Afghanistan -It's time to bring our troops home

We have all been following the news out of Afghanistan lately and have been dismayed at the continuing riots, violence and deaths that have resulted from the incident with the inadvertent burning of a Koran. Westerners have a very hard time understanding the intensity of the reaction to what was an innocent mistake -and for good reason. This reaction, in spite of the claims that it is because of the deep religious feelings of the Afghan people, is not just about the improper disposal of a book. It is a manistification of the anti-western feelings growing daily in that war-torn region.

The majority of the Afghan people initially welcomed NATO and US troops when they entered to chase out Al Qaeda and the Taliban. That was a decade ago. Since then they have seen a series of tactical and strategic errors and an unwillingness on the part of the "westerners" to put in the resources to finish the fight. They have seen our troops strike in stealth at night, often mistakenly kicking in the doors of innocent civilians (how would you like to live with that threat constantly hanging over you?). They have seen us supporting a corrupt and unpopular government. They have heard promises of economic assistance and seen only billions of dollars of that assistance disappear into the the pockets of Karzi and his cronies. No, the riots are not just about the burning of a Koran and anyone who thinks that is woefully mistaken.

It is time for us to re-examine just what it is we are trying to accomplish by being there. Our government tells us that we want to establish a stable government that has the ability to sustain itself and prevent the return of the Taliban and Al Qaeda. We do not want to allow Afghanistan to become a training ground and base of terrorist operations against Western countries. The problem is that we have been hearing that for 10 long years and, depending on who you listen to, we are not much closer to accomplishing that then we were 8 years ago.

Our initial objective when we put "boots on the ground" there was the defeat of Al Qaeda. Chasing the Taliban out was not the objective but was a necessary step in achieving that objective. We did that -long ago. We started going off course when that objective somehow morphed into one of nation building. Nation building by itself is a fine and noble goal but you can not build a nation from behind a gun and within a tank. Telling a people how and when to hold elections, where to build schools and roads, how to grow crops and how to start successful businesses are not the function of the most powerful and professional military the world has seen. It is not what our guys and gal have enlisted to do. These things are best done by the State Department and organizations like the Peace Corps. Coming from them it is friendly advise, coming from men armed to the teeth it is not advise, it is an order. Despite our best intentions, many Afghans who initially welcomed us as friends and liberators, now see us as occupiers who encourage and support the corruption, rather than do away with it.

So, what to do? Well, that is really much easier than everyone seems to think. Just bring the troops home. Declare victory over the Taliban and Al Qaeda (they have been chased out of power, which was the initial goal, right?) and bring our people home. 

There are those who say that leaving Afghanistan will result in the return of the Taliban and the people will once again be forced to live under what we consider to be mideviel Islamic laws. That is probably true, but I think I should point out 2 things. First, they are what we consider to be mideviel, not necessarily what the majority of Afghans consider, and second, it is their country whether we like it or not, and they have a right to determine how they want to live. When the Taliban becomes the government under attack by Afghan terrorist groups seeking western-style democracy, ask me again.

Lastly, what about the possibility that the Taliban will allow terrorist bases to be built and terrorist groups to operate against Western powers from there? Well, my first question is -Do you mean from there instead of the border areas with Pakistan, or from Somalia, or Yemen or the jungles of Indonesia? Oh, OK. Well, that is what we have Special Operations forces, cruise missiles, drones and stealth bombers for. If they threaten us, hit them and take out the threat. It is not complicated. If, on the other hand, they decide it is better to not provoke us and to mind their own business (as long as we do the same) then the question is moot.

The point is that we have been spending 2 billion dollars a week for 10 years. We have been asking our fine military people to go in harms way where far too many have been killed and injured. And we are not really accomplishing much, nor are we likely to if we stayed another 10 years. So, let's try something different. Lets try minding our own business for a change. Bring the troops home and if we are threatened again, go back, kick the shit out of them and come right home again. But bring our troops home and stop wasting American lives and tax money.

Live Long and Prosper...

Just a Little Chat about Things

It has been a while since I weighed in on current events, so I thought I'd just ramble on a bit about a few things going on these days. First on my agenda this morning is what I consider to be the most important topic in the news today -Iran. Will the Israelis attack? Should they? What will (should) the United States do? What will the Iranians do?

Well, I do not have a crystal ball, and I do not claim any special knowledge or expertise, but I do have some very strong "gut" feelings about all this. I guess the first thing to point out is that the United States has not been handling this one very well. Yes, using sanctions and diplomacy is far more preferable to an attack, no question about it. So it is hard to blame those that want to see this avenue given every possible opportunity to work. Unfortunately, the sanctions have not been strong enough to have much effect until recently -and you have to remember that the whole aim of sanctions is to cause economic pain -not just to the government but also to the people so that they are encouraged to bring about change in government policy internally. In the case of Iran, that goal is flawed from the outset. The government there very tightly controls the people and instantly puts down any signs of dissent. Additionally, any government willing to send tens of thousands of 14 and 15 year old boys to die as suicide bombers (as the Iranians did in their war with Iraq) has very little regard for the welfare of their people. The discomfort and inconvenience caused by international sanctions is something they will simply expect the people to sacrifice for and live with. For them it is a small price to pay for attaining a nuclear weapon and becoming the unquestioned "super power" of the Middle East. 

Additionally, in order to have real effect the sanctions must be enforced unilaterally. That is not happening. Turkey and Venezuela are both allowing the Iranians to use their banking system to handle money. The Russians, the Chinese, the Indians, even the Japanese are still buying Iranian oil (the Japanese just this week announced they will support the US by reducing their purchases of Iranian oil by 10% -gee, thanks buddies). No, the sanctions, in their current form have not worked and will not work. 

In my opinion, if you want to use sanctions to have the desired effect on Iran they must be total, and they must be enforced. I would support them as an alternative to an attack only if they took the form of a total blockade (which, by the way, is not my idea -it is something that has been mentioned by our Intelligence and Military experts for several years now).

Short of a total blockade, I see no other alternative to an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities. Some are quick to point out the difficulty of making such an attack and the fact that it would not result in stopping Iran's nuclear program. It would merely set it back a couple of years. Well, OK, that would give us 2 more years to let the sanctions have more effect. 2 more years to encourage and support regime change -and if worse comes to worse, we can always to it again in 2 years. and in 4 years -and keep doing it until even Ayatollah Khomeini gets the message that he can not have an Atomic bomb to play with.

OK, enough on that. What else is on my poor brain today? Well, I feel sorry for Michelle Obama. It seems that the pressure on the first lady and her 2 children is so enormous that barely 2 weeks after a 17 day luxury vacation for Christmas in Hawaii, she needed some more time off. So, In spite of the country being in the midst of a recession and the government needing to borrow 40 cents of every dollar it spends, Michelle Obama and her two daughters spent Presidents Day on the slopes at the star-studded resort of Aspen.

According to "TheDC", the Obama's went there with their young children and two female friends of the first lady. The group stayed near Buttermilk Mountain, at the “huge private home” of Jim and Paula Crown — the family that owns Aspen Skiing Co. There were a large number of Secret Service agents with them, and the Crowns reportedly relocated to Little Nell Hotel until things quieted down. I am sure glad to see that our government still has the resources and money to provide for the comfort, welfare and recreation of the First Family. Lord knows how hard it must be to live in that old house in Washington, especially during the recession.

Oh, by the way, Mr. President. Tisk, tisk, tisk -you are still using incandescent bulbs in the White House -you know, the lights that keep the place lit so beautifully all night for those tourists that have insomnia. Not good! That is not in keeping with your comprehensive energy policy. You need to tell some one to replace those with the modern curly-que shaped energy savers you are making the rest of the country purchase. Don't worry, that is a good thing because it will give you an excuse to spend more of our tax dollars.....

Live Long and Prosper,,,,

It's Mardi Gras! Laissez les bon temps roulet!

Mardi Gras!

Laissez les bon temps roulet!

(let the good times roll!)

It's Mardi Gras! The annual bacchanalia that caps off weeks of Carnival festivals is in full swing. I just thought I'd take a moment to brush up your Mardi Gras history. And don't forget: Let the good times roll!

The start of Carnival goes all the way back to 1582, when Pope Gregory XIII made it an official holiday. When the weather's chilly and people have nothing but Lent to look forward to, they need a way to cut loose, right? That's what Mardi Gras is all about.

New Orleans started celebrating almost as soon as it was established. By the 19th century, Carnival balls and parties were major events. By 1838, parades were introduced as well, as the Times Picayune explains.

Mardi Gras itself means "Fat Tuesday" and is always the day before Ash Wednesday, the official start of Lent. "Fat" in this case means jolly and indulgent - but there's plenty of king cake around to help out as well.

King cake? It's one of many Mardi Gras necessities. King cake is a tradition for several Christian celebrations, but in New Orleans it's all about Carnival. The gooey, sugary treat holds a surprise: a plastic baby. Depending on who you ask, the baby is a symbol of good luck or a sign that you're the one buying the next cake.

When picking your favorite Mardi Gras parade, make sure you're looking for "Krewes," not crews. New Orleans is eccentric if nothing else. The first Krewe was Comus in 1857. The second Krewe didn't come along until 1870, but today there are more than 50.

Don't worry if your Cajun French is rusty: "laissez les bon temps rouler" (pronounced "Lay-say le bon tom roo-lay") just means "let the good times roll." Now you know.

I have been to New Orelans hundreds of times over the years. I love the city, the French Quarter, the people, the history and the spirit. If you have not had an opportunity to visit there -by all means, do it if you can. And, while you're there, Laissez les bon temps roulet!

Live Long and Prosper....

The Beach Boys Reunion -Gonna have Good Vibrations!

The Beach Boys 1966-67

One of my all time favorite groups, The Beach Boys are coming back! This year marks 50 years of some of the greatest, most all around enjoyable music of our time. I grew up listening to their music in high school, in College and ever since. For those uneducated, classless people out there who may not know the Beach Boys, I thought I would put up this little blog honoring their 50 years. Here is a short history of the group followed by a few you tube clips of their music for your education and enjoyment -you're welcome....

The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962. The band's early music gained popularity across the United States for its close vocal harmonies and lyrics reflecting a Southern California youth culture of surfing, cars, and romance. By the mid-1960s, leader Brian Wilson's growing creative ambition and songwriting ability would dominate the group's musical direction. The primarily Brian-composed Pet Sounds album and "Good Vibrations" single (both released in 1966) featured a complex, intricate and multi-layered sound that was a far cry from the simple surf rock of The Beach Boys' early years.

However, Brian would soon lose control of the band because of problems with his mental health and substance abuse. This led to the cancellation of the anticipated follow up to Pet Sounds, Smile (the album sessions were eventually released in 2011). Subsequently, although they released a number of highly artistic albums (in various musical styles, with different line-ups) in ensuing years, particularly in the years 1967–1973, the group never managed to reclaim its mid-1960s peak when The Beach Boys challenged The Beatles both in terms of commercial and critical appeal. Since the 1980s, there has been much legal-wrangling among the group members over royalties, songwriting credits, and use of the band's name. Following the release of studio album Stars and Stripes Vol. 1 in 1996, a number of versions of the band, each fronted by a surviving member of the original quintet (Dennis and Carl Wilson died in 1983 and 1998, respectively), continued to tour until the announcement in late 2011 of a full-scale reunion—including Wilson—for 2012.

The Beach Boys have often been called "America's Band", and Allmusic has stated that "the band's unerring ability... made them America's first, best rock band." The group has had 36 US Top 40 hits (the most by an American rock band) and 56 Hot 100 hits, including four number-one singles. Rolling Stone magazine listed The Beach Boys at number 12 on their 2004 list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time," the highest ranking for an American rock band. The group is also one of America's best-selling acts, having sold over 100 million albums worldwide since their debut in 1961. Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson, Dennis Wilson, Mike Love, and Al Jardine were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.

I don't know about you but I am really looking forward to many more years of great music from this incredible band!

Live Long and Prosper...

On this day in History, 21 February 1965 -Malcom X Assasinated

In New York City, Malcolm X, an African American nationalist and religious leader, is assassinated by rival Black Muslims while addressing his Organization of Afro-American Unity at the Audubon Ballroom in Washington Heights.

Born Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1925, Malcolm was the son of James Earl Little, a Baptist preacher who advocated the black nationalist ideals of Marcus Garvey. Threats from the Ku Klux Klan forced the family to move to Lansing, Michigan, where his father continued to preach his controversial sermons despite continuing threats. In 1931, Malcolm's father was brutally murdered by the white supremacist Black Legion, and Michigan authorities refused to prosecute those responsible. In 1937, Malcolm was taken from his family by welfare caseworkers. By the time he reached high school age, he had dropped out of school and moved to Boston, where he became increasingly involved in criminal activities.

In 1946, at the age of 21, Malcolm was sent to prison on a burglary conviction. It was there he encountered the teachings of Elijah Muhammad, the leader of the Nation of Islam, whose members are popularly known as Black Muslims. The Nation of Islam advocated black nationalism and racial separatism and condemned Americans of European descent as immoral "devils." Muhammad's teachings had a strong effect on Malcolm, who entered into an intense program of self-education and took the last name "X" to symbolize his stolen African identity.

After six years, Malcolm was released from prison and became a loyal and effective minister of the Nation of Islam in Harlem, New York. In contrast with civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X advocated self-defense and the liberation of African Americans "by any means necessary." A fiery orator, Malcolm was admired by the African American community in New York and around the country.

In the early 1960s, he began to develop a more outspoken philosophy than that of Elijah Muhammad, whom he felt did not sufficiently support the civil rights movement. In late 1963, Malcolm's suggestion that President John F. Kennedy's assassination was a matter of the "chickens coming home to roost" provided Elijah Muhammad, who believed that Malcolm had become too powerful, with a convenient opportunity to suspend him from the Nation of Islam.

A few months later, Malcolm formally left the organization and made a Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, where he was profoundly affected by the lack of racial discord among orthodox Muslims. He returned to America as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz and in June 1964 founded the Organization of Afro-American Unity, which advocated black identity and held that racism, not the white race, was the greatest foe of the African American. Malcolm's new movement steadily gained followers, and his more moderate philosophy became increasingly influential in the civil rights movement, especially among the leaders of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee.

On February 21, 1965, one week after his home was firebombed, Malcolm X was shot to death by Nation of Islam members while speaking at a rally of his organization in New York City.

Live Long and Prosper.....

Now, from the dark side of American History

On this day in 1725 the American Colonists began taking the scalps of Native American indians in revenge for the massacre and scalping of colonists.

A posse of New Hampshire volunteers came across a band of encamped Native Americans and took 10 "scalps" in the first significant appropriation of this Native American practice by European colonists. The posse received a bounty of 100 pounds per scalp from the British authorities in Boston.

Although the custom of "scalping" was once practiced in Europe and Asia, it is generally associated with North American native groups. In scalping, the skin around the crown of the head was cut and removed from the enemy's skull, usually causing death. In addition to its value as a war trophy, a scalp was often believed to bestow the possessor with the powers of the scalped enemy.

In their early wars with Native Americans, European colonists of North America retaliated against hostile native groups by adopting their practice of scalp taking. Bounties were offered for them by British authorities, which in turn led to an escalation of intertribal warfare and scalping in North America.n. The paying of bounties for scalps was eventually adopted by American state governments and by the Mexican government in the ensuing "Indian Wars" through the end of the 19th century.

It's nice to know we have become more civilized now... sort of....

Live Long and Prosper.....

Now the Food Police -Enough Already!

This country is becoming more and more of a "Nanny State" everyday. The Federal Government is determined to tell us how to live every aspect of our lives. Now the Federal Health and Safety people are sticking their ugly noses into school lunched and actually telling parents what they can and can not pack into lunches for their children.

One North Carolina mom is hopping mad after her four-year-old daughter returned home late last month with an uneaten lunch the mother had packed for the girl earlier that day. But she wasn’t mad because the daughter decided to go on a hunger strike. Instead, the reason the daughter didn‘t eat her lunch is because someone at the school determined the lunch wasn’t healthy enough and sent it back home.-Yes, you read that right.

The incident happened in Raeford, N.C. at West Hoke Elementary School. What was wrong with the lunch? That’s still a head-scratcher because it didn’t contain anything egregious: a turkey and cheese sandwich, banana, potato chips, and apple juice. But for the inspector on hand that day, it didn’t meet the 'healthy requirements' set by our Federal Government. See, in North Carolina, all pre-Kindergarten programs are required to evaluate the lunches being provided and determine if they meet USDA nutrition guidelines. If not, they must provide an alternative.

But that’s not the worst of it. Instead of being given a salad or something really healthy, the girl was given chicken nuggets instead.Yep, Chicken Nuggets! Now there's a healthy choice for you! On top of it, her mother was then sent a bill for the cafeteria food.

Sara Burrows from the Carolina Journal explains:

The girl’s turkey and cheese sandwich, banana, potato chips, and apple juice did not meet U.S. Department of Agriculture guidelines, according to the interpretation of the agent who was inspecting all lunch boxes in her More at Four classroom that day.

This is really going way too far. Just when are we, as a people, going to put our foot down and tell the feds to get the hell out of our kitchens, bathrooms and bedrooms? Fixing Washington is not just a question of finding replacements for that useless bunch of politicians in the Senate and Congress, nor a good man for the White House, we also have to cut the size and scope of the Federal Government dramatically. We need to get rid of these over-paid people on the government dole with nothing better to do than to think up more and more regulations "for the good of the people". These bureaucrats are not elected nor chosen by the people and their regulations are not voted upon -that needs to change, and soon!

Live Long and Prosper....

Jacksonville History -for Margaret

Jacksonville, Florida

A few years ago, a good friend of mine decided to abandon her life in California and move to sunny Florida. Crazy, I know, but she wanted to buy a home and be close to her son and his wife - I am sure the price and pace of living in California had nothing to do with it.... Anyway, she settled in Jacksonville, Florida so, being an amateur historian, I decided to put this blog together about Jacksonville from a historical perspective.

Ft Carolina

The area of the modern city of Jacksonville has been inhabited for thousands of years. On Black Hammock Island in the national Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve, a University of North Florida team discovered some of the oldest remnants of pottery in the United States, dating to 2500 BC. In the 16th century, the beginning of the historical era, the region was inhabited by the Mocama, a coastal subgroup of the Timucua people. At the time of contact with Europeans, all Mocama villages in present-day Jacksonville were part of the powerful chiefdom known as the Saturiwa, centered around the mouth of the St. Johns River. One early map shows a village called Ossachite at the site of what is now downtown Jacksonville; this may be the earliest recorded name for that area.

European explorers first arrived in the area 1562, when French Huguenot explorer Jean Ribault charted the St. Johns River. In 1564, René Goulaine de Laudonnière established the first European settlement, Fort Caroline, on the St. Johns near the main village of the Saturiwa. On September 20, 1565, a Spanish force from the nearby Spanish settlement of St. Augustine attacked Fort Caroline, and killed nearly all the French soldiers defending it. The Spanish renamed the fort San Mateo, and following the ejection of the French, St. Augustine's position as the most important settlement in Florida was solidified.

Spain ceded Florida to the British in 1763, after the French and Indian War, and the British soon constructed the King's Road connecting St. Augustine to Georgia. The road crossed the St. Johns River at a narrow point, which the Seminole called Wacca Pilatka and the British named the "Cow Ford", both names ostensibly reflecting the fact that cattle were brought across the river there.[15][16][17] Britain ceded control of the territory back to Spain in 1783, after its defeat in the American Revolutionary War, and The settlement at the Cow Ford continued to grow. After Spain ceded the Florida Territory to the United States in 1821, American settlers on the north side of the Cow Ford decided to plan a town, laying out the streets and plats. They soon named the town "Jacksonville", after Andrew Jackson. Led by Isaiah D. Hart, residents wrote a charter for a town government, which was approved by the Florida Legislative Council on February 9, 1832.

During the American Civil War, Jacksonville was a key supply point for hogs and cattle being shipped from Florida to aid the Confederate cause. The city was blockaded by Union forces, who gained control of the nearby Fort Clinch. From 1862, they controlled the city and most of the First Coast for the duration of the war. Though no battles were fought in Jacksonville proper, the city changed hands several times between Union and Confederate forces. Warfare and the long occupation left the city disrupted after the war.

During Reconstruction and the Gilded Age, Jacksonville and nearby St. Augustine became popular winter resorts for the rich and famous. Visitors arrived by steamboat and later by railroad. President Grover Cleveland attended the Sub-Tropical Exposition in the city on February 22, 1888 during his trip to Florida. This highlighted the visibility of the state as a worthy place for tourism. The city's tourism, however, was dealt major blows in the late 19th century by yellow fever outbreaks. In addition, extension of the Florida East Coast Railway further south drew visitors to other areas. From 1893 to 1938 Jacksonville was the site of the Florida Old Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Home with a nearby cemetery.

On May 3, 1901, downtown Jacksonville was ravaged by a fire that started at a fiber factory. Known as the "Great Fire of 1901", it was one of the worst disasters in Florida history and the largest urban fire in the southeastern United States. In just eight hours, it destroyed the business district and left approximately 10,000 residents homeless. It is said the glow from the flames could be seen in Savannah, Georgia, and the smoke plumes in Raleigh, North Carolina. Architect Henry John Klutho was a primary figure in the reconstruction of the city. More than 13,000 buildings were constructed between 1901 and 1912.

In the 1910s, New York–based filmmakers were attracted to Jacksonville's warm climate, exotic locations, excellent rail access, and cheap labor. Over the course of the decade, more than 30 silent film studios were established, earning Jacksonville the title of "Winter Film Capital of the World". However, the city's conservative political climate and the emergence of Hollywood as a major film production center ended the city's film industry. One converted movie studio site, Norman Studios, remains in Arlington; It has been converted to the Jacksonville Silent Film Museum at Norman Studios.
During this time, Jacksonville also became a banking and insurance center, with companies such as Barnett Bank, Atlantic National Bank, Florida National Bank, Prudential, Gulf Life, Afro-American Insurance, Independent Life and American Heritage Life thriving in the business district. The U.S. Navy also became a major employer and economic force during the 1940s, with the construction of three naval bases in the city.

Jacksonville, like most large cities in the United States, suffered from negative effects of rapid urban sprawl after World War II. The construction of highways led residents to move to newer housing in the suburbs. After World War II, the government of the city of Jacksonville began to increase spending to fund new public building projects in the boom that occurred after the war. Mayor W. Haydon Burns' Jacksonville Story resulted in the construction of a new city hall, civic auditorium, public library and other projects that created a dynamic sense of civic pride. However, the development of suburbs and a subsequent wave of middle class "white flight" left Jacksonville with a much poorer population than before.

Much of the city's tax base dissipated, leading to problems with funding education, sanitation, and traffic control within the city limits. In addition, residents in unincorporated suburbs had difficulty obtaining municipal services, such as sewage and building code enforcement. In 1958, a study recommended that the city of Jacksonville begin annexing outlying communities in order to create the needed tax base to improve services throughout the county. Voters outside the city limits rejected annexation plans in six referendums between 1960 and 1965.

In the mid 1960s, corruption scandals began to arise among many of the city's officials, who were mainly elected through the traditional good ol' boy network. After a grand jury was convened to investigate, 11 officials were indicted and more were forced to resign. Consolidation, led by J. J. Daniel and Claude Yates, began to win more support during this period, from both inner city blacks, who wanted more involvement in government, and whites in the suburbs, who wanted more services and more control over the central city. In 1964 all 15 of Duval County's public high schools lost their accreditation. This added momentum to proposals for government reform. Lower taxes, increased economic development, unification of the community, better public spending and effective administration by a more central authority were all cited as reasons for a new consolidated government.

Live Long and Prosper....

On this Day in History -1865, Union Forces Sack Columbia South Carolina

On this day in 1865, the soldiers from Union General William Tecumseh Sherman's army ransack Columbia, South Carolina, and leave a charred city in their wake.

Sherman is most famous for his March to the Sea in the closing months of 1864. After capturing Atlanta in September, Sherman cut away from his supply lines and cut a swath of destruction across Georgia on his way to Savannah. His army lived off the land and destroyed railroads, burned warehouses, and ruined plantations along the way. This was a calculated effort--Sherman thought that the war would end more quickly if civilians of the South felt some destruction personally, a view supported by General Ulysses S. Grant, commander of all Union forces, and President Abraham Lincoln.

After spending a month in Savannah, Sherman headed north to tear the Confederacy into smaller pieces. The Yankee soldiers took particular delight in carrying the war to South Carolina, the symbol of the rebellion. It was the first state to secede and the site of Fort Sumter, where South Carolinians fired on the Federal garrison to start the war in April 1861. When Confederate General Wade Hampton's cavalry evacuated Columbia, the capital was open to Sherman's men.

Many of the Yankees got drunk before starting the rampage. Union General Henry Slocum observed: "A drunken soldier with a musket in one hand and a match in the other is not a pleasant visitor to have about the house on a dark, windy night." Sherman claimed that the raging fires were started by evacuating Confederates and fanned by high winds. He later wrote: "Though I never ordered it and never wished it, I have never shed any tears over the event, because I believe that it hastened what we all fought for, the end of the War."

Belatedly, some Yankees helped fight the fires, but more than two-thirds of the city was destroyed. Already choked with refugees from the path of Sherman's army, Columbia's situation became even more desperate when Sherman's army destroyed the remaining public buildings before marching out of Columbia three days later.

Live Long and Prosper....

United and Continental to start Gouging our Service Members -again

Save $ -let Fido fly himself

According to a resent story in Stars and Stripes, many servicemembers flying internationally on official orders could face steep fare increases for pets beginning next month due to a change in airline baggage policies. Following its resent merger with Continental Airlines, United Airlines has announced that on March 3 it will drop its current flat rate for pets that are checked as excess baggage and instead require all animals to be shipped as cargo. For those changing duty stations in the Pacific, the change could mean paying about $1,440 to $3,869 to fly with an animal back to the United States, depending on its size. Currently, United charges $283 for most pets.

United and Continental are both federal contract carriers, so servicemembers traveling on official duty are often booked to fly on the airlines at a reduced cost to the military, but the cost to transport pets must be paid by the servicemember.

This is going to be very hard on our people in uniform and pets are going to be left behind. The price increases are going to put the cost of transporting a pet out of reach for lower-ranking servicemembers who do not have the income to spend thousands of dollars on airline tickets for the family pet.

The impact in Europe is likely to be minimal, as starting this month, soldiers and their families began using the Defense Department-chartered Patriot Express for flights between Baltimore and Ramstein Air Base, instead of flying into or out of Frankfurt Airport. Patriot Express charges $110 to ship a pet, according to U.S. Army Europe. The Air Force also uses Patriot Express to move airmen relocating to and from Germany, and commercial carriers only when seats are not available on Patriot Express flights.Last year, about 1,500 soldiers and families went through Frankfurt Airport each month. The command hopes to have all incoming personnel flying into Ramstein by the end of September.

The merger between United and Continental created the world’s largest carrier. According to Continental’s website, that airline alone is contracted to handle more than 1,700 city-to-city routes for the military and federal government.

The point is that the airlines do not even try to claim that the severe increase in costs to what is basically a captive audience (as a result of the government contracts) are necessary due to increases in costs to the airlines, such as fuel or taxes. Instead they simply took the high fess charged by the larger airline for the sole purpose of increasing profits -at the expense of our military members and their families. The move is outrageous and the public (whom are mostly blissfully unaware of this blatant profiteering) should be letting Continental and United know this is unacceptable. I have already fired off a blistering letter and I hope some of you will as well. If enough people complain, the airlines will revert back to the lower rates -if no one says anything, they will be happy to stay with the higher rates and our military families will lose many of their loved family pets when they are transferred.

Live Long and Prosper....

On This Day in History - February 15, 1942, Singapore Falls

Singapore, the "Gibraltar of the East" and a strategic British stronghold, falls to Japanese forces.

An island city and the capital of the Straits Settlement of the Malay Peninsula, Singapore had been a British colony since the 19th century. In July 1941, when Japanese troops occupied French Indochina, the Japanese telegraphed their intentions to transfer Singapore from the British to its own burgeoning empire. Sure enough, on the eve of the Pearl Harbor attack, 24,000 Japanese troops were transported from Indochina to the Malay Peninsula, and Japanese fighter pilots attacked Singapore, killing 61 civilians from the air.

The battle between Japanese and British forces on the Malay Peninsula continued throughout December and January, killing hundreds more civilians in the process. The British were forced to abandon and evacuate many of their positions, including Port Swettenham and Kuala Lumpur.

On February 8, 5,000 Japanese troops landed on Singapore Island. The British were both outmanned and outgunned. Pro-Japanese propaganda leaflets were dropped on the islands, encouraging surrender. On February 13, Singapore's 15-inch coastal guns--the island's main defensive weapons--were destroyed. Tactical miscalculations on the part of British Gen. Arthur Percival and poor communication between military and civilian authorities exacerbated the deteriorating British defense. Represented by General Percival and senior Allied officers, Singapore surrendered to Japanese Gen. Tomoyuki Yamashita in front of Japanese newsreel cameras. Sixty-two thousand Allied soldiers were taken prisoner; more than half eventually died as prisoners of war.

With the surrender of Singapore, Britain lost its foothold in the East. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill attempted to prop up morale by urging Brits "to display the calm and poise, combined with grim determination, which not so long ago brought us out of the very jaws of death."

Live Long and Prosper....

Oh No! More Opinions

Well, while I am revealing my dark side by expressing opinions on various topics, I might as well get a couple of more out of the way, so today let's discuss Capital Punishment a bit..

Capital Punishment

Capital Punishment was the law of the land when I was growing up. My friends and family simply accepted it. There was not much discussion and no one gave it much thought. Then, when I was in college at UC Berkeley (a place well known for it's liberal agenda) I was chosen to debate the issue taking the "Pro" side. We won that debate rather handily but the other side had made some very good points and I began to re-think the issue. Now, all these years later, I am still re-thinking it. I am opposed to the idea of taking a human life. Especially when the person being killed is in custody, can do no more harm and is defenseless. But, having said that, my objections disappear rapidly when I hear of a case where the crime is especially heinous, such as when a 46 year old man abducted a 7 year old girl from her front yard, took her out in the countryside, beat and raped her then left her to die. My instincts tell me that man needs to die. My objection then becomes finding a way to perform the execution slowly and painfully. 

Which brings me to the second objection I have to the death penalty, namely the way in which it is carried out. The death penalty should be a deterrent, something to make people afraid to commit violent crimes, but the way it is done in this country negates the deterrent effect. A person sentenced to death in most states today knows that it will take decades to get through the appeal process. One man executed last year had been convicted of killing an entire family back in 1985 -26 years before! How in the world does that deter others from committing the same offence or bring justice or closure to the victims friends and relatives? 

And that brings up my third objection -When it's time to carry out the execution -do it and do it in public so every one can see what happens when people do these bad things. The way they do it now is unbelievable. A quiet dignified ceremony attended by a very few members of the press and relatives of the victims -and they put the person to sleep first so there is no discomfort or pain. No discomfort or pain? Is that crazy or what? They are killing the person for God's sake! And the person is some one who has committed horrible crimes. They do not deserve to be treated with dignity.

I guess what all this boils down to is that I am opposed to the death penalty on both moral and practical grounds. For me, sending a person to prison without the possibility of parole -to spend the rest of their life in an 8 by 10 cell with no chance of ever leaving it is an acceptable alternative.-that is until I hear of another case like the one I mentioned above -then I think we should look to the Spanish Inquisition for more appropriate methods of execution.

Live Long and Prosper....

Time for My Opinions -Get out the Valium

OK, OK, I have been asked my opinion on several topics over and over and, while I think I have been fairly clear on a few subjects, thus far I have generally been able to avoid showing my true colors and have remained somewhat elusive on some others. I have been doing this on purpose regarding some issues either because my opinions are personal and I simply did not feel like arguing and defending them, or because I did not feel they were any body's business. Well, I guess it's time to pull back the curtain and take positions on a few subjects. So get your pitch forks, torches and ropes ready -here we go....

Republican Primaries

A circus. I do not like any of the candidates -and it seems that most Republicans don't either. Rick Santorum is the current rising star having "swept" the last few state primaries -what people do not mention is the fact that less than 2% of the registered voters even bothered to vote -so claims to "the will of the people" are a little over-blown, wouldn't you say? And Rick Santorum, really? A man who would pass Constitutional Amendments to make abortion illegal from the moment of conception under all circumstances, bar same-sex marriage and make an entire class of Americans second class citizens, re-instate DADT, set race and civil rights progress back a decade and is so set in his conservative ideology he would not give in on a single issue -resulting in 4 more years of complete deadlock in Washington. He likes to claim he is the only candidate that has won a Senate seat from an incumbent Democrat -but he fails to mention that as the incumbent Republican defending that seat, he lost. 

And, of course, there is the inevitable question -who would you vote for in the general election if it were a choice between Santorum and Obama? That's like asking me to choose between striping and sitting naked in a camp fire or just swallowing one of the hot embers. Fortunately, I really do not think little Ricky is going to get that far. The media and the "Super Pacs" have pretty much ignored him up until now but with his resent wins that is about to change. By the time they are through with him he will be lucky to get elected dog catcher in his local county.

The Situation with Iran

No good answers there but I think our government has really screwed the pouch on this one. We missed the opportunity to support a possible regime changing uprising following the last elections in Iran and we have fooled around with sanctions -trying to use economics conditions to force an ideologically entrenched regime to change its ways - which is kind of like telling a lion he can't have any cake if he eats the rabbit. The result has been that we have brought some discomfort to the Iranian people -something their government could not care less about -and not done much to slow, let alone stop, their nuclear program.

I believe military confrontation is inevitable and the longer we put off facing it the uglier and more costly it will become. I think we should allow Israel to take whatever actions they believe necessary and we should support them tooth and nail. Period. Do it, get it over and get on with other important things. As for interference by other Arab nations or by Russia or China.-well most Arab nations would be secretly very happy to see an end to Iran's nuclear program -and as for Russia and China -they will make noise but won't lift a finger to help Iran.

Taxes

My basic position is simple. Do not raise taxes or usage "fees". Having said that, facing a deficit as out of control as we have, I admit it may be necessary to break that rule. But, first we need to fix the tax code and either go to some form of flat tax or at least do away with the myriad of tax breaks and loop holes that allow corporations and the very rich, who should be taxed at 25 to 35% currently, but actually pay at closer to 13% in reality, to pay closer to a 'fair share'. Fix that first and cut back the size of the Federal bureaucracy and we would probably not need to raise any ones tax rate. As for a National Sales Tax to reduce the deficit -I think that is about as bad an idea as anyone has had since Custer decided to attack the Indian village (oh, excuse me, the Native American encampment).

Same Sex Marriage

Oh, now here is an important issue. The world economy is on the brink of collapse, the Iranians are about to get nuclear bombs, Mexico is close to being taken over by drug cartels, millions are starving to death world wide, the Muslim Brotherhood is about to take over in Egypt, America has a record high unemployment rate problem, millions of Americans are facing foreclosure on their homes -are we really going to waste time and money arguing about who can or can't marry whom? Honestly? Are we nuts? The whole question is a ludicrous waste of time. Besides, the question is not really complicated at all. Are they US citizens? Yes. Should they have the same right to do whatever any other citizens can do? Yes. Is it necessary for everyone to agree or approve how other citizens choose to live? No. Now, wasn't that easy? Oh, and don't throw the "it's an abomination" thing at me. That only works from a religious perspective and only if you happen to belong to a religion that believes that. We have many churches in this country that do not believe that and we have a separation of church and state to protect us from being forced to live by the standards of some one else's religious beliefs. Protestants don't have to go confess, Catholics don't have to have a Bar Mitzvah and no one has to listen to Reverend Wright. It's a very good system.

OK, now I have stated my opinions on a few of the issues. Are you happy? I told you to get out the Valium. You can take out your "Gary Voodoo Dolls" and start sticking pins in them whenever you're ready. Have a great day and, to paraphrase Jack Nicholson, I'll be back....

Live Long and Prosper....

China's next Leader to visit US

Xi (pronounced"shee") Jinping

Vice President Xi's visit to the United States next week will enhance his aura of readiness to lead China from late this year. It could also set the mood for the next decade that he is likely to serve as president, an era when Sino-U.S. relations face deep and potentially troublesome shifts. The Communist "princeling" is fond of small town America and Hollywood war dramas, is a brusque critic of Western pressure and has a daughter at Harvard. Chinese leader-in-waiting Xi (pronounced"shee") Jinping embodies his nation's contradictory ties with the United States.

Both sides want Xi's visit to encourage longer-term cooperation between the world's two biggest economies, not immediate breakthroughs. He appears curious to understand the ways of Washington (good luck, we don't even understand that) and woo audiences outside the U.S. capital. In China's one-party state, Xi need not worry about winning the vote of citizens, but he looks eager to try to win over American voters worried about China's strength and intentions. His planned stop in Iowa, where he stayed briefly with a family in the small town of Muscatine in 1985, will reinforce that theme.

"In all likelihood, he's going to be running China for the next 10 years and it will be the first impression he gives to the (U.S.) public at large prior to his assuming the presidency," said Stephen Orlins, president of the National Committee on United States-China Relations.

But the Chinese leader-in-waiting, aware of scrutiny at home, will want to avoid looking unduly keen to please the White House. Xi and his U.S. hosts have many strains to deal with: bilateral disputes on trade and human rights, and policy disagreements over North Korea, Iran and most recently Syria, over which China blocked a U.N. resolution.

Fleshy and slightly stooped, the 58-year-old Xi is the son of late, reformist vice premier Xi Zhongxun, making him one of the privileged "princelings": the sons and daughters of revolutionary leaders who rose under Mao Zedong. Unlike past Chinese presidents who grew up in the provinces, Xi speaks the clear, standard Mandarin Chinese that is a mark of growing up in Beijing -- in his case in a guarded compound.

But Xi also experienced the tumult of Mao's era after his father was purged in 1962, when Mao turned against long-time comrades out of the belief that they threatened the purity of his revolution. Like many urban youths, the younger Xi was sent to work in the countryside during the Cultural Revolution (1966-76), where he rose to become a commune official. He later studied chemical engineering at Tsinghua University in Beijing, an elite school where President Hu also studied. Xi gained a doctorate in Marxist theory from Tsinghua.

"He is a self-confident leader," said Orlins, the president of the National Committee on United States-China Relations. "In China, coming from that kind of background, you tend to have more self-confidence and that exhibits itself in dealing with foreigners, as well as Chinese," said Orlins.

Xi's "red" background has prompted some observers to speculate he could take a tougher stance against Washington, which would reflect growing nationalist sentiment in China. On a trip overseas in 2009, Xi bristled at the international demands piling up at Beijing's door. "Some foreigners with full bellies and nothing better to do engage in finger-pointing at us," he said, in comments that spread on China's Internet and drew applause from many readers.

But recently, he stressed Beijing's desire for steady relations and sought to set an amicable tone for his visit.

"Sino-U.S. relations stand at a new historic starting point, and both sides must take a long-term perspective and demonstrate political courage and decisiveness to overcome obstacles that have long stood in the way of Sino-U.S. strategic mutual trust and impeded deeper cooperation," he told a meeting in Beijing. "China and the United States have every reason and ample room to develop cooperation and partnership."

In August, Xi hosted U.S. Vice President Joe Biden on a visit that gave Washington policymakers a chance to size up the president-in-waiting. Biden described Xi as "totally engaging," saying he was "open about the nature and the extent of their problems, what they're going to have to deal with, short-term and long-term."

At a 2007 dinner with the U.S. ambassador to Beijing, Xi mentioned his affection for Hollywood films, including World War II stories such as "Saving Private Ryan," according to U.S. diplomatic cables made public by WikiLeaks. "Hollywood makes those moves well, and such Hollywood movies are grand and truthful," the notes on the meeting paraphrased Xi as saying. "Americans have a clear outlook on values and clearly demarcate between good and evil," Xi said. "In American movies, good usually prevails."

Xi coming to power could be a good sign for US-Chinese relations, but never forget that he is a descendant of the hard core Maoist teachings. In dealing with him I think it would be wise to be cordial and as cooperative as possible -but keep the ammunition locker unlatched....

Live Long and Prosper...

India and the "Young Emperor"

I was doing some research into India's military modernization program and I started running across references to "the young emperor". That surprised me and got my attention so I thought I'd find out what that was all about. What I found impressed me. I really think India has a man about to step up into the Prime Ministers position who just may turn out to be a very good thing for India and for the world

They call him the Yuva Samrat, or young emperor. Yet Rahul Gandhi has so far shown no inclination to claim the throne of the world's largest democracy. The scion of India's Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty could be prime minister if he asked for it, according to many members of his ruling Congress party. But instead he is focused on grassroots politics in Uttar Pradesh, the country's most politically vital state, which votes in local elections this month and where Congress struggles for support at the ballot box. "Rahul Gandhi's obsession is not to be PM," the 41-year-old told a news conference . "Rahul Gandhi's obsession is to work for the people."

Party insiders and confidants say Gandhi is looking beyond the government's present troubles, and his strategy of building support from the ground up guarantees a long-term future for Congress and, by extension, for himself. "Tomorrow if he gets up in the morning and wants to become prime minister, he will be sworn in," said a federal minister. "It will take a few hours, only the procedural time." But the minister added: "Rahul is not in a hurry, he does not want to grab any post, he wants to earn it. He is reluctant to do it any other way. He is a long-race horse."

Still, with the party mired in corruption scandals and in danger of being forced into an early general election or thrown out at the next scheduled poll in 2014, Gandhi may find he has no throne to ascend to. Pressure is mounting on him from within the troubled party to take charge because Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is seen as a lame-duck and an electoral liability.

The Nehru-Gandhi family has ruled the country for most of its 65 years since independence, and many Indians seem to take it for granted that Rahul, the son, grandson and great-grandson of former prime ministers, will also one day be their leader.He has studied at Harvard and Cambridge universities, worked under a false name at a London management consultancy and has spent the last seven years as a member of parliament from a family constituency in Uttar Pradesh.

It has been a long apprenticeship, in the shadow of his Italian-born mother, Sonia Gandhi, president of the Congress party and - many say - the real centre of power in India. Sonia underwent treatment overseas last year, reportedly for cancer, and while she has resumed party duties there are doubts about how long she can maintain the pace. Given the risk of a leadership vacuum, it may soon be now-or-never time for her son.

But since 2004 when he first joined parliament, Gandhi has focused much of his political energy on Uttar Pradesh, which with 200 million people would be the world's fifth-most populous country if independent. It sends 80 members to the 543 elected parliamentary seats in New Delhi, making control of the state crucial to run the federal government.

Congress has not won a state election in Uttar Pradesh for 22 years, which largely explains its inability to take power on its own in New Delhi. It has won the last two federal elections with coalition governments, which have left it vulnerable to demands for cabinet posts and policy compromises. And it is seen losing ground. An opinion poll by the India Today weekly said that Congress would win only about 110 seats in parliament if national elections were held now, its lowest tally ever and against the 206 it won at the last elections.

"There is clear public dissatisfaction over the manner in which the government has responded to charges of corruption," one magazine said. "The government's economic mismanagement, reflected in stalling growth and persistent inflation, is also taking a toll on its electoral fortunes."

Gandhi's slowly-slowly strategy and his decision to stake so much on Uttar Pradesh could go horribly wrong if Congress fails to make a good showing in the state assembly elections and at least become part of a coalition government there.

No one in the family has been as good an orator as Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first prime minister. Still, they are perhaps the only politicians whose appeal cuts across caste and religious lines, which decide most elections in the country.

The political lineage, likened to the Kennedy's in the United States both for the power it has enjoyed and the tragedies that have befallen it, started with Motilal Nehru, a Brahmin from Kashmir who practiced law in Uttar Pradesh in the early 20th century and gave up a Western lifestyle to become president of the Congress party. His son, Jawaharlal, was independence hero Mahatma Gandhi's closest confidant and prime minister from 1947 until 1964. Jawaharlal's daughter, Indira, married a Gandhi who was no relation to the Mahatma, but the name was certainly no handicap in politics.

Indira became prime minister in 1966, but was voted out in 1977 after imposing a harsh internal emergency on the country, becoming the first of her family to lose a national election. But the mystique of the dynasty brought her back to power within three years and her son Rajiv took over after she was shot dead by two bodyguards in 1984. Rajiv

Those killings have made Rahul, his mother Sonia and sister Priyanka among the most protected people in the world. Armed men in suits and dark glasses guard them at public functions and, for security reasons, Rahul even used a false name at university and when he worked in London at the turn of the century.

But the family tries to balance the security constraints with campaigning and regular public appearances.

Sonia, who took over the presidency of the Congress some years after her husband's death but refused to become prime minister, gets much respect in public, for eschewing office, her faultless Hindi and conservative Indian dress and also for staying on despite the tragedies. Priyanka Gandhi attracts large crowds when she campaigns for her brother, partly because of her uncanny resemblance to her grandmother, Indira, but she is staying away from a wider role.

In the end, what Rahul Gandhi does or is able to do will be decided by the Uttar Pradesh elections. A poor performance by Congress may embolden the opposition and force an early general election; a good showing will give the party more space to put its house in order and allow Gandhi to take his time.

OK, yesterday I put up a You Tube Clip of Johnny Cash singing Danny Boy. Today I am going to share another slip of one of my old favorites -it came out back in 1968 while I was still in student government in school. I remember it being a hit at the time and played on the radio at lot for a short while, It always brings back found memories -both of those years and the years that followed....

Live Long and Prosper....

Washington Polititians -I think They're Crazy

We keep hearing about how there is gridlock in Congress and how nothing can get done. Both sides talk bug about spending cuts and the need to reduce the deficit. The Republicans have even gone so far as to say they will not approve any spending unless the same bill has an equal amount in cuts. Well, just how they hell did the Senate approve a $63 billion bill on Monday that funds U.S. aviation programs for four years and authorizes new steps for the government to modernize the air traffic system.

Senate lawmakers cleared the measure by a 75-to-20 vote, sending it to the White House for President Barack Obama's signature. The House of Representatives approved it last week. The legislation sets out a blueprint for predictable funding of the Federal Aviation Administration, which receives about $15 billion annually to operate air traffic control centers at more than 400 airports.The agency also inspects commercial aircraft and oversees airline safety operations and airport improvement projects.

The agency has operated under 23 straight temporary spending bills since the previous long-term law authorizing its budget expired in 2007. The current stop-gap spending measure expires February 17. A fight over federal spending prompted a partial shutdown of the FAA last summer for two weeks.

Congress has fought for the past four years over federal spending levels, fees, limits on airport uses and government subsidies for service to rural communities.

It turns out that passage was assured when House and Senate negotiators struck a surprise compromise last month on a provision affecting union elections at commercial carriers.The deal partially rolled back a regulatory change that made it easier for labor groups to organize. More than a dozen unions objected strongly to the compromise and launched a last-minute lobbying push to head it off.

Other key provisions of the four-year bill include:

* Roughly $3 billion annually for the next phase of transforming the U.S. air traffic system from one based on radar to one relying on global positioning satellites. (Good,needed)

* A congressional statement opposing a controversial European Union law that makes airlines globally pay for emissions from their aircraft when flying over Europe. The Obama administration also opposes the measure and is trying to get European states to resolve the matter at the United Nations. (Good, we need to stand up to the EU on things like this)

* A provision permitting the Transportation Department to offer loan guarantees to airlines to help them pay for air traffic modernization equipment needed on their planes. (What? Are they nuts? They are putting the government back in the lending business? Haven't they lerned from TARP, the stimulus and Solyandra? -no wonder nobody has heard about this bill....)

And Now something different. I was sitting around the other day with some friends just talking when some one asked "What is your favorite song?". Now that's a hard one. I know so many that I really like. I was tempted to cheat and say "The Star Spangled Banner" (can't argue much about that) -but then I realized there is one song that has always been my true "favorite". I found a You Tube clip of it to share below. Before you listen to it, you may think my choice of artists is a little strange. I choose Johnny Cash. There are a lot of people who sing this much better -but in his version the words are very clear and you can understand the lyrics, which is part of what makes the song so special.

Live Long and Prosper....

Talking Points for a Monkey Brain Day

Well, just not in the mood to blog today so I thought I would just dash off a few lines and see where it leads.

I sent Newt Gingrich a short message -I told him that humor works better than negativity. I suggested he do a funny political ad for a change. Make fun of Obama or Romney -or even himself. I'll bet it would go viral and be far for effective then the negative and complaining ads we are all getting so tired of....

Obama says he does not want to attack Iran. He wants diplomacy to work. I sure can understand that but I think all this "diplomacy" has not done much except give Iran 3 years to spread out, hide and harden it's nuc sites. I'm sure they are happy with the diplomatic approach...

Occupy Wall Street got tossed out of a Washington DC Park where they have been camped for months. I'm glad. We have a right to protest in this country -a right we believe was given to us by God Almighty, but we do not have a right to occupy parks and businesses, destroy private property or use violence (like throwing rocks and petrol bombs). While I can understand some of the message and even sympathize with it, I can not support the methods. I think the politically correct amongst our politicians have been far to slow in cracking down on these Occupy protesters.

The Giants won Super Bowl. Congratulations New York! I was pulling for Brady and the Patriots (how can you oppose that name?), but it was a great game and the Giants earned every bit of that win.

I made my Jambalaya for the Superbowl Game and I have to say it came out just purrfectt. I love Jambalaya. Oh, for those not familiar with this delicacy, it is a Cajun Dish from New Orleans with all kinds of things mixed in -shrimp, chicken, sausage, rice, tomato, bell pepper,. onion, celery, garlic and a little cayenne pepper  -and it is just great......

Well, time to run to the store and have a small stroke from seeing how much groceries have gone up this month. Got to get a treat or two for the dog -and maybe some small little decadent pleasure for his master.....

Live Long and Prosper....