Wednesday, September 25, 2013

"America's Last Hurrah"




            Slowly.  Ever so slowly I'm coming to the idea that the president is a couple of cards short of a full deck.  He looks at the world through some sort of weird contraption that shows him that everything is white puffy clouds and blue skies...when, in fact, America has been made the laughing-stock of the world.  When he was asked about whether he was wrong, or everybody else was wrong...he said everybody else was wrong.  Does that strike you as a man that has a grasp of the situation at hand?   Dithering, and when he made a decision it was the wrong one, and that just piles on the concerns about his mental state.   In a taped interview he says a red line can't be crossed...but it is, and then he denies ever making the statement.  His overt, and covert, assistance to Muslim groups, many of whom have been identified as terror organizations with direct connections to the Muslim Brotherhood, tilts the balance to one side, and that side of the scale is pro-Muslim
            Muslims are in the government.  Many are in key positions, perhaps even advising the president.  Any flag officer who had any sort of a backbone has been forced out for one reason or another.  Those that are left are, probably, the cadre the president might count on, should an armed conflict break out inside the United States.   The big question in my mind is whether the armed forces would fight their countrymen.  As a backup army, so to speak, there are about 70 agencies that are armed, nearly as well as the military.  The president made mention of that army in a pre-election speech in 2008...and now he's creating that shadow army to go with the shadow government.   We are going to be leaving the battlefield in Afghanistan, and in my opinion, it will revert back to what it was, and we will have wasted lives, money, and materiel.   For what?
            I read somewhere that there's about 275 million guns in the hands of private citizens in this country...and that's a lot of people to speak up for the 2nd Amendment.   Still, the anti-gunners, most of whom have concealed permits or are protected by armed personnel, would have the public give up their weapons...make the whole country a gun-free zone.  Now I ask you, if you're a bad person looking to do some damage with a firearm, where are you going to go.  The obvious choice is to go where no one can shoot back at you, right?  The facts are plain...where gun ownership goes up, crimes go down.  The NYPD has just had their hands tied because they can't stop and frisk anyone, so Mr and Mrs Tourist are walking to their car and they get mugged.  They report it to the police with a full description and the cops say, "Oh yeah, we just saw him...but we can't stop him and frisk him to see if he's got your stuff on him."  Crime is steadily rising in NYC...and will continue to do so until somebody comes to their senses and reverses that stupid order.
            Money, money, money...that's the big sticking point in Congress, isn't it?   Maybe if the politicians get out of the way of free enterprise, do the right thing and abolish the IRS, crank up the pipeline and other revenue-generating ventures, our economy might quit dragging its feet and start walking briskly...before it's too late.  Listen, even as a private citizen, you and I can do things for the country, instead of to the country.  Make a pest out of yourself writing to your elected officials.  Make them understand that you don't want form letters back, you want answers to your questions, and then pepper them with questions about why they are/are not doing this or that.   If they don't want to do what you elected them to do, get them out of there in this next election.
            My friends, we may not be the big dog for much longer.  The next big dog that comes along will bite us in the neck and we'll be finished as a world power.  We owe everybody, and we don't make enough to pay it all back...ever.  We no longer have staunch allies, and going it alone is not an option for a weakened military.  Wake up and smell the coffee...that's all you may have left after the bad guys eat our lunch.
            Larry Usoff, US Navy Retired
           

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Our President vs. the United States of America, Part Two



As I write this, the day after the remembrance of a heinous attack on America, both in 2001 and 2012, it occurs to me that we are doing some wrong things.  Logic is a good thing and very difficult to argue against, so let's apply some logic to some of our current problems.
            First, we are worried about Iran getting a bomb, right?  Nah, not to worry.  They want a bomb?  Let's give them one.  We can send a high-flying drone over there, armed with a delayed-explosion nuclear weapon, and drop it right on their main "laboratory".  Oh sure, there's going to be damage, and there's going to be people killed...but they will be killed there, and not here.  Do I value our lives more than Iranians?  No, but it's logical to get them before they even start to get us...and if we are hesitant, they WILL get us.  Let's get this country off its knees and on its feet.
            Next, there's the matter of our current president.  I believe him to be working against this country, in every way, shape and form.  Let's put together a panel of experts, discover what we can about the man and, as I believe him to be foreign-born, impeach, indict and incarcerate him.  If he is not who he says he is he must go to jail...for a long time.
            Ok, what's next?  We have an economy that's in the tank.  We have a military that, while technologically quite good, is seriously under-manned, so we can kill two birds with one stone one this one.  Build up the military services, providing jobs for those going in, and for those supplying the goods.  Also, let's quit buying materiel for our armed forces from other countries.  It's been shown that some Chinese-supplied stuff is inferior and doesn't hold up.  Get the government out of private sector business, and you'll see lots of things happening that need to happen, but are not now getting done.  There are thousands of miles of roads in this country that need rebuilding, along with hundreds of bridges and dams.  We have the people and we have the know-how.
            Kill the IRS.  Period.  Base the tax system on money spent, not money earned.  I like THE FAIR TAX because it IS fair, and it's simple.  When you buy something on a retail level, you pay the tax.  Period, end of story.  When the IRS disappears you'll see a flood of money coming back into this country, and it won't just be our money, but foreign investors as well.  Also, we have to stop selling off pieces of this country to foreigners.  It is not good practice and while I have nothing against them owning a house or two, I have to draw the line when they buy huge chunks of land, or whole towns...and that has happened.
            We have to pare down big government.  The founding fathers never meant for Congress to be a career, so let's get them out of there after two four-year terms, and that goes for everybody in the federal service.  The ONLY exception would be for the armed forces.  They could remain in the service for 20 years and get retirement, or 30, if they are in good shape and necessary.  Our veterans need, and deserve, the finest care they can get, and if that means we have to clean house at the Veteran's Administration, so be it.
            If you think these ideas are worth considering, either let me know or, better yet, let your elected officials know what you think.
            Larry Usoff, U.S. Navy, Ret.