Memorial Day

The day we take time to solemnly remember those who have fought for our freedom.  We also remember those who continue that fight.  We cannot let our free republic bend to the will of those who in their jealously would destroy the way of life our fighting men and women have given their lives to secure.  We must hold their memory and sacrifice as a proud standard to the price of liberty.  We remain free because they gave their lives.  Our fore fathers and others of character have recognized this and often commented on the reasons freedom is worth fighting for.  God ordained governments to protect the governed so they could worship Him in freedom and in peace.  

"I am well aware of the toil and blood and treasure that it will cost to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States."  John Adams


"Our cause is the cause of all mankind, and that we are fighting for their liberty in defending our own." Benjamin Franklin


"Honor, justice, and humanity, forbid us tamely to surrender that freedom which we received from our gallant ancestors, and which our innocent posterity have a right to receive from us. We cannot endure the infamy and guilt of resigning succeeding generations to that wretchedness which inevitably awaits them if we basely entail hereditary bondage on them."  Thomas Jefferson


"Let us make a vow to our dead. Let us show them by our actions that we understand what they died for. Strengthened by their courage, heartened by their valor, and borne by their memory, let us continue to stand for the ideals for which they lived and died." --Ronald Reagan 

"Neither the wisest constitution nor the wisest laws will secure the liberty and happiness of a people whose manners are universally corrupt. He therefore is the truest friend to the liberty of his country who tries most to promote its virtue, and who ... will not suffer a man to be chosen into any office of power and trust who is not a wise and virtuous man." - Samuel Adams

Gag me with a spoon

I almost threw up when I heard the President end his endless nothing of a speech about the oil spill with the story of little Malia.  I think the cartoonist has captured the moment with great clarity.

British Petroleum, aka B.P., gave a million bucks to the Obama campaign according to some reports.  I know Oil Producers and others, who depend on government regulators and politicians for permits and exemptions, donate heavily to those who might be elected.  They should be able to see now the money is wasted.

We need to clean house in D.C. and that means everybody.  I intend to vote for candidates who have never spent one day in the U. S. Legislative Branch.  I intend to avoid those with law degrees in favor of those who have been in some kind of business that provides a service or produces a product.

I found a great new political commentary written by Louis la Vache, aka Paul Cruce, entitled Right Turns Only.   Thanks to Paul for many of the clever cartoons and photos I use here on Pappy's Place. (right click on the highlighted title) (a left click will get you nowhere)

The avoidance of taxes is the only intellectual pursuit that carries any reward.
  - John Maynard Keynes

What are the issues?

Today the term "racism" is used by a wide variety of people to divert attention from their bad behavior by labeling those who challenge them.

Racism n. 1. a doctrine or teaching without scientific support that claims to find racial differences in character, intelligence, etc. that asserts the superiority or one race over another or others, and that seeks to maintain the supposed purity of a race or races.  Webster's New World College Dictionary

It is my opinion that there is very little racism present in the functioning population of the United States.  I think it exists in undereducated segments who are agitated by community organizers who make their living by keeping them upset.  The government is a major functionary in keeping people focused on their ethnic and racial differences through a system of inequitable classifications.  Every government form forces citizens (and others) to make a selection from a variety of categories.  Many of us are mixtures of two or more of the categories.  White - many races and ethnic groups are white in physical appearance.  However, the government chooses to further separate the classification into language groups.  Other choices involve separation by surname and physical appearance - Asian-American, African-American, and Native American.    These classifications are all over the map.  Why are they necessary?  Aren't we all Americans?  If we are here legally we are.

All countries have strict immigration laws to control their population numbers.  The only people Arizona is targeting are those who enter the United States "ILLEGALLY" through its border with Mexico.  These illegal aliens are not all of Mexican origin.  Not all are here to obtain work.  The thing they all have in common is they are here "ILLEGALLY".  That makes them criminals my friends.  You are not "racist" if you want to keep criminals out of this country.

I live in an area where a large portion of the population have Spanish surnames.  Most are here legally and they don't want illegals to have a free reign here anymore than the rest of us do.  They understand the strain illegals place on the population.  The only ones who raise a cry of "racism" are those who derive their livelihood from keeping the undereducated illegals and welfare dependent dolts stirred up.  Don't fall for the ploy.  Highlighting criminal behavior and unacceptable social behavior is not racism.  It is being a good citizen and a protector of the beliefs and behaviors that define our free republic.

Plug the &*%*#@ Hole

I think this is the best idea Obama has come up with to date.  In fact, getting rid of the Great Pretender would be better than just plugging his unqualified pie hole.   Stop the jargon.  Check his well protected background and he will no longer be president.  Why won't someone with authority do this?  The government is already a disaster.

Drop hay on the slick.  Engage some siphoning super tankers to vacuum up oil and seawater to be separated later.  Get the federal government out of the picture.  They are just another unnecessary step in solving any problem.

Go take your vacation Mr. Obama.  We don't need any more meaningless input from you.  The military does not need your exalted presence at the Memorial Day Ceremonies.  I can think of no greater contribution you could make to the country than to stay on vacation indefinitely.

We're Back.

I know many of you thought I dropped off the planet, but I'm back.  I decided not to leave a "please do not send me e-mails" message because they never work.  So, last Tuesday, Bebe and I headed for Hot Springs Arkansas and the annual meeting of the Blue Knights law enforcement motorcycle club convention.  Over five hundred Knights, ladies, and children gathered at the Austin Hotel for some good food and fellowship.  I checked the trip meter on the Honda and it registered 1, 265.2 miles.  We trailered the bikes for an additional four hundred miles.

If you were watching the weather channel you know that in Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas, there was some very extreme weather during the early part of last week.  We put the motorcycles on a trailer last Tuesday morning and started our five hour pull to Schulenburg, Texas.  We were about one hour out of Harlingen when the bottom fell out.  The sky was green with swirling winds, and the rain was sheeting.  We pulled over in a service station in Riviera, Texas and waited until the winds and water abated.  By the time we arrived in Schulenburg, the rain was past.  We unloaded the bikes and headed north.  My friends, R. D. and Patsy were guarding our back door and I led the way.  We made it to Tyler, Texas the first day and put up for the night.  The weather reports did not look favorable as we got up the next morning and headed for southeastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas.  More bad storms were predicted.

As it turned out we had a great day of riding winding our way through the back roads of east Texas and into the southeastern side of Oklahoma.  We didn't tarry long at any location, but pressed steadily toward our destination of the Queen Wilhelmina Lodge at the top of Rich mountain near Mena, Arkansas.  Rich mountain is the second highest peak in the state at just above 2,600 feet.  The clouds were heavy and the breeze on the trail was brisk and cool.  We had our rain gear on just in case as you see in the photo above. It  felt good in the cool air, but it didn't rain on us.  The storms came in later that night, but we were in a nice cozy room in the lodge.  R.D. and Patsy were as grateful as we were.

That night was a real electrical display and the forecast was for more bad storms the next day.  The prediction was for rain in the morning hours and then a lull followed by more bad weather in the afternoon.  We dried the bikes and made ready to catch the lull.  On Thursday morning we set out in a mist and slight drizzle for Hot Springs.  The good Lord blessed us with a few light showers during the two hour ride through the Quachita mountains to Hot Springs, and then let us enjoy great weather for the rest of the week.

We had great fellowship and great riding.  On Friday we rode to Petite Jean mountain for some sight seeing and a great meal at Mather's Lodge.  R. D. and Patsy were right there for the entire adventure.  We saw many great sights along the way.

Texas Chapter 42 was well represented.

On Sunday we wound our was back through western Arkansas and stopped at a great hamburger joint in the historic town of Jefferson, Texas.  We made it to Crockett, Texas where we spent the night.

This morning we mounted our motorized steeds and headed home.  Near noon we arrived back in Schulenburg, Texas and loaded the bikes for the four hour ride home.  We got here right at 5 :00 P. M., but since Harlingen has no rush hour traffic we were O.K.  Thanks for all your prayers and concerns and the 150 plus e-mails.  I'll be back with some caustic political commentary soon.  We all need to be involved with filling every available media source with our displeasure over the way our country is being run.

The future will be better tomorrow.
  - Dan Quayle

Sometimes I just want to dance.

I was chided by a reader yesterday for not posting in several days.  It is not that I don't have anything to say, it is rather, I have too much to say.  Recently Bebe and I took a turn or two around the dance floor at my 45th High School reunion.  Her arms have gotten shorter over the years.  My hair spray was working.  I much prefer remembering "the night" than trying to find some way to explain the half truths and mis-information we get so much of these days.

After looking at the reunion pictures posted on Facebook, I decided it was time to put down the tortillas.  Bebe has decided to join me for moral support.  I know a skinnier me will still have the liver spots, gray hair, worn out teeth, and saggy skin, but it won't be so hard to get off the couch.  My motorcycle tires should also have a longer tread life.  I was working in the yard many years ago during one of my building phases when a smart Alec neighbor yelled "Are you going to the beach today?"
I replied, "No, why?"
He yelled, "You have your inner tube on so I was just wondering."

I have over the years traveled up and down in weight.  If I need to weigh on a cotton scale, I know it's time to push back from the buffet.  Once when the girls were younger, they went to visit my sister.  She cooks the old fashion Southern way.  They rejoiced when they looked in her refrigerator and found nothing with the label "No, low, free, or light."  I wrote the following poem while suffering hunger pangs during a previous diet.

No, low, free, light;

words I often see

when browsing through my pantry

or refrigerator door.

Let us have some lettuce

with our sprouts and tofu.

One more glass of water if you please.

Measure out a steak

no bigger than my palm

and I shall chew it slowly

while moving Brussels sprouts around.

Adjust the bathroom scale.

Move it ‘round the floor.

Take an average weight for best results.

One more glass of water if you please.

Do you have a public restroom?

I ask every where I go.

One more glass of water if you please.

How many times should one get up at night?

I wonder how much pressure

waistband closures can take?

Isn’t there a pill out that doesn’t make you shake?

One more glass of water if you please.

I’m fasting today.

I really think it’s water weight.

Dennis Price

If you put tomfoolery into a computer, nothing comes out of it but tomfoolery. But this tomfoolery, having passed through a very expensive machine, is somehow ennobled and no-one dares criticize it.
  - Pierre Gallois

Working Hard

The gusty hot winds of south Texas have reminded me of those years long ago when summer arrived early, and so did summer work.  Outside jobs that nobody wanted to do usually paid a little more, and I took a few on the promise of a few cents extra per hour.  Our burning sugar cane fields have spread ash and smoke over the Rio Grande delta of late leaving most of us coughing and sneezing.  I was skinny back then, but I have no desire to try that weight loss program again.

I was a teacher

my salary was meager

I spent the summers

hauling hay.

The Texas sun

was searing at dawn

when I rose to see

if my hay truck

would start.

I climbed in the cab.

looked at the ground.

The truck had no floorboard

just blue smoke and sound.

The hay fields were strewn.

Square bales of alfalfa.

Heavy to lift,

tough to inhale.

We stacked them high

on the flatbed behind us.

One hundred and twenty

at twelve cents a bale.

We made for the barn.

A loft with no air flow.

Sweating and stacking

and swatting the wasps.

The scene was repeated

as long as the sun shone.

Then we, and the truck

coughed our way home.

Dennis Price

A poet who reads his verse in public may have other nasty habits.
  - Robert Heinlein

Saturday Sage

Would this bother you if it was in your neighborhood?  It is here in the United States, and there are others just like it popping up all over the country.  Islam is not just another religion.  You are extremely foolish if you think we can in any way co-exist with the followers of Mohammed.

Bet you've never heard this from the State Controlled Media;

Word of the Day: Dhimmitude;

Dhimmitude is the Muslim system of controlling non-Muslim populations conquered through jihad. Specifically, it is the TAXING of non-Muslims in exchange for tolerating their presence AND as a coercive means of converting conquered remnants to Islam.

The ObamaCare bill is the establishment of Dhimmitude and Sharia Muslim diktat in the United States . 
Muslims are specifically exempted from the government mandate to purchase insurance, and also from the penalty tax for being uninsured. Islam considers insurance to be "gambling", "risk-taking" and "usury" and is thus banned. Muslims are specifically granted exemption based on this. How convenient. So I, Ann Barnhardt, a Christian, will have crippling IRS liens placed against all of my assets, including real estate, cattle, and even accounts receivables, and will face hard prison time because I refuse to buy insurance or pay the penalty tax. Meanwhile, Louis Farrakhan will have no such penalty and will have 100% of his health needs paid for by the de facto government insurance. Non-Muslims will be paying a tax to subsidize Muslims. Period. This is Dhimmitude.
Dhimmitude serves two purposes: it enriches the Muslim masters AND serves to drive conversions to Islam. In this case, the incentive to convert to Islam will be taken up by those in the inner-cities as well as the godless Generation X, Y and Z types who have no moral anchor. If you don't believe in Christ to begin with, it is no problem whatsoever to sell Him for 30 pieces of silver. "Sure, I'll be a Muslim if it means free health insurance and no taxes. Where do I sign, bro?"

While we watch the flow of countless illegal aliens continue unabated, our government puts all other American Citizens through the alleged "security" ringer.  The following excerpts are from a longer article by Ann Coulter:

It took Faisal Shahzad trying to set a car bomb in Times Square to get President Obama, Attorney General Eric Holder and Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano to finally use the word "terrorism." (And not to refer to tea-party activists!)

This is a major policy shift for a president who spent a month telling Americans not to "jump to conclusions" after Army doctor Nidal Malik Hasan reportedly jumped on a desk, shouted "Allahu Akbar!" and began shooting up Fort Hood.

In a bit of macho posturing this week, Obama declared that – contrary to the terrorists' wishes – Americans "will not be terrorized, we will not cower in fear, we will not be intimidated."

First of all, having the Transportation Security Administration wanding infants, taking applesauce away from 93-year-old dementia patients and forcing all Americans to produce their shoes, computers and containers with up to 3 ounces of liquid in Ziploc bags for special screening pretty much blows that "not intimidated" look Obama wants America to adopt.

There's no other line of defense. In the case of the Times Square car bomber, the Department of Homeland Security failed, the Immigration and Naturalization Service failed, the CIA failed and the TSA failed. (However, the Department of Alert T-Shirt Vendors came through with flying colors, as it always does.)

Only the New York Police Department, a New York street vendor and Shahzad's Rube Goldberg bomb (I do hope he's not offended by how Jewish that sounds – Obama can apologize) prevented a major explosion in Times Square.

Even after the NYPD de-wired the smoking car bomb, produced enough information to identify the bomb-maker, and handed it all to federal law enforcement authorities tied up in a bow, the federal government's crack "no-fly" list failed to stop Shahzad from boarding a plane to Dubai.

To be fair, at Emirates Airlines, being on a "no-fly" list makes you eligible for pre-boarding.

Perhaps the Department of Homeland Security should consider creating a "Really, REALLY No-Fly" list.

If our only defense to terrorism is counting on alert civilians, how about not bothering them before they board airplanes, instead of harassing them with useless airport "security" procedures?

Our "Europeans Need Not Apply" immigration policies were absurd enough before 9/11. But after 19 foreign-born Muslims, legally admitted to the U.S., murdered 3,000 Americans in New York and Washington in a single day, couldn't we tighten up our admission policies toward people from countries still performing stonings and clitorectomies?

Always acknowledge a fault. This will throw those in authority off their guard and give you an opportunity to commit more.
  - Mark Twain

Haughty Twerps

haugh·ty

 
–adjective,-ti·er, -ti·est.

1.

disdainfully proud; snobbish; scornfully arrogant; supercilious.

twerp

 

–nounSlang.

an insignificant or despicable fellow.

I am tired of the haughty twerps we are forced to watch and listen to every day in the Obama administration.

The chief Twerp, of course, is president Obama himself.  How much more incompetence are we going to be forced to endure from these worthless pretenders?  Their whole mission is putting the jack boot of the government on every institution of commerce they possibly can.  

I don't know about you, but I'm sick of it.  The government has never been able to manage anything.  It is a ponderous beast incapable of doing anything beyond wasting tax payer dollars.  The best manager of government is one who can devise ways to get government out of the lives of the citizenry.  

Bullies

Every day I read or hear about some study where bullies are mentioned.  Thousands of dollars are spent, and countless new rules are made to take care of the problem.  There will always be bullies.  They are part of life and growing up.  However, in the nanny state, children are taught to look to the government to identify and take care of bullies.  In my day, the only time a bully was a problem was when no teachers or parents were around.  These occasions were rare.  My dad schooled me early on in the fine art of self defense, but it took time for my skills and confidence to catch up.

BULLIES

     I was too young to start school.  I still had my baby teeth.  But there I was, back against the wall, trying to avoid contact with strangers.  A large boy stood in front of me looking down at my upturned face.  His stare was unfriendly. 

     “What are you looking at?” he asked.

     “You look sleepy.” I said.

    Apparently he took offense at my retort and pounded me into a submissive blob.  This was my first encounter with a bully.  I didn’t report the incident to my dad because I knew he would have questions about what I did to defend myself. I didn’t think crying and rolling into a ball would count for much.

      I come from a long line of good boxers.  Dad made attempts early in my life to instruct me the art of self-defense.  I’m left handed, and a bit of a bumble foot, so I avoided physical confrontation.  Several times I tried to mock the tricks of my favorite cowboy stars, but it never worked out just as it did on the big screen.  I once tried to grab a charging playmate and roll backwards with my feet in his stomach thus launching him over my head.  My legs were unable to support his weight, and to my father who was watching from the window it looked as though I had wilted in the face of a challenge. Further lessons were a necessity.

    I gained confidence as I rose through the elementary grades, but, just when I felt comfortable, Junior High School started.  I was a round faced seventh grader.  The bullies I encountered here were bigger and meaner than any I had seen before.  Some rode motorcycles to school and wore leather jackets.  They had longish greasy hair combed back on both sides forming a ducktail at the back.  The front was curled to fall over on their forehead in the front.  I spent hours contemplating what I would do if attacked.  I timed my comings and goings from school to avoid any notice from that crowd.  However, it was not to be.

    It was picture day and I dressed in a new white shirt and a bow tie.  Sammy, the class bully, sat directly behind me.  The teacher was out of the room.  Sammy had a side kick named Earl who always jumped in after Sammy softened up his mark.  I don’t know why the teacher decided to put me in front of these two.  As I sat with my face forward trying to be invisible, I felt dampness on the back of my shirt.  Sammy was slinging blue ink from a cartridge pen all across my back.  I knew my dad would ask about the shirt when I got home.  I had to do something. I stood facing Sammy and hit him hard with my left fist right between his eyes. A big knot formed over the bridge of his nose.  I turned on Earl who was trying to slide down in his chair.  Just about that time, the teacher walked back into the room.  The class monitor, a girl with a pen and pad, was only to happy to report my breach of good conduct to the teacher.  I was held after school along with Sammy and Earl.  After a while my dad walked through the door to the classroom.  He asked why I was being detained. The teacher, a small woman, explained the happenings from earlier in the day as my father listened.  He asked her if she had seen the incident and she reported she had not been in the classroom at the time.  My father came back to where I was seated and said “Come with me son we’re going home.”  As we passed the desk he turned to the teacher and said, “He did just what I taught him he should, and he won’t be staying after school for that.”  From that day forward I had very little trouble with any of the other bullies in the school.  A bad reputation can be a good thing.   

Dennis Price

Let's get it right.

It is impossible to defeat an ignorant man in argument.
  - William G. McAdoo


There is a danger in starting a blog entry with a quote like this.  I can hear some snickers out there from those who aren't in agreement with some of my philosophy, but I intend the quote to describe my frustration with presenting logical arguments to some who are not interested in logic.


I have listened and read these last few days as various groups have protested over Arizona's new immigration law.  There is no logic being presented in these protests.  There is instead a lot of hypothetical emotional rhetoric being vomited up by those who want these people, who have entered our country illegally, to become a part of a growing undereducated voting base.


Arguments related to who "owned" the land the United States now occupies are absurd.  Can you tell me of one country where undocumented outsiders can just march in and start working and raising families?  I must carry my passport into Mexico every time I go across to have dinner or make a minor purchase.  If I am asked by Mexican officials to show this, I am legally bound to do so or face some serious consequences.  I am asked to present the document upon my return to the United States by the U. S. Customs officials on this side.  Mexico has been occupied by numerous countries during its history.  You certainly can't tell by looking at skin color who is from Mexico.  Many U. S. citizens and legal immigrants in my part of the country can't speak English, so this is not a good criteria to use.  Proper legal documentation is the only way to determine who is here legally and who is not.  


We enact laws to maintain order.  Law abiding citizens usually don't need the statutes to live in relative peace with one another, and they are often the ones most effected by the restrictions.  However, for those who ignore the statutes there are penalties attached to temporarily keep them from running roughshod over those who do.  There is always inconvenience involved for both groups.  But, in order to maintain order, the laws must be enforced.  No person, or group of persons can be exempted or excused.  


When people refuse to obey the law voluntarily, then more stringent methods are usually employed to ensure order.  When this happens, freedoms are lost.  Our nation exists because our founders and the majority of the populace at the time felt a moral and spiritual obligation to do the right thing without having a plethora of laws and penalties to guide their behavior.  This type of internal moral guide is essential to the continued existence of our representative republic.  We have lost our system of checks and balances, and therefore our representation, because most of the people who have been elected of late lack a guiding moral compass.  


Ignoring uncontrolled illegal immigration through undocumented entry, or illegal overstays, has seriously affected the moral base on which our way of life is built.  Many different nations use Mexico as an entry point because their government is so corrupt and ineffective.   While some pose an unbelievable financial drain that cannot be sustained, others, like the Muslims, pose a serious threat through violent overthrow.  We had better take this threat very seriously.  I applaud the efforts being made and considered by the various sovereign states to take immediate action to bring the situation under control.  


There will be instances where people are mistakenly detained and where citizens are inconvenienced, but these will pale in significance when compared to what will happen to our freedoms if we don't take action now.  Our federal government is being run by a rogue administration whose main purpose is to reduce us to third world standards by any means possible.  They jump at every opportunity to create and maintain civil unrest in order to support their contention that we are in need of an all controlling "Nanny State".  We need to send strong leaders to Washington, D.C.  who will fight with every breath to reverse this terrible travesty of justice.


If you think I don't look happy, you're right.