days ago I heard on the news that AARP, which lobbied hard for that health care bill while it was being rammed through the Senate, had announced that it is raising practically everything (cost, deductables, etc.) concerning their insurance and blaming it on Obamacare. Apparently what's good for the geese isn't good for the gander.

Even after a record amount of money being spent and what turned out to be somewhat like a game of musical chairs being played, I predict that there will be very little change in Washington. It always comes down to politics and politicians. Why should it be any different this time?

An oak tree stands near the crest of the hill, gnarled and battered and old / a few shriveled leaves are all it has left to shiver when the winds blow cold / on a limb near the top some birds built a nest and raised a family last spring / but now they have moved to a much younger tree with more protection about which to sing.

Inside a hole in the trunk two squirreld made a home and stored up enought food to get through / for winter is coming and that brings the snow but then about April they'll be moving on too / A woodpecker worries a knot on one side, searching diligently for a new food supply / for whatever it's worth it is still being used and looks back over its life with some pride.

Old friends have all gone, deserted the ship that once gave them shelter from the cold / an oak tree is standing over the crest of the hill, gnarled and battered and old.

For some time now I have been feeling somewhat like that tree and the feeling intensives as time passes on especially the part about "old friend have all gone."

Tomorrow is the 11th of November, Armistice Day, now known as Veterans Day. If anyone who reads this is a veteran, I want to say "THANK YOU AND I TRULY APPRECIATE YOUR PATRIOTISM AND YOUR WILLINGNESS TO RISK YOUR LIFE TO PROTECT US ALL. YOUR DEDICATION IS WHAT KEEPS AMERICA GREAT, NOT THE POLITICIANS IN WASHINGTON."

Thank for you time and effort, stay tuned. - William

Point'n & Pitch'n

2010-11-07T02:39:00.000-08:00

Pitch,n in the river

Born in 1903, my Dad was of the old school, if something needed doing, then do it, no matter what it was. That "doing" ranged from the everyday chores of farm life to carpentry, hewing crossties for the railroad, sharpening saws and, from necessity, a good bit of mechanics. Back in the mid to late nineteen-forties I spent many an hour on one end of a two man crosscut saw. One of his "sayings" which I heard quite often was "I don't mind your riding the saw if you just don't drag your feet," When filing a crosscut saw he paid particular attention to the pointing (sharpening the cutting teeth) and pitching ( getting the right angle on those same cutting teeth) and making sure the drags were not too long. From that came the term "pointing and pitching" which referred to sharpening a saw. Dad used that in his own saying when referring to something that was about worn out or otherwise almost useless, that "all it needed was pointing and pitching, pointing at a gully and pitching in." From that saying, altered somewhat, came the following poem.

"Point'n and Pitch'n

I've traveled this old world over, a million miles or more / tramped down all the back roads till my feet are becoming sore / looking for a way of life that can't be found today / lost what was left of my self respect somewhere along the way / listened to other people's troubles till my nerves are wearing thin / now all I need is point'n and pitch'n, point'n at the river and pitch'n in.

Now my footprints are in the sands of time, my name is on the pages / of the book that records our life, our birth, our death, our ages / but like some fools who've gone before I fear I've lived in vain / for today I walk a lonely road, trying to forget the pain / and I haven't had much peace of mind since I can't remember when / and all I need is point'n and pitch'n, point'n at the river and pitch'n in.

All it needs is point'n and pitch'n, point'n at the river and pitch'n in."

Another one of his sayings was in response to our not finding whatever he sent us after. When he easily found that object he would say, "Gradpa could have found that with his walking stick and he's blind." When we were working in the field in near 100 degree heat and take a short break in the shade, when it was time to go back to work Dad would say "it's hard but it's fair." I knew it was hard but I never could see anything fair about it. Thanks for your support, stay tuned. - William

Yet Another Election

2010-11-03T07:36:00.000-07:00

Has Gone Into the Books

"The election is over, the results are known / the will of the people has clearly been shown / so let's get together and show by our deeds / that we're all behind ----and will do what he needs / let's forget our differences, let bitterness pass / I voted early but my man still came in last."

I first heard the above poem, worded some what differently, just after the 1952 presidential election and was called, at that time, "Harry's Parting Poem." Anyone who remembers President Harry Truman can probably figure out that original last line.

When they get past the election, which is not often, there is talk in the news today about another stimulus (an incentive) package. If this election, with its record amount of money spent by all the candidates combined, didn't give a few incentives I don't know what it will take. One woman spent 140 million dollars of her own money in her campaign and still lost. On the surface it appears that the most of the first stimulus package was either wasted or stolen. It's hard to tell which. Do we need another one to fill the same pockets?

The next few days will probably be filled with, so-called, breaking news about the election but then everything will likely settle down and we'll get back to the economy and more jobs especially higher paying jobs. I know everyone needs a job that pays a living wage but even those will be hard to come by as long as we buy imports instead of American made. Again, I know that we can't completely quit buying imports but we do need to balance it out some and buy "America" now and then even if it cost a little more. You might be surprised how much difference it would make in our economy if everyone worked together on it.

I'll end this today with the question; "How Much Are You Willing To Give,"

"Up in the morning before the sun rises / off on the job all day / he'll still be working two weeks after he dies / that's what I heard someone say / but I believe that a man who is able to work / should depend not on his neighbors to live / for it's not what you get out of life that will count / but how much you are you willing to give?

Jesus gave it all that day on the cross / how much are you willing to give / before everything gained is counted for loss / how much are you willing to give / yes, Jesus gave it all that glorious day / when He died that we all might live / now He is waiting with His arms open wide / so how much are you willing to give?"

It's a rainy, dreary day here and there is nothing on TV but the results of yesterday's election which is the makings of a long day. Thanks for staying with me on this, stay tuned. - William

An Upside Down World

2010-10-31T10:20:00.000-07:00

Or Just Politics as Usual

Yesterday I sent an e-mail to one of my Senators asking him to tell me the truth as to the status of the Social Security Trust Fund. Does it, in fact, have a surplus of almost three trillion dollars, and still at this time rising, as stated by the Social Security Trustees or is it an unfunded liability as claimed by some politicians and most of the news media? In response to e-mails sent to one prominent business news anchor, he answered by saying that all who had e-mailed him that Social Security was self-funded were wrong, that all the Trust Fund money had been spent and Social Security was broke. His attitude also suggested that seniors are selfish if they don't agree to take a cut in benefits and allow those savings to be used to pay down the national debt. For years we have advocated reforming Social Security and Medicare with the hope that it would be solvent for our future generations, even to the point of taking a small cut in our benefits but not to use the savings as part of the budgit to pay some unfunded liability. One of the biggest problem with living, largely, on Social Security is their continuously raising the deductables. That almost forces the insurance companies to raise their rates. Retirees are always the losers. I'll leave it at that today and wait to hear back from my Senator. Of course, he may be just like the majority in Washington. We'll see.

This posting is being deliberately left shorter than usual because I have been writing on the same subject for a while and I don't know much more about it now than when I started. One thing, I believe, that I have learned is that too many people who should know better will lie to you or, at least, try to confuse the subject. With that I will quote a poem that I believe is appropriate for this occasion.

"A Six Pack To Go

If we could bottle up the Bible, label it God's Own Holy Word / Send it out to all the world, let His message there be heard / Plant the seeds of righteous, contentment all around us sow / Then go to church on Sunday and get a six pack to go.

One could be His judgement, two might be His love / Then there is His Saving Grace, dispensed from up above / Another could be compassion and joy should be there too / For life wouldn't be worth living if God wasn't blessing you.

The bottles could be rather small, an ounce or two in each / A sermonette is what we'd get when we let one out to preach / There's one for each day of the week when our life to Him we yield / Then go to church on Sunday and get them all refilled.

One could be His judgement, two might be His love / ----."

Yesterday there was a "Tea Party" rally in our local City Park but I didn't go. I went to one of their first meetings but learned from it that their agenda was almost exactly the same as what I had been trying to promote for years but had been ignored, even by some of those present that day. I was "Tea Party" before Tea Party was cool. Thanks for your time. Stay tuned - William

The Trust Fund

2010-10-27T08:41:00.000-07:00

Deficit and Election

Six days and a few more hours from now another election, my twenty- eighth, will have entered, literally, into the record book. Some of the records that will have been broken are - most money spent by all political parties combined, most money spent in a single contest by all parties combined, most money spent by any one candidate and I believe we are close to a record on how much mud was thrown by all political parties. I know it is pretty deep and is still rising.

Several e-mails have gone out, in the last ten days, to various news anchors protesting the way so many people on television, and other so-called news media, try to blame Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid for the most of our budget deficits. They usually call Social Security and Medicare an unfunded liability even though most retirees have worked for more than half of their lives and paid into the Social Security Trust Fund through the "Federal Insurance Contribution Act" (F.I.C.A.) commonly known as the payroll tax. Their employers also contributed to that fund in their names. Social Security and Medicare is an insurance that was set up to "help" take care of seniors in their times of need.

The following e-mail, as an example, was sent to a fairly well known business news anchor in response to one of her guest asserting that; most of our budget problems are caused by Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. He said something like, "We must cut Social Security and Medicare back to a manageable level. Please tell him that The Social Security Trust Fund still has a surplus of several trillion dollars. By law, passed in 1990, that trust fund can not be used for lowering the deficit or spent as part of the general fund. If we took that surplus, which is invested in Special Government Securities, and put it in "Al Gore's Lockbox" there would be enough money to run Social Security/Medicare/Medicaid for several more years. Reform Social Security and Medicare, by all means, but quit blaming us for the budget problems.

One of the political problems with talking about Social Security is that no one wants to admit that all the money in the Social Security Trust Fund has been invested in Government Securities which, if turned into cash and put into a lockbox (figuratively speaking), would force our Government to borrow even more money, causing a larger deficit. Al Gore might not have been as stupid as some people thought. At least our money problems would have been brought out into the open.

This poem was written more than thirty years ago but is just as true now as it was then. "If love, as they say, makes the world go around / then I wonder what kind of love it could be / is it the love that I have for the things that are mine / or the love for the things that I see / love for a neighbor is one thing I know / that keeps this old world spinning round / for if you love someone else more than you love yourself / you have a love that won't let you down / but if you love things in life even though they cause strife / that's not the kind of love that we need / and if you really want to know what love is about / just get out your Bible and read.
If love, as they say, makes the world go around / then I know what kind of love that it is / it's the kind of love God has for His own / and we are all children of His / It's the kind of love Jesus has for us too / to die on the cross for our sins / now Heaven must be full of that same kind of love / and it's a place I'll be proud to be in."

The title, of course, is "Love". Thanks for your time,stay tuned - William

Halloween Festivities

2010-10-24T09:07:00.000-07:00

Trick or Treats

Halloween (or Hallowe'en) is an annual holiday observed on October 31st. It has roots in the Celtic "Festival of Samhain" and the Christian holiday "All Saints' Day", but today it is largely a secular celebration. (From Wikipedia)

The Celtic holiday of "Samhain", the Catholic Hallowmas period of "All Saints' Day" and "All Souls' Day" and the Roman festival of "Feralia" all influence the modern holiday of "Halloween". In the nineteenth century, Halloween began to lose its religious connotation, becoming a more secular community-based children's holiday. The Celts who lived 2000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom and Northern France celebrated their new year on November 1st. This day marked the end of summer and the beginning of the dark, cold winter. The Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred and allowed the ghost of the dead to return to earth and they would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off these roaming ghost. (From History.org)

Except for a few years, early on in their live's, our children never cared much for the kind of festivities surrounding this holiday which took place in the small community where we lived. Although it may be deemed harmless for small children to make believe, it definitely should be left behind with childhood. As a leftover memory from those days gone by, this poem was written many years ago as a spoof of that holiday.

"In the Dark of Night"

"They gathered there in the dark of night / like a Coven of Witches in a glen / the moon was bright in a cloudless sky / but not a ray of its light filtered in / A pot was set up, the wood was laid out / but no flame to the kindling was set / they rocked to the tunes from a musical dog / and howled every chance they would get / in the eerie glow of a single black light / it looked like a scene from Macbeth / that brought back memories of stories long ago / of trials and torture and death.
They gathered there in the dark of night / like a Coven of Witches in a glen / there in the home of their Kindergarten teacher / to re-enact Halloween in her den."

There has been two more items of news, as seen on TV, that probably deserve to be written about here. The first was the firing of Juan Williams, by "National Public Radio", all because he admitted to being a little anxious or nervous when he saw muslims in traditional dress getting on a plane that he was boarding. I have never been a big fan of Juan's but his firing for expressing his feelings in this matter was not right in any shape, form or fashion. The other, and most important, was the report that a young woman is now in legal trouble for posting a note on her Church Bulletion-board asking for a Christian room-mate. Apparently she has been told that she was discriminating against other religions by asking for a Christian. This world, it seems, has been turned upside down and it will take a mighty effort by all right thinking people to get it back on course. Thanks for your time, stay tuned. William

This and That

2010-10-21T03:04:00.000-07:00

Now and Then

[This], the first thing to be addressed today, is an addition to or extension of last Sunday's posting which dealt with Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid. On Fox News Sunday, Chris Wallace questioned one political candidate as to what she would do about Social Security and Medicare which, according to him, are two of the three largest budget items and therefore causing most of our deficit. To even suggest that our current retiree's Social Security and Medicare payments are from an unfunded liability is simply ludicrous and an insult to seniors. Just as our younger generations are working and paying their dues at this time, the senior retirees began paying into the Social Security System soon after its inception in 1936 and in 1965 for Medicare and Medicade.

[And] now, to have some politicians and most of the news media constantly harping on the subject of reforming Social Security and Medicare by cutting payments for future retirees or raising the retirement age for Social Security and cutting Medicare payments to doctors and hospitals, is vexing to say the least. If not for the illegal use of the Social Security/Medicare/Medicaid Trust Fund money the budget deficit would be much larger.

[That] anyone could ever understand what is going on in Washington (or Nashville for that matter) would be a miricle within itself. At 11:00 AM on October 19, 2010 our debt clock, as shown on the internet, indicated that our, year to date, income from the payroll/FICA tax at 867 billion, 770 million, 631 thousand, 8 hundred and twenty dollars with payments to Social Security retirees of 783 billion, 841 million, 543 thousand, 5 hundred and 70 dollars. Payments for Medicare/Medicaid were 696 billion, 423 million, 356 thousand and 99 dollars. Total payments would be 1 trillion, 480 billion, 264 million, 899 thousand, 6 hundred and 69 dollars. That leaves a shortfall of a little over 611 billion dollars which would come out of the Social Security Trust Fund, not out of the general fund, but as we already know, our government has spent the Trust Fund money leaving no other recourse but to take it from the general fund.

[Now] if I may, I want to change the subject back to the recently passed Healthcare Law and the section which will, more than likely, allow taxpayer funded abortions. Some of you may think that President Obama's "Executive Order" will take care of that but, in my opinion, that Order is somewhat less than useless.

[And] what, you may ask, is wrong with that Order as signed by the President? Let me count the ways but first "Section 3", of that Order titled "Community Health Center Program". "The act establishes a new Community Health Center (CHC) fund within Health and Human Services (HHS) which provides additional Federal funds for the Community Health Center program. Existing law prohibits these centers from using Federal funds to provide abortion services (except in cases of rape or incest, or when the life of the woman would be endangered), as a result of both the Hyde Amendment and longstanding regulations containing the Hyde language. Under the act, the Hyde language shall apply to the authorization and appropriation of funds for Community Health Centers under section 10503 and all other relevent provisions. I hereby direct the Secretary of HHS to ensure that Program Administrators and recipients of Federal Funds are aware of and comply with the Limitations on abortion services imposed on CHCs by existing law. Such action should include, but are not limited to, updating Grant Policy Statements that accompany CHC grants and issueing new interpretive rules."

[Then] we come to final arguements, the point being that this Executive Order is much less than what it appears to be on the surface. In this case, I believe, it is all in the timing. Representative Bart Stupak, and others, refused to vote for the Healthcare Bill as written because of the abortion language until President Obama promised to sign an "Executive Order" asserting that no taxpayer money could be used to pay for abortions except in certain cases. His Order states that: "I hereby direct the secretary of HHS to ensure that program Administrators and recipients of Federal funds are aware of and comply with the limitations on abortion services imposed on CHCs by EXISTING LAW." The question is, what is the law? The Healthcare Bill was passed on May 21, and signed into law on May 22, 2010. The Executive Order was signed by President Obama on May 24, 2010. At that time "existing law" was the newly passed Obamacare which funds organizations that provide or promote abortions. There are other flaws but they can wait. In the meantime thanks and stay tuned - William

Healthcare 101

2010-10-17T10:08:00.000-07:00

A new beginning

On Monday, October 18, 2010 the, so-called, "Healthcare Bill" that was passed by the House of Representatives, then manuvered through the Senate by breaking their own rules, will be involved in a hearing before a Federal Judge in Virginia. On Thursday October 14, 2010 a Federal Judge in Florida ruled that the case challenging the constitutionality of that same Healthcare Bill, by twenty States, can go forward. Last week a similar case was thrown out by a judge in Michigan but, in my opinion, it can be revised and refiled. That probably won't be necessary because the Virginia and Florida cases will, in all likelihood, eventually be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. That will probably take about 2 years.

The United States Congress and President Obama base their right to force everyone to buy insurance on what is commonly called "The Commerce Clause" which is found in "Article 1, Section 8, Clause 3" of our Constitution. It is; "The congress shall have power to regulate commerce with foreign nations and among the several states, and with the Indian Tribes"; At this time we will skip to "Article 10" of the Constitution which states; "The power not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." The Commerce Clause (Article 1, Section 8, Clause 3), in my opinion, DOES NOT give the Federal Government the right to force individual citizens to buy something they don't want.

The argument has been made that, by requiring drivers to have valid drivers licenses and license plates on their vehicles, the Federal Government already has a foot in the door but except for over the road commercial vehicles etc., which use Federal Highways, the right to require licenses is left to the several States as outlined in "Article 10" of our Constitution. They should not, in any way, be allowed to USURP the people's rights. We must all stand together or we will all fall.

To me, the most important revisions that could have been made to healthcare in the United States would have been (listed in no specific order as to importance); (1) What in commonly referred to as "Tort Reform", that is, capping the dollar amount collectable in mal-practice cases. In some cases this has surely gotten out of hand, driving up mal-practice insurance premiums and causing most doctors to practice defensive medicine. (2) The allowing of Insurance Companies to sell insurance across state lines, certain companies are licensed in several states but that doesn't create the competition needed, (3) Set up guide lines on pre-existing conditions that would be fair to all concerned, and last but not least, (4) No taxpayer money going to any organization that provided or promoted abortion except in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother, with strict enforcement. I have heard it said that the Insurance Companies are, figuratively speaking, making a killing off their policy holders and will do even worse in the future. I don't buy into that theory because most states have a Department of Banking and Insurance (or something equivalent) which is supposed to regulate insurance rates. If they aren't then we should find out why not.

There is much talk about how the Republicans, if they regain control of the House and / or Senate, will repeal the Healthcare Bill but you can take that with a cup of salt. It takes two thirds of the votes in each House of Congress to over-ride a Presidental Veto and it takes almost that to even bring it to a vote in the Senate. That is not even possible in less than two years and not probable even in your lifetime. Only by stopping funding for parts of the bill can Congress do anything for the next few years but the court cases (above) may bring us back to a new beginning. I am not advocating an outright repeal but a re-tweeking of what we have.

We will have a fairly busy schedule for the next few days and I may not have time to write for a while but I'll try to get back at it soon. Meanwhile, thanks for your time and support. Stay tuned. - William

So Many Questions

2010-10-10T09:42:00.000-07:00

So few answers

A few days ago I heard someone on television ask the question; How long will it be before America goes broke? It appears to me that the question should have been; When did America go broke? At this time we are operating, to a great extent, on borrowed money and in my opinion (for whatever it is worth) it will only get worse.

At ten minutes after ten o'clock on the tenth day of the tenth month of the year twenty-ten our National Debt Clock was showing our debt to be about thirteen trillion, five hundred and seventy billion, seventy-five million, six hundred and forty-two thousand, seven hundred and seventy-five dollars. The reason I said about is that our debt is rising so rapidly it is hard for my eyes and my brain to calculate an exact number at any given time.

The above figures may include what is usually referred to as the "Social Security Trust Fund" and the "Medicare Trust Fund" which, at this time, are probably more than three trillion dollars when combined. If congress passed a law to take those trust fund's money out of the general fund and put it in "Al Gore's lock box" (that is a seperate account) our government would have to borrow that much more money. I don't know if that would add to our national debt or not because I don't know if the Social Security and Medicare payments that have been used in the general fund to pay as we go was counted in our thirteen plus trillion dollar debt. May know more on that later. Today, not surprisingly, Social Security announced that there would not be a cost of living raise for Social Security recipients for the second year in a row. That would be okay if Medicare wouldn't raise the deductables so as to give the insurance companies cover to raise their rates. Obamacare will get us one way or another.

Going back to the National Debt, as calculated by Washington, of a little more than thirteen and a half trillion dollars and dividing it between all citizens of the United States, it would burden each one with a debt of forty-three thousand, seven hundred and eleven dollars or each taxpayer with a debt of one hundred twenty-one thousand, nine hundred and one dollars.

Another big question is; Should the Bush tax cuts be extended for everyone or should the very rich pay more taxes? I have never been a fan of multi-million dollar contracts for ballplayers (that's why I don't watch many ball games) or the bonuses some CEO's get for running a business into the ground but I must say that there is no doubt that those people with lots of money are the ones who create most of the jobs, one way or another, and there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that they can spend their money more wisely than the government, either democrat or republican. As for those who say; make them pay more taxes so we can get more good paying jobs here in America, there is only one way to do that. Don't buy everything from China and other Asian countries. We need to balance our buying between imports and American made. That is what will bring back jobs.

The last few days has been a very trying time for my household and I had been thinking about skipping this posting because when I started I didn't have too much of an idea what I would write about. I hope it hasn't been too boring. Thanks and stay tuned - William

Climbing Mountains

2010-10-06T08:08:00.000-07:00

One more to climb

On October 5, 2010 there was a statement on Fox News Ticker by former President Bill Clinton asserting that if the Israeli - Palestinian conflict could be solved it would take away half the motivation for terriorism in the whole world. One of the benefits he listed was that Iran would probably give up its quest for a nuclear bomb. I can't believe that would ever happen because too many signs point to the beginning of a push by Islam to take over the world. I say; Wake up America before it is too late. With that said I'll move on to the subject that I had half-way planned for today.

The first 9 months of this year has not been easy for either one of us, with, probably, more time spent in hospitals and doctor's offices than in the preceding 10 years combined. Needless to say, that brings on an awareness that our time on this earth is surely drawing to a close. That awareness brought to mind a poem that was written several years ago in anticipation of that time.

"Lord Now Take My Hand"

"Some day I'm going to climb up on that mountain / look out over God's Kingdom stretching wide / cross on across that mighty Jordan River / and enter into Heaven on the other side / I want to follow in the footsteps of Jesus / share all the love that he gives to me / and knowing that He walked upon the water / gives me the courage to brave the raging sea.

Lord now take my hand, make the world understand / that You're the one to take their troubles to / when the days are dark as night and it's hard to tell the wrong from right / I know Your guiding light will see me through.

Some day my life's journey will be ended / but it's up to my Lord when that will be / faith in Him will make the traveling easier / till He lifts up my burdens and sets me free / then I'll go on to walk on ground that's Holy / singing praise to Jesus throughout eternity / for all the things He's done down through the ages / but especially praise to Him for loving me.

Lord now take my hand, make the world understand / that You're the one to take their troubles to ---."

But until that day comes, "I'll play the hand that was dealt me / and Lord I'll do my best not to complain / I'll enjoy all the sunshine that You send me / then I'll bow my head and walk on through the rain. / When I meet someone on the street and they say, how are you / help me to say fine and I hope you are the same / for everyone in this world will have their problems / they'll have to bow their heads and walk on through the rain."

In my last posting I attempted to point out some parallels between the Vietnamese war and our present day war in Afghanistan. One thing that may not have been clear is the fact that Osama bin Laden was a major player in the "Mujahadeen's" resistance that caused the Soviet Union to pack their bags and pull out of Afghanistan. That war lasted between 9 and 10 years. Now Osama bin Laden is a major planner in the resistance by the Taliban and Al-Qaida against NATO forces in our war in Afghanistan. How long has this war been going on? When do we pack our bags and leave?

I don't know what I will write about next but with the way the world is changing every day and each day's news seeming to be worse than the day before it shouldn't be hard to find some subject to either agree or disagree with. Until then, stay tuned. Thanks - William

Afghanistan War -- Part Two

2010-10-03T10:06:00.000-07:00

Will we stay the course?

After centuries of rule by the likes of Mahmud, Genghis Khan, Tamerlane, Ahmad Shah Durrani and then Abdur Rahman, who reigned from 1880 to 1901, the Russians and British officially established the boundaries of what would become modern day Afghanistan, with the British retaining control over Kabul's (Afghan capital city) foreign affairs.

Habibullah, Abdur Rahman's son and successor, was assassinated in 1919. His third son, Amanullah, regained control of Afghanistan after launching the third Anglo-Afghan war with an attack on India in that same year (1919). During the ensuing conflict the war-weary British gave up their control over foreign affairs by signing the "Treaty of Rawalpindi" in August of 1919. In commemoration of this event, Afghans celebrate August 19 as their "Independence Day."

In December of 1978 the Soviet Union (Moscow) signed a bilateral treaty of "Friendship and Cooperation" with Afghanistan, and the Soviet "Military Assistance Program" increased significantly, the Afghan Government's survival increasingly depended upon Soviet assistance as insurgency spread and the Afghan Army began to collapse. By October 1979, however, relations between Moscow and the Afghan government were tense because the Afghan rulers refused to take Soviet advice. On December 24, 1979, large numbers of Soviet Airborne Forces invaded Afghanistan. After being bogged down in Afghanistan for almost 10 years, with the loss of 14,500 Soviet and about 1 million Afghan lives, the Soviets withdrew in 1989.

In 1979, maybe even before the official invasion of Afghanistan, our CIA was recruiting what would become known as "Freedomfighters or Mujahadeens" in or around Afghanistan. "Osama bin Laden" was one of the first of those recruits. In 1980, shortly after that invasion, Dan Rather who would later become the anchor on CBS News,while filming a piece for CBS's "60 Minutes" was seen on camera wearing a traditional Mujahadeen headdress and garment. The report claimed that he was near the front lines but there have been some who disputed that. At any rate, these excursions earned him the nickname of Dan "Gunga Dan" Rather.

Shortly after the withdrawal of the Soviet's the Taliban began their rise to power in reaction to the anarchy and warlordism that arose in the vacuum left by the leaving of the Soviet forces. By the end of 1998, the Taliban occupied about 90% of the country and sought to impose an extreme interpretation of Islam - based on rural tribal codes - on the whole country and committed massive human rights violations particularly against women and girls.

After the Soviet withdrawal, Osama bin Laden and his Mujahadeen's had no war to fight and was no longer useful to our CIA and therefore became expendable. From the mid 1990s the Taliban provided sanctuary to bin Laden and other terrorist organizations. In return, bin Laden provided both financial and political support to the Taliban. Bin Laden and Al-Qaida have claimed responsibility for the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks against the United States. There are some (including myself) who believe that Osama bin Laden turned against the United States because of the first Gulf War. Although Dan Rather denies ever having a relationship (whatever that means) with Osama bin Laden and I have not, as yet, found proof otherwise, my memory keeps trying to tell me that one of those excursions through the Afghan Mountains was with Osama himself. Any help out there?

Now, regardless of what our government and others try to tell us, neither the Korean Conflict nor the Vietnamese War can truthfully be considered a win. Our present war in Afghanistan appears, in too many ways, to be paralleling that war in Vietnam where a peace treaty was signed but as soon as our troops were out of Saigon the Communist took over South Vietnam. It is my belief that within the next two years our government will have negotiated a cease fire with the Taliban (and Al-Qaida) and, at least, be in the process of withdrawing all forces from Afghanistan. Will it turn out to be another Vietnam and our withdrawal later be referred to as a "Cut and Run." Let's all pray that it won't happen that way. Thanks for your time, stay tuned - William

Afghanistan War -- Part One

2010-09-29T07:51:00.000-07:00

Another Vietnam?

In 1887 French Indo-China, which consisted of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, was established. On March 9, 1945 Japanese forces over-threw the French and restored independence to Vietnam. Shortly thereafter the "Army of the Republic of Vietnam" (ARVN) was organized. At the time of President John F. Kennedy's inauguration in 1961 there was 600 military advisers (to the ARVN) in Vietnam, which indicates that President Eisenhower was partly responsible for the debacle which was to follow, but that number grew rapidly and at the time of President Kennedy's assassination it was about 16,000. The situation detoriorated rapidly during this period, with Ho Chi Minh leading a communist insurgency against the newly independent nation.

"Gulf of Tonkin Incident" - The first Gulf of Tonkin Incident which took place on August 2,1964, less than a year after President Johnson replaced the assassinated President Kennedy, was the sea battle between the North Vietnamese Navy's Torpedo Squadron 135 and the destroyer "USS Maddox" but from most all later accounts the second attack on August 4, 1964 never happened. Whether it was abnormal weather conditions which caused a radar malfunction, a figment of someone's imagination or a hoax perpetrated by our own navy is still not clear but the mere report of a second attack was enough to convince President Johnson to go on television and request authority to undertake a military response. On August 7, 1964 congress passed a Joint Resolution which granted President Johnson authority to conduct military operations in Southeast Asia without the benefit of a declaration of war. In 1965 President Johnson commented privately; "For all I know, our Navy was shooting at whales out there."

"The Tonkin Gulf Resolution" was the resolution by both houses of congress in response to the North Vietnamese attack on the USS Maddox on August 2, and the phantom attack on the night of August 4, 1964. The vote in the House of Representatives was 416 to 0 and in the Senate it was 98 to 2. (opposed by Senator Morse (D-Oregon) and Senator Grueing (D - Alaska) - Senator Morse on constitutional grounds) At the time this resolution was passed the Democrats held a total of 66 seats in the Senate and picked up two more in the November election. In the House of Representatives the Democrats held a 259 to 176 lead and picked up 36 more in the November election.

During the next 8 years things got progressively worse in a very unpopular war in Vietnam where it seemed that the only news was bad news. Demonstrators marched on Washington demanding that we withdraw from that "unjust and unwinnable war". As a result of what was fast becoming the "voice of America" President Nixon was left with little choice.

In a nationally televised address on January 23, 1973, President Richard Nixon announced that the United States had reached an agreement to end the war in Vietnam. The agreement established a cease fire throughout Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos), stipulated that the U.S. would withdraw its remaining troops from Vietnam, and that the American prisoners of war would be returned. It also recognized that the South Vietnamese Government under President Thieu would remain in power but permitted North Vietnamese troops to remain in the south.

The fall of Saigon was the capture of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, by the North Vietnamese Army on April 30, 1975. The capture of the city was preceded by the evacuation of almost all American Civilian and Military Personnel remaining in Saigon. (Note)Remember in President Nixon's address (above) he stated "It also recognized that the South Vietnamese Government under President Thieu would remain in power." Also while the United States was withdrawing from one side of Saigon the North Vietnamese were attacking from the other sides. Almost immediately Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Minh City. That's why many people still remember it as a "cut and run" or "the last one out turn out the lights."

Again, some of this information came from the internet but part of it (I am old enough to remember the war) came from my memory. Yes, I know the title of this posting is "Afghanistan War" and nothing in this posting even mentions Afghanistan but in my next posting I will try to point out many similarities between Vietnam and Afghanistan. Until then, thanks and stay tuned - William

A New Pacemaker

2010-09-26T09:59:00.000-07:00

I traded in a clunker

My posting today, out of necessity, will be shorter than usual due to tenderness in my right shoulder muscles which, in turn, hampers my typing and my limited expertise in that field does not need any hampering. This story should begin shortly before December 6, 2002 when my doctors decided I needed a pacemaker to keep my heart rate above 60 beats a minute. On that December 6, 2002 I went, as an outpatient, into the hospital and had a pacemaker installed, if that be the right phrase. My "Owners Manual" stated that it was guaranteed for five years but it lasted almost 8 years.

On the morning of September 24, 2010 Norma and I got up early, didn't eat any breakfast (not even coffee), and drove the 20-25 miles to the hospital. We checked into the outpatient waiting room about 6:30 AM. I got all my pre-op work done and was ready for surgery about 8:00 AM but an emergency held things up for a while. About 10:00 AM, or a little before, I was taken into the operating room and about 30 minutes later I had traded in my old 2002 model for a brand new shiny, I guess, 2010 model pacemaker. All that's left to show for it is about a 3 inch incision held together with what looks and feels like 10 to 15 staples. I'll know more about that when I go back to the EKG Department at the hospital in 2 weeks to get those staples out. Maybe that won't be too bad.

Now, as I work on this posting, it has been about two days since the surgery and there is still some swelling and some pain if I move my arm very much but there has never been enough pain that a tylenol wouldn't take care of it.

That should take care of today and give me a little more time to get well and think of something to write about. Sometimes, while watching the news, I think of many things that needs to be wrote about but I've already written about some of them and anyone reading this blog wouldn't want to hear it again so until later, thanks and stay tuned. - William

A New Hero

2010-09-22T07:46:00.000-07:00

After 42 Years

On Tuesday, September 21, 2010, President Obama was on television (now that's a real news flash) and this time I watched him (I usually don't) because he was presenting, posthumously, our nation's highest award, the "Medal of Honor," to our latest "true American Hero" only 42 years after the fact. The recipiant was Chief Master Sergeant Richard Etchberger who lost his life, while on a top secret mission in Laos during the Vietnam War, more than 40 years ago.
Even though he had little or no combat training he, not only, held the enemy at bay throughout the night but called in airstrikes on their positions. After daylight, when the rescue helicopters arrived, while under fire from the enemy, helped his three wounded comrads to and into the sling which lifted them to safety. After his wounded comrads were aboard the helicopter he was lifted aboard but was hit by enemy fire and died before they reached the necessary medical help.
Because it was not legal for the United States to cross the border into Laos (we were not officially at war with Laos) this mission remained secret for all these years but finally this true hero was recognized. Better late than never!

In no way is this an attempt to diminish or to take anything away from Sergeant Etchberger but there is a very large group of ex-service men who have been forgotten for fifty years and more. They are the so-called "Atomic Warriors" of the 1940s through the 1950s and into the 1960s when they were subjected to large doses of radiation, without their knowledge, during our early atomic bomb test, at first in naval test and then at the Atomic Proving Grounds in Nevada.

When soldiers arrived at Camp Desert Rock, Nevada to participate in "Operation Buster-Jangle" in Autumn of 1951, they knew little about what they were in for. The army booklet handed to the first nuclear (atomic) soldiers at the Nevada test site did not discuss atomic bomb radiation hazards. It did discuss possible hazards from indigenous reptiles and poisonous insects.

Introduction to the bare facilities at the Nevada test site came partly from an "Information and Guide" booklet distributed to incoming GIs. "The officers and men of this operation share with you the hope that your visit to Camp Desert Rock will prove an informative and revealing experience which you will always remember," read a sign by U.S. Army Major General W.B. Kean. (That it did) Every page bore the inscpiption "Restricted", and the booklet was replete with injunctions against talking too much.
"To assist in maintaining security of "Exercise Desert Rock" it is desired that you maintain secrecy discipline regarding classified information observed here. Everyone will want to know what you have seen" ---- don't even write home about it.

These GIs participated in the series of atomic test over a period of several weeks, with the largest nuclear explosions coming from bombs dropped by aircraft. Several thousand men watched from about seven miles away as a brilliant atomic light flashed across the desert; some were marched to within a half mile of ground zero where they inspected vehicles and gun emplacements for damage from the blast.

The Pentagon eagerly assessed behavior of GIs as they responded to orders soon after the half dozen nuclear detonations, which totaled 72 kilotons. The more intimate and more lasting consequences, apparently, were not of great concern to the military brass.

Former Army Sergeant Cecil G. Dunn, an "Operation Upshot-Knothole" veteran, recounted from his home in Pensacola, Fl., "After the blast, they marched us to ground zero. I will never forget the smell after that shot. I have no idea how much radiation was there. I know of no film badges. I don't remember seeing any of the men wearing any. I know I never had one." Recalling subsequent chronic headaches lasting for years, followed by nosebleeds, a nervous breakdown, festering spots on his legs and dizzy spells, Dunn said; "I feel like I am drunk all the time, but I don't drink. I tire very easily now --- all I have ever ask is to live like other people. But I cannot help blaming the Government for subjecting me to nuclear testing without warning me of the potential consequences and I will always wonder why it happened."

Part of the above information on the "Atomic Warriors" came from the inter-net and part from memory. An earlier posting recounts part of my experience. Many of those "Warriors" have already departed this life and for far too many of them the cause was cancer. Pray for all of us and also the ones who made the decisions to use us as "human guinea pigs." Until next time, thanks for your time and stay tuned. -William

Poets & Poetry

2010-09-19T09:57:00.000-07:00

nothing modern

I believe I left my last posting with a, somewhat less than subtle, hint that I really didn't much care for our, so-called, modern poetry. Continuing on in that vein, today's writing will be about poets and their poetry from an era before you had to be educated to understand the meaning of the written word. As a case-in-point, several years ago there was an article in a newspaper (Probably The Commercial Appeal) pertaining to the winner of a poetry contest which was sponsored by some Federal Agency. The author's name has slipped my mind but that winning poem will stay with me forever. The entire poem consisted of seven letters which were; "LIGHGHT". If you missed it, here it is again; "LIGHGHT". Surely there is someone, somewhere who can compete with that writer but the biggest problem would probably be with the judges.

With that out of the way, let's move on to a few of the better known and therefore more famous of our, mostly 19th century, poets. Below I will list a few of my favorites along with a short excerpt (2 or 3 verses) from one or more of their poems.

When we think, if we even think, about Edgar Allan Poe (1809 - 1849) we usually remember him as the writer of "The Raven" but my favorite of all his writings is "Annabel Lee". Two verses below;

"It was many and many a year ago, in a kingdom by the sea, / That a maiden there lived whom you may know / By the name of Annabel Lee; / And this maiden she lived with no other thought / Than to love and be loved by me.

I was a child and she was a child, /In this kingdom by the sea; / But we loved with a love that was more than love. / I and my Annabel Lee. -------."

John Greenleaf Whittier, born December 17, 1807 - died September 7, 1892, was an influential American Quaker poet.One of my favorite Whittier poems is "In School Days"; and I'm including the last three verses here;

"I'm sorry that I spelt the word, / I hate to go above you / "Because" - the brown eyes lower fell - / "Because, you see I love you"

Still memories to a gray-haired man / That sweet child-face is showing / Dear girl! The grasses on her grave / have forty years been growing.

He lived to learn, in life's hard school / how few who pass above him / Lament their triumph and his loss / Like her - because they love him."

Another Whittier poem that really needs to be mentioned here is "The Barefoof Boy". The first 10 lines are;

"Blessings on thee, little man / Barefoot boy with cheek of tan! / With thy turned up pantaloons, / And thy merry whistled tunes; / With thy red lips redder still / Kissed by strawberries on the hill; / With the sunshine on thy face, / Through thy torn brim's jaunty grace; / From my heart I give thee joy, - / I was once a barefoot boy."

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, born in 1807 - died 1882, taught French, Italian, Spanish and German at Harvard but preferred to write poetry. Probably his most famous poem was "Evangeline", written in 1847, a fictional, epical saga which chronicles Evangeline's search for her lover Gaberiel(from whom she had been seperated) after the Acadians were exiled from Canada in 1755. Since that poem has hundreds of verses and is much too long to get any sense of its meaning in a few verses, I picked an alternate named "The Village Blacksmith". The first two verses are:

"Under a spreading chestnut tree / The village smithy stands; / The smith, a mighty man is he, / With large and sinewy hands; / And the muscles of his brawny arms / Are strong as iron bands.

His hair is crisp, and black, and long, / His face is like the tan; / His brow is wet with honest sweat, / He earns whate'er he can, / And looks the whole world in the face, / For he owes not any man."

Sam Walter Foss, born June 19, 1858 and died Februry 26, 1911, was a librarian and poet whose work included one of my all time favorites, especially in my senior years, "The House by the Side of the Road" along with "The Coming America" and "Toil's Sweet Content". The first two verses of "The House by the Side of the Road",written in 1897, are quoted here;

"There are hermit / souls that live withdrawn / In the peace of their self-content / There are souls, like stars, that dwell apart, / In a fellowless firmament; / There are pioneer souls that blaze their paths / Where highways never ran; - / But let me live by the side of the road / And be a friend to man.

Let me live in a house / By the side of the road, / Where the race of men go by - / The men who are good and the men who are bad, / As good and as bad as I. / I would not sit in the scorner's seat, / Or hurl the cynic's ban;- / Let me live in a house by the side of the road / And be a friend to man."

It is my hope that someone who might accidentally stumble on this blog would be curious enough to seek out these old poets and their poetry. You'll be glad you did. I may revisit this subject in the future with more of our female poets from yesteryear. Until then, thanks and stay tuned - William

Heroines of Yesteryears

2010-09-15T07:44:00.000-07:00

to be remembered

Oliver Cromwell was born in England in 1599 and died there in 1658. After a long and bloody civil war the newly crowned king "Charles II", in 1651, named Cromwell "The Great Protector or Lord Protector" of England and he remained in that position until his death.

Rose Hartwick Thorpe was born in Indiana on July 18, 1850, she was raised in Michigan and died in San Diego on July 19, 1939. In 1867 she wrote the poem "Curfew Must Not Ring Tonight" which was set in England during the time that Oliver Cromwell was Lord Protector. It in turn was based on an article, "Love and Loyalty" written by "Lydia Sigourney" and published in "Peterson's Magazine" in 1865. The story, in this poem, involves Bessie a young woman whose lover, Basil Underwood, has been arrested, thrown in prison by the Puritans and sentenced to die that night when the curfew bell rings. Knowing that Lord Cromwell will be late in arriving, the young woman begs the old sexton to not ring the curfew bell . When he refuses, she climbs to the top of the bell tower and heroically risk her life by stopping the bell from ringing. The first two verses of that poem follows:

Curfew Must Not Ring Tonight

"Slowly England's sun was setting over the hilltops far away, / Filling all the land with beauty at the close of one sad day; / And its last rays kissed the forhead of a man and maiden fair, / He with steps so slow and weary; she with sunny, floating hair; / He with bowed head, sad and thoughtful, she with lips all cold and white, / Struggling to keep back the mumur, curfew must not ring tonight!"

"Sexton", Bessie's white lips faltered, pointing to the prison old, / With its walls tall and gloomy, moss-grown walls dark, damp and cold, / I've a lover in the prison, doomed this very night to die, / At the ringing of the curfew, and no earthly help is nigh. / Cromwell will not come till sunset; and her lips grew strangely white, / As she spoke in husky whispers, curfew must not ring tonight!"

Some untold years later an unknown poet, apparently with too much time on his, or her, hands wrote the following parody of Ms. Thorpe's poem and titled it:

"Towser Shall Be Tied Tonight"

"Slow the Kansas sun was setting o'er the wheat fields far away, / Streaking all the air with cobwebs, at the close of one hot day; / And its last rays kissed the forheads of a man and maiden fair, / He with whiskers short and flowzy, she with red and glistening hair; / He with jaws shut stern and silent, she with lips cold and white, / Struggling to keep back the murmur, "Towser shall be tied tonight."

"Papa, slowly spoke the maiden, "I am almost seventeen, / And I've got a real lover, though he's rather young and green; / But he has a horse and buggy, and a cow and thirty hens, / Boys that start out poor, dear Papa, make the best of honest men; / But if Towser sees and bites him, fills his heart with sudden fright, / He will never come again, Pa; Towser must be tied tonight"

"Daughter," firmly spoke the farmer (every word pierced her young heart / Like a carving knife through chicken, as it hunts a tender part). / I've a patch of early melons, two of them are ripe today, / Towser must be loose to watch them, or they'll all be stole away. / I have hoed them late and early, (in dim morn and evening light), / Now they're grown I must not lose them, Towser won't be tied tonight."

"Then the old man ambled forward, opened wide the kennel door; / Towser bounded forth to meet him, as he oft had done before. / And the farmer stooped and loosed him from the dog chain short and stout; / To himself he softly chuckled: "Bessie's fellow must look out." / But the maiden at the window saw the cruel teeth show white; / In an undertone she murmured, "Towser must be tied tonight."

"Then the maiden's brow grew thoughtful, and her breath came short and thick, / Till she spied the family clothesline, and she whispered, "That's the trick." / From the kitchen door she glided with a plate of meat and bread; / Towser wagged his tail in greeting, knowing well he would be fed. / In his well worn leather collar tied she then the clothesline tight, / All the time her white lips saying; "Towser must be tied tonight."

"There, old doggie," spoke the maiden. "You can watch the melon patch, / But the front gate's free and open when John Henry lifts the latch, / For the clothesline tight is fastened to the harvest-apple tree. / You can run and watch the melons, but the front gate you can't see." / Then her glad ears heard a buggy, and her eyes grew big and bright, / While her young heart said in gladness; "Towser, dog is tied tonight."

"Up the path the young man saunters, with eyes and cheeks aglow, / For he loves the red haired maiden, and he aims to tell her so. / "But Bessie's roguish little brother, in a fit of boyish glee, / Had untied the slender clothline from the harvest-apple tree; / Then old Towser heard the footsteps, raised his bristle, fixed for fight. / "Bark away," the maiden whispers. "Towser, you are tied tonight."

"Then old Towser bounded forward, past the open kitchen door; / Bessie screamed and quickly followed, but John Henry's gone before. / Down the path he speeds most quickly, for old Towser sets the pace, / And the maiden, close behind them, shows them she is in the race. / Then the clothesline-can she get it? And her eyes grow big and bright, / As she springs and grasps it firmly. "Towser shall be tied tonight."

"Oftentimes a little minute, forms the destiny of men. / You can change the fate of nations by the stroke of one small pen. / Towser made one last long effort, caught John Henry by his pants, / But John Henry kept on running, for he thought that his last chance; / But the maiden held on firmly, and the rope was drawn up tight -- / But old Towser kept the garments, for he was not tied tonight."

"Then the old man hears the racket, with long strides he soon is there, / While John Henry and the maiden, crouching, for the worst prepare. / At his feet John tells his story, shows his clothing soiled and torn; / And his face, so sad and pleading, yet so white and scared and worn, / Touched the old man's heart with pity, filled his eyes with misty light, / "Take her, boy, and make her happy. Towser shall be tied tonight." "

As far as I know the writer is still unknown and if still living probably wishes to remain "Anon." but I would have loved to meet him or her because it is the kind of poetry I like. I don't understand this so-called modern writing but who am I to say anything except what I like and don't like. Thanks, stay tuned - William

Real Heroes

2010-09-12T10:10:00.000-07:00

or goats

Medal of Honor Recipient David C. Dolby Passes Away at 64 -- Earned Nation's Highest Award for Valor during Vietnam.

Mount Pleasant, S.C., Aug. 6/PRNewswire/ -- The Congressional Medal of Honor Society announced that Sergeant David C. Dolby, Medal of Honor recipient, passed away this morning in Spirit Lake, Idaho at age 64.

Sergeant Dolby was assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division, Company B, 1st battalion (Airborne) 8th Cavalry.

President Lyndon B. Johnson presented Staff Sergeant David Dolby with the Medal of Honor -- the highest award given to those who acted with uncommon, selfless courage --- on Sept 28, 1967 for his action on May 21, 1966 in the Republic of Vietnam.

His action of unsurpassed valor during 4 hours of intense combat were a source of inspriation to his entire company contributing significantly to the success of the overall assault on the enemy position, and were directly responsible for saving the lives of a number of his fellow soldiers. Sgt. Dolby's heroism was in the highest tradition of the U.S. Army. (note; at that time funeral services were pending)

The Congressional Medal of Honor Society was chartered by Congress in 1958 and consists exclusively of the living recipients of our nation's highest award for bravery in combat, the Medal of Honor. Those who wear this light blue ribbon and Medal around their neck are "recipients" of this prestigious award; they are not "winners." Although it is common to refer to the Medal as the Congressional Medal of Honor, it is simply named the Medal of Honor, although, as stated, the Congress did establish the Society as the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.

A few days ago I got an e-mail, decrying the fact that the liberal press did not even recognize him (Sgt. Dolby) enough to say "an old man died today", along with this information:

"On Aug 6, David C. Dolby passed away suddenly in Spirit Lake, Idaho at the age of 64. Childless, Mr. Dolby had lived in virtual seclusion in the town of Barto, Pa. since the passing of his wife in 1987. Barto is so small and insignificant the Rand McNally Atlas doesn't even list it in its appendix. Mr Dolby's passing went so unnoticed that even his hometown paper didn't acknowledge it. His passing was announced by an organization to which he belonged. Evidently most felt Mr. Dolby's death didn't merit any notice at all and almost nobody gave it a thought. He apparently hadn't done anything to merit any special attention.

Three days later, on Monday, August 9, Steven Slater, a childish, immature loser who up until that day had pretty much gone as unnoticed as David Dolby, threw a temper tantrum on a Jet Blue airplane at John F. Kennedy airport because his personal pet peeve is luggage that shifts during flight (or maybe it was tray tables not being in their upright and locked position).
Since acting like a spoiled 16 year old, he has been featured on every major news network in the country, his face is on the front page of numerous publications, Facebook pages have been established to "honor" him, and Mr. Slater has been called a hero by people we are supposed to believe know what that term means. Only in today's America, Mr Slater will in all likeihood, stretch his 15 minutes of infamy into 30 and end up making an obsene amount of money from, and revered by, some folks in our great nation who believe that Mr Slaters parents actually DIDN'T pollute the gene pool. He will be interviewed by Today, the Early Show, Good Morning America. He'll appear on Leno, Conan, Letterman. He'll become what we in America these days view as "somebody". He'll be given praise he doesn't deserve and labels he never earned. He apparently has done something that merits special attention."

Medal of Honor Citation -- Sgt David Dolbys offical citation reads:

"For conspicuous gallentry and intrepedity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty, when his platoon, while advancing tactically, suddenly came under intense fire from the enemy located on a ridge immediately to the front. Six members of the platoon were killed instantly and a number were wounded, including the platoon leader. Sgt. Dolby's every move brough fire from the enemy. However, aware that the platoon leader was critically wounded, and that the platoon was in a precarious situation, Sgt. Dolby moved the wounded men to safety and deployed the remainder of the platoon to engage the enemy.
Subsequently, his dying platoon leader ordered Sgt Dolby to withdraw the forward elements to rejoin the platoon. Despite the continuing intense enemy fire and with utter disregard for his own safety, Sgt. Dolby positioned able-bodied men to cover the withdrawel of the forward elements, assisted the wounded to the new position, and he alone, attacked enemy positions until his ammunition was expended. Replenishing his ammunition, he returned to the area of most intense action, single-handedly killed 3 enemy machine gunners and neutralized the enemy fire, thus enabling friendly elements on the flank to advance on the enemy redoubt. He defied the enemy fire to personally carry a seriously wounded soldier to safety where he could be treated and, returning to the forward area, he crawled to within 50 meters of the enemy bunkers and threw smoke grenades to mark them for air strikes. Although repeatedly under fire at close range from snipers and automatic weapons, Sgt. Dolby directed artillery fire on the enemy and succeded in silencing several enemy weapons. He remained in his exposed location until his comrads had displaced to more secure positions. His actions of unsurpassed valor during 4 hours of intense combat were a source of inspiration to his entire company, contributing significantly to the success of the overall assault on the enemy position, and were directly responsible for saving the lives of a number of his fellow soldiers. Sgt. Dolby's heroism was in the highest tradition of the U.S. Army."

Today we have a new Medal of Honor "recipient", Sgt Salvatore Guinta. Will he suffer the same fate? Thanks, Stay Tuned, - William

Mission Accomplished

2010-09-08T07:43:00.000-07:00

Whose Idea Was That?

May 1, 2003 - Aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. The following has been excerpted from the unedited transcript of President George W. Bush's historic speech made from the deck of this super-carrier,during which he declared an end to major combat in Iraq. (Note); I have the complete speech and nowhere in it does he say or infer that the mission in Iraq has been accomplished. Excerpts from that speech:

"Thank you, thank you very much. Admiral Kelly, Captain Card, Officers and sailors of the USS Abraham Lincoln, my fellow Americans, major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed, and now our coalition is engaged in securing and reconstructing that country.
In this battle we have fought for the cause of liberty and for the peace of the world. Our nation and our coalition are proud of this accomplishment, yet it is you, the members of the United States military, who achieved it. Your courage, your willingness to face danger for your country and for each other made this day possible.

Because of you our nation is more secure. Because of you the tyrant has fallen and Iraq is free.- You have shown the world the skill and the might of the American armed forces. This nation thanks all the members of our coalition who joined in a noble cause. We thank the armed forces of the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland who shared in the hardships of war. We thank all of the citizens of Iraq who welcomed our troops and joined in the liberation of their own country.

When Iraqi civilians looked into the faces of our service men and women, they saw strength and kindness and good will. When I look at the members of the United States military, I see the best of our country and I am honored to be your commander in chief. In the images of celebrating Iraqis we have also seen the ageless appeal of human freedom. Decades of lies and intimidation could not make the Iraqi people love their oppressors or desire their own enslavement. Men and women in every culture need liberty like they need food and water and air. Everywhere that freedom arrives, humanity rejoices and everywhere that freedom stirs, let tyrants fear.

We have difficult work to do in Iraq. We're bringing order to parts of that country that remain dangerous. We're pursuing and findind leaders of the old regime who will be held to account for their crimes. We've begun the search for hidden chemical and biological weapons, and already know of hundreds of sites that will be investigated. We are helping to rebuild Iraq where the dictator built palaces for himself instead of hospitals and schools. And we stand with the new leaders of Iraq as they establish a government of, by and for the Iraqi people. The transition from dictatorship to democracy will take time, but it is worth every effort. Our coalition will stay until our work is done and then we will leave and we will leave behind a free Iraq. The battle of Iraq is one victory in a war that began on September the 11th, 2001 and still goes on.

Nineteen months ago I pledged that the terrorists would not escape the patient justice of the United States. And as of tonight nearly one half of Al Qaida's senior operatives have been captured or killed. The liberation of Iraq is a crucial advance in the campaign against terror. We have removed an ally of Al Qaida and cut off a source of terror funding. Our war against terror is proceeding according to the principles that I made clear to all."

The USS Abraham Lincoln, a supercarrier whose home base was at Everett, Washington was due back in her home port on May 6, 2003.

The carrier's fifth deployment began in August of 2000 by sailing to the Persian Gulf in support of "Southern Watch." On September 11, 2001 she was back in her home port but was ordered bact to sea on July 20, 2002 to support "Operation Enduring Freedom", once again taking up a station in support of "Southern Watch". The ship and her crew of men and women were originally scheduled to return to Everett, Washington on January 20, 2003 but while in port at Perth, Australia they received orders to return to the Persian Gulf and their time was extended to May 6, 2003.

On May 1, 2003, President George W. Bush, landed by helicopter on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln while it was still several days out of port. At that precise time there was a banner displayed near the very top of the ship which read; "Mission Accomplished". This banner, while being made by the White House, was the ship's idea, the idea of the men and women who were serving on it at the time. It was those brave men and women who requested that the White House make that banner for them and that banner was to signified the successful completion of the ship's deployment, according to Commander Chun, noting that the Abraham Lincoln was deployed 290 days, longer than any nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in history. That banner, or sign, had absolutely nothing to do with the speech being made that day by President Bush.

The news media made a big deal out of that banner but to me it was much ado about nothing. Thanks and stay tuned - William

War in Iraq - 2003

2010-09-05T10:06:00.000-07:00

Legal or illegal

President Bush first presented his argument for pre-emptive self-defense in his address to the United Nations General Assembly on September 12, 2002 when he said, "The first time we may be completely certain that Saddam Hussein has a nuclear weapon is when, God forbid, he uses one. We owe it to all our citizens to do everything in our power to prevent that day from coming."

Five days later he presented his case for pre-emptive self-defense with even more force in his "National Security Strategy", now known as the "Bush Doctrine", in which he vowed to defend: "The United States, the American people, and our interest at home and abroad by identifying and destroying the threat before it reaches our borders. While the United States will constantly strive to enlist the support of the international community, we will not hesitate to act alone, if necessary, to exercise our right of self-defense by acting pre-emptively against such terrorist, to prevent them from doing harm against our people and our country ---"

When President Bush pressed his case at the United Nations on September 12, 2002, he made it clear that the organization's continued relevance was being put to the test. "Are Security Council resolutions to be honored and enforced, or cast aside without consequence? Will the United Nations serve the purpose of its founding, or will it be irrelevant?" he asked.

An authorization by congress was sought by President Bush soon after his September 12, 2002 statement before the United Nations General Assembly asking for quick action by the Security Council in enforcing the Resolution against Iraq.
Of the legislation introduced by congress in response to President Bush's request, the Hastert-Gephardt proposal became the primary focus of legislative attention. The House of Representatives, on Thursday afternoon, passed the Resolution 296 to 133 and the Senate passed it early Friday morning, 77 to 23. It was signed into law as "Public Law 107-243" by President Bush on October 16, 2002. A total of 86 Democratic Representatives voted for this law and 29 Democratic Senators did likewise. Note; At the time of that vote the Democrats held a 50 to 49 edge over Republicans with 1 Independent.

On February 5, 2003, after weeks of sorting through Intelligence reports (facts and fiction) United States Secretary of State, Colin Powell, went before the United Nations Security Council and laid out the Bush Administration's case against Iraq. His argument could be divided into two main topics. The first centered on the premise that Iraq had to face the penelties for having ignored numerous Security Council Resolutions. "Last November 8, this council passed Resolution 1441 by an unanimous vote," the Secretary said, "The purpose of that resolution was to disarm Iraq of its weapons of mass destruction. Iraq has already been found guilty of material breach of its obligations, stretching back over 16 previous resolutions and 12 years." After asserting that Iraq still maintained a banned weapons program and had not complied with inspectors as required, Powell noted: "Iraq has now placed itself in danger of the serious consequences called for in United Nations Resolution 1441. And this body places itself in danger of irrelevance if it allows Iraq to continue to defy its will without responding effectively and immediately."

On March 20, 2003 - 43 days after Secretary of State, Colin Powell, presented the United State's case to the United Nations Security Council and there being no apparent effort by that Council to rectify the situation -- the war in Iraq began by coalation troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland.

Some of the same politicians who spoke for and voted for the resolution for the taking out of Saddam Hussein's Regime are now saying "The Bush Administration" lied about the need to carry it out but if that is true then why was former President Clinton and members of his administration, also congressmen and women, saying basically the same thing in the years 1998 through 2002? Example; "Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction technology which is a threat to countries in the region and he has made a mockery of the weapon inspection process." - (Nancy Pelosi, D.Ca.), "He will use those weapons of mass destruction again, as he has done ten times since 1983." (Sandy Berger, Clinton National Security Adviser. 2/18/98), "One way or another, we are determined to deny Iraq the capacity to develop weapons of mass destruction and the missiles to deliver them. That is the bottom line." (President Clinton, 2/17/98)

In January of 2003 a CBS poll found that 64 percent of U.S. Citizens had approved of military action against Iraq.

On September 4, 2010 a Fox News Opinion Dynamics poll found that 58 percent of us think the United States did the right thing in taking out Saddam Hussein's Regime while only about one third think we were wrong. Also, in that same poll, 54 percent think President Bush deserves the credit for the success in that war while only 19 percent think President Obama should get the credit.

Right or wrong, I don't know because I don't pretend to have all the facts, but with what little I do know at this time I would vote with the majority in those polls. Until the next time, thanks and stay tuned. - William

Homelessness - U.S.A.

2010-09-01T09:44:00.000-07:00

Or A Homeless World

"A Homeless Person" - An Individual who lacks a fixed, regular, adequate nighttime residence - not counting a shelter or institution that provide temporary residence.

"Homelessness in the United States increased significantly in the late 1970s and became an important political topic. The number of homeless people further grew in the 1980s, as housing and social service cuts increased and the economy deteriorated. The United States government determined that somewhere between 200,000 and 500,000 Americans were homeless. The number of homeless is reported to have risen since that time".

"According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, there were 664,414 sheltered and unsheltered homeless persons nationwide on a single night in January 2008. Additionally, about 1.6 million persons used emergency shelter or a transitional housing program during the 12 month period between October 1, 2007 and September 30, 2008. This number suggest that 1 in every 190 persons in the United States used the shelter system at some point in that period". (From Wikipedia)

To be sure, the economy has deteriorated even further in the last 4 years, caused by or coupled with the bursting of the housing bubble. There is much lamenting about the lack of good paying job left here in the U.S. while at the same time we all run out to so-called discount stores and buy imported (mostly from China) merchandise. We can't have it both ways. I will agree that we must have some imports, if for no other reason, to keep American merchants honest but we should all make an effort to buy American whenever possible. You may think I have drifted away from the homeless theme but that is not necessarily true since the more we buy "American made", the more good jobs we will have and the less homelessness. A poem in the Safari book looks at that subject. It is being included here.

The Homeless World

The little boy looked up at me and said "hey there mister / can you tell me where I can find something to eat / the last good meal that I had was sometime yesterday morning / and a boy sure gets hungry living out on the street" / I looked at him and thought "Oh Lord what's this world coming to / when even little children have no home" / sad brown eyes stared back at me and I knew without even thinking / that I couldn't go and leave him there alone.

For too many times I've heard it said, "I'm not my brother's keeper / and I don't have the time to worry about the lost / but what would this world be like today if Jesus said "I'm busy / you'll have to find somebody else to help you with your cross".

On the streets of New York City, Chicago or L.A. / the world is full of poor and hopeless souls / lives filled with no ambition, left with old and faded dreams / with just a bare existance left of their goals / their cry goes out to all the world, a cry for understanding / that leaves me with the feeling that we're wrong / for we don't really know them, pretend they're not even there / and we're hoping that tomorrow they'll be gone.

For too many times I've heard it said, "I'm not my brother's keeper ---

If we all make an effort, work together for the good of all and pray that "God Bless America Again" we can return to our rightful place, whatever that is, in this world. Until the next time, thanks and stay tuned. - William

To Mosque Today

2010-08-29T10:06:00.000-07:00

Or Not To Mosque

After the last two weeks of writing about dinosaurs, Cro-Magnons, Neanderthals and cave paintings and how they related, or not, to the Bible my plans for today is to try presenting a few more facts and maybe some fiction about the religion of Islam (Muslims). Let's start off with some information as to the number of Muslims there are in the world as compared to the United States.

The Religion of Islam (Muslims): Estimates of the total number of Muslims range from 0.7 to 1.8 billion (yes billion) world wide and from 1.1 to 7 million in the United States. We accept the best estimate as about 1.57 billion, as concluded by the Pew Forums. About 23 percent of all people on earth follow Islam and the religion is currantly in a period of rapid growth.

Christainity is currently the largest reigion in the world. It is followed by about 33 percent of all people -- a percentage that has remained stable for decades. If current trends continue, Islam will become the most popular religion sometime in the mid-twenty first century (by 2050 and some predict that it will happen by 2030). Note: Taken from "Religious Tolerance.org". Probably, none of us (readers or writers) will live to see that day but shouldn't we all strive to make a contributation, so as to leave this world a better place to be?

There is much contention, not only in New York City but throughout the United States and even in many parts of the world, about whether or not to build that Mosque so close to where "The Twin Towers" (a site that, to some, is Holy) stood before September 11, 2001 when a group of Muslems, later identified as "Al-Qaeda", hijacked two airplanes and flew them into the towers, completely destroying them along with over two thousand lives.
It has been reported by some in the news media that Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City may have crossed the line from merely supporting the building of a Mosque near this twin tower site to actively promoting that building which is or very close to violating the "Seperation of Church and State" clause in the First Amendment to the US Constitution especially as it has been interpreted by our highest courts. Note: Our Constitution doesn' forbid near as much as the court decisions imply. It merely states that: "Congress shall make no laws respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise there-of, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances".

Also it has been stated on TV that one of the purposes for building the Mosque at that site was to make a point. In 691 AD the Mosque "Dome of the Rock" was built by "Caliph Abd el-Malik" on the Israelite "Holy Site" where two Israelite Temples had previously stood. Was that to make a point? Over 13 hundred years later that site is still a point of contention between Arabs and Jews.

One last thing which may or may not have anything to do with the rest of this posting but there has been questions arising from statements made by certain people as to why we are hated by al-Qaeda. It has been said that Osama bin Laden was created by our CIA. With that in mind, do you remember this? " According to ABC News Correspondent "John K. Codey", the Carter Administration allowed Shikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, later one of the conspirators in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, to come to the United States to recruit Arab-Americans to fight in Afghanistan against the Soviets (Wikipedia) or this about CBS News anchor Dan Rather: "During the invasion of Afghanistan, Rather was seen on camera wearing a traditional "Mujahadeen" headdress and garment while reporting from near the front lines. These reports helped Rather gain prominence with the evening news audience (and the nickname "Gunga Dan". (Wikipedia) Note: We were a part of that audience and remember his trekking through those Afgan mountains with a team of (what was known then as "Freedom Fighters") multi-national men known as "mules" importing arms, including shoulder fired missles, (some from the United States) to the front lines to be used against Russians. What happened to those so-called "freedom fighters" when the Soviets decided they couldn't win and went home? Did they just find another war to fight against another enemy?

Think about it and also think about what you can do to help make this world better. I don't believe it is to become a follower of Islam. Stay tuned, Thanks - William

The Gap

2010-08-25T07:28:00.000-07:00

or no gap

What about the gap theory which suggests that the world in which dinosaurs, Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons lived, either seperately or in overlapping time periods, occured between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2. Stated simply,the gap theory claims that Genesis 1:1 only tells us that "In the beginning God created the Heaven and the earth" with no references made as to when that took place. Genesis 1:2 states (King James Bible) that "And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters".
Gap theoriest claim that the same "Masoretic Hebrew" word translated as "was" in Genesis 1:2 (and the earth WAS) was translated as "became" in Genesis 19:26 (But his wife looked back from behind him, and she BECAME a pillar of salt". If that be true then Genesis 1:2 could have been translated as "And the world became without form and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep". Continueing on with that theory would seem to indicate that God didn't create the earth without form and void but that something happened to bring that about.

Herbert W. Armstrong was born 31 July 1892 and died 16 January 1986 at the age of 93 years and almost 6 months of age. He founded the "Worldwide Church of God - Seventh Day Adventist" and his ministry lasted 52 years. He wrote "Mystery of the Ages" which was copyrighted in 1985 and 2007. Part of two paragraph are copied and credited here: "The original Hebrew for "without form, and void" is tohu and bohu - meaning "waste, desolation, deteriorated". The word "was" is also translated "became".Thus possibly after millions of years, all had come to be oceanic surface - and light had been by Angelic lawlessness turned into darkness".
From another paragraph - "Notice carefully what is revealed in II Peter 2:4-5:"For if God spared not the Angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgement; and spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly".
(Note) "And spared not the old world" - Is this in reference to the world of dinosaurs, Neanderthals, Cro-Magnons and cave painters?

Anti-gap theroiest say that nothing inportant happened between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2 or "God would have told us so. God would not have left us to speculate in ignorance about such important events". (copyright 2002-2010 by "got questions Ministries") But they have not, at this time, adequately explained when dinosaurs lived and where do you find information, in the Bible, about "The Great Egyptian Pyramids". Wikipedia Encyclopedia states that the Pyramid of Cheops (Egyptian Pharaoh) was built between 2630 and 2611 BCE (Before the Common Era) so that would place the time somewhat before the flood (Noah).
The gap theory is that Genesis 1:2 refers to the fall of satan as described in Isaiah and Revelation and the war that ensued. That brings to mind a short poem from the Safari book, therefore it finds a place here.

That was the Day

Lightning flashing, it dances and hums / thunder rolling like demons playing drums /black clouds boiling, heavy with rain / winds blowing gales like a hurricane / tidal waves crashing all along the shore / water getting deeper, still it's raining more / spirits doing battle to see who's supreme / caught in the middle were all earthly things.

Yes that was the day everything was destroyed / that was the day the earth became void / that was the day God created Hell / for that was the day Lucifer fell.

These last few postings were not put together in an attempt to convince anyone to embrace either viewpoint but only as a feeble attempt to present both sides of this on going argument. There is much, much more to be said on both side and more may be written later but until then, thanks and stay tuned, - William

? - Prehistoric Man

2010-08-22T10:10:00.000-07:00

and cave paintings

Cro - Magnon, (From Wikipedia Encyclopedia) "The Cro - Magnons were the first early modern humans of the "European Upper Paleolithic" in Europe. The earliest known remains of Cro - Magnon - like humans are "Radiometrically" dated to 35,000 years before the present.
The name "Cro - Magnon" derives from the "Abri de Cro - Magnon" (French Rock Shelter of Cro - Magnon) near the commune of "Les Eyzies - de - Taysc - Sireuil" in Southwest France, where the first specimen were found.
Being the oldest known modern human in Europe, the Cro - Magnon were, from the outset, linked to the well - known "Lascaux Cave Paintings" and the "Aurignacian Culture" that flourished in Southern France and Germany".

Neanderthal, (From Wikipedia Encyclopedia) "The Neanderthal is an extinct member of the "Homo Genus" that is known for "Pleistocene" specimens found in Europe and parts of Western Asia.
Neanderthals are either classified as a subspecies (or race) of humans (Homo Sapiens Neanderthalensis) or a seperate species (Homo Neanderthalensis).
The first "Proto - Neanderthal" traits appeared in Europe as early as 600,000 - 350,000 years ago. By 130,000 years ago complete Neanderthal characteristics had appeared but had disappeared by 30,000 years ago, with no further individuals having enough "Neanderthal Morphological" traits to be considered as part of "Homo - Neanderthalensis".

Cave Paintings, (From Wikipedia Encyclopedia) "Cave paintings are paintings on cave walls and ceilings, and the term is used especially for those dating to prehistoric times. The earliest known European cave paintings date to "Aurignacian", some 32,000 years ago. The purpose of the "Paleolithic" cave painting is not known. The evidence suggest that they were not merely decorations of living areas, since the caves in which they have been found do not have signs of ongoing habitation.
Nearly 350 caves have now been discovered in France and Spain that contain art from "Prehistoric" times. The age of the paintings in many sites has been a contentious issue, since methods of "Radiocarbon" dating can be easily misled by contaminated samples of older or newer material. Recent advances make it possible to date the paintings by sampling the pigment (of the paint) itself.
The oldest known cave is that of "Chauvet", the paintings of which may be 32,000 years old, according to "Radiocarbon" dating. Some researchers believe the drawings are too advanced for this era and question their age."

What does the Bible say about cavemen, prehistoric men or Neanderthals? (From gotquestions.org) "The Bible does not use the term "caveman" or "Neanderthal", and according to the Bible there is no such thing as "prehistoric" man. The term "prehistoric" means "belonging to the era before recorded history". It presupposes that the bibical account is merely a fabrication, because the book of Genesis records events which precede the creation of man (namely, the first five days of creation - man was created on the sixth day). The Bible is clear that Adam and Eve were perfect humans from the time of their creation and did not evolve from lower life forms.
With that said, the Bible does describe a period of traumatic upheavel upon the earth - the flood (Genesis 6 - 9), during which time civilization was utterly destroyed except for eight people. Humanity was forced to start over. It is in this historical contex that some scholors believe men lived in caves and made use of stone tools. These men were not primitive , they were simply destitute. And they certainly were not half ape. The fossil evidence is quite clear: cavemen were human - men who lived in caves."

In an effort to present both sides of this complex issue, it will be continued on into, at least, the next posting. If you have followed it this far then stay tuned, until then, thanks - William