Christmas Is Already Here

Isn't it great that Christmas has already arrived?  I mean, just look at W#&Mart and other chain stores, and even a few unchained stores, too.  What I mean is, most of us still had stomach aches from consuming too many Halloween treats when these leading stores ushered in Christmas.  Thanksgiving is just an after-thought to the holiday season.  Wait a minute.  Actually Thanksgiving is a "before-thought" to that most hallowed of days...Black Friday!

Black Friday, that day when millions of otherwise normal and intelligent Americans suddenly go berserk, waiting in lines for hours just to buy video games and computers, or even the latest telephone!  It is so interesting that this, the biggest day of "Christmas Shopping," was named for one of the most terrible days in Wall Street history.  But what is even more interesting to me is that so many retailers cannot even wait for Black Friday anymore.  Christmas decorations and gifts go on "special" before the last Halloween costumes have been sold.

So corporate America forces us once again to ignore Thanksgiving Day by smothering us with Christmas even before November is old.  Yes, the stores are full of the trappings of the upcoming Holiday Season.  But I hope you will join me in slowing down just a bit, in remembering that between Halloween and Christmas, there comes another day, another holiday, one that is unique and significant to America.  I hope we all can put all the gift-buying and gift-giving hype aside, just long enough to enjoy all the things we have to be thankful for. 

I sometimes resent the way that stores try to nudge, no, shove us headlong, from holiday to holiday.  What is the harm in letting the seasons pass their natural course?  Let me answer my own question.  The first answer is that that the faster each holiday occurs, the faster we part with our cash.  The second answer is that the sooner that Christmas "starts," and the longer that Christmas "lasts," the MORE you and I will spend.  There is the bottom line: Increased corporate greed means that the big companies want you and me to spend more money; therefore, Christmas "season" has grown longer and longer every year, until now it starts while ghosts and goblins still fill the air.  I hope this trend stops someday.  If it does not, you can bet we won't be able to by flags and ribbons for the Fourth of July anymore.  Santa and his elves will be taking up all the shelf room.  I want to eat my turkey before roasting chestnuts over the open fire.  By the way...only 40 more SHOPPING DAYS till Christmas!

Football Saturday ...On Tuesday

Due to my so-busy schedule I have not only missed a lot of football games, but I have missed a lot of sleep as well.  But this past Saturday I was able to watch the LSU - Mississippi State footbal game before retiring Saturday night.  The Tigers were able to keep Mississippi State in its place, even if the game was not as pretty for the Tigers as usual.  Whatever, I was happy to see the Tigers win again.  The cool thing about watching college football these days is that usually while the game is in progress, a "ticker tape" runs at the edge of the football field.  This ticker constantly provides updates on the various games being played around the nation each Saturday.  It was this ticker that first alerted me to the epic game being played in Tuscaloosa. I have to say that I thought I had read the score backwards.  But it was true...the Aggies were 20 points ahead of the Crimson Tide and it was still only the first quarter.  Was an upset in the making?

Epic game or not, I stayed with the Tigers as they pulled further and further ahead of Mississippi State.  Even without the Honey Badger, the Tigers are an exciting team to watch.  The Badger will be missed, but the Tigers will GEAUX on!  On the other hand, the Red Raiders were giving all their fans a heart attack! In a double overtime thriller the Red Raiders overcame the Jayhawks 41 to 34.  I wished I could have seen it, but that other game was on and I was glued to it!  Unfortunately the Hurricanes lost another one.  This is not their year, but I love to watch them play no matter what.  In other bad news, for me, both Grambling and Marshall lost their respective games as well.

I know all these games were on Saturday, but that very day I slept only four of twenty-four hours, then worked another twelve.  In those conditions I had to let the blog go for a little while.  Also, I was still in a ranting mood about the Barack elections, so I did not permit myself to blog for at least the first twenty four hours after the election returns came in.  But Obamanitemare or not, I still managed to watch the LSU game, AND enjoy it, before hitting LaLa Land for a couple of hours before returning to work later Saturday night and into Sunday.

So it is now Tuesday night, and I finally have time to slow down and savor the victories, and sympathize with the less fortunate.  The LSU game was great, but it was the game I missed, A&M versus the Crimson Tide of Alabama that was the truly great game of the week.  The Aggies, newest team of the SEC, apparently feeling like they have something to prove, have been PROVING that something since the season started.  After losing the season opener to the Florida Gators, the Aggies went on a five gate winning streak - beating SMU, South Carolina, Arkansas, Ole Miss, and Louisiana Tech in the process.  The winning streak was broken by LSU, in a close game.  LSU was then destroyed by the Crimson Tide, never crossing the goal line in this upset.  How great the Aggies must feel in upsetting the Crimson Tide, the team that hammered the Tigers earlier in the season.

But alas, I missed the Aggies' game.  LSU was in the process of defeating Mississippi and my eyes were in the process of closing.  I gave in to the necessity to sleep before going back to work for another twelve hours.  My work schedule has been the bane of my football season, allowing me to watch only three full football games the entire season.  In just a couple of weeks the playoffs will be upon us.  I hope the overtime crunch is over and I am back to being free to watch the college games over the next couple of weekends.  In the meantime, congratulations to the Aggies and Johnny Football...oh yeah, and Geaux Tigers!  Guns Up, Raiders!

 

So Confused!!

Yes, I am so confused with the results of the 2012 Presidential Election.  So many people talked about wanting change, and not the kind of change we have seen under Mr. Obama.  So many people talked about their weariness at the deadlock between the White House and Congress. So many people complained about so many things.  But the results of the election, if anything, indicate that people voted for the status quo, that is the SAME PRESIDENT and the SAME CONGRESS.  For any real change to occur, something had to give, but it did not. 

Logically speaking, the incumbent in almost any political office has the edge during elections.  From county sheriffs serving five, ten, or more terms in office to senators dying before they retire, election after election shows that the man (or woman) IN OFFICE tends to stay in office, barring some truly outrageous misdeed or some particularly unpalatable misjudgment.  Those of us who are "older" remember the day President Richard Nixon spoke to the nation on television with those now famous words, "I am NOT a CROOK!"  Only days later he resigned rather than face impeachment and almost certain removal from office. After President Ford's "caretaker" administration, a man named Jimmy Carter was swept into office on a wave of popularity not quite as great as that of Obama, but still a wave.  President Carter, however, was disgraced by his handling of the Iran Hostage Crisis in 1979.  As a result, Ronald Reagan easily won the 1980 election.  Carter served only one term.

In the Congressional elections, many officeholders were re-elected as well, again proving that the incumbent is usually the winner.  Unfortunately, since we kept the same president and virtually the same Congress, there is little doubt that we are in for another four years of political deadlock at the national level. 

I am confused, though, as to WHY we kept our current leader, President Obama.  I get that many Democrats would vote for the Democratic presidential candidate, no matter WHO that person was, simply because the person was a Democrat.  Voters in that category comprise a large segment of Obama's support.  Another large block of Obama's support comes from Hispanic voters, who tend to vote for the Democratic candidate.  Union members, young professionals, and liberals also tend to vote for the Democrat.  What I am confused about is that so many people who fall into the above voting categories are also good, decent, law-abiding Americans who believe in the Constitution and the American way of life.  I am absolutely BEWILDERED that these people, as intelligent as anyone, I am sure, were willing to re-elect Barack Hussein Obama!  I did not particularly like any of the Democratic candidates, but almost any of them were more palatable than President Obama.

President Obama is the most UNPATRIOTIC person ever to hold that office.  Although the media went out of its way not to portray this, President Obama was photographed on several occasions with his back turned to the flag as the Star Spangled Banner was played.  Neither does Mr. Obama pledge his allegiance to this nation, to the people who elected him, now twice.  In other words Mr. Obama has no respect for the very people who placed him in the highest office in the land!

President Obama has no respect for our Constitution, the law of the land.  He has instructed the Justice Department to enforce laws differently, depending on who violates the law, and on whom is the victim.  He has sanctioned the continued tyrannical authority of the Office of Homeland Security, particularly the Transportation Security Administration.  Recently he sanctioned and supported the Attorney General in the failed Operation Fast and Furious, the "sting" operation that resulted in the deaths of at least two federal agents and an unknown number of Mexican police officers.  President Obama continues to authorize, and indeed, to direct the use of aerial drones to kill US citizens who are not charged with any crime.  This is the ultimate trampling of our Constitution.  Yet the majority of American voters WANTED this man to serve ANOTHER term as our President!

President Obama has no respect for the American taxpayer.  His administration oversaw the most massive misuse of tax dollars ever, in the bailout of the American banking industry.  Bank administrators and CEOs kept their jobs after running their respective banks into the ground.  Many of these same people received huge "bonuses" when they were forced to leave the banks.  The housing industry collapsed along with the banks, forcing many Americans out of their new homes.  President Obama further wasted tax dollars by funding questionable "green businesses" which then "failed."  Once again, the executives of these businesses made out like bandits with their huge bonuses, but the tax dollars were lost forever.  Again, THIS MAN is the one SO MANY AMERICANS RE-ELECTED?!

President Obama did not keep his promises regarding the "wars" going on in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Obama the Candidate decried "Bush's War" and railed on about the lost lives of our young soldiers, not to mention the millions of dollars these wars cost the American people every day!  Shortly after assuming the presidency, Mr. Obama informed us that he had reconsidered these matters and that the "War On Terror" must continue, apparently for at least the duration of his first term in office.  Four years later we are still fighting in those two nations and no end is in sight.  Not only that, but no tangible gains have been made in the "War On Terror."  Yet here it is, 2012, Saddam is dead, Osama is dead, but the war goes on.  But we must really WANT President Obama to serve another term, BECAUSE HE IS OUR PRESIDENT AGAIN!

Speaking of soldiers, lest we forget, Mr. Obama himself led a great crusade...a crusade to deny our soldiers fighting overseas the RIGHT TO VOTE!  But Mr. Obama was re-elected.

Like I said, the re-election of President Barack Hussein Obama is nothing less than confusing to me.  While I am as tired as anyone of the stalemate between the President and Congress, I had strong hope that we would have a new President, one that could work with the present Congress.  But more important, I had extremely high hopes most Americans would have by now realized that our President was so wasteful with our tax dollars, so disdainful of the American people, and most of all, so UNPATRIOTIC towards this nation, that they would not even THINK of putting him back in that most powerful office.  I was so wrong, and now I am so CONFUSED.  I am still stunned that so many supposedly reasonable and supposedly informed Americans chose to reward this tax-squandering, constitution-bashing, murderer with a second term as President of this great (but confusing) nation of ours!



 

Goodbye To Big Tex, That Smiling Cowboy

Mixed in with all the other things going on Friday (Oct. 19th) was the stunning news that Big Tex, that famous smiling cowboy, had burned to the ground! Big Tex has greeted visitors at the Texas State Fair for more than sixty years now.  But we learned Friday that this icon was no more. As of today's blog, the cause of the fire is suspected to be within the decades old electrical control system that moved the statue's arm and head. 

I would be remiss in not saying a sad farewell to Big Tex.  He is one of the most famous modern Texas landmarks, being featured in the Texas State Travel Guide as well as many national and regional magazines each year.  I have to admit that it was an exciting experience to stand at his feet for a few moments when I attended the state fair several years ago.  It was a sad and shocking to sight to see him burn, as the strained and tearful faces of many of the bystanders who watch as Big Tex burned could attest.

But I think we can all take heart, my friends.  The organizers of the Texas State Fair are already discussing a new Big Tex, one with modern, computer-operated controls, one that is possibly even taller than our lately destroyed statue.  I believe the intention is that the new statue will be in place by State Fair 2013.  That is a tall order, but I have confidence that this goal will be met.  But in the meantime, I would like to join all those Texans (and adopted Texans as well!) who are saddened at the loss of our friend and Hero, Big Tex. 

The Democratic Republic of Nocompromise America

A friend of mine, while ranting about the inappropriateness of so much politics on Facebook, made a very profound statement.  He said, "My feeling at this point is this rabid outrage will be the undoing of this country. Everyone wants their way and no one is willing to compromise for the good of the country. Put that in your Blog. Democracy can't function in that environment."  That observation is so true, as witnessed by the history of this very nation some one hundred fifty odd years ago. 

The Congress of that era had lost its ability to compromise, almost to the point that some of the states were beginning to call for secession from the Union.  One reason for such rabid outrage, as my friend so aptly called it, was a law known somewhat ironically as the Compromise of 1850.  This law purported to settle several issues which divided America at the time.  These issues included the admission of California and New Mexico to the Union as either slave or free states (state's rights), the abolition of the slave trade in Washington DC (but not the continued ownership of slaves there), the forced enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Act on the northern states (state's rights), the final designation of the northern and western borders of Texas, and the payment of ten million dollars to the State of Texas for those lands given up in the border settlement.  The Compromise of 1850 really settled nothing because national leaders did not support all of these laws; neither did the people.  The Compromise did not settle slavery issues, fugitive slave return issues, or issues of state's rights versus national authority.  The subsequent election of Abraham Lincoln by only a fraction of the nation's legal voters pushed the nation even closer to almost inevitable civil war.  The nation was polarized.  There was no integration of viewpoints. Compromise was not only impossible, it was not wanted!

That brings me to my friend's recent and profound words of wisdom.  No matter who should win the White House in 2012, no matter who is elected to Congress, the growing inability of our leaders to pass laws through compromise is an alarming signal that this nation is indeed in trouble.  But the Congressional impasse is no more alarming than the attitude of the people of this nation. We are no longer willing to look for the things that we share in common with our political adversaries (OUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS!).  As I pointed out in a recent blog, the political views of President Obama and Governor Romney are not so greatly different.  They are both liberal politicians who both promote similar social programs for this nation.  As I also pointed out, the main difference between these two candidates is the President's most odious lack of patriotism for the this nation, for the PEOPLE who elected him to that highest office.  Senators and representatives will be elected, with much the same rhetoric to which we have become so accustomed.  These politicians have no interest in compromise, because they have become so polarized in their views that compromise is not wanted.  But with no compromise, laws will not be passed, and the deadlock will continue.  The thing that is most alarming is that this is exactly the situation the nation faced in 1850.  Our nation has been so polarized by politicians, the media, and our own fears, that compromise seems at times so far out of reach.

There is another alarming issue as well.  The constant clamour between various "sides" on various issues has divided Americans so much that we are unwilling to come together as a nation to take control of our government, to take back our freedom and our civil rights, to demand that certain terrible and unconstitutional laws be immediately repealed.  When our basic civil rights are in jeopardy, we should all be willing to compromise in some way, so that we can all act as a powerful force to demand that WHOEVER is President upholds the Constitution, and is respectful of this nation and its great symbols of freedom.  As my friend so aptly stated, the state of the nation at this point in time is such that "democracy cannot function in this environment."  Many people will vote for Barack Obama in the coming election.  As the incumbent, Mr. Obama has the advantage; Governor Romney is fighting the uphill battle.  For me, no matter who wins, I believe that the nation can go on, but only if we, whether Democrat, Republican, Independent, Socialist, or whatever, can come together and demand those laws that are so blatantly unconstitutional be repealed.  You and I still have the power to turn out office those representatives who refuse to "represent" us.  No matter who is President, it is Congress that makes and passes laws.  And it is ultimately those politicians who can make Congress function, while it is you and I who ultimately can make this nation function, or who can continue to yell and scream at each other until another civil war becomes inevitable.

 

A Tale Of Two Little Angels

While I was engaged in my duties at the local hospital overnight, I was suddenly thrust into the lives of two different families, each set of parents with a very sick child.  The first child, an infant girl of about six months, died of complications of her illness within a couple of hours of arriving in the Emergency Room.  The second child, also an infant girl, survived her illness, at least long enough to be whisked off into the early morning sky by a life flight helicopter.

I had a very small part in the events that took place, and I am sure that the families will not remember me, and that is fine. Mostly I was an observer.  What I observed (and in small way felt) was the terrible sadness and pain at the loss of such a young child.  Mother and father, some other adult relatives, and a young boy were all caught up in the terrible grief that only comes with losing a child.  But all the people who had worked to save the child, and yes, even those of us who only played such minor parts in the attempt, were saddened to the point of tears when the doctor called life-saving efforts to a halt.  For some reason beyond human comprehension (at least THIS human), this little angel was taken from its parents, from its sibling, its grandparents, and returned to that place where the Good Shepherd cares for little children such as these.  The child's family left the hospital a short time later and went somewhere to be alone and grieve. 

Meanwhile we, the day shift, did not have time to dry our tears before another little angel girl was brought in.  This child was having trouble breathing and was in dire straits.  The child's family was concerned, and with good reason.  The little baby was hovering near death.  As the medical staff went to work on this infant, AeroCare was called and responded a life flight to our hospital.  By the time the chopper arrived, the infant was in stable condition.  Again, for reasons known only to the Universe, this female child survived the short stay in the hospital and was in good shape as the helicopter lifted off the pad.  The parents were upbeat as they drove away.  They were spared the agony that the first family was only beginning to know.

Two little angels came to the hospital this morning.  One angel returned to the Father.  The other will receive medical care and, in all likelihood, will eventually return safely to her parents.  As the excitement these crises generated began to fade away and things returned to "normal" in the Emergency Room, I had time to ponder the events of the past couple of hours.  I had to wonder, once again, why one child was taken and the other left?  Why did one child die and one live on?  Why were one set of parents called to experience the worst pain parents can feel, while the other parents were given the joy of hearing that their daughter would live and would be reunited with them soon?  Where was the fairness in this...this tale of two little angels?

I pondered these questions for the remainder of the morning, until I was relieved at end of my shift, nearly five hours later.  As I thought about it, I realized I did not have anymore answers than I had before these traumatic events occurred.  Not only did I have no answers, but I began to have the feeling that maybe there WERE no answers.  Were one set of parents better than the other?  Did some member of the family somehow "deserve" to lose this little baby?  I thought of the our own little angel, Bryan, as the events brought his memory vividly before me.  I recall now that years ago some of these same questions ran through my mind.  What had we done?  Why was our baby taken?  The only comfort I had then was knowing that Jesus was holding Bryan and comforting him.  The years have taken edge from the pain, but the memories are there still, and always will be.

As I have gotten older, I cannot say that I am wiser, especially given the events of the past year.  I know I am not wiser because I know I am no closer to the answers to these questions than I was twenty-six years ago when Bryan was taken from us.  And today, all these questions were laid bare as I helped prepare one baby to be carried to a funeral home and helped prepare another to be carried away on a helicopter.  It was a tale of two angels, but the mystery was only made deeper today, the understanding was hidden as far away from me as the twilight is from the dawn. 

In the end all I can do is pray for the comfort of one family; for the other, the recovery of their child, and the hope that they will treasure this child as a miracle for years to come.
 



 

Lance Armstrong Gets The Woods Treatment

Lance Armstrong, our most famous cyclist and cancer survivor, is currently embroiled in what I call the Woods Treatment.  As the scandal involving Armstrong's POSSIBLE use of performance enhancers grows, as more and more of his team mates and rivals come forward with accusations, Armstrong's sponsors are fleeing his presence faster than AT & T and Golf Digest could dump Tiger Woods after his sexual exploits hit the headlines.  Of course the difference is that Tiger Woods eventually confessed his transgressions.  At this point Armstrong continues to deny his use of performance-enhancing drugs during his cycling career.

Accusations of steroid use have been flung at Lance Armstrong from time to time over the years, but he has consistently denied these accusations, just as he has consistently won his races.  I once heard an old adage to the effect that a lie, repeated many times, begins to take on its own truth.  I have no way of knowing whether Lance Armstrong used performance-enhancing drugs or not.  All I, as a news consumer, can know is that many people are now coming forward with such accusations against Armstrong.  Adding further fuel to the "it MUST be TRUE" fire is the news of a few weeks ago that the International Organization of Cyclists had stripped Lance Armstrong of all his Tour De France titles. 

Like I said, I do not know if the accusations against Lance Armstrong are true, but I do know that it will be a sad thing if yet another sports legend falls to the wayside because of the use of steroids.  And I would like to point out that we do not yet, even more than a month after Armstrong was stripped of his titles, know whether he actually used the drugs in question.  On the other hand, we DO know that Armstrong PASSED numerous drug tests over the years at the various cycling competitions he entered.  I admit that, as they say, the evidence is indeed stacking against Armstrong, but I also point out that to date we have been shown no tests results indicating that Armstrong was using steroids.  I hope we can all apply the innocent till proven guilty principle until we know at some point what the truth really is.  I know, you ask, why would so many people lie about Lance Armstrong?  I do not necessarily believe these people are lying, but I do believe that Armstrong has been tried and convicted on less than hard evidence.  And his sponsors are not waiting for the truth to set them free.  Despite the lack of physical evidence that Lance Armstrong cheated, his sponsors are giving him the full Tiger Woods treatment. 

I am still waiting for some confirmation of the facts.  It may be that test results showing Armstrong used drugs will be made public someday.  More meaningful to me would be Armstrong's admission of his drug use if these accusations are indeed true.  I guess it is natural that people want heroes they can look up to; heroes that seem larger than life.  Indeed we demand sometimes that they be larger than life. So when our heroes fall, when they are proven to be not really so much larger than life after all, it seems their fall from grace is all the harder.  Lance Armstrong is one of my heroes.  It hurts, in a way, to see him getting the Woods Treatment.  I hope that the truth that emerges will clear his name.  If not, I hope the truth leaves no doubt that Armstrong indeed deceived the people. In the meantime, I guess we can all go back to our search for sports heroes. For Lance, I send my prayers as the Woods Treatment goes on...