35

Today marks 

 

35

years

married to my 

BEST FRIEND

Who is Being Intolerant?

“we’re inviting God’s judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at him and say we know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage. And I pray God’s mercy on our generation that has such a prideful, arrogant attitude that thinks we have the audacity to redefine what marriage is all about.”  

"We are very much supportive of the family — the biblical definition of the family unit," ... “We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that.”

“While my family and I believe in the Biblical definition of marriage, we love and respect anyone who disagrees,”.

Dan Cathy, President of Chick-fil-A

"The Chick-fil-A culture and service tradition in our restaurants is to treat every person with honor, dignity and respect -- regardless of their belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender. We will continue this tradition in the over 1,600 restaurants run by independent owner/operators. Going forward, our intent is to leave the policy debate over same-sex marriage to the government and political arena," 

Don Perry, the Chick-fil-A's vice president of corporate public relations

Read more: http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/news/national/muppets-mike-huckabee-join-chick-fil-a-fracas-over-dan-cathys-same-sex-marriage-comments#ixzz21qB5zrJt

 "This solidifies Chick-fil-A as being closely aligned with some of the most vicious anti-gay voices in the country," 

Carlos Maza, Equality Matters.

"Apparently, in the Cathy family’s mind, gay people don’t have families, no one divorces, and everyone must be Christian."

David Badash, The New Civil Rights Movement

“Chick Fil-A values are not Chicago’s values”.

Raum Emanuel, Mayor of Chicago

 “anyone who eats S%#@ Fil-A deserves to get the cancer that is sure to come from eating antibiotic filled tortured chickens 4Christ,” 

“off to grab a s%#@ fil-A sandwich on my way to worshipping Christ, supporting Aipac and war in Iran.”

Roseanne Barr,  Comedienne?

"Chick-fil-A doesn't belong in Boston. You can't have a business in the city of Boston that discriminates against a population. We're an open city, we're a city that's at the forefront of inclusion,"

Thomas Menino, Mayor of Boston

"We're in America where everybody has the right to say 'You know what? I don't believe in this' and you have the right not to come. It's like watching television. You don't like reality tv shows? Don't turn them on. You don't like what they're doing? Don't go. But do not step on their right, amybody's right, to have an opinion. This is STILL America. We still have the right..."

Whoopi Goldberg, Actress, Comedienne, and Talk Show Host

I've never said this before, but I am in complete agreement with Whoopi.  If you like Dan Cathy's stand on marriage, or if you like Chick-Fil-A's product, you should support the company.  If you dislike either, you have the right to stay away.

It is funny the "tolerant Left" has reacted this way.  finding Dan Cathy guilty of Thoughtcrime as defined in George Orwell's 1984.  Not that majority should rule in the area of Civil Rights, but 26 states have put the definition of marriage on their ballots and 26 times the Biblical definition has won.  Both Barack Obama and Bill Clinton have publicly stated the same position, although they later flip flopped.

Mike Huckabee has called on those who will support Dan Cathy to show that support on Wednesday, August 1st by making it the highest volume day in Chick-fil-A's history.  I'm in. 

Why be a Conservative?

That is a good question.  There is a cost to identifying yourself with the Right.  Besides being generalized as bitter, clinging to guns or religion, the leftist media will:

Call you a racist if you disagree with a black man.  If you are black, then you are an Uncle Tom.

Portray you as you as anti-woman if you believe those who have a moral problem with birth control should not pay for other people’s birth control.

Label you as anti-choice if you are pro-life.

If your belief is that marriage is between one man and one woman, they you are called a homophobe.

Red neck, bible-thumping, homophobic, sexist, anti-choice, bigoted knuckle draggers.  That's us.  Why should we put up with that abuse?

But there are many of us on the right, and our numbers are growing.  Why do we flaunt our political incorrectness?  Simple, we are motivated and driven by principle.  

We believe in the sanctity of life.  We believe in personal responsibility.  We support equal opportunity.  We believe the Constitution should not be reinterpreted or easily changed.  We believe capitalism is responsible for past prosperity.  We believe in individual ownership of property.  We believe the right to bear arms is the last resort against government tyranny.  We believe in small government and a healthy business environment. We believe that religious belief has a place in government. 

Our beliefs are based in common sense.  Reason drives our belief.  We learn from history.  Facts are more valuable than feelings.

We are polar opposites of the modern Democratic Party.  We are Right.

You Didn't Build That

By saying “If you've got a business, you didn't build that.”  Obama only announced what we already knew about him.  He is a socialist who believes the government is the source of all prosperity.  The quote was reported in the media for several days.  Only this week Obama and his minions responded.  Their response was that critics were taking his comments out of context, and they may be frighteningly right.  You rarely hear what Obama said immediately prior to the “you didn’t build that” statement.  If you do, the meaning changes.  Here is Obama’s full quote.

"If you've been successful, you didn't get there on your own. You didn't get there on your own. I'm always struck by people who think, well, it must be because I was just so smart. There are a lot of smart people out there. It must be because I worked harder than everybody else. Let me tell you something -- there are a whole bunch of hardworking people out there. 

"If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you've got a business, you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen. The Internet didn't get invented on its own. Government research created the Internet so that all the companies could make money off the Internet."

So he appears to be saying that if you own a business, the roads and bridges used by customers to do business with you were built by the government.  Forgetting that these construction projects were paid for by taxpayers, (the business owners and the people ones doing business with them), it seems like a reasonable statement.  But which context did he mean to communicate when he said “If you've got a business, you didn't build that.”   Only Obama knows for sure, but I suppose we should take him at his word and believe he was referring to the roads and bridges.  Assuming that was the context, why would he say it?  The answer to that question may be more disturbing than it appears.

Obama was making a case that corporate profits are made possible by the central government.  He must do so before he confiscates a larger portion of them to “share the wealth”.  In Obama’s mind, raising taxes on the rich is only taking money they owe the government anyway. Sometimes referred to as “socializing profits”, this is the next step in Obama’s plan to socialize America.  At its core, the philosophy believes that nothing is owned by the individual.  Instead, everything is owned by the government for the benefit of the collective - the "village".  “From each according to his ability, to each according to his need” is a pure Marxist philosophy.  It is also the basis for Obama’s plan to Transform America. If Obama can convince enough people to go along with that logic, he can win the election.  When there are more takers than contributors, the takers will rule.  We may be there already.

Taking Obama’s words in context is far more troubling than believing he made a stupid gaff in front of a supporting crowd.

Tomorrow, or in 2013?

Possibly the most idiotic statement ever made by a Politician.





Tomorrow, the Supreme Court will rule on whether Obamacare is constitutional.  They may have two decisions to make.  The first is whether the individual mandate, which requires individuals to purchase health insurance, is constitutional.  If the Justices determine it is constitutional, their work is done. However, if they deem the individual mandate is unconstitutional and strike it down, a second decision must be made.  That decision is whether the the individual mandate alone is stuck from the bill, or if the entire bill is stuck down.

Interestingly, the Affordable Health Care act did not include a severability clause as most bills do.  A severability clause simply states that if one component of the law is struck down, the remainder of the law can continues.  It would seem the Justices can only allow Obamacare to be implemented in total, or struck down in total.  From the conservative perspective, the striking down of the entire law is our first best hope.  If the law is deemed constitutional, our last arrow in the quiver is to win solid majorities in the house and Senate and put Mitt Romney in the White House. 

The timing of the ruling coincides with a House vote to hold Obama's Attorney General in contempt over his failure to produce documents related to the the Fast and Furious program.  Obama inserted himself into the fray by invoking executive privilege.  By doing so, he has called into question what he knew and when he knew it - definitely a risky move.  So tomorrow, Obama could lose two major battles in a matter of a few hours.

If he loses both, I believe the downward momentum of his candidacy accelerates.  While still slightly ahead of Romney in the polls, he has started to slip due to a few crazy statements.  Many in the public are beginning to understand just how far left a radical he is.  I expect this downward drift to continue.  A couple of blows tomorrow will get his approval rating sliding down a steep slope.

Most people will see the Obamacare effort of over 3 years to be akin to Nero fiddling while Rome burned.  A waste of time, doomed from the start by its obvious clash with the constitution.  It is wasted time better spent on encouraging economic growth.  Combine these egregious errors with the $5 trillion in debt he has acquired, an unemployment rate that hasn't fallen below 8%, the rate he said it would not go above if we just passed his stimulus program, rising gas prices, and on and on, and you can see why Obama is in trouble.  If he was the CEO of any corporation, he'd have been fired months ago.  He deserves no less in November.

Indications are that his White House, and in particular his reelection staff, are seeing ominous trends and are beginning to reach for the panic button.  Why else should he pander for gay and Hispanic votes by using executive orders to supersede the balance of power?  We will know when the panic button is fully depressed the day Biden is dumped from the ticket.  Biden is a drag on Obama.  He says dumb things and sometimes gets sideways with his boss.  Much of the disagreement is staged in my opinion, as they set the plate for an Obama-Clinton ticket.  That change is really the last ammunition Obama has. 

I don't think the desperation move will work for two reasons.  First, people don't vote for the vice-president.  Second, Hillary will be required to repeat the mantra that Obama's policies of the last four years are the right policies for the next four.  More of the same is a hard sell, and will discredit any thought that Clinton would revive a floundering White House. 

I am hopeful that regardless of what SCOTUS does tomorrow concerning Obamacare, conservatism will win in the end.  If not tomorrow, in 2013 with a new congress and president.

An Absurd Conversation

Arizona: We need help with our illegal emigrant problem!  Can you help us by enforcing your current laws? 

Uncle Sam: No, we don’t want to enforce those laws.

Arizona: But you do have laws against entering, living and working in this country illegally, right?

Uncle Sam: Yes, but we don’t like them so we won’t enforce them.

Simple Thinker: So why don’t you change the laws?

Uncle Sam: Because to do so, we would need a majority of the citizens to agree with us.  That would be hard.  That would be impossible.

Simple Thinker: So you’d rather ignore existing law that either enforce or change it?

Uncle Sam: That’s right.  In fact, we will shred the balance of powers section of the Constitution and overrule that those laws with an executive order.

Arizona: Okay, so we will pass our own state laws and use state resources to enforce them.

Uncle Sam: You can’t do that.

Arizona: Why?

Uncle Sam: Because I am responsible for enforcing immigration law.

Arizona: But you are not doing it!

Uncle Sam: I know.  Too bad, suck it up.  It’s the right thing to do.

Arizona: Easy for you to say.  It’s my budget that pays for state benefits used by illegal emigrants.  Maybe I’ll should pass identical state law and enforce them with state law enforcement.

Uncle Sam: Better not.  I’ll sue.

Arizona: You will sue me for enforcing your law?

Uncle Sam: Yes.

Arizona: Bring it on.  What reasonable, unbiased judge would rule against me?

Uncle Sam: We’ll see.

SCOTUS: Arizona, with reasonable cause, you can ask people to produce proof of legal citizenship or legal immigration status.  But if you find someone who is here illegally, you can take no action.

Arizona: Why?

SCOTUS: Because that is Uncle Sam’s job.

Arizona: But he won’t do it!

SCOTUS: I know.  Too bad, suck it up.  It’s the right thing to do.

Arizona: We need help with our illegal emigrant problem!   …

Vacation 2012

On Sunday, -T and I returned from vacation to face the real world of work days, food shopping, bill paying and flying monkeys. And quite a fine vacation it was. We flew out of KC on Friday June 1st non-stop to the Big Easy, New Orleans. We had spent part of our honeymoon there 35 years ago, so I made reservations at the downtown Marriot hotel where we stayed. The Marriot is on Canal Street in the heart of the French Quarter.


Originally, we flew to New Orleans to save a few hundred dollars in airfare, the difference between flying into New Orleans versus Destin our vacation destination. While saving significant money, it also allowed us to visit John and Barbara Strain. John is a childhood best friend with whom I shared toys in the church nursery. We remained fast friends for nearly 20 years until he left Kansas City in the mid-1970's. Since then, he has lived in central Missouri and Illinois before settling in Covington Louisiana, just across Lake Ponchatrain from New Orleans. John and I stayed in touch for the first few years after his departure, and he did serve as a groomsman in our wedding. After that, our contacts were few and far between. –T and I did visit John and Barbara in the mid-1990’s, and John did make a few trips to Kansas City where we connected. But mostly, the friendship has remained occasional emails or facebook messages separated by days, weeks, months or even years. We had completely lost touch for many years until his name appeared in an article I read about hurricane Katrina. John was mentioned as a local blogger who was one of the only sources of on the ground information as the hurricane made landfall.

John and Barbara

John and Barbara met us downtown on Friday evening for dinner and some time in the French Quarter. After our first of many awesome seafood dinners to come during our vacation, we walked Bourbon Street and surrounding areas, stopped for coffee and beignets at Café Du Monde, and shot a neat full moon picture at the St. Louis Cathedral, just steps away from where Napoleon signed the Louisiana purchase agreement in 1803. The evening was one of those moments when you feel so satisfied to be in that place at that time with those you are with. Our vacation had gotten off to a fantastic start. Both –T and I agreed that Friday was memorable. I wanted to tell John that we had really enjoyed last night but didn’t want to be the first person to ever say that to him, so I didn’t.

Bourbon Street

Saturday was a travel day, delayed by 4 hours as we decided to take the opportunity to visit the National World War II Museum in New Orleans before leaving for Destin. It was also time well spent. The museum is the result of Stephen Ambrose, Tom Hanks, and Stephen Spielberg’s efforts to capture the stories of WWII veterans who are rapidly becoming a rarity. It is a world class museum and a must see for New Orleans visitors.

The drive to Destin was uneventful. We arrived at the condo early in the evening and had our first of many fantastic grilled/blackened grouper/amberjack/Maui dinners at Pompano Joe’s, one of our favorite restaurants in the city. The remainder of the week was spent alternating between golf, beach, pool, and seafood in no particular order. We even did a little shopping. The weather cooperated by sparing us from rain until Thursday afternoon when we were rained out of a golf round after 10 holes. Fortunately, we were reimbursed for the greens fees, so essentially played 10 holes for free. The activity we did the most was to eat at Dewey Destin’s, our favorite restaurant in Destin. Dewey Destin’s can only be described as a dump - a real seafood dive. The restaurant is a shack, with a detached kitchen (trailer) located at the rear where all food is prepared. Customer seating is on whatever picnic table can be commandeered on the adjoining pier. The seafood is exceptional as are the views. We dined at Dewey’s 5 times over our 6 day stay.

Dewey Destins

View from Dewey Destins

On Friday evening we decided to check out the local entertainment on the resort’s property. We ended up at a club named Rumrunners where a very talented singer/guitarist entertained us for several hours. –T and I couldn't help noticing the entertainer bore a striking resemblance to our nephew in law, Kelly, only with musical talent. Both are big southern boys. Both are essentially bald with beards. Both are Zac Brown wannabees. After an enjoyable evening, we rode the shuttle back to our condo to finish the sad task of packing for a morning departure.

Zac or Kelly?

We left Destin on Saturday morning, headed for another visit with John and Barbara, but this time in their hometown of Covington. We left Destin in the rain. It rained all the way to Pensacola where it morphed into a deluge the likes of which Kansans rarely see. It rained so hard we couldn’t see the side of the road, so to remain safe, I slowed to 60 MPH. We later heard that Pensacola received 15 inches of rain in 7 hours, the second highest 24 hour rain total for that city in history. Past Pensacola, it rained normal rain through Mobile and Biloxi. By the time we arrived in Covington, the rain was reduced to a light sprinkle, but only for a few hours. The entire gulf coast was to receive up to 30 inches of rain over the next 7 days. We felt thankful we did not plan vacation for the following week.

Saturday was spent with the Strain’s at their home playing with the Apple products, and dining at a local restaurant. It is amazing how –T and I would naturally pick up a conversation with them after years of separation. We are thankful for their hospitality and friendship. Monday was spent helping –T’s dad prepare his new home for move in. Now we are back in the world of flying monkeys.