A Vent . . . . Beck, Please Climb Back Over The Railing, Help Us FIGHT, Not Give Up

I haven't written here in a while.

I've been trying to do, well, other things.

Friends and others know I've been venting about the state of this country for some time. It's supposed to help. Sometimes does.

I've been a fan of Glenn Beck for some time as well. Still am, but some days it's difficult. It's almost always depressing.

Sometime last fall I realized it was time for me to take a break from my preaching and start ACTING. Those people I liked to talk about who exemplified what this country has been and could be . . . time for THAT to be me. Rather than so often expressing my opinion, all that makes this country great, I needed to be demonstrative of WHY it is that way. It still has the opportunity to be MORE. Still. But it's getting more and more difficult because of GOVERNMENT.

It's not easy to deal with all of this. So, in the spotlight, I feel for Beck.

I had someone recently tell me, as I have practiced putting this new approach into action: "We were so worried about you". She was referring to those rants. Meanwhile, the four kids she and her husband share, guess there are no worries about the future caving in around them. Nope, it's ME. And it's Beck. Yeah, that's easier, though so ill-placed.

In the 1980s there was a movie called "The Accidental Tourist". Some may see me as the accidental Conservative.

That pisses me off, honestly. So I'm gay, big DEAL. It's only a big deal when you accept the parameters of victimhood most gay men eagerly buy into. If you buy into the lies, the patronizing, it's surely easier, nice . . . like being a puppy who likes his head stroked.

I don't hate my country. I never have. When Michelle Obama proclaimed that she'd never been proud of her country until her husband became a nominee for President of the United States, I was repulsed. And, let me tell you, I've been more repulsed every day since. These people obviously do not like this country, while they rub their new taxpayer-funded lifestyle and despicable behavior, anti-American opinions in our faces. I can't stand them. I see their lies. They are nasty and contrary, to my view, everything good about this country.

I see a brick wall ahead, and Obama struggling to keep his idiot, America-hating foot on the accelerator.


Leonardo is toast. The frozen kind. Time to accept it, kick like hell and blow the whistles.

Glenn Beck knows that, has been better at exposing them than anyone else. But Glenn, you promised something new last year starting this year. Where is it? I GET what you're saying. Now, what about those action items, the "something else" you seemed to be, WERE promising. For now, I'm moving back to Neal Boortz, and will endure hearing about a 'Fair Tax,' which will never happen. Boortz retains some modicum of possibility all is not lost. I need that. I want that. Beck's already in the tiny sub down below analyzing the wreckage, wants everyone to know he foretold the disaster before it was completely obvious to all. So invested in the collapse, he's no longer fighting as he should for the salvage which might take place pre-sinking. He's not just the captain going down with the ship, but jumping up and down on top of the bow, trying to push it in faster.

The world doesn't not look pretty these days. A weaker United States makes all of that so much worse.

But I would rather FIGHT, and provide a positive example when and where I am able, than sounding an alarm to fill the life boats, planning to blow the whistles and go back to check for anyone who might have survived.

It is time to build more boats, if necessary, educate all we can, and attempt, with all our might, to AVOID ever using them. encourage others to do likewise. I think and hope this country is still at least partially based on that rugged American-individualism I was told embodies our spirit.

Beck is, in my mind, unquestionably one of us, can help in that regard. Please, just stop jumping up and down on the bow, and come back over the railing. We're STILL horizontal, and you're about to go overboard.

Not Cowering, But Preparing

I've had recent confrontations with fellow Conservative-minded Americans I would not have expected before.

Glenn Beck, YOU are the cause.



I'm not pointing a finger at Glenn Beck as much as I am simply identifying the catalyst. And, yeah, somewhat, asking, uhhhhh, WHAT?

Last fall, and especially just before and around the holidays (by which I mean Thanksgiving and CHRISTmas, no worries), he spoke of how the coming year, 2011, would be different. HE, and the shows he leads on radio and television, THEY, would be "different". That's what he said. When you create such anticipation, I guess people expect something.

I did.

New year, same shows. Yeah, yeah, new theme song, some yapping before the music, but really a "different" show? Not that I can see. Or hear.

STILL the same educational, eye-opening experience it has been for at least the last two years.

So, I've experienced some head-butting. Sorry. I guess I did expect something different.

Not that it was needed. But, yeah, it was EXPECTED.

Maybe I even thought -- for me or others -- it was needed.

I'm pissed off about what is and has been going on in this country. Thus, a bit of a change would have been well-received, from where I sit.

I no longer want the: THIS IS WHAT IS BEING DONE TO US.

I get it.

I want the: THIS IS HOW WE DEAL WITH IT.



Kick ass . . . . figuratively, metaphorically or however necessary.

I would LOVE for Glenn Beck, or other Paul Revere's like him, to come onto the scene and remind me that difficult times call for STRONG people prepared to accomplish difficult tasks.

I do not need to be reminded to withdraw to a corner in fear, as I have been through that phase.

I'm now looking back on that sad American and wondering what in the hell I was thinking. Or not thinking. Feeling. Fearing.

I'm done. And I'm ready for whatever lies ahead, ready to be inspired, reminded of why I need to take part and fight, as needed and required. Others before me, I know, have dealt with and overcome difficult, daunting circumstances. WE -- you, and me, and the Paul (and Paulette) Reveres -- yes, we can do it, too. At times, maybe, we need to be reminded that we can. And, maybe, a slight kick in the ass, to shake off complacency bred into our spirit over the last 30, 40, 50 years. Let's go.

I would love to see and hear from those I look to, look up to, to realize and understand that.

It's time to do battle, and MAKE the change we desire.

It's up to us.

I'm ready.

Bring it on.

I know Glenn Beck IS. He does it EVERY DAY, far more than I can imagine myself.

Inspire me, Glenn. I'm out of my corner, and staring at the shield and sword in front of me.

States Which PENALIZE All Americans

In the last year I had one facebook friend who proclaimed that the rest of America SHOULD bail out California because California has for so long contributed so much to America.

Bull crap, I say.

Back in the 1990s when I worked for a large cellular company, everyone knew that if you took the same level job in our San Diego or San Francisco markets, for the same position or at an equivalent level, you would make easily 30% MORE there, aside from any raise which might be involved for a promotion. Bottom line: IT'S MORE EXPENSIVE THERE.

Who's paying for that? Were Californians' cellular bills that much greater? Hell no. If higher at all, not much . . . EXCEPT surely the TAXES states and government in general love to attach to such bills. No, my company was just as competitive as any other players in the market, as aggressive as the complex web of state regulations would allow.

No, MUCH of those necessarily HIGHER wages, so that employees might actually be able to AFFORD to live there, MUCH of those wages were surely coming from OTHER markets around the country.

One BIG pot from which California -- where they think their crap doesn't stink even though most Americans might say it smells WORSE -- demanded more than its share to support an out-of-control Jabba The Hut-like government determined to do and FUND whatever warped program, pay scale, bill it wished.

Cellular bills were simply my experience. Anything and everything you can buy across the country surely has a similar story behind it.



California is like the ill-behaved teenager who needs some time with a foul-mouthed inmate to scare them straight. California (Illinois, New York, WASHINGTON, etc.) is due for that encounter.

I hope Americans are ready.



(And, yeah, thought about going with a smaller or scaled down image, but I liked this one BIG!!!)

Incompetence, Hypocrisy And Idiocy, Oh My!

I was told again the other day that my words are "hateful". Not the first time and surely not the last. I'll file that away with the times I've been called other things, like homophobe, racist, etc., all the names Liberal Progressives love to toss about when they do not like what is being said, or who is saying it. If they gave out medals, I'd wear them around with a smile on my face.

Of course, the woman saying it this time had herself just been ranting about Sarah Palin being responsible for the Tucson shootings.

You literally could not make these people up. No one would think them believable. Yet, they're all around us, so there's ample proof. Living, breathing, caricatures.

If there are things Liberal Progressives are truly good at, for me, they boil down to this: Incompetence, Hypocrisy, Idiocy.

Sometimes you get (un)lucky and find these ignoble traits all in one. In such case, you know he or she will have been promoted far, far beyond any level of reasonable responsibility based on nothing but good intentions and a desire by those around him or her to prove they are ignorant to said individual's serious deficit of competence and, often times, yes, skin color, sexual preference, religious beliefs (read: Muslim), etc. Nut shell: Prove you don't notice any of these things, prove the size of your heart, your love and feeling for them by constantly elevating them in status. Think about it. It's done time and time again, from childhood (students who cannot read continually promoted) to work environments (if you work for one, you've likely seen it) to politics (see below) to now, even our military (Nadal Hassan, the Fort Hood shooter, for one).

The perfect case study would be one Barack Hussein Obama. His significant lack of any meaningful experience or accomplishments combined with an ability to read a teleprompter and associations made while "community organizing" (read: passing out flyers) with other radicals was seen by many on the Left to perfectly suitg him to be President. Gosh, poor little Barry just deserved it. Not all those people who voted for Barry were Liberal Progressives, of course. Many were just gullible and / or stupid, suffering from years of being purposefully dumbed down in public schools run by teacher unions more focused on tenure than learning, where thinking for oneself would have meant breaking away from the slaughter of the lambs, or their individuality and resourceful thinking. No, Clarice, gurl, those lambs didn't have a chance.

Courage isn't handed out. No worthy human attributes are.

Thus, the woman I made my "hateful" comments to echoed the Liberal Progressive mantra that poor little Barry is merely having trouble with all the horrors he inherited from Bush. For the excuse and victimhood-oriented Ameican, there's a long shelf-life on that one, no matter the stench others have long begun to smell when it is mentioned.

So, she accused me of "hateful" comments while attacking Palin just because, well, just because she's there. If you're a woman who dared to give birth to a baby you knew to have downs syndrome, well, you're obviously a horrible bitch. You should have dealt with that before Liberal Progressives were forced to look at him and made to feel bad for all the children they've aborted over the years. You're public enemy number one.



They can hate. I'm accused of it, simply by expressing my own opinions.

I'm not supposed to hate, but they're allowed to. But that's not 'hate'; it's different.

When we question the idiocy they tell us -- that we must ban tobacco but legalize marijuana, that government must spend more to improve the economy, that we must print money and buy our own debt for the same reason, that unemployment benefits are the best way to create jobs, etc. etc. etc. -- we are either complete morons or just not as enlightened as they.

Accept their narrative, their plans, their ideas, or you, too, are just full of hate. And to challenge it would just be stupid.

The Scary People With Candy

We all have memories from childhood which scare us a bit. I could never really watch horror movies. Not until the last few years. Now, nothing seems as scary as the reality we see day to day, that pseudo-American staring back at me from the television.

But when I was a kid, what most scared me was usually characters from movies meant for kids, but with that one sinister character. He, or she, they were meant to scare, to teach a lesson. One of these was the Candyman, or 'Child Catcher', from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.



I was lucky in a way. I've never really liked candy. But I was afraid he had an even more evil brother who did the same thing for little kids easily lured away by pizza or fried chicken, or, maybe, my mother's squash patties. They were her own creation, but such evil people have ways of finding things out, replicating and luring you in with something they know you really, really like.

I no longer fear the 'Child Catcher'. He's been replaced by Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Barack Obama, all the other Progressives out there who seem to have such a knack for luring in my fellow Americans, then slapping down the door in back, revealing the cage in which they voluntarily placed themselves. Sadly, there's very little screaming.



They're not the first 'American Catchers', just the latest in the series. From Social Security and Medicare to new food ingredient restrictions and those sweet as sugar unemployment benefits, Americans are being led in, eagerly climbing up the ladder and into the trap. It's all good for you, meant to help, climb on up and have a look.

Did you know that nothing creates new jobs like government unemployment benefits? That was a sugary theory put forth by 'American Catcher' Nancy Pelosi. Yeah, she said CREATE jobs, not destroy them. When I heard that idiot statement, I immediately got an image in my head of a dog chasing his tail round and round and round. I got a tad dizzy contemplating the amazing possibilities. Turns out something going on inside Pelosi's head is scarier than what we see on the outside.

Time and time again, Democrats propose new programs under the guise of helping, when the true goal is dependence, control. In case you didn't know, Progressives, Democrats AND Republicans, they know better than you. No qualifiers, just generally, they know better than YOU do. You need them to tell you what to do and how to do it whether you realize it or not. It's surprising you can tie your shoes all by yourself. Yeah, somewhat difficult to argue that for some of THEIR supporters, I'll admit.

It's sad to see what is transpiring in America with the support of many Americans. But with little understanding of history, or the real intent behind programs said to be designed to help, and a sad lack of desire or ability to think for themselves, too many Americans are loading themselves up into their cage, smiles on their faces, waiting for a sweet surprise.

Yes, the Child Catcher now seems benign by comparison.

Broad Brushes & Debate

A broad brush stroke can help more quickly cover any wall in new paint. In politics and other areas of debate, however, it's a tool designed to diminish, if not eliminate, opposing opinion.



The events of January 8, 2011, in Tucson, Arizona, were the result of the choices and behavior of ONE individual, no matter his specific motivations.

Our country and real freedom are based on individual rights. Individuals will make good choices, act positively. Other individuals will make bad ones, behave badly, dangerously. Then those individuals should be punished.

Broad brush strokes should be left to paint.

Don't Ask, Don't Think, Don't Joke, Etc.

There are some amazing gay men and women serving the United States in our military.

I’ve seen a few of them interviewed, read their comments, heard of the comments made by those who have served with and for them.

I do not think they are what the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ is all about.

Over this past weekend we’ve seen rise of a story about videos produced by the enlisted on the U.S.S. Enterprise. The videos are said to include scenes with jokes about gays, and dealt with sex (with women). The ship’s Captain, who participated in making the videos in 2006 and 2007, has now been relieved of his command.

War is not politically correct, but now our military IS.



Gone are the days when safety and security of our borders and citizens was paramount. We’re now consumed with feelings and emotions, we practice being offended, even if no one else is.

No, as I said, I do not believe this is all about the brave gay men and women serve in our armed forces. Instead, I believe it is for the same groups, in San Francisco, in New York, in the typical centers of Liberalism which are perpetually offended, which seem to believe the primary role of our military is to be a backdrop for gay pornography. They know nothing of patriotism, of the sacrifices made for them by those who serve now and have served in the past. Their idea of freedom is the ability to wear backless leather chaps and nothing else in public. They – as N.O.W. for women and the NAACP for blacks – are professional victims and are prepared to always be that, no matter how great the cost.

When such people and their ideals, their personal standards and expectations, are determining the behavior and daily activities of our fighting forces while even isolated at sea, you know our nation is in serious trouble.

This gay man respects and appreciates each man and woman who has volunteered to serve in our nation’s military, who seek to ensure our nation and her citizens remain safe and secure. I would question the motives of anyone who is not, for they are serving to secure YOUR safety and security, your freedom as well.

I do not respect the perpetual victims and their cheerleaders. They endanger all the others seek to preserve and defend.

Happy New Year, America

The arrival of a new year is both hopeful and daunting. There are surprises of all sorts just around the corner.

My outlook on things over the past few years has not been good. Largely, I confess, it still isn't. There are challenges ahead of us. Great ones.

Yet, surely I do not need to be reminded again -- at 43 years of age -- the best way to overcome obstacles is to deal with them actively as best you can. If they are great, they cannot be overcome over night. If they are widespread, it may be necessary for many to work in unison with others to combat them. But no matter the size, small or large, ignoring them doesn't work, and, typically, neither does yelling at them. Though that approach keeps my blood pressure lower.

It's no secret to others who know me what a disaster I think the last few years have been under a disingenuous Administration more determined to undermine and weaken America than accent her strengths, celebrate her possibilities, inspire her to ever more. No, that is not the group we're now dealing with. And, yeah, I've been inclined to scream just that from the hill tops to anyone who might be willing to listen.

Perhaps some good came from it, still can . . . I hope, as I'm not apt to stop.

But something more is needed. Americans who care about America must now act, individually celebrate and become what and who it is they most believe can help to right the ship.

In this new year, in 2011, a year I'm not sure I personally have a lot of hope for, I will be starting my first ever small business. I'm excited about it, whatever is out there. I feel good about it because whatever surprises lie ahead, I'm going to be personally celebrating the free market, the individually opportunities I like to preach about. Taking part and doing, after all, is the best testimony to what you believe. It is, well, so very, very American.

I plan to not only practice what I preach, but work my ass off to turn my ideas into something. Something I can be proud of. Something which might inspire others. Something which will be a testament to and of the America I love.



The Power of the American Individual comes from a multitude of freedoms, manifests from an unique individual experience and point of view. Individual grains of sand constituting a beautiful beach.

It is my time to try to build a sand castle.

Happy New Year in 2011, America.

Old People With A Bullseye On Their Chest

This morning when I woke up it was cold. I hate cold. (HATE cold.)

So, I lingered in bed as long as I could do so with the cooperation of the three dogs burrowed in around me. I flipped on the radio for mental stimulation, hoping something in me would want to move, generate some energy.

What I heard on the radio was a former Brit talking about how government run healthcare in the United Kingdom killed his father and pronounced his mother dead seven years early. As he well put it, when you take profit out of health care it becomes all about cost, the older you are the more you are simply taking funds away from younger individuals who will be sending money in to government for many more years to come. When you budget for anything, certain items, efforts, LIVES, obviously take precedence over others.

Sad that so many Americans -- land of the free, home of the brave -- still are taken in by the b.s. that is government doing ANYTHING well for us, much less handing over decisions for their own health care.

Sarah Palin and Tea Party members over the last year have derided Obamacare for the "death panels" it will obviously lead to. Its Leftists supporters said that would not happen, but it's come up yet again, of course, because just as Simon Conway (the Brit) said this morning, once profit is removed from health care, it's all about cost. Some people will "cost" more than others. The older you are the more you have a target on your chest.



"Death panels" can't exist in this country. No way. That's what they say. Yet, they have already been with us.

Many now may know -- but more NEED to know -- the story of Barbara Wagner in Oregon. She was 64 years old when she found lung cancer, previously in remission, had returned. She filed with the Oregon Health Plan -- they've been doing it the socialist way in Oregon for some time -- for a potentially life-saving drug which would cost $4,000 per month. She was denied the drug, but, with the big hearts of bureaucrats, they did offer to help her DIE.



With a new more Conservative congress, there will be efforts to halt funding of Obamacare, if not repeal all together.

Americans who value freedom, who value their health, who value and appreciate our older Americans, who want this country to return to sanity, should maintain pressure on their elected representatives to ensure this happens.

This is important. If this legislation is not repealed, halted before full implementation, our country as we have always known it is done, a memory getting more distant in our rear view mirror.

The idea of life, our country under Obamacare makes cold and dreary weather seem attractive by comparison.

What IS The Purpose Of Government?

So, what do YOU think it is?

To me, it's to cover what the individual CANNOT. It does not include what the individual can do, but does not want to.

Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and most every other big government program is designed to simply leave a weaker individual desirous of more from big brother.

And with each new program, each new spending spree, the individual is weaker both for his own decrease in self-reliance AND for the increased tax burden he faces to pay for them.



This problem, of course, isn't owned exclusively by the federal government, but also by states, by counties, by cities.

New York City over the last year under the leadership of perpetual elitist nanny Michael Bloomberg has encroached on the choices and rights of its citizens by mandating what they can and cannot eat, making it illegal for fast food restaurants to locate within a certain distance of schools, and raising cigarette taxes yet again.

Yet, in the last few days, as a blizzard has halted much activity in the northeast, New York residents have found the city unable to fulfill an actual responsibility: CLEARING CITY STREETS OF SNOW! Now, of course, they're upset. You can take salt from a Liberal's food, apparently, but they do get upset when you fail to put it on their roads.

Now, because of government's failure to clear and salt streets, two are dead. Liberalism, as many have known, KILLS, both the spirit, the soul and the body.


And when government does 'work', watch out.

Too bad these idiot New York Liberals always fail to connect the dots which got them here, will lead to more and more problems down the road. And, eventually, bankruptcy.

The government you empower to run your life is the government you empower to ruin it.

And LOTS Of Surprises

When I was a kid there was a local television show every Christmas which featured area children sitting on Santa's lap and telling him all they hoped to find under the tree Christmas morning. Kids, no matter the year, the decade, internet, television or radio, they've got at least a few ideas. So, it usually started quickly with items highest on their list, those they could remember easily, then ultimately wound down to the proverbial . . . "and lots of surprises". That's the catch all, the "I want it, even if I don't remember it".

"And lots of surprises". Genius.



As we get older, maybe not a lot changes. We want the good stuff. The surprises, well, we say we want them, but we often find they are not quite as appealing.

Over the last few years, and maybe a bit longer, many Americans have found the surprises have outpaced, outnumbered the good stuff, often been a real challenge to deal with.

I like to pontificate, hop upon my soap box and let it all out. It's both a vent my doctor might appreciate because my blood pressure is not even higher, and a way for me to try to make sense of it all, ensure I'm not out there all alone, screaming at a wall, the only one who thinks as I do. It's been nice to know it's not just the wall, there are others like me.

Yet I've realized, through it all, that unlike those children, I've lost that ability and longing for the surprises. They're not always fun, yet they do keep it interesting. And sometimes, yes, sometimes, they prove we deserved all the nice things we asked for and got.

I still think of America as that shining city on a hill, my friends. But it doesn't stay shiny without the inhabitants cleaning the windows, sweeping the streets, taking pride in and appreciating all it has to offer. Sometimes we are tested, and must prove our worth to inhabit such a fine city.

While I wouldn't take back one word I have personally said over the past few years, in 2011, no matter my view for the outlook of the country on a macro perspective, I will work that much harder to make certain my micro view IS demonstrative of what I believe and want -- what I have often been found preaching about -- both for myself and for the nation at large.

The holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas are well placed before the beginning of a new year. While I take stock of my blessings and all that I need to work on personally, I am also looking to 2011 to do some window cleaning, some street sweeping, maybe even erect a few new buildings dedicated to what I love about this country most, to prove myself a worthy inhabitant.

Shining cities, after all, require upkeep.

Merry Christmas, and best wishes for a surprisingly good 2011, friends and American patriots.

Sad Times. Sadder President.

Just me?

Can you believe this guy so many Americans so enthusiastically voted for two years ago?

It would be funny to watch if what he's done, what he wants to do wasn't so destructive for the country, for our place in the world.

He's like a big baby up there WHINING. A true narcissist, he can't deal with any criticism, can't accept blame for his faults and inadequacies, which are many.

Waih. Waih.



Came across this video on youtube. It's a crying baby someone has tried to make sound better, like something other than what it is. And, well, isn't that what the media has been doing for this chump his entire public life?



Yes. Leftists need to tend to their baby. Much (most?) of America is growing tired of him and his constant crying.

A Bad Case Of Chicken Fox

Fox News is blasted by Leftists for a Conservative bias.

Yeah, right. Anything would look a bit more Conservative when all the other news stations out there are anti-American propagandists fully on board the Obama agenda to undermine and destroy America.

Fox, to my view, falls short of accusations of the Left, and the praise of many on the Right.

There are surely some Conservative opinions spotlighted on Fox, just as there are ones from the Left. You've got Sean Hannity, who seems to have a group of about four or five shows replayed over and over with a few topics of the day added in along with his same lame, uh, insights. Bill O'Reilly is no Conservative. Not sure he is a Liberal, either, more like a fan club of one for himself.



If there's one show on Fox truly doing what all of Fox is accused of, it is Glenn Beck's. Beck day in and day out confronts the radicalism of this Administration, the people in it and who are associated with it, those working behind the scenes. Beck and his obviously immense staff of researchers do what MORE of Fox should be doing.

Fox is portrayed as being a terrific source for news coverage, of exposing and investigating the serious topics of the day, but it's just not the case.

I believe we have a significant case of chicken Fox, bowing to the pressure of the Left, of their accusations, of the intense attacks by those radicals in the media who support Obama and his agenda.

On the show just after Beck each day, is probably the best news show on television, "Special Report" with Bret Baier. Alas, "best" may not be saying a lot. Topics deserving real scrutiny are often mentioned on the show in the 'Grapevine' and other segments never to be seen, heard from or covered again. Just a blip on the radar. Let's go back to more typical inside-the-beltway talking points, view points and pablum, ignoring the state of America and what is being done to her.



Glenn Beck often reminds viewers that he could not say what he says, expose what he does if it were not all true. Making the accusations that he does, he says, would get him immediately fired if there was not much evidence to back it all up.

Yet, in the next show after Beck's, it's largely business as usual in the nation's formerly great capital.

Last year James O'Keefe and Heather Giles became famous for exposing the corrupt group ACORN, which Barack Obama has worked with in the past. Earlier this year, O'Keefe took on the waste and sloppy ethics of United States census management.

At present, much attention is being placed on Julian Assange, an Australian who created the Wikileaks website. While Assange is surely an unscrupulous character who should be prosecuted for murder for any deaths of U.S. military who may result from his actions, with the government we have now, it's hard not to support a mission of finally exposing who is running this government, what they are doing to this country and why.

It does seem most everyone else is chicken.

Vote Palin in 2010

I’m definitely a Sarah Palin fan. If she runs in 2012, she’s got my vote. I voted enthusiastically for her in 2008. It was her running mate I had big problems with.

But I’m not waiting until 2012 to vote for a Palin. I’ll be casting my first ever Palin-specific vote for daughter Bristol – ‘The Pistol’ – on the ‘Dancing With The Stars’ finals.

She’s not the best dancer, I confess. But she is the only reason I have watched any of the show this year. Whether live or saved on the DVR, most times she’s the only one I watch. I have seen some others, but not a lot. The three left are, actually, the ones I like the most. But Palin is THE one I like most.



So, in the ‘Dancing With The Stars’ finale, I will be voting for Bristol Palin. It’s probably the closest to voting like a Liberal I’ll ever get. And it’s for a Palin!

Liberals tend to vote for the person they like the most. This time, that’s what I’m going to do.

Liberals like to vote for people based on who they are, rather than what they can actually do or accomplish. This time, that’s exactly what I’m doing.

Liberals especially like to vote for a “minority”, anyone they can identify as a “victim”. The way the Palin family has been treated by the media the last two years, that Bristol is female – still defined as a victim by the Left – and a young, unwed mother, yes, that’s exactly what I plan to do. I’m voting for the victim.

I’m voting for Bristol Palin because she’s so exceeded expectations, improved tremendously, wonderfully represented a portion of America rarely seen on that show. I’m voting for Bristol Palin because of the contestants who have been on that show who are in any way connected to the Conservative side of the political aisle, she’s definitely been the best. Admittedly, Tom Delay was embarrassing. But I never liked him in Congress either.

I AM going to vote for Bristol Palin and will be pushing every button on that telephone with a big smile on my face because I know if she wins, well, I know a lot of Liberals will need long, intensive therapy sessions. Some votes just keep on giving.

Palin 2010.

Beauty Lost

Societies, the times in which we live, everything, it all changes.

There have been songs on the subject.

Some changes are surely better than others. Some worse.

Change can't be stopped, but surely it can be managed, tailored, if a society so desires. Change can be big, and hard to miss. It can also be small, hardly noticeable until one day it's just there and you wonder how it all came about.

Of late, I've become interested in vintage tins. Yes, no question it's a sign of my own aging. Whether it was 'Antiques in the Attic' or 'Antiques Road Show' years ago, or 'American Pickers' now, I think we have a natural curiosity to wonder if something lying around the house might be worth a lot of money. Or, maybe just more than we'd initially suspect. It's been around a while, after all, it's got to be. What seems junk in the here and now always seems to be worth something later. I used to scold my mother for being a bit of a pack rat. Now, I wish she'd stored away more, it was still there to be rediscovered, enjoyed. Turns out it's not just 'stuff', but often times our history, both individually and all together.



These wonderful tins I've become interested in, developed an admiration and appreciation for, well, they're sort of amazing. Beautiful. So many produced for selling candy and cookies. Yeah, candy and cookies. So much time and effort to design, so much color and thought behind a landscape, a pattern. We've lost a lot of appreciation for real beauty, I think. A rush for this, a time table for that, we have to have it tomorrow because we needed it yesterday. The time and effort put into a candy tin once, it's symptomatic of much else, I believe. Often when a society, a culture, a world loses an appreciation for one thing, when you notice it, its a small piece of a larger puzzle. Life, love, relationships, perhaps much connected to something as simple as a candy tin. Lost, now missed and communicating -- whether intentionally or not -- something about us, the people who made the things, appreciated them and now make them no more.



A man who's often chastised in our society for his commentary on what we have lost, what we may be losing is Rush Limbaugh. In my opinion, his simple eloquence on what has made us great, how we could be greater, and what we still are losing is unmatched. If America has a voice of its national conscience, in my opinion, it would be him. His is the sort of common sense appreciation of America which is as simple, real and beautiful as the tins I've come to appreciate. I often wish more Americans listen to Rush, someone who speaks so eloquently of this country, possibly helping them better understand just how fortunate they are, instilling, reigniting in them that they can still be all that they can be as long as they have the freedom to do so. We have so many supposed leaders in this country who love to tell us why we can't and shouldn't, which makes it that much nicer to have someone like Rush who explains to us why we still can for ourselves, individually.

I listen to him religiously. One day, sometime over the last several years, he went off on an impromptu monologue as only Rush can do. He spoke of our society in soaring, yet somewhat regretful terms. I think it may have been around the time of the collapse of General Motors. He spoke of innovation and dreams, of appreciation and commitment, of an American spirit which saw nothing out of reach. He spoke of Americans' love of automobiles, of flying, of creating and inventing things and then MAKING them. No one speaks of this country with such a natural, easy and beautiful flow. I think it's because he so feels it, believes it, has experienced and seen it. It would be wonderful to have leaders who did such again.



But that, for now, may be lost, like these amazing, beautiful tins.

The Dangers Of Patriotism

Today was Veterans' Day. Thank you to all who have served.

You were surely dangerous to our enemies. I now find unabashed patriotism, which you often engender, is dangerous domestically.

I had the pleasure this morning of attending a Veterans' Day presentation at the Lake Highland Preparatory School in Orlando, Florida.

I was shocked. I wasn't sure such still existed in America: exuberant patriotism, celebration of America, of God, of all our blessings and those who have fought to ensure they continue.



There were probably 200 kids on that stage, dressed in red, white and blue, at times camouflage. There were no apologies for our country's greatness. Instead, a celebration of it.

Members of the military, current and past, were profiled, celebrated, shown in person and in video. Patriotic songs were sung with glee. A pledge to the flag was given, including that "one Nation, under God" part. God showed up a few times. I think he was pleased with the casting call.

Yes, patriotism is dangerous. To the Left. They likely wouldn't have so enjoyed this soaring, amazing, very traditionally American show.

If anyone there needed it, it was a terrific reminder of how fortunate we are to live in this country. It served to remind us to be thankful, to be proud, to be resolved, that others before us have encountered obstacles, difficult times and situations and persevered. No, many who are on the Left in this country would surely not have liked it.

Patriotic types such as myself no doubt loved it. Maybe even some who hadn't seen themselves as that before. And that's why such is so dangerous to the Left.

My Apologies

I would like to apologize.

After this week's elections, with "historic" results, I'm obviously supposed to be in a better mood, look to the future of this country with a more positive view.

I've tried. It's not working so well.

We're still in a hole and going deeper. I wanted a landslide, winners so emboldened they would immediately begin sounding the emergency horn, current office holders now convinced of our problems, called to action.

Maybe I'm wrong. But maybe I'm right. If we are moving in the right direction, we are not moving nearly fast enough.



I still can't help but see Thelma & Louise hitting the gas and going over the side, flying high above the canyon until, well, until they started plummeting downward. You could have placed a few stop signs for T & L to stop at on the way to the edge, but they still went over. I can't help but feel like we're all still in that convertible, screaming to the edge.



Mitch McConnell's words this week helped. I even liked John Boehner's speech, his crying episode, as I took it to mean he's serious, understands the weight of our times and truly appreciates the country we are losing. I've read and heard other good comments. There, and then not there, as so many simply seem NOT to get it.

We still face debt we can't individually imagine, piling on more. We have a growing number of homeowners in this country who are choosing to cease paying their mortgages because either others they know have stopped are still living in their homes, and / or because they believe the government will come to their aid if they join the distressed masses. Not paying, I've read in a number of accounts, gives them an increased amount of spending money. I've read some amazing examples of this. Yet, it sets off a whole new wave of dominoes, more and more uncontrollable, never-ending.

All of this, for anyone paying attention, with even a slight grasp of what is going on, creates more unease, more concern for where we are going. The problems may not have happened overnight, but many of the solutions now, I believe, must be implemented overnight, or at least now reasonably discussed and planned for.

But they are not. We are supposed to pretend, listen to a media which is pretending, misleading, none of it is there. All is fine.

I'm supposed to feel better, be ecstatic, I guess. I am not.

My apologies.

Ms. Kosmas, It Is Time For You To Go

Suzanne Kosmas is my current Congressional Representative and a LIAR. Below is my 'open letter' to you, a version of which will be sent to EVERY newspaper in her district.

* * * * *

Congresswoman Suzanne Kosmas –

One week from tomorrow I hope your constituents give you a resounding kick to your backside, sending you out of office in a manner commensurate with the degree to which you have voted against their best interests, against the best interests of this nation.

I see that recently you began running ads claiming Sandy Adams supports a 23% sales tax. Your ad, of course, does not include any facts which would explain such a claim, such as a support of the ‘Fair Tax’, a national sales tax which would replace ALL other federal taxes. Yeah, you left that out, sought to lie and distort.



After all, you cannot run on your record. You cannot run on your vote for Obamacare. You cannot run on your vote in the House for cap & trade legislation. You cannot run on your willingness to support anything and everything Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi have asked you to. You cannot run on weakness and duplicity, which you excel at. Cannot claim you are interested in individual freedom and liberty, when you constantly take positions to the contrary.

On November 2, your constituents will have their say. I suggest you start looking for property in San Francisco or Berkeley, where, perhaps, you may fit in much better.

It is time for you to go. Few will be sorry to see it.

Clyde Moore
Winter, Park, Florida

P.S. A version of this will be sent to EVERY newspaper in your district.

I Will Be That American I've Been Waiting For - It's Now, Or Truly Maybe Never

I am tired of it all. It feels now like this country, what is important to us and what has always helped us to stand above in the world has been under assault for decades.

And then, yes, it has. It’s only picked up pace in the past two years. That we didn’t fight earlier, correct what we knew was wrong, that has allowed it to all get so much worse.

I am tired of it. I know others are as well.

Yet, that is exactly what they – those who wish to forever change and transform this country, make it into something, increasingly, we do not recognize – that is what they are counting on.



So, with the spirit of America in your heart, with the love of freedom as your energy, I hope all who prize what is at stake will reach down within and rejuvenate, revive.

Many Americans are used to hoping for the best, still not used to getting involved to ensure that the best happens. Now, we must. I, for one, resolve to be that American I have been waiting for, knowing I must. If each of us does just that, we are unstoppable.

It is important to understand that that does not have to mean much more than simply incorporating your concerns into the interactions you have in everyday life. Share your concerns with others, tell them what you know. You are a walking source of information, a fountain of knowledge best shared. Do not assume others know what you know. Engage them in conversation. Educate and inform. Be for them that American they may be waiting for, need now more than ever.



Just last evening I was talking on the phone with my mother. She said she planned to go today to vote early. My mother has endured versions of my rants my entire life. Still, she maintains her sanity. And they’ve picked up steam in the last few years.

Still, she was planning to vote to re-elect her current congressman, Heath Shuler, because of an ad in which he claimed his opponent wanted a national 23% sales tax. It is a claim being made by a number of Democrats across the country, playing on their opponent’s support of the ‘Fair Tax’. Anyone remotely familiar with the Fair Tax knows it would be a REPLACEMENT of all other federal taxes, and meant to more ‘fairly’ capture tax revenue from all citizens based on consumption. It would eliminate tax loopholes, the ability for special interests to impact tax policy and much, much more. There are surely cons for such a plan and honest debate is legitimate. But misrepresenting it simply as a 23% national sales tax is disingenuous and a purposeful distortion. A lie.

That simple discussion, talking about issues, as we do, changed her vote, resulted in my letters to the editor of every publication in Western North Carolina to highlight Shuler’s misrepresentation of the facts and at least a few – as I understand a cousin was following suit – votes for his opponent. Shuler is one of those supposed “Blue Dog” Democrats, moderate, or maybe even Conservative. We’ve seen in the last year that these people do not exist.

The next few weeks are very important. They are perhaps as important as any such period in your life for impacting the future we desire for this country.

I am tired, but I will continue to speak out at all reasonable opportunities. The volume will increase, just in case others nearby might be waiting for an American just like myself.

Pledge To America

Republicans took a stab at it this past week.

Some great stuff in there. As I've heard others comment, my personal favorite is that each new piece of legislation must contain information which specifies WHY it is Constitutional.

THAT would surely be progress.

But let's be honest. We are at a very important, crucial time in this country. We do not need a band-aid on a bruised elbow, but more like major heart surgery.



It's taken us decades to get here; but, I am one of those who believes our time to correct the errors of our past are short before our challenges become that much more obvious, that much more challenging to overcome. We need to admit what we face as soon as possible, begin a dramatic and severe reworking and downsizing of government.

I like a lot of what Republicans have had to say. Yet, it was not nearly enough.

Turning government back to 2008 levels is like throwing a thimble of water on a house fire. We need serious conversations among serious people, with attentiveness from serious and patriotic Americans.

A few suggestions . . .

- End ALL foreign aid. All of it.

- Admit that we have a number "Departments" in Washington which need to be shuttered. Among those, Education, Energy and Environment would seem real possibilities. That doesn't mean we don't have people at a national level who are involved, but it does mean they are a waste of time, energy and money.

- Have all departments, areas of government come before a panel of select elected representatives (maybe others) and give them 10 minutes to justify themselves. Put it on CSPAN. Then, have people who can prove they have paid taxes in the past 5 years vote on what stays and goes.

Any of these three possible? Yes. Doesn't mean it's got to be just this way, but it's time to be serious, to understand the challenges before us and how we bring this country back to being the envy of the rest of the world.

It's time to get serious. That would be my favorite pledge to America.