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
RR#2 RECENT
CARTOON. Two Cardinals conversing in St. Peter's Square:
Cardinal #1:
"Pope Francis has inspired and revived the Church. Millions are
rejoining the Faith. Churches are filled with enthusiastic
parishioners. Young people are revitalized. Catholicism is Cool
Again!"
Cardinal #2:
"I miss the good old days".
BARABING!
GS
SUNDAY through SUNDAY, September 20 through 27, 2015
RR#1
Pope Francis, a
potentially transformative architect of the Catholic Church, here
addresses the two most serious problems - and greatest opportunities -
facing the Church. These are the marginalization of the Laity,
the "Body" of the Church, and the marginalization of womanhood.
Expressed in another way: "PRAY, PAY, AND OBEY" for the Laity; and
potentially endless pregnancy for women. Pope Paul VI derailed
the vision of Vatican ll, although not "Ex Cathedra", with his
pronouncements against all Contraception and for the "Unitive Function"
of all Sex - even within the marital bedroom. Wrong - and the
direct cause of 45 years of decline of the Church and of the
popularization of Abortion.
The Laity is the potential strength of the Church. And women are the
unique strength of the Laity, with qualities and strengths that men can
only dream of. This Vicar of Christ on Earth appears to realize
that. Now, let us see him implement that realization through a
much greater role for the Laity in the structure and function of
the Church...and in opening the Priesthood to women. To do these
things he will have to have "an iron fist in a velvet glove".
Until then, he will be only POTENTIALLY TRANSFORMATIVE.
"A WALK IN THE WOODS."
Definitely worth the walk or ride to your theater, especially in a
summer replete with JUNK.
Nick Nolte is TERRIFIC. An "A".
Robert Redford is... well, Robert Redford. And boy, does he look
old. Was that makeup? A "B".
The Ladies are great. A "B+".
The story, and especially the opportunity for personal growth would
have benefited from some acknowledgement of "spirituality" and of the
"eternal". But there studiously was none - except for looking up
at the wonder of a few billion (trillion?) stars. A lost
opportunity, without having had to get "religious".
Remember: the last words on the lips of an atheist as he or she is
about to die are "Thank God I died an atheist".
GS
FRIDAY, September 18, 2015
RR#1
THE TRUTH IN THE FACE OF THE
SAVAGING, IN SOME CENTERS OF REVISIONIST HISTORY, OF BLESSED JUNIPERO
SERA.
"Business Ethics" is an
oxymoron.
This, and the recent GM penalty (but WITHOUT any jail time for the
leaders) are two most recent examples. I suggest that CUSTOMERS
(NOT GOD) DAMN THEM - WITH BOYCOTTS.
THE SECOND GREAT DEBATE -
WINNERS...AND OTHERS:
Winners:
Carly Fiorina and Chris Christy..."A";
Jeb Bush..."B", and an "A" for effort;
Donald Trump..."C", and an "A" for breathing life into a dormant
Republican field. The Republican Party owes him a lot.
All the Others...all good people, with good ideas. "Pending".
President Obama and Hillary Clinton (in absentia)..."F"
GS
RR#2 THIS
SHOULD BE A NO-BRAINER.
The fact that it is requiring all of this legal acrobatics reflects
another fact: that our system of Jurisprudence has itself become
political rather than being judicial, from the USSC down. That puts us
all, especially minorities, at serious risk. "Justice" is for
sale.
WEDNESDAY
through FRIDAY, September 9 through 11, 2015
WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?
GS
TUESDAY, September 8, 2015
HERE, NUMBER 8 IS A FAMILY
FAVORITE.
GS
AS
I AGE, I REALIZE THAT:
1.
I talk to myself, because sometimes I need expert advice.
2.
Sometimes I roll my eyes out loud.
3.
I don't need anger management. I need people to stop pissing me
off.
4.
My people skills are just fine. It's my tolerance of idiots that
needs work.
5.
The biggest lie I tell myself is "I don't need to write
that down, I'll remember it."
6.
When I was a child I thought nap time was punishment. Now it's
like a mini vacation..
7.
The day the world runs out of wine is just too terrible to think
about.
8.
Even duct tape can't fix stupid, but it can muffle the sound.
9.
Wouldn't it be great if we could put ourselves in the dryer for
ten minutes; come out wrinkle-free and three sizes smaller.
10.
At my age "Getting Lucky" means walking
into a room and remembering what I came in there for.
MONDAY, September 7, 2015
...BUT NOT IF THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE, AT LEAST 80% OF THEM, RISE UP AND VOTE ON ELECTION DAY,
2016.
If they do not, then this commentator is right in his prediction.
GS
Time
is Like a River...
Time
is like a river. You cannot touch the
water twice, because the flow that has passed will never pass again.
Franklin
Graham was speaking at the First
Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida in January, 2015 when he said
America
will not come back. He wrote:
The
American Dream ended on
November 6th, 2012 in Ohio .The second term of Barack Obama will be the
final
nail in the coffin for the legacy of the white Christian males who
discovered,
explored, pioneered, settled and developed the greatest Republic in the
history
of mankind. A coalition of Blacks, Latinos, Feminists, Gays ,
Government
Workers, Union Members, Environmental Extremists, The Media, Hollywood,
uninformed young people, the "forever needy," the chronically
unemployed, illegal aliens and other "fellow travelers" have
ended Norman Rockwell 's America.
The
Cocker Spaniel is off the front porch, the
Pit Bull is in the back yard. The American Constitution has been
replaced with
Saul Alinsky 's "Rules for Radicals" and Chicago shyster David
Axelrod along with international Socialist George Soros will be pulling
the
strings on their beige puppet to bring us Act 2 of the New World Order.
Our side ran two
candidates who couldn't even win their own home states, and Chris
Christie
helped Obama over the top with a glowing "post Sandy " tribute that
elevated the "Commander-in-Chief" to Mother Teresa status. (Aside:
with the way the polls were run, he didn't need any help!) People like
me are
completely politically irrelevant, and I will never again comment on or
concern
myself with the afore-mentioned coalition which has surrendered our
culture,
our heritage and our traditions without a shot being fired.
You will never again
out-vote these people. It will take individual acts of defiance
and
massive displays of civil disobedience to get back the rights we
have
allowed them to take away. It will take zealots, not moderates and shy,
not
reach-across-the-aisle RINOs to right this ship and restore our
beloved
country to its former status.
Those who come after us will have to risk their lives, their fortunes
and their
sacred honor to bring back the Republic that this generation has
timidly
frittered away due to white guilt and political correctness...
As they would say in my corner
of the Bronx:
"BARABING E BIRABONG!"
GS
>
> TWO OF THE YEAR'S BEST COMEBACK RESPONSES
>
>
> Number 1:
>
> If you ever testify in court, you might wish you could have
> been as sharp as this policeman. He was being cross-examined
> by a defense attorney during a felony trial. The lawyer was
> trying to undermine the police officer's credibility...
>
>
> Q: 'Officer --- did you see my client fleeing the
> scene?'
>
> A: 'No sir. But I subsequently observed a
> person matching the description of the offender, running
> several blocks away.'
>
> Q: 'Officer -- who provided this
> description?'
>
> A: 'The officer who responded to the
> scene.'
>
> Q: 'A fellow officer provided the
> description of this so-called offender. Do you trust your
> fellow officers?'
>
> A: 'Yes, sir. With my life.'
>
> Q: 'With your life? Let me ask you this then
> officer. Do you have a room where you change your clothes in
> preparation for your daily duties?'
>
> A: 'Yes sir, we do!'
>
> Q: 'And do you have a locker in the
> room?'
>
> A: 'Yes, sir, ... I do.'
>
> Q: 'And do you have a lock on your locker?'
>
> A: 'Yes, sir.'
>
> Q: 'Now, ... why is it, officer, if you
> trust your fellow officers with your life, you find it
> necessary to lock your locker in a room you share with these
> same officers?'
>
> A: 'You see, sir -- we share the building
> with the court complex, and sometimes lawyers have been
> known to walk through that room.'
>
> The courtroom EXPLODED with laughter, and a prompt recess
> was called. The officer on the stand has been nominated for
> this year's 'Best Comeback' line -- and we
> think he'll win.
>
>
>
> Number 2:
>
> Now We Know Why He Was a General -----
>
>
>
> In an recent interview, General Norman Schwarzkopf was asked
> if he thought there was room for forgiveness
> toward the people who have harbored and abetted the
> terrorists who perpetrated the 9/11 attacks on
> America.
>
> His answer was classic Schwarzkopf.
>
> The General said, "I believe that forgiving them
> is God's function .... OUR job is to arrange the
> meeting."
>
>
THURSDAY and FRIDAY, September 3 and 4, 2015
RR#1
OUTRAGEOUS.
Please work to make this happen.
GS
28th Amendment,
35 States and Counting It will take you
less than a minute to read this. If you agree, please pass it on.
It's an idea whose time has come to deal with this self serving
situation:
Children of
Congress members do not have to pay back their college student loans.
Staffers of
Congress family members are also exempt from having to payback student
loans.
Members of
Congress can retire at full pay after only one term.
Members of
Congress have exempted themselves from many of the laws they have
passed, under which ordinary citizens must live. For example, they
are exempt from any fear of prosecution for sexual harassment.
And as the latest
example, they have exempted themselves from Healthcare Reform, in all
of its aspects.
We must not
tolerate an elite class of such people, elected as public servants and
then putting themselves above the law.
I truly don't
care if they are Democrat, Republican, Independent, or whatever.
The self-serving must stop.
Governors of 35
states have filed suit against the Federal Government for imposing
unlawful burdens upon their states. It only takes 38 (of the 50) States
to convene a Constitutional Convention.
IF??? Each person
that receives this will forward it on to 20 people, in three days most
people in The United States of America will have the message.
Proposed 28th
Amendment to the United States Constitution:
"Congress shall
make no law that applies to the citizens of the United States that does
not apply equally to the Senators and/or Representatives; and, Congress
shall make no law that applies to the Senators and/or Representatives
that does not apply equally to the Citizens of the United States ..."
RR#2
THE HUMANITARIAN CRISIS OF REFUGEES FROM THE MIDDLE EAST.
Why I have been quiet so far: because I was THINKING!
The following are touchstones resulting from that process.
What kind
of Allah is a God whose Religion, according to his Prophet, urges
Jihad, total intolerance of other religions, and world domination in
His name - while purporting to respect Abraham and Jesus? A good
question that non-fundamentalist and non-terrorists must finally ask
themselves. And what kind of Religion allows itself to be torn apart
for 15 centuries, Shia and Sunni, based upon a non-religious dispute?
This is key; for only Muslims themselves can cure this cancer eating
them alive.
Regarding
"Nation-Building", we should have learned from the Soviet experience
with the Taliban (with our help) in Afghanistan. So: was it
right, in retrospect, to have invaded Iraq and Afghanistan in 2002 and
2003? Yes, then and now, for we could not have displayed to the world a
castrated nation simply ready to "take" 9-11. But we failed in
implementation, right from the beginning, thanks to our ignorance
(Shia? Sunni?), to our arrogance (the super-consul sent to Baghdad), to
the stupidity and arrogance of Donald Rumsfeld from the outset, etc,
etc, etc. See my comments made as all of this was going on, in my
Rapid Response offerings for those months and years, still available on
this site. And George W. Bush cannot escape blame here: the
"Decider" who kept placing "Loyalty" to political colleagues ahead of
common sense.
Should we
have in effect pulled out of Iraq and Afghanistan when the going got
tough? No. We should have maintained - and should maintain - an
effective military presence in both countries as a deterrent to the
madness of "leaders" like al Maliki, Karzai, Pakistan, Iran...and also
Russia, always ready to fish in our troubled waters.
Should we
take the pressure off of Iran in preventing it from becoming a nuclear
power? No, and certainly not by means of the recently concluded
surrender to them.
Should we
formally guarantee the survival of Israel - as if it were our
51st State? Of course.
Should we
have chosen a side to support effectively in Syria, instead of allowing
it to become a failed State? Yes.
Should we
give unstinting support to Egypt and Saudi Arabia without extracting
necessary changes from them in return? No.
Having failed in
all of this, over three different Administrations (Clinton, Bush,
Obama), should we be surprised at the current human disaster of
millions of residents of these benighted areas seeking self - help in
the most desperate of ways? NO.
And should we be surprised at the response of some of the European
nations to this disaster? Yes and No. They need time to
prepare. But they must act charitably, remembering the Marshall
Plan, remembering that their greed in the 1990's fueled the excesses of
Saddam Hussein, and remembering that they are supposed to be Christian
nations.
And one more thing: the European nations, England and also the U.S.
must decide once and for all that these refugees must integrate into
their new countries rather than expecting to live as Muslims under
Sharia law. Those that insist on the latter must be returned to
the homes of their birth to solve their own Muslim problem.
THAT'S THE BEST THAT I CAN DO, AT THIS TIME.
GS
RR#3 WHAT THE
HELL....
Are these our "best and brightest"?
America's infection runs broad and deep.
Frank
Sinatra
considered Kate Smith the best singer of her time, and said that
when he
and a million other guys first heard her sing
"God Bless America" on the radio, they all pretended to have
dust in their eyes as they wiped away a tear or two.
Here are the facts... The link at the bottom will take you to a
video showing the very first public singing of "GOD BLESS
AMERICA". But before you watch it, you should also know the story
behind the first public showing of the song.
The
time was 1940. America was still
in a terrible economic
depression. Hitler was taking over Europe and Americans were
afraid we'd
have to go to war. It was a time of hardship and worry for
most Americans.
This was the era just before TV, when radio shows were HUGE,
and American
families sat around their radios in the evenings, listening to
their
favorite entertainers, and no entertainer of that era was bigger
than Kate
Smith.
Kate was also large; plus size, as we now say, and the popular
phrase still used today is in deference to her, "It ain't over
till
the fat lady sings". Kate Smith might not have made it big in the
age
of TV, but with her voice coming over the radio, she was the
biggest star
of her time.
Kate was also patriotic. It hurt her to see Americans so
depressed and
afraid of what the next day would bring. She had hope for America,
and
faith in her fellow Americans. She wanted to do something to cheer
them
up, so she went to the famous American song-writer, Irving Berlin
(who
also wrote "White Christmas") and asked him to write a song that
would make Americans feel good again
about their country. When she described what she was looking for,
he said
he had just the song for her.
He
went to his files
and found a song that he had written, but never published, 22
years before
- way back in 1917. He gave it to her and she worked on it with
her studio
orchestra. She and Irving Berlin were not sure how the song would
be
received by the public, but both agreed they would not take any
profits
from God Bless America. Any profits would go to the Boy Scouts of
America.
Over the years, the Boy Scouts have received millions of dollars
in
royalties from this song. This
video starts out
with Kate Smith coming into the radio studio with the orchestra
and an
audience. She introduces the new song for the very first time, and
starts
singing. After the first couple verses, with her voice in the
background
still singing, scenes are shown from the 1940 movie, "You're In
The
Army Now." At the 4:20 mark of
the video you see
a young actor in the movie, sitting in an office, reading a paper;
it's
RonaldReagan. To
this day, God
Bless America stirs our patriotic feelings and pride in our
country. Back
in 1940, when Kate Smith went looking for a song to raise the
spirits of
her fellow Americans, I doubt whether she realized just how
successful the
results would be for her fellow Americans during those years of
hardship
and worry..... and for many generations
of
Americans to follow.
Now
that you know the
story of the song, I hope you'll enjoy it and treasure it even
more. Many
people don't know there's a lead in to the song, since it usually
starts
with "God Bless America....." So here's the entire song as
originally sung by Kate Smith ….. Enjoy!
First
time seen on
video.
RR#3 CLARITY ON
THE IRAN DEAL;
SOMETHING LESS ON HILLARY.
GS
WEDNESDAY,
September 2, 2015
ABORTION: CONDEMN THE SIN, NOT
THE SINNER.
GS
Dear
Pro Life Coordinators and Friends,
There
has been some confusion generated in the media yesterday
regarding the letter of Pope Francis http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/letters/2015/documents/papa-franc
and specifically the section that pertains to those who have undergone
an
abortion. Pope Francis states that “I
have decided, notwithstanding anything to the contrary, to concede to
all
priests for the Jubilee Year the discretion to absolve of the sin of
abortion
those who have procured it and who, with contrite heart, seek
forgiveness for
it.”
None of us is
surprised that the media can be misleading and lacking in providing the
accurate truth on Church teaching.
Many
who have suffered are reaching out and calling/emailing
seeking the truth and since this has gotten lots of news coverage let
us use
this as an opportunity for good to proclaim and reclaim the real
fullness and beauty of the truth regarding God’s mercy and especially
as
demonstrated in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. I urge you to
pass this
information along to others and specifically to give it to your priests
and
encourage them, if they can, to include this in their preaching.
Here
in the Archdiocese of New York, our
priests have already had this faculty for close to three
decades. My beloved predecessor, Cardinal O’Connor, wisely
granted this
ability to our priests, and Cardinal Egan continued the practice, as
have I,
with the profound hope that any woman who has had an abortion, or
anyone else
who was involved in the process, will know that they can never be cut
off from
God’s love and mercy.
And
Cardinal O’Malley statementhttp://usccb.org/news/2015/15-124.cfm
likewise demonstrates that “For many years in the
United
States, including in the Archdiocese of Boston, diocesan bishops have
granted
their priests the faculty to absolve the sin of abortion. As part of
the
outreach of the Year of Mercy, the Holy Father will now grant all
priests
worldwide the faculty “to absolve of the sin of abortion those who have
procured it and who, with contrite heart, seek forgiveness for it." His
words acknowledge the reality of God’s abiding mercy in the Sacrament
of
Penance, and that God welcomes all with open arms.”
I have already addressed this subject several times in this venue, in
addition to having hosted at least one public access TV show, with more
to come based upon an ever - expanding file on the subject.
What follows is a series of reports beginning with an older exchange
between my son Perrin, a professional in Lighting Design and
Application and the Cato Institute.
PLEASE KEEP READING ON THIS SUBJECT, MAKE A DECISION AND ACT. You
owe it to your children and grandchildren.
"There are three kinds of people: people who make things happen; people
who watch things happen; and people who are constantly saying WHA'
HAPPEN".
Nuclear power is not the
solution. If you never read it, please see the attached essay I
wrote to two members of The Cato Institute in response to an article
they wrote in Forbes Magazine a few years ago.
Their
article is in the link below. My response is the attachment.
Excellent job. Where did you learn all of that stuff?
But now, tell me why (perhaps again) why nuclear energy (now fission
and later fusion) is not the way to go. Besides the politics, of course.
GS
Thanks. I received no reply, as usual. I didn't expect the
Cato Institute to be so partisan. It shows they are not as neutral as
they claim to be. Their article was a love letter to the conventional
fuels industry, nothing more. My reply was at least honest in its
admission of a need for multiple sources, including fossil fuels.
Most of the info I've gathered from years of interest in Alternative
energy, as well as my job. Some of the specific stats I got
online from the Petroleum Institute, etc.
If fusion can be made to work on such a scale, maybe it would work.
But, the infrastructure costs seem unviable. And, currently, it is s
net-loss in energy output. And, as for fission, with all the
waste and containment issues and costs, it simply is too much longterm
cost for present energy production. But, the myopia of so many
politicians and business concerns simply prevents admission of this
reality.
Like I said, all politics aside, Rube Goldberg couldn't devise a more
needlessly complicated and dangerous method of boiling water.
P-
RR#3
MORE ON PUBLIC "EDUCATION", ONE
OF THE GREATEST - AND AVOIDABLE - DISASTERS IN THIS NATION OVER THE
LAST 35 YEARS.
Please see my many previous commentaries on this subject in this RAPID
RESPONSE section and also on my web site Category entitled "Public
Education Politics".
