"Spitting into the wind"

            I have gone back through my blogs, and through some of my earlier shows, and when you consider the vast audience that is out there, I'm amazed that more responses don't come in.  My opinion is just that, my opinion, and while it's based on things that are printed or said, it's still my opinion.  Why don't YOU out there have more to say about what goes on in the country?  Is it too much trouble to write your elected officials...or could it be that you're tired of getting a form-letter for an answer?   They DO listen, eventually, and they DO answer, eventually...but you have to get their attention.  There's a story about two farmers, Clyde and Henry.  Clyde sold his mule to Henry and one day when they meet Henry says, "Clyde, how did you ever get that mule to do any work?"  Clyde responds, "Well, you gotta walk around front where he can see you and then you whack him between the eyes with a piece of 2x4."  Henry is aghast and this and says, "Doesn't that hurt him?"

Clyde replies, "Yep...but you gotta get his attention first."   You can't walk up to a Senator and whack him one, even though you think he deserves it, but telling them, in no uncertain terms, what you are about, and asking for a reply, addressing THAT concern, will probably get you a decent answer.

            There's a lot in this world that I don't understand, and one of those things is that administrations, both sides of the political fence, seem to be more intent on what's good for the party, rather than what's good for the country.  Term limits would put an end to career politicans, and that would be a good thing.  Another good thing, for the country, is for us to revere the men and women of "The Greatest Generation" because, as one vet put it, "...if it wasn't for us, you would all be speaking German now."   The attempted closing of the World War Two memorial, by a government that doesn't seem to know much about appreciation, was just appalling to me.  Kudos to the people who opened the barriers, and some of them were those very same elected officials that we gripe about.  It's just beyond my understanding that the men and women who sacrifice so much for us are not treated with the utmost dignity and reverence.  Maybe there should be a political party comprised of veterans and their families.  That would encompass both sides of the political fence, but stressing neither.  It could be that these folks would have the clear-headed

idea to put country first.  I have a saying over my desk and it says "Non Sibi Sed Patriae" and translated from the Latin it means, "not self but country".  I read somewhere that the veterans of WW2 are dying at about one thousand a day, and we need to know, and honor them.

            There is SO much duplication in our government that it boggles the mind as to how ANYTHING gets done...or done correctly.   No one in Washington seems to be aware that people are lying, under oath, to members of congressional hearings, or if they ARE aware, they don't seem to care.  We don't have, or shouldn't have, an elite "class" of people in this country.   We are a classless society, regardless of what you might hear or read.   So much is said about "the middle class" that it makes me ill to think about it.  Go around and start asking people what class they belong to and you're going to get some mighty strange looks and answers.   Most Americans probably think they could be doing better, and that some people might have more stuff than they do...but then, there's others that probably have less too.

Should we break ourselves into little groups so that we can be identified that way?  If you ask someone to describe another person, odds are they'll start their description with what that other person does...but that is not who that other person is, is it?

            I don't pretend to have all the answers...I don't even pretend to have ANY of the answers, but I'll still ask the questions.  So you, reading this, do you have a question that should be answered?  Do you have an answer to a question that other folks might have?  Let me hear from you and maybe we can work something out on some of these questions and answers.

            Larry Usoff, US Navy Retired

"MY TURN TO HAVE A SAY."

I saw a cartoon the other day that just bowled me over with its honesty.  It was a picture of Attorney General Eric Holder, at a podium, with the seal of the Department of Justice in the background.  The caption read "The Department of Just-Us" which, of course, is exactly the way it works now.  He has lied to Congress, and been caught at it, and didn't even miss a night's sleep over it.   The DOJ, under Holder's direction, is suing the state of North Carolina over voting requirements.  It seems that the state wants to require a picture ID in order to vote.  Well, what is the problem here?  We have to have a picture ID to buy alcohol, to get a plane ticket, to buy a gun...just about anything, so what's gotten his back up?  I'll tell you.  He is claiming that its racial discrimination because black people can't get picture ID's,

The DOJ plans to ask a federal judge to place four provisions in North Carolina’s voting law under federal scrutiny for an indefinite period of time.   The suit would claim that the North Carolina statute violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and would seek to have the state subject to federal pre-clearance before making "future voting-related changes."     Additionally, the DOJ suit also takes aim at the law's requirement that voters present government-issued identification at the polls in order to vote. The North Carolina state board of elections recently found that hundreds of thousands of registered voters — mostly the young, poor, elderly, or minorities — do not have a state-issued ID.   By the way, according to a North Carolina website, it only costs $10 to get a picture identification card.  I'm pretty sure that's within everybody's budget since it's a one-time charge.  Analysts wonder, however, why the administration did not take such “appropriately aggressive action” five years ago against efforts to hinder voting at Philadelphia polls by members of the New Black Panthers.   And while the new Black Panthers continue to go unpunished for intimidating voters at the polls, Attorney General Holder has targeted the June Supreme Court ruling that attempts to free specific states from selective scrutiny as “deeply flawed."

            How's this for a brilliant idea?  Let's have Muslim-free zones.  They'll be just like Sharia-controlled zones, only in reverse.  There will be package stores and bars, movie theatres, restaurants that serve pork products, and music will emanate from all sorts of places.  Women will wear mini-skirts, if their figures warrant it, and men will be clean-shaven for the most part and, most important, people will bathe on a regular basis.  Goats will not be objects of desire, inbreeding will be frowned upon and religious worship will be on a voluntary basis.   Headgear will consist of hats, baseball-style caps or other appropriate coverings, but will definitely not be a towel or sheet wrapped around the head.   Rape will be considered a heinous crime AGAINST  a women, not one perpetrated BY a woman, and certainly not requiring 4 male witnesses.  Testimony in court will have equal weight for men and women and, in cases of inheritance, women shall recieve their full share and not a half-share as under Sharia law.  Honor killings will be considered as murder and the killer shall get a fair trial, something that the victim certainly did not.   If, for any reason, Muslims see this proposal as being discriminatory, that would show that they are above-average in intelligence, but should stay out of the Muslim-free zones anyhow.  While no harm would come to a Muslim who happened to find himself or herself in a Muslim-free zone, they might be OFFENDED by the amount of freedom being bandied about.  Oh, wait a minute...no Muslim woman would be allowed out of the house unescorted, so we needn't worry about them.

            I'm not much of a movie fan, and very few make an impression on me...but I'll tell you one that did, and does.  It's called V For Vendetta and although it takes place in the United Kingdom, it could very well take place here...and might, if the people will just wake up and see what's happening to America.  Briefly, it's the story of an over-powering government...much like our current government, with a lot of Big Brother thrown in.  One man decides he's had enough and begins to harass the government, to the point where they notice him, and want him taken care of because he's about to spill the beans about Mr. Big, who is a really bad guy.  If you have not seen this movie, I suggest that you rent it or buy it...and watch it a couple of times.  It's brutal in spots, but it is not gratuitous brutality...just your ordinary brutality.

            If you read this...how about some comments?

Larry Usoff, US Navy, Ret.

"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

           

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.

Our President vs. the United States of America

Let me say, right off the bat, this is about several things that I think I understand...but that a lot of Americans do not.  We have a black president, and that is a good thing because it does show that it can be done.  On the other hand, the president is an incompetent, lying, probably foreign-born, idiot.  He has surrounded himself with people that think like he does...and he does not like the United States.  I believe that his Attorney General, Eric Holder, has no idea of what he's supposed to be doing because he's doing the opposite.  He was held in contempt of Congress and didn't lose 20 seconds sleep over it.  Granted, the current president inherited a couple of wars that may, or may not, have been warranted, I'll leave that to history...but he has made it all worse, much worse.  The general thinking in this administration is that they can lie to the public, about everything, and the public will buy it.  Congress has become so wussified that there aren't enough real patriots to make a difference, and that is obvious, because of the mess we're in.  Our Constitution was made inconsequential by Congress in their willingness to allow the president to sidestep it.

            Although I'm a Republican and a conservative, the problems that this country faces are not the fault of either party exclusively...and the problems are huge!  As a nation, we are laughed at, scorned, dismissed as a paper tiger...and it can't all be laid at the feet of this president, but he's a big part of it.  How far back do we have to look to find our America?  My guess is that we have to go back to somewhere around 1945 or 1946 when we were the top dog in the world and no one, but no one, would have dared to take us on!   Back then we had patriots, thousands of them, men and women that had fought for this country because it was the right thing to do.  The thinking then was that if it was good enough to live here, it was good enough to fight for.  Now?  No, I think the armed forces have been selectively emasculated for what purpose I don't know.  When this country goes to war, the armed forces don't wear a D or an R on their uniforms...they wear the flag of their country...and they wear it proudly.  The navy I served in was not as technologically great as it is now...but at least the sailors could read, write, and comprehend what they were doing.  My friends who have not retired, have sent me stories of members of their units going to remedial reading and writing classes!

            Service doesn't just mean the armed forces.  The so-called service industries, which used to be called "the crafts", like plumbing, electricians, carpenters, masons, and so on...are aging, and there's not enough young people going into those occupations to keep up.  That's one reason why your service-related bills are going up and up.  The upcoming generations have been lulled into thinking that computers will do it all, and, although they will do a lot, they will never do it all...when they break down, and they do, there will have to be a human capable of fixing them.  By the way, try getting a robot or a computer to build shelving, or fix a backed-up toilet.  While we're here on the subject of jobs...how many do you estimate the Keystone pipeline would create?  That pipeline should be built for a couple really good reasons, not the least of which IS the jobs.

It's been estimated that, between the Keystone, the activity in the Dakotas, and whatever we can conjure up off shore, we could kick the Arab cartel right in the rear end.  The deliberate delaying of the pipeline, and that's what it is, baffles me, as to why the public doesn't wise up?  Remember, Obama is for Obama, first, last and always.

            Wake up America!

Larry Usoff, U.S.Navy, REt.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE AMERICAN PEOPLE TODAY?

            What is wrong with the American people today?  There are domestic problems and international problems, and we can do something about both...if we have the nerve and good sense to do it.  First, let's look at the domestic problems which, in my opinion, have been caused by the current administration.  The tax system in this country is SO screwed up that nobody, from the IRS Commissioner down, understands it completely.  It picks and chooses who, or what, will be taxed and at what rate.  The system has been manipulated so much that the loopholes it has in it makes it look like Swiss cheese...but that only benefits those that can afford to hire a tax expert.  The so-called middle class in this country, and I always thought we were a classless society, takes it on the chin, over and over.

            So, let's deal with that domestic problem, in a logical manner, and that is to abolish the IRS.  We now know that the IRS, again from the top down, is corrupt, convoluted and crazy.  Enact THE FAIR TAX, which is a logical approach to taxing.  You buy something at the retail level, you pay the tax.  Period!  The bill, as it was written originally, is 135 pages, all easily understandable.  When the IRS is gone, you'll find that much of the money that was whisked out of this country to save it FROM the IRS, will be returning.  When money comes back, so do jobs.  We may never regain the pinnacle of manufacturing that we once attained, but enacting THE FAIR TAX will go a long way to achieving that.  I believe that unemployment will go down, and go down dramatically, once THE FAIR TAX is up and running.  So, we've killed two birds with one stone, so to speak.

            My next domestic problem is the government itself.  For reasons unknown to me at this time, we, as a people, have allowed the government to overstep its bounds.  Those bounds were put in place by the founding fathers because they KNEW that government, if left unchecked, can become dictatorial...and it

is approaching that quickly.  So, here's what we need to do for that problem...first, we establish term limits for EVERY elected federal employee, and include the Supreme Court in that.  Congress was never meant to be a home for politicians.  Our brilliant founding fathers meant for a person to be elected, serve his time and then GO HOME to his work, or farm, or whatever.  Career politicians are a modern "invention" and they should be sent packing.   NO FEDERAL EMPLOYEE IN ANY POSITION SHOULD BE ALLOWED

TO RETIRE FROM GOVERNMENT SERVICE, with the one exception of members of the Armed Forces.

They would be the only ones to be allowed to serve long enough to retire at 20 years, 30 if they are mentally and physically capable.  The Armed Forces, because of what they do for this country, should be given the best healthcare that is available. 

            Beginning at "time X", aspirants to public office will understand that they get NO pension, NO special health care, NOTHING that the public doesn't get as well.  That, I believe, would winnow out those who want to do public service, from those that are looking for a gravy train.  The Constitution, along with other important documents, will be the law of the land.  No foreign laws will be taken into consideration in any court in the land.   Any further delay in stiffening the American backbone is going to be disastrous…

and you can take that to the bank.

Larry,

AS A NATION, WE MUST STAND TOGETHER

            Wake up America...as a nation we have to stand up, hitch up our big-boy pants and tell the world that we are back!  Of course, that's going to be difficult with the sniveling, incompetent, buffoon we have leading this country...and where is he leading us?  Down the road to oblivion, that's where, but of course, that's only my opinion and I have been wrong.  I think it was in 1941, when I thought I was wrong, but I was wrong.   As an American, and I like to think I'm a patriot, it sickens me to know that one person could bring down a country, MY country, in such a short time.  If the president has the best interests of this country at heart, he would do the honorable thing and resign, and take Joe "Shotgun" Biden with him.  There are any number of people, men, women, white, black and of every political stripe, that could do a better job than what the president is doing.

            Let's have some plain talk when we talk about people.  Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and Louis Farrakhan are, in my opinion, professional black victims and if they had to actually do some sort of work, they wouldn't stand a chance in the working world.  The attorney general, Eric Holder lied to Congress, and got away with it.  Then Secretary of Defense Panetta lied to Congress when he said that troops are never sent anywhere until the situation is known...that is just plain BS.  The re-election of the president trumped any truth about Benghazi.  The IRS is an outlaw agency, which answers to no one, apparently, and it should be abolished.   General Martin Dempsey is more politician than general, and is a disgrace to the uniform he wears.  The big man at the National Security Agency, Mr. Clapper, is not just a liar, he's an idiot.  The president talks about phoney this and phoney that...he is the biggest phoney in the country!   Political correctness is BS, and we need to understand that.

            I will take every opportunity to tell people that I retired from our Navy, because I'm proud of that service and, at the time, I was proud of my country.  Not as much any more.  This country used to manufacture products that could proudly bear the words "Made In The USA", and it's damned difficult to find many things like that anymore.  Sure, we still make sox and underwear, but I think 99% of the electronics in use in this country, including those used by the government, are made in a foreign country!  I even read something that the government was buying American flags from China!  Are we nuts altogether?  Buying our country's flag from another country?  I drive a Ford truck because, as far as I know, it's still made in this country, but I cannot say that for the others of the former "big three".  I went to buy a can of tomatoes the other day and looked to see if it was a product of this country...and it wasn't, so I didn't buy it.

            Now, lest you think this is a right-wing nutcase saying this stuff...well, you may be right, but if it is going to take nutcases to get this country back on track, then that's what I am.  My political affiliation changed when the president won the nomination back in 2008, but this is no longer a right or left problem, this is a national problem, actually a national disgrace.  This country, MY country, is being sold down the river and the majority of the population either doesn't care or isn't smart enough to care, and THAT is another disgrace, the apathy and ignorance of the people.  So, at the risk of repeating myself, and perhaps insulting someone...wake up dummies, America needs you, NOW!

Larry Usoff, U.S Navy, Retired