Friday, February 26, 2010

CBS - MANAGEMENT ARROGANCE

As a subscriber to “NEWSBLUES” (a broadcasting e-newsletter) I learned today that CBS Corp. has signed a five year contract extension with their CEO, Les Moonves, to the tune of $3.5 million per year. That is not the part that causes me to question their judgment. That is just the beginning.

The Securities and Exchange Commission filing reveals that Moonves will additionally receive a bonus of up to $12 million this year, plus three million stock options valued at $45 million, plus another $9 million in restricted stock, plus $500,000 in construction and equipment costs, if he needs to do anything to his home that assists him in performing his job. Additionally, he is guaranteed a job after he leaves CBS as a senior advisor-producer for three years at $3 million per year.

Moonves married Julie Chen a few years ago. She is one of the CBS Morning News anchors and seems to work when she wants. Although nothing like Les’s, you can bet that her salary is substantial, too.

All this is happening as the broadcast industry tries to determine a way to establish a new and viable business model because the business has lost its once cash-cow status. Daily there are new competitive forces cutting into the revenue streams of all broadcast entities, and networks and local stations are cutting personnel in record numbers in an effort to maintain their bottom lines.

CBS continues to close news bureaus around the world and cut personnel levels to shockingly low levels, yet they expect their personnel and union employees to accept heavier work loads on a daily basis. CBS is not alone. Just last week ABC announced that massive cuts would be taking place in its News Division. The axe has also gone through the ranks of NBC News. The story is similar at local stations across the country.

How the management of CBS can have the audacity and the arrogance to pay Moonves such an outrageous sum of money is beyond any rhyme or reason. It is no wonder that the average Joe on the street looks down his nose at management of big corporations.

There are plenty of mid-size and large corporations that pay their highest levels of management reasonable salaries and base contracts on performance. There are also plenty of high level executives who have taken pay cuts when they have found their companies experiencing lay-offs or staff salary reductions. The CBS Board of Directors should be ashamed of itself, but then they, too, must be getting over-paid or they would never permit this travesty to occur. Stockholders should be in an uproar!

How can Moonves look his employees in the face or look at himself in the mirror? Your Commander says shame on CBS and Moonves for their arrogance and hypocrisy.

CBS must think they are immune from all logic, just like our politicians do in Washington.

COMMANDER GRANGER

Thursday, February 25, 2010

GOLF WISDOM

For my friends who are shoveling snow back up north I want you to know that it was 70 degrees yesterday on Spring Island, South Carolina. However, four days after we arrived there was a 22 year record snowfall (of about 2 “…gone by 11AM the next day) and my cousin suggested that we were the kiss of death and should leave immediately. Family sympathy prevailed and we are enjoying beautiful sunshine, although temps are quite a bit below normal here in the low country most days.

For my golf friends, and especially the members of the Pathetic Golf League (PGL), here is a quote which appeared in yesterday’s Hilton Head Island Packet newspaper by writer Jacob Braude, “By the time a man can afford to lose a golf ball, he can’t hit that far.”

That seems to apply to everyone big and small, young and old. Clean your clubs, clean out your golf bag, because Spring will come soon, and if it doesn’t, we will all be calling Al Gore, collect..

COMMANDER GRANGER

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

GOOD READ - ODD MAN OUT

Every year there is a plethora of new sports books, and many have been written about our National past time. Just last week my cousin gave me a 2009 book to read by Matt McCarthy titled, “ODD MAN OUT, A Year on the Mound With A Minor League Misfit”.

Critics have given early praise to McCarthy’s very frank work which provides a behind the doors peak of the minor league locker room and the picture is not one that will inspire many youth of America to want to journey into the competitive minor league arena. I must warn you that this book is not for tender ears, but it exposes the competitive atmosphere that anyone who wants the Big League experience and pay-off.

This is a very easy read and it is encouraging to note that all baseball players do not chew tobacco and lead wild and inappropriate lives. While McCarthy is maybe the exception to the rule, he is to be admired for accepting the fact that there is success to be found and achieved beyond the ball park fence.

In the future when I read or view stories about the annual ritual of baseball’s spring training or minor league teams. I will be reminded of the travails aspiring young men in this sport must endure. This is similar to the journey Marine Corp recruits experience during boot camp. The Minor League route requires a strong commitment that may be rewarded by an opportunity to play in the Big Show.

If you love baseball and are interested in all of the workings of the sport, this is a great read for a long airplane ride or a rainy day on a coastal island.

COMMANDER GRANGER

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

THE GULLAH, WHO ARE THEY?

In the local Hilton Head newspaper I read an article promoting a planned festival celebrating the Gullah culture in the low country of both North and South Carolina. I had heard of The Gullah on previous visits, but didn’t know much about them. I was intrigued and went to my computer and found a very informative article at:

http://www.gullah.sc/

The Gullah people are African American descendents of slaves. The language they speak, crafts, and culture have been preserved all these years.

Hopefully you will find this information both interesting and, when you are next in this part of the country, you will enjoy their food and beautiful hand work, such as the baskets they make which are extremely collectable and are quite expensive.

When I read this e-article it reminded me of some forty plus years ago when I worked in broadcast sales in Chicago. Every year broadcasters met at both the Conrad Hilton and the Blackstone Hotel on south Michigan Avenue for the National Association of Broadcasters Convention. Every night the late Ben Williams, then the General Manager of WTOC-TV in Savannah, would regale the gathering in our hospitality suite with one story after another in the magnificent Gullah and/or Geechee dialect.

This is another example of learning something everyday and the fact that one small story can unlock an old memory of good times from many years ago. Life on this beautiful planet earth is certainly a wonderful experience to value and enjoy. You just never know what new knowledge or surprise will arrive each day.

COMMANDER GRANGER

Saturday, February 20, 2010

TIGER WOODS' REMARKS

The airwaves and print media are filled this morning with post mortems regarding Tiger Woods’ staged performance yesterday. He certainly looked embarrassed that his behavior brought him to that day. He also looked uncomfortable reading his remarks, but he did seem contrite and truly apologetic.

I don’t blame him for not taking questions. Can’t you just imagine the inappropriate queries possibly thrown at him, i.e., Did you always wear a condom?, Which hotels helped you keep your secrets?, Were all of the women white? You see what I mean. Ultimately he will have to at least sit through a few interviews where real journalists will ask real and appropriate questions.

Personally I believe it will be a very long time before Woods is again cheered by his once legion of fans. Only time will tell us how he handles the attention swirling around the tragic abuse of his lofty position. Tiger is a perfect example of money and power leading to ruin. He said it himself yesterday when he admitted that somewhere along the line “I convinced myself normal rules didn’t apply. I thought I could get away with whatever I wanted to do, I felt I was entitled.”

In the pages of today’s South Carolina Beaufort Gazette there is a most appropriate quote from author Orlson Sweet Marden that hits the nail on the head, “Success is not measured by what you accomplish but by the opposition you have encountered, and the courage with which you have maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds.”

Tiger will no doubt return to golf sometime in the next year, but your Commander wonders if he can ever regain the degree of notoriety and respect he enjoyed before his arrogance and selfishness got the best of him.

COMMANDER GRANGER

Friday, February 19, 2010

MICHELLE IS INJURIOUS TO OUR HEALTH

On a daily basis when President Barack Hussein Obama steps before his teleprompter and utters some new self-serving pronouncement my blood pressure immediately rises off the chart. My first desire is for our president to stop making so many televised appearances and get to work accomplishing all the goals he promised during his torturously long campaign. It appears to your Commander that once he took the oath of office he pulled out his previously hidden agenda and began changing the United States of America that we love and the rest of the world once admired.

I have a suggestion for my president, despite the fact that he says that the opposition has not stepped forth with any constructive recommendations. Well, I have one that can be instituted in a matter of minutes.

With the economy still in a deleterious condition our President can start saving money for the American taxpayer simply by going upstairs to the private quarters and having a meeting with his all-knowing wife Michelle Obama. It is now well past the time for her to stop making public pronouncements that expose her arrogance and elite attitude toward the citizens of this country.

Michelle Obama recently stated, “The truth is, in order to get things like universal health care and a revamped education system, then someone is going to have to give up a piece of their pie so that someone else can have more.” I am sorry, but that just does not jibe with her track record and recent displays of thumbing her nose at us plebeians. I wonder just what part of HER pie she is offering to give up.

Why not start with the immediate elimination of the use of Air Force One to fly the First Lady to New York City for “Date Night” at a cost of some ungodly sum of taxpayer money. Also consider the fact that several hundred working stiffs had to snap to attention to serve this selfish use of their special privileged position.

Our President should suggest that his brilliant wife stop telling the rest of the country how to live a life of service when she accepted an absurdly high paying PART TIME position at the University of Chicago Hospitals ($300,000+ for 20 hours a week), which must have contained a quid pro quo with her husband delivering a huge government taxpayer subsidy shortly after her employment. Some have even suggested that this was “pay for play” even before the ex-Illinois Governor’s complicity was exposed in the alleged attempt to sell the Illinois Senate seat. Others have suggested that little or no work was required for her lofty position. When she resigned the position was never refilled. Shame, shame, shame!

Most egregious is the well documented fact that our current First Lady employs a staggering twenty-two (22) individuals to attend to her personal needs at a total annual salary of $1,591,200 taxpayer dollars. Compare this outrage to the fact that the wives of Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Carter, Bush #1 and Bush #2 had only one assistant. Hillary Clinton had three assistants. Note that Eisenhower even paid his wife’s aide’s salary from his personal funds.

If our President wants to reduce America’s debt, his wife should assist that effort. Is this her way of providing economic stimulus…serving her personal needs and ego? Apparently Barack and Michelle have been living at the public trough so long that they consider it their right to totally disregard commonly accepted behavior codes. But isn’t that typical of those living in our growing entitlement crowd?

Apparently this is the way the Obama’s define CHANGE and TRANSPARENCY. It is good for you and me, but not for them, the chosen ones and the rest of the American political elite residing in Washington these days.

Do you suspect our collective health will survive the reign of the Obamas?

COMMANDER GRANGER

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

FUN THINGS TO THINK ABOUT

When my friends gather, the conversation frequently drifts to the excessive number of emails that we receive on a daily basis. While we all criticize the volume of messages, we also appreciate the information and interaction that occurs for the enhancement of our daily lives.

Here is an example of something I recently received that provides some intriguing subjects for consideration and contemplation. Don’t worry, because this is not brain surgery, but a good and fun exercise for your cranium.

Do you cry under water?

How important does a person have to be before they are considered assassinated instead of just murdered?

Why do you have to “put your two cents in”…but it’s only a “penny for your thoughts.” Where’s that extra penny going?

Once you’re in heaven, do you get stuck for eternity wearing the clothes you were buried in?

Why does a round pizza come in a square box?

What disease did cured ham actually have?

How is it that we put a man on the moon before we figured out it would be a good idea to put wheels on luggage?

Why is it that people say they “slept like a baby” when babies wake up like every two hours?

If a deaf person has to go to court, is it still called a hearing?

Why are you IN a movie, but you’re ON TV?

Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money in binoculars to look at things on the ground?

Why do doctors leave the room while you change? They’re going to see you naked anyway.

Why is “bra” singular and “panties” plural?

Why do toasters always have a setting that burns the toast to a horrible crisp, which no decent human would eat?

If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a stupid song about him?

Can a hearse carrying a corpse drive in the carpool lane?

If the professor on Gilligan’s Island can make a radio out of a coconut, why can’t he fix a hole in a boat?

Why does Goofy stand erect while Pluto remains on all fours? They’re both dogs!

If Wylie E. Coyote had enough money to buy all that Acme crap, why didn’t he just buy dinner?

If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, what is baby oil made from?

If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?

Do the Alphabet Song and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star have the same tune?

Did you just try to sing the two songs above?

Why do they call it an asteroid when it’s outside the hemisphere, but call it a hemorrhoid when it’s in your butt?

Did you every notice that when you blow in a dog’s face he gets mad at you, but when you take him for a car ride he sticks his head out the window?

And the best one of them all…

Do you ever wonder why you gave me your email address in the first place?

I hope this gave you a smile to get through what remains of this beautiful day.

COMMANDER GRANGER

Monday, February 15, 2010

A VIEW FROM ABROAD

Have you ever read an article or heard an all encompassing quotation and thought I wish I had said that? Your Commander certainly has on numerous occasions. Just think of some of the frequently referenced statements made by George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and you will know exactly what I mean.

As political tensions continue to grow and a number of politicians announce they are not seeking re-election, such as Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN) did earlier today, I note a dramatic shift in attitude by a growing number of political pundits jumping on the critical bandwagon. Early this morning I received the article below written by Gerald Warner of the Telegraph.co.uk. I want to share it with you because it happens to clearly express exactly what a number of concerned U.S. citizens are voicing as the volume of dissatisfaction and deep consternation grows.

"If al-Qaeda, the Taliban and the rest of the Looney Tunes brigade want to kick America to death, they had better move in quickly and grab a piece of the action before Barack Obama finishes the job himself. Never in the history of the United States has a president worked so actively against the interests of his own people - not even Jimmy Carter.

Obama’s problem is that he does not know who the enemy is. To him, the enemy does not squat in caves in Waziristan, clutching automatic weapons and reciting the more militant verses from the Koran: instead, it sits around at tea parties in Kentucky quoting from the US Constitution. Obama is not at war with terrorists, but with his Republican fellow citizens. He has never abandoned the campaign trail.

That is why he opened Pandora’s Box by publishing the Justice Department’s legal opinions on waterboarding and other hard-line interrogation techniques. He cynically subordinated the national interest to his partisan desire to embarrass the Republicans. Then he had to rush to Langley , Virginia to try to reassure a demoralized CIA that had just discovered the President of the United States was an even more formidable foe than al-Qaeda.

“Don’t be discouraged by what’s happened the last few weeks,” he told intelligence officers. Is he kidding? Thanks to him, al-Qaeda knows the private interrogation techniques available to the US intelligence agencies and can train its operatives to withstand them - or would do so, if they had not already been outlawed.

So, next time a senior al-Qaeda hood is captured, all the CIA can do is ask him nicely if he would care to reveal when a major population centre is due to be hit by a terror spectacular, or which American city is about to be irradiated by a dirty bomb. Your view of this situation will be dictated by one simple criterion: whether or not you watched the people jumping from the twin towers.

President Pantywaist’s recent world tour, cozying up to all the bad guys, excited the ambitions of America ‘s enemies. Here, they realized, is a sucker they can really take to the cleaners.

His only enemies are fellow Americans."

We have all read or heard similar expressions of growing opposition from the most conservative elements of our media, but here is a clear articulate voice from across the pond firing a blunder bust across Obama’s bow. Unless there is some dramatic shift in the policies emanating from the White House or a world event that favors the interests of the United States, the Obama family should not make long range plans for residence in the District of Columbia. It might be propitious for President Obama or one of his supporters to make sure the property taxes are paid on his mansion on Chicago’s near south side.

In closing, let me pose a question for you to cogitate in the days ahead. Our Constitution guarantees citizens the right to a speedy trial, why does long indicted political crony Tony Resko sit quietly buried for months on end in the Chicago Metropolitan Correctional Center? Do you suspect in your wildest dreams that someone does not want Tony to be talking in open court? As has long been the case, something smells in Chicago and Illinois politics. The stench could be casting an aroma all the way to Washington and penetrating the White House.

COMMANDER GRANGER

Saturday, February 13, 2010

WHAT'S NEXT, MR. PRESIDENT?

Please do not suggest that I am plagiarizing when I incorporate the title of David Brooks op-ed column from yesterday’s New York Times, but it is most applicable to my thoughts on our leadership at this time. Let me suggest that you read David’s piece, before you read further, if you have not already done so at;

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/12/opinion/12brooks.html?em=pagewanted=print

During the 2008 presidential campaign there was no bigger booster of the Obama candidacy than David Brooks. Now that Obama won and has served just over one year as our president, there is a decided shift by Brooks in the degree of support for his leadership. As you well know, I have been highly critical of Obama and have long felt that our major media outlets have failed to serve their readers well due to their thin coverage of Obama’s background and philosophies.

Your Commander cannot accept our president’s apparent total disregard for our precious Constitution, and his arrogance for fiscal prudence. Taking numerous polls into consideration, it is apparent that the majority of our fellow citizens feel the same and the main stream media outlets are finally doing what they should have done a long time ago, and that is provide in-depth analysis and background investigative reporting so vital to presenting the big picture. The results of recent elections in New Jersey, Virginia and Massachusetts prove the discontent of the electorate.

America is scared of the mounting debt and the apparent arrogance coming out of the White House to push Obama’s previously hidden agenda along with the self-serving programs of both Houses of Congress. Americans across the country are damn frightened of our future fiscal obligations, the endless wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the looming fiscal support for a corrupt Haiti. The hard working American on the street is fed up feeding the ever expanding welfare rolls and immigration obligations, and is demanding a reduction in the runaway spending habits of Washington.

Maybe, just maybe, there is light at the end of the tunnel when we see the supposed enlightened media pundits coming to their senses. Unless Obama changes his stripes quickly I see him as a one term President. I also feel that huge changes in both the House and Senate will come in 2010 elections. In addition, the Tea Party movement is real and cannot be ignored any longer.

Your Commander has finally come to the conclusion that term limits are appropriate and necessary along with conformity to our Constitution’s guidance. Additionally, should our Congress vote to support another armed conflict there should be a rule passed that with that action a nationwide draft would automatically be instituted. That would cause Congress to think long and hard about their actions.

It is time to constantly be reminded to make your mandated voice heard loudly.
Your future and that of our children and their children demand your awareness and vigilant actions. Our country is currently descending, but it is not too late to reverse that tragic possibility. History has shown us what happened to the Roman Empire, and other societies that permitted poor governance to destroy their very existence.

May GOD BLESS AMERICA, but we all must work diligently to support his guidance before it is too late.

COMMANDER GRANGER

TO TRY MEN'S SOULS

Several weeks ago I reported that I was reading several books at the same time, and I recently completed a wonderful historical book titled "TO TRY MEN’S SOULS" by Newt Gingrich and William R. Fortchen. This is a novel about George Washington and the fight for American freedom, which in reality has some application to current circumstances.

Your Commander has read five other books by the same author combination, and I can highly recommend each one of them. These gentlemen have a wonderful talent of presenting history in a fictional form that makes it come alive for the reader, and yet tell an accurate description of significant events. Please consider adding "Gettysburg, Grant Comes East, Never Call Retreat, Pearl Harbor," and "Days of Infamy" to your reading list in the near future, if you have not already enjoyed them.

This work presents the courageous trials and tribulations of the Continental Army lead by General George Washington against the Hessian garrison at the Battle of Trenton. It centers on three men who contributed magnificently to our history, General George Washington, author Thomas Paine, and Jonathan Van Dorn, a private in Washington’s army.

Personally I would suggest that every 7th or 8th grader or even freshmen in high school history classes be required to read this inspiring story. Some people feel that our citizens no longer have the guts to see us through our problems, but this read can and should be an inspiration, which is the author’s intent.

As Thomas Paine so appropriately wrote in “The Crisis” and the authors fittingly selected as the title for this book, “These are the times that try men’s souls.” It seems that these words are appropriate even at this time and place. Happy reading.

COMMANDER GRANGER

Thursday, February 11, 2010

HAITI - LET ME BE CLEAR

Again I want address the tragic condition confronting Haiti as a result of the recent devastating magnitude 7.0 earthquake. Shortly after the quake, the airwaves of many major network television and cable stations aired a telethon responding to the immediate needs of this crippled, impoverished country.

Throughout the world individuals and governments have been sending urgently needed supplies, and many organizations are forming charity collections of money and supplies. My local newspaper ran a poll and reported that 27% of their readers were contributing money and 73% were not. I suspect that this surprising high non-participation rate is directly attributable to Haiti’s well publicized history of corruption.

Before we draw strong convictions I suggest that you do some background home-work about the history of this island nation, and I have a couple of suggestions for you to consider.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haiti

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/Americas/country.profiles/1202772.stm

Your Commander commends his fellow citizens for their prompt and substantial response to the suffering in Haiti, but I predict that we will be criticized by several foreign governments and pundits who have a long history of speaking loudly, but delivering little in financial aide to suffering peoples in their time of need. The French who have a long history of abusing the Haitian people are already vocal in criticizing America’s early humanitarian actions on the ground in Port Au Prince.

The 9 million suffering people of Haiti need help now and will require outside assistance for several years to come, because their government is essentially non-functioning. Internal and political corruption specifically has been a fact of life in Haiti for years. Our government has funneled billions of dollars into Haiti over the years, and there is little or nothing to show for that humanitarian helping hand. The lack of accountability for the responsible and effective application of that aide was and is inexcusable.

Accountability must begin immediately. I suspect that is another reason there is a reluctance to give money by the polled 73% non-participants. One source has reported that U.S. aide has totaled 1.6 billion during the decade of the 90s, which represented about $266,000 per person. Why are the people of Haiti so poor?

The United Nations, who has had a large contingent on the ground in Haiti for many years, has again proven to be both non-effective and so bureaucratically inept that the American contingents must take the lead role. The local government is non-functioning, and the U.N is in over its head. The U.S. Air Force got the major airport operational with its unique ability. We will come under intense criticism, but only our skills and abilities can address this almost impossible challenge.

When you study the reference documents that I have suggested you will quickly note that the United States and many other countries such as France, Germany, and Spain have a sad history of interference or ulterior motives in Haiti’s governance. Where has our State Department’s oversight been in the appropriate spending and use of our overly generous aide dollars?

It is time for our government, the United Nations, and all other countries’ governments to demand that all aide dollars be spent appropriately and wisely. Remember the ex-President Baby Doc Duvalier, who had followed his corrupt father, Papa Doc, fled into French exile with $80 million stuffed in his luggage on an American supplied military aircraft.

No one knows how to predict or prevent earthquakes, but it appears to me that the United States is getting sucked again into nation building, and spending your precious dollars. We cannot walk away from this tragedy, but we must demand or shame participation from other countries. If we don’t do that someone is bound to claim we want to make Haiti our 51st State, but maybe some politicians want Haiti’s 9 million votes.

Your Commander believes that it is appropriate to permit the thousands of illegal Haitians who currently reside in the United States to stay for the next 18 months on temporary visas, but do not kid yourself because it will be impossible for them to be returned to Haiti anytime soon. I predict there will be a political initiative to permit them to stay permanently, so their votes can be garnered by our greedy political opportunists. Unfortunately a high percentage of those people will be added to our welfare rolls for many years to come.

Seriously, it is time that once and for all conditions in Haiti are at least improved to a degree that the human beings who were born in this pesthole of humanity have a chance for a better life experience. Thus, I am suggesting strongly that you know where you generous financial contributions are going. Make sure the charity is worthy of your support, and that someone or something is not stuffing your hard earned money in their pocket.

Finally, everyone should remember this old adage, “Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will have food for life.” We must teach the Haitian people, the children in school and the adults of that nation, so that they can participate in a healthy economy and way of life.

COMMANDER GRANGER

INTERSTATE #40 DETOUR

Your Commander and his GE (Great Editor) were driving to the Low Country of South Carolina on Super Bowl Sunday and much to our surprise we ran into a detour on Interstate #40. We had planned to arrive in Ashville, S.C. just in time to watch the Super Bowl football game, which was scheduled to start at 630PM.

Driving through snow covered fields and mountains we had absolutely no difficulty in making good time until suddenly we saw an electronic sign just east of Knoxville, TN announcing that Interstate #40 was closed indefinitely between Knoxville and Ashville. We were advised to take a detour that routed us way to the northeast some 50 plus miles to Johnson City, TN and then southeast to Ashville, N.C.

Despite the difficult driving conditions with nightfall, we arrived at our hotel with three minutes remaining in the first half of the Super Bowl. Being very tired I laid down to watch the game and fell asleep just after that great surprise call of an onside kick by The Saints to start the second half. I woke up with three minutes remaining in the 4th Quarter to see the Saints win their first Super Bowl. What little I saw of the Super Bowl was memorial and enjoyable.

The important thing is to alert you to this detour, so you do not get into a similar situation. There was a huge landslide from a mountain in northern North Carolina that took out the road in both directions and it will apparently take several weeks or months to repair and reopen the Interstate at this sight. Be alert to this travel problem and save yourself some time should you be traveling this well traversed route.

For those of you back north in the cold, be advised that it is also unseasonably cold in the Low Country and snow is predicted for tomorrow night in the Hilton Head area, but 50s return Saturday. Be that as it may, it is still one hell of a lot warmer than back home, and the sun is shining brightly. The Great Editor will be playing golf come hell or high water very soon, and I should be finishing my first book about that time.

COMMANDER GRANGER

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

KEEP THE PRESSURE ON OR WE ARE DOOMED

The recent Senate election in Massachusetts has proven that the voting citizens of this country are being heard loud and clear. Add the election results for governor in New Jersey and Virginia and you know that the attention of the Administration, Senate and House is finally causing the Democrats to take notice.

Now we are seeing a very significant shift in the dominance of the Democrat Party in the Illinois primary election. Obviously, even in Illinois, many Independents and Democrats have shifted their allegiance, and Republicans are coming out of their long sleep. And, believe it or not, President Obama’s former Senate seat may go Republican in November.

However, now is not the time to sit back and think the current Administration and those sorry Congressmen and Senators are defeated. That will not happen until our loud voices are heard in the November 2010 election. Pressure must be maintained on all of our elected representatives in Washington or they will still try to stuff a Health Care Bill through that clearly 60% of the American people do not want. We do want Health Care reform, but not the House or Senate bills that are currently on the table.

Additionally, in the next few weeks Congress will try to stuff the Cap and Trade legislation down our throats, and that means massive tax increases and another nod to the Union movement. Thus it is essential that we all make our voices heard loudly in Washington. Call, fax, email or even write letters to your Congressman and both Senators. Spending recklessly must cease, and it must stop now or we will all be bankrupt and perhaps speaking Chinese.

I believe our callow leadership has a devious agenda to change the United States in a way that is totally unacceptable to an over-whelming percentage of our citizens. You, too, know that this is true, so do something about it now before it is too late. America cannot spend what it does not have, and if the Administration does not recognize that, my theory that they have a devious agenda is correct. Your Commander is urging one and all to a course of action that can and will save the American Way of Life. Act now or accept the consequences of One World Governance.

COMMANDER GRANGER

THE PERFECT WORD

Recently I received a very interesting email from a good friend in South Carolina that with the utterance of one word clearly defined our current Administration and both Houses of Congress. Let me repeat the electronic communication for your edification.

Chutzpah is a Yiddish word meaning gall, brazen nerve, effrontery, sheer guts plus arrogance. It’s Yiddish and, as Leon Rosten writes, no other word in no other language can do it justice. This example of Chutzpah is better than 1,000 words…

A little old lady sold pretzels on a street corner for 25 cents each. Every day a young man would leave his office building at lunch time, and as he passed her pretzel stand, he would leave her a quarter, but never take a pretzel. This went on for more than three years, yet the two of them never spoke. One day, as the young man passed the old lady’s stand and left his quarter as usual, the pretzel lady spoke to him…without blinking an eye she said, ‘They’re 35 cents now.’”

It certainly does not take a doctorate degree to know that the word CHUTZPAH perfectly defines just what is going on in our current Administration and throughout both Halls of Congress. You and I now have a perfect opportunity to do something definitive about this situation, and it is quickly coming November 2010. We collectively must act responsibly before our country is totally destroyed.

COMMANDER GRANGER