Joy

Our Christmas was smaller than Thanksgiving, but quite pleasant. Unlike the earlier event, two knotty problems arose, and I was forced to join the discussion. Observe:

Health care is easy to understand. The Obama administration wants to add 30 million people to the rolls of those who are covered, but they have said that neither the deficit nor taxes will increase. Common sense dictates that without that added funding the quality of service will be reduced, or the availability will be curtailed, or both. How will you be impacted? Personally, I will NEVER forget the words of President Obama when he said that perhaps it might not be cost effective to treat some older persons, and we should just let them end their lives solely on pain killers. Do you remember that outrageous statement?

Alternate fuel doesn't hold quite the same priority as it had before the current revelations about climate change, but I will not disparage anyone who trusts in its viability until I see how it all shakes out. That is, if ObamaCare allows me to live long enough.

Because it's there

You know how I hate government intrusion in our lives, but there was one recent occasion when a $5 "requirement" might have saved two lives. Katie Nolan and Anthony Vietti have apparently died while climbing on Mt. Hood. They could have rented a $5 locator beacon which may have allowed rescuers to save them.

State and federal government agencies have interfered with the Clackamas County Commission's attempts to make the beacons mandatory. Although it is technically a tax (and we all hate taxes), I say if you're voluntarily going to risk your life in the foolish pursuit of thrills, you should probably be required to carry at least $5 worth of potential protection.

A Response (As published on 12/24)

High school graduate Marc Deveraux (letter to ChicoER, 12/17) still thinks like he did before he put on that mortarboard and proceeded to inflict his naivete on the rest of us. Now he has written an attack on "Bushies," a non-existent group, and Wally Herger, our fine member of Congress who has been in the trenches for many years, and understands exactly what kind of liberalism has "messed up" this country.

It is unlikely that Deveraux will need the expert he suggests he would ask to do his heart surgery, at least not for the part of that organ which contains his missing love of country. What he needs is a cure for the oozing meanness he has for the people who know "what is going on" better than he does.

Focus fallout

Gatorade has dropped Tiger Woods from its product line named Focus, to the label of which he had contributed a view of his mesmerizing eyes. Ironically, this puts me in mind of a classic old joke in which two verbally challenged girls were being photographed. When the picture taker went behind his old camera, under a black cloth, as used to be common practice, one girl asked, "What's he doin'?"

The other girl responded, "He's gonna focus."

"Both of us?" was the punchline which is apropos here.

Another jerk

Colleges and universities were established to provide higher education to serious knowledge-seekers. In 1822, when tension arose between sports and academics, Yale College President, Timothy Dwight, banned a primitive form of football on campus. He was a visionary. Unfortunately, in 1869, Princeton and Rutgers, ignoring the earlier wisdom, played a soccer-type intercollegiate football game, and the practice has proliferated ever since.

Today, college football is big business, and it makes millions for the schools. Apparently, however, the money is used for something other than reducing the amount of the cost of education the students must absorb. That doesn't seem right to me.

Just because there is big money involved, the government is now poking its nose in where it doesn't belong. With the nation fighting two wars, and arguing about climate change and health care, some JERK from Texas (whose name I know, but will not publicize) has introduced legislation to change the system by which colleges schedule bowl games, because his alma mater did not play in as prestigious a game as he thought they should have last year. Nonsense.

It appears Yale had it right in 1822.

Awards

(As referenced on Tuesday) at the 28th annual convention of the Radio and Television News Directors Association, the TV station to which I contribute daily e-mails won the award for the best small market one-hour evening newscast. When the e-mail segment first began, I was literally the only contributor. Will they remember?

Because human nature renders permanent peace an impossibility, the Nobel Peace Prize has always been a farce. So, in the spirit of folly, the Committee "honored" Arafat, Jimmy Carter and AlGore, and nominated possibly the least qualified boob of all, Barack Obama. And he went there and ACCEPTED it. But then, it's always all about him.

e e cummings-style liberal meanness

Four businesses who advertise on the local radio station which carries Rush Limbaugh, Fox News, and other conservative talk shows have received a letter from some ignorant jerk who apparently feels that people with whom he disagrees should be "shot or assaulted." Computer-generated in lower-case letters with no punctuation, the messages say that the advertisers "will reap hate" if they continue to "sow hate." They are signed, "i promise."

The police say, "Even if the sender has no means to carry out the threat, the letters still constitute a crime. Conviction on making criminal threats, whether through the mail, verbally, or e-mails is punishable by a one-year term in jail or state prison. . ." and hopefully a semester of English 101 at the University of East Anglia. After all, he may never have heard of e e cummings, and is merely illiterate as well as a criminal pervert.

Three to the award winning 5 o'clock news

1. Death tax (AS SEEN): Because we keep getting taxed over and over again on our real estate and personal property, the least the government can do is let us pass on our belongings free to our families, who will then continue to pay taxes on them over and over again.

2. Required restaurant postings: There are those freedom killing words again. . . "be required." Will they require that we actually read the nutritional information? Maybe we should have to read it aloud. Will there be a test? Leave me alone!

3. The global warming hoax: Now that the government can stop scaring the children and impressionable adults, we still have that brown haze hanging over industrialized cities. A nice tax break should help the private sector to alleviate that problem.

68th Anniversary

Today we commemorate the second worst cowardly sneak attack on America. I was only a child at the time, but I knew my country would keep me safe. So far, since 2001, even President Obama has kept me safe, and he suggests that will last until at least 2011.

I am still concerned, however, about the proposed cuts to Medicare. I know that sounds selfish, but what they're willing to do to the oldest of us they will do to you. Be afraid; do something.

"Words" (As published on Pearl Harbor Day)

Last night, President Obama. "The King of the TelePrompter," said something to placate everybody except those of us who wanted to hear the words "win" and "victory," and how he proposes to achieve them. Instead, he gave us "warm puppies," and emboldened the enemy with the word "withdrawal."

The most effective military actions involve "massive force" applied "unexpectedly," catching the enemy off guard, and destroying his will to fight. I'll bet that's what they teach at West Point, where the cadets ignored instructions to respond enthusiastically, and dozed off while the President "bloviated."