2012 PREDICTION: A YEAR OF MEDIA SAVAGERY

No matter where you sit on the political spectrum, you may not like this commentary, but if you want a sound analysis of the coming year from a recognized media observer you’re in for a good experience. Brent Bozell, who is the Founder and President of the largest media watchdog organization called the Media Research Center, has written an interesting perspective on the coming political confrontation.

I found the article to be informative and humorous while striking several strong points that will impact the highly combative political campaign.

http://townhall.com/columnists/brentbozell/2011/12/28/2012_a_year_of_media_savagery/print

Does it surprise you that Bozell is predicting a “down and dirty” political campaign in 2012? I thought he struck a nerve when he reminded us that Obama “cannot run on the fairy dust of hope and change” in his re-election campaign. I suggest that the Republican candidate must possess the hide of a very, very tough elephant.

COMMANDER GRANGER

WORLD'S MOST CHARITABLE NATION? - USA

Please take a quick look at Townhall.com and Kate Hicks’ recent report on the world’s charitable giving that lists the good old USA as the most charitable country in the world.

http://townhall.com/tipsheet/katehicks/2011/12/26/usa_worlds_most_charitable_nation/print

The data revealed in this report, based upon the Charities and Aid Foundation’s annual report on World Giving, totally destroys any foundation or creditability to the Occupy Wall Street movement that has metastasized across the world. Your Commander found it to be most revealing that none of the oil rich countries, and all but one of the Middle Eastern countries are absent from this list.

Personally I am sick and tired of many countries pointing their dirty fingers at America, and it is about time we totally reappraise our overly generous flow of foreign aid dollars, because most of those precious green-backs are not getting into the intended needy hands. Americans will always stand ready to help all in need with a just cause, but it is time to stop being a total sucker to fund corrupt governments. Someday the State Department will learn that money does not buy friends.

COMMANDER GRANGER

THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

On this date in 1945 Congress made the Pledge of Allegiance the official national pledge to the US flag, and during the previous century legendary clergyman Henry Ward Beecher (1813-87) spoke about our flag's meaning.

Your Commander found Beecher’s inspirational words in the pages of my copy of The American Patriot’s Almanac:

“If one asks the meaning of our flag, I say it means just what Concord and Lexington meant, what Bunker Hill meant. It means the whole glorious Revolutionary War. It means all that the Declaration of Independence meant. It means all that the Constitution of our people, organizing for justice, for liberty, and for happiness meant.

Under this banner rode Washington and his armies…It waved on the highlands at West Point…This banner streamed in light over the soldiers’ heads at Valley Forge…It crossed the waters rolling with ice at Trenton…

Our flag carries American ideas, American history, and American feelings. Beginning with the colonies, and coming down to our time, in its sacred heraldry, in its glorious insignia, it has gathered and stored chiefly this supreme idea: Divine right of liberty in man. Every color means liberty. Every thread means liberty. Every form of star and beam or stripe of light means liberty. Not lawlessness, not license, but organized, institutional liberty—liberty through law, and laws for liberty.

This American flag was the safeguard of liberty. Not an atom of crown was allowed to go into its insignia. Not a symbol of authority in the ruler was permitted to go into it. It was an ordinance of liberty by the people, for the people. That it meant, that it means, and, by the blessing of God, that it shall mean to the end of time.”

After I read those beautiful words I wondered if any of the individuals who participated in the numerous Occupy (whatever) Movement demonstrations ever heard them or would even understand their magnificent meaning? I then wondered if our youth are hearing these words in school today, and how many of our elected officials have ever heard them either. I pray that we never fail to appreciate the meaning of our beautiful Pledge of Allegiance to our flag, and that we never permit Patriotism to go out of vogue.

GOD BLESS AMERICA

COMMANDER GRANGER.

CHRISTMAS GREETINGS

Your Commander and his Editor Extraordinaire extend our greetings for a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year to all. We pray for peace around the world and good health for all around the world.

During the holiday season it makes little difference what is one’s faith, because we should all look to our various sources of reverence for guidance in the coming New Year.

Now would be an excellent time to read the Constitution of the United States, the Bill of Rights, the Ten Commandments, and to conduct a Google search for Wikipedia articles that provide critical historical information on the Ottoman Empire, Iraq, Afghanistan, Jordan, Israel, Palestine, and the book titled “Islam for Dummies” so you can garner a better understanding of the historical issues that still impact the Middle East to this day.

The coming year is certain to bring forth challenges for each and every one of us, and we pray that the world’s leaders exert great patience and reason as the countries of this world move forward.

Would it not be wondrous to have peace on earth and good will toward men this coming year and beyond?

COMMANDER GRANGER

PRESIDENT OBAMA HAS CHUTZPAH

As millions of Americans struggle to meet their financial obligations, search for a job, and find a way to celebrate the Christmas holiday season our leader, President Barack Hussein Obama, will be flying off to Hawaii for a long vacation with his family. When I read that his wife and daughters flew ahead of the President, because he was staying at his post in the Oval Office at the White House due to Congressional delays, an old Jewish expression came to mind.

CHUTZPAH is the word, and I looked up the definition in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary and found the following:

“To demand that he be treated as a special case and be given priority in settling his claims.” Synonyms: Audaciousness, audacity, brashness, brass, brassiness, cheek, cheekiness, effrontery, crust, face, gall, nerve, nerviness, pertness, presumption, presumptuousness, sauce, sauciness, and temerity.

When you read the attached article by Townhall.com’s Katie Pavlich outlining the cost to the American taxpayer as posted in the Hawaii Reporter you will understand why I say Mr. Obama has chutzpah. Granted, this was written prior to the announcement that he was delaying his trip, and the costs are staggering.

http://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2011/12/19/thanks_taxpayers_obamas_17day_vacation_to_cost_4_million

Apparently the facilities at the White House or Camp David are inadequate for the Obama’s new found tastes, and they are capable of spending over $4 million precious American taxpayer dollars while we plebeians wallow in our worsening economic status. Thanks, Mr. President, for thumbing your nose at the 50% of the American population that still pay federal income taxes.

You, Sir, have chutzpah!

COMMANDER GRANGER

NEWSPAPERS: GOING...GOING...GONE!

Should you be an AOL subscriber you probably have seen the Daily Finance article penned by Bruce Watson that carried the same headline. After reading his print demise conclusions, supported by the University of Southern California’s Annenberg Center for the Digital Future, I penned my personal comment on the web site agreeing with their theory.

Here is a link to the site:

http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/12/16/newspapers-going-going-gone/?icid=maing-grid10%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl15%7Csec1_lnk2%26pLid%3D121304

The realities of the problems facing the ever-changing newspaper business is that their model has changed due to the evolution of the internet, and it is doing to newspapers the same diminished fiscal return that it has caused the U.S. Postal Service’s anticipated death. While the pay-firewalls will provide some degree of financial gains in the major markets I am concerned that it will not save the business model in smaller markets.

As I noted in my comment, the internet is bloated with inaccurate information, and the firewalls do permit some degree of financial cover so the few remaining major newspapers have professional journalism oversight. It is important to highlight the fact that the editorial bent of the four predicted print survivors (The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and USA Today) is currently equally balanced by two being liberal and two conservative voices.

Four newspapers will not properly serve America, but we all must be vigilant in securing accurate vital information and in-depth investigative reporting. Experience has taught this commentator that the lack of competition is dangerous and disquieting, just as is a dominant one-party political democracy.

COMMANDER GRANGER

SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE LAUDS INCOMPETENCE

If you do not live in the vicinity of South Bend, Indiana you probably do not have any interest in this commentary. When I opened my copy of the Sunday South Bend Tribune December 10th the front page was graced with an extensive article penned by Kevin Allen titled “Transition to ‘Citizen Steve’”.

Here is the link to this puff piece:

http://www.southbendtribune.com/news/sbt-transitioning-to-citizen-steve-20111210,0,2729610,print.story

After reading that fawning and obsequious salute I was forced to take an early morning application of "Tums for the tummy", because you would have thought you were reading about the departure of some savior of mankind instead of the dysfunctional and inept political hack that Mayor Steve Luecke has been over the past 15 years.

The only reason Luecke attained the office to begin with was due to a well-oiled dominant Democrat Party machine. Luecke was the Vice Mayor and became South Bend’s mayor in 1996 when elected Mayor Joe Kernan was chosen to run as Lt. Governor of Indiana on the winning ticket with Gov. Frank O’Bannon. During Luecke’s 15 years as mayor there have been a number of bad financial decisions and commitments. Luecke’s liberal tax and spend agenda has provided South Bend and St. Joseph County taxpayers with growing tax burdens and little to show, except a few isolated projects that favored his political cronies.

While I do not reside within the City limits of South Bend, I do reside within the same County, and thus suffer from an off-the-chart tax burden caused by the repeated mismanagement of Luecke’s administration. His “do-good” projects have cost the taxpayers heavily and caused the county to be the second heaviest taxed in the State of Indiana.

Instead of providing readers with a thoughtful analysis of Luecke’s rule, The South Bend Tribune provided him with a nice article that he can put into his scrap book and show his grandchildren about how wonderful he was in the eyes of the paper. Don’t ask the citizens and taxpayers who live in the crime ridden west side of the city, and don’t ask the folks who can’t find a job in town. The school system is dysfunctional (three schools were about to be taken over by the State of Indiana, but showed enough meager progress to stop that for now) and thousands have fled the city during his administration.

During the rule of Mayor Steve new business development has been a failure. Were it not for development projects emanating from the University of Notre Dame the city would be in even bigger trouble. Space does not permit me to list all the questionable actions, but to name a few how about the millions spent on Covoleski Stadium, impending departure of the failed College Football Hall of Fame, the Dollar Family store purchase, land grant to St. Joseph High School, First Source garage purchase and now the proposal to bail out bankrupt Chase Tower.

Thank you, South Bend Tribune, for selling out your integrity and obligation to objectively serve your readers just so you could praise the political machine that produced the departing mayor.

Steve Luecke's future plans are not yet known, but personally I hope he returns to Canada, where he sought refuge during the Viet Nam War as a conscientious objector, while hundreds of brave young South Bend kids fought an American battle.

COMMANDER GRANGER

STRONG CASE TO REPLACE OBAMA

When I read the most recent essay by syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer in my local paper, I wondered if it had been penned by the Republican Party as a hit-piece against the re-election of President Barack Hussein Obama. Take a few minutes to read “The wages of appeasement” which appeared in newspapers all over the country this past week.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-wages-of-appeasement/2011/12/15/gIQA5KEzwO_print.html

Obama’s two foreign policy initiatives toward Russia and Iran are in my opinion a justification to vote him out of office come November 2012. Clearly, the person elected as president then will have his/her hands full addressing the increasingly bold actions of these two very unfriendly adversaries.

The tragedy of our times is that most American citizens will not read Krauthammer’s column and if they did many would not understand what in the hell he is talking about, because our educational system and media have dumbed-down voters and diverted their attention to the adoration of the likes of Lady Gaga.

COMMANDER GRANGER

LESS STUFF, MORE HAPPINESS

With each passing year I look around the house and wonder how we ever accumulated all the ‘STUFF.’ I then ask myself why we don’t weed out the things we never utilize. You know what I am going to say next don’t you? We just never seem to get around to it.

While working on the internet today I ran across an article that includes a short video presentation by Graham Hill, who edits a web project titled Treehugger.com. Normally that title alone would send me running, but I suggest you might find the video appropriate and worth some consideration.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/09/life-editing_n_1138817.html?1323446551&icid=maing-grid10%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl11%7Csec1_lnk2%7C118911

Now don’t worry I am not going to sell my home, but I may just be motivated to finally get rid of some of the stuff that could benefit someone who is in real need of a helping hand. As you know from reading my work I am far from being anyone associated with tree huggers, but Hill makes a sound point. Hell, I would have some difficulty living alone in a 420 square foot apartment let alone share it with my wife.

As the Christmas season approaches this could be a good time to send some items to the Goodwill, Salvation Army and/or Catholic Charities. I guarantee if we all did just that we would all feel much better, and fulfill the message of Christmas in a beneficial way by sharing our bounty.

COMMANDER GRANGER

FACTS BEHIND GINGRICH PALESTINE COMMENT

If you watched the ABC-TV Republican Candidate Debate last week from Des Moines, Iowa you know that Newt Gingrich made a comment about Palestine. On the chance you did not see the program, or hear about the comment, permit me to summarize.

Gingrich said, “The fact is, the Palestinian claim to a right of return is based on a historically false story…’Palestinian’ did not become a common term until after 1977. This is a propaganda war in which our side refuses to engage and we refuse to tell the truth when the other side lies.”

In an effort to bring some clarity to the subject, I did some detailed research that may allow you to understand the issue better, and it also proves that Gingrich’s statement can be verified as correct by historical facts and documents.

Two links are worthy of your effort to read, but they are both quite long. The first is “History of Israel” and the second one is “State of Palestine” from the Wikipedia free encyclopedia.

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

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

Let me draw your attention to pages 7, 8 and 9 in the first document starting with the Mamluk rule in the 13th Century through The Balfour Declaration and the British Mandate of Palestine (1917-1948). The understanding of the influences of those factors is vital to understanding how Israel was created.

In the second document I draw your attention to page 10 and the Kingdom of Jordan’s rift with the Palestinian leadership, and the later creation of the Palestine Liberation Organization in 1974.

Since that time the disputes between Israel and the Palestine Arabs on the creation of borders for State lines has led to bloodshed and repeated wars. It is your Commander’s opinion that the British Empire learned years ago that it could not resolve the conflict dating back to its colonial dominance of the area and washed its hands of the situation.

Since that time the United States has been heavily involved with strong support of the Jewish State of Israel. In 2011 the USA has provided Israel with $8.2 million per day (almost $3 billion for the fiscal year) and $0 to Palestine in military aid. In 2010 the USA gave Palestinians $400.4 million in economic aid and $100 million in support of Palestinian Authority police training, plus another $61.5 million in USAID and Red Cross assistance following Israel’s assault on Gaza. All these statistics were verified by a Google search.

It is your Commander’s personal opinion that we should continue to support our friends in Israel, but I cannot understand our State Department funneling massive amounts of money into an area that continues to lob rockets into Israel. The existence of Palestine and its boundaries needs to be settled by the people in that area and the Israeli’s. I do not understand why we are putting money into the hands of people who are acknowledged terrorists and see no reason for Israel to exist. Both sides come to this debate with blood covered hands.

Please remember the term “Palestine” was created by the British Mandate to define the geographical area that currently covers the State of Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip, as well as the area covered by the current State of Jordan.

Please remember this conflict has been going on since the Kingdom of Israelite (1200-950 BCE) “Before the Common Era.” As far as the rest of the geographical area is concerned, I agree with Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) that it is time for the USA to get the hell out of the Middle East, and let them fight as they have for centuries without our money.

After all that is said, Newt Gingrich was correct in his statement as proven by historical facts.

COMMANDER GRANGER

IF AMERICA IS LEAVING IRAQ, THEN LEAVE

Your Commander long ago learned to consider ever politician’s statements with skepticism and the recent action of President Barack Hussein Obama proves my point. As the President basked in the glory of his ‘victory lap’ appearance with the brave fighting men and women stationed at Ft. Brag, N.C., he skirted his many previous pronouncements against the American intervention into Iraq dating back to his opposition in 2002. He failed to also note his hesitancy to the troop surge long promoted by the leaders of our Armed Forces on the scene, and now basks in the glory of fulfilling his campaign pledge to take American troops out of Iraq.

While your Commander agrees with the departure of American military from Iraq, we saved Iraq’s very existence from its evil dictator and there is little or no appreciation for what we did on their behalf. Let’s not go down the road about the lack of weapons of mass destruction either, because ask any Kurd in Iraq and they will tell you that they were the proven victims of Sadam Hussein’s WMD.

I am opposed to the timing of our departure, because Iraqis are not presently prepared to defend their country against intervention by foreign elements, such as Iran or the various tribal and religious sects. America is leaving just so Obama can meet his campaign promise to leave as he approaches a difficult re-election campaign.

Although defense troops will leave Iraq by the end of the year, it is time to stop fooling everyone because some 16,000 Americans will staff the bloated American Embassy in Baghdad with some 6,000 hires for private army security. The State Department has budgeted $25 billion for operations over the next 10 years. After reading that, do you really think we have left…and let’s not forget the forces that will sit in Kuwait for sometime in the future.

Obama is still leaving Americans, military or civil, in Iraq in harm’s way in a land whose leadership says they do not want our defense forces there. Our expense will still be great supporting our people still there where Iraq is concerned. Iraq has vast oil reserves and should not need American dollars to continue to pour into that country. It is time for Iraq to stand on its own two feet and pay for its governance with its oil reserves, and not our green-backs.

COMMANDER GRANGER

TEN GRIM LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE IRAQ WAR

While your Commander is currently critical of the liberal editorial bent of Time Magazine, I must agree with a recent essay with the above title that states “Despite the upbeat talk of the Obama Administration, the eight-year war that ended this week has done plenty of long-term damage to both Iraq and the United States. And it has bequeathed lessons worth considering ahead of further conflicts.”

TEN GRIM LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE IRAQ WAR

1. The Iraq War Weakened the U.S. in the Middle East.
2. Military Power Doesn’t Equal Political Influence.
3. Iraq is a Model – Of What Arabs DON’T want.
4. Weapons of Mass Destruction – Asking the Wrong Questions.
5. Iraq’s Civil War Could Erupt Again, But Resolving its Conflicts is Beyond U.S. Capability.
6. Expect More From the Media.
7. American History Means Nothing Overseas.
8. The U.S. Has No Friends in Iraq.
9. When Arabs Vote, They Seldom Choose American’s Candidates.
10. Don’t Trust Politicians Promising Cheap and Easy Wars.

After I read those ten points I felt a sense of deep sadness, because I wonder how the families of the 4,474 brave service members and 13 Defense Department civilians who died in Iraq feel about America’s involvement in Iraq. I certainly do not have the answer to our participation, but I strongly urge our political leadership to think long and hard before ever ordering our precious youth into another war, unless we intend to end it in total victory.

COMMANDER GRANGER

TEN GRIM LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE IRAQ WAR

REMEMBERING GEORGE WASHINGTON

Today marks the anniversary of the passing of President George Washington in 1799. At that time Congress asked Virginia Statesman Henry “Light-Horse Harry” Lee to eulogize the President, and he said:

“First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen, he was second to none in the humble and endearing scenes of private life. Pious, just, humane, temperate and sincere – uniform, dignified and commanding – his example was as edifying to all around him as were the effects of that example lasting….Correct throughout, vice shuddered in his presence and virtue always felt his fostering hand. The purity of his private character gave effulgence to his public virtues…Such was that man for whom our nation mourns.”

Virginian Thomas Jefferson wrote of George Washington’s character:

“His mind was great and powerful, without being of the very first order; his penetration strong, though not so acute as that of a Newton, Bacon, or Locke; and as far as he saw, no judgment was ever sounder…He was incapable of fear, meeting personal dangers with the calmest unconcern. Perhaps the strongest feature in his character was prudence, never acting until every circumstance, every consideration, was maturely weighed; refraining if he saw a doubt, but, when once decided going through with his purpose, whatever obstacles opposed. His integrity was most pure, his justice the most inflexible I have ever known…It may truly be said that never did nature and fortune combine more perfectly to make a great man.”

It must be noted that I drew this inspiring information from my copy of The American Patriot’s Almanac.

Now permit me to pose a question for your contemplation. How do you suppose historians will write about President Barack Hussein Obama 212 years from today? Do you suspect in your wildest dreams that the tone will have any similarity to the words rendered by Lee and Jefferson? I predict that the expressions will not even be in the same league as those noted above, because Washington was a man of genuine character, and Obama is a figment of political imagination and creation that does not call for any qualifications to require genuine character. Sad but true, in my opinion.

COMMANDER GRANGER

JULIAN ASSANGE STILL FREE

Sometimes when I read a news story I just shake my head, because I cannot imagine why some devious and weird individuals continue to roam free to cause further trouble. You may remember I wrote as recently as November 20th celebrating the English Court’s decision to extradite Julian Assange to Sweden to face sex crime allegations. Please take a look at this article in The Washington Post article:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/wikileaks-founder-continues-extradition-fight/2011/12/05/gIQAr4gnVO_print.html

Assange, who founded and heads the liberal WikiLeaks organization, has been fighting his extradition back to Sweden since being accused of rape, coercion and molestation in August 2010. Since that time Assange has been taking refuge in a wealthy supporter’s English countryside estate.

Do you wonder as I do where Assange secures his funding? Who but some devious, subversive elements would pump vast sums of money into an organization like WikiLeaks and its leadership whose purpose is to disrupt world order?

Everyone should have an opportunity to a defense against legal action, but why would Assange fear and fight in the English Courts his return to Sweden if he is not-guilty as he has claimed? Hopefully, the British Supreme Court will act quickly and force Assange to face the criminal allegations sooner rather than later. With any luck this weirdo can then be placed where he can no longer cause disruption to governments around the world.

COMMANDER GRANGER

WILLIAMS' COLUMN 'FREE TO DIE?' A MUST READ

A recent column by Walter E. Williams, the national syndicated scholar scribe, is worthy of your time because it addresses the importance of our adherence to our precious Constitution and his deep concerns regarding the Obama Healthcare legislation. Here is the link if you want to read it in full:

http://townhall.com/columnists/walterewilliams/2011/12/07/free_to_die/print

With the Obama Healthcare Bill coming up for judgment by the U.S. Supreme Court shortly, this is a very timely article. Please note I concur with Williams’ thesis. Williams’ reference to James Madison’s vision of Constitutional abuse is convincing and applicable to the healthcare questions that continue to linger and escalate with the passage of time.

COMMANDER GRANGER

GUTLESS CONGRESS FAILS POSTAL SYSTEM

With all the facts and figures now available and well publicized. our gutless Congress has kicked the can down the road again when it comes to addressing a sound and logical decision to the financially strapped U.S. Postal Service. You may remember that your Commander has previously written expressing suggestions on this lingering financial disaster, but not surprisingly Congress found another way to appease the selfish pleas of a few illogical voters.

Take a look at TheHill.com article:

http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/budget/199163-usps-delays-facility-closures?tmpl=component&print=1&page=

Every Congress member who voted to delay definitive action has caused every single taxpayer in this country to assume an additional financial burden by their inaction. How can the financial situation at the Postal Service be anything but worse next May than it is today?

Your Commander begs your forgiveness for his repetition, but our Congress is gutless, dysfunctional, and AWOL. When an entity is dysfunctional and losing money such as the Post Office, privatization is no longer a dirty word. Maybe that is what we should do with Congress too, because they are certainly dysfunctional, inept and adding to the debt that we taxpayers must ultimately repay.

COMMANDER GRANGER

PUNISH ALEX BALDWIN'S BEHAVIOR

The latest media info-tainment driven frenzy surrounds Alex Baldwin, again. Personally, I am sick and tired of reading about this petulant, egotistical jerk and he should not be getting any attention from the fawning, celebrity centric media. As I have written on numerous occasions it is beyond my comprehension how far our moral codes and priorities in life have decayed.

I refuse to view, listen or read anything related to the ultra left Alex Baldwin. As far as I am concerned he is persona non-grata. I do not understand why the media falls all over him reporting his every movement.

The well-publicized telephone rant he left for his estranged daughter was enough to place him on my shun list, but now the American Air Lines incident at LAX airport where he was removed from a flight for failing to abide by FAA rules is the final straw. That day for many innocent individuals was totally destroyed by Baldwin’s illegal action, and he should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Instead of securing publicity, Baldwin should have been arrested on the spot for disrupting the scheduled departure of the aircraft.

If I were American Air Lines, I would black list him from all future flights and file charges against him. However, from a public relations stand-point the airline, already in bankruptcy, will no doubt back-off due to the fear that other Hollywood types would refrain from using their coast to coast service.

Just when is someone going to hold mental midgets such as Alex Baldwin responsible and accountable for their behavior? I would…how about you?

COMMANDER GRANGER

STATES EXPAND LUCRATIVE PENSIONS

If you missed the special report in the December 9th edition of USA Today addressing ‘States expand lucrative pensions’, I have placed a link to it and the disturbing details. I will not present an extended explanation of my opinion, because you really should read this article. Suffice it to say the actions the States are expanding as an already ticking financial time-bomb on the backs of sleeping taxpayers.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2011-12-08/state-pensions-workers/51750670/1

This is what happens when our elected officials sell out their integrity to the unions in exchange for financial support and endorsements while the innocent taxpayers go happily about daily life. When in the hell will the public wake-up and throw these complicit political crooks out of office and demand that this kind of complicity stop?

COMMANDER GRANGER

THE 'GREEN' DEBATE ON CHRISTMAS TREES

Reading The Washington Post over the weekend I ran across an article by Darryl Fears and Robert Samuels raising a debate about whether we should purchase a live tree or an artificial tree this Christmas season. If you’re interested here is the link:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/the-green-debate-on-christmas-trees-fresh-vs-fake/2011/12/07/gIQAk3mLjO_print.html

I do not know about your priority concerns, but I guarantee you that having a fake or live tree this Christmas is not high on my list of pressing issues of the day. For the record we now have a fake tree because it is much easier for my wife to manage, but I have absolutely no problem with individuals enjoying the smell of a live tree. We have enjoyed live trees over the years, but I must admit they can be a mess and the removal after the big day can be a hassle.

With all the significant economic problems facing our nation, the debate of a live or fake tree seems petty to this observer. Apparently the day The Washington Post assignment editor told Fears and Samuels to write this story it was a slow news day in our capitol city.

Whatever tree you trim this Christmas I hope you have a joyful day, and remember the story of Christmas. Oh, and don’t sweat the small stuff.

COMMANDER GRANGER

REMEMBERING PEARL HARBOR

This is a very important day for the United States of America and as the late President Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “…a date that will live in infamy.” Your Commander was 10 years old and I remember exactly what I was doing on that Sunday morning as if it were yesterday. I was lying on the living room floor reading the Sunday morning Chicago Tribune funny papers and a special announcement came over the floor model Philco radio that Pearl Harbor had been attacked. When my Dad returned from getting his car hand washed at the local gas station, he, Mom, and I sat in front of the Philco to hear the tragic details of death and destruction.

A very small percentage of present-day Americans were alive back in 1941, so it is significant that some vital details be brought to your attention at this time. A total of 16,112,566 US individuals served in the Armed Forces during that War, there were 291,557 battle deaths, 113,842 other non-combat deaths, 670,846 non-mortally wounded, and as of May 11, 2011 there were only 2,079,000 veterans of World War II still alive.

During World War II a total of 464 Medals of Honor were awarded and 266 of those were posthumous. As of August 12, 2011 there were 14 recipients of the Medal of Honor from that war still living.

It is estimated that 850 American WWII veterans die each day, and the median age of the WWII vets is approximately 86 years.

It is with deep regret that I personally have few remaining friends who remember that War and most of my associates know little or nothing of those years of strife and sacrifice that influenced our entire country and the world to this date. Much has been written, but many facts and stories are yet to be told and questions yet to be answered. It is in that vain that I draw your attention to a very important article that recently appeared in The Washington Post that addresses ‘Five myths about Pearl Harbor’. This should be considered essential reading for all Americans on this date.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/five-myths-about-pearl-harbor/2011/11/23/gIQAbdKrLO_print.html

Summarizing, I remember the often questioned suspicion that the American government knew in advance of the Japanese plan to attack on Pearl Harbor. It is a proven fact that Washington knew in advance, and that President Roosevelt permitted the attack to ease America into the World War against Germany, Italy, and Japan. In fact, at one point it was believed an attack would take place November 30th.

While the majority of death and destruction occurred in Hawaii, the Japanese also attacked the Philippines, Wake Island, Guam and Malaya, Thailand and Midway Island on that day.

The major misconception of that war was that America retaliated immediately, but that is not a fact, because American forces did not respond until February 1942 when the Pacific fleet engaged in battle in the Gilbert and Marshall Islands. Another misconception was that the Japanese were the only U.S. citizens rounded up after the Pearl Harbor attack. Over 120,000 individuals were detained including Japanese, Germans and Italians.

The Pearl Harbor attack did sway American public opinion to enter the War, because prior to the attack the country supported an isolationist agenda. America declared War on Japan on December 8, 1941, but did not declare War against Germany and Italy until December 11, 1941.

Since that time our country has been engaged in several major wars, such as Korea where I served, several small regional conflicts, Viet Nam, and substantial conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is yet to be determined by historical study, but the World War II conflict was the most influential in changing the entire world politically that has occurred in my life time. It is important to know about that war, and I pray that we are never drawn into a conflict of that magnitude ever again. Every effort must be rendered to achieve peace around the world, but we must be strong in defending our homeland from attack by foreign influences bent upon doing our country great harm.

Join me today in saluting all veterans of American Wars, especially our WWII vets.
GOD BLESS AMERICA

COMMANDER GRANGER

USA LACKS SUPPORT IN UNITED NATIONS

Your Commander has written previously addressing my deep concerns regarding our country’s participation in the United Nations. Remember it was our late President Franklin D. Roosevelt that urged and forged the creation of the United Nations during the closing months of World War II, but over time support and recognition of the massive financial backing granted to the U.N. by our country has only been repaid with an increasing lack of support to our proposals.

Here are some interesting statistics that came to me in an email which supports my feelings:

How they vote in the United Nations:

Below are the actual voting records of various Arabic/Islamic States which are recorded in both the US State Department and United Nations records:

Kuwait votes against the United States 67% of the time
Qatar votes against the United States 67% of the time
Morocco votes against the United States 70% of the time
United Arab Emirates votes against the United States 70% of the time
Jordan votes against the United States 71% of the time
Tunisia votes against the United States 71% of the time
Saudi Arabia votes against the United States 73% of the time
Yemen votes against the United States 74% of the time
Algeria votes against the United States 74% of the time
Oman votes against the United States 74%of the time
Sudan votes against the United States 75% of the time
Pakistan votes against the United States 75% of the time
Libya votes against the United States 76% of the time
Egypt votes against the United States 79% of the time
Lebanon votes against the United States 80% of the time
India votes against the United States 81% of the time
Syria votes against the United States 84%of the time
Mauritania votes against the United States 87% of the time

U S Foreign Aid to those that hate us:

Egypt, for example, after voting 79% of the time against the United States, still receives $2,000,000,000 annually in US Foreign Aid.
Jordan votes 71% against the United States and receives $192,814,000 annually in US Foreign Aid.
Pakistan votes 75% against the United States and receives $6,721,000,000 annually in US Foreign Aid.
India votes 81% against the United States and receives $143,699,000 annually in US Foreign Aid.


Isn’t this a fair question to ask…Why do we continue to funnel money to countries that consistently vote against American resolutions in the United Nations? When will this country learn that we no longer can successfully buy our friends with precious American dollars?

COMMANDER GRANGER

BEST COLLEGE MAJORS FOR EMPLOYMENT

With more and more stories reporting a lack of jobs for college graduates, I found a Townhall.com article that reported the results of research from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and Northeastern University that addresses the problem. We have all heard stories of graduates moaning about their huge student loan obligations and the lack of available jobs. Obviously that problem is frequently self-induced, because many students achieved degrees in fields and specialties that simply are not hiring, particularly during the current economic downturn.

The report indicates that the median salary dropped to $27,000 for 2009-2010 college graduates from $30,000 in the 2006-2008 period. The Labor Department announced that the jobless rate for younger workers with college degrees is currently 6.4% and it was only 3.5% as recently as 2007. This computes to about 3.5 million ex-students “underutilized” in government-speak terms.

Important to note are the ten best degree categories with low to no unemployment rates:

1. Actuarial Sciences - 0 percent
2. Astronomy and Astrophysics - 0 percent
3. Educational Administration and Supervision - 0 percent
4. Geological and Geophysical Engineering - 0 percent
5. Pharmacology - 0 percent
6. School Student Counseling - 0 percent
7. Agricultural Economic - 1.3 percent
8. Medical Technologies Technicians - 1.4 percent
9. Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology - 1.6%
10. Environmental Engineering, Nursing, and Nuclear Industrial Radiology and Biological Technologies - 2.2 percent

Considering this research, the student loan problems appear to be self-induced or the product of poor student counseling that has steered students into fields of study with limited or no employment opportunities. It also strikes your Commander that the fields of study listed above require a substantial effort to successfully complete and that could be another causal factor leading to the unemployment line in easier or the latest fad fields of study.

COMMANDER GRANGER

LEADERS SHOULD LEAD NOT HIDE

Lately I have been forced to turn to the web pages of some conservative publications to secure information concerning significant issues of the day, because our mainstream media has become so liberal and biased they simply are not presenting ALL the news of the day. With that in mind, I spotted an article by Katie Pavlich on Townhall.com reporting the planned 17 day vacation our President and his family will be taking to Hawaii to celebrate the holidays.

With our economy teetering on the brink of collapse and unemployment still hovering at an unacceptable -8.6%, I question the appropriateness of this trip, and the at least $1 million dollar expense the American taxpayers must absorb. Granted, Obama will pay the cost to rent the beach front house they will stay in and reimburse the government the equivalent of regular airline tickets while flying on Air Force One.

In politics they say that perception is reality, thus I contend that the timing of this trip indicates to me that our President, or Commander in Chief as he frequently reminds us, just does not care what the American people think. This vacation is Obama’s 10th in his less than three years in office and shows his total disregard toward the multitude of suffering American people. His action is shameful, and represents his arrogant abuse of presidential power and privilege. Apparently the White House and Camp David is not sufficiently comfortable to suit his newly found elitist tastes.

While serving proudly in the United States Air Force I was taught that leaders lead from the front-lines, but during these days of political tension and economic strife our leader flies 4,831 miles to Hawaii at taxpayer expense away from the front lines of the battle zone in Washington. D.C. Your Commander finds this conduct shameful, inexcusable, and most inappropriate.

COMMANDER GRANGER

DEFENSE SEC'Y PANETTA FILES HOME ON OUR DIME

I know I get more conservative and out-right cantankerous on subjects as time goes by. An article at TheHill.com drew my attention, because during these times of economic strife, green energy, carbon footprints, and the growing debate surrounding the anticipated reductions in the Defense Department budget, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s excessive use of Military Aircraft is simply wrong.

Secretary Panetta flies every weekend to his home in California where his wife runs his Panetta Institute, since his government appointment requires that he recuse himself from that venture. He can and will return to that job once he leaves Washington again. Here is the link for your further perusal:

http://thehill.com/blogs/defcon-hill/operations/196993-lawmakers-shrug-at-pentagon-chiefs-weekend-flights-to-california?tmpl=component&print=1&page=

Your Commander finds it very troubling that Panetta and the Washington based government operatives think nothing of freely spending the taxpayer’s money just because they can get away with doing it. If Panetta and Congressional members want those jobs, they should not have the right to fly home on the taxpayer’s dime every weekend. How about flying the wife and family to Washington at your own expense when you can afford it and/or traveling to your home/district in the same manner.

This is the kind of crap the American taxpayer is getting really sick and tired of hearing. Our government servants expect they are due certain excesses because of their position. I do not agree and I am certain you support my position on this issue, too.

I suspect if we learned how much all the weekend DC travel costs, many of us would have a fatal stroke. This seems to be an excellent place to begin cutting excessive expenses.

A million here and there becomes a billion here and there, and we might come up with a trillion or two!

COMMANDER GRANGER

FAST AND FURIOUS LACKS ACCOUNTABILITY

Everyone has now heard of the ill-conceived Fast and Furious plan that backfired on the Department of Justice (DOJ) and is directly responsible for the death of brave U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian A. Terry. Investigations have lingered in the Halls of Congress but thus far no one has been held accountable or responsible for this ill-conceived plan.

I urge you to read Katie Pavlich’s article at the Townhall.com link below that provides important insight into this sickening development.

http://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2011/12/02/fast_and_furious_justice_department_submitted_knowingly_false_information_to_congress/print

I read another Katie Pavlich article that reports the DOJ has been laundering millions of dollars in dirty, bloody Mexican Cartel profits and here is the link to that story:

http://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2011/12/04/obama_justice_department_laundered_millions_of_dollars_in_mexican_cartel_profits/print

After reading these articles I do not understand how Attorney General Eric Holder or any of those directly involved in Fast and Furious can continue to retain their office/positions, and even worse not be held accountable and responsible for this program. It is obvious that our Department of Justice, under the Obama Administration will hold you and me accountable and responsible for our actions, but that same standard does not apply to them.

That line of reasoning is totally unacceptable and cannot be tolerated.

COMMANDER GRANGER

NOTRE DAME QB CRIST LEAVING

Your Commander tips his hat to the Sports Department of the Chicago Tribune who scooped all the local media in South Bend in announcing the departure of Notre Dame Quarterback Dayne Crist to greener pastures. Here is the link to the Tribune’s article posted at 12:29 AM early this morning.

http://news-chicago.info/chicago-top-stories/qb-crist-is-leaving-notre-dame.html

Brian Hamilton’s early morning posting provides suggestions where Crist may enroll to play football with his one remaining year of eligibility. I personally hope he has a successful year after a red shirt year, several injuries, and harsh treatment by petulant Notre Dame Head Coach Brian Kelly. It is important to note that the ND players held Crist in high regard, while it is a pity that his coach placed his own agenda before the loyalty shown by an outstanding scholar athlete.

Being a resident of the Notre Dame area, I am shocked that the so-called “Dean of Local Sports,” WNDU-TV’s Jeff Jeffers, missed this story, but on the other hand I wasn’t surprised since the word apparently came while he was at home.

Thanks, Dayne Crist, for your dedication to your school and the sport of football and good luck for future success where ever your journey takes you in life.

COMMANDER GRANGER

FAITH AND OUR NATION'S FOUNDERS

I may be old, but I was not around when our Founding Fathers toiled so brilliantly back in 1776 to establish the foundation of this great American adventure. But, certainly we can readily agree that they did their work on a sound basis that led this country to become the envy of the entire world. Admittedly there are detractors, but I believe most of those country’s motivations are really based upon jealousness and self-preservation of their questionable way of governing or dictating.

Once again I call upon all of us to look back at our history to better understand what has been successful and exactly where we have fallen short of our goals. Some modern-day forces tend to poo-poo the Founding Fathers as out of date, but I disagree with that premise. In the current edition of the American Patriot’s Almanac there is an excellent review of the Faith of the Founders. Here is a summarization of the seven truths about the founding of America:

1. The Founders believed that we are creatures of God, and that God endows us with our
inalienable rights.

2. The Bible was an indispensable source of inspiration for the Founders

3. The Founders believed that God created humans to be free.

4. The American concept of equality is deeply rooted in the Judaic tradition.

5. The Founders regarded religion as a pillar of American democracy.

6. The Bill of Rights guarantees freedom of religion in order to encourage faith.

7. The Founders believed that America plays a special role in God’s plan.

The real purpose is to get you to think about these seven foundational principles, and then question whether we have gotten into our current state because we failed to follow our Founding Father’s intensions and guidance.
I suggest that a good case can be made for that contention. What do you think?

COMMANDER GRANGER

WASHINGTON'S DOUBLE SPEAK LANGUAGE

Our nation’s capital has long been renowned for oratory consisting of Washington “double-speak,” saying one thing and meaning something else. Those of you who follow this blog may remember me telling the story about an old southern Senator’s remarks being challenged by a reporter and the Senator in response said, “Son, just because I said it doesn’t mean it is so.”

Presidential Press Secretary Jay Carney responding in June of this year to questions about the Bush tax cuts stated, “I just want to be clear that when some folks are throwing up a lot of ‘gorilla dust’ to confuse people about what they’re ruling out.”

The term ‘gorilla dust’ was a new one to me and upon checking the web site DoubleTongued.org I learned the definition to be “bluffing, posturing, or hollow attempts at intimidation.” That definitely sounds like all the talk coming from both sides of the aisles of Congress and the White House Oval Office to me.

Here are some catchwords I spotted on that same web site that have been introduced into the language of Washington too: macaroon technique, sorry gift, break the ton, ghost shift, stock, startle factor, hair crunch, seagen, rollup, simming, nimbleton, skuke, broccoli journalism, parclo, and dittoism. Not knowing what in the hell these words really mean I doubt few others do, and that is one of our basic problems in Washington because I’m not sure they do either.

If you want to check the definition of these words just hit this link:

http://www.doubletongued.org/index.php/dictionary/gorilla_dust/

I like the basic explanation for ‘gorilla dust’ from “Hinduism Today” in 1998, “When two male gorillas confront each other, they’re too canny most of the time to actually fight, so they resort to the tried-and-true political tactic of intimidation. Both scurry about in frenzy, grimacing menacingly, beating their chests and tossing clouds of dirt into the air. It’s a serious encounter, full of powerful and primitive energies, a test of testosterone. Soon one becomes convinced that the other could win the threatened physical engagement and retreats.”

Sounds oddly familiar, doesn’t it?

COMMANDER GRANGER

BLOCKADE OF WEST COAST PORTS

Let me draw your attention to Townhall.com’s very disturbing article that reveals ex-Obama White House Green Energy Tsar, Van Jones, is calling for the Occupy Movement to blockade major West Coast sea ports December 12th in Portland, Tacoma, Seattle, Vancouver, and Anchorage. With the American economy on a shaky foundation already, any disruption will only acerbate the flow of commerce further and delay economic recovery.

The Townhall.com article, written by its News Editor, Katie Pavlich, goes so far as to call Jones a Communist. Here is the link to her article if you want to read more:

http://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2011/12/02/van_jones_calls_on_occupiers_to_block_major_ports

If this information concerns you, I suggest you take a look at the Wikipedia report on Van Jones, because his background and activities should raise a red flag of concern regarding his true political agenda.

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

If you are still not concerned, Mr. Jones is a VERY close personal friend of President Obama and has been for years.

While your Commander is a strong advocate of our 1st Amendment rights to free-speech, I believe that Van Jones is deviously intent upon bringing down the American form of government. Operatives such as Jones (again, remember he is an Obama pal) represent a disruptive force functioning under the guise of ‘good vs. evil’ or a ‘Sheep in Wolf’s’ clothing’. Reading Jones’ Wikipedia mention, I wonder how much of Jones’s Princeton University salary is being paid by the American taxpayers or is a left-wing liberal advocacy group backing his earnings there through a funded chair?

Your Commander certainly does not suggest a return to 1950s McCarthy era witch hunts, but in my opinion individuals like Van Jones represent a clear and present danger to the American way of life.

COMMANDER GRANGER

MAINSTREAM MEDIA AWOL ON BOEING SETTLEMENT

Were it not for my morning scan of various internet sites, I would not have found the report of a settlement of the well-known Boeing Aircraft negotiations with the contentious Machinists and Aerospace Workers Union. When I saw an article on Townhall.com I then searched major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times but did not find so much as a mention of the lengthy labor dispute that led to the problem with the National Labor Relations Board withholding approval for Boeing’s new Dreamliner plant in Charleston, S.C.

Further investigation revealed coverage by The Wall Street Journal and the Politico.com site (Politico link below). What I found most interesting was the fact that it seemed only conservative sites reported the labor settlement, which should lead to the NLRB approving Boeing’s important new Charleston operation in a Right to Work State.

http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=DBBDF4A0-2A26-40B0-97BE-8CEC8639DDD5

In the interest of fair and balanced reporting extensive coverage of the Boeing labor settlement does exist in the morning editions of both the Seattle Times and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Seattle is home to another Boeing plant and is also the company's former headquarters. Boeing is now headquartered in Chicago.

Your Commander wonders just why the mainstream media outlets did not address this important labor settlement with even a small announcement, but it was sufficiently significant to be carried on right-wing conservative media? Do the words LIBERAL POLITICAL BIAS and LABOR SYMPATHIES come to mind?

COMMANDER GRANGER

SEQUESTRATION-CAN IT SAVE TRILLIONS

With the failure of the Super Committee and the previous Simpson/Bowles Debt Reduction Commission appointed by President Obama due to political gridlock, we now have “sequestration”, which has stirred great concern across the country and within the Halls of a do-nothing Congress. With a President more interested in his re-election than the deep issues confronting the nation, we must urge our reluctant Congressional representatives to act bravely and firmly before the axe falls sharply upon our national economy.

The definition of sequestration in this case is, “confiscation of property, as by court or government action.” What will be confiscated are dollars from government budget line items, which means that half of the $1.2 million in expense will be cut from the Defense Department.

We and Congress have kicked the can down the road so long we now must address several previously untouched issues, because there is no longer any alternative. Cuts in expenditures must be made and they must be made soon.
Issues such as Immigration, Social Security, and Obama-care must be changed, but the hot-button issue getting all the attention currently is National Defense and cuts to the Pentagon budget. That is a highly emotional subject just like the ones I noted earlier.

I have addressed Defense spending previously, and know from first-hand experience, as every single veteran knows, that we can cut waste, fraud and corruption in Defense spending and not lose one iota of defense readiness.
That would save billions of dollars, but we must save trillions ASAP, and I am going to make a suggestion that will cause a huge emotional negative reaction from many of my readers, but it is doable and logical.

There is absolutely no reason for the United States of America to fund, supply and support five separate distinct branches of our military. We should unify the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines and Coast Guard into two distinct units, namely the Army and the Navy. Currently we have five separate units operating five different air operations, with five different supply units, five different uniforms, five different budgets that overlap the same objective.

After you take the emotional opposition out of the argument there are obviously billions of dollars in savings that can occur, and many of the under utilized facilities domestically and internationally can be unified with immediate greater efficiency and effectiveness.

Our federal government has never been run with the efficiencies and cost-controls that exist in private industry and those efficiencies must be forced upon our military and government operations ASAP. We have to require the political leadership to make these hard decisions and get our country back on a sound economic balance sheet.

Just consider all the under-utilized buildings that our government owns and maintains. Consider the millions of acres of land owned by the federal government and the substantially under-utilized acres of land that exist on our military installations. Selling off unneeded and unused land and getting it on the tax rolls only makes sense, but some one must have the guts to face these issues despite the well-known special interest lobby efforts that will quickly spring forth.

Remember our five-star General of the Armies, and later President Dwight Eisenhower warned us of the dangers of the Military Industrial Complex shortly after he left office. Many of the essential services of government must be preserved, but first we must get our financial house in order or nothing will exist if all our institutions collapse because our elected officials did not act responsibly. If you look into the mirror you know I am correct in my conclusions, but no one enjoys facing the cold hard facts of the day.

We are all guilty of kicking the can down the road, and we have been spoiled and bought-off by persuasive political forces, including lobbyists, but we must now suck it up and pay the price for having it good for far too long without keeping an eye on our federal check book. We trusted Congress to do that, and they cannot be trusted in this day and age.

I think our last chance to achieve an improvement in our economy and our national finances may be with the adoption of the Simpson/Bowles Commission Report.

COMMANDER GRANGER

DARE THE DEMOCRATS

The title listed for Dr. Charles Krauthammer’s recent column was called “The Grover Norquist myth”, but I think it should have been DARE THE DEMOCRATS. Krauthammer’s insightful column elequently notes that the Democrat spin machine has been effective, but he proves without any doubt that it is the Democrats who have failed to even present a budget plan over the past 2 ½ years. Here is the link:

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-11-28/news/ct-oped-1128-krauthammer-20111128-20_1_tax-revenue-tax-rates-tax-reform

This opinion piece proposes an important suggestion by urging the Republicans to force a vote on the Simpson/Bowles report in the House. The key point of Krauthammer’s thesis is in his closing paragraph when he states, “Dare the Senate Democrats to vote down the grandest of all bargains. Dare Obama to veto his own debt commission. Dare the Democrats to actually do something about debt.”

When are the Republicans going to force the truth to come forth and out-maneuver the Democrats and their complicit simpatico main-stream media pals?

COMMANDER GRANGER

OCCUPY POSTER OF THE DAY

In my email today I received a wonderful example of the shallow misdirected foolishness that permeates the Occupy Wall Street Movement. A young woman at the OWS site in New York was holding a sign (to the best of my knowledge the sign was not photo shopped). It said:

$96,000 for a BA in Hispanic transgender gay & lesbian studies and I can’t find work!

Now I ask you, why do you suppose she can’t find a job? Let us start by questioning why the school even offered such a degree, and why the guidance counselor suggested or permitted this course of study, and why a bank would approve the accompanying loans for this particular student when there were few if any jobs in this course of study? It is apparent that our universities and colleges are not serving their students’ best interests, but presenting courses that support politically correct or politically sympathetic agendas of the facility.

This demonstrator should be holding up that sign in front of the university or college she attended asking the same question of them. Maybe they should hire her, but that action would end up costing the American taxpayers to support another scholastic program that leads to nowhere.

I suspect this misguided young adult is only qualified to open a coffee shop for Hispanic transgender gay & lesbian students, but little else. I think I am having another Howard Beale moment…”I’M MAD AS HELL AND I’M NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE!”

COMMANDER GRANGER

BOOK REVIEW - KILLING LINCOLN

Since completing the Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard best-selling book “Killing Lincoln”, I have given considerable thought toward this review of the extremely sad story surrounding the assassination of one of the most famous presidents in the history of the United States of America. I must note that I believe a person who is 80 years old will be affected differently when reading this book than an individual of a much younger age. At my advanced age the subject of death is one I prefer to avoid and not dwell upon, although I recognize that it is inevitable.

That being said, I strongly recommend that all ages read “Killing Lincoln”, because it certainly brings forward many long forgotten facts surrounding this devastating event. While some have challenged certain details disclosed in the book, I suspect some of that is due to the strong sentiments individuals hold regarding Bill O’Reilly.

Permit me to suggest that there is great value in understanding all the subsequent actions that occurred as a result of Lincoln’s assassination, such as the creation of the Secret Service, the restriction of public entrance within the White House, and the importance of the vetting process for the Vice-Presidential candidate in subsequent elections.

The authors have written a book that is very easy to read, and with short chapters it is one that you can read for a short period and then pick-up again quite easily. The book is a worthy read or it would not have been able to sustain its long tenure on the better best-seller lists across the country.

Lastly, I wonder how different our country would be today had we had the leadership and direction of Abraham Lincoln as our president for the remainder of at least his second term (remember that the presidential two term limit did not occur until the late 1940s). Certainly the re-unification of the North and South after the Civil War would have been a priority under Lincoln’s leadership, but did not occur under his inept successor, Andrew Johnson.

Tragically, we will never know all the answers, and we must trust historians for direction and understanding as O’Reilly and Dugard have done so effectively in this book.

COMMANDER GRANGER

PRIVATIZE THE NATION'S MAIL DELIVERY

Here I go again addressing the sad financial state of the U.S. Postal Service. You may remember that your Commander has addressed this subject on numerous occasions, and has long suggested that the business model of the Post Office has changed forever and it should be privatized.

At my advanced age I find it most rewarding when I find someone else who carries an opinion identical to mine, and thus I draw your attention to a recent George F. Will column.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/privatize-the-nations-mail-delivery/2011/11/23/gIQAe2J7wN_print.html

Once you take the emotion out of this conversation the answer is obvious as clearly stated by Will in this opinion piece. Now we have to wonder just how long Congress will take to implement the appropriate action, and save the country billions of additional wasted dollars.

COMMANDER GRANGER

IGNORE ELIOT SPITZER

Yes, the name of Eliot Spitzer, the disgraced former Governor of New York, has popped up in a sympathetic article in the weekend edition of Politico.com. Any suggestion that Spitzer can or should re-enter the political scene is utter nonsense and should be simply ignored before it gains any traction.

If you have nothing better to do, spend fifteen minutes reading the Politico.com article. Here is the link for your use:

http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=BFE9147E-80C3-4867-8090-DAF4E21EE788

As the article notes Spitzer and the Occupy Wall Street movement have found each other. That should be sufficient reason to ignore him again just as he was by the electorate after being exposed and shamed in a prostitution scandal that caused him to step down as Governor of New York and his failed attempt as a cable talk show host on CNN. The thought that Spitzer has even the slightest thought of returning to politics is sickening and again, as I did many months ago, I recommend that he be shunned for all time.

Seeing Spitzer extend his support to the Occupy Wall Street movement reminds me of the old expression “Birds of a feather stick together.”

COMMANDER GRANGER

UNIONS AND POLITICS

Over the holiday weekend I had an opportunity to read a very interesting and reflective interview with Fred Siegel, an economic historian of the American city, written by Matthew Kaminski on The Wall Street Journal web site. Siegel discusses “how government unions came to dominate state and local politics.” Here is the link:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203716204577016092542307600.html?mod=WSJ_hp_mostpop_read#printMode

This article really puts the current economic problems into a simple and easy to understand explanation by an experienced economist who has strong ties to a socialist environment within his family. I have never heard our current problems explained so logically and I hope you find this to have been a valuable experience to better understanding just what we must do to improve our economy in the near term.

The resolution is political dynamite, but it must be confronted because we simply do not have the funds to continue paying the unfunded union pensions that our government officials authorized to garner union voter support. Only strong leadership will solve our current economic debacle, but the day of reckoning must now be faced head-on, because the alternative is unacceptable to both political parties.

When you read articles with such substance as this one, it is easy to understand why The Wall Street Journal is so highly regarded.

COMMANDER GRANGER

NBA - THE GRINCH TRIES TO STEAL CHRISTMAS

On October 13th I wrote a commentary stating I could care less if the National Basketball Association played any game of the 2011/2012 season. Now word has been released that the spoiled and over-paid players and the bloated rich-cats who own the teams have reached a tentative agreement to resume play with three separate games scheduled Christmas Day. (All NBA, all Christmas Day.)

It might be a wonderful way to disrupt and spoil a beautiful day for families who celebrate the joys of life and the Christmas story, but I hope no one cares and no one watches. I believe the NBA wants to come back as ‘the Grinch Spoiling Christmas 2012.’ This is the essence of misplaced values. Sad, but true.

You might want to view the attached You Tube video parody relative to this fiasco. If it wasn’t so close to the truth it would be really funny.

http://www.wtam.com/pages/bfrantz.html?article=9407224

Need I say more?

COMMANDER GRANGER

MEDIA FUELS OCCUPY WALL ST. MOVEMENT

Repeatedly I have expressed my negative reaction to the Occupy Wall Street movement and its motivation. I have noted complicity between the “OWS” participants, and the main-stream media including radio, television and newspaper coverage.

Media outlets across the country are outraged with the pepper spray incident at the University of California/Davis that is often mentioned and video aired with little or no acknowledgement of the activities that lead up to the action by campus Police. Shepard Smith on Fox News Channel went ballistic criticizing the Police involved before he knew anything about the incident, except the brief video feed from the local Fox affiliate showing the protestors being pepper sprayed from point blank range.

When viewing OWS demonstrations have you ever asked yourself: Why do the participants feel they must mask their faces. What are they ashamed of and why do they not have the guts to be recognized. What are they hiding?

Lately, good solid reporting by print and broadcast journalists is long on sensationalism and short on solid facts, because their approach is quick and cheap. Good and accurate journalism is costly and time consuming and that is not what we are getting in today’s stringent economy.

I know from what I speak, because I was on the management side of the industry in the good old days when the business of journalism made an excellent profit and could afford to do the job correctly. Now the old expression, “If it bleeds it leads” is very much in vogue for both print and electronic media outlets. Then add the very real liberal vent that is prevalent in newsrooms across America today and the public is being fed a biased, one side view of the issues.

CNSnews.com reports that according to an Associated Press survey the OWS movement has cost the nation’s cities $13 million dollars in over-time expense for Police Department and other municipal services in just two months. One must wonder how the OWS organizers can justify that expense when they are so critical of government and bank actions.

Beware of what you’re getting from media today. Question what you’re seeing and reading and look for responsible sources of your information before your react. If the cameras and reporters were to ignore OWS, the movement would likely fold 24-48 hours.

COMMANDER GRANGER

INDIANA LEGISLATURE FACES DIVISION IN 2012

Do you remember when the Democrat Party members of the Indiana State Legislature walked-out in early 2011 and fled to Danville, Illinois preventing a quorum which avoided any vote on anti-labor legislation? Well based upon reports emanating from Indianapolis the brief 2012 General Assembly session is headed for a confrontation when they push “Right to Work” legislation.

Legendary blow-hard State Democrat Minority Leader B. Patrick Bauer, who wears the worst rug in Indiana, promises stiff opposition due to the Democrat Party’s strong union support. To bring yourself up to date on this important issue you can take a look at a South Bend Tribune article at this link:

http://www.southbendtribune.com/sbt-assembly-likely-faces-more-division-20111122,0,4102368,print.story

Despite the strength of the union movement in Indiana the early reports of a poll in the South Bend Tribune are both surprising and interesting. After only two days the poll indicates that 59% of the participants support “Right to Work” legislation, and 41% are opposed. Clearly the extremely high levels of unemployment in Indiana may be causing the Hoosier citizens to favor State legislative action that could enhance the chance of improving employment opportunities through successful economic development.

It does not take an intellectual to predict that this next General Assembly session is going to get contentious, because if the union movement loses this battle its future is certainly in jeopardy of fading out of existence. For the record I favor “Right to work” legislation, because it has been successful where it exists in 23 other States around the USA.

Indiana and the entire country needs to create jobs, which will increase tax revenues, and if “Right to work” creates jobs then we would be fools not to endorse such a plan.

COMMANDER GRANGER

DYSFUNCTIONAL GOVERNANCE

On this day when we give thanks for the many blessing that have been bestowed upon us, I felt it appropriate to search for a better understanding as to why our governance has become so dysfunctional. Permit me to draw your attention to a very reflective article by Holman W. Jenkins Jr. that I found on The Wall Street Journal web site.

The title “If Only Obama Had Been This Guy” is supported by the sub-headline ‘Carter at least did not substitute his priorities for the nation’s’. This article goes to the heart of the necessity for leadership in Washington.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204443404577054141769215880.html?mod=WSJ_hp_mostpop_read#printMode

Hopefully on this day of consideration a growing number of our fellow Americans will become involved in requiring our government officials to address the important issues of the day as opposed to ranking their selfish, egotistically driven re-election goals their first priority. When our elected officials took their sworn Oath of Office how can they ignore those very clearly specified objectives?

Your Commander cannot think of anything more important for all of us to contemplate on this day of reflection than honest, prioritized, good governance.

COMMANDER GRANGER

IMPORTANT - WHO IS GROVER NORQUIST?

The timing of the CBS 60 Minutes segment Sunday 11/20 on Grover Norquist was brilliant, because it exposed his personal responsibility for the failure of the Special Congressional Debt Committee to reach any agreement in reducing our national debt obligations. To say that Norquist is a controversial figure is a massive understatement. In an effort to better understand just who and what Grover Norquist is, I have done some research and I urge you to read the attached links so you too can assess Norquist more accurately.

When I read this Wikipedia article I certainly learned some interesting background facts about this very influential lobbyist:

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

That article directly addresses and supports the suggestion of retired Senator Alan Simpson (R-WY) who said, “It’s time to peel all the layers of the onion off of Grover Norquist.” I agree with that statement after reading the Wikipedia details of his past.

Take a look at the Oath of Office that our United States Senators and members of the House of Representatives are required to take upon their election, which is required by the Sixth Article of our Constitution:

“I, ______, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.”

Now review the Taxpayer Protection Pledge that Norquist succeeded in having 267 Representatives and 41 Senators take:

“I,_____, pledge to the taxpayers of the ____th district of the state of ________ and to the American people that I will ONE, oppose any and all efforts to increase the marginal income tax rate for individuals, and businesses, and TWO, oppose any net reduction or elimination of deductions and credits, unless matched dollar for dollar by further reducing tax rates.”

In the interest of full disclosure I urge you to take a look at this link that specifies each and every member of the Senate and House who signed Norquist’s pledge:

http://s3.amazonaws.com/atrfiles/files/files/Federal%20Pledge%20Signers%20112th%20Congress(2).pdf

I draw your attention to the fact that 6 GOP House members and 7 GOP Senators declined to sign the pledge and note that 2 Democrat House members and 1 Democrat Senator signed the pledge.

In a separate commentary I intend to address my deep concerns about our current tax code, but I believe the signers of Norquist’s anti-tax pledge have abrogated the specific requisites of their Oath of Office. Your Commander does not feel a member of the House or Senate can take a federal oath “take this obligation freely, without any mental reservations or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office” when he or she in a pledge to a man or lobbying organization to ‘never’ raise taxes.

Your Commander further feels that Norquist is an egotistical opportunist who has attached himself to an emotionally charged con-job in the form of the Americans for Tax Reform movement that provides him with a healthy financial gain similar to the Jack Abramoff transgressions. Having been fortunate to have lived over 80 years, I know it is prudent to never say “NEVER” to anything.

I totally agree that our country desperately needs substantial tax reform to bring about a fairer distribution of personal and corporate tax liabilities. It is also absolutely essential to always have options available to our law makers to address any eventuality such as funding emergencies and sudden national defense issues. Any elected official who signed the Norquist pledge has abrogated their Oath, and should not be re-elected.

The Super Committee should have reached some agreement, and President Obama should have supported and urged legislation based upon the reasonable recommendations of the earlier Simpson/Bowles Debt Reduction Commission. As a result of the failure of the Special Committee and its inability to put a number of Simpson/Bowles Commission conclusions into its recommendations we have a falling stock market and are now in danger of another credit rating demotion and real economic chaos.

In conclusion, beware of Grover Norquist, because I consider him to be dangerous for the economic health of our country, and he could destroy the entire Republican Party, if they do not do it to themselves.

COMMANDER GRANGER

THE HILLARY MOMENT

I try not to address the same subject in the same month, but having read an interesting opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal titled “The Hillary Moment”, and having recently presented my comments (11/11/11) on the same subject, I feel compelled to return to the same issue. If you missed it here is a link to noted Democrat pundits Patrick H. Caddell and Douglas E. Schoen’s opinion piece:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203611404577041950781477944.html?mod=googlenews_wsj#printMode

Allow me to pat my self on the back, I beat Caddell and Schoen to publication and we addressed the same subject from different angles. I feared Hillary would be the 2012 Democrat candidate, and Caddell and Schoen are urging the Democrat Party to have her as their candidate. Either way, the important point is that the Republican Party has a real fight on their hands and this race is theirs to lose and the Democrats to win. Anyone who thinks the 2012 General Election is going to be anything but a bloody negative fight is simply naïve.

The way the Republican Party has been fumbling the ball, the negative reaction to the influence of Grover Norquist, the internal fighting in the Republican Party, the failure of the Super Committee, and the strong credentials of Hillary Clinton I fear that she can beat any one of the current Republican candidates if the election were held today. Festering in the background are the unknown dangerous intensions of those loons in Iran who could turn everything upside down.

As Pat Caddell said on Fox News Channel, “Our President is AWOL and unengaged.” Time will tell.

COMMANDER GRANGER

CAN GINGRICH WIN ON IMMIGRATION?

Your Commander did not have an opportunity to view the Republican presidential debate last night, but I have read the article by Dan Blaz from The Washington Post, which summarized what occurred during that debate. As the title of the article indicates the big reaction came from Newt Gingrich’s statements on immigration, which is apparently one of the hot-button issues in the race for the Republican nomination.

Here is the link to Blaz’s article, and I’ll address some personal comments and reaction below.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/can-gingrich-sell-humane-immigration-policy-to-gop/2011/11/23/gIQApuP0oN_print.html

I do not know who is going to get the Republican nomination, but I know that I want to see a qualified candidate challenge President Barack Obama. I believe he has done a poor job as President and has deviously lied to the American public. At the moment Mitt Romney seems to be the front-runner, and Newt Gingrich has deported himself very well in recent debates.

Gingrich has plenty of baggage, some significant and some really totally unimportant, but his poll numbers grow with each passing day. I believe he is the best debater and has the ability and experience to handle himself very well on his feet. While I am a long-term hawk on the issue of immigration, I must confess that my once held positions have changed, because they are not realistic or doable. Gingrich’s stated position is carefully noted in the Post article if you have not seen news sound bites.

Only time will tell, but I believe the Republicans have a tough road to hoe, and the negative Democrat Party campaign is yet to be fully unleashed against Obama’s opponents. I believe that Gingrich has made a bold move to garner votes from minorities and families with immigration issues, and I now support Gingrich’s position. It is logical and realistic.

Although I would like to deport all illegal immigrants, it is simply not possible to be approved or supported by Congress. We must get on with a solution to immigration, because it is breaking our back economically and preventing the resolution of far greater issues of the day.

In conclusion, I urge you to ask yourself the following question: Who has more logical suggestions for resolving the pressing problems of the day than Newt Gingrich? Thus far I suggest nobody has done so. Still, I am refraining from selecting a nominee at this time, but I must agree that I think this is now a two-man race to the finish. Only time will tell.

COMMANDER GRANGER

OCCUPY WALL STREET ASSESSMENT

Yesterday I spent well over an hour crafting my thoughts relative to the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations ramping up across America. My comments covered over 500 words, and expressed my deep concerns about the cause and effect of the well organized gatherings that are causing massive disruption in cities across the country with escalating violence each passing day.

While conducting some research for that blog I ran across an article that struck a chord, because it very clearly addressed the subject in a far more adroit fashion than I had. The article was written by Thomas Sowell, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institute at Stanford University, and I urge you to read his sentiments at the link below where he succinctly addresses the difference between rioting and protesting with his dissertation “Democracy vs. mob rule in ‘Occupy Wall Street’ protests”.

http://www.unionleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20111108/OPINION02/711089989/0/OPINION02&template=printart

Your Commander finds the fact that an increasing number of well-reasoned voices of color are stepping forward to challenge the actions of main-stream media, social movements, and the current administration very interesting. It is my personal opinion that this entire disruptive OWS movement is well organized and well financed with direct ties to the re-election agenda of Barack Obama. The OWS movement reflects another concerted effort to play the ‘transference card’ deflecting blame away from its true source of Capital Hill and the Oval Office of our White House.

COMMANDER GRANGER

PSU SCANDAL - IT ALL COMES DOWN TO MONEY

The news that has dominated the media and discussions in coffee shops, around water coolers, etc. across the country is all about the Penn State University child molestation scandal, and to say that it is a sad situation is a total understatement. Assuming all of the allegations and suspicions are true, this entire situation could have been prevented, but like so many previous sickening criminal acts, authorities will now take remedial action after the fact.

I find all the outrage being uttered by many public officials, university officials, and those involved in various athletic programs to be hollow and off the point. Had the proper perspective existed at Penn State and many of Colleges/Universities all over the country this scandal would not have happened, but football in this case took precedence over appropriate institutional controls.

It has been widely reported that football at Penn State brings between $70 and $80 million annually to the school. As a result, the school has one of the lowest state supported percentages of budget in the nation.

The root of this scandal and the cause of many of our nation’s problems are simply MONEY, GREED, AND POWER. When you look at many other grievous issues of the day, you find the cause is often the same MONEY, GREED, AND POWER.

Recently USA Today ran articles reporting the salary levels of college athletic directors and another listing the salary totals for football coaches. That prompted me to investigate the annual salary reports for the presidents of major universities around the country. Those reports allowed me to conclude that apparently football makes so much money that the football coach is very frequently paid more money than the ADs or even the presidents who are the ultimate leaders in the pecking order.

I think it is fair to say that in far too many cases football coaches have had inappropriate influence and control beyond both their ADs and university presidents. The coaches have a strong influence where alumni contributions are concerned.

One of the reasons it is so expensive to send our children to institutions of higher learning, is because the presidents, athletic directors, and coaches are being compensated at lavish and unjustified levels. Winning has become more important than learning and protecting our children, which is simply tragic and we must get our priorities in proper order ASAP.

If you’re interested in further details you should look at any of these links:

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/story/2011-athletics-director-salaries-database/50669958/1

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/story/2011-11-17/cover-college-football-coaches-salaries-rise/51242232/1

http://www.wsws.org/tools/index.php?page=print&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wsws.org%2Farticles%2F2011%2Fapr2011%2Fpres-a18.shtml

Nick Saban, head coach at Alabama makes $4,183,333; Univ. of Texas coach Mack Brown receives $2,293,361; Illinois coach Ron Zook is paid $1,750,000; Vanderbilt Athletic Director Dureal Williams is paid $2,560,505; new Ohio State University AD Gene Smith is paid $1,024,546; Notre Dame AD Jack Swarbuck receives $932,232, Duke AD Kevin White is paid $908,000.

Compare those salary levels to the top ten earning university presidents. The top pay goes to Ohio State University’s E. Gordon Gee at $1,818, 911 down to the 10th on the list, who is Michael M. Crow of Arizona State University at $728,350 you can see that virtually every President receives substantially less than the football coach and in many cases the AD compared to the institution’s Chief Executive Officer.

The football programs and in some cases the basketball programs rule the roost and that is why tragically a situation was permitted to brew like the one that occurred at Penn State University. I say…Why have we permitted the priorities of institutions to fall to this tragic condition?

Back to my earlier point, it is the vast amounts of money and the greed of the leadership to guarantee the continuing flow of dollars into the coffers of institutions nationwide. Sadly, I suspect there are many other cases of athletic influence covering up campus situations involving administrators, professors, or students. Hopefully the PSU scandal has sent Presidents, Boards of Trustees, Athletic Departments and others across the country into executive session to make sure their asses are covered. The country and college fans of any sport should not have to experience one more disgusting act to happen before corrective action is taken.

The Penn State University story has yet to totally unfold and it is certain to be disturbing, and I pray we learn and take appropriate action to prevent another tragic occurrence. Our children are the future of this country and they deserve our love and protection.

COMMANDER GRANGER