Obama's re-election

Only 9 more days....thanks be to God. Mt patience has long since worn thin from the despicable behavior of the President and his henchman. One year ago I said that if Raum won the mayors chair in Chicago, Obama was sure to be re-elected. There is disagreement with that statement, but I personally believe that Obama's arrogance, continued community organizer give aways and stonewalling, coupled with the media's continued willingness to be non-reportive are all part of the criminal corruption that will cause his re-election.

Obama is unqualified to lead this nation. His "hope & change" of the last election cycle was all rhetoric. He may have believed that he would change Washington politics, but once "ordained" to the office he found it far easier to go with the flow and enjoy his kingship and perks of position. After all, he has no experience in leading anything but give-away programs and money. He is doing the same job he did with Acorn and IS providing freebie's to 47% of the population, while dramatically increasing the size and debt of the federal government.

Coupled with his buddies Eric Holder, David Axelrod, Tim Geithner and Raum, get ready.. buckle up, we're in for 4 more years of bottom dwelling politics from Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi, with bottom dwelling results. Medicare is in trouble, Social Security is in trouble, large layoffs have already been started pending this re-election. Bankruptcies will escalate among the companies that supported Obama, with an increase in graft and corruption. In the meantime, our military strength will be reduced to bayonets and horses....

Zither Music in the air....

About 15 years ago while living in Vicksburg MS, my wife and I developed a keen interest in the Civil War history of the area. The area had a Civil War Cemetery and many homes listed on the National Register of Historical Places. The flavor of 1860 was everywhere. The loss of Vicksburg to the Union Army within 1 day of the South's loss at Gettysburg was not viewed favorably even in the 1990's. The War was not over in this part of the South! This community did not celebrate Memorial Day as that day was set aside to honor the Yankee dead and decorate their graves. Front license plates on autos spoke the sentiments clearly: "Forget Hell!" Grant's siege on Vicksburg was specifically brutal and cruel. The Southern Army had dug in, and Grant's troops were forced to shut down Vicksburg's supply routes and starve out the troops along with the collateral population.

We thoroughly enjoyed visiting the historical sites along the river. Hundreds of antebellum and plantation homes remained intact and had been refurbished. Many were in commercial use for bed & breakfast lodging. Some had furniture and accessories that were "original to the house" although most were dressed with antiques from auctions and estate sales. The Springfield Plantation pictured here was in the later category.

 

Springfield was purchased in the early 1980's for it's history & potential by Alfred LaSalle with the intention of restoring and operating it as an antebellum home/museum/B&B along the route from Vicksburg to Natchez. This home had a unique history. Springfield was the site of one of the marriages of the 7th President of the United States, Andrew Jackson (commonly known as "Old Hickory"), and part of a "love scandal" in which Jackson had been involved.

 

There were no neighbors close by, the nearest almost a mile away. Mr LaSalle lived in the attic of the home on and off for the 20+ years he had owned it, and virtually all of the restoration work was his and his alone. He, like other owner and tour operators of old homes had his share of stories about footstep in the night and furniture moving around the home, but after a few "tours" of similar properties, the stories become little more than stories without the benefit of a 1st hand experience. And so it was for Springfield Plantation.

 

I listened to Mr LaSalle's explanation of the house and it's history as we toured the rooms on the 1st floor, but as the tour was headed for the long stairway to the 2nd floor, I opted to sit that out. The front porch wad a number of wooden rockers for waiting tours, and we were the only tourists. It was a very mild day with a nice breeze blowing across the front porch. I found a suitable rocker in the shade of the afternoon sun, and sat down with a fresh load of tobacco in my pipe.

 

It was very quiet on the porch with just the sound of the breeze rattling a leaf or 2 on the trees, and the sounds of nature from the hundreds of open acres that surrounded the plantation. Just the occasional sound of the wooden rocker on the wooden floor of the porch broke the tempo of nature.

 

I heard music playing very softly, and as I began to concentrate on the sound, it became obvious that the source was either a zither or a harpsichord. It wasn't quite loud enough to determine which instrument, or for that matter what song or score was being played. But, whoever the artist was, he/she was accomplished. Pretty nice idea of Mr LaSalle I thought, a bit of "elevator music" for the waiting patrons. I had played both a guitar and an autoharp for many years, and I appreciated both the sound and the talent of the artist. I just sat there enjoying the music, the rocking chair and the taste of the pipe tobacco along with the occasional breeze. The tour could continue, I was relaxed and enjoying the moment.

 

When my wife, daughter and son-in-law finished the tour and came out on to the front porch with Mr LaSalle, they filled me in on what they had seen upstairs along with more about "Old Hickory". The stories took 10-15 minutes or so, and as they were winding down I asked Mr LaSalle where he had found the tape/CD of the zither music. I received 4 blank stares. "What zither music?" The more I said caused the stares to become more blank until we all realized at the same moment that what I had been listening to and enjoying wasn't something that was originating as a reproduction. I had just enjoyed a live concert from person or persons unknown, from a time and a place likewise unknown. We didn't tarry as we left the porch for the car and the car for the return home.

 

 

 

 

Whoops, that's an error

That's NOT an error

When he resigned from the Cabinet and made his next move public, I said to all within earshot that "If Raum Emanuel is elected Mayor of the City of Chicago.... Barach Obama will be re-elected."

You probably shake your head at that statement which seems to tie together 2 dis-similar points. I am no expert on Raum, Obama or Chicago politics. But, it is clear to me that the mayor of Chicago has to be "connected" in order to be elected. Richard J Daley saw to it that this was true. Following his death, they next 3 mayors were single term until his son, "Ritchie" Daley was elected. In fact, those that know about Chicago politics acknowledge that Chicago elected Jack Kennedy. That was the deal cut between Jack's Dad Joe Kennedy and Richard J. It's lie, deny and destroy political strategy, and do not underestimate Raum, Eric Holder, David Axelrod, Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and the rest of Obama's inner circle. They are street fighters who WILL do whatever it takes to get to get their guy elected. That's whatever it takes!

The mean spirited negative tactics we've seen thus far from the Democrats will continue. Don't look for truth. It won't be there. What you can look for is a lot more fuzzy math from this bunch; a lot more character assasinations; more distortions; more misquotes; more half truths. Whatever it takes! This bunch is not encumbered by a need to be factual or honest. It is win at any cost.

Remember the Chicago mantra: "Vote early and often".... It is not a joke!!

Raum has already created a number of problems with his emporeristic view of himself and his inculpability. Check the crime rate before and after he took office, (this in the city that does not allow gun sales or carry permits). Check on his edicts that have not required the City Council signature. Now the Teachers seem to be having a problem with his reign. He and Obama have the same problem. They have accepted their elections as Ordinations. May their kingships fall.

Obama aide: ‘The country is better off’ | The Ticket - Yahoo! News

Obama aide: ‘The country is better off’ | The Ticket - Yahoo! News

And if that isn't enough, here's today's left handed mantra (quote from Yahoo news): "Summing up their point, Obama's aides reinforced the "bumper sticker" line credited to Vice President Joe Biden: "Osama bin Laden is dead, GM is alive."

It is a REALLY desperate move to quote Joe Biden on anything. The guy is a loose cannon that remains disconnected with everything, including the connection between mouth and brain! It scared the hell out of me 4 years ago realizing that this guy is one heartbeat away from the 1st chair in the "orchestra". Now, there is a chance that we could double the bet and have him leading the "orchestra" for four more years. "Forward" they say?? To what?? To where?? In 4 years this administration added $5 TRILLION to the national debt.

Without a doubt,  Obama is one fine speaker. He has mastered the teleprompter, and as long as he stays on subject he is great. The problem is that he doesn't follow through. Given his lack of experience in management of money and people, and his disregard for the strength of our country and naivety regarding anything military, he stumbled through foreign policy to the point where we have lost respect from those countries with whom we are having problems. Iran.... they have no respect for us. We are but a clanging cymbal. Substitute Russia, North Korea, Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan or Syria and we have the same result. If we keep this up, we are going to put a world of hurt on our military.

Tomsbloggerspot

We have 65 more days of lies and deceptions, misdirected answers, closed door politics, mean spirited speeches, cover-ups, arm flailing and finger pointing. Election year politics. The world is laughing at the rhetoric... I hope the world is laughing!

Lipstick and Public Speaking

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

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."