Thursday, April 30, 2009

Rahm: "Never Let a Crisis Go To Waste!"

(Overheard in the corridors at the White House.)

So, whaddya think gang? Carville, Podesta, Begala, etal- Doesn't it seem like a really ripe time to go for the socialized, nationalized health care bit? We're segueing from nationalizing the GM and Chrysler deals and giving options to Fiat instead of helping American investors, so that's looking pretty good for us--90% combination ownership government/UAW. How's that for getting it done in such short order and nary a peep so far.

Let's strike while the iron is still hot. Finish off the autos while the Swine flu scare is still rising so they'll be ready for the healthcare takeover. We won't even have to worry about raising taxes on all levels, or lowering the thresh holds for general care--they're so scared they won't notice it. I'll just keep telling them not to panic while you keep feeding the media what we want them to hear to make it easy to foster socialized medicine. They won't even care about the rationing at that point.

Oh, and be sure they don't hear about the glut of natural gas--it'll make them think energy is not as bad a problem as we say. I know, I know, we now have new fields coming online in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Pennsylvania to the tune of 2200 trillion cubic feet of gas waiting to be pumped. Why, heck! That's only enough to satisfy nearly 100 years of current U. S. natural gas demand. They might not believe us the next time we tell them about shortages and becoming self-sufficient if they hear about these finds.

And one last thing, don't worry about the photo op of Air Force I any more. They're trying to label it "Scare Force I" and no one is even listening to them. Wow! If the next 100 days and the 100 after that are this easy, we're home free. Maybe we can take a weekend off from campaigning this summer.


Wonder what we'll hear tomorrow-----

God bless.....

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

THE FIRST 100 DAYS? DEPENDS ON WHO'S COUNTING

Frankly, I avoided the repetitive mantra of the 1st 100 days as much as possible. I listened to the Catholic Channel on XM radio instead of the news and a taped show instead of the press conference this evening.

Two observations: The Catholic channel asked folks to call in and tell them what they thought the President had accomplished on the "good" or "positive" side of the ledger. For 11 minutes there were no calls and when one finally did call, the opinion was actually a question which had to do with truth being positive even though the actual fact was bad, so you can see that even if over 50% of Catholics voted for Obama, it's entirely possible that given the opportunity, it probably wouldn't happen again. His true colors are showing brightly at this point. The naive are no longer.

The other point was my own observation while fast forwarding through a commercial when someone asked the softball question of the President having to do with something like "what has humbled you the most during the 100 days?" Give me a break. He knows the meaning of the word, but he has certainly never experienced it.

The first petition containing 300,000 signatures gathered by the Cardinal Newman Society has been delivered to Fr. Jenkins and Notre Dame--the tip of the iceberg as usually defined. Can't wait to see who will be offered and the rationale used to bestow the Laetare Medal and whether or not accepted.

Sleep well--God bless.......

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

LEFTIES ARE RACISTS!!!

They doth protest too much! Always accusing others of racism--well, we saw it up close and personal yesterday.

I don't know her name, but there is a woman who is an extreme liberal who has a small part on the TV show "24" who has been spouting the left message that the rest of us are racist. She let the cat out of the bag--accidentally? who knows.

Background: We know that Obama is about as far left as he can go--telling Joe the plumber that his goals are to redistribute the wealth. Code words, right? And he accepted all those millions of dollars from liberals, ultra liberals, socialists and any other group you want to add. Then, as I recall, within 24 hours of each other both he and Nancy Pelosi made comments to the effect that "they had won, we should get over it and deal with it." Non-partisan, my foot. More talk.

So there you have it. His far left supporters know that he is as true to the cause as he can be, but THEY DON'T TRUST HIM! They have all the evidence they need and they just don't believe it so what might the reason be? They think he can't handle the job and the only obvious explanation is his race. They just don't think a black man can handle the job.

In a more philosophical mood I might spend some time trying to figure out how and why there are so many differing opinions among us. Nature or nurture? Genetics of environment? Sure wouldn't want to spend any money on such a study, but would be curious to know if: more short/tall people are liberal/conservative. Anorexic or obese. European descent or Asian. Athletic or intellectual. Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu...... The possibilities are limitless, but time is not, so let's put this away for awhile.

Take care of yourselves. Be prudent and God bless........

Monday, April 27, 2009

Janet Napolitano's Got Your Back!!!

Does that make you feel safe? How about Kathleen Selbelius? The Health lady--you know--the one who supports partial birth abortion--she really cares about life and health, right?

Those two hold a significant amount of the responsibility for public safety between them, but although I heard that the Tokyo airport started checking folks' temperatures as early as Saturday, New York airports are aware that a group of school kids from Mexico arrived in NYC and didn't bat an eye.

And how 'bout this? Today there were 3 jets following similar flight plans to the splash landing a few weeks ago over Manhattan and some folks evacuated their office building. (Low level airplanes and New York don't seem like a good fit.) Anyway, apparently they were cleared by the FAA to do some low level photography. Now, I don't know how it is where you live, but here in Jackson County, Michigan, if the DPW is planning to flush fire hydrants they put notices in the newspaper and on the radio to let folks know there is nothing devastating happening to their water supply when it turns brown for a few hours. (We also are used to the alarm system being tested every First Saturday at noon to be sure it is working.)

Wouldln't you think that with all the junk email and fax capability in this country the FAA or Homeland Security could at least have let the Security Departments of major buildings in Manhattan know that this event would happen between 10 and 10:30 today? What the heck happened to commen sense around here, anyway?

Since Obama covered his tracks this morning while talking to the National Academy of Science and nothing is his fault, how about someone suggesting that even though he wants amnesty for illegal immigrants he might want to think about stemming the tide of what he inherited as far as a swine flu epidemic is concerned........
Border security, anyone?

It's a little earlier than usual, so "sleep well" doesn't seem quite appropriate, but God Bless still covers it. See you tomorrow.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

AN OPEN LETTER TO SEN. CARL LEVIN --Short and simple

Dear Sen. Levin:

Please forward a copy of any remarks you may have made which are critical of terrorists who have beheaded any U. S. military or civilian person.

And while you're at it, if you have any remarks which might be attributed to the President or his administration before or after January 19, 2009, we would appreciate those as well.

Since you have said politicians have no voice in such matters, I will not be surprised if you are not on record. However, you have indicated the Justice Dept. has jurisdiction in these matters and I would be interested in that historical perspective, especially AG Holder.

Thank you for your kind attention.

Signed.

Added Monday morning:

And now the new swine flu strain is, among others, George W's fault? You betcha! The Prez said this morning that since we have cut our funding for scientific research over the last 25 years, we find ourselves in a big mess. Yeah, right! What else will he be "inheriting?"

Friday, April 24, 2009

Pelosi Wouldn't Know the Truth if it Hit Her in the Face!

Get your programs here!! You can't tell the players without a program!! You can't even recognize the game without a program---

There are so many games of intrigue being played it's a total distraction so it looks like Cheney is right. Better open everything up and deal with the results hoping that we can protect our youngsters in the military against the politicians who are trying to save their own skins. The entirety of the minutes is necessary so there can be no "he said, she said" or "I don't recall" or "Not to my knowledge" to obfuscate their answers.

What started out as deliberate distractions on Obama's part in order for him to play his shell games are turning out to be more like a video game with multiple players all zeroing in on each other with lightening speed. Basically, we have only one option at this time: STAY FOCUSED.

Plan on the next Tea Party. If you happen to have a Congressional office in your town that would be a good location for the next one. And I've already determined that although I just waved a flag last week, I'm carrying a sign next time which will read "NO NEW PROGRAMS."

OOh, yes-before I forget. Statistics are meaningless unless we know the details. The last unemployment figures indicated over 13% unemployment in Jackson County, but I don't know the basis for the figures. Is the number a percentage of the last census numbers or is it a percentage of the guesstimated population at the present time given that X number of people have left the county. And throughout the state, as well. It makes a big difference, right? If anyone knows, please share.

Have a lovely weekend. God bless.........

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Chicago Politics in Ann Arbor??

SORRY ABOUT THE OFF-COLOR COMMENTS; I DON'T KNOW HOW TO GET RID OF THEM.
LOLA


No, couldn't be, or could it?

In case you haven't heard there is a part of the Stimulus package dealing with helping folks winterize their homes to help with heating bills. Apparently when a request is made a "Winterization Board" visits the householder to examine the construction needs of the home and ask all the pertinent questions and fill out all the forms to help them.

It is rumored that among the "necessary" information are telephone numbers, both land lines and cell phones, plus internet addresses including facebook, twitter and all the other avenues of communication. Does this remind you of the stories we heard about the millions of emails sent to supporters of the Obama campaign during the past couple of years? You know, the "we'll give you a free ticket to an event in exchange for your email address?"

It reminds me of some of the UAW tactics when an election is coming up. The men and women on the factory floor are given groups of 10-20 co-workers to whom they are to distribute political literature and then on election day (a day off for them) they are instructed to be sure that each of those on their list have voted. This part is not a rumor--I was shown a UAW handbook describing this activity during the 2004 campaign.

So keep your eyes and ears open. And if anyone knows whether or not this is legal we'd appreciate finding out for sure.

Also, we don't want to make you as paranoid as we are, but have been told that it is absolutely true that law enforcement agencies on all levels were put on alert during the Tea Parties last week. We all carry that extreme right wing label now. Given the other option, I'M PROUD!

Try--to sleep well. God bless.........

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Relax! There Will Be No Witch Hunt--

At least logic tells me that Obama is at least smart enough to realize that if he follows the lead of the Soros/Leahy extreme liberal group who want to put everyone from Bush on down on trial, he opens himself to some sleepless nights.

How? Because he still has 3 years and 9 months to keep a lid on things. If he opens the door to putting the last administration on trial and there is another attempt at a terror attack either in this country or against an American embassy or American ship, he could be the one holding the bag for failing to protect. He is, in fact, indicating that his way is better than Bush's and if he fails, he is stepping in a whole lot of stuff that'll be too big for a plastic bag and a pooper-scooper.

We have another surprise, at least to some of us, in the Jackson political field. A member of a prominent Jackson family which most people would identify with pro-life issues as practicing Catholics has filed to run for Mayor. However, since she has contributed large sums to the pro-abortion Mark Schauer, you can see which party she has affiliated and identifies herself with. (The city election is non-partisan, so no one has to carry a label.) There's just never a dull moment.

As always, sleep well and God bless.........

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Psychology 101-Are You Scared Yet?

What's the first rule of defense? A good offense! So, if you're concerned that you are going to be caught whether it be a lie, a theft, adultery or whatever other little aspect of bad behavior you might be indulging in, what should you do? Why, point the finger at someone else and exclaim, "Look at what he's doing!!"

So Obama has a few things he doesn't want to talk about so he uses Napolitano to try to make everyone look at their neighbors and start wondering which ones are going to end up in a headline on the local media "local gentleman, described as very quiet is member of right wing extremist group."

He goes abroad and makes nice with all the friends and enemies of the United States (that used to be either/or and is now sort of a lumped together term for everyone but us) and apologizes for helping them get back on their feet after man made disasters, natural disasters, wars fought for their freedoms because at the time we hadn't lost any, and being the leader of the world in sending aid in the form of dollars, food, equipment, etc., etc. who are plotting and planning to attack our country and take the most valuable asset of all: our freedoms.

Last week he insisted in Georgetown Univ. covering the basic tenet (IHS)of their existence so he could look more Presidential, and in a couple of weeks he sticks his other thumb in the eyes of all Catholics and most Christians who share some of our basic values by playing his famous "Gotcha Game."

There are so many examples of our President lampooning his constituents that now we have to wonder not about the right wing guys, but just how many of the 57% who voted for him are dyed-in-the-wool liberal socialists who would rather see us as a part of the One-World community. They all have a vote.

The Jackson Cit Pat spoke about the huge and expensive battle for the 19th Senate District contest. We are all going to have to work to keep some pretty terrible things from happening. The Stryker money behind Griffin will probably be scattered throughout the legislature so it will be difficult to trace, but you know Schauer will be right in the thick of that "banking" system. We'll try to tell you how to dig it out.

Roll up your sleeves and get ready.........God bless.........

Monday, April 20, 2009

Shall We Start a Day Care Center?

If I ever say that out loud I hope someone shoots me. Read a piece in Sunday's paper by Rick Haglund who usually writes about all things automotive and the economic effects domestically, in Michigan and worldwide and I usually appreciate what he has to say and learn something. But yesterday was one of his "carrying water for Jennifer" days and mentioned the Chamber of Commerce as agreeing with their premise for balance. I don't think so!

He quoted a guy named Millett profusely, an apologist for early childhood education (from birth to 5 years old) which is a $100 million program in this state so far. If you want a bunch of cookie cutter kids who all think and reason alike, be my guest, but I've always thought one of the greatest attributes of American education is that we have original thinkers. In my old-fashioned generation the Americans did the inventing and the Japanese did the refining of certain techniques. I know, times have changed somewhat, but puh-leeze do not throw out the baby with the bath water when you're re-inventing the education system!

I find it scary when he says "education starts at birth. What happens in the first five years of a child's life is critical." I'll say it is. And I would hope that it is parental involvement and decision making at the top of the list. Wonder why we have so many home schoolers today? Because the MEA does such a great job? And the State can outperform any parent anywhere, anytime? And don't forget that it was Hitler who said give me a child until he is 7 and he's mine forever.

We have cities and towns of varying sizes. So, I'm sure that there will be some small town centers which will be housed in large and small homes with varying numbers of degreed and non-degreed "baby sitters" and in larger cities we will lease or build huge warehouse type buildings so all of the accoutrement's can be identical.
(What a windfall that will be to the manufacturer of play gym stuff, plastic letters and numbers, etc. You know what I mean.)

In small towns folks can sit down and decide if they have sufficient room to have an infant room with a couple of cribs, a toddler room, a pre-school room with cubbies to hold blankies and pillows for naptime, a break room for employees and then we have to look up the requirements for staffing. How many sitter/teachers per each age group, aides, cooks, janitorial staff, etc., etc. And don't forget the audio and visual aides and the outdoor play areas. All this and more, probably with security in the larger cities.

And all this because Millett says studies show early childhood learning solves the problems of drop-outs, going on welfare and commiting crimes. Oh and by the way for every $1 spent on these programs the result will be an economic payoff of up to $17, but he doesn't say how that was measured. I'd like to see the breakdown.

No, today's teachers have it right, not the MEA. Parents need to realize how important they are to their children. That it is time, not money or things such as i-pods they need from us. I really need to tell you a story:

Back in 1962 I had a friend whose husband was in construction and Martha did the interior design which helped sell spec houses. They were very busy and worked non-stop. One day she had stopped at a friends's to deliver something and collapsed on her front walk--she was having a heart attack. And while she was lying there helpless she told us later that the first thing she thought was that she had given her kids all the "stuff" their rooms would hold, but she didn't hold them enough. Carla had enough Barbie dolls, clothes and houses but she only had one Mom.

So when the Governor, the Chamber of Commerce, Ford Motor Company, Dow Chemical or Consumers Energy come knocking on your door asking you to get involved with Project Great Start, please be ready for them. If you agree, fine, but if you don't, please speak up. Your kids and grandkids will pay the ultimate price.

God bless...........

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Remember? That Was the Week That Was?

I have this gut feeling that we are going to be so tired of thinking "Green" after next week we'll want to barf! So fair warning--we're going to go back and pick out what will help us maintain our healthy attitude toward what they will be throwing at us.

Remember the residential wind turbine? Remember the Carbon tax costs? Remember the recession of the 80s from EPA/OSHA regulations forcing spending on unproductive items and R & D? I'll dig them up for our reference.

Other than that let me point out that Obama is hiring an outfit to determine just how bad off we are environmentally and what it will take to fix it. Give us a break! Every time he opens his mouth, it costs us.

And yet his approval numbers are as high as ever. Are we really this stupid or are we just so used to following along like sheep that we don't know how to think for ourselves any more?

One last thing: Over half the Catholics in the country voted Democrat. He has been sticking it to us ever since he took the oath. Now that the White House supersedes
the Georgetown staff and he is sticking his thumb in our eyes both there and at Notre Dame, what is left?

HEARD A FELLA SAY THIS MORNING THAT SOMEONE SHOULD PAINT OVER "TOUCHDOWN JESUS" AT NOTRE DAME AND PUT HIS HANDS OVER HIS EARS! What say you?

I think it's a great idea! God bless...........

Friday, April 17, 2009

Thoughts about Capital Punishment and Penalties for Crimes

In a column by Peter Luke the other day he was moaning about how much tougher Michigan penalties for crime are as opposed to surrounding states and it occurred to me that maybe one reason is that since we don't have capital punishment we want to be sure some persons guilty of felonious assault are not let out on the streets to do it again. The revolving door of recidivism apparently has something to do with it.

And speaking of crime, particularly heinous crime, all this talk about Obama visiting with Caastro and possibly Chavez (should their paths cross) reminds me that their prisons are full of political prisoners. Somehow I just can't get over this problem I have with rewarding incompetence or bad behavior. Since we are now on the path to rewarding the countries on the UN Human Rights Council, it looks like relationships with Cuba and Venezuela are right in line with this.

That, plus the fact that we are all to be punished if we break EPA rules and laws against CO2, makes me wonder if there are enough jails for those of us who can't afford to pay the astronomical fines (taxes) for heating and cooling our homes. Or
could Mark Schauer get a clause in the law which would allow house arrest ala Maddox if we are over retirement age?

And one last thought: is there such a thing as adult onset of ADD? It just seems that Obama just can't sit still. How many nights has he spent in the White House since the inauguration? Isn't he just a travelin' man?

MIKE NOFS TO ANNOUNCE CANDIDACY FOR 19TH DIST. SENATE SEAT IN MICHIGAN!

In answer to the comment earlier today I would like to invite anyone interested in meeting Mike to attend whichever location is closer on Tuesday, the 21st

Mike will be at Kellogg Community College, 405 Hill Brady Rd at 10:00 AM
and
Advance Turning, 4005 Morrill Rd in Jackson at 2:00 PM--As they say: Come one, Come All!

God bless.........

Thursday, April 16, 2009

If You Can't Say Anything Good, Don't Say Anything.............

Isn't that what your mom told you also? Which is why it is getting more and more difficult to find something to write about that even though it may be critical there is hope for the future and we need only find it.

So here we are again with an entity as vital as Homeland Security presently represented by Janet Napolitano pointing fingers at the military as a source of terrorists and when caught at it, thinks a little semantic "explanation" will be satisfactory to the rest of us poor, ignorant conservatives. As though we don't know the difference between an accusation and an assumption and even which comes first in her interpretation. We are way smarter than she thinks.

This whole administration sorta reminds me of Leave it to Beaver. Remember Eddie Haskell? The instigator who never got his hands dirty, but pushed, prodded and goaded others to do his dirty work for him? And he thought he had Mrs. Cleaver fooled? Well, we aren't, are we? It just seems to me that the Democrats have rooms full of Eddie Haskells whose only jobs are to run around trying to cause trouble and figuring they all don't have to be successful at the same time, but eventually they will get their jobs done.

So, stay alert! It will probably take all of us to watch them.

Before I forget, old Bill O'Reilly is taking credit for the Spanish back-off. Don't let him kid you. We told you last night why it wasn't going to happen and it sure wasn't a threat by Bill.

God bless...........

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Tea Parties and Spain

Well, you've heard all about the tea parties ad nauseum. The Minnesotans and those of us in the 19th District of Michigan who don't have a State Senator are the ones who really, really have taxation without representation. The rest can probably be termed PROTESTS in the best sense of the word since we have a lot to protest about.

In Jackson estimates have ranged from 400 to 700 and I'm going out on a limb and saying "upwards of 600." I had a vantage point where I was looking down on the area where most of the crowd was so my perspective was, I thought, pretty good. No matter the actual number we really had a great cross section of people and it was a respectable, as in size, and respectible, as in demeanor. All in all, A good hour and a good statement.

Last night we talked about whether or not a boycott of Spanish goods would be worth it and today I'm here to say, No Way.

With anemic numbers on both sides, Just over $7 billion exports from us to them and just over $9 billion from them to us it would hardly seem worth it since most of the dollars are spent by commercial entities rather than individuals such as
medicinal equipment, industrial engines, vehicle parts, teleoommunications equipment and chemicals from us and petroleum, medicinal/pharmaceutical products, automotive parts, generators, collectibles (this would be doable but only inolves around $250 million,) nontextile floor and wall tiles (less tan $300 million,) vegetables and industrial machines.

At the end of the day it would probably be close to a draw. So, why bother?

God bless......see you tomorrow.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Miscellany

Obama says we are not the policemen of the world--since no one else will step in to "apprehend and punish the pirates" where, exactly, does that leave us?

Korea kicks out anyone who might disagree with their nuclear preparations. Obama cannot find a word that comes even close to "provocation" (too harsh?) to describe their actions. Where does that leave us?

Spain is planning to try American citizens in their court system and Obama indicates that we should emulate the Spaniards in their attitudes toward a green society. I'm sure he knows that only 10% of jobs resulting from green efforts become permanent; I'm sure that there's a reason he hasn't told the American public what the average wage is in Spain. So where does this leave us?

He selects a progressive, Duncan from Illinois, to run his Education post who promptly puts a halt to the voucher system for kids in the DC school system. Where does that leave them?

The American public has done a pretty good job of using less fossil fuel so the prices will stay at a reasonable level. So, the Dems believe now is the time to raise the gas tax. Proponents of that tax? Dingell, both Levins, Conyers--Michiganians all. Where will that leave us?

President Jenkins of Notre Dame says it's only Catholic guests who need to agree with church dogma. Is he serious? In the meantime the kind of opportunity for indoctrination by those who are diametrically opposed to church teaching such as Obama can preach without any debate? Where does that kind of thinking lead us?

Happy Tax/Tea Party day tomorrow! Stay safe..........

Monday, April 13, 2009

Senior Citizen Pill Pushers"

The latest scandal in Florida, so they say, is the illegal use of legal, prescription drugs. The usual scary statistics on a $2 oxycodin pill going for $20 on the street, drug overdoses because folks don't think something legal can be dangerous, you know the drill--has anyone put together the words Florida and Senior Citizen? The next thing is going to be suicide rates going up.

Seems to me that seniors on a limited income can be augmenting their resources by doctor/pill shopping for their old-aage arthritic, sciatic, etc. pain problems. Because they are generally viewed sympathetically by the media and the people who make their living by servicing their needs. It will probably be a while before this becomes as obvious to law enforcement as it should be. We'll see......

And then we have the mystery of what is the real motive between Obama's thoughts about naming Caroline Kennedy as Vatican Envoy at Kerry's suggestion. Could it actually be Kerry getting back at Obama for some real or imagined slight? Or could it be just another power play by Obama sticking his thumb in the eye of the Catholic Church? Or is it another "mistake" from not doing enough homework on the appointment? Or is it payback because folks are protesting his Honorary degree from Notre Dame?

Ah, let us count the ways. He so badly wants to prove that we are not a Christian nation; that there is no moral value system in the United States; that there is no one in the country who can win on a one on one with him; that he has not satisfied his need to embarrass anyone who disagrees with him; and that's probably just a few of the ways we can count that demonstrate that he is absolutely NOT interested in reaching across the aisle. He spoke truth to power when he told the Republicans to deal with it, he won, they lost and here's Sebelius as head of HHS.

Oh, and if I needed another reason to dislike the President on a personal level I found it today. He copped my dog's name!!! My Bouvier, Bo, wears a Michigan collar and is a rescue dog due to unfortunate circumstaces with his original owners. Here in Michigan Bo was an early victim of the Michigan job market.

True story: a few years ago we were looking at different breeds when there were no more kids at home to rough house with a dog needing exercise. We loved the Portugese Water Dog, but they cost $3000! And that's the story of our first Bouv rescue who gave us 10 great years.

God bless all the dogs and their families.......

Happy Easter!

Hope you all had a wonderful day yesterday!

Talked to grandson, the Air Force ER doc who described an experience I'd like to share. He went through a series of G force testing which many of you may already know about.

First off, they wear a G suit so air pressures can be changed to protect the wearer. They are constantly monitoring the vision which I really didn't understand since he went from white vision to having red and green which disappear as to peripheral vision and then on to white circle surrounded by black. (Don't quote me on this--I made notes but I'm not sure my description is totally accurate.)

Went from resting G force to 6.7 Gs, to Rapid Onset with the suit inflated for 30 seconds with strain on lower muscles, then 30 seconds more which he described as "not fun". He made the observation that if he could hold his breath under water for a minute or more why couldn't he expect to transfer that ability and that it has something to do with the heart not being able to pump due to the pressure so blood loss to the brain means you're going to pass out after a few seconds. Maintained 6 Gs for 30 seconds with no vision loss.

Next-- Rapid onset to 9Gs for 15 seconds when he experienced the white circle with the black surrounding it. 7-10 seconds. The the F16 profile which is pulling Gs at varying levels, up and down as pilots would in a plane changing speeds and directions rapidly.


The next one is voluntary--pulling 9 Gs until you pass out which was 4 seconds with no suit. Woke up within 2 seconds and having no memory of where he was or why and who the people were around him. He was getting his memory back as they were talking to him. Reason to do this: Because he wanted to know what it felt like to black out and wake up so he could identify with patients who has passed out. They took film of this and if it's at all possible, maybe we can put it on.

Have a good day.

ps-One more thing. He said he was "dreaming" during the 2 seconds he was out and would have sworn it was much longer since the dream sequence would be as lengthy as what we experience during ordinary sleep time.

Saturday, April 11, 2009

"to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States"

A part of the oath taken by the President less than 3 months ago. Now I'm going to demonstrate my ignorance, but I need to ask: is there any place where the Presidenet pledges to protect the "people" of the United States?

And now that the pirates of the high seas are not terrorists, but criminals, the FBI is being sent to ply their trade past the territorial waters, right? Am I just confused, or isn't the FBI to take care of things here in the US? The CIA covert operations abroad? And in times of war or attacks the armed forces?

Overseas contingency operations? Whazzat? No more enemy combatants, but "individuals captured in connection with armed conflicts and counterterrorism operations" or "persons who the president determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001 and persons who harbored those responsible for the September 11 attacks."

You have got to be kidding!

The President is naming judges who believe that Sharia law and other international law should be used in conjunction or perhaps in place of Constitutional law. Where the hell is the protection for the American public? And in particular, the captain who is being held hostage by the pirates. After his beautifully successful trip abroad last week has he enlisted the aid of those international bodies he charmed the socks off of to go and get the Captain?

Speeches, speeches and more speeches. I seem to remember that during the campaign there were a bunch of references to candidates who could talk the talk but not walk the walk and vice versa. So which ones did we elect? What do we call Pelosi and Reid? Talkers or Walkers? Yeah, right.

The latest reports by Newsweek and others indicate that religion is going down the tubes in America. I generally believe in statistics, but I'm smart enough to know that depending on who is asking the questions, some are more believable than others and at this point in time I'm thinking we're looking at skewed data. So hang in there, Christians, Jews and others of faith.

For those of us who are celebrating the Easter season for the next few weeks, we're alive, healthy and of good faith. God bless all.........And don't forget that old mantra: work as though everything depends on you and pray as though everything depends on God, because it does.

Friday, April 10, 2009

A Mixed Up Week--

From 6.9 inches of snow to 54 degrees in 3 days; from February to May dates for Lincoln Day events; from feeling picky-picky about the President's use of the English language. (Ya know--leaving the g's off words ending in "ing" and saying ta instead of to--the kind of thing that used to drive us nuts when our kids used sloppy language.) Is it intentional in that he certainly knows better, so is he playing to the lowest common denominator so he doesn't sound "too educated" or elitist to the average American? Or is he just relaxing after a tough campaign?

From planning to attend a Tea Party protest event only to hear that the ACORN groups plan to disrupt them to obfuscate the message--to hearing kids complain because they went to CanCun for spring break and it was too cold when they got back and finally not being able to find a parking place at the local strip mall when grabbing a sandwich because the tanning salon and fitness center were teeming with customers really makes one look at the recession with a different viewpoint.

We have one of the highest unemployment rates in the state but you'd never know it by looking around. (One thing we do have is much higher rates of folks who are dependent upon the local shelters and food pantrys.) I haven't seen a statistic for the numbers of people who may already have left the area--perhaps that accounts for some of it.

What we really need to leave you with this week is a message of Hope in so many aspects of life. Whether it be from the political to the personal, we need to realize that without Hope life is just that much tougher. My hope for you is that every week, every month, every year will be better than the one before.

God bless.........

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Are We Being Immunized?

It seems like it. Just about every day we are bombarded with one more piece of news so that it looks as though the libs are intentionally letting it dribble out day by day. One day appeasement, the next raising taxes on energy, the next day some kind of socialistic movement, you know where we're going with this. I think they are looking to get us so used to anti-American values gradually that when they finally lower the boom it won't be such a shock. Someone ought to invent a "detector" of sorts that will warn us when the big one is coming, and until that time, keep little beeps going that will keep us on the alert.

And if it weren't for the fact that so many liberal newspapers and magazines are either closing down or getting close to it I'd say they were intentionally trying to fake us out. It's so obvious I just don't get where they are going with it. Or do they think the seniors who still read print media are dying out and they don't have to worry about us any more?

The only thing I think we can really count on is that Obama's popularity is so important to him that he will protect it at all costs--probably not too hard given his star status. What he is dependent on is that Congress will get the blame if anything goes wrong while he will get credit for the stopped clock that's right twice a day no matter what.

Oh, by the way, I think Notre Dame finally has hit the wall. It doesn't matter any more whether the President speaks there or not. The school's reputation has been smeared by alumni as well as others and in the long run those people who were wondering if it would be worth sacrificing for their kids to go there will figure it's probably not worth it since the Notre Dame name is now so tarnished.

God bless...........

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

So Whaddya Want From Me?

Added in the morning: I'm so computer illiterate I don't know how to congratulate RightMichigan on site, so I'll do it here. And may you have many more, Nick.

Obama bows to a Saudi, Michelle and Barak diss the Queen, pause to legitimize Cuba and Castro, they use a pit stop in Baghdad to make some points with the troops as he and Gates decimate support for the military. (And no, I don't know if it's actually 10% but you know what I mean.) Plus pirates taking U. S. sailors hostage, North Korea launching a missile, where the heck is it going to stop? And who is going to stop it?

The people in this country are planning to protest not just the taxation issue next Wednesday, April 15th, they're looking at the symbolism of being fed up with just about everything going on in Washington and anywhere the Obama/Democrat influence is being spread. Appointing crooks of all stripes to high ranking posts in the government, mortgaging the futures of every man, woman, child and grandchild in the country, taking freedoms from citizens anytime and anywhere they can, and if all of the other Democrat Congressmen like Schauer are lying about no earmarks in the last budget and then pointing with pride to the earmarks he is personally responsible in the present one we're in worse trouble than ever, taking over banks, insurance companies, working on health care and industries and giving some away to foreign companies, where will it stop?

We talked yesterday about the Human Rights Council--isn't that an oxymoron? I just realized that we have covered most of the topics that are front and center very recently and the few long time readers of this post know when these problems may have been solved while they were small, but it appeared no one really cared. Now the possibility of incremental gas taxes being levied to coincide with the CAFE standards being moved up from 2020 to 2011 and the cap and trade misnomer for the carbon footprint tax becoming reality ought to be enough to scare the bravest among us.

And what will happen if someone with as many nukes as we have after we get rid of most of ours decides it's time to take us on and simply turns off our power supplies and we implode and then sit around wondering what happened?

The only good news of the day was the guy from MIT talking about the energy/battery future of molecules being sliced, diced and glued with viruses mixed into the formula which he likened to the Second Industrial Revolution. Point: Do we have enough time for that to happen before all those other bad things take us out?

As always, God's blessings which we need desperately........

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Deja Vu with the Chrysler/Fiat thing?

If it's not too much trouble, if you are interested in the Chrysler/Fiat deal, you may want to check out our comments back on January 23 when we described the deal as a give away and now, it's being aided and abetted by the President of the United States who insists they go through with this deal! Perhaps there are details that have changed since then, but if so, they are not being made public. It is just so sad to see this happening in broad daylight--Highway robbery.

So the Prez is back from his jaunt across Europe and the mid-East. Frankly, I'm not sure what we have to show for it. At least it was probably cheaper for us than the Clinton's trip to China with his 900+ friends.

So is North Korea quaking in their boots because Obama is a strongman? Are the Chinese going to get tough with them at Obama's request? What is the result of more words uttered throughout the trip? Oh yeah, 3000 support staff military to mark time until the August elections--then they can go back home. And by the way, we won't need to spend as much on inventory of nukes 'cuz we won't have as many. That ought to make us feel real good and safe on top of it all.

He did say something about misbehaving countries who when (not if) they engage in nuclear proliferation we need to be ready because they will have to "face the consequences." A scolding, perhaps?

Why, Bless his heart. He cain't he'p it. He just doesn't know any better. There, does that make us feel better?

God bless.........

Monday, April 6, 2009

Are We Just Going to Rubber Stamp the United Nations Now?

The European trip by the Obamas (a great second honeymoon, right?) appears to be the forerunner to the little splish-splash we will be making by joining the Human Rights Council. Demeaning the United States creates less and less legitimacy for our country so that the world will not expect as much from us in the future. (Wonder if he has thought about the fact that if he describes us as a second rate nation, it makes him the leader of a second rate nation.)

By insinuating that Gitmo needs to be closed because of our proclivity to torture and all around bad character of our military he is lowering us to the same standards as the other countries who we will now be joining on the Human Rights Council. We will be lumped with the rest of the countries such as the Congo, Pakistan, Sudan (I suppose their ethnic cleansing in Darfur is the same as racial prejudice in the United States during the last 155 years) and, hopefully we will be on the side of the angels the next time they condemn Israel but it won't do any good, we'd be outnumbered.

Have you ever heard of the Human Rights Council criticizing China, Cuba or any of the other countries whose citizens have no clue as to the concept of freedom? Do you think our presence on the Council will change that?

So what will be the end result of the Obama Doctrine or whatever he decides to call this change? You may not agree that "if they aren't with us they're against us" but will you find yourself in the position of legitimizing those on the Council by our request for membership indicating that by not objecting to their behavior we are, in effect, supporting it?

My parents taught me and my siblings that if we find some behavior offensive and don't speak out against it we are condoning it. (Guess that's why having a blog somes naturally.) Just think about it, please.

God bless........

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Tax Credits for Movie Makers

Jennifer, Jennifer, Jennifer---

Are you still so star struck that you just can't, or won't, recognize what it is costing Michigan to bribe the movie makers to come to Michigan? Is Jeff Daniels that charismatic?

Can you spell pie-in-the-sky? If you give a 42% tax credit against production costs, not on taxes paid, you are giving them a gift that keeps on giving and giving and giving. The numbers quoted thus far are $1 million this year and by the end of 2010 it will grow to $200 million? That can't be, can it? Didn't anyone sit down and figure out what would happen if the film makers took them up on it?

We're told that tax benefits apply to studios who build permanent production facilities in the state. Just grabbing a figure out of the air, if someone makes a capital investment in buildings which might cost $10 million for anyone else, a tax savings will only cost them a portion of that? And what would stop them from building a state of the art facility and selling it for, oh, say...70 cents on the dollar. A real bargain for the buyer and a nice profit for the movie company.

Or, how about the up front tax credits being given to the auto industry restructuring? With a $1.6 billion budget deficit, how does the Legislature and the Governor plan to cover the gaps? Remember the old shell game con? Do your legs hurt from being pulled by the Lansing gang? Wonder how many legislators think they can explain this mess...........

I'm sure they are practicing double talk as we speak.

See ya-
God bless..........

Saturday, April 4, 2009

What is Freedom?

That question was posed last week at a gathering I attended. The usual answers were forthcoming, but I did a lot of thinking about it later and I came up with my own opinion:

The definitions of freedom probably can't be counted. Included would be all the people who ever have lived, are living or will ever draw a breath. Plus, for all of the "knowledge" of the meaning of freedom for each individual there are not enough words in dictionaries to describe how people might express their ideas about freedom due to status in life, their backgrounds, their intellect, etc. Each person's definition will have an infinitesimal difference between his and his neighbor's, his siblings, his friends, enemies, and on and on. No one has an identical life.

But deep down there is one common definition which cannot be denied. We all have the freedom to think. We can be politically correct, but that doesn't mean that we believe an expression in that vein is true for us. The slaves of Pharoah to the slaves in southern plantations may not have the freedom to "do," but no one could take away their freedom to worship, to plan an uprising, to pretend illness, or any other expression of their thoughts. Prisoners can think and determine their fates by deciding they would rather die than "do" what they have been ordered to.

After spending some time on this I came to the conclusion that over and above the therapy of a blog comes some practical action items for me. And maybe for you and that's why I'm sharing this of a Palm Sunday weekend. Bear with me.

You've probably heard the old Southern expression "Why, bless his heart! He cain't he'p it. He just doesn't know any better." I've decided my blood pressure will improve if I use that attitude when I see a stupid maneuver in traffic or when I read or hear comments by elite liberal Democrats on any and every topic under the sun. It won't stop me from trying to change a situation or point out the fallacy of their arguments to those who may still be open to reason or working for a system which I believe is best for our country. Hopefully, a more positive attitude on my part will make for a more persuasive argument. Like chicken soup, can't hurt, might help, right?

God bless........

Friday, April 3, 2009

Europe To Take Guantanamo Prisoners??!!

Reactions to Obama speech in Strasbourg today.

Wild applause at the line when Obama was stroking the predominantly French and German audience and announced the closing of Guantanamo. How about letting him know how pleased we are that he brought up the potential to send the prisoners to France. Now let's hold him to it.

He spoke of the new generation rising up in America. My thought: the one that was raised on drugs, liberal educators and anti war demonstrators which started the disrespect of the military by the Democrats?

We have emerged from an era of irresponsibility. He may see his parents that way, but my 40+ and 50+ year old kids truly don't look at their parents that way.

Americans really need a health care system that is reliable and cost effective. At this point I'm going to say "I'll get back to you" because I really need to do some research on disease frequencies, general well being and life expectancy. Since cost effectiveness is so important to him, I wonder which of us he is going to start the withholding of care to keep costs down. Any volunteers?

Americans are responsible for a disproportionate share of the planet's carbon footprint. We should follow the European lead. (But woe to anyone who might mention nuclear power plants.) My question: Since a good share of our production goes to help out the rest of the world in all types of foreign aid, has anyone ever bothered to pro rate the benefits? Wonder what that picture would look like.......

Back to the domestic front. Since Obama is now running GM and since he absolutely will not let his union support suffer in any way, apparently the goats will be the stock and bondholders of the company. That presents the strong probability that no private individuals of firms will invest in the company. Soooo, where does he (and the rest of us) go from here?

Busy day tomorrow........
god bless.......

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Schauer Shades the Truth

On March 11 Mark Schauer sent out a propaganda piece which, after an intro, started out by saying "63 days on the job....

followed by: 109,000 Michigan jobs saved or created by passing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

7900 7th district jobs saved or created under the Recovery Act

references to public safety funding, public housing, kids having access to SCHIP (which I believe was always there and never completely used up) plus his Town Hall type meetings attended by over 1000 constituents

etc., etc., etc.

Remember the video of one of his Town Hall meetings where the constituents laughed and laughed and laughed when he lied about the earmarks? He really isn't proud of that, is he?

Now he didn't say this had all happened in 63 days, but he sure did let the implication stand straight and tall. However, each weekly reporting period since has shown nothing but increased unemployment figures throughout Michigan and the 7th District.

The actual truth is that not only have we not saved or created jobs during the 63 days he has been in Washington but Michigan LOST over 68,000 jobs. Now it's about 3 weeks later and we still don't see any demonstration which would back up his claims for the Obama administration and his part in the drama.

Heard today that Obama told at least one moderate member of the Democrat caucus "don't think we're not keeping score, brother." So even though I'm not a part of the Chicago machine (although I was born and lived there a couple of years) I also know how to keep score as do thousands in the 7th district, Mark.

God bless.........

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

With Friends like Obama, the UAW doesn't need any Enemies

Never in my wildest imagination would I have thought I would see headlines like "CEO's Fate Sealed in West Wing" or "U.S. Considers Bankruptcy for GM, Chrysler." That plus the appointment of a Director of Recovery for Auto Communities and Workers who is a think-tank type really does not guarantee any positive outcome for our friends and neighbors in Michigan.

And his first visit when he came to Michigan today? He schedules meetings with the Mayor of Detroit and the Governor. Now these two are a pair to draw to. They certainly weren't any help in mitigating the damages so far--what does he think they can do now?

The next casualty may be Ford who so far has done most everything right, at least they are not government owned and operated. But they will undoubtedly suffer if or when the other two enter bankruptcy and the same suppliers used by all three will be forced to give better deals to GM and Chrysler. So, will they be able to keep the profit margin they have negotiated with Ford or will they be forced to give the same losing deals to Ford? And who does this help, anyway?

Remember early on when we spoke of Fiat being able to garner 55% of Chrysler with little or no effort which gives them a nationwide dealership system for their little cars? You know, the size car that already has 145 days plus supply sitting on dealers' lots. And this time it isn't even a voluntary deal between Chrysler and Fiat. Now Obama has said that Chrysler absolutely, positively must include the Fiat deal. (Remember, the Fiat deal only goes through if more money from the government is included. And that's apparently perfectly OK with Obama.)

The administration says it will extend to auto industry employees who lose their jobs the same benefits that go to those who lose their jobs due to import pressures. 1-retraining, 2-income support and 3-health-care extensions. They say present laws would have to be re-interpreted. What??!! All over Michigan helping hands have been extended to early victims offering training, unemployment and health care assistance. I don't see the difference.

So this is what Socialism is all about. Don't tell me that European Social Democracies are much more extensive--it's just a matter of time. Is this another trickle down theory? Start with the biggest financial institutions, the biggest industrial base and then see where there are leaks in the dike we call American business. Taking away tax breaks and levying higher estate taxes on family owned businesses are certainly the next notch in his belt.

Oh! Oh! Don't forget the cost of living being taken away from seniors on Social Security just when the inflation spigot has been turned on. Up until now we have been worried about future generations. Now we have a President who believes in equal opportunity suffering.

Really sorry to leave you with this, but we can't avoid it, can we.

See ya,
God bless........