I did not watch your State of the Union speech. I already know the state of the union. It is at the point where the “lipstick on this pig” analogy is looking more and more apropos. I did not watch your speech, because quite frankly I am tired of the 365/24/7 campaigning. I suspected that it would be more of the same. It was – basically.

You already have the job. Do it. Making speeches, although necessary, is not the raison d'être of the office.  I did read and hear excerpts of your speech, and I did not get a “thrill up my leg.”  I  experienced a shiver down my spine, which I suspect you do know, is an entirely different sensation. If I may be so bold, allow me to offer some suggestions for you to bring back the thrill for your disciples.

Dignity

"With all due deference to" the office of the president, it was unseemly for you to use the forum of the state of the union, to bash the justices of the United States Supreme Court, while they sat there – captive. It suggested a lack of class, and unfamiliarity with the word “dignity.”  In case you want to know my opinion, I would get into a lifeboat with Justice Alito, because I feel certain that Justice Alito would make room for me, and would probably give his life to save mine. Also, I would not be fighting for room with a Teleprompter!

Prevarication

"With all due deference to" the office of the president, you are giving  a good impression of being unfamiliar with the meaning of the word "lie," as in not telling the truth. Are you applying the precedent of “it depends on the meaning of the word is”? That has been discredited. You are apparently unaware that it is a lie and hypocritical to accuse another party of behavior in which you have indulged, and continue to indulge. I have no great love for most politicians because the joke about knowing when they lie because “their lips are moving,” is a snug fit for far too many. But, I will point out lies when I hear or read about them.  "Leaving a mountain of debt," is quite ingenious. You inherited a “molehill” of debt and promptly turned it into a “mountain.”  Your tripling the Federal deficit fits the bill.
 
How can you convince me otherwise about every time your lip moves, that you are not lying? Go to your favorite venue, in front of the cameras, without your favorite companion, the Teleprompter, and confess that you knowingly and deliberately lied to us. Give up the Teleprompter for one night. If your wife ever files for divorce, she would probably be able to list that Teleprompter as "the other woman!"

Transparency

While you are at that venue, bring out a box of personal papers and hold them up to the camera, and make the papers available for impartial scrutiny. No, I am not a “birther.” My personal opinion of the birth status of a president is as follows. I do believe that the president of this republic should have been born of parents, who are both native born citizens of the US, with no first generation ties to another country, in order to prevent  possible situations of divided loyalty. The papers that I am talking about are the school records and work records. Your actions do not suggest those of someone with the required experience to run this country. When reports continue to come in that you have spent almost  $2 million to forestall scrutiny, you are leaving an inescapable impression that you do have something to hide. Oh, you can also toss in the records of all of those who contributed to getting you elected, all for the sake of transparency, which you did promise.

Terrorism

How else can you make me experience the “thrill up the leg”? You could declare that we are in a war against fanatics of the Muslim religion, who want to kill us. You could "man up" by telling them to stop killing your fellow citizens, or they will be killed. Follow through. You would convince them that there are no 72 virgins. Part of that “manning up” demeanor and action, would be to cease and desist in granting foreign terrorist killers the same rights as American citizens, while persecuting US troops relentlessly. And stop the sugarcoating of the war we are in, with the innocuous sounding designations that make it sound as if you are pursuing bank robbers. We are way beyond Jesse James.

Staffing

I am tired of the jokes about only tax cheats being able to be hired for your administration. Tighten up that criterion. I even have a slogan: “No pay, no hay.” Get rid of the sycophants with whom you appear to have surrounded yourself, especially the court jester. You are smart. You figure that one out. You need men and women who can look you in the eye and tell you: “Mr. President, that is a crock of (definitely not stew)!”  One qualification for the possible replacements, should be total familiarity with, and the devout practice of telling one truth, not variations of the "same truth." You may want to set the example.

Demeanor

Please go into counseling for your spending habits, spending of the people's money from the US Treasury. The descendents of today’s toddlers should not be made to work to support 21st century excesses. Please stop saying "let me be clear." Please promise to never again accuse "we the people" of "not getting it," and therefore causing you to make more speeches. We get it and please enough with the speeches! We the taxpayers are adults. We no longer need scolding from a "father." Stop with the head tilted and jaw thrust out stance. It suggests “posturing,” as in theater. Don’t ever say again, “I took my share of blank.” That is not presidential or prudent.

I almost forgot. This request is more on the policy side, but here goes anyway. Stop with healthcare reform, fondly labeled “Obamacare,”  even if you generously decide to share in the pain of the same plan. Keep in mind that your "Cadillac," more like a Lexus plan, along with the other perks of the job, (170 parties?), are being paid for by the sweat, blood and tears of we the taxpayers. If you were close by, I would serenade you with a verse or two of “Old Man River.”  Instead, the following verses speak for me:

 You and me,(we the people) we sweat and strain
 Bodies all achin' and wracked with pain
 Tote that barge and lift that bale
 Ya get a little drunk and ya lands in ja-ail
 
 I gets weary and so sick of tryin'
 I'm tired of livin', but I'm feared of dyin'
 And Ol' Man River, he just keeps rollin' along.

Yeah, I am scared of dying because my carcass will be taxed, and my dependents will be forced to sell the farm that we do not have!

Mr. President, if you go into seclusion like the president of Nigeria and we don’t hear any speeches for at least two weeks, don’t worry that we will feel deprived.  We will welcome the break. Even “Obama Girl,” is reported to be not so enraptured anymore. If you lose such fatuous rapture, that could be more devastating than al of the sinking poll numbers! Maybe you could try apologizing to the Cambridge PD. Their devotion may not be on par with that of Obama Girl, but it could be a “solid B plus” restart.

I have laid out a blueprint. Take it from there.  Make the necessary corrections, so I can take baby steps and learn to respect you. I so want to experience the thrill of being proud of a president who has a “muscular” foreign policy, and listens to “we the people.” As you have stated, it is not about you. Prove it.

Thank you, Mr. President. I can learn to be your humble servant. Your serve…..

The story of that movie is about to be retold and recast, in a reality version, courtesy of yours truly. “We the people,” citizens of the United States of America, represent the blond beauty, and Congress, hereafter known as Kongress, is King Kong. Immediately, one big difference between King Kong and Kongress, springs to mind. King Kong, although a beast, was more caring. He protected his blond from all sorts of other creatures. Judging by what has transpired in the US political scene in the last year or so, the blonde/we the people would have fared better left to the tender mercies of the creature King Kong, rather than left rather vulnerable to the merciless machinations of Kongress. Some are refusing to drink the version of Kool-Aid known as Kongress-Aid, and see this “beast” for what it is.

So why is our esteemed Kongress being compared to King Kong? Glad you asked. The comparison appears to be only on the surface. Although King Kong physically threw his weight around, he still was a noble creature. He was throwing around his weight because he could, and that is what a beast of his size did. I think that I may have dismissed the comparison too soon. This “throwing weight around because he could,” is very apropos to our current band of leaders! “Because I have the power to,” has become the unspoken rationale for much of the actions being taken. This type of smugness and cavalier behavior go beyond the usual domain of leadership.

We the blond beauties are facing some tough issues. Terrorists are being emboldened by overtures of “can’t we all get along,” and increasing their attacks. An alleged terrorist struck at the heart of the US Military on one of its own base in Texas. That “in your face,” act is too unimaginable, and would have been very unthinkable, even one year ago. Iran is building its nuclear facilities and struck a defiant pose of “stop me if you can.” Domestically, husbands, wives, fathers, and mothers are out of work, not for lack of capability or ability, but because their jobs are now expatriates, or their companies went out of business. Companies are declaring bankruptcies almost every day. Banks, almost 150, have been taken over by the FDIC. What used to be called a 401-k, is probably now a 10-k.

So Kongress has been working on these issues, right? Kongress has not been merely working on these problems, but is assuming the role of a King Kong and throwing its weight around tackling these pressing issues, right? Wrong! So, what substantive issue is monopolizing the attention of Kongress, if not these issues?

Ah, here it is – HealthKare! “HealthKare” became the crisis du jour, of Halloween, of Thanksgiving, of Christmas, and now of the New Year. As King Kong rampaged through a village in the movie, killing villagers who got in his way, this Kongress is giving a very creditable impression of rampaging through the will of the people, and the Constitution that is supposed to govern us all, including members of Kongress.

“Supposed to” but in reality, not governed by the same laws as “we the people”…. that is the status of Kongress. When did this exemption of Kongress begin? Was it during the time of the fledging USA, when real men dusted off their Military fatigues, after fighting in the frontlines for freedom, and became legislators? Even if I did not know the history of this country, I would not have thought that this Animal Farm credo of “some animals are more equal than others,” would have been tolerated back then in a nation, operating under the vision of the Founding Fathers.

Somehow, over the last hundred years or less, Kongress has increasingly exempted itself from equal pay laws, insurance control laws, right-to-know-laws, among others. I was going to list the laws to which Kongress is subject, but I think that number is zero. And the Founding Fathers fought to free themselves from tyranny? They may want to be reintroduced to tyranny in the twenty first century. They were all hung up on this “all men are created equal”? They should see “equality” now. King George III thought that he and his supporters were above the laws created for the serfs? Sir, you could learn a thing from the real masters of exemption!

Kongress should certainly have privileges befitting the position of the members. These members have to make very important decisions, sometimes life and death decisions. Quite frankly, the weight of office can get burdensome. But, so many privileges? Next time I speak to high school students, I am going to tell them to grow up to be members of Kongress. Forget spending a fortune learning medicine with noble intentions of saving the lives of others. They can save more lives in Kongress. I think I may have gotten confused between the words “lives” and “livelihood.” They will certainly save and preserve their livelihoods if they enter the halls of Kongress rather than the corridors of medicine.

On the subject of medicine, on that topic of healthKare “reform,” Kongress is of course exempted from the bill which is physically almost the size of King Kong! We the subjects, will be subject to:

▪ Mandatory purchase of health insurance, or be fined or go to prison. I am getting ready, my portable toothbrush, with the cute tube of toothpaste and some pajamas. “People get ready,” for the jail’s acoming!

▪ Mandatory government committee, presumably headed by the “Health Choices Commissioner,” to determine who lives and who dies. (/It doesn’t quite say it like that, but that is my interpretation). What do I care, I will be behind bars for not purchasing health insurance.

▪ Mandatory issuance of a National ID Health card

▪ Mandatory government “direct access” to the bank accounts of citizens for “elective” funds transfers. Try accessing my account from cell #whatever!

▪ Mandatory “exchange” where benefit packages will be “housed,” (my interpretation of the government control of the benefit packages for those in private healthkare plans).

▪ Mandatory specification of benefit levels for plans…..does that mean that some folks cannot have a Ford plan, some a GM plan or some a Chrysler plan? Cars, healthcare, what is the difference? They will all be government controlled.

▪ Mandatory “linguistic appropriate services.” Does that include translation for: “I do not want to be forced to pay for your government-run healthkare”? If that can be translated, I may get a “get out of jail free card,” instead of a National ID Health card!

▪ Mandatory “advance-Care Planning Consult.” Translation: Move it along. We are not spending any more money on you. You have outlived your usefulness. You are old.

It is so ironic that we the serfs have an almost endless bunch of “mandatories” just in this healthKare reform bill, while the only mandatory for Kongress is not to be saddled with this type of reform. America, what a country…it has become!

Well, it appears that the people of Massachusetts harkened back to Revolutionary Times and sent a message to Kongress that the “I do what I want to – no matter what you say,” approach to leadership, could be in danger. There are no reports of tea being thrown into Boston Harbor, but one party was figuratively thrown overboard. The Senate seat of their venerable Democratic Senator Ted Kennedy went – not to the anointed candidate, who began with a 30 point lead – but to a guy driving a truck, a GM truck no less! Senator Scott Brown is loading up the truck, and like Mr. Smith, is going to Washington.

Well Kongress, in case you forgot the characters in this recasting of King Kong the movie, here is a reminder: You Kongress = King Kong. “We the people” = blond beauty. At the end of the real King Kong movie, Carl Denham the independent filmmaker, is told by a cop, “Well Denham, the airplanes got him,” meaning King Kong, who had been finally killed as he stood atop the Empire State Building, attempting to fight off bullets. Denham replied: “It wasn’t the airplanes. It was beauty killed the beast.”

Haiti earthquake: Miracle baby plucked from the rubble | Mail Online

Even the enemies of America began to resent being subjected to the seemingly endless apologetics, except for one group. His bowing down to other heads of state did not go over that well, even to those at the receiving end of the bows. There were quizzical looks and expressions of wry amusement. Ironically, every time a bow was made, and another apology proffered “we the people,” were always receiving the wrong view. We were beginning to develop a national inferiority complex. I continued to hold on to hope.

President Obama tried. I give him a solid A minus for his tenacity in apologizing for the perceived sins of his country of birth. I can really appreciate his point of view that the peoples of all nations should be able to be on a friendly and equal footing. He was greeted with a standing O, when he drew a line in the sand in Cairo with his declaration: “I consider it part of my responsibility as President of the United States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear.” I have to admit that I was a bit puzzled at the “part of my responsibility,” phrase of that sentence, but still I was right there with him wishing that no race, creed or religion should be stereotyped. Personally, I would have settled for him stating that he would call out anyone who even tried to besmirch his country and all of its citizens.

Ah yes, the one group that did not hear that he would “fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear,” was that group made up of murderers politely called Islamist Fascists, prolific contributors to the understandable negativity of human beings being murdered on a regular basis, in the name of the religion of peace. The virulent members of that group apparently heard a conversation that went something like this:

“As president of the United States, I am going to retreat in the face of definitive proof that it is not stereotyping when it comes to Islamic fascists who want to kill my countrymen, evidenced by the blowing up of airplanes, buildings and people. I am steadfastly proceeding with plans to close Gitmo and return those 90 or so Yemenis to Yemen, to do what they do best.”

Aide interjecting: “But, Mr. President, isn’t that the same place where those radical preachers have acolytes willing, ready and effective (well except for underwear bomber boy) to enforce those negative stereotypes you are trying to erase? I am just asking.”

President reiterating: “I said – proceed with the closing of Gitmo.”

Chastened aide: “Yes, Mr. President. Right away, Sir!”

Cut to caves or other dwellings where the “decision makers” who send out the “muscle” to kill and maim, while these decision makers remain safely behind, are chuckling – “What a Dhimmi!”

Even with the bodies still piling up, I was hanging in with the president and his vision of peace on earth and good will to men. Unfortunately, America’s image got rebooted, but I do not think quite in the way the president intended. I like to think that between December 2001 to about December 2008, the image of America was that of a country that would dispatch effective and efficient troops to “discipline” terrorists who try to blow up Americans, on their own soil and on foreign soil. Maybe it was not utopia, but it was at least relatively safe. Less than a year later, the rebooted image is that of a country ripe for the picking, one airline or Military base at a time. A few troops were indeed picked off at a base, on American soil. Does the name Fort Hood ring a bell? I am still ticked off at the political correctness that was in effect prior to, immediately after, and ongoing.

Recently, seven CIA workers were blown to smithereens at a base in Afghanistan. Their killer was yet another bomber who did not get the message about counteracting “negative stereotypes.” He positively resembled the non-stereotypical Islamic Fascist who wants to kill us. As usual he had more names than can efficiently fit in a section of a telephone book. Even with the Fort Hood and subsequent killings, I was still there with Mr. President. I was even hoping for an end to the killing, primarily carried out by members of the Muslim faith, and maybe having a “People Summit,” minus beer or other adult beverages, in deference to religious sensibilities.

Then, I was sent an article, “How Many People Have Been Killed By Islamofascists In The Past Two Months?” The article was from FrontPage Magazine, and it listed terrorist killings and maiming for the last two months of 2009. Out of curiosity I actually counted the list of murdered which totaled 1154. Had underwear bomber boy succeeded in his December 25, 2009 attempt, that number could have been increased by almost 300. The killers cut a swath through barbershops, homes, mini buses, checkpoints, churches, bazaars and other various other places where victims live and congregate. The victims ranged from other Muslims, to Christians and Buddhists, real equal opportunity killings. Numerous children were included in the body counts. I did not have the heart to tally that number of dead.

I was conflicted between the president’s vision and the piles of bodies being accumulated, day after day. Do these murders fall into a “negative stereotype,” or the reality of positive proof of a love of killing by murderous thugs? I searched for answers. I sought clarification, as I desperately wanted to follow the lead of the president, in wanting to be liked. Within days, I received assistance in resolving this conflict between stereotypes and deadly actions. It was now the New Year and the beginning of a new decade. I was hopeful that maybe finally, we could all be friends. I pulled up a story showing that the New Year was ushered in with almost one hundred deaths at a sports stadium in Pakistan, facilitated by a branch of the fraternity of Islamic Fascists. My vacillation vanished.

I turned my attention to the broader concept of nations getting along. Maybe things would be more positive on that front. Under the rebooting strategy, ideally, countries such as Iran were supposed to lie down like lambs and forget about continuing to build nuclear facilities that appear to be suspiciously like facilities for weapons of mass destruction. In reality, the Iranian president is paying as much attention to the US president, and his attempts to buff up the image of America, as he is paying to those in his country, who are trying to get out from under his yoke. The only difference in results, between his demeanor towards the protestors in his country and the US president, is that many of the protestors are being permanently silenced. The parents of Dr. Ramin Pourandarjani have filed a suit to determine his cause of death. He seemingly having died once, but by multiple causes. First, it was claimed that he died from a heart attack. Later that became a suicide. The third version is that he died from an overdose. I am almost certain that the parents will never be able to find out the truth. We residing in the “Big Satan,” are stereotypically safe – for now.

I have had it. We can’t all be friends. As individuals, and also as a nation, we have to learn to distinguish between friends and enemies and structure relationships accordingly. This task brings me no joy. I hate to be the one to break the news to President Obama. He has unraveled his sublime image in the eyes of many Americans and even Many Muslims. He has not done any favors to the image of the US. Human nature being what it is, falling to your knees, bending at the waist and leaving vulnerable parts exposed, are not actions that engender respect, or even likability. Again, there is tangible proof, the bodies being scraped up from buildings and buses, that the ones who really got a reboot, to feel emboldened enough to ramp up their efforts to kill us all, are the terrorists.

The rebooted image that they perceive of America and its leader is that of a wimp in the White House, leading a bunch of potential victims. They do not respect symbolic meetings sitting around campfires, singing “Kumbaya.” The only language they understand is “strength and power,” and the will to act.

My fervent wish is that by our fearless and effective actions, the terrorists who hang out in caves, in plain sight, or in renowned universities, will perceive our president, as a great and fierce warrior. He will carry the proverbial carrot, with the flowery words of friendship, and a huge stick for “negotiations.” A new beginning for me, would be that the curricula in those schools, where terrorists-in-training are taught how to kill, is rebooted with the following lesson.

“You see that country called America. Don’t mess with it. Its president will “whup your butt.” Stop these attempts to blow up their buildings, behead their citizens, including their troops and other protectors. And…stay away from their embassies. You never know what will greet you there if you try to blow them up! The dude is serious!” Or however that translates in the language of terrorism. Bottom line: Don’t even attempt to tread on us!

I see faint signs of progress in wielding the stick of protection of US citizens. I am relieved and pleased that after initially stumbling about with his response, following the Christmas Day attempted bombing, Mr. President finally adopted the President Harry S. Truman, “the buck stops here,” style of governing. He accepted responsibility for the “systemic failure” that almost allowed a different sort of Christmas present to be handed out to close to 300 passengers on NW Flight 253. It is also a welcome sound to hear him resurrect the “T” word as in “terror.” It is great to see that this democratic republic has not changed into an autocracy.

You go, Mr. President! Show those practitioners of “man-made disasters,” AKA terrorism, your “testicular fortitude!” Check with Madame Secretary of State for any necessary instructions for implantation of said “testicular fortitude.” That is her field of expertise. I am just humbly borrowing that expression from her, unworthy though I am to even employ it. Mr. President, I want to see you succeed in protecting the lives of your fellow Americans. For that I would give you a sparking A plus!

Are we there yet? Yes, we are now in the year 2010, which I dubbed, the “year and a half,” in anticipation of more political monstrosities (healthcare reform?). As the old year with all of its trials and tribulations, went screaming into the night, I was left with a case that presented itself to me. Unqualified scientist that I am becoming, I will rise to the challenge. I promise not to dump the data, as was reported in that situation having to do with global “warming.”

 I previously categorized cowardly men, who go around killing and maiming Homo sapiens as “homo terroriticus.” As if to bolster my case, almost on cue, on Christmas Day, an alleged candidate showed up on a flight from the Netherlands, complete with an undetonated bomb in his underwear. Next time, the “bomb implanters” should insert the bomb in his head, in the space where a brain normally would be lodged. Nature abhors a vacuum. Another few inches, and that “religious fanatic, bomber boy, with semi-exploding weapon in underwear,” could have conceivably gone to meet those famous 72 virgins, minus the “equipment,’ needed to “service” them! This “man-made disaster” thing is really just a game of inches, isn’t it? Don’t cry for him, though. He is receiving great medical care for the injury to his leg, thanks to the largesse of another group that I am about to identify. He is also all “lawyered up,” again thanks to that same group.

 The group which may soon have to be placed on the endangered species list, in order to preserve it? Hint: When a country needs rescuing, money for the rescue, is confiscated, I mean raised, from that group. When a US politician comes up with a cockamamie idea that needs conscription of funds, I mean raising of funds, all eyes turn to that group. Yep, your guess is correct. The group is made up of American taxpayers.

When I see a member of that group, it is like looking into a mirror. As a matter of fact, take my name and replace it with one of theirs, or tweak the numbers on our social security cards, and we could be interchangeable! What makes us so much like peas in the same financial pod, regardless of “insignificant” characteristics such as race, creed and color? It is the taxes, stupid! Superman has his “S” on his cape. We have letter “T” on our foreheads! It should be more like a letter “V,” but that is another story for another day.

 We are faceless, nameless, working everymen who contribute and contribute, and are essentially told: “Shut up and pay your taxes!” How did it all go so wrong? When did this taxing of citizens to death and beyond scheme begin? Will it ever end? Why are politicians, already in a protected status, living larger and larger, at our expense? “Too big to fail,” became a rallying cry for bailing out big business. Is the US political structure “too corrupt” to be allowed to exist?

“How did it all go so wrong”? Name the ways. The ways are like the legs of an octopus, or the heads of a hydra. Walk with me through the history books. The “Scheme” of taxing citizens, beyond the usual excise tax, began with the voluntary income tax, and the “taxers” have never looked back. The nation was already existing, without taxing the income of its citizens, when subsequent politicians began wrestling with the idea of living beyond the means of the nation, by taxing the wages of its citizens. Finally in 1913 by adding an amendment to the Constitution, the tax on income was here to stay. By 1943, someone came up with the idea of taking out the government’s share of citizens earnings, before the citizens even got to hold those wages in their “grubby little hands,” with the introduction of the “withholding” tax. Why don’t we just do away with the pretense of “gross” wages? The only thing “gross” is that it is a misleading term, designed to fool us into thinking that we are making more money than we actually receive.

Citizens, when you hear the word “progressive,” used in relation to taxes, prepare for your wallets to voluntarily go on life support. In the 1860s the average tax rate was 3%. How much will it have “progressed” to in 2010? The Founding Fathers and their fellow citizens went to war over the issue of “taxation without representation”? We now have “representation” pouring out of every hamlet and glen, seemingly proportional to the number of taxes! Now, apparently the tax cuts that were put in place by President GW Bush are about to be allowed to expire. Don’t you try to expire from this news, though. There are taxes to be paid, you working stiffs! On second thoughts, you can go ahead and expire. Your estates will take care of the tax thing. You are covered, even unto death. Lucky you.

 What was another question that was posed? Oh yes. Is the US political structure too corrupted to be allowed to exist? Maybe the following examples could be a case for the prosecution, although the conveyance of funds is apparently legal. As I have already stated, I am an untrained scientist, not a lawyer. Per Senator Landrieu from Louisiana, she was able to secure $300,000,000 for her state, as part of the negotiations for the healthcare reform bill. Her critics are insisting on calling her take the “The Louisiana Purchase,” reportedly heftier than the real Louisiana Purchase. “The Cornhusker Kickback” is the fond moniker given to the deal that Senator Nelson from Nebraska got for his state. Some in the other 49 states are incensed.

They need to heed the sage advice of the Senate Leader who stated: If they don’t have something in it important to them then it doesn’t speak well of them." Translation? “If you (other senators in states who did not collect payola, I mean incentives), were stupid enough to not get your share of the pork for your state, you do not deserve a place in this august body!” Maybe I stretched the truth a bit with the “august body” reference.

 Some are outraged at “Dem” are words of wisdom. But, those blunt “tough love” words prove acumen in wheeling and dealing in this new political reality, where words mean different things to different audiences, and there is an atmosphere where bills may be passed, and the public is not allowed to know the details of those bills. You go Senator Reid! Those are words to live by, and to remain part of a legacy! You are creating quite a legacy.

Speaking of legacy, someone e-mailed information about President Harry Truman, detailing his refusal to slather himself in the lard of earmarks and perks. This has apparently been making the rounds. I knew about some of the quotes, but being a wannabe sleuth, I researched and found the e-mail to be factually correct. I am in shock. He did not set himself up in the presidency to have a fabulous house in which to retire, at the expense of the “T” class? His only asset was his wife’s house that she inherited from her parents? He was living on his annual Army pension of $13,507.72, paying for his own stamps...and licking them to boot? He drove himself and his wife back to their house after he left office, and there were no droves of Secret Service accompanying him? He declared that the office of the President “doesn’t belong to me. It belongs to the American people and it’s not for sale”? He refused the Medal of Honor? As president, he paid for his own travel expenses, and his food? What was he thinking?

I am puzzled. Was he for real? I will not even try to list all of the perks that being in present day politics, bring with it. It is far easier to detail items that are not perks. Tellingly, the health care being foisted on the peons is not a perk that has been chosen by the “perksters.” Some people fear that "reform" could wipe out more of the elderly than any sex-crazed religious fanatic ever could. The “perksters” should return to the drawing board, get their priorities straight, and wipe out the terrorists instead of the elderly. Even a simpleton can understand that.

I guess President Truman’s legacy is going to be that of a true, selfless, frugal American, something like they used to make them. He is not going to be among the pantheon of politicians we are currently stuck with. Politicians who after a couple years in office, get Secret Service and other protection, every other building named after them, offices paid for, medals coming out of their noses, various and all types of transportations, prodigious pensions, and interns and pages to satisfy their every whim. Scratch that last part. The interns and pages are perks while they are in office. Too bad President Harry is no longer here to “give them hell!”

Sad to say, when I see many of our current political leaders, I see visuals of bloated pigs, with the money collected from taxpayers hanging out of their snouts. Coincidentally, the visual I see of taxpayers, is one where we are herded into groups, with gargantuan herds of pigs pushing their snouts in our pockets. We are desperately trying to let the herds know that the pockets are bare, but they keep feeding! Isn’t it supposed to be the other way around – that humans feed on pigs? Whoever came up with the naming of “earmarks,” for the pork inserted in bills by politicians, is a genius! It fits in perfectly with the porker theme. From now on, every time I see some of those politicians on television, my eyes are going to be like the x-ray machines that are being hurried into use at airports. Through their Armani duds, I am going to see nothing but a pig talking through a teleprompter, quoting words written by someone else!

 This American political process has left me feeling as if my innocence and naivety have been forcibly stripped from me. For a long time, I held onto an admittedly idealistic notion of US politicians, as somehow being a breed apart. Maybe I held that vision because of the history of how the country was founded, where politicians selflessly gave of their lives, fortunes and families, all in the cause of freedom. Well, the veil has been stripped away.

I now have more respect for third world dictators. They are who they are, and they make no pretense. I no longer want to hear American taxpayers addressed as “My fellow Americans.” The use of this salutation has become cynical, hypocritical and conjures up the image of Americans about to be politically screwed – yet again. My back is hurting from assuming the position! Just address “fellow Americans” by the social security #, or whatever identifier is used for tax purposes, and stop the games.

I don’t get the impression that God is going to greet some of these amoral and immoral politicians with the salutation “well done, thou good and faithful servant.” Anyway, instead of wishing that they rot in hell, I will simply say, as is said in the South, “bless their hearts.”

President Truman was right on target when he declared: "My choices in life were either to be a piano player in a whore house or a politician. And to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference.” I would advise whorehouses not to hire some of these current politicians. The whores and the piano would end up missing, even if nailed down!

This old year is in its last throes and indeed, has already passed into history in some parts of the world. We all know the headlines grabbing stories of death and destruction, wreaked by dastardly men whose mission in life is to kill and maim. This writer was almost ready to post an article on the "architects of death," but life intervened. So, enough of those who love death. Life beckons.

It is time to talk about we the ordinary, who do extraordinarily well, simply by surviving in a really hostile environment, known as the world. This post is the beginning of a weekly series on "small miracles."

Two days ago, I e-mailed some friends about my "Christmas miracles." The e-mail discussed the miracles that I had personally experienced this Christmas season. My miracles were about others showing their love for me in very tangible ways. I was overwhelmed as I was surrounded by "angels in earthly apparel," who included my Pastor, Dr. Willis Lucas,  my hairdresser, Odette, and a clerk at my favorite store, Trader Joe's! I am truly blessed.

I was kind of surprised at the very positive responses that I received to that e-mail, detailing the generosity of my angels. I expected perhaps perfunctory responses, about "how great that was," along those lines. I should have known better, knowing the character of my thoughtful friends.  Joyce, who I am going to, by "executive order," make my agent, responded:

Ercille, your stories always warm my heart and I look forward to treating you to lunch (or dinner, whichever you have time for).  
 
You should write a little column about "small miracles"  (good name for the column too).  I think people would really enjoy it!  As a weekly column in the paper (better than Ann Landers).  You could go around the city interviewing people who have experienced small miracles that warm the heart and remind us that God is still in our lives.  I wish I knew someone who worked for the paper who could get you an interview. Or perhaps you should just write a couple of them and send them in on spec!

To declare that my little vignettes are better than Ann Landers, is indeed high praise! I am not even worthy to pick up a pen dropped by Ann Landers, but I will enjoy the complimenty comparison, at least for one day!

Another friend, Eric, seconded Joyce's idea:

Christmas is to be separated from state buildings. Christmas is to be banished from the public square. This is all done under the guise of separation of church and state. Thomas Jefferson wrote about this concept and assumed that intelligent folks would understand that he was not talking about freedom from religion, but freedom of religion, not having the establishment of a state religion along the lines of the Church of England. He did not reckon with the confused who now walk among us and are so unhappy in their lives that they will be damned, and they will be, if they “allow” the rest of us to be happy in our lives.

Leesburg, Virginia, and Clarksville, Tennessee, are among the cities that will be “crèche-less,” because that baby in a manger is a very seditious symbol. Yet another shot on the bow is coming this time from the state of Washington, where no religious symbols will be allowed on government buildings.

Even the president and Mrs. President went after baby Jesus, as one headline suggested. This was a story in the prestigious New York Times, or I would not have believed it. Baby Jesus was about to be banned from the East Room of the People’s House where He had traditionally been a prominent part in the décor. The rush was on to have more “inclusion,” created by the exclusion of Jesus, as part of a “non-religious Christmas.” This was coming from a family that purports to be Christian? If baby Jesus is not welcome in a Christian home, especially the People’s House, where should He find shelter?

Apparently wiser heads prevailed. Could it be that the president was persuaded that notwithstanding the talk of some of his followers dubbing him the “messiah,” that the gig was already taken by that little baby in the manager? Moreover, most likely, the president and Mrs. President did not want that “Muslim to the core” talk about him, rearing its head again. Although, if he is/was a Muslim, he should be proud of it. I am a Christian and mighty proud and grateful. I am not hiding The Light under a bushel of political correctness.

The troublemakers have been fortunate in a sense, because they have been successful in incrementally slamming the door to the public square inn, in the face of that little baby. With a lawsuit here, a threat of a lawsuit there, they succeeded in cowing some in officialdom and commerce. But, they are becoming so brazen that we the ordinary folks are recognizing that they are doing a perfect impersonation of Ebenezer Scrooge, rabidly trying to keep taking away more and more of our traditions. We are now taking a stand and declaring – “enough is enough!”

I have a message for all of the political and business cowards who are being frightened into pushing any manifestations or symbols of the season of love, out of their buildings or establishments. “Love” brings in more money than “hate.” When folks are feeling “peace on earth and goodwill towards men,” they spend and spend some more. Those who hate are stingy with both their emotions and their wallets. Good luck in pushing the Christmas lovers out of your stores and expecting us to buy from you, or vote for you when you cannot even stand up to a few troublemakers. You have become frightened of your own (Christmas) shadow. I blame you more than I blame the “attack dogs.”

My theory for the attacks on Christmas, is that they are motivated by fear. The non-Christmas folks are so afraid of the power of the Christmas story, that they have to work overtime to silence the story of a baby in a manger. They are scared witless by the story of a helpless baby, whose parents could not even find room in the equivalent of a motel, in which to birth him. The Motel 6 of the day did not “leave a light on,” for the Light of the world.

His is a simple story. Imagine a baby came to earth 2000 years ago. He trained as a humble carpenter. He could have created His own Mount Olympus, waged wars, and easily won. Instead, He went around as what we would describe as an “itinerant” preacher, teaching about love. For His efforts, He was hung on a wooden cross. End of story.

But it is not. He still puts fear into the heart of those who hate Him, as conversely love is the preeminent emotion in the hearts of those who love Him. Ever since that day that He made His entrance in a stable, He has been a thorn in the side of those with a lust for power. He is also probably hated because he was born a Jew, and was a Rabbi. Talk about a double whammy! Well, I worry not about Him. He is preeminent, all-powerful, everlasting…that baby in the manger. He lives forever, while His detractors will keep their appointed date with the grim reaper, when He decides that it is their time.

If the Christmas-haters wanted to be really effective, they would be secure in their sense of insecurity. They would give up the efforts to shut down the celebrations for the baby in a manger. They would just ignore the rest of us. They wouldn’t give us all of that power over them. They would prove their machismo by ignoring all of those revelers celebrating the season of joy, peace and love. They would show their disdain by thumbing their noses, or any other action that shows that this season and all that it represents, is beneath their contempt. That would definitely show us that we are irrelevant in their orbit.

Christmas-haters, you can’t, can you? That little baby in the manger, and Santa coming down the chimney, get your goat every time. As my pal Sheila phrased it, He is “a stable baby for an unstable world.” Your instability is showing. Try to remember that even Scrooge had a change of heart. Open up your hearts to love. It is beyond belief to feel the surge of happiness that flows through the body, heart and soul as the Christmas carols and songs ring out, as the joy and wonder of the season, are reflected on the faces of kids, when they open their presents from Santa, helped out by Mom and Dad. Come on. Enjoy, even if you don’t believe! Those of you, who love to hug trees, go hug a Christmas tree!

In order to give as good as Christmas is getting, I was going to put “Operation, Christmas 365,” into full swing, and nonchalantly walk by the offices of known Christmas haters, with a mini crèche in one hand and a mini Christmas tree in the other. The idea was to make them foam at the mouth at the sight of the baby in the manger, when I swing by in January, February, and all the other months of the year. I was even going to see if Santa wanted to travel down from the North Pole and join me, especially as he is now considered to be a “religious symbol,” according to at least one principal at an elementary school.

In the spirit of the season, I am going to shelve Operation Christmas 365. Instead, I will simply love the haters into submission. “Love” will pierce their armor of intractability. After all, this is the season of “ho, ho, ho,” peace, love and joy! They will succumb.

My therapy will be to invite them to watch “It’s A Wonderful Life,” every other day for four days, until they remove that inner sense of failure that is propelling their actions. They will learn from Clarence, that “no man is a failure who has friends.” I will be their friend. Next, they should listen to Handel’s Messiah. They will find that they may be changed, in “the twinkling of an eye,” by the beauty, ethereal quality of the fusion of voice and instruments.

This just in! In the midst of the Christmas revelry, the reveille could have just been sounded for healthcare as we know it in the United States of America. Instead of the aforementioned “ho, ho, ho,” we should be singing “no, no, no”?Despite a majority of Americans not wanting this particular “present” under their trees, not this Christmas, or any to come, those who some are labeling tyrants, prostitutes, and worse, have voted in the US Senate, for cloture. “Cloture” sounds so much like clothing being shed. They have been accused of doing the equivalent of going into a motel and exchanging dollars for body fluids, in order to get their votes for the bill that opened the door of its crypt during the Halloween season.

But, Christmas has not been labeled “the season for miracles,” for nothing. Ebenezer Scrooge held sway for awhile. He succumbed. The political “prostitutes” and their “pimps” will succumb, either this Christmas or next one. It will be a version of “cash for clunkers,” without the cash being exchanged. The cash was already exchanged in the political motel room.

I feel strangely optimistic that long after the politicians “orgy of power,” the baby in the manger, will still give us hope, peace and love. So let the rest of us continue to revel in the camaraderie, generosity, graciousness and love on display during this wonderful season – in between calling the political pimps to let them know what we think of their “prostitution ring.” What a mix of the sublime and slime, this season has become. But – it is still “the most wonderful time of the year!”

Copenhagen is supposed to be the crowning achievement of the Global Warmers/Climate Changers. Leading up to the big day, there was even a name change to more easily facilitate the smooth exchange of the wealth of developed countries to those whose dictators refuse to “share the wealth” with their citizens. The name change from “global warming,” came about when the earth did not cooperate with the “global” part of the name,” and especially with the “warming” categorization. The new name became “climate change.” Even with the name change, the earth is still in non-compliance with the scientific agenda. It has stubbornly kept to its own schedule of changes of season, instead of warming according to a man-made hockey puck, stick, whatever.

In the interests of brevity, the manipulators of climate will be henceforth known as the GWCC. As the GWCC preached the “religion” of global warming, they got a huge number of world leaders to jump on the “We are all going to die. The earth is warming at an alarming rate” bandwagon! Preparations went very smoothly for the parting of the ocean, and the fleecing of the so-called rich nations. I am still looking for those rich nations. The US is certainly not among those, is it? The US is owned primarily by China and Japan. Sayonara sovereignty.

Then, in the midst of the lavish preparations, an enterprising hacker or other industrious sort, spilled the e-mails. He, she or they, downloaded tons of e-mails, that purported to show less than honest data in support of the GWCC’s contentions. The e-mails apparently show GWCC scientists fudging data that does not fall neatly into their “thesis,” of the earth heating up,  and attempting to punish/silence their fellow scientists who disagree with them. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned? Forget that. Hell hath no fury like a scientist about to be debunked!

The big confab of almost 1700 persons from 192 countries swooped into Copenhagen on their jets, to kill the livelihoods of their people but save the earth? How many tons of carbon emissions were accumulated by all of those who flew to Copenhagen by non-commercial means? What is this global warming thing, beyond the claim that the earth decided to become warmer? What is the real scientific evidence, if any? I guess the science that I refused to learn in school would have come in handy right about now. From what I can make out, human beings, who do have dominion over the creatures of the earth, are leaving giant carbon footprints all over the earth, and emitting carbon and or greenhouse gases by the minute. Is that the same gas that is burped up by some men and women, after eating a big meal?

I am all for being a good steward of the earth and the creatures therein, but the acolytes of global warming are conveying to me that we human beings are the problem, and if we stopped eating, breathing, driving and actually living, the earth will be healed. I already try to breathe intermittently and the amount of food that I eat, I am going to need a surrogate carbon footprint maker for me to prove that I exist! What more do you want from me, except that I should just die and take my miniscule carbon footprints with me? I am still “comparatively effective” and I refuse to die- until He Who really controls carbon emissions, footprints, emissions and everything else on this earth and beyond, decides that it is time!

When one of the members of the repositories of the data supporting global warming, was asked to produce said data, the requestor of the data was told that the data was dumped in order to save space? That dumped data could turn out to be a really “inconvenient truth!” I am going to make like a scientist and be very pristine and precise. Somebody has to. So, which one of the almost twenty meanings of the word “space,” is meant in this answer? Was it “outer space,” or “deep space”? Could it also be “deep sixed”? Please get back to me on that one.

In addition to the scientists, who are the real players in the GWCC fraternity? There is the usual assortment of celebrities. These celebrities preach to the rest of us to cut back on our use of toilet paper and other necessities, while they blow into towns on their private jets in order to spread the message of conservation. As dainty as my carbon footprints in the bathroom are, three squares of toilet tissue will be woefully inadequate. Maybe I can get by with four!  My mind is playing tricks with me. I have no explanation why the word “hypocrisy,” sprung to mind, just as I began writing about the “do as I say, not as I do” crowd. 

Those celebrities are only bit players in this global warming debate. The person who always springs to mind, is a former Vice President of the US, he who invented the Internet, and became a billionaire from global warming. Bela Lugosi, who starred in those Dracula movies, wishes he had the power to whip up both hysteria and dollars, with his portrayal of a bogeyman. The detractors of Mr. Global Warming, of which I am not one, accuse him of consuming twenty times the electricity of the average American home, in his mansion in Tennessee.

I am not a detractor because anyone who can become a billionaire on data that many in the scientific community are categorically stating is not based on provable scientific facts, is awfully clever. I am ready to go learn at his feet, how to accomplish what he has. I am not interested in the movies, the trophies or the prizes. Well, maybe P T Barnum was correct in his assertion that “there is a sucker born every minute.” In any case, these days, according to some wags, the GWCC poster boy, appears to be investing some of that time and money in McDonalds and Burger King, judging by his increasingly large carbon footprints. All of a sudden I have this urge for a greasy burger, with everything on it, including the kitchen sink, humongous carbon footprints or not!  I don’t know what brought that on.

What has been the fallout from ClimateGate so far? Phil Jones, the head of the University of East Anglia’s Climatic Research Unit, where all hell broke out with the “release” of those e-mails, is on temporary leave. The operative word there could be “temporary.” It could soon be data as usual.

Unlike Watergate, there probably won’t be any Pulitzer Prizes won for coverage of ClimateGate. Pulitzer Prizes are awarded for stories that are investigated and reported on.

The Environmental Protection Agency stated that scientific evidence shows that greenhouse gases are a threat to public health and that we need to reduce pollutants. Is this mandate based on scientific evidence pre or post the ClimateGate memos? Wasn’t it midway in the 1970’s that we were being faced with another ice age, according to Time and Newsweek magazines? Now that rebellious earth is veering in the opposite direction?

The EPA thinks that carbon dioxide is the most dangerous pollutant? I could tell that agency where most of the “pollutants” are coming from. Hint – there is a drastic reduction of pollutants when that renowned piece of real estate in DC, is vacant for any period of time. The US is supposed to reduce greenhouse emission seventeen percent by 2020? Good luck with that.

The US president is going to make an entrance in Copenhagen in another few days. How much of the US will he give away at that conference? Into which generation will the tentacles of global warming reach, in order to pay for any US largess? I am asking questions to which I shudder to get answers. Maybe we should begin hiding the silverware. I just remembered. We do not have to hide the silverware. The Legislative Branch is preparing to raise the US debt ceiling by $1.8 trillion. That ought to cover at least part of the Copenhagen coffers. How high can you go? The sky is the limit. The sky is linked with the earth. The US is part of the earth…absolute synergy!

If the e-mails of ClimateGate turn out to be a true representation of the outlook or behavior of these scientists identified, what could have been their motivation? Is it a god complex? Could it be a situation of “follow the money”? If there are loads of money to be paid out, maybe I should return to school and pick up those science classes.

I see a real positive in this ClimateGate saga, because, in a way, it is as if God placed His carbon footprints all over the altars of the global warming enthusiasts and showed them Who really is in control! Do they really think that they have more power than God in controlling the weather? I do not want what they are apparently smoking.

I almost forgot yet more fallout from ClimateGate. Add science to the list of “faiths” that I am leaving behind, or have left me behind. That branch of learning is up on the shelf with the Fourth Estate, US politicians, make that politicians in general, among other institutions/entities to which I will apply the President Ronald Reagan caveat of “trust but verify.” 
On second thoughts, I think with this crop of “scientists” and politicians who know what is best for the world, I will adopt my own measure of veracity: “Verify before trusting.” And, demand to see the data before it is dumped.

The United States was at peace with that nation, and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with its government and its emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific.

It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time the Japanese government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.

The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian Islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. I regret to tell you that very many American lives have been lost. In addition, American ships have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu.

Japan has, therefore, undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area. The facts of yesterday and today speak for themselves. The people of the United States have already formed their opinions and well understand the implications to the very life and safety of our nation."

So declared President Franklin Delano Roosevelt as he asked Congress to declare war for the unprovoked attack by the Japanese military on Pearl Harbor. “A date that will live in infamy” became the easily identifiable phrase for December 7, 1941. Here was the US literally minding its own business as war raged in Europe. The Japanese decided that it was time to wake the sleeping giant. It took four arduous years, but Japan learned that it is best to let sleeping giants lie.

The US was totally unprepared after being struck by a devastating attack of treachery, which wiped out a good portion of its Pacific Fleet. But for the most part, it was united, and willing to fight back! The nation, and especially those men sent out to fight, would learn what Thomas Paine meant when he wrote “Those who want to reap the benefits of this great nation must bear the fatigue of supporting it.” “Fatigue” was only part of the struggle. Death was a huge part of the equation. American troops are buried in various graves throughout Europe, as testament to their unyielding service. The nation rediscovered its resiliency. While the men fought in the Pacific and Europe, the women “manned” the home front. Rosie the Riveter was born. Those who were opposed to American involvement in “Europe’s war” learned, “if we do not hang together, we shall surely hang separately,” as Thomas Paine had exhorted his compatriots in Revolutionary Times.

On August 9, 1945, Japan was finally convinced that it was indeed a mistake to wake up that sleeping giant. World War II was all but wrapped up. The external enemy had been demoralized and defeated. The men later dubbed the “greatest generation” had done their work. The women left behind had also done their part. Detainee “abuse” was not an issue.

Here we are sixty eight years later. What is the one constant between then and now? It is the “cannon fodder,” the troops who daily go out and die and/or are maimed in our stead. Their heart for the job, the bravery in performing the job, and pride in serving their country, remain the same. Compared to 1941, they now have better weaponry and better training, as they deserve. Sixty eight years ago, most of the rest of America stood tall and supported the war efforts, with the exception of a few traitors whose desire was to see America be brought to its knees so that those “quaint” notions of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” could be outlawed. They lost – then.

So has anything changed from 1941 to 2009? The face of the enemy has changed. From 1941 to 1945, the organized armies of Japan and Germany faced down GI Joe. Those armies struck first and blinked first. For almost a decade now, in this 21^st century, the enemy, in the name and guise of religion, determined to destroy America, although without a conventional, established military, is in some ways more dangerous. The “soldiers” of this enemy do not fight mano a mano (hand to hand). They prefer the IED, manned by those who have been conned by the promise of an elixir of lust and religion, as in 72 virgins providing unlimited sex after death. They fight unarmed female flight attendants. They have declared war on American and other civilians. They do not fight according to the Geneva Convention. They know that militarily, they cannot defeat our troops, so they have pulled out their arsenal of deceit. They apparently will inflict wounds on themselves and blame our troops, and frighteningly too many in charge of those American troops, fall for the treachery.

“Treachery.” That is the bridge between December 1941 and December 2009. “Treachery” in this new century has not come in the form of a surprise attack on America by a recognized military armada. Treachery is being unleashed on American troops by less than gallant men, well versed in the art of dissimulation. The tragedy is that in too many instances, the word of this enemy, an enemy who is without valor and honor, is taken over the words of American troops. More and more American troops are being charged and put away for long stretches for winning on the battlefield against this new enemy. The message being transmitted appears to be “do not be all that you can be, instead behave politically expediently,” if you value your career.

In reading the stories of troops brought up on charges of “abusing” detainees, it seems that invariably, the brightest, bravest and best troops, have been targeted. Even if exonerated, quite frankly they may still bear invisible scars. I cannot even begin to fathom how a defender can feel, if after representing your country, killing or capturing the bad guys, you return home, to be greeted, not with a medal or parade, or even a peaceful civilian life, but with handcuffs. Meanwhile the accusers and the supporters of those accusers, are having a good chuckle at how easy it is to fool the infidels.

Captain Carl Bjork has even been returned to Baghdad to face charges of premeditated murder. The star witnesses are three Iraqi “insurgents.” When did this practice of returning US troops to a foreign land for trial, begin? Imagine when the US signs off on that famous, or infamous, depending on one’s perspective, so called World Court? US troops “just doing their jobs,” can conceivably be hauled in front of that court, which will have a built-in bias against GI Joe. If we cannot beat them on the battlefield, by golly, see you in the court of the world! Welcome to dhimmitude.

I would like to check in with Lt. Col. Chessani, who is now facing a BOI (Board of Inquiry) that began on December 2, 2009, and continues on December 7, 2009, “day of infamy.” I would also like to get the reaction of SEALs Matthew McCabe, Jonathan Keefe and Julio Huertas, to capturing a “most wanted terrorist” and being reported for bloodying the lip of the “most wanted.” All of a sudden “performance of duty” has been turned into “dereliction of duty.” Ironically, if these three SEALs had been captured by the enemy, their lips and the rest of their bodies would have been burnt to a cinder, most likely after they had first been tortured, and then hung up on a bridge in Baghdad. That fate did befall four civilian contractors, and the alleged ringleader is this “most wanted.” He must not be wanted badly enough why his captors are the ones facing charges, beginning on December 7, 2009, “day of infamy.”

I keep harkening back to the story of ILT Michael Behenna, perhaps because of the synergy between his years on this earth, and the sentence imposed on him. He is twenty five and he received twenty five years in Leavenworth for defending himself against an Iraqi insurgent. Should he have allowed himself to killed and dragged through the streets? Would there have been such strenuous efforts at securing justice for him, as has occurred in persecuting, prosecuting him? I doubt it. He would have become another KIA (killed in action) statistic. Suit up the next volunteer. Fresh blood is needed.

The irony of the situation is that these men and women who serve do not ask for much. Debbie Lee, Gold Star Mom of Marc Alan Lee, the first Navy SEAL killed in action in Iraq, wrote about the following words of thanks that she received from two of our defenders:

“We very much appreciate all of your efforts and are heartened by your continued support of the troops,” wrote Specialist Craig from Tallil, Iraq. “The smallest of kind thoughts are larger than complaints from the naysayers.”

We would like to thank you for the care package,” Daniel wrote. “Thanks for your support and feel free to write back. We would love to hear from as many people as possible. Letters and packages make our day.”

“Letters and packages make our day”...in which other country is freedom so cheap?

“The smallest of kind thoughts are larger than complaints from the naysayers”...profound words from a defender who signed on, fully aware that instead of “letters and packages,” he could be at the receiving end of an IED or other treacherous weapon. I listened and learned. How about you, persecutors? Will you?

This is supposed to be the kickoff to the Christmas season, a season of which I am especially fond. With the last name of Christmas, how could I not be? But, this Christmas feels different to me. Too much has recently happened to our nation, to make me want to jump into a celebratory mode. I want to take a pause to dissect a new breed of “men,” who have turned out to be a “pox on our house.” They are threatening us once again. This time the threat is self-inflicted, or more accurately “politician-inflicted.” Suddenly, we are left to wonder if these “men,” have been granted our rights of citizenship, without the burden of citizenship.

On September 11, 2001, I became aware of a new species that I am labeling "homo terrorticus," quite distinct from homo sapiens (wise men). “Wisdom” is not a characteristic of which the members of this new fraternity of terror, can be found guilty. I don't see wise men killing other human beings for the promise of unlimited sex with 72 nubile virgins in the afterlife. This orgy after death is really alien to my visions of the afterlife. I envision an afterlife where I would be welcomed into Heaven by a merciful, gracious and wise God, not ushered into a palace with a stud in every room. Speaking of studs, virgins and terror, I am presuming that female homicide bombers get studs instead of nubile virgins, but I could be wrong. There is no equality in the world of the “homo terrorticus,” where women are little more than chattel.

We recently commemorated the eight anniversary of 9/11/01, with no large scale terrorist attacks on our soil. We probably all breathed a sigh of relief – until November 5, 2009. We learned how to protect our homeland from planes turned into missiles. So, how are those wishing to set up camp orgy in the afterlife, going to achieve their goal of killing innocents in order to get to those virgins? What is a horny, strip joint-loving “religious fanatic” to do, in order to ascend to paradise to frolic in the hereafter, after a pit stop at a favorite strip joint? Voila! Here comes the IED (Improvised Explosive Device). This weapon is used as an “equal opportunity” killer. Fellow Muslims, especially women and children are not immune from barbecuing by IED, but death by IED has been especially reserved for troops from non-Muslim countries.

The murder by IED spree kicked into full force, since the bombs on plane and even the bomb in shoes strategies were apparently no longer effective, the element of surprise having been lost. To be factual, the bomb in sneaker attack mode, never really got off the ground, although bomber boy was already on board an airplane, where he ran into a force stronger than himself, in the form of engaged passengers. As Flight 93 proved, airline passengers are not so docile anymore.

Recently in Afghanistan, the IED efforts have been stepped up. Could the supposed new US Military rules of engagement, about taking terrorists out to tea, and/or reading them their Miranda Rights, have anything to do with the newfound boldness and success of the “IED-ers”? In August 2009, over 1,000 IEDs went off or were discovered. US and NATO forces have found out the power of those devices to kill and maim. In just the period from August 2009 to present, more US troops have been killed by IEDs than in all the rest of the struggle there.

However, the third front in the war on the infidels appears to be to infiltrate, pretend to assimilate, “snap,” and kill, beginning at Fort Hood? I slipped up there. We are not supposed to “jump to conclusions.” Neither is Congress to investigate this “walks like a duck, shoots like a duck,” Fort Hood massacre. Prior incidents of “snap and kill, or maim,” by apparent jihadists, here in the US, have so far been dismissed as “acts of mental illness.” We shall see whether they were true incidents of mental impairment, or 72 virgin lust. Maybe they are one and the same. While the rest of us are not to jump to conclusions, the press and other “experts” are not shy about jumping to excuses for the alleged murderer at Fort Hood. Some of those making decisions about this situation involving M. Hasan, are behaving as if they are psychically paralyzed from the neck up, specifically in the area of the skull that houses the brain!

The laundry list of excuses goes like this. M. Hasan was suffering, not from post stress traumatic disorder, but pre stress traumatic disorder? Let me see if I understand this. If the already exposed to battle conditions stress does not work, not yet exposed to battle conditions will work? He was not counseling soldiers returning from battle, but those going into battle? Someone needs to debrief those he counseled – pronto. One theory that was floated is that he “snapped.” He was in such a state of “snapsation” that he had time to say his goodbyes, give away his possessions, including copies of his holy book, get his Starbucks, and then begin shooting methodically – allegedly?

I have tremendous respect for the troops and their leaders, but I beg to differ with General Casey on his assessment of the Fort Hood slaughter, when he stated:

“Again, I think that's something else we need to be very careful about, and I think the speculation could potentially heighten backlash against some of our Muslim soldiers. And what happened at Fort Hood was a tragedy, but I believe it would be an even greater tragedy if our diversity becomes a casualty here, I think that’s worse.”

What happened at Fort Hood was a slaughter and a betrayal of trust. A “tragedy” is when a mountain collapses and wipes out a village. I hope that I am misunderstanding the apparent emphasis that “diversity” should be paramount, ahead of the lives of 14 murdered US citizens. Somehow I think that “cohesiveness” and unity of purpose, to defend this US of A, are paramount. Cohesiveness will not be maintained if the message is that “some animals (troops) are more equal than others.” This country deserves to have the best troops to do the job, regardless of the outward manifestations of diversity. “Diversity” should be the cherry on top, not the main course.

I fully realize that General Casey has to be circumspect and not appear to be biased. From my vantage point, Non-Muslims, who were the ones killed, did not appear to receive the requisite concern in his talk. The first order of business should have been the welfare of all soldiers.

The reports are pouring in about M. Hasan, all of the alleged “in your face” actions that he took, that were ignored by the “bureaucracy.” He contacted Al Qaeda. He attempted to contact Pakistan. He did a “show and tell” presentation about the glories of suicide bombers. He made no secret that the US was dead last in his affections. He was born in the US. Was his truly an accident of birth, and he should have been born where his loyalties apparently lie? Two e-mail friends placed his current situation in perspective.

HGT wrote: “Instead of being a martyr, think of his shame in being taken down by a woman. And no virgins.”

Sheila continued with the “taken down by woman” theme: “To be fair, he was shot on sight! By an American WOMAN. Isn’t irony delicious?”

Maybe I should have called this article “When Muslim religious fanatics met IEDs…..a love story.” The wielders of IEDs are going to find out that the only “virgins” they are going to have a relationship with in the afterlife, is the IED that they cradled just before “blast off.” M Hasan, who is now paralyzed from the chest down, is going to find out that there will not be frolicking with any virgins, in current life or after. Maybe as part of an “outreach and tolerance” gesture, he could have the strippers of whom he is apparently so fond, brought in to aid in his “recuperation.” In this politically correct atmosphere, this idea made in jest, could very well be under consideration in order to provide him “aid and comfort!”

In all of this “snapping to kill,” I would like to know why on a base of soldiers, that the wait was on for civilian police officers to arrive to rescue those soldiers. OK, I found out. The soldiers were unarmed and therefore sitting ducks because of a policy by the 42nd president of the US, a policy that mandated that military bases should be “gun free zones.” Isn’t he the same one who is reported to have “loathed” the military? Maybe we should return to the times of George Washington, when the C-I-C led the troops on the battlefield!

Fort Hood was “gun free,” and became Virginia Tech. The rest of the world must be really shaking their heads at the idea that the US could be foolish enough to disarm its soldiers and leave them nicely lined up for target practice, on their own base. It is difficult to accept that some members of the finest military in the world, were rendered impotent by the stroke of a pen. Imagine if the alleged shooter M Hasan was a better marksman….He could have gone for triple digit kills.

There is at least one other “person,” who bears responsibility for this carnage. It is that guy called “political correctness.” “He” is also apparently raising his ugly head in another troop persecution story that is just breaking. Capture a known terrorist. Known terrorist plays the abuse “violin.” Untrained and very politically correct “musicians” buy the tune and more troops find out that their “all” is not enough. They are expected to lose portions of their lives, behind bars, put there by representatives of “we the people.” SEALs Matthew McCabe, Jonathan Keefe and Julio Huertas are going to find out what the troops of Haditha, ILT Michael Behenna and many of the Leavenworth Ten found out. Sometimes it does not pay to do your job “to the best of your ability.” I am proud of these three latest victims of “persecution by country,” that they turned down a “backroom deal” to plead guilty, and asked for a court martial.

Sheila reminded me of this warning by Cicero, to the Roman Empire:

“A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly. But the traitor moves amongst those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the alleys, heard in the very halls of government itself. ...He rots the soul of a nation, he works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of the city, he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist.” -- Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 BC-43 BC)

We are rotting from within and treasonous actions are being flaunted in our faces. The ball is in our court. We can continue to allow ourselves to be misled by hideous political correctness, ineptitude and corruption, or we can demand to be governed by commonsense, wisdom and bravery. The lives of all of us, including those Muslims who do want to be part of US society, the America of the Founding Fathers’ vision, are in all of our hands. Our survival is dependent on a cohesive partnership, not a diverse agenda.

The perfect ending to this narrative was provided by Sheila, as she tried to comfort me in my rage over the news of the persecution of the 3 SEALs:

“Non illigitamus carborundum - Don't let the bastards grind you down ...”

America, will you let them?