Tomsbloggerspot

Lipstick and Public Speaking

2008-09-11T16:04:00.024-04:00

I reached a point in my career when it became necessary to cross over from my function as a Managing Engineer, to a sales type responsible for introducing a new product line to the sales folks who were manufacturers representatives. The task was a bit daunting. The company spent millions on these meeting held every two years, and the sales reps had many more years of experience with the company than I had.

The meetings were held over several weeks, and the reps were flown to the meeting site for a four day session. In all, there were seven identical meetings, four on the East Coast and three on the West, and the company spared no expense to provide a high quality backdrop to introduce new products and a new division. I was with the new division and had only been with the company about one year.

Covering the same topic three times in a four day period over seven meetings in a short period of time requires ever increasing concentration. That's 21 deliveries of the same "pitch". Everyone has had an experience driving from one place to another where you are suddenly at your destination and swear that you missed a few noticable landmarks along the way. The same thing happens in public speaking. At some point you will realize where you are in the outline, but unsure if a certain point was already covered.

Paul Stuckey of Peter, Paul and Mary tells a story of concentration, or the lack thereof, that is worth repeating here to further illustrate the point. Paul was attending a large gathering and had just paused for a moment at the punchbowl. Somone engaged him in conversation, but as this individual continued on, Pauls concentration went wandering as he looked over the attendees in the room, when he realized that his new companion had just stopped talking and had finished the dialog with a queation mark behind which was a question that Paul had not heard. Not wanting to be embarrassed, Paul responded by asking the gentleman to rephrase his question in a somewhat wider format so that his response might more fully address the issue. His companion agreed, and said slowly, a bit louder and most succinctly... "What are the ages of your children"? There's an old expression that "It's better to be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt"!

It is really tough to repeat a speech and make it fresh to the new audience. It is so easy to drop by the "punchbowl" and continue talking. Sometimes fresh ideas are included in the 3rd or 4th delivery...sometimes they enhance delivery, sometimes they cause foot-in-mouth problems. This is particulary true when you try and be "cute" or glib....

There's a difference between including an off-the-cuff comment and a double intendre. I have serious concerns regarding Obama which you can see for yourself as you scan down this blog. However, I have to cut him some slack here. I believe his "lipstick on a pig" comment was just as I described above. This is a very smart man...and...had he thought about the connection of this comment to the "hockey Mom" comment by Sarah Palin, he never would have made it. Was he trying to be glib? Cute? Condescending towards McCain? Answer: three "you betcha"! Had he taken even a moment to think before speaking, he would have anticipated the backlash and never gone forward. I believe he recognized immediately following that he had just stepped into a moose pile of problems which did not end with his "spare me the indignation" semi-explanation. He should have accepted the consequences from his statement, apologized and then move on. That's not his way. He does not take ownership of his mistakes. In his interview with O'reilly, he could not bring himself to say that he had been wrong regarding the outcome of the surge. He'd dance and shuffle...smile and change the subject, but that was it. He does not accept consequences from his actions.... That's just Obama!

McCain, John S. #3

2008-08-29T18:54:00.034-04:00

Background and history:

John McCain is 3rd generation Navy. Although his grandfather and father were career Navy Officers (both Admirals), Johns career was interrupted with a lengthy stay in North Vietnam followed by administrative assignments upon his return. All 3 McCains graduated from the Naval Academy...but the youngest McCain, unlike his grandfather and father, just squeaked through a notch above the bottom of his class.

Grandpa "Slew" McCain was an important figure in WWII. He reported to Bull Halsey who reported to Nimitz. Grandpa was a leader with his own task force and aboard a sub tender in Tokyo Bay with his son when Japan agreed to surrender. The elder McCain was in the famous picture aboard the battleship Missouri when MacArthur signed the war ending treaty with Japan. Following the war when he returned home, his frail health got the best of him and he was unable to enjoy much of his retirement. He had a full (Navy) life. He learned to fly after turning 50 and became a leader in Naval Aviation during the War. From his bio: "Slew McCain was so driven that when the Navy passed a rule saying only aviators could command a carrier, the old man went to flight school while in his fifties. He crashed five planes before finally getting his wings, and then his carrier. In one Pacific battle, planes under Slew McCain's command sank 49 Japanese ships in a single day."

The Naval Air Station in Meridian Mississippi was named after Grandpa, the "John S. McCain Naval Air Station", and the youngest McCain taught advanced flight training at that air station before requesting an assignment to a Carrier Task Force that would result in his being shot down over North Viet Nam. McCain wanted to fight.

John McCain grew up a Navy brat moving from base to base as Dad was transferred. His Dad's Naval career never reached the prominance of Grandpa, and Johns career never ascended to the level of his Dads. However, with the help of his brother, he wrote a book titled "Faith of my Fathers" which has details of the lives of all three "Navy McCains". There is considerable ink given to Viet Nam, and it becomes clear that the "Hero" label is correctly applied, but not for having been shot down or for his POW time. When they found out they had the son of a high ranking Naval Officer, North Vietnam offered to release him immediately. He refused as there were plenty of POWs that had been there longer than he. That was the agreement among the POWs. That's a hero! Regardless of what your personal feelings might be, the book is a very "good read".

A snapshot follows: In October 1967, flying an A4 on his 23rd bombing mission at 3500 ft and 550 kts, McCain released his bomb load on the target power station in Hanoi and rotated the nose up heading for a safe altitude. A North Vietnamese SAM hit the A4 and took off the wing. McCain ejected. His leg hit the airframe on the way out and broke. He landed in the water and managed to break his arm. North Vietnamese civilians fished him out and beat him up. Someone hit his shoulder with a gun butt. The shoulder broke. Someone else shoved a bayonet into his ankle and then into his groin. Then the Army showed up and took him to "the Plantation". He was released 5-1/2 years later.

When McCain returned from Viet Nam, it wasn't long before he rejuvenated his past reputation as a party boy and a ladies man. Given the time and treatment as a POW, returning to freedom and liberty would a challenge. It is tempting to cut slack here, and perhaps that is, in part, the proper position. However, time in the USA didn't stop while he was a POW either. During his internment his wife was in a serious accident that resulted in multiple surgeries, some disfigurement and physical disabilities. McCain was not told about the accident in order to keep that information from further consuming him as a POW. That was compassionate towards him, but was also something else he faced in rehab when he returned home. Regardless, he stayed in the Navy and surgery and the physical portion of his rehab allowed him to return to flying status. I can speak from experience here....after you have been in an aircraft "incident" as pilot in command, flying is just not the same. It had to be that way with McCain also...it was with Jimmy Doolittle. On the way to a Phd from MIT in aviation, Doolittle bailed out a couple of times before the famous B-25 "Doolittle Raid" off the USS Hornet in the Spring of 1942. Something about flying causes you to get back in the airplane...it's some kind of passion. I did it, Doolittle did it, and I can understand why McCain did it.

McCain was always a "Maverick". At the Naval Academy he always operated on the edge. He typically accumulated just under the maximum number of demerits. Exceeding that number got you out of the Academy. Going "ashore" with McCain (that's Navy talk for an evening off-base) was a time of drinking, party and most often, women. He did the minimum required to get by. According to published reports, McCain graduated either 2nd or 5th from the bottom of his class. No one ever accused him of being a scholar.

McCain self appointed label as a "Maverick" continues as he serves in Congress. Sometimes with good results, sometimes the outcome less desirable. For example: Lincoln Federal: That resulted from the Carter Administration deregulating thrifts in the late 70s. When Carter left office in 1981, 3300 out of 3800 S&Ls were loosing money because of high risk real estate loans (when will we ever learn?). The result of the investigation:

"The Lincoln Savings led to the Keating Five political scandal, in which five U.S. senators were implicated in an influence-peddling scheme. It was named for Charles Keating, who headed Lincoln saving and made $300,000 as political contributions to them in the 1980s. Three of those senators - Alan Cranston, Don Riegle, and Dennis DeConcini - found their political careers cut short as a result. Two others - John Glenn and John McCain - were rebuked by the Senate Ethics Committee for exercising "poor judgment" for intervening with the federal regulators on behalf of Keating." Although they operated within the scope of existing rules and law, they pushed the envelope. Later on, McCain and Fiengold would write a bill on campaign finance reform that would have prevented the sort of thing that happened with Lincoln Federal. However, Corporate interest and lobbyists have kept this in court since its conception in 2002. Even the Supreme Court upheld the main provisions in 2003. But, the debate is not over. "In an interesting case, in 2005 in Washington State, Thurston County Judge Christopher Wickham ruled that media articles and segments were considered in-kind contributions under state law. The heart of the matter focused on the I-912 campaign to repeal a fuel tax, and specifically two broadcasters for Seattle conservative talker KVI. Judge Wickham's ruling was eventually overturned on appeal in April 2007, with the Washington Supreme Court holding that on-air commentary was not covered by the State's campaign finance laws. (No New Gas Tax v. San Juan County)." (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia).

To date, the McCain and Obama camps are still arguing over matching Federal Funds. Briefly (it is a long and convoluted issue), Obama doesn't want matching funds because that would limit how much, and where from, campaign funds could be garnered, and restriction to legislative issues for media advertising within 60 days of the election. The DNC has a suit against the McCain camp to prevent them from doing the same.

Regarding McCains choice for V/P...Sarah Palin: I think it would be unwise to take her lightly. She seems to have a handle on the job and her position within the McCain candidacy. From her acceptance comments: "Now, no leader in America has shown these qualities so clearly or presents so clear a threat to business as usual in Washington as Senator John S. McCain. This -- this is a moment when principles and political independence matter a lot more than just the party line. And this is a man who has always been there to serve his country, not just his party."And this is a moment that requires resolve and toughness and strength of heart in the American president. And my running mate is a man who has shown those qualities in the darkest of places and in the service of his country. A colleague once said about Senator McCain: That man did things for this country that few people could go through; never forget that. And that speaker was former Senator John Glenn of Ohio. And John Glenn knows something about heroism."

I'm (Almost) Afraid to Tell You

2008-08-27T11:25:00.056-04:00

This election has brought out the very worst. A US Senator supported by the Chicago machine; A US Senator who tolerated 35 years of her husbands philandering as a 2 term Governor and 2 term President; A certified American military hero and 3rd generation Naval Officer with no leadership or executive management tools; An ex-congressman with a belligerent antagonistic history running on a 3rd party ticket; Lastly, a consumer-advocate and author of "Unsafe at any Speed", or reasons not to own a Corvair. There they are. Our choices for the next 4 years.

I worry about #1 and #3. One will be president. This post is about #1. I will post #3 soon.

Machine politics - The Richie Daily designated hitter - AKA The Obama factor.

In my November 20, 2006 blog, I wrote about Chicago politics. I was born and raised in "the City", on the NW side. I remember Richies daddy, Richard J. Daley, when he came to power. For those who remember the Democratic National Convention 40 years ago in Chicago, the world caught a glimpse of Richard J's autonomous rule, his attitude, and most of all that patented sneer that became legendary. Daddy did a lot of good for Chicago, and at the same time he did a lot for his friends as well. Len O'Conner, a Chicago TV columnist wrote a book about "Hizzonor" entitled "Clout". It was all about Richard J. Daleys rise to power...names, places, events, friends, enemies, backroom deals, voting Chicago style (i.e. "vote early and often"). How O'Connor managed to survive it's publication remains a mystery to me.

Richie Daley isn't half the the Monarch his father was....but he still "rules" rather than governs. He is, indisputably, the King of today's Chicago. His authority may be less broad based than daddy, but like daddy, if he really wants something to happen....he makes it happen regardless of jurisdiction or reason. Take Meigs Airport adjacent to downtown Chicago for example. He tried for years to close it, but couldn't. So, one night he had City road equipment enter the airport and dig "X" shaped trenches on the only runway, rendering the airport unusable and stranding aircraft on the tarmac. The "normal" procedure for marking an airport "closed" is a painted "X" on the runway. Destroying the runway is not only outside the cities authority, it creates a hazard. The FAA eventually levied a fine against the city and scolded the Mayor, but be sure that it will be in appeal forever. Richie Daley got his way.

Richie Daley runs Chicago and the Chicago democratic machine politics. Richie Daley supports Obama just as his daddy supported Jack Kennedy. Some will claim that Richard J saw to it that Jack Kennedy was elected President as a favor to Jacks daddy, Joe Kennedy. There is always a favor involved. Joe (and Jack) Kennedy owed Richard J big time. Who does Obama owe??

Enter Tony Rezko.

According to Obama, he barely knew Rezko. It would seem that their relationship was a bit more. When he needed financial help for a $2 million dollar home purchase, he went to Rezko for the money while knowing that Rezko (Rezko Realty)was under investigation and headed for criminal court. Obama covered that with a "bone headed mistake" comment. It gets much more involved than this and involves a $350,000 "discount" on the house, Rezko's wife buying the property next door and selling a piece of it to Obama. It's still more involved.... Tony is now in jail and Illinois Governor is being investigated for connections to "Rezko Realty". Obama has not been implicated in the criminal dealings of his "non-friend" Tony Rezko. That sure worked out well for Obama. Did someone help him out with a favor? I guess we'll find out if Obama takes up residence at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. If Richie Daleys brother Mike shows up with a new job in DC, bet there was a favor repaid!!

Even Chicago Public Radio weighs in on Rezko/Obama, listing campaign donations made by Rezko. It doesn't end there either. There is a connection between Rezko and Obama choice for V/P Jo e Biden according to the Chicago Sun Times newspaper. And... it doesn't stop there. There is a Clinton connection to Rezko. No one knows where it ends, or where the end of the string is that connects everything together. However, for Obama to refer to accepting personal money from the likes of Tony Rezko as just a "bone headed mistake" falls far short of full disclosure. The Obama's managed to get connected to the mainstream Democratic political machine and take advantage of their Harvard Law School education. It would seem that their education just appeared as an opportunity in front of two young African American young people. However, upon graduation they both wind up with employment with a law firm that represents Rezko and a host of other slum lords. Coincidence? Perhaps. However, Michelle's million dollar salary, Barach's election to the State Senate and connection to both Springfield and Chicago politics in a system where past governors finish their careers in jail does provide food for further thought and reflection on what is to come of an Obama Presidency. It is certainly clear that Obama is astute when it comes to maneuvering politically. The question is, will he maneuver as fluidly in and about the leadership role required of the Commander and Chief, or will the debts he carries from ascending prevent him from leading as he should/could?

In his acceptance speeech in Denver on August 28th, and within the 1st few sentences, Obama thanked his friend "Dick Durbin". There's a ton of connections tied to Dubin.... suffiecient for a lengthly dissertation on the Senior Senator from Illinois who somehow went from a worker in a meat packing plant to his Georgetown Law Degree where he represented Illinois Govenor. Obama's connections are not just historical, although he has a lengthly history. His connections are current, and he is loyal. The Jesse Wright story illustrated the lengths he will go to remain loyal.

Why am I almost afraid to tell you? Simple....I don't want to dissapear!

Global Warming or the Ice Age Cometh?

2007-03-14T12:14:00.000-04:00

A recent Washington Post article gave this scientist's quote from 1972. "We simply cannot afford to gamble. We cannot risk inaction. The scientists who disagree are acting irresponsibly. The indications that our climate can soon change for the worse are too strong to be reasonably ignored." The warning was not about global warming (which was not happening): it was about global cooling! In the media, disaster is news, and its absence is not. This principle has been exploited so skillfully by ecological scare-mongers that it is now regarded as politically incorrect, even unscientific, to denounce global warming hysteria as unproven speculation. Meteorologists are a standing joke for getting predictions wrong even a few days ahead. The same jokers are being taken seriously when they use computer models to predict the weather 100 years hence. The models have not been tested for reliability over 100 years, or even 20 years. Different models yield variations in warming of 400%, which means they are statistically meaningless.

So, what is this debate really about? Al Gore is one of the leading characters involved in tossing this Global Warming football around. He's been very visible and politically loud on this issue. He has produced a very successful movie that has gotten a lot of attention (including an Oscar), and is enjoying a rebirth of his public persona... a rebirth that has the experts who track these things estimating that he has earned some $40,000,000 since leaving "public life" for the speaking circuit. Al Gore is many things, but a scientist is not any more an Al Gore credential than his later recanted self proclaimed title as the "Inventor of the Internet". Journalism is one of his credentials, although he has not practiced that craft since the Vietnam era. Public speaking is in his toolbox, but he does loose a grip on the facts (or science) in favor of his opinions. Those who know him agree that he is in love with his voice, particularly in front of groups. Regardless, he has been very effective scaring the Hell out of his listeners regarding Global Warming. Interesting to note, a quick search of Amazon.com reveals 21,916 book titles on the subject of "Global Warming" with costs running between $10 and $50 per title..... That represents a lot of bucks!!! Is any of this about money??

Dr. Tim Ball is a Canadian with a PH.d. in Climatology: "Since I obtained my doctorate in climatology from the University of London, Queen Mary College, England my career has spanned two climate cycles. Temperatures declined from 1940 to 1980 and in the early 1970's global cooling became the consensus. This proves that consensus is not a scientific fact. By the 1990's temperatures appeared to have reversed and Global Warming became the consensus. It appears I'll witness another cycle before retiring, as the major mechanisms and the global temperature trends now indicate a cooling. " And: "Global cooling could develop on Earth in 50 years and have serious consequences before it is replaced by a period of warming in the early 22nd century, a Russian Academy of Sciences’ astronomical observatory’s report says, the RIA Novosti news agency reported Friday. Environmentalists and scientists warn not about the dangers of global warming provoked by man’s detrimental effect on the planet’s climate, but global cooling. Though never widely supported, it is a theory postulating an overwhelming cooling of the Earth which could involve glaciation. “On the basis of our [solar emission] research, we developed a scenario of a global cooling of the Earth’s climate by the middle of this century and the beginning of a regular 200-year-long cycle of the climate’s global warming at the start of the 22nd century,” said the head of the space research sector.

It surely wouldn't be productive to begin lining up "experts" that support different sides of this issue. That could go on indefinitely and prove nothing except there are learned folks claiming the truth about Global Warming, and learned folks that claim there is no such thing as Global Warming. I have managed to live long enough that I have heard the Scientific Community claim that if we continue at our present rate of polluting, we will be entering another Ice Age and all will be lost....followed by "if we continue at our present rate of polluting we will warm the Earth to a point of destruction".

So..... who and what should we believe??

Along the way of passing through 65 years of experiencing life, I have been privileged to participate on the Scientific and design side of business. I have seen with my own eyes and heard with my own ears that everything I see, do, touch, smell, feel or have otherwise experienced has a life cycle. Food, the terrible twos and teenagers, moonlight, the seasons, electronics, artificial light, heat from the sun and sunspots all have cycles. In science, we calculate a factor we call "MTBF".... or "Mean Time Before Failure". It is the time from whence a device begins operating until it fails. It is similar in intent to the "Actuary Tables" an insurance company uses to calculate how long an individual will live based on the parameters in which the individual falls statistically. Statistics...an interesting subject based on averages and the differences between numbers that make up averages...or cycles.

Along the way the Earth will heat up and cool down. Eventually it too will fail as part of the cycle of life... And so I listen as I hear "the sky is falling" coming from this group or that. Someday it will........ In the meantime, for the next few milleneums, relax and be mindful and protective of Spaceship Earth......

Cowards, Uranians and Pedophyles

2007-03-11T18:34:00.000-04:00

Thank you to Doug and Mary for the encouragement to get back to this blog..... and for a creep that threatened my family for rekindling my anger, passion and protection!

I can't imagine living my life in cowardliness by hiding in the dark recesses of the darkest shadows on Earth. I am talking specifically to "OS" who uses this equipment to display his desire to ogle and molest young boys for his own self serving pleasure. He identifies himself as "A new Uranian". By that very definition of his, one who is irregular, a misfit hideously and deliberately hidden from both posted comments or return email. This is an "IT", not a man. A man has courage, compassion, honor, and most of all is a protector of innocence and goodness. "OS" has none of these attributes. Rather, "IT" has set himself up and has been identified, will be prosecuted and sent to prison to become an inmates love toy. A child molester is the very bottom of the prison hierarchy. And, best of all, we have already identified the thread that this less than smart bottom feeder pedophile has left open through his own ignorance. You're right Forrest.... "Stupid is as stupid does"....

Sleep well Uranian.....but make sure you keep one eye open so you can run and hide like the unich you are... or rather the unich you will be!

Chicago Patronage Politics

2006-11-20T22:38:00.000-05:00

They're at it again!!! This time the mayors #1 aide and his lieutenants got busted for being on the take.... Imagine that.... Corruption in Chicago!! The surprise is that it became public and a few folks had to fall on the sword!!

Mayor Richard Daley's former patronage chief was sentenced today to 46 months in federal prison for his role in a hiring fraud scheme at City Hall. He was also ordered to pay a $10,000 fine. Robert Sorich showed no emotion as U.S. District Judge David H. Coar delivered a tongue-lashing. "I don't give a hoot whether this has been going on for 200 years," the judge said. "It still stinks.'' Sorich could have received as much as 57 months in prison, but Coar gave him the lowest end of the sentencing range. Prosecutors say Daley aides rigged hiring for thousands of city jobs and promotions in favor of political loyalists. The scheme allegedly was designed to enhance Daley's political power.

Well, the patronage thing in Chicago has not been going on for 200 years...Hell, the city burned to the ground in 1871! It works in more modern Chicago because of the "loyalty" of the workers. They keep voting for the machine that provides them a job.

Is there a lesson in this for a raise in the minimum wage?? Will those who get the raise vote in the next election for those who got them a raise?? Ummmmm..... I wonder!!

Not the Cubs!!!

2006-11-14T22:10:00.000-05:00

No, no....Not the Cubs!!!

Years ago, the Cubs were owned by Wrigley Gum which was owned by P.K. Wrigley. "PK" used the Cubs as a business...Like a farm to grow players and then sell them to other teams for a profit...Like Bruce Sutter. Bruce was about the last of the big cash deals before the Tribune (which by the way is directly across Michigan Avenue from the Wrigley Building) bought the Cubs. The trib owns WGN radio and TV, and that has been the broadcast link for the Cubs forever. A very tidy and controllable package!! The Tribune Company (http://www.tribune.com) is VERY LARGE...And it is publicly for sale! Take a peak at what they own...It is amazing!! That doesn't matter as long as the sign at Wrigley and the team that plays there doesn't change!!!

Vote! Or... Why I lean to Conservative...

2006-11-06T09:22:00.000-05:00

Ahhhh...Chicago at election time. Just like April in Paris. Serene, peacefully, the blossuming ballots. "Vote early and often", the mantra of the city is felt crisply in the first Tuesday of November air. From the era of Mayor Kennelly, Mayor Daley (the elder) to Mayor Daley (the younger), everyone is "encouraged" to vote. City employees for example...Are "encouraged" to vote...vote Democratic or surrender your job. Yes indeed, it's important to vote in Chicago. Vote Democratic that is...It's a one party city! The city that doesn't change. It's (perhaps) long forgotten (by some) that during the Mayorship of Daley the elder, Daley the younger was an insurance agent. Not just any agent, but the one and only agent who was the Cities "Insurance Man". Yes indeed, little Dicky Daley sold the city all of it's insurance. Some insurance man that little Dicky Daley!! Things changed when a TV newsman made that public and the State Insurance Commissioner got involved. Dicky Daley had to find another job. The TV newsman stayed alive by staying on TV, and publishing a book entitled "CLOUT: Mayor Daley and His City." Little Dicky Daley today??? Why he's the Mayor of Chicago of Course!!!

Then there's Jesse Jackson. What a guy that Jesse! Out of his own corporate "Rainbow Coalition" pocket Jesse buses (only) persons of color to the polling places. And, it doesn't stop there...No indeed. Lunch and refreshments are provided...And it doesn't stop there either. The bus ride is a rolling seminar on who to vote for...And it didn't use to stop there. I'm not certain they still play fun games on the bus...But they used to....And believe it or not, everyone won a cash prize. That's how it is when you're "Shakedown Jesse"...you can do anything. You can put a son in the US Congress simply by waving one hand...or, another son can own the Budweiser franchise for Chicago and all of Cook County simply by waving your other hand. Be sure of one thing, if you ride the Jesse bus, you know who to vote for.... Or you'd better know who to vote for......

Chicago at election time.... what a wonderful place to be. They'll continue voting and "finding lost ballots" by the boxload until the election if finally over. Sometimes that'll take a week or two.

I voted by absentee ballot. My mobility, or lack thereof, would have made it very difficult to do otherwise. I didn't vote a straight party ticket. I never do. I voted for candidates who were Prolife, not in favor of taxing Social Security and not in favor of screwing up the Social Security System, and candidates who support our troops regardless of where they are. Most were Republicans...some were Democrats...some were Libertarians...

It's a great country!

Kerry Said What??

2006-10-31T20:25:00.000-05:00

Kerry told a group of California students on Monday that "those unable to navigate the country's education system get stuck in Iraq". Sure sounds like he is not impressed with the education level of our Military. Anyhow, that's what he said in his own words according to a most liberal press. The amazing part is that he now denies saying what he said. Now he says that a "veteran" would never say that about the troups. Here he goes again! You would think this guy learned something a couple of years ago. Go figure!!

Moveon.org Recruiting Military to Speak Against the War.

2006-10-26T08:23:00.000-04:00

I'm afraid to say that the political mudslinging can't get much lower. I thought that the Kerry organization recruiting relatives of fallen military was pretty low....But this new tactic is several layers below pond scum! Now "Moveon.org is trying to recruit active Military to speak out against the war!

As an enlisted man/woman or officer you take an Oath. That is a guarantee of your own personal honor, and in so doing you state the following:

(Enlisted Oath)
"I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God." (Title 10, US Code; Act of 5 May 1960 replacing the wording first adopted in 1789, with amendment effective 5 October 1962).

(Officers Oath)
"I, _____ (SSAN), having been appointed an officer in the Army of the United States, as indicated above in the grade of _____ do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservations or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter; So help me God." (DA Form 71, 1 August 1959, for officers.)

As far as I am concerned, those at "Moveon.org" or anywhere else who attempt to recruit military personnel to speak out against the war are causing those military personnel to speak against their Oath and their Honor. Whoever causes this to happen, or participates in any manner should be brought up on charges of Treason and punished to the fullest possible extent of the law. A Dishonorable Discharge for the Military participant would relieve them of their oath. The recruiter and the Military participant should be offered life at Levinworth!

Why is a political position so important that it would cause citizens to act this way? Is the coercion worth the objective? How can these people live with themselves or sleep at night?

President Jimmy Carter against North Korean Policy

2006-10-21T10:11:00.000-04:00

This is really tough to believe. Carter was the lead guy who established the present North Korean policy...now he's against it?? Double digit inflation Carter is against his own policy? Read on: ""Obviously most of the blame is on North Korea but it is U.S. policies that have brought us to this status," he told Reuters while riding between campaign stops for his son Jack who is running for the U.S. Senate in Nevada.

Carter, president from 1977 to 1981, negotiated a deal during a visit to North Korea in 1994 over the reclusive communist state's nuclear program when fellow Democrat
Bill Clinton was president.

"The Bush administration changed that policy," he continued. "They put in the trash can the agreement with North Korea, and as a result of that -- and threatened North Korea with military attack -- and as a result of those threats and the discarding of the previous agreement, North Korea announced that they were withdrawing from the Non-Proliferation Treaty."

"It's like night and day. It was daytime when Clinton was in office that totally prohibited and prevented any sort of plutonium enrichment," he said. "All that was dramatically changed under George Bush and now we have the North Koreans having exploded a plutonium bomb."

Somebody tell me what changed?? Other than Carter/Clinton negotiting a deal with Kim Jong Il with a wink and taking another don't look don't tell approach. All we did is make them agree not to develop the bomb and then give them the technology, parts and $640,000 to make it happen. Now that they detonated a device, Carter is complaining about policy?? Time for a memory check Mr President!! Hello, hello, can you hear me Jimmy... I voted for you...remember me??

For the record, Bush did nothing to change the policy with North Korea until Kim Jong Il had the monitoring camers disconnected and threw the IAEA out of the country. But, that didn't matter. The policy Jimmy and Bill put together already put the device on the fast track with the North Koreans!

Remember Cindy Sheehan?

2006-10-18T09:06:00.000-04:00

I will be posting more on this...keep checking back...but...it turns out Cindy Sheehan, who's son Casey was KIA after 5 days deployed in Iraq, and who held sit-ins at Crawford Texas was (and may still be) a salaried, and expenses paid employee of the John Kerry Presidential campaign. Read on:

"Three days after Casey Sheehan died, John Kerry was standing behind the terrorist Al Sadr. Many of us mothers of military personnel, in Vacaville, CA., the home of Cindy Sheehan, called his office to blast him for his support of the terrorist. Sheehan was supporting the President at that time and was thrilled at having the opportunity to meet him. They encouraged us to support Kerry and we ignored them, choosing to stand behind the President as he had the total support and confidence of our children. Within months, his campaign came to Vacaville to visit Cindy Sheehan. She knew of his support of Al Sadr. The family became mezmorized with Kerry and his campaign embraced her, tying her into other organizations to support his campaign. They paid her expenses to travel across the United States supporting him. When asked why she would support the man who supported the terrorists who were killing soldiers and had killed her son, there was no response. She seemed conflicted. Behind all of this, is John Kerry and his group of radicals, once more, trying to demoralize our troops and jeopardizing our children."

*****

You would do yourselves a service to read "America Mourning". It's fair and balanced particularly for those touting Bob Woodwards latest work. Woodward is a great author. My only criticism is that he only rights left handed accounts while editing out any opposing conclusions.

There is so much information on the net regarding Cindy Sheehan, her connection to John Kerry, pornography and divorce, I think it best that the reader of this "Google" the subject for themselves. It is really disgusting! Try "Cindy Sheehan John Kerry Connection". No need to comment here either left or right.

Marriage is a minority in US households.

2006-10-16T18:45:00.000-04:00

For the very first time in history, according to the latest US Census statistics, "non-family households" account for 50.2% of US households. That means that less than 50% of US households have an in residence husband and wife. The larger percentage is single parent or unmarried couples.

There is an ongoing debate on a state by state and national level regarding same sex marriages. Gay rights, don't ask don't tell, out of the closet.

In Iowa, a brother shot and killed his 3 sisters plus parents. In Ft. Pierce Florida, a family of 4 was found shot to death and left on the side of the road. In Atlanta, a young mother of 3 was gunned down in her own home during a break-in. Just last week an "English" man entered a one room Amish school and executed 6 little girls and wounded 4 others. These are not exceptions. They are every day occurances. They are "normal".

Perhaps it is that I am in the winter of years. Perhaps having had my two marriages ended by the death of my spouse due to cancer has made me further sensitized me to the awful result of a loss. Perhaps my "old fashioned" values are no longer of value to the majority. But I can tell you two things that are absolutely true. First that simpler times of years past were better for everyone. Those years had their problems, but the level of respect and dignity for friends, family, associates and even strangers was measureably higher than it is today. Second, if the opening of this note doesn't scare the Hell out of you, I suggest you find a place to sit quietly and search your soul for answers. Our country out of control.

This country is in trouble. Not because of Iraq or Osama. It's not because of the cost of fuel or the cost of living or the cost of anything. It is not because of politics or amnisty or immigration. America is in trouble because she continues to drift away from her self respecting way of living. As the moras of the people changes, so too does the country change from a stable rule of law and understanding body, to a permissive society in which practically anything goes and the motto is "push the envelope". I believe that the character of the people that form the nucleus of our nation continues to teach itself to rationalize the unacceptable into common reality. I hope it is not too late to change back to our previously held view of family values, marriage vows and respect for each other. An election will not cause this change, it will require a change in perception of right versus wrong, not left versus right.

Who's killing who in Iraq?

2006-10-14T10:57:00.000-04:00

Regardless of what the liberal think tanks say to try and convince the American voter that Iraq is going badly, you only have to remove a single layer to see what is going on. To be sure, there is trouble in Iraq. That's why we have 140,000 troops deployed there and have trained 300,000 Iraq citizens as police. The following is copied off of Yahoo this morning:

"BAGHDAD, Iraq - Under pressure to take stronger action against sectarian violence, the ministry in charge of Iraq's police force will change top commanders and has already fired some 3,000 employees accused of corruption or rights abuses, a spokesman said Saturday.

The Shiite-led police force is widely accused of being infiltrated by Shiite militias blamed in slayings of Sunni Arabs, and critics say Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has been reluctant to move against the militias since many are linked to parties in his coalition.

Thousands have died this year in the cycle of killings between Shiites and Sunnis death squads. At least 14 other people were killed Saturday, mostly in sectarian violence around the country.
Also, the bodies of 17 Shiite construction workers were found in an orchard outside Baghdad, kidnapped and decapitated in apparent retaliation for an attack on Sunni Arabs last week.
The workers' headless bodies were found Friday outside the city of Duluiyah, 45 miles north of Baghdad, along with four other unknown victims, also beheaded. The killings of the workers were apparently retaliation for the kidnapping on Wednesday of three Sunni Arabs in Duluiyah by a Shiite militia, police said. The three were killed and their bodies burned."

This killing of Moslems by Moslems has been going on for years, and will continue to go on for years. The corruption in the police department comes as no surprise to anyone who has grown up in a large city and has even the most basic knowledge of city politics. I grew up in Chicago. That's all I need to say about that. Even small towns like Jonesboro Arkansas have their city politics. In Vicksburg Mississippi, there were politicians who were magicians....they could make people dissapear....permanently!!

The liberal think tanks would have you believethat 650,000 have died thus far in Iraq. That would be roughly 450 per day. Reasonable people recognize that this magnitude of death would be well covered and reported by the media. Lt. Gen Ricardo Sanchez was interviewed this week and found this incredible number sickly laughable. According to the latest estimates reported by the US military, the actual number is in the range of 20,000 total (roughly 14/day) with the over-whelming majority caused by Moslem factions killing Moslem factions.

Today, an understanding of fact requires an objective view from credible sources and a balanced input. Knowledge is power. Unfortunately, a casual input from an agenda driven or unknowledgeable source is a poor but common way to develop a liberal opinion. Fair and BALANCED is a far better approach. It yields truth and understanding of fact.

Nuclear North Korea

2006-10-10T02:56:00.000-04:00

Well, here he is again! Same as before. Shootin' from the hip and still not limited by facts.

"Democratic Sen. John Kerry, the president's rival in 2004 and a potential 2008 candidate, assailed Bush's policy as a "shocking failure," and said, "While we've been bogged down in Iraq where there were no weapons of mass destruction (Note: Remember that Kerry saw all of the intelligence reports and agreed at that time with President Bush that we had to invade Iraq), a madman has apparently tested the ultimate weapon of mass destruction." (Reported by Yahoo).

The Senator from Mass. failed to identify that the source of both the financial aid and free nuclear technology was the good ol' USA and the Clinton Administration!!! This fact is undisputed...but.... There was a condition that President Bill put on Kim Jong Il, just promise you will only use it for white water reactors (electricity). Of course they agreed, and went about their business designing a big energy system. Puts out a whole lot of power for a few short seconds. But the best part is that you and I paid for it.... $640 million dollars plus the cost of blue prints. I think Ken Starr was looking into the wrong "white water". He looked at a good ol' boy Arkansas land deal that slick Willy & Hilly were involved in. Somebody should have been paying closer attention to the good ol' boy backdoor deal that slick Willy put over on North Korea and Kim Jong Il. Talk about faulty intelligence! Clinton actually thought this would work. After all, Kim Jong Il promised peaceful use only! Perhaps the Senator from Mass would have felt better if we abandoned the search for Bin Laden and went into North Korea after Afghanistan?

What should President Bush have done? We tried diplomacy. The fact is that the Russians and Pakistaini folks were North Korea's supplier of material bought with American dollars. Should Bush have cancelled Clinton's deal with Kim Jong Il? That would have been at the expense of South Korea and major Asian instability. The best answer would have been don't do the deal in the first place. That was stupid!

When should we leave Afghanistan & Iraq?

2006-10-06T17:15:00.000-04:00

Picture this: A woman sits in a college classroom as a student. She is studying for a degree in her countries history with the goal of becoming a teacher, one of those charged with the opportunity to educate and enlighten the children, the next generation.

This woman is not alone, she is one of many women who are enrolled in various state and private institutions of learning. She can work to earn a salary, own property and even participate as a voter in the next election.

Name this country....

You don't have enough information. If your guess was the USA, you would be correct only if the time table was current. I didn't give a date. You should know from history that a woman's right to vote is recent...About the last 100 years. If the date were 1750, it would be highly unlikely that this arbitrary woman either owned property or was accepted in a college much less to become a degreed teacher. And, who, or what body of people made it possible for a modern day woman to be able to achieve these goals?

If you guessed that women or the US made this possible, you'd be wrong again. I suggest you read up on Admiral deGrasse and the battle of Yorktown. If it hadn't been for the French at the right time and place, we would have been subject to British domination which would have severely crimped our quest for liberty and freedom.

So, we take the battle that erupted here on 9/11 to foreign lands and ask our allies around the world to help us. In the process this Moslem Army draws the battle lines, even though the Moslem Army is largely comprised of Syrians and Iranians who are foreign to the soil on which they fight. In the process of squelching the axis in Afghanistan and Iraq, organized pockets of resistance develop as we train the indigenous population as a police force (now 300,000 strong in Iraq according to Ted Kennedy). The battle lines are drawn, and we must prevail for the sake of the freedom and liberty we established in those lands and to minimize the possibility of another 9/11 in our own country.

The reader of this blog should already know that the women of these middle eastern countries were handed their freedom when we crushed the Taliban in Afghan and unseated Saddam in Iraq. The women of these lands can attend school today, vote, run for political office, all of which was denied them previously. Women can own property, appear in public without wearing a berka and not fear being executed for their cause in freedom. Do you remember the scene in the soccer field...Two women kneeling and simultaneously executed. It happened on a soccer field that was donated to the village by the American people.

Look to Japan, Germany, France, England, Australia, New Zealand, Hungary, Italy, Israel and the Baltic states to see democracies that function today with their own cultural flavors. This freedom and democracy resulted from WW2, largely paid for with American blood. Discounting the 6 million Jews that died at the hands of the Germans between 1941 and 1944, 405,399 Americans lost their lives, and 78,976 were declared Missing in Action. The cost of freedom is always high, but not nearly as high as it would be had we, the United States of America decided that it wasn't our fight. It was our fight. It is our fight and the political voice of the American citizen should be well informed as to the cost and the reason. Today these countries are independent because we stayed after the fight and helped them rebuild and establish governments and infrastructure.Democracy will minimize terrorism and open borders for trade. That is our experience.

So, how shall it be? Would you be willing to support the suffering that went on before we became involved? Would you be willing to put on that lifestyle in sympathy and support of those who were oppressed, and would become oppressed again if we immediately withdrew from the region? If there is still a question, you might try www.rawa.org Also, did you know that the 2nd highest Moslem population is now located in Dearborn Michigan? And did you know that once a Jihad has been declared, it is the obligation of every Moslem to destroy unbelievers?

The truth is, we are not done in either country. And, if we do not prevail we will leave the region in the same shape as North/South Korea......

Amish Funeral

2006-10-05T21:55:00.000-04:00

And so on Thursday, black carriages carrying the hand-sawn wooden coffins of 7-year-old Naomi Rose Ebersol, then 13-year-old Marian Fisher, then sisters Mary Liz Miller, 8, and Lena Miller, 7. The funeral for the fifth girl, Anna Mae Stoltzfus, 12, was scheduled for Friday.

These little girls were tied up by a mad man and shot in the back of the head...sometimes repeatedly shot by a member of the "English", not the Amish...shot to death for reasons we do not understand.

The 40 some horse drawn buggies in the funeral procession passed the house of Charles Carl Roberts IV who only hours before executed these defenseless children. Sadness for all. Senseless actions on his part has left lives around the nation without answers. Again, without answers....

Terrorize the Amish

2006-10-02T22:10:00.000-04:00

I consider myself fortunate to have been able to enjoy Amish country in several states, and have been invited inside an Amish home. I consider that a privelege!

The mother load of all Amish life is Lancaster County Pennsylvania. Bird-In-Hand, Lancaster, Nickle Mines, Intercourse are towns are significant percentage of Amish and Mennonite with their peaceful hard working culture made up of families who go to extremes in order to stay simple. As you travel and occasionally see the name "Yoder" you can be sure that you're not far from an Amish or Mennonite family. Sometimes there is an Amish store nearby with fresh home made baked goods, cheese, produce and meat. Do not pass that opportunity! Here in Georgia there are Mennonites, a more progressive version of Amish who enjoy priveleges of electricity, cars and telephones, but who base their personal lives on the simplest of style. They are peaceful. They are non confrontational. They are bonded together to help each other and live side by side with each other...peacefully! In Wisconsin, Illinois, and Kentucky along two lane roads you will see occasional Amish or Mennonite settlements. Their lives, as with their brotherhood in Lancaster are based on peaceful simple principles all centered on God. Peaceful. Simple. Caring. Hardworking.

And today in NICKEL MINES, Pa., a milk-truck driver carrying three guns and a childhood grudge stormed a one-room Amish schoolhouse, sent the boys and adults outside, barricaded the doors, and opened fire on a dozen girls, killing three people before committing suicide.

At least seven other victims were critically wounded. It was our nation's third deadly school shooting in less than a week. It sent shock waves through Lancaster County, a picturesque landscape of horse-drawn buggies, green pastures and neat-as-a-pin farms, where violent crime is virtually nonexistent. In fact, some of the communities have a near zero crime rate and therefore do not have a police department. No need for police if there is no crime!

What is happening??? Does anyone know??

Clintons vs Bush - Championship fight

2006-09-26T22:46:00.000-04:00

It seems pretty clear what the Chris Wallace interview was about from the Clinton perspective. This is about Hillary running for office in '08. It's NOT about Bill defending his character or actions.

In the world according to Hillary, "I'm certain that if my husband and his national security team had been shown a classified report entitled 'Bin Laden Determined To Attack Inside the United States' he would have taken it more seriously than history suggests it was taken by our current president and his national security team." The senator was referring to a classified brief given to Bush in August 2001, one that Democrats say showed the Bush administration did not do enough to combat the growing threat from al-Qaida. When the brief was delivered, Rice was Bush's national security adviser, and Clinton's response was clearly designed to implicate her in the same criticisms that have been made of Bush.

Clinton's response came a day after Rice denied Bill Clinton's claim in the television interview that the Bush administration had not aggressively pursued al-Qaida before the attacks of 2001.
"What we did in the eight months was at least as aggressive as what the Clinton administration did in the preceding years," Rice said during a meeting with editors and reporters at the New York Post. "The notion somehow for eight months the Bush administration sat there and didn't do that is just flatly false, and I think the 9/11 commission understood that."

Let's see.... Should we believe Condy Rice, Bill or Hillary??

Did Bill Clinton inhale the truth?

2006-09-24T20:56:00.000-04:00

"That's the difference in me and some, including all of the right-wingers who are attacking me now," Clinton said in the interview. "They ridiculed me for trying. They had eight months to try, they did not try."

The last time I heard a Clinton accuse the right wingers of a conspiracy was Hillary telling the public that Bill did not have "sexual relations with that woman". Dick Morris (and others) from his cabinet have stated over and over that when it came time to give the nod to take out Bin Laden he vacillated and the opportunity dissipated. But "he tried his best"... What more could we ask? Too bad Bill. At least you left the war plans for Afghanistan at the white house. You cleard out everything else, but at least you left the plans...

Beating the "Bush"

2006-09-21T08:19:00.000-04:00

I have been closely following the liberal rhetoric against the President. Little surprises me anymore, particularly comments from those who support a liberal ticket for selfserving purposes. For example, the past administration was ruled regularly by poles. Even Carvel admits to that. The military attack against Libya in which we totally annihilated an aspirin factory and killed cilvilians is lost in history even though its timing had to do with the impeachment heat on the President for turning the Peoples House and the Oval Office into his personal Brothel. His low life morality and debauchery led the country for 8 years. And...his charismatic charm coupled with his magic with smoke and mirrors charmed just about everyone. I voted for him TWICE! He surely had me fooled.

The Office of the President and the chief duty of the President is one in the same: To defend the Constitution and the people. There is no question, even from George Carvel, that President Bush does not have a priority to govern by poles. In fact, the poles be damned! Rather, he governs and leads as the chief defender of both the Constitution and the country. He begins and guides his day with prayer, and his motive has always been clear. It is the Oath he swore to the American People who twice, by both popular and electoral vote was placed in office by those of us who believed, supported and voted.

We are not all leaders. Not all leaders are great leaders. Not all great leaders are great in every aspect of leadership. However, as citizens who enjoy the freedom, resources and support provided by the action of those for who we campaign and elect to office, our obligation is to support our leaders and direct them towards commomly held goals. The freedom we enjoy all to infrequently is used to publically pen or verbalize our disdain for the very actions that placed these individuals in their respective position.

Abc News reports Armageddon!

2006-08-31T08:50:00.000-04:00

I'm an alumni of ABC-TV. Years ago I worked at WBKB-TV (now WLS-TV) in Chicago. I loved it. So-o-o, I'm usually keeping one eye on things (pardon the CBS pun). Well...Last night they had a special hosted by John Stossell on what will cause the end of the world. Not exactly an uplifting thought, but Summertime TV is usually rank anyway. So, I turned it on at 9:00PM only to find out it was a 2 hour special. I missed the first half. I missed the Great Volcano that would destroy the Earth... Oh well!! Missed a few others too, but they went in reverse order anyway so I knew that I was going to see the highest probability Armageddon, and an hour of listening and watching how mankind was going to be destroyed was enough before bed time anyway!

The Giant Asteroid: Geez! Odds are we are going to eventually run into a really big piece of space rock. It'll make a huge spash in the ocean and cause a Sunami that will destroy all life on Earth (time to recall how to convert cubits into inches). OK...That's a possibility. Stossell interviewed an astronaut who had the only "viable" fix for this problem. We'd fly a space craft up next to this huge asteroid way out in space, and the gravitational pull of the space craft would change the course of the asteroid??? That's what he said! There are a couple of problems here. First, we don't have a space craft...Not even a design or a plan to build one. So... We'd need to find a very young (preschool) astronaut who believed in the project and start the design ASAP. Hopefully we could get something flying before our preschooler was eligible for retirement! By the way, Stossell did admit that you should not attempt to blow up the asteroid in space. That would give you thousands of various size pieces, possibly radioactive. Not a good idea. So much for Hollywoods plan!

Global Warming: It was really interesting until they broke out today's leader of the Global Warming campaign. None other that Mr. "I invented the Internet" hisself. Al Gore. He introduced himself as the man who used to be introduced as "the next president of the United States". Now that was a great line! Unfortunately, he continued talking. I remember when Mr Gore was interviewed during the beginning of the Kosavo battle. The "White House" was reporting that the Russians were holding ranks at the border until the rest of the UN forces could be staged. CNN was reporting that the Russians had already been on the move and now controlled the border. Later that day, VP Gore was interviewed and asked how and when he found out that the Russians were at the airport. His response was "I saw it on CNN". At least we knew then where the "White House" was getting the intelligence from. At the very least, CNN had video proof!! You've got to hand it to Al Gore. Nothing ever sticks to him, it's always over there or somebody else. He always knew how to (try to) pass the ball. They need a spokes person with some knowledge and without a political agenda. I get the impression that Al really does not like George. What say you??

Now I'm not the guy to argue that Global Warming is a problem or isn't a problem. But, it seemed a bit far fetched to me to use armadillos moving to the Northern States as proof... Or flowers that used to bloom in late August now bloom in July as some evidential matter. Or to blame the Bush administration for not acting on something whose trend is traceable over 50 years and use the "Inventor of the Internet" as the spokesman. Doesn't this cause the credibility to at least wobble?

Buried in the back of the news this past week was the result of yet another scientific study on the subject. This time scientists have proved that the Ozone layer has been getting thicker and denser. Front page was Pluto is no longer a planet.

I am so glad we prioritize the important news!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Uh oh!!! It ain't over till it's over!! Now, the worlds Astronomers are divided into 2 camps. Those that voted Pluto into dwarf status, and those rebel astronomers who now protest. The rebels look like a really rough bunch too! The even have a petition:

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/planetprotest

Just look at these militants! No telling how far they'll carry this protest. They are a rough looking bunch and they have anger on their side. Will they resort to spray painting the observatories?? Shaving cream on the mirror? Flashlight on the telescopes? Be sure to keep an ear open, because if Pluto remains a non-planet, I am sure that somehow life as we know it will change too.

Number of landings = number of takeoffs

2006-08-11T21:56:00.000-04:00

From the time I was a small boy I wanted to fly. Somewhere in a box there is a letter I wrote to my Mom in 2nd or 3rd grade telling her that I'd be late getting home because I would be flying... I signed it (something like) "Chief Pilot Sgt O'hare". I drew a stamp on the envelope and dropped it in the mail box. The mailman delivered it! My Mom saved it and gave it to Rose...Rose had it framed. It's one of a thousand things still in boxes.

The Navy provided me a job in electronics and in part, a job working on BIG flight simulators and radar simulators. The flight simulators came in a 53 ft trailer. My work as a "Training Devicesman" included this big power hungry monsters, so we learned about them in school, and worked on them "in the fleet". All that to say, I flew a lot in the Navy...but it was only in flight trainers. The first ride in a small plane was a real eye opening experience. There was a real world out there with a horizon and everything...WOW!!!

Looking around small airports for something economical to learn to fly was a challange. The nice looking sky-hot rods were expensive, and since my flying lessons were going to be funded from my 2nd part time job, I had to go for economy! The picture is an Aeronca Champ. I accumulated 35 actual flying hours in one of these 740 pound marvels. It had a handle next to the tail assembly. Grab ahold of the handle and you could walk this airplane backwards anywhere. It didn't have a starter...or a battery...or a radio. But, those things didn't help you fly either, they were just "extra's".... You turned the magnetos on, pushed the throttle forward just a bit, grabbed ahold of the prop and gave it a spin. Oh what a joy! It would start and then you jumped out of its way, got inside and the sky was yours!!

7.5 hours of instructor time, and I solo'd. What a rush!! Get the extra weight out of the back seat of the champ and it flew like a balloon!

The next week I solo'd again. This time I had an engine failure at 300 ft taking off. I made it back to the airports cross-wind 1650 ft gravel runway and found a new way to stop an airplane on the ground...I flipped it over on it's back. It stopped.... and....I didn't fly again until that afternoon. A friend of mine bought an identical plane (Aeronca Champ), and we ferried it back from Elgin Illinois to Lombard where I had the accident that morning. I learned 3 things that day that are important to every pilot:

1. Keep the pointy end going forward.

2. Keep flying the plane until the last piece stops moving.

3. A good landing is one you walk away from...A Great landing is one you walk away from and can use the same airplane again...right away!!

What do I wanna be when I grow up?

2006-08-07T16:21:00.000-04:00

That's a question I have asked all of my life... "What do I wanna be when I grow up". Of course that follows a basic assumption that I reall do "wanna grow up". Truth is... I really don't! At least not if I must shed the wonderment of youth, where some things are just bigger than life itself. It's a time to recognize and appreciate toys. If I must loose that...forget it! I'm never going to grow up! I wanted to be a cowboy...just like Hopalong Cassidy. That way I could keep our neighborhood safe! Airplane pilot...that'd be cool!! Fireman, policeman, etc, etc. Just like every other kid on the block!

Growing up on Chicago's NW side, my earliest memories involve sidewalks, streets and vacant lots. I was born in September 1941, just a few months before the start of WW2. I roller skated, played baseball down at the end of our block in a small group of vacant lots, walked 8 blocks back and forth to the grammer school that my cousins and sister graduated from. They were the "good" students.... I remember the milk man when the dairy wagon was drawn by a horse as was the junkmans wagon. The difference was that the milk man came down the street in the front of the house. The junkman came down the alley behind the house. The fuller brush man knocked on the front door to sell his wares as did the coffee man. I still have a red stool that my Mom bought from the coffee man. It has been my workbench stool ever since I can remember.

It was Christmas of 1949, and I'm guessing that my folks did a bit more for my sister who was 6 years older than I.... This particular Christmas I was 8 years old. Regardless of how it came about, a few days after Christmas my Dad took me Newark Radio at 223 W. Madison St in downtown Chicago. He bought me a Hallicrafters S-38C short wave radio. We left there and went straight to Allied Radio and bought a Knight 10-in-1 lab kit. From there, we went directly home. Little did either of us know then, but that day changed my life forever. It wasn't long until I knew that I wanted to work with electronics for the rest of my life.

In a few years an amateur radio license followed as did an after school job at Bob's Radio and TV Service. I was hot stuff...at 14 I had a real job in a TV shop. Well, a job anyway. I swept floors, cleaned the counter glass, stocked tubes, emptied ash trays and occasionally Bob gave me a radio or phonograph to work on. At home, I built lots of different circuits found in the monthly ARRL magazine "QST". Sometimes the circuits worked, sometimes they didn't. I lacked the basic knowledge of the component parts, so when something didn't work I really had a problem. I still have the office chair that came from my Dads office in the Field Building on LaSalle St back in the mid 50's. It was the chair I used as my "operating position" for my radio's.

There was a ham on the next block. He was an older guy (perhaps 50), married but no kids. He worked full time as an audio engineer for CBS-TV in Chicago. He was my mentor. I drag my bucket of parts to his basement, and he would figure it out, set me straight and I'd be on my way home with the same bucket, but this time the parts actually did something.

I still get the QST magazine today! And, a half a century later I can look back at that S-38 and Bob's TV realizing that I accomplished a most unusual goal. With the exception of an 18 month diversion to the chemical storage industry (had to feed the family) I worked my entire career doing exactly what I wanted to do when I was 8 years old. And, along the way I did pretty well as did my employers. I recently saw a product advertized that I had designed in the early 1970s. Talk about product life cycle! And, the industry I wound up in was emergency lighting. These are products classified as Life Safety equipment. There is a "feel good" to designing that kind of equipment. It helped people get out of a building under the worst of conditions.

Amateur Radio played a huge part of my early years. I was first licensed in 1954, and by the time I was in 8th grade, I spent most of free time in a basement workshop that my Dad and I built into one corner of the concrete wall and floor subterranian structure. The basement! On the positive side, the worshop space was my area. On the negative side, my sisters bedroom was directly above the "Hamshack", and she being 6 years older than I never shared the wonderment of radio operating or building things with hammer and saw.

Amateur radio played a major role in qualifying for my Navy Schooling and work. It was always the interest that drove the thirst for knowledge. That was the key to staying employed in an electronics environment, and the force that provided raises and promotions. That was the income that provided the means for a marriage, a home and a family.

Has anyone seen my best friend?

2006-08-05T19:36:00.000-04:00

Has anyone seen my best friend? We were walking along hand in hand just a short time ago when someone called out "Rose...I need you to come home". Now she can't come out and play, and I can no longer walk. My canes gave way to a walker and a wheelchair some months ago.

I call out to her every day..."Rose...Will you come back and play". But she can't. She has to stay in her new home now...But I know she waits for me.

Rose finished her mission early. Me?? Well I am a procrastinator, so my mission continues. There are things I have to finish first, then I can go and be with my Rose again. This time we will not be separated! And I know exactly what I'll say when I see my Rose again.... I'll say "Rose Marie, will you PLEASE marry me" (for the umteen millionth time)...And she will smile that smile of all smiles, make me wait for the answer, and then with that melody voice of hers she'll say "Yes Tom Burnet, I'll marry you again and again"... That's my Rose!

The Dead Sea Scrolls & Tom's Theology

2006-07-22T21:51:00.000-04:00

I found this subject fascinating in the 80's, but there wasn't much translational information available. It's hard to believe that politics could play such a role, but those who were assigned segments of the scrolls seemed to hold out for more work. Why?? I hate to think that $$$ were to blame, but there were knowledgeable folks who no doubt saw a book deal that smelled like money. Anyhow, the vast majority of what was available has now been translated (many small segments remaining) and published. The results from this work, coupled with the works of Josephus tell a very interesting tale.

It has long been my opinion that Jesus cousin John knew of the Qumran community, and that both he and Jesus were aligned with Essene theology. John wandered in the desert eating grasshoppers and honey. He lived off the land...A country boy of sorts. We have no knowledge of any city life referencing John. He was a devout Jew, unhappy with the Roman occupation of the Holy Land. The Temple scroll depicts the historical Essene Community. The Essenes were devout... They had Scribes that worked in the scriptural replicating Sacred Writings and Religious Texts, and rigid rules for daily life and worship.

Scholars of Biblical Theology long thought that the Qumran scrolls were from the Temple in Jerusalem, moved for their safety just before the Romans destroyed the Temple and Jerusalem in 66 AD. Following their translation, it appears that this was not the case, nor were they moved from Masada. These scrolls were community property preserved in clay jars that do not resemble any such pottery from Jerusalem or anywhere else and safely hidden in caves near the community.

Why the big deal about the Dead Sea Scrolls?

Well, there is religion.... There is Theology.... And, more importantly there is Faith. But, Faith in what?

I believe that God reveals himself to man (woman) in two ways. No doubt the Bible is an example of God's divine Revelation. Some care has to be taken in reading the Sacred Writings in order to come to grips with the message that jumps off the pages of the Bible. For example: We know the story of Jonah being swallowed up into the belly of a great fish. If you recall, God wanted him to go to the great city of Nineveh and spread a message of repentance, but Jonah opted for Tarshish which was the opposite direction. Well, God got His way and the "Great Fish" spewed Jonah up on the seashore of Nineveh. So, there laid Jonah on the beach in this large puddle of fish puke. There is a problem here within the story. If the writer had ever been to Nineveh, he would know first hand that the city is in the desert. In fact, ancient Nineveh is the modern city of Mosul Iraq. Plenty of beach all right...There is sand as far as the eye can see, but it lacks a large body of water. So...What do we know about this story? What is the meaning that God is revealing?

There is a definitive message that this story delivers that has little to do with a great fish or laying in a puddle of fish puke. The meaning of the story comes out in the understanding that God reveals Himself to His people, through His people. And, because He is God, He can use any means at his disposal. Just as Jesus spoke in Parables, some of the Old testament is written in a similar form. That does not mean that one "story" is true while another isn't true. The stories are all true, but their meaning often lies just below the surface where some digging and understanding reveals a deeper meaning. That's precisely why the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Rosetta Stone and codiciles of later apocrypha are important. They lead us to a greater understanding, and that leads us to a deeper Faith and belief in God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

Secondly, God reveals Himself through His people...Both past and present. From the past we link the developing Church with "Ecclesiology" and the people such as Jerome who produced the Latin (Vulgate) Bible largely from Greek sources in the early centuries along with St. Augustan, St Francis, Constantine, St Theresa, and on through a large list to the modern day Mother Teresa, Billy Graham, Pope John XXIII, and countless others. It does not take the Church as a whole or an entity to establish the Holiness or righteousness of a person... All it takes is a reasonably in formed, fairminded person.

So... The importance of the Dead Sea Scrolls lay in the new information presented along with old information confirmed. One of the more complete scrolls is the Isaiah Scroll. It represents almost the entire book of Isaiah as we know it in our modern Bibles. Then, there is the Copper Scroll. It is an inventory of all the goods of the Temple in Jerusalem. We know that the goods of the Temple were removed...We can read about the Roman incursion in the works of Josephus. But, what happened to the goods? The Copper Scroll does not add any information to help us locate the Temple goods. At least not at the moment.

We think that the settlement at Qumran were Essenes. The Temple scroll is a rule of order for the Quamran community similar to what St Benedict established many years later for the Benedictine Religious Order. In particular, the Qumran community practiced obedience, truthfulness, continence, justice, and temperance which were key to the lives of the Essenes. Both lived simple lives of devotion.

Rather than replicate work that already has been done, please use the following link to Bryan Huie's page on the Pharisees and Saducees. It is a fine piece of work that details these two groups. http://users.aristotle.net/~bhuie/pharsadd.htm

The Temple Scroll refers to the leader of the Qumran Community as "The Teacher of righteousness". An interesting corollary to both John the Baptist and Jesus. Further, the Community teaches celibacy...a lifestyle of both John and Jesus. The cemetery at Qumran supports this practice in that it is an all male cemetery.

Following Bryans Huie's page on Pharisees and Saducees, the Essenes are a totally different group. The former groups are political, the latter is Spiritual. The former is very public and the latter is contemplative and private. John and Jesus lives seem aligned with the Essenes.

So what?? Jesus was an Essene...Who cares??

Remember the big deal made about the Movie the Divinci Code?? The main plot had Jesus married with kids and living in France. Wow!! That's a yarn and a half and people bought into the controversy. Well, if Jesus was an Essene (and there's far more evidence of that than living in France raising kids), he was celibate. And, that's just a fact. It's in the Temple Scroll, and in the works of Josephus...and both of those are facts.

My Jesus was Yeshua ben Joseph, a carpenters son from Nazareth. He lived a life that by it's existence alone told everyone that God the Father is a loving God and forgiving to those who repented (the message of Jonah). He stood up to the establishment bravely and with dignity. He died on the cross for me and for you as an act of charity...an act of kindness...and act of love. He confessed to our crimes and took our punishment. He left the Holy Spirit with those who choose to believe as a sign to those who came after Him that He lives. The best part is, He lives today as Jesus, Son of God..as all loving, caring Father God and as God the Holy Spirit. That is the Good News!!!

Why this page? This is a "What's Up.DOC"

2006-06-28T22:24:00.000-04:00

A place of comments and opinions..Mostly facts...Some history....Some Biblical, some Ham Radio, Photography, aviation, astronomy and miscellaneous too... A point of view...perspective and reasoning....

That's my bride and I on New Years Eve 1991/92 at Delta Point Restaurant, Vicksburg, MS. It was a most wonderful night with an 18 piece orchestra playing (mostly) Big Band music....

We were married just under 15 years when Rose was called home to Jesus. It's one year later as I write this, and the pain of a broken heart is not healed. How lucky I was to have all that time with my Rose. How unfortunate that we couldn't have more time here...but an eternity awaits!