Land That I Love - What Happened To It?

Okay.  I'm old.  I'm also tired and angry.  And frustrated because I don't know what to do about it.

I cannot escape the news. Unless I plug my ears and wear blinders so I can't read.  But then what would I do while drinking my morning coffee if not read the paper?

I know all the problems just as you do.  The question is what can we do about them?  The "misbehavers" are getting all the press so if there is a voice of reason out there it's getting drowned out.  Our President is no help. He has his foot in his mouth more often than not.

How such a man was able to create the cabinet he has is beyond me.  It is one of the strogest in years.  Not perfect but strong. I'd like to think they are quietly doing their job even though they are understaffed because of another Presidential misguided notion about the size of gevernment.  Too big?  Yes. But these people do need qualified staff to work with and they're not getting it.

Those misguided notions are a large part of why things are continuing to run amok. No one is all knowing and especially this President.  As a result those who would disrupt, no matter how flawed their reasoning, feel free to do so at will.

I don't understand the hate.  Is it the fault of our universities as some say?  In part.  But before young people ever reach university age, what are they being taught and who is doing the teaching?  Are teachers at fault?  Are parents at fault? It would seem everyone owns a piece of the pie.

As we of a certain age know it has gotten out of control.  How does it get fixed?  Candlelight vigils don't fix things.  Violent demonstrations don't fix things.  We seniors writing about it doesn't.  Who listens to us?

Maybe it's time we seniors quit stewing and get politically active as a block and vet candidates who will do something other than preen for the cameras.  We have a few but no where near enough. Power in numbers and organization.  That's what all the squeaky wheels have.

I don't know.  Anyone game?  Anyone have any ideas?  Can we elders fix it? We at least know our history and respect it.

Cop Killers, Killer Cops

I have a friend with whom I became a pen pal during the Iraq war.  He has experience in security work, was a military policeman and is black.  I spoke with him at length this morning regarding the Blue vs Black vs White mess we find ourselves in these days.

He gave me quite a bit to digest but it all goes back to what values you are taught within the family unit and the decisions you choose to make with or without that teaching. The values are there staring you in the face as you go through life. Where do the parents learn the proper values to pass on?  From their faith in the teachings of God.  He took me to ground zero of a different sort and it made a great deal of sense.

He took the issue from being neither black against blue or white but rather an issue of choice of behavior consciously made.  His feeling is that those who partake as agitators and the violent rowdiness that often ensues is done with full knowledge that it is wrong.  They know that because of the political climate they will most likely get a pass.  It matters not at all that they know they are in the wrong.

On the blue side of the equation we talked about the over kill of their actions. No pun intended. That one bullet should do the job.  Emptying the magazine into a person is most likely not necessary. Is it a lack of training or character? Perhaps a combination but no matter which it is a matter of choice on the part of the shooter.

Then there is the media's contribution.  More whites are killed by police than blacks. Yet we rarely hear those stories.  Why is that?  It's a matter of choice.  It's a whole different issue as to why so many, regardless of race, are killed in the first place.

So how do we fix all of it?  I would think some of the ministry in communities where such activity  runs rampant are trying to fill two roles.  That in teaching the value of faith in God and  surrogate parent to too many.  That shouldn't be their role but perhaps it's better than no parenting at all. It still boils down to choice.  Conscious choice.  Whether or not to even attend services.  Whether or not to parent. Whether or not to make the right choice.

There are always consequences.  You either live or you die.  You either love or you hate.  You either make the right choice or you sacrifice your freedom to make any choice at all sooner or later.

I guess what it all boils down to is that I had this conversation with a black man who isn't "black" to me.  He's a friend.  A good friend.  And a very wise one.

We Have Our Own Brand Of Terrorism

Call me racist if you will, but I'm sick and tired of having members of the black community take advantage of an unfortunate situation to loot and burn and steal all under the guise of protest.  It's criminal and should be treated as such.

Oh, these poor misunderstood protesters.  Bull!  They should be arrested, charged accordingly and jailed.  Then they should be tried and if found guilty be sent off to jail once again.  If local jails are over crowded open up Gitmo.

If there are more blacks in jail than whites because of this well guess what, they're the ones committing the crimes!

What is happening in Baltimore has prompted more of the same back in Ferguson.  Those poor folks were just beginning to get it together again. This is nonsense and has to stop.

Remember that both Freddie Gray and Michael Brown were no saints.  Freddie had a record and we watched Michael stealing from the convenience store and roughing up the owner on surveillance tape in real time. Nice guys these two.

It isn't clear yet why Freddie had an injured spine that ultimately led to his death,  It was a horribly tragic death but does it justify the ruination of a city the size of Baltimore?  Or even Ferguson for that matter.

What ever happened to leadership?  When did it become acceptable to coddle the protesters causing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damage not to mention multiple injuries and maybe even another death?  

The fault lies with wishy washy leaders who are afraid of the very people they're supposed to be leading! It's disgraceful, disgusting and it has to change.

If it doesn't, we will have lost not only the respect of the world but have lowered ourselves to the lowest common denominator of civil behavior.  We will have no voice when others do the same and worse.

Under this administration I have watched this country come under attack from within.  Never mind ISIL.  Never mind they may actually have infiltrated our borders.  Our biggest fear stems from the behavior from our own citizens that continues to escalate.  Which town or city will be next? Which police department will be demonized next?

Yes.  Police officers make mistakes and the media is only too willing to jump on them.  When was the last time you heard some stories about the good police do?  Thugs are thugs, no matter their race and should be treated as such.

Getting our priorities straight when it comes to this type of behavior is long overdue.

Reap What You Sow

"What do we want? Dead cops.  When do we want it? Now!" Free speech or shouting fire in a theater?  According to the racist adviser to the White House it's free speech.  To anyone with an ounce of sense looking at the current climate it's akin to crying fire in a theater.

I hope all the race baiters are happy that two NYPD officers lie dead.  Now, right before Christmas a boy is without his father and a bride without her groom.  Thank you Mr. Mayor and Mr. Sharpton and all those with whom you are complicit.

Now Mr. Sharpton is asking the Feds for protection because he has received death threats.  I can't imagine why. Okay, how 'bout we protect him behind bars where he belongs for a multitude of sins including non-payment of taxes which have been ignored.  Yet he struts around anointing himself as spokesperson for justice for blacks.

What would I like to see?  When the two officers are laid to rest I'd like to see hundreds of thousands of people lining the streets of New York in support of their police and every other police department in the nation. I'd like to see it led by blacks chanting "Police lives are important!" Or maybe  "What do we want? Respect for our police.  When do we want it? Now!"

It's about time we start enunciating the facts of daily life.  Police are the thin blue line between safety and chaos.  The higher the crime area the greater their presence and the greater the danger to their lives. If those who are committing the crimes are black then they are the ones who will be apprehended and punished or if they resist they are likely to be shot.  And killed. The same applies to everyone, no matter their race.

Instead of lionizing a man who was killed while police were trying to arrest him for a crime he had a habit of committing or a teen who thought attacking an officer and trying to get his weapon let's look at the facts of the case.  Yes, it's tragic when someone loses their life but lets put the blame where it belongs.  On the one committing the crime.

Of course black lives are important.  So is mine and so is yours and so, especially, are the lives of those who have taken an oath to do what is necessary for us to be able live those lives in peace and without fear.

I don't fear the police.  I fear the likes of Al Sharpton, Bill di Blasio and those in the administration who feel it necessary to propagate fear and division in order to justify their being. I have trouble getting my arms around the idea that their lives, too, are important.  Perhaps they are as a lesson as to how not to live my own.

Is ISIS Safe From Itself?

I listened to interview with a criminal profiler last night where she was explaining what type of person is actually capable of beheading another.  Especially with a knife the way Jihad John goes about it.

On the positive side, there aren't many though ISIS seems to have more than it's share.  I suggest that's because they have attracted an army of the disenfranchised, misfits  and mentally unbalanced of not only their region but of the world.

It's scary that some do live among us, note the recent beheading in Oklahoma.  She explained that the process itself is not easy when using nothing but a knife, no matter how sharp. I do wonder too if the victims we've been witness to on television have been drugged to some degree.  Granted they are surrounded by armed madmen but the expressions seem void, blank and not even a twitch of resistance. Perhaps it's a state of self hypnosis knowing what's coming.

To do this, however, it was explained that one must be basically dead inside.  No conscience.  No emotion other than the thrill,  the high gotten from the act.  It's hard to imagine such a void in a human body.

It was also explained that the recruiting sites on the Internet don't cater to that side of ISIS and few that join expect to be engaging in that end of it.  It's hard to understand what the appeal may be when this is the only side we see.

The leadership of ISIS, however, has it's group of maniacal thugs and uses them well for their purposes.  What happens, though, when the bombings don't cease and the military action escalates and most importantly when they run out of western  and non-compliant captives?  What will they do to satisfy the blood lust of their self-cultivated monsters?

It would of course be just if they turned against those very ones who have enabled them.  It would only be better if one of those doing the beheading was a woman and she was let loose against al-Baghdadi.

I'll settle for one of the men though.  I cannot imagine any woman, any woman, being capable of such unspeakably cruel violence.

The Knockout Game And It's Unintended Consequences

There haves been a a lot of reports, along with video, of what is being called the Knockout Game.  Where one person  sees if he can get away with sucker punching another, knocking the unsuspecting person to the ground.

In the video some of the victims hit the ground quite hard.  I've heard no reports about broken limbs or concussions but I would expect they might occur.

The reaction to this "fad" puzzles me and once again I'm guessing it's a generational thing. When I was a youngster I was allowed to play tag and dodge ball and such but would never have thought about blindsiding someone with the intent of knocking them down.  Now, in some schools tag and dodge ball are no longer allowed but the Knockout Game is getting a pass.  What, no harm no foul?

I can't help but wonder what makes the teens think this is a game.  It's a mean spirited display of violence.  Just because it's supposed to be one on one doesn't change that. The police are fumbling with it.  Intent and all that nonsense.  If no one is hurt it can't be assault.  So, tsk, tsk it's just another fad like flash mobs that will soon disappear.

Will it?  It was mentioned in a local blog this morning that an elderly gentleman having coffee in a supermarket was showing off his protection - a taser!  Maybe the kids and the authorities think it's nothing, but should someone my age or said gentleman's get in the way serious harm could be done.  Really serious.  If the victim should fall against an elderly person or the perpetrator run into one while trying to get away you're looking at a whole slew of unintended consequences.  Broken bones, heart attacks, and more.  Oh, sure, they'd all be unintended consequences but consequences never-the-less.

Beyond that, I'm not crazy about a lot of old folks walking around with hidden tasers either. Who knows what might incite them to action and oh, my, another slew of unintended consequences.  Maybe even law suits.

I keep backtracking, however, to the game itself.  How have we degenerated to the point to where this type of activity is thought of as fun?  Where are these young people coming from and more importantly, where are they going?

It's bad enough people need to heed the possibility of some sort of assault whenever it's necessary to walk our streets.  Especially this time of year where there are always stories of lurkers waiting to make off with the spoils of Christmas shoppers.  And consider the violence that always seems to be a part of Black Friday when hoards of greedy shoppers go on the attack.

Our entire society is becoming an oxymoron.  We want no part of protecting the defenseless like the Syrian civilians being slaughtered yet we're perfectly fine with a  totally violent game that is growing in popularity.

I don't think we have a clue as to what we are any more or who we want to be.  We live in the moment for the moment with no thought of the future.  Maybe it's because we don't see one or if we do it's not a particularly encouraging one.

An activity like the Knockout Game indicates we've chosen the lowest common denominator.  If there is any good in it, it's the fact there's no place to go but up.  Unless we decide the status quo is good enough.  There will be unintended consequences with that choice too.

A Sacrifice? Please!

Well, here they are, Michelle Obama and her "dear friend" and "chit chat buddy", Oprah. Isn't everything just hunky dory!

I'm totally disgusted by the tone deafness continually on display by the Obamas. Today is just one more example. There's no need to go into the details of how Chicago does business, nor the fact that Valerie Jarret, a close adviser to the President has holdings in the destitute areas due to be demolished for Olympic venues, that 47% of the people don't even want the Olympics, nor the fact I am becoming a conspiracy theorist, as I spoke of just a few days ago.

No. Today I'm picking up on what Byron York reported in the Washington Examiner. Oprah, Michelle and Obama's trip to Copenhagen to lobby for a Chicago Olympics is a "sacrifice" but they're doing it for the kids.

The blood is barely dry on the streets from where a 14 year old was chased down and beaten with a pipe leaving him in critical condition with a fractured skull. This follows on the footsteps of the death of 16 year old Darrion Albert who was beaten to death with planks wielded by a mob. There's two "kids" that won't be enjoying the Olympics!

Somewhat less violent but egregious none-the-less is the arrest of six charged with yanking an Olympic banner from the Daly Center's Picasso statue and tossing it into the "eternal" flame.

Sacrifice. Michelle and Oprah flying to Copenhagen on a U.S. government 757 and Obama on Air Force One. Sacrifice. What?

Meanwhile, the "new" strategy for Afghanistan awaits. Americans are still losing their jobs and homes. Soldiers are still losing their lives not knowing whether or not their own commander-in-chief is going to support them. You want to talk sacrifice? How about those men and women, not to mention their families!

When Michelle claims that as First Lady it has been a priority to "bridge the gap" between the White House and communities across D.C. and the country, she might need to look beyond the idea that where she came from setting foot in the White House was a dream kids never had.

Well, I can suggest a dream they might have. At fourteen and sixteen to be able to walk down the street without fearing for their lives! Having the Olympics in Chicago is probably not a dream they have either.

As for their friends and parents who weep for them, they may dream the "no snitch rule" becomes unenforcable because they no longer fear those who enforce it.

Oh my, oh my. Chicago has so much to sweep under the carpet they might well throw their hat in the ring for the winter Olympics. By the time they're finished the heap will surely equal Mt. Olympus! How's that for fanning the flame?

NATO Is A Toothless Tiger!

The more I pay attention to what's happening in the world the less I understand. Take the matter of Somalian piracy. Ever since the U.S. Navy Seals took out three pirates to rescue an American cargo ship captain, piracy has escalated.

What is it about the fact that piracy is a crime under international law and that every nation in the world has the legal authority to take action, that isn't being understood? It does not matter that the pirates are, in many cases, teenagers, nor that they're doing it for the ransom money, not an act of war. Does that mean we shouldn't arrest any criminal unless their actions are deemed an act of war? Well, shut down our jails and prisons. Every criminal out there has been given a pass.

On the other hand I don't believe for one minute that Somali teenagers are savvy enough, nor wealthy enough, even with their share of the ransoms, to engineer these raids along with the acquisition of arms and boats. Rocket launchers aren't exactly front and center in your local gun store. Even in Somalia I wouldn't think. In other words, there are some heavy weight adults involved in this.

I listen to the explanations of why cracking down is so difficult. They're covering a whole lot of ocean. Well, yeah. So why not follow the advice of those who suggest snugging up the shipping lanes, form convoys and provide armed escorts for those ships? Any ship choosing not to join a convey does so at it's own risk. Pirates who approach a convoy do so at their own risk. What's so difficult about that?

It's a solution Dogwalk would have come up with! Too simplistic no doubt.

Cost? Negligible compared to what it's costing in ransom, grounded ships and crews and lost revenue. There are enough private security agencies like Blackwater to provide the personnel.

The recent episode that was carried out by Canadian forces and NATO ended up in letting the pirates go. Why? The ships were part of NATO's anti-piracy mission.

The Canadians said the pirates cannot be prosecuted under Canadian law because they did not attack Canadian citizens nor were they in Canadian waters. The explanation went on to say when the detention of a person is involved it quits being a NATO issue and becomes a national one.

Is this thinking skewed or what? We're talking about International law here. NATO is an international organization. If it's members become hostage to national law in an an international issue, what's the point of NATO even existing?

Would it make sense for NATO to sit down with it's member nations and sort this out? The numbers, as I write this, include at least 18 ships and 310 crew being held. Who knows what's happening today. I haven't had been parked in front of the television.

I don't know. Why do we have to make everything so difficult? Haven't we yet learned that hand wringing accomplishes nothing?

Is Everyone Who Isn't A Card Carrying Democrat A Potential Right Wing Extremist?

There is an unclassified document from the Department of Homeland Security making the rounds that has certain segments of our society up in arms. I can't say that I blame them. The way it reads, from the title on, makes it seem like anyone who holds a view that is out of step with the current administration is suspect. That would include me. It is entitled Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment.

Well, yes. This would not be rocket science. As evidenced by the spate of violence around the country. Be it the killing of a small child, stuffing her in a suitcase and dropping her in an irrigation pond or a mad man slaughtering police officers, when people are desparate enough, they can snap.

Many veterans groups are especially up in arms, not because
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano stands behind the report but because of the negative light it shines on returning soldiers. It says, in part:

"Returning veterans possess combat skills and experience that are attractive to right-wing extremists. DHS/I&A is concerned that right-wing extremists will attempt to recruit and radicalize veterans in order to boost their violent capacities."

It goes on to suggest:

"The return of military veterans facing significant challenges reintegrating into their communities could lead to emergence of terrorist groups or lone wolf extremists capable of carrying out violent attacks.

What bothers me about this is the fact that it shouldn't even be an issue. We ask so much of our military, under the most trying of conditions. If they come home alive, many are without limbs or full minds, many have mental problems that may not manifest for years. However, given the proper care and opportunities to return to a "normal" life would certainly help negate some of these suggestions before they become fact. The administration has made lots of promises in this area, but it's time for action, not just rhetoric. I'm also uncomfortable with the assumption that enough of our military return in such an unstable state that such occurrences are likely to happen in the numbers insinuated.

It gets worse. It suggests anyone from those opposed to abortion to animal rights activists may be ripe for recruitment. They've suggested to law enforcement agencies to watch for "suspicious" individuals who may have bumper stickers for third party candidates such as Ron Paul and Bob Barr. That would make a lot of folks here in northern Idaho suspect! There are still a good number of Ron Paul signs to be seen around the area.

The American Legion said that this report unfairly Stereotypes veterans.

John Boehner, House Minority Leader said, "To characterize men and women returning home after defending our country as a potential terrorist is offensive and unacceptable."

He's correct. Take it even further - to lump environmentalists, animal rights advocates, those who prefer local government control over federal, or dare to display the "wrong" bumper sticker - or maybe even having attended a "tea party" as potential extremists sends a harsh message.

Our government doesn't trust us. If the feeling is mutual we're all in trouble. Beware the rip tides.

High Seas Piracy Is No Johnny Depp Movie

If Somalia was an oil rich nation would the United States allow the piracy on the high seas, that has gone on for years, continue? I doubt it. My guess is we would have invaded it long ago for some obscure reason.

However, this nation of 9 million, mostly Islamic, people is as poor as dirt. They're a nation of thuggery and war lords. The life expectancy for men is 47 and for women - 49. Their main exports are livestock, that which hasn't starved, bananas, hides - probably from the livestock that has starved, and fish. Their main source of income seems to be fishing and piracy.

So why has it taken an act of piracy on a U.S. flagged freighter to get our attention? Or is that reason enough? Fortunately, the Captain who was being held hostage has been rescued and three of the pirates are dead thanks to the Navy Seals.

I've been listening to the reports for days now with explanations of why this has been such a delicate situation. Other than the fact we wanted to get an American out alive, I'm not convinced the explanations are entirely valid. I don't have to be an expert in the shipping business nor an international whiz kid to know that this is costing the world billions in lost cargo and ransom, not to mention the cost of insurance and other sundries too many to list.

Here, from our very own Coast Guard is as concise a description of piracy as I could find:

Because piracy is a universal crime under international law, every nation has the legal authority to establish jurisdiction over piracy and punish the offenders, regardless of nationality of the perpetrator or the victims, or of the vessels involved. This has been a basic tenet of customary international law for centuries, and is also enshrined in treaties such as the 1958 Geneva Convention on the High Seas and the 1982 United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea. United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1846 and 1851 have recently extended this authority to include acts committed within the Somali territorial sea, and have sanctioned the apprehension of suspected pirates and their supporters found ashore in Somalia.

Sunday the Navy did what it should have done long ago. They eliminated the perpetrators. We're always looking for and bemoaning the lack of international cooperation when it comes to our national interests such as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the conflict between the Islamic middle east and Israel. Why are we less concerned with the strife that runs rampant in countries like Somalia and the starvation and genocide running rampant in too many African nations?

Is it because we aren't "directly" affected? But we are! Think about what the shipping industry means to every nation in the world? How can we, in good conscience, turn a blind eye or a deaf ear? Consider all the ships that the pirates are holding, not to mention the crews. What's it doing to those awaiting the cargos and what's it doing to the families and loved ones of the crews? For that matter, it has to put a dent in the sum to be divvied up by the pirates when the ransoms are paid. It costs a lot to keep ships afloat, cargo's unspoiled and men alive.

The lack of comment from Obama on this particular incident was deafening. The lukewarm response from Secretary of State Clinton wasn't much better.

I'm glad this one has been resolved. Will there be another? Heck yes. As this was going on another ship had been taken. Is this not just as much an international crisis as the "possibility" the Iranians' will have nuclear capabilty all too soon or that Netanyahu, Israels' latest Prime Minister, is threatening to stop them if we don't?

This is happening now, in real time. We have the right, under international law, to act. Will we? Or will we keep the blinders on until it's another American flagged ship?

We're Tolerating This Why?

I really get angry every time I read an account of the violence against women in countries in which we are fighting. Another Dogwalk solution. Maybe I ought to change the name of my blog to Dogwalk Solutions. A simple, non-sensical way of problem solving! Either they outlaw their barbaric treatment of women or they can go it on their own. No aid. No troops. Nothing from the U.S.. Nada!

Late last week I read where there is a new Afghan law that makes it legal for a man to rape his wife. They have even put a time frame on it - the right to have intercourse every fourth night and that the wife is "bound" to respond to her husband's desires. No wonder the opium trade flourishes. Women probably indulge to escape the miserable existence they are forced, by law, to endure!

Politics? You bet. It is reported President Karzai, whose joke of a government we're trying to keep in place, signed the law to bolster his chances for re-election. How much more disgusting can it get?

Quite a bit. A video is making the rounds of a Pakistani woman being publicly flogged . Pakistan, the "ally" who is supposedly helping with the Afghanistan war. Pakistan, who just cut a deal with the Taliban to reinstitute Shiia law in the Swat Valley to keep the peace for themselves.

A spokesman for the Swat Taliban defended the punishment but conceded it should not have been done in public and should have been carried out by a prepubescent boy. Nothing like instilling acceptable behavior in the young!

Why do I write about such topics on Sunday? Maybe as we sit in church contemplating good and evil we might consider what is repugnant to us is law to those we would defend.

All I can do is repeatedly ask, "Why?"

Heros? Bully!

I listened to the noon news with a sigh of resignation as the story about a Dallas cop unfolded. It seems a car rolled through a stop sign in the wee hours of the morning in a rush to get to the hospital. He pulled it over - in the hospital parking lot. The occupants explained they had gotten a call that the woman's mother was near death and they were trying to get to her.

No dice. He refused to let them go, demanding the usual, drivers license, registration, proof of insurance. Flustered, the man had trouble finding everything and finally the woman fled into the hospital, arriving in the nick of time. The man did not.

I don't understand the mentality it takes for these jobs. The man in question was a member of the Dallas Cowboys. Did the officer want to make a score to impress his buddies?

How many of you as a kid wanted to be either a fireman or a policeman? What has happened to them as role models? Well, in Spokane they can get away with egregious behavior and lose little more than their jobs - if that. We just had a case wrap up where a drunken off duty officer chased a young man through a neighborhood ultimately shooting him in the head. He claimed the young man tried to steal his truck.

He was acquitted and will receive back pay. In the infinite wisdom of the judge, the jury was not allowed to be told the young man had already been found not guilty of trying to steal the truck in a previous trial! Fellow officers cheered the outcome. The chief declared she believes in the process.

Then just this morning there was a story about a former firefighter being convicted of assault. This is his second go round. The first, which cost him his job, was having sex with a sixteen year old in the firehouse and taking pictures of the episode to boot. To make matters easier for him detectives had him erase the photos from his cell phone.

The firefighter said the sex was consensual. In the firehouse? With a sixteen year old? I realize that everyone under the age of 60 looks 16 to me, but the offender was around 35 at the time! And married. The prosecuting attorney said he could not file charges because the evidence had been destroyed.

So. What did he do that finally caught up with him? He bought another 16 year old girl bras and asked her to model them in the adult care home run by his wife. He then fondled her, straddled her on a bed while giving her a massage. This time the charges stuck. His wife lost the license for her facility and he must have a psycho sexual evaluation. Do you think?

If soap opera writers ever get stuck for material for story lines they need but search the archives of the local paper for stories galore. This, unfortunately, is just one more in what seems to be a constant parade of deviant behavior.

Police and firemen are supposed to be our hero's! They're supposed to save lives, not ruin them!

As for the attorneys, the judges and the juries? That's another post after I get the distaste from this one out of my mouth!

Do You Know What's Under Your Bed?

I love skimming the headlines and finding two from unrelated stories that make a story of their own. Such was the case today when I read that newly appointed New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has removed two rifles she kept under her bed for protection. Maybe she feels living in Washington D.C. to be safer haven.

Widely criticized for her support of gun owners' rights when she was appointed to Hillary Clinton's seat, she may have been on to something. Representing an upstate New York district may have its perils.

Across the state in Orchard Park the police are investigating the beheading of a woman; the wife of an influential member of the Muslim community. The husband walked into the police station and reported that she was dead - at his place of business. He ran Bridges TV, designed to show the Muslim community in a positive light. Oops!

Of course she broke every rule in the book by filing for divorce and taking out a restraining order against him. The district attorney was quoted as saying, "Obviously this is the worst domestic violence possible." Do you think?

He has been charged with second degree murder. Second degree? Wow. Maybe it's because they have yet to find the murder weapon. I doubt it's under her bed!

I think if I still lived in upstate New York I might just have a rifle or two stashed under my bed too. You just never know who your neighbors might be!

Democracy Iraqi Style

One of my biggest objections during the Bush administration was that they governed by fear. This was American democracy in action and the world was watching. Especially the Iraqis upon whom we were trying to impose our vision of it.

The lesson, perhaps, was to do as we say, not as we do. They didn't seem to hear and have now taken it to their own level of governing by fear. Kill the opposition!

Provincial elections are to be held Saturday. Three candidates were killed today. They were all Sunnis. The current government is, of course, Shiia.

About 15 million Iraqis are expected to turn out Saturday with the Sunnis planning to turn out in large numbers. Tens of thousands of police and soldiers will supply security including curfews and a vehicle ban to discourage car bombings! I wonder if they ever thought of voting by mail!

When I read that the lead up to the voting has been less violent than feared, it makes me wonder just what the "surge" has really accomplished. And just exactly their take is on what "democracy" is all about.

When you consider the celebration in Grant Park after Obama's win and the crowds jammed into Washington D.C. for the inauguration, both of which went without incident, I get the feeling the Iraqis don't quite get it! I hope it doesn't turn into a blood bath. The verbal character assassination that occurs in our country is something I will gladly learn to tolerate if the Iraqi was is the alternative!

With Friends Like These...

Hamas lobs missiles into Israel. Israel retaliates with air strikes. People die. If not killed instantly, their deaths can be agonizing. Many are women and children. Why? A dispute over land. Each seems determined to annihilate the other. Nice neighbors.

Here in the 'hood if one neighbor doesn't like another they pretty much ignore one another, knowing full well neither is likely to change. Maybe nations should take a lesson from neighborhoods.

Frankly I'm tired of the whole mid east mess. We cannot negotiate nor legislate that they like one another. The history is too sordid and deep. You'd think we would learn. It's tough to sit back and watch it without your blood boiling no matter where your sympathies lie. Maybe it's time, though, that we do just that.

It's always the Israelis against everyone else yet no one has the guts to stand up and point out their part in the conflicts. In particular the establishment of illegal settlements in the West Bank and cutting off life lines to Gaza. Why is it that they are always the victim and no one else can lay claim?

It concerns me that we pour billions of dollars into Israel because they are such a strong "ally". Yet we turn a blind eye when they blatantly use those dollars in counter productive actions against everyone else in the region. What, exactly, have we received in return for that aid to warrant calling them "ally"?

Everyone else in the region is accused of wanting to drive Israel out of existence. Remember they are the ones threatening military action against Iran and guess who they'll expect to come to their aid? Us. As in U.S. They have a stronger, better armed military than any of it's neighbors. Is it not time to let them fend for themselves? They resist all our efforts for peace talks, they rattle their sabres with great abandon and they are as guilty as their adversaries of killing hundreds and thousands of people who are guilty of nothing more than the unfortunate fate of living in the region.

Both sides have their arguments. Neither are totally justified. Neither will compromise.

It's time for it to end. Full stop. A lasting full stop. Or hit them where it hurts the most. In the pocketbook. Oh, and in the spirit of the season, this is hardly what I'd consider the Holy Land. It's more like Dante's Inferno.

Spooky!

Just when I was beginning to feel good about new beginnings this turns up! The effigy of Sara Palin hangs in front of a West Hollywood home. Needless to say it has drawn quite a bit of attention, including news crews.

When asked if the scene was appropriate, the owner of the house agreed it would be out of bounds any other time of the year but now it is in the spirit of Halloween. "It should be seen as art, and is within the month of October. It's Halloween, it's time to be scary, it's time to be spooky." Indeed.

On that basis I suppose the 18 and 20 year old skinheads who plotted to kill 88 people including beheading 14 African Americans and ultimately assassinating Obama while dressed in top hats and white tuxedos should also be given a pass. It's time to be scary. It's time to be spooky.

There was the shooting at the University of Central Arkansas that left two students dead and another injured. And of course the murder of Jennifer Hudson's mother and brother and 7 year old nephew. It's a time to be scary. It's a time to be spooky.

I thank heaven that our humane society is not adopting out any cats until after Halloween. One can only imagine what would be found the day after. It's time to be scary. It's time to be spooky.

I'd like to think this had been a bad dream while sleeping off my cold, but no, I had to turn on that TV!