"Boo!" on the Beards

Tonight the Boston Red Sox won the World Series at home in Fenway Park for the first time since 1918.

Congratulations, guys. Now, would you all please go and shave? Those scruffy beards made you look like a smelly collection of homeless
Smith Brothers.

Still Serving

From Soldiers' Angels Facebook page

A Lot on His Plate

When sorrows come, they come not single spies

But in battalions. ~ Hamlet, IV:5

President Obama certainly has his hands full these days. I'll bet today was one occasion that our feckless--I mean, fearless--leader would have preferred to skip having to talk. Getting busted for eavesdropping on Angela Merkel's personal cell phone, and she literally calls you on it? Whoops. Not a fun conversation.

And now there are reports that Saudi Arabia is about to give the USA the old heave-ho, diplomatically speaking. In the midst of Obamacare's mounting technological woes, the president's foreign relationships are also in shambles.

Such a pity. I guess the leveling of the oceans and the healing of the planet will have to wait.

Standing Up for Health

A woman standing behind President Obama during his rah-rah-healthcare speech today nearly passed out. I'm surprised she was the only one. From what I've heard of it, the speech was bad enough to induce a coma in anyone listening to more than three sentences. I'd rather sit through 27 minutes of a Ginsu steak knives infomercial than listen to today's speech.

But going back to the stage extras...where do these prop people come from, anyway? It seems the president can't speak unless he has a cluster of admiring grandstanders arrayed behind him in perfect formation. They always look kind of like a makeshift Mormon Tabernacle Choir hauled in from Washington's central casting office. Are these human backdrops meant to be an endorsement or a distraction? Are they government employees in a newly formed federal agency, maybe DEPSA--The Department of Extras for Presidential Speeches and Appearances?

I wish the president would just be quiet. Please, Mr. President. Stop talking for a few days. It won't kill you, and it might even help your healthcare plans. Think about it--not hearing you for awhile might keep lots of us from getting sick. Just ask that lady behind you--the one who's about to keel over in a heap.

Changing the Subject

The government crisis is over--for now. The Republicans caved, which is what they do quite well, and the Democrats gloated, which they do even better, and we can all go back to spending money we don't have and pretending that everything is just fine.

Of course, it's not fine, and it won't be until this particular president is history--if we make it intact as a nation to the 2016 election. However, let's look on the bright side. There always is one, if you look closely enough. Now we can start concentrating on the unmitigated disaster that is the "Obamacare" rollout and perhaps take a nostalgic look back at the various and assorted scandals from past months and years.

I suppose it's true that Hope springs eternal. And if change is the only constant in life, things are bound to get better. It's tough to imagine them getting any worse.

Saturation Point

I think the American people have had about enough of being pushed around for one presidential term. The Million Vet March on the Washington DC monuments seems evidence of that fact.

Note to the elitist political ruling class: proceed with caution. There's a sizable "Citizens Asserting Rights and Liberties" alert, dead ahead.

Trucking for the Constitution

The Truckers Ride for the Constitution wasn't huge, but it looks like it was impressive.

Occupy America? It's About Time

I've been following with special interest the stories of civil disobedience at our national parks.

That's OUR national parks. The parks belong to We the People, not to "the government." We pay for the parks out of our hard-earned tax dollars. The park personnel work for us. (As do the clowns in Washington D.C., heaven have mercy on us, but that's a different disgrace.)

When I read about citizens scaling gates, stepping over and under "Barrycades," and driving through orange cones, I have hope that some small spark of the USA I grew up in still exists. When I hear and read about the outrage caused by barring World War II veterans from their open-air memorial, I'm encouraged that enough people are waking up to the creeping tyranny that has surrounded us to make a difference in the tenor of the country.

Some are saying that the "Truckers Ride for the Constitution" scheduled for tomorrow is a hoax, but I'm skeptical. I think there's a lot more going on in the nation than the "officials" have a clue about. I'll be surprised if the Truckers for the Constitution don't "Occupy America" for the day.

It looks like everyday Americans from coast to coast are drawing some red lines of their own. It's about time.

An Idea Worth Considering

It appears that Facebook is not a complete waste of time. Below is an excerpt I read in the home stream tonight. In view of current events, it's a creative proposal worth thinking about. 

Warren Buffett, in a recent interview with CNBC, offers one of the best quotes about the debt ceiling: "I could end the deficit in 5 minutes," he told CNBC. "You just pass a law that says that anytime there is a deficit of more than 3% of GDP, all sitting members of Congress are ineligible for re-election. The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for 18 year-olds) took only 3 months & 8 days to be ratified! Why? Simple! The people demanded it. That was in 1971 - before computers, e-mail, cell phones, etc. Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven (7) took one (1) year or less to become the law of the land - all because of public pressure." Warren Buffet is asking each addressee to forward this email to a minimum of twenty people on their address list; in turn ask each of those to do likewise. In three days, most people in The United States of America will have the message. This is one idea that really should be passed around. Congressional Reform Act of 2013 1. No Tenure / No Pension. A Congressman/woman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they're out of office. 2. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security. All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people. It may not be used for any other purpose. 3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do. 4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%. 5. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people. 6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people. 7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen/women are void effective 12/1/13. The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen/women. Congress made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work. If each person contacts a minimum of twenty people then it will only take three days for most people (in the U.S. ) to receive the message. Don't you think it's time? 

The Spirit of Miramar

Photo: Gretel C. Kovatch, San Diego U-T

The annual Miramar Air Show was canceled on Thursday--one day before show time. Another executive order of epic stupidity and spite from our kingly Commander-in-Chief.

It's difficult to explain what a big deal the air show is to the San Diego area. People wait all year for it, invite out-of-town guests to visit for it, plan parties around it, spend a full weekend enjoying it. It brings multitudes of visitors and hefty revenues to the City, along with an impressive education in our military defenses.

This year, a New York City fire truck that responded to the September 11, 2001 attacks would have been one of the exhibits. What an enduring memory that would have been for attendees, especially the youngsters.

But we'll have none of that. No chills-inducing thrills of US strength and goodness. The White House chefs may keep working on the off-chance that the president feels like eating a grilled cheese sandwich at midnight. But a cherished annual tradition to honor our service men and women in one of America's most prominent military towns? Oh no, that must go.

As the many disappointed planners and suppliers packed up to leave, skywriters spelled out "Spirit of Miramar" across the blazing blue sky. I noticed a couple of other messages throughout Saturday afternoon, including "Tea Party Express" and, most notably, "We the People."

Better hurry up and finish that grilled cheese, Mr. President. I think your oft-touted "Change" definitely is coming, but not exactly the kind you had in mind.

A Monumental Mistake

That's what the Washington Post headline on Kathleen Parker's article called it--a monumental mistake to shut down the World War II Veterans Memorial.

There is more news today--the barricades, which have been moved without hesitation since the shutdown are now wired in place. This is an open-air, privately funded memorial. Yes, that's right--over $200 million in private donations built it, vs. about $15 million in federal money. As Mark Steyn so eloquently puts it, "the feds paid for the grass."

The National Parks Service is following executive orders. A NPS spokesperson stated that the White House's Office of Management and Budget "sends everything down to all other departments. We are part of the Interior. Interior gives us our instructions." 

This means that the order to shut down the WWII Veterans' Memorial comes from the White House.

This is more than a mistake. It's an insult to every U.S. veteran, especially our vanishing treasure of WWII vets. The D-Day beaches and Normandy's cemetery for U.S. military have also been closed. These are the mean-spirited acts of a petty bully who is working hard to sink to the level of a tyrant. The veterans themselves, who risked their young lives facing down tyranny, have voiced their opinion of this travesty with their customary courtesy and grace.

But help against the "barrycade" may be on the way. "Honor Riders" to greet and escort veterans have poured into Washington DC. Check out the Facebook page for 2 Million Bikers to DC. This is like watching Sons of Anarchy unfold live in the nation's capital. I hope the president has training wheels.