Do I Have STUPID on my Forhead?

Some days you get the bear and some days the bear gets you.  Here we go again.  I don't normally buy a paper, yet alone a US Today but,.............I did today.  You see I took the old jalopy into the world's largest retail store for its mandatory oil change and was told it would be an hour.  OK,  No big deal,  I'll just head to the Subway, grab some grub, read the newspaper and pick up the car.  Sounds simple enough.  Right?  WRONG!!!!!

I grab a paper, the US Today and begin to read the news.  I read a couple articles and then turn to the sports section.  Since Jacob and I just returned from the NASCAR race in Martinsville I thought I'd see how far my guy, Jeff Gordon, fell in points for the Championship after Kurt Busch wrecked him.  I start to read a NASCAR article and realize it is old stuff, like Friday.  Hmmm,  I got to a different article and read a little and it is old news, actually history.    I turn to the front page and opps,  It's Friday's edition.  It hadn't been pulled by 10 o'clock and I just paid a buck for it.  Am I stupid or what.

Now back to the front page.  One of the articles I read has to do with changing the letters on street signs in the entire United States of America by 2015.  It seems some knucklehead in the federal government  did a study  and alleges that baby boomers read signs better when the signs are in Capital and small letters.

Like this Main Street.   Currently they are like this MAIN STREET.

Now I think to myself is this stupid!  Does the knucklehead in Washington have any idea how much that is going to cost?  And just who is going to pay for the 47 kazillion street signs that need changed?  Oh did I mention it was mandatory.  Oh did I mention if the cities don't have they signs changed by 2015 the Federalises are going to withhold federal funding for anything the municipalities are getting.  Of course they are not providing any money to help change the signage.  That is a blessing in disguise.  At least obama won't use that a as ruse to raise taxes.

Now back to am I stupid?   As I previously mention son, Jacob and went to the NASCAR race in Martinsville, Virginia this weekend.  Sort of a pre birthday present and a thanks for your service to our country and son and dad just hanging out together like we use to do.  As I am driving and running my mouth on the way to the the race I pass a grey car.  About half way past the the car I realize it is a Virginia State Trooper.  Well, I am committed so I ease on by and then get  back in the right hand lane.  Very shortly I see the very pretty blue lights come on.  I do all the proper things associated with a traffic stop (done a few in my day) you know.  I give the trooper my license, registration card and insurance.  He very politely asks "Mr. Courtright did you know you were going 54MPH when you passed me?  This is a 45 MPH zone.  Please stay in the car I am going to issue you a summons.  Well, what can I say.  I was stupid enough to pass a State Trooper and NOT know what the speed limit was on a 4 LANE DIVIDED HIGHWAY!!!  Can you believe it. Nine miles over the speed limit.  The Trooper was within his rights to issue the summons.  No argument about that.  Haven't said that.  I never issued a summons for less than 15 MPH over the speed limit.  AND...I never lost a case!  So there Mr. Virginia State Trooper!

Well you decide if I am stupid or not.

God Bless America and get out and vote on Tuesday!
I'm tired and going to bed.  You guys proof read this and get back to me.
Pops   

Common Sense or UNcommon Sense

NOTE:  It appears as the spamers have got my number or web site therefore in the near future I will be enabling word verification for a while.  I don't really want to but am getting tired of the spamers.

We report you decide as a major information network says.  I am respectfully stealing that for today's post.  I will get back to my BUY AMERICA theme in the next few days.  Most of you know I seldom read a newspaper as it is HISTORY by the time we read it.  I enjoy the fast  paced news like of the net and radio.  Doesn't that sound so....so.....exciting.  Basically I am just too cheap to spend a buck on bird cage lining.  BUT,   today I had some time to kill and was in a coffee shop (without wi-fi)  can you believe that.  It's true.

I bought the local Communist rag, and started my journey.  Headlines  "Military Taking Gays as Recruits".  Then the story of a West Point graduate, Dan Choi.  He apparently is an Iraq war vet and openly homosexual.  The story went on to say he was preparing to re-enlist since the "Don't ask, don't tell" law was overturned by a judge in California.  Who would have thought a California judge would overturn a law like that!  You can go online and read the whole story somewhere I am sure. Mr. Choi is re-enlisting I presume, with the full knowledge that the Attorney General is going to fight this ruling in the higher courts.  That is his right.

Page 2 of the local communist rag:  "Gay slur goes unpunished"  It seems a high school crowd in Eastlake,Ohio started chanting a homosexual slur at a football game this past weekend.  So many chanted it that principal, Jennifer Chauby, was unable to single out anyone in particular.  The report says she did call in several children who fessed up to following the crowd.  She stated she was unable to punish anyone in particular but is making announcements and meeting with individual students to convey it was wrong.  The local Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Community Center of Greater Cleveland said it amounted to bullying.  Oh my!  Bullying again. 

Having said(typed) that I don't condone bullying or teasing, or picking on any one.  I DO say toughen up Slugo!  Real life ain't easy.

The third thing that caught my eye in the local Communist rag was an article on the OP ED page by Thomas Sowell.  In the article Mr. Sowell discusses the Chancellor of Germany' recent remark regarding multiculturalism.  Chancellor Merkel said flat out it doesn't work!  Mr. Sowell credits her for, guess what, her courage.  Germany willingly opened their borders to anyone who wished to enter the country.  The misconception was these people would assimilate into the Germany society.  They later would become Germans with a (insert country) heritage.  This didn't happen and Chancellor Merkel said so.

Now who has showed common sense and who hasn't.  Mr. Choi didn't in my opinion and it has nothing to do with his homosexuality.  Common sense would dictate wait until the court challenge is over and then if the law is struck down enlist.  Doing it now only creates more paperwork and he gets his 15 minutes of fame.  A graduate of West Point you would think he would be smarter.  He probably is however, he has no common sense.  I'm glad Jacob has been discharged.  I wouldn't want him to have Mr. Choi for a commander.  Being smart is ok but, common sense will carry you a long way!

I normally line up against school teachers, principals, superintendents, and school boards.  This time this principal showed common sense by not trying to single out a student or several students.  Kudos to a school principal with common sense.  Unfortunately the group who said it amounted to bullying, well, like I said, Life ain't easy. They have no common sense. There has always been bullying and always will.  You cannot legislate peoples emotions, feeling, thoughts or minds.

Mr. Sowell is a well know black Conservative.  I wonder if he showed common sense by writing this article.  Chancellor Merkel may not have shown common sense but she certainly, as Mr. Sowell said, showed courage.  If she is re-elected I suppose you could say she had common sense or at least guts.  Kudos to Chancellor Merkel for telling the truth.

Now if we can just learn from her strong stand and make English our official language and quite printing everything in ten languages.  Some people don't want to be Americans they just want our freedoms.

It's off to the races this weekend with civilian Jacob.  This is his birthday present and get out the ARMY treat.  After a tour in Baghdad and time in Hati he deserves a NASCAR  race.  Martinsville Virginia HERE WE COME.  Any body got bail money?

God Bless America and you all!

Pops

Bet You Missed This One

I have shied away from most of this political season as I mainly preach to the choir.  That is good as the choir needs some positive influence once in a while.  I just have to report this tidbit  of info and then I will get on with my main topic.

Today The Great State of Ohio is blessed (?) with visits from barrack hussein obama, Michelle, the belle, obama and Mr. Sound Bite Gaff himself, Vice President, JOE BIDEN!  That is a lot of heavy hitting for a state that obama won by 8 points.  Ex-representative John Kasich has had a consistent lead sometime by double digits.  On top of this it is the 11th time, that is correct the 11th time barrack hussein obama has been to Ohio.  Talk about beating a dead horse!  Ohio will have a Republican governor in two weeks.

If you  have read my blog for a while you most likely noticed my Support Arizona logo.  This got me thinking a while ago and it was finally brought to a head this past Thursday.  And, No, it’s not about immigration.  It’s about America, my land, your land, and
Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses.

Compliments of the day old USA Today in the break room of The Home Deport I garnered this small 8 news item.  Headlines, China buys interest in Texas oil field.

These 8 lines go on to say China’s state owned, offshore oil company has bought a1/3 share in 600,000, six hundred thousand, acres that Chesapeake Energy leases in a south Texas oil field.  Now folks, I know Texas is a big place but, 600,000 acres, even in Texas is a lot of land to be somewhat partially owned by China.  China will pay Chesapeake 1.3 billion, billion with a “B” in cash (?)!!!!!!!!!!  Now exactly who’s cash is Chesapeake getting paid with?

Stay with me here folks and I will tie this together.

I needed a shovel.  You would think living in the country for most of my adult life I would have one.  I did!  With a son and daughter close by tools tend to disappear.  Hmm.  I take the opportunity at work the other day to shop for a shovel.  A shovel is not a terribly complicated tool to use or to build.  You take a piece of steel stamp it, sharpen it, add a study piece of wood or recycled plastic for a handle and BINGO!  A shovel. 
I recently bought a paint pole extension to paint the ceilings in my house which are 14 feet in height.  I looked at a couple and found one “Made in America”.  It cost a couple of bucks more but in my secret war to keep Americans employed I bought it.  Now, back to the shovel

I examined each and every shovel being sold by THD and could not find one “Made in America”.  The very best I could find was one company who tired very hard to conceal the fact it was not “Made in America” by using Red, White and Blue on the label and then declaring “Assembled in America, using foreign materials”.  Not one shovel, a simple device with simple construction was “Made in America”

We took in those “tired and poor and huddled masses and they built the greatest most desired nation in the world.  We built the factories, built the cars, the tallest skyscrapers and  now……  The factories fall silent as our shovels are made overseas.  The tallest skyscrapers are built in lands I can’t even pronounce and Consumer Reports the best cars in the United States are the imports.

Google foreign ownership of land in the United States and you get 4.3 million hits. Stats from the USDA show that:

Foreign interests owned 14.5 million acres, or slightly over 1 percent, of privately owned U.S. agricultural land (farm and forest land) on December 31, 1990. That's up 15 percent (1,875,806 acres) from the previous year, according to a recent issue of the Agriculture Department's FARMLINE magazine. 

I ask you my friends what is happening in this country?  What?

I don’t know what you are doing about this problem but I know what I am going to do.  I’m going to          BUY AMERICAN!

God Bless America.

Pops

Let the Glory be God's

Let the Glory be God's

Let the joy be the rescued, their family's and the rescuers!

I'm sitting here in front of the tube waiting patiently, sometimes not so patiently, for the rescue of the Chilean miners. My heart is full of hope and my eyes begin to tear up once in a while.  Tears of Joy, manly tears of course, none the less tears.  

My mind wonders what has gone through the minds of these  trapped men and their families. We all know the story, hopefully, you haven't been in a coma for the past two plus months.  I am not a person who necessarily likes tight places, like CAT scan tubes.  I have been to Mammoth Cave in Kentucky and hiked some cave trails.  I would probably do it again but, working in a mine, probably not.  

Trapped for 17 days with no one knowing whether they or alive or not.  If you are religious what deals do you make with God?  What promises do you make to get you out a alive? That's the first thing I believe many of us would think. I am reminded what my father, a veteran of WWII fighting in the Philippines,  told me when I enlisted in the ARMY during the Vietnam War.  "Son, there are no atheists in a fox hole"  At some time during my life I told Jacob that story. One of the first things he told me on his first call from Baghdad was simply, "Dad, grandpa was right"   No further explanation was necessary. A quarter mile under the earth with what appears to be any way out would seem like a foxhole to me. I would like to think I would be strong and recite, Something like "not my will but thy will"  I don't know if I am that strong.  Now the hard part.  How to rescue 33 men from a room a quarter of a mile under the surface of the earth.  

The first miner is on his way up

I find it strange that Chile is the country to make this rescue.  Not that it is not worthy but in the US Chile is not the first country of discussion, This country has made history with this rescue and the engineering to support this rescue. I have heard how the US has contributed by supplying NASA style meals for those trapped miners.  Every news reporter has mentioned that.  Is that really germane to the rescue? You all know I love this country more than the air I breathe but give the glory to God!  Give the joy to the family and stuff our "we" attitude in a can.  

I was so pleased to see the President of Chile cross himself when the capsule and it's second rescuer made it safely to the bottom. I wonder if our President would have put himself in a situation that would have had him photographed making the Sign of the Cross?  

The first capsule is UP!!!!  Praise the Lord.  Thirty 32 more miners to go!  He seems well and is greeted by what is believed to be his son and wife.  As the camera pans the crowd tears in the eyes of some of the biggest, rugged, manly men I have ever seen.  Now for the second time the reporter, who's name I don't know has said, "Thank the Lord".  Someone feels the same as I do.  Now 32 more minors to go.

Yes, the country of Chile has many many people working on this project however the engineers who have pulled this off have had a guiding hand that if I could speak Spanish am sure some of these rescuers have thanked as this first miner safely arrived.

More to come for as long as I can stay awake,

1:11AM  The second miner up!  He's hugging all his rescuers and celebrating as the rescuer chant which is spelling out Chile!

6:52AM Seven miners have reached the surface. Number 8 is on the way up!

7:57AM  Number 10 is up and safe.  PTL!

9:47PM Chile time,  Luis Alberto Urzua, the last miner is on his way up! 
He home!  After 69 days Luis Alberto Urzua, the leader of the men trapped underground is OUT!

Pops

Food For Thought (Police)

First Amendment

Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.*

For me and my simple mind that seems pretty straight forward.  I am addressing the part that says, "prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech."

In other words you can say anything about anything.  Now having said that I realize we have made a few rules that overrule my anything about anything.  For example the ruling you can't yell "Fire" in a crowded theater. The basic "theater" ruling was ruled to prevent harm to people who may be injured trying to exit the facility during an emergency.  This is to say to you can't have freedom of speech for the purpose of inciting panic.  That  makes perfect sense to me. 

Now comes the "politically correct" crowd. You can't call a fat person fat (except me, I don't care, I am). You can't call a homosexual a homosexual because he/she is, you must call them "gay" (?).  You can't say I wanna beat the snot out of you because you just PO'd me by calling me a dumb Conservative.  Now I can't even say I really don't want Muslims or illegal Hispanics in our/my country.  Well at least that's the way it is in the Netherlands.  I invite you to read this article about Geert Wilders Clik here.  Mr. Wilders is on trial in the Netherlands for hate speech.  Yes, that is right "hate speech".  According to the article, and you should read it, really, what an eye opener, Mr. Wilders stated "I've had enough of Islam in the Netherlands: let not one more Muslim immigrate."  He is also purported to have "I've had enough of the Quran in the Netherlands: Forbid that fascist book."

The population of the Netherlands.....TIME OUT!   A lady just called the Rush Limbaugh show and complained to Rush Limbaugh they were upset with him for calling barrack hussein obama a Jackass. She said it was insulting......................to the jackass and hard working and trusty animal since the beginning of time.  LOL.  Back to your local program.

in the Netherlands is approximately 16.5M.  Approximately 1.6 million Dutch voted for Mr. Wilders.  Now if I did my math right that equals about 10% of the population.  if you make the assumption every man, woman and child votes.  If you make the assumption only 50% of the population votes....well double the 10%. 

Where am I going with all this.  Here!  This country is all ready in the grasp of the politically correct.  We have no smoking laws, we have no cussing laws, kids can't ride a bike without a helmet, they can't play physical games on the playground and parents won't allow teachers to discipline their child when they misbehave. We have bullying rules and must us the term "people of color" or be scorned.  For those of us who grew up saying yes mame, no sir and c'mon boys let's go! We walk in fear of being called out by a fellow employee.  We can't say we are Christian or fear being called a Bible Thumper and trying to force our religion but it's all right for Muslim women to not have to remove their face veils to have a drivers license picture.  I grew up in a loving home and calling a female "hon" was comonplace.  If  I do that at work, watch out, I might offend someone.

With laws being passed and the politically correct crowd squealing louder than a pig caught in a barb wire fence it is only a matter of time before some Conservative is hauled of to court for saying something offensive like

America, like it or leave it!

Please save you penny's as I expect the "thought police" will be picking me up shortly and I will need bail money!  Really!   read the article it will scare the bejeebies out of you!

Pops
Refs:
*Cornell University