...everywhere a leak leak... Ol' ..

You plug one leak and here comes another of an entirely different kind. Don't you just hate it when the oil spews up and the truth comes out.

The young man who told all the government's secrets will get in a lot of trouble. I handled a lot of classified stuff and would never tell, even if I could remember any of it. No disrespect to the young man but he is like the pinhole in the dam where the big break starts. Soon the whole wall of water will come crashing down and lots of people will feel the effects.

One thing that keeps coming into my mind is that Obama traveled to Pakistan when he was a young man. I don't know what that has to do with anything though.

Those people in those countries we are trying to fight for will be fighting when we are all long gone. The feuds go back so far, they probably can't remember what it was all about. I'd guess some robber baron robbed a caravan and killed the wrong person back in the three digit years. So the grudge has been passed down in song and rhyme. Today it's opium and oil, next year it will be sand and wind, or who knows.

Sometimes I think we are over there because we need to do something the Russians couldn't do. Maybe it wasn't that the Russian's bullets weren't big enough, maybe, it was because they did not understand the culture. I certainly do not. Why would an otherwise intelligent man think it made him more manly to abuse a woman? He certainly does not understand women. He would get much better apple pie if he talked nice to her on the phone before he came home.

Anyway, one young man will suffer but the deed he did will be talked about for years to come. Telling the truth just don't get you the honor it use to. I personally am sick of our government having so many secrets. They twist everything up so much that by the time we get information it looks like what comes out of a paper shredder. You might could make sense of it if you had the rest of your life to sift through it.

Somethings Just Get Sideways in My Brain

Admittedly, I do not have the best brain around. Of course, I haven't seen many brains lately except on those CSI shows which I've about stopped watching. Anyway, there are things which go into my ears and just wander around looking for a place to fit. If I was Spock, I'd say 'that is not logical'.

Actually, I find things that go on so ridiculous that I am overly humorous at times just to be able to coup with them. (Spell check quit. HaHa.)

I was fixing some corn for the freezer Saturday. Sitting out there in the backyard, it was rather pleasant, already a hundred, I had found a shady place. I usually put stuff like corn shucks in the compost pile but I had already decided to leave the pile there for the squirrels to play in. They could chew on the end pieces of corn and have a little feast. Then, I started singing some old gospel hymns as I worked brushing off the silks. For no reason and from out of somewhere something hit me in the back. Was someone throwing rocks because of my singing? I looked around, no one there. I decided that the squirrels had lost patience and were throwing hickory nuts at me. I did find a lone nut lying beside my chair. I almost decided to just take the stuff to the compost pile after all and make them walk down there, but I didn't. Maybe it was an accident.

Have you ever put up corn in the freezer? I do it the 'lazy' way. I just leave it on the cob after boiling it for a little bit. It takes up more room but it is quicker. I do take a knife and pop out the bad kernels, just like pulling the children's teeth long ago. (Not with a knife.)

That's not what I was thinking about when I did the title of this post.

I was thinking about the protest in Arizona over the new law they have starting up pretty soon, so they can secure their borders. Which, by the way, is the sworn duty of the executive branch, both in states and nationally. It is not about not liking anyone. That is what gets all cross ways in my brain. It is about obeying the law. If a person breaks the law to get here, what are they going to do with the rest of our laws. Yet, the feds don't get it or don't want to. Then I saw this sign held by one of the protesters against the law. It read "we will not comply" . Now that tells the whole story. They have no intention of obeying the law.

Some come here in accordance with written law and live productive lives. Welcome home! Others sneak in and take jobs that legal citizens need then send their money back to another country. They are taking jobs then the money which drains our economy.

I believe we are a nation of compassion. We are peaceful by comparison. We got a lot of people on the streets making sure the laws are obeyed. That is why we are as peaceful as we are. When people ignore the law, you get the problems that exist in other countries where gangs rule and corruption is the norm.

Why can't we just get the issue straight? Either we enforce the law or get rid of it. Getting rid of border protection would make us a 'farm' for all the other countries that need something. Do we really want to be the child who get's his lunch money stolen every day on the way to school. I don't think so. We have to have law and order and enforce those laws. Leaders who fail in this responsibility should step down for the good of the country.

A few years ago we had a peaceful town with work for about anyone who wanted to work. We had our share of weed smokers and such but nothing the law couldn't control if they took the notion. Then the mills started bringing in workers from south of the border. Managers developed a very bad attitude toward American workers because they could hire a van load any day of the week to replace them. Managers actually encouraged citizen workers to 'hit the clock' so they could hire cheaper labor. Now those people (managers) are retired and we have the situation of a bad economy and imported drugs and gangs running freely. The practice of bringing illegal workers to our town changed it forever. This theory that illegals do work that Americans won't do is bogus. Americans are some of the hardest working people on the planet. We do have to stop and fish sometimes but that's just to help the state with license fees. :)

The squirrels did enjoy the corn I left them, although I will have to get out there and clean up their mess sometime today or tomorrow or the next day.

Being Poor in a RIch Land

We were poor growing up. We never thought of ourselves as pitiful. We just did not know what money looked like. I know Mom and Dad saw some green money once in a while. I do not remember having any 'folding' money until I was grown. I did work for another farmer sometimes in my late teens and I think he paid me with some green money.

I remember one winter, a long time after Mom and Dad had their problems and were living apart. Us children were with Mom. The children always went with Mama. You can ask someone else why. I hope we did not choose. I cannot imagine choosing between them.

Anyway, back to that winter. We rented a big old house. It was two story and was apparently missed by Sherman. Mama used coal to 'heat' it. It was always toastee warm right in front of the fireplace if no one bigger pushed you aside. It was in that old, cold house that I sat at the table at night to finish high school. I only needed a credit and half after the 11th grade so I went to work and finished at home. I remember Mama waking me up in the morning at 4:30 to go to work. I was still at the kitchen table with my pencil in my hand trying to write something for English literature.

One winter it snowed just before the coal truck was suppose to come to the house. Mom would order a half a ton at a time which was enough to last until the truck got back to town. Well, it was cold. I tried to get my old '55 Ford station wagon out of the drive but the snow was too deep and my sister kept yelling from the front door that I was going to kill myself.

So, I set to thinking. We were about to freeze. A few weeks before a storm had blown down the barn out back (which Sherman also missed). It was a considerable walk to the barn. They had to do that to keep the cows and horses from stinking up the kitchen. Anyway, I put on all the clothes I had and some old boots and broke trail to the barn.

The others were hovered around the one fireplace we had going. I did not have a saw or ax but I tackled that fallen down barn like it was the enemy. Really, it was our best friend on that day. I walked back and forth for all that day trying to get ahead of the hungry flames. It was easier after a few times, once I got the snow tramped down. I kicked and stomped and and bent load after load of that rich pine wood.

I don't even remember how many days I did that or if it was more than one day. The coal truck came and life went on. I don't remember much about pain or being cold. I do remember the banks of snow on each side of my trail and the blazing fire that I did not get to warm by.

Gulf Oil Spill

I am glad BP got a device that seems to be working to stop the oil from leaking. I am glad they have those ships working to clean up the spill. It was a bad accident and one that they were not prepared for. But even with all the politics, they kept trying until they fixed the problem. I hope it is a step to prevent further damage.

In steps the administration. They have done nothing to this point that I can see. They had spokes people to get on the news but physically, they did nothing. So why are they so interested now that the problem has been solved? It is what is always is with the feds. Money.

If they can get BP to let the oil flow out, they can put a gage on the flow and determine its rate. Calculating backward, they can then fine BP for the leakage. The money will go into the coffers and never will be seen again.

I'd like them to get the oil out since we will be needing it to run our pollution machines. I do not want it to become a cash cow for the federal government. BP could better use the money to search for future oil and to shore up their safety procedures. Fines are just another tax that hinders progress.

I think of the federal government in terms of what our police forces have become in our country. They are purely reactionary. They wait for something to happen and dash off to the scene of the crime. It use to be that they were on the streets to prevent crime and just respond to it.

Anyway, the feds will sock it to them with fines and the money will go to the four winds. The money should stay in the gulf where it is needed. BP should handle that.

the Big Stopper in the Earth

Well, they have apparently corked the hole in the bottom of the gulf. I honestly hope it works. I don't want those little fishes to suffer and people certainly don't need to be swimming in oil.

I do have concerns though. I'm wondering about all that pressure building up. Shouldn't they have a hose running to it and be capturing the oil in a ship, now that they have some control.

I have visions of the big plug blowing out of the gulf and shooting like a rocket into outer space where it knocks out the space station and numerous communication satellites. Then no one can text while driving and the accidents are reduced so much that the EMT folks go out of business and the state troopers all have to look for work.

Implications are.....

It Still Don't Make it Right

Some of you are young and do not remember when people in general did not like a lot of the things that go on these days and felt that they were wrong. I don't know that I will go down the list but I will say that just because the media and some loudmouths promote things does not make doing those things right.

The truth is some people just do not like the traditional American way. In America, that I remember, people helped their neighbor. They stood up to their problems instead of getting doped up. They loved their family, raised children. They worked and brought home a pay day. Then stayed home and spent time there. They respected church whether they went or not. They talked nice around womenfolk even if they did cuss the mules in the fields. A child minded his parents or had the joy taken out of their rebellion.

Their is a different crowd around now that cares nothing for the integrity of our borders or the integrity of our people. The dollar rules today. Taxes are the goal of government. Lies are not obstacles to getting those results. I really detest the one where our local government cries about needing money so teachers can keep their job and then go build a million dollar football field. I've nothing against football but a child is better off with something in their head than they are with a ball in their hand.

I think every parent should try to drill history into their children. History that predates the 1960s which was when the world went crazy. That way they will know how it ought to be.

Over the years liberals have placed judges in office who can play with the law like food on their plate. States and federal governments can make good laws but if one judge don't like it, they can shoot it down, sending it to the Supreme Court. They time it so that their is a majority of liberal judges there. The good law is shot down and people are left to submit to that authority. The Supreme Court is no longer a judging body but a legislative body. Liberals learned that a long time before conservatives did. They've been working that angle for a long time.

Although, we are obligated to obey the law of the land. It should be noted that the law of the land is not always the same as the law of God. What the law of the land tells us is not always the right thing. We are fast approaching the time in this country when people will have to make a decision in their heart as to what they will do. This thing with Arizona is going to the Supreme Court where a few men will decide if a state has a right to protect itself and make laws. It will govern how every state legislates. It is a power grab. Do you want to live under rules made by people like that judge in Mass. that things same sex marriage is just fine. It is not only wrong, it is just not sensible.

These times are different, not better, just different. We must follow the line of truth and right regardless of what a few squeaky wheels demand.

Arizona

Someone forgot to tell President Obama that he won the election. He is still after Senator McCain. Well, we all know there are higher purposes at stake in Arizona. It is still about the election but not the last one, it's the next one. Obama has alienated most American voters so he is going to have to give citizenship to some lawbreakers so that he has enough votes for 2012.

I know that is harsh but it might as well be said.

When a state cannot make laws to protect itself without getting sued by the federal government it makes for dangerous times in our nation. The president is sworn to protect and defend our borders but failed to act. Arizona is trying to do what the feds ought to do.

It is not just about one state. It is about every state that wants to set its own course for the good of the people who live there. Obama is somewhat of a lawyer so naturally he goes to the courts. I think he knows the case will go to the Supreme Court where he has stacked the deck.

If our federal government is willing to let drug runners have free access to our borders just to get the millions of votes of illegals, then I must say that we are living under tyranny and not in a republic.

It is a shame that some people can't stop fighting a war that is long past.

Economy

I've been thinking about our economy this weekend. There seems to be no cure for our problems. I believe there is a cure but first it will take a change in the mindset of Americans.

There was a time when we produced and sold more to each other than we purchased from other countries. We had natural resources to back up any money held in our hands. Of course, these days, the money is only as good as we believe it to be (consumer confidence). I also think of it as being only as good as our government, since the government is printing the notes (money) and standing good for its value.

I am not an economist in the college-educated sense. I have lived a pretty long time and have struggled with getting money to buy the things we need to survive. You know, housing, food, clothes, transportation, movie rentals, whoops, strike that last one, it is not really a necessity and we have probably not rented more than a dozen in our lifetime.

The problem is that the global economy is good only for those countries that do not produce their fair share of the needs of their country. Maybe it is not a kind statement but poor countries soak up the wealth of other countries like a sponge. Some countries are poor, not because of a lack of resources but because they can not stop fighting each other and their neighbors. There are countries that could do well on tourism, if it was safe to travel there.

Anyway, back to the U.S. economy. I don't know when we started borrowing from China so much. I do remember when our jobs started being exported to other countries where people had to work for next to nothing. We became a country of services. Someone decided that we would do the white collar work and let others do our grunt work. It has not worked out so well. We still have many people who had rather work with their hands and make things. Instead, their working hands must learn new trades which require a delicate touch or they must slip away into the sunset.

We are in a cycle with China. We borrow money from them to buy the things they make. It does not take a genius to figure out where most of the money ends up. The wholesale price of the goods goes back to the ones who made it with cuts from the 'middle-men'. The loans accrue interest which must be paid. There goes more money out of our country. The goods are made elsewhere, so there goes the wages which will be spent in a foreign country. There isn't much wealth staying between the oceans for us to work with.

I do not believe that an economy that produces no tangible product can survive. By tangible, I mean something you can touch. We have lots of services but you cannot eat, wear, or ride in services. Renting a car is a service but it is based on a tangible.

We must cut cost, produce products that our people can afford to buy and keep the money in our country. I'm all for teaching people how to fish so they can eat. I do not believe that one nation has enough fish to feed the world. Each nation must be taught to live on its own resources and balanced trade. One-sided trade will bleed one side dry while making another rich.

The government ought to take the lead but they will not. People will have to stop using credit like currency. "Living within ones means" is a good idea. The government gets their taxes even on credit purchases. If the debt goes bad, the government still has their cut. So, it seems good to the government to encourage credit spending. Indeed, I don't think they could get along with their current wasteful spending habits, without the 'buy on credit' tax money.

No, the government will not change. It is almost enough to turn one against education. Some of the most educated people in the world are running our country and they can do nothing but get us further into debt and let wars strip the economy. If you must buy something, pay for it. If you must go to war, win it and come home.

Hearings

As I watch the hearings, now and then, about the nominee for the Supreme Court, I feel no comfort in the process. Here is a hearing to decide who will sit in the highest court of the land and decide what is best for the country. What's in her mind?

Like many others who have sat there, she cannot give a straight answer. When asked repeatedly if she wrote a document (which was in her own handwriting) she found it impossible to say 'yes' or 'no' .

She ran around every bush to pollute what ever answer she gave to a question. Thus, there would be no direct sound-bites to quote. Anyone reading her answers would soon get bored and have to wade through a bunch of gobbly-gobbly to figure out what was said. In the mean time, the mind is poisoned with the other stuff she throws in.

What I see when I look at her and listen is a person who is smart at manipulation but short on judgment. She can splash in the pool but who knows if she cares at all for those others in the water. I see someone who likes the journey to high places and has made many, but will only bask in the accomplishment of getting there and probably will do no good while she is there.

I fear that we are getting a lot of people in charge who only want to prove that they can beat the system and make it to the top. They have nothing in their soul that they want to accomplish for good. They wish only to establish the path so that other empty people can make the journey behind them and take up the space. 'I will not go in but I will stand in the door to keep you out.'

She sits there with her 'poker face' or her smirk or a laugh when a friend makes s 'small' joke. She knows the deck is stacked in her favor. All she has to do is keep her cool and talk the opponents to death and wait out the process. Then she will be on the bench and it is payback time.

There is nothing a little guy from the sticks can do about people like her. I know she will continue the killing of the unborn but my knowledge will not help. She will slim into the judge's seat just like the plan intended. Elect a liberal president, get the old guy to retire and appoint another liberal before the November elections. I don't like the purpose or the end result but I have to admit, it was a masterful plan.