J. D. Pendry

J. D. Pendry

Considering the breadth of recorded human history, the United States of America has barely achieved adolescence in its 232 years. In such a brief flash of time, we have become the pot of gold at the end of the world’s rainbow. Many come here, or desire to, because of that. Many want to destroy us, or desire to, because of that. Our existence is an awkward one led by constantly changing voices and with a personality prone to outbursts resembling teenage hormonal turmoil. It is turmoil that results either in a fiery crash at the end of a hairpin turn or an epiphany that allows for a transformation into responsible adulthood. We are in the middle of one of those tumultuous periods now. How we navigate through it just might determine whether we continue to grow as a great nation, or whether we become a brief passage in the recorded annals of the world.

One of my mentors told me that those in your charge will go where you lead them. Likewise, the USA will go where its elected politicians lead it. Scanning the horizon of future leaders makes me feel like I need to fill my pockets with as much as I can grab from our pot of gold and head for the hills. Another mentor of mine advised me that I would do fine in life if I could avoid three things - liars and thieves. I believe that it is no longer possible to do that. Not only can they not be avoided, we tolerate them and have put many of them in charge of protecting our pot of gold.

Each of our three contenders for the presidency insists that we need to improve our image with other nations. None of them insists that the Europeans who had their hands in Saddam’s oil for food till up to their collective elbows, the Middle Eastern countries whose ideologies produced indiscriminate murdering Islamic fascists, or that communist North Korea, the Red Chinese or any number of tin pot dictatorships represented at the United Nations needs to improve their images. No, instead, they insist that the most generous nation in world history with both its treasure and blood needs to improve its image. I am not inspired by any leader who insists that we lower our standards so that failed systems and nations will feel better about themselves. That is the same mentality that says every kid gets to play every game and they all get a trophy at the end. In our short history, we lead the world. It should be clear to the nincompoops who want to lead us that our system is the superior one and it is capable of making great leaps to benefit all mankind when challenged by leadership to do it. John Kennedy challenged us to go to the moon. We did it while the rest of the world, in awe, watched. When they need to inspire us to move forward and invite the rest of the world along for the ride, our current crop of hopeful leaders instead challenge us to improve our image with people who would just as soon remain locked in the 7th century.

The Congressional hearings with “big oil” further illustrate our situation. If you believe that “big oil” is responsible for the high price of the gasoline you pump into your car, you probably will not like this too much. Politicians are the reason and we will not even count the more than fifty cents per gallon that you pay in state and federal taxes. In 1976, our refining capacity was probably adequate for the time. Since then, we have not built a new refinery in this country. That accounts for much of the price of gasoline because the supply cannot keep up with the demand so the price will continue to go up until the demand decreases. In 1980, we had more refineries and more capacity than we now do. That is because environmental regulation makes it cheaper to try to attempt to expand existing refineries rather than build new ones. We need to solve our refining capacity problem then we need to increase our oil supply. We cannot do that either, however, because Congress prevents those who might do so from drilling for our own oil. Our supply and demand problem and our dependence on our enemies for oil is the sole property of the United States Congress, who is happily giving away our pot of gold while trying like good politicians to convince you, who pays the price for their incompetence, that it is someone else’s fault.

Two of our candidates will solve our energy problems with windfall profit taxes on “big oil” and “green solutions” that will not only solve our energy needs, but also create many “green industry” jobs. Broken down, it means they have no plan except the proven failure of growing fuel instead of food. The only industry or job ever created by a politician is politics. Someone in the world will starve behind the genius of the “green industry”. I suggest that we reduce CO2 by demanding that Congress only exhale on even numbered days.

The Maverick boasted that he would have a Manhattan project that would have us energy independent in 5 years. He never got into much depth, but you must know that he believes in the global warming hoax and does not support drilling for our own oil. So, one must assume that his project will be about some other type of fuel. How do you think we will manage switching out fleets of trucks, cars, emergency services vehicles, construction equipment, farm vehicles, our entire military inventory…. in 5 years. I must admit that is a challenge, but more of a suicidal than inspirational one.

Well, we are in great shape. I am going out back to check the dehumidifier system in the bunker. I want to ensure that I do avoid that third thing – wet toilet paper.

Copyright © J. D. Pendry 2008 All Right Reserved.

J. D. Pendry

“An influence which cannot evade our consciousness will not go very deep.” – C. S. Lewis

I had several of them. One had a missing eye. There was a skinned over hole of an eye socket where one would expect to normally see an eyeball. He never wore a patch over it. He talked through one of those gizmos implanted in his windpipe. I was sent out of the house to play more than once by my Mother for staring at that empty eye socket or trying to mimic his bull frog like voice. Kids do that. He was ornery and a little bit nuts I was told by my older brothers, those injuries and that nuttiness all courtesy of the Nazis and World War II. Another uncle was quite the sot. The family joke was that if he was around, you must keep an eye on the after shave lotion, vanilla extract and any cough syrup remnants lest they become cocktails. My uncles were not that much of an influence on me mainly because my Father was a better counter influence. Besides when I was a young Soldier, the docs stopped handing out GI gin cough syrup that was 40 percent alcohol and the favorite cold cure of Soldiers.

Senator Obama tried to account for Reverend Jeremiah Wright by describing him as the old uncle who says a lot of things that the rest of the family does not necessarily support. I cannot speak for everyone, but personally I did not endure a weekly indoctrination from my crazy uncles for 20 years. My Mother would have certainly shooed them away if their visits were that frequent. Maybe there is a strong counter influence out there for the Senator that he is just waiting to spring on us at the right political moment. I do not expect that crazy Uncle Jeremiah’s influence on Obama will have much impact on an election that is months away. There are more important reasons than his nutty pastor why he should never be president, like for example his positions on national defense or better named national suicide.

Senator Clinton has crazy Uncle Saul Alinsky, a radical anti-war “community organizer” from Chicago in her closet. Another left wing community organizer from Chicago, now that is interesting. She kept Uncle Saul locked away for many years, at least for the duration of the Clinton Presidency. She does however have Bill who is known to enjoy an occasional intern with his after dinner cigar as the counter influence to her radical left Alinsky indoctrination. My spell checker tried to change Alinsky into Lewinksy, but I do not know of any connection there other than maybe a cosmic one.

I am sure that I was not the first to think of this, just to wander away from crazy uncles for a minute, but did you notice that anti-war Senator Clinton like anti-war Senator Kerry was quick to point out her heroic exploits in a war zone. That is the John Kerry that allied philosophically with the likes of Uncle Walter Cronkite to support Uncle Ho Chi Minh’s strategy of defeating America in the media and on our city streets as he had no prayer of doing so on the jungle battlefields of Vietnam. The difference between Clinton and Kerry is that Clinton was man enough to admit that she “misspoke”, uh, several times. In ideology, there is no difference.

Senator McCain does not need a crazy uncle influence. I think that is because he is one himself. Granted he is a better choice in my opinion to secure our country than are the others, but when he starts making those global warming treaty and listen more closely to our socialist leaning democratic allies speeches, I cringe a little. Uncle John Sydney, may I offer you some valuable yet free campaign advice. While the community organizers on the other side are hacking and slashing one another, smile, wave, look presidential and do not make any more doggoned global warming speeches.

The crazy uncle influence is alive and well in America. Our nation’s capitol has 535 crazy uncles (and aunts) at last count. There is everything from bathroom stall toe tappers to people who hide their bribery money in the home freezer to people who like to leave their girlfriends in the river while they stagger home to sober up and cover up to people who like to molest their boy pages. You know, Mark Twain was correct when he said that, “The only true criminal class in America is Congress.” Our crazy uncles are pulling the country in 535 different self-serving directions most of which fall into an ism category. Atheism, Darwinism, Moral Relativism, Environmentalism, Defeatism… We must like it because we keep sending the same pack of scoundrels back there to do that to our country.

The only deserving uncle we have that needs our undivided attention and protection is not getting it. That is our Uncle Sam.

Copyright © J. D. Pendry 2008 All Rights Reserved

J. D. Pendry

Today, I was all set to inquire of presidential candidate Barack (NMN) Obama what exactly it was that he meant when he described his Grandmother as a “typical white person” with her perceived prejudices “bred into her”, I supposed during her typical white rearing. I also wanted to ask him if his white half was typically white and was his black half typically black and would it be offensive if I referred to him as a Halfrican-American? I wanted to know if his two typically distinct sides were in perpetual conflict or was he just a chameleon capable of suppressing one side or the other as political needs arise. Then I wanted to tell him that if he truly wished to transcend race, he must be something to us that is neither typically black nor typically white. I wanted to tell him that, unfortunately, all he has managed to prove to us typical working class Americans is that he is nothing more than a typical politician.

I wanted to tell him that there is a model he could follow that would help him; he just needed to know where to find it. But, I’m not going to do that. Not today, because on this Easter Day my mind is elsewhere. It is focused on the only One I know that is not typical of any of us. One who clearly transcends the typical human frailties of all of us. Enjoy your Easter Day and your family and remember that it is about much more than bunnies and chocolate eggs. And it certainly transcends politics. The lyrics of the song state it better than I can. He is risen.

In Christ Alone

By Stuart Townend and Keith Getty

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
‘Till on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost it’s grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Brought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
‘Till He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand

Copyright © J.D. Pendry 2008 All Rights Reserved.

J. D. Pendry

I am not sure I know where to start, but I fear that I know where to end. The constant pounding by the 24 hour news media rarely leaves time to apply any perspective to anything. Nor does it leave much time to search for the roots of the insanity visited upon us daily. One thing for sure is that we have created a culture that is suffering from a multiple personality disorder. It is part politician, part religious zealot and part moral relativist and all of them parsed with some form of hyphenated Americanism that is reported about to us by media suffering from the same disorder. If we do not apply the right therapy to this disorder, it will surely drive us into jumping off of history’s bridge.

It is hard to figure out how we got where we are, but we better soon realize where we are headed. Politics is our new national wealth producing industry. Most media hours and print pages are either filled with politics, and politicians or so-called political strategists talking about politics and spinning for the politicians. We spend so much time on the personalities that we lose track of what it is exactly that politicians should be doing. Politics is an elitist sport that has totally consumed our country. Congress is America’s own little House of Lords. The next great American leader might be sitting on a tractor somewhere out there in the heartland, but if he is not already wealthy or supported by wealthy and influential backers he will still be riding his tractor and scratching his head on the day that America finally leaps from the bridge.

What squirts through the little end of the media funnel, bombards our senses at high velocity. It is almost like trying to drink from a fire hose. A media that is prone to choose sides and report accordingly determines what comes first through the funnel. Each of us manages to grasp some parts of what gets through, but too few of us, self included, rarely see things clearly until it is too late to change our course. Still, the stories of the day almost always include some parts of America’s chronic and possibly fatal personality disorder.

Moral collapse follows spiritual collapse. – C. S. Lewis

Add one part politics, one part moral relativism. Blend for a few years. Produce a failed politician, a disgraced family and a wealthy hooker.

We just watched a state’s governor crash and burn over his craving for hookers. The same man once prosecuted prostitution rings. Ethics was his mantra, but he failed to walk the talk. Clearly it was with the ethics of others that he was concerned. One of the first things mouthed by the pundits was how sorry we all are for his poor wife and children. It is sad for them, no doubt, but do not place that burden on anyone else when it clearly belongs to Governor Spitzer. It is he that should have shown concern for his family. Then the spin doctors emerged sharing all the morally relative arguments we heard once before. It is a private matter. Prostitution should be legal anyway. It is after all a crime without a victim.

Then there is the story of the young woman. Her pictures are plastered everywhere. It is reported that she made several hundred thousand dollars from a song downloaded from her website. The pundits predict that within weeks, she will be a millionaire several times over. Once again, our new culture teaches young women that the way to wealth and fame is to follow the paths Paris, Britney and now “Kirsten” the prostitute.

“I believe Christianity as I believe that the Sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” – C. S. Lewis

Add one part politician, one part religious zealot, blend for 20 years then add a dash of hyphenated Americanism and twist of liberally biased media and get a leading presidential candidate.

We were graced this week with many excerpts from the sermons of Barack (NMN) Obama’s Preacher, Jeremiah Wright. While listening to that bilge spew forth, I was also noticing the cheering congregation. When he said God Damn America, they cheered. When he accused America of inventing the AIDS virus as a form of genocide, they cheered. When he said that on 9/11 America’s chickens came home to roost, the congregation cheered. There is not an Imam in the Middle East that could have whipped an angry crowd into a frenzy any better than Jeremiah did it. What Jeremiah Wright preaches is not Christianity. It is black separatist, racist, American hating garbage. He is a Louis Farrakhan clone trying to pass himself and his Church off as Christian. It appears that Obama and Oprah bought it. Do you want to know what is sad? People who are not Christian and who never attend a Church service will point and say that is why?

Barack (NMN) Obama has belonged to this church for 20 years and claims to have never heard these sermons before. And I just fell off the turnip truck. Most of the biased media will say OK, he explained it, nothing else to see here. And then, moving ever closer to the edge of that bridge, we will end up with someone in the Whitehouse that we will not even know. Until it is too late.

I will be out back working on the bunker.

Copyright © J D Pendry, 2008, All Rights Reserved

J. D. Pendry

Since 2001, ethanol production has quadrupled from 1.6 billion gallons in 2000 to an estimated 6.4 billion gallons in 2007, with the vast majority coming from corn. In 2005, the United States became the world’s leading ethanol producer, and last year, the U.S. accounted for nearly half of worldwide ethanol production. Whitehouse

That is one of the first links I encountered while perusing the Department of Energy website. It is right there with the links that are battling global warming and asking us to change the world by changing our light bulbs. Other things I see on the Whitehouse link are Renewable Fuels Mandate, Vehicle Fuel Economy Mandate, Lighting Efficiency Mandate, Appliance Efficiency Mandate… I really wonder if there are any functioning brains left in Washington, not to imply that there were ever many of them there in the first place. If we Mandate it, then it will be and San Fran Nan, Harry and now it looks like George as well can hold hands and skip merrily through Nan’s California vineyards.

Our national security problems revolving around energy first came to light during the Arab oil embargo of 1973 – 1974, which was our punishment from the Islamists for daring to help Israel defend herself. The fact that it has been a growing national security crisis for our country for so many years shows the complete lack of foresight of our career politicians.

The Arabs used oil as a weapon then as they and others are using it now. They are at war with us still, and our politicians appear too stupid to realize it or simply are unable to see beyond the next campaign cycle or contribution. None of the OPEC countries could ever challenge the United States militarily, but they are no doubt at war with us economically while we are busied with changing our doggoned light bulbs. Does it only sound stupid to me to imply that windmills are considered a progression from nuclear energy or that filling our homes with mercury filled light bulbs is going to accomplish anything toward addressing what is clearly a national security threat? I guess I am just not educated in such matters.

Our answer as outlined above is to reduce our dependence on foreign energy by, among other things, producing ethanol with the vast majority coming from corn. There is clearly an inability to see down the road in our government – to see the impact of decisions. Ethanol might, a slight might, reduce the price of a gallon of fuel at the pump by a penny or two. Does that sound like a good deal for you? Economics for dummies reminds us that when demand increases, supply reduces and prices rise according to the demand. Increased ethanol production has increased the demand for corn and subsequently the price of it. Everything that relies on corn like the beef, pork and poultry products you consume are now more expensive because it cost more to ready those products for your dinner table. It also cost more to provide you with milk, cheese, eggs, cereal, etc. etc. etc. A possible penny saved at the ethanol pump does not look like such a grand deal when it is given back with interest to purchase products we need that rely on corn, especially since we are continuing to support the Islamists and Hugo Chavez.

What makes this more disheartening is the fact that with a concerted effort, we could put OPEC out of business as far as United States National Security is concerned. Instead, our would be leaders are busily hoping you will fall for a hope for change, trying to decide who is best to answer the phone, or who is most ready to sign a Global Warming treaty.

Congress and the Whitehouse, have at their fingertips all the information they need to solve our problem. What they all lack is the foresight and courage to do it, preferring instead to change our light bulbs and then back slap one another into believing they are actually accomplishing something. All they have to do is read the studies they commissioned.

The United States has substantial unconventional fossil fuels resources that could be produced and converted to liquid fuels…

Oil Shale: America’s oil shale resource exceeds 2 trillion barrels, including about 1.5 trillion barrels of oil equivalent in high quality shales concentrated in the Green River Formation in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. Other lower quality and less concentrated resources, totaling about 619 billion barrels, are deposited in several southern and eastern states…

Coal-Derived Liquids: Current U.S. proven coal reserves exceed 267 billion short tons – approximately 250 years of supply at current production rates, about 1.1 billion tons in 2005…

Most U.S. coal is suitable for gasification with oxygen and steam. The synthetic gas can be used to generate clean electric power or various other energy carriers such as hydrogen or liquid fuels such as ultra clean diesel, and jet fuels, using Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) synthesis to convert the gas to liquids. This technology has been demonstrated at commercial scale in South Africa in three facilities operated by Sasol since 1980…

First of a kind domestic coal to liquids plants are likely to have capital costs ranging from $70,000 to $100,000 per daily barrel of capacity. Capital costs for a 50,000 Bbl/d plant would be between $3.5 and $5 billion. With these economics, produced fuels would be competitive at a world price for light sweet crude oil at or above $45 - $60/Bbl…

Competitive at $45 - $60 a barrel and we are shucking corn. It is worth your while to take time to peruse the Strategic Unconventional Fuels Task Force report and the Development of America’s Unconventional Fuels Resources, from which I have been quoting and the Overview of Unconventional Fuels. Maybe you can do it by the glow of your compact fluorescent reading lamp while enjoying a bag of corn chips. If you get angry enough to contact your favorite politician, that will be OK too.

Copyright © 2008 JD Pendry All Rights Reserved

J. D. Pendry

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name ….” – William Shakespeare

John Sydney McCain repeatedly reminds us that he has the utmost respect for both of his likely opponents in the general election for the presidency. So much so that he apologized that someone so much as dared to use the given middle name of one of them during a political rally. With that approach, Senator McCain will never lay a glove on Barack Rose Obama, especially if he tries to spar him with political rhetoric and does not try to educate the voting populace about him. Sydney will get waxed while a complicit liberal media, eager to defeat any Republican, even the moderate, liberal leaning John Sidney McCain will turn its collective head in order to help.

Have you read about Antoin “Tony” Rezko? Syrian born “Arab American” Rezko is under federal indictment (pdf) for fraud. According to the Chicago Sun Times: “Obama and Rezko have been friends since 1990, and the Wilmette businessman has raised as much as $60,000 in campaign contributions for him.“ If I were an aspiring journalist, possibly working for the New York Times or some other august publication, I would be interested in learning more about Obama’s relationship with a man that is under indictment for kickbacks on government contracts, especially contracts steered by Illinois state politicians.

Obama, a former [state] lawmaker now in his first term in the Senate, once backed a proposal to grant public money to a company formed by Rezko, and the purchase of his home got tangled up with Rezko — something he [Obama] called a “boneheaded” mistake. – Chicago Tribune

It is an interesting real estate deal. It gets more interesting if you read about it, but of course it requires that you mine for the information that no single mainstream news organization wants to bring to the forefront. Another interesting character is also tied to Obama fundraising. His name is Nahdmi Auchi. An Iraqi born billionaire and former Baathist, if one can actually be a former Baathist. He was one of Saadam’s boys. Bill Gertz points out some interesting coincidence surrounding the possible Auchi-Rezko-Obama link in his Washington Times column.

Auchi gave at least $10.5 million to Obama fundraiser Antoin “Tony” Rezko, including a payment of $3.5 million that coincided with Mr. Obama’s purchase in 2005 of a $1.65 million Chicago house, the London Times reported Tuesday. The newspaper said the timing of the payment and the house purchase, along with the purchase of land next door by Mr. Rezko’s wife Rita from the same seller, raise questions about whether Auchi helped buy the house.

That $3.5 million loan is already in the crosshairs of the prosecutor. I wonder if this trial will happen before November.

The other thing that no one is allowed to do is display the picture of Obama dressed like a Somali. It is just a picture, but it may cause a certain sector of our country to recall that it was Somalis with the help of Al Qaeda terrorists that dragged the bodies of American Soldiers through the streets of Mogadishu.

Raila Odinga, the Kenyan opposition leader claims to be Obama’s cousin. Obama’s father was Kenyan and supposedly of the same Luo community as Odinga. I love his website, “Your agent for change. Register for change. Vote for change.” It was Odinga supporters who set fire to a church, burning alive its occupants and hunting down with machetes those who escaped the fire.

EVEN the children were burnt alive. In broad daylight, a crowd of Kenyans set a church filled with hundreds of terrified families on fire and listened to their screams as flames engulfed them.

Nothing quite like change is there?

Obama has other interesting acquaintances that deserve our attention. Did you ever hear of the Weathermen Underground? They were our own Vietnam era American bred terrorists. They liked to plant bombs in federal buildings. It turns out that Obama knows the leaders of that little outfit and actually met with them during his political rise. It is not just a passing acquaintance. He served as a director of the Woods Fund along with Weatherman William C Ayers. Ayers contributed to Obama’s senatorial campaign. The Woods fund gave money to an Arab organization that bemoans the “catastrophe” of Israel. The co-founder of that pro-Palestinian organization also held a fundraiser for Obama.

Although Obama might have some interesting associations, we are assured that he is a Christian. His spiritual mentor embraces some theological concepts that are personally troubling to me. He belongs to the Trinity United Church of Christ. His pastor, Reverend Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright preaches liberation and the Black Value System (pdf). I find some parts of it quite interesting. For example:

Disavowal of the Pursuit of “Middleclassness”
Classic methodology on control of captives teaches that captors must keep the captive ignorant educationally, but trained sufficiently well to serve the system. Also, the captors must be able to identify the “talented tenth” of those subjugated, especially those who show promise of providing the kind of leadership that might threaten the captor’s control.

Maybe Jehoiada will examine this theology for us one day. Read the Reverend’s words in this Church bulletin, What’s Goin’ on? (pdf)

We have lost over 3,000 boys and girls in an illegal and unjust war, and the media is on a feeding frenzy about Barack Obama’s church. Where is the outrage about the 3,000 dead American military personnel and the 600,000 dead Iraqi civilians who are dead for no reason other than greed and ego? What’s goin’ on?

It is easy to see where Obama gets his voice on the war. It is scary, however, when you tie those views together with some of the relationships that, like his given name, are simply not to be mentioned. There is another interesting relationship that comes to Obama via his pastor. Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan has endorsed Obama.

“This young man [Obama] is the hope of the entire world that America will change and be made better.” – Farrakhan

Reverend Wright honored Farrakhan recently in his Church magazine (pdf) saying of him:

“When Minister Farrakhan speaks, Black America listens… “Minister Farrakhan will be remembered as one of the 20th and 21st century giants of the African American religious experience.”

Obama had to be cajoled to give a half-hearted rejection of Farrakhan in his last debate with Clinton. Reverend Wright tells us that when Farrakhan speaks Black America listens. If that is so, then this is what they hear:

White people are potential humans — they haven’t evolved yet” Wikipedia

“The Jews don’t like Farrakhan, so they call me Hitler. Well, that’s a good name. Hitler was a very great man. He rose Germany up from the ashes.” – USA Today

“The white man is our mortal enemy, and we cannot accept him. I will fight to see that vicious beast go down into the lake of fire prepared for him from the beginning, that he never rise again to give any innocent black man, woman or child the hell that he has delighted in pouring on us for 400 years. – USA Today

John Sydney, I’m not quite sure that I know what to make of all of this. Except that you will probably apologize that I even brought any of it up.

Guilt, on the contrary, like a base thief, suspects every eye that beholds him to be privy to his transgressions, and every tongue that mentions his name to be proclaiming them. – Henry Fielding

Copyright © J. D. Pendry 2008 All Rights Reserved

J. D. Pendry

It is Inauguration Day. Either you voted for or against the person taking the oath. Or, you sat at home due to apathy, disenchantment, because you wished to make a personal statement or for some other as yet undefined rationalization. Either you fulfilled your obligation as a citizen to the greatest representative republic in recorded history by voting or you did not. It really is that simple. Your rationalization is irrelevant to a nation on the brink of becoming something none of us can recognize anymore. What is relevant is that if you did not participate, you forfeited your voice either for or against whatever follows the inauguration speech

Across the globe, in places you have never heard of and in places that are also in the news every single day, American fighting men and women confront people that wish you and me dead and who do not like the idea of free people choosing their leaders. They are trying to help nations of oppressed, terrorized people progress into nations of free people with the opportunity to vote for the leaders they want. They are doing just what they did at the beginning of this free nation. Voting and choice is something you value when you never before had either or maybe when it is gone.

Here in the world’s best example of freedom, a place that some scholarly types have dubbed the world’s last great hope, we consider anything approaching 50 percent as a great voter turnout. Less than half of us, who can, often choose the leaders for the rest of us. When we look at the products of some of those elections, it is not always obvious that it was the brightest 50 percent who actually went to the polls. Yet, it was the 50 percent that fulfilled an obligation of their citizenship and helped choose the direction of our nation through participation rather than consternation. If you, for whatever reason, sat it out then by your action you expressed contentment with that direction whatever twists and turns it brings. That great silent majority we hear so much about does not amount to a hill of beans if it indeed is silent on Election Day.

Following his speech, President and Commander in Chief Obama immediately began to fulfill his promises. Trying to correct what he called America’s greatest foreign policy mistake, he ordered the immediate stand down and cessation of action by all United States Military Forces currently in the Middle East. He reiterated his position that this is a war that should have never been started, should have never been waged and has resulted in wasting the lives of the bravest young Americans. He reminds us that the money wasted on George Bush’s war could easily fund many programs here at home such as his plan for subsidized and socialized medical care. While US Forces are in stand down, President Obama fulfills his next promise to hold a summit with Muslim nations for his stated purpose of improving America’s image. He then follows through on his commitment to meet unconditionally with Raul Castro, Hugo Chavez and other dictators. Michelle Obama reiterates that for the first time in her life, she is proud of her country. The question left in the minds of many Americans is what country is that exactly and is this the change with which we thought we could live?

Following her speech, President and Commander in Chief Clinton began to fulfill her promises by ordering the stand down and immediate redeployment of all United States Forces from the Middle Eastern theater of operations. She instructs the Democrat led Congress to give her legislation to sign into law that immediately repeals the Bush tax cuts and adds new taxes on energy company profits. She also wants legislation that provides a $5,000 baby bond to each of the nearly five million new babies born each year. A gift that will likely cost that baby more in a lifetime of taxes than it will actually ever be worth. She also asks for legislation that begins the national health care payroll tax deduction. This is to ensure that all Americans do, in fact, purchase health care coverage. This of course will be a proportional tax, one that distributes the total cost to those most able to pay it. Then she asks for a new payroll tax. This one she needs to fulfill her promise of a 401K retirement plan for every American. This is in addition to the increases needed to sustain the current social security and Medicare systems. Her promise of taking from some of us to the betterment of all of us is fulfilled. Somewhere Karl Marx dances a little jig. Bill Clinton continues to be Bill Clinton.

Following his speech, President McCain… Oh, sorry, there was no President McCain …

Copyright © J D Pendry 2008 All Rights Reserved

J. D. Pendry

“Elections are won by men and women chiefly because most people vote against somebody rather than for somebody.” – Franklin P. Adams, 1881-1960

I think Franklin understood politicians. He also understood that the lesser of evils is more often than not the reason some make it into office. I am noticing something different from that. Not long ago and in the early morning hours on my way to work, I was putting some three dollar a gallon gasoline in my truck when another gentleman pulled up to the opposite side of the pump. Did you ever have a perfect stranger start discussing presidential politics with you at 5 AM? You are not quite sure how you should react. Should you nod, smile, agree, debate or feel your coat pocket to make sure your gun is in there? My philosophy is that when standing at the gas pump in the early morning; check your coat pocket because you never know when the meat clever might appear.

This gentleman was rather distraught. First he grumbled about the price of gasoline. I nodded and smiled. Then he said out of the blue, Edwards would have fixed that. Edwards was a union man he said and he was going to take on those oil companies. My first inclination was to roll my eyes, but my spidey sense activated and stopped the eyebrows just as they began to head north. Now that Edwards had quit the campaign, he could not bring himself to vote for any of the Democrat remainders. He figured they could not win anyway so he thought he would just stay home on Election Day. Let the doggoned Republicans keep it. The more he talked, the more the pitch of his voice rose and the more he looked like Chris Matthews with a little bit of spittle hanging from the corner of his mouth and his eyes flashing. With my hand in my pocket, I started whistling and keeping watch for the meat clever.

Just as I was thinking that people wired as tight as that needed their medications adjusted and should have to undergo psychiatric evaluation before being allowed to vote for anything, I arrived at work and switched the radio on to the local morning talk program. The host began his morning by lamenting how the only true constitutional conservative candidate in the contest was not getting the media attention or voter support he deserved. It was Ron Paul. This time I did roll my eyes, because in the office at 6 AM it was only me and the security guard. Then he started his anti John McCain rant. I do not know much about radio broadcasting, except for my qualifications as a listener. Do the microphones have spit and splatter guards on them? Because just as I hit the off switch the screeching had risen to an irritating pitch and I got an image of fists pounding, eyes flashing and a noggin exploding. I was convinced beyond doubt that this particular host would certainly not sacrifice the purity of his conservativeness by voting for Senator John McCain to be the President of his United States. I could only conclude that, like meat clever man back at the gas pump, he was saving his political purity for that Election Day when his idea of the perfect candidate arrived on the scene.

I put a Norah Jones CD into the computer, which was much more soothing than the screeching I had just switched off. I began perusing the morning headlines before the workday began. Scrolling through I noticed that Ann Coulter stated that not only would she not vote for John McCain, but if he was the Republican candidate she would campaign and vote for Hillary Clinton. Now I like Miss Coulter. She strikes me as being a very bright woman. I enjoy reading her work. Lord knows that she has made much money writing it, a good bit from me actually, whereas I have made zilch except for an occasional yet tiny royalty check. So, maybe I am ill-qualified to criticize. Sometimes, however, I believe people become a little too self-absorbed. I bought and read Miss Coulter’s latest book. It turned out to be a compilation of her own quotes from her previous work. I have a book titled The Quotable Lewis, which is a collection of C. S. Lewis quotes organized by topic. Mr. Lewis did not need to compile it himself. Ann with her vote for Hillary slam of McCain, I expect is trying to preserve her political virtue for her encounter with the perfect conservative.

Rush Limbaugh insists that as far as the war is concerned, it does not matter who is elected because the Democrats will not withdraw from Iraq and accept defeat. Rush is probably right, they will not withdraw. Instead, they will saddle our Soldiers with a Vietnam like strategy that hamstrings them and gets many more of them killed after which they will declare peace and leave. Rush says that if the country is going to be destroyed, he prefers that Democrats own the destruction. The politicians never own it Rush we do and the sad conclusion is that in a war, credit for victory always belongs to the politicians and defeat is always shackled to the Soldiers. But, what the heck? We will build a nice memorial somewhere.

So, your perfect candidate just might not be on the ticket. Republicans were not conservative enough for many in 2006 so voters stayed home to reinforce the views provided by self-proclaimed, flawless and pure conservative pundits – who mostly have never had to make a national policy decision. Because they stayed home, we get to watch Henry Waxman worry over the possible needle tracks in Roger Clemmons’ butt while our ability to monitor the communications of our enemies just fades away.

So, stay home and wait for that time in history when everything aligns and your idea of Mr. or Ms. Perfect materializes. But, just remember that when you do you are taking action and whatever happens to the country because of it, you own it.

“Right actions done for the wrong reason do not help to build the internal quality or character called a “virtue,” and it is this quality of character that really matters.” – C. S. Lewis

Copyright © J. D. Pendry, 2008, All Rights Reserved

J. D. Pendry

When Johnny comes marching home again
Hurrah! Hurrah!
We’ll give him a hearty welcome then
Hurrah! Hurrah!
The men will cheer and the boys will shout
The ladies they will all turn out
And we’ll all feel gay when Johnny comes marching home.

Mr. Frank Woodruff Buckles is 107 years old. A resident of Charles Town, West Virginia, he is the last known surviving Veteran of World War I. Most Americans, I believe, cannot tell you very much about the war meant to end all wars. They could not talk to you about American Army recruits boarding ships headed for Europe having never fired a rifle in training. They never fired them because they did not have them. Our standing regular Army before entering the war was practically nonexistent by any reasonable standard of measurement. Mentioning names like Ardenne, Belleauwood, Chateau-Terrie, and Meusse-Argonne will probably not get a conversation started outside of military circles. Most also do not know that men like Mr. Buckles were not welcomed home with a GI Bill of Rights to help them restart their post war lives as were the Veterans of World War II.

World War II Veterans came home to a grateful nation. Grateful, because we were a nation at war then rather than a nation preoccupied with which celebrity overdosed this week while its Soldiers were at war. World War II Veterans were fortunate to have the GI Bill of Rights, The Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944. If you study it, you will learn that it did not come easily as most things of value do not come easily from our politicians. In the end, it was as much about trying to make themselves feel better for their neglect of World War I Veterans as it was to help World War II Veterans restart life. Regardless of what motivated each individual Congressman, the GI Bill provided one of the greatest returns to our nation of any investment ever made in it by a collection of politicians.

Before the war, college and homeownership were, for the most part, unreachable dreams for the average American. Thanks to the GI Bill, millions who would have flooded the job market instead opted for education. In the peak year of 1947, veterans accounted for 49 percent of college admissions. By the time the original GI Bill ended on July 25, 1956, 7.8 million of 16 million World War II veterans had participated in an education or training program.

Of our living Veterans, 13.9 percent (2006 statistics) are World War II Veterans. 39 percent of our total Veteran Population is over 65 years old. Some who read this will be present on the day when someone writes about the last surviving Veteran of World War II. If there is by that time anyone left who would care to write or read about it.

Our largest population of Veterans is from the Vietnam era, comprising 33.5 percent of our total Veteran population. This group of Veterans endured combat in a politically mismanaged war that they were not allowed to win. Those who were grateful to them for their service had their voices drowned out by those who welcomed them home with baby killer signs and mischaracterization of their service in all forms of the media. They were repeatedly Kerryed, but rarely thanked or defended. The 1960s provided us with the ugliest view of some Americans and politicians. Young men and women sent off to fight a war that our political leaders believed necessary and once the politicians got them into it they seemed to always be facing 3 down with 9 yards to go in a never ending game of political football. How does a young person understand being sent to a place where every single person he confronts might want to kill him only to come home to a collection of people that openly detest his very existence?

Nothing much has changed since then. In print and broadcast media and by politicians, our Veterans and serving Men and Women are still mischaracterized. In the most recent episode of liberal lunacy, the Berkeley, California city council voted to tell the United States Marine Corps Recruiters that they are unwelcomed intruders in the Republic of Berkeley. I will bet you my tiny Military Retirement check that if these were Murtha Marines, the Berkeley city council would offer them the keys to the city. This is not new for Berkeley. In October 2005, I wrote Cancelled in Berkeley about how old anti-war hippie Joe McDonald caused the city’s Veteran’s Day observances to be cancelled. I will also bet you that this nonsensical collection of miscreants got more press than did Mr. Buckles.

So, here we are now with an apparent Presidential nominee who is a War Veteran and former Prisoner of War. One who clearly sacrificed in service of his country. If you read last week’s posting, you know that I’m not a fan of the politics of Senator John McCain and had the Republican Party bosses here in Wild Wonderful given me the opportunity, I would have voted for another candidate. But let us put that aside for a minute. The Senator will oppose either the first Black or Woman candidate for the Presidency, both of them liberal media darlings of the Berkeley class of politicians – make no doubt. I will make you another wager. In the not too distant future, the papers will fill with stories of post traumatic stress disorder hinting that someone who has endured the traumatic events of war that Senator McCain has must surely suffer from it. Then will follow the stories about his temper and hot headedness ad nauseam and all of it meant to not so subtly put the question of fitness into the minds of voters. The people who have made careers out of loathing the military will not change their spots to be nice to War Veteran and Prisoner of War Senator John McCain.

As you enter the voting booth on Election Day, you may not have it in your heart because of your political disagreements to vote for Senator McCain. Maybe you might want to consider accepting the task as I have. In the interest of Service Men and Women, Veterans and the security of our country – even Berkeley – I must and will pull the lever against Obama or Clinton.

Let love and friendship on that day,
Hurrah, hurrah!
Their choicest pleasures then display,
Hurrah, hurrah!
And let each one perform some part,
To fill with joy the warrior’s heart,
And we’ll all feel gay when Johnny comes marching home.

Copyright © J D Pendry, 2008, All Rights Reserved

J. D. Pendry

Don’t you know me, I’m your native son? –from City of New Orleans, written by Steve Goodman and recorded by Arlo Guthrie

I have been looking for a candidate to support for president. Now that Woody’s boy, Arlo, has endorsed Ron Paul it is becoming clearer to me what I need to do. Take a harder look the least endorsed candidate.

Mike Huckabee is endorsed by Chuck Norris. His odds of surviving this contest as the nominee are about as good as a fried chicken leg’s chances of surviving a Baptist Church dinner. He is running to stop Romney and hoping to be rewarded for it as McCain’s VP choice.

John McCain has Sylvester Stallone’s and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s endorsements. Listening to Fox news on the satellite radio in my truck the other morning, I also became convinced that Geraldo Rivera has a serious man crush on the Senator. It got gushy. I was waiting for a parental guidance warning. He is also endorsed by the Lindsey Graham, gang of 14 liberal Republican types. It is difficult to go against the seasoned wisdom of Rambo, the Terminator, liberal Geraldo, and Lindsey Graham, but I am trying hard to contain myself.

I know the Senator, not personally, but I know him. Anyone who has served in the Armed Forces of our great country for any length of time knows the Senator. He is the occasionally encountered mediocre commander who firmly believes he is a better First Sergeant than the actual First Sergeant is and sets about daily to prove it concurrently neglecting his own role and responsibilities. Senator McCain believes he is a better Commander in Chief than the serving one and has spent 8 years trying to prove that as well. He believed he was a better Secretary of Defense than was Donald Rumsfeld. His actions showed that he believed he was a better Senate majority leader than Bill Frist was. The pattern will not change. I promise you that he also believes he is a better General than those now serving. As Commander in Chief, John McCain, who always knows better, will be way down in the weeds making decisions that should be made on the ground and in real time. That is how we fought and lost the war in Vietnam. Being allied with John Kerry though, he probably is not too clear on how all of that happened. Setting aside his liberal leanings on amnesty for illegal immigrants, taxes, environment and energy, I believe that he is also a military disaster in waiting. The failure he may deliver will only be slower and more painful to Soldiers than the failure Obama or Clinton will bring about. What he and the media tout as his strongest attribute is his most dangerous one for our country. For conservative talk radio, how far away can the Fairness Doctrine be for the man who helped write the legislation that already limits our rights to free speech?

Only one Republican candidate stands without a major celebrity or political endorsement, unless you count a few radio talkers leaning toward him and some ex-politicians. I have grown quite cynical of politicians over the years. People endorse political candidates for different reasons. When I see media celebrities and liberal leaning politicians contorting themselves to laude an alleged opposition candidate such as McCain, it causes me to wonder why. For the politicians, the most obvious reason is that they do not want someone who is not a member of their club. That might upset the Washington status quo. For the celebrities, who actually cares what their motives are. They do, however, bring along with them a percentage of mushy headed people who will actually vote for the politician because of the celebrity. Politicians simply hedge their bets. Those publicly endorsing McCain are members of the Washington country club and the conventional wisdom tells them he is going to win the nomination. Maybe he will win. Gerald Ford won and we got 4 years of Jimmy Carter because of it.

There is no longer a major political party in America than can claim conservatism as its mantle. Both parties are tilting left toward liberal socialism and are beholden to special interest groups. One is only slightly to the left of the other and you and I are not the groups in which they appear interested. If my choices on Election Day are McCain and either Obama or Clinton, I don’t see that there is a dime’s worth of difference. I will not go as far as Ann Coulter has declared she will and vote for Hillary Clinton, but maybe I will write in a name. Arlo, Chuck or Rambo maybe. When it is all done, a meaningless write-in is going to make about as much sense to me as a vote for John McCain or another member of the club will.

Maybe I’ll just forget it all and go hang out with Arlo. After all, “You can get anything you want at Alice’s Restaurant. Excepting Alice.” Or a President.

Copyright © 2008 J D Pendry All Rights Reserved

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