From the back of Eddy Creek and Tranquilla 2 --- Happy 4th of July. Let us remember the importance of this day and the many who have fought and died for our freedom. In this day and time, let's not allow those who would rewrite our history forget that all of us who have defended our country do so - so they may have their freedom of speech.

The following was shared with me by my friend Lynn in St. Louis. An interesting essay from Mr. Hollrah entitled "The General and the Community Organizer".

Simper Fi and May God Bless America,

Dr. D.

WW II Battleship sailor tells Obama to shape up or ship out !

From Tybee Island, Ga. --- I could not have said this better.

WW II Battleship sailor tells Obama to shape up or ship out !

This venerable and much honored WW II vet is well known in Hawaii

for his seventy-plus years of service to patriotic organizations and causes

all over the country. A humble man without a political bone in his body,

he has never spoken out before about a government official, until now.

He dictated this letter to a friend, signed it and mailed it to the president.

Dear President Obama,

My name is Harold Estes, approaching 95 on December 13 of this year. People meeting me for the first time don't believe my age because I remain wrinkle free and pretty much mentally alert.

I enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1934 and served proudly before, during and after WW II retiring as a Master Chief Bos'n Mate. Now I live in a "rest home" located on the western end of Pearl Harbor, allowing me to keep alive the memories of 23 years of service to my country.

One of the benefits of my age, perhaps the only one, is to speak my mind, blunt and direct even to the head man.

So here goes.

I am amazed, angry and determined not to see my country die before I do, but you seem hell bent not to grant me that wish.

I can't figure out what country you are the president of.

You fly around the world telling our friends and enemies despicable lies like:

" We're no longer a Christian nation"

" America is arrogant" - (Your wife even

announced to the world,"America is mean-

spirited. " Please tell her to try preaching

that nonsense to 23 generations of our

war dead buried all over the globe who

died for no other reason than to free a

whole lot of strangers from tyranny and

hopelessness.)

I'd say shame on the both of you, but I don't think you like America, nor do I see an ounce of gratefulness in anything you do, for the obvious gifts this country has given you. To be without shame or gratefulness is a dangerous thing for a man sitting in the White House.

After 9/11 you said," America hasn't lived up to her ideals."

Which ones did you mean? Was it the notion of personal liberty that 11,000 farmers and shopkeepers died for to win independence from the British? Or maybe the ideal that no man should be a slave to another man, that 500,000 men died for in the Civil War? I hope you didn't mean the ideal 470,000 fathers, brothers, husbands, and a lot of fellas I knew personally died for in WWII, because we felt real strongly about not letting any nation push us around, because we stand for freedom.

I don't think you mean the ideal that says equality is better than discrimination. You know the one that a whole lot of white people understood when they helped to get you elected.

Take a little advice from a very old geezer, young man.

Shape up and start acting like an American. If you don't, I'll do what I can to see you get shipped out of that fancy rental on Pennsylvania Avenue. You were elected to lead not to bow, apologize and kiss the hands of murderers and corrupt leaders who still treat their people like slaves.

And just who do you think you are telling the American people not to jump to conclusions and condemn that Muslim major who killed 13 of his fellow soldiers and wounded dozens more. You mean you don't want us to do what you did when that white cop used force to subdue that black college professor in Massachusetts, who was putting up a fight? You don't mind offending the police calling them stupid but you don't want us to offend Muslim fanatics by calling them what they are, terrorists.

One more thing. I realize you never served in the military and never had to defend your country with your life, but you're the Commander-in-Chief now, son. Do your job. When your battle-hardened field General asks you for 40,000 more troops to complete the mission, give them to him. But if you're not in this fight to win, then get out. The life of one American soldier is not worth the best political strategy you're thinking of.

You could be our greatest president because you face the greatest challenge ever presented to any president.

You're not going to restore American greatness by bringing back our bloated economy. That's not our greatest threat. Losing the heart and soul of who we are as Americans is our big fight now.

And I sure as hell don't want to think my president is the enemy in this final battle.

Sincerely,

Harold B. Estes

Small Business - Carrington Automotive Meeting - Snowbirding at Tybee Island

From Tybee Island, Ga. --- It has been a few months since I posted. Frankly, we have been extra busy and for that we are grateful.

I am back on the island for the "snowbird" thing. Kay and the "boys" will be down Friday as I trudge back to work in Kentucky for a few days and close down the cabin there. I will return here in time for Thanksgiving with our "adopted" parents and friends.

Some of our friends think that we must be "rich" because we can "snowbird" here at Tybee Island, Ga. Let me set the record straight. We are fortunate and we work very long and sometimes hard hours to be able to do this.

We found a small 2-bedroom garage apartment just a few blocks from the beach and the dog park. We have a great landlord and landlady, who are also dear friends.

We get to see our extended families and friends while we are here when we are not working. We do teleconferences from the dog park via cell phone, our Internet keeps us hooked into all our clients across the United States, and we drive 2 1/2 hours to the Jacksonville, Fla., airport just so we can fly our only trustworthy airline - Southwest.

We work some days 12-14 hours so we can be "snowbirds" and we will continue to do this as long as we enjoy it and we are making a contribution.

But just so all my progressive friends understand - when PeBO and this Congress starts taxing us to the point that we no longer have any incentive to use our life energy to do this work we will "John Gault" it and pass the torch to those who want government to take care of all their needs so they can pay the taxes.

Yet, I suspect as long as we can eek out the resources we will "snowbird" at Tybee and for that we will always be grateful and feel fortunate.

Now, for the purpose of this post. We are a small business just like the one described below. I encourage you to read this posting carefully. It sums up what we are faced with.

Semper Fi, Dr. Darryl

Subject: CARRINGTON AUTOMOTIVE EMPLOYEE MEETING

This is what small business is all about. The Employee Meeting: I would like to start by thanking you for attending this meeting, though it's not like you had much of a choice. After all, attendance was mandatory. I'm also glad many of you accepted my invitation to your family members to be here as well. I have a few remarks to make to all of you, and then we'll retire to the ballroom for a great lunch and some employee awards. I felt that this meeting was important enough to close all 12 of our tire and automotive shops today so that you could be here. To reassure you, everybody is being paid for the day --- except me. Since our stores are closed we're making no money. That economic loss is mine to sustain. Carrington Automotive has 157 full time employees and around 30 additional part-timers. All of you are here. I thank you for that. When you walked into this auditorium you were handed a rather thick 78-page document. Many of you have already taken a peek. You were probably surprised to see that it's my personal tax return for 2008. Those of you who are adept at reading these tax returns will see that last year my taxable income was $534,000.00. Now I'm sure this seems rather high to many of you. So ... let's talk about this tax return. Carrington Automotive Enterprises is what we call a Sub-S - a Subchapter S corporation. The name comes from a particular part of our tax code.Sub-S status means that the income from all 12 of our stores is reported on my personal tax return. Businesses that report their income on the owner's personal tax return are referred to as "small businesses." So, you see now that this $534,000 is really the total taxable income - the total combined profit from all 12 of our stores. That works out to an average of a bit over $44,000 per store. Why did I feel it important for you to see my actual 2008 tax return? Well, there's a lot of rhetoric being thrown around today about taxes, small businesses and rich people. To the people in charge in Washington right now I'm a wealthy American making over a half-million dollars a year. Most Americans would agree: I'm just another rich guy; after all ... I had over a half-million in income last year, right? In this room we know that the reality is that I'm a small business owner who runs 12 retail establishments and employs 187 people. Now here's something that shouldn't surprise you, but it will: Just under 100 percent ... make that 99.7 percent of all employers in this country are small businesses, just like ours. Every one of these businesses reports their income on a personal income tax return.. You need to understand that small businesses like ours are responsible for about 80 percent of all private sector jobs in this country, and about 70 percent of all jobs that have been created over the past year. You also need to know that when you hear some politician talking about rich people who earn over $200,000 or $500,000 a year, they're talking about the people who create the jobs. The people who are now running the show in Washington have been talking for months about raising taxes on wealthy Americans. I already know that in two years my federal income taxes are going to go up by about 4.5 percent. That happens when Obama and the Democrats allow the Bush tax cuts to expire. When my taxes climb by 4.5 percent the Democrats will be on television saying that this really isn't a tax increase. They'll explain that the Bush tax cuts have expired .. nothing more. Here at Carrington we'll know that almost 5% has been taken right off of our bottom line. And that means it will be coming off your bottom line.. Numbers are boring, I know ... but let's talk a bit more about that $534,000. That's the money that was left last year from company revenues after I paid all of the salaries and expenses of running this business.. Now I could have kept every penny of that for myself, but that would have left us with nothing to grow our business, to attract new customers and to hire new employees.. You're aware that we've been talking about opening new stores in Virginia Beach and Newport News . To do that I will have to buy or lease property, construct a building and purchase inventory. I also have to hire additional people to work in those stores. These people wouldn't immediately be earning their pay. So, where do you think the money for all of this comes from? Right out of our profits .. right out of that $534,000. I need to advertise to bring customers in, especially in these tough times. Where do you think that money comes from? Oh sure, I can count it as an expense when I file my next income tax return .. but for right now that comes from either current revenues or last year's profits. Revenues right now aren't all that hot .... so do the math. A good effective advertising campaign might cost us more than $300,000. Is this all starting to come together for you now? Right now the Democrats are pushing a nationalized health care plan that, depending on who's doing the talking, will add anywhere from another two percent to an additional 4.6 percent to my taxes. If I add a few more stores, which I would like to do, and if the economy improves, my taxable income ... our business income ... could go over one million dollars! If that happens the Democrats have yet another tax waiting, another five percent plus! I've really lost track of all of the new government programs the Democrats and President Obama are proposing that they claim they will be able to finance with new taxes on what they call "wealthy Americans." And while we're talking about health care, let me explain something else to you. I understand that possibly your biggest complaint with our company is that we don't provide you with health insurance. That is because as your employer I believe that it is my responsibility to provide you with a safe workplace and a fair wage and to do all that I can to preserve and grow this company that provides us all with income. I no more have a responsibility to provide you with health insurance than I do with life, auto or homeowner's insurance. As you know, I have periodically invited agents for health insurance companies here to provide you with information on private health insurance plans. The Democrats are proposing to levy yet another tax against Carrington in the amount of 8 percent of my payroll as a penalty for not providing you with health insurance. You should know that if they do this I will be reducing every person's salary or hourly wage by that same 8 percent. This will not be done to put any more money in my pocket. It will be done to make sure that I don't suffer financially from the Democrat's efforts to place our healthcare under the control of the federal government. It is your health, not mine. It is your healthcare, not mine. These are your expenses, not mine. If you think I'm wrong about all this, I would sure love to hear your reasoning. Try to understand what I'm telling you here. Those people that Obama and the Democrats call "wealthy Americans" are, in very large part, America 's small business owners. I'm one of them. You have the evidence, and surely you don't think that the owner of a bunch of tire stores is anything special. That $534,000 figure on my income tax return puts me squarely in Democrat crosshairs when it comes to tax increases. Let's be clear about this ... crystal clear. Any federal tax increase on me is going to cost you money, not me. Any new taxes on Carrington Automotive will be new taxes that you, or the people I don't hire to staff the new stores I won't be building, will be paying. Do you understand what I'm telling you? You've heard about things rolling downhill, right? Fine ... then you need to know that taxes, like that other stuff, roll downhill. Now you and I may understand that you are not among those that the Democrats call "wealthy Americans," but when this "tax the rich" thing comes down you are going to be standing at the bottom of the mud slide, if you get my drift. That's life in the big city, my friends ... where elections have consequences. You know our economy is very weak right now. I've pledged to get us through this without layoffs or cuts in your wages and benefits. It's too bad the politicians can't get us through this without attacking our profits. To insure our survival I have to take a substantial portion of that $534,000 and set it aside for unexpected expenses and a worsening economy. Trouble is, the government is eyeing that money too ... and they have the guns. If they want it, they can take it. I don't want to make this too long. There's a great lunch waiting for us all. But you need to understand what's happening here. I've worked hard for 23 years to create this business. There were many years where I couldn't take a penny in income because every dollar was being dedicated to expanding the business. There were tough times when it took every dollar of revenues to replenish our inventory and cover your paychecks. During those times I earned nothing. If you want to see those tax returns, just let me know. OK ... I know I'm repeating myself here. I don't hire stupid people, and you are probably getting it now. So let me just ramble for a few more minutes.Most Americans don't realize that when the Democrats talk about raising taxes on people making more than $250 thousand a year, they're talking about raising taxes on small businesses. The U.S. Treasury Department says that six out of every ten individuals in this country with incomes of more than $280,000 are actually small business owners. About one-half of the income in this country that would be subject to these increased taxes is from small businesses like ours. Depending on how many of these wonderful new taxes the Democrats manage to pass, this company could see its tax burden increase by as much as $60,000. Perhaps more. I know a lot of you voted for President Obama. A lot of you voted for Democrats across the board. Whether you voted out of support for some specific policies, or because you liked his slogans, you need to learn one very valuable lesson from this election. Elections have consequences. You might have thought it would be cool to have a president who looks like you; or a president who is young, has a buff body, and speaks eloquently when there's a teleprompter in the neighborhood. Maybe you liked his promises to tax the rich. Maybe you believed his promise not to raise taxes on people earning less than a certain amount. Maybe you actually bought into his promise to cut taxes on millions of Americans who actually don't pay income taxes in the first place. Whatever the reason .. your vote had consequences; and here they are. Bottom line? I'm not taking this hit alone. As soon as the Democrats manage to get their tax increases on the books, I'm going to take steps to make sure that my family isn't affected. When you own the business, that is what you're allowed to do. I built this business over a period of 23 years, and I'm not going to see my family suffer because we have a president and a congress who think that wealth is distributed rather than earned.. Any additional taxes, of whatever description, that President Obama and the Democrats inflict on this business will come straight out of any funds I have set aside for expansion or pay and benefit increases. Any plans I might have had to hire additional employees for new stores will be put aside. Any plans for raises for the people I now have working for me will be shelved. Year-end bonuses might well be eliminated. That may sound rough, but that's the reality. You're going to continue to hear a lot of anti-wealth rhetoric out there from the media and from the left. You can chose to believe what you wish .. .but when it comes to Carrington Automotive you will know the truth. The books are open to any of you at any time. I have nothing to hide. I would hope that other small business owners out there would hold meetings like this one, but I know it won't happen that often. One of the lessons to be learned here is that taxes ... all taxes ... and all regulatory costs that are placed on businesses anywhere in this country, will eventually be passed right on down to individuals; individuals such as yourself. This hasn't been about admonishing anyone and it hasn't been about issuing threats. This is part of the education you should have received in the government schools, but didn't.. Class is now dismissed.

Does President Barrack Hussein Obama Lie? You Read and Decide.

Friday, September 18, 2009

Does He Lie?

by Charles Krauthammer

You lie? No. Barack Obama doesn't lie. He's too subtle for that. He ... well, you judge.

Herewith three examples within a single speech -- the now-famous Obama-Wilson "you lie" address to Congress on health care -- of Obama's relationship with truth.

(1) "I will not sign (a plan)," he solemnly pledged, "if it adds one dime to the deficit, now or in the future. Period."

Wonderful. The president seems serious, veto-ready, determined to hold the line. Until, notes Harvard economist Greg Mankiw, you get to Obama's very next sentence: "And to prove that I'm serious, there will be a provision in this plan that requires us to come forward with more spending cuts if the savings we promised don't materialize."

This apparent strengthening of the pledge brilliantly and deceptively undermines it. What Obama suggests is that his plan will require mandatory spending cuts if the current rosy projections prove false. But there's absolutely nothing automatic about such cuts. Every Congress is sovereign. Nothing enacted today will force a future Congress or a future president to make any cuts in any spending, mandatory or not.

Just look at the supposedly automatic Medicare cuts contained in the Sustainable Growth Rate formula enacted to constrain out-of-control Medicare spending. Every year since 2003, Congress has waived the cuts.

Mankiw puts the Obama bait-and-switch in plain language. "Translation: I promise to fix the problem. And if I do not fix the problem now, I will fix it later, or some future president will, after I am long gone. I promise he will. Absolutely, positively, I am committed to that future president fixing the problem. You can count on it. Would I lie to you?"

(2) And then there's the famous contretemps about health insurance for illegal immigrants. Obama said they would not be insured. Well, all four committee-passed bills in Congress allow illegal immigrants to take part in the proposed Health Insurance Exchange.

But more importantly, the problem is that laws are not self-enforcing. If they were, we'd have no illegal immigrants because, as I understand it, it's illegal to enter the United States illegally. We have laws against burglary, too. But we also provide for cops and jails on the assumption that most burglars don't voluntarily turn themselves in.

When Republicans proposed requiring proof of citizenship, the Democrats twice voted that down in committee. Indeed, after Rep. Joe Wilson's "You lie!" shout-out, the Senate Finance Committee revisited the language of its bill to prevent illegal immigrants from getting any federal benefits. Why would the Finance Committee fix a nonexistent problem?

(3) Obama said he would largely solve the insoluble cost problem of Obamacare by eliminating "hundreds of billions of dollars in waste and fraud" from Medicare.

That's not a lie. That's not even deception. That's just an insult to our intelligence. Waste, fraud and abuse -- Meg Greenfield once called this phrase "the dread big three" -- as the all-purpose piggy bank for budget savings has been a joke since Jimmy Carter first used it in 1977.

Moreover, if half a trillion is waiting to be squeezed painlessly out of Medicare, why wait for health care reform? If, as Obama repeatedly insists, Medicare overspending is breaking the budget, why hasn't he gotten started on the painless billions in "waste and fraud" savings?

Obama doesn't lie. He merely elides, gliding from one dubious assertion to another. This has been the story throughout his whole health care crusade. Its original premise was that our current financial crisis was rooted in neglect of three things -- energy, education and health care. That transparent attempt to exploit Emanuel's Law -- a crisis is a terrible thing to waste -- failed for health care because no one is stupid enough to believe that the 2008 financial collapse was caused by a lack of universal health care.

So on to the next gambit: selling health care reform as a cure for the deficit. When that was exploded by the Congressional Budget Office's demonstration of staggering Obamacare deficits, Obama tried a new tack: selling his plan as revenue-neutral insurance reform -- until the revenue neutrality is exposed as phony future cuts and chimerical waste and fraud.

Obama doesn't lie. He implies, he misdirects, he misleads -- so fluidly and incessantly that he risks transmuting eloquence into mere slickness.

Slickness wasn't fatal to "Slick Willie" Clinton because he possessed a winning, near irresistible charm. Obama's persona is more cool, distant, imperial. The charming scoundrel can get away with endless deception; the righteous redeemer cannot.

"History Unfolding" by "TPS" - Author Yet Known

From Chateau Amoire at Tybee Island --- Snopes.com says that David Kaiser nor Dr. Timothy Wood wrote this article. As best as they can tell it was written in response to a post on Pat Dollard's blog by "TPS" in November 2008.

I would like to meet the person that did write this.

Simper Fi,

Dr. Darryl

"My friends, we live in the greatest nation in the history of the world. I hope you'll join with me as we try to change it." President Barack Hussein Obama

History Unfolding

I am a student of history. Professionally, I have written 15 books on history that have been published in six languages, and I have studied history all my life. I have come to think there is something monumentally large afoot, and I do not believe it is simply a banking crisis, or a mortgage crisis, or a credit crisis. Yes these exist, but they are merely single facets on a very large gemstone that is only now coming into a sharper focus.

Something of historic proportions is happening. I can sense it because I know how it feels, smells, what it looks like, and how people react to it.. Yes, a perfect storm may be brewing, but there is something happening within our country that has been evolving for about ten to fifteen years. The pace has dramatically quickened in the past two.

We demand and then codify into law the requirement that our banks make massive loans to people we know they can never pay back? Why?

We learned just days ago that the Federal Reserve, which has little or no real oversight by anyone, has "loaned" two trillion dollars (that is $2,000,000,000,000) over the past few months, but will not tell us to whom or why or disclose the terms. That is our money. Yours and mine. And that is three times the $700 billion we all argued about so strenuously just this past September. Who has this money? Why do they have it? Why are the terms unavailable to us? Who asked for it? Who authorized it? I thought this was a government of "we the people," who loaned our powers to our elected leaders. Apparently not.

We have spent two or more decades intentionally de-industrializing our economy. Why?
We have intentionally dumbed down our schools, ignored our history, and no longer teach our founding documents, why we are exceptional, and why we are worth preserving. Students by and large cannot write, think critically, read, or articulate. Parents are not revolting, teachers are not picketing, school boards continue to back mediocrity. Why?

We have now established the precedent of protesting every close election (violently in California over a proposition that is so controversial that it simply wants marriage to remain defined as between one man and one woman. Did you ever think such a thing possible just a decade ago?) We have corrupted our sacred political process by allowing unelected judges to write laws that radically change our way of life, and then mainstream Marxist groups like ACORN and others to turn our voting system into a banana republic. To what purpose?

Now our mortgage industry is collapsing, housing prices are in free fall, major industries are failing, our banking system is on the verge of collapse, social security is nearly bankrupt, as is medicare and our entire government. Our education system is worse than a joke (I teach college and I know precisely what I am talking about) - the list is staggering in its length, breadth, and depth.. It is potentially 1929 x ten... And we are at war with an enemy we cannot even name for fear of offending people of the same religion, who, in turn, cannot wait to slit the throats of your children if they have the opportunity to do so.

And finally, we have elected a man that no one really knows anything about, who has never run so much as a Dairy Queen, let alone a town as big as Wasilla , Alaska . All of his associations and alliances are with real radicals in their chosen fields of employment, and everything we learn about him, drip by drip, is unsettling if not downright scary (Surely you have heard him speak about his idea to create and fund a mandatory civilian defense force stronger than our military for use inside our borders? No? Oh, of course. The media would never play that for you over and over and then demand he answer it. Sarah Palin's pregnant daughter and $150,000 wardrobe is more important.)

Mr. Obama's winning platform can be boiled down to one word: Change. Why?

I have never been so afraid for my country and for my children as I am now.

This man campaigned on bringing people together, something he has never, ever done in his professional life. In my assessment, Obama will divide us along philosophical lines, push us apart, and then try to realign the pieces into a new and different power structure. Change is indeed coming. And when it comes, you will never see the same nation again.

And that is only the beginning..

As a serious student of history, I thought I would never come to experience what the ordinary, moral German must have felt in the mid-1930s. In those times, the "savior" was a former smooth-talking rabble-rouser from the streets, about whom the average German knew next to nothing. What they should have known was that he was associated with groups that shouted, shoved, and pushed around people with whom they disagreed; he edged his way onto the political stage through great oratory. Conservative "losers" read it right now.

And there were the promises. Economic times were tough, people were losing jobs, and he was a great speaker. And he smiled and frowned and waved a lot. And people, even newspapers, were afraid to speak out for fear that his "brown shirts" would bully and beat them into submission. Which they did - regularly. And then, he was duly elected to office , while a full-throttled economic crisis bloomed at hand - the Great Depression. Slowly, but surely he seized the controls of government power, person by person, department by department, bureaucracy by bureaucracy. The children of German citizens were at first, encouraged to join a Youth Movement in his name where they were taught exactly what to think. Later, they were required to do so. No Jews of course.

How did he get people on his side? He did it by promising jobs to the jobless, money to the money-less, and rewards for the military-industrial complex. He did it by indoctrinating the children, advocating gun control, health care for all, better wages, better jobs, and promising to re-instill pride once again in the country, across Europe , and across the world. He did it with a compliant media - did you know that? And he did this all in the name of justice and ..... . .. change. And the people surely got what they voted for.

If you think I am exaggerating, look it up. It's all there in the history books.

So read your history books. Many people of conscience objected in 1933 and were shouted down, called names, laughed at, and ridiculed. When Winston Churchill pointed out the obvious in the late 1930s while seated in the House of Lords in England (he was not yet Prime Minister), he was booed into his seat and called a crazy troublemaker. He was right, though. And the world came to regret that he was not listened to.

Do not forget that Germany was the most educated, the most cultured country in Europe . It was full of music, art, museums, hospitals, laboratories, and universities. And yet, in less than six years (a shorter time span than just two terms of the U. S. presidency) it was rounding up its own citizens, killing others, abrogating its laws, turning children against parents, and neighbors against neighbors .... all with the best of intentions, of course. The road to Hell is paved with them.

As a practical thinker, one not overly prone to emotional decisions, I have a choice: I can either believe what the objective pieces of evidence tell me (even if they make me cringe with disgust); I can believe what history is shouting to me from across the chasm of seven decades; or I can hope I am wrong by closing my eyes, having another latte, and ignoring what is transpiring around me..

I choose to believe the evidence. No doubt some people will scoff at me, others laugh, or think I am foolish, naive, or both. To some degree, perhaps I am. But I have never been afraid to look people in the eye and tell them exactly what I believe-and why I believe it.

I pray I am wrong. I do not think I am. Perhaps the only hope is our vote in the next elections.

S.C. Joe Wilson Spoke the Truth; Shame on Him for His Apology

From Tranquilla II on The Back of Eddy Creek on Lake Barkley --- Congressman Joe Wilson caved in and "apologized" for shouting out that President Barrack Hussein Obama "you lie" Wednesday night when PeBO says that illegal aliens will not be covered on the government health care option.

Ed Whitfield R-KY says it was inappropriate for a fellow Republican to shout "You lie" at President Obama during his health care speech to Congress.

Whitfield said Thursday that Rep. Joe Wilson's outburst was out of character because the South Carolina lawmaker is usually "low-key."

Wilson's outburst came after Obama said in his speech Wednesday night that extending health care to all Americans who seek it would not mean insuring illegal immigrants. Wilson offered a swift apology afterward.

Whitfield told Kentucky reporters in a conference call Thursday that health care legislation in the House (House Bill 3200) does not require proof of citizenship for coverage. Seems to me that would cover illegal aliens, or as Senator Specter D-PA would like to say "undocumented" residents.

Wait a minute: Wilson says Obama lies. Yet Whitfield admits that House Bill 3200 does not require proof of citizenship for coverage. Seems to me Wilson was correct in his assessment and that Whitfield agrees but is too much of a "statesman" to admit he agrees.

Maybe Wilson's outburst was not appropriate on the floor of Congress, however, I never heard any of the Dems that called President George W. Bush names ever offer up any apology for anything they called him. Should we expect a double-standard these days? It seems we should.

One other point. Some of you may have missed this. PeBO last night says there are only 30 million uninsured people these days. Yet on July 22, 2009 he clearly stated there were 47 million. So, we must be making some progress Mr. President? In actuality there is closer to maybe 15 million people uninsured. Why not focus your time and attention Mr. President on fixing the system for these truly uninsured folks and leave the rest of us alone?

Integrity is built on behavior Mr. President.

PeBO took longer to decide on a dog than he did on laying out reform for health care. Some would say PeBO "lied" even about that simple act because he said he was going to "rescue one" from the pound but chose a purebred instead.

When you don't "walk your talk" you don't build integrity, trust or credibility.

When 53% (Rasmussen poll today) of the American people don't trust you Mr. President and your "plan" to fix health care it is time to start all over.

Frankly, Congress when you have ratings in the "teens" you can probably figure out that we don't trust you either.

Republicans and Democrats are both guilty - it is time to vote them all out and start all over! In 2010 the American voters will speak - and the "real lion" will roar!

For all of you who wish to debate this issue I recommend you read the bill - you can see it here: http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h3200/text


Dr. Darryl

Just a Little Humor for the "Dog Days" of Summer

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Happy Independence Day!

From Tranquilla II on the Back of Eddy Creek on Lake Barkley ---

"No, Virginia Great Britain does not celebrate the 4th of July as Independence Day. Because you see that is the day that America celebrates its Independence from England."

Today, perhaps more so than any time in recent history we need to read, reflect and remind ourselves that we are "free Americans" despite anything our government and its leadership - and I use that word loosely any more - is attempting to stuff down our throats.

The following "modern day" interpretation of the Declaration of Independence should remind us of the "rights" we are granted as free Americans.

To all the men and women serving our great country today we appreciate you and we have not forgotten the sacrifices you make to protect us. For those wounded warriors we stand with you to help you regain your health and join us once again in this great country and to those that have paid the ultimate sacrifice, who have been maligned by the politicians and the intellectually elite for having done their jobs we remember you and your families in our prayers.

"The greatest form of patriotism is dissent," Thomas Jefferson said.

It is now time for us to let our voices in the "Real America" be known. It is time to stand up against the special interests, the intellectually elite, the self-aggrandizing, pork-barrel politiicians on both sides of this political spectrum and to take our country back. We will do it peacefully, we will do it through the political process one step at a time, however, be on notice every politician in D.C. and Frankfort the "Real America" will prevail.

From the Santa Cruz Sentinel ....

As We See It: Declaration of Independence: Great in any version

Posted: 07/04/2009 01:30:26 AM PDT

We came across a modern-language version of the Declaration of Independence, anonymously posted on a Web site. We made a few changes, and are publishing this simplified version in the hopes it will help a new generation grasp the meaning of what we celebrate today.

Actual phrases of the Declaration of Independence are italicized, with the translation in a normal font.

"When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another ..."

Whenever a group of people needs to separate themselves from their government ...

"... and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them ..."

... and assert their universal and God-given independence and equality...

"... a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation."

It's important to clearly state the reasons why.

"...We hold these truths to be self-evident..."

We think it's obvious...

"... that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights ..."

...that God created every person equal, and He gave each person specific unchanging rights that should never be trampled upon...

"... that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness ..."

these include the right of the people to live life in freedom without undue harm, and pursue their dreams and goals.

"That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed ..."

The very reason we have man-made governments is to protect these rights, not to interfere with them. Furthermore, whatever power and authority governments have are given by the people's permission and limited to their protection.

"...that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it ..."

When any government starts to undermine the very purpose of protecting the life, freedoms, and happiness of the people, then they have the right to change the government or even to pull the plug on the government if things get too bad.

"...and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness."

The people have the right to set up a new and better government based and organized upon tried and true principles that protect, rather than threaten, their safety and happiness.

"Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes;"

It's not wise to change a long-standing government for some trivial or fleeting reason or for the latest political fad;

"and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed."

And, in fact, history shows that people are more likely to put up with unbearable evil they even get used to it!, than they are to correct the problem. In other words: Put a frog in hot water and he'll jump out. But put him in cool water and gradually turn up the heat, and he'll fry to death.

"But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their Right, it is their Duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security."

But when a government becomes tyrannical and abusive with consistent, repeated violations of the people's rights, with the intent to make them slaves of the state, then the people have the right -- in fact, the duty -- to revolt and put new safeguards in place to protect their future rights.

Good night Mrs. Calabash, where ever you are! Dr. D.

Should We All Just Go 'John Gault'?

"Everyone has the right to make his own decision(s), but none has the right to force his decision on others." --- Ayn Rand ('The Virtue of Selfishness', Chapter 12) {WMail Issue #10}

From Tybee Island, Ga. --- There were some big storms rolling through the low country last night and as I lay awake listening to the thunder, comforting my little buddy "Little Bit," I began to think about the fact that I started working at age 13.

Today, at age 58 approaching 59, that means that I have worked close to half a century. For 46 years of my life I have worked and paid taxes. I have tried to grow an estate, maximize my wealth and talent, continue my education and give back in a meaningful way to society not just through my taxes but also through my charity.

I am now being told by the POTUS and current Congress that I will be penalized through higher taxes that will be redistributed to those in need of health care, midnight basketball, new bridges and transit systems to nowhere, more money for the public school system and the endless array of publicly funded programs that have no accountability whatsoever.

As I lay awake listening to the night sounds of the storm I came to understand what Dr. Sigmund Freud meant by the two most important things in a man's life is "love and work."

Both of these have at times in my life alluded me in fulfillment. Man I believe is always searching for unconditional love and meaningful work.

I came away from this contemplation thinking that maybe it is time to simply go "John Gault" and let the looters on both sides of the political spectrum in Congress loot somewhere other than my pocketbook.

What do I mean?

"Who is John Gault?"

John Gault was the fictional character in Ayn Rand's classic novel Atlas Shrugged.

After many years of not reading this book yet being encouraged to do so by many friends on the conservative and libertarian side of the political fence I did so the past two months. The book is more than 500 pages yet once you get into it if you have any sense of outrage at what is going on now in our once free and capitalistic country you will become even more outraged.

What Rand wrote about in 1958 is today's world where the government has nationalized and socialized business and industry.

In the book the government has turned the country into a socialist welfare state because its "leaders" believe all wealth should be redistributed.

John Gault led the strike in this novel to shut down the "engines of the world" and invited those who were or would be the producers to join him in Gault's Gulch where they would produce only enough to sustain themselves and work for no other man's benefit.

Recently on Pajamas TV (www.pjtv.com), Dr. Helen Smith, a Knoxville, Tenn. psychologist, noted that many people are considering how to become present day "John Gaults" in other words if the administration is going to penalize us as producers for earning more by taking more in the form of taxes then how can we "John Gault" it by earning less and enjoying life more?

Seems pretty simple to me POTUS and Congress, you want to tax anyone earning above $250,000 or is it $150,000 VP Biden?

Whatever level you choose you can bet that from that point forward those of us whom you count on to produce your taxes may just decide to earn less and less, maybe even reduce our production to the level that we can also sign up for your redistribution and giveaway programs.

Yes, it has been 46-years that I have diligently worked, saved and at times maybe even sacrificed some of my life spirit to be a good, patriotic tax paying citizen. Oh, I will still pay the tax man until I die in some form or fashion, because there are even hidden taxes now that we all must pay to get along, but should I work for the other man's needs and at his whims when he is not willing to work for himself and pay his own share?

I recommend you listen to this interview with Dr. Smith at:

http://www.pjtv.com/video/Ask_Dr_Helen/PJTV_Daily_Oct_29th_Dr_Helen/676/1951/

then decide for yourself your own future.

I look forward to meeting you Mr. Gault!

Love, peace and grace, Dr. D

America is NOT a Democracy - It Never Was!

From Tybee Island, Ga. --- It always bothers me when I hear people refer to our form of government as a democracy. It is simply not so and was never intended by our founding fathers. Freedom comes from the Republic form of government - The Rule of Law. Government must be limited for us to have our freedoms and our liberty. Enjoy this very instructional video:

MSNBC Republicans: Steven Crowder & AlfonZo Rachel Join Forces for an Everyday MSM Promo

From Tybee Island, Ga. --- I could not have said or performed it better. Even though I am moving more toward a Libertarian viewpoint daily I can still appreciate the humor. Dr. Darryl

MSNBC Republicans

http://www.pjtv.com/v/2012

Obama Beach?

From Tranquilla II on the Back of Eddy Creek on Lake Barkley --- Is the entire world so enamoured with the POTUS they get tongue-tied? PM Brown you owe every single veteran an apology immediately. My WWII veteran friends knowing he won't I will tell you I am embarrassed for our British friends and allies and I know they would all issue their personal apology given the opportunity.

Geez Stop It Already! BHO and Michelle Deserve To Be Left Alone

From Tranquilla II on the Back of Eddy Creek on Lake Barkley --- Okay, enough is enough! The POTUS and his wife should be able to go off and enjoy a date night without any politician commenting one way or another. Stop it --- all of you hatemongers and politicians. You have better things to be doing than commenting on the private date lives of the POTUS and the First Lady. Enough already!


"President Barack Obama made good on a campaign promise to his most important supporter Saturday night — his wife, Michelle. The president and first lady jetted to a date in New York late Saturday afternoon, aides and media in tow."

Ben Stein's Last Column - The Real Heroes

Ben Stein's final column --

From Tranquilla II on the Back of Eddy Creek on Lake Barkley --- I have always liked this fellow Ben Stein. For some reason he just strikes me as the kind of guy you would like to sit and have a drink and some good conversation with maybe over a hunk of grilled steak. So, when my friend Dave Sturges sent me Mr. Stein's "Last Column" and I read it I was compelled to share it with all my readers as well.

I concur Mr. Stein that the real heroes, especially in today's society and world, are not the Hollywood or Eastern Seaboard elite. In fact one of my real heroes is Lt. Col. Ty Edwards, a fine Marine, who like many is now recovering from wounds he suffered while on duty to protect the world in the "War on Terror." Oops, I forgot, that's no longer the politically correct term but alas before I regress into some inane commentary on my part let me share with you Ben Stein's last column ... Dr. D.

For many years Ben Stein has written a biweekly column called 'Monday Night At Morton's.' (Morton's is a famous chain of Steakhouses known to be frequented by movie stars and famous people from around the globe.) Now, Ben is terminating the column to move on to other things in his life. Reading his final column is worth a few minutes of your time.

How Can Someone Who Lives in Insane Luxury Be a Star in Today's World?

As I begin to write this, I 'slug' it, as we writers say, which means I put a heading on top of the document to identify it. This heading is 'eonline FINAL,' and it gives me a shiver to write it. I have been doing this column for so long that I cannot even recall when I started. I loved writing this column so much for so long I came to believe it would never end.

It worked well for a long time, but gradually, my changing as a person and the world's change have overtaken it.. On a small scale, Morton's, while better than ever, no longer attracts as many stars as it used to. It still brings in the rich people in droves and definitely some stars. I saw Samuel L. Jackson there a few days ago, and we had a nice visit, and right before that, I saw and had a splendid talk with Warren Beatty in an elevator, in which we agreed that Splendor in the Grass was a super movie. But Morton's is not the star galaxy it once was, though it probably will be again.

Beyond that, a bigger change has happened..? I no longer think Hollywood stars are terribly important. They are uniformly pleasant, friendly people, and they treat me better than I deserve to be treated. But a man or woman who makes a huge wage for memorizing lines and reciting them in front of a camera is no longer my idea of a shining star we should all look up to.

How can a man or woman who makes an eight-figure wage and lives in insane luxury really be a star in today's world, if by a 'star' we mean someone bright and powerful and attractive as a role model? Real stars are not riding around in the backs of limousines or in Porsches or getting trained in yoga or Pilates and eating only raw fruit while they have Vietnamese girls do their nails..

They can be interesting, nice people, but they are not heroes to me any longer. A real star is the soldier of the 4th Infantry Division who poked his head into a hole on a farm near Tikrit, Iraq. He could have been met by a bomb or a hail of AK-47 bullets. Instead, he faced an abject Saddam Hussein and the gratitude of all of the decent people of the world.

A real star is the U.S. soldier who was sent to disarm a bomb next to a road north of Baghdad. He approached it, and the bomb went off and killed him..

A real star, the kind who haunts my memory night and day, is the U.S. soldier in Baghdad who saw a little girl playing with a piece of unexploded ordnance on a street near where he was guarding a station. He pushed her aside and threw himself on it just as it exploded. He left a family desolate in California and a little girl alive in Baghdad.

The stars who deserve media attention are not the ones who have lavish weddings on TV but the ones who patrol the streets of Mosul even after two of their buddies were murdered and their bodies battered and stripped for the sin of trying to protect Iraqis from terrorists.

We put couples with incomes of $100 million a year on the covers of our magazines. The noncoms and officers who barely scrape by on military pay but stand on guard in Afghanistan and Iraq and on ships and in submarines and near the Arctic Circle are anonymous as they live and die.

I am no longer comfortable being a part of the system that has such poor values, and I do not want to perpetuate those values by pretending that who is eating at Morton's is a big subject.

There are plenty of other stars in the American firmament...the policemen and women who go off on patrol in South Central and have no idea if they will return alive; the orderlies and paramedics who bring in people who have been in terrible accidents and prepare them for surgery; the teachers and nurses who throw their whole spirits into caring for autistic children; the kind men and women who work in hospices and in cancer wards.

Think of each and every fireman who was running up the stairs at the World Trade Center as the towers began to collapse. Now you have my idea of a real hero.

I came to realize that life lived to help others is the only one that matters This is my highest and best use as a human. I can put it another way. Years ago, I realized I could never be as great an actor as Olivier or as good a comic as Steve Martin or Martin Mull or Fred Willard--or as good an economist as Samuelson or Friedman or as good a writer as Fitzgerald. Or even remotely close to any of them.

But, I could be a devoted father to my son, husband to my wife and, above all, a good son to the parents who had done so much for me. This came to be my main task in life. I did it moderately well with my son, pretty well with my wife and well indeed with my parents (with my sister's help). I cared for and paid attention to them in their declining years. I stayed with my father as he got sick, went into extremis and then into a coma and then entered immortality with my sister and me reading him the Psalms.

This was the only point at which my life touched the lives of the soldiers in Iraq or the firefighters in New York. I came to realize that life lived to help others is the only one that matters and that it is my duty, in return for the lavish life God has devolved upon me, to help others He has placed in my path. This is my highest and best use as a human

Faith is not believing that God can. It is knowing that God will. - Ben Stein

Now You Have Gone and Done It! Beer and Wine Tax on It's Way!

From Tranquilla II on the Back of Eddy Creek on Lake Barkley --- Okay all my liberal, progressive friends I have tried to hold my voice on the election of BHO and this "Congress" but today enough is enough. You have stopped just meddling - I mean geez imagine BHO and this Congress owning a car company - now you want to do this to all of us? I thought you were clearly NOT going to raise taxes on anyone making less than $250,000 a year? Why could I ever believe such political nonsense? So, all my progressive buddies now join the rest of us in the party lounge as you too will pay more for your drinks! Belly up to the bar. Read more here and cry in that $7 beer!

Get Ready the Beer and Wine Taxes Are Headed Your Way Brother Paul!

http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=86810233143&h=WAQlm&u=FgFdh&ref=nf

Dr. D.

Reflections on Sunday Before Memorial Day Monday

UPDATE: I was mistaken. The ceremony was Friday not Saturday and my friend Rachel Vickery was kind enough to send a photo to reassure me there was a crowd. My apologies for jumping to an inappropriate conclusion based on lack of sufficient data. Dr. D.

From Tranquilla II on the Back of Eddy Creek on Lake Barkley --- When one of my ole buddies contacted me today to wish me a good Memorial Day and to concede, “They forget us” I was saddened again by what I saw, or maybe what I didn’t see, yesterday in Oak Grove.

The “Traveling Wall”, a replica of the Vietnam Memorial Wall came to Oak Grove just outside Fort Campbell, Ky this weekend. Yesterday at 10 a.m. there was to be a welcoming ceremony. I debated going but woke up early and convinced myself that I would. I have seen and visited the traveling version two other times to pay my respects to two of my brothers and I believe for some reason any chance I get I should again.

I got to the Wall 15-minutes ahead of schedule. There were six of us there not including spouses. Four WWII veterans and two of my age and I waited until 10:30 and no one showed up to do the ceremony nor did any other members of the public or any politicians.

Surely I must have been mistaken about the time the ceremony was to be held. I have never known a goldbrick politician that didn’t go out of their way to wrap themselves in the flag and praise the military especially when it was to their advantage or they were in campaign mode. Whatever mistake I made no one was there at 10 a.m. or even 10:30 a.m. Did they show up later? Probably so and I just had the time wrong. However, the empty feeling that my ole Balmer buddy had about “being forgotten” – well, I can understand how he and so many others might feel that way.

Finally though after walking through the traveling museum called the “Last Fire Base” I wrapped it up went to the Waffle House and had breakfast with a couple of old vets who were as disappointed as I was in the lack of interest. Then I went home and me and my dog curled up in the recliner and watched old sci-fi movies from the 50s and had a couple of cocktails and we got through another day.

Let it be known veterans many of us don’t forget you and appreciate all you gave and still give for our country it is just sometimes we don’t do a very good job of letting you know that and for that I am profoundly sorry.

Simper Fi to you all,

Dr. Darryl