Memorial Day, what's it all about?

Memorial Day is the most intense holiday we have.  I say that because just stop and think what it’s all about.  Young men and women just like the ones you see every day at the mall or on the street laughing and enjoying life have unselfishly given theirs so that we can go on enjoying ours.  Few of you given the choice would be willing to lay down your life just so others you don’t even know can live theirs in freedom?  Having been raised in the forties and fifties I know quite a few who made that ultimate sacrifice, they were just like you, happy go lucky kids they loved life, enjoyed family and most of all they wanted to live just as bad as you do right now.  When I hear the words Memorial Day it sends a chill up my back that so many think it’s just another day to relax and have a beer.  I’m not saying that you should curl up and cry but before you go have that relaxing day and drink a few beers all I ask is that you say a special thank you for those who helped make it possible.  I just wish we could do more just to let them know how much they were appreciated.  Thank goodness we have a God that will do that for us, I know they will always have eternal life by his side.

God bless those who have made the ultimate sacrifice

Who's running things?

 Our judicial system has been consistent for the last few years, consistently bad.  This latest fiasco with Jody Arias is just the frosting on the cake.  What needs to be done to convince some people of guilt, the participants of the jury all submitted to questions prior to being installed on the jury one of which was the death penalty question. (Could they sentence someone to the death penalty). They all answered in the affirmative that they could convict if the case was proven.  Let see, admittedly she shot him, cut his throat ear to ear and stabbed him 27 times and then took pictures and left him there in a pool of blood for his friends to find him.  Gee, guilty or not guilty, how could any member of the jury who told the truth going into this hearing about the question of the death penalty find not enough evidence to sentence her to the ultimate?  I guess when we have a government that can’t seem to find the guts to tell the truth it spreads to the populace.  Attorney General Holder our chief law enforcement officer seems to have memory problems, our leader President Obama answers questions that weren’t asked just to skirt the actual question.  Our Secretary of State can’t find the courage to tell us what happened in Benghazi, the head of the IRS compliance division takes the 5^th and the head of the IRS finds himself in a complete fog and knows nothing like Sgt Schultz of Stalig 13. 

Who’s running things?  Is everyone just acting on their own without having to report to anyone?  Why would the Justice Department charge a well known and respected reporter as an accomplice and as a flight risk in a leak case?  Intimidation is why and that is the worst case you can have, when the people cannot get the truth because reporters are being intimidated is exactly why our fore fathers added the 1^st amendment.  Without a free press we have no checks and balances in our land.  When government feels it can make up its own rules without consequence we the people are the ones who lose.  Whether you are a republican, democrat or independent you have to be worried when we find that either the whole political arm of our government bold faced liars or they are just too damn incompetent to do their jobs.  Even the staunchest liberal has to be concerned and should be able to see right through this charade. 

We used to hold our elected officials to a higher standard, even in the case of Watergate where some bumbling idiots that worked for Nixon’s campaign tried to steal information from the democratic committee’s office brought down a sitting President.  Now we have at least 3 or 4 things that make Watergate look like a kids prank and nobody knows anything.  The Presidents chief counsel and his chief advisor admittedly knew about the IRS scandal and we are expected to believe that neither one told the President for months.  Several democrat congressmen are even on record asking the IRS to checkout these groups during the presidential campaign.  During the Benghazi attack no one knows where the President was that night, he wasn’t in the situation room where it would be expected he would be.  We know however he was in Las Vegas for a campaign stop the next day.  

God help us people we all can’t be that dumb, something is wrong and we are letting it slide by like it’s nothing.  

Tragedy brings us together

Our thoughts and prayers are certainly with the people of Oklahoma this week.  We many times wonder  how God can allow such carnage among so many innocents.  I was always taught that God tested our faith constantly and when something like this happens he takes those who perish into his arms and gives them eternal life in heaven.  The real sufferers are those that are left behind to deal with the tremendous hurt.  We people on this continent of North America are subject to many potential catastrophes. The west coast and Alaska are subject to massive earthquakes and in some cases the possibility of volcanic activity.  The Heartland has its tornado alley, the south its hurricane and tornado potential.  The east coast has been hit with terrible storms causing chaos and costly damage to the infra structure of the entire area.  In each case the people of America have stood by ready to help.  It does not matter the politics of the people involved, the American people will stand with the people of Oklahoma as they rebuild their lives.  This will be a real test for FEMA as they are still reeling from hurricane Sandy.  There is an opportunity to learn from this and any tragedy as specialists in construction will be pouring over the wreckage to develop new and stronger methods for home construction in the tornado prone areas. 

Why not community shelters in prone areas where when we have a 10 to 15 minute warning the people could go to.  This could be at park or any green space in the area.  It would not be an expensive project if they would do away with the red tape and union interference and allow the counties and residents to work together to build it.  Many lives were saved in London during WWII by having bomb shelters that were accessible to the public.   The tornado's may never come through again but just knowing that there was shelter available would be a blessing.  All schools in tornado prone areas should be built with a subterranean shelter offset from the school large enough to house the students and teachers; equipped with water, first aid stores, blankets and enough M.R.E.  meals to see them through a 48 hr period.  Each should have a propane generator piped to the outside large enough to support lighting and supplying outside air and a port-a-potty wouldn’t hurt.  This could be constructed under the playground in an area that would not be potentially covered by massive debris.  

In the past we had Air Raid Wardens whose responsibility it was to organize and control shelters.  These were selected by the community.  It could be a similar post in the case of tornado shelters as someone has to be responsible for the distribution of food etc. 

If these sounds too expensive just ask the parent of child lost during this storm and they will tell you they would do anything to undo what has happened.

I just want to say God Bless America, we are a unique society that is always ready to come together for each other regardless any of differences in our backgrounds, religion or political belief when tragedy strikes.  

That’s my opinion, what’s yours today?