In Tribute To a Great Man

 

Jeeze... I say something derogatory about the man (scroll down to the NPR thing) in somewhat of a public forum one time and one time only in my life and he up and dies the next day.

Seriously, I didn't agree with his politics most of the time and that Mary Jo thing could of happened to anyone of us, and we'd all like to be born with a silver spoon in our mouths. Regardless, he was a great man. For standing up and speaking out for what he believed in, for trying to make a difference, for serving his country and serving it well.

It sounds like he was prepared to meet his maker; was at peace with himself when passing into his next life and I think that says a lot about a man's character. God bless him and those he left behind.

- Larry

Photo is from public domain.

Is it too late to vote for the white guy?

- Thanks, Andy.

From “For the Grandchildren.com”

As Obama’s Presidency sinks, and his healthcare plan continues to fall apart, mention of dropping the ‘public option’ has enraged his far-left base. As a diversion, and as a sop to them, Obama has backed away from previous promises and has thrown the CIA to the wolves. He has named a special prosecutor to investigate, harass and possibly prosecute CIA interrogators who saved us from a dreaded second attack – thus ensuring that no-one will want to serve our country in this role again – to the detriment of all of us and to the deaths of some of us.

This is a huge mistake, because Americans overwhelmingly support the actions taken to protect us, and because of the damage it does to the CIA and to our military – who have already been instructed to extend Constitutional rights to Al Qaeda soldiers captured on the battlefield. We must wonder, is this administration crazy?

- Russell Wilcox, a college professor with an MBA from Harvard. To read the rest of this excellent post; A Disgraceful Ploy But Bound to Fail, click here.

Hurricane Katrina, New Mexico and the love of my life.

Shortly after Cathy and I discovered we were in love we took a two week break and went on an exploratory trip through Utah, Nevada, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico. We wanted to relocate, get away from our current surroundings and start a new life together.

We were both bold explorers; double Leos to boot. The only navigation tool we had was a $1.50 fold up paper map that laid out interstate highways and paved state roads. We didn’t have a credit card between us or a cell phone (they hadn’t been invented yet) and we were traveling in a 10 year old van on questionable tires.

Using only the sun and the stars and our common sense we fearlessly ventured down roads less traveled, many of them unpaved and unmarked. Sometimes we even made our own roads. We were in love, nothing else mattered. There was no targeted destination.

There was a small lake at the end of a dirt road, as high as you can get in the mountains of New Mexico. It was hours off of our map. It was a mirror, reflecting its own frame; shimmering aspens and tall pines bathed in the light of a dramatic and blazing sunset. It was one of the most beautiful sights I’ve ever seen in my life; an engram on my mind.

We couldn’t figure out why there was no one else there. In Utah there would have been so many people wanting to camp there the Forest Service or the National Park System would have long before claimed the property in the interest of the public and be charging a fee just to look at it.

About an hour later our question was answered. Misquotes, the size of Volkswagens descended upon us in unrelenting swarms and began sucking our dreams away. One of them even got away with a lawn chair.

It wasn’t funny. They left swollen, quarter sized lumps on our skin that itched insanely and eventually scabbed over and bled.

We successfully neutralized the calamity in Durango, Colorado with copious amounts of tequila and victoriously made it home.

A few months later we moved to Colorado Springs, got married and gave birth to two beautiful daughters, Amy & Lindsey.

Such memories, so long ago.

Twenty-three years later I was watching reports and conclusive opinions about the devastating effects of hurricane Katrina on a TV in a motel room in Big Spring, Texas and realized that what happened to Cathy and I in New Mexico so long ago was not only the fault of my government but could have been entirely preventable.

For God’s sake, the forest service or the NPS, the state the county or the closest city government should have posted warnings about the dangers of hanging around a lake infested with mutant mosquitoes. Better yet, someone, the mayor, the town crier, the governor or Ronald Reagan should have fumigated the entire area to prevent such an event. And then I had to ask myself, why was the lake there in the first place?

Freakin’ stupid, incompetent Army Corps of Engineers would be my best guess.

And why wasn’t there someone at the bottom of the hill with a suave to sooth our pain? What’s this country coming to?

It gets worse than you can even imagine. Later on I realized the mosquitoes were intentionally planted in the lake by our government to help the world rid itself of ignorant men and women, unnecessarily destroying our environment by driving on dirt roads created by mindless men and women unnecessarily creating their own roads.

I'm guilty as can be.

- Larry