Change Needed Regardless of Which Candidate Wins The Whitehouse

On my Blog, I have made no secret of the fact that I am violently opposed to Barack Obama being allowed the privilege of serving another term as President of The United States.  I have done my best to spread around the Web the fact (Not the OPINION) that Mr. Obama is the most UNPATRIOTIC person ever to hold that office.  Why do I say FACT and not Opinion?  Only because, even though the mainstream media has done its best to conceal this, the current President does not salute the flag of the United States, does not recite the Pledge of Allegiance, and has repeatedly turned his back on our American Flag during state occasions when our National Anthem is being played and Old Glory is being raised.

President Obama claims to love Our (and his?) nation, claims to respect Our Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen, claims to honor those things we prize, such as Liberty and the United States Constitution, which have been paid for many times over by the blood of our service men and women.  But the President's actions speak much louder than his hollow words.  I have also stated in my Blog that our President has the right to express his political beliefs in any way he chooses.  I have stated in my blog that the one point of respect I have for Mr. Obama is that HE DOES STAND UP FOR HIS BELIEFS, even in the face of what should be strong public outrage at his behaviour.  But he was elected President, and I respect him (only!) for the fact that he did not change his beliefs and his public behavior after his election.  My belief, and my political opinion, is that Mr. Obama DOES NOT DESERVE RE-ELECTION so that for four more years he can make a mockery of the great emblems of this nation and the brave sacrifice of this nation's soldiers.  Even Hilary Clinton is more palatable as a Democratic candidate.  At least she would salute the Flag!

Unfortunately we will find that there is very little difference in the political beliefs of President Obama and Governor Romney.  Both are liberal, both support socialistic healthcare programs, both support the disgusting USA PATRIOT Act, and both support the new National Defense laws that were passed recently.  It is my opinion (as I have not closely researched Romney's politics) that the major difference between the two men is that Romney will not turn his back on OUR FLAG, will not fail to salute during the playing of the National Anthem, and will not fail honor the brave fighters, both the living and the dead, that have fought and still fight for our freedom.  Mr. Romney is clearly now the only candidate that can defeat Obama.  So, obviously, either Mr. Obama or Mr. Romney will be our next President.  Regardless of which man might be elected, our nation will go on.  And regardless of which man is elected, there are some changes that must be made, whether the President supports them or not.

One of the laws that we should all demand that our legislators repeal is the USA PATRIOT Act.  This act was authored by persons who wanted to consolidate power within the Executive Branch.  These people knew that what they desired was UNCONSTITUTIONAL and that even the most arrogant President would not even dream of requesting or demanding such power.  But with the attacks of 9/11, sufficient numbers of lawmakers were either afraid to stand up to the President or were caught up in the hysteria of the times and thus were willing to allow USA PATRIOT to pass without even reading the three thousand-plus pages that made up this law.  President Bush II was right there with these people, yelling that we needed this law, these "tools" to combat terrorism.

The National Defense Authorization Act should be the second law on all freedom-loving Americans' hit lists of tyrannical and illegal legislation.  Do you think I am over-reacting or being an "alarmist?"  Listen to this:  On September 17, 2012 federal judge Katherine Forrest, New York, ruled certain parts of the NDAA unconstitutional.  Wording in this act allowing the arrest and indefinite detention of any person, including American citizens, who "in any way" supported or had "any affiliation" with "terrorists" was too vague to be understood by citizens.  In other words, you and I have the right to understand what law we might have broken, and by whom we are being accused.  My friends, these two concepts are the the very cornerstones of our American legal system.  By definition, a law that is so vague that a "reasonable person" does not even know what he has done that is illegal has been denied his right to "due process" as defined in the Fifth Amendment.  Obviously, being held without the possibility of contacting a lawyer, and without ever being charged with an offense is unconstitutional.  Even an Obama appointee like Judge Forrest knows this.

Yes, regardless of who wins the 2012 Presidential election, the loser will be all of US if we cannot get together and force our representatives to repeal the USA PATRIOT Act, the National Defense Authorization Act, and any similar legislation.  I hope that Americans will see how close we really are to losing our precious civil liberties, and will demand of our politicians, including our President, that the first order of business be the preservation of our freedom, as defined by our United States Constitution.  President Obama ran for President in 2008 on a platform of "change."  Instead we have the same old wars, the same old domestic problems, AND the same threats against our civil liberties as when President Bush II was in office.  If you want the same old UNPATRIOTIC President we have now, vote for Obama.  If you want a patriotic, but STILL liberal President, vote for Romney.  But either way, I hope all of us can agree to unite and retake our freedom.  I hope you will join me in saying "thank you" to judges with enough fortitude and character to to uphold the Constitution even when such a "radical" stance "stuns" the President and his cabinet.  I for one am not so afraid of the terrorists that I am willing to give up my freedom.  I am not so dependent on the "government" for my safety that I want our press to be censored by USA PATRIOT or similar legislation.  And I know most of my fellow citizens feel the same.  The "change" I am seeking, President Obama and Governor Romney, is the end of the trampling of our rights and our freedom.

Charles Stobaugh Headed To Appeals Court

I learned a couple of days ago that Charles Stobaugh has definitely filed an appeal on his 2010 murder conviction in the death of Kathy Munday Stobaugh.  Although he pleaded his "indigence" at one point, the good judge in the case saw through all that maneuvering and told Mr. Stobaugh that if he wanted to appeal, he would have to furnish his own court transcript; the State (You and I) would not do that for him.  The idea of going to prison indeed brought Mr. Stobaugh out of his "indigence" and he was miraculously able to afford the transcript.

What exactly will the Stobaugh attorneys appeal?  There are a few things that could be brought into question. One item of appeal will more than likely be that a Denton reporter who, according to the defense, possessed information that could have cast doubt on Mr. Stobaugh's guilt refused to name her source of information and did not testify at the trial.  Prior to the trial, the judge did not require this reporter to name the source of her information.  The reporter (believing in freedom of the press as provided for in our Constitution) refused to reveal her informant.  The judge further refused to require this information at trial, nor did he order the reporter to testify, as requested by counsel. 

A second issue that will probably be raised was the fact that the same judge did not require a certain police investigator to testify at trial.  This officer, whether state or local I am not sure, made a statement to the effect that he personally believed there was "no way" that Charles Stobaugh could have committed the murder, and that there was actually no proof that a murder had occurred.  This officer's statement may not have been made on official record.  The defense of course contends that a fair trial was denied Mr. Stobaugh since this officer did not testify.

It will be interesting to see the outcome of this appeal.  I suspect that by the time all motions and briefs are filed, there will be more issues on appeal.  The one thing that is not on appeal is this man's guilt or innocence.  Without a strong defence, the only recourse is a tough offense, in this case, attacking procedure rather than fact.  I believe that the appeals system works (usually) in a similar fashion to the now familiar "play review" cameras of college football.  Without a strong and convincing argument against these issues, the guilty verdict in the original case will not likely be over-turned.  Not being a lawyer, of course, I could be completely wrong here, but I think not.

The verdict in the Stobaugh Case has upset many defense attorneys across the nation because Stobaugh's conviction adds one more precedence to case law indicating that a murder conviction CAN INDEED be had even though the body of the victim is not located.  The Texas justice system has become a strong advocate for victims of murder, in that prosecutors around the state are no longer willing to "reward" a criminal by not filing a murder case "just because the killer hid the body really well."  Project Innocence and other such defendant-oriented organizations are certainly watching this case, and its appeal, with rapt attention.  I, for one, am pleased that Charles Stobaugh, based on the evidence presented to jurors, was convicted

The Sky Is Falling! or The Gators Defeat The Tigers

If I had seen Chicken Little yelling, "The SKY is falling! The SKY is falling!" I would not have been more surprised than I had the misfortune of being Saturday as the final second ticked away in Gainesville.  I had watched it!  I had seen it all! But I did not want to believe it.  The Louisiana State University Tigers had fallen to the Florida Gators.  The scoreboard did not lie, and it was there plain to see - Gators 14, Tigers 6.  The worst part of it, besides the lost game, was the fact that the Tigers had not even crossed the goal line.  Their score was the result of two field goals. 

Now, to be honest, I love the Gators, only slightly less than I do the Tigers.  But when they play each other, I of course am a true Geaux Tigers Fan.  It is true that the Honey Badger is gone, but the Tigers are a good team, nonetheless.  They have potential and they will play better games as the season progresses.  It is truly heartbreaking, though, to see my beloved Tigers holding on to Ninth in the AP College Football Rankings.  The Gators, on the other hand, jump from 10th place up to Number 4.  I am proud of the Gators for that, but it is a bittersweet thing, after all.  Both teams go on to better things in next week's football game line up, and I can't wait.

My other teams did not fare very well, either.  Texas Tech (GUNS UP!!!!!!!) was soundly defeated by the Sooners.  I had hoped for a better Raider performance.  West Virginia University sacked the Longhorns.  The TCU Horned Frogs were de-horned by the Cyclones of Iowa State to the tune of 37 to 23.  I love to watch the Cyclones play, and I have since Seneca Wallace lit up the grid-iron nearly a decade ago.  But when TCU and the Cyclones are on the same field, I cheer loudly for the 'Frogs.  My beloved Hurricanes were spanked hard by the Fighting Irish.  Yes, I know the 'Canes are not by any means a contender team this year, but the final score was still heartbreaking for me.

What about the Thundering Herd? The kids from Marshall lost a good one to Tulsa.  I wish Marshall could have won, but losing by only a touchdown to Tulsa says a lot for the Thundering Herd.  And the Grambling Tigers, a mostly-Black college team that I have watched since I was a teen, lost to Prairie View A & M.  Grambling football has not seen the heights the team reached in the days of its famous coach, Eddie Robinson, who had won the most college games in history until Coach Joe Pa broke his record in 2011. 

But on the positive side of the ledger, the Texas Aggies won their game, defeating Southern Mississippi 30-27 in what was one of the more exciting nail biters of the day.  Gig 'em Aggies!

Yes, most of "my" teams lost Saturday, but it was nonetheless a very exciting football afternoon.  And it just goes to show that on any given Saturday, in any given college ball game, anything can - and does - happen.  But I know I will remember this past weekend for quite a while; the weekend the Sky fell in and the Gators beat the Tigers, who did not even score a touchdown.  How long since that has happened? 

But I can't wait for next week.  Who knows, maybe the Sky will fall again!  Maybe it fall on those pesky Gators!
 

End of Watch: Sgt. Paul Hernandez and Officer Jonathan Molina

I would like to honor two fallen officers in my blog today, and I send my sympathy to their families.

Sergeant Paul Hernandez, a thirty-five year veteran of the Texas Department of Public Safety, was participating in physical training at the San Antonio Regional Headquarters of the DPS last week.  During those activities the Sergeant suffered a massive heart attack and passed away despite efforts to save his life. He was an institution in the DPS of South Texas.

Officer Jonathan Molina, of the El Paso Police Department, was a much younger man than Sergeant Hernandez.  Officer Molina, age 29, heard noises outside his residence and found that three teen-agers were vandalizing his car.  The officer approached the teens and identified himself as an officer.  While he was talking to the suspects, one of them suddenly struck the officer, knocking him unconscious.  While the officer was in this defenseless condition, the same person continued to strike him in the face and kick him in the head, eventually fracturing the officer's skull.  Officer Molina passed away on October 5, several days after the attack.  All three offenders have been arrested, and the one who assaulted the officer has also been charged with capital murder.

One officer died of natural causes, the other at the hands of a vicious killer, yet both were proud servants of the people of their communities and of the State of Texas.  I am proud to have the privilege to honor these two men in the humble pages of my blog.

Wiser at 50? Life STILL Seems So Unfair

I remember as a child that many times when I did not get my way, or something did not turn out the way I wanted, I told anyone who would listen, "That's not fair!"  Usually the person listening was my mother, and she would say, "Sweetie, life isn't always fair."  I have to confess that at the time that answer did not satisfy a young child very well.  But life went on, and the longer it went, the more "unfair" it seemed.  There were all sorts of "unfairness."  I was never the most popular kid in school...that was unfair.  Other kids had more and better things than I did.  That was SO unfair.  And sometimes some other guy got the girl I wanted...that was REALLY unfair! Granted, I did not have a car at the time, and no driver's license either, but still, it was unfair.  Then something happened, and I had my first REAL understanding of how unfair life could be.

Sometime around 1977 there was a terrible automobile accident.  Three friends of mine were in the car although none of them were legally old enough to drive at the time.  One of the young men was killed, the second severely injured and permanently disabled.  The third escaped with only a minor injury.  They were all doing the same thing at the time, which was drinking alcohol and racing around on a country road.  I was so glad that only one friend was killed, but I thought it was so unfair that ANYONE was killed.  Another friend was no longer able to play sports in school.  That was so unfair.  I know all of us have seen or experienced many things in life that seemed so unfair, and in fact these things WERE unfair.  But life went on, and so did the unfair things.

In my twenties I got "wise."  I mean that I had heard so many times from my parents, other older adults, and even from my peers, that life was "unfair" and that just the way it was.  I had also read in the Good Book that the Lord had planned our days and counted them even before we were born (see Psalms 139:13-16).  There are other Psalms and other Bible verses that impart essentially the same thought: God or the Creator or whatever you choose to call IT knew our days before we were born because he planned our days, the number of our years, etc.  In other words, our Creator predestined us and knew before we were even born what the years would bring to each one of us.  Then one day I made the statement that if God PLANNED our days, then he knew what all good...and bad...would come our way.  And further, if He were a "good God," why would he choose to LET the bad happen to us?  When I expressed this idea that day, I was quickly brought back in line by some "elders" or more mature Christians chosen to lead the church, or care for the "flock."  I was told that God brought the good things and that Satan brought the bad.  Or occasionally God needed to teach us a lesson, and somehow it took a "bad" event to do it.  A short time later my second-born child died shortly after birth.  I was so mad at God, but everyone told me the same thing.  God only brought good, therefore Satan must have brought the bad. That answer seemed sound, and satisfied me for some years to come.  That brings me to "today."

Today I am over fifty years old, and I realized just recently that life is STILL just as unfair as it ever was.  But I realized something else as well.  I realized that my "pat" answer of thirty years ago was not serving me very well as a post-fifty year old.  I also realized that none of my questions were any different from those of thirty years ago, or even from those of my childhood.  I am still so often times confused and dismayed at the unfairness of life.  I think back to a sweet girl I knew in high school, and still know, who lost her mother not too long ago, and then lost another close relative in a tragic criminal attack.  There was another sweet girl from the same high school who married someone she loved with all her heart.  Yet that person turned on her and murdered her.  Where is the fairness in all this?  As I work at a local hospital I see all kinds of unfair things.  For instance, I see a family lose a young child to a common childhood disease.  I see another family who did not lose their child; instead the child, who looks like a fifteen year-old, but because of a terrible and rare disabling disease, is actually twenty-five years old and totally disabled.  He was born with the disease that robbed him of his childhood, and adulthood as well, and robbed his parents of the joy that this young man could have provided.  I know the parents love him, as they proved while they devoted themselves to his every need.  Yet what sorrow they must have felt for him and endured for him over the years.  Again, where is the fairness?  Why was this family selected to receive this tragic circumstance?

Wise King Solomon, the Ecclesiastes writer, tells us that all is vanity, and that the best a person can do is to serve the Lord in all the person does.  Solomon, though, brings my query back in a complete circle.  Again I have to ask, where is the fairness of it all, when some people spend their lives serving God in the way they think pleases Him, and reap nothing but sorrow?  Others serve God and reap silver and gold, or reap other good things.  And still others live their level worst, and still seem to reap the good, not the evil they themselves sow in other people's lives.

This is my rant for the day.  As I contemplate this idea of unfairness, I can only say that I will dwell on it, meditate on it.  But I don't know when, if ever, I will come up with an answer that satisfies me or anyone else.  I can say that I will write more on this later...

If you have come up with an answer, a philosophy, that satisfies you, I hope you will share it with me...still seeking to know.    As for me, I have realized that I am no wiser now that I am older.  And I realize that I no longer "have all the answers."

 

Michael Clarke Duncan Walked "The Last Mile"

In recent days we received the sad news of the passing of a familiar and well-liked actor, Michael Clarke Duncan.  Mr. Duncan played in "Armageddon" along with Bruce Willis, as well as smaller parts in smaller movies, and in TV commercials.  Most recently Mr. Duncan played the book-reading bartender on "Finders," clever spin off of the "Bones" series.  But Mr. Duncan is best known for his role as John Coffey, a Black man wrongly convicted of murder in rural Louisiana during the Great Depression.  John Coffey/Duncan was a man of great size and strength but who turned out to be a gentle giant.  He was innocent of the charges against him, but preferred death to the prospect of eternal life in a world full of hate and fear.  Eventually Tom Hanks, the superintendent of the "Green Mile" discovers that Coffey has a special gift, and that he is innocent of the rape and murder of the two little girls.  Just before his execution, John Coffey uses his gift to bring two evil men, a sadistic prison guard and a twisted murderer, to their own special kind of justice.  He also transfers his gift to Tom Hanks, who tells the story of John Coffey and The Green Mile in flash back.  Michael Clarke Duncan was a special actor and will certainly missed in the entertainment world, and by this blogger as well.  I wish comfort to his family.  RIP Michael Clarke Duncan.     
 

September 11th

Today, as as we have for the past ten years, many of us all over the United States and around the world paused to remember that fateful and terrible day in 2001.  I am not among the number that lost friends and loved ones that day, but I hold out those people in my prayers and my thoughts.  I fall into the category that the vast majority of Americans do, that of saddened neighbor and fellow American, kin in spirit to those lost on that infamous day that started out so quiet and so beautiful.  I know in West Texas on that particular morning the skies were of the bluest blue.  I believe that beautiful blue came to represent the steadfast resolve that Americans came to feel in the face of the most tragic and infamous day since the Japanese military attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941.  Americans came together and united against a very elusive foe, while at the same time refusing to cower in some safe shelter.  No, instead Americans pursued the perpetrators, capturing some, killing others, and finally killing Osama, Son of Ladin, himself, the one believed to be the author of the 9/11 attacks.

Today, we pause once again to remember the fallen heroes and the fallen "ordinary" Americans who died both on the ground and in the various aircraft.  Of the people I talked with today, they to a person could remember exactly where they were and what they were doing as the news of the tragedy filtered its way across the nation.  Whether at work, driving down the highway, in school, or at home, that moment was burned indelibly into our lives.  The terror, the anxiety, all the questions, were brought to mind today.  The feelings, the memories, the anger, were all suddenly fresh, suddenly just as strong, just as real as on that day in 2001. This blog will be a short one...there is not much to say that has not be said and repeated by all the news services today.  I just wanted to add my own remembrance of all the brave Americans who lost their lives that day, all the equally brave Americans who did their best to rescue to their neighbors and friends.  I salute all these people from the bottom of my heart.  Many questions remain to this day concerning the why's, how's. and who's of that terrible day, but there is no question that all our neighbors who fell that day are true heroes, true Americans, true human embodiments of those great colors - Red, White, and Blue - those great colors that never fade, and never run.  I am proud to be an American, and proud to say to our brave departed friends, We are still here, Still strong, Still Standing...and we still, and will always, hold your memory in our hearts.  God Bless the Red, White, and Blue.