Random Thoughts and Stuff

Happy Fourth of July...
As we approach the celebration of the Independence of this country I decided to give a quick read to the Declaration of Independence. I was amazed at how quickly it was written and finally approved, published and distributed to the people. Now contrast the 2nd Continental Congress with our current legislative body and I wonder if we could ever do the same thing in such a short span of time even with all of the technology we have today......
...the long answer would be Hell No!

Comprehensive Immigration Reform...
President Obama keeps speaching (giving speeches and preaching) about how the GOP should sit down and come up with "comprehensive immigration reform." I was just pondering that statement and it came to me that we already have comprehensive immigration reform. It is wrapped up in these words; "The Rule of Law." We currently have system by which citizens of other nations can immigrate to this country legally. Any thing other than that is a violation of the law and should be pursued as such. No need to waste money, time and for you eco-warriors, thousands of pieces of paper on any legislation. Just enforce the laws.

BP and The Gulf Coast Communities...
I returned from Pensacola, Florida this past weekend and witnessed first hand the clean up efforts of the shores of Pensacola Beach and Perdido Key Beach. Two things came to mind while watching these people toil in the 100 degree heat of the Florida Panhandle:

First, I was amazed at the amount of water bottles they were collecting (from staying hydrated) I was even more perplexed as to why none of America's Green Eco-knuckleheads were not protesting the amount of trash these people are creating just from trying to clean up the beaches as a result of their forcing legislation to protect sea turtles. You see, the state of Alabama wanted to use bigger, deeper and stronger booms to protect their 200 miles of shore line but were stymied by the Fish and Wildlife Administration. The use of these booms would cause sea turtles to get trapped and they are a protected class of people,... umm I mean animal. Humans are less important than a turtle.

Finally, If these people and BP moved at any slower rate of pace then those same sea turtles would appear to be as fast as Usain Bolt.

Clean it up BP! President Obama and congress please remove all bureaucratic obstacles out of their way. This is a national emergency.

These are just some of my random thoughts and words. Please post yours!

Don't Lie to Me! Just Give Me My White Beaches!

Who's fooling who? Or is it who's fooling whom?

The President announced today that he has asked and BP executives have agreed to set aside $20 billion for the reimbursement of damages and compensation for our citizens in the Gulf Coast of Louisiana, Florida and Alabama. The problem is that BP does not have $20 billion in cash to set aside.

They will need to cut spending and sell billions in assets to raise the necessary cash to fund this compensation fund by 2013. They are also going to suspend dividend payments for the next 3 quarters and possibly for the foreseeable future until such time that the Gulf Coast is cleaned up.

Sounds simple huh? Until you figure that BP still needs to continue operations to deliver revenue and the likelihood of doing this in America will be hampered since there will be no offshore drilling for the next 6 or more months. They will need to increase production in the oil exploration efforts around the world.

They obviously cannot raise this money by selling stock as their stock price is in a free fall and issuing bonds is not likely either. Who is going to buy BP stock or bonds? Not anyone who is looking for growth especially since BP stock has lost half of its value since this accident.

The suspension of dividends will affect numerous pension funds around the globe that hold BP stock and had come to rely on these quarterly dividends to help pay their pensioners. This will have far reaching economic consequences right away since we already have many municipalities on the brink of bankruptcy because of burgeoning pension benefits that need to be paid against reduced tax revenue.

Why BP would ever agree to anything like this is amazing to me. The reason, but not their fault, is that under current Federal law BP is only liable for $75 million in damages. BP has decided to waive this limit. However, why let a U.S. President demand what a foreign corporation has to do? Is it the right thing, but of course! Is it what the shareholders would want, No! I can understand the quandary that BP is now faced with from a public relations standing and a business standing.

B-Rock has decided that the Pay Czar, Kenneth Feinberg, will administer the claims against this fund. This is the same guy that helped to decide how much an executive should earn at any financial institution that took TARP funds. He also administered the claims for the victims of the 9/11 terror attacks. Because of this federal bureaucratic process there will be many claims that are not paid timely. Also, who is to decide how quick is timely?

Do not get me wrong. I want BP to get the Gulf Coast cleaned up. I grew up in Pensacola, Florida; my parents still reside there and I will be vacationing there next week. I like my beaches white and my water clear. I just think that BP should have allowed the courts in America help them work through this financial mess.

BP does not have $20 billion and they do not have to have it all until 2013. I guess we were all hoodwinked by the President's announcement today. I see no timely financial payments coming for our friends in Gulf Coast. People are going to be hurting. We are going to need timely prayer to help these residents.

These are my words! Please post yours!

Rocks, Rifles and Illegal Immigration

With all the uproar of the Israeli commandos killing pro-Palestinian activist off the coast of Gaza I wonder how soon will our media along with world opinion start to protest the killing of a Mexican invader by our Border Patrol agents.

One thing is for certain, Mexicans have learned the fine art of throwing rocks at armed militia from the Palestinians. For years I often wondered why any half intelligent human being would stand in front of a group of men armed with assault rifles, shields and riot gear and throw rocks at them. Unless you are a baseball player the accuracy of throwing a rock pales in comparison to a highly trained marksman with a rifle.

A group of Mexican invaders were stopped while trying to enter this country without proper documentation by U.S. Border agents and obviously illegally. But in a move more likened by the Palestinians, these Mexicans start throwing rocks.

Rocks versus guns and you can guess who wins this one! A Mexican teen aged invader is killed after being ordered to stop throwing rocks. Instead of the Mexican government supporting our agents for defending themselves and the laws of this nation they are trying to make this some sort of international incident, a la Israeli commando killing of Turkish activist.

The great thing about both these incidents is that there is video to support the defense of what actually occurred. And both groups were forced to use lethal force to defend themselves.

Crossing the border without permission is a crime. Intentionally assaulting a U.S. citizen and law enforcement agent is a dangerous crime. We do not want to import crime. We already have enough of our own. So if you want to come here, use the proper channels and enter our land legally.

I have one suggestion for other potential Mexican violators; "Sticks and Stones may break our bones but if your choose to throw stones our Border Agents may shoot to kill!" Graveyard dead!

These are my words! Please post yours!

Update.....Update......

The teen that was killed is a known human smuggler and was on the "most wanted" list of juvenile smugglers. Mexican security forces have trained their weapons on the FBI agents investigating the Border agent shooting. Like I said above, the Mexicans are trying to make this into an international incident which it is not when their citizens continue to violate our laws and enter our country illegally.

Leggo My Eggo!

Michelle Obama has finally decided what role she would take in her husband's administration and it is to be the voice of obese children across the country. And what better way for Michelle Obama to do this than to use the power of the federal government to attempt to force proper diet in American households.

I cannot get past the idea that the Obama's have the gall to think that they are the only ones that know what is best for everyone. B-Rock decided that we needed $800 billion in no job creating stimulus, $80 billion and growing "investment" in the American automobile industry and finally the $1.0 Trillion health care reform.

Now Michelle wants to put the junk food marketers on an advertising diet. She wants the makers of "unhealthy" foods to not use popular media characters to promote their wares but to only promote "healthy" alternatives. The administration indicated that they would not use any new federal mandates to push these healthy alternatives but would use the "bully-pulpit" to advance changes even though I am skeptical. Personally I feel Sponge Bob Square Pants could probably move a lot of Toyota Camry's based upon Michelle's premise of the strong influence of these characters.

Once again the Obama's get to decide who wins and loses in American business. Marketing is how products are sold. Threatening to use the Federal Communications Commission to change the rules on commercials in children programming goes against the guideline of no new federal mandates previously mentioned. While children are highly influenced by many of these commercial images; from my estimation 99% of American households children don't work and definitely do not drive themselves to the grocery store or fast food restaurant to make the buying decisions. Although weak-kneed parents of today often succumb to their children's whining by indulging them and buying whatever the child wants.

My children always wanted things that I either did not want to buy or felt was not needed and I usually pursed my lips and pressed my tongue to the roof of my mouth and pushed out the best word ever uttered by a parent; NOOOOOOOOO! While I would have to endure some heart ache and as they got older some spirited debate on how little they ever got and how I did not love them. I always won because I am the Daddy!

Michelle is using the office of the President, like First-Lady's before her, to push a social agenda. I am glad she now has something to do because I was beginning to think that she was busy being a mom to her two beautiful children. Now I know better. But I do think that Michelle should change the focus of the agenda she wants to accomplish from telling food manufacturers not to market to children but to focus on Parenting and how to deal with self-indulgent spoiled brats to show them who runs the household.

The more important push to defeat obesity in children will be for those same weak-kneed parents to turn off the children's programming, hide the Xbox and PS3 controllers, shut down the Facebook and MySpace pages, pull the ear buds from the MP3 players and go outside and toss a football, baseball or kick the soccer ball for a few hours a day. Children can eat whatever their bodies will allow but if they do not burn those calories off then they will become fat. Get them involved in something other than computer screen watching. Playing Wii games is not enough activity for a 5-17 year old. They need hardcore muscle moving, deep breathing exercise.

I wish I could appreciate the effort of this First Lady but she is helping to perpetuate the Nanny State of the country. With all of the information available to Americans about the products that they buy parents can make better choices but choose not to. We do not need federal oversight nor FCC or FTC interference in the promotion of healthy choices. Some school systems have already taken "unhealthy" food out of the cafeteria and both Coca Cola and Pepsi Cola have decided to remove their high calorie drink machines and replace with diet drinks and other alternatives. Removing the choices and decision making from parents and children resulting in Nannyism!

Obesity in children as well as adults is a problem in this country. We have liberty and freedom to choose how we live and raise our children. We do not need the Federal government interfering anymore than they already do. Foods are already labeled with the necessary information to help make informed choices. At many restaurants you can request the calorie count on the menu items. We can choose. Let us choose. Don't take away a parents right to choose.

In the meantime Michelle; Leggo My Eggo!

These are my words! Please post yours!

When We Were American!

Years ago 56 Patriots sat around and crafted a document that would become the catalyst for "Hope and Change" in this country. They wrote some of these words, "...all men are created equally"...along with "unalienable rights." This was a document to proclaim the independence of a few British Colonies from one of the most powerful nations in the world at that time.

The country later endured the internal strife of slavery and states rights. Millions of men were killed in pursuit of proving which side was right. Those who were brought here against their will were eventually freed through a proclamation of a U.S. President and later the surrender of the Confederate States. Yet the country survived and these citizens were called Americans.

Through the years people migrated to this country to pursue their dreams. They left behind homelands that were in degrade and despair. Leaving home with little in their pockets and nothing to look forward to except their dreams of a better life. They arrived on these shores penniless, yet they found a way to overcome. They asked for nothing from others other than respect. They grew, they raised their families and they learned to prosper. The young republic of the United States of America provided them nothing other than safety and sanctuary. Yet the country survived and these citizens became Americans

Years later, the sons and grandsons of those freed slaves sought the civil rights that the Declaration of Independence said they would have. They protested, bled and in some cases lost their lives in this pursuit but they perservered. Yet the country survived and these citizens were called Americans.

Now we come to present day and wearing an American Flag on your T-Shirt gets you removed from school on Cinco de Mayo. In essence not allowing an American citizen to be American. Why did we stop recognizing that this is America. Why can't we celebrate being an American without offending some immigrant both legal and illegal? If they are not here to embrace our culture, our way of life then why leave home and travel to this mighty nation. Oh. I forgot, it is to get on the dole of the American taxpayer and live for free! Will the country survive and these citizens are called hyphenated-Americans!

We are now supporting immigrants that once only came here to build a better way of life. They now come here seeking American welfare and benefits. Our border states are being overrun with these invaders and they are on the verge of bankruptcy. One state decides it is time to enforce the laws that the Federal government says it would enforce and our illegal immigrants and hyphenated-Americans get angry. Will the country survive?

We need to stand up for American principles. Stop trying to placate every immigrant who now lives on these shores. They should embrace our culture, ideals, values and laws. I am not asking you to deny your culture but do not force me to recognize your culture that you decided was not appealing enough for you in your homeland that you fled to come here to America. Otherwise, why leave? I also applaud Arizona as a state that is willing to decide that if you are not here legally then we will deal with you as the criminal you are! Will the country survive?

Rome was once a powerful empire at one time. They allowed other cultures to assimilate into their world. They tried to embrace those cultures and they lost their identity and focus. The Roman empire eventually fell. Are we ready to see our nation fall? If we are then keep trying to be an inclusive society instead of an American society. We have to recognize who we are not who is now living here from wherever. We are created equally! We have certain unalienable rights...life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. But we are not obligated to change our ways for a few immigrants.

I want Americans to be happy. I want hyphenated-Americans to be uncomfortable until they realize what real Americans are!

These are my words! Please post yours!