Disneyland Closes At 35

One Beer?

Who in the world would have 1 beer to resolve a national conflict? 1 beer won't do it. Several beers would be required to get to the truth. No one loses inhibitions at 1 beer. Perhaps 6. Right?

When's the last time you really told the truth? Not after 1 beer! Perhaps 6. Then you told the truth to the arrogant brother-in-law, the bitchy sister-in-law, the meddling family, the child gone teenager and wrong? Probably not until you had consumed more than a six pack.

And what happened when you told the truth? Your brother-in-law is a jerk. True, but problematic. Your sister-in-law is a jerk. True, but problematic.

Most of us know the truth. Very few of us are willing to tell it.

A Follow-Up to the Saving My Teeth post

After all was said and done, I came up with $500, not $400, to purchase the ROOT CANAL. The procedure hurt like hell. I suppose my payment did not include the new science of painless dentistry.

Why $500 rather than $400? I was one of the unfortunates who have 5 nerves per tooth rather than 4. The cost for removal is $100 per nerve. I paid the $500 and went on my way for 3 weeks.

I returned today to complete phase 2, the TEMPORARY CROWN. Since no nerves were involved I only had to pay $400. But guess what? I spent over an hour at the Dentist, drove home, tested the CROWN'S strength with my powerful tongue, and forced it right out of my mouth.

Isn't it grand?

On the Beer Summit

I am writing this post as I watch, who knows why, the coverage of President Obama's so-called Beer Summit.  I can see President Obama, Vice President Biden, Professor Gates and Sergeant Crowley. I cannot hear what they are saying. They may all simply be participating in a mime. Perhaps they are lip synching "We are the World." Who knows?

What a gargantuan waste of time, money and political capital. I am amazed that either Sergeant Crowley or Professor Gates would participate in such a mindless/pointless enterprise. If this is a teaching moment, none of us need one.

I am watching poor theatre, poor actors, and a poor, overplayed plot.

What a crock!

The More Things Change. . .

It was the winter of 1965. I was working 54 hours per week in a Texaco station on the Texas - New Mexico state line. It was, for a teenager, the best job in town at $1.25 per hour. I worked from 6:00 a.m. till 12:00 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I attended college classes at Texas Western University, now the University of Texas at El Paso, during the week. I wasn't failing, but I was doing little better than average. I was wondering how the hell I could get out of town.

In the end, there were only a few options and they all had to do with the military. Army, Navy, Marine Corps, or Air Force. My dad had been in the Army for 4 years during World War II. I chose the Army.

It was April by the time I visited with the Army recruiter. He was all smiles, upbeat, encouraging, and gentlemanly, right up until the time I took the oath. At that point he became a monster.

Three weeks into basic training the President announced that 350,000 more men would be sent to Vietnam. I had never heard of Vietnam. I had no idea where it was. I had no idea why any American troops were being sent to Vietnam.

It was December when I arrived in country. I served from December of 1965 until December of 1966, and again from March of 1970 until March of 1971. I really never did know exactly what it was all about. I left the Army in 1973 after some 8 years of service, got a goverment job under the provisions of the "Vietnam Veteran's Re-adjustment Act, and went back to college.

I'm still not certain why we were in Vietnam. I do know that so many of the Vietnamese people counted on us, and the counted on us keeping our promise. Whatever it was about, it should not have included broken promises. I keep thinking about that.  I keep thinking about an old man, an old man that worked in our compound in Vietnam, and old man that had believed the promises made by the French before us. I remember the look in his eyes when he said "G.I. all go home soon.

I knew that he was correct. It was 1971, but our committment was all but over. I know that nothing good happened to him.

I  keep thinking about Iraq and the promises we made to the Iraqi people.

Why all the Hype?

I am genuinely puzzled by several comments that have been entered on this blog vehemently asserting that the Obama administration is not socialist leaning, both as individuals and as a collective. Those comments are patently in error.

I am also genuinely puzzled that other commentators talk about Socialism as if it is a political theory directly opposed to life, liberty and and the pursuit of happiness. Socialism is not in principle opposed to any of those pursuits. Whether we live in an increasingly Socialistic country or move in the other direction towards Libertarianism is a choice the American people will have to make, should they ever get a genuine opportunity to choose.

At the moment the future certainly appears to be uncertain. I suppose each American should ask themselves some basic questions, beginning with, what is it that I want my government to do?

In asking myself this first question I have come up with the following anwers

1.    I want my governmnet to provide for the common defense. I want to be protected by a well-trained, well-equipped, professional and dedicated military and I am willing to pay my share of the taxes to support the military establishment.

2.    I want my government to provide a quality education for every American citizen. I want students to be able to learn in a safe environment, from high quality, well paid, teachers who have a demonstrated rapport with the students and a demonstrated knowledge base within their particular discipline. It would be nicer still if these teachers could think and teach in an interdisciplinary fashion.

3.    I want my government, at all levels, to provide a stable, modern infrastructure that allows all Americans to enjoy a comfortable existence.

4.    I want my government to provide quality, affordable, universal and quickly available health care to all American citizens.

I feel that the aforementioned things could be paid for from the current tax base, if billions of dollars of ear-marked, porkbarrel and idiotic spending could and would be slashed out of existence. I do not want $200,000,000 to be allocated to the mating habits of the fruit fly.

It seems to me that a sea change is occurring in our country. Most of us no longer want a capitalistic system that encourages and rewards cheats, con men, and the worst among us. I am against corporate executives walking away from bankrupt companies while pocketing millions for themselves. I am against banks and credit card companies that rape and pillage their borrowers unscathed by arbitrarily raising interest rates to exorbitant and grossly unfair levels. I am against paying $100 for a prescription drug in this country that American pharmeceutical companies sell for $10 in Canada.

What do you want? What are you against?

Say something.

And Now it Begins

I admit to being less than certain that American forces should have been committed to Iraq in the first place. I'm glad that Saddam Hussein no longer controls the country, and cannot help but think that most Iraqi citizens are also quite content without him.

The billions of dollars spent on the war could have been allocated to far better purposes; still, I have the notion that our government would have found some other way to waste the majority of the funds expended.

My concern about the departure from major Iraqi cities is single. Once again we, as a country, failed to keep our promise. We promised to stay for the long haul until the country and its citizens were safe from further strife and genocide. We are not keeping the promise and there will be thousands who die because of our broken promise.

We did not keep our promise to the Vietnamese. Thousands died or were placed in prison camps for years. Hide and watch. Vietnam, the sequel, is soon to begin. You can watch some of it on HD television beginning now.

A page 14 report in the Dallas Morning News states "After a lull in violence, attacks in northen Iraq and Baghdad on thursday killed at least 56 people and wounded many more, raising fears about the Iraqui forces ability to maintain security after most U.S. troops withdrew from urban areas last week."

How Bad for You can Smoking Really Be?

Personal testimonials are not often taken seriously. These testimonials range across a variety of subjects from religious conversion, to coming back from the dead, to being taken captive by small creatures with oval eyes who pilot space craft. My testimonial is not so dramatic. It is about lung cancer.

My mother-in-law's sister, then 68 years old was diagnosed with Stage III lung cancer in 1996. She underwent chemotherapy and radiation and was dead in six months. My mother-in-law was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer in 1997. She underwent extensive chemo and radiation therapy and was dead in fourteen months.

My father-in-law was diagnosed with Stage IV non-small cell lung cancer in 1998 and was dead in 4 months. I hoped that might be an end to it all. My mother-in-law lived with me during her illness and treatment as did my father-in-law. I experienced perhaps twenty five chemo treatments and 90 doses of radiation along with all the attendant side effects, which were considerable. Lung cancer was not finished with my family.

My wife, beautiful, vibrant and 49 years old, was diagnosed with the same illness in February of 2002 and died in September of 2003 leaving me alone with my youngest daughter, then ten years old. I still think of the numerous sessions of chemotherapy and the even more numerous sessions of radiation. She did not tolerate any of the treatment well. She was constantly sick and unable to eat.

Last week, my 66 year old brother-in-law, a life long oil man, came up from South America for medical tests. He was short of breath and had difficulty swallowing. Today he was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer,

All were smokers at one time in their lives. All had subsequently quit. It was not in time for any of them.