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
"The Finest Hours"
(Posted: January 31, 2015)
Here is a movie that needed to be made - and that should have been made
a long time ago - because it is A TRUE STORY, going back to 1952.
True stories don't need to be hyped, and very often don't need special
effects. They certainly don't need or deserve a post-mortem analysis of
those effects, as is often served up in some other movie reviews.
This movie is well-done and - after my self-analysis of my own reaction
- is worth an "A". Initially, I found myself irritated by the amount of
time spent over the "courtship" of the two main characters. But that
was and is the other point: the courage and tenacity of the partner
left behind...to wait and worry and raise the kids and pay the
bills...and rarely to play a critical role in actually saving the life
of their loved one. These are the other heroes, rarely
acknowledged. And this story brings that fact out. Thank you for that.
One fault that I can find is in the depiction of the commanding
officer. A leader is a leader when his subordinates are confident
in his judgment and want to follow him...not because he orders them to
do so. This leader fails in this test; and we don't learn why.
Finally: A PERPETUAL "ATTA BOY" TO THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THE U.S. COAST
GUARD.
GS
SATURDAY,
January 30,2016 RR#1
ONE NATION, UNDER LAW?
This assumption, part of the DNA of our country, has in the last 8
years become subject to an increasing number of dangerous mutations
that may soon lead to a fatal cancer. And the risk is coming, not
from our population of criminals or from disaffected citizens, but from
our national leaders. This has gone well beyond "abuse of
power". It rightly should have entered the realm of Impeachment,
were it not for the too many of our representatives who are actually
protecting themselves from the same fate or at least from Recall. In
fact, the hysteria exhibited by Establishment figures of both Parties
in this election season reflects nothing as much as FEAR OF THE
PEOPLE.
NOW HEAR THIS: The outcome of the 2016 election could be as momentous
as that of 1860. Remember that one?
RR#3 IS IT
POSSIBLE THAT I WILL HAVE TO STOP USING INVECTIVES WHEN TALKING ABOUT
DONALD RUMSFELD?
Perhaps it is because he is now 83 years old, as am I.
GS
RR#4
Joe, many thanks for this beautiful Birthday gift.
Yes: DOB 1/30/33.
I'll certainly share it.
GS
WORRYING DOES NOT TAKE AWAY TOMORROW'S
TROUBLES... IT TAKES AWAY TODAY'S PEACE.
If the world were 100 people proportionately...
Be sure to notice the background of each picture. This one is different
--- hope you enjoy!
This illustrates how truly fortunate we are.After you're done with the
first picture, click on it and it will go to the next, and so on. So
click on the link below and enjoy!
Click after each picture.
TUESDAY, January 26, 2016
This is from me, but not my own work. It was provided by a
senior and very experienced CIA Field Operative who did not want
his name used, but gave permission to use his words.
S
S,
please verify. Is this from you, and does it refer to your own
personal work and experience?
GS
I’ve
resisted writing this for some time, but I can no longer remain
silent. Most of you know I spent 30 years in the CIA as an
operations officer. Throughout that time I held security
clearances well above top secret and for a period of time, because of
the operational requirement, I held the highest clearance granted by
the U.S. Government. I mention this because I want everyone to
understand that I have seen the kind of intelligence that would have
been passed to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and which she
failed to protect.
When
I heard that Mrs. Clinton had refused to use the State Department’s
secure communications system and instead had communicated through a
commercial server I fervently hoped that some special provisions had
been put in place to secure her communications. After all, Mrs.
Clinton is not a neophyte with regard to intelligence and the need for
security. But alas, it seems political expediency or some other
rationalization trumped national security in Mrs. Clinton’s mind and no
security measures were put in place. We are all less safe today
as a result.
For
those who take issue with my claim I offer the following, based on my
experience. Operations which took years and millions of dollars
to put in place have been compromised. Persons who put great
faith in us will die. Perhaps their families as well.
Operations that appear to be untainted may in fact be compromised and
offer our adversaries a channel through which to pass false
intelligence and influence U.S. decision makers for years to
come. Mrs. Clinton’s compromised communications will have opened
up numerous opportunities for our adversaries to recruit new sources of
intelligence on the U.S. Those sources may provide our enemies
insights on U.S. strategic plans or access to top secret technical
innovations. We will never know with certainty the full extent of
the damage or which of our enemies are exploiting this security
breach. And for those who believe this is just a game of spy vs
spy and that Mrs. Clinton’s failure to secure classified information is
not that big a deal and doesn’t really affect them, please remember
this, terrorist groups, some state sponsored have been trying very hard
to obtain a weapon of mass destruction for almost two
decades. North Korea has the bomb. Iran may well have
it in a few years. We know of terrorist efforts to develop
biological weapons. We are all less safe today thanks to Mrs.
Clinton.
Finally,
I want everyone to ask themselves how its possible that a person who
totally disregarded the most basic security precautions regarding
protection of sensitive intelligence can be running for President of
the United States. Had I done what Mrs. Clinton has done, I would
be in jail and rightfully so. If the leadership of the Democratic
Party has even the least bit of concern for the security of the country
and its citizens they will withdraw all support from Mrs. Clinton
immediately. Every day her campaign is allowed to continue raises
the question of whether the Party leadership cares about right and
wrong and how long they are going to permit a double standard to apply
when it comes to the behavior of political elites versus the average
citizen. Mrs. Clinton has clearly demonstrated she lacks the
judgement to be President and Commander-in-Chief. Her campaign
should be terminated immediately.
Thanks
for taking the time to read this. If you think its important, as
I do, please forward it and encourage others to do likewise.
MONDAY, January 25, 2016
RR#1
THE MIDDLE EAST: MORE INGREDIENTS FOR THAT TOXIC STEW.
Just so you know...
EYE
OPENER ON ISLAM AND MUSLIMS
Here is a perspective by Dr. Peter Hammond. He was born in
Capetown in 1960, grew up in Rhodesia and converted to Christianity Adapted from Dr.
Peter Hammond's book: Slavery, Terrorism and Islam: The Historical
Roots and Contemporary Threat: Islam is not a
religion, nor is it a cult. In its fullest
form, it is a complete, total, 100%
system of life. Islam has
religious, legal, political, economic, social, and military components. The religious
component is a beard for all of the other components. Islamization
begins when there are sufficient Muslims in a country to agitate for their
religious privileges. When politically
correct, tolerant, and culturally diverse societies agree to Muslim demands
for their religious privileges, some of the other components tend to creep in as
well.. Here's how it
works: As long as the
Muslim population remains around or under 2% in any given country, they
will be for the most part be regarded as a peace-loving m inority and not
as a threat to other citizens.
This is the case in: United States --
Muslim 0..6% Australia --
Muslim 1.5% Canada -- Muslim
1.9% China -- Muslim
1.8% Italy -- Muslim
1.5% Norway -- Muslim
1.8% At 2% to 5%, they
begin to proselytize from other ethnic minorities and disaffected
groups, often with major recruiting from the jails and among street gangs. This is happening
in: Denmark -- Muslim
2% Germany -- Muslim
3.7% United Kingdom --
Muslim 2.7% Spain -- Muslim
4% Thailand --
Muslim 4.6% From 5% on, they
exercise an inordinate influence in proportion to their percentage of the
population. For example, they
will push for the introduction of halal (clean by Islamic
standards) food, thereby securing food preparation jobs for Muslims. They will
increase pressure on supermarket chains to feature halal on their shelves -- along
with threa ts for failure to comply. This is occurring
in: France -- Muslim
8% Philippines -- 5%
Sweden -- Muslim
5% Switzerland --
Muslim 4.3% The Netherlands
-- Muslim 5.5% Trinidad &
Tobago -- Muslim 5.8% At this point,
they will work to get the ruling government to allow them to rule
themselves (within their ghettos) under Sharia, the Islamic Law.
The ultimate goal of Islamists is to establish Sharia law over the
entire world. When Muslims
approach 10% of the population, they tend to increase lawlessness as a
means of complaint about their conditions. In Paris , we are
already seeing car-burnings. Any non Muslim action offends Islam,
and results in uprisings and threats, such as in
Amsterdam , with opposition to Mohammed cartoons and films about Islam. Such tensions are
seen daily, particularly in Muslim sections, in: Guyana -- Muslim
10% India -- Muslim
13.4% Israel -- Muslim
16% Kenya -- Muslim
10% Russia -- Muslim
15% After reaching
20%, nations can expect hair-trigger rioting, jihad militia
formations, sporadic killings, and the burnings
of Christian churches and Jewish synagogues, such as in: Ethiopia --
Muslim 32.8% At 40%, nations
experience widespread massacres, chronic terror attacks, and
ongoing militia warfare, such as in: Bosnia -- Muslim
40% Chad -- Muslim
53.1% Lebanon -- Muslim
59.7%< /div> From 60%, nations
experience unfettered persecution of non-believers of all other
religions (including non-conforming Muslims), sporadic ethnic
cleansing (genocide), use of Sharia Law as a weapon, and Jizya, the
tax placed on infidels, such as in: Albania -- Muslim
70% Malaysia --
Muslim 60.4% Qatar -- Muslim
77.5% Sudan -- Muslim
70% After 80%, expect
daily intimidation and violent jihad, some State-run ethnic cleansing,
and even some genocide, as these nations drive out
the infidels, and move toward 100% Muslim, such as has been
experienced and in some ways is on-going in: Bangladesh --
Muslim 83% Egypt -- Muslim
90% Gaza -- Muslim
98.7% Indonesia --
Muslim 86.1% Iran -- Muslim
98% Iraq -- Muslim
97% Jordan -- Muslim
92% Morocco -- Muslim
98.7% Pakistan --
Muslim 97% Palestine --
Muslim 99% Syria -- Muslim
90% Tajikistan --
Muslim 90% Turkey -- Muslim
99.8% United Arab
Emirates -- Muslim 96% 100% will usher
in the peace of 'Dar-es-Salaam' -- the Islamic House of Peace.. Here
there's supposed to be peace, because everybody
is a Muslim, the Madrasses are the only schools, and the Koran is the
only word, such as in: Afghanistan --
Muslim 100% Saudi Arabia --
Muslim 100% Somalia -- Muslim
100% Yemen -- Muslim
100% Unfortunately,
peace is never achieved, as in these 100% states the most radical
Muslims intimidate and spew hatred, and satisfy their
blood lust by killing less radical Muslims, for a variety of
reasons. 'Before I was
nine I had learned the basic canon of Arab life. It was me against my
brother; me and my brother against our father; my
family against my cousins and the clan; the clan against the
tribe; the tribe against the world, and all of us against the
infidel. -- Leon Uris, 'The Haj' It is important
to understand that in some countries, with well under 100% Muslim
populations, such as France, the minority Muslim
populations live in ghettos, within which they are 100% Muslim, and within which
they live by Sharia Law. The national
police do not even enter these ghettos. There are no national courts,
nor schools, nor non-Muslim religious facilities. In such
situations, Muslims do not integrate in to the community at large. The
children attend madrasses. They learn only the Koran. To even associate
with an infidel is a crime punishable with death. Therefore, in
some areas of certain nations, Muslim Imams and extremists
exercise more power than the national average would indicate. Today's 1.5
billion Muslims make up 22% of the world's population. But their birth
rates dwarf the birth rates of Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, and all
other believers. Muslims will
exceed 50% of the world's population by the end of this century . Adapted from Dr.
Peter Hammond's book: Slavery, Terrorism and Islam: The Historical
Roots and Contemporary Threat
SUNDAY, January 24, 2016
REGARDING ISRAEL...AND ITS "NEIGHBORS":
Why don't we get this information from the American Press? Or
have they all joined "the oldest profession"?
The Democrats are right, there are two
Americas. The America that works and the America that doesn’t. The
America that contributes and the America that doesn’t. It’s not the
haves and the have nots, it’s the dos and the don’ts. Some people do
their duty as Americans, obey the law, support themselves, contribute
to society and others don’t. That’s the divide in America.
It’s not about income inequality, it’s about civic irresponsibility.
It’s about a political party that preaches hatred, greed and
victimization in order to win elective office. It’s about a political
party that loves power more than it loves its country.
That’s not invective, that’s truth, and it’s about time someone said it.
The politics of envy was on proud display a couple weeks ago when
President Obama pledged the rest of his term to fighting “in come
inequality.” He noted that some people make more than other people,
that some people have higher incomes than others, and he says that’s
not just. That is the rationale of thievery.
The other guy has it, you want it, Obama will take it for you. Vote
Democrat. That is the philosophy that produced Detroit.
It is the electoral philosophy that is destroying America. It conceals
a fundamental deviation from American values and common sense because
it ends up not benefiting the people who support it, but a betrayal.
The Democrats have not empowered their followers, they have enslaved
them in a culture of dependence and entitlement, of victim-hood and
anger instead of ability and hope. The president’s premise – that you
reduce income inequality by debasing the successful–seeks to deny the
successful the consequences of their choices and spare the unsuccessful
the consequences of their choices. Because, by and large, income
variations in society are a result of different choices leading to
different consequences.
Those who choose wisely and responsibly have a far greater likelihood
of success, while those who choose foolishly and irresponsibly have a
far greater likelihood of failure.
Success and failure usually manifest themselves in personal and family
income. You choose to drop out of high school or to skip college – and
you are apt to have a different outcome than someone who gets a diploma
and pushes on with purposeful education.
You have your children out of wedlock and life is apt to take one
course; you have them within a marriage and life is apt to take another
course. Most often in life our destination is determined by the course
we take.
My doctor, for example, makes far more than I do. There is significant
income inequality between us. Our lives have had an inequality of
outcome, but, our lives also have had an in equality of effort. While
my doctor went to college and then devoted his young adulthood to
medical school and residency, I got a job in a restaurant. He made a
choice, I made a choice, and our choices led us to different outcomes.
His outcome pays a lot better than mine. Does that mean he cheated and
Barack Obama needs to take away his wealth? No, it means we are both
free men in a free society where free choices lead to different
outcomes.
It is not inequality Barack Obama intends to take away, it is freedom.
The freedom to succeed, and the freedom to fail. There is no true
option for success if there is no true option for failure. The pursuit
of happiness means a whole lot less when you face the punitive hand of
government if your pursuit brings you more happiness than the other
guy. Even if the other guy sat on his arse and did nothing. Even if the
other guy m ade a lifetime’s worth of asinine and short sighted
decisions.
Barack Obama and the Democrats preach equality of outcome as a right,
while completely ignoring inequality of effort. The simple Law of the
Harvest – as ye sow, so shall ye reap – is sometimes applied as, “The
harder you work, the more you get.”
Obama would turn that upside down. Those who achieve are to be punished
as enemies of society and those who fail are to be rewarded as wards of
society. Entitlement will replace effort as the key to upward mobility
in American society if Barack Obama gets his way. He seeks a lowest
common denominator society in which the government besieges the
successful and productive to foster equality through mediocrity. He and
his party speak of two Americas, and their grip on power is based on
using the votes of one to sap the productivity of the other. America is
not divided by the differences in our outcomes, it is divided by the
differences in our efforts.
It is a false philosophy to say one man’s success comes about
unavoidably as the result of another man’s victimization.
What Obama offered was not a solution, but a separatism. He fomented
division and strife, pitted one set of Americans against another for
his own political benefit. That’s what socialists offer. Marxist class
warfare wrapped up with a bow. Two Americas, coming closer each day to
proving the truth to Lincoln’s maxim that a house divided against
itself cannot stand.
“Life is ten percent what happens to you and ninety percent how you
respond to it.”
Lou Holtz
Leo “Lou” Holtz (born January 6, 1937) is a retired American football
coach, and active sportscaster, author, and motivational speaker
THURSDAY, January 21, 2016
RR#1
Hillary Clinton: A Career Criminal
RR#2 FYI:
SELF-DETERMINATION, ADVANCED DIRECTIVE, FUTILITY, PALLIATIVE CARE....
and Mortality.
Ever since I was
a child, I've always had a fear of someone
under my bed at night.
So I went to a
shrink and told him: “I've got
problems. Every time I go to bed I think there's somebody under it. I'm scared. I
think I'm going crazy.”
“Just put
yourself in my hands for one year,
said the shrink. Come talk to me three times a week and we should be able to get
rid of those fears.”
“How much do you charge?”
“Eighty dollars
per visit,” replied the doctor.
“I'll sleep on
it,” I said.
Six months later
the doctor met me on the street.
“Why didn't you come to see me about those fears you were having?” He asked.
“Well, Eighty
bucks a visit, three times a
week for a year, is $12,480.00. A bartender cured me for $10.00. I was so happy to
have saved all that money that I went and bought me a new pickup truck.”
“Is that so?”
With a bit of an attitude he said,
“and how, may I ask, did a bartender cure you?”
“He told me to
cut the legs off the bed. Ain't nobody
under there now.”
It's
always better to get a second opinion.
MONDAY, January 18, 2016
As my old Italian piano professor used to say:
CATCH ME WHAT I MEANS?
GS
SUNDAY, January 17, 2016
RR#1
TAIWAN
Now let's see if this benighted Obama administration tries to screw
this up too.
WELL, "HOW ABOUT THAT?" A RATIONAL EVALUATION FROM A PROBABLE
DEMOCRAT?
The bottom line is the same:
THE "ESTABLISHMENT" PRESS AND PARTIES ARE AFRAID OF THE PEOPLE.
MILLENNIALS: "THE SELF-RELIANT GENERATION".
GIMME A BREAK!
There is a glaring disconnect between this fascinating article by David
Brooks and its title. (in NYTimes Jan. 8, 2016, Op-Ed, pA21). Brooks
carefully provides a multitude of important symptoms leading to only
one likely diagnosis: that Millennials have been traumatized by their
life experiences to date...and are running for the cover of Ma
Washington to take care of them. In addition, and even more
troubling, is the beginning realization that - despite all of the
addicting technological efforts to "stay in touch" with other human
beings - they have never learned actually to be connected and to
interact face-to-face with others. The result is a growing sense
of isolation that will lead in their 30's and 40's to depression and
even suicide. The figures on these sad subjects are already
developing.
David Brooks ultimately reveals the anomaly of this article in these
last sentences:
"You just can't be as detached from solid supporting structures as
millennials now are and lead a happy middle-aged life. Something is
going to change". PROGNOSIS:
GUARDED.
I HEARD THE SAME INFORMATION FROM A DIFFERENT SOURCE ON NPR YESTERDAY
(JAN. 17), DIANNE REAHM'S "FRIDAY ROUNDUP".
GS
Subject: CAPTURE OF USN BOATS... LIED TO
AGAIN BY THIS ADMINISTRATION!
The following text was sent out by a former Navy SEAL officer.
His comments confirm what I think we all suspected immediately.
We smelled a rat in this story! In addition to the “official’
government line about the two boats being 50 miles off course in that
relatively small ocean area (GIVE ME A BREAK!), he also addresses some
other things that we all know just don’t add up.
I rarely pull out my dusty old
trident, but in this case, here goes. I was a Navy SEAL officer in the
1980s, and this kind of operation (transiting small boats in foreign
waters) was our bread and butter. Today, these boats both not only had
radar, but multiple GPS devices, including chart plotters that place
your boat’s icon right on the chart. The claim by Iran that the USN
boats “strayed into Iranian waters” is complete bull$#it.For an
open-water transit between nations, the course is studied and planned
in advance by the leaders of the Riverine Squadron, with specific
attention given to staying wide and clear of any hostile nation’s
claimed territorial waters. The boats are given a complete mechanical
check before departure, and they have sufficient fuel to accomplish
their mission plus extra. If, for some unexplainable and rare
circumstance one boat broke down, the other would tow it, that’s why
two boats go on these trips and not one! It’s called
“self-rescue” and it’s SOP. This entire situation is in my area
of expertise. I can state with complete confidence that both Iran and
our own State Department are lying. The boats did not enter Iranian
waters. They were overtaken in international waters by Iranian patrol
boats that were so superior in both speed and firepower that it became
a “hands up!” situation, with automatic cannons in the 40mm to 76mm
range pointed at them point-blank. Surrender, hands up, or be
blown out of the water. I assume that the Iranians had an English
speaker on a loudspeaker to make the demand. This takedown was no
accident or coincidence, it was a planned slap across America’s
face. Just watch. The released sailors will be ordered not to say
a word about the incident, and the Iranians will have taken every GPS
device, chart-plotter etc. off the boats, so that we will not be able
to prove where our boats were taken.The “strayed into Iranian waters”
story being put out by Iran and our groveling and appeasing State Dept.
is utter and complete BS from one end to the other.
RR#2
I
HEARD THE SAME INFORMATION FROM A DIFFERENT SOURCE ON NPR YESTERDAY
(JAN. 17), DIANNE REAHM'S "FRIDAY ROUNDUP".
GS
Two Radical Arab Terrorists boarded a
flight out of London . One took
a window seat and the other sat next to him in the middle seat...
Just before takeoff, a U.S. Marine sat down in the aisle seat.
After takeoff, the Marine kicked his shoes off, wiggled his toes
and was settling in when the Arab in the window seat said, 'I need
to get up and get a coke.' 'Don't get up,' said the Marine,
'I'm in the aisle seat, 'I'll get it for you.'
As soon as he left, one of the Arabs picked up the Marine's shoe and
spit in it. When the Marine returned with the coke, the other Arab
said, 'That looks good, I'd really like one, too.' Again, the
Marine obligingly went to fetch it. While he was gone the other
Arab picked up the Marines other shoe and spit in it. When the
Marine returned, they all sat back and enjoyed the
flight.
As the plane was landing, the Marine slipped his feet into his shoes
and knew immediately what had happened. He leaned over and asked
his Arab neighbors... 'Why does it have to be this way?' 'How long
must this go on? This fighting between our nations? This hatred?
This animosity? This spitting in shoes and pissing in
cokes?'
THE FEW. THE PROUD. THE MARINES.
RR#3 HOW
DID SOMEONE HACK INTO HILLARY'S DREAM?
GS
A MESSAGE FROM THE QUEEN
As you know, my dear people, the last year for me has been an annus
horribilus. The Royal House of Clinton has been tormented by
questions about our handling of finances and subjected to tiresome
questions about the tragic events in Benghazi - in the furthest regions
of our empire. And, sadly, also questions about my Royal e-mails.
Nevertheless, I will
not be daunted in my desire and commitment to serve you, the
people. For the next seventeen months I will be traveling among
you as one of you, to listen to your deepest longings and needs.
I will be with you in your Wal-Marts and beside you in your Burger
Kings. I will drive with you down the busy interstate highways of
our land, sharing your poverty and needs. How well I
remember the days when the Duke of Arkansas and I were
impoverished. After we were expelled from our Washington Palace
we hardly had two mansions to rub together. We were so poor that
we removed thousands of dollars of china, flatware, carpets and gifts
from the Washington Palace just to survive. Shockingly, unscrupulous
and ungrateful officials later forced us to return many of these
treasures. Now, happily, benefactors from around our empire have
given me just enough for us to scrape by. During these
difficult times, we had to cut back. When our daughter was married, we
only had three million dollars to spend on her wedding. And, I remember
our hopes, as she moved into her $10 million Manhattan apartment, that
one day she would be able to move on from that humble abode to
something more fitting. After working for MSNBC for a starting
salary of a mere $600,000 per year, what else could she do? So I now
pay her $3,000,000 a year to run the 'Foundation'. So, as I travel
across our kingdom to meet you, I will be listening and sharing with
you. Then, when the time for the royal election (Coronation)
comes, I know I can count on you to crown me as your rightful monarch,
with my assurance that I will continue King Obama’s policies, and we
can all live happily ever after. Your
Queen-in-Waiting, Hilarity Rodham
Clinton
THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN, DURING RECENT DECADES, ALL CHILDREN ARE
TOUGHT THAT "EVERYONE'S A WINNER".
Hey: I thought up that name for the ultimate "loser" game: The Toilet
Bowl".
1907 PHOTO This one needs to circulate I think this is one email that needs to be
forwarded until every American with a computer receives it. The year is 1907, one hundred and 8 years
ago. READ PRINT UNDER PICTURE! Theodore Roosevelt's ideas on Immigrants
and being an AMERICAN in 1907. 'In the first place, we should insist that
if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and
assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality
with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any
such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is
predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American, and
nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any
man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an
American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag... We
have room for but one language here, and that is the English language..
And we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the
American people.' Theodore Roosevelt 1907 Every American citizen needs to read this!
TUESDAY, January 12, 2016
ONCE AGAIN: DOESN'T ANY OF THIS MATTER TO YOU, YOU IDIOTS? AND
YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE.
For many years I nave been ashamed of many of my physician colleagues,
both individually and as represented through their respective
professional organizations. More than anyone else, they know -
and should respect - the fact that in pregnancy they have two human
patients from the moment of conception. The above quote is taken
directly from the Oath of Hippocrates, as is the direct prohibition
against abortion. Of course, many physicians minted in recent
decades took only a watered-down version conveniently proposed by the
AMA, whose membership I rejected in disgust in 1990, after over 30
years of membership. These physicians have prostituted themselves
to hypocracy and self-service. Abortion is the intentional killing of a
human being. It is certainly not merely a "woman's health"issue.
SHAMEFUL.
GS
RR#3
I WONDER WHY.
Connecticut is among the very worst States in negatives, both business
and personal. Could that have anything to do with the fact that for 40
years it has been controlled by Leftists? As "W" said in New Orleans
during "Katrina":
"You're doin' a heck of a job, Brownie".
MORE ON THE STATE, AND ALSO THE RELIGION, OF ISLAM.
So: Is integration into a democratic and secular society even an option
for Muslims, moderate or otherwise? We need to answer this
question before admitting any more Muslims to America.
SATURDAY, January 9, 2016 RR#1
THIS IS WHY I USE THE "ALIAS" OF "BONNIE AND CLYDE" FOR THIS PAIR.
IS ANYONE A BETTING PERSON AS TO WHETHER AN INDICTMENT WILL BE ISSUED?
This was a guest speaker at an actual
Conference on Aging in California;
The speaker is a weatherman, but SHOULD be a stand up
comic.
Attendees were young and old alike, male and female.
I hope no one is offended . . . he is hysterical.
RR#3
This
dancing is filmed (26 Feb 2012) on Moscow's “overlook” in Sparrow
Hills.
Looking down from the “overlook” you see the largest stadium in Russia
(140K
capacity). The ski jump is for practice and training - if you
make a
mistake, you end up in the river below. The church at the end
opposite to
the ski jump is Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church, and it's
beautiful.
The large building on the opposite side of the road beside the overlook
is the
Moscow State University and the top of the tall center tower has one of
the
Kremlin stars.
Try and not smile as you watch this - you
will. It is a
nice, gentle clip. “Putting on the Ritz,”
in Moscow, no less! What a crazy, delightful, ever changing
world!
Who could have thought that in 2012 young people in Moscow would put on
a
"flash mob" happening, dancing to an 83 year old American song,
written by a Russian born American Jew. (Irving
Berlin)
Sound ON! Enjoy...
FRIDAY,
January 8, 2016 RR#1
ALRIGHT: MY TURN.
The following are a series of "free association" comments on this
presidential campaign, in no particular order.
President
Obama: a Divider, in no way a Uniter. That is his legacy, a shameful
one.
The "State
of the Union" has not been this divided since Viet Nam. And that schism
produced the destruction of public education, the "welfare generations"
that guarantee permanent second class citizenship, and the mother's
milk that has produced the Washington Godzilla.
In fact,
House Speaker Paul Ryan, in a valuable extended interview with
Katie Kouric this week, mentioned - before dismissing it prematurely -
that "some people think we're in a civil war". In fact, we would be in
a civil war, involving massive civil disobedience or worse, if this
were not 2016, a Presidential election year that is providing a safety
valve for all of the pent - up ANGER out there. And a win by a
real or perceived Leftist candidate in November could have dire
consequences on the "united" States.
It's too
bad that Paul Ryan was not the presidential candidate instead of Mitt
Romney. He might well have won and saved us from these 8
execrable years. I wish that Ryan were in the race now.
Donald
Trump is NOT a "flash in the pan". He is a viable candidate who can go
all the way - and who would win against Bonny and Clyde. What his
opponents, Republican and Democrat, are very afraid of is THE WILL OF
THE PEOPLE. Who ever thought that would matter?
All of the
other Republican candidates must decide to get real regarding the real
problems facing America:
a bloated
and self-perpetuating political class, of both Parties - which must
change. Term limits and application of all Laws to office holders.
A tax
structure that in fact subverts both the Fifth and Fourteenth
Amendments of our Constitution. It must be totally revised.
Freedom of
Religion, not freedom from Religion.
We are a
nation of immigrants, not a nation of committed citizens of another
secular Nation - Islam - , a nation committed to destroying America.
So, stop the hypocritica/ cynical crap about "immigrants" and about
"freedom of religion" as applied to the State of Islam.
A nation
that does not control its borders and its new-comers is not a nation at
all. And having all but invited the 12 million illegal immigrants here
over the last decades, we must now provide a responsible path to
legalization and eventual citizenship to honest people. "Amnesty" is a
loaded word designed to stop any discussion - and is a loser.
America has
the earned and also has a de facto position of Leader of the Free World
and positive model for the rest of the blighted world. We must accept
and discharge that responsibility, not mainly out of magnanimity but
out of national self-interest. And that includes our projection of
military power wherever needed - with "boots on the ground" rather than
with "barefoot" Special Forces placed in harm's way. What a
spectacle, Mr. President.
"Engine
Charlie Wilson" said in the 1950's that "What's good for General Motors
is good for America". Chutzpa, yes...but the following is not:
WHAT'S GOOD FOR
AMERICA IS GOOD FOR THE WORLD.
GS
RR#2
Peggy Noonan wrote
about Trump this past weekend in the Wall Street Journal Trump
- Things You Might Not Know About Him
Trump, hopefully, is waking some of the RINOs up. The criticisms
of Trump are amazingly missing something. They are lacking in negative
stories from those who work for him or have had business dealings with
him.
After all the employees he's had and all the business deals he's made
there is a void of criticism. In fact, long term employees call him a
strong and merciful leader and say he is far more righteous and of high
integrity than people may think.
And while it may surprise many, he's actually humble when it comes to
his generosity and kindness. A good example is a story that tells
of his limo breaking down on a deserted highway outside of New York
City. A middle-aged couple stopped to help him and as a thank you
he paid off their mortgage, but he didn't brag about that.
Generous and good people rarely talk of charity they bestow on others.
But as much as all this is interesting, the real thing that people want
to know is what Donald Trump's plan is for America.
It's funny how so many people say they don't know what it is, or they
act like Trump is hiding it. The information is readily available if
people would just do a little homework. But, since most Americans
won't, I did.
1.) Trump believes that America should not intervene militarily in
other country's problems without being compensated for doing so.
If America is going to risk the lives of our soldiers and incur the
expense of going to war, then the nations we help must be willing to
pay for our help.
Using the Iraq War as an example, he cites the huge monetary expense to
American taxpayers (over $1.5 trillion, and possibly much more
depending on what sources are used to determine the cost) in addition
to the cost in human life.
He suggests that Iraq should have been required to give us enough of
their oil to pay for the expenses we incurred. He includes in those
expenses the medical costs for our military and $5 million for each
family that lost a loved one in the war and $2 million for each family
of soldiers who received severe injuries.
2.) Trump wants America to have a strong military again. He
believes the single most important function of the federal government
is national defense. He has said he wants to find the General
Patton or General MacArthur that could lead our military buildup back
to the strength it needs to be.
While he hasn't said it directly that I know of, Trump's attitude about
America and about winning tells me he'd most likely be quick to
eliminate rules of engagement that handicap our military in
battle. Clearly Trump is a "win at all costs" kind of guy, and
I'm sure that would apply to our national defense and security, too
3.) Trump wants a strong foreign policy and believes that it must
include 7 core principles:
1.) American interests come first. Always. No apologies. Maximum
firepower and military preparedness. Only go to war to win.
2.) Stay loyal to your friends and suspicious of your enemies.
3.) Keep the technological sword razor sharp. See the unseen Prepare
for threats before they materialize. Respect and support our present
and past warriors.
4.) Trump believes that terrorists who are captured should be treated
as military combatants, not as criminals like the Obama administration
treats them.
5.) Trump makes the point that China's manipulation of their currency
has given them unfair advantage in our trade dealings with them.
He says we must tax their imports to offset their currency
manipulation, which will cause American companies to be competitive
again and drive manufacturing back to America and create jobs here.
Although he sees China as the biggest offender, he believes that
America should protect itself from all foreign efforts to take our jobs
and manufacturing. For example, Ford is building a plant in
Mexico and Trump suggests that every part or vehicle Ford makes in
Mexico be taxed 35% if they want to bring it into the U.S., which would
cause companies like Ford to no longer be competitive using their
Mexican operations and move manufacturing back to the U.S., once again
creating jobshere.
6.) Trump wants passage of NOPEC legislation (No Oil Producing and
Exporting Cartels Act – NOPEC – S.394), which would allow the
government to sue OPEC for violating antitrust laws. According to
Trump, that would break up the cartel. He also wants to unleash our
energy companies to drill domestically (sound like Sarah Palin's drill
baby, drill?) thereby increasing domestic production creating jobs and
driving domestic costs of oil and gas down while reducing dependence on
foreign oil.
7.) Trump believes a secure border is critical for both security and
prosperity in America. He wants to build a wall to stop illegals
from entering and put controls on immigration. (And he says he'll get
Mexico to pay for the wall, which many have scoffed at, but given his
business successes I wouldn't put it past him.) He also wants to
enforce our immigration laws and provide no path to citizenship for
illegals.
8.) Trump wants a radical change to the tax system to not only make it
better for average Americans, but also to encourage businesses to stay
here and foreign businesses to move here. The resulting influx of money
to our nation would do wonders for our economy. He wants to make
America the place to do business. He also wants to lower the
death tax and the taxes on capital gains and dividends. This would put
more than $1.6 trillion back into the economy and help rebuild the 1.5
million jobs we've lost to the current tax system. He also wants
to charge companies who outsource jobs overseas a 20% tax, but for
those willing to move jobs back to America they would not be taxed. And
for citizens he has a tax plan that would allow Americans to keep more
of what they earn and spark economic growth. He wants to change
the personal income tax to: Up to $30,000 taxed at 1%. From $30,000 to
$100,000 taxed at 5%. From $100,000 to $1,000,000 taxed at 10%.
$1,000,000 and above taxed at 15%.
9.) Trump wants Obamacare repealed. He says it's a "job-killing, health
care-destroying monstrosity" that "can't be reformed, salvaged, or
fixed." He believes in allowing real competition in the health
insurance marketplace to allow competition to drive prices down.
He also believes in tort reform to get rid of defensive medicine and
lower costs.
10.) Trump wants spending reforms in Washington, acknowledging that
America spends far more than it receives in revenue. He has said
he believes that if we don't stop increasing the national debt once it
hits $24 trillion it will be impossible to save this country.
11.) Even though he says we need to cut spending, he does not want to
harm those on Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security. He believes that
the citizens have faithfully paid in to the system to have these
services available and that the American government has an obligation
to fulfill its end of the bargain and provide those benefits.
Therefore, he wants to build the economy up so that we have the revenue
to pay those costs without cutting the benefits to the
recipients. He disagrees with Democrats who think raising taxes
is the answer and says that when you do that you stifle the
economy. On the other hand, when you lower taxes and create an
environment to help businesses they will grow, hire more workers, and
those new workers will be paying taxes that become more tax revenue for
the government.
12.) Trump also wants reform of the welfare state saying that America
needs "a safety net, not a hammock." He believes in a welfare to work
program that would help reduce the welfare roles and encourage people
to get back to work. And he wants a crackdown on entitlement
fraud.
13.) Trump believes climate change is a hoax.
14.) Trump opposes Common Core.
15.) Trump is pro-life, although he allows for an exception due to
rape, incest, or the life of the mother.
16.) Trump is pro 2nd Amendment rights.
17.) Trump's view on same-sex marriage is that marriage is between a
man and a woman, but he also believes that this is a states rights
issue, not a federal issue.
18.) Trump supports the death penalty. Trump believes that there
is a lack of common sense, innovative thinking in Washington (Hmmm...
looks like he believes in horse sense!). He says it's about
seeing the unseen and that's the kind of thinking we need to turn this
country around. He tells a personal story to illustrate the
point: "When I opened Trump National Golf Club at Rancho Palos Verdes
in Los Angeles, I was immediately told that I would need to build a new
and costly ballroom. The current ballroom was gorgeous, but it only sat
200 people and we were losing business because people needed a larger
space for their events. Building a new ballroom would take years
to get approval and permits (since it's on the Pacific Ocean), and cost
about $5 million. I took one look at the ballroom and saw
immediately what needed to be done. The problem wasn't the size
of the room, it was the size of the chairs. They were huge, heavy, and
unwieldy. We didn't need a bigger ballroom, we needed smaller
chairs! So I had them replaced with high-end, smaller chairs. I
then had our people sell the old chairs and got more money for them
than the cost of the new chairs. In the end, the ballroom went from
seating 200 people to seating 320 people. Our visitors got the
space they desired, and I spared everyone the hassle of years of
construction and $5 million of expense. It's amazing what you can
accomplish with a little common sense. On top of his saving years
of construction and $5 million in expenses, he also was able to keep
the ballroom open for business during the time it would have been under
remodeling, which allowed him to continue to make money on the space
instead of losing that revenue during construction time.
19.) Donald Trump's entire life has been made up of success and
winning. He's been accused of bankruptcies, but that's not
true. He's never filed personal bankruptcy. He's bought
companies and legally used bankruptcy laws to restructure their debt,
just as businesses do all the time. But he's never been bankrupt
personally.
20.) He's a fighter that clearly loves America and would fight for our
nation. Earlier I quoted Trump saying, "I love America. And
when you love something, you protect it passionately – fiercely,
even." We never hear that from Democrats or even from most
Republicans. Donald Trump is saying things that desperately need
to be said but no other candidate has shown the fortitude to stand up
and say them. Looking over this list of what he wants for America
I see a very necessary set of goals that are long past due.
Before we criticize someone because the media does, maybe we should
seriously consider what he has to offer, as it is important to know
what each of our candidates to replace a President who has ruined us
globally, and who has put us on a path to disaster! This is
not an appeal to vote for Trump, only to give some depth of comparison,
before this week's debate.
RR#3
"The Revenant"
As I've noted
before, a book can be analyzed on four fronts:
the Plot, the Characterizations, the author's message / intent, and
what the author unintentionally revealed about himself or herself.
Here, the story is based at least in part on a true story, that of the
frontiersman / trapper Hugh Glass in the 1820's. But how he
survived
and why he continued trying to survive is not clearly established
for
most of the film. The "survival instinct of man", faced with all of
these challenges, by itself would not cut it for me. Seeking revenge is
always a powerful motivator - but that kicks in much later.
The characters, and the characterization are great acting. And the main
actor is the environment, a beautiful - deadly travelogue that would be
worth the price of admission by itself.
What is the message of the author and the director? That revenge should
give way to '"Vengance is Mine. I shall repay", sayeth the Lord."
What is their message that they unintentionally reveal, at least to me?
That revenge itself is a good enough motivator.
An "A" in all categories.
GS
WEDNESDAY and
THURSDAY, January 6 and 7, 2016 RR#1
MONDAY and
TUESDAY, January 4 and 5, 2016 RR#1 REGARDING OBAMA AND
THE LATEST ISRAELI - PALESTINIAN CRISIS.
Our President, God help us, either does not know what he is doing...or,
worse yet, he does.
RR#2 The French
who permit this are out of their minds.
Islam is not primarily a Religion. It is a foreign State, and a
threatening one at that.
GS
SUNDAY,
January 3, 2016 RR#1 ON PUBLIC "EDUCATION",
AGAIN...
The News is...There's No News.
But what there is, finally, is an Admission by the so-called "newspaper
of record" that the decades - long failure of "public education" has
produced its inevitable results.
See "THE COUNTERFEIT HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA", Editorial, NYTimes December
31, 2015, pA20.
And the cause of what should be at least civilly if not criminally
actionable: the Teachers' Unions and their political supporters.
You want more? Review the many offerings spanning many years in my web
site section entitled: "Public Education Politics".
GS
RR#2
MY COMMENTS ON CONCUSSION: A SEQUEL...
See the Obituary of Doug Atkins, in NYTimes Thursday, Dec. 31, 2015,
pA19:
"Doug Atkins, a Behemoth Ever Present In the Backfields of
Opponents, Dies at 85".
"Atkins was a giant for his time, at 6 feet 8 inches and 280 pounds or
so. Renowned for his strength and agility, Atkins was a fearsome
pass rusher." And so on....
What's wrong with this picture? What's fair about such a match-up?
THE GAME OF FOOTBALL, AT ALL LEVELS, NEEDS A COMPLETE RE-BOOT!
GS
RR#3
Adam, this is the next RR, with my comment:
CLIMATE CHANGE:
Our leaders will take us to the promised land.
GS
RR#4
BEAUTIFUL, a great gift.
GS
RR#5
THIS IS ABOUT "RELIGIONS".
Do they deserve their "bad rap" for being considered a major
destabilizing force in human relations throughout History? Let's
see.
I will not discuss Hinduism or Buddhism, for they seem to be more a way
of approaching Life than a committed quest for ultimate union with a
god after death.
Rather, it is the monotheistic Religions, Judaism, Christianity and
Islam, that are usually pointed to.
The Yahweh of the Jews has always had a very personal relationship with
them, a hallmark of that relationship. And their God made
specific promises to them. Isaiah reports: "...for the riches of the
sea shall be emptied out before you, the wealth of nations shall be
brought to you". (Isaiah 60: 1-6). They're still waiting.
The God-Man Jesus Christ came to save humanity from its sins in all
humility. "My Kingdom is not of this world..." And this great gift was
not only for his Jewish brethren, but for all of humanity, as St. Paul
announces "...that the Gentiles are co-heirs..." (Ephesians 3:2-3a,
5-6). Christianity was built on peace and brotherhood throughout the
subsequent ages, except for the Crusades, for some bad Popes and for
the Protestant Reformation and the 30 years War.
Then comes Muhammed, who sets his messages from Allah in the Koran,
while accepting Abraham and Jesus as prophets to be respected.
But his message embodies also a totally encompassing way of life, a
secular government controlling all human activity of its followers and
enforced by Sharia Law. As a direct result of this dual
structure, much of Muslim history has encompassed political quests for
power, including the Shia - Sunni division since the late 600's AD.
This is why, as distinguished from the other two monotheistic
Religions, Islam must be dealt with as a secular State much more than
as a Religion in international affairs, especially when that State in
effect declares war on non-Muslims and when members of that State
insist on the supremacy of their Sharia Law for their members, wherever
they might reside.
So, all three major Religions deserve some of that bad rap. But Islam,
the Religion / State, is an especially destabilizing case in human
relations. The situation can only be made much worse by treating
it as "just another Religion". In fact, such an error could be
existential.
GS
SATURDAY,
January 2, 2016 ABOUT THE JEWS AND THE
ARABS;
ABOUT ISRAEL AND "PALESTINE".
Dr. Radin's facts are true. And what does that leave us with...
that humans are all hypocrites?
--The treatment,
persecution, and in many cases wholesale murder of Native Americans
will forever be a stain on the American culture. There is nothing
we can do about this now.
--The fight over
Alsace/Lorraine was hardly a "prime cause" of WWI. To be sure, it
was on France's and Germany's list of objectives in that horrific
conflict, but not "prime".
Where this writer
goes off the rails is in saying that "Obviously, no nation gives up
land, which is eternal, for peace, which is ephemeral." This is
false, especially in the case of Israel. And, being Jewish, this
writer should plainly know this. Israel did it in 1979 with a
relatively HUGE amount of real estate known as the Sinai
Peninsula. They also did it in 2005 with Gaza. And, we all
know what that continues to result in.
There is no
society more conscious of the ephemeral nature of peace than
Israelis. In spite of this they have still taken the high road in
this regard. And, as is noted in this article, no good deed goes
unpunished, it seems.
So, in answer to
your question, this is not an issue of a "pox on both your
houses." This is an issue of Arabs/Muslims continuing their often
psychotic and maniacal obsession with eradicating all things (and
people) Jewish; that's it. The only thing that beard-scratching
"doctors" and "professors" accomplish otherwise is to perpetuate the
status quo.
As the saying
goes, "If Arabs put down their arms today, there will be peace
tomorrow. If Israel puts down its arms today, there will be no
Israel tomorrow."
I also like the
Golda Meir quote on the same issue: "Peace will come when Arabs love
their children more than they hate us."
P-
FRIDAY, January 1, 2016 RR#1 MOVIE REVIEW...A
"PREQUEL". " THE REVENANT".
Here's a movie that I promise not to walk out of.
RR#3 REGARDING "ADVANCE
DIRECTIVES".
It's about quality - and quantity - of Life, in both an entirely
rational and moral context.
It's about "self-determination" and "futility".
And it's about both treating physicians and families honoring those
directives.
