Greediest Generation

I received this from a friend today and though that I would pass it on.

 

Alan Simpson, Senator from Wyoming , Co-Chair of Obama's deficit
commission, calls senior citizens the Greediest Generation as he
compared "Social Security" to a Milk Cow with 310 million teats.
August, 2010.

Here's a response in a letter from a unknown farmer in Montana ....
I think he is a little ticked off! He also tells it like it is ! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hey Alan, let's get a few things straight..

1. As a career politician, you have been on the public tit for FIFTY
YEARS.

2.. I have been paying Social Security taxes for 48 YEARS (since I was 15
years old. I am now 63).

3 My Social Security payments, and those of millions of other
Americans, were safely tucked away in an interest bearing account for
decades until you political pukes decided to raid the account and give
OUR money to a bunch of zero ambition losers in return for votes, thus
bankrupting the system and turning Social Security into a Ponzi scheme
that would have made Bernie Madoff proud.

4. Recently, just like Lucy & Charlie Brown, you and your ilk pulled the
proverbial football away from millions of American seniors nearing
retirement and moved the goalposts for full retirement from age 65 to
age 67. NOW, you and your shill commission are proposing to move the
goalposts YET AGAIN.

5 I, and millions of other Americans, have been paying into Medicare
from Day One, and now you morons propose to change the rules of the
game.. Why? Because you idiots mismanaged other parts of the economy
to such an extent that you need to steal money from Medicare to pay
the bills.

6. I, and millions of other Americans, have been paying income taxes our
entire lives, and now you propose to increase our taxes yet again. Why?
Because you incompetent bastards spent our money so profligately that
you just kept on spending even after you ran out of money. Now, you come
to the American taxpayers and say you need more to pay off YOUR debt.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To add insult to injury, you label us "greedy" for calling "bullshit" on
your incompetence. Well, Captain Bullshit, I have a few questions for
YOU.

1. How much money have you earned from the American taxpayers during
your pathetic 50-year political career?

2. At what age did you retire from your pathetic political career, and
how much are you receiving in annual retirement benefits from the
American taxpayers?

3. How much do you pay for YOUR government provided health insurance?

4. What cuts in YOUR retirement and healthcare benefits are you
proposing in your disgusting deficit reduction proposal, or, as usual,
have you exempted yourself and your political cronies?

It is you, Captain Bullshit, and your political co-conspirators called
Congress who are the "greedy" ones. It is you and your fellow nutcases
who have bankrupted America and stolen the American dream from
millions of loyal, patriotic taxpayers. And for what? Votes. That's right,
sir. You and yours have bankrupted America for the sole purpose of
advancing your pathetic political careers. You know it, we know it, and
you know that we know it.

And you can take that to the bank, you miserable ASS.
If you like the way things are in America , delete this. If you agree with
what a fellow citizen says, PASS IT ON!!!!

Checking America's Credit

Nothing like waking up to the news that some Podunk Nations are questioning whether or not America is creditworthy.  I hate getting stirred up early in the morning, but, who in the Hell do they think they are?  I would imagine that "They" are some of the same people that we have bailed out and rebuilt their countries over the years.  If so, screw the whole bunch of them.  If not, screw the whole bunch of them.  It is my opinion that America needs to withdraw support from the world and watch these other countries try to feed, clothe and provide medical care to their populous.  I am tired of rebuilding and feeding the world.  I want American monies to stay in America, I want all monies paid on behalf of other nations repaid to America.  If these debts can't be repaid I want American military forces to go and reposess whatever they can lay hands on.  I want America to feed and care for Americans.  Most of all I want to treat the rest of the world like they treat us...Like garbage.

The time has come to close our borders, deport all non citizens and take care of our own.  I believe this is the only way that America can become independent and sovereign again.  I for one find it difficult to care about the welfare of other nations when we have children right here in Oklahoma City going to bed hungry.  If we spend one tenth of one percent of the monies set aside for helping third world countries feed and strengthen thier people and armies to rise up against us to take care of our own issues, we would be a solvent nation.

I have always been and will always be very consious of our ecology.  I want the water blue, the soil fertile and the air clean, but, I also want America to be independent of any third world sand pit of a country as far as petroleum goes.  It is obvious that we need to relax some restrictions on oil production.  I do not want drilling without due diligence, I just want to let American oil companies explore and drill in some of the areas set aside at this time.  The companies would have to be responsible in their activities and be held accountable. 

It is time for American's to remember that we are our own nation.  American manufacturing needs to bring the standards of  quality of the products that they produce to a level that makes them worthy of being purchased by Americans.  I have always been involved in Organized Labor, organizing, promoting and contracting.  I realize now that just because you work for a major corporation it doesen't mean that you should be overpaid for unskilled labor.  To put America back on it's feet we need to align pay with skill.  If you do a skilled job that takes training and education you should be paid more than a monkey that puts a bolt in a hole.  If you are the monkey, get educated and trained and seek a better position.  If products were produced by a workforce that had to work to get paid, just maybe there would products that were made with pride and the quality would improve.  Costs of manufacturing would fall and price cuts would have to be mandated..  Americans could buy American.

The American political system has become a joke.  We have two parties that each have their own agenda, both are interested in only one thing, domination of the other party.  Not one of our elected officials has the best interest of their constituants in mind.  The only thing that any of them thinks of are innovative ways of lining their pockets and becoming more powerful than the person that sits next to them.  Democracy is a fragile thing.  The distinction of a government by the people, for the people and of the people and a government for the sake of government is a very thin line.  I believe that our government has crossed that line.  I know that it is easy to sit and judge our government, but, we have to do much more than that.  The time has come for Americans to take back America.  When we go to the polls next we each have to take responsibility, regardless of polictical parties, to vote in a president and congress that will bring America back to it's previous glory.  We must all speak out in unison and let the politicians know that we will no longer accept their rhetoric and bull crap.  That we will hold them responsible for their actions.  Each of us must practice due diligence in watching the elected officials and keeping them on the straight and narrow.  We do have recourse and need to let them know that we will use it.  Let's take America back before the government gives it away!

Brothers In Arms

A Note today from my good friend and Brother In Arms Ed Kostuik:

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a serviceman, missing in action from the Vietnam War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Air Force Capt. Darrell J. Spinler of Browns Valley, Minn., will be buried on June 18 near his hometown. On June 21, 1967, Spinler was aboard an A-1E Skyraider aircraft attacking enemy targets along the Xekong River in Laos when villagers reported hearing an explosion before his aircraft crashed. The pilot of another A-1E remained in the area for more than two hours but saw no sign of Spinler.

In 1993, a joint U.S.-Laos People’s Democratic Republic team, led by Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), interviewed villagers who witnessed the crash. They claimed Spinler’s body was on the river bank after the crash but likely washed away during the ensuing rainy season. The team surveyed the location and found wreckage consistent with Spinler’s aircraft.

In 1995, the U.S. government evaluated Spinler’s case and determined his remains unrecoverable based on witness statements and available evidence. Teams working in the area revisited the location in 1999 and 2003 and confirmed Spinler’s remains had likely been carried away by the Xekong River. However, in 2010, JPAC conducted a full excavation of the location and recovered aircraft wreckage, human remains, crew-related equipment and personal effects.

Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command used dental x-rays in the identification of Spinler’s remains.

With the accounting of this airman, 1,689 service members still remain missing from the conflict.

Those of us who have served know the meaning of Brothers in Arms, the closeness that you feel for fellow soldiers is something that can't be explained.  It is more than a feeling of family, it is a feeling of sameness.  We dressed alike, we walked alike and we talked alike.  We may have had differences in the things in which we believed, but, when it came to being American Soldiers we all stood for the same thing.  As more remains are recovered more little pieces of us are coming home.  We may never be whole and we may never be free from the thoughts of those left behind.  The one thing we should never be is, ashamed of the fact that Once We Were Soldiers.  To those 1,689 left, You Will Not Be Forgotten Brothers in Arms!

What if?

What if you woke up this morning and found out that everything that you thought was reality had been a dream?  The person lying beside you was a stranger, the bed you slept in was different and the people around you were not those that you remembered.  Pretty scarey stuff!  Just thinking of this makes you realize the importance of all that has gone on before this very minute.  Those moments before have made you the person that you are now, without them and the people that you lived them with, you are just a void in the universe.

I try each day to be mindful of those times before and keep them alive in my mind and heart.  I try to watch the way that I live my life so the bad parts don't get repeated and the good parts reflect the best of me.  I look at those things that others will use to define me and try to keep the parts that bring me shame to a minimum.  I don't think that I will ever be important enough for anyone to write my biography, but, if that happens I hope that my beautiful Grand-daughter Haley is the one to hold the pen.  I can only strive to be the person that she believes that I am.  Funny thing, my life through the eyes of a child is more important to me that anything I have done in the past.

I believe that the reality of who and what we are changes as we pass through life.  I think the mortar that holds our lives together is our past and those who have walked the path with us.  As we age we find out that people come and go in our lives, I really like it best when they come back into our lives.  I was one of those who lost contact with so many friends and aquaintences as I stumbled through my reality, now I am jealous of my friends that remained in contact with many of their childhood buddies.  The last couple of years have brought so many back into my life.  I love that we have grown older and have become grandparents, I do have to admit that we seem to have mostly matured now and seem to have our lives in order.  Those that haven't seem to have slipped off of the map or have just continued relying on the generosity of others to keep them involved. 

As I look at my friends, although we have aged, I still see the bright eyed incredulous kids that we were in the 60's.  I don't notice the toll that life has taken on each of us, we all know that you can not go through a battle without scars.  As I look into the eyes  that I have known for most of my life I see the reflections of the times that we have had together.  I see the love and tenderness that we feel for each other and I see the hope for more time together.  It is truly a wonderful thing to know that no matter how long you have been separated fom certain people you can still connect on such a personal level.  As we gather together I watch the years melt away and all I see is a bunch of kids still trying to figure out where we fit in life.  If there is one thing that I have learned it is the fact that the where you fit in doesn't matter, it's the who that you are doing the fitting in with that counts.

The Fat Guy in the Mirror

A few weeks ago I was shaving and looked deeply in the mirror and thought to myself "Who is that fat guy in the mirror and why is he stretching my face all out of shape?"  Just how fat do you have to get before you realize that you have gotten way too fat?  I guess that I figured that one out.  Candy and I are dieting and participating in the OKC Weight Loss Challenge.  We started this program a couple of weeks ago, I weighed in at a whopping 264 lbs.!  So now everyone knows how fat you have to get before you do something about it.  This is the most that I have ever weighed in my life.  Today I weighed in at 246 lbs.,   I have been living a sedentary lifestyle since just before Christmas, no more.  I am taking my health and life seriously now, we are eating right and walking for exercise.  The challenge lasts for 12 weeks and I am hoping in that time to lose at least 35 lbs.  My ultimate goal is to get down below 200 lbs.  I'm a big guy and I will always be a big guy, but, I refuse to be huge any longer.  In less than a year I went from 222 lbs. to 264 lbs., that goes to show you what sitting on your big fat butt can do for you.

Sitting here at my desk I just looked over at my bookshelf, funny thing there sit 8 cookbooks and 6 of them are based on healthy eating.  Guess that I should have been looking at them long before now.   I just scanned through one of them called Fat Free Living, sure enough, there are foods that you can eat that have no fat in them, amazing.  My past philosophy would have been to eat whatever Candy cooked out of there with a big ole spoonful of lard or butter to grease the way down for it.  Funny thing, I have noticed lately that food doesn't need grease to slide down your throat.  So now I found out that you can read on food packaging and there is nutritional information printed right on the packaging.  The information is not always easy to decypher, they get sneaky and give you information based on serving size.  The answer to the serving size question was not one that I found particularly great.  For your information the serving size for ice cream is not a whole carton, I didn't care for that little piece of knowledge.  Serving size for potato chips, 8 chips.  I'm here to tell you that is just about enough to piss off a fat guy.  The big one is bread, I love bread.  Better leave the bread alone, a sandwich has as many calories as a four ounce portion of grilled chicken, 2 cups of steamed vegetables and a salad undressed.  I don't know about you, but, the chicken and vegetables sound a lot more filling.

I should have taken notice when all of my clothes shrunk up too small for me to wear.  I just thought that the dryer was malfunctioning.  My recliner kept going ugh! when I sat down!  My shoes got to difficult too tie so I bought slip-ons.  Isn't it amazing how a fat guy can rationalize away being fat.  Through out the years we have been referred to as Stout, Big Boned, Hefty, King Sized, Tubby, Chunky and Pleasingly Plump.  It is time to put away the nicities, if you see me sitting at a table stuffing my face with pie just yell out "Hey, fat ass, push away from the table."  That type of comment will do me more good than bad.  If left alone I can and will eat myself into a big fat coffin.  I charge everyone with loved ones who are fat to help them get control of their lives.  Eat healthy with them, walk with them and force them to push away from the table.  You will save their lives.

Premeditated

This week the trial portion of the Jerome Ersland case came to an end.  This was the trial of a Pharmacist who protected his pharmacy and employees by killing a gun toting underage junkie theif. The verdict, Guilty of Murder in the 1st Degree...Murder that was Premeditated.   I for one do not agree with the verdict or even the trying of the case.  In my opinion when a thug approaches you with a gun during a robbery, you should just about have Carte Blanche in the way which you handle the matter.  I do not believe that you should handle this issue with kid gloves just because the person holding the gun happens to be a minor.  The only requirement to use a gun in a robbery is that the perpetrator be strong enough to lift the weapon and pull the trigger.  Being underage does not prevent that theif from killing you.  Another key issue approached in the constitution is the right to bear arms.  This right implies the right to use those arms to protect you and others for whom you are responsible.  Once again a lower court has infringed upon one of our basic freedoms.  Do I think that it was in the best interest of those rights for Mr. Ersland to kill the theif?  Yes, without a doubt.  Had the roles been reversed I would still feel that killing the theif would have still been the proper choice.  You should always end a situation by completely removing yourself from danger, in this case by making sure that the robber would not be able to retrieve his weapon and use it on you or anyone in your employ.

A Premeditated Murder by rough defination is causing a wrongful death by any means with forethought and planning.  The entire incident took place over a time span of 50 seconds, not even a full minute.  Give me a break, no one can think about and plan a murder in the time alloted here.  He didn't even have time to know what he was doing, he only reacted to the situation.  The man received his military training to react and acheive a goal without thinking, this was simply a spontaneous reaction to a dangerous situation.  There was no time for premeditation.  Instead of receiving a guilty verdict Mr. Ersland should have been given a commendation for his actions, one life was taken and no telling how many were saved.  Had this thug accomplished what he came into the pharmacy for, all members of the pharmacy staff could have been killed or left dying on the floor.  Untold numbers of civillians and police officers could have been killed by an insuing chase, sacrificing many more innocent human lives just so that some junkie could get high.

Finally, the reaction of the friends and family of this thug, theif and criminal was apalling.  A celebration of the fact that an innocent man who simply went to work one morning, was going to prison for killing an armed scumbag that tried to hold him up at the point of a gun, for the rest of his life.  If I had my way the friends and family of this piece of garbage would be paying restitution to the state for the waste of time spent in trying a hero.  Yes, to me Mr.  Jerome Ersland, Retired LtC. USAF. is a hero and has been falsely accused, falsely arrested, falsely adjudicated and falsely convicted.  There is the true crime in this case.

A Good Place to Start is at the Beginning!

This will be the first of my ramblings, hopefully there will be many to follow.

I am, first and foremost an American.  I have belief in the fundamentals of the constitution and will always support that document to the extent of my life.  Many times people forget what it takes to keep a nation operational, that it requires work and a concerted effort by the citizens to make it function.  Modern day America is heading away from the foundation that our forefathers established.  We as a people have become so concerned with our own little existence that we have forgotten who we are.  We are the United States of America, not just America.  We each have our own history and we each have our own beliefs.  The places from which we come have a regional commonality.  Different areas of our country have basic differences.  We can't all have the same outlook, but, we all can have the same fundamentals.  From these basics we can all draw our own conclusions and group ourselves into like minded segments of society.

Those people who have sectarian  religious beliefs can each pursue their own group of common thinkers.  Those who are agnostic can pursue their own search for answers and those who have no belief in a God are free to their opinion.  We are not all the same, we must realize that we are all entitled to our beliefs.  Nothing angers me more that someone trying to force their will on an individual who is not like minded.  One of the basic philosophies of our nation was Freedom of Religion, followed by Freedom of Speech and the Pursuit of Happiness.  These things all point to the fact that we are all allowed to think as we please, state our beliefs and be left alone by those who would try to impose their will upon us.  So, if you are one of those who think that they are the only ones with rights you will not care for the things I say.  To you I say, "Have a nice day."   To the rest of you I say "Read On!"

Tomorrow is Memorial Day, do not forget the things that we should memorialize.  This day was established to pay homage to those who gave up their lives to provide us with the freedoms that are implied by our constitution.  For each soldier who puts his life on the line to protect our personal freedom and the rights of others to their own freedom, I salute you!  Know this, I will always support this nation and those who defend it.  I would love it if everyone else would do the same.  I as well as many of my friends have served their time as an "American Fighting Man", some have passed on,  others have just slipped away.  To these people, I love you and you will not be forgotten!  To those of you who did not serve, you will never understand the pride that each soldier has in his heart, so, find one and tell him or her the pride that you have in you heart for what they have done.  Don't just think that Memorial Day is the day that you put dead flowers on the graves of relatives.  Memorial Day is the celebration of the lives of those who protect and have protected our Great Nation.