Is She Terminal? (updated)

This is an updated rewrite of my earlier entry.

It saddens me, to see her so sick. She is down, and from the looks of her, she could be terminally ill. She's been through so much in her life. Many have attacked her, wounded her, trampled on her, tried so hard to make her disappear from the planet. Today, she is under such extreme attacks, and this time, from within her own family. If she goes, I just don't know what I'll do, and I am sad at the prospect.

America. Oh, how I love her name. America. Oh, how I love my country. America. Oh, how sad I am of what far too many are trying to do to her, make her become, make her into what she was never meant to be.

Why do I say all this? Because, today, it looks to me like the "government of the people, by the people, and for the people", has been plowed under by the swarm of hungry...power hungry... politicians and bureaucrats. The "government", even on local levels, has become the BIG manager in most all aspects of our lives and businesses. Now, with trillions of dollars of taxpayer money, BIG government has now decided what to do with OUR money...and our future money...and with our very lives.

While I liked George W. Bush, I had a number of disagreements with some of his policies. But today, with this new administration, what I am seeing, frankly, scares the crap out of me. The BIG government of today, is looking to be the GIGANTIC government in the coming few years. And with that, WILL come "socialism". How else can one say it? With the government injecting itself into our personal lives and business, and the government distribution of OUR personal wealth....what IS socialism otherwise? And can anyone count the Czars? And why Czars? Can't the officials who pass congressional scrutiny handle the jobs? Or, is the CONTROL Obama gets with Czars a bigger reason for them? (No congressional scrutiny!)

I am absolutely convinced that our forefathers would be up-in-arms over what they see today. In fact, they WERE up-in-arms some 230+ years ago. And WHY were they up-in-arms? They were fed up with the strong arms tactics and imposition of unfair taxes upon the colonies and the citizens of the New World. Great Britain, at that time, WAS the government. And THAT government wanted to impose its will, and taxes, in every way it saw fit to do. Sound familiar?

Well, TRILLIONS of dollars promised by THIS government, on top of the .7 Trillion before Bush left office, WHO will pay for all that? WHO will be taxed to pay for the sins and mistakes by our own government and big business? And when it comes down to it - just how many, what percent, of our citizens really wanted this, or want to pay for it? The top ten polls were clear - a majority of Americans were against THIS bill. But it didn't matter to those who hold the power.

THIS is NOT America. This is something else, but it is NOT America. Businesses grow. Businesses go under. The natural evolution of capitalism has been circumvented by the rich and powerful. Now, our government will decide who makes it, and who won't. The ever increasing government hand, has now grown to control the direction of business, and us...we, the people.

BTW - Don't get me wrong here. I DO NOT blame the wealthy people who earned their way and are good citizens and stewards of our national interest. But, there are those who will sell all of us down the river, for GREED of money and power. And there is the problem ... unbridled GREED for power.

It seems to me that far too many in America, WANT the government to save us from ourselves, save us from our debt and the personal consequences of bad decisions. As long as the government hands us money, we'll go along with IT (big government). Give me a $600 or $400 tax rebate, and I'll shut up and let you do what ever you want......

I am sick at what we have become. And in November, we (I say we, because WE are all in this together.) voted in the biggest bunch of greedy people in the history of our country. And with that, we are being sold out. I weep for my America. I weep for the country that spread freedom, helped other people and countries in times of natural disaster and pain. I weep for those who came before us, and died in an effort to keep America free, and keep America as a land of "for the people, by the people". The people we have in Washington today, are NOT "the people", but they are there...BECAUSE we let them be there. The personal agendas and greed for power, is limitless. And Americans put them there. Shame on us.

So, I sit by the death bed of the America I love and have believed in. I watch helplessly as she succumbs to the trampling on the long held belief's of a nation of free people and non-intrusive government. Before long, her colors could remain, but the stripes will be removed, the stars gone, and some new "Obama-like" symbol will replace her. Letters and emails have failed, and I know of no cure to help. Good men sit by, and other men want to turn off her life support machine. Freedom of her people is old fashioned, in the eyes of our new power mongers.

Pardon my ramblings, and perhaps lack of delivery in this addition, but my sadness almost over-takes me and the grief I am feeling for what I fear is coming, has a grip on me.

Am I alone? Are there any other voices that share in this feeling?

God Bless America, for as long as we still have her. - Dan

PS. While not exclusive to Veterans, the sound of her name, America, and the songs about her, America, America the Beautiful, God Bless America, The Star Spangled Banner, etc., bring goose bumps to us, as does the raising or passing of our Flag. What is happening to America, is hard to swallow for THIS Veteran.

Attention Veterans

Due to recent events and discussions with a couple other Vets, I thought I'd post these thoughts.

Our WWI Vets are gone. We are losing our WWII Vets every day. Our slightly older brothers-in-arms from the Korean War, are also getting older and they'll be following our WWII Vets home more and more. And for my generation, us Vietnam Vets are no spring chickens anymore.

When our Veterans go home, they take with them all their memories. If no one captures those memories on recordings or on paper, then no one can learn anything from what they could pass on.

I have started something of a journal or book. I have no plans on marketing such a thing (although many do so with much success), but do want to have it copied, at least for my kids, and their kids. I want it to tell MY story, and share my thoughts and memories. I want it to be here, long after I go home one last time.

Everyone has to deal with their experiences in what ever way it right for them. But, my fellow Vets, from all conflicts, I would encourage you to document YOUR thoughts and experiences, and keep them for those who will follow some day. With today's computers and flash drives, it is easier that ever to write such thoughts down, and safe them, until YOU are ready for anyone else to read them, even it's to be read only have you have gone home.

I would encourage all Veterans to do so. And for the record, I am still working on my own memories, and it's taking me more than 10 years, and I'm still not done. You too may have some things you can't say to yourself yet, but don't let that stop you from starting, and putting down those things you can say to yourself.

THANK YOU to all our Vets, past and present.
God Bless you all.
AIRBORNE!

Open letter to Obama

(I post this here for anyone else to read, as I seriously doubt he will read the one I mailed to him.)

Dear Mr. President,

I write this with great concern for our nation. And, with a greater concern for who is at the helm.

Mr. President, you ran as the Democratic nominee for President of the United States of America. As such, you won that election, and became THE President of the United States of America.

Sir, you are NOT the Democratic President of the United States. You are THE President of the United States of America....President - to all Americans. The election is over, and it is time that you consider ALL Americans in your decisions, not just the democratic majority (by a very slight margin). Mr. President, I expect YOU to also look out for me, even if I am a Republican.

Sir, the Presidential election results were about 53% for you, and about 46% for McCain. And for the healthcare ideas YOU are pushing, the top ten poll averages are running about 53% AGAINST the currently proposed plans, and about 38% FOR it.

Mr. President...PLEASE...BE the AMERICAN PRESIDENT, and not just the president of half (or less) of America! The decisions you make, affect ALL of us.

You want my support? You want the support from the "other half"? How about LISTENING to the other half?

Be the AMERICAN President. Stop being the President of just Democrats! You sold yourself as being the President of change, and would stop "politics as usual". Now show ALL of us that you will follow through. Otherwise, you are no better than any other self indulgent politician, from either side of the isle.

Terrorism risk?

Today's news included a panel of those in the CIA, Homeland Security, and the FBI, who were asked by members of a Congressional hearing, if the US could expect a terrorist attempt to strike within the U.S. within the next 3 - 6 months. They all agreed that it was a certainty, that an attempt would take place.

So far, we have been only slightly lucky. The Texas man was discovered early, and his attempt to blow up a Dallas high-rise was thwarted by the FBI.

The "Christmas Day" bomber, just didn't get his compounds right. Instead of just a fire in his pants, it could have blown the airliner up in mid-air.

And the Army Major at Fort Bliss! No bomb, just two handguns and lots of ammo. Our soldiers were sitting ducks for the murderous Major Hasan.

These are cases we know of. What don't we know, because of national security?

In the latest reports, it is suggested that any new attacks on our soil, may likely be of the small, simply armed individuals. Could they also be small "teams" of men with simple weapons made in the kitchen? Or civilian style weapons, modified to be more lethal?

If there is another attack, I would expect well organized attacks across the nation, much like those we see in Iraq, where at a given time, terrorists unleash attacks at selected targets. And true to the terrorist we have seen, military and/or police targets will not be their focus. Let's face it...military (in general) and police....are ARMED.

And this brings me to this - the 2nd Amendment has never been more important. A free society, legally able to bear arms, at least presents an opportunity for a response before the police can arrive. ... Unless you live in NYC, then you'd better hope they have enough police to cover all the potential target areas!

If you were such a terrorist, would you choose a community known to be full of redneck hunters? Or a community known for their restrictive firearms laws? Risk armed resistance? Or go for the unarmed people, knowing the police can't save them?

Today... it is time for the 21st century Minuteman to wake up and be ready for ANYTHING.

The Party of No?

The Democrats have been calling the Republicans, the party of no. I am a Republican. I am in favor of that moniker. I WANT to be in the party of NO. Sadly, I don't think the Republicans are saying NO enough! They too, have been "party" to the huge growth of this government. So, I want to the Republicans to embrace the moniker, and say -

"NO" to big government.
"NO" to more taxes.
"NO" to a government run health care system.
"NO" to bail outs.
"NO" to government take over of ANY private business or enterprise.
"NO" to federal government, subverting state and local governments.
"NO" to more spending.
"NO" to having "the government" being the answer to every problem.
"NO" to pork.
"NO" to 2,000 page Bills.
"NO" to having bills offered, that aren't read by those who would be voting on them.
"NO" to IGNORING "the people".
"NO" to life-long politicians! (Term limits CAN be imposed...by OUR votes!)

Republicans, let's embrace the Party of NO!

Terrorism in America

Sadly, we are an easy target. Much easier than most people think. I won't go into the details, but I could easily devise a plan to terrorize America, using legally available weapons and a hand-full of faithful extremists.

We need to understand that it isn't about the numbers that could be killed. It's about the numbers that "could be" killed. Terror is in the mind. And if someone can make us feel terrified, then terrorism has worked. Fear of flying? Fear of mass gatherings? Fear of buses? Fear of a Muslin "looking" person? Any progress by those who hate us, to have us grow more fearful, will broaden terrorism in the minds of those targeted.

Personally, I think it's time for the modern day "Minuteman", and every willing American legally able to do so, should learn to shoot, and have a firearm safely close at hand. We might not stop a bomb with a handgun, but if just ONE of the soldiers at Fort Hood had a handgun, who knows how many lives may have been saved.

While our police and intelligence organizations are trying to deal with all the possibilities, in the end, it could come down to more people, like those on Flight 93, and those on the last flight with a terrorist on board. Americans need to adopt that mind-set in our every day lives.

We can't just leave it all to those folks. We need to take some responsibility for our own safety and protection as well. If and when the crap hits the fan someplace, our first responders will have their hands too busy to answer individual calls for help.

Healthcare polls

The Health Care Reform bill ~

A quote from an AP on-line news story, said, The president said that "it now appears the American people will have the vote they deserve" on this important issue.

This should have read, The president said that "it now appears less than HALF the American people will have the vote they want" on this important issue.

Why? Because by any poll out there, this thing is at least split on the "for" or "against". And in some polls, the "against" runs to as much as 61%! I checked on-line polling results for Dec., with 10 different polling providers listed (see: http://www.pollster.com/polls/us/healthplan.php ), and averaged them out. The "for" runs 32 - 51%, with an average of 39%. The "against" runs 44 - 61%, and an average of 51%. HOW can these politicians make such monumental decisions for ALL of us, with those numbers?

Our nation's politicians, on both sides, seem to think that if they get elected by a majority, then EVERYTHING they do is automaticially approved by the voters. NOT TRUE. We have all known, and with each day have more evidence of it, that once they get into office, the campaign promises go away and they proceed on to their own agenda, or of that of whomever promises them support for THEIR agenda.

In this case, this administration is about to take from ALL OF US, to please themselves, and less than half the rest of us!

Is health care in our country an issue? Yes. But a mixture of ideas, from both parties, may provide some relief from the growing costs. But a take-over by the GOVERNMENT? It is NOT what our Forefathers invisioned for us. It is NOT American.

BY the way, it is NOT an emgergency either. Obama just wants this pushed through before Christmas break for two reasons. 1 - The politicians will go home and find that the 51% average will be vocal; 2 - Obama wants this for HIS own personal ego, so he can say he got it pushed through while the Clinton machine could not! It's a POWER thing, pure and simple.

Also evidenced by all this, is that once these butt-holes get elected, "we, the people" no longer have a voice! We get ignored, and sometimes even vilified for expressing angst over their actions.

We do have a voice left however. It still rests in the ballot box. VOTE in 2010. VOTE out every politician who is voting away OUR money. VOTE out every one of them who have ignored "the people", even if it is only half of them.

This American is pissed, and I encourage everyone to VOTE in 2010 and 2012, and put these professional politicans back on the street to look for a job themselves! "for the people, by the people" needs to be part of our politican leadership in Washington again!

Please, forward this to everyone you know. We need to become a vocal America and MAKE our voices heard by those we put in Washington.

Dan

Merry Christmas to those in uniform

An Open Letter to our Military families (and to our Police Officer families) ~

Every day in America, it's the economy, or jobs, the bail-outs, gas prices, and politics. At least for many of us, that seems to be the news and concerns of the day. But for those who serve us in far off places, and their families who worry about them, those woes are the least of their worries.

To our Soldiers, I want to take this time to say that you are not forgotten. Not a day goes by that many of us still hold you and your families in our daily prayers and thoughts. It is not lost on most of us, that all our troubles are just the minor struggles of free people. People who aren't free, suffer real life and death decisions and events on a daily basis. For those who serve, such problems would be welcomed, compared to what their lives are like in and around the hot-spots of the world.

For the most part, we work, juggle money to pay bills, go to the churches of our choice, and basically go about our lives as a FREE society. We are only free, because of the past and current commitment of those who willingly put on our nation's uniform and stand guard over our freedoms. Our flag flies, because of those who provide the safeguards for it.

Forgive us for our complaining and bickering over how to set our nations business straight. But that's what a free country does, isn't it. Thank you for your service. Thanks to your families for sharing you with a nation of free people. I am grateful beyond words, and just wanted to say so.

While it may be a struggle to have any kind of "good" day, where ever our folks in uniform may serve and what ever capacity, please know that "Merry Christmas" is more than my greeting of celebration, but is also one of hope and love for all of you who serve. This year, my own son is serving in the skies somewhere over there, and he is greatly missed at home too. (Love you Matt. You make me proud!)

To the men and women of Law Enforcement, you are not forgotten either. While our guardians of freedom are deployed all over the world, our protectors here at home work day in and day out to answer our calls for help. Sadly, some of those calls are to their own peril. They too have sworn an oath, and for the families of those fallen, our prayers are with you too.

We pray for all of you. We are thankful to all of you. And we do wish all of you a Merry Christmas.

God Bless ~ Dan

I AM THE NRA

For those who aren't avid hunters, sport shooters, competitors, firearms enthusiasts or such, the NRA (National Rifle Association) may seem like some ultra right-wing organization. At least that is what most of the mainstream media and those in the anti-gun camp would have you believe.

However, all anyone would need to do is pick up a copy of any of the NRA publications, like the American Rifleman or the America's 1st Freedom magazine, and check near the back of the magazines. What one would see, are listings of all the NRA is involved in. Most might never guess that the NRA is a foremost supporter of Law Enforcement, and provider of related marksmanship, instructor certifications, and police department armorer training. Many would not know that the NRA is a strong supporter of tough sentencing for those who use a firearm in the commission of a felony. The NRA was a huge sponsor of such gun laws, like in Virginia in 2007, when the Democrats with NRA support, improved background check systems for purchasers. The NRA also has safety related classes, such as the Refuse to be a Victim, or the Eddie Eagle firearms safety program for school kids. And the NRA is our strongest supporter of our 2nd amendment right, for ALL lawful citizens, not just the rich, politically connected, or whom ever the "government" wishes to grant special privileges to.

Of the 4 million strong membership, the general public would likely be surprised to find that membership is made up of citizens from all professions and economic backgrounds. Which brings me to this -

I AM a NRA member. I come from modest means and background, but am a Combat Veteran, a former Law Enforcement Officer/Detective of many years, a former Cub Scout Leader, former 4-H Shooting Sports instructor, a formerly served on the Board for a local Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for children, have been a past President of an Optimist Club, have volunteered my time and labor for the Red Cross and community projects, donated blood, raised honest and hard working professional children, make donations to Veteran and community related non-profits, and support my community. I am not the bogey man, or an extremist, or a potential home grown terrorist. With that, I'm here to say that - I AM the NRA.

Other members, run the diverse gambit from construction worker to surgeons, lawyers to home-makers, from Cops to Active Duty Military, and every other occupation one could think of. We, all 4 MILLION members, are "law abiding" citizens, interested in maintaining our 2nd amendment rights, who "bear arms" for any and every legal reason we choose.

If you're not a NRA member, I encourage you to join. If you are, then jump in here and say, I AM the NRA! If you are not a member, then please check out the website and join the NRA - https://membership.nrahq.org/

If you choose to still bash us, and the NRA, then read the history and the purpose of the NRA first. Otherwise, you just don't know what you're talking about.

Our 2nd amendment rights depend on the strongest support possible. And those rights, are for ALL of us.

Come on Pres!

We have our soldiers in a combat zone, and most recently, some were overrun by Taliban forces and many were killed. The situation in Afghanistan is worsening. The General, hand-picked by Oshama, has asked for more troops, to keep from losing this war. And Oshama? Delaying action, not even sitting down with the General for over 70 days. WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?

Are we now running a war from the seat of the traveling president?

And what of our ROE (Rules Of Engagement)? We won't fire on a mosque?

mosque : a building used for public worship by Muslims

Apparently, some of those "mosques" are NOT a place of worship, but are staging areas for attacks.

Mr. Oshama, issue the following to the world - "Let it be known, that on this day forward, our ROE have changed. ANY place, building, or structure, used to launch attacks, will be leveled at the earliest possible time our Air Force can deliver the power to do so. Any such place, used for launching attacks, will no longer be looked at as places of worship, or anything else but a military target. Lastly, I am now authorizing an additional 100,00o troops, along with supporting artillery, and air and sea power, to be deployed to those areas were fighters have engaged us. This is war. This will get ugly. People will die."

This IS war and people WILL die. And as far as I am concerned, surgical strikes are nice, but winning will take a more broad approach to killing the enemy. Time to put down the scalpel and bring out the sledge hammer!

God Bless our brave men and women. They deserve a strong Commander in Chief. Someone needs to step up and be one!

Pissed off in Texas!
Dan, aka Hunter