KATRINA, 5 YEARS LATER

In the last several days the tragic fifth anniversary of the devastation inflicted upon the Gulf Coast and New Orleans in particular was observed. There is a very interesting article on the Time.Com website that is quite revealing, and highlights a long lingering series of problems, however it really misses the point we should have learned.

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2012217_2012252_2014247,00.html

Time is correct in highlighting the desperate and long neglected need to restore the wetlands. Time again is correct in drawing attention to the numerous errors that have taken place with the Army Corp of Engineers under federal government supervision.

In all the television coverage and print journalism that flooded our eyes and ears during the anniversary of the Katrina tragedy, absent is any discussion of the years of total neglect and corruption that ran rampant throughout the political understructure along the Gulf Coast. Had political leadership not been so corrupt and inefficient, the disaster would not have been avoided, but the people would have been protected and evacuated.

The incidents of political neglect and ineffectiveness are far too numerous to list. This situation has gone on for years, and you have no doubt read many stories of political shortcomings. People would not have been stranded had the hundreds of local school buses been put to use, and the levees would have held had the local levee board not been so corrupt. Yes, the federal government response was lacking, but where is the identification of the real cause of death and destruction? Why did the Louisiana Governor or New Orleans Mayor fail to call for federal assistance earlier, and why did neither demand evacuation of the area until it was too late?

Tragically, we are experiencing a continuation of another cover-up of the real problems facing that part of America, and we are going to repeat this situation again and again until we recognize the multiple causes of the tragedy. Until we address the root tribulations how many times should we or can we afford to rebuild New Orleans and the Gulf Coast? Politicians, and political organizations have repeatedly failed the people, and everyone seems to ignore the fact that New Orleans is below sea level. (There are a couple of other populated places in the country that are below sea level, but they are in the desert southwest.)

Hand-outs of money have proven to not be the answer, but honest local and federal leadership is essential to direct restoration and long-term achievement. It is now time to make an honest and objective analysis; outline solutions without emotional bleeding hearts.

New Orleans will be struck again by a mega-storm at some future date and time, but will we have learned our lessons to be prepared to prevent another tragedy? If we get the politics and corruption out of the equation there is a chance for success, but if we do not there will be another dramatic loss of lives all over again.

COMMANDER GRANGER

CHURCHILL - A REVIEW

In my later years I have become an avid reader, and recently a good friend recommended "Churchill" by Paul Johnson. Normally I pick up a book and read a chapter or two, but in the case of this book I read the entire manuscript in three short sessions. That is probably the very best endorsement I can provide any authors’ efforts.

Paul Johnson is an accomplished writer with many fine works to his credit, and the fact that he personally met and talked with Winston Churchill provided a strong insight to Churchill the politician, painter, prolific author, and masterful wordsmith.

Without any desire to spoil your enjoyment of this book let me share a couple of items that caught my eye. Churchill is quoted as saying, “Words are the only things that last forever.”

While dining with a group of government officials and their ladies, Churchill is said to have responded to a lady seated adjacent to him, “Madam, all men are worms, but I am a glow worm.”

When asked, “Mr. Churchill, sir, to what do you attribute your success in life?” Without a pause or hesitation, he replied, “Conservation of energy. Never stand up when you can sit down, and never sit down when you can lie down.” Unfortunately, that statement is about the only similarity that your Commander has with Winston Churchill, because I have been known for years to avoid strenuous exercise at all cost.

I wonder just how many of our youth know anything about this great political figure and leader whose influences were vast and significant in changing the course of world events over a long period of time. One wonders just what our world would look like today had there been no Winston Churchill. Just consider the degree of influence Churchill gave to restrain Joseph Stalin’s goals during the closing days of World War II when President Franklin D. Roosevelt was in failing health.

Your Commander finds it most interesting to learn from historical writings the degree that one individual can impact world events. I highly recommend you get to your local library and pick up a copy of "Churchill" by Paul Johnson. This is a rewarding, and enlightening read.

COMMANDER GRANGER

THANKS, LOU

Much has been written about the sudden retirement of Chicago Cubs skipper Lou Piniella by both baseball experts and fans across the country. Certainly Lou will be a respected member of Baseball’s Hall of Fame when he becomes eligible in five years. That is an honor that he deserves and has earned based upon his many accomplishments as both a player and manager.

Being simply a fan, I am not qualified to render any definitive judgments about his accomplishments as a manager of the Chicago Cubs, but he has earned support and praise for his many on-field contributions. I respect the fact that Lou cried on his retirement day, because I remember doing the same thing on my last day of work. Lou’s life, like mine, will never be the same after announcing the long dreaded retirement decision.

Fortunately for me it was the best decision I ever made, and God has been most generous to me in my retirement years. I pray that He is equally generous to Lou and his family, especially his aging mother. Lou has a distinction few others can claim. He won the World Series Championship as both a player (NY Yankees), and manager (Cincinnati Reds). Those accomplishments are most unique and, I’m sure, personally rewarding.

As Lou was quoted, “It’s a good day to remember, and also it’s a good day to forget.” Too bad the Chicago Cubs could not give Lou a good win on his last day. Unfortunately they fell 16-5 to the Atlanta Braves on his last day in uniform in Wrigley Field.

Thanks, Lou. Enjoy your well earned retirement and I am looking forward to hearing the announcement that you will be inducted into baseball’s Hall of Fame in five short years.

COMMANDER GRANGER

WALTER WILLIAMS INTERVIEW

“Walter Williams on the Tyranny of the Majority, the U.S. Federal Budget, and Free Market Thinking”; that is the long title of a very interesting article covering an exclusive interview with Walter E. Williams by the Appenzeller Daily Bell, which is a Switzerland based daily compendium of Free-Market thought. Being a big admirer of Williams’ writings I found this extended interview to be very interesting and informative. You will find that it covers a wide array of issues and well worth your time and effort.

http://www.thedailybell.com/printerVersion.asp?nid=1259

It is your Commander’s opinion that this wonderful world would be significantly more reasonable were it to have more voices presenting sound positions such as Williams has done for many years.

COMMANDER GRANGER

THE BIG UNASKED QUESTION

Your Commander is astounded every time he views a daily Presidential Press Briefing, usually conducted by Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, when no one asks the most pressing question of the coming years.

President Obama has rather successfully avoided formal Press Conferences; two, I think since he took office more than 18 months ago. He also made one address from the Oval Office this summer.

I think the big question to be asked is, “With a national debt somewhere around $13 trillion dollars, the new health care costs, the continuing support of efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, how do you propose to meet our financial obligations and avoid a financial collapse of our national economy?”

How long can the American taxpayer and voters of this country continue to follow a leadership that blindly avoids or refuses to address this national calamity? Better yet, how can the main-stream media fail to address this issue? The public should expect to hear the tough questions asked and, more importantly, answered. Let’s not forget Freedom of the Press provided by the First Amendment to the Constitution.

COMMANDER GRANGER

EDUCATIONAL FINANCIAL SUICIDE

The announcement that Los Angeles is about to open the Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools (K-12) on the site of the old Ambassador Hotel came at a price tag of $578 million dollars was shocking to me. This school is considered to be the crème de la crème of “Taj Mahal” schools with deluxe amenities, and architectural panache.

This will be the most expensive public school ever built, from a school district facing a $640 million dollar shortfall. Some of the L.A. schools consistently rank among the nations lowest in academic achievement.

The RFK campus follows two other Los Angeles schools that are among the costliest. The 2008 Edward R. Roybal Learning Center cost $377 million, and the 2009 Visual and Performing Arts High School cost $232 million. All this spending comes from a school district that fired 3,000 teachers in the past two years, and where the academic year and programs have been slashed.

Considering the money the Los Angeles school district spends, it continues to tragically deliver a student drop-out percentage of 50%. This problem is not isolated to the Los Angeles area; it is repeated across the nation in one school district after another.

To say that the American taxpayer is not getting their money’s worth is an understatement. The L.A. situation is nearly criminal. The education of illegal immigrant children and other students enrolled with “English as a second language” only increases the L.A. school operating expenses.

Have the citizens of this once great proud country become so complacent that they just don’t care anymore about fiscal solvency? Do our fellow Americans understand that everything needs to be paid for? What happens when a nearly $600,000,000 school is built by a state is in huge financial trouble? Have our fellow Americans just plain given up, and decided to join the burgeoning ranks of the entitlement/welfare crowd? I’m afraid that the answer to the question keeps getting closer to YES.

This is a perfect example of a school administration and unions operating wantonly with champagne tastes and a total disregard for the beer pocketbooks we have had for the last decade. Shameful and inexcusable is my only conclusion.

COMMANDER GRANGER

TOO LONG IGNORED

Your Commander has frequently written relative to the short-comings confronting the minority communities of this country. I want to go on the record to applaud a recent article penned by New York Times columnist Bob Herbert. I strongly suggest that you read his comments for yourself at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/21/opinion/21herbert.html?src=me&ref=homepage

There is not one comment rendered by Herbert that I do not agree with and endorse. For far too long our society has chosen to ignore obvious problems in minority communities. In turn anger, frustration, and self-interests are often directed against their own neighbors. Gangs, crime, lack of solid education, dependability on welfare, lack of employment opportunities, drugs, grandmothers raising their grandchildren born out of wedlock, homes without a father figure for generations are issues that go ignored, especially by the minority communities themselves.

Tragically, far too few individuals who desperately need to hear Herbert’s rational message will not even see his article and an embarrassing number couldn’t read it if it was put in front of them. This message needs to be circulated into every home, school, church and social gathering place in our country.

Politicians have got to stop throwing money indiscriminately at this mega-social problem, and immediately start acting responsibly to enhance accountability for all concerned parties.

COMMANDER GRANGER

PRESIDENTIAL PARADOX

First, let me start with the definition of PARADOX. A paradox is a true statement or group of statements that leads to a contradiction or a situation which defies intuition. The term is also used for an apparent contradiction that actually expresses a non-dual truth.

Thus, fathom the odd hypocrisy that Obama wants every citizen to prove they are insured, but people do not have to prove they are citizens.

COMMANDER GRANGER

SHRINKING THE MIDDLE EAST

I want to draw your attention to a very interesting, but, in my opinion, flawed article that appears in the August 23rd issue of Time Magazine by Michael Mandelbaum, which carries the above title. After reading his thesis I found both agreement and real disagreement, and I believe our differences come from Mandelbaum’s obvious liberal orientation. You may or may not agree. You can read the article for yourself at:

http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,2009895,00.html

First, consider the fact that Mandelbaum is currently the Christian Herter Professor at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. He holds a B.A. from Yale, attended King’s College at Cambridge University, and holds an M.A. and Ph.D. from Harvard University. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and has written extensively on a wide variety of subjects. His work experience is exclusively academically oriented.

He and I agree on the need to reduce our dependency on foreign oil importation, but I totally disagree with the way Mandelbaum suggests how to accomplish that goal. He believes we can decrease Middle Eastern influences if we increase the cost of gasoline, thus reducing consumption. He says this would result in dramatically reducing the influence the Middle Eastern oil producing countries would have upon the U.S. economy. I say Yes, and No.

We agree that we must eventually reduce our dependency on oil, but realistically we are years away until an alternative energy source can be economically developed. This must be our near-term goal, but with a troubled economy it would be economic suicide in the short-term to increase the price of gasoline to the levels now paid in European countries.

If I accepted the professor’s theory, American taxpayers would take another hit in their already empty pockets, the domestic economy would be hurt, and foreign oil producers would just increase the price of oil thereby filling their pockets. Unemployment would not drop, but could actually increase.

I believe that by announcing the immediate expansion of domestic drilling, we can send a very strong signal to all of the oil producing countries who continue to profit from our strong demand, and who work against the interests of our country. Currently we have massive proven oil reserves being untapped in the Bakken Formation covering North and South Dakota and Montana that could increase our oil reserves by 10%. Were we to announce the development of that resource we would dramatically get the attention of OPEC. We would immediately reduce the ability of foreign oil producing countries to fund terrorist activities against our security.

Additionally, we can and should permit drilling for oil off our east and west coast shores, in Alaska’s far north (Anwar), and re-establish drilling in shallower waters of the Gulf. Obviously, in light of the recent BP Gulf deep water drilling disaster, strict regulations and appropriate reporting and oversight should be put into place.

Both actions would impact the economic power of foreign oil producing countries, and provide a huge boost to the economy of our country. With a strong announcement of our immediate intensions, we would likely see a dramatic increase in domestic employment levels, the stock market, and a sharp reduction in the balance of payments to our enemies.

Your Commander’s sentiments will draw a massive negative reaction from bleeding heart liberals, and I recognize that the environmentalists will go berserk. Electric cars are not currently a viable alternative for the masses, but they could be down the road. The cost of the electric car must come down, as well as the cost of batteries. In the meantime, we should address the existing problems within specific acceptable levels of compromise.

Don’t ask the academics, the special interests, the environmentalists or the politicians, but ask the voting public. You might be shocked at what the American public would be willing to accept in the short-term to address our economic malaise. Look at what the elitists with all their academic credentials have accomplished in addressing our massive debt and unemployment for the past two years.

It is time to act realistically and move forward aggressively with a strong signal sent to our economic opponents. We call the oil producing countries friends, but with friends like these, we are going down the road to fiscal collapse. Where is President Teddy Roosevelt’s big stick when we need it?

COMMANDER GRANGER

POLITICS IS BEYOND BELIEF

With each passing day I am amazed to hear the utterances coming from supposedly intelligent experienced political leaders.

When President Obama spoke before a White House dinner honoring the observance of the Muslim holiday, Ramadan, I was supportive of his statement that was totally articulated in our precious Constitution. Religious freedom is a vital part of the American success story, and we should support that crucial portion of our founding documents.

While I believe it is inappropriate to build a mosque so close to the 9/11 terrorist attack site, Muslims have the right to have a place of worship. The proposed site is insensitive to the feelings of the families of those who were killed, the many who suffer long-term injury, and Americans not of the Muslim faith. It is not a wise decision to build at that location just because they have a legal right to do so.

I think this issue is so emotionally polarizing the conflict should have been avoided by all concerned parties. When President Obama learned of the reaction to his initial statement he elected to run for political cover with his unbelievable claim that he was not taking a position on the building of the mosque at the proposed site. I do not believe that for one minute and that is the reason our fellow citizens are confused, disgusted, and emotionally conflicted.

Recently I heard Steve Moore of the Wall Street Journal Editorial Board make a statement on television that is crystal clear for me. While discussing the Blagojevich trial results he expressed his opinion about the feelings of the American public by saying, “The people feel that our government rewards vice, and punishes virtue.” That is a sad endorsement of our government and it is directly reflected in the low poll numbers for Obama and Congress.

Many recent statements and positions recently rendered by Obama just fuel the fires of those who suspect that he was not born in the United States or that he is in fact a Muslim. I do not really know the answer, but I do wonder why Obama and his handlers fuel those fires when they work so hard to prevent access to his private papers and documents. Clearly he is supportive, and sympatric to Muslim interests, and speaks apologetically for past actions by our country.

Your Commander has a growing discomfort toward the affairs of our State, because I feel my leader continues to put his finger directly in my eye time and time again when he dares me to doubt his intensions. When my president reminds me in every speech he makes that he is the President, the Commander in Chief, he is arrogantly telling me and my fellow citizens “I got the job and I can do anything I want, because I know more than you.”

No you are not, Mr. President, and no you cannot.

Leadership should not be arrogant it should be inspirational.

COMMANDER GRANGER

ARROGANCE PERSONIFIED

Browsing the internet recently I ran across a very interesting poll that asked the question, “Do you support Arizona’s new law on illegal immigration?” That question has been on the mind of many individuals lately, and the question was being posed by MSNBC and U.S. News & World Report.

Recognizing that viewing levels for MSNBC are relatively low, my first reaction was that the poll would have few responses. WRONG! I am totally shocked to report that the total responses represented a staggering 3,277,480 votes. I wonder how many times some individuals voted, because MSNBC normally falls to the bottom of the pack in the news channel rating department.

Anyway, the Yes votes represented 3,145,178 or 96% and the No votes indicated only 132,282 votes or a sad 4%.

Based upon several other polls I have seen I believe the Yes votes may include some Chicago-style double voting, but the overwhelming positive support is substantiated in every other poll I have read. That being the case, how in God’s name can the White House continue to voice such a strident position against the Arizona legislation?

The more relevant question that MSNBC should have asked was, “Do you want the U.S. Border secured before you want comprehensive immigration legislation?” Every article and every talking-head outside the White House, including the Democrat Party hacks, clearly indicate that an overwhelming percentage of Americans (including a significant number of Hispanics) want Border Security first.

Thus the actions emanating from the Oval Office clearly exposes their under-lying motivation is purely politically based to secure the maximum number of Hispanic votes, legal and illegal, in hopes of retaining elected office. This is another nail in the coffin of TRANSPARENCY and exposes the desperation these political charlatans will go to survive. How dare this Administration play politics with the security of this great country!

Pat Coddell, noted ex-Democrat Party pollster, has recently said that the White House legal challenge to the Arizona law is political suicide. Now the federal court has gone against the will of the people and I suspect the liberal 9th Circuit Court will uphold the lower Court’s decision, and the matter will ultimately move to the Supreme Court.

Liberal voices continue to thumb their noses at the will of the people, and I pray that their lack of appropriate action does not permit another tragic terrorist event to occur. The recently passed Border Security Bill was just another expensive window dressing that does not guarantee a secure border. It represents an expensive placation of the Latino voting block.

With every passing day that our borders (north and south) remain porous, the danger escalates at an alarming rate for the forces of evil to strike within the United States. How can our President and Congress continue to play Russian-roulette with our security? Speak up America or hold your peace under the thumb of creeping socialism.

COMMANDER GRANGER

FRIDAY THE 13th IS A LUCKY DAY

It is commonly perceived that Friday the 13th is a very unlucky day, but that is not the case in my family. Let me tell you a true story.

From my earliest days on this earth my father, Frederick C. Kalthoff, always considered Friday the 13th to be a lucky day. As a matter of fact, he also considered the number 13 to be his lucky number. I can remember that when he had a big decision to make, he would rub the 13 on the side of his class ring from Culver Military Academy from which he proudly graduated in the Class of 1913.

That year is one that is important to and remembered by all Culver graduates for it is the year that a group of Culver cadets were sent to rescue hundreds of victims of the tragic Wabash River floods that struck Logansport, Indiana.

As recorded in the Cass County, Indiana Historical Society and Museum website, “The worst of the floods came at the end of March in 1913. On the 26th of that month the Wabash crested at a depth of 25.33 feet. Some sections of Logansport on the west side were under twelve feet of water. Culver Military Academy helped in the rescue effort with several boats, saving many lives.” The boat that my dad was assigned to was boat #13.

1913 is also the year that the Culver Corp of Cadets was invited to Washington, D.C. to participate in the Inaugural Parade for the first time by Thomas R. Marshall of Indiana, the nation’s 28th Vice-President under President Woodrow Wilson.

Until the day he died, dad was most proud to have participated in the rescue efforts along with his entire Culver experience. I believe 1913 was a significant year of events that contributed to his maturing into adulthood.

So what is considered to be bad luck or misfortune to some is not always the case, at least it was not with my dad, who I continue to miss each day since his death in 1976. I guess he rubbed off on me, because I have no fear of the number 13, in fact my wife and I were married on the 13th more than 31 years ago!

COMMANDER GRANGER

WHO WAS GEORGE WASHINGTON HILL?

I suspect that you are like me in that there are some names that stick with you over a period of many years. Well, the name of George Washington Hill is one that I have remembered for over 55 years when I first heard it spoken in an Advertising & Sales #101 course at the University of Illinois.

George Washington Hill (1884-1946) was the legendary President of the American Tobacco Company who succeeded his father, and led the company to huge success in the development of Lucky Strike cigarette sales. He was responsible for reversing the taboo against women smoking in public, and he is still regarded as one of the country’s most astute advertising practitioners.

Hill, who targeted women with his advertising starting in 1927, included famous film stars and singers. He developed Lucky Strike sales to represent 38% of all U.S. cigarette sales. During the Great depression his company success led Hill to being paid more than $500,000 in salary and bonus and he spent as much as $20,000,000 a year in advertising, which represented an astounding amount at that time. He invested heavily in advertising and sponsored the famous Your Hit Parade and The Jack Benny Show on radio, and sponsored Frank Sinatra, Ethel Smith and Lawrence Tibbett, too.

Other than the fact I enjoyed a career in broadcasting that for many years involved national advertising sales, American Tobacco or Lucky Strike were never handled by an ad agency in my territory. I also never smoked one of their products. I can’t define exactly why his name has stuck in my head all of these years.

What unfamiliar name do you still remember?

COMMANDER GRANGER

SHIRLEY SHERROD - MORE TO HER STORY?

As recently as August 3rd your Commander wrote extensively about the Shirley Sherrod story, and you may remember that I suggested that there was something missing from this story. Recently I received the following details, and I am shocked to note that there is little or no coverage of this legal action in our national media. Why?


"Pigford v. Glickman"

"In 1997, 400 African-American farmers sued the United States Department of Agriculture, alleging that they had been unfairly denied USDA loans due to racial discrimination during the period 1983 to 1997. The case was entitled 'Pigford v. Glickman' and in 1999, the black farmers won their case. The government agreed to pay each of them as much as $50,000 to settle their claims.

But then on February 23 of this year, something shocking happened in relation to that original judgment. In total silence, the USDA agreed to release more funds to 'Pigford.' The amount was a staggering $1.25 billion. This was because the original number of plaintiffs - 400 black farmers - had now swollen in a class action suit to include a total of 86,000 black farmers throughout America.

There was only one teensy problem. The United States of America doesn't have 86,000 black farmers. According to accurate and totally verified census data, the total number of black farmers throughout America is only 39,697.

Oops.

Well, gosh - how on earth did 39,697 explode into 86,000 claims? And how did $50,000 explode into $1.25 billion? Well, folks, you'll just have to ask the woman who not only spearheaded this case because of her position in 1997 at the "Rural Development Leadership Network" but whose family received the highest single payout (approximately $13 million) from that action - Shirley Sherrod. Oops again.

http://beforeitsnews.com/story/110/024/Is_There_More_to_Sherrods_Dismissal.html

Yes, folks. It appears that Ms. Sherrod had just unwittingly exposed herself as the perpetrator of one of the biggest fraud claims in the United States - a fraud enabled solely because she screamed racism at the government and cowed them into submission. And it gets even more interesting. Ms. Sherrod has also exposed the person who aided and abetted her in this race fraud. As it turns out, the original judgment of "Pigford v. Glickman" in 1999 only applied to a total of 16,000 black farmers. But in 2008, a junior Senator got a law passed to reopen the case and allow more black farmers to sue for funds. The Senator was Barack Obama.

Because this law was passed in dead silence and because the woman responsible for spearheading it was an obscure USDA official, American taxpayers did not realize that they had just been forced in the midst of a worldwide depression to pay out more than $1.25 billion to settle a race claim."

I was a bit suspicious about this information and began to do some fact checking. Information about the case can be found at the following two web sites:

www.usda.gov &
www.libertynewsonline.com/article_301_29166.php

Or, you can Google "Pigford" or "Pigford v. Glickman" for other sites.

Let us assume two totally different sides to this story. If this is true, why are we not hearing these details fully disclosed on all our news outlets? Should this story not be true or any parts of it are incorrect I ask the same question why are we not hearing that side of the story?

I smell a cover-up. More important is the fact that there is absolutely no information circulating about Shirley Sherrod’s decision to accept or reject the job offered by President Obama. Is this another important story that will just fade away in the after-glow of even more startling world events?

How do you like TRANSPARANCY under the banner of HOPE AND CHANGE?

COMMANDER GRANGER

FOR THE RECORD REVISION

It was just a few days ago that I pledged to you my loyal and much appreciated readers that I would reduce the number of commentaries I would author that rendered criticism of Barack Hussein Obama. That was just on August 6th, and here we are on August 15th, and I must break my promise due to new information that has come to my attention. I believe it to be of such significance that I address it ASAP. Read the commentary immediately above this one.

I certainly intend to reduce the number and frequency of Obama critiques, so at least I have good intensions simmering under a deep concern for the future of our great country. We all must accept the fact that there are numerous worthy activities and events occurring around this world that do not depend upon the desires or directives of our current President.

I also recognize that the road to hell is paved with good intensions.

COMMANDER GRANGER

THE FOUNDERS' VISION VERSUS OURS

Some of my readers have suggested that I get off writing about our Founding Fathers, but there has never been a better time in the history of this great country than now to remember their profound words. It is your Commander’s personal opinion that Walter E. Williams is one of the most effective and influential voices currently on the American scene. Williams is spot-on relative to our Constitution and he has a Ph.D in Economics. Based upon the Supreme Court’s recent action relative to the 2nd Amendment I recommend you read Williams’ comments.

“The Founders' Vision Versus Ours
By Walter Williams

http://www.JewishWorldReview.com The celebration of our founders' 1776 revolt against King George III and the English Parliament is over. Let's reflect how the founders might judge today's Americans and how today's Americans might judge them.

In 1794, when Congress appropriated $15,000 to assist some French refugees, James Madison, the acknowledged father of our Constitution, stood on the floor of the House to object, saying, "I cannot undertake to lay my finger on that article of the Constitution which granted a right to Congress of expending, on objects of benevolence, the money of their constituents." He later added, "(T)he government of the United States is a definite government, confined to specified objects. It is not like the state governments, whose powers are more general. Charity is no part of the legislative duty of the government." Two hundred years later, at least two-thirds of a multi-trillion-dollar federal budget is spent on charity or "objects of benevolence."

What would the founders think about our respect for democracy and majority rule? Here's what Thomas Jefferson said: "The majority, oppressing an individual, is guilty of a crime, abuses its strength, and by acting on the law of the strongest breaks up the foundations of society." John Adams advised, "Remember democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide." The founders envisioned a republican form of government, but as Benjamin Franklin warned, "When the people find they can vote themselves money that will herald the end of the republic."

What would the founders think about the U.S. Supreme Court's 2005 Kelo v. City of New London decision where the court sanctioned the taking of private property of one American to hand over to another American? John Adams explained: "The moment the idea is admitted into society that property is not as sacred as the laws of G0d, and that there is not a force of law and public justice to protect it, anarchy and tyranny commence. If 'Thou shalt not covet' and 'Thou shalt not steal' were not commandments of Heaven, they must be made inviolable precepts in every society before it can be civilized or made free."

Thomas Jefferson counseled us not to worship the U.S. Supreme Court: "(T)he opinion which gives to the judges the right to decide what laws are constitutional and what not, not only for themselves in their own sphere of action but for the Legislature and Executive also in their spheres, would make the Judiciary a despotic branch."

How might our founders have commented about last week's U.S. Supreme Court's decision upholding our rights to keep and bear arms? Justice Samuel Alito, in writing the majority opinion, said, "Individual self-defense is the central component of the Second Amendment." The founders would have responded "Balderdash!" Jefferson said, "What country can preserve its liberties if its rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms."

George Mason explained, "(T)o disarm the people (is) the best and most effectual way to enslave them." Noah Webster elaborated: "Before a standing army can rule, the people must be disarmed. … The supreme power in America cannot enforce unjust laws by the sword; because the whole body of the people are armed, and constitute a force superior to any band of regular troops that can be, on any pretense, raised in the United States. A military force, at the command of Congress, can execute no laws, but such as the people perceive to be just and constitutional; for they will possess the power, and jealousy will instantly inspire the inclination, to resist the execution of a law which appears to them unjust and oppressive."

Contrary to Alito's assertion, the central component of the Second Amendment is to protect ourselves from U.S. Congress, not street thugs.

Today's Americans have contempt for our founders' vision. I'm sure our founders would have contempt for ours.”

All Americans should read and listen to Williams who sees the big picture clearly. Men such as Dr. Walter Williams and Dr. Bill Cosby have much to offer society, especially the black/minority community. Comparing these two to the likes of Rev. Jesse Jackson, Rev. Al Sharpton, and Louis Farrakhan is like comparing day to night. Tragically, the latter get all the media attention and the voices of reason and knowledge are frequently gone unheard or unheralded.

COMMANDER GRANGER

WHEN WILL THE CORRUPTION END?

Within the past year I have written extensively about the corruption that exists across our country in all forms of government. Specifically, I have authored articles about the vast corruption that flourishes in Chicago politics and the State of Illinois government’s various departments. At that time I saluted the outstanding investigative reporting that has taken place repeatedly by the struggling Chicago Sun-Times, and a recent example of that can be found in a very important article titled, “151 Metra workers get more than $100,000.” (Metra is the passenger rail service serving Chicago)

Take a look at this distressing article by Cris Fusco, Mary Wisniewski, and Art Golab Staff Reporters, and the Better Government Association:

http://www.suntimes.com/news/watchdogs/2484896,CST-NWS-watchdogs11.article

As I have written in other commentaries the truth always comes out, sometimes sooner than later, but it eventually spills out into the public arena. Now we know why the Metra Executive Director Phillip Pagano suddenly committed suicide by jumping in front of a Metra train. He was about to be confronted and he could not face the consequences, so he took the cowardly way out rather than face the music.

My point in addressing this abuse of public dollars is simply that this criminality is pervasive across the country and in all segments of our government whether it is federal, state or local. Just consider the taxpayer’s dollars that are being absconded by government officials, and the wasteful excessive spending of government itself.

I do not believe there is an accountant in the country that could come up with an accurate figure for the total dollars corruption and waste being stolen from the American taxpayers. If we could determine that exact dollar amount, I suggest that our total national economic debt could be very manageable, and it could actually not be a deficit, but a positive balance.

Just consider all the money being stolen by totally off the wall union pensions being paid to government pensioners as one example. Some retired snowplow drivers in Chicago make over $150,000 per year!

All the criminals are not in our jails, because we have permitted some to be running our various government offices. We have no one to blame but ourselves, and the truth of the matter is that some of us are “on the take” also, so it is doubtful that the situation will ever change. If you were making $150,000 per year in your retirement check what would you do about it?

So in the meantime just take your check book out, and keep writing those inflated tax checks to the crooks and fellow citizens who are stealing your hard earned money every single day of the year.

COMMANDER GRANGER

RACE, THE FORBIDDEN WORD

Every few days the forbidden word RACE appears in the news or is whispered behind closed doors. I cannot think of a word that can create greater emotional tensions and reactions, but Islam is running a close second. Race is not only a forbidden word, but a frequently avoided subject of discussion.

Recently I received an electronic communication (email) from a friend and I thought it should receive wider circulation and consideration. I am not suggesting any action, but simply consideration of one individual’s point of view. You decide whether there is any validity to any of this individuals’ remarks, and please do not let the name of the author scare you away because of prior conceptions. Just take a look and think about it.

“Finally............It is Said Publicly.
I have never seen the white side explained better!
Pat Buchanan had the guts to say it.
It is about time."

"BUCHANAN TO OBAMA
by Patrick J. Buchanan

Barack says we need to have a conversation about race in America. Fair enough. But this time, it has to be a two-way conversation. White America needs to be heard from, not just lectured to.... This time, the Silent Majority needs to have its convictions, grievances and demands heard.

And among them are these:

First, America has been the best country on earth for black folks. It was here that 600,000 black people, brought from Africa in slave ships, grew into a community of 40 million, were introduced to Christian salvation, and reached the greatest levels of freedom and prosperity blacks have ever known. The Rev. Wright ought to go down on his knees and thank God he is an American.

Second, no people anywhere has done more to lift up blacks than white Americans. Untold trillions have been spent since the ' 60s on welfare, food stamps, rent supplements, Section 8 housing, Pell grants, student loans, legal services, Medicaid, Earned Income Tax Credits and poverty programs designed to bring the African-American community into the mainstream.
Governments, businesses and colleges have engaged in discrimination against white folks -with affirmative action, contract set-asides and quotas - to advance black applicants over white applicants.

Churches, foundations, civic groups, schools and individuals all over America have donated their time and money to support soup kitchens, adult education, day care, retirement and nursing homes for blacks.

We hear the grievances.
Where is the gratitude??

Barack talks about new 'ladders of opportunity' for blacks. Let him go
to Altoona. And Johnstown, and ask the white kids in Catholic schools how many were visited lately by Ivy League recruiters handing out scholarships for 'deserving' white kids...?

Is white America really responsible for the fact that the crime and incarceration rates for African-Americans are seven times those of white America? Is it really white America’s fault that illegitimacy in the African-American community has hit 70 percent and the black dropout rate from high schools in some cities has reached 50 percent?

Is that the fault of white America or, first and foremost, a failure of the black community itself?

As for racism, its ugliest manifestation is in interracial crime, and especially interracial crimes of violence.

Is Barack Obama aware that while white criminals choose black victims 3 percent of the time, black criminals choose white victims 45 percent of the time?

Is Barack aware that black-on-white rapes are 100 times more common than the reverse, that black-on-white robberies were 139 times as common in the first three years of this decade as the reverse?

We have all heard ad nauseam from the Rev. Al about Tawana Brawley, the Duke Rape case and Jena. And all turned out to be hoaxes. But about the epidemic of black assaults on whites that are real, we hear nothing.

Sorry, Barack, some of us have heard it all before, about 40 years and 40 trillion tax dollars ago."

WOW! That certainly states Buchanan’s position, however, I do not totally agree with him, because I believe the subject is far more complicated than he has outlined. My entire purpose in passing these comments forward is to get you to think about this inflammatory subject now, and in the future. We must address RACE, and we must collectively solve the failures of the issue. We just cannot keep throwing money at this subject to garner the Black vote.

In my opinion politics is the core of the problem, and we all have been kicking the can down the road for decades with little or no achievement for either side of this equation. Solutions must be found and found quickly, because we cannot afford to keep feeding an endless stream of dollars to solve the problems without any significant results.

COMMANDER GRANGER

QUOTES TO COMTEMPLATE #4

Here is a change of pace from by political spleen venting. Let’s consider some quotations from the legendary Dalai Lama, who is widely considered one of the greatest promoters of peace in our time.

“This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.”

“Today, more than ever before, life must be characterized by a sense of universal responsibility, not only nation to nation and human to human, but also human to other forms of life.”

“We can live without religion and meditation, but we cannot survive without human affection.”

“We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves.”

“Where ignorance is our master, there is no possibility of real peace.”

“With realization of one’s own potential and self-confidence in one’s ability, one can build a better world.”

“All major religious traditions carry basically the same message that is love, compassion and forgiveness. The important thing is they should be part of our daily lives.”

“Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.”

“Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.”

“I find hope in the darkest of days, and focus in the brightest. I do not judge the universe.”

“If you can, help others; if you cannot do that, at least do not harm them.”

“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”

“In the practice of tolerance, one’s enemy is the best teacher.”

It is necessary to help others, not only in our prayers, but in our daily lives. If we find we cannot help others, the least we can do is to desist from harming them.”

“It is very important to generate a good attitude, a good heart, as much as possible. From this, happiness in both the short term and the long term for both yourself and others will come.”

“My religion is simple. My religion is kindness.”

The Dalai Lama is a most interesting man who was born humbly in 1936. He is clearly a man of peace, non-violence, and one of the great humanitarians of our time. We all can learn much from contemplating his gentle and soothing philosophies.

COMMANDER GRANGER

TIME TO "CLEAN THE SWAMP"

The longer the media splashes its front pages and lead stories with the disgusting stories of Rep. Charles B. Rangel (D-NY) and Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), the public perception of Congress will continue to plummet. It certainly does not take a genius to acknowledge that the public’s opinion of Congress is in need of a good scrubbing, and it remains baffling that Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) continues to ignore the obviously necessary action from her lofty perch.

The problems confronting all members of Congress are not Republican or Democrat issues, because the cloud hovers over every single member of the Senate and House of Representatives. Corruption and self-serving behavior has finally caught up with these over-privileged, egotistically fiscally reckless public servants. If Speaker Pelosi does not act swiftly to “clean the swamp” (her words), both her party and her personal survival will be placed in further jeopardy.

With less than 100 days till the November 2010 election Pelosi has little or no time to waste. Far be it from me to provide her with advice, but I will not be surprised to see her arrogantly stone-wall the situation operating under the assumption that she can weather the storm. This time Pelosi cannot and will not be left standing once the clear light of day prevails. The Democrats may pull off a majority in the House, but they are permanently injured and their strong-arm tactics can not survive with lesser majorities.

Watch for the rats to start jumping off the ship. The strength of the “Tea Bags” is getting stronger with each passing day, and before long liberals and Democrats will be consuming tea in greater quantity and quality before this coming November election. Pelosi’s recall of Congress to jam the $26 billion jobs bill down American’s throats paid-off the Teacher’s Unions, but will come back to haunt her in the long-run. Bail-outs are unsustainable.

Months ago I predicted a TAX REVOLT, and I am more and more convinced that it will occur. The taxpayer financial wells are dry! The continuing spending is affecting the recession recovery and Wall Street markets in a decidedly adverse way and all Congress seems to do is find more reasons to spend/borrow more money.

COMMANDER GRANGER

HOW DID HE PULL OFF ELECTION?

Every since the last national election I have been pondering just how did a candidate with little or no business or leadership experience win the Presidency of the United States. Earlier I have suggested that the election was the work of a very effective advertising campaign, and I am more convinced than ever before that I am correct in that conclusion.

Recently I read some extremely interesting facts about the often quoted Greek philosopher, Aristotle, who lived from 384 B.C. to 322 B.C. He was a student of Plato and a teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings were the early creation of a comprehensive system of Western philosophy, covering morality and aesthetics, logic and science, politics and metaphysics.

One of Aristotle’s many sound quotes struck my eye and I suggest that it may have been an important part of the successful campaign strategy of Obama and his election advisors that led to his victory. Knowing that research has proven that Obama’s ability to attract a huge following and vote from the youth of America, I suggest that someone on his campaign staff studied Aristotle. Since HOPE AND CHANGE were essential ingredients in his campaign, just consider Aristotle’s words…

"Youth is easily deceived because it is quick to hope."

One must wonder how the young adults of today will like HOPE AND CHANGE as they grow older and have to pay the tax burden placed on their generation and that of their children.

COMMANDER GRANGER

MARK TWAIN RETURNS FROM THE DEAD

In the New York Times book section recently there was a very interesting article addressing the fact that an unexpurgated autobiography is about to be released. I fondly remember reading Twain’s wonderful “Huck Finn” and “Tom Sawyer” in elementary school way back when, but in today’s modern world kids are probably reading Playboy or Obama’s autobiography.

Seriously, I suggest you read Larry Rohter’s recent Times article about the planned release of Twain’s three volume “Autobiography of Mark Twain” this coming November. Be sure to mark you calendar for the books release.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/10/books/10twain.html?

This book could actually be more entertaining than the Mid-Term election campaigns and is bound to become a best seller.

COMMANDER GRANGER

THE U.S. AND RUSSIA SPY SWAP

It is a commonly accepted fact that where there is smoke, there is fire. I believe that is the case surrounding the recent swap of 10 Russian spies for 4 individuals who were convicted of spying for western governments. It is normal for little or few details to be released about events of this nature, but in this case there is even less elaboration. I smell smoke, but where is the fire?

It is your Commander’s opinion that it will be many years or even decades before the full story unfolds about this case. Someone will eventually leak some details, and then academics or retired government officials from either side will eventually tell the full story probably with a lucrative book deal. There certainly is a bigger story to be told, and it should be released in full detail.

All too frequently the American public is kept in the dark about the inner workings of our government by politicians who are afraid that their true motivations will become public knowledge. Sometimes it is likely in our collective best interests that we do not know, however, I firmly believe that should be the case very infrequently.

I know, too, that some of my readers will say, “There he goes again piling on poor misunderstood Obama,” but for an Administration that promised TRANSPARENCY this one seems very fishy. The deal was done too quickly for my smell-meter. This deal stinks to your Commander, but the true story will probably take years to reveal itself.

I pray I am wrong with my suspicions, but I have a pretty good batting average on things of this nature. I not only smell a rat, but I smell smoke. That said I hope the fire that will likely ensue can be contained without harm to our country or its people

COMMANDER GRANGER

FOR THE RECORD

Your Commander wants to go ON THE RECORD regarding a subject that bothers him more and more with each passing day. I suspect that you are as tired of your Commander writing critically about President Barack Hussein Obama and his administration as you are of reading those comments.

I promise to make a concerted effort to address other important subjects, but I believe my work is a direct representation of the sentiments of a growing majority of the American public. As Howard Beale, the off-the-wall News Anchor said in the award-winning film ”Network”: “I’M MAD AS HELL AND I AM NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE.” I suggest that more and more of our fellow citizens feel the same way, and they are voicing their frustration in the various forms available to them. Obviously the best way will be the voting booth.

In the meantime I hope to be able to fulfill my pledge, but don’t be surprised if I slip back to my old ways when I am compelled to vent my enormous spleen. That is the mission of a real protagonist anyway.

COMMANDER GRANGER

QUOTES TO CONTEMPLATE #3

It was only July 22nd when I last addressed the subject of quotations; however, it is time to take a look at a few of the many utterances made by our late President Ronald Reagan. There is a wonderful website called BRAINY QUOTE that contains over twelve pages of Reagan’s more significant remarks. Here are a few that caught my attention.

“We might come closer to balancing the budget if all of us lived closer to the Commandments and the Golden Rule.”

“We must reject the idea that every time a law’s broken, society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker. It is time to restore the American precept that each individual is accountable for his actions.”

“We should measure welfare’s success by how many people leave welfare, not by how many are added.”

“While I take inspiration from the past, like most Americans, I live for the future.”

“The problem is not that people are taxed too little, the problem is that government spends too much.”

“They say the world has become too complex for simple answers. They are wrong.”

“Unemployment insurance is a pre-paid vacation for freeloaders.”

“We cannot help everyone, but everyone can help someone.”

“People do not make wars; governments do.”

“Status quo, you know, is Latin for ‘The mess we’re in’.”

“The best minds are not in government. If any were, business would steal them away.”

“If we love our country, we should also love our countrymen.”

“It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession. I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first.”

“Man is not free unless government is limited.”

“No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we’ll ever see on this earth.”

“Government’s first duty is to protect the people, not run their lives.”

“Governments tend not to solve problems, only to rearrange them.”

“I’ve never been able to understand why a Republican contributor is a “fat cat” and a Democratic contributor of the same amount of money is a “public-spirited philanthropist.”

“If the federal government had been around when the Creator was putting His hand on this state, Indiana wouldn’t be here. It’d still be waiting for an environmental impact statement.”

“Concentrated power has always been the enemy of liberty.”

“Entrepreneurs and their small enterprises are responsible for almost all the economic growth in the United States.”

“Facts are stubborn things.”

“Government always finds a need for whatever money it gets.”

“Government does not solve problems; it subsidizes them.”

There are literally hundreds of additional quotes from President Reagan, but don’t you find the few that I have listed above to be visionary and insightful.
It certainly would be revealing were Reagan to be able to address the state of our government as it is today. Maybe he will tell us all, God willing, when we next meet and hear from him on the other side.

COMMANDER GRANGER

THE MORNING AFTER THE MICHIGAN PRIMARY

Regretfully I am coming to the conclusion that a frighteningly large number of eligible American voters have just given up on government. That is a really scary thing to say, but when you consider that with all of the voter discontent and anguish that exists today, we are witnessing a shockingly low percentage of voter participation in our election process.

Yesterday the State of Michigan held a very important Primary Election, because their do-nothing Obama pawn, Governor Jennifer Grandholm, could not run again due to term limits. The election of a candidate for the Governorship of any State is important, but it was especially important in Michigan with its devastating unemployment situation and the concentration of businesses associated with the struggling automobile industry.

With 6,859,332 registered voters in Michigan, its Secretary of State estimated that 1.7 million voters would turn out or about 23 percent for the August 3rd Primary Election. Considering the fact that this election included all the Congressional seats, the Governorship candidates, and numerous referendums, this was an important election to be determined by less than one-quarter of the eligible voters.

Looking at national voter turnout data in Federal Elections from 1960 – 2008, I found the percentage to vary from 48.4% in 1966 to 56.8% in 2008. The major elections every four years tend to deliver about a 20% better participation than the off-years. The highest year of voter involvement was 1968 with 60.8% when Richard Nixon defeated Hubert Humphrey for the presidency.

All over the world citizens have given their lives to attain the right to vote for their leadership, and the right to vote has always been a cherished privilege here in the United States.

Your Commander contends that if 23% is the final figure for participation in the recent Michigan Primary it is an extremely sad commentary on the degree of involvement by the American voting public in the political process. I suspect the final Michigan figure will be lower, but remember as a comparison in 2010 the Iraq election turn-out was 62% and in the northern Kurdish area it was 80%.

Considering the importance of our elections at this time, 23% involvement is pathetic and inexcusable. Apparently a growing number of our fellow citizens have just thrown-up their hands in disgust and walked away from membership in the election process. For those who have done so they have absolutely no right to complain about conditions, and they are just playing into the hands of devious corrupt political influences.

Between now and the November 2010 election, each and every kind of voting block better pursue an all-out effort to motivate their people to get off their back-sides and make their voices heard at the polls. I can assure you the Democrat Party and their Union surrogates will be active with their welfare/entitlement voters on Election Day. If 2010’s off-year election is like the 2006 voter level of 37.1%, little will be accomplished in cleaning up the swamp in Washington.

With the importance of elections in our political process there is reason to strive for participation as high as 80 or 90% in a true democracy. Remember your vote is vital in making your voice count, and anyone who neglects to vote is granting a greater possibility of their opponents’ positions prevailing. The sleeping silent majority must be awakened and loudly heard if we are to guarantee the American Way of Life into the foreseeable future.

COMMANDER GRANGER

THE SAD SHIRLEY SHERROD STORY

There is much to be learned from the sad Shirley Sherrod story that recently dominated the media nationally, regionally and locally. As I have written recently the race-card is a very dangerous one to play, and it has now hurt all sides of this issue. Shirley Sherrod, and the entire American civilized society, has been caught in the cross-fire at a time when many felt we had made real progress against racial name calling.

The first lesson we learned was that we cannot trust our media outlets to get the story right the first time because they think being on the air with a news item first is more important than checking the facts. Andrew Breitbart’s doctored tape started this mess, and then many news outlets and voices jumped to inaccurate conclusions ending up with smudged faces. Some have provided the appropriate apologies, but far too many have not and that is inexcusable.

The second lesson was that sadly, the Obama White House had egg on their faces too, because they came into office promising a color-less administration. By jumping to unsupported conclusions, they again played the race-card inaccurately for political advantage just as they did with the Harvard professor and the policeman incident last year.

Thirdly, as this story continued to develop I became very suspicious of the real story of Shirley Sherrod. Her skirt was not totally clean regarding this incident either, and her prior service at the Department of Agriculture is cloudy at best. I continue to give her the benefit of the doubt, but there is much more to be exposed, and learned before this issue is put to bed as a learning experience for all sides.

The real culprit here was the internet electronic systems that prevail today. The ability to alter Sherrod’s original speech, followed by the misuse of the material for political benefit was disgusting to say the least. Media must be aware of this situation and check and then double check the accuracy of material before going to air or press.

Your Commander was further troubled by the seven minute telephone call from Obama offering Sherrod another position in the USDA. Let me suggest that his actions represented a frantic desire to get the story behind him and out of the eye of the American public.

If the government’s action was so egregious, then a seven minutes call was an insult to all parties. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack clearly made the initial mistake, but he has fallen on his sword for the Administration. I cannot believe for one minute that someone in the White House did not know of the dismissal decision before the deed was done.

The biggest insult to me and the American people was the comment from that sock-puppet Press Secretary Robert Gibbs when he said that the President offered Sherrod her job back, because she possessed “A UNIQUE SKILL SET OF EXPERIENCES.” That was pure Washington-speak! Hell, Obama has never called me or any other citizen for that reason. We all have “A UNIQUE SKILL SET OF EXPERIENCES.”

Maybe this was just the first step in the Administration’s ultimate plan to hire or have on welfare every single American, so we all will feel obligated to vote for their devious game plans.

Personally I suggest the phone call and job offer was an effort to buy Sherrod off ASAP. One must wonder, too, how much that new job of hers will pay. I’ll bet she received a raise that you and I will ultimately pay.

You may be interested in reading a reflective article by Walter Shapiro of Politics Daily titled “The Shirley Sherrod Saga: Lessons From Bureaucratic Blunders,” which you can find at:

http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/07/22/the-shirley-sherrod-saga-lessons-from-bureaucratic-blunders/

It is time for this entire unfortunate mess to be thoroughly investigated by a totally honest study group, and then have an objective non-political report delivered to the public. That would make for a sensible “teachable moment” that we all could benefit from. It will be very interesting to see if we ever get the full story, or if this incident will be buried in the tons of political spin and deflection emanating from Washington these days.

COMMANDER GRANGER

WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU

It grieves your Commander to suggest that you read anything in the New York Times, because it is so liberal in its view-point, but occasionally I think it hits the mark with an opinion piece or editorial. That said, I think the Editorial this past Sunday (8/1/) is correct. See I can be objective, but sometimes it is darn hard.

The point of the Editorial directly addresses one of the questions that I brought forward in my commentary immediately below titled “Two Pressing Questions.” How can we reduce the deficit? Take a look at the Editorial:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/01/opinion/01sun1.html?

It is tough for this Conservative Constitutionalist to agree with the liberal New York Times, but we ultimately must face the fact that a sufficient number of our fellow citizens are not paying their fair share of the tax burden. Regretfully tax increases will be necessary, but we cannot continue to have 50% of our citizens paying absolutely nothing of the tax burden.

I totally agree that it is fair and appropriate to address reducing the entitlement programs that are all too frequently just political pay-offs and are frequently illegally abused.

One issue not addressed, however, is the massive waste that exists across all government programs, especially in the Defense Department. There are far too many redundancies and inefficiencies. Anyone who has served in the military knows that to be a fact. Cut the waste and corruption, and the tax increases could be significantly less severe.

Just one man’s opinion, but a suggestion for a starting point is an objective non-political addressing of this devastating financial cancer to the American Way of Life.

COMMANDER GRANGER

TWO PRESSING QUESTIONS

There are two specific questions on many lips these days, but nobody asks them directly of our President or members of Congress. I am certain that these same two questions have crossed your mind on several occasions, and I suspect that you have a similar concern about the answers.

1. How can the President and the Congress continue to ignore the huge majority of the American people who disagree with the judge’s ruling against the Arizona immigration law?

In my local newspaper this morning the poll reported that 80% of the respondents disagree with the judge’s ruling, but the Administration and Congress continue to ignore border security and indicate they intend to move forward with amnesty for those illegal immigrants currently within the United States. How can our government continue to ignore the people’s overwhelming desires?

2. How does the government intend to reduce the massive financial obligation now confronting our Treasury?

We have daily press conferences emanating from the White House Press Secretary and with members of Congress, but nobody ever asks or answers the huge debt question. Knowing that this is a politically sensitive question, someone must confront the question head-on and insist upon a specific answer.

Everyone is dancing around these two pressing questions, but what really concerns me is that nobody is asking or demanding an answer to these critical problems. Does our government dare ignore the clear desires of the electorate and shove their apparent self-serving agenda forward?

Obviously we should be far beyond who and what caused these problems, and get aggressive in solving these issues ASAP. To do nothing is to further acerbate the problems and bring forth disastrous conclusions. Haste makes waste, but inaction brings chaos.

COMMANDER GRANGER

TEACHING CHILDREN vs. TEACHERS UNIONS

It’s my turn to eat a little humble pie because I am suggesting you read a commentary from that liberal race-baiting voice Leonard Pitts Jr. of The Miami Herald. For years Pitts’ columns have appeared in my local newspaper, and all too frequently he simply blames RACE as the root of all problems confronting minority communities, without considering the many other factors involved. This is not merely a white/black/brown/Asian issue of color.

Well lightning finally struck in Pitts’ Sunday 8/1 column titled “Teaching Children vs. Teachers Unions.” It is probably not necessary to read the entire column, but you can find it on the internet. I would like to provide you with the essence of his reflections by quoting a portion as follows, “Enough. It is time teachers embraced accountability. Time parents, students and government did, too.”

Your Commander salutes Pitts, and hopes that other strident voices in the minority community such as Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, and their like will join with a loud call for ACCOUNTABILITY by teachers, Unions, parents, students and our government. It is time to stop calling these racial problems, because they are really red, white, brown, black, and yellow failures crossing all nationalities, affecting every school system in our country, and the root of long neglected tribulations.

An old Chinese proverb is apt here, “Don’t be pushed by your problems. Be led by your dreams.”

COMMANDER GRANGER

"STAR ISLAND" IS A MUST READ

South Florida is once again the location for Carl Hiaasen’s best-selling, hilarious STAR ISLAND. I know of few authors who are as talented as Hiaasen in presenting a cast of outlandish characters that roam the streets and glades of the southern part of Florida.

Having lived on Key Biscayne for four bazaar years, I can vouch for the fact that many crazy characters are attracted to the sun, fun, and beaches, especially when the weather gets cold up north. In addition to living on the Key, my office was located there, and the biggest decision most local residents had was who they were having drinks with at cocktail hour. The weather and the cast of weirdoes provided a difficult atmosphere where business was concerned.

So far, I have read every book Hiaasen has written over his very successful career, and I assure you that STAR ISLAND is one of his very best efforts. Hiaasen is not for everyone, but I assure you that when you’re reading his books there will be several times when you find yourself laughing out loud. Among the strangest of his cast of misfits, I am happy to report that the unhinged ex-Florida Governor happily returns in his role as Skink, and even briefly abandons his home deep in the Everglade mangrove swamp.

I promise you that once you start reading, you will not be able to put down STAR ISLAND. It took only two sessions for me to complete this totally amusing, enjoyable, wild, wacky read.

COMMANDER GRANGER