WORKPLACE NOOSE AND SHACKLES!

WORKPLACE NOOSE AND SHACKLES!

(The Root/The Roanoke Times/Frazer Chronicle)

Vernell Coles, a maintenance worker at a Roanoke, Virginia medical and office complex claimed that he endured discrimination and racial harassment that included the display of shackles and a noose in the workplace.

If there would have been whips and chains, I would have been there; looking to apply for a job, of course it would have depended on who was welding the restraints. I don't know about you guys, but I've always found whips and chains in the hands of a leather clad women with knee high black boots to be an extreme turn-on.

The only thing that I really find offensive in Cole's law suit would be the noose.....although I'd try anything once, but a noose, come on, with all the toys and gadgets "out there," you really don't need a noose. I'd submit for just a couple good slaps with one of that cat of nine tails whips, "Oh it would feel so good right now."

However this Roanoke business place is should get a silver star on their board, they got it down right, and I mean who could resist being shackled to their work place station. No breaks of any kind.....for anything. My sister-in-law works for a well known Mid-West lumber supplier, and she can't take breaks, can't be late, nor call in sick. This place once "docked" a dead person a day's pay for not showing up for her work day.

Of course the lawyers have now taken over the Coles case, and it will undoubtedly be buried in all sorts of legal mumbo jumbo. All I can say about the legal maneuvering is that these lawyers maybe should work a day in Cole’s shoes.

A QUESTION OF RACIAL HARRASMENT:

I don't really think that what allegedly happened to Vernell Coles can be called a black thing, or a white thing. In today’s work-place, employers don't see black or white, just results, results at the cheapest rates possible.

Employers today have it "their way," make no mistake about that, workplace injuries, personal events at home, or a worker just plain tired is completely at the mercy of his/her employer, and really the frame of mind that employer is in on a particular day.

My first job was for a truck company back in 1959, they hauled produce from Grand Rapids to Traverse City, Michigan, where it was loaded on smaller delivery trucks that drove throughout the five county areas for deliveries.

My job was to unload the semi into the smaller trucks; I started at 3:00 A.M. and worked without breaks until all the produce was off the truck, usually about 6 hours. The boss was very emphatic about no breaks, even a bathroom break. So us workers went pee in the corner of the cooler, a nifty trick until the smell got so bad that we had to switch pee corners. This process was a good one, and served the 4 or 5 workers throughout the summer.

Employers who pay low wages mostly don't see color, they see some poor SOB who is either unable to get better employment, or is a huge underachiever. Sure they use slang terms for their workers, Nigger, Spick, or Indian Joe, but they don't mean anything by it. They call Polish guys Pollock, and Germans Kraut heads.

Here in Wisconsin they got this ploy about age discrimination, (list your age for insurance purposes), ya right. You have to fill out all manner of documents, and agree to fill out all sorts of "responsible" papers. Stuff like the training you get must be repaid if you leave the company before six months or a year is up. If you don't sign, well to bad, guess you didn't need a job that bad.

DOWN WITH UNION ACTIVITY:

Most workers in America today are not under a union contract, they are left out there.....in the work place to fend for themselves, absolutely no protection. It's becoming a "right to work world," and exactly who does that favor.....well, it ain't the worker baby.

As union size dwindles here in the U.S. the threat of union solidarity, of strikes becomes less a threat to employers. Wages are cut, benefits are slashed and workers rights.....ha, ha, go right out the window.

The Cole case is not surprising, just another sad case of workers losing whatever leverage that they thought they might have had. Looking at things sardonically is the only answer, find out who's cracking the whip, their gender, and if possible, "if it's a women, her cup size" for future reference.

Drop the lawsuit Vernell, you won't win, and maybe, just maybe you might be able to start some sort of relationship with your superior.....but get her to drop the noose, that's just too much.



NO SHIRT, NO SHOES, NO SERVICE!

(Frazer Chronicle)

Can it really be that hard to understand, I mean I'm no Rhodes Scholar, yet I think I got it pretty much figured out. A big dispute to the health care question has been individual choice, at least that is what has been said. Okay, I guess I can understand that opinion, but in the big picture, if you honestly put things in perspective, the argument doesn't really hold up.

We are talking about medical treatment here, absolutely health care treatment is not garunteed by law, or by the United States Constitution, health care just seems like it should be available for all U.S. citizens to take advantage of.

I know people who use emergancy room services like it's there own personal physian, hell they makes visits every month or so. These places can't refuse services, but they do not have to give treatment above and beyond the visitors specific aliment, that's the rules.

There are people all over the country that do not have enough proper health insurance, they do not have enough coverage. What are these people supposed to do, wither on the vine, live in a bubble, or, as they are now doing.....die.

American's are inundated with all sorts of government mandates, whether they are local, state or federal. There are things that we take for granted that we have to do to operate in today's socieity, car insurance, building ordances, seat belts, no smoking, no talking, quite zones, no standing, no parking, speed limits, and yes, no shirt, no shoes, no service.

Government is all about control, it's all about protecting us.....from us, so why not have some sort of socalized medical plan, where health care is available.....for all. Whats the big deal, my insurance plan does not allow me to visit whichever doctor I choice, if there not on a list somewhere, I can't see them unless I pay.

This has been the practice for years, insurance companies enter into an agreement with doctors and pay less amounts for services rendered, whats the problem?  I wanted to "shop around" for a cheaper dentis, but guess what, my dental insurance wouldn't allow me to do that.....not under their coverage anyways.

The biggest problem, as I see it is the small business man, the guy with 5 or 10 employees who may be mandated to provide insurance for his employees. That can be a problem, a game changer, something that needs to be addressed.

I do not figure that employers should be duty bound to provide health insurance to their employees, I figure it, "health care" should come from taxation. Thats right, you heard it here 1st. people paying a tax for health coverage.

It makes since....."at least to me," at least a tax for health insurance could be easily seen, and felt, and it could be better controled if it were tax money. The governmental agency would just have to work at their jobs to ensure control.

This question really isn't a left,  right, or Teabagger issue, it's a people issue, it's all about each and every one of us, and the health care that we are provided with. Are  you as sick and tired about all the cackling that our elected leaders are spouting off with.

Those of you who aren't on board with unified health care for all need to get your head out of the place where the sun don't shine to often. Some things aren't the law of the land, there not in the constitution and there not posted on any doorway, some things are just the right things to do.....and health care for all is one of those things.

Now, lets not have anymore discussion about this issue, lets just get on with being "our brothers keeper," at least with regards to health care. Not one more person needs to die because he/she doesn't have access to affordable health care.

"SHIRLEY YOU JEST"

(Google News/Frazer Chronicle)

Thats right, I didn't make a gramarical error, I used the word "Shirley" instead of "surely," I did it for a reason. Shirley, a womens name, means bright grassland, and the headlines in today's Google computer news web-page is anything but "bright." And it sure as hell ain't informative, unless you are muddle brained enough to just read what soimebody has typed onto a word processor.

As a people, as a country, we need information, not opinion, but opinion is exactly what we get, each and every day of the week. We get opinion on the radio, on television and in the printed source of news.

I watch the news, I listen to the news and I read the news, yet at the end of the dayI am left with a mixed montadge of several peoples opinions. When I write a  blog, you can bet the babies milk money that what you read from me is.....my opinion. This blog isn't called the "Frazer Chronicle" for nothing, it's my forum, my platform to air my opinions.

Oh sure I lean left of center, I have never disguised that fact, but I'm not above agreeing with some of what the right believes in, wants to practice, or how Republicans  want to run the government. It's called a "differance of opinion," and to me, differing view points is what makes the world go round, it tends to keep us all on our toes.

News media was created to feed of differing opinion, to present differing views on those opinions, and to let the general public make up their own minds based on that material. But today the media feeds off one opinion, trashes the other and pushes their own agenda.

CASE IN POINT:

The Keystone XL Pipeline that was proposed to go from way up in Canada to the gulf coast of Texas was vetoed by President Obama in  December of 2011. But almost without exception, there has been headlines in the Google news page about "information" with regards to the pipeline.

What news.....at this point it's a dead issue, it's DOA, the project has even been dropped from the Republicans highway bill for 2013. Obviously somebody didn't get the message that the project has been shelved, at least for now. But somehow, some way, the story keeps popping up on Google news, not just a headline or two, but today, 6/28/12, there were 8 bi-lines on the subject.

The Keystone XL is not an issue for the general population of the United States.....most have moved on to other issues. Google should stop caving in to the oil lobbist, it's getting sickening, and actually cheapens the news coverage that Google offers. 

Another key issue in headline news is the healthcare battle that has been waged by both the left and the right for many months now. Today the Surpreme Court ruled, "5-4" to uphold the Obama administration plan as constitutional.  

Mark my words, headlines will continue for months, right up to the election in November and way past that time. The Obama people drafted a 900 page plan that nobody has read, much less understands. People want health care, and they don't want it to bankrupt them.....and it shouldn't.

But to matter what happens in November, the battle over which health care plan to use is far from over, and the interest in the issue  will be fanned by the media for whatever good they can "ring" out of the debate.

For me, I wish we could go back to good old comic books, Super-man and the age of super heros, "them were the good old days." Nobody had to think, to read into the hidden message, it was a simpler time....."damn, it was a time of my youth," like when I was thirty.



FAT AIN'T WHERE IT'S AT NO MORE!

FAT AIN'T WHERE IT'S AT NO MORE!

(Los Angeles Times/Frazer Chronicle)

So it's finally come down to this, no more pretense, no more "it's what’s inside," no "well he's got a great personality," just the brutal, "hey fatso, push yourself away from the dinner table," or "why not try a little road work mixed in with your mashed potatoes and gravy."

I knew it was coming; it was plain as the nose on your face, fat is unhealthy, doctors say it, and health insurance companies talk about the ballooning problem, hell even the President's wife has gotten on board with her thunder-butt and all.

Now let’s see, you can't ride in a car, or drive one without first strapping on a seat belt, seat belts don't make you a better driver, they protect you from.....yourself and your poor driving habits, and they protect you against the other driver.....and his bad driving habits.

Some states have helmet laws for motorcycle operators and riders, I never really figured that one out, I mean usually and biking accident pretty much mangles a person up, it's kinda like, "the bodies dead, but the head is in great shape."

Kids under a certain age can't ride in the front seat of a car or truck, they gotta be strapped into one of those ugly car seats, you know, the seat where the kid pees and poops because their pissed off that their mommy and daddy are strapping them into that torture chamber of a car seat.

Life belts for all on board a pleasure craft on a lake of any kind and size, no wake zones, and definitely no alcohol. I've watched those "over the limit, or beach party" shows on Tru T.V. those cops don't let anything slide.

I could go on and on about the regulations we come across every day here in the "land of the free and the home of the brave,".....but I won't. Oh what the hell, just one more. Smoking, everybody knows it's bad for you; it's bad for those people around you, and causes all sorts of health problems.

So how did we solve that little problem, we made it illegal for people to smoke in public places as well as some private. Gee, pretty quick, the only thing that will cause death will be living, you know, "old age," and if the insurance companies ever figure a way around that one, they won't have to pay any benefits at all.

Let’s, just for a minute, examine the obese cops, their duties, and exactly who benefits from the healthy build of a man or women. More importantly, if there are suggestions about how to "slim down," who pays the bill.

PONY UP THE DOUGH RAY ME:

Stuff today costs so much money, I'm not sure how the "stuff" gets paid for; I mean hundreds of dollars for rent, for food, and for cable. And if you own your home, wow, repairs, mortgage payments, general maintenance, taxes and insurance, I get out of breath just thinking about it.

We pay for security, police, fire department, military force, health care and so many little "hidden" costs that it makes my head swim. And now.....possibly a "fat tax," give me a break. I don't care if Rose next door weighs 400 pounds and at death will have to be lowered into the ground with a crane. Too bad, so sad.....but so what.

Now comes the kicker, here's the "so what," the insurance company has to pay for the burial, has to pay of death benefits to family and friends, and the health insurance company just got done spending hundreds of thousands of dollars trying to keep fat old Rose alive for as long as they could.

It's fine and dandy that people worry about good old fat Rose, but even though she has health and death insurance, the insurance company can't leave it alone, they want to collect the premiums, and then make no payouts, it's called a "win-win," and it's what the insurers want.

Actually what some of these "fat advocates" want is for the government to pay for some sort of "fat clinic" system around the country to help with the fat issues that we have. Clearly as a people, we have, here in the United States a "fat problem." We sit on our butts too much of the time, watching television, "I try and limit myself to only five or six hours a day," and eat snack food.

OBESE COUNSELING:

I have a sugar problem, I have hyper tension, I have a bit of a weight problem, I see my doctor every six months or so, and he kicks my butt about my weight, my eating habits and my lack of exercise. Since June 1st. of this year, I've lost 9 pounds, joined a health club and work out every other day.

Other then the weight loss, the only thing I've taken away from my work-out ritual is sore joints and muscles. Oh sure, I needed to work out on a regular basis, but at my age and station in life, I'll never regain whatever it is that I lost. It's gone, over the hill, on the down side of life.....and you know what, I don't care.

I decided to join a health club, I decided to take advantage of the tools at the health club, I made these decisions for two very good reasons, my doctor kept bugging me and my wife wouldn't shut up about my expanding "dunlap."

That was my counseling, I paid for one, "my doctor," and I live with the other, "my wife." I respect my doctor, and I love my wife, so what was I supposed to do, ignore both of them.....I don't think so.

The best incentive for people is.....themselves, those that can't "self motivate" are their own worst enemy, and probably are beyond help. To those people I raise a Big Mac with double cheese and an extra large bag of fries, topped off with a milk shake.

But for us to pay for your "fat counseling," my answer is a big fat no, you’re on your own there.

THE NIGHT HAS A THOUSAND EYES!

THE NIGHT HAS A THOUSAND EYES!

(Aljazeera/Frazer Chronicle)

Actually today's blog could have been called "the skies have a thousand eyes," but what the hell, I always like Bobby Vee, so while researching for today's topic, I stumbled across an article about "Prying eyes in U.S. skies raise privacy fears, and immediately thought of Bobby Vee's big 1963 hit. Call me a romantic; I just couldn't help dragging up a bit of nostalgic music to use as a title for today's "op-ed."

It's really strange, "at least to me," that a bit of movie future shock seemingly is coming to pass, "I can remember several movies that use unmanned drones to blow things up, or gather information from unsuspecting politicians, or gangsters or the man next door.

I remember James Bond movies, Blade Runner, or that cop movie with bullets that could go around corners and those little drone things that could inject lethal poison. I thought they were just movie stuff, but of course now, we all know that the stuff and ideas that makes movies fun to watch isn't quite so funny in real life and the 2^nd decade of the 21^st century.

These pesky little unmanned aerial vehicles; (UAV's) could be flying through U.S. neighborhoods as early as 2015 to aid all sorts of police, FBI, Homeland Security, and ATF investigations.

Not that my retirement village would be a target, but hell, who knows what little old granny is doing in her basement next door. And I in my blanky, sitting back for a good night of Tru-T.V. and a bowl of my favorite cereal and maybe, just maybe a toke of.....well you know, does this mean that I'm a target to?

POWER AND CONTROL:

Law enforcement anymore isn't to "serve and protect," it's all about control, have you ever seen a cop who wasn't a control freak, I don't think so. And spies…..spies, they want to be secret, take taxpayers money, and never, never tell where it's going, how it's being spent, or how much will be kept.

Homeland Security, now there's a beauty of a protecting agency here in the United States, Hitler used many of the tactics that have been incorporated into the modus operandi of the security. Republicans talk about down-sizing government, yet, during the Bush administration, the creation of the Homeland Security was the biggest arm of the fed, possibly ever, nobody knows how far their reach is, or how many agencies are involved.

A major shift in U.S. airspace control is under way, after the Federal Aviation Administration legislation was passed by Congress earlier this year. The act fully integrates drone technology by 2015, meaning that UAV's "unmanned aerial vehicles" or the "skies over America won't be quite so friendly."

And although the drones won't be used for tactical use, "raining down hellfire missiles," they have the capability to do so. Now I ask you, "how long will it be before some jerk decides missiles are mounted machine guns on these little devils aren't in the best interest of the country?"

J. EDGAR ALL OVER AGAIN:

There was a time in our country when one man was the overbearing control freak of all law enforcement organizations. J. Edgar Hoover kept lists on everybody, for everything. It didn't matter the position that a person might hold, everybody was afraid of J. Edgar.

Now we seem to be returning to those times, in the name of protection and national security, what a sorry joke we are headed for. Unless you think that our countries intelligence was top notch before September 11^th 2001. Have you forgotten about September 11^th what happened that day, and what now has been going on for more than 10 years in the aftermath of that September day.

In the times of the F.B.I and Hoover, 1924 to 1973, the country suffered some of its darkest hours in law enforcement. One man deemed that there was no Mafia, no organized crime, that Communism was the country's biggest threat, and that "red" was the color of the enemy.

At the present time, there are no clear cut laws protecting us individuals from "our" law enforcement machinery. From our grocery lists, to the books we read, to which web sites we access on our computers, we can be monitored.

The fed says "trust us," we won't abuse intelligence gathering processes….SURE….when donkeys fly and I win the lottery. Just fess up intelligence people, you just want more info, more control, it's called "job security."

Mark my word; "once the drone program is in place," it'll be here to stay.....forever. I remember when President Bush wire-tapped without proper authorization, because it was war time, therefore he had the power, that issue has been tempered, but much of the "guts" of the wire-tap statutes are gone.

It seems that now is the beginning of a new era in the United States, it's the time when states protection supersedes the people, and that my friends is sad, dangerous and probably fatal for our way of life.

GOOD LUCK AND GOOD BYE!



  

WE DON'T NEED NO STINKING IMMIGRATION REFORM!

WE DON'T NEED NO STINKING IMMIGRATION REFORM!

(News & World Report/Huffington Post/Frazer Chronicle)

So Marco Rubio is making the rounds, testing the waters....."Of presidential politics," and offering his opinion about a subject he feels that he is qualified to opinionate about because he.....is Cuban. But wait, he was born in Miami, Florida in 1971, his parents were the ones from Cuba, immigrating to the United States back in 1956.

So how does that connection make Rubio, "who I thought might have been Italian," an expert on immigration rules and regulations in the United States.....?”Oh wait," he's Cuban, so he has to know all about immigration, legal or otherwise.

Rubio's parents were naturalized as U.S. citizens in 1975, some four years after Marco was born, so actually Marco is much more American than either of his parents. Although immigration hasn't been a "hot button" issue until Obama wanted to grant "some" illegals a reprieve from deportation, Rubio quickly stepped forward and pointed the fickle finger of politicking at the President.

I haven't blogged about immigration basically because I feel that the United States already has enough laws in place to deal with the issue. Our elected officials and hired law enforcement simply needs to carry out the laws already on the books.

I live here in "little old Green Bay, Wisconsin," thousands of miles from the U.S.-Mexico border, yet there is a presence of illegal workers here. Meat packing facilities are the culprit in "Packer-land," don't try and tell me the industry is going to bend over backwards to cooperate with the federal government with regards to illegal workers.....because they won't.

The Wisconsin farming community stands shoulder to shoulder with the meat packers in using illegal workers.....they say they need low cost employees to make ends meet. Huh, I watch these jerks drive around in their Cadillac's, and take winter trips to Florida.

I do not care why these people, no matter the race, come to America and work and live here illegally, it's against the law.....Nuff said. The question of immigration IS political, is a law enforcement question and is easy to address.....follow the laws of the land.

I could care less if a Mexican is having a tough time in his native Mexico City, or wherever, I feel for their plight, I have compassion for their lot in life.....but hey, it's not my problem and it's not my fault. So Marco Rubio has immigration as one of his "pet" projects.....big deal, the only way he can identify with illegal Spanish-Mexican-South Americans is under what race he was born, that's as far as it goes.

The issue of illegal immigration is what I call a "bend issue," both political parties use "bend issues" to keep the voters’ minds occupied.....away from the real issues, whatever they might be. Let's get back to following the law(s) of the land.....as they are written, okay.....Teabaggers.

IT DEPENDS ON WHO YOU TALK TO!

IT DEPENDS ON WHO YOU TALK TO!

(National Center for Policy Analysis/Frazer Chronicle)

I had an interesting and vigorous conversation with my doctor this morning about, first my own personal health,  then about the state of the health insurance industry and finally about how many doctors today,  are preforming. It was an education for me to say the least, and sadly, not so much for my doctor.

First and foremost, my doctor is a flaming conservative, a dyed in the wool "less government is better" kind of guy. I think that my doctor is one of the very best in the entire Green Bay area, with his "down home," personal approach to doctoring, I look forward to my visits every 3 to 6 months, depending on what my blood work dictates.

My doctor is engaging, always informative, and comes directly to the point with regards to my condition, what I need to do, and what will happen if I don't. He has been "on point" with every aspect of my health and my wife's as well, we are lucky to have him for our health needs.

As most of us know, our health system is in big trouble, not so much for the services offered, but how payments are made, and how easily we can get these services. I have blogged before about how a health clinic sees us as we walk through the door, whether we have insurance or not and to what extent our injury or condition will add to their coffers.

It's okay, I understand, health care is a business, and they have a bottom line the same as a super market, a cafe or a foundry. There are expenses that are generated through their services and they have every right to regain them and to make a profit as well. People in need of medical treatment or health maintenance, in the final analysis are the "life-blood" of a medical clinic and the doctors that work there.

What my doctor told me created questions.....not answers, and to me, seemed to make the subject way more complicated then it needed to be. I do not feel that things are as complicated as people make them out to be. Most of what we need in our everyday world is basic, boring and easy to see and understand.

Each and every one of us needs "3 hots and a cot," that's it, everything else is window dressing, and actually unnecessary.....for life. We are born, we live and we die, can it be any simpler then that, what we acquire along the way is baggage, isn't ours and we can't keep.

My dad, when informed that he "couldn't take his money with him when he died" responded, "then I'm not going." Poor silly father, we buried him when he was 74, and divided his money amongst us kids.

Health care and how we pay for it is quite like my father, a misunderstood subject, with all sorts of illusions. Doctors want their share, clinics want theirs, hospitals and insurance companies also want their "slice of the pie."

The real worry here isn't for the patient, rather for each person's wallet who provide services, and again, it's okay. However, $25 dollars for an aspirin, $140,000 for a hearing procedure, $5,000,00 to inject a liquid into a person's back.....come on, "get off my back."

Want to fix the system, here's the easy answer.....as well as the complicated one, I can sum it up in exactly one word.....schedule. That's right, for each and every medical procedure, there is one scheduled cost, band aids and aspirin included.

Who makes up the cost schedule, and how can the schedule be safeguarded against ramped fraud, aha.....again, easy. You appoint a panel of doctors, health care workers, insurance reps and concerned citizens and they meet....."in a public forum" and decide the costs of all medical procedures.

A doctor doesn't want to abide by the schedule, a clinic, or a hospital won't work within the established system.....again easy, they lose their licences, they are no longer allowed to practice, or offer services in the United States.

Does this solution sound like socialized medicine.....I don't care, where we are going with the system that is in place today in the United States is breaking well over 50% of the citizenry. Doctors, clinics, hospitals and even insurance companies can make a comfortable living under the system I am proposing, and it only took me an hour to think it up.

Oh how does my plan get paid for, again easy, a tax on (everybody), anybody that works for a living, gets unemployment, is on relief, anybody who generates an income, they pay their health care tax 1st. that's it, uncomplicated as hell.

SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMY.....MAYBE!

SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMY.....MAYBE!

(Paul Rosenberg, Random Lengths News/Frazer Chronicle)

Narg, narg, narg, it's funny to me, "Narg is like a Curly of Three Stooges fame laugh," it's a ha, ha subject.....at least to me. The struggle between liberals and conservatives has evolved into an all consuming debate that has, and will continue to escalate toward a point of no return.

After the fall of the former Soviet Union, Russia, the United States floundered; the U.S. had lost its way. We had nobody to fight, nobody to liberate and nobody to protect, it was a terrible time for much of the conservative thinking people of America.

The cold war between Russia and the United States had been a passion for many a conservative, a communist ideology, that a true American conservative could wrap his/her arms around, embrace and feel warm and fuzzy about.

Mostly the cold war was a chest bumping, Mano y Mano test of testosterone, a time of "hot breathing" where nothing really happened.....except an extraordinary build-up of military hardware unlike any in the worlds history.

From 1980, "Ronald Reagan," to Bush 41, to Bill "Slick Willie" Clinton, to George W. Bush, and finally to Barack Obama, first the search for a new cold war partner and then once a new candidate was found….terrorism, to Osama bin Laden, to Saddam Hussein, to Qaddafi, the search has brought some fruitful results.

We vanquished each and every one of them, rid the world of some truly ugly vermin, and yet with each success, nothing really changed. We continued our quest to uncover yet another bad guy, maybe there's still a Hitler out there "cutting his teeth" on his own people, perfecting his terror skills before he takes on bigger and better fish.....the U.S.

The only presidents in the past 30 plus years to negotiate in any real way has been Bill Clinton, during his two terms in office, and Barack Obama in his first term of office. And let's face the facts of negotiations; they weren't the best that the U.S. could offer.

Obama has offered the olive branch to terrorists and the conservatives here in the United States more than any other president over the past eight administrations, and democrats and republicans have been split right down the middle during these past 32 years. But lately, U.S. conservatives have lost their minds.....a little, they have looked in all sorts of places for an enemy, under rocks, in sand piles and in wrecks of buildings in cities I can't even pronounce the names of.

Obama realizes that the left and the right, liberals, conservatives, republicans and democrats must work together to accomplish much of anything. After all, politicians are supposed to be in Washington to do the bidding of the people, to make government and our way of life work.

But even Obama hasn't gotten it right, you negotiate with an opposing people for so long, and then you push them to except your proposals, because.....you believe in your proposals and you will not compromise, ever.

Obama seems to fail in his vision of the conservative parties, "Tea Baggers and Republicans," and that their thinking is flawed, you simply do not offer monetary bail-outs in times of peril. You do not continue tax breaks and financial incentives to industry and at the same time take away from the countries needy.

For Obama to get into bed with conservatives would be disastrous for both the democrats and for the country. The United States needs a two party system, it's what the country was built on.....so, Obama, sleep with your own kind.....liberals. Sleeping with conservatives, even though they might be good looking, is much like having sex with a watermelon, it feels good for a little while, but the novelty soon wears off.

NO REALLY DOES MEAN NO!

NO REALLY DOES MEAN NO!

(Politifact/Frazer Chronicle)

What the hell’s the deal, don't people get it, oh wait, maybe their driven by God.....to do God's work, to spread the word. You know, one time in an airport, (where I was renting a car, I do not fly) a woman in her 40's, who was behind the desk, mentioned the fact that all liberals were sex perverts. Wow, I have yet to figure out where she was coming with that one.

I had some time to kill, and was making small talk with the rental car attendant, talking about the "loser" war in Iraq, how Bush was taking the country down the wrong road when she said that “I must be a liberal.” I asked her "What was wrong with a liberal?" and her retort was the sex pervert thing.

Now I run across a Michigan state legislator, Lisa Brown who has been banned from speaking on the Michigan house floor because she uttered the word.....are you ready for this.....VAGINA. Oh the shame of it, the utter outlandish nerve of this Jewish women to say the word.....VAGINA.

The word is tied to another hot topic issue, "I don't mean any disrespect.....using the term (hot topic)," it's just a figure of speech.....anyway; the hot topic is abortion and all the religious connotations the subject brings to the table.

Come on, I used to drive a truck, I've seen those signs talking about "stopping a beating heart", and "abortion kills." It's funny, "not in a ha-ha way," but that in many ways we, as a culture have attempted to move into the 21^st century, yet in other ways, we are mired in the dark ages.

Throughout our nation, political people are made up primarily of men, and men aren't really equipped to deal with such a feminine issue. I don't get past the initial issue with the raping of a woman, the helpless, violated feeling that seems to haunt the victim. I just can't figure it out, I mean I know "having your way when a female objects is wrong and against the law," but the event wrecks some women for life. I really am sorry that I don't get the attitude; I feel that I am somehow missing something that I should know.

Now we have this women legislator in Michigan seemingly voicing her opinion and getting socked down by the "good ole boys." Look, here's the deal, nobody, I mean nobody has the right to quiet a person on a legislative floor debate for an opinion, an idea, or a word anywhere in the United States of America.

It may be crude, or rude, but it's only a word.....and you know the old saying, "sticks and stones may break my bones, but names and words will never hurt me." And shock of shocks, that old statement still applies in today's world.

Would I have said the word in public, probably not, I would probably have used the term "mommy parts," or "down there," but hey, I'm not a women, so in the case of using the word VAGINA in a conversation, I don't really count.

In our world today, we make so much fuss about being politically correct and not hurting people with words. Forget kicking the crap out of some protester on Wall Street or in some public park. Forget about law enforcement tazing some wasted drunk to the point of death.....to serve and protect, so it's okay.

We seem to be a society bent on saving people from themselves, "it may be your body, but what’s going on inside it is our business." Wrong-go-bongo," I do not agree with abortion, I would never want any of my family members to make that decision.....but in the final analysis, it's their choice, and they will have to live with it.

After so many weeks, then I do believe that the laws of the land should take over.....with regards to the termination of the little life. Rape, incest or retardation of course is special, and special rules should apply. But make no mistakes, if a woman wants to terminate a pregnancy because it might be an inconvenient issue, (after a certain number of weeks), I say "rotten luck baby, you played.....now you pay."

Of course the issue is a hot topic, gets people's blood boiling, but at the end of the day, we need to be cool, and remember, our bodies are ours and nobody has the right to dictate what happens to them, that is, "until after a certain period of time has elapsed" then moral beliefs need to take control.

So in the end, before a certain number of days have been achieved, "No really does mean.....No."

 

IS THE UNITED STATES BECOMING A ROGUE NATION?

IS THE UNITED STATES BECOMING A ROGUE NATION?

(Asian Times/Frazer Chronicle)

Is the United States becoming a "rogue" state, have we been a rogue state.....and whatever happened to a rogue lover? I've been a rogue in my time, I always thought it was kinda cool to be a rogue, you know, a guy that the other fellas didn't trust around their women......and a guy that women couldn't trust THEMSELVES being around, "Hey, that was me."

Did you ever look up the meaning of the word.....rogue, a rogue is a kind of dink, a deceitful and unreliable scoundrel.....a scallywag. Now there's a really neat word, scallywag, I didn't use the word in the title of this blog, figured to many people would think I was making up the word scallywag.

But it does mean almost the same as a rogue, except it was pretty much used during the Civil War to describe a white southerner who supported reconstruction policies after the war. Why the fascination with rogues or scallywags, well, I watched a documentary last night on H.B.O. "41". It was about George H.W. Bush, his family, his life and of course, his presidency.

I voted for Bush "41" in 1988, thought he was a good guy, with lots of experience, and a fella with genuine ideas and the good of the nation. I didn't look into his background, like where he came from, how his family made their money, like most everybody else I listened, read, talked with a few people and then voted.

Like most of you all, I understand that most political figures come from money, or are businessmen/women and pretty much have lived a fortunate life style. Private schools, college degree(s) at least, (sorry Scott Walker) and a pretty structure life.....compared to most of us.

The United States has become a much different country then many others in the world today, in many ways we are more structured, have a somewhat different value system, and hold important some things that other countries simply don't care about. We are "westernized", we pretty much value a dollar bill and what it can bring you.

Some other countries value family first and foremost, and will put family before everything else, wealth, position, job, title. Some countries are brutally honest with themselves, seem to realize their shortcomings and conduct themselves within those guidelines.

It seems, here in the United States (sometimes) presidents are rated by how aggressive they act with regards to their foreign policies. In the H.B.O. documentary I watched, Bush "41" go to great lengths to explain how he felt "justified" in going to war, "Desert Storm" with Saddam Hussein.

Here's the thing with regards to America making war, "I know, I know," you understand how I feel about war, but it's true, the United States has made war on foreign ground since December 8^th1941, with the exception of September 11, 2001. Did you ever think about how many wars and skirmishes the U.S. has been in? How much they have cost us, and how many lives have been lost?

I'm a jovial guy, I love to joke, I love to make people laugh and I really don't care if the jokes on me, as long as we laugh and have a good time, I think that's part of my job as a human, to make people laugh. But when it comes to war, and the seeming pre-occupation we have with war.....well, it's no laughing matter.

History has proven what former presidents wanted, what some in their administration desired, what presidents have achieved, what they have built up, or torn down. Whether for the good of the union, or for the worse, as a country, we have stood by our presidents for better or worse.

We don't need more war, we don't need more deaths caused by war, and we sure as hell don't need the financial damage the war causes. I personally don't give a crap about Iraq, Iran, or Afghanistan. I care about how Wisconsin is operated, how our national transportation system is repaired, how we can all access health insurance and how, as a nation, we can clean up our cities, wash away the ignorance and lower the cost of an education.....for everybody.

George H. Bush was, in my opinion a crazy war making idiot, swayed by some of the worst advisers ever collected in one administration. Barack Obama ran his campaign partly on getting the U.S. out of the Middle East.....and hasn't done it.

We now have problems in Pakistan, Iraq, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Sudan, Syria, of course Cuba as well as the horn of Africa. I'm sure that there are more, I just don't have the clearance to know, and if I did.....I'd have to kill you after I relayed the information.

There is a wall at C.I.A headquarters that lists those agents that have lost their lives during the efforts that they made in their jobs. No names, just stars on a white wall.....what a joke, spooks to the end, even when they aren't around to voice an opinion.

President Obama, or future president Romney are both on board in expanding the country's military reach.....protecting our foreign interests as well as spreading our way of government and keeping the world a "hot bed" for democracy, capitalism and a conduit for the money flow to the rich and shameless of the world.

Is the United States a rogue state, a rogue country intent on forcing it's way on other peoples of the world, well.....you be the judge. We don't send envoys, or diplomats anymore, we "drone" our advisories, a heartless way of letting people, governments, terrorists and opponents know exactly where we stand on a subject, and where other nations stand with regards to our wants and desires.

Politicians talk about their legacy, just the other day Erik Holder was asked how he wanted his legacy to read.....what a ridiculous question, I say "let the chips fall where they may," just do your job. Everybody should do his/her job.....and question.....question almost everything that comes out of Washington, or from a politician’s mouth.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

RATING AMERICA'S ENEMIES!

RATING AMERICA'S ENEMIES!

(Gallup poll 2-12/Charles Jylha/Frazer Chronicle)

You know, I never thought about rating our countries enemies, I never figured it was that complicated of a subject.....but now, in this world of instant news, instant weather and pitch by pitch recall of a pitchers pitches to a particular batter, why not a rating system for our enemies, or as George W. Bush put it, "the bad guys."

In a Gallup poll taken during the early part of 2012, 30% of all respondents cited Iran as the biggest threat, with China coming in second at 23% and either North Korea or just plain old Korea coming in 3rd. with a score of 10%.

It was interesting....."At least to me," that 1% listed as a possible enemy of the United States, the United States itself. I thought the figure would be much higher, or not listed at all, at least some out there see a possible link between global war, America, and our attitude.

Iran, China, and Korea/North Korea were the only states to garner double digit votes as America's biggest threats for war. Afghanistan, 7%, Iraq, 5% and Russia and Pakistan with 2% each were the only real threats.....according to the poll. Saudi Arabia and Japan were also listed, but barley with 1% each. It seems as if the "House of the Rising Sun" needs to raise a hell-of-alot more before they can be considered any kind of threat.

Now there is a movement "afoot" to blame Israel for the September 11^th 2001 plane attacks in the twin towers and the Pentagon. Personally I could care less, pointing fingers, at this late stage, "10 years after the fact," seems a bit of a reach. I thought terrorists from Iraq and Afghanistan and the Muslim world were responsible.....now we have to attack somebody else.....wow, what a drag.

Look, the whole attack thing that took all those innocent lives that sunny September morning has left a huge scar on us all. We've been at war ever since.....and it really hasn't done any good. (The war.....I mean.)

Oh sure, we've killed thousands of bad guys, thousands more innocents and thousands of our own fighting men and women. During the same time frame, hundreds of thousands more have been injured, and the continuing care may break several smaller countries with the billions that ultimately need to be spent.

The military and politicians say that "we are safe" through the efforts of our intelligence gathering agencies and our military effort. We have to stay diligent and keep our wallets open (at all times) for future incurrence of expenses.

Some really profound smart guy coined the phrase "the long war" back in the early days of the war against terror. He was right.....the war in Afghanistan is the longest war in the history of the United States. It's a war that we aren't winning, and we can't win.

The Middle East is not our land, we don't belong there, the natural resources aren't ours, the people of the area don't want us there, and they hate us for being there. We are not viewed as the peace keepers, rather baby killers and killers of the innocent.

At this point it doesn't matter who did September 11^th 2001, most of the perpetrators are either dead or in prison, and it doesn't do much good to continue dragging up the past to keep the present going.

People talk about America's military might.....and it is true; America by far is the mightiest country with the biggest and baddest military weapons of all time. With each new military advent, someone, somewhere in the military wants to practice.....wants to use these "toys" to see how well they work, not in war games, but against real, living, breathing and when you hit them, bleeding enemies.

It's the next step in our military evolution, the guns, ships, planes and tanks just have to be tested.....in real combat. I'm sure the "powers that be" are hoping for a few casualties on our side so they can go after the evil bad guys.

We even have the USS New York, built with 24 ton of scrap steel that came from the World Trade Center. Tell me that that's not a rich one, the steel girders, melted down and re-cast as part of a military ship to chase the bad guys. I'm sure it would have made the people who lost their lives feel proud.

Rating our enemies huh, maybe our enemies are the military industrial complex, the people that run the Pentagon and a President who has not kept his campaign promises....."Get us the hell out of war.....and stop making these crazy war machines."

OK MR. SMARTY PANTS!

OK MR. SMARTY PANTS!

(Oakland Press/Frazer Chronicle)

So you think you know it all, you think you've got a handle on things, you think you know your country, and it's safe, just and honest.....right? Well my friend, let me point a few things out to you that.....well, maybe you didn't know.

Did you know that women in the military get raped by their fellow soldiers at an alarming rate and that prosecution of the perpetrators lags at an embarrassing rate? I say "an alarming rate" because to me, one case of rape is way too much.

Oh ya, and by the way, I am not in favor of women serving on the front lines in hot military regions, it makes absolutely no sense to me when we have enough men to do that job. Call me old fashioned, but I come from an era of WAVES and WACS, those good looking women who served their country in the military, but in areas that were safe for them, both from the enemy and the "friendlies."

The United States military is.....and has long been a club for "good old boys," those "Arctic men" from long ago that made war, drank bourbon, smoked their stogies and "took" their occasional woman. It is a mentality grown through centuries of war, plunder, and an ideology of peace through power.

These men, the generals of the world's military, somewhere along the line didn't get the fact that people really, really don't need war to get along, that the economies of the globe really can produce enough "stuff" for us to survive.

The really funny part of the military’s "standard operating procedure" regarding sexual crimes is that all crime reports are to the victim’s boss, or commander, which in many cases is and also can be the perpetrator. If the person goes over her commander's head, it's to her commander’s boss.....and those two men already have a professional relationship.

Sexual misbehavior isn't new in the military, it's been going on for decades, it's been going on ever since women were granted entrance into the military in any capacity. Before women were in the military, soldiers ravaged women wherever they went. It's what they call "rape and pillage."

The mentality of men "having their way" spills over into U.S. government as well.....unless you figure that government has the right to screen a women's uterus with a pre-abortion ultrasound. I for one do not want anybody probing "down there" unless there is consent by the women.

Muslims have long treated their women with utter disrespect, keeping them "down on the farm" as it were. I had a mother; I have 3 sisters, a wife, 2 daughters, and a son. I know from personal experience that behind every good man is a great woman. I know that women can do any job that any man can do.....if a woman chooses to do that job.

Most women accept their roles in the world; the key word is accept, many women know that they could do more, but that their men and their fragile feelings need to be "patted". I say "God bless them all." We need to put women on a high place, because they have the true power.

A LITTLE TRIP TO THE U.P.

A LITTLE TRIP TO THE U.P.

(Frazer Chronicle)

Reflecting is a wonderful thing, everybody does it, and really it's good to do, reflecting kind of clears the head, either shows how lucky you are, or where you need to improve yourself.....to get to that better place where most of us aspire to be.

The "natives" of the Upper Peninsula are basically a good group of hard working people, like most across the country, willing to do an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay. However, in the U.P. that usually doesn't happen today. There are a tremendous number of people working in the service industry, servers, cooks, dish washers, gas station attendants and store clerks.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with these jobs, or with the people manning these positions, the pay however, leaves much to be desired, and there absolutely no future in such a position. It is, at this time, the nature of the employment beast in the Upper Peninsula.

I am researching material for a book that I am going to write, and during the course of that research, I was looking up home addresses of some of the people that worked in the mining industry during the first 3 decades of the 20^th Century. I was in awe and shocked to discover the opulence that some of these people lived in during the first part of the century.

Without exception, high iron mine company officials lived better then the "good life," they had maids, house boys and in some cases lived in company provided housing. Many of these houses survive a testament to construction and craftsmanship of the time.

What of the "common" folk of that day, well, many of the houses are still standing, still occupied and are still home to laughing children and working mothers and fathers. Some of the homes have remained in the same family for 2 and 3 generations and, with little exception, the houses remain the same with regards to floor plans.

I met an actual lumberjack in his early 60's who has a 70 something helper; these 2 men hit the woods every morning, 5 days a week and put in 10 to 12 hour days. Everybody does whatever he or she has to, to survive, but geez, a 70 something helper.

There were log haulers, excavators, carpenters and masons, many in their middle 60's, most with no plans or 401 K's for retirement. There are a fringe number of men in their early to middle 60's that lost their jobs when the last underground iron mine close in 1976.

There are also men in their 30's, 40's and 50's who have lost their jobs in the 2 open pit mines that are left in Marquette county as the company continues to down-size. These were good paying jobs complete with a benefit package that will never be replaced.

Downsizing is a 2 pronged attack on workers forged by the company, the move does eliminate unnecessary or duplicate jobs, but it can also corral high paying jobs and lower the scale of pay for those remaining, and it sets future salary procedures and practices.

Although Marquette does show some signs of growth, the 2 sister cities, Negaunee and Ishpeming show little signs of movement on an upward scale. Many buildings in both cities are ramshackle, tumbling down conditioned, ready for the wrecking ball.....and it would be shameful to destroy some of these landmark places.

The Upper Peninsula is a very interesting place to visit, a great place to view the pasts and to mingle with the wonderful people of the area. But there is a touch of sadness, a twinkle of unfulfilled potential in their eyes.

The summer's are spectacular albeit several degrees cooler then I like, and it seems that the waters of the lakes are crystal clear, but way to cold to swim in. History oozes from the entire U.P. as no other place in the entire Mid-West.

The food is great, Swedish and Finnish dishes are delicious and the people are basically friendly, and helpful. Make plans to take a visit.....now that gas prices are a bit easier on the wallet, you won't be disappointed, it's a great place.....but don't plan on swimming in Lake Superior, it's really, really cold.

NOT SO COMMON!

NOT SO COMMON!

(Scott Bauer/Frazer Chronicle)

How common does a recall election happen in the United States? Not very often. For the most part, if we vote the bums into an office, there they stay until their term has run its course. For better or worse, we are usually saddled with the person we elect and put our faith in.

Wisconsin is now embroiled in a rather heated debate and recall of its Republican Governor, Scott Walker, rebelling against his "divide and conquer" mentality. Walker signed his own recall petition when he worked to abolish the collective bargaining regulation between state workers, their unions and state and local employment officials.

Walker's attitude was a "take it or leave it" mentality regarding wage and benefit negotiations with state paid workers, and has spelled trouble since he took that stance. I really can't understand what in hell everybody is so worked up about, for the working class, its business as usual, wanting as many benefits as negotiators will allow.

For state employers, they want as much control and as much latitude as the law allows, and if the law won't allow some of the things they want.....well, change the laws. It's exactly what Scott Walker has done, and is doing.

Will Walker stand up to the ground-swell of opposition to his thinking? I think absolutely so. I don't think the guy has a clue, or a chance. There are hundreds of thousands of state workers in Wisconsin who's paychecks have been dramatically altered by the Walker machine.....and that has pissed a whole bunch of people off.

There have been 2 other governors that have been recalled, or as it should properly be described, "Kicked out of office, or fired from their jobs." Nobody likes to be reprimanded during the course of their duties, or worse, fired from their position, it's messy, it's hard to do and it's down-right expensive, but it has been done.

In the history of the United States, there have been 6 attempts at recalling state governors, North Dakota's Lynn Frazier was successfully recalled as governor in 1921, and California's Gray Davis was kicked out of office in 2003. Both recalls were related to financial problems that cropped up during both men's watches.

People today are more informed then just 8 or 10 years ago, Fox News, M.S.N.B.C., C.N.N and the talk radio hosts make sure of that. The air-waves are chuck full of information; most of the time slanted in one political direction or the other, yet its information.

Watching this story unfold means one thing to my way of thinking, I am watching history right now, and I am keeping an eye on exactly how smart people really are. If Scott Walker retains his office, then people will have forgotten the 16 hour day, the mandatory 6 day work week, the low wages, the no benefits and the brutal atmosphere that existed in Americans work place for decades.

If Scott "Sleepy" Walker retains his office, the rest of his term will see the further decay of the Wisconsin work-place. The divide and conquer mode of operation will put the "fat cats" of Wisconsin right where they want to be, at the workers wallet.....on in total control.

"OH NO, NOT FLORIDA AGAIN"

"OH NO, NOT FLORIDA AGAIN"

(Huffington Post/Frazer Chronicle)

Wee, here we go again, Florida, the sunshine state, the state that has given us the "blue hairs," a place to put our retired family members, a delicious breakfast drink and an occasional shark bite is on the road to possibly deciding another presidential race. Seems as if the Bush-Gore "Chad" question wasn't enough, now Florida might be trying to "purge" people from the voter rolls because they are non U.S. citizens.

Everybody in the United States understands that we have a problem with our boarders and the illegals coming across from Mexico, South America, Canada, China and the terrorist nations of the world. Yes terrorists do cross our boarders, but once they, "terrorists" discover McDonalds, Burger King or Pizza Hut, they quickly decide to drop their explosives for a Big Mac or a double cheese burger and onion rings, the fight just melts away in a greasy, drippy delight of ground-up cow.

Florida is among a small number of mostly southern states that is responsible for creating a law, enacted in 1965 that reinforces voting rights guaranteed in the constitution. Now.....guess who that federal law mostly protects.....people of color and Latinos.

The south just can't get over the fact that the Civil War is over, that the Confederates lost, that blacks now enjoy the same rights as a white man, and that blacks are genetically the same as white people. I know it's a tough pill to take, for some, but it's true.

But wait, Florida Secretary of State, Ken Detzner planned to continue "scrubbing" the election rolls clean of ineligible voters. Now I'm not sure how voter eligibility is established in Florida, but I do know that the state has a harsh history of race relations.

It seems to me, I mean in this day and age, maybe Florida officials might want to tone down any perceived racial profiling, you know.....for the states own good. But oh no, here we go again with another skinny guy politician, Republican Rick Scott.

These people are unbelievable, protecting people from the evils of illegal voters.....even if there not illegal voters. What the hell, they’re black, or talk in a clickety clickety language so they must be foreign, or at least of low mentality.....get out of our state.

A real simple way of solving this problem, voter I.D.'s, it sure as hell would cost the state next to nothing compared to what they are spending at the present time. I personally think every man, women, and child should have a registered number for voting purposes.....now how easy would that be!

AMERICAN GENERALS!

AMERICAN GENERALS!

(Asia Times/Frazer Chronicle)

I get it, I always have.....every country in the world today, and probably yesterday as well, needed an armed force as a deterrent to attack, as a means to keep the peace and to insure our way of life. The military leadership of the United States and countries across the globe walk a tight line that never can be stepped over, otherwise we would have military governmental control, and history has shown us, time after time, a military leadership, in government, never succeeds.

George W. Bush was a war monger, Dick Cheney was a war monger, many in the Bush white house and many connected with the Bush administration were war mongers. Nothing, I repeat, "nothing" good ever comes from war. Sometimes war is necessary, sometimes war is justified, but the facts are not altered.....nothing good ever comes out of war.

Most generals are and always have been overgrown boys who like to dress up in military garb, strut their "stuff" and play soldier and war games. Many are narrow minded men who see little past their collective noses.

They are a rather secretive bunch, with an eye towards knowing more than the enemy, the political process, and for damn sure the people of the United States. Their job, "according to them," is to keep us safe, to protect our way of life, and to secure our shores.

United States military leaders are supposed to work for the Commander in Chief.....that would be President Barack Obama. They are supposed to advise the Commander in Chief with regards to military matters, usually through the Secretary of Defense, but at the end of the day, the president makes the final decision.

I don't necessarily agree with the process, but what the hell, it seems to have worked more or less for the past 200 years and more. There have been presidents that have governed the country with a kind of iron fist, so we need to be aware. The U.S. can't win a war against the entire world and it's obvious that we need to reevaluate our thinking with regards to whether we are truly the "police force" of the world.....to my way of thinking, policing the world is an impossible task, and we are simply fooling ourselves in thinking that we can.

PRE-EMPTIVE STRIKES:

George W. sought to control pretty much the entire world with the threat of military strikes, "shock and awe," and "gee" that didn't work, unless you call a war in Afghanistan that has been going on for 10 years and more a success. Oh ya, Iraq wasn't really a success, and you could talk to anyone on the streets today and they'd tell you so.

I have become aware of things over the past several years, things about my country that I am not proud of, like "U.S." interests, like how we covet other countries natural resources, like how we want to spread "our form of governance," you know.....the free market, and the land of the free and the home of the brave. Poppycock.

The Pentagon has never seen a government that didn't agree with us, with our way of making money, or with our way of life, that they figured shouldn't be taken over.....by us, "for their own good, as well as ours." History books are full of how our government and our military operates with regards to those countries that don't see "eye to eye" with the United States.

Where does this attitude come from, let's put it this way, "not from the peace-nicks" standing on street corners with signs protesting the countries overseas involvement(s). The attitude is bolstered by political groups that figure it's America's way or the highway, by industry that signs multi-billion dollar defense contracts.

And the attitude comes from some of the very generals that are duty bound to answer to the Commander in Chief, the President of the United States.

WHERE WOULD WE BE WITHOUT WAR?

An interesting question, one that many generals don't ask and one that military industry never asks, although a simple enough question. Where would our collective energies go if we didn't have war, if we weren't pre-occupied with some silly war effort that most of us don't feel, that most of us don't think about and that most of us don't pay for.

What about the trillions of dollars that has been spent on war efforts since 1946, what about the hundreds of thousands who have died, the millions disfigured and the almost insurmountable cost incurred by injuries.

I'll tell you, we'd have more and better schools, better roads, more help for the elderly, the poor, the under educated and those suffering illness. There wouldn't be homeless people, crime would be better managed, our borders would be safer and we'd be a more productive country.

Of course we'd have to supply our generals with some sort of toys to play with, some war games to keep them sharp, but we wouldn't need to make war, or look for war because we'd have done away with it, our generals would simply play war.....nobody would die.

CONSCRIPTION, THAT'S THE TICKET:

A military draft that would end almost all wars, I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want my son, or my daughter, or my sister or brother, or my grand kids going off to war. What part of "they shoot at you" don't people understand; why in the world would I want anybody that I know today, to be whisked off to Afghanistan to fight "the enemy."

We have planes, ships, cannon and all other manner of weapon to dispatch whatever enemy we might have in the world today. And the inventors keep coming up with bigger and better weapons to kill our "enemies" with.

I have yet to see a terrorist with a plane, "since 9-11" to fight American superiority in the skies. I have yet to see a terrorists ship bombing any shorelines.....in the world, yet, the U.S. has, and is spending billions of dollars of planes, ships and guns.

Today the U.S. has an all volunteer military, those people that choose to "defend" our country, our freedom and our way of life.....kind of like Superman, "truth, justice and the American way." What a load of crap, mostly the exact reason these young people volunteer is because they think the idea of war is romantic, adventuresome, the "I'll take my chances attitude" that all young people have.

Does anybody take exception at how miss guided that attitude is, at how these young people are being taken advantage of by these "old fart" generals. War is to be avoided at all costs, ask any surviving member of any World War II military outfit, their advice is free for the taking.

Want to stop war.....start a conscription draft, that my faithful readers would spell the end of the madness and the beginning of enlightenment.