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
Do
you know how many Americans agree with candidate Donald Trump on these
issues? And how many consider these positions to be as a breath of
fresh air in an otherwise toxic foreign affairs atmosphere?
Everybody
is against Donald Trump...EXCEPT THE PEOPLE. Unless this fact changes,
he should be and will be the Republican nominee. "IN A DEMOCRACY, THE PEOPLE ALWAYS GET WHAT THEY DESERVE".
JFK'S Secretary of State, Dean Rusk, was in France in the early 60's when DeGaulle decided to pull out of NATO. DeGaulle said he wanted all US Military out of France as soon as possible.
Rusk responded, "Does that include those who are buried here?"
DeGaulle Did not respond. You could have heard a pin drop.
- - - - - - - - -
When in England , At a fairly large conference, Colin Powell was asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury if our plans for Iraq were just an example of 'empire building' by George Bush.
He answered by saying, "Over the years, the United States has sent many of Its fine young men and women into great peril to fight for freedom Beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have ever asked for In return is enough to bury those that did not Return." You Could have heard a pin drop.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There was a conference in France Where a number of international engineers Were taking part, including French and American. During a break, One of the French engineers came back into the room saying, "Have you Heard the latest dumb stunt Bush has done? He has sent an aircraft Carrier to Indonesia to help the tsunami victims. What does he Intend to do, bomb them?"
A Boeing engineer Stood up and replied quietly: "Our carriers have three Hospitals on board that can treat several hundred people; they are Nuclear powered and can supply emergency electrical power to Shore facilities; they have three cafeterias with the capacity to Feed 3,000 people three meals a day, they can produce several thousand Gallons of fresh water from sea water each day, and they carry half a Dozen helicopters for use in transporting victims and injured to and From their flight deck. We have eleven such ships; How many does France have?" You could have heard a pin drop.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A U.S. Navy Admiral Was attending a naval conference that included Admirals from the U.S., English, Canadian, Australian and French Navies At a cocktail reception, he found himself standing with a large Group of officers that included personnel from most of those countries. Everyone was chatting away in English as they sipped their drinks but a French admiral suddenly complained that, whereas Europeans learn many Languages, Americans learn only English. He then asked, "Why is it that We always have to speak English in these conferences rather than Speaking French?"
Without hesitating, The American Admiral replied, "Maybe it's because the Brit's, Canadians, Aussie's and Americans arranged it so you wouldn't Have to speak German." You Could have heard a pin drop.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AND THIS STORY FITS RIGHT IN WITH THE ABOVE...
Robert Whiting, An elderly gentleman of 83, arrived in Paris by plane. At French Customs, he took a few minutes to locate his passport In his carry on.
"You Have been to France before, monsieur?" the customs officer asked Sarcastically.
Mr. Whiting Admitted that he had been to France Previously.
"Then You should know enough to have your passport ready."
The American said, "The last time I was here, I didn't have to show it."
"Impossible.. Americans always have to show their passports on arrival in France !"
The American senior Gave the Frenchman a long hard look. Then he Quietly explained, ''Well, when I came ashore at OmahaBeach on D-Day in 1944 to help liberate this country, I couldn't find a single Frenchmen To show a passport to."
You Could have heard a pin drop.
WEDNESDAY, March 23,
2016
THIS IS WHAT CAN HAPPEN WHEN YOU SAY "WHY NOT", INSTEAD OF "WHY".
Another chapter: GEORGE SPRECACE'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE.
Here
I sit, deep in an Adirondack chair on the patio of my son's home
outside Denver, beside a bubbling brook, home to several carp, enjoying
the gentle rays of an early Spring afternoon sun and watching my 9 year
old Giorgia do her homework.
And those of you familiar with what happens when I spend a few days on vacation will guess what's next: "AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 (or so) OBSERVATIONS."
1)
Brussels: tragic but predictable for a country and a continent that
have discarded common sense. Today, the Prime Minister of France
declared "We are at War". You bet! 2) In Cuba, our President offers
the world, getting nothing in return except Commerce. Certainly not a
restoration of Human Rights. And he opens himself to lies to his face
from Castro. "You're doin' a heck of a job, Brownie." 3) From the
Vatican, dueling Papal statements - fortunately not "Ex Cathedra" -
regarding divorced and re-married Catholics. From retired Pope
Benedict, rigidity. From Pope Francis...and from Pope John XXlll, hope
and mercy. What we need here, and what I believe we will receive, is
Divine Inspiration. 4) At home in America: a) The
"Establishment", Republican, Democrat, Wall Street, political
appointees, Federal legislators cutting special deals for themselves
(as for example regarding their health insurance): they are in a panic
with the ascendancy of Donald Trump. Everyone is against
Trump...EXCEPT THE PEOPLE! And the people, new voters, are coming out
in droves. If Donald Trump earns the required number of delegates or
close to it, a "brokered convention" that is perceived to rob him of
the nomination will be a broken convention and a lost election. Folks,
are you all that stupid / desperate? Let's see.... b) What happened
to many of our colleges and universities? The First Amendment no
longer covers many of the classrooms, where teachers and students alike
try to intimidate and punish those with whom they do not agree.
Outrageous and a blight on themselves and on the American way.
Now
to end on a positive note. If our Millennials and their parents
survive until middle age, after having confined themselves to the
personal isolation of their personal phones and gadgets, they should
read three recent articles which provide a road map to a happy and
productive next four decades. 1) "The Middle-Age Surge", by David Brooks, NYTimes Tuesday, March 22, 2016, Op-ED, pA23. 2) "An Emotion We Need More Of", Wall Street Journal Tuesday, Maerch 22, 2016, Personal Journal,pD1. 3) "It's Time to Re-Think The Bucket-List Retirement", by Marc E. Agronin, WSJ March 21, 2016, Encore, pR1.
As for me, at 83 years old, still practicing and living fully, I practice what I preach. "COME ON IN. THE WATER'S FINE".
GS
SATURDAY through MONDAY, March 19 through 21,
2016
Latest U.S. Statistical Map: Make sure you read to the bottom... Quite an eye opener! (Or should be!)
California New Mexico Mississippi Alabama Illinois Kentucky Ohio New York Maine South Carolina
These 11 States now have More People on Welfare than they do
Employed!!!
Last month, the Senate Budget Committee reports that in fiscal year
2012, between food stamps, housing support, child care, Medicaid and other
benefits, the average U.S. Household below the poverty line received $168.00 a
day in government support. What's the problem with that much
support? Well, the median household income in America is just over
$50,000, which averages out to $137.13 a day. To put it another way, being on welfare now pays the equivalent of
$30.00 an hour for 40 hour week, while the average job pays $20.00 an hour. Check the last set of statistics!! The percentage of each past president's cabinet...Who
had worked in the private business sector...prior to their appointment to the
cabinet. You know what the private business sector is; a real-life
business...not a government job.
Here are the percentages. 38% T.
Roosevelt 40% Taft
52% Wilson
49% Harding
48% Coolidge
42% Hoover
50% F. D. Roosevelt
50% Truman 57% Eisenhower 30% Kennedy
47% Johnson
53% Nixon
42% Ford
32% Carter
56% Reagan
51% GH Bush
39% Clinton
55% GW Bush
8% Obama
This helps explain the incompetence of this administration: ONLY 8% of them...have ever
worked in private business!That's right!
Only eight percent---the least, by far, of the last 19 presidents! And these people are trying
to tell our big corporations how to run their business? How can the president
of a major nation and society, the one with the most successful economic system
in world history, stand and talk about business when he's never worked for
one? Or about jobs when he has never really had one? And, when it's the
same for 92% of his senior staff and closest advisers? They've spent most of their
time in academia, government, and/or non-profit jobs. Or...As "community organizers." Pass this on, because we'll
NEVER see these facts...in the main stream media!!!
"Socialism is a
philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy.
Its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery" -Winston Churchill
THURSDAY, March 17,
2016
HERE IS A BOOK REVIEW: A SCHOLARLY WORK - WITH AN ATTITUDE.
"A JUST AND GENEROUS NATION: Abraham Lincoln and the Fight for American Opportunity", by Harold Holzer and Norton Garfinkle, Basic Books, 2015.
You
would think that nothing more could be said or written about one of our
two greatest Presidents. Wrong. Lincoln embodied all that an American
President could and should be: from meager beginnings to a self-made
professional; from a moral man to a practical politician; from an
orator with an unfortunate high voice to a master wordsmith who could
regularly spellbind the largest of crowds. From a leader who embraced
the company and advice of his adversaries to a person of iron will who
chose a difficult course and followed it to the end, regardless of
difficulty or controversy.
And yet, who was this man? What
motivated him? Specifically regarding the monumental issues of his
time, was he abolitionist, anti-slavery, or merely a slim reed in a
storm? Was he anti-aristocratic South or pro-middle-class North - or
something more in his adamant refusal to accept the right of Southern
States to secede from the United States of America?
This
valuable book proposes to answer some of these questions, and as such
is definitely worth studying. More importantly, the authors provide a
treasure-trove of Abraham Lincoln's own statements, including those
offered in his debates with Stephen Douglas, his Cooper Union speech
and his Second Inaugural Address.
Lincoln was adamantly
anti-slavery, on moral grounds and on the practical consideration that
the Union could not survive "half-slave and half-free", a result which
would be guaranteed if any more other than the then-current slave
states were allowed to become slave, specifically in the burgeoning
West. He knew that he did not have the public on his side in 1860 if
he tried to abolish slavery entirely then. Rather, he sought to have
it die on the vine - something the South clearly realized. Thus, his
emphasis was on no slavery in any more States, particularly in the
West. And that is why the South started the Civil War, without
Constitutional legality according to Lincoln.
But as
important to Lincoln, as emphasized by the authors, was his commitment
to personal equality, to the opportunity of every man to better himself
by the sweat of his own brow: to a meritocracy guaranteeing a "middle
class" - something anathema to the aristocratic slave-holding society
of the South and ultimately fatal, if allowed to remain, to the
middle-class North - that guarantor of stability in an otherwise
raucous and still revolutionary young nation. The latter was a point
that had been made decades earlier by Alexis de Tocqueville in his
prescient observations of America. And Lincoln thought that the
Government should work to guarantee level ground on which that
meritocracy and middle class could survive and thrive always.
But
where the authors editorialize and over-reach their facts and data is
when the constantly assert that Lincoln's basic tenets for accepting a
Civil War could be transferred in practice to the American welfare
state of the last several decades, with government over-reach, personal
lack of responsibility and its gross consequences, and an incessant
although modernized political promise of "a chicken in every pot; a car
in every garage". This unfortunate distortion is captured in one of
the book's reviews which describes "...a coherent line of economic
thought straight through from young Abe to Barack Obama..."
DELUSIONAL.
Again: a good book. Just don't drink the kool-aide.
Much better than the
daily swill that surrounds us.
GS
There once was a man named
George Thomas, pastor in a small New
England town. One Easter Sunday morning he came to the Church
carrying a rusty, bent, old bird cage, and set it by the pulpit.
Eyebrows were raised and, as if in response, Pastor Thomas began to
speak....
"I was walking through town yesterday when I saw a young boy
coming toward me swinging this bird cage. On the bottom of the
cage were three little wild birds, shivering with cold and fright.
I stopped the lad and asked, "What do you have there, son?"
"Just some old birds," came the reply.
"What are you going to do with them?" I asked.
"Take 'em home and have fun with 'em," he answered. "I'm gonna
tease 'em and pull out their feathers to make 'em fight. I'm gonna
have a real good time."
"But you'll get tired of those birds sooner or later. What will
you do then?"
"Oh, I got some cats," said the little boy. "They like birds. I'll
take 'em to them."
The pastor was silent for a moment. "How much do you want for
those birds, son?"
"Huh?? !!! Why, you don't want them birds, mister.
They're just plain old field birds. They don't sing. They ain't
even pretty!"
"How much?" the pastor asked again.
The boy sized up the pastor as if he were crazy and said, "$10?"
The pastor reached in his pocket and took out a ten dollar bill.
He placed it in the boy's hand. In a flash, the boy was gone. The
pastor picked up the cage and gently carried it to the end of the
alley where there was a tree and a grassy spot. Setting the cage
down, he opened the door, and by softly tapping the bars persuaded
the birds out, setting them free. Well, that explained the empty
bird cage on the pulpit, and then the pastor began to tell this story:
One day Satan and Jesus were having a conversation. Satan had just
come from the Garden of Eden, and he was gloating and boasting.
"Yes, sir, I just caught a world full of people down there. Set me
a trap, used bait I knew they couldn't resist. Got 'em all!"
"What are you going to do with them?" Jesus asked.
Satan replied, "Oh, I'm gonna have fun! I'm gonna teach them how
to marry and divorce each other, how to hate and abuse each other,
how to drink and smoke and curse. I'm gonna teach them how to
invent guns and bombs and kill each other. I'm really gonna have fun!"
"And what will you do when you are done with them" Jesus asked?
"Oh, I'll kill 'em," Satan glared proudly.
"How much do you want for them?" Jesus asked.
"Oh, you don't want those people. They ain't no good. Why, you'll
take them and they'll just hate you. They'll spit on you, curse
you and kill you. You don't want those people!!"
"How much? He asked again.
Satan looked at Jesus and sneered, "All your blood, tears and your
life."
Jesus said, "DONE!" Then He paid the price.
The pastor picked up the cage and walked from the pulpit.
I pray for everyone who sends this on, whether to their entire
address book or just a few, that God will bless them in a special way.
And for those that just deleted it...and I KNOW there will be a
few...?
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO?
I thank God every day for my blessed life. I have a roof over
my
head, clothes on my back, food on my table, a family that loves me
, and lifelong friends to get me through. I'd say I have a lot to
be thankful for. Have you counted your blessings today ?
BACK TO ADMIRING AND EXTOLLING THE WORK OF DR. CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER.
See
his article, reprinted in The Day (www.theday.com) on Saturday, March
13, 2016: "Sanders, The Holocaust and Jewish Identity."
To paraphrase and translate the memorable words of John Kennedy:
I Am A Jew, Once Removed.
GS
RR#4
A TAIL OF TWO PATIENTS.
GS
Two patients limp into two
different doctors' offices with the same complaint:
Both have trouble walking and may require hip surgery.
Patient 1.
Is examined within the hour, is x-rayed the same day and has a time
booked for surgery the following week.
Patient 2.
Sees
his family doctor after waiting 3 weeks for an appointment, then waits
8 weeks to see a specialist, then gets an x-ray, which isn't reviewed
for another week and finally has his surgery scheduled for 6 months
from then, pendingthe review board's decision on his age and remaining
value to society.
Why the different treatment for the 2 patients?
The FIRST is a Golden Retriever taken to a vet.
The SECOND is a Senior Citizen on ObamaCare.
In November, if there is no change in government... we'll all have to
find a good vet.
WEDNESDAY through FRIDAY, March 9 through 11,
2016
MORE ON DONALD
TRUMP'S SUPPORTERS
AND THE BI-PARTISAN / MEDIA "ESTABLISHMENT".
They just don't get it. But help is on the way.
See the article by Bill Donohue entitled
"Elite Don't Get Trump's Appeal" (in Catalyst, March 2016, p5
- www.catholicleague.org).
Two quotations reproduced in the article will give you the gist.
"I can't believe Nixon won. I don't know anyone who voted for
him".
"By name, I know only five people supporting Donald Trump".
Well, NOT EXACTLY.
GS
TUESDAY, March 8,
2016
COULD ALL OF THIS BE
FALSE?
GS
MONDAY, March 7,
2016
RUSH LIMBAUGH:
ANOTHER REALISTIC COMMENTATOR...AT THIS TIME.
DR. CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER, ON HIS PATIENT - THE AMERICAN PEOPLE - AND HIS
TRUMP "DISEASE".
I have long been an admirer of Dr. Krauthammer, of his political
diagnoses and his proposed treatments. But his most recent article,
published in the Washington Post and in The Day (Friday March 4, pA6)
is perplexing if not outright amusing. ("Trump The Centurian Protecting
Christendom".)
The doctor describes the results of his complete history and physical
exam on the Trump phenomenon. And then all he can come up with
diagnostically is "WHA' HOPPEN?"
Well, let's go back to Psychology (and Psychiatry) 101. The overriding
motivation in human behavior is Insecurity. Everything else devolves
from that: from total withdrawal to total anger and attack, and
everything in between. In settings of insecurity, people do not seek a
minister or priest or a negotiator or a pretty face. They
seek a LEADER, and a "kick - ass" leader at that. In fact,
America today, in its current fractured state, is fortunate that we
have a national election year this year and that we have a perceived
Leader to attract our attention. Otherwise, 2016 would be the
year of nation-wide civil disobedience - or worse. That's how
insecure and ANGRY the people are.
That's your diagnosis, Doctor. Now let's hear about some real
treatment - and not just some psychologic gobbledygook.
GS
RR#2
"London has Fallen" (Posted:
March 3, 2016)
This movie will go ungraded by me, since I left early...to wash all of
the blood off myself.
I
hope Londoners will see this, and then perhaps start worrying about all
the Muslims in their midst...who are even allowed their own exclusive
neighborhoods - AND THEIR OWN SHARIA LAW. Insane!
GS
WONDERFUL. HERE IS THE CRUDE, RUDE BROOD THAT A LOT OF AMERICA HAS
BECOME.
The level of discourse in our political discussion has become a race to
the bottom, most recently led by Mitt Romney, that two-time loser who
can never warm to just plain folks.
Meanwhile, "everybody" is against Donald Trump...EXCEPT THE PEOPLE.
GS
RR#4
OK, IT'S HALF-TIME. SO WHAT'S THE SCORE?
And this accepts that everyone is still on the bench and available to
play in the second half, and even to become the "most valuable".
First, let's establish the most important criteria for this job
description: PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
The debacle that has been the last 7 years has so diminished the
perception and also the self-image of America that what we the people
absolutely demand is a LEADER and a person who believes that
America IS EXCEPTIONAL in the world.
John Kasich: sober, experienced, accomplished, a good man
who would be a capable President. But not a LEADER in the
mold that the country desperately needs now.
Ted Cruz. Intelligent, articulate, conservative - and a
brawler - in -chief. We can't take more of that.
Marco Rubio: Intelligent, articulate, attractive, but
lacking the "gravitas". "I knew John Kennedy. You're no John
Kennedy."
Dr. Ben Carson: An honorble man, respected by all. A fine
Vice President, in a pinch.
Chris Christy: the right experience and the right qualities
to be a LEADER...next time around.
Mike Huckabee: definitely a LEADER who would be a great
President, now. Too good for this crop of voters to appreciate? He is
certainly right when he says that the Establishment (of all stripes) is
"wetting its pants" over the prospect of a Trump win that would upset
their rotten apple-cart.
Donald Trump. A "leader" is not someone who orders
subordinates around. He or she is a person that people WANT TO FOLLOW,
even unto death. Donald Trump is that kind of LEADER:
intelligent, articulate, brash, flexible, self-assured...and self -
made, despite and including the initial education and 1 million dollar
family stake. I believe that he is the kind of LEADER that the majority
of Americans want and would vote for at this critical time in America's
history. If he would only loosen up and laugh at himself
sometime. Not seeing that in him bothers me.
So: On to the second half.
GS
RR#5
Is that what "retirement" is like? Just asking.
And I'm still laughing.
GS
What Deep Thinkers Retired Men Are
I mowed the lawn today, and after doing so I sat down and had a cold
beer. The day was really quite beautiful, and the drink facilitated
some deep thinking. My wife walked by and asked me what I was doing,
and I said 'nothing'.
The reason I said 'nothing' instead of saying 'just thinking' is
because she then would have asked 'about what?' At that point I would
have had to explain that men are deep thinkers about various topics,
which would lead to other questions.
Finally I pondered an age old question: Is giving birth more painful
than getting kicked in the nuts? Women always maintain that giving
birth is way more painful than a guy getting kicked in the nuts, but
how could they "know"? Well, after another beer, and some more heavy
deductive thinking, I have come up with an answer to that question.
Getting kicked in the nuts is more painful than having a baby, and even
though I obviously couldn't really "know", here is the reason for my
conclusion. A year or so after giving birth, a woman will often say,
"It might be nice to have another child." On the other hand, you never
hear a guy say, "You know, I think I would like another kick in the
nuts."
I rest my case. Time for another beer, and then maybe a nap
in that hammock.
RR#6
"THE TRUTH WILL MAKE YOU FREE".
See my wife's monograph written in the 1980's, together with many more
related facts, on this web site: Abortion, Morality and
Ethics...Catholic Church.
After reviewing his History and Physical Exam, Dr. Carson gives his
diagnosis regarding the political illness of America. See the
last paragraph of his comments.
