Our fearless leader (insert sarcasm here) stated on Saturday that the Republicans are holding up a bill that would remove the 21% Medicare cut from the new healthcare plan.  The problem is, he doesn’t tell everybody about all the other crap that is included in this bill.

I have learned one thing about this administration in the 18 or so months they have been screwing up our economy (is it over yet?).  They are very good about including things in their pork-laden, tax-raising bills that the Republicans want, so that when the Republicans do the responsible thing and vote against their garbage bills, they get blamed for voting against the parts of the bill that are needed and then are demonized to the American public.  In my humble opinion, this administration needs to vote on everything separately and not try to include responsible legislation with irresponsible legislation just to get the votes. 

One of Obama’s talking points on this healthcare bill was that older people were not going to lose their care and you can keep the plan and doctor you have.  I work for a small oncology clinic and let me see if I can insert a little reality into this alternate universe this country has become.

The majority of patients seen in an oncology clinic are elderly; therefore, they are Medicare patients.  If there is a 21% cut in Medicare reimbursements, the doctors will quit seeing Medicare patients, because they will not get paid.  And before everybody tries to say how evil doctors are for wanting paid, let me ask a question.  Would you work for free? And what people don’t seem to understand is that the majority of insurance companies base their reimbursements on Medicare.  So if there is a 21% cut in Medicare reimbursements, you can pretty much guarantee that all insurance companies will follow suit.  So the statement that patients can keep their own doctors and that healthcare will not be rationed is an outright lie, and this administration knew it.  And they are counting on the fact that there are all these new people that will end up on government-run healthcare, because you will have to get rid of your insurance, due to the fact that they are making reimbursement cuts and doctors will not take your insurance any more.

Please don’t think that the people that are supposed to be representing us are doing anything but representing themselves and the unions.  And the fact that they include necessary legislation in bills that the average American would not vote for proves it.  Besides the fact, they get another chance to tell the whole world how evil the Republicans are for not voting for something they need that is wrapped up in garbage.

Captain Kangaroo passed away on January 23, 2004 at age 76 (DOB: 6/27/27 ).  His death reminded me of the following story:

Some people have been a bit offended that the actor, Lee
Marvin, is buried in a grave alongside 3- and 4-star generals at
Arlington National Cemetery. His marker gives his name, rank (PFC) and service (USMC). Nothing else. Here’s a guy who was only a famous movie
star who served his time, why the heck does he rate burial with these guys? Well, following is the amazing answer: I always liked Lee Marvin,
but didn’t know the extent of his Corps experiences.

In a time when many Hollywood stars served their country in
the armed forces often in rear echelon posts where they were carefully protected, only to be trotted out to perform for the cameras in war bond promotions, Lee Marvin was a genuine hero. He won the Navy Cross at Iwo
Jima . There is only one higher Naval award… The Medal Of Honor!

If that is a surprising comment on the true character of the
man, he credits his sergeant with an even greater show of bravery. Dialog from ‘The Tonight Show’ with Johnny Carson: His guest was Lee Marvin. Johnny said, ‘Lee, I’ll bet a lot of people are unaware that you were a Marine in the initial landing at Iwo Jima …and that during the course of that action you earned the Navy Cross and were severely wounded. ‘Yeah, yeah… I got shot square in the bottom and they gave me the Cross for securing a hot spot about halfway up Suribachi. Bad thing about getting shot up on a mountain is guys getting shot hauling you down. But,Johnny, at Iwo I served under the bravest man I ever knew… We both got the Cross the same day, but what he did for his Cross made mine look cheap in comparison. That dumb guy actually stood up on Red beach and directed his troops to move forward and get the hell off the beach. Bullets flying by, with mortar rounds landing everywhere and he stood there as the main target of gunfire so that he could get his men to safety. He did this on more than one occasion because his men’s safety was more important than his own life. That Sergeant and I have been lifelong friends. When they brought me off Suribachi we passed the Sergeant and he lit a smoke and passed it to me, lying on my belly on the litter and said, ‘Where’d they get you Lee?’ ‘Well Bob… If you make it home before me, tell Mom to sell the outhouse!’ Johnny, I’m not lying, Sergeant Keeshan was the bravest man I ever knew. The Sergeant’s name is Bob Keeshan. You and the world know him as Captain Kangaroo..’

On another note, there was this wimpy little man (who just passed away) on PBS, gentle and quiet. Mr. Rogers is another of those you would least suspect of being anything but what he now portrays to our youth. But Mr. Rogers was a U.S. Navy Seal, combat-proven in Vietnam, with over twenty-five confirmed kills to his name. He wore a long-sleeved sweater on TV, to cover the many tattoos on his forearm and biceps. He was a master in small arms and hand-to-hand combat, able to disarm or kill in a heartbeat.

After the war Mr. Rogers became an ordained Presbyterian minister and therefore a pacifist. Vowing to never harm another human and also dedicating the rest of his life to trying to help lead children on the right path in life. He hid away the tattoos and his past life and won our hearts with his quiet wit and charm. America’s real heroes don’t flaunt what they did; they quietly go about their day-to-day lives, doing what they do best. They earned our respect and the freedoms that we all enjoy. Look around and see if you can find one of those heroes in your midst. Often, they are the ones you’d least suspect, but would most like to have on your side if anything ever happened. Take the time to thank anyone that has fought for our freedom.. With encouragement they could be the next Captain Kangaroo or Mr.Rogers.

We now hear that, on top of the bribe to Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana in the amount of $300,000,000 for a yes vote on healthcare, now the White House is extorting a vote from Sen. Ben Nelson by threatening to close Offutt Air Force Base, STRATCOM, if he does not fall in line with a yes vote.

If these allegations are true, one of which Mary Landrieu admitted to, this President is no longer fit to hold office and needs to be impeached.  He is using Chicago-style thug politics to pass a healthcare agenda that people in this country do not even want, in order to control every aspect of our life.

We keep hoping that, in 2010, we can vote these people out of office.  But I am afraid what it will look like before then.  This President and his administration are determined to pass healthcare before Christmas.  For what? SEIU, special interests and lobbyists.

It is time the American people wake up.  This country will be something akin to Venezuela before we have a chance to vote them out in 2010.  God help us.  He is the only one who can.

http://www.freedomslighthouse.com/2009/10/president-obama-makes-middle-of-night.html

I’m sorry, but this has got to be the worst case of hipocracy that I have ever seen.  For this man, who is supposedly the Commander in Chief of our armed forces, not to “rush” to a decision on whether to send more troops to Afghanistan and then, to “secretly” show up at Dover AFB to greet our war dead for a photo op makes me physically sick to my stomach.

He lifted the media ban on our returning war dead so that he could have this photo op, to do what?  Make it look like he really does care about our troops dying over there? How dare he.  He has absolutely no right to be in the presence of our returning heroes until he acts like the Commander in Chief that he was elected to be.

I didn’t agree with everything George Bush did, but he had much more respect for our soldiers than this President will ever have.

God Bless America and God Bless Our Troops!

To see the airplanes flying into our  very symbols of freedom and military strength, and to think about what the people in those buildings were going through was more than most of us could handle.  The people on Flight 93, who took it upon themselves to sacrifice their own lives to save the lives of others.  These are Americans.  These are our people, be they Democrat or Republican.

Now, here we are, eight years later.  Some of us have forgotten what happened that day and why it happened.  The United States did nothing to precipitate this attack.  There are people that say we had it coming, but those people have no integrity.

We now have a President, who travels the world apologizing for the United States and our supposed faults.  He doesn’t consider all that we have done for the world in terms of protection and humanitarian aid.  We are not a perfect nation.  But if we were not the greatest nation on the Earth, we wouldn’t have immigrants, from all walks of life, trying to become part of it.

There are things that our former President did wrong, but when it came to protecting this country and her people, I believe he did the best he could.  He did not apologize for us, nor did he say that this is what we had coming.  This vicious attack was carried out by people who just don’t like us very much.

Our First Lady made the comment that for the first time she was proud of her country.  There is not a day that goes by that I am not proud of my country.  We need to remember, especially today, what makes this country great and how proud we are to be Americans.  This is a day of remembrance.  A day to feel proud to be a part of the greatest country in the world.

2.  A gun in the hand is better than a cop on the phone.

3.  Colt: The original point and click interface.

4.  Gun control is not about guns; it’s about control.
   
5.  If guns are outlawed, can we use swords and IEDs? 

6.  If guns cause crime, then pencils cause misspelled words. 

7.  Free men do not ask permission to bear arms. 

8.  If you don’t know your rights, you don’t have any. 
  
 9.  Those who trade liberty for security have neither.
 
10.  The   United States  Constitution (c) 1791. All Rights Reserved. 

11.  What part of ‘shall not be infringed’ do you NOT understand? 12.  The Second Amendment is in place in case the politicians ignore the others. 

13.  64,999,987 firearms owners killed no one yesterday.
   
14.  Guns have only two enemies; rust and politicians. 

15.  Know guns, know peace, know safety. No guns, no peace, no safety.
        
16.  You don’t shoot to kill; you shoot to stay alive.
   
17.  911: Government sponsored Dial-a-Prayer.
              
18.  Assault is a behavior, not a device.
 
19.  Criminals love gun control; it makes their jobs safer. 

20.  If guns cause crime, then matches cause arson.
   
21.  Only a government that is afraid of its citizens tries to control them.
 
22.  You have only the rights you are willing to fight for. 

23.  Enforce the gun control laws we ALREADY have; don’t make more.
   
24.  When you remove the people’s right to bear arms, you create slaves. 

25.  The American Revolution would never have happened with gun control. 

We’re hearing a lot today about big splashy memorial services. I want a nationwide memorial service for Darrell “Shifty” Powers. Shifty volunteered for the airborne in WWII and served with Easy Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the 101st Airborne Infantry. If you’ve seen Band of Brothers on HBO or the History Channel, you know Shifty. His character appears in all 10 episodes, and Shifty himself is interviewed in several of them.

I met Shifty in the Philadelphia airport several years ago. I didn’t know who he was at the time. I just saw an elderly gentleman having trouble reading his ticket. I offered to help, assured him that he was at the right gate, and noticed the “Screaming Eagle”, the symbol of the 101st Airborne, on his hat. Making conversation, I asked him if he’d been in the 101st Airborne or if his son was serving. He said quietly that he had been in the 101st. I thanked him for his service, then asked him when he served, and how many jumps he made. Quietly and humbly, he said “Well, I guess I signed up in 1941 or so, and was in until sometime in 1945 . . . ” at which point my heart skipped. At that point, again, very humbly, he said “I made the 5 training jumps at Toccoa, and then jumped into Normandy . . . . do you know where Normandy is?” At this point my heart stopped. I told him yes, I know exactly where Normandy was, and I know what D-Day was. At that point he said “I also made a second jump into Holland, into Arnhem.” I was standing with a genuine war hero . . . . and then I realized that it was June, just after the anniversary of D-Day. I asked Shifty if he was on his way back from France, and he said “Yes. And it’s real sad because these days so few of the guys are left, and those that are, lots of them can’t make the trip.” My heart was in my throat and I didn’t know what to say.

I helped Shifty get onto the plane and then realized he was back in Coach, while I was in First Class. I sent the flight attendant back to get him and said that I wanted to switch seats. When Shifty came forward, I got up out of the seat and told him I wanted him to have it, that I’d take his in coach. He said “No, son, you enjoy that seat. Just knowing that there are still some who remember what we did and still care is enough to make an old man very happy.” His eyes were filling up as he said it. And mine are brimming up now as I write this.

Shifty died on June 17, 2009 after fighting cancer. There was no parade. No big event in Staples Center. No wall to wall back to back 24×7 news coverage. No weeping fans on television. And that’s not right. Let’s give Shifty his own Memorial Service, online, in our own quiet way.

One detail that is never mentioned is that in Washington , D.C. there can never be a building of greater height than the Washington Monument.  With all the uproar about removing the Ten Commandments, etc., this is worth a moment or two of your time.  I was not aware of this amazing historical information.

On the aluminum cap, atop the Washington Monument in Washington , D.C. , are displayed two words: Laus Deo.  No one can see these words.  In fact, most visitors to the monument are totally unaware they are even there and for that matter, probably couldn’t care less.

Once you know Laus Deo’s history , you will want to share this with everyone you know.  These words have been there for many years; they are 555 feet, 5.125 inches high, perched atop the monument, facing skyward to the Father of our nation, overlooking the 69 square miles which comprise the District of Columbia , capital of the United States of America.

Laus Deo!  Two seemingly insignificant, unnoticed words. Out of sight and, one might think, out of mind, but very meaningfully placed at the highest point over what is the most powerful city in the most successful nation in the world.
So, what do those two words, in Latin, composed of just four syllables and only seven letters, possibly mean?  Very simply, they say ‘ Praise be to God!’

Though construction of this giant obelisk began in 1848, when James Polk was President of the United States , it was not until 1888 that the monument was inaugurated and opened to the public.  It took twenty-five years to finally cap the memorial with a tribute to the Father of our nation, Laus Deo ‘Praise be to God!’

From atop this magnificent granite and marble structure, visitors may take in the beautiful panoramic view of the city with its division into four major segments.  From that vantage point, one can also easily see the original plan of the designer, Pierre Charles l’Enfant ..a perfect cross imposed upon the landscape, with the White House to the north. The Jefferson Memorial is to the south, the Capitol to the east and the Lincoln Memorial to the west.

A cross you ask?  Why a cross?  What about separation of church and state?

Yes, a cross; separation of church and state was not, is not, in the Constitution.  So, read on. How interesting and, no doubt, intended to carry a profound meaning for those who bother to notice.

Praise be to God!  Within the monument itself are 898 steps and 50 landings.  As one climbs the steps and pauses at the landings the memorial stones share a message.

On the 12th Landing is a prayer offered by the City of Baltimore ; on the 20th is a memorial presented by some Chinese Christians; on the 24th a presentation made by Sunday School children from New York and Philadelphia quoting Proverbs 10:7, Luke 18:16 and Proverbs 22:6. Praise be to God!

When the cornerstone of the Washington Monument was laid on July 4th, 1848 deposited within it were many items including the Holy Bible presented by the Bible Society. Praise be to God!  Such was the discipline, the moral direction, and the spiritual mood given by the founder and first President of our unique democracy ‘One Nation, Under God.’

I am awed by Washington ‘s prayer for America Have you ever read it? Well, now is your unique opportunity, so read on!

“Almighty God; We make our earnest prayer that Thou wilt keep the United States in Thy holy protection; that Thou wilt incline the hearts of the citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to government; and entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another and for their fellow citizens of the United States at large. And finally that Thou wilt most graciously be pleased to dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that charity, humility, and pacific temper of mind which were the characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed religion, and without a humble imitation of whose example in these things we can never hope to be a happy nation. Grant our supplication, we beseech Thee, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

Laus Deo!

When one stops to observe the inscriptions found in public places all over our nation’s capitol, he or she will easily find the signature of God, as it is unmistakably inscribed everywhere you look. You may forget the width and height of ‘Laus Deo ‘, its location, or the architects but no one who reads this will be able to forget its meaning, or these words: ‘Unless the Lord builds the house its builders labor in vain.  Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.’  (Psalm 127: 1)
AMEN!

On September 27, 1994, my step-father (he was much more than that) passed away of a massive heart attack at age 45.  He died 19 days before my oldest daughter was born.  I did see good things come out of that.  I was living in Texas at the time, and with his death, my mother relocated to Texas and was able to be there for the birth of my daughter.  We became best friends.  If my step-father had not died, I do not believe that my mother and I would have had that relationship.

On March 4, my 56-year-old mother passed away, according to the coroner, from complications due to pneumonia.  This was the hardest thing I have ever had to go through in my entire life.  I do not wish this pain and sadness on my worst enemy.

Yesterday, I got the news that my step-sister committed suicide.  She was 38 years old with two children and a beautiful grand-daughter.

I am trying to understand why these things have happened, but have yet to come to a reasonable conclusion.  God will not give you more than you can handle, and what He brings you to, He will bring you through.  But for now, I just want to take a Xanax and go to bed.