George A. Sprecace M.D.,
J.D., F.A.C.P. and Allergy Associates of New
London,
P.C.
www.asthma-drsprecace.com
RAPID
RESPONSE (Archives)...Daily Commentary on News of the Day
This is a new section. It will
offer fresh,
quick reactions by myself to news and events of the day, day by day, in
this rapid-fire world of ours. Of course, as in military
campaigns,
a rapid response in one direction may occasionally have to be followed
by a "strategic withdrawal" in another direction. Charge that to
"the fog of war", and to the necessary flexibility any mental or
military
campaign must maintain to be effective. But the mission will
always
be the same: common sense, based upon facts and "real politick",
supported
by a visceral sense of Justice and a commitment to be pro-active.
That's all I promise.
GS
|
Click
here
to return to the current Rapid Response list
TUESDAY,
September 30,
2014
RR#1
POPE FRANCIS MAKES A REQUEST
Weep
not for what you have lost, fight for what you have.
Weep
not for what is dead, fight for what was born in you.
Weep
not for the one who abandoned you, fight for who is with you.
Weep
not for those who hate you, fight for those who want you.
Weep
not for your past, fight for your present struggle.
Weep
not for your suffering, fight for your happiness.
With
things that are happening to us, we begin to learn that nothing is
impossible to solve, just move forward.
THE
HOLY FATHER MAKES A REQUEST FOR PRAYERS THAT GOD PROTECTS HIM AND GIVES
HIM FORCES TO MEET THIS DIFFICULT TASK ... SO BE IT!!
Our
goal is to reach ten million Hail Mary's for Pope Francis.
This
campaign started today. Send this message to all Catholic friends or
even to those who like him
We
pray for the Holy Father that the heavenly Mother intercedes for him
and protects him in his ministry:
Hail
Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee, blessed art thou among
women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of
God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
RR#2
THIS IS SPECIAL.
Change Your Thinking
It
will take just 37 seconds to read this and change your thinking..
Two
men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room.
One
man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help
drain the fluid from his lungs.
His
bed was next to the room's only window.
The
other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.
The
men talked for hours on end.
They
spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their
involvement in the military service,
where
they had been on vacation..
Every
afternoon, when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would
pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see
outside the window.
The
man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods where his
world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of
the world outside.
The
window overlooked a park with a lovely lake Ducks and swans played on
the water while children sailed their model boats.
Young
lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view
of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.
As
the man by the window described all this in exquisite details, the man
on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine this
picturesque scene.
One
warm afternoon, the man by the window described a parade passing by.
Although
the other man could not hear the band - he could see it in his mind's
eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.
Days,
weeks and months passed.
One
morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to
find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died
peacefully in his sleep.
She
was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.
As
soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved
next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after
making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.
Slowly,
painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at
the real world outside.
He
strained to slowly turn to look out the window besides the bed.
It
faced a blank wall..
The
man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who
had described such wonderful things outside this window.
The
nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall.
She
said, 'Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you.'
Epilogue:
There
is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own
situations.
Shared
grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled.
If
you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money
can't buy.
'Today
is a gift, that is why it is called The Present .'
MONDAY,
September 29,
2014
RR#1
PRESIDENT OBAMA AND "EXCELLENT": two words never before seen in in the
same remark in this section.
Steve Croft's extended interview on "60 Minutes" with President Obama,
Sept 28, was an excellent job of substance, notwithstanding what may
have been left on the cutting room floor. No teleprompter (that
we could see), no excessive deference to "the most powerful man on
earth"...and very good questions and answers. Does this mean that
Barack Obama is actually educable, at least insofar as "world order" is
concerned. And/ or did he receive an advance copy of "World
Order" written by the world's most experienced living statesman: Henry
Kissinger? Stay tuned.
GS
RR#2
A Hong Kong movie theater asks its patrons to leave their cellphones ON
when they enter the movie.
Using that, Volkswagen made an eye opening ad...
More than 1.5 million views in 3 days!
SUNDAY,
September 28,
2014
RR#1
"My Old Lady", a movie review...
...with Maggie
Smith, Kevin Kline and Kristin Scott Thomas. You can't go wrong
with
these three superb actors. But there is too much dialogue and
monologue - and even operatics - which impair the flow of the
story.
Thus, a failure in the cutting room, despite a movie of just 103
minutes. Worthwhile, but could have been better.
A "B".
GS
RR#2
OBAMACARE: "A CAMEL IS A HORSE DESIGNED BY COMMITTEE".
GS
SATURDAY,
September 27,
2014
THE NATURE OF ISLAM: PAST AND PRESENT...BUT NOT FUTURE in our connected
world.
GS
THURSDAY and
FRIDAY,
September 25 and 26,
2014
"IN MEDICO PIETOSO FA LA PIAGA VERMINOSA".
"The soft-hearted doctor produces an infected wound".
GS
MONDAY through
WEDNESDAY,
September 22 through 24,
2014
"A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS".
GS
SATURDAY and
SUNDAY,
September 20 and 21,
2014
ENOUGH SERIOUS STUFF FOR A
WHILE. ENJOY THIS!
GS
THURSDAY and
FRIDAY,
September 18 and 19,
2014
FEE FOR SERVICE: GETTING
A BAD RAP FROM THE BEAN COUNTERS. BUT ONCE AGAIN THEY ARE
WRONG.
READ THIS.
GS
I
thought you would like to read the attached
article: Friday Feedback: Docs Defend Fee-for-Service Click http://www.medpagetoday.com/PracticeManagement/Reimbursement/47748
for the full story: Sign up at http://www.medpagetoday.com/updateProfile.cfm?action=register
for your FREE, once-daily, Medical News Daily Headlines Email. MedPage
Today(R)
provides physicians and 'expert patients' real-time
coverage of
breaking medical news and the top stories in health and medicine.
Physicians,
PAs, Nurses, and Pharmacists may also receive CME/CE credit as part of
our news
coverage. Our content is reviewed and accredited by the University of
Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Office of Continuing Medical Education
(OCME).
OCME is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical
Education (ACCME) to provide CME for physicians. There is no cost to
use the
service. Visit MedPage Today www.medpagetoday.com
now. At MedPage Today, we are Putting Breaking Medical News into
Practice(R).
MONDAY through
WEDNESDAY,
September 15 through 17,
2014
THE MIDDLE EAST CAULDRON: "Just the facts, Ma'am, just the facts".
GS
SUNDAY,
September 14,
2014
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY AND NANCY PELOSI: BIRDS OF A FEATHER?
"Who wudda thunk it?" The Republican Party and Mrs. Pelosi have
something in common. They are both STUPID!
Given the chasm that prevails between the fundamentalist Right and the
cynical / hypocritical "Moderate" Republicans, the Grand Old Party is
on target to lose the 2014 elections. STUPID! As I have written and
said many times, on this site and elsewhere, the only "non-negotiable"
for Republicans of all stripes should be total opposition to abortion
from the moment of conception - no exceptions. All the rest
require rational compromise within the four corners of the U.S.
Constitution: taxation, the budget, immigration, energy policy;
"marriage"; sexual orientation; defense; foreign policy....
Now comes the Pelosi, declaring that a Republican victory would thrust
the nation back to the Stone Age. STUPID, especially given the
high likelihood that she believes it! "Get thee to a nunnery".
GS
SATURDAY,
September 13,
2014
ON, AND ON, AND ON...
GS
FRIDAY,
September 12,
2014
RR#1
THE WAR ON WORLD-WIDE TERRORISM.
This statement reminds me of the statement of Winston Churchill, made
shortly after the end of WW II, describing an "Iron Curtain" dividing
Europe.
GS
RR#2
AT SOME POINT, "YA GOTTA BELIEVE"!
GS
RR#3
The Statue of Liberty
For some reason, people have
difficulty structuring their arguments when arguing against supporting
the currently proposed immigration revisions. This lady made the
argument pretty simple. NOT printed in the Orange County Paper ...
Newspapers
simply won't publish letters to the editor which they either deem
politically incorrect (read below) or which does not agree with the
philosophy they're pushing on the public. This woman wrote a great
letter to the editor that should have been published; but, with your
help, it will get published via cyberspace!
From:
"David LaBonte"
My
wife, Rosemary, wrote a wonderful letter to the editor of the OC
Register which, of course, was not printed. So, I decided to "print" it
myself by sending it out on the Internet. Pass it along if you feel so
inclined. Written in response to a series of letters to the editor in
the Orange County Register:
Dear
Editor:
So
many letter writers have based their arguments on how this land is made
up of immigrants. Ernie Lujan for one, suggests we should tear down the
Statue of Liberty because the people now in question aren't being
treated the same as those who passed throughEllis Island and other
ports of entry.
Maybe
we should turn to our history books and point out to people like Mr.
Lujan why today's American is not willing to accept this new kind of
immigrant any longer. Back in 1900 when there was a rush from all areas
of Europe to come to the United States, people had to get off a ship
and stand in a long line in New York and be documented. Some would even
get
down
on their hands and knees and kiss the ground. They made a pledge to
uphold the laws and support their new country in good and bad times.
They made learning English a primary rule in their new American
households and some even changed their names to blend in with their new
home.
They
had waved good-bye to their birth place to give their children a new
life and did everything in their power to help their children
assimilate into one culture. Nothing was handed to them. No free
lunches, no welfare, no labor laws to protect them. All they had were
the skills and craftsmanship they had brought with them to trade for a
future of prosperity.
Most
of their children came of age when World War II broke out. My father
fought alongside men whose parents had come straight over from Germany,
Italy, France and Japan. None of these 1st generation Americans ever
gave any thought about what country their parents had come from. They
were Americans fighting Hitler, Mussolini and the Emperor of Japan.
They were defending the United States of America as one people.
When
we liberated France, no one in those villages were looking for the
French-American or the German-American or the Irish-American. The
people of France saw only Americans. And we carried one flag that
represented one country. Not one of those immigrant sons would have
thought about picking up another country's flag and waving it to
represent who they were. It would have been a disgrace to their parents
who had sacrificed so much to be here. These immigrants truly knew what
it meant to be an American. They stirred the melting pot into one red,
white and blue bowl.
And
here we are with a new kind of immigrant who wants the same rights and
privileges. Only they want to achieve it by playing with a different
set of rules, one that includes the entitlement card and a guarantee of
being faithful to their mother country. I'm sorry, that'snot what being
an American is all about. I believe that the immigrants who landed on
Ellis Island in the early 1900's deserve better than that for all the
toil, hard work and sacrifice in raising future generations to create a
land that has become a beacon for those legally searching for a better
life. I think they would be appalled that they are being used as an
example by those waving foreign country flags.
And
for that suggestion about taking down the Statue of Liberty, it happens
to mean a lot to the citizens who are voting on the immigration bill. I
wouldn't start talking about dismantling the United States just yet.
(signed)
Rosemary
LaBonte
RR#4
...and we'll also give them the two coasts, where most of them
live. Those areas are disappearing anyway.
GS
DIVORCE AGREEMENT- -
WRITTEN
BY YOUNG COLLEGE STUDENT
The
person who wrote this is a college (law) student. Perhaps there is hope
for us after all.
DIVORCE
AGREEMENT
THIS
IS SO INCREDIBLY WELL PUT AND I CAN HARDLY BELIEVE IT'S BY A YOUNG
PERSON, A STUDENT!!! WHATEVER HE RUNS FOR, I'LL VOTE FOR HIM.
Dear
American liberals, leftists, social progressives, socialists, Marxists
and Obama supporters, et al: We have stuck together since the late
1950's for the sake of the kids, but the whole of this latest election
process has made me realize that I want a divorce. I know we tolerated
each other for many years for the sake of future generations, but
sadly, this relationship has clearly run its course.
Our
two ideological sides of America cannot and will not ever agree on what
is right for us all, so let's just end it on friendly terms. We can
smile and chalk it up to irreconcilable differences and go our own way.
Here
is a our separation agreement:
--Our
two groups can equitably divide up the country by landmass each taking
a similar portion. That will be the difficult part, but I am sure our
two sides can come to a friendly agreement. After that, it should be
relatively easy! Our respective representatives can effortlessly divide
other assets since both sides have such distinct and disparate tastes.
--We
don't like redistributive taxes so you can keep them.
--You
are welcome to the liberal judges and the ACLU.
--Since
you hate guns and war, we'll take our firearms, the cops, the NRA and
the military.
--We'll
take the nasty, smelly oil industry and the coal mines, and you can go
with wind, solar and biodiesel.
--You
can keep Oprah, Michael Moore and Rosie O'Donnell. You are, however,
responsible for finding a bio-diesel vehicle big enough to move all
three of them.
--We'll
keep capitalism, greedy corporations, pharmaceutical companies,
Wal-Mart and Wall Street.
--You
can have your beloved lifelong welfare dwellers, food stamps, homeless,
homeboys, hippies, druggies and illegal aliens.
--We'll
keep the hot Alaskan hockey moms, greedy CEO's and rednecks.
--We'll
keep Bill O ' Reilly, and Bibles and give you NBC and Hollywood .
--You
can make nice with Iran and Palestine and we'll retain the right to
invade and hammer places that threaten us.
--You
can have the peaceniks and war protesters. When our allies or our way
of life are under assault, we'll help provide them security.
--We'll
keep our Judeo-Christian values.
--You
are welcome to Islam, Scientology, Humanism, political correctness and
Shirley McClain. You can also have the U.N. but we will no longer be
paying the bill.
--We'll
keep the SUV's, pickup trucks and oversized luxury cars. You can take
every Volt and Leaf you can find.
--You
can give everyone healthcare if you can find any practicing doctors.
--We'll
keep "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" and "The National Anthem."
--I'm
sure you'll be happy to substitute "Imagine", "I'd Like to Teach the
World to Sing", "Kum Ba Ya" or "We Are the World".
--We'll
practice trickle-down economics and you can continue to give trickle up
poverty your best shot.
--Since
it often so offends you, we'll keep our history, our name and our flag.
Would
you agree to this? If so, please pass it along to other like-minded
liberal and conservative patriots and if you do not agree, just hit
delete. In the spirit of friendly parting, I'll bet you might think
about which one of us will need whose help in 15 years.
Sincerely,
John
J. Wall
Law
Student and an American
P.S.
Also, please take Ted Turner, Sean Penn, Martin & Charlie Sheen,
Barbara Streisand, ( Hanoi ) Jane Fonda with you.
P.S.S.
And you won't have to press 1 for English when you call our country.
WEDNESDAY and
THURSDAY, September 10 and 11,
2014
RR#1
"ARTICULATE, ARROGANT, ASININE" in full view.
GS
RR#2
AMERICA
AND THE MIDDLE EAST: The importance of knowing the past and the present
of what could be the beginning of an irregular World War III.
That includes the justified "pre-emptive self-defense" of March,
2003, the failed implementation by then - Secretary of Defense Donald
Rumsfeld, and the gross negligence of President Obama in the region
since 2008.
GS
TUESDAY, September
9,
2014
RR#1
I MUST KEEP REMINDING MYSELF:
'"JUSTICE IS MINE. I SHALL REPAY", sayeth The Lord".
(Romans)
GS
September
10, 2:00 a.m.
Dear
Friend of the Unborn,
Gettysburg
was one of the bloodiest battles in the history of warfare. In a single
day 51,000 men lost their lives.
Here’s
a statistic you may not know. Those 51,000 deaths totaled the horrific
31% of the 157,289 men who fought on both sides that day.
Now
consider this.
If
those men had Down syndrome diagnosed in the womb, the death toll would
have been 141,560. That is because 90% of children diagnosed in utero
with Down syndrome are aborted.
The
chances of living through childbirth with Down syndrome are
substantially less than living through the horrors of Gettysburg.
Why?
Because
folks are scared. They live in fear of seeing that knuckle fold on the
ultra-sound pictures. I remember my wife and I were scared. You
wonder, what if we get that diagnosis? We have faith in our lives and
would have viewed it as a gift from God.
But
others are not so blessed with faith and they will think immediately of
having the child killed, torn limb from limb, more brutal than the
deaths at Gettysburg.
We
can fix that. How? By letting people know that children with Down
syndrome are like all children, gifts from God send here to teach us
about love, even more so!
On
October 18, my friends and I are climbing on our bikes and riding 100
kilometers for a wonderful group founded precisely to make people know
they have nothing to fear from a child or an adult with Down syndrome.
Best
Buddies International is that group and they have my personal and my
organization’s full endorsement.
Best
Buddies is not pro-life like we are, that is explicitly pro-life,
shouting it from the rooftops pro-life. They are quietly pro-life,
helping people with Down syndrome live fuller and more meaningful lives
and helping families come to know God’s gift that has been given to
them.
We
are an explicitly pro-life group and we take the pro-life message to
these people.
Each
year I make a pledge that if I win the individual fundraising title
that I will make a pro-life speech. Each year for the past three years
I have come in second place! I can’t seem to beat out a very wealthy
banker! A good guy! But, I want to win so I can say this:
“My
team and I ride for all those with Down syndrome and most especially we
ride for with Down syndrome who never make it out of the womb. 90% of
those children diagnosed in utero with Down syndrome are aborted. Best
Buddies was founded to chase out fear and replace it with love. We ride
for all of them.”
Short,
simple, pro-life. I guarantee those good people do not know the deadly
statistic I will tell them that day. It may change lives.
So,
please help me raise money for this good charity. My immediate goal is
$20,000 and I am halfway there. I suspect I will need to raise more
like $30,000 to win.
In
the mean time, will you please go to…
http://mydc2014.bestbuddieschallenge.org/austinruse
and give as much as you are able! Fives, tens, and twenties get the job
done. If someone has the means, $500 would be amazing and even more, if
you can.
Help
me make that pro-life speech on October 18. Go to
http://mydc2014.bestbuddieschallenge.org/austinruse
and give. And please send this note to you mom and dad, your daughter
and son, your grandma and grandpa. Don’t forget to send it to your
neighbor, too.
Many
many thanks. Pray for us, too!
Yours
sincerely,
Austin
Ruse
PS
After my first letter last week something amazing happened. I received
a letter from a congregation of poor nuns living in South America and
they are praying for this ride! Let’s let them know that God hears them:
http://mydc2014.bestbuddieschallenge.org/austinruse
- Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute
RR#2
The
Buffet Rule
We must support this...pass it
on and let’s see if these idiots understand what people pressure is all
about.
Salary
of retired US Presidents . . . . . . . . . .. . $180,000 FOR LIFE
Salary
of House/Senate members . . . . . . . . $174,000 FOR LIFE This is stupid
Salary
of Speaker of the House . . . . . . . . . . $223,500 FOR LIFE This is
really stupid
Salary
of Majority/Minority Leaders . . . . . . . . $193,400 FOR LIFE Ditto
last line
Average
Salary of a teacher . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. $40,065
Average
Salary of a deployed Soldier . . . . . .. . $38,000
I
think we found where the cuts should be made! If you agree pass it on,
I just did.
Warren
Buffet, in a recent interview with CNBC, offers one of the best quotes
about the debt ceiling:
"I
could end the deficit in 5 minutes," he told CNBC. "You just pass a law
that says that anytime there is a deficit of more than 3% of GDP, all
sitting members of Congress are ineligible for re-election.
The
26th amendment (granting the right to vote for 18 year-olds) took only
3 months & 8 days to be ratified! Why? Simple! The people demanded
it. That was in 1971 - before computers, e-mail, cell phones, etc.
Of
the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven (7) took one (1) year or
less to become the law of the land - all because of public pressure.
Warren
Buffet is asking each addressee to forward this email to a minimum of
twenty people on their address list; in turn ask each of those to do
likewise.
In
three days, most people in The United States of America will have the
message. This is one idea that really should be passed around.
Congressional
Reform Act of 2014
1.
No Tenure / No Pension.
A
Congressman/woman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay
when they're out of office.
2.
Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security.
All
funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security
system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security
system, and Congress participates with the American people. It may not
be used for any other purpose.
3.
Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans
do.
4.
Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay
will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.
5.
Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the
same health care system as the American people.
6.
Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American
people.
7.
All contracts with past and present Congressmen/women are void
effective 12/1/14. The American people did not make this contract with
Congressmen/women.
Congress
made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in Congress is an
honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen
legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back
to work.
If
each person contacts a minimum of twenty people then it will only take
three days for most people (in the U.S.) to receive the message. Don't
you think it's time?
THIS
IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS!
MONDAY, September
8,
2014
RR#1
YOU'RE WELCOME.
GS
RR#2
WOW! Now here's an "Around the World..." to beat all.
GS
SUNDAY, September
7,
2014
I
agree...of course.
Grandpa.
SATURDAY,
September 6,
2014
RR#1
IS SUICIDE, BURN-OUT, RETIREMENT AND CAREER CHANGE THE FUTURE OF
AMERICAN PHYSICIANS?
Please read this. What a waste at every career level.
"Why Do Doctors Commit Suicide?",
by Pranay Sinha, M.D., in NYTimes Friday,
Sept. 5, 2014, pA23.
GS
RR#2
READ THIS AND GET ANGRY!
I
would change only one word, the very last one,
to "...incompetence".
GS
WEDNESDAY through
FRIDAY, September 3 through 5,
2014
TUESDAY, September
2,
2014
Islam;
a German view!!!
A
German's View on Islam - worth reading. His references to past history
are accurate and clear. Not long, easy to understand, and well worth
the read. The author of this email is Dr. Emanuel Tanya, a well-known
and well-respected psychiatrist. A man, whose family
was German aristocracy prior to World War II, owned a number of large
industries and estates. When asked how many German people were
true Nazis, the answer he gave can guide our attitude toward
fanaticism.
'Very few people were true Nazis,' he said, 'but many enjoyed the
return of German pride, and many more were too busy to care. I
was one of those who just thought the Nazis were a bunch of fools. So,
the majority just sat back and let it all happen. Then, before we knew
it, they owned us, and we had lost control, and the end of the world
had come.’
‘My family lost everything. I ended up in a concentration camp and the
Allies destroyed my factories.'
‘We are told again and again by 'experts' and 'talking heads' that
Islam is a religion of peace and that the vast majority of Muslims just
want to live in peace. Although this unqualified assertion may be true,
it is entirely irrelevant. It is meaningless fluff meant to make us
feel better, and meant to somehow diminish the specter of fanatics
rampaging across the globe in the name of Islam.’
‘The fact is that the fanatics rule Islam at this moment in history. It
is the fanatics who march. It is the fanatics who wage any one of
50 shooting wars worldwide. It is the fanatics who systematically
slaughter Christian or tribal groups throughout Africa and are
gradually taking over the entire continent in an Islamic wave. It is
the fanatics who bomb, behead, murder, or honor-kill. It is the
fanatics who take over mosque after mosque. It is the fanatics who
zealously spread the stoning and hanging of rape victims and
homosexuals. It is the fanatics who teach their young to kill and to
become suicide bombers.’
‘The hard, quantifiable fact is that the peaceful majority, the 'silent
majority,' is cowed and extraneous. Communist Russia was
comprised of Russians who just wanted to live in peace, yet the Russian
Communists were responsible for the murder of about 20 million people.
The peaceful majority were irrelevant. China 's huge population was
peaceful as well, but Chinese Communists managed to kill a staggering
70 million people.’
‘The average Japanese individual prior to World War II was not a
warmongering sadist. Yet, Japan murdered and slaughtered its way across
South East Asia in an orgy of killing that included the systematic
murder of 12 million Chinese civilians; most killed by sword, shovel,
and bayonet. And who can forget Rwanda , which collapsed into butchery?
Could it not be said that the majority of Rwandans were 'peace loving'?
‘History lessons are often incredibly simple and blunt, yet for
all our powers of reason, we often miss the most basic and
uncomplicated of points: peace-loving Muslims have been made irrelevant
by their silence. Peace-loving Muslims will become our enemy if they
don't speak up, because like my friend from Germany , they will awaken
one day and find that the fanatics own them, and the end of their world
will have begun.’
‘Peace-loving Germans, Japanese, Chinese, Russians, Rwandans, Serbs,
Afghans, Iraqis, Palestinians, Somalis, Nigerians, Algerians, and many
others have died because the peaceful majority did not speak up until
it was too late.’
‘Now Islamic prayers have been introduced in Toronto and other
public schools in Ontario , and, yes, in Ottawa ,
too, while the Lord's Prayer was removed (due to being so offensive?).
The Islamic way may be peaceful for the time being in our country
until the fanatics move in.’
‘In Australia , and indeed in many countries around the world, many of
the most commonly consumed food items have the halal emblem on them.
Just look at the back of some of the most popular chocolate bars, and
at other food items in your local supermarket. Food on aircraft have
the halal emblem just to appease the privileged minority who are now
rapidly expanding within the nation's shores.’
‘In the U.K, the Muslim communities refuse to integrate and there are
now dozens of "no-go" zones within major cities across the country that
the police force dare not intrude upon. Sharia law prevails
there, because the Muslim community in those areas refuse to
acknowledge British law.’
‘As for us who watch it all unfold, we must pay attention to the only
group that counts - the fanatics who threaten our way of life.’
MONDAY, September
1,
2014
This is about Fort Trumbull, the National U.S. Coast Guard Museum, and
HISTORY.
I am pleased to report that I was an informed bystander in that saga,
in no way officially involved. The heart-felt sentiments and
proposals regarding the siting of the Museum are logical and
reasonable. Unfortunately, they had and lost their time.
The following are some of the relevant facts.
The Eminent Domain taking of the Fort Trumbull could have proceeded
without incident if it had been based on Blight. However, then
Governor Roland and others required, as "quid pro quo" for the nearly
$80 million dollars given for the project, that a) the money would go
not to the City but to a separate, quasi-public agency - the New London
Development Corporation; and b) that the rationale to be used for the
Eminent Domain taking was to be the newly passed legislation based upon
Economic Development criteria, as a test case. The other common
sense requirement was that the implementation be fair and sensitive,
grass-roots-up and not "command and control", as it turned out to be.
The other very important requirement, certainly as far as the initial
Trial Court was concerned, was that there be a firm plan for the use of
each section of the taking. And there was...until the Coast Guard
Alumni organization that had chosen the actual Kelo property for the
Museum site, retracted its plan to avoid what it perceived as
unfavorable publicity. Although the Trial Court supported the
City's position, its holding was weakened by this omission and enabled
appeals to proceed - right up to the U.S. Supreme Court. The City
won that important case (Kelo vs New London); but the area of Fort
Trumbull became "radioactive" from the mainly negative - and I believe
unfair - regional and national press coverage.
And that is the status of the Fort Trumbull land, in my opinion at
least insofar as plans for the National U.S. Coast Guard Museum are
concerned.
The current chosen site for the Museum has itself now too much history,
too much broad-based popular and political support, and sufficient good
planning in its favor to be reversed. Indeed, any serious attempt
to abandon the planned site would in my opinion result in the loss of
the Museum entirely to New London. Conversely, a unified effort
to support this plan should result in a restructuring of the downtown
and especially of its traffic patterns that now effectively lead
visitors directly out of town. The City of New London and its
people have historically not only survived but thrived on "making
lemonade out of lemons". The National U.S. Coast Guard Museum in
New London will be sweet lemonade indeed.<>
George A. Sprecace., M.D., J.D.
SUNDAY, August 31,
2014
HEREWITH, A PLUG FOR NEW LONDON MARITIME SOCIETY / CUSTOM HOUSE
MARITIME MUSEUM, NEW LONDON, CT.
Please follow us on www.nlmaritimesociety.org
and via
our weekly public access TV show entitled: Custom House Maritime
Matters",
Thursdays, 5PM,
MetroCast Channel 25.
To get you in the
maritime mood, I offer three excellent books;
- "INTO
THE STORM", by Perkins and Murphy, American Management Association,
2013;
- "IN
THE KINGDOM OF ICE", by Hampton Sides, Doubleday, 2014;
- "SHADOWS
ON THE KOYUKUK", by Sidney Huntington - as told to Jim Reardon, Alaska
Northwest Books, 1993.
GS
SATURDAY, August 30,
2014
REGARDING " RACE RELATIONS".
Please see my comment in
this section for August 13-17, 2014, entitled Ferguson, Mo.
Nothing much has changed
since then: no new facts; Black "leaders" more muted, but still out
there talking about "racism"; the liberal press happy to give any and
all guesses and allegations ink and column inches. And now
we read
that worried Democrats are ramping up the "Black vote" as insurance
for November. (see NY Times, August 31, 2014, pA1). And in that
same
edition of "the newspaper of record" we find the article entitled
"Are Police Bigoted?" (Sunday Rreview, p SR 1) by Michael
Wines. The first paragraph is totally conclusory and
biased. It
takes reading the entire article to reach the facts, which do not
support the
initial statement. And then there is the article in the same
section by
Nicholas Kristof entitled "When Whites Just Don't Get It",
which counts off five well-known liabilities and deficiencies of many
Blacks
and lays them at the feet of "race relations" and lays the blame on
Whites.
All Wrong. All the
listed deficiencies are the result of disastrous Democratic /
ultra-Liberal
policies implemented during the last several decades that promoted a
plantation
mentality instead of individual responsibility and initiative.
Black
"leaders" bought it as their ticket to continued relevance for
themselves, and they successfully sold it to their followers.
What a
shame
When
will the Black community realize the folly
of this experience and join the vast majority of Americans, mostly
immigrants,
who "made it" by their own efforts? Slavery, Racism, Peonage
and other means of discrimination were real, long-lasting and
abominable.
But that is not the here and now. Almost all Americans are
waiting for
Blacks to enter the fray of American life on equal terms: no
entitlements; no
reparations; no excuses. To do that, they will have to unchain
themselves
from their self-serving "leaders" and from the grasping ultra-Left
politicos. Can they do it? We're waiting.
GS
FRIDAY, August 29,
2014
IT
IS SAID THAT THERE ARE THREE TYPES OF PEOPLE:
Those
who make things happen;
Those
who watch things happen;
And
those who are constantly saying: "Wha Hoppen?"
If
you are reading this,
you are definitely in one of the first two groups.
Now
try advancing to the
first group. If not your own, the quality of life of your
children
and
grandchildren may well depend in your informed initiatives.
RECOMMENDED
READINGS:
1)
Re. Ferguson, Mo.
and "Race Relations". Too much to post here; but see my
offering one week ago. And see this classic:
"What
To The Slave
Is The Fourth Of July",
by Frederick Douglas, July 5, 1852, as recently reviewed by Andrew S.
Bibby,
WSJ Thursday, July 3, 2014, Opinion, pA13.
2)
"A Necessary
Response to ISIS", in NYTimes Editorial recently.
3)"The
Growing
Threat From An EMP Attack", by Woolsey and Pry, in WSJ Wednesday,
August 13, 2014, Opinion, pA13.
4)
"Health Care
At The VA", by Bakaeen et al, in JAMA August 6, 2014)
5)
Re. The Public
Education Disaster: a) "Charters Catch On Fast In Newark", by
Leslie Brody, in WSJ Monday, July 7, 2014, pA13;
b)
"The Legal Legal
Road Map to Reform Public Schools", by Joshua Lipshutz, WSJ Wednesday,
July 9, 2014, Opinion pA13;
c)
"Taking The
Longer View of Diversity", by Leslie Brody, in WSJ Tuesday, August 19,
2014, pA17.
6)
On "Buyer's
Remorse": President Barack Hussein Obama:
"The
Daydream And The Nightmare", by Petty
Noonan, in WSJ Saturday - Sunday, July 5,6, 2014, Opinion
pA13.
GS
THURSDAY, August 28,
2014
ANOTHER
EDITION: AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 OPINIONS...
This
is a summary! It is offered for those, including
President Obama, who "don't have a strategy yet."
I
am prepared to discuss / debate any of these positions in the
proper forum.
PAKISTAN:
Too strategic
to discount. Continue to support it...and to support India as a
counter-weight.
AFGHANISTAN:
We were
unreliable after the defeat of Russia there; and we are still
unreliable.
We must maintain a military presence there, with a "Status of Forces"
agreement. More strategic than our continuing ground forces in
Europe.
IRAQ:
We were right to
invade in 2003...but implementation of both civilian and military
forces was
stupid. Thank you Donald Rumsfeld...and thanks to the misguided
"loyalty" of "W". We must maintain a military
presence there, with a "Status of Forces" agreement. The KURDS
are a separate issue, and are worthy of all our support.
SUNNI
VS SHIA; SALAFISM
/ WAHIBISM / "FUNDAMENTALIST ISLAM". The Muslims must resolve
this for themselves. For that, they may need a "Protestant
Revolution", a "Thirty Years' War" and a "Council of
Trent". But non-Muslims will not tolerate the export of this
Terrorism out of the Middle East or against any of our Middle East
interests. And we will specifically not tolerate the expansion of
Sharia
Law beyond its unfortunate current borders.
IRAN:
A Russian
surrogate, to be handled as one would handle a scorpion. And NO
Nuclear
Weapons!
SYRIA
AND LEBANON.
Approaching "failed State" status. Such vacuums are never good
and must be addressed.
TURKEY:
Friend or
foe? They must be made to decide. Mr. Erdogan cannot play
both
sides, as he is being allowed to do.
ISRAEL:
There will
ALWAYS be an Israel. America guarantees it. The Arabs and
Muslims
must be made to know this. Meanwhile, the current stand-off is
the best
we can hope for.
ISIS:
We need a
"Coalition of the Willing", from both the West and the East, to
degrade and destroy this cancer - by whatever means that are effective.
EXPORTED
TERRORISM:
Uncover and destroy, with the targeted suspension of constitutional
rights where
necessary.
ALLIES:
Except for the
U.K., duplicitous and self-serving partners - but all we have.
THE
U.N.: Fuggedaboudet.
CANADA;
Close
cooperation as an equal partner, especially regarding border issues and
regarding the Arctic Circle.
MEXICO
AND LATIN
AMERICA: Apply consistent tough love, "quid pro quo". We advance
future relations owing them nothing.
THE
DRUG TRADE:
Decapitate the drug pushers (whether users or not) here in America, the
largest
market.
IMMIGRATION:
Comprehensive and realistic reform...AFTER CONTROLLING OUR BORDERS!
THE
TEA PARTY: They must
be both principled and must have a winning strategy. So far,
that's not
the case.
ESTABLISHMENT
REPUBLICANS: Not perceived as trust-worthy...just self-serving.
Not a
winning perception.
ESTABLISHMENT
DEMOCRATS:
Are there any left? Or have you all been co-opted by the "AAA
Party": articulate, arrogant, asinine"?
"INDEPENDENTS":
A nice name for those supposedly "above the fray". But do you
really care, and do you really participate? Evidence suggests
otherwise. Wake
Up! The future of the nation is in your hands between now and
2016.
"RACE
RELATIONS": This will be the topic of a separate statement.
GS
MONDAY through WEDNESDAY, August
25 through 27,
2014
No
Kidding, Folks: all
this was accomplished in a two month period. And do you know that
the
Custom House LighthouseTours received First Place in that category from
Yankee
Magazine?
THE NEW LONDON MARITIME
SOCIETY / CUSTOM HOUSE MARITIME MUSEUM. (www.nlmaritimesociety.org).
GREAT WORK, SUSAN (our
only employee), OUR BOARD OF TRUSTEES, OUR VOLUNTEERS AND FRIENDS.
MANY THANKS!!
George
A. Sprecace, M.D., J.D., President
Director’s Report to
Trustees
New London Maritime Society –
July-August, 2014
Community
– The great community events here
are our
volunteers at the lighthouse – union carpenters and painters-yeah! The
Shennecossett Yacht Club Regatta was presented to raise funds for our
lighthouse programs, and they’ve given the fund $250. Our volunteers
staffed
welcome centers at both the train station and the museum and provided
local
flavor for the Australian cruise ship visitors. Nimble Arts Circus,
which we hosted
for a 4th year on Parade Plaza
in partnership with
the City of NL,
was again a great success. And our many lighthouse boat tours and
programs are
the best positive community-relations program we could have – thank you
to our
many dedicated volunteers! The CH hosted the Drop-In Learn Center,
Groton Seniors
and other community groups at the museum. We even sponsored two
chartered
lighthouse tours for the NL Senior Center. Thirty Connecticut College
freshmen painted & cleaned at the museum last Saturday morning. We
have
four teenage volunteers working with us this summer. The Amistad sails
(free
for NL residents) and 175th commemoration are events the museum should
take
great pride in.
Education/Programs
– We presented a steady
stream of educational programs on Sunday afternoons in July &
August at the
Custom House, many of them very well attended. These programs included
musicians
John Mock and John Roberts, talks by Jim Galagher on John P. Holland,
‘father
of the submarine’, and by Ruth Ann Bramson on the History of Plum
Island. Jin
Hi Kim gave her last (of the series) Music Meditation Workshops to
summer
students from Drop In Learn Center. Lonnie Braxton is in the middle of
his
presentations for Created Equal, a series of films/discussions which we
present
at PLNL and which is sponsored by a grant from the Nat. Humanities
Council and
Gilder Lehrman Institute.
Events
– Our most
significant event was the
175th Anniversary Amistad Commemoration, but other smaller
events
included Nimble Arts Circus, John Roberts, etc.
Exhibitions – The exhibitions are evolving… Jake Kaeser
made four new doors with plexiglass panels for use in the lighthouse
gallery.
The CC students polished our US Customs weights in advance of the
September US
Customs 225 anniversary event.
Fundraising
– The
Shennecossett Yacht
Club donated $250 to our Lighthouse Fund. About 500 individuals bought
tickets
from Brown Paper Tickets for our tours & events and probably
another 200
purchased tickets through the museum, but I have no final account of
what the
dollar amount of these transactions total. I attended two
state-sponsored
grants workshops. We were approached by a fund raiser, who would work
on
individual giving and could be a great help to the organization.
Gift
shop – New
merchandise was ordered at the NY Gift Show last week. The Shop is
looking a
little tired but, in part, this is because a number of our
more-expensive items
have SOLD and things generally have been very busy!
Lighthouse – The NPS informally reports
there was
a positive decision with our Ledge Lighthouse
application. National Geographic left Race Rock on Monday and I examined the lighthouse today!Painting finished on the New London Harbor Lighthouse masonry. Loring still is
soldering &
painting the cupola and having the lightning rod replaced, as well as
working
on the windows. More neighbor issues…PR – Teriffic PR in the
Boston Globe, The New York
Times, on WTNH – where we were the main event in this year’s
Freedom Train
month segment! Those of you who remember back a couple of years ago,
when we
had to fight to be listed on the Trail, will appreciate this fact! We
had a new
newsletter for the end of the summer season (although as everyone
knows, this
weekend marks the middle of our
lighthouse boat season), which featured research on the mural we’ve
loaned to
the railroad station.
volunteers
–
Excellent new volunteers of all types: both high-school
students and adults.
Respectfully
submitted, Susan
Tamulevich, director
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